Hi, I’m having trouble deciding how to spread out my auction $$$. I’m in a
5×5 mixed league with 12 teams with a $280 cap & 25 man roster.
I’m planning on spending 70% on hitting.
I also like the idea of drafting studs from weak positions. I’d like to land Piazza and A-Rod. My questions is, Is it wise to go after two expensive players and have not much $$ left for the rest of the team. What’s a good balance? How many $1 players should I have?
There are a few different approaches to this issue and I’ve heard and made all the arguments at one time or another. And while it would be comforting if there were one right answer, there certainly isn’t. So here are the basics:
The object is to get the most production for your $280. To do that you want to get the players least valued by the other owners who produce outsized amounts.
Alex Patton has done studies of who earns what in any given year. You can find the articles, which originally appeared at Baseball HQ, on our sister site, RotoTouts. Alex repeatedly find that there is no sweet spot, that in any given year the more expensive players or the least expensive players might produce the most profits. Some years the profits are distributed across the board.
Which means, I’d say, that the best approach is to figure out how your opponents are playing and zig when they zag.
The point is, if they’re playing a lot for the big stars, let them. But if they’re not paying the projected amounts, go for the stars.
If you end up with a lot of expensive players, don’t be afraid to carry a few $1 players into the season. But if you blanche at the prices being paid for the stars, be patient. Eventually you’ll have more money than anyone else and can load up on a whole roster of mid-level players who will get you loads of at bats and production.
The final point is: Keep your options open. It’s fine to target players at particular prices, but if you start overpaying for players because you want them, unless all your speculations turn out, you’re going to overpay for them. And that’s exactly what you don’t want.