Live Draft strategy

[Play By The Rules]

I am signed up for my first (and I suspect my last) live draft in a couple days. It seems a little chaotic due to the lack of a salary cap, seems to me just like a free for all to get the highest salaried players first.

Was wondering if any of you have had some experience with live drafts and could offer some drafting strategies and advice. What are some keys to building a team when salary is not a factor?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[RICHARDMILTER]

I like to make sure I have a SS, CF, and C early. I do not even think about relief pitchers until I have 8 or 9 position players and several starting pitchers.

Also unless you pick 1st and can get Pujols, I would wait on 1B with the exception of Tex, Berkman, and a few others.

Another thing you can do is gamble more on great players with high injury ratings, because you will be able to have TOP notch backups. Therefore; I think players like Furcal, and Milton Bradley become even more valuable.

If you can not get Mauer or one of the other top catchers early you might as well wait and get a nice platoon late.

After the draft be sure to max out your roster to 28, since there is no salary cap. This is where you can beef up your pen with RH and LH pitching specialists. Good luck, and let us know how you did.

[durantjerry]

Platoons are an important option as well as RMilters point about unjury prone guys. Focus on positions where there is a limited amount of talent. Often I see people take too amny relievers. It's the kid in a candy store complex. They take more top relievers than they really need, wasting a pick that could be used elsewhere.

[jmu1978]

I'm going to be drafting with you on Tuesday. The "live draft" format
is fun. You are one of the better players in Stratomatic...I'm sure you will do great. Expect the board to picked clean...probably every hitter
down to around $4.5M, or so. Also...every pitcher down to around
$3M. I try to alternate picks in the early rounds...hitter/pitcher/hitter/
pitcher, etc. Sometimes it's hard to resist hitting talent...but, if you
don't snag some stud SPs...you'll be left with Kuroda leading your staff.
Other than SPs....the good SS guys are gone in the early rounds. The
best drafters are the guys experienced with 2008 that know the players
and don't rely on the TSN rankings. There are numerous players that
are just plain over-ranked. The injury guys are more popular in this
format (with no cap)...Furcal, Hairston, Choo, Bradley, etc. Furcal will
probably be gone by the 3rd Round. Also...Napoli will probably be
gone by the 4th. GL with things...see you on Tuesday night !

[Play By The Rules]

GREAT point about the injury guys, I like to use them a lot anyways even when there is a cap...

I am excited, even though I am not a huge fan of the format, just to have something different to do.

I appreciate all of the advice, thanks, feel free to chime in some more.

pbtr

[durantjerry]

What pick do you have? I guess it doesn't really matter after #1. The two or three I've done are really unpredoctable in the 1st round after #1 except the top five or six will be gone in some order anyway.

[Play By The Rules]

It just filled, I got pick #8 which seems pretty good right? Right in the middle.

[durantjerry]

I'll let you know. I'm picking #8 tonight. #8 got me for top ten:
Tex
Utley
Rollins
Hunter
Ichiro
Sheets
Volsted
A Ramirez
J Johnson
Buchholtz
Sandoval