Review: Baseball drafting software

Most fantasy baseball owners would admit that draft day is usually one of the most enjoyable days of the season. Not only is it one of the few (if not the only day) that all of the team owners get together but it’s usually exciting and filled with more than just a touch of friendly competition. The makers of FanDraft software have put together a program that takes draft day to the next level.

This software adds a touch of professionalism to any draft while simplifying many of the draft day chores for everyone. If you have the capability to hook it into your television or a projector so that the whole room can view it you’ll find that the program can take center stage and make it easier to coordinate drafts, keep track of auction accounts, and everyone that is left.

The software is written so well and is so intuitive that there is no need for an instruction manual and you won’t need to spend more than 10 minutes learning the program (ok, it took me 3 minutes) before you are ready to begin drafting. Perhaps more importantly is that it seems to be a remarkably steady program - in 6 mock drafts it did not crash or misfire once - which I found remarkable since it seems as though my PC crashes if you look at it funny.

The software handles both auction and serpentine style drafts and can be customized as to roster size, positions, rounds of draft and so on. For serpentine drafts it can be customized to number of rounds, draft order and so on. It also has a draft clock, which can be used to prevent players from taking too long.

Auction players will like the basic accounting feature which tracks player’s cash spent and available.

In either case the software manages rosters, lists available players, and removes drafted players from the available lists. It also has a running ticker along the bottom of the screen that lists players drafted, team drafted by and where in the draft (i.e. Round 2, pick 2: Bret Boone).

The makers of the software say it will handle up to 20 teams and up to 50 rounds of drafting. I didn’t test it to that level. What I did however was run it through some auction drafts. By doing that I found a handful of flaws, but they were minor flaws that I think most players could live with.

First of all, the players are not listed alphabetically on the draft lists, which are by position. It makes it a bit harder to find certain players - I think from observing that the lists use a best to worst draft order either based on last year’s stats or on an expert’s list.

Secondly, shortstops and outfielders share one category list. I thought this odd since every other position except starting and relief pitching have their own category. It makes the lists long and awkward to deal with but still probably won’t cause more than a 30 second delay in finding the player you want.

Lastly, the auction figure will allow you to spend more money than you have and run your account into negative dollars. It also does not give you an option as to if you can fill your roster for free at the end (i.e.: when you run out of money) or force players to save a minimum of a buck per roster space they have left.

Despite these flaws I found this a very solid program and one I plan on using this year in my drafts. So far it has the best program of this type that I have seen and I have no doubt that next year’s version will be even better.

Give this 3 out of 4 balls on the AHP scale and consider it a very useful and fun tool for draft day.

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.

At Home Plate

Review: FanDraft - Baseball Drafting Software