NFBC Weekly Profile - Michael O'Brien
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:32 am
A slow start can often feel like a death knell for fantasy baseball owners. Although the season is lengthy, a sluggish beginning often feels like an impossible mountain to climb and conquer.
It wasn't long ago that Michael O'Brien had that feeling of frustration.
His final of three teams in the Online Championship got off to a rough start. After three weeks of the season, that team was in 782nd place out of the 864 teams in the event. Needless to say, things weren't looking good for that team.
Nearly four months later, though, that rough start to the season has become a distant memory.
O'Brien entered action this week in first place in the event after overtaking Derek Pierson for the top spot last week. He went into Tuesday's action with more than a 300-point advantage over Pierson for the top spot.
If you're looking for a reason why O'Brien's team has made such an impressive turnaround, he has two simple words as an explanation:
Mike Trout.
"It's probably no coincidence that my team started to turn it around with Trout's arrival," O'Brien said. "That and my pitchers really started showing up in May and have kept it up since.
"I have had pretty solid contributions from Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Beltre at my corner positions and Alex Rios returning from the dead and teamed up with Trout in the outfield has been huge for me as well. Those four plus Jay Bruce have really carried my offense. I have had pretty solid pitching, headlined by David Price, Madison Bumgarner and R.A. Dickey."
Landing Trout in the 28th round has certainly proven to be one of the best value picks of the year. But O'Brien was also able to build a strong team by successfully implementing his draft strategy.
"I wanted to start with a pretty solid hitting base, filling both corner infield spots, a middle infielder and/or an outfielder in the first 3-4 rounds and then come back with starting pitching in either rounds 4-5 or 5-6," he said. "Picking from the third spot I really wanted Cabrera and got him."
After landing Cabrera in the first round, O'Brien addded Jose Reyes in the second, Beltre in the third, Bruce in the fourth before grabbing Price and Bumgarner in Rounds 5-6 to address his starting rotation.
O'Brien has also effectively navigated the Waiver Wire, especially early in the year when injuries ravaged his closers. After opening the season with three closers, he quickly lost two to injury and had to address that position via FAAB. He did so by adding Rafael Soriano, Addison Reed, Ryan Cook and Tyler Clippart.
"After going from three down to one in April, I went from one up to five in May," he said. "I wasn't expecting Clippard to keep the job all year or even necessarily Soriano, Cook or Reed so I figured I neded all five to reach my Saves target."
That approach has proven to be successful as he currently ranks third in his league in saves. Overall team balance has certainly been one of the keys to O'Brien's success. That team ranks in the Top 3 in his league in every statistical category except one.
O'Brien knows that type of balance will be vital if he hopes to continue residing at the top of the Online Championship standings for the remainder of the season.
"I have a bunch of players having great years and I will need that to continue," the 30-year-old O'Brien said. "But I don't think any of them are playing that far over their heads that they cannot keep it up the rest of the way, except for maybe Trout. But that kid just might be a stud that cannot be slowed down. I hope that's the case."
O'Brien has been playing in the NFBC since 2009 and although there's no question his top team in the Online Championship will dominate much of his attention for the next several weeks he admits it won't be the only thing occupying his fantasy landscape.
"Having been born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I was raised right and am a die-hard Packers fan," he said. "I can't wait for t he football season and the Packers to begin their march to becoming Super Bowl XL VII champs. I am looking forward to drafting live for the first time in the NFFC."
And when September rolls around, O'Brien may find himself not only enjoying his NFFC drafts in Vegas, but beginning the final preparations for an Online Championship overall title and the $60,000 grand prize that goes with being the best in that event.
It wasn't long ago that Michael O'Brien had that feeling of frustration.
His final of three teams in the Online Championship got off to a rough start. After three weeks of the season, that team was in 782nd place out of the 864 teams in the event. Needless to say, things weren't looking good for that team.
Nearly four months later, though, that rough start to the season has become a distant memory.
O'Brien entered action this week in first place in the event after overtaking Derek Pierson for the top spot last week. He went into Tuesday's action with more than a 300-point advantage over Pierson for the top spot.
If you're looking for a reason why O'Brien's team has made such an impressive turnaround, he has two simple words as an explanation:
Mike Trout.
"It's probably no coincidence that my team started to turn it around with Trout's arrival," O'Brien said. "That and my pitchers really started showing up in May and have kept it up since.
"I have had pretty solid contributions from Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Beltre at my corner positions and Alex Rios returning from the dead and teamed up with Trout in the outfield has been huge for me as well. Those four plus Jay Bruce have really carried my offense. I have had pretty solid pitching, headlined by David Price, Madison Bumgarner and R.A. Dickey."
Landing Trout in the 28th round has certainly proven to be one of the best value picks of the year. But O'Brien was also able to build a strong team by successfully implementing his draft strategy.
"I wanted to start with a pretty solid hitting base, filling both corner infield spots, a middle infielder and/or an outfielder in the first 3-4 rounds and then come back with starting pitching in either rounds 4-5 or 5-6," he said. "Picking from the third spot I really wanted Cabrera and got him."
After landing Cabrera in the first round, O'Brien addded Jose Reyes in the second, Beltre in the third, Bruce in the fourth before grabbing Price and Bumgarner in Rounds 5-6 to address his starting rotation.
O'Brien has also effectively navigated the Waiver Wire, especially early in the year when injuries ravaged his closers. After opening the season with three closers, he quickly lost two to injury and had to address that position via FAAB. He did so by adding Rafael Soriano, Addison Reed, Ryan Cook and Tyler Clippart.
"After going from three down to one in April, I went from one up to five in May," he said. "I wasn't expecting Clippard to keep the job all year or even necessarily Soriano, Cook or Reed so I figured I neded all five to reach my Saves target."
That approach has proven to be successful as he currently ranks third in his league in saves. Overall team balance has certainly been one of the keys to O'Brien's success. That team ranks in the Top 3 in his league in every statistical category except one.
O'Brien knows that type of balance will be vital if he hopes to continue residing at the top of the Online Championship standings for the remainder of the season.
"I have a bunch of players having great years and I will need that to continue," the 30-year-old O'Brien said. "But I don't think any of them are playing that far over their heads that they cannot keep it up the rest of the way, except for maybe Trout. But that kid just might be a stud that cannot be slowed down. I hope that's the case."
O'Brien has been playing in the NFBC since 2009 and although there's no question his top team in the Online Championship will dominate much of his attention for the next several weeks he admits it won't be the only thing occupying his fantasy landscape.
"Having been born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I was raised right and am a die-hard Packers fan," he said. "I can't wait for t he football season and the Packers to begin their march to becoming Super Bowl XL VII champs. I am looking forward to drafting live for the first time in the NFFC."
And when September rolls around, O'Brien may find himself not only enjoying his NFFC drafts in Vegas, but beginning the final preparations for an Online Championship overall title and the $60,000 grand prize that goes with being the best in that event.