While batting average is the industry standard for most fantasy baseball leagues, replacing average with OBP has also increased in popularity. More and more dynasty leagues are using OBP rather than batting average, and even some redraft leagues have moved in the OBP direction. Nearly every set of rankings you will find uses batting average and not OBP. Most players do not see a massive swing in value from batting average to OBP, but there are indeed a few whose value changes dramatically.
This article will highlight hitters who see both a positive and negative impact on their value when looking at OBP instead of batting average.
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OBP Primer
Using ATC’s projections, I have filtered out any players that are projected for less than 400 plate appearances. From there, I sorted by players with the highest and lowest OBP minus batting average. I will discuss several who see their value change. For someone like Juan Soto (RF – WSH), his value does not change because he is already an elite asset. He is my number one overall player for OBP leagues, but his value does not change drastically as others do. For future reference in this article, the average projected OBP is .074 points higher than batting average. The average projected batting average of the 241 players with at least 400 projected plate appearances is .257 and the average OBP is .331.
While batting average is the industry standard for most fantasy baseball leagues, replacing average with OBP has also increased in popularity. More and more dynasty leagues are using OBP rather than batting average, and even some redraft leagues have moved in the OBP direction. Nearly every set of rankings you will find uses batting average and not OBP. Most players do not see a massive swing in value from batting average to OBP, but there are indeed a few whose value changes dramatically.
This article will highlight hitters who see both a positive and negative impact on their value when looking at OBP instead of batting average.
Practice fast mock drafts with our free Mock Draft Simulator
OBP Primer
Using ATC’s projections, I have filtered out any players that are projected for less than 400 plate appearances. From there, I sorted by players with the highest and lowest OBP minus batting average. I will discuss several who see their value change. For someone like Juan Soto (RF – WSH), his value does not change because he is already an elite asset. He is my number one overall player for OBP leagues, but his value does not change drastically as others do. For future reference in this article, the average projected OBP is .074 points higher than batting average. The average projected batting average of the 241 players with at least 400 projected plate appearances is .257 and the average OBP is .331.
Joey Gallo (LF,RF - NYY)
Using FantasyPros Salary Cap Calculator, Joey Gallo is a $26 player in an OBP league, ranking as the 10th-best outfielder and the 17th-best overall hitter. Changing the settings to batting average instead of OBP drops Gallo to a $13 player, ranking him as the 33rd outfielder and the 66th-best hitter overall.
That is a significant upgrade in OBP formats for Joey Gallo. You go from having a batting average drain on your fantasy team to a nice boost in OBP. His career 15 percent walk rate makes him extremely valuable in OBP, and when you tack on 40 home run pop, you have the makings of a high-end OBP hitter. Adjust your rankings accordingly for Gallo in OBP.
Brandon Nimmo (LF,CF - NYM)
Brandon Nimmo is another player like Joey Gallo, who gets a significant value boost in OBP. He is not a high-end hitter, but you can do worse than a hitter at the top of an elite Mets lineup with a career .393 OBP.
Using the Salary Cap Calculator, Nimmo is just a $1 player in a batting average league, making him irrelevant in a shallow three-outfield league. In an OBP league, he sees his value jump to a $5 player. It is not drastic, but it is a notable difference. With a projected OBP of .380, Nimmo can be extremely valuable to you in an OBP format.
Robbie Grossman (LF,RF - DET)
Robbie Grossman broke out last year in his age-31 season with Detroit, hitting 23 home runs and stealing 20 bases. He posted a .239 batting average but a .357 OBP. Grossman will hurt you in batting average, but his power and speed are enticing. The Tigers lineup should be even better in 2022 with the additions of Javy Baez, Spencer Torkelson (1B,3B - DET), and Riley Greene (CF - DET). Grossman should post an OBP near .350 or above, which makes him much more valuable than in a batting average league.
Tim Anderson (SS - CWS)
Tim Anderson is a top-flight shortstop for fantasy leagues with batting average. Over the last three seasons, Anderson has a .322 batting average over 1290 plate appearances. His OBP over that time is .349, which is good, but it is fully supported by his batting average being high. In those three seasons, Anderson has just a 3.6 percent walk rate.
Anderson drops from a $26 player in standard 5x5 to a $14 player when using OBP. If for some reason Anderson's batting average went south one season, his OBP is tanking with it.
Adalberto Mondesi (SS,3B - KC)
Adalberto Mondesi is a hard player to roster, even in a batting average league. The consistent injuries outweigh the potential power and speed you can get from Mondesi. He brings a poor approach to the plate and has a career .283 OBP. He is projected for a .244 batting average but just a .284 OBP by ATC. A .244 batting average hurts your team slightly, but a .283 OBP destroys those ratios. No matter how badly you need stolen bases, it is hard to roster Mondesi in an OBP league.
Javier Baez (SS,2B - DET)
Baez is much like Tim Anderson, who relies on a good batting average to sustain his OBP. In 2020, Baez posted a .203 batting average and just a .238 OBP. Last season was much better, as he had a .319 OBP, but Baez's 4.8 percent career walk rate hurts him significantly in OBP leagues. Baez is still a solid play because he consistently provides good power and speed, but know it will come with a cost if you play in a league that uses OBP.
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