2003 Fantasy/Rotisserie Review

By Paul Wysard

  Yes... I confess.  I thoroughly enjoy participation in these games.  A certain Sports Illustrated columnist notwithstanding, I am not a smelly geek holed up with a personal computer, munching on stats and ignoring family and friends.  I am a Braves fan, a long-time one, and got into F/R in the late '80s, when that team was a poor one.  It was an enjoyable break to get away from those 65-95 seasons and to have a few other folks to root for.  In "keeper" leagues, one of which I've been in for 15+ campaigns, there is also the chance to build a franchise, to discover players who become stars.  In my case, the greatest find was Ken Griffey, Jr., drafted after his rookie year.  Right behind him were Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, chosen because they were Braves and before the club's great run that began in 1991.  Then there was I-Rod when he was unknown, and more recently, Jose Vidro, who I picked last (and about 25th overall) in our 2000 draft.  I also grabbed Mark Prior early on, but that was a no-brainer.  Opponents have had their successes as well, one of whom selected A-Rod and Manny Ramirez when they were just starting.  We've all had our busts, too: Russell Branyan, Fernando Tatis, Glendon Rusch, Ken Cloude, and Pokey Reese come to mind.

Our "local" league involves an annual entry fee, the total of which is divided according to how teams finish overall and leadership in eight categories -- BA, R, RBI, HR, W, W Pct, Sv, and ERA.  There are no dollar values attached to players and no purchases, but trading is at will.  Lineups are reported to the statistician on Monday morning and are in effect through Sunday -- eight position players, a DH, five starters, two relievers. If a player goes on the DL, he may be replaced the next day.  As much fun as watching season performances unfold are drafting and trading among our five franchises.  Draft order is based upon current standings for our Summer session and final standings for the following Spring -- last picks first, first picks last, etc.

Some of us also enter what we call "national" leagues.  There are any number of these sponsored by "The Sporting News,"  "Diamond Challenge," and other venues.  Here there are about twice as many players, each with an assigned salary, and a salary cap, usually around $30 mil.  Randy Johnson and Vladimir Guerrero run you $2 mil. each to use, Soriano and Ichiro about $1.5, Jarrod Washburn $1.0, and newcomers like Willis $750 thou.  Sometimes you have to use the "studs" who always have good numbers, such as A-Rod, but you try to refine a club by using a lot of folks around $1.0, more or less, who are having great years.  These games are somewhat expensive to play.  The entry fees are not prohibitive, but there are charges for purchases and switches that can add up to several hundred dollars over the course of a season.  If you guess right with mid-level players, early on, you can win a Division, which I have done once in the past four years.  To win the whole thing virtually requires the luck of a state lottery.           

Many other people play in leagues in which prices of players fluctuate with performance.  For example, Jose Guillen may have started the year at almost no value, but in July, before his trade to the other league, he had certainly risen to at least $20 or more.  The opposite, of course, also occurs, due to injuries and slumps.  So there is a lot of buying and selling in these leagues, as folks play them somewhat like day traders in the stock markets.  I will leave it to others who play in these leagues, if they wish, to explain in more detail, and so the following remarks and analyses are slanted toward the two types of play with which I am more familiar -- the aforementioned "local" and "national".

So who are the "good guys" so far this year?  You can't miss with Carlos Delgado, 100+ RBI already.  He is well worth his $1.42, and he is tearing up leagues that do not have price tags.  Guillen, at only $420 thou, was the best bargain in several years, with great numbers all around.  But the move to Oakland is fraught with bad vibes and he may have outlived hius usefulness as of the end of July.  Roy Halladay has been superb for any league, with all those wins, and at the "national" level, he cost less than half of Randy Johnson, who I would not buy this year, but who might be great at the "local" level if he gets back to normal over the next six weeks.  Marcus Giles has been another budget blessing, at only $400 thou, but is not better "locally" than Soriano, Kent, Bret Boone, or Vidro (if he shakes off his leg problem).  I have Barry Bonds in the local league, and use him every day, but nationally $1.84 is too much to pay for just homers. All those walks cut down most other numbers, unless you play in a league with OBP or OBP+Slug.  Melvin Mora has cooled off, but if you had him nationally through July, at only $840 thou, he must have really helped you.  He is valuable locally because he is eligible to play at second and short as well as in the outfield.  Albert Pujols is the new star in all leagues, very valuable even at $1.75.  Vernon Wells has been a steal at $750thou and locally outstanding.  Raul Ibanez and Jay Payton, at about $800thou, are very useful nationally, but have been mostly in reserve locally.  Carlos Beltran is a notorious second-half player, worth using now.  Critics may see Russ Ortiz and Woody Williams as just "good" pitchers, but they are with strong offensive clubs, so wins should continue to be posted, and they are only about $1.0.  It's no news that Barry Zito and Freddy Garcia have been disappointing lately.  I'd bench them nationally but never let them go locally.  Ditto Matt Morris.  Andy Pettite has been better than his price (under $1), as has old Jamie Moyer (just over $1), and both are definitely "keepers."  I like Brett Myers (only $460 thou) in all leagues --- now and for the future. Well... enough.  Someone else may see something else, but, after all, that is the basis of how and why we play.  If you participate, enjoy!  If you don't, tolerance.