ADP keeps you in tune with which round you should draft a player when your cheat-sheet might tell you differently.

No matter what cheat-sheet you use in in your Fantasy Baseball Draft, it is basic “due diligence” to know the ADP (Average Draft Position) of each player you intend to target.

The ADP of a player will give you a good idea in which round he will be drafted. This will keep you from reaching too high for your target and, at the same time, not letting him slide to one of your opponents. The ADP keeps you in tune with which round you should draft a player when your cheat-sheet might tell you differently. The greater the discrepancy between your trusted ranking of a player and his ADP, the more important the knowledge becomes.

For example, I am well aware that I have J.D. Martinez much higher in my rankings than most other sites. (Click here for the printable version of Chartfelt Tiers) It was mostly based on last year’s numbers, along with my gut feeling that he’s on the verge of a breakout year. He’s probably our biggest anomaly. Regardless, we have him ranked at 28th overall. In the meantime, Rotochamp has him at 58th, ESPN has him at 161st, Sports Illustrated at 114 and Yahoo has him at 108th. His ADP is 107.

So, as you can see, there’s a big difference between where I have him ranked and where I should draft him. My ranking tells me to take him in the 3rd round in a 12-team snake draft. Why would I do that when I know I can most likely still snag him in the 8th, or even 9th round? 

In addition, you must ask yourself, exactly how valuable each player is according to position. In the case of Martinez, he’s one of many good outfielders this year. There are plenty of very good options up to and including the 6th Tier. This gives you even less reason to reach for him before his ADP approaches.

It might be handy to have a list of ADPs with you at the draft. Failing this, you could note the ADPs of players you have targeted this season and pick accordingly. You shouldn’t get too caught up in ADPs, but be aware certain players that you might be eyeballing have not yet even registered as a blip on the fringes of your opponents’ radars.