Pony is a 15 team mixed league keeper auction that quite a few posters from the site participate in. We have been getting together to do it in Ohio each year since 2004 I think.
So my keepers coming in were...
C Yadi Molina $4
2b Albies $5
SS C Seager $10
OF J Winker $5
P C Sale $39
P C Kluber $46
P Z Wheeler $10
P C McHugh $3
P B Treinen $5
P W Davis $16
So obviously I came in pitching heavy. I came in with a rough plan of allocating money like this...
$6 dollar for 3 pitchers
$111 on offense for 10 spots
30
25
20
10
10
5
4
3
3
1
So that was just a rough distribution to try to make me stay disciplined from spending too much money early on the high priced guys and I wanted to make sure I just stayed out of the pitching pool I had already invested a lot. So Kluber and especially Sale did not look bad after we got to the auction. DeGrom $52, T Bauer $46, C Carrasco $43, G Cole $44. In the end, maybe I toss Kluber back and go for Cole, but who knows how the auction dynamics play that out.
So I mostly sat there for at least 2 full rounds of nominations. I might have got in on someone that was under inflation by a few dollars in the 30's and came within getting topped on getting, I think it was Rendon I was in at $37 but got topped to $38, but mostly I sat there and watched. I think in the 3rd round I got a little active. I bid Will Myers up to $25 but got topped to $26. Next guy up was Votto and I was in again and wound up winning him for $32. $2 over what I had in the plan, but I like him to bounce back. A few guys later they threw out another guy who I had on the target list. Yasiel Puig, I was hoping to get him for $25, but he went to $28 and I got him at $28. So now I am $5 over the plan, but I have my two main hitters and didn't totally blow the budget.
A few players later a 3rd Red come out that was on my list and I almost wound up with Suarez, I had the winning bid at $27 but got topped to $28. Ok so now we get into the where do I invest my last chunk of money. I tried and tried to get someone I really liked and kept missing. Jose Abreu went up to $30 Segura went to $35. I dropped out of Justin Turner at $23 and he went for $24. Castellanos went for $31. I let Pollock go for $24. Lo Cain went for $32. Eventually, I had to bite the bullet and go over my $20 and I had a pretty big tier drop when Brian Dozier came out. I decided to bet on the rebound and playing time in Washington and paid $25.
My 4th buy was Austin Barnes for $4, he gave me two catchers that won't hurt me for $8. Most catchers went under value according to the RotoWire software I was running, but I think Barnes will be ok for me at this price.
I knew I needed to find some more chip in speed and was looking for that now. I grabbed Kevin Pillar for $6 in hopes of 15/15. Next was Shin-Soo Choo again hoping for solid production and I again paid $6. I had missed out on 3B, Kyle Seager went for $11 and Eduardo Escobar for $16. So I wound up with Jake Lamb for $4. This was a little run for me I grabbed Jay Bruce as 1B/OF for $4.
After that run I finally bought a pitcher, Steckenrider went to me for $2. With 10 reserve rounds coming for me to chase SP's I decided to take a chance on 20 saves here to go with Davis/Treinen.
Back to hitting I needed a CI and took a shot on Ryan O'hearn and his power for $1. Had saved a $3 bid for Manny Margot only to get topped by someone else who had $4. So the next OF up on my list for a little speed power was Kevin Kiermaier who I was able to get for a $1.
Saving that money let me top someone and get Dylan Bundy for $2. I want the K's my rations are projected to be well in the top 3 even with some terrible Bundy ratios. If he is a disaster again I will be using at least 5 RSV picks to get pitchers. I tossed Matt Boyd for $2 and thought I was done only to get topped by someone for $3. So had to wait. JC and I had a funny moment here where I had $2 for one spot and he had $2 for 2 spots and we both knew what pitcher I was going to take. I got Michael Fulmer for $1.
We did 2 RSV rounds right after and will do 8 more over email. So we have a real tight salary cap and the first two rounds of RSV are $10 players so I decided I'd take 2 hitters in the first two rounds since they can replace guys with higher salaries usually. If my bench guys are replacing Kluber and Sale for long stretches I am screwed and everyone else besides Wheeler and Davis is cheap. So I took Jed Lowrie in the 1st and Keke Hernandez in the 2nd. Assuming the Mets aren't lying again and Jed will be ok he will be 2B and 3B eligible and Keke is already 2b, SS, and OF. So some nice flexible guys can be helpful.
So 8 more rounds of reserve and the plan will be to get at least 3 SP, maybe 1 swing guy, and 1 possible closer guy if things work out. Hitting wise just best available.
Here's the roster...
C Y Molina $4
C A Barnes $4
1B J Votto $32
2B O Albies $5
3B J Lamb $4
SS C Seager $10
MI B Dozier $25
CI R O'Hearn $1
OF J Winker $5
OF Y Puig $28
OF K Pillar $6
OF S Choo $6
OF K Kiermaier $1
UT J Bruce $4
P C Kluber $46
P C Sale $39
P Z Wheeler $10
P C McHugh $3
P D Bundy $2
P M Fulmer $1
P W Davis $16
P B Treinen $5
P D Steckenrider $2
RSV
Jed Lowrie
Keke Hernandez
All thoughts are welcome, hope you enjoyed the read.
So my keepers coming in were...
C Yadi Molina $4
2b Albies $5
SS C Seager $10
OF J Winker $5
P C Sale $39
P C Kluber $46
P Z Wheeler $10
P C McHugh $3
P B Treinen $5
P W Davis $16
So obviously I came in pitching heavy. I came in with a rough plan of allocating money like this...
$6 dollar for 3 pitchers
$111 on offense for 10 spots
30
25
20
10
10
5
4
3
3
1
So that was just a rough distribution to try to make me stay disciplined from spending too much money early on the high priced guys and I wanted to make sure I just stayed out of the pitching pool I had already invested a lot. So Kluber and especially Sale did not look bad after we got to the auction. DeGrom $52, T Bauer $46, C Carrasco $43, G Cole $44. In the end, maybe I toss Kluber back and go for Cole, but who knows how the auction dynamics play that out.
So I mostly sat there for at least 2 full rounds of nominations. I might have got in on someone that was under inflation by a few dollars in the 30's and came within getting topped on getting, I think it was Rendon I was in at $37 but got topped to $38, but mostly I sat there and watched. I think in the 3rd round I got a little active. I bid Will Myers up to $25 but got topped to $26. Next guy up was Votto and I was in again and wound up winning him for $32. $2 over what I had in the plan, but I like him to bounce back. A few guys later they threw out another guy who I had on the target list. Yasiel Puig, I was hoping to get him for $25, but he went to $28 and I got him at $28. So now I am $5 over the plan, but I have my two main hitters and didn't totally blow the budget.
A few players later a 3rd Red come out that was on my list and I almost wound up with Suarez, I had the winning bid at $27 but got topped to $28. Ok so now we get into the where do I invest my last chunk of money. I tried and tried to get someone I really liked and kept missing. Jose Abreu went up to $30 Segura went to $35. I dropped out of Justin Turner at $23 and he went for $24. Castellanos went for $31. I let Pollock go for $24. Lo Cain went for $32. Eventually, I had to bite the bullet and go over my $20 and I had a pretty big tier drop when Brian Dozier came out. I decided to bet on the rebound and playing time in Washington and paid $25.
My 4th buy was Austin Barnes for $4, he gave me two catchers that won't hurt me for $8. Most catchers went under value according to the RotoWire software I was running, but I think Barnes will be ok for me at this price.
I knew I needed to find some more chip in speed and was looking for that now. I grabbed Kevin Pillar for $6 in hopes of 15/15. Next was Shin-Soo Choo again hoping for solid production and I again paid $6. I had missed out on 3B, Kyle Seager went for $11 and Eduardo Escobar for $16. So I wound up with Jake Lamb for $4. This was a little run for me I grabbed Jay Bruce as 1B/OF for $4.
After that run I finally bought a pitcher, Steckenrider went to me for $2. With 10 reserve rounds coming for me to chase SP's I decided to take a chance on 20 saves here to go with Davis/Treinen.
Back to hitting I needed a CI and took a shot on Ryan O'hearn and his power for $1. Had saved a $3 bid for Manny Margot only to get topped by someone else who had $4. So the next OF up on my list for a little speed power was Kevin Kiermaier who I was able to get for a $1.
Saving that money let me top someone and get Dylan Bundy for $2. I want the K's my rations are projected to be well in the top 3 even with some terrible Bundy ratios. If he is a disaster again I will be using at least 5 RSV picks to get pitchers. I tossed Matt Boyd for $2 and thought I was done only to get topped by someone for $3. So had to wait. JC and I had a funny moment here where I had $2 for one spot and he had $2 for 2 spots and we both knew what pitcher I was going to take. I got Michael Fulmer for $1.
We did 2 RSV rounds right after and will do 8 more over email. So we have a real tight salary cap and the first two rounds of RSV are $10 players so I decided I'd take 2 hitters in the first two rounds since they can replace guys with higher salaries usually. If my bench guys are replacing Kluber and Sale for long stretches I am screwed and everyone else besides Wheeler and Davis is cheap. So I took Jed Lowrie in the 1st and Keke Hernandez in the 2nd. Assuming the Mets aren't lying again and Jed will be ok he will be 2B and 3B eligible and Keke is already 2b, SS, and OF. So some nice flexible guys can be helpful.
So 8 more rounds of reserve and the plan will be to get at least 3 SP, maybe 1 swing guy, and 1 possible closer guy if things work out. Hitting wise just best available.
Here's the roster...
C Y Molina $4
C A Barnes $4
1B J Votto $32
2B O Albies $5
3B J Lamb $4
SS C Seager $10
MI B Dozier $25
CI R O'Hearn $1
OF J Winker $5
OF Y Puig $28
OF K Pillar $6
OF S Choo $6
OF K Kiermaier $1
UT J Bruce $4
P C Kluber $46
P C Sale $39
P Z Wheeler $10
P C McHugh $3
P D Bundy $2
P M Fulmer $1
P W Davis $16
P B Treinen $5
P D Steckenrider $2
RSV
Jed Lowrie
Keke Hernandez
All thoughts are welcome, hope you enjoyed the read.
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