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As Spring Training draws near, it means the start of Fantasy Baseball Drafts and a time to start looking at how you are going to build your team. The first couple of picks in a draft are by far the most crucial to the success of any team because it sets the trend for the later rounds.
If you are lucky enough to get one of the first three picks, you first selection is a given in that it will be one out of Pujols, A-Rod or Hanley Ramirez. But where do you go if you’re stuck with a middle of the round pick like seven or the end of the round like 10 or 12?
This pick really depends on where exactly you are. Everyone likes the sexy first round pick of a Joey Votto or Matt Kemp in last year’s drafts. But you have to remember that you have a whole team to build, and the power positions like first base or the outfield tend to be pretty deep.
Instead, look for a position where there is a bigger drop off between the top players and ones you can get in the later rounds, like second and third base.
Look to take a player like a Chase Utley or Robinson Cano if you are picking in the middle of the round. While they might not put up the same home run and RBI numbers a Votto might, the combination of them and a first baseman you take in the fifth round will most likely put up better numbers than if you take a Votto and get stuck with a no-name second baseman in the late rounds.
The other aspect of a draft is to look at your future picks. If you get stuck with the last pick in the round, remember your next pick won’t be until 30 if it’s a 10 team league or 36 in a 12 team league. However, the benefit of this pick is that you get two picks right next to each other.
If an Utley or Cano is still there, I would say take them because by the time it gets back to you, the best second baseman left will be a middle of the group second baseman who is not going to produce nearly as well as the top tier guys. The second pick is almost as crucial though. Look to take a number one pitcher like a Roy Halladay or Tim Lincecum.
I have always been a believer you can never have too much pitching and I have had success in several leagues because my pitching staff carried me. A solid number one pitcher who can get you 16 to 20 wins during the season will go a long way to helping your team.
During the draft, don’t overlook your last four or five picks. In leagues last year I ended up with players like Vladamir Guerrero and Paul Konerko during those picks, both of which had huge years. Look at players who play in favorable situations. Don’t be afraid to take a risk on one of the A’s young pitchers, playing in possibly the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball or a set-up man for a team that could trade their closer. A sleeper pick to watch is Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers, who is next in line to take over an attractive closer role when the Dodgers deal Broxton around the trade deadline.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
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