The most important day in the Fantasy Baseball season, draft day, is coming up soon. In only a few short weeks, people will have an idea of how their team is going to perform over the course of the season. Although draft day doesn’t determine champions, it is vital to draft well because it becomes so much easier to win a league with a good draft. A well-drafted team can succeed if the manager pays even a little attention; a poorly drafted team will be fighting an uphill battle and will require much more work. In order to ace your draft, follow these simple guidelines.

1. Know your league type

It is absolutely vital to know your league type. A rotisserie league is completely different from a points league which is completely different from a categories league. Each type requires a different strategy. In categories, I recommend you stack hitters and spot start; in points, stack pitching, and in rotisserie, get a well-balanced team. If you don’t know your league type, it’ll be incredibly hard to win your league.

2. Know your league’s scoring

Although stacking hitters is the right way to go in standard 5×5 categories, it may not be the right way to go with adjusted scoring. Same with points leagues; if your league overvalues hitting, go after hitting. Know how your league works and what is going to benefit you.

3. Know who’s in your league

This is going to tell you a lot about how your league is going to draft. If you’re in a league with a lot of Mets fans, a Nationals or Phillies player may be undervalued. Conversely, a Mets player may be overvalued and it won’t be worth drafting them. Though, if you can draft a Mets player around their ADP, do it. Even if you may not think they’ll have a great year, you can get great value on the trade market since everyone is a fan of the player.

4. Read articles

Just Google fantasy baseball and there will be a ton of articles on sleepers and things of that nature. They are extremely helpful and they have a ton of information. These can help you formulate a plan and avoid going into the draft blindly.

5. Practice

Even if you read every single article, practice is the only way to get a feel of the draft. You can prepare all you want but practice is the only way to replicate the draft. You’ll only have a minute or two to make a decision so this will help you pace yourself and get an idea of the feel of the draft.