Fantasy focus
A former friend once told me something that I think is an excellent piece of fantasy baseball advice:
Don't look at the standings until July.
If you're like me and out of first place here in early June, don't panic. In my last two seasons, I've had two very different teams.
One was dominant for much of the campaign, topping out at a staggering 95 points at one point in a 5x5, 10-team roto league, before fading away like a Paris Hilton jail sentence.
The other was mediocre all year but won me the championship with a furious last-month rally.
Here are a few pointers to get you back within striking range:
Trim the fat - Most underachieving squads have at least one guy that was drafted high that's stinking up the joint. In April and May, patience is a virtue. In June, it's time to bail.
Stuck with Johnny Damon (.257), J.D. Drew (.224) or Richie Sexson (.197)? Trade them away to an opportunistic soul who's willing to wait and hope for a turnaround.
Meanwhile, you should...
Hit the wire - Unless you play in a 20-team league, there are players on the waiver wire that can help you. Steals and saves can be a little hard to come by, but the other eight categories are there for the boosting.
Need some homers? Carlos Pena, who's reviving his career with Tampa Bay, has a dozen while eight more guys who are playing on a regular basis are available in my league with at least eight long balls.
There are 14 guys that can be had in my league with at least five wins. Some of the decent WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and ERA guys in that group are Jorge Sosa (3.22 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), Jeff Francis (3.70, 1.31) and the ageless Greg Maddux (3.82, 1.23).
Work the league - Make trades. It's a simple piece of advice, but you'd be surprised at how many owners draft their teams and then stand back and make little or no changes.
There's been one deal in my league this year, and I'm the one who made it. I took some heat for shipping C.C. Sabathia and his nine wins out for Curtis Granderson. But with my astute wire pickup of Tim Lincecum, I had some excess pitching and I used it to patch up my less-than-stellar outfield.
Check around. There's an owner out there who might be willing to work with you. You don't have to sucker somebody to get a good deal.
But it doesn't hurt to try.
Don't look at the standings until July.
If you're like me and out of first place here in early June, don't panic. In my last two seasons, I've had two very different teams.
One was dominant for much of the campaign, topping out at a staggering 95 points at one point in a 5x5, 10-team roto league, before fading away like a Paris Hilton jail sentence.
The other was mediocre all year but won me the championship with a furious last-month rally.
Here are a few pointers to get you back within striking range:
Trim the fat - Most underachieving squads have at least one guy that was drafted high that's stinking up the joint. In April and May, patience is a virtue. In June, it's time to bail.
Stuck with Johnny Damon (.257), J.D. Drew (.224) or Richie Sexson (.197)? Trade them away to an opportunistic soul who's willing to wait and hope for a turnaround.
Meanwhile, you should...
Hit the wire - Unless you play in a 20-team league, there are players on the waiver wire that can help you. Steals and saves can be a little hard to come by, but the other eight categories are there for the boosting.
Need some homers? Carlos Pena, who's reviving his career with Tampa Bay, has a dozen while eight more guys who are playing on a regular basis are available in my league with at least eight long balls.
There are 14 guys that can be had in my league with at least five wins. Some of the decent WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and ERA guys in that group are Jorge Sosa (3.22 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), Jeff Francis (3.70, 1.31) and the ageless Greg Maddux (3.82, 1.23).
Work the league - Make trades. It's a simple piece of advice, but you'd be surprised at how many owners draft their teams and then stand back and make little or no changes.
There's been one deal in my league this year, and I'm the one who made it. I took some heat for shipping C.C. Sabathia and his nine wins out for Curtis Granderson. But with my astute wire pickup of Tim Lincecum, I had some excess pitching and I used it to patch up my less-than-stellar outfield.
Check around. There's an owner out there who might be willing to work with you. You don't have to sucker somebody to get a good deal.
But it doesn't hurt to try.
posted by Randy Capps at 10:38 AM
1 Comments:
Agree although I've found it helpful to look at standings/stats pre-June from other perspective - opportunity to make good trades with owners that are putting too much stock in early stats, or to pick up good players put out on waiver wire too early by impatient owners.
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