How to Win your League (Don’t do What I do)

Don’t order this Country Breakfast in the second round. Photo courtesy of Keith Allison.

Up front, I love fantasy baseball.  I look forward to the next season as soon as the old one is over.  Unfortunately…I’m terrible at it.  Terrible.

But I just can’t quit.  I love doing it.  I spend hours preparing for it.  I make my own Excel sheets for it.  I would hate to guess how many dollars worth of magazines I have bought over the years and studied until they were rags.  I go into my draft supremely confident that I have it whipped.  My plans are in place and my strategy is solid. Then…the draft starts.  This article isn’t going to be so much of a how to, but more of a “what not to do”.  Hopefully, someone will read this and learn from my mistakes.

Rule One: Don’t be a Homer

I’m a huge Royals fan.  I’m eternally optimistic.  I go into every season thinking this is the year they will go all the way.  I know a lot of fans feel this way about their team, but, read again, I’m a Royals fan.  The team is finally starting to make some changes that a fan can get excited about, but, in my case, probably a little too excited. I will see a Royals player that I KNOW is going to have a huge year and draft him two rounds too early and be proud of it.  Smug, even, about the “steal” I drafted.  I haven’t done this occasionally, I do this every…single…year.  Anyone else have a Royal’s player carry their team?  Didn’t think so.  Don’t pick a player just because you’re a huge fan.

Rule Two:  Make a plan and stick with it.

I always go into a draft with a firm plan.  This plan (that I have spent weeks on)  generally lasts roughly two rounds and then out the window it goes.  I start drafting by my gut.  To my chagrin, though quite expansive, my gut isn’t very good at fantasy baseball.

I can not reiterate this enough, be flexible, but have a firm plan and stick with it.  If the draft isn’t going according to your plan, don’t panic.  Rework your plan to make it effective for you.  Think on your feet and have back-up plans to your back-up plans.

Rule three:  After your draft, don’t overtinker.

Ok, overtinker isn’t a word.  I know this because there’s a little red line under it.  It is however the word that I use for how I manipulate my lineup after a draft, especially after the season starts.  I get panicky.  I start dropping and adding players left and right.

Be patient.  I preach this to myself every year, but never follow through.  That career .300 hitter that is going through a 0 for 12 streak?  Give him a little time, he’s more than likely going to pull out of it.  You drop him and you’ll be kicking yourself a week later when he goes on a tear.

I have played fantasy baseball for over fifteen years and have never won a thing.  I am always the subject of ridicule on the league message boards.  The best thing about having me in your fantasy baseball league (besides easy wins) is that I never get up.  I’m still tinkering with that lineup on the last day of the season.  Now,  I can’t tell you what to do like some experts *cough* The Crackerjacks *cough* can to help you win your league, but I can sure tell you what NOT to do.

I hope someone gleaned some helpful information in this article and it helps them in their draft and in the running of their league.  I hope this helps someone do what I am unable to do.  Win.

I, however, have to go.  I’m in a mock draft right now and I’m pretty sure I can get Billy Butler in the second round.

And it starts again….