I'm in a 13 team, mixed-league, non-keeper auction league. I'm thinking about going with a 72/28 percent hitter/pitcher split. I want to get one ACE (Pedro, Johnson, or Schilling), five more $1 starters, and 3 cheap setup men that could win closer jobs. This way I can load up on hitters and if I did my homework proper, should have a decent pitching staff. Need good, solid, constructive feedback on this.
If we're talking about roto, then I think you have a good plan. I wouldn't worry too much about sticking to your split, though - if it takes an extra dollar to land that ace, go ahead and spend it (ok, that was stating the obvious... ).
I'd also be a bit flexible with your relievers. While I wouldn't bid on the Smoltzes of this world with this strategy, landing an inexpensive closer might not be a bad idea, and wouldn't hurt your hitting budget too much.
With somewhere around 72% of your budget invested in bats, you'll be fielding a terrific lineup...
last year in a 10 team 5x5 mixed auction no-keepers:
i drafted 220 hitting, 40 pitching.
my offense was STACKED.
konerko, soriano, tejada,chavez, giambi and a rotating MI in the IF.
andruw, beltran, waker, preston, jd drew in the OF
2 cheap catchers.
my pitching did me in.
my "ace" was a cheap vazquez at 13.
i paid 15 for penny behind him because i wanted another decent pitcher.
penny was a disaster, vasquez had his worst season in years.
the rest of my staff? el duque, jeff suppan, erik hiljus, juan cruz, joel piniero and these two $1 acquisitons: ODALIS PEREZ AND ERIC GAGNE. i put 5 more pitchers on my reserve list since my offense wasnt gonna need any help, 4 busts and EDDIE GUARDADO.
i picked up Derrek Lee first week of the season, made an AWFUL mid-season trade.... giambi, odalis and suppan for lowe, percival and cc. (i REALLY thought odalis was gonna tank 2nd half) i didnt need giambis stats except ba. i wanted another closer to lock up saves. it didnt kill me, but it didnt help me, and i couldve gotten more for giambi.
i won HR, RBI, R, SB all pretty easily.
i finished 5th in batting average for 46 out of 50 offfensive points
i won SAVES. i actually finished 3rd in Ks and 4th in WHIP.
but my WINS and ERA were both awful. and i only got 30 pitching points.
because the bad teams in my league were awful, the team with the best pitching managed to finish right behind me in every hitting category and beat me 84 to 76. (i finished 2nd)
so to make this long answer short... you CAN win without drafting pithching. but you better be able to trust your ace 100% and you have to find at least THREE <$5 star pitchers. which isn't easy.
(the year before i wont the league with a 80 pitching staff that included maddux and schilling and $4 mulder and $1 sabathia)
I did the same thing with my pitching last year, drafting three setup guys that had a chance to become closers if injuries hit the bullpen (Romero, Dotel and Kyle Farnsworth). It didn't work. Although my starting rotation was decent, I only got 10 saves ALL YEAR and my hitters didn't pan out. Tough, tough season.
oat...thats the common mistake. the "cheap" closers arent setup men. theyre closers.
last year anyone paying close attention knew that gagne would close in LA. (unless they draft way too early, like many of the crazy people on this board have done) in my league, the closers of the devil rays, marlins, expos , brewers and rocker and guardado all went for $1 or in the R rounds.
i took 4 from that bunch and wound up with 2 studs and 2 duds, who i cut and then picked up FAs in those slots.
this year, look for closers from these teams:
sd, chc, mtl, fla, mil, bos and maybe others im missing
boston says theyll go comitte but that NEVER lasts. the bullpen LIKES to know their roles. its WAY early in spring training but i bet ryan rupe has a good shot of landing this.
sd has a good shot of producing this years eric gagne. if they dont make a trade, theres a decent chance of turning one of the kid starters into a closer (like peavy or tankersly)
fla has 2 choices looper or spooneybarger. draft both. assure yourself of a closer.
keep watching mtl, mil and chc to see what happens.
and if youre in a league, that like many expert leagues, COMPLETELY overpays for EVERY CLOSER and 1/2 closer. well , then you have no choice but to play along.
you wont get those guys for a buck. lackeygot too much post season exposure. sheets strikes out too many to go for that cheap and perez has been pretty hyped too. if you go with $1 pitchers, you're gonna have to dig deeper. i dont really like this strat, because you cuz if a few pitchers dont pan out, you spent alot on an Ace, and his stats are wasted, since you'll finish low in the pitching categories
who you get for $1 depends on your league.
i know in my personal league, we've somehow managed to stop paying for closers. its very odd and unusual i know. but it has happened.
some leagues over pay for hyped up kids, some leagues dont.
in my league the staff corey suggest would be cheap
35 for pedro maybe 5 dollar bids on perez and looper and the rest for 1-3 bucks.
maybe it's just me, but I think you need another reliable SP like a Mulder or a Maddux. I don't think you can win with that staff. Pedro will get you a lot, but there's not a whole lot of support especially if Lackey or Sheets is a bust this year (which I think one will be). I like Stewart and Looper, but if you can upgrade through trades I'd do it. Your hitting should be good, but remember that's only half the score.
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by BoneBoy » Fri Feb 28, 2003 10:16 pm 
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