Draft Position

Drafting with back to back picks is not good. I like the 4th and 5th round going back to back, but after that it stinks. Its near impossible to get two great picks with these picks because you are focused on getting one guy. When that guy goes, you are stuck with 2 picks and 0 players that you want. You make your picks, and if you are not satisfied with taking Keith Foulke or think you took Matt Holliday too soon you have to wait 19 more picks to attone for what you did.
My top three pitchers are Rich Harden, Noah Lowry, and Matt Cain. I would love to get better pitchers than that in a 10 team league, but when it appeared there was a lot of quality pitchers on the board, I would pass on them only to see them all go the next round.

Obviously there is nothing you can do with your destiny on what pick you get, but I did learn a little from the experience. If there is a trend such as people passing on first basemen, you can't wait to take advantage of it. As soon as one player grabs a first basemen, other teams will follow and by the time the draft cycles back to you, the surplus of great first basemen are gone. Therefore you just have to draft talent.

Another tip for when you don't have back to back tips: know who the other guys in your league like. Sean drafted Carlos Beltran with his 9th pick (technically pick 39 since we had 3 rounds of keepers), but he didn't know that I had no interest in Beltran with picks 10 and 11. If he knew this he could have waited on Beltran to pick number 12 and taken Travis Hafner with pick 9. But hey, I'll take it.

Sean's mistake leads me to one of the things I did right. I told nobody in the league who I liked or didn't like. Its annoying to keep your mouth shut, but it can pay off - I think Hafner will stay healthy and be a stud this year.

All in all I'm excited with the squad I think its the best offense in the league, its up to keeping up with the trends and changes now to maintaining it.
C AJ Pyrzinski
1B Mark Teixeira
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Michael Young
3B Melvin Mora
OF Manny Ramirez
OF Barry Bonds
OF Matt Holliday
UTIL Travis Hafner
UTIL Paul Konerko

Always a Learning Process

Just three years ago, I had my first encounter with the Head to Head format. And I would be the first to admit, there were some growing pains. My first season was proof. LAST PLACE! That’s where I saw my team at the end of my first season. In the gutter, having to resort to trading for keepers and using the worst phrase any fantasy manager has to say, “Maybe Next Year”! However, my second year was much more kind. After placing second in the regular season (to Curtis), I went to the championship only to lose by 2 runs to the eventual champion. From last to 2nd in a ten team league, is not too shabby. So here are some lessons I’ve learned over these past two years so you can avoid making the same mistakes I have the past two years:

LESSON #1- The Rocco Baldelli Factor

Boy, do I love sleepers? And, sleepers are great, right? Yeah, when they work, which ain’t too often. The biggest reason for my collapse in year 1 was my affinity for potential studs. It just so happened I got all the risk and none of the reward. My lineup was loaded with these players. Richie Sexson, Mark Texiera, Hank Blalock, Rocco Baldelli, Vernon Wells all graced my roster. As did Mark Prior (don't get me started). It just turned out I was a few years ahead of the curve. Mark Texiera is a stud now and Richie Sexson seems to have put the injuries behind him but I put my team’s chances in the hands of a lot of question marks. Sure, sleepers can make teams dominant just ask Chris Carpenter and Andruw Jones owners last year, however it is the Ichiro’s and the Gary Sheffield’s of the league that ensure fantasy teams contend for the title year in and year out.

Conclusion: Sleepers are great but don’t reach too much for them. Keep a nice ratio to your team. For every two grisly veterans you select, take a flier on a Justin Morneau.

LESSON # 2- Make Friends with Your FAST

The best strategy in fantasy is to get those rare players that can provide your team with stats across the board. However, after the first round, those players are few and far between. At this point, every manager has to decide: POWER or SPEED. Speed is much more valuable as it is so much harder to come by after the draft. Very rarely can you find a person on the waiver wire that can steal 25-30 bases. Last year, only 16 players had over 25 steals. After that there is a big dropoff. You can't say that for 30 HRs (27 hit that many, including Tony Clark.) So, if you don’t have steals, you’ll have to trade for them during the season. A person who has extra steals holds all the cards in trade discussions. Hopefully, you're that guy.

Conclusion: It is apparent how scarce steals have become when guys like Ryan Freel become hot commodities. Draft Fast and Draft Early.

LESSON # 3- Fast times during the fantasy baseball playoffs

Conclusion: This one is short. Pick up a SB specialist for your playoff roster. Whether it be Craig Counsell or Tony Womack. Never underestimate the need for a steal on the last day of a playoff week.

LESSON # 4- It is better to be lucky than good

Conclusion: No matter how good you are, luck comes into play. Whether it is getting Dontrelle Willis in the 15th round or holding onto Andruw Jones just because no one else in the league would make a trade for him. Luck plays a part, sometimes too much of one.

The Value of Drafting by Position

I was having a conversation with Matt the other day. He hasn't qualified for the playoffs in either of the two years of our leagues existence even though 6 teams out of 10 get in. We are doing a keeper league and he has the easiest choice for his three keepers after he declared himself out of the running last season. Pujols, Santana, and Miguel Cabrera. It was that easy.

Unfortunately, not all of us joined fantasy golf during the fantasy baseball playoffs last year. And now it is decision time. Do I keep a guy for his stats or the value of stats at a position. Chone Figgins or Travis Hafner? Victor Martinez or Gary Sheffield?

The answer is too simple. Although Hafner and Shef are going to give you superior stats with the stolen bases being the exception, you have to maximize every constraint. Figgins is a guy that plays at the second weakest position this year. There are only two other players at this position who are guarenteed to succeed. Victor Martinez plays the weakest position. If you drafted Victor and a poor man's Gary Sheffield - say Geoff Jenkins instead of carrying Sheffield and a weaker catcher like Benji Molina the combined stats of Martinez and Jenkins would likely exceed Sheffield and Molina.

Matt says you got to go for the stats. At least with the three keepers he has this year he won't need to have a firesale at the trade deadline.