There are many different things to consider when you are about to set your Pitchers for the week. First know your settings. yes we have talked about this before but a lot of leagues have different settings for pitchers. The first thing to look for is if the league has a maximum for innings pitched for the season. If not then here is what i like to do. I like to look for the pitchers that are going to be pitching twice on the week. Most teams go with a 5 pitcher rotation so then anyone who is pitching on Sunday will pitch on Friday and the same with whoever pitches on Monday will pitch again on Saturday. Using this strategy will help you win in rotisserie leagues. Now if there is a maximum in innings pitched you will want to be choosy when to use this as you don't want to waste innings on average pitchers or when they are pitching against a power hitting team. The other thing that is very important is starting your relief pitchers. The best way to make sure your relief pitchers are going to be in the lineup is to go to http://www.cbssports.com/mlb. then go to TEAMS > PICK THE TEAM > DEPTH CHART. at the bottom right you will see the a long list of pitchers. that is the bullpen. the top guy is the closer who pitches the 9th inning. the guy below him the set up man who will pitch the 7th and/or 8th innings. Check your setting to see if you get rewarded for holds. If so the set up man can be valuable. if you only get saves then the closer is the only one worth while.

cheers

There is 3 parts to this blog.

Most importantly when the clock is ticking the most important thing to remember is to not reach for a player who you can get later in the draft. Just stay calm and refer to your cheat sheets and find the best player available in a position that you need to fill

Next. Don’t Jump on poor teams even if a team or player has had a good off season. Some teams improve their roster, but most times a player will only be as good no matter what situation you put him in. Last year every player went down in production on Detroit when they were all brought together after having great years previously.

When it comes to unproven players i suggest you wait for a later round to draft him. Same can be said if the team is rebuilding

Other hints are to Never Over Think a game match-up and sit someone who has just as much of a chance to blowing up as being a bust. Also, never sit a stud because he is facing a good pitcher. Only when the decision is marginal should you start using match-ups to pick your starting roster.

Cheers and talk to you soon

Do NOT pick a player from your favorite team unless the unbiased gamer on your shoulder is telling you that he is truly the best fit for your roster at that time. The same goes in regards to avoiding a player just because he plays on a team you dislike. Choose the best player for your roster even if it is a Yankee and you are a Red Sox fan. Rivalries should never affect your decision making. In summary, its okay to look at guys from your favorite team especially if it’s a player that is a power hitter but don’t avoid a Diamondback pitcher because you’re a Dodger fan.

The term “cheat sheets” could very well be one of the most common searched phrases on the Internet thanks to Fantasy Sports. If there is one thing that can be said about them it’s that no one cheat sheet is the same as the other, unless someone committed fraud. Knowing that, why spend money on something that is so subjective and put faith in someone you don’t know. In fact don’t trust me either, I want you to use my sheets as a guideline for what I am about to teach you. Remember, great players are not always great fantasy players. Now that is my opinion and I want you to form your own by studying so you are truly ready for draft day.

We all place different value on players and that is why you should create your own cheat sheet by using the sheets provided by the True Guru. This will save you buying a magazine as they will become your very own Cheat Sheets.

To create your own cheat sheet, copy and paste the gurus sheets on a spreadsheet and then look them over. Then use their opinions and your opinion to find the right spot for each player. I create a spreadsheet page for each position by copying and pasting each position from the cheat sheets onto another. Change the fonts to one style and size while fixing the column width. Only keep the columns that are relevant. Choose the categories that give you the insight for that player position.

Using last years results, plus cheat sheets that you have found here create your own cheat sheet. Some positions will demand you to go much deeper which will pay off in the later rounds. Judge how deep you should go according to the league settings of your draft.

Look for under achievers and gather information on teams that have strengthened their rosters in the off season. Now keep in mind that with spring training and the world series of baseball there are some injuries. You can judge some by the previous year, but the changes to the line up and changes of their divisional opponents are very important.

Now it is time to use your own judgement using the GURU's advice and the use of his cheat sheets and then use your own opinions to make your own sheets.

good luck

Hey Guys and Gals. Although fantasy is meant for fun, if you are going to be serious about your draft and its outcome then i must advise you to NOT DRINK before or during the draft. With every drink taken your thought process becomes one of a risk taker and before the season even start you will be fixing it in free agency. So, if the draft is a live one where everyone is having a few drinks, bring a few pops and tell them it is because you are driving. If it is online it shouldn't be a problem to stay away from the booze.

Trust me, your roster will look like a monster either way, it is up to you to decide if it is one that will blow up and one you will show to the door in shame.

After using this strategy in two different expert leagues i have realized that the teams i was left with are among the best i have ever drafted.

My advice to you in this blog is among the most important that i have given you, and believe it or not it will be shorter than any other.

In the first four round it is very important to draft power. If you have the first pick overall then i wont get too upset if you grab a starter with your fourth pick if it is one of the elite pitchers because you have to wait so long before you pick again. If you cannot get one of the elite pitchers then you must wait until the 6th round or so. I even waited till the 7th once.

If you are in a draft with experienced drafted then odds are they will all draft the same way. After i get one stud pitcher i like to get myself a stud relief pitcher and then go back to power. In the 12th round or so i then start looking to the guys who play on good to great teams but are the #2 guy there which means they will get you around 17 to 15 wins. I like to get 3 of these guys in the middle rounds.

next blog i will talk about relief pitchers and when to draft them

Last night I was in an expert league draft which included THE TRUE GURU himself among others. The draft went very well for me and for the first time in any draft, mock or others i had the 1st pick over all. with that pick i went with Hanley Ramirez thanks to the A-Rod hip surgery thing which i don't think will work. You see, i have the exact injury A-Rod has in my right hip and you cannot pivot or even sit comfortably for long periods of time so he is not worth even a 3rd round pick for me anymore.

Noticing that there is a small bench of 4 in this league it made it tough for the most part when it came to stacking a pitching staff. I had to start collecting a little sooner than what i like to do in the expert leagues and got Cole Hamels in the 5th round. then i waited about another 4 rounds or so and then went to town. in the late rounds you can get some good pitchers who are on good teams like Ryan Dempster of the Cubs, Derek Lowe of the Braves, Ted Lilly of the Cubs, Gavin Flyod of the White Sox and Joe Sanders of the Angels. Those were the ones i got and of course there were some i missed. So the story here is get your power bats first and you will have a solid roster.

As for my batters i got Delgardo of the Mets, Figgins of the Angels, DeRosa of the Angels along with Manny Ramirez of the Dodger, Victorino of the Phillies, Ludwick of the Cardinals and Tori Hunter of the Angels. My bench is strong and if i am weak anywhere it is at catcher and possible will fall behind in stolen bases. otherwise i am fine. what i was looking for when i was selecting was players that showed up in more than one category. such as DeRosa. He plays more than one position which is awesome and he is consistent (not great) in almost every category just like Delgardo and Victorino. My power will come for the Ramirez boys and will pray that Hunter plays as well as he did last year.

As you can see i have good power and a good pitching staff so it will be very important to stay active in free agency and improve on what i have built already. this method of drafting was taught to me by THE TRUE GURU and he is on to something with this strategy and i suggest you try it yourself as it is very effective for constructing a solid lineup.

Cheers and Happy Drafting

We are now in the thick of the fantasy baseball drafting season. Some of you may have had your drafts already but for the majority reading this your draft will be held in the next couple weeks. If you are new to fantasy baseball or new to a league then there are a few important things to keep in mind.

1) Prepare. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong. Preparing for a draft goes way beyond figuring out who your first pick is going to be. It always amazes me on the amount of time people spend contemplating their #1 pick and never even consider their picks beyond that. If you are in a 12 team league and are drafting 25 player rosters you need to have a chart, list or names of at least 330 players. Why 330 whey you are only drafting 300? Because it never works out that way. You will always have different positions to fill and needs to address during the draft and having the minimum number of players ranked will often lead you to draft a bunch of players from a position you don't need. Thereby leaving you short on others. If your league has position limits such as 2 catchers, then have a list of 30. If you must draft 4 outfielders then rank 60 and so on and so forth.

2) Have a plan. We pretty much know who our first round pick is going to be once the draft order is announced. So, building off of that you will need to have a plan of which positions to address early and which you can leave for later. Middle infielders and catchers are usually in short supply so try to cover at least one of these positions early. Sure it is great to have Albert Pujols, Johan Santana or Grady Sizemore. But there will always be 1B, SP and OF guys to acquire later in the draft. If you are not wise on the younger players, check out the Guru's Blog on Fantasy Baseball Search. If you have Hanley Ramirez or Dustin Pedroia locked into your middle infield spots it will allow you to draft several outfielders in the later rounds and build depth at that position. Look beyond the first round because no matter who you get there it is still only 1/25th (or so) of your team.

3) Execute. This means don't get distracted during the draft. Don't fall for "runs" on players or stray too far from your original plan. When the draft clock starts ticking it is human nature to start thinking more or even panicking about who to take. This is why you need to prepare and form a plan prior to the draft. In the days leading up to the draft you are thinking clearer than you will at any point during the draft. You are considering all aspects of your team instead of trying to avoid the time limit or draft hecklers that are present at each and every draft. Once the bell rings it is time to put your plan into action and this means not straying from your plan to take shutdown closers early or take young outfielders late. Of course if Pujols falls to the second round by all means count your blessings but if you thought Sabathia being back in the AL would lessen him NL numbers from last year do not get tempted to take him in the third round when you see starters falling off the shelves.

4) Ignore the geniuses. You know these guys there are a few in every draft. They make sarcastic comments about other people's picks, say they can't believe so and so went so early or oh my goodness this draft is taking so long! These guys are usually more experienced players who are just trying to ruffle feathers and throw their weight around in order to take you out of your game. Don't let that happen! If there is a time limit for your pick, take as much of that time as you need to make the correct choice. If other guys have a date with Jessica Simpson after the draft then that is their problem, not yours. Likewise, if everyone laughs at you taking Arod with the 8th pick just think to yourself that you will be the one laughing come May. If the peanut gallery simply cannot believe you haven't taken a starter yet don't allow them to talk you into one. Chances are they are eyeballing someone they are afraid you may take ahead of them. Stick to your guns. This way even if you make a mistake or whiff on a player it will have been on your own terms and there is nothing wrong with losing on those terms.

5) Never stop competing. As important as the draft is the fantasy baseball season is a six month grind. You will need to pay attention almost on a daily basis and make moves that keep you in the hunt throughout. There will be guys who start off cold and that is OK. Ryan Howard never hits in April remember? Let them play through it. Don't start firing away all of your top picks because of a bad start to the season or an 0-4 hole. By all means if that rookie 3B you took is already platooning in mid-April and Troy Glaus is coming back soon make that move. But don't do what so many fantasy owners do and that is give up too early. Fantasy baseball allows for a slow start. Just keep plugging away. Once you start making wholesale changes and trading everybody worth their salt, all you are really doing is making the fast start teams that much better and thus harder to catch later on.

If any of you guys are looking for more draft advice or have specific questions about players or situations feel free to email any of us here at Fantasy Baseball Search. We are here around the clock and are eager to help in any way we can. Also feel free to post your questions or comments right here. You can email me directly at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com with anything that is on your mind.

As your draft day comes close you might find that the experts in your drafts will start to pay you a lack of respect because you are a novice. Don't fight it, you will never change their mind till after the draft. Or maybe even during the draft in some cases.

Here are a few things to remember. First, them not taking you seriously is a mistake on their part as you will have all the knowledge of research and cheat sheets at your fingertips. Best of all is that you will have just as solid of a draft as they will if you don't make any of the following mistakes. Don't take any players early that are injured, don't reach to far down to get a player you have on your board and don't panic. Always draft with this in mind. Do your best to fill empty positions on your roster before you start on your bench.

Most importantly, never and i mean never try to talk to other managers out of thinking you are a rookie. Let them think it and draft brilliantly. Teach them that doing a little research and keeping your head during the draft can equal years of fantasy experience.

Tomorrow I am in the Fantasy Baseball Search Expert League and I am about to do my research prior to the draft so that i totally understand the rules of a custom league. I will go through each step so you know what to look for in your settings and rules.

First you must know that Todd Farino of FBS will put together a very fair and fun draft with stat categories that make sense for less controversy. Now i am not only saying that because he is my boss, but because any draft i have ever been in that he has been the commish has been just that regardless what some people think because they weren't prepared for draft day.

I first looked to see what kind of draft it is and it is a Head to Head League.

I have checked all the positions i am going to be picking and had to do some research of my own to totally understand the MI and the CI positions which turn out to be Middle and Corner Infielders.

I then researched how many players we can start and how many players we can have on our complete roster including our bench. We start 12 batters throughout the field which include 4 outfielders and 1 utility player. We start 9 pitchers which can be made up of starters and reliefs and we can have 2 injured reserves with 6 bench players for a whopping 29 players on our roster.

I feel pretty prepared right now except i will have to find out if there is a limit on pitchers or will there be unlimited moves for the pitchers. This is called PITCHER STREAMING. Pitcher streaming is a NO NO that even some experts use to dominate. My next blog will deal with streaming and how to stream to win without being a total loser and staying within the etiquette of fantasy.

Now go to your draft and look over every aspect of your league settings and i pray to god for you that there is more to the setting that what i just had to work with thanks to CBS