How to Win and Make Money in Fantasy Baseball

I’ve been playing fantasy baseball for 8 years now and have made money every single year because I follow a simple strategy when constructing my team each season. When drafting players in fantasy baseball drafts or acquiring players via trade or waiver wires I follow a simple pattern that has been very effective for me. Draft or acquire players who play in parks that will help them compile fantasy stats during the year.

When drafting or acquiring hitters always try to get hitters who play in parks that favor hitters and when acquiring pitchers try to always get pitchers who play in pitchers parks. You would think this strategy is rather obvious and most fantasy players would follow it but in my experience most fantasy players do not follow this strategy to any great degree. If you follow this strategy you will likely gain a significant edge on your competition this fantasy baseball season giving you a better chance of making money. Let me give you some examples of this strategy and why it will give you an edge.

In my fantasy league last season Matt Holiday was the 6th best fantasy outfielder by points while playing for the Colorado Rockies in mile high Coors Field. He was traded in the offseason to the Oakland A’s and will play 2009 in MacAfee Stadium. Coors Field was the 3rd best hitters park in baseball in 2008 and MacAfee Stadium was ranked 26th best for hitters by ESPN. What does that mean? It’s unlikely Holliday will be able to match his 2008 offensive stats playing in a tougher hitters park this year. Yet many fantasy baseball owners will still draft Holliday relatively high in their drafts.

My attitude based upon my philosophy is that you can have Matt Holliday and I’ll take someone else like Raul Ibanez who switches this year from 25th ranked Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington to 15th ranked Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and home to the World Champion  Phillies. Not that Ibanez is a better player than Holliday but I can probably draft Ibanez in a much later round and use my pick in the round Holliday goes in on another more favorable park player.

For pitchers even though he had a bad year in 2008 I would still draft Jake Peavey of the San Diego Padres over someone like Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb had a much better 2008 and out pointed Peavey by over 150 fantasy points but Peavey pitches in what was the best pitchers park in baseball in 2008 in Petco Park while Webb pitches in what was the 2nd best hitters park in Chase Field. I might not be right every time in drafting this way but I’m right more often than not and most importantly I’m right more often than my opponents because I’m putting the odds in my favor. That’s how you win money in fantasy baseball.

My drafts are always focused on getting offensive players from the top 15 hitters parks in baseball and my pitchers from the top 15 ranked pitchers parks in baseball. I understand following this philosophy keeps me from ever getting players like David Wright and Jose Reyes of the New York Mets who will be drafted way too high in my opinion considering the park they will play in 2009. But my strategy has worked to make me money every year I’ve played fantasy baseball because I’m putting the odds behind me. The odds are that Reyes and Wright will not have as good offensive years this year as they had last year playing primarily in a pitchers park and my strategy protects me from that.

I believe if you incorporate the same strategy I do every year in fantasy baseball and acquire primarily hitters who play in hitters parks and pitchers who pitch in pitchers parks you are greatly increasing your chances of winning and winning money this season in your fantasy baseball leagues.