Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this baseball fantasy thing for a while now, and let me tell you, it’s quite the ride. Today, I want to walk you through how I got into making these player rankings. It all started with me and a couple of buddies just throwing player names around, trying to figure out who’s gonna be hot this season.
First off, I had to get my hands on some data. I mean, you can’t just rank players based on gut feeling, right? So, I started digging through websites, looking at stats from last year, reading up on what the so-called experts were saying. It was information overload at first. I found interesting data like “Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox. Age (on opening day): 22 Where he played in 2024: High-A, Double-A, Triple-A Minor-league stats: .330 BA (430 AB), 20 HR, 24 SB.” It gave me a general idea of the top player.
Then, I made this massive spreadsheet. Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd like that. I put in all the players I thought were worth watching and started plugging in their stats – batting averages, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, you name it. I even added a column for “gut feeling” because, why not?
After staring at this spreadsheet for what felt like forever, I started seeing patterns. Certain players were consistently at the top in multiple categories. That’s when I started moving names around, creating tiers. Like, these guys are the sure bets, these are the maybes, and these are the long shots. I also used some quotes to mark down my memo, like “So, if you decide to be a win-now team, maybe the first 50-100 players can serve your construction.” This is actually a good suggestion.
But it wasn’t just about the numbers. I also had to think about injuries, trades, and all that drama. Like, remember Gerrit Cole from the Yankees? “Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees– My Rank: SP11. There were some warning signs there for Cole even before he injured his elbow last spring. Despite winning the Cy Young in 2023.” Guy’s a beast but was dealing with an elbow injury. Stuff like that can totally shake up your rankings.
I also looked at what other folks were ranking, you know, just to see if I was way off base. Not gonna lie, sometimes I’d adjust my list based on what I saw, but mostly I stuck to my guns. Like, I saw people hyping up this young pitcher, Noah Schultz, calling him the next big thing. I did some more digging and was like, “10) Noah Schultz – CHW, LHP, 21.8 – Baby Johnson is the #1B pitching prospect in baseball, and while there are other really good contenders (Jobe, Bubba, Kumar).” I added him to my watch list, but I wasn’t ready to crown him just yet.
- Started with a basic list of players.
- Crunched a ton of numbers and stats.
- Created tiers based on performance and potential.
- Considered injuries and other real-world factors.
- Compared my rankings with others, but mostly stuck to my analysis.
After all that, I finally had my rankings. It wasn’t perfect, and I kept tweaking it here and there. Then I started joining these online fantasy leagues, using my rankings to draft my team. And guess what? I actually started winning some of these things! Beginner’s luck, maybe, but it felt good.
So, that’s my story of how I got into making baseball fantasy player rankings. It’s a mix of number-crunching, keeping up with the sport, and a little bit of gut feeling. And the most important thing is that “The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck.” If you’re into baseball and have a thing for spreadsheets, you should totally give it a shot!
It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a ton of fun. Plus, it gives you a whole new way to enjoy the game. You’re not just watching the games, you’re scouting, strategizing, and basically playing armchair general manager. It’s a blast!