Below are strategies you may find helpful in managing your team.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The opinions below do not guarantee any level of success in managing your fantasy team. They are intended to assist users of this site who may be new to or have limited experience in the weekly, head-to-head competition of managing a fantasy baseball team.

Make the Playoffs!
The goal for your team, like any sports team, is to do what it takes to give your team a chance to win. Fate continually plays a role, but the determining factor for success is making the good decisions that keep your team "in the thick of things". Thus, when the winds of fate do blow your way, your team will be in a position to truly benefit.

In this league your first goal must be to make the Wild Card Playoffs! Ten teams in your 20-team conference will go on to the Wild Card Playoff round and if you can get this far, anything can happen. Following are tips that may help you in this endeavor, especially if you are new to weekly, head-to-head competition.

Mismatches
At first glance a weekly, head-to-head fantasy baseball competition could be defined as "who's hot-who's not" in Major League Baseball. Though this may be true, the reason for this fact can be understood if you knew why some particular MLB players are "hot" and why some are "not". In general, this is due to mismatches. When a top ranking MLB starter is facing one of the leagues weakest hitting teams, chances are he'll put up some pretty respectable numbers. Conversely, a hitter has a better chance to put together a hitting streak in a series where he is facing a struggling pitching rotation. Discovering where mismatches exist each week is the challenge you face when selecting players.

Starting Pitchers
Since points are calculated on a weekly basis (from games played on Monday through Sunday) it is usually beneficial to select quality, starting pitchers that will get two starts from Monday through Sunday. Since your pitchers get 1 point for every 1/3 of an inning pitched, you need to select pitchers that will give the most quality innings possible for the week. With this in mind, be aware of some possible pitfalls. The most common is MLB managers changing their starting rotation in the middle of the week or at the last minute on Monday morning. Also be aware of the risk that a starter can have two bad outings during one week.

Relief Pitchers
Anticipating which relief pitchers will have a productive week is somewhat difficult. If a relief pitcher gets an appearance in a game relies on factors that are not evident until a game is underway. Something you may want to consider is how many games during the week does a relief have a chance to appear in a game. MLB teams that play seven (or more) games a week may use more relief pitchers during that week. Also, MLB games where teams are evenly matched might also give more opportunities for relief pitchers to make appearances.

During the year a few MLB relief pitchers will be given the chance to move into their teams starting rotation. They will still be listed as a relief pitch on this site. This may seem like a good chance to guarantee some points for a relief pitcher since he is guaranteed to make an appearance. Though he is guaranteed an appearance, it is not a sure thing that he'll score your team a lot of points. Be aware that using a relief pitcher who suddenly becomes a starter has risks that can pay off big if he does well, but it can hurt big if he struggles in his new role as a starter.

Hitters
When selecting hitters, try to select full-time players. A player that "platoons" (shares) his position with another player may have a hard time generating points for your team if he spends half of the time on the bench. Predicting how much playing time a catcher will have during the week has recently become quite difficult. Because of the bodily stress involved in catching, nearly all MLB teams will rest their catcher at least one or two games a week.

The Weather
During the first six weeks and again during the last six weeks, rainouts can play havoc with your teams’ ability to earn points. It's very difficult to factor in weather conditions when selecting a player for your team, but, as you'll learn, the weather (at times) can have an effect on your outcome. But, since all rained out games are eventually played, pay close attention when make-up games are scheduled. It may give you an opportunity to make up some points your team lost from an earlier rainout.

Hang in there!
Persistance is the key in this league. A series of bad breaks, a week or two that you missed completing a roster, even a prolonged slump can easily be made up if you just keep swinging away. Unlike a 16 game fantasy football season where injuries alone can decide the outcome, a 162+ game baseball season is a marathon and you'll have many oppotunities to make up ground.