The thing I love most about fantasy baseball is the comradery. People do not realize how hard it is to get 10 or more people on the same page (it is actually quite a feat). That is what makes a baseball league special. For the duration of the season you will interact, trade, and maybe even argue with someone who may or may not have your baseball IQ. The league could be made up of your friends, family, strangers and sometimes even your wife/husband. If you think I’m lying I know a legend who will tell you different. The bottom line is there is more to this than money. It is a community. One which I hold in the highest esteem. I have met some of my best friends playing fantasy baseball and I sure some of you have as well.

Let’s talk about five simple strategies I employ in the later rounds of baseball drafts that have helped me have success over the last 20 years.

I’m going to start with the most basic point. Often we get so caught up in looking for what others may not see that we miss what is right in front of our faces. That, my friends, is simply just taking the best player available. The reality is even though we all want to be the guy who can say at the end of the season we had the fortitude to draft Carlos Correa or some hotshot youngster, the simple truth is the way to win is to have players who play daily. For instance, if you are in the 10th or 11th round and you need an outfielder and you have your mindset on drafting the next big thing you might have missed a guy like Matt Kemp sitting right there waiting to be inserted into your lineup to give you numbers on a daily basis.

Speaking of Matt Kemp, one of the other things I like to do in the later rounds is choose a player who could come in to replace an injured player. Did anyone who drafted Hanley Ramirez last season actually think for one minute he was going to stay healthy regardless of what position he played? There is a bevy of players in the late rounds all who are in crowded outfield situations and so forth. This happens every season. In of my NFBC leagues I ended up with David Peralta, Ender Inciarte and A.J. Pollock by the end of the draft. I am not going to lie. I had Mark Trumbo in my sights as well but when I didn’t get him I ended with up Peralta and Inciarte assuming he would take a dive at some point. Cha-Ching.

Moving right along one of the things I do in leagues is kind of get an idea of what numbers I am looking to get out of players who I am targeting. Last season I drafted Pollock in pretty much every league I participated in. I jumped on him with the idea of getting a .300 batting average with 15 home runs and 10-to-15 steals. We all know how well that turned out. So when you are in these late rounds look at your roster and see where it is lacking and draft by category. If you are lacking in steals choose the best base stealer available with your next pick. Get my drift?

The one position we all dread each year is the closer’s spot. Not everyone is going to be successful like Craig Kimbrel or Jonathan Papelbon. The reality is the term “closer carousel” is one of the truest phrases ever spoken. Major league teams often change closers like Kim Kardashian changes husbands. This is where closer speculation comes into play. So if your team is looking good and he is available you grab that Dellin Betances or Darren O’Day because their day could come on the back of just a few bad outings by their counterparts.

Last but not least, if you have a team you think you are ready to roll out onto the fantasy battlefield and have a bench spot or two to spare now you look for undrafted prospects. This is where you go into your draft prepared with that handy dandy list of all the best up and comers who are slated to be the next Mickey Mantle.

Usually with my last couple picks, if my roster permits, I will take a few of these guys. Last season I sat on Miguel Sano half a season in an AL-only league before he paid dividends. It is a lesson of patience to hold on to these guys but it is sure nice to have that fresh bat for the playoff push.

Now go take down your league.