Auto-Draft Strategies

[MICHAELTARBELL]

[quote:0165d784cb="durantjerry"]MTarbell has finally gone off the deep end:
[quote:0165d784cb]You might think Agon is a waste as your #1 pick, but if vizquel is gone, he might be your smartest #1 pick.... [/quote:0165d784cb]

Agon is not a first pick in any type of league, in any type of park or in any type of anything.[/quote:0165d784cb]

LOL...well, it is a matter of taste....and in a live draft situation, if you wait until the 3rd or 4th round to get a SS, there is not too much left, and I personally think a 1 at SS is almost essential to you success.

[BRIANSIELSKI]

[quote:d50d97d170]Why would you want to give every other team in the league their choice of players first?[/quote:d50d97d170]

Valid question ...

Well, I'm sort of heading to the opinion that I never get my first 10 picks anyway ... And I always get "bumped" to the next available undrafted player that costs less but plays the same position.

I see your point … but perhaps I’m just frustrated at the AD process in general.

How about this.

Draft a bunch of Mid-range players high in your draft order … then put the big ticket items last. A valid strategy????

[MICHAELTARBELL]

Just build the team you want, and put the most popular players at the top of your draft list and hope you get them! :wink:

[durantjerry]

If you are frustrated with the AD, you may want to try my approach. I rarely try to draft a player when I do not feel I have a really good chance of getting him when I list him near the top of my card. I more or less try to draft guys one spot higher than I think they will go. I also like to take shots at guys like Pujols, Jeter, etc late on my cards. In this way, you get your higher picked mid-priced guys, while if you get Pujols great, but if not, you only wasted your 15th pick on him as opposed to #1, so no big deal. I can say that I am probably near the top the last few years for Pujols led teams, and I never pick him high. Also, some guys are a waste to draft. C Crawford comes to mind. I like him, but you have to list him at #2 in my phiilosophy of conservative drafting to realistically expect to get him. There is always someone who will be in love with the "1" rating and SB potential who could potentially draft him high. I have had him a few times and he can be very good, but he also can be mediocre. His defense and speed are nice, but he doesn't hit lefties well and defense in LF and speed are not extremely important factors to creating a winning team IMO. So, too many shortcomings to be using a #2 pick on him, and a #3 or a #4 is not worth using on him in the case someone picks him higher. Ditto Ichiro. Too many shortcomings for a #1 IMO, and a waste to take lower. Vizquel is similar. I would take him #1, but don't bother placing him any lower.
On the flip side, I added to a post of someone complaining about the $100mm Tour league being an AD. I had a really bad draft(I took a shot and didn't go conservative) and felt myself(or anyone) couldn't recover from a bad draft in the $100mm scenario, so a LD was fairer option. Of course, I posted the best record and I am in the finals. I still would think my team sucked if I looked at it before the season without seeing the record, but what do I know? So, if you can recover from a bad draft in a $100mm scenario, you can certainly recover in an $80mm league. Sometimes you don't get what you want, you get what you need.

[teamnasty]

Essential to success? What did the Giants and Astros win last year with their gold glove one's at short? Is it nice, of course. Essential, uh no. And if they hit like A-Gon, they basically undo their defensive by being a sinkhole.

[bomp helium]

or...

you can go the opposite way with an unorthodox strategy and get all the players you want...because nobody else wants them...injuries, poor defense, odd platoons, limited PAs, the kind of guys that go against the grain of the "purists"...anchor your team of oddballs with a stud starter and a couple of superstar crushers at the top of your draft and then fill it in with your sleepers...often you can sneak them in near the bottom of your draft card...

1s are nice but not essential...a strong lineup 1-9 and solid pitching will offset what I feel is the most overpriced aspect of SOM...Vizquel's a GREAT shortstop, but is he, or any other singles hitter, worth that kind of $$?...

Frankly, I'm hesitant to go with great pitching and defense because of HAL's propensity for general dumb-assness...I'd rather have a killer lineup...he's less likely to screw that up...

[BRIANSIELSKI]

[quote:b801a65f8f]Frankly, I'm hesitant to go with great pitching and defense because of HAL's propensity for general dumb-assness...I'd rather have a killer lineup...he's less likely to screw that up... [/quote:b801a65f8f]

Frighteningly ... this makes much sense. :shock: