Fantasy Baseball: Preparing for your draft
Written by Albatson9, Tuesday March 02 2010
As spring training and the baseball season is rapidly approaching, so is fantasy baseball season. Below, I have written a few questions and thoughts to keep in mind as you approach your fantasy baseball draft.
Keeper Selection
Keepers can be as easy or as difficult to choose as you want to make it. It can be as simple as keeping the top 3 ranked players (or however many keepers your league requires) on your roster for the upcoming season. Or your top points-producers from the past season. But, it can also be a difficult desicion. Should I keep one position over another due to scarcity at one position? Is the player I'm keeping going to be a key component throughout the year, or will he battle injuries and slump through the year? Is it worth it to keep the required amount of keepers, or not keep as many players and stock up on picks in the draft? These are all potential questions to ask yourself before you embark on this draft season. Desicions made before the games start often have the greatest impact on the games themselves. So, don't just rush through to the draft and not take a moment to consider small things like this. Who you decide to keep and let go may have the biggest impact on your chances at success down the stretch this season.
In keeper leagues, there is always the option of trading away a 1st rounder for a collection of mid-round picks. A move like this may seem irrelevant. But, believe it or not, a move like this dictates the outcome of the league. If the person with two 1st rounders hits home runs on both picks, he will most likely ride those two all the way to fantasy glory. On the other hand, stocking up on mid-round selections can be beneficial as well. These are the rounds that decide championships. Year after year, we see a player who has seemingly fallen by the wayside have a surprising standout year (there are too many to name, but the one that comes to my mind from last season is Raul Ibanez) and help build a solid nucleus for the remainder of the year. And thats what it comes down to. You can have a star-heavy team, which relies on big time production, but can end a season with one injury. Or, you can go with a more balanced approach, spreading the point production more evenly, acquire plenty of depth, and ultimately become a more consistent team down the stretch.
Preparing for the draft
First, always keep in mind the positions and statistics that will be scarce for the upcoming season. What do I mean by scarcity? I mean is a certain position extremely top-heavy (3B, SS), or is it more evenly balanced throughout the player pool? (See 1B, maybe 2B?) That is a very important factor that should play heavily into a 1st round selection. That pick sets the tone for the entire season. Similarly, statistics can have a heavy influence on potential draft picks. Is there a lack of high batting avg. guys? Only a few 35 base stealers? How many saves are there to be had by the top closers? These are all important options to mull over. As I've always said, the 1st-round pick sets the tone for the year, but the mid-round pick sets teams apart.
In the end, it comes down to understanding your league rules, knowing what stats provide the biggest points, and taking advantage of them. For instance, I'm a huge fan of steals. Any time I can grab a guy who is going to steal bases, I'm all for it. Carl Crawford, Jimmy Rollins, and Michael Bourn are just a few of the top stealers out there, but there are others to be found. There are other stats to decide from as well. Do you prefer low ERA, or more strikeouts from your pitchers? Are you a batting avg. believer, or do you fall for the homers and RBIs? It is all preference, but the preference is something you need to decide on BEFORE the draft, rather than scrambling in the later rounds. Preparation pays huge dividends when it comes to any fantasy draft, not just baseball. Always keep that in mind.
I hope that you found this information helpful, and good luck this March as drafts occur across the nation. (All the information above can also be found on my blog, which is posted on my page)
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