We have finally reached this point, a significant milestone in fantasy baseball; it’s the busiest week of the fantasy baseball draft season. More baseball managers will have their drafts this weekend than any other weekend of the year. Call it the two weeks notice, but with Major League Baseball set to open on April 6, fantasy managers have digested the plethora of information and are now ready to field their teams. To honour this special weekend, Sportsnet.ca will offer an insider’s look to the strategy of a fantasy draft.
First you must have your tools in hand. Have a list ranking the top players overall and lists of the position rankings in front of you when you have your draft. Mark in red where each plateau is located. For instance, here’s your shortstop rankings with the plateaus clearly labeled in tiers:
SHORTSTOPS:
FIRST TIER
1) HANLEY RAMIREZ
2) JOSE REYES
3) JIMMY ROLLINS
SECOND TIER
4) RAFAEL FURCAL
5) TROY TULOWITZKI
6) STEPHEN DREW
7) ALEXEI RAMIREZ
THIRD TIER
8) DEREK JETER
9) MICHAEL YOUNG
10) JJ HARDY
The purpose of the tiers is to let you compare the talent of each of the players on the list. In my opinion, Rafael Furcal and Alexei Ramirez have a similar value, hence they are in the same tier. On the other hand, there is a steep drop between both players and the aging Derek Jeter.
If the second round begins and none of the second-tier shortstops have been taken, there is little urgency to draft a shortstop. On the other hand, if you enter the fourth round and Troy Tulowitzki is available but all other second tier shortstops are not, it makes sense to grab him before the talent level deteriorates in the next round. The strategy is a combination of picking the best players while also paying attention to which positions are running out of talented options.
When it comes to pitchers, you can utilize the same formula. However, I have found that there are only three tiers of fantasy hurlers. The top tier consists of just three aces including Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, and Tim Lincecum. The next tier consists literally of two dozen hurlers including everyone from Roy Oswalt and Cole Hammels to Ricky Nolasco and John Lackey. Therefore, I would consider using a first or second round pick on one of the top three hurlers but would wait until at least the fourth or fifth rounds before selecting any of the other options. Let others waste their picks on pitchers in the third and fourth rounds, you can still create a fine rotation by drafting Nolasco, AJ Burnett, Javier Vazquez, and even Oliver Perez in the middle rounds.
Closers are also an intriguing position as they are limited to just 60-80 innings pitched per season. As a result, an elite ace such as Mariano Rivera or Joe Nathan is not much more valuable than the tenth best closer such as Kerry Wood or Jose Valverde. I recommend avoiding closers through the first six rounds of your fantasy draft. Concentrate on the players who can help you out in four or five categories. If you pick a closer in the seventh round, feel free not to pick another closer until the tenth round.
Last year, I picked my first closers in the tenth round (Mariano Rivera) and the eleventh round (BJ Ryan). In the sixteenth round I grabbed Troy Percival and in the seventeenth I grabbed Brian Wilson. Needless to say, without picking a closer in the first nine rounds, I finished in second place for saves. However, my success wasn’t just because of a savvy draft.
My strong draft afforded me the chance to eventually trade Rivera for offense while I resorted to the waiver wire to grab Solomon Torres, Jonathan Broxton, and Joel Hanrahan. Those three relievers combined for 51 saves for my fantasy team. Similar to running backs in fantasy football, closers often become available throughout the season on the waiver wire because of the injuries and struggles of the original closers. There should be no panic to draft a closer in fantasy baseball. It is more important to concentrate on the position players and starting pitchers who influence many more categories.
The final words of wisdom is to not throw away any of your picks. Believe it or not, the final rounds can be as important as the early rounds of your draft. For instance, in one of my leagues last season, Kerry Wood was drafted in the final round. In the 22nd round both Jay Bruce and Nate McLouth were drafted. The previous round included Randy Johnson, Zack Greinke, and Jonathan Broxton. There are plenty of young talents and seasoned veterans who are primed for big seasons. A well-prepared fantasy manager will grab these talents in the later rounds of a fantasy draft before they become available to everyone on the waiver wire.
Good Luck and Play Ball!