clearing out some mental blocks

[mjl]

I'm in a 10-team NL-only ultra league (17-man bench), 5x5 using BA with Moonlight J (and GITH until this year, sadly). I played in a 12-team NL-only with approximately the same structure until this year, and I think it's affecting my strategy badly, so I could use a little advice.

1) I have it in my head that my basic goal for building my offense is to get at bats -- basically, to get a starter at every position, and that that's more important than having one of the high-dollar stars. So for example, I'm looking at going into this season with a middle infield of Espinosa $5, Cozart $6, Barney $1. Is this actually a good thing? It also means that during the offseason I overvalue players that I have cheap who may have starting jobs, like Adam Eaton for example.

2) I really don't know how to assess trades that involve trading for an expensive but good player at approximately the right price. Take, for example, someone like Brandon Phillips at $29. I've been offered him in a trade for some of my cheap talent with the possibility of starting jobs (Eaton and Forsythe), and I understand that Phillips might be a bit underpriced with inflation figured in, but he's no amazing bargain. He is, however, probably as efficient a use of my dollars as I would be able to get in the auction. Should that be worth something? There are a decent number of good players that will be in the auction (definitely AGon, Votto, Upton, probably Braun, Hanley, Tulo, Kemp) and I could just tell myself to get one of them, but most people are probably planning to get one of them and due to item #1 somehow it never ends up being me.

My keeper list is something like the following. Note that minor leaguers and players with rookie status don't count against my auction salary cap (as far as I know, I keep screwing up these rules):

Goldschmidt $5
Espinosa $5
Barney $1
Cozart $6
Craig $10

AJ Burnett $2
Cishek $5
James McDonald $1
Street $12

Ruf $5
Wong $5
Rendon $9
Hamilton $10
Eaton $5
Cingrani $5

with the following guys I could swap in:

Vitters $5
Matt Carpenter $5
Forsythe $5
Soler $6
Matt Adams $5
Matt Harvey $10
Teheran $10
Brian Wilson $7

So I feel like I can do 2-for-1 swaps as long as they actually help...

- Mike

[Fresno Bob]

12 team only is very different than 10 team, your strategy to "collect AB" makes perfect sense in the 12 team, where a $1 Barney gives you 4-5$ in profit. In 10 team, you need to focus on positive value per slot, and you need to own some studs, as everyone else will have a couple. barney is probably priced right at $1 for 10 team NL

[whalewang]

I wouldn't want to tie up my MI slot unless I had a nice keeper for it. Barney is not a nice keeper as he should be draftable for $1.

[BigJonEmpire]

I wouldn't want to tie up my MI slot unless I had a nice keeper for it. Barney is not a nice keeper as he should be draftable for $1.

That's really not true in an NL-only. Barney should be worth from $6-12 dollars if he holds on to his job. He seems that he will for now so at $1 he should see a small profit. Though that doesn't necessarily mean he should keep Barney.

[Moonlight J]

I sent you a trade

[whalewang]

That's really not true in an NL-only. Barney should be worth from $6-12 dollars if he holds on to his job. He seems that he will for now so at $1 he should see a small profit. Though that doesn't necessarily mean he should keep Barney.

wow, just wow.

[BigJonEmpire]

Barney:

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBA	SLG	OPS	BB%	CT%	H%	Eye	xBA	GB%	LD%	FB%	PX	HR/F	SPD	SBO%	BPV	R$	5x5
2010	79	12	0	2	0	241	294	291	585	7%	85%	28%	0.50	236	54%	16%	30%	45	0%	102	0%	6	$-3	$-3
2011	529	66	2	43	9	276	305	353	658	4%	87%	31%	0.33	267	49%	23%	28%	54	2%	137	8%	37	$11	$12
2012	548	73	7	44	6	254	296	354	650	6%	89%	27%	0.57	273	48%	22%	30%	62	5%	118	5%	51	$6	$9
2013	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0		0	0	0

[whalewang]

That 2012 line looks like WW material there. Am I wrong?! Also, that is with him hitting near the top of the lineup part of the year in 2012 but isn't he supposed to be hitting near the bottom in 2013 (cause he sucks)?

[BigJonEmpire]

That 2012 line looks like WW material there. Am I wrong?! Also, that is with him hitting near the top of the lineup part of the year in 2012 but isn't he supposed to be hitting near the bottom in 2013 (cause he sucks)?

Hey, I think he sucks too. But if he scores 80 runs, hits a few homers, steals a few bases and hits for a decent average he accumulates value. In most NL-only leagues middle infield starters that can hit for a decent average and contribute are not on the waiver wire long. If he does hit at the bottom of the lineup that would take away a good number of at-bats.

[mjl]

Are those dollar columns for a 10-team league?

And one small bonus for Barney is that he's a Gold Glove fielder, so he's likely to stay in the lineup, for what that's worth. And the Cubs lineup is as terrible as it's ever been (DeJesus, Schierholtz, Stewart, Castillo all starting), so I'm not entirely convinced that Barney is going to hit 8th all year. Man are the Cubs terrible.

But anyway, that's my basic question. There are 30 starting 2B/SS in the NL, and there are 30 MI slots in a 10-team NL-only league, plus a couple UT slots. So is the worst MI (which Barney isn't, but he's close-ish) still worth more than $1, and is that enough to be worth keeping him?

btw I screwed up the keeper rules like I thought I would -- I can keep up to 18 guys.

[mjl]

I sent you a trade

hang on, I'm talking myself into it!

[whalewang]

Are those dollar columns for a 10-team league?

And one small bonus for Barney is that he's a Gold Glove fielder, so he's likely to stay in the lineup, for what that's worth. And the Cubs lineup is as terrible as it's ever been (DeJesus, Schierholtz, Stewart, Castillo all starting), so I'm not entirely convinced that Barney is going to hit 8th all year. Man are the Cubs terrible.

But anyway, that's my basic question. There are 30 starting 2B/SS in the NL, and there are 30 MI slots in a 10-team NL-only league, plus a couple UT slots. So is the worst MI (which Barney isn't, but he's close-ish) still worth more than $1, and is that enough to be worth keeping him?

btw I screwed up the keeper rules like I thought I would -- I can keep up to 18 guys.

With 18 slots Barney is probably worth keeping because as BigJon showed there should be value there. Since you could probably do a little worse than him in the draft I'd keep him if there is room for him.