El Guapo's Ghost Rambles on about the Red Sox

MY FANTASY BASEBALL AUCTION

My strategy was different than usual this year due to the high number of quality of multiple positions eligible players – Zobrist, Figgins, Lopez, Beckham – at scarce places around the diamond. The notion is value flexibility more than in years past for trades, injuries/free agent pickups and day-to-day match ups. The other offensive thought was to acquire the top speed over power players. Even though stolen bags are more plentiful than in years past, it concentrated in the top 10 unlike power. The A.L. has many 1B/OF/DH types that are projected to hit 20-30 bombs that could go undrafted. As for pitching, keeping Grienke and Feliz pushed me into a Santana type strategy or one stud + LIMA.
 
The other point of emphasis was to supplement my quantitative analysis with more qualitative information or scouting reports.  If more advanced baseball metrics was becoming more prevalent, then it would be likely that many of my competitors would be incorporating them into their strategies.  Hence, I needed to have more and/or better information to find undervalued players. 

League Parameters: $100 budget, eight team, 5x5 with OBP and HRA

Keepers:
Grienke - 19
Feliz – 2
Napoli – 5

Auctioned:
Zobrist – 11
Shields – 11
Beckham – 9
Hunter – 9
ARamirez – 6
RSoriano – 5
JLopez – 5
Pierre – 3
Niemann – 3
RDavis – 2
CPerez - 2

My hitting strategy went as planned. On the pitching side, I ventured and got Shields. He was not cheap, but more quality innings would allow me to take more chances later. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that opportunity. Yahoo crapped out on me at the end of the auction killed my shot at Fausto Carmona and Francisco Liriano - two targets due to my qualitative analysis – and gave me Niemann and RDavis.  Overall the auction went well except at the end, as yahoo $hit the bed and auto drafted unwanted players.
 
Post-script: I was able to trade JLopez and Niemann for Rios and Carmona.  This is a risky trade as both Rios and Carmona are trying to comeback from poor 2009 seasons.  But in a perfect world, Carmona would be a keeper at $4 pairing with Feliz to be my two front line starters costing only $7 compared to this season’s $30.  As for Rios, he completes my White Sox runners.  According to Buster Olney, Ozzie Guillen is going to run a lot this year so many Other Sox projections are probably light on stolen bases and undervalue Rios, Pierre, Beckham, and ARamirez.  Konerko is not a runner; Quentin has a foot problem and the remaining Other Sox didn’t make it on my board.  I’m officially happy with my team.