1.  Defense up the middle is key.  Even if it costs runs at the plate, the defense will more than make up for it.  I almost always try to have a ’1′ or ’2′ at SS and 2B.  If there are any 1′s available that are under 3-4M I’d seriously consider grabbing them.

2.  Platoons, if used moderately, can be a better way to maximize your lineup and efficently utilize your budget.  Make sure you aren’t using too many platoons because when a reliever comes in your batting order may suffer.

3. Build your roster to your ballpark. While having a star player is beneficial, finding a hitter or pitcher with the right BPSI/BPHR for half the money could pay huge dividends.

4.  When building a team, do not ignore clutch ratings, GBDP chances, and strikeout chances.  Having a great hitter in the 5 hole is great, but if he has a terrible clutch rating, that can cost dearly in crunch time.  Having a lineup full of hitters who frequently ground into double plays is a rally killer.  Don’t have too many high strikeout hitters.  You need a few batters who can put the ball into play and move runners over.

5.  Have a versatile lineup.  Give yourself some flexibility in the lineup and on the bench to adapt to any injury.  But, be wary not to spend too much money on the bench.

6.  Follow the 50/30 batting and pitching balance rule as close as possible.  For 80M leagues this would mean having a pitching staff worth about 30M.

Sporting News officially announced the launching of 2008 Stratomatic season set! Here’s a list of 10 clutch hitters that I would consider drafting. I based my picks on my preference of contact hitters with low walks and strikeouts who are less prone to injury.

1. David DeJesus 5.75M 12 clutch - Perhaps the one of the best clutch ratings in the set. Has a good OBP vs right handed pitchers and will hit a lot of triples.

2. Bengie Molina 4.57M 8 clutch – Had a solid defensive card c-2(-1)e1, T-5(pb-0) this year. He’ll put the ball in play, zero walks and zero strikeouts, but will also ground into double plays (27 DP chances).

3. Ian Kinsler 5.75M 7 clutch – If drafted, he’ll most likely need to become the DH because of his defense at second base 3e24. He has a solid OBP against right handed pitchers and will hit a lot of doubles. Kinsler also has a lot of speed (1-17) and can steal bases (A steal rating).

4. Pablo Sandoval 4.91M 6 clutch – Another Giants catcher. He can also play 3B and 1B. Has 29 single chances against right handed pitchers! Zero walks and very low strikeouts. Will have a lot of double opportunities. He is a high risk for hitting into the double play (30 DP chances), however.

5. Justin Morneau 7.04M 4 clutch – Morneau always seems to have solid years. This year, he’s an ‘Iron Man’ – zero injury chances. He had 47 doubles during the regular season – 8 2B chances on each side.

6. Denard Span 5.68M 3 clutch - I never heard of this guy until now. Maybe I’ll add him to my Yahoo Fantasy Sports team. This is another Minnesota Twin who will play well defensively 2(0)e7 in RF or CF. Has a very good OBP against both sides and will produce a lot of triples. He will walk quite a bit against left handers but he’s a good base stealer.

7. Derek Jeter 5.77M 3 clutch – Jeter will get on base and hit a lot of singles. He does have a low OPS (.771) but good defense at shortstop seems to be a little thin this year. Jeter has a 1-16 rating on the base paths.

8. Andre Ethier 6.22M 2 clutch – I always prefer outfielders with good arms. Either has a -2 arm and can play either LF or RF. Another hitter with high double chances against right handers.

It is a bit of a drag to keep up with all of the daily transactions being done in Stratomatic Online during the season.  What I do is only update the roster of my upcoming opponent for that day.  Of course, you will encounter some managers who go wild with adds and drops.  In these cases, I either just wipeout their team and start over or not even bother simming that opponent.

After the first couple series of the season (6 games) I’m usually able to predict how each manager sets up their rotation.  I also look back at previous games to view my opponents batting lineup patterns.  Predicting lineups can be a drag when there are injuries involved but with a little work you should be able to determine what type of lineup you’ll be facing.

I usually play all 3 upcoming games in Spectator mode on the Stratomatic CD-ROM game.  Yes, I sit there and watch how the game plays out.  I may go through the series once or twice.

Below is a list of options from the CD-ROM game that are used for Stratomatic Baseball Online.

Main Rules
Maximum Level - Uses Maximum rules (see below).

Bunt for base hit
Improve out distribution
Improve baserunning realism
Home field advantage
More baserunning decisions
Realistic throwing errors
Allow extra pre-1920 errors
Pitch-Around option
Correct Board Game Excesses

Stealing
Super Advance Steal system

Miscellaneous
Use Miscellaneous Rules

Injures
Use injuries

Groundball A
Allow GBA on Pitcher Cards

BP/Weather/Clutch
Ballpark Effects
Clutch Hitting

Strategy
Super Advanced Strategy Charts

Closer
Use Closer Rules

Pitcher Fatigue
Use SADV Fatigue & Pitch Count