Steven Urena
By Steven Urena
Fantasy Baseball
I suck at fantasy baseball. The only time I won a championship was back in 2008. After that season, I’ve been lousy.
Here’s some insight from fantasy baseball experts (friends of mine that have won the ‘ship).
Arnold Urena, aka Roadhouse Warriors
It takes time, knowledge and a lot of luck- depending on who you ask. It takes a willingness to check your waiver wire in the morning, at night, and to stop what you’re doing in the middle of the day to check who’s on a hot streak and who’s still available. If you really want to know the truth, it’s my motivational pep talks during our team meetings that get the team going.
Michael Sechi, aka Sech Doggs
The baseball season is so unique because it is so much longer than any other professional sport, and you really gotta keep track every week. The season can’t be won in the draft, but you can certainly lose it. First thing I do is I read all the league settings, such as the scoring system and the innings pitching requirements (since each league can be different). If the pitching minimum is low (under 30), then I tend to draft hitters early and often.
Make sure you look at roster spots under the settings tab. How many players per team can alter your draft. In the first eight rounds, I’m drafting best available, not trying to fill my roster by position. I try to have patience throughout the year because it’s so long, and there will be hot and cold streaks. Make sure you discern if it’s a streak or a breakout. You gotta pay attention and go with your gut.
Brennon Ploenzke, aka Slumpbusters
Every day, during fantasy baseball, my restroom breaks are longer because I’m trolling who’s hot and who’s not. I’m looking closely at the add/drop feed and trying to figure out what the baseball nerds know that I don’t know. Watching the add/drop feed is crucial to victory. Being a champ means you watch Baseball Tonight and Quick Pitch every night and maybe even ignore your wife sometimes. You need to find good pitching, and you need to know “when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.”
A champion figures out how to take advantage of the DL glitch and stashes guys until you have to make some moves. Some call stashing bush league, but it’s the game within the game. Honestly, the number one thing is the passion for baseball. The love of the game makes all this effortless. Quick shout out to my opponents…thank you for the donations, losers!
Last season, I got the itch and decided to start my own league—Family, high school friends, in-laws, and a few nerds. So far, it’s been working out well. Not for me though, I missed the playoffs again.
Have you seen the ESPN 30 for 30 Silly Little Game? It’s a great documentary about the creation of fantasy baseball—a must watch for any fantasy sports nerd.
According to Allied Market Research, fantasy sports generated $18.6 billion worldwide in 2019. They expect the number to jump to $48.6 billion by 2027. Wow! Spoiler alert…the folks that invented fantasy sports are making NOTHING. They did not patent their ideas.
Here’s my top 5 fantasy players: Fernando Tatis Jr., Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr.
Despite the heartbreak, fantasy sports are fun. You get to come up with cool team names, trash talk with your friends and co-workers, watch sports more than you already do, and you get the ultimate prize in all sports – bragging rights. Play on, players!
MLB Quick Hits
Jacob deGrom and Jordan Hicks are already hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. That’s fire!
Speaking of fire, Shohei Ohtani is throwing 97 mph and already has four home runs this spring. Stay healthy, please!
Clayton Kershaw will start opening day. We owe it to Kershaw. However, don’t we owe it to Walker Buehler to become the next Kershaw? I can live with the move, but I hope Buehler is starting game one of the playoffs.
Every time I look at spring training highlights, Joc Pederson and Corey Seager are hitting home runs. We know Seager is a star but was Joc Pederson a steal for the Cubs at 7 million a year? AJ Pollock is making $18M this year and $13M next year. Did we pick the right guy to play left field? My bold prediction: Joc continues to be a roller coaster. Pollock hits over 30 home runs.
There’s a lot of hype around the ChiTown ChiSox. I’m not ready to go all-in yet. The young guns have a lot to prove. Did you know the White Sox traded Fernando Tatis Jr. for James Shields? Shields won 16 games in 3 years, and in his last season with the Sox, he led the MLB in losses (16). Tatis, well, I’ll let you know, but it looks like the Padres are going to get the better end of the deal.
There’s been talk of banning MLB shifts. My take, how can you do that? Wouldn’t it be similar to telling a football team they can’t play a Cover-two or call an all-out blitz? If a team wants to overload one side, why would you stop them? Hitters are trying to hit the ball over the fence anyway.
Last take on Small Ball…I don’t care how many drag bunts or slap hits I see beat the shift. I am still not a believer. I saw a couple the past few days. Guess what? I did not see one of those guys score. Every time someone hits a home run, they score. Every one of my readers that is in favor of Small Ball is under 5’8”. Go figure.
Contact Steve Urena at:
Email: theurenaexpress@gmail.com
Twitter/IG: @theurenaexpress
