My name is Michael Richards and I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of the writing team at CreativeSports. I am 38 years old and have been playing fantasy sports since 1997. It is a pleasure to have to opportunity to share my passion for fantasy sports with all of you. It excites me to know I can explore ideas and pass along my experiences to help beginners and experts alike.
Born in Southfield, Michigan I grew up a Tigers, Pistons, Lions and Red Wings fan. My first sports memory was staying up past my bedtime to watch Kirk Gibson hit his famous walk-off homerun off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. Here we are 32 years later, and it still may be the most iconic moment in baseball history. A former Detroit Tiger limped onto the field in the 9th inning and hit a homerun off the best closer of his generation, on the biggest stage. At the same time, the infamous Detroit Bad Boys were winning back-to-back titles in the NBA. There was also this guy named Barry Sanders making noise for the lowly Lions. The seed had been planted.
I will be spending much of my time writing about the minor leagues and prospect angle of the fantasy baseball world. With the recent influx of impactful young players, I believe it is an area that deserves further investigation. My goal is to help as many people as possible understand the intricacies of this game within the game. And hopefully together we can all discover some tools that can help you become a long-term threat in any dynasty or keeper league you play in the future.
With that as a backdrop…
Baseball is a beautiful game that has fascinated and intrigued many loyal followers. As with anything over a century old, there are many changes and stages of development. Different styles of baseball have excelled in different eras, showing the complexity of the game and the possibility of what could be in the future. If history has shown us anything, the game will continue to evolve and what is considered the blueprint at any moment will be altered by the next beautiful mind with an unconventional approach.
It is no secret among baseball fans that advanced statistics have changed the way baseball and fantasy owners alike view the game. It is now being used as an important tool in Major League front offices, in some cases dictating huge financial and franchise altering decisions. Most serious fantasy players have been incorporating the ever-growing data into their games for a few seasons, although it is still a relatively new tool to the casual player. Knowing the data exists is one thing, understanding how to read it and apply it to your fantasy league is another thing entirely.
Going into the details of incorporating complex mathematics into your fantasy game is a daunting task, but the fact that level of play even exists within fantasy baseball makes it one of the most interesting games ever conceived. Like all great games, fantasy baseball has many aspects which bring people back year after year. There are several games within the game, each of which bring their own challenges and advantages.
One aspect that has always intrigued, and often frustrated fantasy owners is minor league prospects. There is something to be said about unearthing a hidden gem before anyone else knows about them. On the flip side, you lose a tiny piece of yourself when one of the “can’t miss” players you were counting on never reaches the big leagues. There are many different types of leagues which often makes it difficult to give advice on the subject that correlates exactly to everyone’s specific league setting. I have tried out many different styles over the years to see what works and what does not. Obviously there have been many failed experiments, but also some interesting discoveries.
While there are many different angles to explore, one piece of advice about prospects I was given that changed my perspective is to view prospect picks as lottery tickets. You are trying to hit a jackpot with every pick you make. Unless the player has a set of skills, tools, upside, and some level of organizational success developing players, he will not qualify.
The goal for us should go beyond finding a solid professional, because those are available at various points throughout every season, and they will not cost you a chance to potentially land someone game changing. What you should be trying to do is find is the next franchise altering player before your league figures it out. Watching players like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna and Yordan Alvarez lined up to dominate the next decade on your rivals’ roster should be all the motivation you need. How you go about identifying which types of players have huge upside sounds like an idea for a future article!
Contact Michael – michaelpatrickrichards@gmail.com
