Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Keys to Dominating Your League

Often times fantasy baseball can be just as unpredictable as the 162-game regular season that accompanies it. 

But fear not, eager fantasy owners. There are ways to draft wisely and to build a fantasy empire capable of league domination.

It's not as complicated as you may think. In fact, it's simple really.

Just follow these three draft tips to success:

No. 1: Do Your Research Ahead of Time

It's absolutely paramount that any serious fantasy baseball owner do his or her research before draft day. Not only does the selection process go smoother and quicker when everyone knows who they want and who they want to avoid, but your team will be better assembled.

Most baseball fans will have general background knowledge about the more well-known players, but once the draft reaches its later rounds, all that prior research will come in handy. When it's time to load up on some sleepers, you will know exactly who to draft.

No. 2: Always Look For Trends

The key to an excellent fantasy baseball draft is simple: searching for and ultimately discovering trends that tell you more than you would have otherwise known about a player you are on the fence about.

Just because Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli batted .320 with 30 home runs in 2011 doesn't mean that he is a sure thing to do it again this season. Napoli had never hit above .273 before last season with Texas. That's not to say he won't have an impressive season, but there are clearly more consistent options out there like Minnesota's Joe Mauer, who bats .323 for his career.

No. 3: Always Go With Your Gut

After you have done all of your research and found key trends, you are now ready to begin selecting players for your fantasy baseball squad. The most important key to remember when drafting, however, is to always go with your gut. 

Just because ESPN.com lists Miguel Cabrera as the No. 1 overall first baseman available doesn't mean that he will lead your team to a fantasy title in 2012. Perhaps Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira gives you a stronger sense of dependability. After all, he went yard 39 times last season and posted a hefty 111 RBI. 

No one knows what your fantasy team needs better than you, and it simply wouldn't be fantasy baseball if you didn't express your creativity through building a mixed roster of your favorite players and the other guys that you will soon be rooting for.

Follow Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more fantasy baseball discussion.