I play Fantasy Baseball

Because I have to do something when football's out of season.

First things first: I've got four openings left in my Yahoo league that drafts on Saturday at 3:30 Eastern. Mostly basic stuff, six batting/pitching categories, weekly head-to-head, etc. We'd really like to fill it up before the draft, so if you're looking for another league with me and five guys you probably don't know, sign up here. The league ID is 147568 and the password is 99mphfastball. I won the league last year, so I'll be looking for some actual competition this time around :)

(No, it's never too early to trash talk.)

* Now, please grant me the indulgence of talking about my fantasy baseball team. Because everyone does it, and this team is the culmination of three years of planning. Yes, I'm a nut.

Then there's this other league I'm in, on GameDayRitual. It's the most hardcore league I've ever been a part of, with salaries, multi-year contracts, minors, prospects, lineups (i.e., you need a 1-9 setup that sort of mimics a real team: speedy guys on top, power in 3-4-5, etc.), lefty-righty matchups -- the works.

Last year was my second in the 14-team league, and I missed the playoffs by one game. But it was also the last year after taking over for the guy who ran my team (into the ground) when the league formed. He signed some players to ridiculous three-year (the longest allowed in the game) contracts, like Josh Willingham (who became nearly useless when he wasn't catcher-eligible) and Cliff Floyd(!), as well as Cris Carpenter, who I can't blame him for. Once I got out from under those onerous deals, I thought I'd finally have the cash to put together a killer team, and it looks like I've done just that, many for reasonable prices. Here's my projected lineup, along with salaries and years. The league has a $100 million maximum:

1. Carl Crawford (OF) $5.5 million/3 years
2. Johnny Damon (OF) $3.5/1
3. Kevin Youkilis (1B) $5/1
4. David Wright (3B) $9.5/1
5. Josh Hamilton (OF) $5.5/2

After this it gets a little dicey, but at least most of the guys have solid potential and come cheap:

6. Hideki Matsui or Elijah Dukes (DH) $3/1 or $0.5/1
7. Yunel Escobar (SS) $4/2
8. Asdrubal Cabrera (2B) $1/2
9. Kurt Suzuki (C) $2/2

My other possible DH options until mid-May include Adam Lind ($0.5/1), Todd Helton ($1/1), and Travis Hafner ($1/1). After that, I think I'll put Alex Rodriguez ($10.5/3) in the lineup. And just for kicks, I've got Jed Lowrie ($2/1), Placido Polanco ($3.5/1), and David Eckstein ($0.5/1) for infield depth.

Then there's the pitching staff. My first two starters are pretty good.

1. Johan Santana ($13/1)
2. Jake Peavy ($9/3)

The rest of the staff will come from whoever stands out among:

3. Mark Buehrle ($4.5/1)
4. Kevin Slowey ($0.5/2)
5. Andy Sonnanstine ($1.5/3)
6. Armando Galarraga ($1/2)
7. Randy Wolf ($2/1)
8. Fausto Carmona ($0.5/1)

Right now, I'm thinking Wolf and Carmona will go to my minor-league team and I'll rotate in the other four based on matchups.

My bullpen might be a little shaky, but quality relievers are easily available throughout the year. Unless you have a lights-out guy (think Carlos Marmol the last few years), you don't want to pay virtually anything for non-closers. The MR and SU guys need holds more than anything, and closers live (obviously) on saves:

MR/SU
Latroy Hawkins ($1/1)
Scott Downs ($2.5/1)
Taylor Buchholz ($1.5/1)

CL
Kerry Wood ($0.5/1)
Matt Lindstrom ($1.5/1)

And just to top it all off, I've got Matt LaPorta in my minor leagues.

Overall, through shrewd money management, I think I've stockpiled enough talent to compete for the title this year and have the depth to make some trades if I need to. Thanks for reading this far, and if you leave a comment, I promise to slog through your boring post about your fantasy team, too!

Welcome to Fantasy Island!

Ah, spring. The time when young men's fancy turns to...fantasy baseball, of course.

I just completed a draft in my 10-team Yahoo! League, and, like every fantasy sports owner immediately after his draft, I like the look of it. It's a pretty crazy league, weekly with lots of categories, so just about every type of player can find a home. But don't worry, unlike everyone else who drafts a fantasy team, I won't bore you with the details of my team, my shrewd picks, and other descriptions of how great I am and how I will own the rest of the league.

...
...
...

Oh, come on, you didn't really believe that, did you? :)

It's a weekly league, meaning we play against another team each week. The winner in each statistical category gets a point and at the end of the week, the team with the most points wins the matchup.

And my, what a lot of categories there are. On offense, it's R, HR, RBI, TB, Avg., OPS, Errors (fewest), and Net SB (SB - CS). On the pitching side, it's W, Saves, ERA, WHIP, Holds, Outs, and Ks. And rosters are huge. Our starting lineups are one each C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 4 OF, an extra IF, a Utility position, 5 SP, 4 RP, 2 flex P, and there are 5 bench slots and 3 DL spots.

With all that in mind, here's my team, with round selected. Bold indicates likely starters.

C
Joe Mauer (6)
Geovany Soto (24)

1B
Adrian Gonzalez (8)
James Loney (20) (IF)

2B
Ian Kinsler (7)
Asdrubal Cabrera (25)

3B
Garrett Atkins (5)

SS
Hanley Ramirez (1)

OF
Nick Swisher (10)
Juan Pierre (11)
Pat Burrell (12)
Kosuke Fukudome (17)
Rick Ankiel (22)
Josh Willingham (27)

Util
Jim Thome (14)
Frank Thomas (23)

SP
Jake Peavy (2)
CC Sabathia (3)
Brandon Webb (4)
Matt Cain (13)
Mark Buehrle (19)

RP
Billy Wagner (9)
Pat Neshek (15)
Joakim Soria (16)
Jeremy Accardo (18)

P
CJ Wilson (21)
Scott Baker (26)

I picked third overall, so I was thrilled to see Hanley Ramirez still available. Then I got not one, but both Cy Young winners in my next two picks, and they form the core of what looks like a very good pitching staff. Net SB should be mine most weeks, with Ramirez (51-65 SB), Ian Kinsler (23-25 SB in 2007), and Juan Pierre (64-79 SB) in the lineup most weeks, and I can sit Pierre for someone with more power against teams with poor SB numbers. My relievers include a couple of closer potentials in Pat Neshek and Jeremy Accardo, but until they take over, I'm happy to rack up the holds with each. And at least one of Jim Thome or Frank Thomas have to stay healthy; I got each very late, and they'll contribute mightily to my power categories and OPS.

The bad news is my potentially shaky outfield. I didn't even draft an OF until Nick Swisher in round 10, and Pierre's in danger of losing his job. Kosuke Fukudome and Rick Ankiel are unknowns, and Pat Burrell's sure to frustrate, so I took Josh Willingham -- a steady if unspectacular player -- with my last pick. I also made the error of filling my bench with position players and not taking a pitcher. If Thome or Thomas are hot the first few weeks of the season, I'll probably see about trading one or the other for another starter. Finally, there's a lot of kids out there -- Geovany Soto, Asdrubal Cabrera, Scott Baker, James Loney. Hopefully, one or more pans out. In fantasy, I figure it's always better to go with the unknown kid than the washed-up veteran. Why take a guy you know won't do better than about .270 with 15 home runs when you could wind up with someone who hits .300 and 25?

I'm also in another, far more complex league, GameDay Ritual, that wraps up its four-day draft event (yes, four days) tomorrow. I'll probably post about that one, too, so you can bask in my fantasy magnificence twice in one week. Aren't you lucky?