HOW TO: Drafting

Ever wish CSFBL had a cheat sheet? Some place you could go for advice on how to evaluate players or build a winning team? Maybe you’re thinking about making some major changes to your roster and aren’t sure how to go about it. Well you’re in luck, because all of that and more is explained in the new 'How To' pages.

Drafting

The draft is the most important part of the regular season, and can set your team up for years of success when done properly. The draft list drops every season on May 6th and can be found on the team page under the owner tab, or on the franchise page under the team drop-down. Live drafts will be done via the league forum, and usually run for 2 rounds, in 8 blocks of 6. Other drafts are done by adjusting the ranks in your draft list.

Live drafts are a part of all the best leagues in CSFBL. There is a forum thread each season dedicated to the draft, where you can find who has been picked, when your pick is due, and where you can post your pick. You can also send a list of your preferred picks to the person in charge of the draft via pm. When drafts are done live, you want to set your first pick made to #1 in your draft list, your second pick to #2 and so on. It is important to know that set draft picks should not be altered, otherwise you may mess up the rest of the draft. If you only had two picks made live and you want a player in the non-live round(s), then you can set that player to #3 in your draft list.

When you're drafting, most people go with best available over a specific need. You don’t want to be caught reaching on a subpar player who fills a need when there is an all-star caliber player still available. Many owners prefer to draft starting pitching and middle infield range above pure hitters at the top of the draft, because great players with these qualities are hard to find. However, some hitters may play just enough defense or have a bat like prime Albert Pujols and you could regret passing on them.

Draft depth breaks down into several tiers. The first tier is the surefire HOFer available in the first 3 picks in a draft. From there, you can usually find all-stars in the top 8-12 picks. In picks 13-22, you can find very useful players and steady building blocks. Picks 23-36 are one trick pony guys, development risks and bench players. Anything after that is usually pretty worthless. You may even draft a low salary scrub in the last live portion of the draft, as they can be handy when setting your FOA.