When a company is the clear market leader, which Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is, it tends to be slow and not innovate. While I would say Yahoo! has not done anything groundbreaking with its latest edition, this season Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is substantially improved over previous editions.

The first big change is that live scoring is now free. Live scoring is the drug within fantasy baseball that makes fantasy players stare endlessly at a screen, while waiting for at bats and hits to pop onto the screen. In a related move, Yahoo Fantasy Baseball has gotten rid of its Plus option, and made its fantasy baseball game completely free for all fantasy players.

The second big change for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is the ability to conduct online auction drafts. Previously, auction drafts either had to be held offline or through a different means online. This year, it is built seamlessly into Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. Auction drafts have been on the rise for many years, and it is about time it found its way into Yahoo!. While this feature is nothing new, its inclusion is a substantial improvement.

While I do not have an iPhone, the fact that there is an iPhone app is essential and a nice improvement. The ability to adjust your roster wherever you are is much more important in fantasy baseball where player moves are made on a daily basis. The key question here is, are fantasy baseball players more likely to carry an iPhone or a Blackberry?

My personal favorite is the inclusion of Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB) are finally available in Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. The way FAAB works is that instead of depending on the randomness of the waiver wire, each fantasy player has a budget of fictional dollars that he can use to pick up players as he chooses. Everyone has a shot at every player, as long as he is willing to pay for the player. The exclusion of FAAB has been a glaring hole for a number years, as many more sophisticated leagues prefer to use it.

There are a few other smaller improvements that you might like even more, and you can check out all of the new features at Yahoo Fantasy Baseball.

Overall, this probably the best upgrade Yahoo Fantasy Baseball has had in the last few years, and is definitely worth your consideration for your 2010 fantasy baseball league.