Hooray for the mixed auction. While more traditionally reserved for AL- and NL-only leagues, auctions are a great deal of fun and are easier to do online than ever before. If you’ve yet to try one, go sign yourself up for a Yahoo auction league. And to help you along, here’s my guide to mixed auction values for 2015.
Of course, mixed auctions are a much different beast than the typical AL- or NL-only famine. Instead of spending that last dollar on Willie Bloomquist or Seth Maness, you’ll have your pick of productive, well-known players available during the end-game. This is particularly true if you’re joining a public league of questionable quality. So, mixed-auction tip No. 1: Go BIG!
In a mixed auction, I’d much rather have a team of $30 players and $1 players than a bunch of $10-$15 players. Insist on getting two of the top 10 players from your board. Strive for three. My ideal breakdown would probably be something like $160 for my top five players, $15 for my bottom eight and $85 for the remaining 10.
Of course, you’ll still need to read your auction. There’s very much an ebb and flow to these things. If players are going for too much early, kick back and relax. Things will open up later on and there will be bargains galore. In my experience, the most common pattern is that the first 10 percent of the auction has pretty reasonable prices (aside from the occasional out-of-control superstar bidding war), the next 40 percent tends to be more overpriced and then the second half is a nice mix, with plenty of opportunities to strike. But that’s not a locked-in pattern.
All of my values are presented below. My preference early on in auctions is to get my superstars, perhaps going slightly beyond my listed value if absolutely necessary, and then to keep aiming to get guys for $2 off my listed price. If that doesn’t result in any buys at all, then it’s time to adjust. If there’s a position I need filled and the players there are going for more than expected, then I’ll bid up to my listed price, though probably not beyond.
Obviously, a lot of the guys I have listed for $1-$2 will end up going well beyond that. Some players I don’t have listed at all here will draw bids. That’s all great for me. Every dollar spent on someone I don’t want is one that a competitor can’t use on someone I do want.
| 2015 | Catcher | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buster Posey | Giants | $27 |
| 2 | Jonathan Lucroy | Brewers | $21 |
| 3 | Evan Gattis | Astros | $19 |
| 4 | Devin Mesoraco | Reds | $17 |
| 5 | Brian McCann | Yankees | $15 |
| 6 | Matt Wieters | Orioles | $14 |
| 7 | Salvador Perez | Royals | $14 |
| 8 | Yan Gomes | Indians | $9 |
| 9 | Russell Martin | Blue Jays | $8 |
| 10 | Yadier Molina | Cardinals | $7 |
| 11 | Wilson Ramos | Nationals | $6 |
| x | Stephen Vogt | Athletics | $6 |
| 12 | Travis d’Arnaud | Mets | $4 |
| 13 | Wilin Rosario | Rockies | $4 |
| 14 | Yasmani Grandal | Dodgers | $3 |
| 15 | Mike Zunino | Mariners | $2 |
| 16 | Tyler Flowers | White Sox | $2 |
| 17 | Robinson Chirinos | Rangers | $2 |
| 18 | Miguel Montero | Cubs | $1 |
| 19 | Derek Norris | Padres | $1 |
| 20 | Chris Iannetta | Angels | $1 |
| 21 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | Marlins | $1 |
| 22 | Jason Castro | Astros | $1 |
| 23 | Alex Avila | Tigers | $1 |
| 24 | Carlos Ruiz | Phillies | $1 |
Most auction leagues use two catchers. Many owners prefer to go cheap here, since catchers don’t play as often as other regulars and get hurt more than most. I’m not as fond of that route, since I think there’s just too much drop-off to the $1 guys. I can find infielders and pitchers I’d like to gamble on for $1. At catcher, it’s mostly dreck.
You’ll notice Vogt here gets listed with an “x.” Technically, he’s not yet a catcher in leagues with 20-game eligibility (that’s the guideline I’m using here). He will, however, be Oakland’s primary catcher this year, and he should qualify at the spot in fantasy leagues as soon as Week Two. This all makes buying him rather tricky, since many auction leagues don’t have traditional benches. Of course, he’s already catcher-eligible in Yahoo, so if you’re playing there, he makes for a great second catcher. In a more traditional league, the hassle of stashing him at first base initially and then drafting a second catcher later could drop his price by a couple of bucks.
(Yahoo also has Carlos Santana as catcher eligible. In that case, I’d put him at $26 and drop the prices of Posey to $25 and the rest of the top catchers by a buck.)
Best buys: Gattis, Vogt, d’Arnaud
| 2015 | First Base | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | $34 |
| 2 | Jose Abreu | White Sox | $34 |
| 3 | Edwin Encarnacion | Blue Jays | $33 |
| 4 | Paul Goldschmidt | Diamondbacks | $30 |
| 5 | Prince Fielder | Rangers | $19 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | Angels | $17 |
| 7 | Anthony Rizzo | Cubs | $16 |
| 8 | Adrian Gonzalez | Dodgers | $14 |
| 9 | Freddie Freeman | Braves | $10 |
| 10 | Victor Martinez | Tigers | $10 |
| 11 | Joey Votto | Reds | $9 |
| DH | David Ortiz | Red Sox | $8 |
| DH | http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/MLB/778/Chris-CarterChris Carter | Astros | $7 |
| 12 | Eric Hosmer | Royals | $7 |
| 13 | Joe Mauer | Twins | $6 |
| 14 | Matt Adams | Cardinals | $6 |
| 15 | Adam LaRoche | White Sox | $5 |
| 16 | Brandon Belt | Giants | $4 |
| 17 | Justin Morneau | Rockies | $4 |
| 18 | Lucas Duda | Mets | $4 |
| 19 | Brandon Moss | Indians | $3 |
| 20 | Billy Butler | Athletics | $2 |
| DH | Kennys Vargas | Twins | $2 |
| 21 | Adam Lind | Brewers | $1 |
| 22 | Logan Morrison | Mariners | $1 |
| 23 | Mike Napoli | Red Sox | $1 |
I’m listing the three mixed-league relevant designated hitters with the first basemen here.
First base is a great place to go big, ideally with Encarnacion or maybe Abreu. The mid-range guys are all going to be bid up fairly highly anyway, given the dwindling power numbers around the league. Once the carnage settles, I should be able to get a Mauer, Adams, LaRoche or Belt in the $3-$4 range to serve as my CI or DH.
Best buys: Encarnacion, Mauer, Adams
| 2015 | Second Base | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Rendon | Nationals | $28 |
| 2 | Jose Altuve | Astros | $28 |
| 3 | Robinson Cano | Mariners | $26 |
| 4 | Dee Gordon | Marlins | $23 |
| 5 | Kolten Wong | Cardinals | $19 |
| 6 | Jason Kipnis | Indians | $16 |
| 7 | Howie Kendrick | Dodgers | $12 |
| 8 | Brian Dozier | Twins | $10 |
| 9 | Dustin Pedroia | Red Sox | $10 |
| 10 | Ian Kinsler | Tigers | $9 |
| 11 | Daniel Murphy | Mets | $6 |
| 12 | Arismendy Alcantara | Cubs | $5 |
| 13 | Martin Prado | Marlins | $3 |
| 14 | Scooter Gennett | Brewers | $3 |
| 15 | Rougned Odor | Rangers | $3 |
| 16 | Neil Walker | Pirates | $2 |
| 17 | Chase Utley | Phillies | $1 |
| 18 | Brandon Phillips | Reds | $1 |
| 19 | Brett Lawrie | Athletics | $1 |
Here’s the one position where I do tend to favor the mid-tier choices. Wong and Kendrick present terrific value options, ones who could well go for 30-50 percent less than my listed price. Kipnis is another middle-priced player with outstanding upside, but the injuries do have me rather nervous there. In Yahoo leagues, Mookie Betts also qualifies here, and I’d slide him in at $20 just ahead of Wong.
None of that is to say the top guys necessarily should be avoided. If Rendon or Altuve can be had for $25, they’ll likely be worth it. They’ll probably go for more, though. Gordon can solve all of a team’s steal problems and will likely go for less than $23, making him a perfectly reasonable choice, particularly if your previously acquired players aren’t going to do much running.
I also like the younger targets here for the MI spot, particularly Alcantara and Odor. Both offer speed and power potential without costing an arm and a leg.
Best buys: Wong, Kendrick, Alcantara
| 2015 | Third Base | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nolan Arenado | Rockies | $23 |
| 2 | Josh Donaldson | Blue Jays | $20 |
| 3 | Adrian Beltre | Rangers | $17 |
| 4 | Chris Davis | Orioles | $15 |
| 5 | Evan Longoria | Rays | $14 |
| 6 | Manny Machado | Orioles | $14 |
| 7 | Carlos Santana | Indians | $12 |
| 8 | David Wright | Mets | $11 |
| 9 | Todd Frazier | Reds | $11 |
| 10 | Kyle Seager | Mariners | $10 |
| 11 | Ryan Zimmerman | Nationals | $8 |
| 12 | Matt Carpenter | Cardinals | $8 |
| 13 | Pablo Sandoval | Red Sox | $7 |
| 14 | Josh Harrison | Pirates | $4 |
| 15 | Lonnie Chisenhall | Indians | $4 |
| 16 | Nick Castellanos | Tigers | $4 |
| 17 | Pedro Alvarez | Pirates | $3 |
| 18 | Chase Headley | Yankees | $3 |
| 19 | Aramis Ramirez | Brewers | $2 |
| 20 | Kris Bryant | Cubs | $2 |
| 21 | Mike Moustakas | Royals | $1 |
| 22 | Alex Rodriguez | Yankees | $1 |
Third base is the position of least variance this year (particularly since I’m not including Rendon or a Yahoo-eligible Miguel Cabrera). It’s also the position that’s the toughest to screw up. I love Arenado, and I think it’s worth going to $20 and beyond to get him. $20 should be sufficient for his services in most auctions.
However, if you miss out on Arenado or simply don’t like the idea, this is a good spot for sitting and waiting, hoping that someone falls into your lap. Davis and Machado are the most obvious candidates from the top 10. And if that doesn’t happen, just go dirt cheap and spend elsewhere
Best buys: Arenado, Machado, Zimmerman
| 2015 | Shortstop | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanley Ramirez | Red Sox | $31 |
| 2 | Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | $29 |
| 3 | Jose Reyes | Blue Jays | $23 |
| 4 | Ian Desmond | Nationals | $22 |
| 5 | Starlin Castro | Cubs | $20 |
| 6 | Ben Zobrist | Athletics | $10 |
| 7 | Danny Santana | Twins | $7 |
| 8 | Elvis Andrus | Rangers | $6 |
| 9 | Alexei Ramirez | White Sox | $5 |
| 10 | Alcides Escobar | Royals | $4 |
| 11 | Xander Bogaerts | Red Sox | $3 |
| 12 | Andrelton Simmons | Braves | $3 |
| 13 | Erick Aybar | Angels | $2 |
| 14 | Jimmy Rollins | Dodgers | $2 |
| 15 | Jean Segura | Brewers | $1 |
| 16 | J.J. Hardy | Orioles | $1 |
| 17 | Jed Lowrie | Astros | $1 |
| 18 | Javier Baez | Cubs | $1 |
Here’s a spot to go big, and it all starts with Hanley, in my opinion. He’ll probably go for less than $31, and he has a great chance to be a top-10 overall player while hitting fourth for the Red Sox. Reyes and Castro also present potential value options near the top.
After those top five, though, there isn’t really much for standouts. Zobrist is safe, but he’s in decline. Santana was terrific last year and leads off for a fine offense in Minnesota, but he’s unlikely to match last year’s production. Fortunately, no one else seems to think all that much of Santana either, so he could still be a decent get if you miss out on the top guys. Still, my ideal here is Hanley, with my MI spot being filled by a second baseman.
Best buys: H. Ramirez, Castro, Santana
It might be a little counterintuitive, but the weaker the competition, the higher it’s worth bidding for Trout. If you’re playing against a bunch of rookies, go all of the way to get him; you’ll still be able to provide tons of value for yourself even with the reduced budget. If you’re up against tougher competition, it makes more sense to stop at $50 and start focusing elsewhere. As great as Trout is, he and a $1 outfielder probably aren’t going to be worth as much as two $25 outfielders.
Obviously, I love Cespedes this year. He’s going to be on most of my teams. I’m rather ambivalent about the remainder of the top-10 outfielders. If Ellsbury or Carlos Gonzalez slips, I’m in. But I’m probably going to spend more time picking from options like Bruce, Trumbo, Betts, Calhoun, Garcia, Yelich, Polanco and Arcia. Ideally, I’d get four of my top 30 outfielders and go cheap with the last pick.
Quick note: You’ll see Tomas listed at $2 above. I see him as a $1 outfielder, but he gets the extra buck for his likely third-base eligibility.
Best buys: Cespedes, Trumbo, Garcia, Arcia
I don’t follow a strict 70/30 or 65/35 budget guideline when it comes to a hitting/pitching breakdown. Still, 70/30 is about where I’d prefer to end up in the end. That would mean $78 for pitching, with $15-$20 of that getting spent on three relievers. $60 for starting pitchers really should be plenty, since several bargains are likely to slip through the cracks. There will be interesting $1 starters left in the end, so there’s no reason Kershaw can’t be fit into a $60 budget for starters. If he’s truly out of reach, then aim for three top-20 guys and go cheap for the last three spots.
Best buys: Cobb, Fister, Carrasco, Ryu, McCarthy, Cain
| 2015 | RP | Team | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Holland | Royals | $13 |
| 2 | Craig Kimbrel | Braves | $12 |
| 3 | Mark Melancon | Pirates | $12 |
| 4 | Aroldis Chapman | Reds | $11 |
| 5 | Kenley Jansen | Dodgers | $11 |
| 6 | Trevor Rosenthal | Cardinals | $9 |
| 7 | Dellin Betances | Yankees | $9 |
| 8 | Cody Allen | Indians | $8 |
| 9 | David Robertson | White Sox | $8 |
| 10 | Zach Britton | Orioles | $7 |
| 11 | Drew Storen | Nationals | $7 |
| 12 | Steve Cishek | Marlins | $6 |
| 13 | Koji Uehara | Red Sox | $6 |
| 14 | Jake McGee | Rays | $5 |
| 15 | Hector Rondon | Cubs | $4 |
| 16 | Huston Street | Angels | $4 |
| 17 | Sean Doolittle | Athletics | $4 |
| 18 | Joaquin Benoit | Padres | $4 |
| 19 | Glen Perkins | Twins | $4 |
| 20 | Fernando Rodney | Mariners | $3 |
| 21 | http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/MLB/3568/Francisco-RodriguezFrancisco Rodriguez | Brewers | $3 |
| 22 | Jonathan Papelbon | Phillies | $3 |
| 23 | Santiago Casilla | Giants | $3 |
| 24 | Joe Nathan | Tigers | $2 |
| 25 | Addison Reed | Diamondbacks | $2 |
| 26 | Andrew Miller | Yankees | $2 |
| 27 | Jenrry Mejia | Mets | $2 |
| 28 | Luke Gregerson | Astros | $2 |
| 29 | Neftali Feliz | Rangers | $2 |
| 30 | Tyler Clippard | Athletics | $2 |
| 31 | Ken Giles | Phillies | $2 |
| 32 | Aaron Sanchez | Blue Jays | $2 |
| 33 | Brad Boxberger | Rays | $1 |
| 34 | Rafael Soriano | $1 | |
| 35 | Wade Davis | Royals | $1 |
| 36 | LaTroy Hawkins | Rockies | $1 |
| 37 | Brett Cecil | Blue Jays | $1 |
One strategy I like in auctions is to throw out the names of closers early. No one wants or knows exactly how to deal with them right away. Sometimes they’ll go for too much, which gets money out of the auction. Sometimes they’ll go for too little, allowing me to pounce. Really, though, I’d rather have others spending their money on the big-name closers. It should be possible to land Melancon or Allen and then two of the guys from the 15-20 range without busting a budget.
Best buys: Melancon, Allen, K-Rod
And that’s the mixed auction guide. If you have any questions, search me out on twitter or at matthewpouliot@hotmail.com.
