I draft, I select the ballpark, I get screwed.

[BRIANSIELSKI]

Okay, I need major help from any experts. This whole drafting process keeps screwing me.

If I pick a hitters 2005 ballpark, I find myself losing out on all the players that would do well there (comparatively) ... with AutoDraft assigning me players that no one wanted in the first place.

If I pick a pitchers park, I find I don’t get any of those players that I think that succeed there too.

I figure there’s no way to get anything more than 2-3 players needed … no matter what ballpark I select.

So what’s the better options from some of you veterans? What’s the approach I need to consider when drafting? I'd love to pick the ballpark AFTER I see what crap I'm left with after the AutoDraft ... but that's ain't a happen'in. :x

[Mean Dean]

[quote:4f6f42fec6]I figure there’s no way to get anything more than 2-3 players needed … no matter what ballpark I select.[/quote:4f6f42fec6]How do you figure that? You would almost have to know everyone else's draft list in order to be that unlucky.

The disadvantage you do have, as a new player, is not knowing how high you have to list various players in order to expect to get them. Only experience can teach you the exact details of that, which is what you're getting right now :) But, just in general, the top players on your list should be players who are both stars and who fit your stadium very well. This is especially essential for SPs (e.g. Carpenter or Santana at Minute Maid), since all the top ones tend to get taken and you risk not only not getting the specific guy you want, but not even having any good options as a replacement. Examine the positions and figure out which positions have few players who fit your team concept (list those higher), and which ones have more options (list those lower). For instance, there's about a million mediocre 3B; unless you want a star (Cabrera, Wright, Ensberg), you probably will be just as happy with one as another.

Also, think ahead a bit, knowing that you might not get the players you want. For instance, if you're choosing between comparable players A and B, but the next most expensive player after A is someone you don't want at all and the next most expensive after B is someone you'd be happy with, maybe you should lean towards B.

You also may want to consider the simple solution of taking a neutral park. Let other owners fight over the freakshow players who only work in extreme environments, while you take the guys who are just good players overall.

Or, you can avoid the question altogether by looking for live drafts leagues forming in the SOM Online forum.

[BRIANSIELSKI]

[quote:7185ea850b]How do you figure that? You would almost have to know everyone else's draft list in order to be that unlucky. [/quote:7185ea850b]

I figured it out when I didn't get one pitcher from my list, and I only got 4 of the 8 position players (and the bottom 4).

I ranked them high ... trying to alternate between hit/pitch/hit/pitch, etc.


So my question is ... what do I do when you don't get anyone, and there is nothing but second helpings left, and your stuck in a park?

[durantjerry]

Someone just posted a thread on drafting strategy. I know I contributed to it. It may help you with your approach. As to what you do after a bad draft, that is what seperates the men from the boys so to speak. A good waiver process and some creative thinking can salvage your team, or some continued bad luck and lack of players can sink you. I think it's tougher to salvage a pitching park team than a hitting park team. Salvaging a hitting team should be child's play. If you ever played in a league with Cristano, check out one of his hitting teams. He is consistently very good and usually has only a handful of players on his team that are highly sought after. The balance are role players and scrubs he plucks off waivers or you could get uncontested in the draft. You don't need the ace SP's(or even good ones) for a good hitting park team and there are plenty of set ups and closers to choose from. Ditto guys who can hit.

[visick]

The ratings book, IMO, is a must have. The book seperates each position for you and gives you the best hitters vs. RH's and LH's.

Some great points were brought up by the guys above me.

I'll just add this...I've had teams that I did very well in the Autodraft with, only to disappoint me in the end.
On the other hand, I've been killed by the Autodraft, and been successful with some teams.

If you don't do well in the AD, you need to look possibly into platooning or perhaps go with a higher injury risk guy with a good backup.

When I first started playing online with the 2001 cards, I generally took the players that had 600 or more PA's. While these guys didn't get hurt, my teams never got into the post season.

It was only when I didn't fair too well in the AD that I started going with the more injury prone guys. The other guys were already taken and I had no choice. My teams were starting to be much more competitive. These guys could go down for extended periods (15 games) but when they were in, they raked.

I would suggest you look at as many teams as you can, and learn from them. Whether it's a 2001 team or a 2003 team, even with the newer cards, you can learn from another managers game plan.

(Check out the records on Moose's site for the older teams...)

[visick]

FWIW-

I've always thought, especially with an AD, you should be able to pick your park AFTER you see what players you get.

[Terry101]

As for picking your park after, that may happen in 07- check the suggestions forum. Maybe we can get Bernie to make that change if we keep at it. IMO opinion a team can [i:0e028f02b7][i]always[/i:0e028f02b7] be salvaged. There are a lot of players available. Good suggestions so far. I would echo the idea of playing in neutral parks for a while. Also, I believe you need to experiment. Some of the most challenging and successful teams I've had were when I had to put the team together after losing 8 of my first 10 or 12 picks. Good Luck.[/i]

[durantjerry]

As for picking the park after the draft, it seems to me like playing the game with training wheels. What kind of challenge is that? It really takes all the meaning out of coming up with a draft board that will get you the players you want. Terry101 is correct, IMO. You can almost always salvage a team. It can be tough in a pitching park when you don't get your pitchers. It takes experience and creativity. As I said above, anyone can be good if they get all the players they draft. The good players can be good regardless. I think the main component to aquiring this knowledge is experience, reading the boards and checking out some of the better teams you compete against and see how they do it. I'd hate to have to footnote everything I copied from other players or tips I picked up by checking out teams and reading observations on the message boards. The boards aren't as good as they used to be, as many of the best guys who used to post often don't post much at all, but you can still pick things up. Check out the league leaders in some of your complted leagues and some of the names that appear will surprise you. There are always guys you don't consider that you can easily draft or grab after the draft.

[visick]

How about an option for it then?

Maybe when the league is formed there could be an option to allow/not allow the stadiums to be changed AFTER the draft?

I personally don't care either way.

I think the option to change it should be there. I have no problems, like I said before, of changing/swapping players in the waiver process to fit my park.

[durantjerry]

As it so happens, I just had a waiver draft on an autoleague on Wednesday. It is now Saturday and the free agents have been pretty well picked over. If there is anything unusual about this league, it's that all the high priced guys are being used. This is the $80 team I put together using who is available at this moment. In essence, the post waiver 13th team. I spent $76.55 on 18 players:
SP's-Baker, Seo, Fassero, Cook & Thomson
RP's-Sreet, Fultz & S Torres
C-Barajas
1B-Pena
2B-Belliard
SS-Jeter
3B-Ensberg
RF-L Walker
CF-Sizemore
LF-G Anderson/Guillen
DH-Murton
To me, that's a half decent team. It doesn't include players who passed through free agency after waivers such as Griffey, Sexson, Kent, Winn, Glaus & Matsui or players who are still sitting there like Polanco, Shelton, Ellis, Drew, Gomes, Francour and others. If this is the typical autoleague, my question is how can you not be able to field a decent, competetive team in an autoleague, especially when playing in a hitting park. F Hernandez and Harden are also left on the pitching side.