what is the best strategy to win fantasy baseball?

Answer 1

stay active in the waiver wire pay attention to the injuries.

Answer 2

Create your own board for each position and an overall board with, say, your top 200 players. Try to evaluate players relative to their worth at their position. For example, Chase Utley is going quite a bit in the top 10 or 15 picks because the dropoff at 2nd base after him looks to be quite a bit. People also are drafting Joe Mauer in the top 5 rounds quite a bit, as they feel the dropoff at catcher after the top 3 guys (Mauer, Victor Martinez and Brian McCann) is quite a bit.

I actually think catcher is deeper now than it has been in awhile and plan to wait it out a bit at that position this year. I think I can catch a guy like Russ Martin, Michael Barrett or Piazza in the middle rounds. A lot of people shy away from Piazza because of his age and injury history but I have him as a sleeper this year because he will be DH-ing in Oakland full-time this year, which should give him more at bats than he's had in years and gives him his best shot at staying healthy. If he does stay healthy, he would be a great value pick.

Likewise, you can draft some good sleeper pitchers later on in the draft (like John Patterson, AJ Burnett, Anibel Sanchez) long after the top tier guys (like Oswalt, Halladay, etc.) have left the board. It is all about drafting for value. Do not panick if the other owners make a run at a certain position. Stick to your gameplan and have a good board layout and you will be ahead of the game most of the time. Likewise, stay active and watch the waiver wire, as new impact players emerge every year (guys like Verlander or Liriano last year). Good luck.

Answer 3

1. Watch a few drafts on-line prior to drafting to see how the players are picked and what you would do with that pick in that situation. Getting a good feel as to how the players will get picked will make things easier for you when you draft.

2. Always have 2 to 3 players on deck prior to your turn. That way you are not scrambling for a pick.

3. Be sure to get at least 1 good base stealer, 2 fairly decent strike out pitchers, and closers that have no chance of losing their jobs unless they get injured. These are key stats in winning a league.

4. Just be prepared and know who's injured at all times.

5. Always check the waiver wire and constantly look to upgrade your team.

Answer 4

The best way to do well is to draft smart and stay active and watch the waiver wire and free agents for breakout players. Use a draft strategy of filling the first couple rounds with best available offensive player and then drafting players at the weakest positions before filling out your roster. Positions like SS and 3rd base are incredible thin after the top 5 or so players so grab up those guys first. Starting pitching is incredibly deep and while your team may look good with a Johan Santana you can look deep in the draft and free agency for sleepers like guys i picked up last season either incredibly late or on the free agency list like Francisco Liriano, Verlander, Annibel Sanchez, Josh Johnson, Chris Young, Nate Robertson, Wang, Papelbon, Bedard and so on. Pick maybe 1 known quality starter that delivers lots of K's and then draft the rest late. Look for guys like John Patterson, see if Hughes makes the yankee rotation and some of the guys mentioned above that will be slotted around 110 to 150 or lower.And take a last round flyer on a young kid like Jeremy Sowers or Brandon McCarthy and see how they do the first month. And avoid position players with injury histories until you are drafting for depth...if they get hot try to deal them for whatever position players you might need. Some owners love to trade and fall for the hot player syndrome. And never draft power hitters with bad batting ave (Like Dunn), they will kill your BA category... there are to many power hitters with .280 or higher BA to draft for home runs only.

Answer 5

that all depends on how the scoring is set-up in your league.

lots of people stock up on great pitching and assume they can piece together a solid offense from late-round draft picks and waiver wire moves.

others assume that pitching isn't nearly as important as the offensive categories and draft a plethora of great batters but a crop of mediocre arms.

my advice is to pretend it's a real team, if you were running a real team the best way to win is to build a balanced ballclub. you want to get some speed so you can nab stolen bases and extra base hits. you want some solid sluggers to help you in the power categories and you want some guys in your rotation who are good for 200 innings, 15+ wins and 150+Ks and you want to round it all out with a solid closer or two and a good reliable bench.

there are tons of strategies, but mine is to draft a balanced team and always be on the lookout for sleepers and breakout players on draft day that you can snag in the later rounds. everyone knows that pujols and reyes are safe bets, but it's the well-thought-out picks that you make in round 15 or 21 that can make a difference later in the season.

and remember everyone essentially has the same list of the top 200 players--you have everyone else's cheat-sheet. go off the page and find the guys you can steal cheap and get a big reward from later...

it's all about planning and smart, educated drafting.

good luck!

Answer 6

a good draft and stay active. Don't take a closer until later rounds.
You can usually pick a few up as the season goes along.

Answer 7

Pick the best players.