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2012 Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Points League Strategy: Team Point Totals

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 16:  Manager Ned Yost #2 of the Kansas City Royals looks on from the dugout during the game against the Chicago White Sox on May 16, 2010 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 16: Manager Ned Yost #2 of the Kansas City Royals looks on from the dugout during the game against the Chicago White Sox on May 16, 2010 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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There are countless factors outside of a hitter’s ability that can contribute to your decision to draft him in a fantasy baseball head-to-head (H2H) points league, with each hitter’s team being perhaps the most important.

Whether it’s a hitter’s surrounding lineup, his home and division stadiums or his manager’s philosophy and approach to scoring runs, there are plenty of things outside of his control that can lead to his success and positive or negative impact on your fantasy baseball H2H points league team.

Therefore, it’s important know which MLB teams offer the most potential for scoring points in the 2012 season as it could be the determining factor between choosing one position player or another.

See the highest scoring 2011 MLB teams after the jump:

2011 Fantasy Baseball H2H Team Offensive Point Leaders:

Team H 1B 2B 3B HR R RBI BB SO SB Points
Rangers 1599 1047 310 32 210 855 807 475 930 143 4096
Red Sox 1600 1010 352 35 203 875 842 578 1108 102 4022
Yankees 1452 930 267 33 222 867 836 627 1138 147 3937
Royals 1560 1065 325 41 129 730 705 442 1006 153 3531
Cardinals 1513 1021 308 22 162 762 726 542 978 57 3517
Tigers 1540 1040 297 34 169 787 750 521 1143 49 3425
Blue Jays 1384 879 285 34 186 743 704 525 1184 131 3345
Mets 1477 1021 309 39 108 718 676 571 1085 130 3328
Phillies 1409 960 258 38 153 713 693 539 1024 96 3315
Brewers 1422 930 276 31 185 721 693 481 1083 94 3315
Rockies 1429 952 274 40 163 735 697 555 1201 118 3294
Rays 1324 842 273 37 172 707 674 571 1193 155 3256
Diamondbacks 1357 855 293 37 172 731 702 531 1249 133 3221
Reds 1438 972 264 19 183 735 697 535 1250 97 3200
Orioles 1434 957 273 13 191 708 684 452 1120 81 3192
Angels 1394 916 289 34 155 667 629 442 1086 135 3138
White Sox 1387 965 252 16 154 654 625 475 989 81 3060
Indians 1380 910 290 26 154 704 671 494 1269 89 2962
Dodgers 1395 1013 237 28 117 644 613 498 1087 126 2959
Athletics 1330 907 280 29 114 645 612 509 1094 117 2916
Cubs 1423 954 285 36 148 654 610 425 1202 69 2849
Marlins 1358 905 274 30 149 625 596 542 1244 95 2848
Braves 1345 912 244 16 173 641 606 504 1260 77 2785
Astros 1442 1010 309 28 95 615 579 401 1164 118 2759
Twins 1357 970 259 25 103 619 572 440 1048 92 2742
Nationals 1319 886 257 22 154 624 594 470 1323 106 2659
Giants 1327 900 282 24 121 570 534 448 1122 85 2620
Pirates 1325 906 277 35 107 610 580 489 1308 108 2580
Padres 1284 904 247 42 91 593 563 501 1320 170 2565
Mariners 1263 879 253 22 109 556 534 435 1280 125 2382

Notes on Team Leaders:

It’s no surprise to see Texas as the top scoring team from 2011 as it was one of only three teams with over 200 HR and one of only three to strike out less than 1000 times. Everyone in the Rangers lineup is worth drafting in most leagues, including Yorvit Torrealba in two catcher leagues. The same could be said for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Without a doubt, Kansas City is the most surprising team with 3531 points, more than St. Louis, Detroit, Philadelphia or Milwaukee. Their success can be attributed to the team’s 153 SB, which bodes well for the future point potential of Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain, as well as their 1006 strikeouts. Last season marked the second in a row in which Kevin Seitzer’s hitters were among the five lowest in terms of strikeouts which could lead to an improved approach at the plate from youngsters such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon.

I would expect to see St. Louis drop from the Top 5 with the loss of Albert Pujols, while the addition of Prince Fielder to the lineup should boost Detroit into the Top 5 in 2012, considering he scored over 100 more points than Victor Martinez in 2011.

Similar to the Royals, the Mets are another surprise amongst the Top 10 as they hit the fifth fewest HR in 2011. A lot of their overall success can be attributed to Jose Reyes and his 559 points, but there is reason to believe they can maintain their point potential with healthy seasons from David Wright and Ike Davis and the drawn in fences at Citi-Field.

While the Cincinnati offense appears to be elite in the real world, it is below average in terms of H2H point potential. The dropoff can be attributed to the team’s high strikeout total as well as their place amongst the bottom 10 in terms of doubles, triples and stolen bases. The team’s overall lack of speed could result in fewer RBI opportunities for stars such as Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, while the poor plate discipline of Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs directly impacts their point potential.

As if Petco wasn’t enough to dissuade you from San Diego hitters, the team’s lack of plate discipline led to 1320 strike outs in 2011.

If all else is equal between two players, you’ll obviously want to avoid the hitter from the Mariners, Padres, Pirates, Giants, Twins and Astros, with the Nationals being the possible exception as there should be improvement from Jayson Werth as well as healthy seasons from Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche.

In terms of pitching, you'll want to stock up on Texas starters like Matt Harrison, Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz in later rounds as they should cost very little but will have an excellent chance of accumulating points via the wins multiplier. It also doesn't hurt that they face the Mariners and Athletics quite often. Conversely, you'll likely want to avoid most pitchers from those two teams, other than Felix Hernandez of course.

There doesn't seem to be much incentive to draft Baltimore pitchers either. The rotation lacks an ace, receives league average offensive support and has to face the second, third and seventh highest scoring offenses on a regular basis. Almost any pitcher from the AL East not named Sabathia, Price or Lester will come with some risk and you'll want to monitor their matchups closely.

Were you surprised to see any of the point totals from some teams in 2011? Feel free to comment on this post or ask any H2H points league questions below.