So the first week is just about done and what a crazy week it was! Some teams doing well, others doing poorly, the rest just okay…so…you ready to give up yet? If so, don’t get caught up in the standings, not this early. Don’t do it! It’s only a week. It doesn’t matter. Truly. Doesn’t matter. I don’t like how the Yahoo! app shows what place my team is in in big bold letters. Don’t care. Don’t care that every pitcher on my team in the Razzball Writers League have given up a minimum of three runs, regardless of starting or relieving, and I’ve got 36 points there as of now. You think I’m sweating it? Heck no. Only can go up from here, know what I’m sayin’?
So I want to hit on a couple things this week; first off, those who read last week’s column (thanks!) saw it was about my auction draft right before the season started. I actually had three drafts opening weekend; I never understand drafting more than two weeks out. Anyhoo, I had a whole plan, a well laid out plan, a simple plan even…and of course it was derailed early by top guys going for too cheap.
Kris Bryant went to me for $49 ($260 budget) and the Manny Machado to me for only $44. Entered a bidding war for Darvish and added him for $28, which was a bit higher than I wanted to spend, but I got Yu! Also Yelich ($28) and Wil Myers ($22). I went a bit crazy for the multi-position eligibility guys, but those guys allow for a lot of options and the flexibility to deal with injures.
If you’ve never done an auction league you need to. Try a mid-season one when they get closer even. Then tell me about it. I want to hear about your team after you just read about my team. I loved the auction. It got long at times, as it does, but it’s fun getting into a bidding war, and to bid someone up you don’t want but you know another guy does. I learned (again) that I can’t stick to a plan. I really wanted to…but once Bryant went that cheap and then Machado I knew what I had to do; being flexible in an auction is necessary. Of the guys I planned to draft, I wound up with Cespedes for $2 less; Schoop for $1, Tomas for $4, Russell for $6 and Healy for $6; so I filled out my roster mainly with the guys I planned.
There was talk in the comments last week that Healy would go for more than the $5 I budgeted; he went late in the draft, and that is usually where deals can be found (and at the beginning, hence Bryant and Machado). I was prepared to go more on him, as I had a little extra toward the end. I’m all about Healy this year; he’s already hitting homers, and I want him and Khris Davis to bring back the bash brothers with this poster sans the steroids.
Unfortunately I doubt Healy or Davis is coming cheap right now; rather look at Josh Bell (Yahoo! 37% owned, ESPN 17%) if you need some help soon as I get the feeling he’s going to bust out sooner rather than later. Or maybe later, in which case keep add him to that watchlist at least. He had an .850 OPS at AAA last season and a .946 the year before at AAA; he should have at least an .820 OPS this season. Gerardo Parra (21% Y!, 12% ESPN) is another guy I’m adding all over the place; Colorado is at home, he’s playing, etc., etc.
Whelp, I’m exhausted; these 12 hour days leading up to the tax deadline have been kicking my ass (yep, I’m an accountant, not The Accountant, which, when it came out, was an outing at my work and was so…cool?..no…fitting? yes) so this Sunday funday I’m going to sleep in, then get some lunch, followed by maxin’ and relaxin’ the day away and I suggest you do the same. Enjoy the weekend Razzballers & Razzballettes!
