2016 Main Event Championship Profile - Rob Silver

[Tom Kessenich]

For many, roller coaster rides are the thrill of a lifetime. The dramatic rides up and the headlong plunges down capture a moment in time when panic, joy and exhilaration all combine into one primal response unlike nothing else we've ever experienced.

That is what makes roller coasters, a ride unlike any other.

In fantasy baseball, though, a roller coaster ride is not the thrill players are looking for. A more comfortable run to the finish line with far less panic is preferred. But if one can endure the incredible highs and frightening lows and emerge victorious the ride will prove to be worth it on every level.

For Rob Silver, 2016's NFBC Main Even proved to be the roller coaster ride of his life. And one that led him to a place long coveted.

Silver had to endure plenty of ups and downs throughout the season but when the dust finally settled, his ride of a lifetime resulted in the 2016 Main Event championship and the $125,000 grand prize.

"As everyone who plays in the NFBC knows, the baseball season is such a marathon," Silver said. "I got into first overall in late July. Some days my lead would open up and seem insurmountable, and then someone would make a run at me and I'd be convinced my lead was about to disappear.

"By the end it was a strange mix of relief and excitement. I have been playing fantasy baseball for a long time and this was pretty cool."

Silver became the 12th different owner to win the NFBC Main Event title. He won his March 28th Main Event Online League title with 143 points and claimed the overall title by 117 points over runner-up Mike Mager.

Each year Silver comes to Las Vegas to compete live not only in the Main Event, but the auction leagues and our high-dollar private leagues. But last year his wife got a new job with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office and in late March Trudeau was set to travel to Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama.

Silver joined his wife at the state dinner and couldn't make it out to Las Vegas. But he found a way to sneak in some Main Event drafts Online and it turned out to be good fortunate for him. He competed in five Main Events Online as his only leagues for 2016 and he finished with one league title and $131,500 in winnings.

Profitable it was. Smooth sailing it was not. Especially during the season's final week.

"Going into the last FAAB of the season I had a decent lead but it was certainly not insurmountable," he said. "I was very stressed out about the potential for 163rd game tiebreakers because I had no Mets, no Giants and one Cardinal. And I only had $2 in FAAB left.

"I could handle a lot of things but losing n the Monday after the season was supposed to be over wasn't one of them. So setting up my team for that became a bit of an obsession. Thankfully, it didn't come to that."

Instead, it turned out to be a rather peaceful Sunday which Silver had no problem enjoying.

"By the last day of the season I knew it would take a collapse of biblical proportions for me not to win the title," he said. "I was hoping to go to Vegas to take in that last weekend but I couldn't swing it. Instead, I got to sit by myself in my office that last Sunday - with every game starting at the exact same time - and just watch some baseball and have a few glasses of decent whiskey.

"That was a fun day I won't forget."

The key to Silver's championship season began with his draft. From the very start Silver's work there proved invaluable in paving the way to his championship season.

"I really nailed my first four picks in Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Robbie Cano and Cory Kluber," he said. "And I got huge value in the second half from players like Rick Porcello, Victor Martinez and Marco Estada. The team fit together really well. Roster construction is as much art as science but this team was well put together."

Dominant pitching was crucial as Silver loaded up in all the pitching categories.

"In my league I got 75 out of 75 pitching points and got 2,195 out of 2,250 possible pitching points overall which is 97.6 percent of the possible points," he said. "That's a lot."

But that's how championship teams are constructed. However, it wasn't just Silver's Draft Day work that proved vital. As is always the case with a fantasy baseball championship, the in-season roster maneuvering also proved critical.

"Getting Hernan Perez was massive," he said. "He got 20 stolen bases while on my roster which was critical to winning the (title).

"I left the draft with only Mark Melancon for saves after Glen Perkins never got healthy. I ended the year with 97 saves which was good enough for 25th overall.

"Eight different pitchers ended up getting at least one save for me. Making up saves in FAAB can be done but boy, it isn't always pretty."

For the 40-year-old Silver, winning the Main Event title was a dream come true. It is the almost challenge for fantasy baseball players and his name is now etched among the Mt. Rushmore list of the best players in the game.

There's just one thing he plans to change this year as he prepares to defend his Main Event championship.

"I can't wait to be in Vegas in March," he said. "As much fun as it playing Online, there is nothing like the live, in-person drafts. If you can make it to one of the live events I can't recommend them enough."

[Walla Walla]

Congrats to Rob Silver! Looking forward to seeing you invited up front at the Main event in Las Vegas.
Sort of like the green jacket at the masters.