Strategy
The skewed value of sophomores
This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy. Trea Turner posted an amazing set of numbers in just 307 at-bats last summer. He is being selected in the first round of most drafts, usually ahead…
Read MoreDeconstructing the Foundation Rounds
This year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They will appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy. The foundation of your fantasy baseball roster starts in the first three rounds, or with players purchased for $20-plus in auction leagues. These should be the…
Read MoreDangers of chasing profit
The latest BABS Master List Update is now online in the Members Only CONTROL CENTER. Our goal in playing this game is to try to find players whose productivity exceeds our investment. Player projections attempt to place a metric on productivity; ADPs and AAVs attempt to show us how others are investing. These two lines…
Read MoreThe Need for Speed
In the upcoming edition of the Baseball Forecaster, you will read about the ever-changing shifts in the statistical landscape. By now, it’s common knowledge that home runs left ballparks at historic rates last year, and stolen bases took the opposite path. If you were to assume that these trends will persist, then there is one…
Read MoreMy Keeper List Decision
Last week I asked for your help! My decision appears below. I have a keeper list due this Friday, October 21 in advance of the November 4 XFL draft and am still on the fence for my last few picks. This is a great exercise for all of us in using BABS to support the…
Read MoreLuck and the law
Some people make their own luck and some have luck thrust upon them. We all resign ourselves to the fact that winning in this game requires a good amount of the “L” word, though there is some disagreement over how much. 25%? 33%? 50%? 75%? I’ve always felt close to the 33% figure, but the…
Read MoreDeconstructing an Outwardly Lopsided Trade
I run polls on this site because the results often fascinate me. There was no better an example this past week with my fake case study regarding a keeper league trade decision. I asked: You own hot prospect Alex Bregman in a keeper league in which you still have 2016 title hopes. The last place…
Read MoreWhy I hate FAAB
This article was originally published at BaseballHQ.com on June 10, 2005. My opinion has not changed. Sometimes I can’t believe the things we accept about this game. One of the great allures of playing fantasy — you might even call it the foundation of the game — is the sense of control it gives us.…
Read MoreHow to Make Enemies and Influence Pennant Races, part 2
In part 1… Back in 2009, I was trolling the trade wires with the owners in the Fantasy Xperts League (XFL) 15-team mixed keeper league. I received six sub-par offers, so I decided to up the ante. I sent out an email with a list of all the offers, so everyone could review, compare and…
Read MoreHow to Make Enemies and Influence Pennant Races, part 1
The following column, condensed from its original version, was published at BaseballHQ.com in two parts, on June 12 and June 19, 2009. I usually don’t like to dredge up dirty laundry from the past, but… um, heck, who am I kidding? I love to dredge up laundry, wallow in the dirt, use people as my…
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