Suggest an Auction Strategy.....

[GwynnInTheHall]

OK so you have all helped me with my keepers, but this auction will be a challenge with 2 expansion teams and high inflation.

15 team standard 5x5 mixed league 2 catchers. Tough competition. RJ staff league.

My keepers are

Trout 25Y
Gomez 15Y
Stanton 38B
Mesoraco 3B
Grandal 2C

DeGrom 4B
Smyly 4B
Gray 2C
Shoemaker 2B
Benoit 1B


I'm thinking go big on an Ace and IF. Definitely secure another closer and fill in sub 5 buck guys with the rest. Or should I spread the money and pick up a lot of 5-8 dollar guys?


TIA

[Hobbesmonkey]

You have the team to win this year. I would go after an Ace, a top flight closer, and one or two more big bats (depending on prices). And fill in the rest.

With $164 to spend at the draft I would allocate about $140-145 to get the aforementioned players and have the rest for dollar days.

Good luck!

[Lucky]

I like your first strategy, since there should be that ace available, as well as the other high value players you need to build the team you want. Your can speculate some with your sub 5 buck guys, and maybe hit a home run or two.

That said, and I know I sound like a broken record, but I think the only thing we can say right now is that we have the potential for high inflation, and that depends upon your definition of high inflation. The higher inflation looks like it will be, the more owners start freezing expensive, marginal keepers, thereby driving inflation down. And we don't know what the new guys will do, but so far they have seemed unwilling to go in with a bare roster and a pocket full of money. One of them has already traded a draft pick for a $24 pitcher.

My guess is that inflation will be less that 30%, probably less than 25%. I don't know if that qualifies as high or not. I guess it depends upon your perspective. Anyway, you have a great keeper list, and will be one of the people least worried about inflation. That's something that will be strangling the rest of us.

[Erik]

I'm thinking go big on an Ace and IF. Definitely secure another closer and fill in sub 5 buck guys with the rest.

I vote for this.

[Fresno Bob]

Go for it, your $1 players in a 15 team mix still have value

[Hornsby]

I wouldn't worry a lot about where your stats from, IMO too many people chase lesser players because they fill a positional need. Other than the obvious, a True Ace, grab the best player available, no matter what the position. Then fill in your infield with what's left...it may not be great, but there's a lot of league average guys that you can get for a buck or two that won't hurt you at all.

[james33]

When I have the best team going into an auction, I like to spread the dollars around rather than go stars and scrubs. Helps mitigate injury risk.

I also tend to avoid the guys 25 years old and younger, as the owners with half an eye toward 2016 will be bidding them up beyond their value for this year. And grab guys who have proven performance for awhile - Starlin Castro, Adrian Gonzalez, Hunter Pence, Jon Lester (Sorry, all NL examples; I'm NL guy).

In other words, if you have the best team, try to have a safe auction. Yes, injuries still will happen, and there's no such thing as safe, but buying guys with less expected variance is what I try to do if I have the best team.

[Lucky]

I like an STR strategy in an "only" league, especially a re-draft league, but the replacement value players are so much better in a mixed league that I feel I need to get my share of the big guns, especially in a keeper league. But I agree 100% about trying to have a safe auction. Staying healthy is a skill, and sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot by getting a "bargain" on that guy who just cannot seem to play close to a full season. I like what you said about proven performers, too. There are some guys I call "baseball card collectors". They would rather have 20 homeruns out of the hot new rookie than 25 out of the boring vet.