Interesting Topic - Punting Average???

[Verminator]

Hey. I am in a 13 team NL only keeper league (Auction 4X4 excluding R and K).

I inherited a crud team last year but did finish 7th by some miracle. Our salary cap is $260 for the 23 starters. I tried to make some trades to enhance my positions for this year and have some "cheap" keepers including S Victorino at $11, D Uggla at $8, and M Reynolds at $2.

This year, Ryan Howard and Brandon Phillips become free agents and I have quite a bit of cash to spend (14 players, $13.50 average per player in budget). Given my current situation, do I dare go after Howard and Phillips and focus on power and speed and actually PUNT average in a 4x4 league??

If not, are there any players that you would recommend that can offset the damage that Uggla and Reynolds would do?? (Pujols won't likely be available... Ethier, Utley, ManRam, DLee, Berkman will likely be available.) With such low salaries, Uggla and Reynolds would also be good trade bait during the season.

Oh yeah... Mr. Chris B Young won't be available... maybe I could also trade for him during the season if I punt average!!!!!

Since this is an auction league and I have a cozy budget... I can actually acquire these players if I really want to!!

As always... feel free to post a link to your question.

[Eagle Baseball]

I would not go into a season with the intention of punting a catagory. I think it being a 4X4 vs a 5X5 makes punting even more risky.

[Tenacious D-Store]

For me personally BA is my most important offensive stat, and I do tend to draft power heavy, but I make sure that I take guys who can hit between .310 -.330 in early rounds, so that I can afford to take a beast like Dunn in the 5th or 6th. When you think about it 40 HR's and 100 RBI like he has produced like clock work for 4 straight seasons is a steal there, but people are scared to draft him because they take guys like Ryan Howard and Brandon Phillips early. I would never even consider punting BA, with a good batting average the other hitting stats just kinda fall in to place naturally.

[Kimbos Beard]

Punting is a risky stratergy to begin with but in a 4x4 league I just don't see it almost ever working.

[CadensDad]

I would not go into a season with the intention of punting a catagory. I think it being a 4X4 vs a 5X5 makes punting even more risky.

Very well said, you cant punt anything in 4 x 4

[Verminator]

Great points... esp Tenacious D-Store's. Average is a building block of other offensive categories. I can definitely see where you are all coming from and there should be average available in the auction this year.

[one ton]

Interesting, was just thinking about this for 5x5 and came upon this thread.

The only way I can see this working is in an auction, where you can load up on the Dunn's, Uggla's and Chris B. Young's of the world. Theoretically you'd be able to do well in all four other categories without paying a premium for BA.

Anyone ever try this? Would love to hear any experiences or thoughts...