Fantasy Baseball Myths: True or False

Sometimes I wonder how I survive the winter with just Football, Basketball and Hockey.  Don’t get me wrong, these are great sports but they fail to compare to the king of kings of sports.  After those a terrible winter, yeseven the south was hit pretty bad, we finally have back the one thing we’ve waiting all year for.  Baseball is back in action starting February 17^th with the opening of spring training and we here at The Campus Throne want to help you create the fantasy baseball team that will dominate this year.  Each week we will be releasing new advice on who to pick in this years draft.  This week we will be focusing on myths about Fantasy Baseball.

True or False: Fantasy Baseball:

1.The first pick means you will have the best team

False: The first pick may mean you will get an Albert Pujols or a Hanley Ramirez, but you also get the last pick in the second, fourth, and sixth round.  By the time you get to draft in the second round, most of the superstars are gone.  Granted you will be able to pick first in the third round, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the fourth round to pick again.

2. Never pick a pitcher in the first round

False- If you drafted Tim Lincecum in the first around last year then you know what I am talking about.  Lincecum was the best pitcher in the league last year by far.  Sure, his wins were that high, but his strikeout and WHIP totals were outstanding.  The fact that he faced a NL West that was weak compared to all the other divisions in baseball helped him put up some of the best numbers a right handed pitchers has had in years.  One pitcher may determine if you make the playoffs or not.  Pitching as they say is “at a premium for reason” when there are a bunch of mediocre pitchers out there.  We strongly recommend if you have a pick towards the end of the draft board that you select a pitcher in the later part of the first round.

3. Age plays a huge factor

True- There is nothing worse than getting to the postseason and watching your player get benched because his manager is saving him for the postseason.  The older guys usually sit a lot in the last couple weeks of the season if they are in playoff contention.  Our advice is to choose wisely during your draft and make sure you don’t end up with the Posada who sat almost every game in the last week of the season.

4. Research for Sleepers

True- Sleepers Will determine who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t in your league.  Who saw Zack Greinke becoming the CY Young?  I’ll tell you who, the guy who did his research before the season started and ended up winning the whole thing.  Look around at sites and follow spring training and you might spot the next “Drew Stubbs”…yea quote us on that one.

5. Spring Training can predict the season

True and False- Some players take it very easy during spring training and some don’t.  Some players will have horrendous spring trainings like A-Rod and then come out in the regular season and have MVP type numbers year in and year out.  It depends on the player and his type of approach to getting ready for the season.  There was one season where Elmer Dessens had the lowest ERA in spring training and then proceeded to have his worst season during the regular season.  You have to be careful and know who you are drafting.