RJEL - HDID 18 team mixed 5x5 OBP

[frae]

So coming off of a long drive I got to my in laws with about 25 minutes before we were going to start. I had a pretty good keeper list coming in. I definitely liked my pitching and planned to spend for hitting. So here are my keepers coming in...

1B Ryan Zimmerman $3
SS Francisco Lindor $16
MI Jean Segura $20
OF M Ozuna $19
OF AJ Pollock $18

P L Severino $2
P J DeGrom $12
P L McCullers $5
P J Taillon $6
P R Osuna $7

So I came in with a little speed base and 2 elite SP's if healthy. I had one closer and was determined to buy one of K Jansen, Iglesias or Cody Allen. I also wanted to get some high floor type SP's because I have some injury risk with DeGrom and McCullers. On the hitting side I wanted mostly power and OBP. I knew speed would cost quite a bit because lots of teams needed it and I didn't want to waste capital bidding against them for steals.

I usually don't buy the first player tossed, but I had Josh Donaldson as worth over $50 with inflation and the only other 3B near his level was Machado. Bidding on Donaldson slowed near $40 and I pressed and got him for $43. Machado went soon after for $50 so I was happy with the buy as I don't care about chasing Manny stealing bases again. So I blew a big chunk of my money on the first player and had to wait it out now for a while. I didn't want to blow more money until I figured out the closer prices. I did enjoy watching the SP's go for high prices as I had no interest in buying any SP for over $15 and needed that money to be spent to help me buy elsewhere. Iglesias was out first and I was in until around $20, but he went for $24. Jansen was next and I was in again until $30 but he went for $34. I added Giles to my list of acceptable buys, but Allen came next. I stayed in and got him for $25. So I now had my power base bat and my 2nd closer.

Time for lots watching now. I got in on a few people, but never made a buy. I still needed more power and OBP. The bidding on Carlos Santana slowed in the mid 20's and I got in and bought him for $29. That would be my last big buy now I was going to look for value where I could find it. As has been a pattern with me this year value is presented most in boring veterans. I bought up three, Shin Soo Choo $15, Yadi Molina for $5 (one catcher league) and Evan Longoria $11. Funds were now getting low. I needed to find a few SP innings. I grabbed JA Happ for $9 and the currently injured Ervin Santana for $4.

What did I still need? A 2b for sure. I was in on so many of them and kept getting outbid. In the end I had to suck it up and accept a $2 Jed Lowrie. Oh well ever team has a hole and this is one. Also not in love with my last 2 OF spots but again super cheap guys who should find AB's. Jason Heyward and Curtis Granderson each for $2. With my 2nd UT slot I grabbed Joe Mauer for $4 to help prop up my OBP some more.

Needed to fill in my pitching staff and reserves. We do mid week lineup changes so I like using good MR guys to help getting pitching stats. Grabbed Trevor Hildenberg, Will Harris, and Emilio Pagan each for a buck. Also took a flyer on Reynaldo Lopez for $1.

Filled out my hitting bench with Jon Jay $1 and Chad Pinder for $1.

Ok so put that together and here is what it looks like, keepers in bold...

C Y Molina $5
1B R Zimmerman $3
2B Jed Lowrie $2
3B J Donaldson $43
SS F Lindor $16
MI Jean Segura $20
CI Carlos Santana $29
OF M Ozuna $19
OF AJ Pollock $18
OF Shin Soo Choo $15
OF Jason Heyward $2
OF Curtis Granderson $2
UT Evan Longoria $11
UT Joe Mauer $4

P J DeGrom $12
P L Severino $2
P L McCullers $5
P J Taillon $6
P JA Happ $9
P Ervin Santana $4
P Trevor Hildenberg $1
P Cody Allen $25
P Roberto Osuna $7

Reserves
Emilio Pagan $1
Will Harris $1
Reynaldo Lopez $1
Chad Pinder $1
Jon Jay $1

I love my pitching and hope I got enough hitting. Thanks for any thoughts.

[The Dane]

Not too bad.
Offense: You have an odd mix of players I love and players I don't. Zimmerman scares me but for $3, that's no exposure at all, so great there, but he fits the mold for these guys: players with question marks, but the price is right. Lowrie, Pollock, Heyward, Granderson, Longoria are all guys I purposely stayed away from, but would happily take at low prices. In fact, I think I pushed you to $11 on Longoria. On the other side, I absolutely LOVE Santana and Ozuna. Donaldson is an overpay, but then every player was an overpay at that point in the draft. Love Pinder in the late game. You might get some help from your minors in the form of Meadows or, maybe, Soto this year, but you won't get much help there.
Result. You have a team with no glaring needs, but some points of low production that you will have to shore up to get anywhere.

Pitching: Your pitching is much much better. I think deGrom is going to take a step up this year. I'm high on all four of your keeper SPs. I like Allen a lot too. Gotta get those saves and he alone will keep you out of the basement, but you're going to need some more saves to move up. Again, not a lot of help coming from the minors this season, but if Alcantara puts together those last parts of his game, you could have another ace there. That's some serious upside.
Result: Pitching is strong, definitely upper-third, possibly better.

Overall: If you can turn some of your young assets into studs to plugs weak spots in your offense and add some saves, you could make a run for some money.

[frae]

Not too bad.
Offense: You have an odd mix of players I love and players I don't. Zimmerman scares me but for $3, that's no exposure at all, so great there, but he fits the mold for these guys: players with question marks, but the price is right. Lowrie, Pollock, Heyward, Granderson, Longoria are all guys I purposely stayed away from, but would happily take at low prices. In fact, I think I pushed you to $11 on Longoria. On the other side, I absolutely LOVE Santana and Ozuna. Donaldson is an overpay, but then every player was an overpay at that point in the draft. Love Pinder in the late game. You might get some help from your minors in the form of Meadows or, maybe, Soto this year, but you won't get much help there.
Result. You have a team with no glaring needs, but some points of low production that you will have to shore up to get anywhere.

Pitching: Your pitching is much much better. I think deGrom is going to take a step up this year. I'm high on all four of your keeper SPs. I like Allen a lot too. Gotta get those saves and he alone will keep you out of the basement, but you're going to need some more saves to move up. Again, not a lot of help coming from the minors this season, but if Alcantara puts together those last parts of his game, you could have another ace there. That's some serious upside.
Result: Pitching is strong, definitely upper-third, possibly better.

Overall: If you can turn some of your young assets into studs to plugs weak spots in your offense and add some saves, you could make a run for some money.

I do have Osuna and Allen for saves so I feel like I should be top 1/3 there, no?

I agree my hitters are a weird mix, but if my pitching is elite and I can MASH together hitting stats I can stay in until people dump and fill some holes. We will see, thanks

[Hornsby]

All things considered, you did a great job of hoarding your cash for the end days when you got Pagan, Harris, and Hildenberger. Jay is a pretty good buy as well, none are sexy, but all are good in our format. I don't like Hayward, but then again I never have...for 2 bucks he'll be fine. Same for Grandy, boring, old, but cheap enough not to hurt you if you need to discard him.

I love the Santana buy, I think that he's criminally underrated, especially in an OPB league, solid buy on Donaldson, but I suspect that he's going to miss time this season, he's already got a dead arm, whatever that means. You stole Molina and Mauer too...I wanted Mauer, but didn't have the cash after my Harvey screw up And Longoria is going to be a really ordinary player in SF, unless I miss my guess, but 11 bucks is just fine, so no worries.

Bottom line is your pitching is top notch, and your hitting is very good. I think you might need more power, but that's probably the easiest category to come by. I think that you'll be in the money at the end of the year if the old guys stay healthy.

[Big Tymer]

Keith - I was planning to be in on Donaldson but the dead arm issue is just weird. If he’s healthy then that’s a great buy. I also like Carlos Santana in an OBA format especially with the better Home park.

We had the same idea with Closers and Allen and Iglesias were my 2 targets as well. Mid 20s is kind of the going rate in this league for a top end closer so you did well to get him.

Your Pitching is clearly very strong but as you indicate you could be light in SBs but have to image there will be a trade market developing quickly. I have you in the $ to start the year as well so will be a tough season with quality owners like you and Mike chasing me down.