I have written this article to offer readers reliable fantasy baseball insight from the point of view of a consistent winner, year after year. The strategies offered in this and the upcoming series of articles are geared toward mastering the art of one-year leagues on Yahoo and ESPN, with minor side references to keeper, auction and salary cap leagues. There are three keys one must follow to win:

1) Have a strategically sound draft plan with many fall-back options for when the player you want gets drafted in front of you.

2) Be aware of the many sleepers at each position in the event that a big slugger that you draft early, like Derrek Lee or Albert Pujols, gets injured for an extended period of time.

3) Know before your draft that good, reliable pitchers and closers are much, much harder to find than good, reliable hitters.

When drafting your team, do not spend a top pick to gain a stellar catcher, such as Joe Mauer or Victor Martinez. Let somebody else spend their top pick on one of these players. You will need to save as many top picks as you can afford for good, reliable pitchers, who are much harder to find. In $260 to $285 salary cap leagues with 23 to 25 roster spots, do not spend more than $5 on any catcher ‘ you will need to save your money, and will get a kick out of watching your friends spend up to $20 on an overpriced catcher.

In fact, last year I didn’t even draft a catcher in any of my three leagues. I relied on my sleeper knowledge to sign free agent Brian McCann right after each draft before any of my friends even knew this rookie stud existed. McCann thanked me with a stellar performance last year, batting .333 with 24 homers and 93 RBI’s in 130 games played.

But as for this year’s draft, don’t panic if the best current catchers, such as Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, Kenji Johjima, Ramon Hernandez and Brian McCann, all get selected before you even take a look at the catcher list to see who is available. Save that valuable top pick for later. Here is why:

Rod Barajas is now on the Phillies, and I’ve always been a big supporter of average hitters going to the National League and excelling beyond their career histories. Being forced to split time in Texas last year with Gerald Laird, Barajas never reached his potential, but he will this season with a clear starting role on an up-and-coming National League team like the Phillies. Consider paying more money in auction and salary cap leagues for catchers who switched over to the National League.

Josh Bard is another guy who transferred over to the National League from the American League. In 93 games last year with the Padres, he saw his batting average skyrocket to .338, which is absolutely incredible for a catcher. Being the obvious starter this season, keep an eye out for him in later draft rounds or consider snatching him off of free agency if he’s undrafted.

David Ross is another player who transferred over to the National League and finally got his opportunity to start last season with the Reds. In 90 games, he batted .255 with 21 homers and 52 RBI’s, which are pretty solid power numbers for a catcher. Expect him to only get better this season as an anchor of the Reds’ hopes to make the playoffs this year. Ross will most likely not survive the draft, so consider taking him in the later rounds.

Being a top prospect in the Yankees’ farm system and now finally getting the chance to be an everyday player with the Devil Rays, Dioner Navarro would be a great acquisition. This young standout has superstar written all over him. He will break out this season with his batting average and power numbers, and will get many RBI opportunities throughout the year with talented, young, speedy players hitting in front of him. I guarantee he will start at least 130 games this season. For keeper leagues, consider drafting or signing him with the intention of keeping him for next year and raising his salary if your league requires it.

Russell Martin will most likely not survive your draft either, so consider him as well in the later rounds. This sensational rookie batted .282 with 10 homers and 65 RBI’s in 121 games. He also stole 10 bases, a pretty impressive feat for any catcher. Expect his batting average to spike up even higher this season, while receiving many RBI opportunities because of the talent and depth of the Dodgers’ lineup.