The Tout NL auction commenced at 9 am this morning. With the moves made in Tout, getting back to the core of the members of the league nominating participants, a more diverse and extremely competitive collection of players assembled (in fact, though the AL has garnered the bulk of attention over the past few years, all three leagues now boast formidable rosters of participants).
Anyway, player one nominated by Mike Lombardo--the convincing winner of the past three NL titles--was Mets third sacker David Wright who promptly gobbled up $39 of Tristan Cockroft's money. Albert Pujols followed to team Cory Schwartz for $38.
Tim Lincecum led the pitcher's price list going for $32, to Johan Santana's $31.
The closer barometer was set in the $18-$22 range, with Krod and Brad Lidge topping the list. Heath Bell ($19), then Francisco Cordero, Jose Valverde, Jonathan Broxton, and Francisco Cordero all clocked at $18.
For shortstops, Hanley and Jose Reyes both cost $41, with Rollins $34. Of the second tier, Drew was $22, Furcal $20, and Troy Tulowitski $18.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Mixed League Tout Draft Begins
Hi again, live from the Tout Drafts here in NYC. We'll be picking back up where we left off this afternoon. The Mixed League has been a hot topic of discussion here, as they raised the amount of players from 12 to 17. The experts were not sure what to expect in the opening rounds, but when Jose Reyes jumped off the board for $55 to Doug Dennis, things got interesting. The person sitting to the left of me turned and said, "Was that fifty-five? As in five-five, fifty five?!"
It didn't stop there, with Doug also grabbing David Wright for $50. JP Kastner from CREATiVESPORTS had a different approach, targeting values of Pablo Sandoval ($9), Francisco Cordero ($13), and Mike Cameron ($12). After the first break, he positioned himself well with over $140 of his budget still available (good for 2nd highest at the time). This way he can continue to be patient and seek what he feels are value guys.
The AL results from this morning have been posted on the Tout Wars website. Head over there to check those out.
It didn't stop there, with Doug also grabbing David Wright for $50. JP Kastner from CREATiVESPORTS had a different approach, targeting values of Pablo Sandoval ($9), Francisco Cordero ($13), and Mike Cameron ($12). After the first break, he positioned himself well with over $140 of his budget still available (good for 2nd highest at the time). This way he can continue to be patient and seek what he feels are value guys.
The AL results from this morning have been posted on the Tout Wars website. Head over there to check those out.
Rosters Are Finalized
After 5 hours of drafting, the rosters for the 2009 AL Tout Wars teams are finalized. They'll be posting the final rosters sometime soon over at their website, ToutWars.com. Here are my final thoughts:
Best Value Pick (Hitter): Ben Francisco ($4), Steve Moyer; not the most attractive pick, but Francisco has a starting gig in a semi-productive lineup. He hit a respectable .266 with 15 HR last year in 447 AB.
Worst Value Pick (Hitter): Brian Anderson ($6), Sam Walker; Sam then claimed he thought he was drafting Garret Anderson... we'll let that one slide, although he probably won't enjoy his career .221 BA.
Best Value Pick (Pitcher): Kelvim Escobar ($3), Ron Shandler; Escobar is already throwing 95 MPH in camp, and they expect him to be major league ready by early May.
Worst Value Pick (Pitcher): Matt Garza ($18), Sam Walker; Garza proved himself to be a reliable pitcher last year, but he doesn't have the K rate or the track record to be worthy of $18.
A big thanks to Todd Zola, and you can find him in the NL Tout Wars, drafting tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by guys.
You can find Jason's columns at CREATiVESPORTS on Sundays throughout the season, or his blog site, thefantasyADVICE.com.
Best Value Pick (Hitter): Ben Francisco ($4), Steve Moyer; not the most attractive pick, but Francisco has a starting gig in a semi-productive lineup. He hit a respectable .266 with 15 HR last year in 447 AB.
Worst Value Pick (Hitter): Brian Anderson ($6), Sam Walker; Sam then claimed he thought he was drafting Garret Anderson... we'll let that one slide, although he probably won't enjoy his career .221 BA.
Best Value Pick (Pitcher): Kelvim Escobar ($3), Ron Shandler; Escobar is already throwing 95 MPH in camp, and they expect him to be major league ready by early May.
Worst Value Pick (Pitcher): Matt Garza ($18), Sam Walker; Garza proved himself to be a reliable pitcher last year, but he doesn't have the K rate or the track record to be worthy of $18.
A big thanks to Todd Zola, and you can find him in the NL Tout Wars, drafting tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by guys.
You can find Jason's columns at CREATiVESPORTS on Sundays throughout the season, or his blog site, thefantasyADVICE.com.
Time to Draft Catchers
It's that time... When the pool of available players is becoming thin and the long run of catchers begins. After Joe Sheehan took George Kottaras ($2), the backup catcher for the Red Sox, Matthew Berry walked away with the starter, Jason Varitek, for just a buck. Johima and Barajas were taken for $2 each, and if you had those two as your catchers for $4, you're not in bad shape at all. My two favorite AL catchers, Miguel Olivo ($9) and Kelly Shoppach ($7), were not taken at the same bargain price, however they could pay dividends with 20 HR power.
Jason Grey finished his team with Brad Penny ($1), Brett Anderson ($6), and Trevor Cahill ($7). Don't be alarmed, Cahill likely won't cost you that much in your league; it was Grey's last pick and he had $7 left. He built a value staff centered around Scott Kazmir ($17). It's my guess that he'll address pitching depth in the reserve rounds.
Ron Shandler, also building a value staff, his centered around Felix Hernandez ($20), grabbed some cheap starters to finish his team in Kelvim Escobar ($3) and Scott Lewis ($3). I really like these two and have been targeting them in most of my drafts as well. Lewis has a great minor league track record and will be given a rotation spot to start the year.
Often you'll find the players in your league who like to draft off of their favorite teams. Predictable and silly right? Well, when you like a team, you usually like their players too, and there's no shame in drafting players you think will do well. Dean Peterson and Jason Collette have proven that theme, continuously drafting and nominating from their favorite teams, the White Sox and Rays.
Jason Grey finished his team with Brad Penny ($1), Brett Anderson ($6), and Trevor Cahill ($7). Don't be alarmed, Cahill likely won't cost you that much in your league; it was Grey's last pick and he had $7 left. He built a value staff centered around Scott Kazmir ($17). It's my guess that he'll address pitching depth in the reserve rounds.
Ron Shandler, also building a value staff, his centered around Felix Hernandez ($20), grabbed some cheap starters to finish his team in Kelvim Escobar ($3) and Scott Lewis ($3). I really like these two and have been targeting them in most of my drafts as well. Lewis has a great minor league track record and will be given a rotation spot to start the year.
Often you'll find the players in your league who like to draft off of their favorite teams. Predictable and silly right? Well, when you like a team, you usually like their players too, and there's no shame in drafting players you think will do well. Dean Peterson and Jason Collette have proven that theme, continuously drafting and nominating from their favorite teams, the White Sox and Rays.
Kurt Suzuki or Matt Wieters?
Midway through the draft someone noted that, based on the current rosters, Matthew Berry would finish in 1st place according to Baseball HQ's projections. Berry then noted that the simple spreadsheet projects that he has just $26 left with 10 players to fill. He's filled his team with 7 pitchers thus far and must make his $26 go a long way to finish his hitting roster.
Joe Sheehan won a bidding war with the room for Adam Jones, paying $22. Other notable draftees and their values include Justin Duchscherer ($2), Jason Kubel ($13), Travis Hafner ($7), Jim Thome ($12), JD Drew ($12), Jack Cust ($14), Kurt Suzuki ($11), and Pedro Martinez ($1). As Sheehan noted, this has to be the only league where Kurt Suzuki goes for more money than Matt Wieters ($9).
Jason Grey almost has his full hitting squad filled out, with a very nice mix of speed and power. Rather than spending big on the stars, he's drafted players in the range of $11-$24.
Joe Sheehan won a bidding war with the room for Adam Jones, paying $22. Other notable draftees and their values include Justin Duchscherer ($2), Jason Kubel ($13), Travis Hafner ($7), Jim Thome ($12), JD Drew ($12), Jack Cust ($14), Kurt Suzuki ($11), and Pedro Martinez ($1). As Sheehan noted, this has to be the only league where Kurt Suzuki goes for more money than Matt Wieters ($9).
Jason Grey almost has his full hitting squad filled out, with a very nice mix of speed and power. Rather than spending big on the stars, he's drafted players in the range of $11-$24.
Don't Pay For Saves?
"Don't Pay For Saves" is a popular view among many fantasy experts. Closers have been flying off the board here so far, possibly for less money than you'd expect. After Papelbon ($28), Soria ($28), Nathan ($26), and Rivera ($25), there seems to be a decent drop off in closer value. During a short break, Dean Peterson noted that since the DPFS mantra seems to be in effect by many, there could be some extra money flying around.
Starting pitchers have also come at some surprise values, with Josh Beckett getting stolen at $21 by Steve Moyer (Beckett went for $25 in my FantasyPros expert league on Wednesday). John Lackey was taken for $18 after the news that he may not be ready for opening day. Other notable SP's taken: AJ Burnett ($20), Dice-K ($19), David Price ($10), James Shields ($23), Scott Baker ($19), and Cliff Lee ($19), and Francisco Liriano ($21).
I really like the way Moyer has filled out his staff, with Lee, Baker, and Beckett at decent prices. He can now build around those three guys with some cheap starters and maybe a closer.
Ron Shandler has addressed speed early on, grabbing Raj Davis ($8), Johnny Damon ($24), Torii Hunter ($24), and Jason Bartlett ($16). I've noticed that speed just isn't there later in drafts this year, so that may not be a bad idea for the fantasy legend.
Matthew Berry is already regretting his $21 spent on Robinson Cano; especially after Jose Lopez was grabbed by Jason Collette at $18.
Starting pitchers have also come at some surprise values, with Josh Beckett getting stolen at $21 by Steve Moyer (Beckett went for $25 in my FantasyPros expert league on Wednesday). John Lackey was taken for $18 after the news that he may not be ready for opening day. Other notable SP's taken: AJ Burnett ($20), Dice-K ($19), David Price ($10), James Shields ($23), Scott Baker ($19), and Cliff Lee ($19), and Francisco Liriano ($21).
I really like the way Moyer has filled out his staff, with Lee, Baker, and Beckett at decent prices. He can now build around those three guys with some cheap starters and maybe a closer.
Ron Shandler has addressed speed early on, grabbing Raj Davis ($8), Johnny Damon ($24), Torii Hunter ($24), and Jason Bartlett ($16). I've noticed that speed just isn't there later in drafts this year, so that may not be a bad idea for the fantasy legend.
Matthew Berry is already regretting his $21 spent on Robinson Cano; especially after Jose Lopez was grabbed by Jason Collette at $18.
Arod is Gone
Ron Shandler wasted no time in nominating Alex Rodriguez, who Lawr Michaels landed at $25. If ARod comes back to form in early May, as they are hoping he will, this risk could pay off for Lawr, who also added CC Sabathia ($30) and Joe Nathan ($26).
The team of Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton came to spend, as they have already spent over $150 on 5 of the top hitters. Mark Teixeira ($37) was one of them, who surprisingly went for only $1 less than Miguel Cabrera ($38).
As Matthew Berry continued to poke fun at Sam Walker, he then nominated a previously selected Justin Morneau ($30). Walker wasted no time in returning the favor.
Twins catcher, Joe Mauer was taken for $14, a discount due to the injury concerns. Another risky play that could end up helping or hurting Joe Sheehan, who also selected the semi-healthy BJ Upton ($34).
The team of Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton came to spend, as they have already spent over $150 on 5 of the top hitters. Mark Teixeira ($37) was one of them, who surprisingly went for only $1 less than Miguel Cabrera ($38).
As Matthew Berry continued to poke fun at Sam Walker, he then nominated a previously selected Justin Morneau ($30). Walker wasted no time in returning the favor.
Twins catcher, Joe Mauer was taken for $14, a discount due to the injury concerns. Another risky play that could end up helping or hurting Joe Sheehan, who also selected the semi-healthy BJ Upton ($34).
Live Blog From Tout Wars
Hi guys -
We will have a live blog going today from the Tout Wars AL-only Draft in NYC. Things just got started here as they took a few minutes to present some new rules for this year. The minor changes include the reserve roster cut from 6 to 4. The first pick of the draft was presented by Sam Walker, last year's winner. He threw out Matt Wieters, as he noted, a future hall-of-famer, for $1. Jason Grey ended up taking him for $9.
-Jason Mastrodonato
CREATiVESPORTS
We will have a live blog going today from the Tout Wars AL-only Draft in NYC. Things just got started here as they took a few minutes to present some new rules for this year. The minor changes include the reserve roster cut from 6 to 4. The first pick of the draft was presented by Sam Walker, last year's winner. He threw out Matt Wieters, as he noted, a future hall-of-famer, for $1. Jason Grey ended up taking him for $9.
-Jason Mastrodonato
CREATiVESPORTS
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