I imagine everyone is in full swing preparing for their drafts and auctions.  We are right there with you, as Rotochamps will already have participated in 4 Industry Auctions and Drafts by Saturday Night.  Of course we will report on all that action after each event is completed.

There are several new items of interest to the community as you are researching for your own leagues.

CHEATSHEET COMPILER & DRAFT BUDDY verson 2.0 RELEASED

A new release of the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy has been released and is available for download now.

Even if you already have the 1.0 version, you will definitely want to upgrade to v2.0.

What is new?

Compiler

Players now appear on the cheatsheets at ALL eligible positions. This was one of the most requested updates and your voice has been hear

Draft Buddy

On-the-fly Projected League Rankings as your draft progresses. This is a new tab added to the Draft Buddy. it is color coded so you can quickly see which teir your team is in under each scoring category.

This just might be the single coolest update since the Baseball Compiler was introduced

PROJECTIONS UPDATE

A new projection update was published on Wednesday night, and of course another update will be released this Wednesday as well.  Always remember to check the updated projection file before each draft you participate in.

DRAFT KIT ARTICLES

We recently added an Average Auction Values (AAV) report to the draft kit courtesy of FantasyAuctioneer.com.  Currently it only has values for mixed leagues, however AL and NL data is supposed to be available soon.

Also coming this weekend should be Average Draft Position (ADP) data for Mixed, AL, and NL leagues.

We are working hard to round out the 2007 mock auction and draft files.  Most of them are updated, and the rest will be updated by the end of the week.

Welcome back everyone!

Football season has ended, Pitchers and Catchers have reported and Spring Training is about to get fully underway.  This is the best time of year for baseball fans all over the world.  It is a time of hope, where everyone gets a fresh start.

If you are like me, draft and auction season is the most fun part of the fantasy season.  At Rotochamps we do as much of the hard work as we can for you, so you can focus on planning your strategy and mock drafting.

So take advantage of all the free information and tools we have provided and let us know what you think.

2007 Draft Kit

The core of the draft kit is of course the projections file, which we update at least once a week until opening day. Projections are just one part of complete draft preparation, however, and that is why we have laid out a complete preparation system which makes up the entire draft kit.  We have already updated some of the files with 2007 data, and will continue to update all season-specific content over the next week.

Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy

The Cheatsheet Compiler and Draft Buddy software tools are ready to roll for 2007! The Compiler helps create custom cheatsheets for your league based on player projections from RotoChamps.

Draft Buddy is a draft manager used to enter the draft picks as they happen, and it knocks the players off your cheatsheets and updates other reports like team rosters.

The Compiler and Buddy support roto and fantasy point scoring systems, and draft pick and auction leagues. Projection updates download from RotoChamps at the press of a button.

A major improvement to the Compiler for '07 was overhauling the Compiler player valuation system for roto to be consistent with the Percentage Valuation Method (PVM) as outlined in RotoChamps' Draft Kit.

Draft Buddy was converted from the battle tested '06 football version to ensure a quality draft manager product. Features include position re-ranking and auction dollar adjustment functions, to tailor your final cheatsheets the way you want them, and a nifty summary tab recapping the draft.

All in all, one heck of a tool for the most important day of fantasy baseball season - draft day! To top it off, you can't beat the price. The Compiler and Buddy are completely free.

UPCOMING

Coming soon : Over/Under Rated and Mock Auctions and Drafts !!!

March is here, Spring Training is underway, the World Baseball Classic is about to begin, what a great time of year.  March is also the Time that we start putting all our offseason research into action as it is Draft and Auction season!  Hopefully you all have found our projections and draft kit helpful in your preparation.  We still have more new content on the way to help you out towards Opening Day.  I will cover some of that here.

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Today is the day you have all been waiting for.  It the Grand Opening of the 2006 Draft Kit!  Its the most anticipated day of the fantasy year besides Draft Day.  Hopefully our Draft Kit will help make your Draft Day a success.
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gamedayritual.com

Welcome to the Next Generation of Fantasy Baseball

Are you a great Fantasy Baseball mind? Prove it. At gamedayritual.com we have built a game for the next generation of Fantasy Baseball player. A game for people like you.

Finally there is a game where your success is based on your knowledge of the sport rather than a stroke of good fortune. A game where you are the Owner: manage finances and construct a ballpark. A game where you are the General Manager: juggle contracts negotiations and develop prospects. A game where you are the Field Manager: set the batting order, ready the pitching rotation and organize the bullpen. A game where you are in control.

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2006 DRAFT KIT

The 2006 Draft Kit is Now Open!

* New Projections Engine - this results in even more accurate player projections and realistic leaguewide totals.

* More Strategy Articles - The biggest request from 2005 was more preseason strategy articles, and that's what we are delivering.

* Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy - Again we are working with Mike MacGregor of FFtoday.com to improve on the popular excel application for Cheatsheet generation and Draft assistance. 


Position Eligibility Tool

we have updated the position eligibility tool for the 2006 draft season.  Please remember that it only returns players who are eligible at more than one position.  This tool is a greater asset when you are trying to incorporate roster flexibility into your draft plan.

Player Tracker

Don't forget to update the players you have assigned to your player tracker.  Remember you can have up to 50 players tracked there.  While stats will only update for major leaguers, we have added over 1000 minor leaguers to our player database, and you can follow the news on those players as well in the tracker.

Stats Search Wizard

How many of you have even tried out the Stats Search Wizard?  It is an amazing tool that we debuted last year.  You can run queries such as: "How many hitters have had at least 30 HR in each of the last 3 years?"  You cannot type your question that way, but you can answer it by setting the criteria in the search wizard.  If you have not played with this resource you are missing out.

Roto Bookstore

Want to help keep rotochamps free?  Well one of the best ways you can do that is to buy all your baseball books at the Roto Bookstore.  Every significant Fantasy Baseball related book is available there.

Hello Everyone in Fantasy Land and Happy New Year!  Now that the Fantasy Football season has ended and the holidays have passed us by, it is time to start preparing for all those Fantasy Baseball drafts and auctions.  We at Rotochamps are hard at work preparing the information you will need to have a successfull 2006 season.  This newsletter is all about breaking down what we are working on.

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gamedayritual.com

Welcome to the Next Generation of Fantasy Baseball

Are you a great Fantasy Baseball mind? Prove it. At gamedayritual.com we have built a game for the next generation of Fantasy Baseball player. A game for people like you.

Finally there is a game where your success is based on your knowledge of the sport rather than a stroke of good fortune. A game where you are the Owner: manage finances and construct a ballpark. A game where you are the General Manager: juggle contracts negotiations and develop prospects. A game where you are the Field Manager: set the batting order, ready the pitching rotation and organize the bullpen. A game where you are in control.

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2006 DRAFT KIT

Currently we are hard at work on the 2006 Draft Kit.  We have several enhancements over the prior versions of this.  What can you look forward to?

* New Projections Engine - this results in even more accurate player projections and realistic leaguewide totals.

* More Strategy Articles - The biggest request from 2005 was more preseason strategy articles, and that's what we are delivering.

* Cheatsheet Compiler/Draft Buddy - Again we are working with Mike MacGregor of FFtoday.com to improve on the popular excel application for Cheatsheet generation and Draft assistance. 


Position Eligibility Tool

we have updated the position eligibility tool for the 2006 draft season.  Please remember that it only returns players who are eligible at more than one position.  This tool is a greater asset when you are trying to incorporate roster flexibility into your draft plan.

Player Tracker

Don't forget to update the players you have assigned to your player tracker.  Remember you can have up to 50 players tracked there.  While stats will only update for major leaguers, we have added over 1000 minor leaguers to our player database, and you can follow the news on those players as well in the tracker.

Stats Search Wizard

How many of you have even tried out the Stats Search Wizard?  It is an amazing tool that we debuted last year.  You can run queries such as: "How many hitters have had at least 30 HR in each of the last 3 years?"  You cannot type your question that way, but you can answer it by setting the criteria in the search wizard.  If you have not played with this resource you are missing out.

Roto Bookstore

Want to help keep rotochamps free?  Well one of the best ways you can do that is to buy all your baseball books at the Roto Bookstore.  Every significant Fantasy Baseball related book is available there.

The World Series has long passed us by, and the first of the GM Winter Meetings has concluded.  Things have been relatively quiet at Rotochamps for the last month, but that does not mean we are not busy.

2006 Projections

We have already begun working on the 2006 projection set which we expect to publish the initial version on February 1st.  We have completed a major overhaul of our projections model and implemented checks to insure that the sum of the projection set matches realistically with expected team and league totals.

Off-Season Articles

The first article of the offseason has been published.  Rotochamps moderator Gunkdog kicks us off with a view of several veteran players who could return from injury to play a major role in your 2006 Fantasy Season. 

Mock Drafts

Is it ever too soon to start preparing for your next draft?  We are kicking off the first of our winter member mock drafts and sign-ups are open RIGHT NOW!  It is only a 10 team mock, so you better hurry if you want to participate.  All of our winter mock drafts are slow drafts via the message board.

Off-Season Site Maintenance

Please keep in mind that you may find various bugs on the site during the offseason as we do a great deal of modification, upgrading, and other maintenance to the site.  Please do report problems if you find them as our best bug-trackers are the members.

Well we are entering the final stretch run of the season.  With seven full weeks to go it is time to focus on the areas of your team where you can gain a point or two.  The trading deadline has passed in many leagues, limiting your options for roster changes.  In this newletter we will look at some players that may be available in your league via free agency.

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• participate in an innovative free agent marketplace prior to the season to acquire your team - no more run-of-the-mill drafts!
• manage your team’s rosters and get support from your AI-based Assistant-GM
• track your team's finances, manage your salary cap and build a stadium
• strategize by setting offensive and defensive schemes, dictate your mix of play formations, set you team's depth charts and manage player fatigue

gamedayritual is not a simulator. It is the most sophisticated way to play fantasy football using real-life, real-time player stats.

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Batting Average

With Garrett Anderson limited to DHing, Juan Rivera is getting a boost to his playing time.  He has taken full advantage, hitting .360 for the month of August so far.  He typically hits in the 5 or 6 spot which should lead to a nice chunk of RBI chances.

Runs

Craig Counsell has rebounded from a terrible July to hit .372 so far in August.  He is getting on base at a .449 clip this month and should see plenty of run scoring opportunities leading off for Arizona.

Homeruns

Tony Clark continues his surprising season with 4 HR in August so far.  He is tied for the 8^th most HR this month.  Another Arizona player, Chad Tracy also has 4 HR this month.

RBI

One of the best RBI producers this month has been Pittsburgh 2B Jose Castillo.  His 13 RBI ties him with Paul Konerko and Grady Sizemore.  Gary Matthews Jr has also been hot since getting full time at bats in Texas.

Stolen Bases

Rondell White has dislocated his shoulder and the Tigers confirmed that Curtis Granderson would be recalled to take his place.  Granderson has 22 stolen bases at AAA Toledo and should get plenty of playing time when he is called up this week.

Wins

Aaron Small is one of the latest additions to the Yankees staff and has already earned 2 wins this month.  With the run support in New York he could be on the receiving end of a few more easy decisions.  Jae Seo has earned a spot in the Mets rotation and has done everything possible to keep it, including earning 2 wins this month.

Saves

With Brazoban struggling, the Dodgers have turned to Steve Schmoll to close out games.  Schmoll is 2 for 3 in save chances this month and his high ERA for the month is due to one bad outing.

Strikeouts

Robinson Tejeda has really done an outstanding job since being called up and yet he is only owned in a little less than 10% of mixed leagues on ESPN.  Tejeda has 21 strikeouts this month which is tied for 7^th in all of baseball.

ERA

There are a lot of pitchers who can help you with just the ERA category.  Some worthy mentionables are:

Joe Borowski – 13.1 scoreless IP with 10 Holds since AS break.

Jason Standridge – 16 scoreless IP with 2 wins and 3 Holds since break.

Neal Cotts – 13.1 scoreless IP with 2 winds and 3 holds since break.

WHIP

Like ERA, many of the players that can help you here are middle relievers.  Here is a sampling of helpful guys:

David Riske – 19.1 IP, 0.72 WHIP since July 1^st.

Dan Wheeler – 19.2 IP, 0.81 WHIP since July 1^st.

Aaron Fultz – 19.2 IP, 0.91 WHIP since July 1^st.

The key to this time of season is to be able to focus on your weaknesses and find players like the ones listed above to shore up your roster.  If you can still trade, unload your surpluses and work hard to gain a few precious points in the categories you are most able to advance.

Welcome to the first of our bi-weekly email newsletters that we will publish all season.  Each issue will discuss the players of interest over the past 2 weeks and any developments that will affect the near future in the baseball world.

As some of you are aware there were some problems with our stats update function which affected our RotoRankings feature as well as our Hot and Cold lists.  These issues have been resolved and the stats should be updating normally.  Please let us know if you see any incorrect stat totals on a player.

Catchers

Damian Miller, MIL – Miller has never posted an OPS of even .790 but he has started the season with a 1.043 OPS. You can be sure he will cool off very soon.  If you happen to have Miller pray that you can find another team that is desperate for some production from the catcher spot and make a deal.  You can bet that Miller will be subpar for most of the remaining season.

Greg Zaun, TOR – Zaun is hitting .300 so far but the most impressive thing is the 10 RBI he has already.  Last year he batted in a run once every 9.39 at bats.  So far this season he is knocking in a run once every 3 at bats.  He is responsible for driving in over 17% of the Blue Jays runs so far, a rate that cannot possibly continue.  Here is another catcher who is hitting way over his head right now.

First Basemen

Dmitri Young, DET – Yes he did hit all three of his homeruns in the first game of the season, but he has driven in a run in each of his last 4 games.  He cannot continue at his current pace but we do like him to post a .850 - .900 OPS this season.  Hold onto him unless you get a really sweet offer.

Second Basemen

Brian Roberts, BAL – Amazingly Brian Roberts is the top rated hitter in all of baseball at the moment.  While you could expect the 4 stolen bases, the 4 homeruns are definitely an unexpected treat.  Look for this power to disappear as he moves his G/F ratio back over 1.0.  While the homeruns are nice, a leadoff hitter can’t be hitting with a G/F ratio of .5 as it currently stands.

Jorge Cantu, TB – At the start of spring training he was not even expected to be a starter, but Roberto Alomar’s retirement changed all that.  Cantu had a very strong winter league, giving a hint to the power he might show in the majors.  So far he has 3 homeruns, but he is unlikely to maintain anywhere near this pace.  Look for some of those HR strokes to end up doubles instead.  He will likely continue to be a solid producer at this weak position so go ahead and hang on to him.

Third Basemen

Eric Hinske, TOR – Hinske is at a pivotal point in his career.  After posting ROY numbers in 2002, he suffered a wrist injury that drained his power and his confidence.  He looks to be fully healthy and eager to prove he belongs in the starting lineup.  He has 3 HR, 13 RBI and a .353 average in the early going.  While he obviously cannot maintain this pace, he could be a bounce back player of the year candidate.  If you want to trade for him do it soon before his current owner starts to believe.

Joe Randa, CIN – Before we get carried away with the Randa for MVP chants lets get a little perspective.  Of course the homerun pace is a joke but it is understandable how it happened.  Two homeruns were hit at Cincinnati and one was hit at Houston, both heavily favored hitters parks.  The encouraging thing is that Randa also has 3 doubles, a sign that he is driving the ball well in general.  He will not continue the .5 G/F ratio but he could continue hitting for a high average and a large amount of doubles.

Shortstops

Julio Lugo, TB –

Omar Vizquel, SF -  Ok, raise your hand if you predicted Julio Lugo and Omar Vizquel would be the first hitters to reach 5 stolen bases.  Both of these players intend to continue running as both their teams need to rely on putting the game in motion to score.  If you need some steals either of these players could probably be had cheaply.

Outfielders

Pat Burrell, PHI – Pat the Bat is back and healthy and driving in runs by the truckload.  Many people have given up on Burrell becoming a top fantasy OF, but he is at the magic age of 28 and healthy.  He could be returning to his 2002 level with a .900+ OPS.

Xavier Nady, SD – The Padres have been looking for a way to get Nady’s bat into the lineup for a year and now they got their chance.  Nady has been more than impressive while filling in for Dave Roberts.  Nearly half his hits have been for extra bases.  If he can continue knocking the cover off the ball he could find himself starting at 3B when Roberts comes off the DL.

Brady Clark, MIL – Clark is off to a great start as the team’s new leadoff hitter.  He has managed a .450 OBP which has led to 10 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.  The steal opportunities could dry up if his success rate does not improve.  He is currently only at 50% and he may not get a lot better.

Yeah it’s Opening Day, The Greatest Day of the Year!!!!!

I know everyone is as excited as I am to finally get to the start of the season.  We have been talking about draft and auction preparation for so long its time to see our preseason work go into action.  This could turn out to be a very interesting season.  There is a lot of speculation that in the wake of the steroid scandal baseball will get back to the basics.  This means for hit and run, stealing, bunting, etc as managers prepare for a decrease in homerun output.  How this will impact the fantasy landscape remains to be seen but this is definitely something to keep an eye on.  In this Opening Day edition of the newsletter I am going to take a look at some of the interesting things going on around the league.

gamedayritual™ - The Next-Generation of Fantasy Baseball

gamedayritual represents the next-generation of online fantasy baseball games. Based on its patent pending AI-based technology, gamedayritual offers its users a more realistic, more challenging fantasy game experience:

• negotiate multi-year contracts and sign players to kick-off the season;
• build a new stadium to take advantage of team strengths;
• draft prospects in June;
• track finances and attendance;
• set batting line-ups and manage pitching rotations;
• pitch around tough hitters, and more!

gamedayritual has all the intricacies of a complex simulator but with the ease of use and excitement of using real-life baseball stats!

Sign up today through RotoChamps and receive a 25% discount (for a limited time only).

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Player Tracker

You can save up to 50 players to track in your player tracker.  It will update their stats throughout the season and list the most recent news updates on each player.  This is a great way to track sleepers you are watching for possible free agent acquisitions later.

2 Start Pitchers

Beginning today the old Pitching Probables will now be Weekly 2 Start Pitchers.  Use this tool to plan your pitching staff for the coming week. 

RotoRankings

Beginning tomorrow our 2005 RotoRankings scores will begin calculating.  Find out which players are really the most valuable during the season.  Also the Hot and Cold lists will be updating daily on the hompage providing a clip of the best and worst players over the last 7 days.

Closer Notes

LA: With Eric Gagne on the DL Yhency Brazoban has been named the interim closer.  He will be a great short term pickup and start.

MIL: Mike Adams has been named closer officially but if he falters the team may quickly give Derrick Turnbow a shot at the job.

COL: With Tsao on the DL the team announced they will be using the dreaded closer-by-committee.  This means if the team manages to create any save opportunities they will be split amongst Brian Fuentes, Ryan Speier, and Scott Dohmann.  Good luck trying to predict how this works out.

FLA: Guillermo Mota has not been able to get his velocity up to mid-season form yet and has only struck out 3 hitters this spring.  There is no indication of injury but he may be a bit hittable if he can’t touch 98 on the radar gun.

ARI: Greg Aquino still appears to be the front runner for the closing job but manager Bob Melvin has been enamored with Brandon Lyon and may be quick to make the switch.

Other Interesting Managerial moves

WAS: Nick Johnson has been leading off for the Nationals the last few spring games and has hit well from that spot.  It appears he could stay there for the start of the season.

CIN: Ken Griffey Jr. is slated to open the season hitting #2 in front of Kearns and Dunn.  This will be bad for his RBI opportunities, let’s hope he gets dropped to the #4 or 5 spot soon.

NYM: David Wright is slated to hit #8 rather than the anticipated #3 for the Mets.  This should change quickly if he gets off to a hot start.

It is Mid-March and while many in the country are focused on college basketball, we are all about Spring Training and the best part of the year, Fantasy Draft Season.  Hopefully you are all enjoying our many tools to make your life easier such as the Position Eligibilty tool, and our Player Projections.

gamedayritual™ - The Next-Generation of Fantasy Baseball

gamedayritual represents the next-generation of online fantasy baseball games. Based on its patent pending AI-based technology, gamedayritual offers its users a more realistic, more challenging fantasy game experience:

• negotiate multi-year contracts and sign players to kick-off the season;
• build a new stadium to take advantage of team strengths;
• draft prospects in June;
• track finances and attendance;
• set batting line-ups and manage pitching rotations;
• pitch around tough hitters, and more!

gamedayritual has all the intricacies of a complex simulator but with the ease of use and excitement of using real-life baseball stats!

Sign up today through RotoChamps and receive a 25% discount (for a limited time only).

http://www.gamedayritual.com/landing04.htm/?source=02042

Cheatsheet Compiler and Draft Buddy

In a partnership with Mike MacGregor of FFtoday.com, we are excite to have released our first ever draft preparation and management excel applications.  The Cheatsheet compiler allows you to generate custom cheatsheets based on your league parameters.  The scoring system is limited to standard 4x4, 5x5, or Points leagues.  Once you have made your cheatsheets you can use the Draft Buddy to track the draft and automatically have your players crossed off the cheatsheets.  The draft buddy even manages auctions by tracking available budgets.  This 2005 versions is only the beginning, we have big plans for future versions of the files.

Patchyfogg’s Radio Interviews

Site member patchyfogg has a New York radio show and occasionally gets to interview important people in baseball and fantasy sports.  We have agreed to carry streaming copies of baseball related interviews which you can find in our downloads area.  The first release is an interview with Ron Shandler, publisher of the Baseball Forecaster and www.baseballhq.com.  He was an official advisor to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005 and is one of the most respected analysts in the fantasy sports industry.

Rotochamps in Industry Leagues

Rotochamps.com will be represented in several “Industry” Leagues.  Some people call these “Expert” leagues but I prefer the former title.  We recently completed the auction for a league hosted by FantasyAuctioneer.com.  It is a 12 team, 5x5 mixed league and should be very competitive.  We will publish the results of the auction soon.  We will also be participating in the FSIC “Expert” League for the second straight year.  Finally we will be represented in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship in Las Vegas next week.  We will do our best to keep everyone informed of how we are doing as the season goes on.

Spring Training Update