2007 BBall's MLB Mock Auction
| 12
|
by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)
Last night, I took place in a Mock Auction draft at Fantasy Auctioneer. It was a 12 team, mixed-league draft with a $250 salary cap. Here is how my team turned out.
C: Brian McCann ($23) On the fifth player nominated, I made a run and picked up the best catcher in the National League. He should be good for a .300+ average and at least 20 HRs.
1B: Justin Morneau ($29) With Morneau, I figured the bidding would go over $30, since Pujols and Howard went over $40 and Cabrera and Ortiz were over $30. So, I bid $29 to push my opponent over $30. He backed out, which meant I got "stuck" with the reigning AL MVP. That's the best punishment I have ever gotten. He will hit 30 HRs with a .300 average and drive in over 100 runs.
C: Joe Mauer ($31) At this point, I was saving up my money for a shot at Tejada, but when Mauer was on the board, and the bidding slowed in the mid-20s, I had to take my shot. Landing him at $31 was well worth it, as this gave me a monopoly on the two best catchers, by far. Mauer will contend for the batting title, hit 15 HRs, and throw in a dozen SBs.
SS: Miguel Tejada ($29) Even though I had spent the money I was saving for Tejada on Mauer, I couldn't let my targeted player go away easy. Reyes had gone for $33, and Rollins and Hanley Ramirez had gone for $30, so when the bidding on Tejada hit $15, I instantly put in a $29 bid, anticipating I would have to go into the $30s for him...crickets. Tejada is a lock for a .310+ average, 20 HRs, and 100 RBI.
2B: Dan Uggla ($15) After spending money on four stars, I took awhile off before getting back in the action. When I did, I went for another weak-hitting position. Uggla is a 20 HR man at 2B. He was quite the bargain, especially when later in the auction, Brian Roberts went for $21!
U: Chris Iannetta ($5) On the very next pick, Iannetta, the Rockies' rookie catcher, was on the board at $1. Even though I had my two catcher spots filled, I see Rookie of the Year potential in him. I waited for it to get to $3, then plopped down $5.
P: Anthony Reyes ($6) An hour and fifteen minutes into the draft, I still had no pitcher. This did not worry me, because I always wait for the cheap pitchers to roll around. I never get involved in the Santana-bidding, which went over $40. When the promising young Reyes went on the board, I ignored his 5.06 ERA from last season and grabbed him cheap. His shot at a sub-4.00 ERA are very good for this year.
P: John Lackey ($17) About ten minutes later, I had myself a second pitcher. Lackey is one of the better strikeout pitchers, and gives a team ace stats, a notch below the Santana's and Zambrano's.
P: Daisuke Matsuzaka ($15) Matsuzaka was one of my targeted pitchers, but I figured a Red Sox fan would bid him into the $20s. $15 was as high as I was going. I bid $15, sat on my hands, and no one followed up. I realize there is no way of knowing how good he will be, but I personally see him being the Red Sox ace this season.
3B: Ryan Zimmerman ($15) Zimmerman impressed as a Rookie last year, so when the bidding halted in the teens, I was happy to take him and round out my infield. I still did not have a single outfielder on my roster.
MI: Bill Hall ($11) Hall hit 35 HRs last year. So, when I got him for $11, I was ecstatic.
P: Jason Schmidt ($12) Seeing Adam Dunn still available, I was planning on saving my money to make a run to the end with him. When the bidding for Schmidt was going nowhere, I figured I could jump in and move it along. I'm not so sure he can stay healthy this year, but he should be worth $12 under any circumstances.
U: Frank Thomas ($12) Again, the plan to save for Dunn got pushed aside when Thomas, who hit 39 HRs in 2006 with 114 RBIs, was available for $12.
OF: Nick Swisher ($11) Then, I officially lost all hope of getting Dunn, when I quickly snagged Swisher, another 30+ HR man, at a bargain.
P: Cole Hamels ($9) I then grabbed who I planned would be my final starter, before I moved onto relief. If healthy, Hamels can be an ace. He doesn't play in the best ballpark for pitchers, but I just needed him to be my fourth or fifth best starter.
CI: Prince Fielder ($8) Fielder has Morneau-like potential for this seaso, but I got him for $21 less. This was probably one of the biggest bargains of the auction.
OF: Brad Hawpe ($4) At this point, I needed to start filling my outfield up, and the maximum bid I could do was $5. I snagged Hawpe when I could get him for $4. If nothing else, he will hit 20 HRs without a problem.
OF: Moises Alou ($2) After Hawpe, I now could only spend up to $2 on a player. When Alou was available, I went after him and his guaranteed .300 average.
OF: Austin Kearns ($1) I nominated Kearns for $1, and no one else bid. He has never fulfilled his potential, but he is worth a buck.
OF: Jeremy Hermida ($1) Hermida had a very dissapointing year last season, but everything is there for him to break out.
P: Joel Zumaya ($1) Zumaya is a flamethrower who could possibly pick up some saves this year.
P: Cla Meredith ($1) A reliever who had an ERA in the 1.00s deserves a buck anyday.
P: Ervin Santana ($1) This was an accidental pick. I ran out of time nominating a player, and got stuck with Santana. He isn't a bad starter, but I wanted another reliever.
P: Dan Wheeler ($1) Wheeler racks up K's and looks to be a lock for a sub-3.00 ERA.
I really liked how my team turned out. I have power at the weak-hitting spots(C, 2B, SS) and some high averages from a lot of the players. My pitching staff is cheap, but projects to be effective. Overall, this is a very young team, with potential breakout players all over the roster.
