Welcome to the 2022 MLB Living Draft Guide presented by Fantasy Alarm!

First off, please allow me to congratulate you on your choice to play fantasy baseball and subscribe to our draft guide. You’ve made a very wise choice as there is nothing better than sharing the field of battle with those who share in your passion. Growing up in New York City, baseball was my first love and while many of you have grown to hate the New York Yankees, watching them as a kid, scraping together money with my friends to buy bleacher seats in the late 1970’s is what brought me to you today. I love this game with all my heart and fantasy baseball only intensified those feelings.

These last few years have been rough. I’m not going to lie. The truncated season in 2020 caused by the Coronavirus pandemic was an absolute disaster. Fewer than 70 games for a season? Empty ballparks? It was frustrating as both a fan and a content creator for the fantasy game. So much of the game was different, but because everyone in the world was going through it, we figured it would be a blip on the radar screen and life would move on. 

But the pandemic persisted and the 2021 season was suddenly in jeopardy. Not just because of the virus but because of those who run the game. While other sports managed to find a way to get on with their seasons, baseball was stuck in the mud as billionaire owners argued with millionaire players over money. From player salaries and ballpark revenue to juiced baseballs and rules changes that seemingly chased away more fans than they brought in, baseball was in trouble. Somehow, they managed to get the season underway, but this dispute between management and labor hung over our heads all year as we knew the 2022 season was somehow going to be marred by an impending lockout spurred by negotiations of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

And here we sit right now – completely in the dark as to when the 2022 MLB season will open. Some believe it will begin on-time while others believe we could be looking at a delay of up to two months. The one thing we do know is that there will be a season and that means there will be fantasy baseball. 

Having you here means the world to us and we who cheer on the game and play fantasy baseball hope your passion not only remains, but intensifies with ours. Things happening right now may be frustrating, but there is still nothing better than watching a guy on the mound trying to out-think a behemoth staring him down from the plate. The movement of the pitch, the crack of the bat, the cheer of the crowd -- you can close your eyes and hear all the sounds of a game we loved as kids.  

Now add the fantasy aspect to it – draft day, analyzing the teams built by you and your friends, all the trade talk and debates that ensue. Six months of building a team, tracking the players and scouting talent is incredible in its own right, but doing it to beat your buddies and maybe even win a little money? Well, now that’s just pure joy.

And we’ve worked extremely hard to bring you what we believe to be our best Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide ever. We’ve studied what we’ve done in the past, selected what has seemingly worked the best and then listened to all of you who offered up suggestions of what you would like to see in a draft guide. This isn’t just a draft guide. It’s an experience and one we look forward to sharing with you as we all head to the Winner’s Circle.   

So, what do we have for you? Let’s start with some basics: 

What is a Living Draft Guide?

We’ve said it for years and we stand by it 100% -- the era of magazines is long over.

As both the world and the fantasy sports industry continue to evolve, Fantasy Alarm remains at the helm of draft guide innovation in an effort to bring you the most updated content for your fantasy baseball draft prep.  To provide you with an actual draft magazine, rankings and articles must be done in November and December so they can be published and distributed in time for both Spring Training and your drafts. While that is something we can easily accomplish, it does you no good with regard to free agent player movement especially now while we are in the middle of a lockout and signing freeze. How can you project what a player will bring to the table statistically if you don’t even know what team he will play for in the upcoming season?

Our online version is updated daily to reflect any and all changes that take place in the MLB universe. Our player rankings will be updated regularly to reflect every free agent signing, spring injuries and position battles and as we slowly roll out our articles, you can be assured that everything you read will be accurately presented with the most current information.

If it is a tangible stack of pages you crave, our printable PDF version updates daily as well so feel free to invest in a ream of paper and some extra ink.

GM Jim Bowden Continues to Leads the Way for a Fantasy Alarm MLB Super-Team

If you already listen to the Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (M-F 6-8pm ET), then you know the wealth of knowledge GM Jim Bowden brings to the table. His 16 years of experience as a real-life, big-league General Manager not only provides you with an actual hands-on look at player evaluations, but his insights into a team’s front office and how they handle their business, both on and off the field, gives you a leg up in your overall fantasy scouting, waiver wire pick-ups and in-season roster management, as well as an insider’s view into which potential call-ups you should be targeting for the long haul.

In addition to the GM, we have the finest collection of fantasy analysts in the business, all contributing to this Draft Guide. In fact, I have been doing this for nearly two decades and I have never worked with a stronger group. Adam Ronis is a legend in fantasy circles, Jon Impemba and Matt Selz burn the midnight oil making sure you have everything you need, Colby Conway and Justin Vreeland are two of the top analytical minds in the game and the rest of the Fantasy Alarm team, myself included, routinely crushes both the seasonal and daily fantasy games, as well as the betting side of baseball. 

So, what can you expect to find inside the Fantasy Alarm MLB Living Draft Guide? Here is just a sampling of the content you will receive:

2022 Player Rankings – Every position will be broken down for mixed leagues as well as for AL and NL-only play. They will be updated regularly to reflect any and all changes between now and the start of the 2022 MLB season. Best of all, in addition to Jim Bowden’s personal fantasy rankings, you will also get them from me and Adam Ronis. You will have access to all of our individual rankings as well as a set of Consensus Rankings that merges the three.

Fantasy Baseball Strategies – The Fantasy Alarm staff will provide you with the strategies they employ each year and help guide you towards making the right decisions. From targeting particular players to in-draft adjustments to making in-season, category-specific decisions, our team of fantasy baseball experts are prepared to help you every step of the way. We know winning a championship doesn’t end with your draft which is why our strategies are designed to aid you from Opening Day to Game 162…or however many games they actually play this season.

Front-Office Insights -- Curious as to what goes on behind the scenes of a Major League Baseball Club? Do you feel like inside information from real life General Managers will help your fantasy game? We do. That's why Jim Bowden and I sit down for an award-winning podcast series where we bring you all the front office information from all 30 teams.

Fantasy Baseball Player Outlooks – In the past, we have gone with player profiles for the top 150 players we feel deserved an in-depth look. However, after hearing from many of you, we have adjusted our thinking and will now provide 2022 Player Outlooks for every player on the big-league roster as well as a number of prospects on the horizon. We won’t leave a single stone unturned and both our team and player pages will be rich with analysis.

MLB Rookies Analysis – Everyone loves the shiny, new toys, right? Beginning with Matt Selz’ Top-20 MLB Rookies, our team of analysts will provide you with player evaluations and insights into this year’s crop of youngsters. We’ll deliver to you which players are primed for a 2022 impact and which ones you should look at for your keeper and dynasty leagues as well. In fact, Selz has mapped out a plan to increase coverage specific to long-term dynasty leagues and takes Fantasy Alarm’s content to depths most other sites are too ill-equipped to reach.

Traditional Fantasy Baseball Articles – Who doesn’t love a Top-20 list of sleepers and busts? Looking for closers? How about thoughts on free agent movement? Which injury-prone players should you avoid this season? We have articles to cover everything you need while answering any and all questions you may have.

Positional Breakdowns – Obviously, every position is different, but how you view each one in relation to the others is vital to your success in the fantasy game. Which position has the most depth? Which position do you need to draft first? Are there specific categories to be found more in one position than the other? From individual player breakdowns to which tier of player you should draft from, we have you completely covered from start to finish.

High Stakes Strategies – With the ever-growing number of sites and leagues that provide high-stakes engagement, we want to make sure those of you who have the discretionary income to play in such formats are not left out. Some of you may be long-time high-stakes players while many of you are looking to “level-up” and try your hand at the big-money leagues. Adam Ronis is one of the top high-stakes players in the industry and he’s got his own section here in the Guide where he’ll cover everything from the types of leagues to join to draft day strategies to maintaining your roster throughout the season.  

Daily Fantasy Baseball – Are you ready to build up that DFS bankroll? We are and we’re ready to take you along for the ride. Our DFS team will be breaking down hitting and pitching statistics and match-ups on a daily basis this season and our DFS Corner here in the Draft Guide will teach you everything from how to use the Playbook Pro to lineup construction for both cash games and tournaments. We don’t just give you a fish so you can eat for a day. We teach you to fish so you can eat for a lifetime.

Had enough yet? Neither have we. Everything you’ve just read only scratches the surface. As I said earlier, this is more than just a draft guide. It’s an experience and one we are incredibly excited to share with you. So dig your heels in and get ready. The Fantasy Alarm team is about to take you and your fantasy baseball knowledge to an entirely new level. We hope you enjoy the ride.

Click here to get your copy today!

Sincerely,

Howard Bender

 

 

 

Head of Fantasy Sports Content