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By George Stahl NEW YORK (AQB)--Fantasy baseball players and the Boy Scouts live by the same the motto: Be Prepared! Boy Scouts must be prepared for racing wooden cars or whatever it is that Boy Scouts do, while fantasy baseball players must be ready for their season's draft. As many veterans know, fantasy seasons can be won or loss on draft day. To help prepare you for that all-important occasion, ArmchairQB.com has reviewed seven leading fantasy baseball magazines on newsstands this year. We judged each issue on the following categories:
Most of the magazines are satisfactory, although some are clearly better than others. Most offer decent player profiles; however, only a few provide team previews, which AQB feels is important because it gives readers an idea of how teams may use certain players. Overall, ArmchairQB.com rates Fantasy Baseball Index as the No. 1 fantasy baseball magazine, because it has the best mix of all of the categories listed above, followed by:
Any of the first five magazines will probably satisfy most fans; however, the final two have some bigger faults. Below are reviews of each of the seven magazines, listing each magazine's best and worst segments, top tips, glitches and top 20 players list. Also, if possible, each magazine cover is linked to the magazine's Web site. [Click here to see ArmchairQB.com's review of traditional preview magazines.] Hopefully, the following information will help you to be more prepared for your league's upcoming draft. Fantasy Baseball Index ($5.99) offers everything a fantasy fan is looking for - player evaluations, position-by-position analysis, team outlooks and tips for the upcoming season. If you're only getting one fantasy magazine, this is the one. Best feature: Player profiles. All pertinent player information is in one spot - stats from last three years, projections for 1999, suggested price and solid analysis, which are well-written. For Montreal's Vladimir Guerrero, it has "No one named Vladimir has had this much power since Lenin." Above average: Prospects story. FBI examines many players who could make an impact this year and next. ... Position-by-position analysis. The magazine breaks down each position by league. ... Experts poll. The print on the chart is small, so it's hard to read; however, the information is worth the struggle. Below average: Features. FBI basically has one feature - bidding on players. Top tip: Fantasy Baseball Index has Toronto's Shannon Stewart ranked as the second-highest priced A.L. outfielder, ahead of Juan Gonzalez, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez. The magazine says Stewart has the best shot this year at 75 stolen bases. Glitch: The magazine spells catcher "catctcher" in big, bold print up the margin on the first pages of its N.L. and A.L. catcher sections. Grade: A-. The most complete baseball fantasy magazine.
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to list John Benson's Fantasy Baseball Preview ($5.95) includes many stories that should interest fantasy players, such as separate articles with tips on winning national competitions as well as your private league, the offseason winners and losers in Major League Baseball, and the 10 commandments of spring training. Best feature: Feature stories. Not all the stories are necessary - a thick three-page review of 1998 seems excessive to me - but there is certainly enough here to keep people reading. Above average: Position-by-position analysis. Spends a full page on each poistion. ... Player analysis. The analysis is consistently more insightful than any other fantasy magazine; however, I would have liked more information with it. Position rankings and each player's suggested price are listed elsewhere in the magazine, forcing readers to flip back-and-forth. Plus, I prefer seeing stats from each of the past three years, rather than just a three-year average. Below average: Team outlooks. There are none. Top tip: Says Rockie pitcher Darryl Kile "has the most promising shot at a big-time comeback in 1999." Glitch: The background design on some of the glossy pages, on which the feature stories are written, makes the text hard to read. Grade: B+. Solid fantasy information but could be better organized. Should add a team outlook section.
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Major League Baseball Yearbook ($5.95) is better than expected. The magazine strikes a good balance between team previews and a fantasy guide. If you're a casual fantasy fan who wants to prepare for the upcoming season, as well as a fantasy draft, this magazine is for you. Best feature: Team stories. The magazine breaks down each team over two full pages. Above average: Player profiles. The statistics and analysis are good; however, the magazine doesn't cover as many backups as the other magazines. Below average: Features. Not as many as other magazines. ... Prospects. Devotes three-quarters of a page to the top 20 prospects. Top tip: See where Delino DeShields bats when he returns from his broken thumb. DeShields, as a leadoff hitter last year, had a .231 batting average, .330 slugging percentage and .299 on-base percentage in more than 200 plate appearances. In nearly 400 plate appearances batting second, he hit .353 and slugged .505 with a .438 on-base percentage. Glitch: In the "short takes" section on the Boston Red Sox preview, it said "The last Red Sox outfielder to hit 24 home runs in a season was Dwight Evans in 1987. ... The last Red Sox outfielder to hit 24 home runs in a season was Dwight Evans in 1987." ... In the first baseman positional analysis, the headline "What to Look For" is incorrectly used twice. Grade: B. The best mix of traditional baseball information with fantasy stuff. This magazine is for those baseball fans who are also casual fantasy players.
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to list The good news is The Sporting News Fantasy Baseball ($6.99) is one of the first fantasy publications to hit the newsstands. The bad news is The Sporting News Fantasy Baseball is one of the first fantasy publications to hit the newsstands. Sure, it's great to read a fantasy guide so early in the winter, but the truth is that by now some of the information is embarrassingly antiquated. The information in TSN's fantasy guide is good only through Nov. 19. That means the magazine does not know that Paul Molitor has retired (Dec. 3), Todd Hundley is a Dodger (Dec. 1) or Roberto Alomar is an Indian (Nov. 24). All three transactions, though, are critical to understanding each player's production - or lack thereof - this year. Now, I'm not expecting news on Kerry Wood's recent injury - or even the Roger Clemens trade, for that matter - to be in the issue, but I do expect to be informed at least through November. [Note: TSN offers a spring supplement; however, it only provides updated rosters and dollar values but no new analysis.]
Best feature: Position-by-position analysis. The best positional analysis of any fantasy magazine. TSN lists and analyzes the good, bad and mediocre at each position. Dave Lawson wrote the analyses, which are comprehensive and well-done. Some examples: On Carlos Baerga: "I shouldn't have to tell you this, but consider Baerga only if your league gives points to hitters for 'outs made.'" On Cal Ripken: "At 38, Ripken has reached the stage where younger brother Bill Ripken might be a more valuable major leaguer." Above average: Player profiles. Well-organized with solid analysis, although weakened by the magazine's early deadline. ... Top 100 list. TSN breaks down and examines each of its choices. Below average: Team outlooks. There are none. ... Features. The feature stories are mostly large note sections. Top tip: "The Astros' Scott Elarton will be the Kerry Wood of 1999. He has similar stuff, with better control." Glitch: On page 8, TSN correctly says Mike Cameron is with the National League Reds. On page 12, TSN lists Cameron with those who "lead an outstanding group of young A.L. theft artists." Grade: B-. Well-organized, but it's hard to get past all the transactions missed in the offseason.
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Tuff Stuff's Fantasy Baseball ($4.99) has everything a fantasy player would want - team reports, player profiles and interesting features; however, the quality of the work is just a small step below the other fantasy magazines. Best feature: Interesting features. Tuff Stuff's stories are more than just the popular and redundant draft-day tips. Instead, Tuff Stuff focuses on topics not found in the other magazines, such as "Follow the Money," which discusses players entering the final year of their contract; "A Nation's Best," which talks to the winners of five major national fantasy leagues (The Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN SportsZone, etc.); and "Draft Day," which is a look at the magazine's 12-man draft. All three articles are unique and interesting. Above average: Team previews. Each team gets a page unto itself. Below average: Positional analysis. Doesn't offer any strategy on how to draft each position. ... Player profiles. No three-year average or 1999 projection. Also, it is hard to compare the three years of stats because the numbers are not in a chart. Top tip: "Consider the list of budding free agents in their salary-drive seasons: Trevor Hoffman, Mark Grace, Larry Walker, Mike Jackson, Greg Vaughn, Jeff Kent, Jeff King, Jamie Moyer, Jeff Fassero, Edgar Martinez, Paul Sorrento, Lance Johnson, Kevin Tapani, Todd Zeile, Brian McRae, Jeff Conine, Mel Rojas, Mark Leiter, Mickey Morandini, Sterling Hitchcock, J.T. Snow, Jose Hernandez, Fred McGriff, Dave Martinez and Chuck Finley." Glitch: Discusses how the senior editor got "marrried" in November. ... The complete hitting and pitching stats for both leagues are nearly impossible to comprehend in the back of the magazine. Grade: B-. Valiant try but slightly below the rest.
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Hawes Fantasy Baseball Guide ($5.99) is the Mendoza line for fantasy baseball magazines. Anything above this should satisfy most readers; however, this magazine and the following one at No. 7 are likely to disappoint. Best feature: Prospects. If I had to pick a best feature, it would be the seven-page story analyzing prime minor league prospects by position. The article is good but not as impressive as the one in Fantasy Baseball Index. Above average: Player profiles. The analysis isn't as long as in other magazines, but all the key numbers are in one place. Below average: Team outlooks. There are none. ... Positional analysis. Doesn't offer any strategy on how to draft each position. ... Information only good through Dec. 5. Top tip: Sammy Sosa's remarkable 1998 (.308, 134 runs, 66 home runs, 158 RBI and 33 stolen bases) earned a Fantasy Talent Appraisal of 109.4, the highest this decade. Glitch: Lists Al Leiter as part of NYN, instead of NYM (New York Mets). Grade: C. Hard to read and comprehend easily. A definite step below the rest.
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Preview Sports 1999 Fantasy Baseball ($4.99) is a lot like Carmen Electra - looks good on the outside but has little substance inside. Best feature: Cover is nice-looking. Above average: Player profiles. Along with the normal stats and analysis, Preview Sports also offers each player's estimated round of selection. ... Overall player rankings. The magazine offers six top 50 lists - five from the magazine's "experts" and a consensus top 50. ... Provides online fantasy baseball sites. Below average: Team outlooks. There are none. ... Positional analysis. Doesn't offer any strategy on how to draft each position. ... Includes a couple lame features - a review of 1998 and a look at American League shortstops Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter. The shortstop story would have been better in a regular preview magazine, rather than a fantasy one. ... Information only good through Dec. 8. Top tip: Names three Diamondbacks in its lineup of ripoffs - shortstop Jay Bell, starting pitcher Randy Johnson and relief pitcher Gregg Olson. Glitch: One of the "experts" has Sammy Sosa ranked No. 39 overall, behind even Raul Mondesi, who has never driven in more than 90 runs in one season in his big-league career. Sosa, who led baseball with 158 RBI last year, has knocked in 90 or more RBI in five of the past six years. No one else in the magazine has the Cub outfielder below No. 16. Grade: C-. Easily the most disappointing issue.
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5.
Tuff Stuff's Fantasy Baseball
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Preview Sports Fantasy Baseball
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