Author: Todd Zola

Brian Walton from CreativeSports edged out Fantasy Alarm’s Rick Wolf to take down this week’s Tout Daily contest. Razzball’s Rudy Gamble finished in third.

Walton debunked a common DFS myth by using both pitchers in the Phillies-Rockies affair. Aaron Nola outdueled Jonathan Gray for the win, but with bother hurlers fanning ten, the points piled up. Walton got big nights from Joey Votto, Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers, but it was Cody Bellinger’s late-night heroics supplying his slim 1.6 point margin. Check out Brian’s week-winning roster below.

Brian’s big night propelled him to third in the Period 3 standings with Derek Carty still the leader, 12.35 points ahead of Bret Sayre. Bret is just 1.9 points in front of Brian. Next week should be exciting as it’s the final week of this period and five competitors are with 20 points of third place. Three more Golden Tickets to the Tout Daily Survivor Tournament Finals will be awarded after next week’s action.

Todd Zola remains the overall points leader in quest of a wild card entry into the finals. However, The Wolfman’s second place finish this week vaulted him into second overall, cutting Zola’s lead to a precarious 15.8 points. Clay Link dropped to third overall. Here’s the Leaderboard.

Make sure to check out our picks for next week’s contest Tuesday night, around 6 PM ET, 3 PM PT.

Here’s Brian’s roster:

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene)

Jon Gray: Jon Gray – High strikeout floor and always a decent chance to dominate outside of Coors.

Freddie Freeman: Freddie Freeman is expensive but about the surest bat to put up some points

Michael Rathburn (Rotowire, @FantasyRath)

Miles Mikolas: Milos Mikolas – Been a beast at home vs. weak SDP lineup

Max Muncy: Max Muncy – Riding that hot hand. vs BFBC

Lawr Michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels)

Eduardo Rodriguez: Boston takes on Baltimore, who are mediocre against lefties, hitting just .232 with 163 strikeouts.

Christian Yelich: Yelich has a sweet .410 OBP at home and goes against Tyler Chatwood — who has allowed 56 walks over 58 innings, and boasts a WHIP of 1.78 — meaning some phat pitches will be out there for the Brewers flychaser.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Miles Mikolas: As much as I like both Aaron Nola ($12,000) and Jonathan Gray ($8,000) tonight, but they face each other and my concern is the “who gets the win” factor. Miles Mikolas has been outstanding. In his last 10 games, he has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs 9 times.

Anthony Rizzo: Rizzo is good for at least an RBI tonight. He’s had at least 1 RBI in 8 straight games.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Jon Gray: Re-ran my numbers and have to go with Gray, Phillies highest K% vs. RHP

Travis Shaw: Usually don’t stack in Tout Daily, but I want all the Brewers. Chatwood needs 109.2 IP without a walk to lower BB/9 to 3.0.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella)

Clay Buchholz: I’m as surprised as you are. But Buchholz has pitched well since his first four starts as a Diamondback, and the peripherals have caught up to the ERA in his last two starts. The humidor has helped, and I’ll take Clay at home against a Pirates offense that has struggled away from PNC Park this season.

Aaron Judge: I’m not an xFIP believer, but if Tanner Roark’s low whiff rates against righties are going to catch up with him anywhere it will be at Yankee Stadium and against the Bombers’ formidable lineup. Judge is hardly a bargain but my non-ace strategy allows me to play a couple of big bats tonight.

Rob Leibowitz (Rotoheaven, @rob_leibowitz)

Foltynewicz and Gray: Chasing strikeouts with this combo.

Willy Adames: At $3,300 vs righty Jamie Garica at Toronto. Modest power/speed combo worth a try here.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Aaron Nola, CC Sabathia: I’m going to pay up for Nola, guessing he won’t be highly owned. Sabathia as a -165 favorite also appeals to me – he’s been much better at home.

Kris Bryant: Chase Anderson’s recent form has been pretty rough, and Bryant has some juicy BvP numbers against him. Plus all the focus is on Tyler Chat-would-prefer-not.

Clay Link (Rotowire, @claywlink)

CC Sabathia: This is largely a bet against Tanner Roark, who has been more susceptible against lefties and now goes into a park that boosts left-handed power. Roark also has almost as many walks as strikeouts in his last two starts.

Mike Moustakas: Sal Romano has given up at least one homer in 10 of his 13 starts. It seems like a good spot for Moustakas to break out of his little slide.

Rick Wolf (Fantasy Alarm, @RickWolf1)

Eduardo Rodriguez: Rodriguez has a 10.5 K/9 and the best RHH Manny Machado is 6 for 31 with ZERO RBI vs him. BAL bats .231 vs E-Rod and he has been really sharp and consistent with 4 straight 20+ DraftKings points performances.

Joey Votto: Joey Votto has been great in his last 10 games hitting .432. He has a .911 OPS vs Kennedy who is awful vs LHHs. Stacking Reds with Votto in the middle of that.

This week’s question is:

What are some of the mistakes you see made when managing fantasy teams?

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): The biggest mistake I see is trade analysis. Too often, the focus is on the involved players in a vacuum. The game isn’t played in a vacuum. It’s too bad, batted balls would travel really far, but things like breathing would be tough. Context is everything. Trade evaluation should be roster before versus roster after, with the focus on which offers greater points potential. It’s not my hitter for your pitcher, at least in terms of analysis. The analysis is my roster with the replacement for the hitter I’m losing plus your pitcher, less the one he replaces versus my current roster. Oh yeah, trades aren’t about winning or losing — they’re about both sides benefiting. The add-on to this is too many care only about winning a trade, not helping their team.

Derek VanRiper (Rotowire, @DerekVanRiper): Some idiot in the auction mixed Tout Wars league started Greg Bird over Miguel Andujar in his UT spot this week. In all seriousness though, I think we — all fantasy players, not just Touts — are making too many errors in the lineup setting process. I think it’s easy to get hooked on granular data, or to make what seem like toss-up decisions without a well-reasoned process, and we are probably losing more standings points than we even realize with the decisions we’re making each week.

Paul Sporer (Fangraphs, ESPN Fantasy Sports, @Sporer): Trying to find actionable information from every start definitely plagues the fantasy community. Mediocre pitcher throws a gem — wow, must get him everywhere!!; stud throws a dud — OH NO, IS HE DYING?? — The ebbs and flows of a season will shine a light on fifth starters several times a year and a cast a cloud over aces from time-to-time as well. Don’t assume something is markedly different because a single performance doesn’t match the season or career trend.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Know your league rules! Know how to operate/navigate your league website! These are so basic that it is embarrassing to even mention them. (and yet!) I think the biggest mistake is that owners go on tilt after a particularly bad week and make short-term moves that won’t pan out, long-term. Don’t forget the hot streak against a bad team is far less predictive than rolling projections. Caveat to that: playing time shifts.  If you see a playing time shift, that is going to matter to your counting stats. Finally, the 10-day DL is wreaking havoc with weekly lineups. It is frustrating for everyone, so all I can advise is have a reliable set of sources and stay on it as best you can.

Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, @Scott_Pianowski): Playing afraid. You can’t be paralyzed by fear. You can’t be afraid of being laughed at. If you think a move makes sense, trust yourself. If you never drop a player and later regret it, at some point in the season, you’re playing far too tentatively. Obviously I’m not saying you should do reckless things; don’t drop Paul Goldschmidt for some flavor of the week. But the fantasy owners I view as the biggest threats to win are those who are selectively aggressive. Better to swing and miss than to never swing at all.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): The biggest mistake I see people making is that they think if they aren’t doing something they aren’t doing anything. There are some folks who seemingly think that the person who makes the most moves a season wins. I receive questions from the same people nearly daily, all season long. They make a deal, and then two days later they are making another. They add a player, usually a rookie, give him a week, and then want to add the next guy called up. They have ADHD. Baseball isn’t a game that should be played in this manner, but many seemingly haven’t figured that out yet.

Lawr Michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels): Everything my comrades have noted rings true for me. And, in particular, the impatience of player success often boils down to performance. I remember dumping Sean Doolittle a few years back when he was just back from injury, and not yet re-established as the Oakland closer. He had even been pitching well, but got tattooed one particular Sunday and I needed to drop someone and that bad day from him meant a bad day all around. Dumb emotional response. So, try to abstract yourself from your moves: think about how they should work out, and ideally, what your path might be if things don’t work as anticipated. And, for sure, if your team is working well, it is easy to get complacent. Don’t!

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella): Too many fantasy managers swing for the fences with every trade offer. This manifests itself in two ways: 1) People think they have to get a clear “win” on every trade. This approach can work in a weaker league, where you can find at least 3-4 competitors who are perennial bottom feeders. But in a league like Tout, this approach makes little if any sense. 2) Too many offers begin with someone asking for the best or second best player on your roster. Sometimes a blockbuster makes sense, but frequently the best trades are the ones that involve a lesser player or players. The notion of moving Mike Trout for Justin Verlander is fun, but trades like this typically cause too much disruption and are robbing Peter to pay Paul. I find that fantasy managers who only make offers like this do so because they’re not paying close attention and/or are in too many other leagues and haven’t taken the time to look at my team’s roster or needs.

Todd Zola: All saves are not created equal. Relievers WHIP and ERA matter! An elite closer can earn one or two roto-points each in K, WHIP and ERA as compared to an average closer. That grows when comparing to a below-average closer. Of course, this is based on average standings. Your league may not have the same categorical distribution so there are some instances the difference is less than that. However, it can also be more so while it’s contextual, more often than not a better closer helps in more than just saves. Don’t pay for saves is viable, in certain formats. The deeper the league, the less applicable the mantra tends to be. It’s about supply and demand. The deeper the league, the fewer options avail themselves in season with a higher demand for their services. Sometimes, you end up with Bud Norris and look like a genius. Others, you get Tyler Clippard and feel like a fool.

Ron Shandler (RonShandler.com, @RonShandler): My biggest bugaboo has already been mentioned, but it’s important enough to repeat: Throwing darts with small sample sizes is maddening. This is not fantasy football.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): Giving up on players too soon and jumping on a hot player too soon. Paul Goldschmidt, as an example, is not going to hit .200 all year long, even with the humidor. And Nick Markakis is not going to end the year with a .330 batting average. Everyone has hot and cold streaks, and things will tend to average out unless there is a clear reason to think something has changed, such as playing hurt, etc.

Todd Zola: The balance between patience and aggressiveness play seems to be a common theme. Something to keep in mind is we all come from different backgrounds in terms of formats we play and disseminate info for. The shallower the league, and more frequent the transactions, the more the format lends itself to aggressive play. Note, there’s a difference between aggressive and reckless, but some here likely deem what many consider aggressive to be reckless. The most common league size is 10-team mixed. The majority of these permit daily moves. The advice apropos to this format is much different from a deeper mixed league with weekly moves, let alone AL or NL only. This is the main reason I feel the NFBC first got it right with 15-teams, to be followed by Tout and LABR. Educated churn is a big part of play with reckless abandon being punished. I feel 12-team leagues require taking a few more chances, on what some may consider too small a sample to act. There’s nothing wrong with playing the shallower formats – and there’s nothing wrong with not playing due to the churning nature. However, when we dole out advice, context is everything. There’s no one-size-fits-all dictum.

Rick Wolf (Fantasy Alarm, @RickWolf1): What mistakes haven’t I made? That is why we wrote down the SMART system. We need to keep ourselves in check on a set of rules. My biggest mistake is always over-valuing middle range starting pitching. When drafting, a player will come up early and I will overbid because I like him and then a better player will go for $2. Generally, I am too aggressive with moves in season. A good pitcher has 3 bad starts in April and I cut him. Then he wins six in a row. Everyone makes mistakes. Be self-compassionate so that you can not make the same mistake yet not second guess yourself the next time. Many times the result is the only thing that is bad. You went through your analysis and it all made sense. That is not a mistake. That is happenstance.

Justin Mason (Friends with Fantasy Benefits, Fangraphs, Fantasy Alarm, @JustinMasonFWFB): The most common mistake I see from people is complacency. Fantasy baseball is a long season and not being diligent in setting your lineups, making pickups, and examining the standings cost people leagues. If you are unable to stay on top of your team(s) then it will undoubtedly cost you from being as good as you can be. Especially as fantasy football preseason begins to ramp up, people inevitably let baseball take a backseat. This can be a good time for diligent baseball owners to make up ground just by staying on top of things.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): I saw wisdom in every previous post.

Jeff Zimmerman (Fangraphs and Fantrax, @jeffwzimmerman): Know your league rules. I should know as I am one of the biggest violator of this mistake. For example, I participated in Tout Wars for one and half seasons before I knew DL’ed players could be traded in for FAAB dollars. Additionally, I didn’t know injured players could be moved in-and-out of lineup mid-week. I should have known and now make corrections. My recommendation when joining a league, try to go over all the rules and note the most important ones (e.g. minimum innings pitched), especially ones related to the draft or auction. A month or so later, they should be reread again. By this point, an owner will understand 90% of the rules and can concentrate on the few they missed.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): Overreacting to small sample sizes, for both positive and negative results. On the flip side, remaining attached to/invested in players who you drafted/purchased at the beginning of the season – unless your league has caps on the number of transactions you can make during the course of a week or season, seeking out even marginal upgrades to your roster usually pays off over the course of a season.

Welcome to the weekly Tout Wars FAAB report, on its new home right here on the Tout Wars site. Each week, we’ll review the free agent acquisitions from all five leagues, with commentary from a league member, as well as yours truly. We changed the timing of the weekly run to 1 PM ET every Sunday, with the report posted later that afternoon so you’ll have time to digest and apply to your own leagues. In addition, I’ll be joining Lawr Michaels and Justin Mason on the Tout Wars Hour on the FNTSY Network every Sunday at 3:20 PM ET to discuss the results.

You can find the complete list of Tout Warriors here. Everyone starts with 1000 FAAB units, less any penalty incurred by finishing below a designated point in the standings. This is a means of keeping everyone motivated to keep playing all season long. The minimum bid is $0. FAAB units can be traded as well as rebated for players released off the DL.

The report will list all winning bids along with unsuccessful tries and contingencies. This provides the maximum level of information to help gauge interest on the players.

The American and National League only formats are 12-team leagues, as is the new points-based head to head league, The Mixed Auction and Draft each have 15 clubs. All the leagues have four reserves with an unlimited DL, expect the head to head league, which allows six reserves.

The headings above each league are links to publicly accessible sites where you can see standings, roster and a complete review of transactions. The initial auctions and drafts can be found here.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
JMFernandez, LAA	Seth Trachtman 212	Jason Collette 131	Larry Schechter 113
		Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 78	Mike Podhorzer 1
POrlando, KC	Larry Schechter 114	Vlad Sedler 12
BHardy, Det	Jason Collette 32	Jeff Erickson 25
STravis, Bos	Lawr Michaels 13	Vlad Sedler 12
CBassitt, Oak	Jason Collette 12
APruitt, TB	Jeff Erickson 7	Jason Collette 2
JRondon, CWS	Vlad Sedler 6
NFontana, LAA	Jason Collette 5
JLoaisiga, NYY	Seth Trachtman 2
RStanek, TB	Mike Podhorzer 0
DCastillo, TB	Mike Podhorzer 0
RGoins, KC	Mike Podhorzer 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
MHermosillo, LAA	Larry Schechter 31	Vlad Sedler 2
AWynns, Bal	Larry Schechter 16
MMorin, Sea	Jason Collette 2
TraThompson, CWS	Vlad Sedler 1
RTorreyes, NYY	Mike Podhorzer 0

Patrick Davitt’s Commentary

The big target of the week in Tout-AL was the Angels’ Jose Fernandez. Seth Trachtman landed the former Cuban star with a bid of 212 (1000 budget), almost a third of his remaining units. Fernandez also drew bids of 131 from Jason Collette, 113 from Larry Schechter, 78 from the Wolf-Colton team, 52 from Schechter in a separate move, and a token bid of 1 from Mike Podhorzer. The Angels called up Fernandez earlier this week after Shohei Ohtani was DLed. The Ohtani injury opens some DH opportunities for sore-footed 1B Albert Pujols, in turn opening some 1B opportunity for Fernandez, a perennial .300 hitter in Cuban baseball, who was OPSing over .900 in Triple-A at the time of his callup.

The other premium player was KC OF Paulo Orlando, bought by Schechter for 114, easily outpacing Vlad Sedler’s bid of 12. And if you need any evidence of how tough AL-only format is, ask yourself if there’s any other context in which Paulo Orlando could be described as a “premium player.” Orlando was recalled when the Royals traded CF Jon Jay to Arizona, and will take Jay’s spot on KC’s 23-dud roster (Mike Moustakas and Whit Merrifield excepted) . He figures to get a lot of Jay’s CF ABs and do little with them.

Despite missing out on Fernandez, Collette did make two successful bids, landing Blaine Hardy for 32, outbidding Erickson’s 25, and scooping Chris Bassitt for 12. Hardy looked sharp in a couple of wins last week, but looked more like, well, Blaine Hardy in a 6-inning, 5-ER stinker at Fenway Park. Bassitt was sent down moments after being rostered by Collette. Erickson spent 7 to score Austin Pruitt, who has a spot in what RotoWorld accurately called “the dystopia that is the Rays’ pitching rotation.”

Other non-zero bids: Lawr Michaels spent 13 on BOS perennial outlier Sam Travis; Trachtman rolled the dice on NYY pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga for 2, Collette snabbed Angels IF callup Nick Fontana for 5, and Sedler threw 6 in the direction of Chicago reliever Hector Rondon, to catch a share of all the saves to be had in the White Sox’ wins.

Zero-bids succeeded in getting TAM reliever/”opener” Ryne Stanek and reliever Diego Castillo, both going to Mike Podhorzer, who also spent nothing to acquire KC IF Ryan Goins, who will give Mike his money’s worth.

A few other players drew bids but didn’t get rostered because they were second or later choices. Most notable among these might be Michael Hermosilla, an Angel in the outfield in LA. He fetched a 31 bid from Schechter and a deuce from Sedler. Schechter also bid 16 on BAL C Austin Wynns as his fourth choice in a string of bids that started with the successful bid on Fernandez.

Patrick Davitt, Doug Dennis, Rob Leibowitz and Chris Liss sat out the week.

Todd’s Take

Jose Miguel Fernandez was one of Cuba’s best hitters before defecting from Cuba in late 2015. After toiling in the Dodgers system for a couple seasons, he was released last December. The Angels signed him to a minor league deal in January. The 30-year old infielder was crushing Triple-A, slashing .345/.412/.562. With Shohei Ohtani the hitter joining Ohtani the pitcher on the sideline, Fernandez has been picking up starts at first while Albert Pujols assumes the DH role. Obviously, being old for his level in a great hitting venue/league somewhat dampens Fernandez’s numbers but he’s still well worth the pickup.

Paulo Orlando’s early season woes paved the way for Jorge Soler to emerge. Now Orlando is back, replacing the departed Jon Jay in center. To his credit, Orlando went down to Triple-A Omaha and  responded well, slashing .300/.333/.500. He’s not the .792 OPS guy displayed in 2016, but he’s not the .527 version from last season. He’s somewhere in between. Where he settles is a crystal ball answer. That said, playing time is currency, especially in single league formats.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
JJay, Ari	Scott Wilderman 217	Phil Hertz 178	Mike Gianella 73
		Andy Behrens 69	Craig Mish 53
		Grey Albright 34	Derek Carty 9
JusMiller, Was	Andy Behrens 56	Phil Hertz 0
MStrahm, SD	Todd Zola 17	Phil Hertz 7
EFedde, Was	Phil Hertz 17	Craig Mish 9
JBlevins, NYM	Craig Mish 5
KAllard, Atl	Lenny Melnick 2
YHirano, Ari	Craig Mish 2	Andy Behrens 0
ZBorenstein, NYM	Craig Mish 1
RLopez, SD	Scott Wilderman 0
SRodriguez, Pit	Derek Carty 0	Phil Hertz 0
FPena, StL	Craig Mish 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
RMoronta, SF	Todd Zola 7
EGoeddel, LAD	Todd Zola 3
MTauchman, Col	Phil Hertz 1
WSmith, SF	Craig Mish 1
JBarnes, Mil	Todd Zola 0
MMayers, StL	Todd Zola 0
ABlandio, Cin	Derek Carty 0
YRivera, Mia	Derek Carty 0
DanJennings, Mil	Andy Behrens 0

Todd’s Commentary and Take

Scott Wilderman decided almost four months of Jay is better than waiting around at the trade deadline. The key will be how much playing time he gets once the walking wounded return. Jay will play against all righties until AJ Pollock and Steven Souza Jr. return. After that, it’s unclear since David Peralta already occupies a lefty platoon role.

There’s nothing available in terms of starting pitching. Instead, I opted for Matt Strahm in the event he gets another lengthy effort in a bullpen game. Phil Hertz and Lenny Melnick opted for a couple of minor league arms that could contribute later in the season. Fedde already made a spot start while the Braves have shown they’ll  promote their prospects in a season they’re showing signs of hanging in to the end.

MIXED LEAGUE AUCTION 

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
JProfar, Tex	Bret Sayre 112	Zach Steinhorn 78	Scott Swanay 34
		Scott Engel 2	Al Melchior 0
		Jeff Zimmerman 0
JSoria, CWS	Scott Engel 81	Al Melchior 62	Scott Pianowski 55
		Tim Heaney 46	Zach Steinhorn 42
		Scott Swanay 36	Ray Flowers 21
		Jeff Zimmerman 0
ACobb, Bal	Bret Sayre 71	Derek VanRiper 22	Fred Zinkie 13
HRondon, Hou	Tim Heaney 66	Scott Swanay 36	Derek VanRiper 22
		Ray Flowers 19	Tim McLeod 6
RGsellman, NYM	Scott Engel 46	Tim Heaney 46	Derek VanRiper 37
		Jeff Zimmerman 34	Ray Flowers 19
JBauers, TB	Tim McLeod 39	Tim Heaney 16	Al Melchior 12
SGaviglio, Tor	Scott Swanay 36	Scott Engel 6	Jeff Zimmerman 3
		Fred Zinkie 0
BHolt, Bos	Scott Swanay 28	Jeff Zimmerman 0
AnSuarez, SF	Derek VanRiper 27	Fred Zinkie 26
SWright, Bos	Fred Zinkie 26	Scott Pianowski 4	Scott Engel 4
JusMiller, Was	Scott Pianowski 25
KMarte, Ari	Derek VanRiper 22	Al Melchior 6	Jeff Zimmerman 0
BMcCarthy, Atl	Derek VanRiper 22
LBrinson, Mia	Ray Flowers 19	Tim Heaney 3
AniSanchez, Atl	Fred Zinkie 16	Scott Engel 2
JHicks, StL	Scott Pianowski 13	Tim Heaney 0
JKang, Pit	Tim Heaney 6
JPirela, SD	Jeff Zimmerman 4	Derek VanRiper 7
TKemp, Hou	Scott Engel 3
KMcCarthy, KC	Tim McLeod 2
DCovey, CWS	Al Melchior 1	Derek VanRiper 17	Scott Engel 15
SMiller, Ari	Jeff Zimmerman 1	Tim Heaney 36	Derek VanRiper 1
JIglesias, Det	Al Melchior 0	Jeff Zimmerman 0
GAllen, Cle	Al Melchior 0	Tim Heaney 3

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
CStratton, SF	Bret Sayre 51	Derek VanRiper 17	Fred Zinkie 6
KYates, SD	Tim Heaney 46	Scott Swanay 28	Jeff Zimmerman 3
		Derek VanRiper 1
PBlackburn, Oak	Scott Engel 5
JJay, Ari	Tim Heaney 3	Scott Engel 2
DTravis, Tor	Derek VanRiper 3	Jeff Zimmerman 0
JMFernandez, LAA	Jeff Zimmerman 1
YSanchez, CWS	Jeff Zimmerman 1
DCastillo, TB	Derek VanRiper 1
DWinkler, Atl	Derek VanRiper 1	Tim Heaney 0
CMoran, Pit	Tim Heaney 0
PSandoval, SF	Tim Heaney 0
SCishek, ChC	Tim Heaney 0
DSteckenrider, Mia	Jeff Zimmerman 0
JAdam, KC	Jeff Zimmerman 0
JWendle, TB	Jeff Zimmerman 0
RBleier, Bal	Jeff Zimmerman 0
WDifo, Was	Jeff Zimmerman 0

Jeff Zimmerman’s Commentary

What started out as a bland FAAB week turned into a trade fest sparked by a Ron Shandler rebuild. Ron has been at or near last place all season. A couple hours before our FAAB ran, he sent out an email putting his entire team on the block and offers must have come pouring in. I know I sent a few So far, he’s traded away Joey Votto, Carlos Gomez, Zack Godley, and Khris Davis in moves with Bret Sayre and Al Melchior. In return, he’s got Joc Pederson, Patrick Corbin, Luis Valbuena, Lance McCullers and C.J. Cron. Ron’s original team had a stars-and-scrubs approach. When a few of his stars turned into scrubs (Votto, Buxton, and DeJong), his offense struggled. He had many spots to fill, so he traded his stars to fill in some roster voids.

Ron’s strategy is a desperate move and I applaud him for it. His current approach isn’t working so he’s trying to get the pieces to be competitive. All teams should be making similar moves. I know I am. Currently, I have 69.5 of a possible 75 offensive points and have little room to move up. And then there is my pitching with where I’m between 12th and 14th place in Saves, WHIP, and ERA. I’ve been trying to move some hitting for pitching even to the point of offering Mike Trout. I’ve made a small move getting Josh Hader for Cesar Hernandez but if I’m going to make up the 20 points to first place, I’m going to need to make a significant move. At this point in the season, team’s need to come to grips with what they need to win (or finish in the money) and make it happen. Big changes, especially in mixed leagues, aren’t going to happen in last couple months.

As for the waiver wire moves, it was a standard week with owners filling their needs. Scott Engel took a chance on getting a few Saves by picking up both Joakim Soria and Robert Gsellman. Tim Heaney (with Jung-ho Kang) and I (with Andrew Miller) rolled the dice for a future return by accepting a big zero for this week since any new acquisition must be in this week’s starting lineup. While they will take up a spot, it was a chance to roster them and do so on the cheap ($6 for Kang and $1 for Miller). Besides Miller and Kang, owners may want to pick up the Jorge’s, Polanco and Bonifacio, before they return from their suspensions.

Todd’s Commentary and Take

Big thanks to Jeff for volunteering to help out with the Mixed Auction league the rest of the season. Jeff is a great player whose analysis is next level.

Let’s play rank the closers. The contestants are Joakim Soria, Robert Gsellman and Hector Rondon. If all you want are saves, Soria is likely to be the best option, though he’s a trade candidate. Gsellman could be the best pitcher of the trio, but it’s unclear if he’ll be used in the traditional closer role. The Astros continue to show a lack of trust in Giles. I have to believe they’ll be looking to finally solidify the ninth, especially since Charlie Morton is beginning to show cracks in the armor. Rondon isn’t the guy – that person probably isn’t in the organization.

MIXED LEAGUE DRAFT

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
HRondon, Hou	Scott White 38	Adam Ronis 24	Tom Kessenich 3
RGsellman, NYM	D.J. Short 35	Adam Ronis 12	Tom Kessenich 3
		Rudy Gamble 3
DCovey, CWS	Greg Ambrosius 21	Tom Kessenich 1
GoHernandez, SF	Gene McCaffrey 4	Tom Kessenich 1
JBauers, TB	Tom Kessenich 2	Ray Murphy 1
LBrinson, Mia	Rudy Gamble 2	Ray Murphy 1
AAltherr, Phi	Ray Murphy 1
DGerman, NYY	Tom Kessenich 1
MLeake, Sea	Tom Kessenich 1

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
SGaviglio, Tor	Greg Ambrosius 11
RGuzman, Tex	Tom Kessenich 2
DPalka, CWS	Rudy Gamble 2
AniSanchez, Atl	Tom Kessenich 1
CMoran, Pit	Tom Kessenich 1
TKemp, Hou	Tom Kessenich 1
AGordon, KC	Gene McCaffrey 0
JPirela, SD	Gene McCaffrey 0

Todd’s Commentary and Take

The mixed draft league also focused on closers. To be honest, there hasn’t been as much turnover at the spot this season as previous campaigns, forcing decent bids on those that do emerge. It’s just part and parcel to the saves game. Some want to eliminate it from our game, I’m still torn. Holds aren’t the answer but this is a story for another day.

Dylan Covey is an intriguing pickup. A few weeks ago on one of our Rotowire podcasts, Derek VanRiper pointed out Covey has been working with more velocity. Obviously, not everyone adding a tick or two to their heater becomes a new pitcher, but it gives us a reason to track those who do. Covey could still turn into a pumpkin. However, in today’s game, we need to pay attention and hope we choose wisely.

HEAD-TO-HEAD MIXED AUCTION

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
YMoncada, CWS	Jake Ciely 137	Jeff Mans 79	Dr. Roto 12
BHamilton, Cin	Jeff Mans 88
BHardy, Det	Justin Mason 65	Peter Kreutzer 8
CBuchholz, Ari	Justin Mason 55	Jake Ciely 47	Jeff Mans 16
		Michael Rathburn 12	Howard Bender 12
		Dr. Roto 10	Peter Kreutzer 7
		Paul Sporer 1
SGaviglio, Tor	Justin Mason 45	Andrea LaMont 18	Peter Kreutzer 14
		Jeff Mans 8	Paul Sporer 1
SWright, Bos	Justin Mason 45	Paul Sporer 24	Andrea LaMont 22
		Peter Kreutzer 14	Michael Rathburn 13
		Dr. Roto 10
MMuncy, LAD	Michael Rathburn 43	Dr. Roto 24	Howard Bender 18
		Andrea LaMont 18	Paul Sporer 11
JPederson, LAD	Jeff Mans 31	Andrea LaMont 31	Dr. Roto 10
		Michael Rathburn 7	Paul Sporer 6
		Howard Bender 6
DDescalso, Ari	Jeff Mans 27
JLyles, SD	Howard Bender 18	Paul Sporer 2
RGsellman, NYM	Jeff Mans 16	Andrea LaMont 3
KMarte, Ari	Howard Bender 12
JKipnis, Cle	Howard Bender 8	Jeff Mans 27
JVargas, NYM	Howard Bender 8
LGohara, Atl	Jake Ciely 7
DCovey, CWS	Peter Kreutzer 7
RGrichuk, Tor	Andrea LaMont 3	Paul Sporer 3
DDietrich, Mia	Paul Sporer 3	Jeff Mans 19
RTepera, Tor	Andrea LaMont 3
MMaldonado, LAA	Jeff Mans 1
APruitt, TB	Dr. Roto 1
TRichards, Mia	Paul Sporer 1

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
DFowler, StL	Jeff Mans 19
JHeyward, ChC	Jeff Mans 19
PBlackburn, Oak	Peter Kreutzer 7
JShields, CWS	Howard Bender 6	Jeff Mans 1
JPeraza, Cin	Jake Ciely 5
DHess, Bal	Peter Kreutzer 2
AAltherr, Phi	Jeff Mans 2
BSuter, Mil	Jeff Mans 2
JJay, Ari	Jeff Mans 2
YMunoz, StL	Jake Ciely 2
JHicks, StL	Paul Sporer 1
JMurphy, Ari	Jeff Mans 1
NHundley, SF	Jeff Mans 1
RMartin, Tor	Jeff Mans 1

Todd’s Take

This could be the first week the H2H league was the busiest. Part is the availability of some potential difference makers like Yoan Moncada and Billy Hamilton, some is owners like Jeff Mans taking stock of his team and filling holes while some is Justin Mason looking to take advantage of the limited two-start options this week by loading up on them.

Defending Tout Daily champion from Rotogrinders channeled Simple Minds, “Don’t you, forget about me” Tuesday night, crushing the field to take the lead halfway through Period 3 of Tout Daily. Carty’s mind is anything but simple as he’s the gray matter behind his MLB ad DFS projected system, appropriately called “The Bat.”

Second place was a dead heat between podcast host extraordinaires, Derek VanRiper from Rotowire and Patrick Davitt from BaseballHQ. VanRiper and Davitt overlapped with Max Scherzer and Jackie Bradley Jr., the other eight players were unique to each roster, yet still totaled exactly 125.45 points each.

Carty’s impressive 151.65 score was spurred by Max Scherzer’s 41 point effort. Jason Vargas only contributed 11.65 points, however his low salary allowed Carty to pay up for outfielders, where he crushed it with Khris Davis and J.D. Martinez, along with Andrew Benintendi. Check out Derek’s complete lineup below.

Following Carty in the quest for the three Golden Tickets on the line this period are VanRiper and USAToday’s Steve Gardner. Just 2.85 points separate the Dereks, with several still within shouting distance.

Todd Zola, Clay Link and Rick Wolf continue to hold down the top three overall points spots, with the overall leader after 20 weeks earning a wild card entry into the Tout Daily Survivor Finals.

Check out where your favorite Tout stands on the Leaderboard. Be sure to check out our weekly content:

• Sunday: Tout Wars FAAB Report
• Monday: ToutTable
• Tuesday: Tout Daily Picks
• Wednesday: Tout Daily Wrap-up

Here’s the week-winning lineup:

 

It’s the second week of the third period of Tout Daily with a very intriguing slate. There’s pitching choices at every price range. Here’s where the Touts are looking in quest of the Golden Ticket into the Survivor Tournament finals.

Lawr Michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels)

Max Scherzer: Thanks to the Maeda meltdown, I am in a hole, so the Scherzer/Corey Kluber dynamic duo is where I am looking to grab pitching points, meaning a bargain basement cluster of hitters. So be it.

Danny Valencia: Valencia is a personal fave on the low end and a guy who is just heating up (.333-0-2 his last 10 games, raising his season average to .287). Valencia, facing Jason Vargas (8.53 ERA, 1.86 WHIP) is begging for attention.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Max Scherzer: I have little room for error the next 3 weeks after the pitching implosion from Maeda last week. All in on both Max Scherzer ($13,300) and Corey Kluber ($12,600) tonight.

Jason Heyward: Heyward’s batting eye has significantly increased over the past 10 games. His salary is decent at only $3,200.

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene)

Joe Musgrove: A difficult slate, with many good SP options, but Joe Musgrove is a fine #2

Michael Conforto: Michael Conforto is a good bet to pop one at a cheap price.

Brian Walton (CreativeSports2, @B_Walton)

Max Scherzer: The big dog in Scherzer has to be atop everyone’s list tonight.

JD Martinez: I like the BoSox against Artie Lewicki of the Tigers in his second career start. Assuming J.D. Martinez’ back is OK, I look for the outfielder and his mates to have a big night.

Derek VanRiper (Rotowire, @DerekVanRiper)

Kyle Hendricks: Hendricks should fit as a cheaper SP1 or as a strong SP2 with a home matchup against the Phillies (below average against RHP, plenty of Ks).

Matt Carpenter: Jose Urena isn’t terrible, but he still doesn’t miss at ton of bats, and Carpenter is hitting .316/.381/.592 (.973) OPS over the last 19 games entering play Tuesday night.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Joe Musgrove: TOUGH slate. Great choices up top, but not much bang for the buck. I’m looking for a partner for Scherzer — leaning Musgrove, with Newcomb in the mix.

Trey Mancini: For the record, I’ve done fine with my pitching picks in the column but my hitting is like the Zola jinx. That said, leadoff vs. Vargas at 3.3K? Sign me up.

This week’s ToutTable features four sets of outfielders, all performing at similar levels through this point of the season.

Which from each pair of top-40 outfielders to date do you want for the rest of the season: Michael Brantley or Nick Markakis? Mitch Haniger or Odubel Herrera? Shin-Soo Choo or Matt Kemp? Toescar Hernandez or Mallex Smith?

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Brantley v. Markakis is strictly a health question as Brantley is offensively superior. As risk averse as I often am, I’d still go Brantley because he is projected to be vastly superior for the balance of the year–for example, a .354 wOBA over Markakis’s .324 per Steamer ROS.

Haniger versus Odubel Herrera is much much closer, with Haniger getting the slight offensive nod. But I’d go Herrera. His playing time seems more certain, he has an incremental steals advantage (per projections) and that outweighs the tiny offensive advantage that Haniger has. But this one is within rounding error and I wouldn’t fight back too much against folks going with Haniger.

Kemp v. Choo.  I have long long long been a Kemp buyer and he is performing for LA. But ROS, I’d still want Choo’s OBP and offensive superiority to Kemp’s bursts. Also, I don’t trust Kemp’s health as much, or his PT as a Dodger as much ROS.

Teoscar v. Mallex.  Both are not great OB guys.  Mallex is steals which *might* end up worth more. I don’t have a PT crystal ball for either guy. Depends completely on how badly I need steals, but I’ll pretend I don’t and go with the better offensive guy and that is Teoscar. But even that isn’t all that great.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): Brantley vs Markakis – at age 34, we know what Markakis is and even a stronger offensive year from him lacks excitement, whereas we know what Brantley can do when healthy, it’s just been that health that’s been elusive. He’s clearly a far superior option for as long as he remains off the DL.

Haniger vs Herrera – I prefer the upside of Haniger due to the power advantage and the occasional steal (he actually has one more steal than Herrera), plus his RBI+R total is likely to be greater.

Choo vs Kemp – Kemp won’t maintain a .400+ BABIP and that’s what has been driving his performance so far. Choo is doing what he always does and that’s as good as or better than a fortunate Kemp. Choo is the pick.

Rudy Gamble (Razzball, @RudyGamble): I thought I’d take our Razzball Trade Analyzer on a test drive to see on this one to see if I disagreed. I will use 15-team mixed $ value since that’s the Tout Mixed format. Here it goes. 1) Brantley ($22) over Markakis ($7). No-brainer. Brantley a little better in every way even with a slight injury discount b/c of his history. 2) Odubel ($13) over Haniger ($11). Much closer and could see deciding based on team balance. In vacuum, taking Odubel’s AVG + SB advantages over Haniger’s HRs, 3) Choo ($9) over Kemp (-$6). Maybe my system is too bearish on Kemp’s playing time. Still, I’m taking Choo without a doubt. 4) Teoscar ($4.90) over Mallex ($4.70). Wow, almost identical. I am taking Teoscar unless my team is absolutely desperate for speed as Teoscar comes with a heaping helping of upside.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): (1) Brantley. His body could wear down, and the power stroke will slow, but Markakis hasn’t really been an all-star caliber hitter in a decade. (2) I’ll favor Herrera. A bit more speed as well as a likely average gain. Also feel better about the health factor. (3) I’ll go with Kemp, but tough since he could pull up lame at any moment, and because logic dictates he has further to drop than Choo. (4) Smith for the speed. Hernandez hits it hard, but I could see him losing playing time due to his poor work of late.

Al Melchior (FNTSY Radio, @almelchiorbb): No question that I want Teoscar over Mallex. They rank similarly in Roto value as of now, but whereas Mallex looks pretty close to his ceiling, Teoscar could be performing much better. He’s top 5 in barrel rate and exit velocity on flies and liners and has a reasonable strikeout rate (22.3 percent), yet he’s batting just .247. I’m not surprised his xAvg is .269, and xStats says he should have three additional homers, too. His actual .259 Iso is more than legit.

Jeff Zimmerman (Fangraphs and Fantrax, @jeffwzimmerman): Brantley and it’s not even close for me. Brantley has more raw talent and historically better seasons. Even though he has a major injury history, I’ll always take the upside with hitters. Mitch Haniger or Odubel Herrera? This one is tough but in a vacuum, I like Herrera with the speed and nice home park. If my team really needed power, I lean Haniger. Shin-Soo Choo or Matt Kemp? As good as Choo has been this year, the Mariners always find a way to sit him. I’ll take Kemp unless I was in desperate need of OBP. Toescar Hernandez or Mallex Smith? This decision is straight up a power versus speed decision at this point in the season. Both have fantasy value but may have shaky playing time issues.

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): Markakis – don’t trust Brantley’s health; Odubel – better overall game; Kemp – I think being back in LA will keep him going all year; Teoscar – better upside methinks

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Brantley for higher upside, Markakis for steady production. I know, it’s a cop out. Brantley is really surprising me, more with power then health since he’s over the shoulder woes. Haniger’s batting average with runners on is abnormally high, but the rest is in line with skills, I’ll take him. Kemp’s a great story, but a BABIP north of .400 isn’t happening much longer. Give me Choo in what should be an improving Rangers lineup. Here’s another hedge – I think both Hernandez and Smith can keep up their current level, so it comes down to needs.

Welcome to the weekly Tout Wars FAAB report, on its new home right here on the Tout Wars site. Each week, we’ll review the free agent acquisitions from all five leagues, with commentary from a league member, as well as yours truly. We changed the timing of the weekly run to 1 PM ET every Sunday, with the report posted later that afternoon so you’ll have time to digest and apply to your own leagues. In addition, I’ll be joining Lawr Michaels and Justin Mason on the Tout Wars Hour on the FNTSY Network every Sunday at 3:20 PM ET to discuss the results.

You can find the complete list of Tout Warriors here. Everyone starts with 1000 FAAB units, less any penalty incurred by finishing below a designated point in the standings. This is a means of keeping everyone motivated to keep playing all season long. The minimum bid is $0. FAAB units can be traded as well as rebated for players released off the DL.

The report will list all winning bids along with unsuccessful tries and contingencies. This provides the maximum level of information to help gauge interest on the players.

The American and National League only formats are 12-team leagues, as is the new points-based head to head league, The Mixed Auction and Draft each have 15 clubs. All the leagues have four reserves with an unlimited DL, expect the head to head league, which allows six reserves.

The headings above each league are links to publicly accessible sites where you can see standings, roster and a complete review of transactions. The initial auctions and drafts can be found here.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
FMontas, Oak	Lawr Michaels 237	Vlad Sedler 79	Jeff Erickson 77
		Jason Collette 60	Chris Liss 54
		Rob Leibowitz 33	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2
RRodriguez, Det	Chris Liss 193	Seth Trachtman 25
RLaMarre, Min	Chris Liss 44	Seth Trachtman 20
MSkole, CWS	Jason Collette 31	Chris Liss 29	Seth Trachtman 0
LGiolito, CWS	Vlad Sedler 12
TFederowicz, Hou	Rob Leibowitz 0
JSucre, TB	Seth Trachtman 0	Rob Leibowitz 0
JAlvarez, LAA	Seth Trachtman 0
LTrivino, Oak	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0
SWright, Bos	Chris Liss 0
CBYoung, LAA	Seth Trachtman 0	Chris Liss 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
BHardy, Det	Vlad Sedler 12
ACole, NYY	Vlad Sedler 7
RElias, Sea	Vlad Sedler 3
RoPerez, Cle	Seth Trachtman 0	Rob Leibowitz 0
AAlmonte, KC	Seth Trachtman 0	Chris Liss 0
JBriceno, LAA	Seth Trachtman 0
JChavez, Tex	Seth Trachtman 0
TraThompson, CWS	Seth Trachtman 0
KCowart, LAA	Chris Liss 0

Todd’s Take

Despite exhibiting decent control on the farm, when Montas pitches from an MLB mound, the walks have piled up – until this season. It’s only two starts, but with the dearth of available starters and Montas’ favorable home park and sneakily productive offense, two starts was enough for over half the league to place a bid on the A’s 25-year old righty. Trust me, getting more than half of a league to agree on anything is a chore. Lawr Michaels read the room correctly in terms of interest so an aggressive bid is understandable. Perhaps it’s rationalization, but whenever I overbid on a player, my Pavlovian response is my bid was proper, everyone else underbid.

The next two players were batters, both now on the roster of Chris Liss. Ronny Rodriguez is a stealth pick-up, not only because the Tigers have eight games this week, but also due to his slashing .318/.341/.540 for Triple-A Toledo. The rebuilding Tigers have nothing to lose by giving Rodriguez a long look, having  spent the first two months watching Dixon Machado. Rodriguez is exactly the type of player you want to go after if you aren’t going to have the hammer at the July 31 trade deadline. Ryan LaMarre is a journeyman fly-chaser, currently getting the majority of the playing time while Byron Buxton’s toe heals. Liss has Buxton, helping to explain the aggressive bid.

The under-the-radar pick-up goes to Seth Trachtman with veteran Chris Young. Kole Calhoun and his .374 OPS are on the DL, clearing some extra playing time for Young.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
BValera, LAD	Todd Zola 43	Mike Gianella 0
HRamirez, FA	Andy Behrens 26
MLorenzen, Cin	Todd Zola 17
DRodriguez, SF	Todd Zola 13
DSantana, LAD	Grey Albright 11
DCozens, Phi	Andy Behrens 4	Tristan H. Cockcroft 4
ESogard, Mil	Mike Gianella 4	Todd Zola 33
VArano, Phi	Lenny Melnick 2
GHolland, StL	Lenny Melnick 2
CCasali, Cin	Andy Behrens 1	Steve Gardner 0	Scott Wilderman 0
ADean, Mia	Craig Mish 1
SCishek, ChC	Andy Behrens 0	Grey Albright 2
LGuillorme, NYM	Derek Carty 0	Mike Gianella 0
EDiaz, Pit	Scott Wilderman 0	Steve Gardner 0
ACimber, SD	Scott Wilderman 0	Todd Zola 13
JVargas, NYM	Derek Carty 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
YRivera, Mia	Todd Zola 17
JBarnes, Mil	Todd Zola 13
JCastillo, SD	Todd Zola 13
JusMiller, Was	Todd Zola 13
MStrahm, SD	Todd Zola 13
PSewald, NYM	Todd Zola 13
RRosario, ChC	Todd Zola 13
TWilliams, Mil	Todd Zola 13
ESantana, Pit	Todd Zola 7
SRodriguez, Pit	Mike Gianella 4	Andy Behrens 1
ABlandio, Cin	Mike Gianella 2
BRodgers, Col	Andy Behrens 1
JMathis, Ari	Andy Behrens 1
ASanchez, Was	Mike Gianella 0
JLobaton, NYM	Andy Behrens 0
JValentin, Phi	Mike Gianella 0
MAlbers, Mil	Lenny Melnick 0
MSzczur, SD	Andy Behrens 0
SKieboom, Was	Andy Behrens 0
YHirano, Ari	Andy Behrens 0

Todd’s Commentary and Take

I submitted the high bid this week, looking to upgrade the anemic Daniel Castro. There’s nothing special about Valera other than I need at bats and he’s playing a little, forcing Logan Forsythe to the bench.

Andy Behrens from Yahoo! took advantage of a rules proviso allowing bidding on anyone not on the 40-man roster of the American League, making a player for free agent Hanley Ramirez. Most feel Ramirez will land in the AL, but perhaps the Rockies will turn to a Ryan McMahon/Ramirez platoon at first. Andy needs to keep Ramirez active this week, getting his stats if he signs in the NL. If he signs in the AL, Ramirez is an immediate drop. It’s a chance worth taking if rules allow.

I made a trade this week, dealing one of my three closers, Brandon Morrow, for the under-producing Gregory Polanco. I lost David Dahl, so Polanco ostensibly replaces him. I still have Brad Boxberger and Arodys Vizcaino and desperately need starting pitching with Taijuan Walker out for the season and Robbie Ray and Kyle Davies both out. The current plan is to rack up a few more saves, then put them both on the market, perhaps dealing both to the same team so they can make a real move in the category. The risk is one, or both losing their job, more of a concern with Vizcaino than Boxberger.

MIXED LEAGUE AUCTION 

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
NWilliams, Phi	Bret Sayre 67	Tim Heaney 46	Derek VanRiper 33
		Al Melchior 23	Fred Zinkie 7
		Zach Steinhorn 3
YMunoz, StL	Bret Sayre 63	Fred Zinkie 23
DDescalso, Ari	Al Melchior 55	Bret Sayre 45	Derek VanRiper 22
		Scott Engel 5
HBader, StL	Scott Engel 55	Zach Steinhorn 18	Al Melchior 13
		Fred Zinkie 7
BHardy, Det	Al Melchior 41	Scott Engel 12
FMontas, Oak	Tim McLeod 37	Brent Hershey 31	Fred Zinkie 22
		Scott Engel 22	Jeff Zimmerman 14
		Derek VanRiper 3
TMahle, Cin	Brent Hershey 32
JJones, Det	Al Melchior 23
MMontgomery, ChC	Scott Engel 22	Derek VanRiper 22
GoHernandez, SF	Fred Zinkie 21
JField, TB	Zach Steinhorn 18	Al Melchior 23
KCrick, Pit	Jeff Zimmerman 4	Al Melchior 0
CBuchholz, Ari	Scott Engel 4	Scott Engel 3	Fred Zinkie 2
		Tim McLeod 1
JJimenez, Det	Al Melchior 0	Tim McLeod 3	Fred Zinkie 0
CMcHugh, Hou	Fred Zinkie 0
JKelly, Bos	Fred Zinkie 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
GAllen, Cle	Al Melchior 13
JJay, KC	Al Melchior 13
SPiscotty, Oak	Zach Steinhorn 13	Al Melchior 13
TKemp, Hou	Al Melchior 13
RGsellman, NYM	Scott Engel 7	Scott Engel 4	Tim McLeod 2
DCozens, Phi	Scott Engel 5
KMarte, Ari	Bret Sayre 5
JPirela, SD	Jeff Zimmerman 4
BGamel, Sea	Zach Steinhorn 3
RGrossman, Min	Zach Steinhorn 3
DSteckenrider, Mia	Scott Engel 2
JJeffress, Mil	Scott Engel 0
JLeclerc, Tex	Al Melchior 0
KYates, SD	Fred Zinkie 0
MAndriese, TB	Fred Zinkie 0
MBarnes, Bos	Fred Zinkie 0
PTucker, Atl	Al Melchior 0
SGaviglio, Tor	Al Melchior 0
TScott, Bal	Al Melchior 0

Jeff Zimmerman’s Commentary

The overall available waiver options were weak this week. Usually, just two player types cause heavy bidding, new closers and unexpected rookie call-ups, and neither happened this week. Additionally, the available two-start pitchers’ group was headlined by Frankie Montas who went to Tim McLeod for just $37. The highest bid was $67 by Bret Sayre for Nick Williams. Last week, four players went over $67.

One player who has caught my attention, especially in deeper leagues, is the Cardinals Yairo Munoz. The 23-year-old infielder was hitting .287/.330/.436 with 11 home runs in Triple-A. He’s continued the hot streak and is clobbering MLB’s juice ball for a .296/.345/.444 triple slash helped by a .412 BABIP. Owners aren’t buying him for his AVG/OBP, even though it helps, but for his power and speed (22 stolen bases last year). It’ll be interesting to see how his playing adjusts once Paul DeJong returns from the DL.

My only addition was the Pirates setup man Kyle Crick. I’m the Felipe Vazquez owner and can’t afford to lose a Save source since I’m down at 13th place in the category. My other two Save options, Hunter Strickland and Ryan Tepera, don’t have their roles secured. Crick is insurance if Vazquez continues to struggle.

Todd’s Take

Felipe Vazquez presents a conundrum for his fantasy managers. A week ago, he left a game with soreness, going so far as to say he heard a pop. Vazquez then pitched Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The first two appearances went fine, with Vazquez snaring a save in the second. The last outing was a disaster, prompting a mad rush to pick up Edgar Santana and Kyle Crick, with Crick being the preferred option. Of course, Vazquez has been given a vote of confidence by management. If this were just a blip, I’d be less concerned but I’m not convinced there isn’t an injury in play.

MIXED LEAGUE DRAFT

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
JJimenez, Det	Gene McCaffrey 173
RTepera, Tor	Ray Murphy 98
ARosario, NYM	Ray Murphy 32	Adam Ronis 8	D.J. Short 5
MMuncy, LAD	D.J. Short 25	Perry Van Hook 11	Charlie Wiegert 7
		Adam Ronis 3
IKinerFalefa, Tex	Anthony Perri 23
FMontas, Oak	Anthony Perri 23	Tim McCullough 22	Charlie Wiegert 14
		Tom Kessenich 7
JUrena, Mia	Perry Van Hook 17
YMunoz, StL	Adam Ronis 17	Charlie Wiegert 7
MMontgomery, ChC	Jeff Boggis 16	Tim McCullough 16	Tom Kessenich 7
		Scott White 0
DDietrich, Mia	Charlie Wiegert 14	Perry Van Hook 7
JMurphy, Ari	Adam Ronis 13
SPiscotty, Oak	Ray Murphy 12
NEovaldi, TB	Charlie Wiegert 12	Tim McCullough 12	Anthony Perri 9
BHolt, Bos	Perry Van Hook 7
WAdames, TB	Scott White 6
BKeller, KC	Tom Kessenich 5
CBuchholz, Ari	Charlie Wiegert 5	Tim McCullough 1
JSoria, CWS	Perry Van Hook 2
BMcCarthy, Atl	Greg Ambrosius 2	Charlie Wiegert 3

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
HBader, StL	D.J. Short 25	Adam Ronis 8
JPirela, SD	Anthony Perri 12
CMoran, Pit	Charlie Wiegert 7
MLeake, Sea	Charlie Wiegert 7	Perry Van Hook 2
BHardy, Det	Charlie Wiegert 5
CStratton, SF	Charlie Wiegert 5
DHess, Bal	Charlie Wiegert 5
JHammel, KC	Charlie Wiegert 5
DGerman, NYY	Charlie Wiegert 3
JAlfaro, Phi	Adam Ronis 3
KMarte, Ari	Anthony Perri 2	Scott White 0
SLugo, NYM	Perry Van Hook 2
JField, TB	Charlie Wiegert 1
JShields, CWS	Tom Kessenich 1
AGarrett, Cin	Scott White 0

Perry Van Hooks’ Commentary

While others spent far more for new closers du jour – Joe Jimenez, DET for $173 to Gene McCaffrey, and $98 for Ryan Tepera, TOR by Ray Murphy, my low budget option, Joakim Soria, CWS may get as many saves for $2. My objective was to add depth this week with low budget choices. IF Brock Holt gets half of the Pedroia at bats at second base, that will have been $7 well spent. And while I admit there were sexier pitchers to add this week, at least Jose Urena, MIA for $17 gets me two starts (hopefully).

Todd’s Take

Last season, it was Chris Taylor. This time around, there’s no way Max Muncy is for real, right? Maybe, but it looks like the Dodgers are intent on seeing if they’ve found gold twice. Muncy and Taylor are different type players with Taylor being more toolsy and Muncy having good plate skills with some latent power. The Dodgers have been playing Cody Bellinger in center, clearing first for Muncy. There’s no guarantee Muncy sticks, but that’s what we said about Taylor last season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD MIXED AUCTION

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER	WINNING BID
VGuerreroJr, Tor	Clay Link 83
IKinsler, LAA	Paul Sporer 77	Howard Bender 12
KMorales, Tor	Justin Mason 37
NEovaldi, TB	Justin Mason 33	Dr. Roto 14	Peter Kreutzer 13
		Michael Rathburn 6
NWilliams, Phi	Dr. Roto 33
HStrickland, SF	Justin Mason 17
NTropeano, LAA	Dr. Roto 14	Justin Mason 11	Howard Bender 8
		Peter Kreutzer 0
AnSuarez, SF	Clay Link 13
MFiers, Det	Peter Kreutzer 13
FMontas, Oak	Howard Bender 12	Dr. Roto 14	Michael Rathburn 6
		Peter Kreutzer 3
GParra, Col	Michael Rathburn 8
BAnderson, Mia	Howard Bender 8
JUrena, Mia	Justin Mason 8	Michael Rathburn 5	Peter Kreutzer 0
MMontgomery, ChC	Michael Rathburn 7
DMesoraco, NYM	Stephania Bell 7
JLyles, SD	Peter Kreutzer 7	Justin Mason 0
BKeller, KC	Michael Rathburn 5
WLeBlanc, Sea	Peter Kreutzer 5
ADeSclafani, Cin	Michael Rathburn 4
MStassi, Hou	Michael Rathburn 3

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
MMuncy, LAD	Justin Mason 37
GAllen, Cle	Dr. Roto 12
DPomeranz, Bos	Justin Mason 7
SRomano, Cin	Justin Mason 7
BSuter, Mil	Dr. Roto 4
SGaviglio, Tor	Peter Kreutzer 3
MEstrada, Tor	Michael Rathburn 3
FRodney, Min	Clay Link 2	Justin Mason 0
LValbuena, LAA	Justin Mason 2
DDietrich, Mia	Howard Bender 2
LMaile, Tor	Stephania Bell 1
CMoran, Pit	Justin Mason 1
DWinkler, Atl	Justin Mason 1
ZBritton, Bal	Howard Bender 1
NJones, CWS	Clay Link 1
BMiller, TB	Justin Mason 0
JDDavis, Hou	Justin Mason 0
PSandoval, SF	Justin Mason 0

Todd’s Take

Rotowire’s Clay Link is hoping the Jays give the fans what they want and call up Vlad Jr. It’s a risk, especially since Clay is in first, but he must have the confidence be can compete this week down a roster spot. Justin Mason, his opponent this period is aware and hopes to take advantage. It should be an interesting cat and mouse game this week.

Don’t look now but early season disappointment Ian Kinsler is on a heater, posting a 1.324 OPS the past week, featuring three homers. On a personal note, I’d like to apologize to my niece for suggesting she drop Kinsler last weekend. My Uncle of the Year status is in serious jeopardy.