At FantasyLabs, we believe that we have the best tools and data available to those who play daily fantasy sports. We also realize that these tools and data are only as beneficial as our ability to communicate their functionality and worth.

With this in mind, our “Trend of the Day” series features articles that walk subscribers through an important trend each weekday, created with our Trends tool. Also, shortly after you create a trend, you will be able to see it under the “My Trends” column in our Player Model tools.

MLB Trend of the Day: Searching For Unlucky Hitters.

The Trends too has many uses. I don’t build every trend with the goal of finding the highest Plus/Minus or Consistency. Instead, I build trends that quickly help to identify players who I should examine further. That is the idea behind this trend. It is intended to point me in the direction of some hitters who have possibly been unlucky as of late.

Among other things, our new Advanced Data allows us to take a closer look at which hitters have been making solid contact. This is important for a few reasons. For one, it is unlikely to be priced into a player’s salary. Additionally, it could reveal players who are hitting the ball well but getting unlucky by hitting it directly to the defense, for example. The beauty of identifying these players is the possibility that they have reduced ownership due to poor recent fantasy production. Let’s take a look at one simple way to point us in the direction of these players.

Step 1: Fantasy Month Filters > Month Salary Change > “-2200 to -100”

We know that a player’s salary will change largely in part to his recent fantasy production. By setting our first filter to include only players who have seen their salary decrease over the past month, we can begin to focus on players who may have declining performances recently (in relation to fantasy production). Next, we can add a filter to narrow this search down to players who have been making better contact over the past 15 days when compared to the past 12 months.

Step 2: Adv Stats – Recent > HH Diff Score > “80 to 100”

Okay, the trend is complete, and we are left with a count of 2,481 and Plus/Minus of +0.41. This has a solid Plus/Minus, but, remember, it was not created with Plus/Minus in mind. Instead, it was created to point us in the direction of some players to explore further. Let’s look at our current matches.

Current Matches

Again, I think that this trend should be used as an indicator that points us toward a pool of players who may be worth a closer look. Upon further examination, maybe I will find that Alejandro De Aza (three for 19 at the plate this season) is better than he seems. (And maybe not.) Maybe I will find that Jose Bautista actually hasn’t cooled down since his two-home-run game earlier this month (he hasn’t).

The point of a trend like this, for me at least, is to point myself in the direction of potential. I may find something in these players (or maybe I won’t), but the trend shortens my research time when looking for a tournament play who may offer some upside that is going overlooked by the field.

There are several different ways to assist our search for the unlucky batter. Maybe we will dive into some more methods in a future Trend of the Day.

Good luck tonight!