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Types of Fantasy BaseballBy Jonathan LeshanskiJanuary 5, 2003 Types of Fantasy Baseball
What's the difference between Rotisserie and Fantasy Baseball? Rotisserie Baseball is the grandfather of most of the fantasy sports games one finds on the internet. According to legend, rotisserie baseball was invented in a rotisserie chicken restaurant by a group of sportswriters. They conceived of a game in which 8 statistics (Home Runs, Runs, RBIs, Steals, Wins, Saves, Strikeouts and ERA), would be compared in teams drafted by would be “owners”. Points would be awarded based upon the number of “owners” playing and how their team ranked in that category. So in a ten “owner” league whoever was leading the league in a category would get 10 points, the second best would get 9, the third best 8, and so on. This would give the players a total score based upon the 8 categories and the number of players involved. In our theoretical ten player league the maximum points could be 80 (8x10=80) and the minimum would be 10 (1x10=10). The game has a great pennant race type feel to it, where each days games can effect ones score in each category, and change the next days standings. The champion would be whoever finished at the top after the normal season of baseball. Rotisserie was played for years without the benefit of all the computer services we have now. 15 years ago when you played, most of us paid a statistics service to manage our teams for between $20-40 per head. That was just for the basic 8 categories. IF you wanted something special you had to do it yourself or pay extra to a service to follow and manage that category for you. The computerizing of MLB statistics and the newspapers really changed that. Now most people can play for free, or for a nominal fee on the internet. This change in computing sped up the development of the game. Fantasy baseball was the next evolutionary step taken by rotisserie baseball. In fantasy baseball there are fewer boundaries and there are many, many variations. In fantasy, any category maybe used, the tried and true 8 categories, have been added to, or replaced. The standard format used in most fantasy leagues is a 5x5 (five offensive categories and five pitching categories). These categories are Home Runs, Steals, Average, RBI’s, Runs, Wins, Saves, Strikeouts, ERA and WHIP (Walks + Hits/innings pitched). However there are leagues which play with as many as 30 categories and leagues which don’t use traditional categories at all. Some leagues only use positive categories (like home runs, steals, saves)which add points, some use negative categories (like errors, hit by pitches, and unearned runs)and subtract points. Head to head leagues are a different monster all-together and are quite interesting to contemplate. In a head to head league, you are matched up against another manager for a period of time (usually a week). Your teams’ statistics are matched against his statistics for that period of time. For each category a team wins they are credited with a win, and for each statistic one loses they are credited with a loss. A tie is also possible. Scoring is registered in games won and lost, just like in MLB. Using this system a team develops a record. Standings are just like those found in any newspaper. Whoever is at the top at seasons end wins. Strat-O-Matic: If rotisserie is the father of modern fantasy ball then Strat-O-Matic is the great grandfather of the modern game, and its still a lot of fun. It has been published and played for 40 odd years. Originally only as a paper version with charts, player cards, a board and dice, it has recently moved online. Its a statistic driven game based upon a years’ worth of players and stats. Unlike fantasy baseball in any of its forms, Strat-O-Matic is a baseball simulation where you actually play games, not just compare statistics. Its also really simple to play, I have not yet tried the computer version of the game, and that's because I still like to play the hard copy of the game. Strat-o-matic is played just like real baseball. 9 innings, 27 outs per side, pitching, hitting, defensive players, pitchers who tire, statistics from the left and right side of the plate, bunts, sacrifices, double plays, the whole works. A game takes less than 45 minutes and can take as little as 15. A whole series of 14 games can be played in a few hours on a afternoon and you can try to out manage your opponent on a game by game basis. For those who are purists or can’t handle fantasy or rotisserie ball this is a great option. Strat-O-Matic publishes sets with players from almost all generations. Want to know if the ‘27 Yankees could have beaten the 2000 Yankee’s? you can play with these teams and find out! My favorite thing to do though is to play a league with a auction draft just like in fantasy ball and then to have the players play a 162 game season. It doesn’t take anywhere near the time for a fantasy season and its a great way to get together with friends. Conclusion Whichever systems is used, the heart of the game has remained unchanged, and in fact has grown. Something quite remarkable when you consider that the real audience for baseball has shrunk in the same period of time. In fact fantasy not only has its own following but has branched out into other sports. One can play fantasy, football, hockey, basketball and if one looks hard enough probably even fantasy golf and bowling (with any luck I’ll never look that hard). |
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