Usually, baseball fans in the US would be enjoying the action around this time of year and seeing how the new season was beginning to pan out. Of course, 2020 has been a lot different as the MLB season has been postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. That means MLB followers have to find other ways to have fun now, from playing live dealer casino NJ games online to working out, taking up a new hobby or spending time with the family.
One cool thing that you could also do to fill in time until the new season hopefully starts later in 2020 is to pick your fantasy baseball team. With the extra time we have on our hands due to no real baseball happening, it is the perfect chance to find the hottest fantasy team prospects around. The other bonus is that this will help you stay in touch with the game and get your baseball fix until it returns.
There is a real art to getting it right when choosing your fantasy team. Knowing a few great hacks is worthwhile, so that you end up top of the league you are in. But what are the best tips for picking your fantasy baseball side?
Use logic, not emotion
The first thing to think about is being sensible when picking players and using logic. Check out the previous year’s stats on any player you have in mind and make sure that they give a solid reason to choose them. You could, of course, try to find out how players are getting on in training, but that is not possible for 2020! So many people pick players for their fantasy team because they like them as a person, think they have a cool name, or they play for their team. This is often a mistake and can mean you are going with players who will not perform as well as others.
Try to resist the hype around rookies
All baseball fans love to know about the next big thing and see them blossom into the pro game. That also translates to picking a fantasy team where you may dream about picking up a rookie for peanuts that has the potential to bag you masses of points all season. While this can happen, more often, it simply does not. For every rookie who delivers, like Aaron Judge, numerous others don’t do the business – like Alex Reyes, Nick Senzel, and Forrest Whitley. When picking your fantasy team, try to avoid the lure of hyped-up rookies who are a real shot in the dark.
Be patient
A large part of the fun in fantasy baseball is trading players in and out, depending on their recent form. If a player has not been bringing in the points for a few games, it is very easy to pull the trigger and get rid of them for someone else. While this can be justified, it is crucial to have patience sometimes and not to be too hasty with individual players. In short, if a player’s talent and previous stats warrant it, stick with them if they are on a poor run. Form is usually temporary, and players who have actual class will soon bounce back to start bagging you some points. Throughout a whole season, it will all even out for players like this and see them perform well overall.
Pick up great pitchers early on
Pitchers are arguably THE most important ingredient to any successful fantasy side. Making sure you pick the best you can get early is worthwhile – without overpaying massively, of course! The critical point with this tip is finding a couple of elite level pitchers to recruit – not mid to low level ones. Spotting one or two excellent ones to buy will mean you get the best return in terms of points due to the number of innings they will throw in real life. Of course, elite level pitchers will also bring home the bacon in terms of strikeouts. Without this part of your team in place, you will struggle to have a chance.
Choosing a great 2020 fantasy baseball team takes time
If you are missing baseball at the moment, using your time to research and pick a fantasy team to dominate your league is a fabulous idea. Not only will it help you stay busy until the MLB returns, but it will also give you that all-important baseball fix you have been missing! Taking on board the above tips is a great way to get going if you have not done it before or need a few pointers on how to improve.