The
guide to fantasy baseball.
By Greg
Arbogast
Magis staff
Accompanying
springtime is a plentitude of worries such as AP tests and
finals, but there is a ray of hope in this stress filled time.
Springtime means the start of baseball, and more importantly,
fantasy baseball. With the 2004 season already upon us, here's
some strategies that will help you claim bragging rights at
the end of the year.
First,
we will take a look at strategy for salary cap leagues. The
most important part of a salary cap league is self explanatory,
the salary cap. Buying low and selling high will allow your
team to increase its overall value (money you have for buying
players) as the season goes on. The key to increasing your
team value is finding bargain players of which there are several
types. One example of a bargain player is a young player who
is ready to accept a major role on a team. Examples of this
would be Sean Burroughs on the Padres, Morgan Ensberg for
the Astros, and Kaz Matsui for the New York Mets. Also look
for former productive players coming off either an injury
or an off year. That means take a look at Ken Griffey Jr (Reds),
Jermaine Dye (Athletics), and Pat Burrell (Phillies). Finding
bargain players will facilitate staying under the salary cap
at the beginning of the season. More importantly, however,
buying successful bargain players will increase your team
value, and allow you to purchase more expensive players near
the end of the season.
Another
tip would be to look for players who have switched teams in
the off-season to a team more beneficial to their talents.
One example would be Richie Sexson, who was traded from the
Milwaukee Brewers to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Escaping the
anemic Milwaukee offense to the more productive Arizona line-up
will provide Sexson with plenty of RBI opportunities. Another
example is Javier Vazquez who left the baseball hell known
as Montreal for the baseball heaven known as the New York
Yankees. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter combined make almost
as much money as the entire Montreal roster. The point, however,
is that the Yankees will provide Vazquez with the offense
that Montreal couldn't. That combined with Vazquez's talent
should mean a breakout year for Vazquez.
For those
of you participating in draft leagues, most of you have probably
already had your draft. Therefore, here are some strategy
tips for updating your roster throughout the season. Look
for lesser-known players that emerge at some point during
the season. If you haven't heard of this player, the odds
are nobody in your league drafted him. Whether it's injuries
or trades that provide an opportunity for a player, there
will be a few players who utilize their opportunity to put
up solid numbers. Anybody remember someone by the name of
Dontrelle Willis. The point is that if some of your original
draft picks are either slumping or injured, look to replace
them with emerging stars.
Another
key component of draft leagues are trades made throughout
the season between competing teams in a division. Knowing
when and who to trade for can give you a big advantage. “You
have to look at a player's statistics from the past few weeks
rather than the whole season”, said Savie Maneen. “Certain
players start the season very well, but tend to fade towards
the end of the season”. The point of this is that a player's
good start may make his overall statistics look appealing
even though he may be slumping when you're trying to trade
for him. Try to trade big name players when they start to
hit a slump because they will still have trade value at that
point. If you can acquire several young, streaking players
for one overrated veteran player, it can really bolster your
team.
These
strategies may not be foolproof, but they will give you an
edge towards fantasy glory. The best strategy of all, however,
comes from Coach Horn, “I'll take the player using the most
steroids”. |
