It was the third or fourth round of a fantasy baseball draft a few years ago when a fellow in the draft chat room asked whether this was a roto league or a points version. The draft had started 20 minutes ago and he already had drafted a few players, but now he was asking the question.
Another fellow texted and asked me if we should tell him, and my first thought was that, yeah, it was the right thing to do. Then again, a small part of me was thinking that even though we prioritize fun in this particular league, we are playing for a few, um, "raisins" and it is kind of his job to figure out the rules before this thing starts.
Know your rules. They are rather important. Yes, after a few jokes, we told him the format. Not surprisingly, he did not win the league.
While I will go on and on about things I feel are important to do and not do in drafting, the first rule is to know your league rules, since that preparation affects everything. It does not matter if it is an important league or a mock draft -- you had better know the deal before the proceedings get started because, um, we are not starting over, and we will make fun of you. It might seem obvious, but even at a level for those who draft and write and podcast fantasy for a living, it still happens.
Roto leagues, head-to-head category and H2H points leagues are very different from one another, as if one could not tell from my rankings and those of my colleagues Tristan H. Cockcroft and AJ Mass, so knowing your league scoring matters a great deal. That might seem obvious, but so many rules matter more than figuring out who is in Miami's outfield or who pitches for the Angels. Speaking of the Angels, how is your league handling hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani? How many active roster spots do you have, including catchers? Is there a trade deadline at some point? Is this a keeper league? Are you playing for, um, any "raisins"? I could go on.
Anyway, a league's rules and your knowledge of them is rather important, since there are potentially markedly distinct strategies depending on said rules. Here are other random thoughts I have about drafting:
Do plan ahead
Might seem obvious, but doing the homework in advance is a big deal. Once a draft or auction commences, things tend to move quickly, and being caught off guard is a problem. This is not merely about entering with a strategy, which everyone needs to do, but avoiding panic when the seconds to a final decision count down.
Most sites have base rankings or ADP at your disposal in the draft room, but please use your own. These are your teams, so figure out what you want to do well in advance of the draft. If you do the legwork, you do not need to turn the pages or surf around with 14 seconds left before you go on autopilot to figure out if a player is eligible at second base or actually steals bases.
Do not rely on others
These are your teams, and you have to live with them, so while most draft sites offer base rankings or ADP in the room, so what? Those are a guide, not the law. Sometimes these do not correspond well to your league rules, which is one thing, but also, they might not match -- should not match -- your opinions, and that includes mine. Yep, I said it. Trust that I know what I am doing, but my roto rankings are merely a guide, even to me at some point. I zig and zag from my rankings all the time because when one is in a draft or auction, things change quickly. You might like Chris Sale or Willson Contreras a lot more than I do and think my Max Muncy love is ridiculous, so go with your opinions.
Do queue
Perhaps you are watching a game on TV during your draft or stuffing your face with nachos and thus are unprepared when your pick arrives. Big mistake! While others are picking, you should be preparing for the next pick and queuing up players in advance. This works for whether your pick comes soon or not. In super deep leagues -- like a 40-rounder -- I make sure I queue up players well in advance early on and especially in the latter rounds, seeking undervalued options and lots of playing time.
And for auctions, by the way, there is definitely a strategy for nominating players, so figure out who is next for you -- put them in the queue or write them down. It gets annoying when managers let the entire clock run down in an auction before bringing a player up for bid.
Do not ask for a pause
On that theme, draft day can be ruined when someone picks the "wrong player" and asks the commish for a rewind or misses the auction nomination and does the same. Sure, sometimes internet connection will play a role, but if you simply click on the "wrong" player and decide 10 seconds later you want someone else, it is tough for others to sympathize. There seems to be someone like this in every league.
Do tier things up
One reason relying on someone else's rankings or ADP means little is because they are not based on how your draft or auction is actually progressing! While I would rather be the one to start a run on a statistical category or position than blindly follow into it, the fact is there are times to deviate, and using a tiered system is key. If there is one closer left in a tier, the drop-off to the next option is rather significant, and if five outfielders in the current tier all look statistically the same, you do not need to choose the outfielder.
Do not unilaterally stick to the plan
Yep, it might seem counterintuitive, but stuff is going to happen that might greatly affect your plan, so be willing to adjust on the run. You might have entered the draft thinking about hitter first, then pitcher and then hitter, but the rest of your league has a say in that as well, and one should not reach for a pitcher with a fifth-round grade in Round 2. It is just bad drafting.
It is also bad practice to decide in advance that you will be choosing from a certain position in a pre-planned round, whether it's hitter/pitcher, running back/wide receiver or whatever. I never do that unless I have keepers and can focus on a certain stat category or position. Best available option in the early rounds works for me, and I never say I must have three pitchers by Round 10.
Do focus on value
As mentioned earlier, whether it is rankings, projections or ADP, they are guides, and honestly, pretty poor ones at that, based on final results. They do tell us about the value of a player so that you can plan and decide if you agree or disagree with it.
For example, you might want Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez in Round 2, but the ADP and/or rankings show he will be available three or more rounds later. Well, taking him in Round 2 makes little sense then. I am all for doing what you want to do in a draft, reaching on a player at times, but some things make little sense.
Do not nominate Mike Trout for one dollar in an auction
I cannot stand this. Sure, we are all having fun, but Trout is not going to end up rostered for a dollar. He might go for $50. Nobody wants to nominate a player for a price knowing that perhaps he or she could have paid less, but this is not Francisco Cervelli. Nominate him for a buck. For Trout, start at $30 and move the process along.
One more thing: Be careful about nominating players you do not want, because you might get stuck with them. I might price enforce for top players early on, getting others to spend money, but it can backfire later on.
Do look for balance
This comes back to original strategy, to some degree, but look for a cross-section of options, be they safe or risky, old or young, durable or brittle. In addition, you want balanced numbers. There is no point in winning stolen bases or saves by 50, and similarly, leaving a draft or auction sans any steals or saves is a problem.
Do not assume you can trade
Leaving the draft with nary a stolen base threat is a bad idea because other managers are under no obligation to help you out and give you one. Sure, one can always punt a category, but I discourage the practice, because then you need to be nearly perfect in every other category. Similarly, do not presume you will be able to trade from excess. Perhaps others will figure out your plan and make illogical offers. A wise commish once told me, as I quietly pouted because nobody wanted to help me out and trade, others do not have to take the best offer. Neither do you.
Do consider injured players
It might be a few weeks or more before we see Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger, but this is a long season and a few weeks is not a big deal. Many leagues offer a DL spot separate from the bench. Stashing an injured player or two -- and being patient enough to wait for them -- is a wise idea with potential payoff. We still talk about the Jason Schmidt season of 2003, when many a fantasy drafter was scared to invest -- and then, over 29 starts, the Giants right-hander was the best fantasy option in the game.
Do not overrate prospects
Fantasy managers love to covet prospects on the premise that they might be getting the next Trout, but look at what he did his first season at the plate as a reminder of how tough this game is. Most prospects fail initially. It is a fact. I happen to think Angels outfielder Jo Adell will not fail, but since his big league debut might not happen until June or later, chances are a boring veteran like David Peralta will prove to be a far smarter pick.
Do consider multi-eligible hitters
It does not hurt to roster a player who can move to multiple positions during a season, but when managers covet these players over better ones, it can be a problem. I like that DJ LeMahieu and Jeff McNeil offer eligibility at three positions, but I do not choose either over Yordan Alvarez, who is merely a designated hitter. Positional flexibility is valuable during a season, but only to a point, and I do not view DH-only types like Alvarez and Nelson Cruz as "clogging" my utility spot early. They are fantastic hitters.
Do not let emotion rule
Whatever one thinks of what the Astros did in recent seasons, or about former PED users or those caught up with the law, remember that your goal is to put together a roster puzzle. You do not have to break bread with the players. You just want their statistics. To some, rostering a player one does not personally like might remove some of the fun, but one should remain impartial. Similarly, I have a favorite player on my favorite team, and while it might be a reasonable tiebreaker between two players, it just might not make sense to do everything reasonably possible to get him on my team. Remove emotion. Look for profit.
Do enjoy yourself
Fantasy sports are meant to be fun, so if you are not enjoying a certain league or sport, simply move on.