DFS Baseball 101: Team Batting Stats Report Update

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Updated on June 9, 2016 1:41PM EST

Last June, I wrote an article about how to use team batting stats in daily fantasy baseball. Given the positive response, I will be doing monthly reports this year.

Team batting with regard to daily fantasy baseball is important for a couple reasons. It allows you to identify a lower-priced starting pitcher who has an optimal matchup based on handedness rankings, and also lets you know what teams to avoid with that starting pitcher based on the same information.

Last month I had used FB% (fly ball rate) and HR/FB% (homerun/flyball rate) and decided to remove them moving forward. There were too many instances where a team ranked high in one of the categories and low in another. I also realized that it did not have a significant impact on the overall rankings.

For each team, I have a recap of each category rank for vs. RHP, vs. LHP, Home/Away, and April/May/YTD.

Los Angeles Angels

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	1	14	28	14	9	12
vs LHP	1	19	25	21	16	17

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	2	16	23	21	14	16
Away	12	1	27	10	10	8

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	1	18	26	27	22	21
May	2	15	27	7	4	8
YTD	1	15	28	21	11	18

The Angels are slightly better against right-handed pitching than left-handed pitching. They are better on the road than at home as they play in a pitcher-friendly environment. They improved significantly overall in the month of May, due largely in part to Mike Trout's solid April. This is a team that you really do not want to target as they rarely strike out. If a tough lefty were to face them at home then I might consider it. Also, because most of their offense stats like ISO wOBA, and wRC+ are middle of the pack or below, they do not offer any value from a stacking perspective.

Houston Astros

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	28	4	10	18	15	15
vs LHP	29	4	12	13	12	12

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	30	4	10	18	18	19
Away	24	6	9	12	11	8

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	30	7	6	12	13	11
May	25	3	12	19	18	15
YTD	30	3	11	15	14	15

The Astros strike out the most in the league. However they do possess the potential to kill your starting pitcher with their power. They are a middle-of-the-pack offense overall. Ideally, you want to take a high strikeout pitcher who can keep the ball down against the Astros. Tournaments are more ideal over cash games because of their potential of scoring a lot of runs in any given game.

Oakland A's

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	6	25	22	23	21	23
vs LHP	13	30	9	24	23	24

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	8	29	24	27	27	26
Away	7	27	14	15	14	17

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	6	29	17	25	22	25
May	5	29	23	22	19	24
YTD	7	30	19	25	22	25

The A's are indifferent versus right-handed or left-handed pitching overall, but take a look at them against weak lefties in tournaments as they have some right-handed power bats in their lineup. They don't strike out much, and walk a ton so they're relatively low-risk too. They are better on the road due to playing in an extreme pitchers' park at home. High strikeout pitchers on the road would be the best way to play against the A's in tournaments.

Toronto Blue Jays

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	21	6	10	14	14	11
vs LHP	15	10	19	19	18	16

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	21	11	11	13	11	14
Away	20	3	12	18	18	12

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	26	5	11	14	14	13
May	16	13	8	16	12	9
YTD	20	6	14	13	14	11

The numbers says Toronto is better against right-handed pitching versus left-handed pitching, but it is hard not to stack against weak lefties at home with them. The top part of the lineup is much better than the bottom, so a three-man stack is sometimes optimal. The Jays struggled in April with the 26th-worst strikeout rank, but cut that down to 16 in May. They are still a team that you want to avoid pitchers against, but if they are on the road in a pitchers' park against an elite righty, I'm pulling the trigger in tournaments.

Atlanta Braves

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	13	12	30	30	30	28
vs LHP	22	28	30	30	30	30

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	20	21	30	30	30	28
Away	9	18	30	30	30	29

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	21	15	30	30	30	27
May	6	19	30	29	29	28
YTD	17	20	30	30	30	28

The Braves ranked last in ISO, WOBA, and wRC+ in almost every scenario. The only positive is that they don't strike out a ton, but they are so bad offensively that you can take almost any starting pitcher against them and feel confident.

Milwaukee Brewers

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	30	3	16	17	20	19
vs LHP	20	1	20	17	21	15

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	27	3	11	9	14	12
Away	28	2	24	25	27	20

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	29	2	17	22	26	22
May	29	1	15	10	14	10
YTD	29	2	17	15	21	19

The Brewers are an interesting team because they strike out a lot but also walk at a high level and have some power.

St. Louis Cardinals

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	12	17	1	2	2	3
vs LHP	14	3	14	15	11	8

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	15	19	4	8	5	8
Away	12	4	5	3	3	2

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	16	9	2	2	2	3
May	13	10	7	5	5	3
YTD	10	12	2	2	4	2

The Cardinals are one of best offenses in baseball and are consistently good against all pitching and do not appear to be slowing down.

Chicago Cubs

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	19	1	13	7	6	4
vs LHP	6	2	8	3	4	3

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	22	1	15	11	9	10
Away	6	1	8	2	2	1

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	5	1	7	4	3	1
May	20	2	15	4	6	6
YTD	17	1	12	4	5	4

The Cubs are also one of the best offenses in baseball and if you notice a theme here – the NL Central (Cards, Cubs, Pirates) are three of the top teams to use. They also have feasted on the Reds and Brewers all year. No disrespect to any of them, but the Reds and Brewers have terrible starting pitching and bullpens.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	18	24	16	10	19	20
vs LHP	7	8	4	5	6	4

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	24	22	6	11	16	18
Away	4	18	16	11	12	13

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	12	23	3	8	9	10
May	17	18	19	10	12	14
YTD	17	21	13	9	13	15

The Diamondbacks have struggled at home this year, which is surprising. However, with no A.J. Pollock and David Peralta also being injured, the lineup has not been at full strength. Also, Paul Goldschmidt doesn't have the overall protection because of it. You can still play the D-Backs against weaker left-handed pitchers.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	15	11	26	26	23	24
vs LHP	11	10	17	26	25	20

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	15	16	19	25	24	23
Away	16	7	25	18	20	17

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	14	10	27	18	15	17
May	14	10	22	25	22	21
YTD	14	9	24	26	23	22

The Dodgers have an average offense with limited power upside, but they don't strike out a lot so it's hard to take a starting pitcher against them unless it's an elite arm from either side.

San Francisco Giants

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	2	2	21	19	11	9
vs LHP	2	16	22	8	6	6

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	1	2	27	15	7	9
Away	2	9	18	16	16	14

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	2	4	13	9	5	4
May	1	6	28	21	15	13
YTD	2	3	20	15	9	6

The Giants are one of the best offenses in baseball, but they are a hard team to use in stacks because there is a limited upside of power. You never want to take starting pitching against them unless it's at home and a left-hander.

Cleveland Indians

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	16	7	12	9	8	7
vs LHP	16	21	24	20	16	23

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	9	6	17	4	3	3
Away	22	18	10	26	24	20

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	25	21	16	16	15	20
May	8	4	14	8	7	4
YTD	16	10	15	10	9	8

The Indians are split, as they're great against righties but awful against southpaws. They are also a top-3 team at home, but 20th on the road. Without Michael Brantley, they'll have trouble maintaining their top-10 status.

Seattle Mariners

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	6	7	8	4	2	2
vs LHP	10	23	7	11	8	9

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	17	11	7	10	4	6
Away	3	14	7	5	5	6

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	10	5	8	13	12	8
May	6	16	3	2	2	2
YTD	6	13	6	5	2	3

The Mariners offense has completely transformed itself from a year ago. They are now a force to be reckoned with in all categories. They make contact, draw walks, get on base and have recently exploded for a ton of runs in the past week. I like to take them on the road in hitter-friendly environments as Safeco is a pitchers' park.

Miami Marlins

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	11	20	23	14	15	16
vs LHP	19	25	21	13	12	21

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	11	25	26	23	25	25
Away	13	15	20	6	6	11

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	13	17	19	10	10	12
May	10	22	24	17	15	20
YTD	9	23	25	13	14	19

The Marlins have been an average offense so far this year, despite Giancarlo Stanton's month-long slump in May. Also, Christian Yelich missed some time with a back issue. But one star has emerged for them and that is Marcell Ozuna. They also lost Dee Gordon due to suspension but have not missed a beat with Derek Dietrich filling in.

New York Mets

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	26	5	4	12	9	10
vs LHP	30	17	14	23	18	26

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	28	4	21	24	19	22
Away	24	12	2	6	6	5

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	20	11	4	7	4	6
May	30	10	10	27	25	25
YTD	26	7	7	19	12	14

The Mets' offense started off cold this season, but then caught fire toward the end of April. They have also suffered some injuries to Lucas Duda and David Wright, and Michael Conforto started off hot but has cooled off considerably. They make for a good target at home in tournaments with left-handed starting pitchers.

Washington Nationals

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	17	9	15	22	24	21
vs LHP	4	6	1	2	3	1

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	11	9	16	18	19	15
Away	17	4	6	13	14	7

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	17	8	15	20	22	15
May	14	4	6	13	11	7
YTD	13	5	9	19	19	10

Outside of Bryce Harper, the Nationals are very right-handed heavy and have mashed left-handed pitching this year. They are better on the road away from Nationals Park which is a pitcher's park. Even with Harper not getting pitched to, the lineup is better constructed now with Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon higher in the batting order.

Baltimore Orioles

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	23	16	2	3	5	6
vs LHP	12	14	11	25	26	19

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	14	15	5	7	8	6
Away	28	17	4	9	8	8

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	18	18	5	5	6	9
May	25	13	9	18	19	19
YTD	22	15	4	7	6	7

The Orioles are one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball, but they are very home-run dependent and streaky. They are a great team to use in a stack when they are at home versus right-handed pitching.

San Diego Padres

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	27	30	27	29	29	30
vs LHP	28	17	10	9	8	14

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	26	27	28	28	28	30
Away	27	25	13	22	23	22

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	27	22	29	26	25	30
May	27	28	21	30	28	30
YTD	26	27	20	28	27	29

The Padres are one of the worst hitting teams in baseball and you can start almost anyone against them. They do offer some value when they are on the road against weak left-handed pitching, but go ahead and target against them in Petco with any right-hander.

Philadelphia Phillies

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	19	26	24	28	28	29
vs LHP	26	23	29	29	29	29

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	25	23	29	29	29	29
Away	17	28	23	28	28	28

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	23	24	23	29	28	28
May	19	25	29	28	29	29
YTD	21	26	29	29	29	30

I feel like a broken record with these National League teams. The Reds, Brewers, Braves, Padres, and Phillies are all teams that you can target against with almost any pitcher. The Phillies are almost dead last in the majority of all offensive categories.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	8	10	20	5	4	5
vs LHP	25	9	6	5	5	5

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	6	10	18	3	2	3
Away	19	8	16	8	9	10

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	3	3	14	1	1	2
May	18	23	19	12	7	17
YTD	10	8	17	3	2	5

The Pirates have one of the deepest lineups in baseball and it doesn't matter if its against right-handed or left-handed pitching because they have platoon specialists. They have started to slip in May, but also feasted on the Reds/Brewers a lot early on. This is a lineup I will gladly avoid taking any starting pitcher against.

Texas Rangers

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	3	22	14	10	17	13
vs LHP	8	29	23	10	15	18

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	3	18	13	5	9	5
Away	9	30	22	27	26	27

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	9	26	21	15	19	19
May	4	26	11	15	15	12
YTD	3	25	16	11	18	15

The Rangers are a free-swinging team that doesn't strikeout or walk much. You definitely want to stack Rangers at home against weaker pitching.

Tampa Bay Rays

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	29	18	6	19	12	17
vs LHP	24	22	2	4	2	7

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	29	26	14	25	23	27
Away	26	9	1	4	3	3

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	28	27	10	23	17	26
May	28	7	2	3	3	5
YTD	28	17	2	12	8	11

The Rays have to be one of the most interesting offenses this year. They kill left-handed pitching on the road, and I always look for spots where I can stack them because they are so affordable. Even with a lot of injuries, they have been able to plug guys in and have success. On the flip side, you can target them with right-handed starting pitching at home.

Boston Red Sox

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	5	12	3	1	1	1
vs LHP	9	6	3	1	1	2

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	4	8	3	1	1	1
Away	9	16	3	1	1	4

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	11	15	9	6	7	7
May	3	8	1	1	1	1
YTD	3	10	1	1	1	1

David Ortiz, Jackie Bradley, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts. Just take them in any high total game (8.5 or higher) against weaker pitching.

Cincinnati Reds

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	22	28	7	24	26	26
vs LHP	17	25	14	17	20	22

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	23	30	2	17	22	21
Away	21	24	15	23	24	24

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	18	30	23	28	29	29
May	24	26	4	23	26	26
YTD	23	28	7	22	26	26

This is another weaker National League lineup that you can target with right-handed or left-handed starting pitching. I generally stay away from pitchers that are in Great American Ballpark, though, and the Reds have seen some power surge in the month of May, mostly from Adam Duvall – so you want to make sure that your starting pitcher induces a lot of ground balls, strikeouts, or both.

Colorado Rockies

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	3	23	4	6	17	8
vs LHP	23	12	5	7	24	13

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	7	14	1	2	12	2
Away	15	25	19	21	21	24

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	15	13	1	2	8	5
May	12	23	13	6	23	16
YTD	10	21	5	5	20	9

The Rockies are the team with the biggest split between home and road. You always want to look at playing them at home especially against weaker right-handed pitching. Then you can target against them on the road with left-handed pitching.

Kansas City Royals

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	9	28	24	12	12	18
vs LHP	3	27	26	21	22	25

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	5	27	20	14	12	17
Away	8	29	28	17	17	26

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	4	27	23	17	18	18
May	8	30	25	8	9	18
YTD	5	29	27	15	14	21

The Royals have recently been a team like the Pirates and Giants this year, in that they are a very hard team to pitch against. But they are not drawing walks like before and Alex Gordon/Mike Moustakas being out has taken its toll. With that being said, I'm still not targeting them with opposing starting pitching unless it's in a tournament.

Detroit Tigers

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	24	26	9	8	7	14
vs LHP	21	4	13	15	14	10

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	19	20	8	6	5	10
Away	23	22	10	14	13	14

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	22	24	11	11	10	14
May	22	20	5	14	10	11
YTD	23	23	9	8	7	13

The Tigers are a right-handed dominant offense, but their overall numbers are relatively even against both sides of the mound. Miguel Cabrera started heating up in May, boosting their power numbers. I look at getting Tigers bats in my lineup when they are at home against fly-ball pitchers.

Minnesota Twins

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	24	20	19	21	21	25
vs LHP	27	15	27	28	28	28

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	13	24	24	20	21	24
Away	30	11	20	23	22	19

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	24	13	21	20	20	24
May	22	21	18	23	24	27
YTD	25	17	20	24	25	27

The Twins have been one of the worst offenses in the American League so far this year, ranking in the bottom five in most categories. You can target starting pitching against them especially mid-tier pitching in tournaments.

Chicago White Sox

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	14	15	28	27	26	27
vs LHP	18	12	18	11	10	11

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	18	6	22	22	25	20
Away	14	21	26	18	18	22

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	7	18	19	19	20	16
May	21	8	25	20	21	22
YTD	15	13	26	22	23	23

The White Sox have struggled against right-handed pitching this year but have feasted on southpaws with solid right-handed power like Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu. This team has really struggled, though, in the last few weeks and you can target starting pitchers against them outside of U.S. Cellular.

New York Yankees

Pitcher	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
vs RHP	9	19	18	24	25	22
vs LHP	5	20	28	27	27	27

Park	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
Home	9	13	9	16	17	12
Away	4	23	29	29	29	30

Month	K%	BB%	ISO	WOBA	wRC+	Avg Rank
April	8	12	27	24	26	23
May	11	17	17	26	26	23
YTD	7	17	23	27	27	24

While the Yankees don't strike out very much, this team is really struggling on offense. The only risk is taking a right-handed fly-ball pitcher in Yankee Stadium because of the short right-field porch.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Michael Rathburn plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: burnnotice, DraftKings: burnnotice, Yahoo: burnnotice, Fantasy Aces: burnnotice, FantasyDraft: burnnotice.