Stock-Market Approach Pays Off For Peden In Vegas League 2

[Tom Kessenich]

Eric Peden utilized some good, old-fashioned stock market tricks when it came to preparing for his NFBC draft this past season. The result was the type of breakout market analysts often can only dream of seeing.



Peden’s value-based approach to the league led to a first-place finish in Las Vegas League 2 and a sixth-place overall finish in the NFBC.



“It’s a satisfying achievement,” said Peden, a 30-year-old business planning manager in Star, ID. “The owners in my league were very skilled and stayed active until the end. I kept in touch with several of my league mates during the season and I thoroughly enjoyed the competition.”



The enjoyment for Peden began during his Draft-Day preparation when he put a plan in place that was the springboard to his successful season.



“I use the same strategy when drafting a fantasy baseball team as when constructing a stock portfolio – go after value,” he said. “I came into the draft with my own ranking of the top players and I selected the best player available with each of my first 15 picks.



“I shifted gears to start filling positional and statistical weak spots on my team, but I still used a value approach to determine which players to select. I was wrong on some players, but others exceeded my expectations.



“For instance, my No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 picks were Mark Prior, Roy Halladay and Arthur Rhodes – all of whom were busts. However, the value approach paid off in the middle rounds as I picked up guys like Roger Clemens, Melvin Mora and Brad Lidge.”



The work didn’t end for Peden on Draft Day, however. Like all of the other top teams in the event, Peden made some pivotal Waiver Wire moves as well.



“I picked up a few solid role players like Coco Crisp, Orlando Hudson and Adam Eaton with FAAB picks. Season-ending injuries knocked out both of my first basemen (Frank Thomas and Nick Johnson) by July, so I filled in as best I could by platooning players from the Waiver Wire based on favorable weekly schedules.”



Peden also stressed balance throughout his lineup and the results paid off as he was strong in all of the statistical categories.



“I had a well-balanced team, statistically speaking,” he said. “I finished with at least 12 points in seven of the 10 categories and had pretty good balance between hitting and pitching.”



With a league title and a strong finish in the overall event under his belt, Peden is already looking forward to the start of the 2005 NFBC season.



“This was a first-class event all around,” he said. “I’m definitely coming back and would recommend the contest to any serious fantasy baseball gamer.”



[ November 30, 2004, 11:23 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]