Fictional League Inaugural Draft Tips?

[leegarson]

Happy Holidays everyone,

I need some insight on how you have drafted in your inaugural drafts for a fictional league. I usually stress starting pitching first, then position players, then bullpen, then bench, then prospects. I seem to be having an issue with drafting the correct players, I seem to get an awful lot of duds...I try to ensure that my scout and the league scout (?!?) are on the same page. Am I missing something...? What do you guys do? What has worked?!?

Thanks for reading,
Lee

[Chicagofan76]

For myself I try to build my team around my park.

For my example I will use Old Comiskey. Cavernous, good pitchers park, need a good defensive CF, good park for gap hitters, but isnt as bad as say Forbes Field when it comes to power hitters and isnt too far off from modern parks.

I look at players who is at the highest current potential right now. I try to draft a SP with a STA of 8 (1-10 scale) or higher. Depending on how many teams and what your park looks like you can go into multiple directions after the 1st pick.

If's your league has say 16 teams and you have a full 4 levels of minors then maybe you dont want a win now type of team. Me I always go for a win now team and let the future take care of itself. Next i would look for a power hitting 1B or C preferably a leftie with defense ( for the C not the 1B) next I go after a CF with great range and speed, my leadoff guy. Then I will try and find teh best defensive combined with offense SS I can find, unless theres some great power Corner OF available or a great LHP SP.

So what park do you play in and how many teams?

[SandMan]

I usually have the highest payroll when I draft so I now let the computer draft my teams for me. When I do draft I usually go something like this:

rounds 1-4 the best available starting pitcher
rounds 5-10 the best available hitters regardless of position
rounds 11-16 the best fielders
rounds 17-20 the best relievers I can find.
rounds 21-25 Best available player
rounds 26-45 computer picks.

I believe it is vital to get good starting pitching first after that just start filling in the roster. I keep a sheet of paper and build my lineups as I draft the players to get a feel that I am drafting correctly.

[Ambermonk]

Here's a link to an interesting discussion on the subject in OOTP-11. It should prove useful...

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-approach.html

The whole thread is interesting, and the system that I am currently using is contained in my post #53. I've never had a bad draft using this system!

Hope this helps!

[Chicagofan76]

Originally Posted by Ambermonk

Here's a link to an interesting discussion on the subject in OOTP-11. It should prove useful...

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-approach.html

The whole thread is interesting, and the system that I am currently using is contained in my post #54. I've never had a bad draft using this system!

Hope this helps!

there is no post #54 (#53) but looks cool gonna have to read through that myself as i get ready to do an inaugural draft in my new league.

[Ambermonk]

Originally Posted by Chicagofan76

there is no post #54 (#53) but looks cool gonna have to read through that myself as i get ready to do an inaugural draft in my new league.

Sorry, it was #53. I've edited it in my previous post.

[Jaxxvain]

Originally Posted by Ambermonk

Sorry, it was #53. I've edited it in my previous post.

I read through the other thread, and I some very similar things in excel. I do hesitate to make one final number though. I do a 3_Score (stuff+movement+control) for pitchers, and then I use things like stamina, ground-ball % and perhaps some other things as tie-breakers. For batters it's called 5_Score (contact+gap+power+eye+avoid Ks) and that is the base mechanism for evaluating the hitters.

Additionally for hitters I will do what I call a SPEED score which is a sum of Speed, Stealing and Running, and I do a LEAD score which is Contact + Gap + Eye + Avoid Ks + Speed + Steal*4 + Running. I emphasis the stealing number since I want the guy to steal safely, I firmly believe if you steal at less than 75% you are doing more harm than good.

I also use conditional formatting to highlight everything from Green (veru good) to orange (above average) to yellow (average) to red (poor).
I generally only put the top 60% of the players in excel to begin with, so even the guys who rate "poor" on my sheet is a possible ML player (at least if he has some kind of positive intangible).

I used to get too attracted to hitters, and would end up drafting mediocre teams. Last couple years I will almost always grab 2 SPs in the first 3 rounds. Whenever in doubt on a pick, go with a pitcher.

[Ambermonk]

Originally Posted by Jaxxvain

Additionally for hitters I will do what I call a SPEED score which is a sum of Speed, Stealing and Running, and I do a LEAD score which is Contact + Gap + Eye + Avoid Ks + Speed + Steal*4 + Running. I emphasis the stealing number since I want the guy to steal safely, I firmly believe if you steal at less than 75% you are doing more harm than good.

These are interesting ideas Jaxxvain. Speed & Lead stats seem to make a lot of sense. I'd like to incorporate something like these in my own league. Running & batting leadoff are important parts of a lineup, and deserve some serious consideration. Thanx.