No, not those silly basketball tournaments. It's fantasy baseball time! The grandaddy of all fantasy sports is having its drafts all across the country.
The question is no longer: Will the NFL and the Players Association be able to reconcile and not force a lockout? (That one's a no.) But rather becomes: Do I take Albert Pujols with my first overall pick? (That one's a yes.)
No longer do controversies lie in conference tournament officiating...
(see the Big East and also note the Northwestern-Ohio State game: How does one guy, Luka Mirkovic, hold Jared Sullinger to 10 points [6-8 on free throws] through two halves of college basketball and only obtain one foul, but then get four fouls in under two minutes of overtime? {of which Sullinger was 10-10 from the charity stripe})
...but instead lie in Mets' finances and the Rangers' front office moves.
It is a wonderful time of the year. Spring Training has begun and fantasy GM's everywhere are chomping at the bit waiting for their drafts to start.
Here are some do's and do not's for your upcoming draft:
DO:
Think about drafting an ace early. A player like Roy Halladay or Felix Hernandez can anchor your staff and allow you to draft pitchers who tend to be really good or really bad (cough, cough...Scott Feldman in '09)
DON'T:
Draft a lot of pitchers early. Please note the "an ace" in the above hint. If you waste your early picks on pitching you will be stuck with lower-tier offensive players. And it is always easier to find a hidden pitching gem than it is to find an undrafted stud first baseman. (Scott Feldman had 17 wins in '09 and I picked him up off of free agents a month into the season.)
DO:
Think about picking up your middle infielders early. Elite fantasy talent in these positions is hard to come by this year. For instance:
He's hard not to like (admit it Red Sox fans, you like him.)
Derek Jeter: Jeter is projected by ESPN as the 4th best shortstop in the MLB. However, he hit .270 last year as the lead-off hitter. (His worst average since his very first call-up [in '95], and worst ever for a full season.) Not only was his average down, but his Slugging Percentage (.370) and On-Base Percentage (.340) were also down. And while these aren't terrible stats, his age and the early indication that the Yankees have him leading off again this year are a cause for concern.
Chase Utley: Utley has been a top-tier second baseman for years. ESPN has him rated as the 6th best second baseman. However, he has steadily declined over the last 4 years. From 2007, his batting average has declined from .332 to .275, his on-base from .410 to .387 and his slugging from .566 to .445. Translated into fantasy stats: his homeruns dropped to 16 (after 3 of 4 seasons saw him hit 30+.), his doubles from 48 to 20 and his RBIs went from averaging 100 to 65. And while you can argue he was hurt last season, he has also already had surgery for a hip problem this year and has no timetable for his return.
I say all of this to warn you for waiting and ending up with middle infielders that hit 8th, while your opponents will have the guys that are hitting clean-up or lead off.
DON'T:
Rush on outfielders. Assuming you are in a 12-team league and need 3 outfielders, the last outfielder picked will theoretically be the 36th best outfielder. According to ESPN that is Bobby Abreu. This is what they have him projected to do:
90 runs, 17 HR, 85 RBI, 18 SB, and a .278 average. That is solid production. So don't feel rushed to spend your early picks on your outfield.
One final DON'T:
Do not get a closer early. I say this because you never know who is going to be good. Closers often will be hit or miss (Brad Lidge) and it is better to just wait it out and see what happens. For instance, you can draft Mariano Rivera early, but what happens if the Yankees are average? Say they either win big or lose. Then you have wasted your pick. San Diego was picked to tank last year, they were not supposed to be good. And yet, they were. Plus, their lack of offense led to close games, which gave Heath Bell multiple opportunities. Closers are a fickle group, know that as you think about drafting one too early.
I encourage you all to join a league if you have never played before. It is fun and easy to figure out. Multiple websites have free leagues (ESPN, Yahoo, etc.), so join up and enjoy America's Pastime even more.
Mark
(all stats were pulled from ESPN or www.baseball-reference.com, the image was google seached and the video was from youtube)
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