Diamond Draft - Advanced Fantasy Baseball Software

Diamond Draft - The Official Draft Software of Advanced Fantasy Baseball

I first received the Diamond Draft software a few months ago. RotoExperts.com had just purchased the rights to Diamond Draft and logically wanted their writers to become familiar with the new product. I have to say that my first impression was that it was lacking graphically. There are not many fancy visual effects. But over the course of the last three months I have used it for three different leagues -- a 20-team mixed 5x5 draft, an AL-only 5x5 auction, and an NL-only 5x5 auction. Diamond Draft has been a cinch to use and made the work of the draft and auctions a lot simpler.

Diamond Draft has proven to be an immensely valuable pre-draft tool. By entering the parameters of your league and any keepers there may be you eliminate the need to calculate inflation and cross names off of your draft list. Diamond Draft also provides you with three years of stats for every player and an extensive list of minor leaguers for those leagues that have farm systems. Every player has a projection (updated weekly) that covers includes every statistic from singles, doubles, and triples to Total Bases, OPS, and sacrifice flies. If you don't like a projection just change it. You can also highlight players in various colors to assist with your draft strategy. So, if you were using the LIMA Plan you could highlight LIMA pitchers in magenta (or whichever color you like), sleepers in blue, injury risks in red and so forth. Check out this video on using the edit screen. There is a video for almost every function available.




I have primarily used pen and paper for the 20-something years I have been involved in fantasy sports. I think it is vital to track every team's roster and budget as well as the in-draft inflation. Doing this by hand has gotten much easier over the years but it is a bitch to do. Diamond Draft handles all of this which gives you more time to look your rivals in the eye (an underrated necessity of Advanced Fantasy Baseball).

I have used a few different brands in the past and while I have nothing bad to say about them I have always gone back to my pen and paper method. One of the main reasons is I hate spending $60, $75, and even $100 dollars on software only to need to spend close to the same amount again the following season. Diamond Draft offers most of the functionality of those packages for just $34.95.

Partial List of Diamond Draft Features

1. Drag and Drop Functionality
2. League Overview Screen
   
3. Position Overview Screen
   
4. Team View Screen
   
5. Points Total Screen
6. Depth Chart Screens
7. Position Eligibility Screen
8. View/Edit Screens
   
9. Assign Players to a team from anywhere in the program
   
10. Warning Signs (overbid, position eligibility, all players drafted)
11. Multiple Leagues
    
12. Select from multiple databases
13. Printable Reports
14. Laptop Battery Monitor
15. Screen Captures
16. In-program Calculator
17. An Amazing Help Screen
18. Add Players to the Database
19. An amazing array of sound effects (including the ever popular crickets)
20. Add your own sound clips
21. Search Function
22. Select from various player pools (by league, undrafted, minor leaguers, MLB plus Free Agents
23. Choose which stats to display
24. Add Players to the depth charts
25. Move players in the depth charts
26. Complete Set of Projections
27. Edit or Enter your own projections
28. Wide array of instruction videos
29. Forum Support at the RotoExperts.com Forums
30. Half the price of similar products!!!
    

That is just a sampling of the functions of Diamond Draft. There are functions within the functions, a complete list would be a mile long. Believe me when I tell you this is an addictive toy that will not only help you prepare and dominate your draft but provide you with a hundred ways to waste time at work and at home! If I didn't think it was worth it I would not be posting this. I will personally assist you with any problems you may have. I am always just an e-mail or post comment away.

Follow me on Twitter: @BigJonWilliams

Another Edition of the Hot Stove Junkie

The latest edition of my Hot Stove Junkie column on RotoExperts.com has been posted. It is positively loaded with info this week. Please, check it out. RotoExperts.com is blowing up big time. Our acquisition of the Diamond Draft Fantasy Baseball Software is huge for us. Everyone should head over to the Diamond Draft site and download the free trial software. There are also going to be opportunities for the blogging community to take advantage of our success. Watch this spot for details...coming soon!

The Winter Meetings were a huge success from the perspective of a Hot Stove Junkie. I suppose when you are as hooked as I am that the latest hit is always the sweetest. The last day of the Winter Meetings featured the Rule V Draft – this is never to be ignored by fantasy owners unless they do not care to discover the next Johan Santana (LHP, NYM). The Major League Phase is reproduced below. However, the end of the meetings did not bring an end to the rumors, the speculation, or the trades and signings. In fact, the recent non-tender deadline just released a completely new crop of free agents into the pool. There were some very interesting and productive players set free to negotiate with the team of their choice. All 42 of the new free agents are listed below.

The Major League Phase of the Rule V Draft

1 Terrell Young RHP Washington (from Cincinnati)
2 Reegie Corona INF Seattle (from New York (AL))
3 Everth Cabrera SS San Diego (from Colorado)
4 Donald Veal LHP Pittsburgh (from Chicago (NL))
5 Lou Palmisano C Baltimore* (from Milwaukee)
6 Luis Perdomo RHP San Francisco (from St. Louis)
7 David Patton RHP Cincinnati** (from Colorado)
8 Kyle Bloom LHP Detroit (from Pittsburgh)
9 Jose Lugo LHP Kansas City*** (from Minnesota)
10 Ben Copeland CF Oakland (from San Francisco)
11 James Skelton C Arizona (from Detroit)
12 Zach Kroenke LHP Florida (from New York (AL))
13 Gil De La Vara LHP Houston (from Kansas City)
14 Jason Jones RHP Minnesota (from New York (AL))
15 Darren O'Day RHP New York (NL) (from Los Angeles (AL))
16 Eddie Morlan RHP Milwaukee (from Tampa Bay)
17 Rob Mosebach RHP Philadelphia (from Los Angeles (AL))
18 Miguel Gonzalez RHP Boston (from Los Angeles (AL))
19 Derek Rodriguez RHP Tampa Bay (from Chicago (AL))
20 Ivan Nova RHP San Diego (from New York (AL))
21 Rocky Cherry RHP New York (NL) (from Baltimore)

* Acquired by Houston in exchange for cash considerations
** Acquired by Chicago (NL) in exchange for cash considerations
*** Acquired by Seattle in exchange for cash considerations

Diamond Draft Fantasy Baseball Software

The company I work for is making big moves. Hiring established talent from ESPN, sponsoring a UFC fighter in the big event this month, and now acquiring one of the most established fantasy baseball oriented services in the industry. This is a reproduction of the press release.

ROTOEXPERTS.COM ACQUIRES DIAMOND DRAFT SOFTWARE

Leading Fantasy Baseball Draft Software Added to Growing Fantasy Sports Franchise

December 16, 2008, Safety Harbor, FL. RotoExperts, LLC announced today that they have acquired Diamond Draft Fantasy Baseball Draft Software. The acquisition includes all intellectual property including source code, the Diamond Draft web site, and the customer database.

Diamond Draft Software, operating since 2001, has built a dedicated user base with its cutting edge approach to managing fantasy baseball drafts. Diamond Draft will undergo some minor improvements as part of the acquisition, and it will be offered in the upcoming RotoExperts Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. RotoExperts will rebrand its line of fantasy draft software, formerly Xpert's Edge, with the Diamond Draft name. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

"Fantasy drafting software has been an interest of our leadership team since the origins of the company," said Ben Ice, founder of RotoExperts.com. "After building a custom application for the NFL season, we decided that it would be most efficient to acquire an existing product heading into the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Diamond Draft is one of the best applications available in this space, and we are thrilled to be able to build upon such a well-designed tool moving forward."

"I'm really excited about the merger between Diamond Draft and RotoExperts," added Keith Macari, founder of Diamond Draft. "This merger will be an immense benefit for current and future Diamond Draft users. The first-rate staff at RotoExperts will supply far greater depth with player info, values, and projections. Another plus is that a greater effort can be put towards program enhancements. Improved player information and an enhanced program will be a huge win for everyone involved."

In addition to more traditional marketing efforts, RotoExperts is also working with baseball sites and blogs who are interested in generating income by offering Diamond Draft to their readers. "There are thousands of smaller web sites and blogs struggling to generate revenue in today's down economy," said Ice. "Our marketing team will reach out to them with an excellent opportunity to help their readers while generating revenue for their operations." Interested sites can contact Ice at ice@rotoexperts.com.

Existing customers will be "grandfathered" into the new program, with the software remaining available at the 2008 pricing for as long as there is no lapse in service for any full baseball season.

###

RotoExperts.com is one of the fastest growing fantasy sports advice sites in the industry, having grown from a team of six to over 40 in total in its first three quarters of operation. With a vision of providing "analysis with an attitude", the RotoExperts team has quickly established themselves as a premium provider of high quality fantasy software and savvy advice, with major media partnerships and more . Keep tabs on what else these guys are doing at www.RotoExperts.com