[h=1]Hitting streaks don't tell the whole story in fantasy baseball[/h][h=1]AJ MassESPN Staff Writer[/h]ESPN INSIDER
Hitting streaks fascinate baseball fans. That's probably why on Thursday I was watching the ninth inning of a lopsided late May game that I otherwise might have had very little interest in, just in case Jackie Bradley Jr. got a chance to extend his streak to 30 games. Alas, he did not. Still, there's nothing inherently valuable about a hitting streak when it comes to points leagues.
Michael Brantley had a 19-game hitting streak in 2010, during which he hit just .286 while striking out 12 times and getting just two extra-base hits. Nothing special. Adam Kennedy had a 17-game hitting streak in 2006, and when it was over, his overall batting average had risen just seven points to .267. Yawn!
And my favorite example of "style over substance" came in 2014, when Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak during which he struck out 13 times and, after an 0-for-4 to end the streak, ended up with a lower batting average (.244) than when he started the run. Statistically, it didn't mean anything to his performance, fantasy or otherwise.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
Obviously, Bradley's streak was impressive, and with a .415 batting average over 29 games, it had a huge impact on what had been a sad .222 batting average prior to his electric month. That's because the streak contained 11 multihit games -- a much more impactful stat than all those 1-for-4 or 1-for-5 nights that simply keep a streak alive.
Take a look at some of the hitters who are outside the top 20 in batting average yet have many multihit games. These are the hitters I like to target for acquisition in exchange for players who may have seen only a boost in perceived value from the allure of a hitting streak. I'm talking about Yunel Escobar (20 multihit games, .307 batting average), Starling Marte (20, .317), Nomar Mazara(17, .316) and even Matt Duffy (17, .250).
For points leagues, the streaks I'm far more worried about are consecutive games with strikeouts because that's a run of potentially negative outings that simply can destroy your fantasy team. Trevor Story, despite the pop at the plate, was one game away from a 42-game streak of strikeouts, and he sits at 17 in a row. Carlos Gomez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have had 18-game streaks this season. Byung Ho Park is sitting on 16 and counting, with only a .150 batting average along the way. Ouch!
Follow the K-streaks a lot more closely than the hitting streaks in points leagues. They're a truer tale of how effective a hitter has been to your team's bottom line, and a lot more likely to continue to impact your results going forward after the streak is done and things go back to normal.
Hitting streaks fascinate baseball fans. That's probably why on Thursday I was watching the ninth inning of a lopsided late May game that I otherwise might have had very little interest in, just in case Jackie Bradley Jr. got a chance to extend his streak to 30 games. Alas, he did not. Still, there's nothing inherently valuable about a hitting streak when it comes to points leagues.
Michael Brantley had a 19-game hitting streak in 2010, during which he hit just .286 while striking out 12 times and getting just two extra-base hits. Nothing special. Adam Kennedy had a 17-game hitting streak in 2006, and when it was over, his overall batting average had risen just seven points to .267. Yawn!
And my favorite example of "style over substance" came in 2014, when Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak during which he struck out 13 times and, after an 0-for-4 to end the streak, ended up with a lower batting average (.244) than when he started the run. Statistically, it didn't mean anything to his performance, fantasy or otherwise.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
Obviously, Bradley's streak was impressive, and with a .415 batting average over 29 games, it had a huge impact on what had been a sad .222 batting average prior to his electric month. That's because the streak contained 11 multihit games -- a much more impactful stat than all those 1-for-4 or 1-for-5 nights that simply keep a streak alive.
Take a look at some of the hitters who are outside the top 20 in batting average yet have many multihit games. These are the hitters I like to target for acquisition in exchange for players who may have seen only a boost in perceived value from the allure of a hitting streak. I'm talking about Yunel Escobar (20 multihit games, .307 batting average), Starling Marte (20, .317), Nomar Mazara(17, .316) and even Matt Duffy (17, .250).
For points leagues, the streaks I'm far more worried about are consecutive games with strikeouts because that's a run of potentially negative outings that simply can destroy your fantasy team. Trevor Story, despite the pop at the plate, was one game away from a 42-game streak of strikeouts, and he sits at 17 in a row. Carlos Gomez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have had 18-game streaks this season. Byung Ho Park is sitting on 16 and counting, with only a .150 batting average along the way. Ouch!
Follow the K-streaks a lot more closely than the hitting streaks in points leagues. They're a truer tale of how effective a hitter has been to your team's bottom line, and a lot more likely to continue to impact your results going forward after the streak is done and things go back to normal.
Hitting streaks fascinate baseball fans. That's probably why on Thursday I was watching the ninth inning of a lopsided late May game that I otherwise might have had very little interest in, just in case Jackie Bradley Jr. got a chance to extend his streak to 30 games. Alas, he did not. Still, there's nothing inherently valuable about a hitting streak when it comes to points leagues.
Michael Brantley had a 19-game hitting streak in 2010, during which he hit just .286 while striking out 12 times and getting just two extra-base hits. Nothing special. Adam Kennedy had a 17-game hitting streak in 2006, and when it was over, his overall batting average had risen just seven points to .267. Yawn!
And my favorite example of "style over substance" came in 2014, when Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak during which he struck out 13 times and, after an 0-for-4 to end the streak, ended up with a lower batting average (.244) than when he started the run. Statistically, it didn't mean anything to his performance, fantasy or otherwise.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
Obviously, Bradley's streak was impressive, and with a .415 batting average over 29 games, it had a huge impact on what had been a sad .222 batting average prior to his electric month. That's because the streak contained 11 multihit games -- a much more impactful stat than all those 1-for-4 or 1-for-5 nights that simply keep a streak alive.
Take a look at some of the hitters who are outside the top 20 in batting average yet have many multihit games. These are the hitters I like to target for acquisition in exchange for players who may have seen only a boost in perceived value from the allure of a hitting streak. I'm talking about Yunel Escobar (20 multihit games, .307 batting average), Starling Marte (20, .317), Nomar Mazara(17, .316) and even Matt Duffy (17, .250).
For points leagues, the streaks I'm far more worried about are consecutive games with strikeouts because that's a run of potentially negative outings that simply can destroy your fantasy team. Trevor Story, despite the pop at the plate, was one game away from a 42-game streak of strikeouts, and he sits at 17 in a row. Carlos Gomez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have had 18-game streaks this season. Byung Ho Park is sitting on 16 and counting, with only a .150 batting average along the way. Ouch!
Follow the K-streaks a lot more closely than the hitting streaks in points leagues. They're a truer tale of how effective a hitter has been to your team's bottom line, and a lot more likely to continue to impact your results going forward after the streak is done and things go back to normal.
Hitting streaks fascinate baseball fans. That's probably why on Thursday I was watching the ninth inning of a lopsided late May game that I otherwise might have had very little interest in, just in case Jackie Bradley Jr. got a chance to extend his streak to 30 games. Alas, he did not. Still, there's nothing inherently valuable about a hitting streak when it comes to points leagues.
Michael Brantley had a 19-game hitting streak in 2010, during which he hit just .286 while striking out 12 times and getting just two extra-base hits. Nothing special. Adam Kennedy had a 17-game hitting streak in 2006, and when it was over, his overall batting average had risen just seven points to .267. Yawn!
And my favorite example of "style over substance" came in 2014, when Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak during which he struck out 13 times and, after an 0-for-4 to end the streak, ended up with a lower batting average (.244) than when he started the run. Statistically, it didn't mean anything to his performance, fantasy or otherwise.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
Obviously, Bradley's streak was impressive, and with a .415 batting average over 29 games, it had a huge impact on what had been a sad .222 batting average prior to his electric month. That's because the streak contained 11 multihit games -- a much more impactful stat than all those 1-for-4 or 1-for-5 nights that simply keep a streak alive.
Take a look at some of the hitters who are outside the top 20 in batting average yet have many multihit games. These are the hitters I like to target for acquisition in exchange for players who may have seen only a boost in perceived value from the allure of a hitting streak. I'm talking about Yunel Escobar (20 multihit games, .307 batting average), Starling Marte (20, .317), Nomar Mazara(17, .316) and even Matt Duffy (17, .250).
For points leagues, the streaks I'm far more worried about are consecutive games with strikeouts because that's a run of potentially negative outings that simply can destroy your fantasy team. Trevor Story, despite the pop at the plate, was one game away from a 42-game streak of strikeouts, and he sits at 17 in a row. Carlos Gomez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have had 18-game streaks this season. Byung Ho Park is sitting on 16 and counting, with only a .150 batting average along the way. Ouch!
Follow the K-streaks a lot more closely than the hitting streaks in points leagues. They're a truer tale of how effective a hitter has been to your team's bottom line, and a lot more likely to continue to impact your results going forward after the streak is done and things go back to normal.
