Phase 2 Draft Strategies?

For the most part, I'm going to leave strategy talk to the other bloggers. But now and then I may discuss a few things.

Several leagues are currently going through the Phase Two startup draft. The primary goal here is to get all 16 teams with a legal roster. That is, all the fielding positions and bench slots must be covered - plus the starting rotation and bullpen. For the hitters, only primary positions are considered for filling the mandatory positions (though once the season starts, the distinction between primary and secondary positions disappear).

I say some of these selfishly as the league administrator who wants to see rosters fill up as quickly as possible so we can get out of the draft process (and you end up with a decent team). But overall, I hope that they're helpful observations. These aren't so much strategies as points to consider:

• First - don't skip the draft. After Phase One, there are a ton of good players and everyone just got an extra 10 million in cash to spend. Suddenly those players who were too expensive to put on the initial list come into play.
• Unless you're really fine-tuning your roster in the later stages of Phase Two, or you got a lot of players out of Phase One, or you're close to the cap level, don't shortchange yourself. Try to pick all the available rounds.
• Keep in mind the number of players who will be going off the board. For example, after 4 rounds of picking, 64 players are gone. You may want to handle the later rounds differently.
• Later rounds tip #1 - Use alternates. Yep, Jimmy Rollins may have made it out of Phase One without being picked. But by Round 7 in the Phase 2 draft, it's unlikely he'll still be there. That's not saying don't go for him - but you may want to throw in an alternate pick just in case.
• Later rounds tip #2 - Use these rounds to fill out your bench, bullpen, and spot starter positions. A long season may mean that your bench is crucial. Grabbing cheaper, productive guys now who can fill in for you in scattered games or for long stretches of the season may give you an advantage later on.
• Later rounds tip #3 - Use these rounds to grab prospects. You may not want to do this in the first submission of Phase Two, but hopefully in Part 2 and Part 3 your roster is starting to shape up. Getting the top players on the free agent board is going to start getting tougher - you may want to turn your attention to pick up some minor leaguers and lay the foundation for later seasons. These players will also fulfill your minimum position needs too in the draft - and you can use free agency later to fill out your bench or your bullpen with major leaguers. Our player list filters give you an easy way to view first round draft picks from the last several seasons.
• Besides just the later rounds, think about using alternates. It takes a few extra minutes, but if you can target another player that you'd take if your first choice is gone, you'll build your roster faster (and not have to fill so many slots from the dregs later on). In some cases, you may not want an alternate and just let the next round's pick move up.
• Keep the salary cap in mind. You still need to fill 26 roster slots, so if you blow all your remaining cash on your first 4-5 Phase Two picks, you'll be filling your roster with journeymen and minor leaguers. Don't forget to watch your alternates...your primary pick in a round may have a salary of 1250, but if your listed alternate's salary is 5500, that makes the rest of your draft different.
• I don't get this much in depth, but going cheap early may have some benefits too. Since we reorder the teams each round by total salary, you'll stay up at the top or move up in the draft order if you pick an inexpensive player. On the flip side, picking Ryan Howard or C.C. Sabathia in the first round will likely push you futher down in the order. That's not bad...just something to realize.
• One more thing on alternates...If in every round your alternate pick is merely the primary pick in the next round, you're shortchanging yourself at worst and, if nothing else, doing work for nothing. Don't forget, if your primary and alternate picks are gone, all your other picks move up a round (so we don't skip your turn). If you list 8 rounds of picks - each with the alternate selection being the next round's primary pick (plus an extra one in Round 8) - you'd get the same effect by just having 8 rounds of primary picks and one alternate in the final round. And - as soon as you need one alternate (and you will, eventually) - you've just set in motion a process that will mean in every round after that your primary pick is already gone.

There's no single way to do things - but these are some of the things I've noticed watching 4 Phase Two drafts this season.

Good Luck