Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy baseball is the king of all fantasy leagues, as Rotisserie baseball started the entire industry that has become fantasy sports. Rotisserie baseball began in 1980, and, in the 30 years since then, fantasy baseball has morphed into fantasy football, fantasy basketball, and several other fantasy sports. It has become big business.

Fantasy baseball typically is available in two types, Rotisserie and head to head. In both games, fantasy owners accumulate points based on the statistics their players put together on the field. With Rotisserie, the points fantasy owners collect are based on the season as a whole, and the league winner is the owner who has the most points at the end of the season. With a head-to-head league, wins and losses are calculated on a weekly basis, and the team with the best fantasy record wins the league, although a playoff series can be held, too.

To accumulate players, fantasy owners will hold a draft to pick their teams, similar to the drafts in professional sports. Fantasy baseball owners also can pick up free agent players or players on waivers during the season, or they can make player trades with other fantasy owners during the season. Any fantasy baseball player needs to be aware of the rules regarding roster changes, because such changes can make the difference between winning and losing in fantasy baseball.

If you're new to fantasy baseball, here is some advice for helping you participate in a league.

Fantasy baseball Web sites are very popular, providing an interesting mix of information for fantasy players. Free advice for fantasy baseball appears in a variety of formats, including advice on finding top picks, setting a starting lineup, finding sleeper picks, creating a scoring system, and organizing a league. CBS Sports has a very strong fantasy Web site for fantasy baseball, providing varying levels of information and services, both free and subscription-based news. ESPN.com is another strong fantasy baseball site, with advice from news columnists on sleeper cheat sheets, lineup advice, draft information, and league operation. With some Web sites, fantasy baseball experts will give site visitors free fantasy answers through a Q&A section, a live chat, or by e-mail questions.

If you're looking to join or operate a fantasy baseball league, a lot of Web sites offer the services you need. Again, CBS Sports and ESPN.com both are good sites that offer the option of operating a league or joining a league with other players.

Fantasy baseball may have been the first type of fantasy sports league, but it no longer is the most popular type of fantasy sports to play. Fantasy football using NFL players is extremely popular and has become the top pick of fantasy players. Even fantasy college football, fantasy golf, fantasy basketball, fantasy auto racing, and fantasy hockey are popular sports, although fantasy baseball remains a strong #2 in terms of players.