Everyone seems to have an opinion on the most effective fantasy baseball strategies. Will these strategies guarantee you’ll win your fantasy baseball pool? Just like the game of baseball itself there are no “magic” formulas for winning. The only thing you can do is try to increase your odds by employing an effective fantasy baseball draft strategy. For another quality fantasy baseball strategy, game statistics from the previous year should be reviewed. You can’t control injuries or player slumps but you can mitigate their influence by planning your fantasy baseball strategies before the draft.
5 Tips for Preparing a Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy
1. For those who diligently prepare and study their fantasy baseball strategy, game statistics for the previous season should be looked at. This is especially effective when you are rating your potential players ahead of the draft. Look for significant match-ups that may give you insight into potential players that will score you points.
2. Position Scarcity is a tactic used by many individuals in their fantasy baseball strategies. This involves drafting the best players in positions where there are few standout players early in the draft. First base, third base, and catcher are positions where the scarcity rule applies. Positions such as starting pitchers, outfielders, and shortstop are normally deep in talent and you can fill these positions with quality players later in the draft. Of course, the superstars will be taken but you’re looking for a balanced team here.
3. Which brings us to the next fantasy baseball draft strategy and that is…you guessed it, the Balanced Approach. The goal here is to select a team that is going to score fairly high in all positions. You select players that will score well in four or five categories and mix in some quality starting pitchers and hitters early in the draft. As you build your team, analyze areas where you may have weak spots and fill these in as best you can in the later rounds.
4. Rating Your Players before the draft is effective for many fantasy baseball players. This requires a lot of upfront work to set up your ranking system. You’ll rank each position from highest to lowest. As players from your list are drafted by other players, you cross them off your list and choose the next highest when your selection comes up. In any case, you’ll have a pool of quality players for trading later on to fill in any holes you may have.
5. Finally, effective fantasy baseball strategies require you to show patience as the season progresses. Refrain from pulling the “trade trigger” too soon when players go into a slump. Many players have blown their chance to win their fantasy baseball pool by trading a player only to have them “breakout” shortly afterward.
The most important pieces of advice I can give is to be prepared before the draft and to simply have fun. Whether you have a wager on the line or you’re playing for bragging rights with your friends, it’s all about having a good time. That doesn’t mean you can’t kick your buddies butt though.
If the strategy is well planned and adjusted the results of this always show on the scoreboards no mater where the team plays and who is the opponent.