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Miguel Ugalde
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Fantasy Baseball:
The New American Pastime
By Jonathan Cyprowski, 04.19.07
In a world where technology and the Internet have transformed work and play, baseball is no exception. Once a sport exclusive to men, baseball’s new fantasy form has increased its appeal to a broader audience.
Men, women and all age groups can now show their sports prowess on the computer screen’s even playing field. Fantasy baseball has quickly become the new American pastime for those bound to a desk or who find the analytical part of the game as entertaining as the physical aspect.
Here is the scenario: Leagues hold up to 15 teams. A team represents an owner who drafts his or her team during a live draft on the Internet. Each team owner is then responsible for making their team as successful as possible through trades, dropping and adding players to the team and looking at match-ups to decide who to play and who to sit on the bench.
To the newcomer this may seem like an overwhelming task, but to those who know their baseball, draft day is the best part of the season. All good fantasy owners know that it is not always the first few rounds of the draft that put a team on the road to success. The ability to get under-the-radar players may have the biggest impact on a team’s statistics in later rounds.
Drafting is never an exact science, but one thing is certain - if you want to be the talk of the office pool or want to make a run at the championship this season, there are facts and names (other than Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez) that you are going to have to know.
For example, many times the relief pitcher is the most underappreciated position in the draft. But if you know the difference between a closer and a run of the mill reliever, you will pick up 25 to 30 saves that can be worth big points in most leagues. Players new to this role usually fly under the radar because they don’t have the big stats from last season that draw attention. Salomon Torres of the Pirates is a prime example. Last season he was the work horse of the Pirate bullpen. With the departure of closer Mike Gonzalez in the Adam LaRoche trade, Torres has stepped into the role and should pitch his way to 30 or more saves this season. Not bad considering he is undrafted in 60% of the leagues out there.
Two more names to keep an eye on are outfielders Michael Cuddyer of the Twins and Josh Willingham of the Marlins. Both are going between rounds 13 and 18 and produced 24 homeruns and 127 and 74 RBI respectively last season. Young players like these are expected to improve. Hopefully this type of late round production will help you get your hands on those sought after prizes available in some leagues.
So whether you are in it for the cash prize in the office pool or the ultimate bragging rights in your circle of friends, fantasy baseball is your way to join in America’s new pastime.
