Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy 2012: Surefire Ways to Conquer Your League

Winning is the name of the game in fantasy baseball. It doesn't matter how you get there, just as long as you are victorious when the final pitch is thrown at the end of September. 

The trick is finding a way to get an edge over your opponents. They have the same goal that you do, and know the same things that you do. With so much information floating around, you have to find that one thing to put you over the top. 

That's where we come in. But we won't give just one tip for you to walk away with a shiny trophy and bragging rights at the end of the year. We will give you all the information you can handle, it will be like putting a trophy right in your hands. 

Map out the First Five Rounds of the Draft

It is so hard to try and figure out how a fantasy draft is going to go, because you aren't sure exactly what the other players are going to target.

Do we start with pitching and go from there? Is this guy really worthy of being in this spot? Where is a star player who will take the next step to become elite?

There are so many things that everyone around you can do that can force you to change directions. Don't be afraid of all that last-second maneuvering—embrace it. 

Try to see where things are going early, then map out the next four or five rounds. This will tell you how to get the most bang for your buck. 

Don't Be Afraid to Take a Risk in the Middle Rounds

The first few rounds are all about establishing the kind of team you will have—pitching heavy, hitting heavy, some balance in between. 

After they are over, and all the star players are off the board, that is when you start looking for sleepers and young stars who are going to hit their stride this season. 

Some players are so stuck in their ways that they don't want to take chances. That is the easiest way to get yourself in the basement right out of the gate. 

Look for Specialists and One-Dimensional Players

With so many categories that you have to keep an eye on in fantasy baseball, there are going to be specialists who will be an invaluable part of your roster. 

You need someone who is going to get stolen bases, a reliever who is going to rack up a lot of strikeouts, etc.

Unless you are getting a player like Matt Kemp, who is going to go 30-30 again, or Craig Kimbrel, who could probably strike out 20 hitters per nine innings if he wanted to, there are players out there who will give you those stats without costing you a high pick. 

They aren't going to be the stars of your team, by any stretch. But they do some of the little things that will fill the stat sheet and put you in the driver's seat for a title. 

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