Draft Prep - Part 2

Here are a few more tips as we get closer to the start of the season.

Keep up with the latest news - Nothing is worse than drafting a guy only to realize that he's going to start the season on the DL thanks to a off the field injury in the off season. It only takes a few minutes each week to get up to speed on the latest happenings around major league baseball. I like to check out rotoworld.com for any hot stories or breaking news.

Pay some attention to spring training action - We've all heard that spring training stats are meaningless, but there are some signs to watch for during these games. How are certain guys rebounding from last season's injury? Who is the manager using after the starting pitcher? It's not usually who gets the saves in spring training, it's usually who the manager goes to after the starter is done for the day. Is that hot rookie getting playing time? These are just a few things to watch for as the games get going.

Refine your rankings and practice drafting - After you're gone through and moved a few guys around based on your gut as well as who you'd rather draft, it's time to put it to the test. Mockdraftcentral.com is an excellent place to try out your draft strategy. They offer free mock drafting almost every half hour, with serious people and quality results. Try drafting from a few different draft positions and see what happens. Try taking a SP first. Mix things up to see how your teams ends up. It'll give you a rough idea of when you can wait on guys and when you need to jump on that guy a few rounds earlier. Obviously ever league is different, so you have to know where your league might be different, but this is a good place to start.

Get to know your league mates - This seems obvious, but unless you're in a league full of long time friends, chances are these guys you're playing with are strangers. It could be a phone call, email or an instant message, but make contact with as many league mates as you can. It'll build some kind of relationship that will come in handy down the road. After all, this is supposed to be fun. I've met people all over the world through fantasy baseball.

Next time I'll run through some of my initial thoughts on some sleepers and busts and give a little clearer definition on each.