Newbie Questions- Bare With Me...

[Guest]

Nothing I hate more than annoying newbies asking mundane question that EVERYONE knows. Anyways, I am a hypocrite so here goes...

This is my first year attempting to play fantasy baseball. I am playing for free at yahoo and have a few basic questions...

First, where is a good walkthrough of some sort i can look for advice etc?? I am extremely competitive lol and wanna win!!

Second, Is it pretty much impossible to win in the end with a near the bottom or bottom draft pic?? I cannot imagine picking 12th out of 12 teams and actually be a threat to the # 1, 2, and 3 picks...

Third, will someone help explain this auto draft pic? I am trying to relate this to drafting on a video game, which works because you can make real time decisions on whether you want to jump for the last killer pitcher or fill 3rd base with an average or above average player. I do not understand how by making a list you can cover all positions etc... I just dont know how i can be assured good diversified picks... How should my top 9 players be set?? Best player in each position?? or stack my players with three or four pitchers so i am basically assured a least one hott pitcher?? I just need to know the strategy...


Thanks guys

[Mr. Smithers]

Sorry I have never Auto drafted so I cant help you. But if you have last pick in the 1st round you get 1st pick in the second round.
Good Luck.

[ncstate04]

I'll jump on your second question. Yes, it is extremely possible to win your league with a late draft pick. I had the 10th out of 12 pick last year and won my league. Fantasy baseball has a lot to do with skill/strategy but there is also a lot of luck involved. Someone who drafted randy johnson last year in the first round, really didnt get much from their top draft pick. So if you do get the 12th pick, dont sweat it. There is so much uncertainty in baseball. Who knows.....A-rod could get hurt in spring training, so there goes a #1 pick.

[Biggie2]

That should say Biggie2, not guest.. i just signed up before i posted so i guess the the server got confused

[swarmee]

Second, Is it pretty much impossible to win in the end with a near the bottom or bottom draft pic?? I cannot imagine picking 12th out of 12 teams and actually be a threat to the # 1, 2, and 3 picks...

The reason that draft position doesn't matter that much is because you have a team of 23 or so players, not just the guy in the first round. The teams that win usually get solid seasons from their stars and breakout seasons from their sleepers/late round picks.
The best way to set an autopick draft is to rank all the players in the order that you'd select them in a regular draft. That way the computer will attempt to give you a balanced, best player available team. If that means you end up with three great 3B, you now have excellent trade opportunities to trade for those relief pitchers you didn't get.
I wouldn't go with the idea of picking the best players at each position and then putting them in my Top10 picks, mainly because that means you could waste your second round pick on someone like Posada or Piazza, when they're not worth more than a 4th round pick.

[sigtaulefty]

I will completely agree with ncstate04 on drafting. In my league, I will create a league draft for next season by using our finish this season and the worst team gets first pick so on to the league champ who drafts last. New players pick after previous league members, but before the champ. I've won this league twice now, granted it's only about 10 teams per year, but this year we're anticipating at least 12 so it'll get tougher. It can be done though.

As far as autopick goes, I tried it the very first time I played any fantasy sport. It was football 4 years ago. I found a web board with great rankings, created my own rankings and expected a great team. I had a terrible draft, a very poor waiver wire number - I lost out on 6 potential FA's the day after the draft because of it - and i'll never autopick again. I find a saturday to draft and we do it live. The 2 guys who never make it live, usually are drafting 1 and 2 each year. They haven't seemed to catch on, but IMHO, live is a lot better than Auto. Just my .02 - good luck.

[Biggie2]

You go to NCState?? or did at one time?? Im from VA, my dad went there as well as my grandfather, and i hope to attend next year... How bout that basketball team?!?!

[jbuk]

Draft position has nothing to do with where you finish in the standings, it's how skillful you are at drafting that matters.

I avoid Autodrafts like the plague, though I started with them too and the results weren't too bad. Live drafts probably seem dauting to newcomers, but they're the highlight of the fantasy season (for me at least), and you don't rely on luck. As long as you're well prepared, you should do well.

Anyway, as you're doing an autodraft, the most important thing is to change the player rankings, the ones they start with (I'll assume you're using Yahoo, although all the sites pre-rankings are awful) are a joke. If you need some help, the mock drafts here and rankings in the cheat sheet section are a great help.

Good luck

[ncstate04]

Biggie, Im currently a senior at state....and yes, basketball is very exciting this year, especially with the acc tourney coming up.

[Biggie2]

Is it better to fill your roster, or get the best players available and hoipe for some great trades??