Some of you may have seen me mention something about Pick 6 in the Fantasy post, or maybe in the game threads (and then threw a penalty flag on me for talking about a fantasy game in the game thread). Well, it is sort of a fantasy game. But the great thing is, it's not a game that's going to take a lot of time investment on your end. You don't have to pour over magazines or online experts -- if you don't want to. You just take a few minutes to spend $120 virtual dollars to buy six ballplayers who you think will combine for the best score.
I'll let one of the game developers explain:
Pick 6 is a daily pick'em game that pits you against other members of Bless You Boys and the entire SB Nation network. Have you always wanted to prove your superior baseball knowledge? Now's your chance.
Each day, users can choose six players to fill out their daily roster: a catcher, corner infielder, middle infielder, outfielder, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher.
The twist? Each user only has $120 of imaginary money to spend per day, and each player has a different cost. Player values are determined by their production and their popularity in Pick 6.
Successful users will strike a balance between expensive players and under-the-radar talent to take their lineup to the next level. Since this is a daily game there is no draft, no lengthy sign-up process - just you competing against fellow blog members for bragging rights.
It only takes a couple minutes to Pick your six. Go to the top left side of this blog and click on "Play Now" on the Pick 6 widget. Come back during and after games to see how you and your friends did.
For more information on how to play and how scores are calculated, please go to the Rules page.
Good luck and Play Ball! Play Pick 6 now.
*update: the widget hasn't appeared yet, but at some point it will appear, we promise.
I didn't know much about this game before SBN folks first told us about it -- but apparently it debuted in another form on Fangraphs last year. But once I learned more and gave it a shot during the beta phase, I was hooked. It usually takes me two or three minutes a day to set my roster. I don't spend a lot of time researching player splits or anything -- but maybe that's something you'll want to do. Then I check back in the evening to see how I did.
One thing we learned, a couple of your favorite BYB deputies are pretty darn good at this. Rob's going to give you a real run for your money. Matt Sussman actually picked Philip Humber on the day of his perfect game. I led all beta testers or awhile. ... And Al. ... well, he fancies himself as pretty good, anyway! It's definitely fun to compete. I hope to see a solid 50 of you -- and hopefully more! -- sign up and play every day. It should be a lot of fun!
Just remember to double check that you're signed up to play with Bless You Boys so that you can compete with us and show up on our scoreboard.