ClubhouseGM 2012 Draft Kit

Your long wait is over, the ClubhouseGM 2012 Draft Kit is here!  You can now schedule your drafts and go in with the perfect plan (just hope your other leaguemates don't read ClubhouseGM) :). 



ClubhouseGM 2012 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit


Included Inside;
Rankings
Projections
Auction Values
Position Tiers
Sleepers
Dual Threat
Park Factors
Pitchers to Target
and Much More!

Click the link above to view, download or print the full document, or use the embedded file below to browse quickly.  Take a look and let me know what you think in the comments.  Everything we do here is free and we decided to offer our draft kit for free too (somewhat reluctantly as it took many man hours to complete :)).  Anyway, please spread the word by sharing a link to our site (and following us) on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc. Thanks!

Player Comparison - Starting Pitchers

The second tier starting pitchers are have been driving me crazy. One of these guys I'm more than likely going to end up with, so I need to be sure I choose wisely. Starting pitchers, to me and now yourself, are easy to pick. Starting pitchers have influence over 4 out of 5 FBB categories, Wins, ERA, Strikeouts, and WHIP (standard 5x5 league). You can't judge how many Wins a pitcher will get. I mean, you can theorize; for example if he plays for the Yankees or Phillies, he'll stand a good chance at winning more games than if he plays for the Pirates or Cubs, but in the end Wins are out of your pitchers hands. This brings the total down to 3 out of 5 categories. ERA is another category I'm not a fan of. Yes it's a very good indicator on how a pitcher is doing in the current year, but tends to bounce year to year based on how lucky a pitcher is getting that year. ERA, in the end, is also not totally influenced by your pitcher. Therefore, when picking your pitchers, if you're lazy and don't want to do lengthy research involving BABIP, xFIP, etc., then K/9 and WHIP are great indicators. These 2 stats really show how a pitcher is doing because he has total influence over how many guys he's walking and striking out. Using this knowledge, along with some other stats, I've picked the pitchers I had the most trouble picking between and broke them down.

Keepers Are In - Vote

Ok, keepers are in, vote/discuss who has the best keepers. Here are the league details:

·         Standard 5x5 mixed league

·         12 teams

·         Total amount you can spend on your team; $260

·         Total you can spend on your keepers: $90

·         11 Hitters, 8 Pitchers spots (2 RPs)

Updated Projections and Tiers

ClubhouseGM 2012 Projections
-I've added all of the projections to our rankings and auction values.  Again, this will be a big piece of our Draft Kit which is 90% complete, but I wanted to get this out since it's done.  Please feel free to print, copy, modify, steal, etc. 

ClubhouseGM 2012 Fantasy Baseball Projections

*Want a quick look at our projections without leaving the page?  Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the document...

ClubhouseGM Tiers
-In addition to the projections, I still like to have a 1 page tier sheet with me at the draft.  It is important to understand the projections, but the tier sheet can be a valuable tool when the clock is running down or you're debating whether or not to spend the extra $1 in your draft.

ClubhouseGM Tiers


Scrambling to prepare for your draft at the last minute?  You don't have time for the full Draft Kit, just print out these two files and you'll have a great head start (just hope nobody else in your league loves ClubhouseGM as much as you) :)

Fantasy Baseball Player Comparison Round 2

I hear these things all the time:

“Hey Jeremy, when are you going to do some more fantasy baseball comparisons? I love how you tackle the hard hitting questions that keep me up at night!”

“Jeremy, these player comparisons are great! Often during the draft I face the question of which player to take, so this clears it right up! Thanks!”

“Jeremy, God you’re so awesome! The more player comparisons you do, especially with their depth, the easier my life is.”

“Jeremy, you farted again! Jesus, you smell like what I picked up in the yard!”

One of these statements is true. I’ll leave it at that, with aura of mystery swirling around it, because that’s the kind of writer I am, cliffhangers after cliffhangers.  Anywho, I’m going to jump into some player comparisons in the outfield over the next couple weeks. I do this mostly for myself because as I start ramping up my mock draft participation I start becoming poised with situations where I can take 2 players I value evenly, but can’t decide between the 2. So I do these little comparisons to make my decisions easier.  Today, kids, I breakdown Jay Bruce, and Matt Holliday, 2 guys that are being taken around the same time in snake drafts, and are going for about the same in auction drafts. In keeper leagues it’s a lot easier, take Bruce, he’s younger, but for 1 year leagues, it’s a bit tougher (my God, did I really need to use that many commas in that last sentence?,,,,,). 

Target Stats for Each Category

One key fact to remember when drafting your fantasy baseball team is players don't win you championships, statistics do.  It's great to draft guys from your favorite team, get a player a round later than you anticipated or have your #1 sleeper fall into your lap late in the draft, but you can not lose focus of the ultimate goal - amassing enough stats to ensure you have more points than the other owners at the end of the season.  So how do you do that? 

I looked at the final statistics over the past two seasons across 3 leagues (so six total reference points).  Keep in mind these were 12 team, 5x5 mixed leagues with roughly 24 rosters spots (19 active); however, this will work if your league is differet too - I'll explain later.  Anyway, here are the results;

Averages: 

Averages - Hitting	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
To Win Category	965	272	960	165	.284
3rd/4th Place	930	233	916	148	.278
Middle of the Pack	885	218	865	138	.271

Averages - Pitching	W	S	K	ERA	WHIP
To Win Category	97	121	1370	2.91	1.09
3rd/4th Place	91	109	1240	3.31	1.21
Middle of the Pack	84	95	1170	3.52	1.26

To win your league you do not need a 12 in each category (though that would be ideal).  In fact,

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Here's the latest position by position breakdown of our most recent Fantasy Baseball Rankings. I organized all nice-like for you. Enjoy!

Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Outfielders
Starting Pitchers
Relief Pitchers
Overall

Sleepers and Busts

As you start reading this you most likely want to have our rockin’, bitchin’, “out of this world” Rankings & Auction Values sheet up, because all of the following will be based on that. Here ya go! Oh, and here’s a picture of some bust because when I read the tittie…I mean title that’s what I thought of.

sleep·er; noun

1. a person or thing that sleeps.  – I do enjoy that, but doesn’t apply

2. a heavy horizontal timber for distributing loads.  – huh?

3. Building Trades . – now we’re getting somewhere!

a. any long wooden, metal, or stone piece lying horizontally as a sill or footing.  – that’s what she said

b. any of a number of wooden pieces, laid upon the ground or upon masonry or concrete, to which floorboards are nailed. – I’ll nail you!

4. a sleeping car. – does it snore?

5. Informal . something or someone that becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure: The play was the sleeper of the season. – BOOM! Here we go!

Read #5 over again…DO IT!!! Know that, use that, BE that. Because the overuse of the term sleeper is killing me! Every Fantasy Baseball (FBB) website has a list, we are not immune to that, obviously, but I want to take it a step above. I want to really take “becomes unexpectedly successful or important after a period of being unnoticed, ignored, or considered unpromising or a failure” to heart.  So the list I’m providing you with will not have names like Lawrie, Hosmer, or Strasburg on it, no, it’ll contain guys that when drafted you’ll hear this from members of your league ________ *that’s silence, I don’t know how to type silence* Because just like you, I play FBB, I love fantasy baseball (my wife claims more so then her, but pppff…what does she know?! She probably doesn’t even know who the 4^th starter is for the Washington Nationals…Jackson or Zimmerman), and I try to win and FBB. Nothing gives me greater joy then beating Furtah, which I did not do in 2011 and he’ll be the first to point that out, in our FBB league.

Multiple Position Eligibility - 2012 Edition

Players with multiple position eligibility can be a key to fantasy success.  I don’t use it as a major factor, but when you’re deciding between a couple players or whether or not to spend that extra dollar in an auction, multiple position eligibility comes into play. 



Kendrick is eligibile at 2B and OF



When you have guys that can play more than one position it opens up a lot of options for your team.   Some players are eligible at a couple different positions that are each deemed to be ‘shallow’ roster spots (2B, 3B, etc.).  These players offer you flexibility during the rest of your draft or later in the year when debating which free agent to add.  Other players are eligible at multiple positions, but one of the positions is shallow (exm. 3B) and the other is relatively deep (1B).  Obviously, you’re going to play them primarily at the more shallow position, but that doesn’t mean their dual position eligibility isn’t important.  Even if you have a top tier 1B he’ll still have 1-2 off days per week.  If you have a decent backup third basemen you can get them both in your lineup on these off days.  It will allow you to get the maximum statistical output from your team each and every day (just make sure you keep an eye on any games/innings limits). 

Players with multiple position eligibility can also be very important for your bench spots, especially in deeper leagues or leagues with limited moves and/or free agent budgets.  Obviously some of your players will get hurt during the season, but you don’t know which ones.  If you have guys on your bench that can fill in at different spots it can save you some time scouring the wire.

Remember, you’re not reaching for certain players just because they have multiple position eligibility, but it is important to understand the benefits and know which players fall into this category.  Here is a list of all of the players in our top 400 who are eligible at more than one position*;

ClubhouseGM's 2012 Rankings & Auction Values

 Well here it is.  The long awaited, definitive set of Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Auction Values for the upcoming 2012 season.  I can't give away the exact formula's used (and at this point I'm not sure I can even remember them all) but this is a compilation of my rankings, JT's rankings (both heavily weighted) as well as a number of the industry leaders (to make sure we're not too far off from the general concensus).  If you use these rankings for your upcoming drafts you wont be too far off from what everyone else has, but you will have our slant on things (which should give you a leg up).  They are based on the most recent data and should include all signings, trades, etc. up to this point.  I'll continue to tweak the rankings, but unless something drastic happens from now until then (Braun getting cleared of any suspension, etc.) this will be close to final.  I've laid it out so you can either copy/paste to do your analysis or just print the rankings as is.  Also, I'm still working on the Draft Kit, but this will be a major piece of that.  I also hope to include projections, tiers and analysis as well as a compilation of some of our best articles so far this offseason.  Anyway, enjoy the rankings and let us know what you think! 

Fantasy Baseball Player Comparison Round 1

A lot of people have been asking me about the 2nd Tier of Third basemen. Which one to take, who has the most upside, etc? Well folks, ask and you shall recieve. Here are the following numbers we will be focusing on when I make my predictions:

Player	Stats	Age	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
Kevin Youkilis	2011 Stats	32	120	431	68	17	80	3	0.258
	3 Yr. Avg.		119	428	81	21	79	5	0.290
	2012 Projection	33	132	466	82	20	85	3	0.280
Player	Stats	Age	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
Michael Young	2011 Stats	34	159	631	88	11	106	6	0.338
	3 Yr. Avg.		150	609	88	18	88	6	0.315
	2012 Projection	35	152	590	82	13	90	5	0.304
Player	Stats	Age	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
Ryan Zimmerman	2011 Stats	26	101	395	52	12	49	3	0.289
	3 Yr. Avg.		133	510	82	23	80	3	0.296
	2012 Projection	27	140	541	84	22	85	4	0.291
Player	Stats	Age	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
Alex Rodriguez	2011 Stats	35	99	373	67	16	62	4	0.276
	3 Yr. Avg.		120	446	73	25	96	7	0.277
	2012 Projection	36	132	471	78	24	87	6	0.275

I think the best way to score this will be to rank each individually by categories. 4 will be most valuable, and 1 will be least valuable.

JT's Pick: Ryan Zimmerman. Although Zimm and Young came out equal, I give the edge to the player in his prime, and on a hot "up-and-coming" team.

An In Depth Look At Starting Pitchers

Well, it’s no secret, starting pitcher get treated like red-headed stepchildren when it comes to fantasy baseball. They are constantly passed over for hitters. Time and time again they are knocked down the overall rankings sheet because they throw a ball for a living instead of hitting it, and rightfully so!  Poor multi-millions, why don’t you go cry to your super-model wife in your humongous mansion, and after, take a tear-filled ride in your sweet sports car that would take me 20 years to purchase! Babies!  Oh and to our ginger readers I want to apologize for the red-headed stepchild comment, it just sort of slipped out (I have to apologize otherwise they’ll track me down and suck out my soul).

When I go into a draft, I know I’m not getting a top 10 starting pitcher (SP). They are too costly, and the comparable hitter I can get is much more valuable.  In a standard 5x5 league, hitters can contribute to all 5 categories, whereas starting pitchers can contribute to 3. 3!! That’s like going to Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet, and only eating the salad (Truth be told, that’s my wife. It drives me insane! I’m paying $25 for you to have 2 plates of salad?! “But babe, I can put sunflower seeds and hardboiled egg on the salad!” Seriously? No…Seriously?...ugh).  SPs have no control over Saves and Wins. I’m all for the “new-age” idea of switching out Wins for quality starts, but that’s for another article. This leads us to the 3 categories; Strikeouts (K), ERA, and WHIP.  Using those 3 categories as indicators, targeting a pitcher that has a high strikeout rate and a low walk rate would be the way to go.

This is a popular tool I see used a lot:

Pitcher A

IP	W	ERA	SO	WHIP
235.2	18	2.41	198	1.01

Pitcher B

IP	W	ERA	SO	WHIP
225	15	2.92	178	1.14