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Fantasy Baseball Quality Starts Leagues Draft Primer (2024)

Fantasy Baseball Quality Starts Leagues Draft Primer (2024)

A quality start or “QS” is a statistic that gets recorded when a starting pitcher lasts six innings or more while allowing three runs or less in a game. Forty years ago, throwing six innings or more was hardly noteworthy, but in today’s analytical game lasting through the sixth is something to be celebrated.

The favorable part about quality starts is that pitchers are more in control of whether they obtain one. If you pitch well and are economical, you’re likely to qualify. Unlike the more popular wins category, a quality start is based more on a pitcher’s performance than how the team performs as a whole. While pitchers are mostly in control of their ability to obtain quality starts, wins are almost completely out of their control. Yes, pitchers need to perform well to keep their team in the game, but if their offense isn’t scoring runs, a win is likely out of reach.

That is why many fantasy leagues have moved on from the classic “win” and are now incorporating quality starts instead. It measures a pitcher’s performance better than wins do, which, most of the time, just comes down to dumb luck. Some leagues carry both categories, but whatever type you play in, if quality starts are included, then you’re going to want to target these next four players.

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