MARKET PULSE: Exploiting 2012's Top Draft Trend

Each year our preseason coverage at Market Pulse concludes with a discussion of draft trends we witnessed. We look at the strategies of others to understand their philosophy and determine the best method to counteract their methods.

In 2012, however, clearly one trend dominated all others—drafting starting pitchers early. As we witnessed another "Year of the Pitcher" in real life, the fantasy owner who embraced starting pitching risk to often was in a championship chase. Others look at the winning team’s roster, see a Verlander or Halladay anchor, and determine that dominant pitching leads to winning. Let’s examine that phenomenon to determine when it works, when it fails, and how to counteract it.

While drafting starting pitching...

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