2013 RotoWire Online Championship Profile - Eric Heberlig
Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:25 pm
It was the type of fantasy baseball season people will talk about for years to come. The type of season where a player has a level of success in several leagues which completely reflect their skill and acumen.
Eric Heberlig didn’t just do well in the NFBC last season. He dominated.
For some, just winning a national contest would be more than enough reason to celebrate. And Heberlig had 70,000 reasons to throw a party after winning the RotoWire Online Championship in the NFBC.
For some, that would be more than enough.
For Heberlig, it was just the icing on top of the sweetest fantasy baseball cake he ever had the opportunity to savor.
Not only did Heberlig win the Online Championship and claim the contest’s $70,000 grand prize, he also finished second and eighth overall in the NFBC XII contest , pocketing another $11,000 for those two finishes.
It was, quite simply, a historic fantasy baseball season and one that Heberlig will not soon forget.
“It absolutely was my greatest season ever,” he said. “It was one of those seasons where everything I did worked. A season like that doesn’t happen every year. I felt very fortunate to be competitive in both events and to be in the running for the top prize in both events.”
Two Top 10 finishes in a national contest is an impressive achievement. However, winning a national contest is far more rewarding. That is why claiming the top spot in the Online Championship was the ultimate reward on a banner fantasy campaign.
“I felt ecstatic and a sense of relief at the same time (when the season came to an end),” the 43-year-old Heberlig said. “A fantasy baseball season is a marathon. It was great to know that all of the preparation and time I put in had paid off.”
Indeed it had. And that helped to make up for all the anxious moments Heberlig went through as the season was drawing to a close.
“I found myself watching the live standings closely each evening to see where I was,” he said. “I was glued to the computer. Even though I had a fairly nice lead (in the Online Championship) I was still concerned I could fall out of the top spot.
“Several years ago, I was No. 2 overall going into the final month and my team collapses. I ended up 20th. I was also concerned because my FAAB money was gone by the beginning of September and I was afraid that was going to come back and haunt me if one of my key players was injured.
“Overall, though, it was a great feeling being in the lead those final weeks.”
And an even better feeling to be alone at the top of the event’s standings when the season finally came to an end. As Heberlig noted, the fantasy baseball season is truly a marathon with many twists and turns every owner has to endure and overcome along the way.
But there does come a point in the season when the top teams begin to emerge and the potential to win the national grand prize becomes something more than mere aspiration. For Heberlig, the belief that his team could end up claiming $70,000 began late last summer.
“From the end of August on I knew that I had a great chance,” he said. “Going into the final month my players were relatively healthy and I was hanging in there close to the top of the standings.”
The combination of strong pitching (led by Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer) and plenty of offense (paced by Andrew McCutcheon, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Trumbo) provided Heberlig with plenty of confidence.
So did the extensive prep work he had done before the season began. Heberlig’s prep work consisted of pouring over several fantasy magazines, including the RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide, and Ron Schandler’s annual Baseball Forecaster book. Heberlig also took part in several of the NFBC’s Draft Champions leagues to ensure he had a strong feel for the player pool.
“To me, this is the most valuable resource because when you have people putting money on the line you can get a true sense of where the players should be drafted,” he said.
That prep work paid big dividends in the Online Championship when the time came for Heberlig to draft his team in late March.
“I tried to grab some ace pitchers in the early rounds knowing in a 12-team format I would still be able to get some very good offense,” he said. “I think my key to winning were some great value picks I got in the later rounds. I picked up Jean Segura in the 20th round, Pedro Alvarez in the 21st round and Alfonso Soriano in the 22nd. I foresaw there was a lot of potential with those players.
“When I draft, my goal with my first four offensive players is to get 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases. It doesn’t always work out that way but I try to achieve those numbers.”
Once the season was underway, Heberlig did not shy away from attacking the Waiver Wire with gusto when he deemed it appropriate. Among his top free-agent pickups during the season were Francisco Liriano, Colby Rasmus, Tony Cingrani and Brian Dozier.
“I wasn’t afraid to spend my FAAB money if I believed a valuable player was available,” he said.
Heberlig spent wisely when the time came to reward himself with the $70,000 grand prize as well.
“I paid for a car and schooling for my daughter, saved some to play more fantasy baseball this season and put some aside for Uncle Sam,” said Heberlig, who lives in New Cumberland, PA. “My wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate.”
After a season for the ages, Heberlig is now preparing to defend his RotoWire Online Championship title in the NFBC and perhaps do what no one has ever done before – win back-to-back national contests. Doing that in a formidable field that the NFBC puts forth won’t be easy, however, and Heberlig knows it.
“I love that a lot of players I’m going against (in the NFBC) are experts,” he said. “I love the challenge of competing with these knowledgeable players.”
Eric Heberlig didn’t just do well in the NFBC last season. He dominated.
For some, just winning a national contest would be more than enough reason to celebrate. And Heberlig had 70,000 reasons to throw a party after winning the RotoWire Online Championship in the NFBC.
For some, that would be more than enough.
For Heberlig, it was just the icing on top of the sweetest fantasy baseball cake he ever had the opportunity to savor.
Not only did Heberlig win the Online Championship and claim the contest’s $70,000 grand prize, he also finished second and eighth overall in the NFBC XII contest , pocketing another $11,000 for those two finishes.
It was, quite simply, a historic fantasy baseball season and one that Heberlig will not soon forget.
“It absolutely was my greatest season ever,” he said. “It was one of those seasons where everything I did worked. A season like that doesn’t happen every year. I felt very fortunate to be competitive in both events and to be in the running for the top prize in both events.”
Two Top 10 finishes in a national contest is an impressive achievement. However, winning a national contest is far more rewarding. That is why claiming the top spot in the Online Championship was the ultimate reward on a banner fantasy campaign.
“I felt ecstatic and a sense of relief at the same time (when the season came to an end),” the 43-year-old Heberlig said. “A fantasy baseball season is a marathon. It was great to know that all of the preparation and time I put in had paid off.”
Indeed it had. And that helped to make up for all the anxious moments Heberlig went through as the season was drawing to a close.
“I found myself watching the live standings closely each evening to see where I was,” he said. “I was glued to the computer. Even though I had a fairly nice lead (in the Online Championship) I was still concerned I could fall out of the top spot.
“Several years ago, I was No. 2 overall going into the final month and my team collapses. I ended up 20th. I was also concerned because my FAAB money was gone by the beginning of September and I was afraid that was going to come back and haunt me if one of my key players was injured.
“Overall, though, it was a great feeling being in the lead those final weeks.”
And an even better feeling to be alone at the top of the event’s standings when the season finally came to an end. As Heberlig noted, the fantasy baseball season is truly a marathon with many twists and turns every owner has to endure and overcome along the way.
But there does come a point in the season when the top teams begin to emerge and the potential to win the national grand prize becomes something more than mere aspiration. For Heberlig, the belief that his team could end up claiming $70,000 began late last summer.
“From the end of August on I knew that I had a great chance,” he said. “Going into the final month my players were relatively healthy and I was hanging in there close to the top of the standings.”
The combination of strong pitching (led by Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer) and plenty of offense (paced by Andrew McCutcheon, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Trumbo) provided Heberlig with plenty of confidence.
So did the extensive prep work he had done before the season began. Heberlig’s prep work consisted of pouring over several fantasy magazines, including the RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide, and Ron Schandler’s annual Baseball Forecaster book. Heberlig also took part in several of the NFBC’s Draft Champions leagues to ensure he had a strong feel for the player pool.
“To me, this is the most valuable resource because when you have people putting money on the line you can get a true sense of where the players should be drafted,” he said.
That prep work paid big dividends in the Online Championship when the time came for Heberlig to draft his team in late March.
“I tried to grab some ace pitchers in the early rounds knowing in a 12-team format I would still be able to get some very good offense,” he said. “I think my key to winning were some great value picks I got in the later rounds. I picked up Jean Segura in the 20th round, Pedro Alvarez in the 21st round and Alfonso Soriano in the 22nd. I foresaw there was a lot of potential with those players.
“When I draft, my goal with my first four offensive players is to get 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases. It doesn’t always work out that way but I try to achieve those numbers.”
Once the season was underway, Heberlig did not shy away from attacking the Waiver Wire with gusto when he deemed it appropriate. Among his top free-agent pickups during the season were Francisco Liriano, Colby Rasmus, Tony Cingrani and Brian Dozier.
“I wasn’t afraid to spend my FAAB money if I believed a valuable player was available,” he said.
Heberlig spent wisely when the time came to reward himself with the $70,000 grand prize as well.
“I paid for a car and schooling for my daughter, saved some to play more fantasy baseball this season and put some aside for Uncle Sam,” said Heberlig, who lives in New Cumberland, PA. “My wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate.”
After a season for the ages, Heberlig is now preparing to defend his RotoWire Online Championship title in the NFBC and perhaps do what no one has ever done before – win back-to-back national contests. Doing that in a formidable field that the NFBC puts forth won’t be easy, however, and Heberlig knows it.
“I love that a lot of players I’m going against (in the NFBC) are experts,” he said. “I love the challenge of competing with these knowledgeable players.”