The Pulse of Fantasy Sports

Time Out for Some Gratitude

Jack Money03.2015The PulseLeave a Comment

Over the weekend, Pro Sports Daily featured Caveball’s article, Sophomore’s Lumps in their Red Zone. It was our third article to be featured in the Red Zone, so we figured it’s time to give the guys at PSD a big thumbs up and thank you for all their extra work, and in believing that “Caveball is Money”. (Hah, couldn’t resist the cheese. It’s not a bad tagline. Might have to use that in the future.)

We would also like to thank all of our readers to this point, and sincerely hope that you have gotten some good info for your Christmas in March – Draft Day 2015. We hope that you can use our articles, rankings, strategies and Chartfelt Tiers to your advantage. Good Luck with your draft.

Loads of articles yet to come during Spring Training, including our upcoming features called “Showdowns”. A “Showdown” is where we pit two players at the same position, and close to the same age, against each other, with only one coming out on top. We will have at least one “Showdown” at each position.

Once the season begins we will give you a daily rundown of Fantasy-relevant players from the previous night/day/weekend in “The Pulse”, and we will feature weekly articles that you will find in “The Clubhouse”. They include, “The Penthouse and the Doghouse” – a who’s hot and who’s not deal; “The Sickhouse” – a rundown of injuries sustained over the week; and “The Guesthouse” – a look at who might be worth grabbing from the waiver wire.

We would love to hear your feedback before, during and after your draft. (especially, during. Yeah, how does that work?) All you have to do is “Become a Caveballer”, and even if you’re not inclined to comment, at least you’ll have a subscription to our newsletter. For those who have signed up, our first newsletter (special edition) will arrive in your inbox later today.

So again, thank you one and all. It’s been a hoot.

Draft Strategy for 2015

Jack Money03.2015Draft Articles, Draft Strategy, The Pulse2 Comments

Each new year brings a slightly different dynamic to fantasy baseball. Certain positions might be top-heavy, while others appear to be scarce. Owners should tweak their general draft strategy accordingly.

For 2015, the various positions seem to be more polarized than ever. There are many fantasy-relevant outfielders, while there is a scarcity in the shortstop and catcher positions. First base is interesting, as there are quite a few aging veterans, and only a handful of bats with upside.

As well, without question, we are in the midst of a pitcher’s era. Despite a glut of injuries, including a record number of Tommy John surgeries, pitching rules. So, let’s see how we can navigate through the 2015 draft in conjunction with Caveball’s General Draft Strategy and our Chartfelt Tiers. (It will be handy for you to have this open as we take you through each position: Click here for the printable version of Chartfelt Tiers.)

Caveball’s Cheat-Sheet: Chartfelt Tiers

Jack Money02.2015Chartfelt Tiers - The Ultimate Cheat-Sheet, Draft Articles, The PulseLeave a Comment

On draft day there is only one cheat-sheet you need – Caveball’s Chartfelt Tiers.

Something I have yet to see from fantasy sports “experts” is a cheat-sheet that makes it easy to cross-reference players in one position with players of approximately equal value in other positions. I have been using my own chart of tiers for every draft I have been a part of for the past 8 years. The chart works much better than any of the typical lists or tier formats, because it combines these two forms.

It was a liberating experience. I had released myself from the shackles of lists.

At the beginning of a draft, when the combatants are just taking their seats, you can get a good sense of who came prepared and who didn’t. Those who have “boned up” usually have a couple of sheets at the most. They have come well-studied. They are relaxed, and they prefer to interact and fraternize with the others. The ones who aren’t prepared come with a battalion of information. They are armed to the teeth with magazines, injury reports, countless lists, and secret weapons of mass destruction. They sit, and they begin their incessant flipping. They flip and they cram – frantically. And, they remain in this form throughout the entire draft.

I feel kind of bad for the ill-prepared. They probably don’t have the time to study. People are busy. So, for those of you who find yourselves closer to this latter group, our cheat-sheet, Chartfelt Tiers, is all that more important. We have done the work for you.

Christmas in March – General Draft Strategy

Jack Money02.2015Draft Articles, Draft Strategy, The PulseLeave a Comment

All 14 “grown” men in my “home” 8-year old fantasy baseball league anticipate draft day the same way they waited for Christmas Day when they were 8 years old.

Draft days are much like a fun version of a high school final. You either know your stuff, or you don’t.

The excitement is palpable in the emails, texts, and phone calls that lead up to our favourite day. If you happen to attend a social occasion with any of the other thirteen “grown” men in the weeks/months before D-Day, it is inevitable that you will end up talking ball with them as soon as you force the opportunity to present itself. It is quite simply our favorite day of the year. And yes, I do feel some empathy toward all the significant others that have to tolerate our negligence and boyish giddiness for the weeks leading up to our special Saturday in March – not to mention the weeks of cursing and whining that follow our magical day.

My contention is that we have lost some of the intelligence we had when we were wee lads. At least, back then we knew what we were getting for the most part, because we unknowingly hounded our parents into fighting tooth and nail for our “gifts” (picturing some kind of violent chaotic scene in Toys R Us where the Christmas spirit has been literally pounded into oblivion).

I mean, in all honesty, which gifts did you immediately cling to, the ones you knew you were getting, or the surprises. On the contrary, on draft day, we don’t really know what we’re getting. Luck certainly can play a big part, but there are ways to avoid bad value picks. This article is devoted to making the right choices, and just as important, avoiding bad ones.

Comeback Players: Arms (Fantasy 2015)

Jack Money02.2015Draft Articles, The PulseLeave a Comment

Fantasy leaguers are constantly trying to unearth the next breakouts and sleepers for the coming season in preparation for their upcoming draft. Not nearly as much time and effort is spent on the less exciting prospect of comeback players, yet they can provide as much value as the other two categories.

These are the pitchers who have already shown us at least one year of high production, usually more, but had a setback last year for a variety of potential reasons. These reasons could range from season-ending surgery, to nagging injuries, to sophomore slumps, to team slumps (see 2014 Tampa Rays), to personal issues off the field. All of the following experienced one or more of these season-harming issues, and have subsequently slipped in the overall rankings.

Comeback Players: Bats (Fantasy 2015)

Jack Money02.2015Comebacks, Draft Articles, The PulseLeave a Comment

These are the players who have already shown us at least one year of high production, usually more, but had a setback last year for a variety of potential reasons. These reasons could range from season-ending surgery, to nagging injuries, to sophomore slumps, to team slumps (see 2014 Tampa Rays), to personal issues off the field. All of the following experienced one or more of these season-harming issues, and have subsequently slipped in the overall rankings.

Sleepers – Fantasy Baseball 2015 – Arms

Jack Money02.2015Draft Articles, Sleepers, The PulseLeave a Comment

Caveball has now made a clearcut distinction between Sleepers and Breakouts.

We have noticed a lot of experts have a tough time explaining the difference between a breakout player and a sleeper. It is high time we make a tangible benchmark to differentiate the two terms. So, for the purposes of trying to keep things as simple as possible, Caveball has now made a clearcut distinction between Sleepers and Breakouts. A Breakout is considered to be any player who is currently ranked in the top 168, while a sleeper is any player ranked 169, or higher. (We could call it the B/S line, but something doesn’t sound quite right about this) So, in a 12-team snake draft, for instance, sleepers don’t enter the fray until around the 15th round.

The pitching sleepers are a little more important to focus on compared to the hitters. This includes both starters and relievers. There’s no formula set in stone, but you are going to want to use at least 4 of your 6 picks from rounds 15-20 on pitchers. Pitchers tend to be tougher to predict from year to year, and this is where you can get some great value.

A sleeper can be a relatively unknown minor league prospect or a veteran who has fallen in the ranks, just as long as his ranking has dropped below 168. So, now that we have this cleared up, let’s see which pitchers might have more fantasy value than their (plus-168) ranking suggests:

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