Pay attention! Your fantasy baseball halftime speech
MEMO
To: All members of the Ninja Army
From: ep
Subject: We don’t quit at halftime
I request your audience today to remind you that the fantasy baseball season is very near its midpoint.
Most of you probably aren’t dominating every league you play in. If you are, congratulations, savant. For the rest of us, this is a crucial time of the year, when each fantasy owner should take time to study their team, cut the fat and reload where necessary.
By now you should know what streaky hitters are on your roster merely because you think they’ll get hot again as soon as you drop them. And you should know which of your pitchers actually should be spot starters instead of full-time starters.
Use your sharpest blade and cut that fat for more helpful options now.
Who should you pick up?
Do you know which categories your squad is less-than lethal in? Both Yahoo and ESPN offer easy access to overall team stats, and whether you play in head-to-head or roto leagues, these tools are your most helpful.
For head-to-head leaguers, take a look at the categories you have a .500 record in. How can you improve those categories to earn a few more wins each week?
Remember, the only record that matters right now is the one that will get you into the playoffs.
It’s not about blowing everyone away, it’s about making the playoffs and letting your balanced squad take over during the second season.
Rotisserie flip-flop
For roto-leaguers, I’ve said that if you’re at the bottom at the All-Star break it’s time to cut your losses and focus on fantasy football.
I was cynical and wrong.
Unlike in H-2-H leagues, you have until the final day of the season to accumulate stats. You also have until then to watch the leader’s studs get caught with steroids, get hurt, or fall into a funky slump.
Your job right now is to sharpen the categories where you can make up the most ground.
If you improve your speed slightly, could you jump three or four spots in the standings? You should make a move, be it through a trade or a free agent acquisition, to gain those rankings now.
You may not turn a disastrous ERA and WHIP into league leaders, but jumping up a couple spots in just a couple categories can put a ninja in position for when that guy who’s been leading since opening day suffers a severe setback or two.
Ninjas, we don’t quit at halftime. Go now, evaluate your teams and turn them into fantasy assassins. There’s still time.
Great speech, coach!
Championships are won or lost many times depending on how owners react to the mid-season doldrums. Considering all the interesting story lines and breakout players this season so far, there is a lot to get excited about, however.