Hello, internets. How are you? I am doing swell. Spring break is over for me, but never fear - baseball is here!!
That's right, third base line, C.C. Sabathia vs Mark Buerhle, we're talkin Indians vs White Sox folks, we're talkin home opener, we're talkin the beginning of spring, we're talkin blunted in sixty-degree sunshine, we're talkin about the smell of bratwurst and who is gonna hit the first homer, we're talkin about baseball baby! It's going to be the best season ever, just like the awesome game that Kyle, Comfy, and I witnessed up in Cleveland.
Now, I'd like to take the time to talk a little bit about my draft strategy, now that the season is in full swing. Before I explain anything, check this out:
This is a problem; fortunately, it is a good one. What you see above is the culmination of a sinister evil genius strategy that I myself concocted. Since I'm being paid to spill the beans on this one by Brandon Funston (he's so jealous), here is my draft strategy - draft early hitters who are young and possess both power and speed, mixed in with second spot SPs. Why the second starting pitcher, instead of the ace? Well, my theory postulates that if you draft the correct starters, who are the second pitcher in their team's rotation, then they will face easier opposition, in terms of the pitching matchup. This means their team mates will be more likely to score on their second best pitcher compared to their #1 ace, providing you with more wins and run support.
Lets take the the Giants for example. The top of their rotation is Barry Zito. Barry Freakin' Zito. That means every time Barry Zito is dukin it out with Brandon Webb, and Matt Cain gets to deal with Dan Haren, Tim Lincecum gets a nice shot at some scrub like Micah Owings or (gasp!) Randy Johnson.
Another example would be Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsusaka; you gotta love Dice-K's chances to put up big numbers again this year, with Beckett slugging it out with the other aces in front of him. Or how about Erik Bedard coming over to shield King Felix. James Shields behind Scott Kazmir. Carmona behind Sabathia. Can see where this is going?
The point is, drafting guys like Barry Zito can totally screw your entire fantasy roster up. Drafting guys like Lincecum as your main SP corps can really help you out across the span of a season. Draft non-ace pitchers who are going to strike out a ton of people and melt lots of faces. It also helps if they play for a winning team with good run production and a deep pitching rotation.
Learning how to concoct strategies like this one is the first step to owning lots of newbies in fantasy baseball. Think deeper than your opponents. Chances are they are morons. The second step involves actually knowing stuff about baseball and the players, so we'll get to that some other time. Until then, check out this picture of my favorite player owning my least favorite player:
Next week I'll break down why I believe the Tampa Bay Rays will win the World Series this year, as well as some information on Age of Conan. Also, the album(s) are coming along very well. I may post a couple sneak peeks tracks up for download or something, who knows.