Fantasy baseball question

[J.R.]

Odd league and I'm looking for thoughts.

20 teams, 29 player roster. Straight draft, I pick #16

18 hitters: 2 C, 2 2b, 2 3b, 2 SS, 1 IF, 4 OF, 3 UTIL
11 Pitchers: 7 SP, 4 RP

Categories:

offense: GP, AB, Stl, OBP, SLUG
pitching: IP, APP, ERA, WHIP, K/BB, K/9

I'm thinking everyone drafts like this is a normal draft and goes after hitting so I plan to go after starting pitching (likely undervalued) and a big stolen base guys who play everyday. I can trade for obp and slug later. Comments.

[Hornacek]

Steals are going to be key. Same with pitchers. Since only 11/29 spots are for pitchers, but 6/11 categories are pitching, I think Santana is a great Top 3 pick. I'm not too sure what you can get at 16... maybe Pedro? I might go for Figgins or Crawford with your first pick if possible, then try to get Peavy or Pedro in the second.

[nyc999]

I agree with Hornacek. That is a hardcore league, but there should really be 1 starting catcher per team. Some teams will be left with catchers in their starting lineup who barely play.

[J.R.]

My thoughts are that few catchers play more than 120 games, so I don't lose that much by having a back-up when compared to a starting catcher. Further, becuase the primary offensive stats (OBP and SLG) are rate stats, its unlikely a catcher will be a big influence on my ranking in these stats, as only 3 cactchers had more than 500 abs last year, while most positions have between 13-18 players gettting 500 abs.

I'm guessing a starting catcher adds about 1/16th - 1/17th of the value of my team OBP and SLG, whereas a stud hitter with 500+ ABs might account for more, like 1/12th - 1/15th of my teams OBP and SLG, as well as providing a slightly smaller percentage of ABs and GPs. But a stud starting pitcher throwing like 200 innings will contribute about 1/7th - 1/8th of the value of my teams era, whip, k/bb and k/9, and INN. Does that thinking sound right?

[Hornacek]

I'd def do plenty of research on the second tier starting catchers and 2b though. Bengie Molina, Gregg Zaun, Jason Kendall, and Michael Barrett types MUST be top priority. Avoid Tek, Victor, Mauer, and the like because they will be drafted much too high.

With categories like GP and AB, you NEED starters. Make this a priority.

[crockpot]

APP = appearances? if it is, i punt starting pitching completely. if you draft the right relievers you should finish top 3 in era, whip, k/9 and k/bb. relievers are way better than starters in those categories. in addition, target some guys who have SP eligibility even though they will probably work out of the pen, like liriano, heilman, papelbon, etc. this should help you win appearances. watch the league to see how they're drafting relievers (if they're taking closers despite no saves category, for example, top middle relievers are a great value). an added plus is that with middle relievers going late in drafts, you can spend your top picks on hitters.

i think that having a guy who's a catcher in name only (like javy lopez or josh willingham) is a big edge in this league. joe mauer also looks like a great value.