TOUT WARS MIXED DRAFT:
Corbin Martin’s debut for the Astros was zeroed in on by several in this league. No solace that my bid of $123 was second to Tim McLeod’s winning bid of $149.
At the other end of the rookie spectrum I was surprised that J.P. Crawford went for only $8. He could easily work his way into an everyday role even after injured Mariners return.
There was a hefty market for players drafted in March who were in the free agent pile this week:Danny Duffy for $53 to Charlie WiegertAsdrubal Cabrera for $69 to Greg Ambrosius (dropping Carter Kieboom)Francisco Pena also $69 to Ambrosius.
There were also two teams that needed a catcher who went the $0 bid route to roster Travis d’Arnaud and Alex Avila. Any way to save a buck is worth a try. — Perry Van Hook
See all the bidding in Tout Mixed Draft.
TOUT MIXED AUCTION: Corbin Martin’s one walk nine strikeout performance on Sunday fired some Mixed Auction imaginations as well. Tim Heaney’s 154 bid won the day over Derek VanRiper’s $137.
Another C Martin, this one named Chris, drew a bid of $148 from Gene McCaffrey. Chris Martin saved a game this week for the Rangers, and could very well save some more.
Brent Hershey spent $81 on John Means, the Orioles starter who has impressed so far despite his lack of pedigree. Results are so much more important, as long as they last.
Bret Sayre went cheap, spending $1 each on Yordan Alvarez, who may get the call to Houston at any point (all he has to do is keep him active for week to put him on reserve) and Stephen Vogt, who has been hot. –Peter Kreutzer
See all the bidding in Tout Mixed Auction.
TOUT WARS AL: The two Martins were the big draws in Tout AL as well. Corbin went for $355 to Nando Di Fino, while Chris went to Howard Bender for $167. Bender coincidentally also spent $167 on Charlie Tilson, not a Martin but another guy whose first name starts with the letter C.
Jeff Erickson had the losing bid on Corbin, with $177. Doug Dennis’s $157 was the losing bid on Chris. Glenn Colton and Rick Wolf had second bid on Charlie, with $77.
Shed Long drew a $65 winning bid from Nando DiFino, which could prove savvy. I like Jason Collette’s $25 win on Jordan Luplow, who had a two homer game this week. –Peter Kreutzer
To see all the Tout Wars AL bids click here.
TOUT WARS HEAD TO HEAD: In the 12 team head to head league Clay Link picked up Corbin Martin for $66, besting Jake Ciely’s $63 bid. Burn.
Andrea LaMont had the week’s big buy, with Matt Olson drawing a bid of $224. The penultimate bid there was Ralph Lifschitz’s $28, which means Olson wasn’t a bargain but could still prove to be one.
Other interesting bids were $64 to Lucas Giolita, who is getting a little hot, from Ian Kahn, and $55 to Charlie Tilson from Dr. Roto. There was no bidding on Chris Martin in this league, by the way. –Peter Kreutzer
To see all the Tout Wars Head to Head bids click here.
TOUT WARS NL: An oft disappointing player, one I picked as a sleeper this year, gets sent to the minors, kicks it into gear and is called up. A massive winning bid ensues. That’s the log line to The Mac Williamson Story, as written this week by Phil Hertz. On Netflix in August.
Phil was supposed to be writing these notes this week, but got held up at a Mothers Day dinner. Grey Albright’s $78 bid finished second.
Harold (not Hanley) Ramirez, newly signed in Miami, went for $111 to Andy Behrens. The bids for Williamson and Ramirez expose an NL desperate for hitters. –Peter Kreutzer
You can see all the Tout Wars NL bids by clicking here.
Good luck everyone.