It's The Little Things That Count

 Value is the name of the game. And the majority of "value" comes from doing the "little things" right.

 This entails things such as; drafting the right closer in waiting at a bargain price, retaining players at bargain rates, trading last year or high priced players before the deadline if your team is out of the race, and spending time with minor league selections.

 Anybody can walk in on draft day and spend $50 on Pujols. And he may even earn the salary. But really, how does that put you ahead? It doesn't. The answer lies in these types of players performing and possibly earning a little more than you paid. Or surrounding them with low priced players that outperform their salary.

 Case in point, I bring you Rox outfielder Seth Smith. I traded for him at the price of $3. For that price he hit 15HR, 55 RBI, 61 Runs, 4 SB, and a .293 AVG., or roughly half of what you can expect from any of the high priced ($25-$35) outfielders, at less than half teh price. I have developed many different ratios and theoried over my fantasy palying years and they all have one goal in common. To find a "True Value" in players. You definitely need to spend the money to get some stars, but given that all players have the same budget and players required, it's the little guys you draft that make the difference.

 I also currently own Heath Bell at $2 after drafting him two years ago when Hoffman was said to be leaving soon. Every year there are setup guys that move forward and closers that move on. This can be a great way to spend that little bit of salary in the end game. You get pitchers that won't hurt you as opposed to that #5 starter in Pittsburgh. There is also the chance to bring home what can turn out to be a great bargain when your guy starts closing and you have him at a bargain rate.

 Minor leaguers are much more difficult to predict and derive value from. In our league when a minor leaguer is activated his salary automatically is $10. There are few that are worth that much right away or are keepers at that price for the following year. We have a 22 pick draft and Obviously Strasburg is #1. After that the highest rated minor leaguers are almost all guys that have been drafted in past years.

 I will follow up this article with more on the subject of bargains, values, and my strategies for winning fantasy baseball when I can.

 Any feedback would be appreciated as this is my 3rd posting and I have yet to receive one comment, good or bad.