Auction Strategy

My AL-only Auction, Part I

I joined my AL-only auction league last year, and in my first foray into AL-only or auction, I finished second (much to the chagrin of those who truly believe they’re better fantasy players than I am). This year, with a little better preparation, and after a big fight about time and place, I went to [...]

Auction League Strategies, Part II

Last week I focused on common and effective fantasy baseball strategies to try out on auction day. This week I continue where I left off, but also include a few off-the-wall strategies that some have used over the years.
1. (Almost)All Relief Strategy
One of the oldest tricks in the book, this strategy was the impetus behind [...]

Draft Strategy

Sleepers – NL Batters Edition

Trying to find premium talent at a clearance level price?  Look no further.  Below are three sleepers to consider obtaining on draft day for your NL-only league.  They all have one thing in common: great production in limited playing time in 2009, with the expectation of increased playing time (and thus, increased production) in 2010. [...]

Keeper Corner: Drafting Strategies

We are starting a new column here at Fantasy Baseball 101 that will focus on the items that are more important to keeper and dynasty leagues.  Let’s get started by discussing five basic rules that will help you with your keeper/dynasty drafting strategies.
For those that are not familiar: a Keeper league is when each fantasy [...]

Player News

Breaking News: Dukes out, Who Cares In

When I first heard that Elijah Dukes had been released earlier today, I was initially confused, because I didn’t realize he had been incarcerated.  My confusion subsided when I realized that he had simply been cut by the Washington Nationals.  Dukes (who did his best hitting domestically) was a Jim Bowden special; a high risk-high [...]

Curtis Granderson to the Yankees

I know, I know.  Sure it’s Football, Basketball and Hockey season but I think it has been long enough without some baseball news.  It is that time of the year, the snow is falling, people are trying to find “tickle me Elmos” and of course, the blockbuster trades from the winter meetings are happening.
The World [...]

H2H

h2h Corner ~ Knowing ADP – How To Win Your League Before the Season Even Starts IX

Maximizing every drop of value in every pick is hugely important. Taking a player in the fifth round that you could just as easily have taken in the sixth round is a major mistake. To avoid this, you need to know all about Average Draft Position (ADP).
While no two drafts are identical, knowing where [...]

h2h Corner ~ Knowing ADP – How To Win Your League Before the Season Even Starts VIII

Maximizing every drop of value in every pick is hugely important. Taking a player in the fifth round that you could just as easily have taken in the sixth round is a major mistake. To avoid this, you need to know all about Average Draft Position (ADP).
While no two drafts are identical, knowing where a [...]

Trade Strategy

Trade Psychology, Part I

Crafting a trade offer is often not as simple as offering a player you want to get rid of in exchange for a player you want. You need to think about what the other team is willing to accept. That’s where basic psychology comes into play. In a two-part series, Fantasy Baseball 101 will review [...]

Bold Statements and Fearless Predictions

Each week (or two) I examine one player who has managed to avoid the fantasy spotlight, remaining on the fringe of fantasy stardom. Last week I took a look at Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann made one start following my post and pitched well (8 Ks and 1 walk), but was let down [...]

Roster Management

Rockies’ Huston Street shut down…who’s the closer? UPDATE!

In what has become a painfully predictable annual occurrence, Rockies closer Huston Street is injured.  Aside from the fact that his 2008 with the Athletics destroyed my hope for scoring saves points, Street is one of the least reliable – and one of my least favorite – closers in baseball.  And today, he feels pain [...]

A Few Words of Advice: Setting Lineups in September

We have officially entered the home stretch. Only four more days until the NFL season begins. You’ve completed two football drafts and a football auction, and only have 4 more online drafts to go over the next few days. As you spend every waking moment pondering the value that Jay Cutler will [...]

Minor Leagues

h2h Corner ~ The David Wooderson All-Stars (IV)

Regardless of your league’s format, knowing the hot up-and-coming prospects is super important to fantasy success. In keeper leagues, these players, often taken in the later rounds, typically form the foundation of fantasy dynasties. In single season leagues, smartly grabbing young players in the draft or shortly after their call-up is essential to success. Any [...]

Minor-ity Report: Highlight on Brandon Waring

First base prospects are notorious for their built big, big swing, defensive clumsiness, and the propensity to rack up good long-ball and whiff totals.  Standing in at 6′4, 195lbs, and knocking homers with relative ease, Brandon Waring certainly fits the bill. 
A 7th round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2007 amateur entry draft, Waring can flat out [...]

Miscellaneous

Fantasyland the Movie

Whenever I meet someone who has a similar passion for fantasy sports as myself, one of the questions of conversation that always seems to come up is “Have you read Fantasyland?”   As far as I am concerned its required reading.
The Book was written by Sam Walker, who as a senior writer for the Wall [...]

Rockies’ Huston Street shut down…who’s the closer? UPDATE!

In what has become a painfully predictable annual occurrence, Rockies closer Huston Street is injured.  Aside from the fact that his 2008 with the Athletics destroyed my hope for scoring saves points, Street is one of the least reliable – and one of my least favorite – closers in baseball.  And today, he feels pain [...]