Fantasy Baseball Today

Here are a few tips on drafting. You may not agree but they work for me.

1. Never wish to draft number 1

It seems exciting to draft number 1 and get the pick of the draft. But remember, in a 10 team league, you don’t pick again until number 20. This has it’s setbacks.

You sit and watch a lot of good players go off the board, then you draft 20 and 21. Who’s left? It always seems you don’t get enough. Then you sit and watch until pick numbers 40 and 41. There is always a big step down each time it becomes your pick.

Since Albert Pujols was the consensus number one pick last season, I rarely saw a team in the playoffs that had Pujols in the lineup. With the number one pick, it seems to be a drawback.

I personally like drafting numbers 5 or 6. They are in the middle of every round throughout the draft. The players you are looking for are quite often still available each and everytime you pick.

2. Hitters vs. Pitchers

Who do you pick in the early rounds, a hitter or a pitcher? Should I take Evan Longoria or C.C. Sabathia? Mark Teixeira or Tim Lincecum? This is always a debate among fantasy managers.

I personally like to make my 9 position players my first 9 picks. Depending on who is available, I will make exceptions. But my hitters are there everyday, my pitchers usually once a week.

This season there are a lot more quality starters available that are coming off big seasons. It makes it tempting to draft them high. I will still pass.

Last season I won 17 championships out of 44 teams. I did it with solid lineups and makeshift pitching staffs. The reasoning here is that pitchers are often inconsistent. If, say, Roy Halladay has a bad game, you get nothing out of him for the week. But if Josh Hamilton goes 0-4, the next day he’s back scoring fantasy points again.

Pitchers are always available. Last season many people drafted Mat Latos. After a few weeks into the season, most managers released him for someone you was productive. When he finally got hot, he was available to pick up. Lots of pitchers are available throughout the season this way.

But the good hitters are harder to come by. All the more reason to get that solid starting lineup drafted first.

3. Catching

Catching is the most difficult position to fill. Last season there were 4 solid hitting catchers in the draft. By seasons’ end, it was 2 solid hitting catchers plus rookie Buster Posey. It hurts to have a player in the lineup everyday that doesn’t hit.

Joe Mauer is still the best. Then Victor Martinez and Buster Posey. After that, good luck. Hopefully, some other catchers will start hitting, but you can never be sure.

So how high should you draft a catcher? Last season I had Joe Mauer on 12 of my championship teams. He made a difference for me. He was my number one pick everytime. This season, he should be available in the 2nd round. Either way, Mauer is a difference maker and I hope to draft him everytime. Drafting one of the top 3 catchers should be a priority.

Two more things to remember on draft day.

1. Look to select a solid backup for any starter that has a history of injuries.

2. You can never have enough starting pitchers.

Good luck