An AL-Only Auction

Brandon Wood, a member of "The Fantasy Bullpen" again in 2010.

Every year I end up in quite a few leagues, but it seems like a single league always rises to the top, commanding my attention more than any other from April through September. Last year, that league was the AL only, self proclaimed “Cafe Experts League.”

The league is standard. Well at least it is what used to be, and still should be, considered the standard fantasy baseball league. 12 teams, single league format, with 23 man rosters, and 4×4 scoring; weekly lineup changes, FAAB bidding, and a huge pool of drafted players. A truly hardcore roto experience. Last year, as a first year participant, I was able to win the league with a little luck and a lot of help from Justin Verlander. But now the pressure is really on.

Going into the draft, I was planning on using a modified-LIMA strategy similar to the strategy I employed in 2009. Because this league has an innings minimum of 1100, solid starting pitching is a must. In 2009, I ended up with Mariano Rivera, at $30 occupying my entire saves budget, and Scott Baker as the anchor of my rotation at almost $20. A couple weeks into the season, I traded for Justin Verlander, and rode the trio of Baker, Verlander, and Weaver to a title.

Catcher:

Carlos Santana, $4 - With a couple of reserve spots, I can probably stash Santana until he is called up and plug in an adequate backup catcher. The options were limited at this point, and Santana’s upside was worth the price.

Max Ramirez, $1 - I needed to fill the spot, but I have little faith in Ramirez.

First Base:

Justin Morneau, $28 - I’ve never been a huge Morneau fan, but with several elite bats going in the high 30s, and into the 40s, I knew I needed to pick up a solid, dependable power bat. That’s what Morneau is.

Second Base:

Jose Lopez, $23 - Probably an overpayment but the options were getting thin here, and I do believe Lopez has a very high upside. Given the speed I put together in my outfield, a power hitting middle-infielder was a must.

Third Base:

Brandon Wood, $14 - I spent much of last season hoping Wood would get a shot – he didn’t. Still, with the third base job seemingly his, I’m willing to bid on his great AAA production. A pure upside pick.

Short Stop:

Luis Valbuena, $11 – I was hoping to grab Valbuena at $7-$8, but $11 isn’t too outrageous given what was left at the position. Another solid power bat in my middle infield.

Corner Infield:

Edwin Encarnacion, $11 - Not  a great bargain at $11, but certainly some room for profit. Encarnacion has the skill set to hit 30 home runs with a solid batting average. He could be the Aaron Hill of 2010 – player with solid skill set coming off an injury at a prime breakout age.

Middle Infield:

Ramon Santiago, $1 - I couldn’t have done much worse. But Santiago did some good for me last year. He can fill out my roster until a better alternative presents itself.

Outfield:

Nelson Cruz, $26 - Undervalued this year. Certainly worthy of being my second most expensive hitter. I might have gone as high as $30 for him.

Brett Gardner, $13 - A decent price if he can get full time at bats. There’s tremendous speed upside here, and his batting average wont kill me.

Scott Podsednik, $10 - See Brett Gardner, but older and less expensive.

Jeremy Hermida, $2 - Some potential here given age. If the Red Sox suffer a major injury, he might be first in line for some playing time. At $2, worth the risk.

Trevor Crowe, $1 – One of my real bargains.

Utility:

Travis Hafner, $7 - Sentimental pick. Sort of. I traded him for Justin Verlander a couple weeks into 2009, and that basically won me the championship. But he’s still got a solid skill set, and at $7, I could have done much worse.

Pitcher:

Mariano Rivera, $37 - Is this too much? Absolutely. But Rivera was my second highest rated player in this format, and so $37 wasn’t too far out of line. I’d rather have a couple of solid closers for the same price, and I could have. So that’s disappointing. But I don’t mind Rivera, who was also my most expensive player a year ago.

Jon Lester, $26 - Probably shouldn’t have gone this high. He’ll earn it, but my offense suffered.

Brett Anderson, $20 - This was probably a mistake. I love Anderson, I think he’ll contend for the Cy Young award, but with Lester already on the team this money could have been better used somewhere else.

Wade Davis, $7 - High skill guy, with a guaranteed starting spot for now, pitching in front of one of baseballs best defenses.

Chris Tillman, $6 - Assuming he can hang on to the fifth starter role, a lot of upside from this second year starter.

Gio Gonzalez, $3 - Riding a strong spring to the A’s fifth starter spot. Has always had the ability to succeed, and at $3, well worth the risk.

David Robertson, $3 - He probably wont get any saves, but if Rivera gets hurt he could be next in line, and he’s sure to help my ERA and WHIP.

Pat Neshek, $3 - He has the ability to close, and in Nathon’s absence, the spot could be up for grabs all season.

Daniel Bard, $3 - I loved getting Bard at $3. Paps is solid, but if he goes down, Bard is the unquestioned #3, and there were some chinks in the armor last year.

Overall, I do really like this team, and it’s growing on my over time. There is a lot of upside here. The draft was tough, with prices inflated well above my estimated values, and I think I spent too much on pitching, but in the end, this is a solid team capable of competing across the board.