Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Dominate Every Fantasy League from Day One

Winning your fantasy baseball league takes passion, attention to detail and these carefully-crafted practices. 

It's almost time to crack open the Baseball Prospectus and go to work. Pitchers and catchers are packing their bags and the start of a fresh baseball season is around the corner. 

For us baseball nerds, that means we will be firing up the spreadsheets and diving head first into WHIP, Vorp and other acronyms that will drive us mad shortly. 

Getting the draft down takes years of practice, and every last hardball geek will have their own way of doing things. 

Here's a list of do's and don'ts for the uninitiated. If you are new to the fantasy world, the best way to not get eaten alive lies below. 

1. Live by Position Scarcity: There are players who will leave the draft board early, and there's nothing you can do to stop that. 

Albert Pujols, Matt Kemp and Jose Batista will all be gone early. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on them, by all means. 

The trick is not to freak out once the great names get selected. There are plenty of sluggers to be had this season at first base and outfield. The trick is to win the day at lesser positions like second base. A win there will cancel out fruitless endeavors at the deeper spots. 

2. Closers Are for the Birds: Saves, WHIP and ERA can be delivered through careful managing of closers. I am not about to say that you should ignore them, because you shouldn't. 

Save the relief pitcher run for the middle rounds because a good portion of them will lose their hold on the closer role anyway. You win the closer battle by managing the waiver wire, not at the draft. 

3. Throw Caution to the Wind: A corollary to the first rule should be taking a chance on sleepers and up-and-coming talents. 

We all know the marquee names, but even they are no guarantee to victory. The trick is to get the big bat or hot arm in the exact season they blow up. This takes careful research before draft day. 

4. Target the Homer: Every draft room has one. This is the guy that over values every last one of his team's stars. Now go ahead and draft one or two of them if you can. 

By the time they hit that hot streak in May, you can trade him for a bountiful ransom in return. 

5. Buck the Trend: Lastly, pay close attention to how things are going in your draft. If hitters are getting snatched up left and right, handle your business by getting top-quality pitchers from the list of aces available. 

Don't ignore your needs but don't be swallowed up by the wave that will ensue, because it's a losing battle. 

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