XFL Draft Results

The 15th annual Xperts Fantasy League (XFL) draft took place in Scottsdale, AZ on Friday November 4. The XFL is the fantasy baseball industry’s only keeper league, although it has been described as a keeper-dynasty hybrid. The 15-team mixed league drafts 40-man rosters, with the 23 players auctioned in November and the remaining 17 snake-drafted…

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First Pitch Arizona Preview: Why BABS?

On Saturday, November 5, I will be making a presentation about BABS at First Pitch Arizona. It will be a 45-minute look at what BABS is, why we need it, some 2016 successes and an early look at 2017. Here is an excerpt from the “why we need it” section.  We can’t integrate risk elements…

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My 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…

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Deconstructing 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…

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The 9 Rookie Trajectories

Last month at ESPN.com, I wrote a piece about how difficult it is to project young players when they are first promoted to the majors. As much as we’d like to draw conclusions based on minor league performance or scouting reports, they are faulty indicators for future success. BABS essentially throws her hands up, shakes…

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Donaldson, Bradley pace June BABS leaders

Nearly halfway through the season and we are seeing many players’ performances settle down to the levels we had expected in the pre-season. A reminder about how to use the chart: Batters and pitchers, individually, are ranked by skill, regardless of playing time. In this way, you can identify the skills tiers and cherry pick…

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Why 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.…

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How 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…

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How 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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The Mega-Challenge Trade

A version of this article was previously published at ESPN.com. In a recent ESPN piece, I wrote about how I was dealing with my under-performing pitching staff. One idea I offered was trying to trade my bad eggs for someone else’s equally bad eggs. Maybe a “change of scenery” could work for fantasy players too.…

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