14-team fantasy baseball draft - suggestions?

[sleepyjoeyt]

Posted this at the end of the v.2007 fantasy baseball thread started by crockpot but didn't know if it would get lost so posted it under its own thread. If mods have problem, please delete, move, or whatever.

Looking for any and all advice

First year in fantasy baseball was last year. finished 10th in a 10-team league (not a keeper league).

this year i'm in the same league (now expanded to 14 teams) still not a keeper. i've got the 7th pick in a snake draft.

we draft 1 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 SS, 3 OF, 4 Extra Hitters (can be from any position), 5 SP and 2 RP.

Here is the point system:

Hitters:

Single is 1 pt
double is 1 pt
triple is 2 pts
HR is 3 pts
walk is 1 pt
Run is 2 pts
RBI is 2 pts
SB is 2 pts

Pitchers:

Win is 10 pts
Strikeout is 2 pts
Each inning pitched is 2 pts
Complete game is 7 pts
Shutout is 10 pts
Save is 13 pts

Rumor has it that the first 6 picks will be as follows (not definitely in this order but this is what i'm hearing):

Santana
Pujols
Ortiz
Howard
Reyes
Soriano

I have the 7th pick and I'm thinking Chase Utley is the call but that is just so lame. Picking a 2nd baseman with my first round pick seems lame.

For informational purposes:

The top 7 players from last year were all starting pitchers, in this order:

Santana 1154 pts
Harang 1122 pts
Smoltz 1077 pts
Webb 1051 pts
Carpenter 1026 pts
Arroyo 1020 pts
Zambrano 1008 pts

The 70th ranked pitcher (14 teams each with 5 starting pitchers) was Jeff Suppan with 708 pts. The 35th ranked pitcher was Ian Snell with 850 pts.

Among Hitters the top point getter was Ryan Howard with 997, followed by Pujols with 984, followed by Ortiz, Soriano, Reyes, and Beltran.

A few more positional stats (just for a point of reference)

Miguel Cabrera is ranked 15th overall among hitters based on last year's stats: 892 pts

Vernon Wells is ranked 30th among hitters with 830 pts

Carlos Delgado was 45th among hitters with 767 pts

Edgar Renteria was 60th among hitters with 714 pts

So, based on this info, any ideas about the first pick, general draft strategies, potential sleepers, etc.

Anything anyone can provide that will give me a chance of not finishing dead last this year would be appreciated.

thanks.

[Sofisdad]

I take it this is a head 2 head league and not roto? I'll help you with some picks and strategy. Really depends on the type of league though.

[sonartec23b]

Format of the league is definitely critical. Sounds like fun though and I'd enjoy helping you out. I've had a lot of success in FB over the past couple of years, take care

[sleepyjoeyt]

I don't know the difference between "two head" and "roto".

A little more info is that each month is judged separately, and the winner of each month wins cash, and the overall winner for the whole season (total points) wins something like 50% of remaining entry money and 50% of transaction money. 2nd place gets like 35% remaining entry money and 35% transaction, and 3rd gets 15 and 15.

$5 / per transaction. A trade between teams means that each team is charged $5 for the trade, whether it is swapping one player or a 10 player trade.

Pitchers must remain on the roster for a minimum of 20 days from the day they were acquired (so you can't just pick up 5 new starting pitchers each day).

Does this provide enough info for you guys to provide some guidance?

If not, please be specific about what other info you need.

thanks.

[Sofisdad]

I guess its not a H2H because you don't look to be playing an individual team each week for standings sake. Looks more roto-ish due to accumulating points from your team but since you aren't awarded points based on your totals versus the rest of the league than it isn't really true roto either.

No problem, just wanted to clarify. So you need to basically take the guys that are just gonna score the most points throughout the season instead of a guy like Adam Dunn that will only hit home runs and basically nothing else. Ok.

Harang got the 2nd most points in your league last year? Thats different. He's statistically a better draftee than Ryan Howard. If I stepped into your shoes and drafted in your spot then I'd do something like this:

Round 1: I'm eyeing Carl Crawford as a Jose Reyes Jr pick. As far as getting all around points he's probably going to be your guy. Also consider Beltran or ARod if you're not comfortable anchoring your team around Crawford.

Round 2: I'm guess most of the top hitters are going to be off the board at this point. I'd look at a top notch pitcher like Chris Carpenter if he's available. In a standard league I'd be looking for Miguel Cabrera or Pronk but with 14 teams drafting and how heavily weighted the points are for pitchers then this is the time to take your best starting pitcher. Carpenter is a workhorse who is consistently dominant without throwing 98mph.

Round 3-4: Best position players available, i.e., Vernon Wells (probable round 3 pick), Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Ichiro, Jason Bay, etc.

Round 5: Take best available RP like Billy Wagner or BJ Ryan.

Round 6-8: Gonna have to start evaluating the board and filling spots as needed. Just depends on how the people in your league draft pitching wise. I wouldn't pass up a top notch pitcher that is still available based on how your league scores point totals.

Some sleepers to consider:

Chris Young - Arizona Diamondbacks
Alex Gordon - Kansas City Royals
Juan Pierre - Dodgers
Adam Wainwright - Cardinals
Howie Kendrick - Angels
Matt Cain - Giants
Alex Rios - Blue Jays
Chuck James - Braves
Possibly Randy Johnson if he's available with your last pick.

Those are some thoughts to start with, let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.

Best of luck