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Home runs are one of the original hitting categories for Rotisserie baseball and continue to dominate leagues today. A number of categories have edged there way into the market, such as On-Base %, SB-CS, K/9, and Holds, yet rarely do I see other leagues using Slugging %. I submit that slugging % is a better category, particularly in 5x5 leagues, for two reasons.
First, slugging % is more representative of a hitter's value to his team because it captures the value of 2Bs and 3Bs whereas these are treated the same as 1Bs in leagues that use HRs. Of course, extra-base hits are more likely to result in Runs and RBIs, but in plenty of cases no runners were batted in and the hitters are left stranded. The difference between a ball clearing the fence or not is often a matter of a few feet, so why do most leagues punish those hitters whose fly balls narrowly miss by only crediting them with a hit? 3Bs are considered by many to be even more exciting than Home Runs, so next time you're watching a game and see your player hit a two-out 3B and get stranded, ask yourself why this event was treated exactly the same as if he'd bunted for a single.
Total Bases would capture 2Bs and 3Bs as well, but the difference between them highlights the second major benefit of using Slugging % instead of Home Runs: in 5x5 leagues it balances the number of ratio/counting categories for hitters at 3:2 just like for pitchers. It has been suggested that the presence of two pitching ratio categories versus one hitting ratio category is one reason to devote more resources to hitting over pitching. I think greater injury risk, closer volatility, and the unpredictability of Wins are better reasons to spend more on hitting so changing from Home Runs to Slugging % won't alter the hitting/pitching spending ratio, but simply achieves greater balance in the standings, and we all know how important balance is in baseball.
The counter-arguments include tradition, the publicity of Home Runs, and the simple pleasure of watching our hitters clear the fences. These are credible of course but I think the two reasons I provided carry greater weight.
First, slugging % is more representative of a hitter's value to his team because it captures the value of 2Bs and 3Bs whereas these are treated the same as 1Bs in leagues that use HRs. Of course, extra-base hits are more likely to result in Runs and RBIs, but in plenty of cases no runners were batted in and the hitters are left stranded. The difference between a ball clearing the fence or not is often a matter of a few feet, so why do most leagues punish those hitters whose fly balls narrowly miss by only crediting them with a hit? 3Bs are considered by many to be even more exciting than Home Runs, so next time you're watching a game and see your player hit a two-out 3B and get stranded, ask yourself why this event was treated exactly the same as if he'd bunted for a single.
Total Bases would capture 2Bs and 3Bs as well, but the difference between them highlights the second major benefit of using Slugging % instead of Home Runs: in 5x5 leagues it balances the number of ratio/counting categories for hitters at 3:2 just like for pitchers. It has been suggested that the presence of two pitching ratio categories versus one hitting ratio category is one reason to devote more resources to hitting over pitching. I think greater injury risk, closer volatility, and the unpredictability of Wins are better reasons to spend more on hitting so changing from Home Runs to Slugging % won't alter the hitting/pitching spending ratio, but simply achieves greater balance in the standings, and we all know how important balance is in baseball.
The counter-arguments include tradition, the publicity of Home Runs, and the simple pleasure of watching our hitters clear the fences. These are credible of course but I think the two reasons I provided carry greater weight.
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