Welcome to 2025! As hard as it may be to believe, a new year is upon us. Turning over the calendar means that baseball can’t be far behind. Even as we are in the midst of winter’s grasp, we can look forward to baseball with gladness in our hearts. Obviously, with baseball comes fantasy. While there are many excited by that thought, there are just as many that are filled with hesitation. Why? They want to start a fantasy baseball league, but don’t know how to go about it. For those in this boat, there are no worries! This Fantasy Baseball Startup Guide edition is here to help!
As with all of my articles, if there are any questions or comments, please sent them my way. With that said, it is time to get into the thick of it!
Step One: Decide How Many Teams The League Will Have
This is probably self evident, but the number of teams in a league is the first consideration. Most likely, it simply comes down to how many people you know that you can get interested in starting a fantasy baseball league. Obviously, the more teams, the fewer players that will be available to each team. To put it simply, ten or more teams are optimal. In most cases, an even number of teams would be required to get a league off the ground.
Step Two: What Platform to Use
Ideally, some research will provide the answer to this question. There are a few popular sites that you can get on to start a league with ESPN, Yahoo and CBS the most common. In my case, I prefer ESPN. There are many that don’t like it for whatever reason, but I find it easy to use and easy to understand. This Fantasy Baseball Startup Guide simply says: check into the sites, see which one that you prefer and then get started.
Step Three: What Kind of League to Use
Certainly, this is an area of personal preference. In fantasy baseball, there are two types of leagues most commonly used: head to head points and categories (often referred to as rotisserie). As you might imagine, there are points assigned to various activities in baseball, such as one point for a walk or a hit. The platform that you decide to use can assist in setting this up.
Many prefer the points system as it allows a manager to build a team in any way that is prefered. If a manager places more emphasis on hitting over pitching, that can be done. If another desires a stronger pitching staff than hitters, that can easily be accomplished.
On the other hand, category leagues, as might well be imagined, emphasises a more balanced roster. The more categories a team does well in, the better off it will be. As stated at the top, a little research will help in establishing this kind of league.
Meanwhile, there are keeper and dynasty baseball leagues. In my opinion, if this is the first time you have explored fantasy baseball, leave these types to leagues alone until you have more experience.
Step Four: Roster Construction
As might be expected, there are many ways to set up a fantasy baseball league, whether it be roster size or limitations. Is the starting lineup the same as in real baseball? Some leagues add a slot for corner and middle infielders. Others add a utility slot. Will the designated hitter be used? How will pitching staffs be built?
There are leagues that require a certain amount of starters and relief pitchers. Personal preference: set up the number of pitchers a team may have and let each manager decide how they will build a staff. Additionally, decide if a starter limit will be set up. Doing so would prevent a manager from attempting to add each day’s starting pitchers. If a limit is in place, once reached, that manager would no longer get any scoring out of a starter for the remainder of the scoring period.
Step Five: Setting up a Draft
Ideally, when a draft is held should be an open discussion in the league. Obviously, you want to schedule the draft when the members of the league can actually be in attendance. Further, the draft should occur as close to baseball’s start of the season as possible. This will allow for members to do as much research on players as they desire and allow for any injuries to be made public. This Fantasy Baseball Startup Guide author is well aware of what a sucker’s punch to the gut it is to select a player only to find out he will be out for half the year. Don’t let it happen to you.
Secondly, a decision has to be made if a draft will use the snake method or a simple linear one. In the snake version, a draft proceeds to the last person’s slot. At that point, this manager makes a second selection and the draft moves in the opposite direction.
When it reaches the manager with the first pick, that person will make two selections and so on throughout the draft. The reasoning for such a setup is easy to see. Doing so evens the playing field for all by not allowing managers at the top of the draft to have the advantage in each and every round.
Other Steps
Once all of the above has occurred, there are a few more decisions to be made. Those would include how to use waivers, when to set the trade deadline, how many playoff teams there will be, when the playoffs begin and other factors. At the very end, whatever decisions are made, they need to stay that way for the duration of the season. It would be grossly unfair to all managers otherwise.
Lastly, have fun with it! That is why anyone gets involved in a fantasy league. If there is confusion at any point in the process, don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance. I, and many others, will be happy to help!
Additional Resources
The sites listed here can help in getting a league set up: ESPN Fantasy Baseball Settings, Pitcher List Fantasy Baseball 101, FWFB: What Are the Best Fantasy Baseball Settings. Research will reveal many others.
The Final Word
Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Baseball Startup Guide edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!
