New to fantasy baseball. What are the strategies I should be thinking about coming into the draft?

A lot depends on the type of scoring, how many teams are in the league, the makeup of the rosters (IE positions), which stats are being scored, and whether it's a keeper league.

For instance, the main league I play in differentiates between OF positions (that is, has slots for CF, LF, and RF instead of just three OF slots), and that has a drastic effect on drafting (generic OF is otherwise the deepest position). And if you're playing in a keeper league, rookies and/or prospects are valued much higher, and often people will reach surprisingly high to grab a sleeper breakout candidate. Scoring unconventional things like batter Ks will also sometimes affect draft strategy in weird ways.

But assuming a standard(ish) 5x5, there are several general things that I find helpful:

  • Don't get too hung up on the ratio stats. Most leagues only score AVG, ERA, and WHIP; some go for OBP or OPS as well, but most of the time, the ratio stats are only 30% of your worry. This is especially useful to remember with pitchers, because you can get some really great value out of guys who have good peripherals, but whose mediocre ERA results in them being generally overlooked. If you don't want to get into advanced metrics, I find that looking at K/9, K/BB, and QS numbers are a good barometer for a pitcher's fantasy value.

  • Some people place great emphasis on drafting for positional scarcity, but don't go too crazy with this; certainly if you can snag a legit top-tier 2B, C, or SS, go for it. But if the top 5 guys in a very shallow position are off the board, you're probably better off just waiting and grabbing someone in the bargain basement rounds. Basically, once you get out of the first five or six rounds, positional scarcity becomes more of a red herring. After all, your C is only one roster spot; if you missed out on Buster Posey, don't overcompensate by drafting Brian McCann in the fifth round just because you gotta get someone. There's always someone available, and drafting a .250/15/50 guy way too early just because he has eligibility at C or 2B or SS is not a good idea if it means you're leaving a .290/25/80 guy on the table.

  • Drafting starting pitching is much like drafting for positional scarcity in a way: it definitely is worth it if you can grab a proven powerhouse in the first couple rounds. But beyond the sure things, SP is very deep and you can find great value well into the late rounds, so don't overvalue middling SPs too much out of panic.

  • Fill your bench with SPs. This is especially true for H2H leagues. Most batters will play every day. SPs will not. You don't need three batters on your bench, but having a boatload of extra SPs is essential. If your league has, say, five BN spots, I would use four for SPs, and one or two max for batters.

  • Most of all, be consistent in your draft strategy. If you set out with the goal to draft for positional scarcity early, then stick to that; if, on the other hand, you set out with the goal of drafting the best available player for the early rounds and then just slotting in whatever you can grab at scarce positions later, then stick to that.

  • If you make a list of specific players you want, you should also come up with a few comparable alternatives, because someone will always take that guy you were just about to pick. Always. When that happens, better to have a plan than make a panic-pick.

/r/fantasybaseball Thread