Patience and baseball go hand-in-hand. Even in this new, explosive live-ball era, baseball still remains a game that takes its time. It is a game that forces you to wait for your pitch and pause while the next pitcher enters the game.
Yes, sometimes it takes a lot of patience to be a baseball fan. For instance, you had to invest an average of three hours and ten minutes to watch a full game last season. It also takes patience to successfully manage a fantasy baseball team for an entire season. Sometimes your strategies work, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the ones that don’t work, simply need to be given more time to develop. That’s where patience comes in.
In order to incorporate patience as a strategy as you manage your fantasy baseball team, you need to have a plan. You also need to have an intimate knowledge of the player pool and player Average Draft Positions (ADPs). You can familiarize yourself with player ADPs through the NFBC here. Another great way to learn the player pool is by joining Fantasy Alarm’s Mock Draft Army and taking part in multiple competitive mock drafts.
Participating in mock drafts will help you formulate a plan, or even a series of back-up plans for use on draft day. You’ll know which positions to focus on due to scarcity, and which are deepest and can be targeted in later rounds. Knowing which positions are deep (shortstop) and shallow (first base) will prepare you in the event that there’s a run on a specific position during your draft(s). You’ll know whether to take part in the run, or if you should simply be patient and target the position in the later rounds. Having multiple plans in place can also help conquer that sense of panic we sometimes feel when we’re inevitably sniped in the middle of a draft.
Of course, player ADPs shouldn’t be viewed as the be-all and end-all determining factors when drafting. If you’re really high on a player that you’ve deemed as a can’t miss kind of guy, by all means, ignore ADP and jump on him early. However, if it’s your turn to make a selection in a draft and you’re trying to decide who to pick from among multiple players, your player pool knowledge can help you make the right choice. You’ll know which players are usually available in later rounds, and could potentially provide similar fantasy production to that of players typically selected in earlier rounds.
Exercising patience can also be important when tackling the saves category. It’s smart to grab your first closer, who has a firm grasp on his job fairly early. Guys like Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and Astros closer Roberto Osuna are perfect examples. Per NFBC early preseason ADPs, they’re generally being selected by the eighth round of typical 12 team leagues.
However, when it comes to locking down your second or third option at the closer spot, using restraint may be your best option. Slumps and closer by committee strategies contribute to the volatility of the position, and are just two reasons why you should wait before drafting that second closer. Too often a pitcher opening the season as a closer loses the joband is relegated to mop up duty.
Once you’ve selected your first closer, perhaps you should focus on drafting relievers in the later rounds of your draft who post high strikeout and low walk rates, and have a potential direct line to a future closer’s role. Dellin Betances , Emilio Pagán , Rafael Montero , Rowan Wick and Giovanny Gallegos are all talented pitchers who can eventually become their teams’ closer at some point this season.
Patient fantasy baseball players know that if their team needs a tweak, or even a major overhaul, sometimes all they have to do is wait. Minor league reinforcements could be just a waiver wire click away. Bo Bichette , Keston Hiura and Zac Gallen were just some of the top notch prospects who enjoyed success at the big league level last season. Familiarize yourself with the prospect player pool and actively work the waiver wire. Top prospects like Nick Madrigal , Ryan Mountcastle , Spencer Howard and Sixto Sanchez may be playing at a ballpark near you before long. If your bench is deep enough, try to roster top prospects who are likely to get “the call” this season and then, be patient. You’ll be sitting on potential aces in the hole, and once they get promoted, you won’t have to get involved in any waiver wire bidding wars.
Finally, trust your player evaluation process. A baseball season consists of numerous hot streaks and slumps, so if you’ve done your homework on a particular player and really believe in him and he’s struggling, be patient. Fantasy players who gave up on José Ramírez when he was batting .218 at the All-Star break last season missed out on his big .327/.365/.739 finish. Jack Flaherty pitched to a 4.64 first half ERA, and then posted a 0.91 ERA the rest of the way. Some players just take a while to get going. Guys like Anthony Rizzo , Matt Olson , Yu Darvish and Zack Wheeler all historically play better in the second half. If you plan on owning shares of these players and they get off to a slow start, don’t panic!
Also, try to take advantage of your league mates’ lack of patience and pay attention to the waiver wire. You’ll sometimes be surprised at how quickly people in your league lose patience with slumping stars, and ultimately drop them.
Lastly, please remember that the fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint. If you’re patient, you just might win a championship!