Fantasy Baseball 2012: Start-or-Sit Strategies for Head-to-Head Leagues

Lately, I've been consumed with head-to-head league questions from owners who were either born with short attention spans...or simply neglected to read my first-time rules for handling weeklies on April 6.

But that's OK, because the lack of focus has motivated me to pen a refresher piece, detailing the primary objectives when choosing between same-position and/or similarly talented assets in weekly leagues:

With all things being equal...

1. Start the hitter with the hotter bat in the last 10-15 days.

2. Start the batter who will encounter weaker pitching from Monday-Sunday.

3. Start the batter with more scheduled games in the next seven days.

Obviously, the first and second points should carry greater weight when making an executive decision, but the third objective goes a long way toward settling any tiebreakers between hitters. Here are five start-or-sit examples for Week 4: 

Outfield
 

Justin Upton vs. Giancarlo Stanton

• Upton and Stanton both have six games this week (three home/three away).
• Both Upton (thumb) and Stanton (knee) are playing through nagging injuries.
• Stanton (Diamondbacks, Mets) enjoys a slight edge over Upton (Phillies, Diamondbacks) with pitching matchups, primarily because he doesn't have to face Philly's rotation.
• Since April 8, neither Stanton (zero HRs, two RBI, four runs, zero steals, .263 batting) nor Upton (zero HRs, zero RBI, six runs, one steal, .182 batting) have been difference-makers in home runs, RBI or steals; but Stanton is the clear victor in batting.

Week 4 choice: Stanton wins an ugly battle 

Shortstop
 

Elvis Andrus vs. Dee Gordon

• Andrus and Gordon both have six home games this week.
• Andrus (Yankees, Rays) gets the slight nod over Gordon (Braves, Dodgers) with pitching matchups.
• Since April 8, Andrus (one HR, six RBI, seven runs, one steal, .245 batting) has the edge over Gordon (zero homers, one RBI, six runs, five steals, .196 batting) in all but one category.

Week 4 choice: Andrus...unless you absolutely need steals from Gordon 

Outfield
 

Shin-Soo Choo vs. Martin Prado

• Choo has six home games this week, whereas Prado has a split in his six games (three home/three away).
• The pitching matchup differences for Choo (Royals, Angels) and Prado (Pirates, Dodgers) are negligible, so we'll give Choo extra credit for playing his games in Cleveland.
• Since April 8, Choo (zero homers, nine RBI, eight runs, three steals, .277 batting) has marginally better numbers than Prado (one HR, seven RBI, nine runs, one steal, .275 batting).

Week 4 choice: Choo 

Utility Spot
 

Eric Hosmer vs. Brett Lawrie

• Hosmer (one home/six road) and Lawrie (four home/three away) both have seven games this week.
• Lawrie (Royals, Mariners, Orioles) has better pitching matchups than Hosmer (Blue Jays, Indians, Twins) for the week; as a bonus, Toronto avoids Seattle ace Felix Hernandez.
• Lawrie (two homers, nine RBI, six runs, two steals, .280 batting) and Hosmer (two HRs, eight RBI, seven runs, one steal, .176 batting) have similar numbers in four categories; but the 104-point differential in batting is quite steep.

Week 4 choice: Lawrie 

Catcher
 

Buster Posey vs. Joe Mauer

• Posey has a full seven-game slate (three home/four away), but Mauer has all six of his games at Target Field.
• Mauer (Royals, Red Sox) has more attractive pitching matchups than Posey (Mets, Reds, Padres), something that might not have been the case just two weeks ago. Boston and Kansas City's rotations have been largely ineffectual this season.
• Both players have had solid numbers since April 8, but Mauer (one HR, eight RBI, six runs, two steals, .309 batting) takes honors over Posey (one HR, four RBI, five runs, one steal, .417 batting) in three of four categories (with one tie).

Week 4 choice: Mauer gets the nod in a photo finish

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.