Hello, avid fantasy baseball fans! Today, I’m going to dive into some strategies and tips I have to help you with your fantasy baseball drafts. I’ve used these and they have always helped me in my leagues, even if it’s a slight advantage at the end of it all. Let’s begin! Most are also pretty simple but overall effective.
Use ADP to Your Advantage
Heading into the fantasy season, every app ranks players differently. Usually, it’s all pretty minor, but the value is in finding players who are vastly off for your specific league. I personally use Fantasy Pros, and it’s helped highlight players that are valued differently for my leagues(yahoo). Luis Robert is ranked 83 or higher in every other league; Yahoo has him ranked 36th.
That would make him a guy to avoid for me. On the opposite side of things, Wyatt Langford is ranked 147 on Yahoo, and is top 55 everywhere else. Making him a target for me. While rankings are going to update and likely bunch players closer together as we approach the draft, there will still be these value adds(or avoids). You just have to keep an eye out for them.
Build a Blueprint Pre-Draft
This is a lot more popular in fantasy football, but it’s also a very good way to help prepare for the draft. I usually create a list of my favorite players for positions. This helps you figure out how your draft could go and who you should target each round. If you find multiple shortstops you like that are eighth-round picks, you can use your earlier picks on other positions.
Or let’s say you won’t find any second basemen you like outside of the top five; make sure you take one early so you aren’t stuck feeling like you wasted a pick later on. If it works perfectly, every pick you use was pre-planned, and you end up with a team with a very strong overall team.
Take Advantage of Injured Players
It happens every year. A player who’s going to be injured for the first 2-6 weeks falls in the draft to a position where the players around them are clearly a tier below. These guys are easy value picks that will benefit your team over the long term. This also works for players who were injured for most of last year.
Spencer Strider is the best example of this. He was a top-five pitcher taken off the board last year; this year, he’s currently SP34. When healthy, he’s going to put up better numbers than his current ranking. Even if your team struggles for the first 4 weeks, the rest of the season, they will have an advantage. I will say, be wary of drafting too many injured players. If you get hit with the injury bug it’s easy to start off your season 0-5(as I did last year).
Closers
Closing pitchers are easily the biggest wild card of fantasy baseball. In the last three years, there’s only been one player who has finished in the top six every year (Emmanuel Clase). There’s really no guaranteed strategy for closers, but there are tips to follow that help you score reliable points.
Target Closers on Contenders
Pretty simple, if the Orioles are supposed to win 95+ games, there are going to be more closing opportunities than the White Sox.
Draft at Least One Top Closer
Depending on your league scoring(let’s assume saves only for now), drafting 1 top closer helps you get consistent scoring. After that, it’s somewhat dealer’s choice. Some people prefer taking two top closers, so you never have to worry about relief pitcher. A lot of people prefer taking two “dart throws” of lower-tier closers that have the potential to outperform their ADP.
If you’re in a saves and holds league, another strategy is to just skip closers altogether. There are a lot more great relievers that rack up holds and are extremely cheap.
Best Player Available
Instead of making sure every starting spot is secured, just take the best guy available! The thought process is simple: doing this gives you the most valuable team for trades. There’s some risk in this, especially if your league mates don’t like to trade. However, this strategy and smooth negotiating should give you a great team early in the season.
Know Your League’s Scoring
Simple but effective. Know how your league scores. I’ve had leagues score more for strikeouts and low walks/hits, and other leagues score more for wins/quality starts. Either way, knowing what to look for helps sift through a plethora of players.
Hitters First, Pitchers Later
The first three to five rounds should be focused on hitters. Some could even argue the first ten rounds should be hitter-heavy. Hitters generally score more than pitchers and have less injury risk. It’s also easier to load up on upper to middle class pitchers than it is hitters.
Hold Your Players
This is the hardest rule to follow in my opinion. It’s very easy to get caught up in the waiver wire and trades when you’re trying to improve your team. Just remember, you drafted these guys for a reason. Especially for the first 10-15 rounds. Guys get drafted top 100 and get dropped within the first month because they start cold. You don’t want to be the schmuck that gave up a great player due to not getting immediate results.
Know the Positions
Some positions (SS, 1B, OF) have a LOT of talent. While the best of those positions are the best in baseball, you can still find a top-50 player by the time most teams fill that position. Some positions(2B, C, 3B) have a top tier and a significant drop-off afterward. This ties in with having a blueprint for your draft, knowing what positions you’re willing to wait on and what positions you need to fill early.
Versatility Is Your Friend
I always aim for players who can play more than one position. While not everyone on your team will have flexibility, my general goal is to have at least two players to fit every position. This ensures you don’t lose out on points, and you don’t create a hole by trading away your only third baseman even if you’re “winning” a trade.