At FantasyLabs, we believe that we have the best daily fantasy sports tools and data available. We also realize that these tools and data are only as beneficial as our ability to communicate their functionality and worth.
With this in mind, our Trend of the Day series features articles that walk subscribers each weekday through an important trend, created with our free Trends tool. Also, shortly after you create a trend, you will be able to see it under the “My Trends” column in our Player Models.
MLB Trend of the Day: (Recent) Distance Matters
On Monday, Tyler Buecher made a strong case for why distance matters. He looked at batters’ average batted-ball distance and opposing pitchers’ batted-ball distance allowed: “If we’re looking to win big in GPPs, we’re going to need players capable of sending the ball deep any given night.”
For today’s trend, I’m going to look at some similar metrics, but whereas Tyler used season-long data I’m going to examine recent form.
Step 1: Advanced Stats – Recent > Distance Difference > 20-50
As you can see, a good Distance Differential alone results in a nice Plus/Minus.
Step 2: Player Filter > Lineup Order > 5 to 9
For the second step, I want to find a few sluggers low in the batting order. I know that on average they are likely to produce a lower Plus/Minus, but they are also extremely likely to have low ownership. As a result, they could help me win a guaranteed prize pool.
That we’re able to find batters hitting fifth through nine who have Plus/Minus values this high on the basis of one filter is pretty incredible. It speaks to the importance of Distance Differential, one of our premium advanced stats.
Step 3: Vegas Filters > Favorite/Dog > “Favorite”
It’s not a surprise that favorites typically outplay underdogs.
Step 4: Team Filters > Stadium > Select ATT Park, Chase Field, Citizens Bank Park, Comerica Park, Dodger Stadium, Great American Ball Park, Minute Maid Park, Nationals Park and U.S. Cellular Field
The goal with this filter is to find bottom-of-the-order guys who are crushing the ball and in ballparks where crushing the ball pays off. I sorted by average Plus/Minus and selected the top nine ballparks.
As we can see, we’ve still got a healthy number of past results with an average Plus/Minus of +3.49. Most importantly, the Upside for the cohort is around 29 percent — a very high number that puts these batters in a position to impact a GPP substantially.
Current Matches
Today’s trend currently matches for four players. A few more might fall into the trend depending on actual lineups. Also, make sure that when lineups are released these four actually do play and fit the trend: James McCann, Colby Rasmus, Yadier Molina, and Jose Iglesias.
Note: Our Player Models and Lineups page update in real time to give subscribers the most accurate information available. As Vegas totals change, the current player matches may also change after this article is published.
