It's the fantasy baseball postseason.
Owner A says it's his time of year. Owner B is the defending champion and owner of all bragging rights, even if he or she doesn't insisting on using them.
Owner C knows he doesn't have the best team but is supremely confident, realizing he's luckier than most. He's the type of owner who drives you crazy -- the one who makes a bad trade, but benefits after the star he gives up goes on the disabled list for an extended period within days of the move.
We'll address Owner C later. First, let's get to six tips on managing your fantasy baseball team in the playoffs.
1. Remember how you got here
Dance with who "brung" you. It's a boring song (Asleep at the Wheel is right), but oh so true.
- Don't sit your best players. They've been effective for most of the season. Now isn't the time to get cute.
- Don't panic over a bad week or two. Even Albert Pujols has slumps.
- Don't start a mediocre pitcher over an upper-echelon pitcher because the former has two starts and the latter has one. Two starts by Sean O'Sullivan could be much worse than one by Gio Gonzalez.
- Don't bench a stud pitcher because he has one start. Owners do it -- and it drives me as batty as Jemmye in any "Real World XXIV: New Orleans" episode in which drinks are involved (translation: every). Roy Halladay doesn't need two starts to rack up nine strikeouts, get you a win and lower your ERA.
2. Know your strengths
- If you earned a high seed because of your pitching, leave it alone and focus on other areas of your team.
- If there is a free agent in whom you have interest but he plays a position of strength on your team, acquire him only if you're worried about an opponent using that player against you. Otherwise, you're making a move just to make a move.
- If you have four quality outfielders or two very good second basemen, play one at the utility position. If you have both, play the lineup that was the most effective in the regular season.
3. Know your weaknesses
Have you struggled for an extended period at a certain position? If so, don't hesitate to pick up a player and start him in the playoffs.
Two advantages of playing in September:
- There is less competition for free agents, since at least half of your league has been eliminated.
- Young players are given more of a chance to play, increasing the likelihood for late-summer bargains on the waiver wire.
Two disadvantages of playing in September:
- Major-league teams that are out of contention are less likely to play veterans who are struggling or who are playing the final weeks of their contracts.
- They're also more likely to tell players to take their time in coming back from injury.
This is the month of the prospect in about half of the big-league cities, which makes it a period in which the best team often doesn't win your fantasy league.
4. Know the health of your team
- Did one of your studs get hurt over the weekend? Is that player's team out of contention?
- Is one of your players expected to come back from injury early the following week?
If any of those questions apply to you, you have to weigh the risks of starting a beat-up player in a weekly league -- a format in which one mistake could mean an empty spot on your team for seven days.
If Player X is expected to return by Wednesday at the latest, ask yourself if five days of him is better than seven of the bench player you would insert in your lineup. If you really want to put in the work, calculate five days of Josh Hamilton vs. seven of Corey Hart.
You should be more inclined to take risks with your studs. If Carlos Pena is scheduled to miss a couple of games, you should be able to find another player capable of batting .200 with a homer or two in a given week.
5. Know the schedule
- If you're deciding between two pitchers of equal value and one is scheduled to pitch at Yankee Stadium and the other has a home game against the Pirates, you don't need Brian Cashman to tell you who is the better play.
- Is one position player scheduled to play seven games and the other six? That should only matter if the players are relatively equal. If one is Derek Jeter (even the 2010 version) and the other is Stephen Drew, don't be silly.
6. Worry less about your opponent and more about you
You can't control whether Owner C gets two wins out of A.J. Burnett or five home runs from Jhonny Peralta.
Play your best lineup, regardless of how many starts your studs are scheduled to have or how many games in which Owner C has batters playing at Coors Field.
Luck is always a huge factor at this time of year. You can minimize it by playing the ones who took you this far and not stressing about the trash-talking owner on the other side of the bracket.
More fantasy baseball tips:
Five tips on how to manage the waiver wire
Five things you can learn from a mock draft
How to assign value in rotisserie formats
How to prepare for a draft in one hour