The Edgers

[DOUGHBOYS]

There is no sure way to win a fantasy baseball league. If there were, our game wouldn't be as much fun, would it.
There are drafters who think they are getting an edge.
I call them 'edgers'.
Edgers think they see something that others bypass.
There is an edger who takes almost all multi-positional players.
He thinks that his offense will be more 'set' during the regular season than others who have to use faab to replace an injured player.
Sounds good until his own multi-positional players get hurt.
When having Anthony Rendon on most teams last year, he lost both a 2B and 3B for most of the year. And since he put a higher price on Rendon than others, he lost a first/second round pick.
The 'edge' he gets in selecting Brock Holt because of triple positions, may be lost in at bats.
Is it better having Holt? Or, is it better having Jonathon Niese or Nomar Mazara or Andrelton Simmons?
Those players are being taken in the same area as Holt.
The Edgers take positionality over talent. Over high potential. Over more at bats.
Forgetting that talent fills categories, not how many positions a player is eligible to play.

There are other kinds of Edgers.
An Edger likes the start of a Correa/ Posey draft.
He feels secure in knowing that he has the best player at two positions to start a draft.
The number one problem with this is perception.
At this time of year, we can't think of another player who plays shortstop having a better season than Correa at his position.
Same with Posey.
But, if we got to bet on the field vs. Correa and Posey, most of us would bet on the field.
We just do not know who from the field will emerge to have a better season. This is why Correa and Posey are so dominant at their positions.
The Edger feels good about this.
The problem for the Edger is that although he is getting elite players at their positions, by the time they draft a 1B, 3B, OF, or P, those elite and even highly thought of players are reduced around him.
If Correa had a 30-20 season and Posey hits 25 homers, the Edger has 55-20 in homers and steals. The fellow taking Stanton-Springer has a possible 70-25. The Edger seeks his edge in later in the draft when he is deciding among lesser outfielders while the Stanton-Springer drafter sifts through Catchers and Shortstops.
Is it really an edge?
That is up to every drafter.

The Edger may also think there is a trend in categories. For instance, he might see that there were 200 less stolen bases last year, than the year before. Pouncing on this trend, he may place his kds in an opportune way as to see a base stealer in the first two or three rounds or maybe covet Billy Hamilton more than most drafters.
He may also see a rising trend in strike outs and try for three aces over two.

Is the Edger on the right track?
I don't know.
In my mind, the Edger is easing his mind more than thinking about roster construction.
To the Edger, getting the jump on a trend or personnel in his draft is more important than the season long grind.
Like all drafters and methods, it could work.
Because like all of us, WHO becomes more important than HOW once the season begins.

[Bronx Yankees]

There is no sure way to win a fantasy baseball league. If there were, our game wouldn't be as much fun, would it.
There are drafters who think they are getting an edge.
I call them 'edgers'.
Edgers think they see something that others bypass.
There is an edger who takes almost all multi-positional players.
He thinks that his offense will be more 'set' during the regular season than others who have to use faab to replace an injured player.
Sounds good until his own multi-positional players get hurt.
When having Anthony Rendon on most teams last year, he lost both a 2B and 3B for most of the year. And since he put a higher price on Rendon than others, he lost a first/second round pick.
The 'edge' he gets in selecting Brock Holt because of triple positions, may be lost in at bats.
Is it better having Holt? Or, is it better having Jonathon Niese or Nomar Mazara or Andrelton Simmons?
Those players are being taken in the same area as Holt.
The Edgers take positionality over talent. Over high potential. Over more at bats.
Forgetting that talent fills categories, not how many positions a player is eligible to play.

There are other kinds of Edgers.
An Edger likes the start of a Correa/ Posey draft.
He feels secure in knowing that he has the best player at two positions to start a draft.
The number one problem with this is perception.
At this time of year, we can't think of another player who plays shortstop having a better season than Correa at his position.
Same with Posey.
But, if we got to bet on the field vs. Correa and Posey, most of us would bet on the field.
We just do not know who from the field will emerge to have a better season. This is why Correa and Posey are so dominant at their positions.
The Edger feels good about this.
The problem for the Edger is that although he is getting elite players at their positions, by the time they draft a 1B, 3B, OF, or P, those elite and even highly thought of players are reduced around him.
If Correa had a 30-20 season and Posey hits 25 homers, the Edger has 55-20 in homers and steals. The fellow taking Stanton-Springer has a possible 70-25. The Edger seeks his edge in later in the draft when he is deciding among lesser outfielders while the Stanton-Springer drafter sifts through Catchers and Shortstops.
Is it really an edge?
That is up to every drafter.

The Edger may also think there is a trend in categories. For instance, he might see that there were 200 less stolen bases last year, than the year before. Pouncing on this trend, he may place his kds in an opportune way as to see a base stealer in the first two or three rounds or maybe covet Billy Hamilton more than most drafters.
He may also see a rising trend in strike outs and try for three aces over two.

Is the Edger on the right track?
I don't know.
In my mind, the Edger is easing his mind more than thinking about roster construction.
To the Edger, getting the jump on a trend or personnel in his draft is more important than the season long grind.
Like all drafters and methods, it could work.
Because like all of us, WHO becomes more important than HOW once the season begins.

I like the post, Dan. I know who the first "edger" mentioned is and the poor guy seems quieter this off-season. (Mr. Rendon may have cost him big time last year.) Honestly, multi-position eligibility is over-rated, especially in the early part of a draft where it matters not at all. Players should be evaluated on their skills and how they compare to other players at the most attractive position. Take Kyle Schwarber, for instance. He is being evaluated as a catcher. Who gives a crap that he is or will qualify for OF? (See, I've done a bunch of DC drafts so far and I haven't even noted whether he already is qualified at OF.) His value is entirely as a catcher. Would anyone draft him to play OF? If he was OF only, I doubt he'd be drafted in the first ten rounds. In later rounds, multi-position eligibility is helpful, but not to the point where I knowingly would take a weaker player over a stronger player. Rather, it is like a tie-breaker.

The point I really want to make is how perfect I think the 15 team format is for fantasy baseball. When playing in a 15-team league with owners that know what they are doing, every time someone tries to become an "edger" they also must accept a weakness. If you try to get an edge in power, you may sacrifice BA and/or SB. If you try to get an edge in SB, you may sacrifice RBI and/or HR. If you go for elite closers, your hitting and/or starting pitching will suffer. If you load up on starting pitching, your hitting will suffer. There only are so many desirable starters and category fillers and if you over-emphasize one or more things, you assuredly will run the risk of under-emphasizing one or more other things.

This is not to say that having is edge in one or more categories is undesirable. My approach is that I typically do not start any draft with a definitive plan to gain an edge in some area. To do so would mean, at least in my mind, that I am accepting the risk of one or more weaknesses in other areas. However, during the course of a draft, opportunities can present themselves. If others are really loading up on starting pitching early such that strong hitters are falling to me, I likely will accept a weakness in starting pitching for an edge in hitting. Conversely, if most owners are loading up on hitting, I may try to develop an edge in starting pitching, knowing that my offense likely will be lacking in certain areas by the time we get to the reserve rounds. Thus, for strategic purposes, going for an edge in something may make sense, but you have to accept the risk of one or more potential shortcomings. I think these decisions are best made during the draft, depending on how it is playing out, rather than rigid adherence to a pre-draft mindset. That's just my two cents. Others may view differently. Interesting topic.

Mike

[DOUGHBOYS]

Thanks Mike.
I've felt that Edgers fool themselves a little bit as well. Unintentionally, they drive up the adp of multi/positional players.
A false read.
For the most part, Edgers are found in DC Drafts. This is only right in that no FAAB can be used to replace injured rostered players. This is another reason why most Main Event'ers have their own agendas and adp is thrown out the window.
For a 30 player roster, a player with positionality is a small bonus, not a must.

In some cases, positionality means everything. Joe Mauer has become an afterthought for fantasy. If Posey weren't a Catcher, he may be thought of as Carlos Santana with batting average and less steals.
Posey- .318/74/19/95/2
Santana- .231/72/19/85/11
But, since he's a Catcher, he is considered, elite.
Santana who was in the upper rounds with C and even 3B eligibility, now languishes with 13/14 round status.

Anthony Rendon has an adp of the fifth round.
I believe this is mostly driven by his positionality and that DC Drafters provide his high adp.
He is being selected in the same area as Matt Carpenter. Without Rendon propped up by positionality, Carpenter would be a clear choice over Rendon.
As is, Rendon is the fourth best 2B according to adp.
Dollars to donuts, that is not the case for Main Event drafts.