Monday, December 7, 2009

Some Things About Fantasy Baseball Leagues

By Jacob Biggs

Forming and finding Fantasy Baseball Leagues can be a great way to have some good fun. In order to make a league, you need to have at least ten to twelve different teams, and the number can go up to as many as 4. Every team involved needs to have 23 players. Sometimes the rules for these leagues will limit you to either the National or American league.

The first move is to choose yourself a team, and the next move is to start the team building. You have two separate options for building the team. You can choose to use the 'draft' system, or you can go by way of 'auction'. The draft is done by rotation and picking players when your turn comes around. You make the decision at the beginning about whether or not to clean the slate after the season. Or you can opt for 'protecting', or keeping back, a certain number of players and carry them over to the next season.

For bidding on players, everyone gets credits to use in bidding. 260 credits is the starting amount. Eligibility is decided according to whether or not a player played a certain position in at least twenty games the previous year. If the amount of twenty wasn't reached at any position, then the one played the most will suffice.

The scoring in fantasy baseball leagues is a pretty involved process. It's based upon the statistics of the games. Home runs are counted, along with batting averages, runs batted in, stolen bases, wins, saves, run average, home runs, and finally the 'WHIP'. The WHIP is a figure that's derived from taking the Walks and dividing them by the Hits. The scores for all the categories get added up at the end of the season to determine the winner.

The rosters are another thing that stays about the same with all leagues. Nine pitchers and five outfielders. Then only one first baseman, one second baseman, one third baseman, a shorstop, a corner man, a middle infielder, and a player that's miscellaneous. The miscellaneous player can be used in different ways by the two leagues. In the American League he's used as a 'designated hitter'. In the National League he's a 'utility man'.

One of the best parts of these fantasy leagues, is that the options for ways to play are numerous. So you're sure to be able to find a league that you really enjoy playing, and that you understand well. No one way is the only way to play. There are many people with a real passion for these fantasy leagues, and some even make money playing them.

If you're a beginner, and you want a fast-track way to start, then you can go online and order yourself a draft guide. These are great for getting you quick-started into competing. You can sign up for magazines that will feed you information and help you to learn all you need to know about this extremely popular form of baseball.

Fantasy baseball leagues are fun ways to enjoy the sport that so many Americans are so passionate about. There's a lot to learn, but it doesn't take long if you understand baseball. While there's a lot more than you can find out in just this one article, there's plenty of information to be had online if you search for it. Go ahead, take the plunge. You could be the next big winner! - 16887

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