You can see the whole standings, with category breakdowns at onRoto.com.
Although it’s hard to parse, a gander at the Transactions All Teams By Period might astound. A total of 187 players have been traded in this league. In the similarly configured Tout Mixed Draft, a total of six players have been dealt.
Everybody is looking for an edge. They will need it.
This morning Scott Pianowski messaged the Mixed Auction league:
Just a reminder, my entire roster is in play at any time. Not just the scrubs I’m going to cut. Not just the obvious sell-high guys, or players at a position I’m deep in. I’ll trade anyone (or FAAB) at any time.
Sometimes, just for fun. This is supposed to be fun, right?
– pianow
Fred Zinkie, likely the world’s most prolific and successful trader (and Ontario native), replied:
You now have me totally focused on getting Donaldson! It’ll bug me every time I watch the Jays. I just have to figure out how…..
RE: AL Tout – I was surprised at how pricey the early hitters were. I was also surprised at how many young and talented arms went in the single digits.
Saturday March 19, 2016 3:14 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
Pricing is typically high out of the gate in all of these drafts. The younger pitchers have as much upside as they do risks, but Tiers 1 & 2 went high so that deflated prices downstream
Jason Collette
3:16
Jason Collette:
and we’re off!
Saturday March 19, 2016 3:16 Jason Collette
3:17
Jason Collette:
defending champ opens up the draft by offering a trade. Kershaw goes for $38 to DVR which is the same price he went for in NL LABR. Then, we get crickets on Andre Ethier at $2 to the mixed newbie Bret Sayre
Saturday March 19, 2016 3:17 Jason Collette
3:17
Jason Collette:
track the closer market: Ramos $12 to Swanay
Saturday March 19, 2016 3:17 Jason Collette
3:18
Jason Collette:
DVR buys Goldschmidt for $47 — he won this league 2 years ago rostering Kershaw, Goldy & Trout. He’s trying it again but gave up on Harper when Scott Engel went to $48
Saturday March 19, 2016 3:18 Jason Collette
3:19
Jason Collette:
AL Cy Young winner Carlos Carrasco goes for $22 to Tim Heheheheaney
Buster Moves Posey $30 to Al Melchior. Yes, the auction is going this quickly. Erickson is the Kevin Kiermaier of auctioneers. DVR doubles down with pitchers and gets Scherzer for $38 giving him both Kershaw and Scherzer. Trout goes to Sayre for $46
Why, beside Jonah’s adoration, did you have T Walker targeted? (maybe repost the Periscope link, too)
Saturday March 19, 2016 4:00 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
Walker has fewer than 250 innings at the big league level and has been rushed up & yo-yoed. He’s adding a 2-seamer & re-working his changeup and I liked what I saw of him last year. I believe I got Jonah on board with TW late last year
Jason Collette
4:00
Jason Collette:
Cody Allen at $14 to Zinkie (again, deal) and Odor goes $18
Big Fowler fan in OBP leagues. At the top of that lineup. $14 #ToutWars
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:07 Brent Hershey
Jason Collette:
I said $9…I had it wrong
Jason Collette
5:07
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
RE; Boxberger. Maybe there will come a day when we’ll play Fantasy MD. Like a new Ulnar is 2 points. A shoulder is 5 points. etc. James Andrews would be the Mike Trout.
The Sox OF looks way better with Eaton at a corner position.
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:10 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
yea, he’s not a CF but his arm is LF material. Will Smith $4 — like that a lot
Jason Collette
5:10
Jason Collette:
Wieters $7
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:10 Jason Collette
5:11
Jason Collette:
Kemp $16
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:11 Jason Collette
5:11
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Al knows pitching.
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:11 Craig in Chi
5:12
Jason Collette:
Yelich $21. I know it’s an OBP league, but all of those grounders and oppo hits aren’t becoming homers . Doolittle goes $6
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:12 Jason Collette
5:12
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Yelich or Polanco?
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:12 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
at their prices? Polanco
Jason Collette
5:14
Jason Collette:
Flowers gets Betances for $7 as predicted earlier. He did it in AL, but spending $17 on 2 relievers to get a solid starter of production isn’t as necessary in a mixed league IMO
McHugh for $4? I knew there would be a lot of value to be had later in the auction with how money was flying off the board early. #ToutWars
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:54 Brad Ebert
Jason Collette:
if he could ever avoid the huge 1st inning, it would be great
Jason Collette
5:55
Jason Collette:
Severino goes $7
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:55 Jason Collette
5:55
Jason Collette:
Chris Carter $6 looks like we’re about 75% of the way through
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:55 Jason Collette
5:56
Jason Collette:
Vogt $9
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:56 Jason Collette
5:56
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Is there an innings limit on Severino?
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:56 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
I think he’s good for 170-175
Jason Collette
5:56
[Comment From PendyPendy: ]
I doubted it early, but starting to like how Nando’s team is coming together.
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:56 Pendy
5:57
Jason Collette:
David Hernandez $2 . Engel has 3 closers, Cishek, Hernandez, & Grilli, for $9 in all
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:57 Jason Collette
5:57
Jason Collette:
Cory goes and gets Forsythe for $10 (we both planned to roster him but I failed). Trumbo also goes $10
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:57 Jason Collette
5:58
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
@Pendy – Nando. Is. The. Man. 🙂
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:58 Craig in Chi
5:58
Jason Collette:
Khris Davis $5.Park factors overrated when you Krush a lot
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:58 Jason Collette
5:59
Jason Collette:
Wei-Yin Chen for $5. Getting out of Baltimore is the best thing that could have happened to him. Brad Miller goes $9 and that upsets a few others in the room hoping to get him cheaper
Saturday March 19, 2016 5:59 Jason Collette
6:00
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Love K Davis. Is there an .800 OPS guy that gets less respect?
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:00 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
not many
Jason Collette
6:00
[Comment From PendyPendy: ]
I am a huge Nando fan.
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:00 Pendy
6:01
Jason Collette:
Teheran for $6
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:01 Jason Collette
6:01
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Nando 2016. “He can bring the country together!”
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:01 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
with beer
Jason Collette
6:02
Jason Collette:
Buxton went $8. Starlin Castro went $7
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:02 Jason Collette
6:02
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Nando gives out cups, not hats. (A factual difference between him and Trump)
Nando has always been on the “Bauer bandwagon”. I bet he grabs him.
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:26 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
he just bought Heaney for $5
Jason Collette
6:27
Jason Collette:
Karns $2 — my boy
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:27 Jason Collette
6:28
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
Love Domingo for $6. Nando crushed it!
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:28 Craig in Chi
6:29
Jason Collette:
No Bauer for Nando as his staff is full
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:29 Jason Collette
6:30
[Comment From Craig in ChiCraig in Chi: ]
I’ll leave it, with you describing Nando’s full staff. #giggle
Saturday March 19, 2016 6:30 Craig in Chi
Jason Collette:
it’s engorged with talent
Jason Collette
6:33
Jason Collette:
ok kids. Dollar days so track the spreadsheet for the finals. NL is tomorrow at 10 and it’s going to be uuuuuuugly with thin talent. Talk with you then.
Where will the best and brightest fantasy baseball writers and broadcasters be this weekend?
Many will be in New York City, for the annual Tout Wars weekend of drafts and parties.
This year’s drafts are being held in the studio at SiriusXM and aren’t open for the public, but you can follow along live on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel, and on the live blog and spreadsheet at toutwars.com.
When are the drafts? Where and when are the parties?
The SCHEDULE:
Tout H2H: March 18, 7pm. Doors open at 6pm. Ron Shandler is auctioneer. Joe Pisapia has the spreadsheet. Mike Gianella is on chat.
Tout AL: March 19, 9am. Doors open at 8am. Brian Feldman is auctioneer. Paul Sporer is on spreadsheet. Al Melchior is doing chat.
Tout Mix Auction: March 19, 3pm. Doors open at 2pm. Jeff Erickson is auctioneer. Ray Murphy has the spreadsheet. Jason Collette is on chat.
Foley’s NY Party: March 19, 8pm. 18 West 33rd Street. Party with the pros!
Tout NL Auction: March 20, 10am. Doors open at 9am. Brian Feldman is the auctioneer. Steve Moyer is on spreadsheet. Jason Collette will chat.
For the third time in five years, Fred Zinkie heads into a Tout Wars Mixed Auction throwing out the first nomination. He hasn’t shown quite the same dominance in the even-numbered years as he has in the odd. Could that open up some opportunity?
Newcomers to Tout Mixed Auction, Bret Sayre (won Tout X last year), and Gene McCaffrey, from the NL league, hope to make a difference.
Players are listed in the order they will choose in the reserve draft after the auction. The numbers in parentheses are the amount of FAAB each team starts the season with.
2016 Tout Wars MIXED AUCTION
Fred Zinkie (1000) 2011, 2013, 2015 Mixed Auction Champion Bret Sayre (1000) 2015 Tout X Champion Scott Swanay (1000) Tim Heaney (1000) won coin flip Zach Steinhorn (1000) Cory Schwartz (1000) 2012 Mixed Auction Champion Scott Pianowski (1000) Ray Flowers (1000) Scott Engel (1000) Gene McCaffrey (960) 2001 NL Champion, Transfer from NL Al Melchior (910) David Gonos (890) 2008 Mixed Auction Champion Joe Pisapia (890) Derek VanRiper (840) 2014 Mixed Auction Champion Nando DiFino (720)
There are three days left in the season. Three games left for each major league team, though a massive storm plus a possible hurricane in the east may affect games in Baltimore (versus Yankees), Philadelphia (versus Miami) and New York (versus Washington). None of these series will matter in determining the playoffs, so rainouts on Sunday (or Saturday and Sunday) may not be rescheduled.
How are things looking in Tout Wars? Let’s start with the easy ones.
AL: Chris Liss leads Mike Podhorzer by 8.5 points. Liss’s volatility index gives him a range of 86-97 points. Podhorzer could finish with 79-88. The door is not completely shut, but everything has to go right for Podhorzer and completely wrong for Liss.
NL: Mike Gianella leads Tristan Cockcroft by 11 points. Gianella range is 87-95.5, while Cockcroft’s is 75-86. There is virtually no chance that Cockcroft can make up enough ground, no matter how badly Gianella’s team goes.
Mix Auction: Fred Zinkie leads Scott Swanay by 4 points, and Tim Heaney by 6. It’s good be Zinkie, for sure, but there are still lots of points in play. Zinkie has already gained three points in homers this week, but lost them in Runs, OBP, ERA and Saves, and is tied in Runs and Saves. There’s a lot of baseball left to be played here.
Mix Draft: Adam Ronis is 2 points ahead of Rudy Gamble, who is 3.5 points ahead of Grey Albright. Rudy has gained five points this week, which means he could give back five easily enough. He’s in a three-way tie in wins, with one ahead and one behind. One of the guys he’s tied with is Ronis. Crazy things could happen there. Gamble has five starts over the weekend, while Ronis has just two. There is also a four-way tie in saves. Gamble has Tolleson, Feliz and Robbie Ross(who has yet to get a save and wasn’t listed in the intial post), McLeod has Axford, Vizcaino, and Jepsen, Kessenich lost Huston Street and is left with Hector Rondon, and Paul Sporer has Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. Over three games, pretty much anything can happen in saves. Plus there are a mess of possibilities in ERA and Ratio. Keep your eye on this one folks! That said, Grey Albright doesn’t have much headroom, especially since Gamble and Ronis each stand to either gain or lose in the categories in which they’re tied, so it’s hard to see them both falling. Which makes Grey something of a spoiler, especially since he’s right behind Ronis in ERA and right behind Gamble in strikeouts, with his five red hot starters going.
We should be getting started about 3pm, with Jason Collette.