How many $1 endgame players do you usually plan for?

[Gregg]

In each of my only leagues (NL and AL) I plan for 3-4.

Two pitchers, a catcher (two catcher leagues), and my UT (unless a bargain needs to take that spot). Sometimes I swap out that dollar catcher for another pitcher.

I never leave more than a dollar on the table and most of the time none.

[Hornsby]

Whatever the auction gives me, to be honest. I always have a great plan to save enough money to have the hammer in the end game, and never do. It's a wonderful fantasy though, to crush the souls of those hoping to slide their favorite one buck player through by bidding 2...someday.

[chancellor]

It depends, both on my keeper list and auction dynamics. This year, I’m likely rebuilding in my AL only, so I’ll go Stars and Scrubs and leave myself $10-14 for eight players at the end. In my more competitive years, only 1-3. I do normally save an extra buck or two to do what Hornsby said and be able to go to $2 on one or two players that I really like for endgame shots.

[madducks]

Each auction is unique and i won't know how many $1 players i am buying until we get to the last round. It may be 3-4 players like you say or 1-2 if i buy a bunch of $5-10 players or 5-8 if i splurge on a bunch of $20+ players. That's what makes auctions so great. The unpredictability of not knowing who you are going to get or at what price.

And if you really want a certain end game player you better have $3 left to outbid the other manager who has the same target. There's no such thing as a sleeper in this age of information abundance.

[madducks]

BTW, i already have my $1 catcher as a keeper. Some guy named Garver.

[Judge Jude]

I'm willing to have 3 out of 9 pitching slots for $1 players. my league tends to run out of slots before it runs out of Ps.

last year I grabbed Samardzija - big profit for a buck. and PLopez - was able to swap him for an overpriced Kuechel FAAB pickup. and Cueto - looks interesting for a buck in 2020.

grabbed Caleb Smith for a buck in 2019. got Jeffress and UT EHernandez in 2018. Got Neris in 2017 (26 SV). Aaron Hill (.283, 8 HR before leaving for AL) in 2016. Rubby de la Rosa (14 W) in 2015. Brad Ziegler in 2014. Mike Leake in 2013. Daniel Murphy (!) in 2011.

there's gold in them thar hills!

(and no I did not list the numerous misses. but for a buck....)

[Sour Masher]

Whatever the auction gives me, to be honest. I always have a great plan to save enough money to have the hammer in the end game, and never do. It's a wonderful fantasy though, to crush the souls of those hoping to slide their favorite one buck player through by bidding 2...someday.

Yeah, I am in the same boat. I want to save to crush my enemies in the end game, but since do that, I generally find value earlier.

As others have said, it depends on context. I play in a mixed league--a large one, but still a mix league. So in my case, having lots of $1 players doesn't hurt me too much. I imagine you need to save your pennies more in a 12 team only, as those $1 players can really suck.

[cavebird]

I plan for many, but that's just my league settings. It is 16-team mixed, with 5 dedicated RP slots, so a 2-3 of those are always going to be $1 guys because the glob of MR's comes way before RP 80. And we have one catcher (and all the ones worth paying for are kept) so that will be $1, too. Beyond that, it's what the auction gives me.

[Sour Masher]

I plan for many, but that's just my league settings. It is 16-team mixed, with 5 dedicated RP slots, so a 2-3 of those are always going to be $1 guys because the glob of MR's comes way before RP 80. And we have one catcher (and all the ones worth paying for are kept) so that will be $1, too. Beyond that, it's what the auction gives me.

Yeah, I am in a deep mixed league just like that. We went with more flexible line ups, switching two dedicated spots from sp and rp only to flex. It gives so much more room to breath. I think I know why you go with 6 and 5, but if you went to 5, 4, and 2 utility pitchers, it might be interesting in different ways. It has been for us.

[joncarlos]

I usually end up with way too many. I think more than 4 or 5 is probably too many in most cases.

[Sour Masher]

I usually end up with way too many. I think more than 4 or 5 is probably too many in most cases.

Well, they are great keepers if they hit .

[joncarlos]

Well, they are great keepers if they hit .

Part of it depends on the rest of your league. If everyone else in your league also needs 6-8 guys at $1, and so do you, you aren't going to get many of your targets. If your league will let you have them without too much trouble, it can work better.

[Vecmizer]

I usually plan for 2-3 (C, OF and P). Catchers tend to be so bad after the first few (AL Only) that I often go $1 for each catcher. I look for a $1 OF or maybe MI. My $1 P is is usually a guy who may grow into a role of SP or closer.

[heyelander]

None. I'm always saving money to be able to go +$1 on the guys I want when people are in endgame, and then I end up leaving $15 on the table.

[Judge Jude]

there's kind of a tipping point when you probably want to be willing to overpay when you have, say, 8 players to get for 18 units or whatever and a grim-looking set of misfit toys. in that case, I'll spend some of the extra dough to get someone who I see as better than what I may get for a buck - even if not worth the price.

so last year in this spot I paid 8 for Roark because I saw him as an upgrade over the other flotsam, at least. he wound up being worth 4 -and worth 4 is better than getting stuck with someone who winds up being worth minus 4!