1) Never take a pitcher in the first round. Pitchers will pitch 1-2 games per week, a position player will play five to seven games a week. I don't know, you do the math.
2) Grab two strong pitchers in the first 7 rounds. Two strong starters are better than four mediocre starters. You always want an ace and a #2 pitcher. Draft inning eaters with a decent ERA and WHIP to fil out the rest of your staff.
3) Relievers are overrated in fantasy baseball. Draft one after the 10th round. Few innings pitched, little affect on ERA, K, and IP. Only useful for saves. See tip #5 for the exception
4) If you find a pitcher that qualifies for both starter and reliever, won't sound like a bad idea to draft him. Especially if it's a big name pitcher (ahem Joba C.). Will help in all pitching categories.
5) Follow the draft. If you notice that one position is strong in one round, jump on the bandwagon and draft one before you are left with the scraps.
6) Take advantage of homers. If one player is drafting his favorite team, grab one of them and rob him in a trade. People like them exist.
7) Don't draft by name, draft by stats. Fantasy baseball does not care if Alex Rodriguez took steroids, they care about the numbers he puts up.
8) Always have a depth chart at least five players deep. Chances are, you won't have the best players from each position on your team. As a matter of fact, you won't...ever.
9) Don't stock up on one stat. Spread out your draft picks to cover all stats. If you draft for AVG, where will your HR and RBI totals come from?
10) Watch the weak positions. OF, 1B, and SP are very deep. 2B and C are two of the more shallow positions. Draft accordingly.
11) Pay attention to the latest injury reports. Hear about Ben Sheets?
12) Trade value. If you follow the first 11 rules, your team will have trade value that you can take advantage of.
13) Don't believe in the hype of sophomore seasons and contract years. That Varitek choice didn't pay out too well, did it?
14) Just because a player is ranked higher than another player does not mean they are statistically better. See #7.
15) Draft smart. Your #1 draft choice will not win you a title, but it can cost you one.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Mock Drafts
They sound pointless, they mean nothing, and it's a general waste of time.
However, if one would have 50 different teams, a little practice never hurts. Over at CBSsports.com I will participate in a few mock drafts just to warm up before I participate in live drafts.
I'll post every roster that I draft just to track my picks and the general picks of the rest of the mock league. I am up against real people and not bots, unless one decides not to show up.
Wish me mock luck.
However, if one would have 50 different teams, a little practice never hurts. Over at CBSsports.com I will participate in a few mock drafts just to warm up before I participate in live drafts.
I'll post every roster that I draft just to track my picks and the general picks of the rest of the mock league. I am up against real people and not bots, unless one decides not to show up.
Wish me mock luck.
Small Update
I have verbally committed to three leagues so far. One of which I may be a league manager. I doubt I will create my own league, but that could change.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Fantasy Magazines
So, while I was out shopping for food to survive these next two weeks, I stopped by the magazine rack to see if there were any fantasy baseball magazines.
There were two out on display. One, I forget the company, looked too bland. Nothing but stats. I like to do a little leisure reading while preparing my draft and cheat sheets.
The second one was from Sporting News. This is the one I bought.
I have my stats, pre-season rankings, and a few pages of quality reading material and expectations of rookies and other players.
They have Alex Rodriguez listed as their number 1 draft choice, a choice I didn't agree with initially, but after reading what they were looking for in their ranking I understand why.
Sporting News and the baseball experts, I use that term loosely, are looking for 5-tool players and since A-Rod can steal bases, they found it fitting to rank him #1 overall.
Their top 10 ranks are as follows:
1) Alex Rodriguez, 3B
2) Albert Pujols, 1B
3) Hanley Ramirez, SS
4) David Wright, 3B
5) Matt Holiday, OF
6) Grady Sizemore, OF
7) Josh Hamilton, OF
8) Jose Reyes, SS
9) Ryan Howard, 1B
10) Ryan Braun, OF
There will be two other fantasy magazines that I will buy in the upcoming weeks, one from Street & Smith, the other from Athlon Sports. Both that I have been purchasing since the turn of the century.
There were two out on display. One, I forget the company, looked too bland. Nothing but stats. I like to do a little leisure reading while preparing my draft and cheat sheets.
The second one was from Sporting News. This is the one I bought.
I have my stats, pre-season rankings, and a few pages of quality reading material and expectations of rookies and other players.
They have Alex Rodriguez listed as their number 1 draft choice, a choice I didn't agree with initially, but after reading what they were looking for in their ranking I understand why.
Sporting News and the baseball experts, I use that term loosely, are looking for 5-tool players and since A-Rod can steal bases, they found it fitting to rank him #1 overall.
Their top 10 ranks are as follows:
1) Alex Rodriguez, 3B
2) Albert Pujols, 1B
3) Hanley Ramirez, SS
4) David Wright, 3B
5) Matt Holiday, OF
6) Grady Sizemore, OF
7) Josh Hamilton, OF
8) Jose Reyes, SS
9) Ryan Howard, 1B
10) Ryan Braun, OF
There will be two other fantasy magazines that I will buy in the upcoming weeks, one from Street & Smith, the other from Athlon Sports. Both that I have been purchasing since the turn of the century.
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