This scoring format, Head-to-Head categories, is where you might expect to see the biggest changes going from a 162-game schedule to a 60-game schedule.
It already tends to favor relief pitchers over starting pitchers because the gap in strikeouts isn't as noticeable in one-week increments. And if you suspect, like many, that the innings gap between starting pitchers and high-end relievers will also be less in a 60-game season, with maintenance obviously being less of a priority, then it makes sense to lean all the more into a reliever-heavy approach.
The lineup construction allows for it. It's modeled after the standard Yahoo format, featuring four flexible pitcher spots to go with two dedicated starting pitcher spots and two dedicated relief pitcher spots. Options are limited somewhat by a weekly innings minimum of 25, but it's still not uncommon to see teams start four or five relievers.
I thought I'd try it myself this time, taking the second costliest of the relievers, Kirby Yates. Ultimately, I ended up with just three others: Ken Giles, Sean Doolittle and Corey Knebel, in case he ends up playing a major role in the Brewers bullpen. Once the closers started going off the board, they were depleted fairly quickly, which always seems to happen in this format.
I'm generally not one to pay up for closers, but I don't think the Yates splurge set me back too much. I probably should have focused less on hitters, though, to secure myself another high-end starting pitcher or two. Grabbing Max Muncy as my first baseman in Round 9 is a pick I'd especially like to have back. Short season or not, the late-round hitters are still so much more attractive than the late-round pitchers, and ultimately, I may be frustrated that I don't have a place to play Luke Voit.
Here are the fine folks who took part in this draft:
1) Dan Gilbert, Fantasy Fisticuffs podcast (@DabberDanLit)
2) Scott White, CBS Sports (@CBSScottWhite)
3) George Kurtz, RotoWire (@GeorgeKurtz)
4) Chris Mitchell, Fantrax (@CJMitch73)
5) Phil Ponebshek, Patton & Company
6) Nicholas Mimikos, Stack Attack podcast (@NMimi)
7) David Doak, Roto Joe's (@DaveDoak_70)
8) Micah Henry, New Life Fantasy (@FantasyCentral1)
9) Ed Gonzalez, lucky reader who got to join in
10) Garrett Atkins, Fake Teams (@13atkins13)
11) Ted Vinson, lucky reader who got to join in
12) Adam Aizer, CBS Sports (@AdamAizer)
And here are the results:
