Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Draft

By Amir Najam

Introduction

Currently serving as a SAP analyst for Mikron Industries Quanex Division near Seattle, Washington, Amir Najam provides a number of technically oriented services, such as training sessions for new and established employees. In his spare time, Amir Najam enjoys participating in fantasy baseball leagues.

Each season in fantasy baseball begins with a draft. Being successful in the draft requires extensive preparation during the off season. Team owners need to track players moving from other teams and rank them according to their value to the team's strengths and weaknesses. In most leagues, owners can have about 26 to 28 players on the roster, including a reserve list.

The Draft

There are two kinds of drafts: the pure draft and the auction. In the pure draft, owners draw their pick numbers at random. The order may be reversed on even-numbered rounds so that the last-picked team in the first round becomes the first picked in the second round.

In the auction draft, which imposes a salary cap, each team starts with around $260 to spend, and teams bid in one-dollar increments. Bids for star players usually top out at $40 to $45.