Roster Tendencies

Just for the heck of it, I recently looked through the rosters of all of my fantasy baseball teams. I've been playing since '01, and it was interesting to remember what dudes I had representing my glorious franchise that started in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, moved to Valley Park, Missouri, moved again to South City, and now resides in Charleston, Illinois.

I noticed some patterns in my rosters. 

As much as some fantasy baseballers like to think they pick players based on projections and hard numbers, we all gravitate toward certain guys. Admit it. 

Of course, looking at the final rosters of all of my teams from '01 to '12 is a flawed methodology because it doesn't account for trades, who I actually drafted, etc., but going any deeper just seems like work. 

Regardless here are some patterns and tendencies I've observed. If the self-reflection is too much for you, then get your own blog, damn it. 

Here are guys I've had on my teams quite often:

• Roy Halladay
• Aramis Ramirez
• Adam Dunn

The first guy has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball for the last twelve years, and I love strong starting pitchers. Even though Halladay's last season was forgettable, he has been consistent in providing strong ERA and WHIP metrics complemented by high numbers in Ks and Wins. What's not to like about that?

And then there's Aramis Ramirez. My league is full of St. Louis Cardinals fans, so Aramis was usually undervalued on draft days. I got him at good value because he played for the Cubs. 

Sure, Adam Dunn strikes out a lot. Don't matter. Sure, Adam Dunn typically has a pathetic batting average. Don't matter. My league goes by OBP. Besides the dumpster fire of his '11 season, he'll hit high thirtysome homers and provide strong RBI numbers each season. 

Here are some other players I've also had on my rosters quite often:

• Brian Giles
• John Lieber
• Mike Mussina
• Jose Reyes
• John Smoltz
• Frank Francisco
• Matt Garza
• Zack Greinke
• Tommy Hanson

With Giles, he was great for a time when he played with the Pirates. He provided a strong OBP, and I had both Giles and Aramis in '01 when they batted third and fourth in that crappy order Pittsburgh rolled out. And both players earned rings, fantasy baseball rings that is. 

I always liked Lieber, and I could usually get him cheap on draft day. He didn't strike out a lot of people, but he provided solid WHIP numbers.

Mussina was a player I always liked to watch pitch, so when I got the chance, I tried to get him on my team. If I remember right, he had a pitch he called a "knuckle-curve." How awesome is that. 

I went through a couple of years ('05 and '06) where I had the SS position nailed down with Reyes there. That is an aberration for me because I usually run through shortstops on my teams because I tend to draft them late. For example, Pete Kozma earned a ring in '12. 

I had Smoltz on my team two or three times, and I remember a couple of drafts where people drafted him right before I wanted to. Solid and consistent, Smoltz was a great pitcher. 

I've had Francisco on my team a number of times, most vividly when he was a set-up man for Texas and when he played for Toronto. I believe in that dude for reason. 

I might as well lump Greinke, Garza, and Hanson together because they're starting pitchers. The first two typically go deep into games and have emotional issues. Hanson, on the other hand, has tremendous stuff but has had injury problems. I keep putting him on my team and thinking, "This is going to be the year."