Fantasy Baseball Manager of the Year

MOTY Subscriber Question #2

April 1, 2006 — Subscribers are always encouraged and free to submit questions, thoughts or anecdotes to MOTY Talk. Periodically, when we feel a subscriber’s email would be helpful to other fantasy baseball fans, we’ll post it and MOTY’s response for all to read.

Customizing the Player Rankings

I thought I could customize the filter to the league scoring setup that I have in my league so it would be more closely relevant to my fantasy league... I can't seem to find that option.

Matt

Yes, it’s April 1, but this is no “April Fool’s Day” response. If we reported that Mark Prior had emergency Tommy John surgery last night and the index finger on his pitching hand was accidentally cut off in the procedure, that’d be an AFD joke.

Any MOTY Talk answer to a “Customizing the Player Rankings” question is straight up, on the level – and most definitely not a joke. With that …

Matt,

Currently, we don't offer an option for users to enter a list of stats that their particular leagues use for scoring — that would inherently exclude other stats, factors that prove indispensable as “predictors of future production.” (It is something we're considering for 2007, though).

However, the trade secret formulae* that generate the MOTY#s include every stat used in the 5x5, Traditional and Sabermetric scoring systems -- as well as a host of other secondary stats. So, the likelihood that your league scores a statistic not considered by the MOTY System is extremely remote ... perhaps a stat like ”secondary average.”

As for customizing the 2006 MOTY rankings to your preference, we suggest you start by using the tools on the site like this (once you get the hang of them, we’re sure you’ll invent new ways):

Using the MOTY Scope™, you can filter any list to include or exclude players based on your preferred stat requirements. For example, if your league uses Sabermetric scoring (bat – r, rbi, obp, slg; pitch – w, sv, era, whip), set the MOTY Scope's Advanced Filters to something like:

• rbi greater than 75
• obp greater than .350
• slg greater than .450

and it will generate a list of only those hitters meeting all those statistical parameters.

You can then rank those batters by runs scored. Simply clicking the “runs” category header in the table sorts them most-to-least, and effectively generates a cheat sheet of the best hitters fitting your personal benchmarks for a Sabermetric scoring league. Which, obviously, you can print by clicking the “printer-friendly” icon. (btw, #1-5 would be Pujols, ARod, Teixeira, M. Young and Manny).

Of course, you may want to get even more specific, maybe sorting your results by position, say, just 3b. Select “3b” in the MOTY Scope position filter dropdown, click “Apply Filter” and the MOTY Scope will generate a list of just third basemen who fit the pre-existing Advanced Filter criteria (unless you click “Reset Filter”).

Or if you're in an AL or NL-only league, you’ll only want those particular players. Just click the corresponding yellow league tab at the top of the page and the MOTY Scope will apply your Advance Filter setting to whichever league you select.

Keep in mind, when you print any of these very-specific search results, the Printer-Friendly Cheat Sheet header includes all the parameters you just set up, so you'll know what each list represents.

After generating uber-focused player lists like this, you may find that you want to cherry pick guys you especially like from each list and add them to a personal roster — which can function as a “master” draft list. For example, “check” as many players as you like, select “A New Roster” in the “Add Selected Players to:” dropdown and click “Save.” Then name your new roster (or in this instance, list) something like “Matt's AL-Only Saber Draft List.” Then do a few more sorts, batters and pitchers, cherry pick your fav's each time, and add them to that roster/list, which will always appear in the dropdown (until you delete the roster on you’re My Rosters page).

When you have all the players you want on the roster – you can add as many as you want – you can then sort it by any stat category header you like. Batting categories will sort batters; pitching, pitchers; the MOTY#s, Adjusted MOTY#s and RPS (“Relative Position Strength”) sort all players batters and pitchers combined.

And, again, when you get any table or any roster/list sorted the way you like, click the printer icon and you'll have a customized cheat sheet — your way for your draft.

There are virtually an infinite number of ways to filter, select and sort players. In fact, you'll probably invent ways to customize the lists.

At the end of the day, that really is the great advantage of the MOTY System — not even we can imagine all the ways you’ll come up with to use it.

BTW, Prior is recovering and in good spirits. Doctors had Ronnie Lott’s amputated pinky finger in a mason jar full of formaldehyde and used it as a replacement on the Cub’s pitching hand. Of course, Prior won’t have as much command on his fastball any more, but he will lay a serious hit on base runners when covering first base on bunt attempts.

* Our lawyer gives us a “noogie” if we forget to say, “trade secret.”