Tout: The Half Week in FAAB

Todd is traveling and will post this week’s FAAB charts on Friday, but here is the raw data, in case you’re interested.

TOUT AL

BIDS

Patrick Davitt:

  1. res KGiles Hou:
    1. pur JPazos Sea 15
    2. pur WHarris Hou 0
    3. pur TRogers Min 0

Rob Leibowitz:

Doug Dennis:

  1. res KMcCarthy KC:
    1. pur WHarris Hou 0

Conditional Releases

  1. rel EPagan Oak

Vlad Sedler:

  1. res WRamos TB:
    1. pur ARomine NYY 3
    2. pur JSucre TB 2
  2. rel LGurriel Tor:
    1. pur RRua Tex 12
    2. pur MPerez Tex 9
    3. pur YRamirez Bal 4

Larry Schechter:

  1. res CSisco Bal:
    1. pur ARomine NYY 13
    2. pur JSucre TB 6

Jason Collette:

  1. dis GRichards LAA:
    1. pur CPoche TB 6
  2. dis JAlvarado TB:
    1. pur JoeSmith Hou 2

Jeff Erickson:

Lawr Michaels:

Seth Trachtman:

  1. rel TFederowicz Hou:
    1. pur JSucre TB 6
    2. pur ARomine NYY 3
    3. pur DFreitas Sea 0
  2. res TWhite Hou:
    1. pur DSmithJr Tor 8
    2. pur RLaMarre CWS 0
    3. pur RRua Tex 0

Chris Liss:

  1. res CBassitt Oak:
    1. pur SOhtaniP LAA 0

Mike Podhorzer:

  1. dis IKennedy KC:
    1. pur JJames Hou 1
    2. pur SReidFoley Tor 1
  2. res MAndriese TB:
    1. pur SReidFoley Tor 1

Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton:

  1. res EAdrianza Min:
    1. pur SOhtaniP LAA 2
    2. pur JSheffield NYY 1
    3. pur AReed Hou 1
  2. res JAdduci Det:
    1. pur JSheffield NYY 1
    2. pur AReed Hou 1

RESULTS

Patrick Davitt: res KGiles Hou, pur JPazos Sea 15
Doug Dennis: res KMcCarthy KC, pur WHarris Hou 0
Vlad Sedler: rel LGurriel Tor, pur RRua Tex 12
Larry Schechter: res CSisco Bal, pur ARomine NYY 13
Jason Collette: dis GRichards LAA, pur CPoche TB 6
Jason Collette: dis JAlvarado TB, pur JoeSmith Hou 2
Seth Trachtman: rel TFederowicz Hou, pur JSucre TB 6
Seth Trachtman: res TWhite Hou, pur DSmithJr Tor 8
Mike Podhorzer: dis IKennedy KC, pur JJames Hou 1
Mike Podhorzer: res MAndriese TB, pur SReidFoley Tor 1
Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton: res EAdrianza Min, pur SOhtaniP LAA 2
Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton: res JAdduci Det, pur JSheffield NYY 1
Seth Trachtman: mov DSmithJr Tor SW
Doug Dennis: rel EPagan Oak

TOUT NL

BIDS

Lenny Melnick :

  1. dis TFrazier NYM:
    1. pur JMcNeil NYM 1
  2. rel PSeverino Was:
    1. pur BHoladay Mia 1
    2. pur EKratz Mil 0

Todd Zola:

  1. res CFerguson LAD:
    1. pur CBurnes Mil 17
    2. pur RMadson Was 7
    3. pur RRosario ChC 0
    4. pur BDuensing ChC 0
    5. pur TLyons StL 0
    6. pur STuivailala StL 0
  2. dis MPina Mil:
    1. pur VCaratini ChC 3
    2. pur SKieboom Was 0
    3. pur EKratz Mil 0
    4. pur RLopez SD 0

Derek Carty:

Tristan H. Cockcroft:

  1. res JHellickson Was:
    1. pur VRobles Was 1
    2. pur FReyes SD 0
    3. pur PAlonso NYM 1

Andy Behrens:

  1. res AEllis SD:
    1. pur AToles LAD 49
    2. pur JReyes NYM 21
    3. pur FReyes SD 11

Brian Walton:

  1. res JValentin Phi:
    1. pur AToles LAD 80
    2. pur JLuplow Pit 12
  2. res JPirela SD:
    1. pur FReyes SD 50
    2. pur JLuplow Pit 12

Scott Wilderman:

  1. res CSpangenberg SD:
    1. pur JReyes NYM 3
    2. pur MMoroff Pit 1
    3. pur NOrf Mil 0
    4. pur KTomlinson SF 0
    5. pur TKelly NYM 0
  2. rel JMathis Ari:
    1. pur VCaratini ChC 0

Conditional Releases

  1. rel AGarrett Cin

Phil Hertz:

  1. res CAsuaje SD:
    1. pur AToles LAD 67
    2. pur JMcNeil NYM 5
    3. pur JLuplow Pit 9
    4. pur RErlin SD 0
    5. pur ESantana Pit 0
    6. pur AConley Mia 0
    7. pur JWilson ChC 0
    8. pur RBlack SF 0
    9. pur CBurnes Mil 2
    10. pur SKelley Was 0
  2. res TomHunter Phi:
    1. pur ESantana Pit 0
    2. pur RErlin SD 0
    3. pur AConley Mia 0
    4. pur JWilson ChC 0
    5. pur RBlack SF 0
    6. pur SKelley Was 0
    7. pur CBurnes Mil 0
    8. pur COswalt NYM 0

Craig Mish:

  1. rel JPatterson Col:
    1. pur AToles LAD 11
  2. rel SCarle Atl:
    1. pur MKeller Pit 1

Mike Gianella:

Steve Gardner:

Grey Albright:

  1. dis JSamardzija SF:
    1. pur AConley Mia 11
    2. pur NCuevas Col 1
    3. pur MDenDekker NYM 1

RESULTS

Lenny Melnick : rel PSeverino Was, pur BHoladay Mia 1
Todd Zola: res CFerguson LAD, pur CBurnes Mil 17
Todd Zola: dis MPina Mil, pur VCaratini ChC 3
Tristan H. Cockcroft: res JHellickson Was, pur VRobles Was 1
Brian Walton: res JValentin Phi, pur AToles LAD 80
Brian Walton: res JPirela SD, pur FReyes SD 50
Phil Hertz: res CAsuaje SD, pur JMcNeil NYM 5
Phil Hertz: res TomHunter Phi, pur ESantana Pit 0
Craig Mish: rel SCarle Atl, pur MKeller Pit 1
Grey Albright: dis JSamardzija SF, pur AConley Mia 11
Andy Behrens: res AEllis SD, pur JReyes NYM 21
Scott Wilderman: res CSpangenberg SD, pur MMoroff Pit 1
Andy Behrens: mov JReyes NYM UT
Scott Wilderman: mov MMoroff Pit MI
Scott Wilderman: rel AGarrett Cin

TOUT MIXED AUCTION

BIDS

Ron Shandler:

  1. res AMeadows Pit:
    1. pur JMcNeil NYM 8

Scott Pianowski:

Scott Swanay:

  1. res AHeaney LAA:
    1. pur CFrazier NYY 24
    2. pur AToles LAD 24
    3. pur ERamos Phi 3
    4. pur RMoronta SF 3
    5. pur SCishek ChC 2
    6. pur JJeffress Mil 1
    7. pur DRobertson NYY 0
    8. pur RStanek TB 0
    9. pur MBarnes Bos 0
  2. res WLeBlanc Sea:
    1. pur AToles LAD 13
    2. pur ERamos Phi 3
    3. pur RMoronta SF 3
    4. pur SCishek ChC 2
    5. pur JJeffress Mil 1
    6. pur DRobertson NYY 0
    7. pur RStanek TB 0
    8. pur MBarnes Bos 0
  3. res CRodon CWS:
    1. pur ERamos Phi 3
    2. pur RMoronta SF 3
    3. pur SCishek ChC 2
    4. pur JJeffress Mil 1
    5. pur DRobertson NYY 0
    6. pur RStanek TB 0
    7. pur MBarnes Bos 0

Tim McLeod:

  1. res SBieber Cle:
    1. pur LGiolito CWS 15
    2. pur DStraily Mia 6
  2. rel WAdames TB:
    1. pur ARosario NYM 6
  3. res WRamos TB:
    1. pur EDiaz Pit 5

Al Melchior:

  1. rel JIglesias Det:
    1. pur JHellickson Was 6
    2. pur CMaybin Mia 6
    3. pur TKemp Hou 6

Ray Flowers:

  1. rel RYarbrough TB:
    1. pur ARosario NYM 46
    2. pur FHernandez Sea 9
    3. pur EJackson Oak 9

Brent Hershey:

Bret Sayre:

  1. dis AVizcaino Atl:
    1. pur KCrick Pit 1
    2. pur MBarnes Bos 1
  2. res JJay Ari:
    1. pur PAlonso NYM 6
    2. pur JKang Pit 6
  3. res NWilliams Phi:
    1. pur ARosario NYM 18
    2. pur PAlonso NYM 6
    3. pur JKang Pit 6

Scott Engel:

  1. dis FCervelli Pit:
    1. pur ONarvaez CWS 3
    2. pur KSmith CWS 0
  2. dis EThames Mil:
    1. pur JBonifacio KC 5
    2. pur LGarcia CWS 3
    3. pur JWendle TB 3
    4. pur SDuggar SF 1
  3. rel MarkReynolds Was:
    1. pur JCave Min 8
    2. pur JWendle TB 4
    3. pur SDuggar SF 1
    4. pur LGarcia CWS 1

Zach Steinhorn:

  1. res CSabathia NYY:
    1. pur DStraily Mia 33
    2. pur FHernandez Sea 28
  2. res TClippard Tor:
    1. pur JJeffress Mil 13
    2. pur DRobertson NYY 8
  3. res ZWheeler NYM:
    1. pur YDarvish ChC 12

Joe Pisapia:

Derek VanRiper:

Jeff Zimmerman:

Fred Zinkie:

  1. res DMesoraco NYM:
    1. pur EDiaz Pit 6
    2. pur DRobertson NYY 2
    3. pur RStanek TB 2
  2. res GParra Col:
    1. pur RBraun Mil 2
    2. pur JWendle TB 2
    3. pur LGarcia CWS 2
    4. pur TKemp Hou 2
    5. pur DRobertson NYY 2
  3. res CMorton Hou:
    1. pur YDarvish ChC 174
    2. pur DRobertson NYY 2
    3. pur RStanek TB 2

Tim Heaney:

  1. res YMoncada CWS:
    1. pur CMaybin Mia 7
    2. pur ARosario NYM 7
    3. pur KWong StL 1
    4. pur CGomez TB 1
  2. res BSnell TB:
    1. pur LGiolito CWS 3
    2. pur JUrias LAD 1
    3. pur JAnderson LAA 0

RESULTS

Ron Shandler: res AMeadows Pit, pur JMcNeil NYM 8
Scott Swanay: res AHeaney LAA, pur CFrazier NYY 24
Scott Swanay: res WLeBlanc Sea, pur AToles LAD 13
Scott Swanay: res CRodon CWS, pur ERamos Phi 3
Tim McLeod: res SBieber Cle, pur LGiolito CWS 15
Al Melchior: rel JIglesias Det, pur JHellickson Was 6
Ray Flowers: rel RYarbrough TB, pur ARosario NYM 46
Bret Sayre: dis AVizcaino Atl, pur KCrick Pit 1
Bret Sayre: res JJay Ari, pur PAlonso NYM 6
Bret Sayre: res NWilliams Phi, pur JKang Pit 6
Scott Engel: dis FCervelli Pit, pur ONarvaez CWS 3
Scott Engel: dis EThames Mil, pur JBonifacio KC 5
Scott Engel: rel MarkReynolds Was, pur JCave Min 8
Zach Steinhorn: res CSabathia NYY, pur DStraily Mia 33
Zach Steinhorn: res TClippard Tor, pur JJeffress Mil 13
Fred Zinkie: res DMesoraco NYM, pur EDiaz Pit 6
Fred Zinkie: res GParra Col, pur RBraun Mil 2
Fred Zinkie: res CMorton Hou, pur YDarvish ChC 174
Tim Heaney: res YMoncada CWS, pur CMaybin Mia 7
Tim Heaney: res BSnell TB, pur JUrias LAD 1
Scott Engel: mov JCave Min UT

TOUT MIXED DRAFT

BIDS

Anthony Perri:

Tim McCullough:

Tom Kessenich:

Ray Murphy:

Jeff Boggis:

  1. rel ACashner Bal:
    1. pur TRoss SD 12

Perry Van Hook:

  1. dis EThames Mil:
    1. pur SDuggar SF 0
    2. pur JCave Min 0
  2. rel EDiaz Pit:
    1. pur VCaratini ChC 0
    2. pur CaJoseph Bal 0
    3. pur CIannetta Col 0
  3. dis JuGuerra Mil:
    1. pur JUrias LAD 0
    2. pur RGsellman NYM 0
    3. pur LTrivino Oak 0
    4. pur CFerguson LAD 0

Charlie Wiegert:

  1. dis ABenintendi Bos:
    1. pur SKingery Phi 122

Corey Parson:

Gene McCaffrey:

  1. rel GRichards LAA:
    1. pur TRoss SD 27
    2. pur ELauer SD 1
    3. pur RBorucki Tor 1
    4. pur MStrahm SD 0
  2. dis JPaxton Sea:
    1. pur ELauer SD 3
    2. pur RBorucki Tor 3
    3. pur MStrahm SD 0
    4. pur TClippard Tor 0
    5. pur FLiriano Det 0

Greg Ambrosius:

Scott White:

Michael Beller:

D.J. Short:

Adam Ronis:

Rudy Gamble:

  1. res NGoodrum Det:
    1. pur JGyorko StL 6

Conditional Releases

  1. rel DMengden Oak

 

RESULTS

Perry Van Hook: dis EThames Mil, pur SDuggar SF 0
Perry Van Hook: rel EDiaz Pit, pur VCaratini ChC 0
Perry Van Hook: dis JuGuerra Mil, pur JUrias LAD 0
Charlie Wiegert: dis ABenintendi Bos, pur SKingery Phi 122
Gene McCaffrey: rel GRichards LAA, pur TRoss SD 27
Gene McCaffrey: dis JPaxton Sea, pur ELauer SD 3
Rudy Gamble: res NGoodrum Det, pur JGyorko StL 6
Charlie Wiegert: mov SKingery Phi OF
Rudy Gamble: mov JGyorko StL 2B

TOUT H2H

BIDS

Jeff Mans:

Stephania Bell:

  1. rel TBlach SF:
    1. pur KCalhoun LAA 16
  2. rel RFlaherty Atl:
    1. pur JBell Pit 27
  3. rel HPence SF:
    1. pur JGray Col 47

Andrea LaMont:

  1. dis MZunino Sea:
    1. pur ONarvaez CWS 0
    2. pur AHedges SD 1
    3. pur SLeon Bos 0
  2. dis EThames Mil:
    1. pur KCalhoun LAA 14
    2. pur MFranco Phi 4
    3. pur WFlores NYM 2
    4. pur JBradley Bos 2
  3. dis AVizcaino Atl:
    1. pur JGray Col 13
    2. pur EJackson Oak 12
    3. pur LTrivino Oak 6
    4. pur FRodney Min 0
  4. res BNimmo NYM:
    1. pur MKepler Min 0
    2. pur KMorales Tor 0
    3. pur MFranco Phi 0
    4. pur IHapp ChC 0
    5. pur WFlores NYM 0

Howard Bender:

Paul Sporer:

  1. res TomMurphy Col:
    1. pur DMesoraco NYM 2
    2. pur KSuzuki Atl 2
    3. pur RChirinos Tex 2
  2. res MLeake Sea:
    1. pur JGray Col 58
    2. pur NKingham Pit 44
    3. pur LTrivino Oak 7
    4. pur MHarvey Cin 6
    5. pur WSmith SF 8
  3. res JOdorizzi Min:
    1. pur JGray Col 61
    2. pur NKingham Pit 44
    3. pur WSmith SF 8
    4. pur MHarvey Cin 7
    5. pur LTrivino Oak 7
    6. pur DStraily Mia 5

Michael Rathburn:

  1. dis MPina Mil:
    1. pur AHedges SD 6
    2. pur AKnapp Phi 3
    3. pur AKnapp Phi 3
    4. pur ARomine NYY 3
    5. pur ARomine NYY 3

Peter Kreutzer:

  1. dis ASlegers Min:
    1. pur MHarvey Cin 7
    2. pur EJackson Oak 7
    3. pur NKingham Pit 7
    4. pur CRichard SD 1
  2. res FLiriano Det:
    1. pur EJackson Oak 7
    2. pur NKingham Pit 7
    3. pur CRichard SD 1
  3. res BZobrist ChC:
    1. pur JBradley Bos 5
    2. pur MCanha Oak 4

Kyle Elfrink:

  1. rel KGiles Hou:
    1. pur JGray Col 99
    2. pur EJackson Oak 21
  2. dis RDevers Bos:
    1. pur SCastro Mia 57
  3. rel JBarria LAA:
    1. pur EJackson Oak 21
    2. pur RGsellman NYM 33

Justin Mason:

  1. dis FHernandez Sea:
    1. pur SGaviglio Tor 1
    2. pur TRichards Mia 0
  2. dis JSamardzija SF:
    1. pur ADeSclafani Cin 1
    2. pur TRichards Mia 0
  3. rel SRomano Cin:
    1. pur MHarvey Cin 2
    2. pur TRichards Mia 0
  4. rel DCovey CWS:
    1. pur CRichard SD 1
    2. pur TRichards Mia 0

Dr. Roto:

  1. dis KPillar Tor:
    1. pur AHedges SD 12
    2. pur MGarver Min 1
    3. pur AKnapp Phi 1
  2. rel JJimenez Det:
    1. pur JGray Col 108
    2. pur NKingham Pit 19
    3. pur TRichards Mia 5
  3. rel AHanson SF:
    1. pur IHapp ChC 14
    2. pur MKepler Min 9

Clay Link:

Jake Ciely:

  1. res TRoss SD:
    1. pur JGray Col 23
    2. pur NKingham Pit 13
    3. pur DStraily Mia 3
  2. dis FCervelli Pit:
    1. pur AHedges SD 10
    2. pur ONarvaez CWS 0
    3. pur MGarver Min 0

RESULTS

Stephania Bell: rel TBlach SF, pur KCalhoun LAA 16
Stephania Bell: rel RFlaherty Atl, pur JBell Pit 27
Andrea LaMont: dis MZunino Sea, pur ONarvaez CWS 0
Andrea LaMont: dis EThames Mil, pur MFranco Phi 4
Paul Sporer: res TomMurphy Col, pur DMesoraco NYM 2
Peter Kreutzer: res BZobrist ChC, pur JBradley Bos 5
Kyle Elfrink: dis RDevers Bos, pur SCastro Mia 57
Justin Mason: dis FHernandez Sea, pur SGaviglio Tor 1
Justin Mason: dis JSamardzija SF, pur ADeSclafani Cin 1
Dr. Roto: dis KPillar Tor, pur AHedges SD 12
Dr. Roto: rel JJimenez Det, pur JGray Col 108
Dr. Roto: rel AHanson SF, pur IHapp ChC 14
Jake Ciely: dis FCervelli Pit, pur MGarver Min 0
Andrea LaMont: res BNimmo NYM, pur MKepler Min 0
Paul Sporer: res MLeake Sea, pur NKingham Pit 44
Paul Sporer: res JOdorizzi Min, pur WSmith SF 8
Michael Rathburn: dis MPina Mil, pur AKnapp Phi 3
Peter Kreutzer: dis ASlegers Min, pur MHarvey Cin 7
Kyle Elfrink: rel KGiles Hou, pur EJackson Oak 21
Kyle Elfrink: rel JBarria LAA, pur RGsellman NYM 33
Justin Mason: rel SRomano Cin, pur TRichards Mia 0
Jake Ciely: res TRoss SD, pur DStraily Mia 3
Andrea LaMont: dis AVizcaino Atl, pur LTrivino Oak 6
Peter Kreutzer: res FLiriano Det, pur CRichard SD 1
Andrea LaMont: mov MFranco Phi UT
Dr. Roto: mov IHapp ChC MI

Tout Table: No break for the weary

This week’s question

What do you do over the break to get ready to manage your teams the rest of the season? Please feel free to answer in context – this is what I do to protect a lead, this is what I do when I need to make up ground, etc.

Derek VanRiper (Rotowire, @DerekVanRiper): Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot more experience trying to make up ground than trying to protect a lead, but this time of year, I’m looking for similar things regardless of my position. I begin by looking at the category standings to determine where I can gain or lose the most points in the shortest amount of time. If I’m protecting a lead, I’m looking at pickups or trades that will help me out in the categories where I’m most likely to lose points. If I’m trying to make up ground, I’m making those moves to try to upgrade roster spots in those categories. The All-Star break is typically a time where I’ll begin shifting resources on my pitching staff to go more starter-heavy if wins and strikeouts are an opportunity to gain points, and if my position in saves is relatively safe.

Rob Leibowitz (Rotoheaven, @rob_leibowitz): When I’m ahead in the standings, unfortunately not the case in Tout Wars this particular year, I will often look at the standings and see where I can block my competitors by trading away stats in categories that will have greater impact by stifling or slowing down my competitors chance of moving up in those categories, rather than hoarding them for myself. I especially look to do this as close to the league trade deadline as possible for categories, such as saves, stolen bases so there is limited opportunity to counter such a move. In Tout this year, i”m just kinda desperate to climb my way back as best I can to the 60 point level. So longshot faab picks and trades will be necessary.

Seth Trachtman (Rotoworld, @sethroto): Generally, I find the All-Star break to be a good time to assess where I am in each category and make trade offers to assess those needs. Let’s face it, the break is torture! If there are needs I can address easily via trade, the break is a great time to evaluate other rosters and come up with potential trade offers for the stretch run. It’s also a time to reassess where my injured players are in their timetables, and in Tout I’ve had more than my fair share over the last month.

Perry Van Hook (Mastersball): The most important first step is to look at every category and see how many points you have now and what is required to gain the point. Look at the weekly rate stats for the teams you need to catch and perhaps those close behind and not just yours. You want a very realistic guide that may change your lineup or free agent pickup or help you with trades. You should end up with a plus minus chart for any team you have that has the ability and motivation to improve (I would say all teams but I understand the drag if you have several teams who are out of it – still in fairness to the league you should always be looking to improve your team’s performance.

Rudy Gamble (Razzball, @RudyGamble): While the ASB doesn’t hold any great significance, it is helpful to take a step back around this time of year from week-to-week roster optimization to gauge your chances at winning a league. Maximizing category points is always the goal. But the slimmer your chances, the greater your risk tolerance should be. The biggest risk/reward is through trading but roster construction opportunities include: 1) changing up SP/RP mix depending on points to gain/lose in pitching, 2) being more aggressive in FAAB on a rookie power or speed bat, and 3) changing up your hitter/pitcher bench mix to prepare for pennant runs.

Ray Murphy (BaseballHQ, @RayHQ): Lots of people giving the right answer about category/standings assessments. That’s obviously critical work, and needs to be done by anyone in contention entering the second half. A little more philosophically, I make a point to try and sort of “clear my cache” of recency bias, preconceived notions about players on my roster / free agent pool based on how they have done recently. Basically, try to reboot (geez, second computer metaphor in one graf) my own impressions of my team. As others have said, marinating with the league standings/overall 1st half stats helps to do that. Just unplugging a bit helps too. Basically, I tend to develop blind spots over the course of half a season, and I’m trying to clear them and prepare myself to make more sound decisions down the stretch.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): I’ll be the one to say it… I work on football over the break. I wish I had more time to devote to in-season baseball management, but the truth is I really don’t. My job is to help others succeed, which often means I do so at the expense of my own squads. With the rush of fantasy football in July, there really isn’t any more time for fantasy baseball during the A.S.B. than any other week of the season.

Scott Engel (RotoExperts, @scotteRotoEx): I am assessing the team and league throughout the season, and the break does not give me any more time to examine anything more than I normally would. But I my get anxious without any daily action, and some others may feel the same, so it’s n ideal tie to make trades

Ron Shandler (RonShandler.com, @RonShandler): In my 30+ years of playing this stupid game, this is the first time ever – in ANY league – that I find myself headed into the Break in dead last. Odds of winning = 0%. Odds of making a run into contention = maybe 10%. I would follow Ray’s lead and start planning for football, but I’d be scanning cheat sheets for Fran Tarkenton and Terry Bradshaw. I’m committed to being a good fantasy citizen, however, so I’ll keep plugging away with small, incremental goals. Goal #1: Get the heck out of last place. Goal #2: 75 points, which preserves my FAAB for 2019. Goal #3: Figure out how to accomplish #1 and #2 after having already traded my Machado-caliber chips. Last thing I ever thought I’d be doing is likening myself to the ownership of the Baltimore Orioles. There’s a first time for everything.

Fred Zinkie (Years in Tout Wars: 8, @): This answer will come as little surprise to people who play in leagues with me, but I love to talk trade during the ASB. Trade talks are often impacted by daily results. For example, an owner wants to trade you a certain starter until that starter throws eight shutout innings, and then he suddenly wants to keep him and deal a different starter instead. The ASB is the only time in the season when we get an extended time with static stats and no new injuries. For this reason, trade talks that are started on Sunday night have five full days to reach completion before anything happens that will cause either owner to change their player valuations. Additionally, with no game action to occupy our time, owners should have plenty of available minutes to work through trade talks.

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene): I take a look at possible trades and then I take a break. If I didn’t already know what I need to do to hold a lead or make up ground, I would be ashamed of myself. And sometimes a break gives me a new idea or a fresh perspective. And my family is happy to see me. Usually.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): Generally, I’ll go over my own roster, see where my statistical category shortcomings and redundancies are, then look at other rosters to see if there’s a potential good match with another owner. I don’t alter my approach much based on where I currently sit in the standings. I’ll also spend some extra time reading about minor leaguers who stand a good chance of being called up to the majors to see if that might be another source of help.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner): First off, it’s a bit of a relief to do nothing over the break. Worrying every day about lineup changes and standings positions can be a bit overwhelming. Like Fred, Gene and others, I like to use the break to find potential trade partners who can help me reach my goals of making a championship run … or building for next year. The great thing about the break is no one’s generating any stats, so we don’t have to worry about a big game or a potential injury impacting players’ values in the middle of any trade talks.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): I focus a lot more effort in July in my dynasty league. It is a good time to assess the remainder of 2018, but also start to consider 2019 and 2020 (and 2021) and set goals, figure out how to marshal resources for those goals. Redraft leagues–it really is no different from every other week of the season–trying to consider where I can gain/lose points in the standings, fill holes, who may be traded and what opportunities get created from that, how other teams’ moves affect my position, etc.  I try to have the most up-to-date set of projections (making my own adjustments and following multiple sites that update themselves–like BaseballHQ.com) to help me assess.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): I agree with most of the ideas above, but there’s no reason to wait for the ASB to access your roster, think about potential trades, etc. There’s only about 40% of the season remaining at the ASB, so whatever I think I need to do, I want to do that ASAP. I often use this time to take a break. It’s nice to have a few days not looking at box scores and thinking about any of this. In fact, I just recently started my football prep!

lawr michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels): obviously, my spot in the relative standings is important. and, i will never roll over. eg, my LABR AL team is awful, but there are still 10-15 points i can gain if my players do what they are supposed to do, and if that means moving up in the standings, i will stick with it. plus, i think we owe it to our league-mates to play out the season as best we can so ideally the best team wins because they were the best team: not because a ghost team left Aroldys Vizcaino on the DL. but, i try to really–fearlessly and objectively–look at my teams and what are my chances and what do i need to do relative to the league and rules and my spot in the standings. and, if the answer is “five points in steals, four in runs, four in strikeouts, and four in wins” would put me among the contending teams, the question is can i realistically look to get that production, and if so, from what source? will the steals points cost me in saves and how much? and bearing that in mind, am i realistic when i think i can win? so, from there it is a question of what can i manipulate relative to my rosters–and my league-mate’s–that are reasonable that might push me to the top. and, then I try to achieve just that. but, i also try to do this concertedly, for there are still a lot of games to be played, so no time to panic just yet if I am hanging with the top teams. and, if i have not had a hot period for a while, all the better. finally, do make sure your reserve list is exploited to the max of your options so you have the max of choices when something goes wrong. for it will.

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @glenncolton1): There are so many things that one should do to re-evaluate one’s fantasy baseball team in the calm of the all-star break. For me, I look at which players’ value is going to change by the trades that will occur over the next 2.5 weeks. Who is going to get traded to a better situation? Who is going to get traded into an “only” league? Who is going to benefit from a teammate being traded away (i.e., get a closer job). Foreseeing those changes a week earlier than everyone else could be the key to victory

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): The main thing I do is take a couple of days to ignore the standings, etc. About the time the All-Star game begins, I’ll take a look at the standings. In redraft leagues, I’ll try to determine what categories I can gain multiple points and whether there’s a path to achieving that goal. In keeper leagues, I make the final determination of whether to go for it or make trades to improve keepers .

D.J. Short (Rotoworld, @djshort): It’s always nice to take a breather during this time. Especially if you are in a league with daily lineup changes. It can get overwhelming. This season is a little different in that so much of the schedule has already been played out by the All-Star break that ideally you have been thinking about where you are a bit earlier, but if not, it’s important to look at categories you might have a cozy advantage in and try to leverage that in other areas. Nothing groundbreaking here. This is said time and time again for a reason. It works. Even with more than half the season behind us, many people still evaluate potential trades based on where players fall within website X or Y’s rankings. Please throw that out. Make your decisions based on what you need. Your own context.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): Over the break, I always use this opportunity to measure my team’s strengths and weaknesses in each statistical category. I look for the best possible scenarios before performing any drop/adds or trades. I never want to make any moves to where I gain a point in a category, but end up losing 2 or more points in another category. Like most of the Touts, we play in more than this league and most likely are either at the top, the middle, or towards the bottom of our league standings. For me, the higher that I am in the league standings, the more conservative I tend to be with making any moves or trades. I also keep a keen eye on prospects that may get the call up to the major leagues that can immediately make an impact.

Michael Rathburn (Rotowire, @FantasyRath): Depending on where I am in the standings will be how aggressive I will be with trade offers/FAAB. If I’m way back, I will look at the categories in which I think I can gain the most ground the fastest. If I have to overpay for a trade on paper so be it. I try to look at positional depth and where am I the strongest/weakest. If I can upgrade categories while also doing it in a positional sense, all the better.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I’m with those saying they’re already aware of where they stand within each league and have a feel for the category math. What I like to do is catch up on what some of my competitors are doing. Are they dumping saves? Ignoring steals? Whatever the case may be, I’ll make sure I’m not missing anything with respect to one of my competitors. The other thing I do is go through my DL and farm players to get the latest on their return or promotion. Knowing where I may get some internal help shapes my impending FAAB bids, especially in AL or NL only formats.

Tout Daily Wrap: Link Leads the Way

For the third time this year, Rotowire’s Clay Link has the top score in Tout Daily. No one else has done it more than once. Clay’s big night jumped him to fourth this period, just 2.4 points away from his third Golden Ticket into the Survivor Tournament finals. Jeff Boggis finished a mere three points behind Clay followed by Jeff Erickson in third.

Link  received solid performances from Justin Verlander and Rich Hill. Where he really set himself apart was 23 point performances from both Rougned Odor and Dexter Fowler as Clay was the only Tout to have either on his roster. Check out the rest of Clay’s lineup below.

Derek VanRiper, also from Rotowire is in the driver’s seat with one week left in Period 4, leading the pack for the next three Golden Tickets to be awarded. Michael Beller is in second for the period with Justin Mason in third. Ten Touts are within 20 points of the final ticket insuring a hotly contested final week of the Period. Please note, with the All-Star game next Tuesday, we’ll be playing Tout Daily on Friday, the 20th.

Rick Wolf continues to lead the overall with Todd Zola remaining in second while Link closed the gap in third. Follow your favorite Tout’s plight on the Leaderboard.

Here’s Clay’s week-winning roster:

Tout Daily Picks: Boston DFS Party

It’s Period 4, Week 3 of Tout Daily. Please note we’ll be playing on Friday next week with the Midsummer Classic played on our usual Tuesday evening.

Here’s some of the Tout’s picks – curiously no one recommended an ace, though each team needs two pitchers.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Ryne Stanek: Middle relief pitcher, turned spot-starter for tonight’s game against the Detroit Tigers. He has a salary of only $4,000 which allows me to load up on quality hitters. I just can’t make an adequate lineup that involves rostering Verlander at $13,300 or Bauer at $13,600.

J.D. Martinez: J.D. Martinez is on an incredible hot streak. In his past 10 games, he has 4 home runs and 16 RBI. He carries a $5,800 salary tonight.

Lawr Michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels)

Enyel De Los Santos: The ultimate crapshoot gives me a rookie hurler facing a team that is only hitting .232 off right-handers. I need points so taking the underdog makes sense, and ideally the Mets have not seen de los Santos, thus he can confuse them for six innings?

Stephen Piscotty: The Athletics go up against Justin Verlander–a formidable task–but he comes in hitting .333-3-9 over his last ten games and ideally the hot bat will generate some points!

Rick Wolf (Fantasy Alarm, @RickWolf1)

Tyler Anderson: Always good to have a true contrarian play. Anderson pitches in Coors so would be surprised if I am not the only one with him tonight in Tout Daily. He pitched eight shutout innings with 9Ks his last time at Coors. Against LHP, the D-Backs only have one real threat in Goldschmidt and Anderson is smart enough to pitch around him.

Christian Yelich: Any Milwaukee hitter really, but Yelich has the revenge narrative for his old team plus he mashes RHP. Pablo Lopez is young and will be overmatched by the young talented veteran. Look for all the Brew crew to knock the cover off the ball.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Matthew Boyd: Likely going against my normal pattern this week (locking in an ace) as there’s too many good bats I want (Boston) so looking at two from Boyd, Richards and Hill.

Mookie Betts: Going to try to fit in Mookie, JD and #votebenny, wish me luck

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene)

Hill/Chacin: I see the sense in a super-cheap SP tonight but I just can’t pull the trigger. Hoping for mediocrity-plus from Rich Hill and Jhoulys Chacin

Logan Morrison: Last time I checked he had a slugging % of .800 against flyball righties. Ian Kennedy is one. At $3500, frees up cash for use in Coors.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Enyel De Los Santos: Automatic start against the Mets, though he’s not exactly cheap.

Xander Bogaerts: I’m loading up on Red Sox and Twins tonight against Yovani Gallardo & Ian Kennedy – Bogaerts has done better against RHP’s than lefties this year, to boot.

Tout Table: Surprise Hitters and Pitchers

This week’s question: What player was the first half’s biggest surprise hitter and pitcher? How do you see them performing over the second half?

Michael Rathburn (Rotowire, @FantasyRath)

Hitter – Has to be Max Muncy for me who I snagged for $43 on 6.11. Since then he has been the 2nd best hitter in baseball behind Goldy. Of course, regression is coming but the crazy thing on Muncy is his batting eye (BB% and K%). Leads me to think he won’t fall off a cliff completely.

Pitcher – Ross Stripling. Sticking with the Dodgers theme. Hard to think where they would be without him.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys)

Nick Markakis for me. From undrafted in many 15 team leagues to a top-15 OF (even better actually). The last time he was truly fantasy relevant was back in 2011, and even then, it was as a depth outfielder in mixed leagues. The last time he was a fantasy star of this magnitude was back in 2009. Thirty-four year olds in their 13th season aren’t supposed to have their career best efforts.

On the hill I’ll highlight Miles Mikolas who has gone from pitching in a foreign country to posting a WHIP of 1.03 with an ERA of 2.63 through 17 starts overnight. Hell of a first season back in the States.

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene)

Chris Davis – Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised but I am. I’ve been expecting the kind of explosion that he has exploded several times before, but a .490 OPS is beyond bad and raises doubts that he’ll ever do anything again. Still, in the leagues I own him I am holding on and holding out increasingly desperate hope.

Blake Snell – I expected good things, but more like 3.24 than 2.24, and despite his dominance I expect his final ERA to be above that 3.24. His FIP says he’s a 3.50 pitcher and I agree.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Good surprise or bad surprise?  Let’s talk terribad surprises.  Hitter for me is Domingo Santana. 3 HRs, 17 RBIs, 313 OBP and a demotion–ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I think his ADP was right around 100 or so. Good grief. Hon. mention: Jonathan Schoop, Alex Avila, Amed Rosario, Luis Valbuena.

Pitcher for me is Marcus Stroman, who single-handedly destroyed my Tout team with his 6.50 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 1 win, $-17 value. I wasn’t expecting all THAT much, but I sure wasn’t expecting THIS. And to think I like trashing Kyle Gibson and Rick Porcello. Hon. mention: Luis Castillo, Zach Godley, Jon Gray, Luke Weaver, Sonny Gray.  I hate all these guys–thanks for nothing.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt)

I couldn’t decide on good surprise vs terribad, so I did both. Good hitter: I’m surprised how great Jose Ramirez is, but I’ll take Eddie Rosario. Keeping value company with Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado, and cost a third to a quarter the price. Bad hitter: I’ll agree with Gene on Chris with a “C” Davis, whose .489 OPS and 102 Ks speak for themselves.

Good pitcher: Gotta be wowed by Edwin Diaz outperforming lofty expectations YTD, but the true surprise for me is Blake Snell, which means I now agree with two of Gene’s picks. Bad pitcher: I feel Doug’s pain with Stroman, but my vote is for Chris Archer, a 4th-rounder by ADP who has returned negative value, and has as many hits allowed as Ks. Buy low? Maybe so. But for this exercise, just low.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella)

I see a lot of people have already answered Max Muncy (which is the “right ” answer) but I’ll talk about Scooter Gennett to avoid repetition. I thought the power would be there but the batting average is the shock. I suspect Gennett can/will keep it up everywhere else but in batting average, but if he hits .280 or so ROS that’s still a nice return.

Everyone loved Josh Hader. No one thought he’d be one of the best pitchers in fantasy this year. The ability isn’t in question, but the durability and workload make me wonder if he will hold up in the second half or if the Brewers will rest him more frequently to save him for the playoffs/stretch run.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy)

Biggest surprise hitter is a tie for me between Nick Markakis and Max Muncy. Markakis has always been a high-average guy but hasn’t sniffed 20 homers since 2008, yet now at the halfway point, he’s crushing both the power and average. The incentive of a new contract does that to a guy. Muncy is just a feel-good stroy here as he struggled to crack the lineup in Oakland and now seems to be an all-star caliber infielder with insane power. He’s reaching his physical prime here at age-27 and things seem to be clicking. I don’t see either guy being nearly as productive in the 2nd half. The All-Star break will kill the momentum and stats will normalize.

As for the most surprising pitcher, I’ll throw it to Miles Mikolas. My biggest fear was that he would be the pitching version of the 2017 Eric Thames and fall apart after the month of April. His consistency has been solid and seems to be a stabilizing factor for the Cardinals rotation. You won’t see an uptick in stats, but you will see more of the same. He’s got the maturity and mental make-up to stay on his current path.

Perry Van Hook (Mastersball)

I would pick Muncy over Markakis, though both are worthy and helping season long fantasy players. Markakis has had good seasons in the past even if you have to go back several years. Muncy played sporadically for Oakland, never showing the consistency he has this year with the Dodgers where he is a top three hitter since being brought up from the minors in April.

On the pitching side, while Stripling has been much better than expected, he was at least on a team on opening day. Where would the Brewers be without early April callup Junior Guerra? In sixteen starts since April 10, Guerra is 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 88 strikeouts in 87.7 innings.

Zach Steinhorn (Baseball Prospectus, @zachsteinhorn)

Jesus Aguilar – Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity. This guy was barely worth a roster spot in NL-only leagues heading into the season. Maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised about the power considering that Aguilar did hit 16 homers in just 279 at-bats last season, but he’s well on his way towards doubling that total this year. The .300-plus batting average is a surprise. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers distribute the playing time if Aguilar begins to cool off and the rest of the lineup is healthy.

Miles Mikolas – We saw the stellar numbers Mikolas posted while pitching in Japan but no one really knew what to expect from him this season, especially since he registered a 6.44 ERA in his last big league stint back in 2014. The risk averse (myself included) avoided him. Big mistake. Mikolas has been a top-25 fantasy SP so far, though the lack of strikeouts limits his ceiling. While I don’t think he will be a second-half bust, Mikolas owners might want to see what they can get for him on the trade market. His stock may be at its peak right now.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter)

For hitters, Paul Goldschmidt has been a surprise to watch. His owners (including me) all panicked when he was so pathetic. We thought maybe the humidor had ruined him. But then came his amazing hot streak and his numbers are just fine….except lost in this is that he ONLY HAS 2 SB!!! After the last 3 years of 21, 32 and 18 steals. I don’t know why he isn’t running, but this has really hurt his value. My team really needs those other 7-8 steals he should have had by now.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): Lots of options for this, but I’ll go with Trevor Bauer. He’s on pace for 216IP, 2.45 1.09, 14W, 278K….which for me is a $43 AL-only league value. And while he isn’t likely to keep up quite this pace, he may not slide much. His last 12 starts in 2017 were at a 2.45 ERA 1.20 WHIP and 10.2 K/9. He’s got better control, more fastball velocity and a new pitch. If you want more details, there’s a good article by Travis Sawchik on Fangraphs about him (dated 6/25/18).

Adam Ronis (Scout Fantasy, @AdamRonis)

The biggest surprise hitter is Max Muncy. He wasn’t even drafted in most draft champions leagues. He didn’t do anything of note with Oakland and had a good season at Triple-A with the Dodgers last season, but the 27-year old has been the best waiver wire add. He has 20 home runs in 193 at-bats and is eligible at multiple positions. While a 31.7 percent HR/FB rate is likely to decline, he has a good eye at the plate, has an 18.8 percent walk rate and hits the ball in the air often and hard. The pace will slow down, but he will still be good.

For pitcher, it’s Ross Stripling. His numbers as a starter resemble an ace. Low walks, high strikeouts, excellent ERA and WHIP. The strand rate is lucky, but all the skills look real. The concern I have is fatigue later in the season since he hasn’t thrown many innings the last few seasons.

Jeff Mans (Fantasy Guru Elite, @Jeff_Mans)

Albert Almora hitting .330 (.365 OBP). This was a guy that got some attention leading into the season when it was thought he’d be the Cubs primary leadoff hitter Vs LHP but that hasn’t even sustained itself. Finding a player in the later rounds or on waivers that can hit us 20+ HR’s is a lot easier these days than finding one that gives us a .300+ average (or 350+ OBP). Almora isn’t going to sustain this high of an average or OBP but considering he’s made great strides against RHP from his minor league days, I do not think the drop is going to be as great as some might think.

The biggest surprise pitcher to me is Mike Foltynewicz. Here is a guy that had a glaring weakness against LHH and has seemingly fixed that this season. What’s more is that he’s doing it by barely throwing his changeup. As good as he’s been, his pitch mix still tells me that there is a drop coming especially as he faces teams with more left handed thunder.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

The biggest upside surprise hitter for me is Ozzie Albies of Atlanta. We know that the stolen bases would be there, but I don’t think that anyone projected his 18 home run and 50 RBI output at this stage of the season. He also leads the National League in runs scored with 69. The most important stat that is not measured is his love of the game. He gives it all on the field. He hustles and just shows a great passion for the game. He has elevated not only his game, but the other players on the Atlanta Braves this season. He is going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next several seasons.

The biggest upside surprise pitcher this season for me is Blake Snell for Tampa Bay. As of today and through 115 IP, he has a 12-4 record with a K/BB ratio of 132/44. He carries an outstanding ERA of 2.09 and a WHIP of 1.03. He’s still on 25 years old with room to grow. The big change for Snell this season has been his minimization of his past control issues. I would not be surprised if he is in the mix for the Cy Young award this season.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer)

Max Muncy is this season’s biggest surprise, no question. He was released by the A’s during spring training in 2017 and then signed a minor league contract with the Dogers, and now he sits with a .425 wOBA and 31.3% HR/FB rate over 248 plate appearances?! And even as a left-handed hitter, he’s been fantastic against southpaws. He has always possessed excellent plate discipline, and that has continued in the Majors, providing optimism that this isn’t just some majorly fluky hot streak. Clearly, regression is coming, but I think he remains a solid 12-team mixed league asset the rest of the way.

On the pitching side, it has to be Ross Stripling, who is currently fourth in ERA among qualified pitchers. He has been legimitately elite, thanks to pinpoint control and a hefty strikeout rate. However, the magic is going to wear off at some point. The SwStk% marks on his pitches aren’t all that impressive and certainly don’t support a near 30% strikeout rate. And it’s awfully tough to sustain such a minuscule walk rate. He’ll likely continue earning positive value in 12-team mixed leagues, but producing more like a mid-to-high 3.00 ERA.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Lots of great stuff by my colleagues. I’ll add I’m not surprised, but downright shocked Elvis Andrus has the same number of steals as me. I know Andrus has been dealing with injuries, but to have three fewer than Zack Greinke? Geez.

As for pitching, I’m surprised Sonny Gray hasn’t shown any signs of figuring it out.

Tout Wars FAAB Report: Week of July 9

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
RRodriguez, Det Chris Liss 79 Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 26 Jason Collette 23
WAstudillo, Min Jason Collette 58 Chris Liss 34 Jeff Erickson 5
Doug Dennis 0
CSisco, Bal Larry Schechter 45 Seth Trachtman 15 Doug Dennis 0
JCave, Min Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 41 Chris Liss 79 Jason Collette 18
Seth Trachtman 2
MMahtook, Det Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 41 Larry Schechter 32 Chris Liss 21
Jason Collette 18 Seth Trachtman 2
GAllen, Cle Larry Schechter 33 Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 6
TWade, NYY Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 26
JAdduci, Det Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 21 Seth Trachtman 2
THildenberger, Min Larry Schechter 14 Patrick Davitt 11
AReed, Min Larry Schechter 13
TThornburg, Bos Jason Collette 12
HWood, TB Jason Collette 5
KHigashioka, NYY Jeff Erickson 3 Doug Dennis 0
TFederowicz, Hou Seth Trachtman 2
TWhite, Hou Seth Trachtman 1
BSmith, KC Seth Trachtman 1
VReyes, Det Chris Liss 0 Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 Chris Liss 2

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
JoeSmith, Hou Jason Collette 3
BGuyer, Cle Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 2 Seth Trachtman 1
HHembree, Bos Jason Collette 2
ASlegers, Min Jason Collette 0
CTocci, Tex Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0
DButera, KC Seth Trachtman 0
JAndreoli, Sea Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0
JField, TB Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0
NMartini, Oak Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton 0

Todd’s Take

With the caveat I’m 0-for-2 thinking the Tigers will give Ronny Rodriguez a decent look, third time could be a charm with the release of Dixon Machado. That said, at least recently, Detroit has seen fit to play journeyman outfielder Jim Adduci at first and designated hitter instead of Rodriguez. I guess a slash line of .338/.365/.558 isn’t enough to get time without the platoon edge in Motown.

Willians Astudillo is one of the most unique players in the league. In 500 plate appearances, he’ll put the ball on play 450 times with about 25 walks and 25 whiffs. Well, that was his minor league track record, it remains to be seen how this translates to the majors. Astudillo is a catcher by trade but can play all over, so far appearing at 2B, 3B, LF and CF for the Twins.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER WINNING BID
LPerdomo, SD Todd Zola 57 Phil Hertz 7
VArano, Phi Brian Walton 45 Lenny Melnick 30 Phil Hertz 17
Grey Albright 1
CDArnaud, SF Craig Mish 34 Andy Behrens 9
JValentin, Phi Brian Walton 23 Craig Mish 1
JPatterson, Col Craig Mish 17
PValaika, Col Grey Albright 12
YRivera, Mia Andy Behrens 9
ASenzatela, Col Derek Carty 1
TWilliams, Mil Andy Behrens 1
SAlexander, LAD Andy Behrens 1
RDelgado, Ari Phil Hertz 1 Phil Hertz 0
JNottingham, Mil Craig Mish 1

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
DBote, ChC Grey Albright 12
JLuplow, Pit Andy Behrens 9
NOrf, Mil Craig Mish 6
RMadson, Was Andy Behrens 1 Phil Hertz 0
AWilkerson, Mil Phil Hertz 0
DHudson, LAD Phil Hertz 0
MAlbers, Mil Phil Hertz 0
MLeiter, Phi Phil Hertz 0
TPeterson, NYM Phil Hertz 0
DanJennings, Mil Andy Behrens 0

Brian Walton’s Commentary

It is no coincidence that I volunteered to take today’s National League Tout Wars recap. With almost two-thirds of my full-year FAAB remaining and more than half the season complete, I am in an unpleasant place – with not enough cash to win top interleague traded free agents.

This week, with two players having hit the disabled list, I had two open roster spots. My focus was the new co-leaders of the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies.

I beat out several other bidders for the services of reliever Victor Arano, paying $45. What caught my attention was the second of his two saves this past week, in a game in which manager Gabe Kapler used Seranthony Dominguez in the eighth. On the other hand, throwing money at presumed closers for the Phils is high risk, as eight pitchers have already logged saves for the club this season.

Infielder-outfielder Jesmuel Valentin has been seeing semi-regular time, even leading off. However, some of that is due to Cesar Hernandez’ sore foot, which is not bad enough to put him on the DL. On the positive side, Valentin qualifies and both second and third (and therefore middle and corner infield) as well as in the outfield. On the other hand, his .274 OBP this season to-date leaves a lot to be desired. I overpaid at $23 for Valentin.

The top bidder this week was Lord Zola, who added former Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo for $57. Back in the Padres’ rotation because he earned it with good work in Triple-A, the 25-year old right-hander has upped his strikeouts, but walks remain a problem – that and his 6.86 ERA this season through five starts.

Another notable winning bid was the $34 by SiriusXM’s Craig Mish for infielder Chase d’Arnaud of the Giants, just called up from Triple-A. With Joe Panik injured, it would appear that d’Arnaud will be competing with former Pirates prospect Alen Hanson for playing time at second. d’Arnaud, Travis’ brother, is 31 years old, having first reached the bigs in 2011. His career batting average is .223.

In other words, offensive difference-makers are not to be found on the waiver wire in this league.

Todd’s Take

Not only does Perdomo have two starts this week, he’s reportedly staying in the Padres rotation over the second half. Brian hit the key points, improving strikeouts with walks an issue. Better control is always a good thing, but it’s more crucial for extreme ground ball pitchers since seeing-eye grounders elevate WHIP. He obviously needs to display it at the MLB level, but if Perdomo can carry over his 2.1 BB/9 walk rate posted at Triple-A El Paso, I’ll be less peeved about spending an extra $50 to win this week’s bid.

MIXED LEAGUE AUCTION

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER WINNING BID
HBader, StL Derek VanRiper 44 Al Melchior 23 Ray Flowers 17
Tim Heaney 12 Scott Swanay 8
Scott Pianowski 5
JShields, CWS Fred Zinkie 41
MHarvey, Cin Ron Shandler 27 Ray Flowers 17 Tim McLeod 5
Scott Engel 5 Tim Heaney 0
TAnderson, Col Al Melchior 27 Ray Flowers 17 Tim McLeod 7
Scott Pianowski 5
DDuffy, KC Derek VanRiper 22 Al Melchior 2
MarkReynolds, Was Scott Engel 21 Scott Swanay 8
AHedges, SD Bret Sayre 14
VArano, Phi Scott Pianowski 13
WChen, Mia Bret Sayre 12
CDickerson, Pit Scott Swanay 8
DSteckenrider, Mia Ray Flowers 7
CHerrmann, Sea Ron Shandler 5
NAhmed, Ari Scott Pianowski 5
EDeLosSantos, Phi Tim McLeod 3
BZiegler, Mia Tim McLeod 3
WAdames, TB Tim McLeod 2 Derek VanRiper 1
LTrivino, Oak Jeff Zimmerman 2 Scott Pianowski 0
YRamirez, Bal Al Melchior 0 Ron Shandler 1
DValencia, Bal Al Melchior 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
SLeon, Bos Bret Sayre 14
WAstudillo, Min Bret Sayre 14
AKnapp, Phi Ron Shandler 5
MRojas, Mia Tim McLeod 1
ASlegers, Min Ron Shandler 1
KPlawecki, NYM Ron Shandler 1
JHellickson, Was Jeff Zimmerman 0 Al Melchior 0
GCooper, Mia Al Melchior 0
JHolder, NYY Al Melchior 0
SGaviglio, Tor Al Melchior 0
GHolland, StL Bret Sayre 0
ASwarzak, NYM Jeff Zimmerman 0
THildenberger, Min Jeff Zimmerman 0
HPerez, Mil Tim McLeod 0

Jeff Zimmerman’s Commentary

After looking over the potential free agents, there was no must adds for me this week. When James Shields ($41) was the second highest bid, the pickings were slim.

Here are my thoughts on a few pickups:

Matt Harvey (to Ron Shandler for $27): While his ERA has been better with the Reds than Mets (7.00 vs 3.79) his ERA estimators are nearly identical: 4.51 xFIP vs 4.46 xFIP and 4.63 SIERA vs 4.33 SIERA.

Danny Duffy (to Derek Van Riper for $22): I dropped Duffy last when faced with a roster crunch. I was, and still am, dying in ERA and WHIP so Duffy’s 4.3 BB/9 had to go. Goof luck DVR.

Corey Dickerson (to Scott Swanay for $8): I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more bidding on Dickerson but the lack of home runs (only 6) likely scared off some teams. Dickerson is a perfect player to hope for a second-half rebound.

Todd’s Take

I find in interesting most of the players were awarded without a losing bid. We’re just past the halfway point and most players could be won with a $1 bid. This really suggests being aggressive early, then bidding smartly later in the season.

MIXED LEAGUE DRAFT

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER WINNING BID
AnSuarez, SF Rudy Gamble 27 Adam Ronis 13 Charlie Wiegert 8
Jeff Boggis 6 Perry Van Hook 4
MSemien, Oak Adam Ronis 18
MFiers, Det Greg Ambrosius 11
JJeffress, Mil Greg Ambrosius 9 Scott White 0
TAnderson, Col Charlie Wiegert 7 Jeff Boggis 6 Scott White 6
ACashner, Bal Jeff Boggis 5
SPearce, Bos Perry Van Hook 4
AniSanchez, Atl Adam Ronis 3
AHanson, SF Rudy Gamble 2 Adam Ronis 18 Ray Murphy 0
BMiller, Mil Ray Murphy 0 Adam Ronis 4 Rudy Gamble 2
CMcHugh, Hou Scott White 0
KYates, SD Scott White 0
GMarquez, Col Scott White 0

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
TClippard, Tor Rudy Gamble 27
JLucchesi, SD Rudy Gamble 7
BPeacock, Hou Greg Ambrosius 6
SKingery, Phi Adam Ronis 4 Ray Murphy 0
THildenberger, Min Rudy Gamble 3
SGaviglio, Tor Greg Ambrosius 3
WFlores, NYM Adam Ronis 3
DValencia, Bal Rudy Gamble 2
LTrivino, Oak Charlie Wiegert 2
FLiriano, Det Jeff Boggis 1
NAhmed, Ari Ray Murphy 0
BHolt, Bos Perry Van Hook 0
JCave, Min Perry Van Hook 0
RDavis, Cle Perry Van Hook 0

Perry Van Hook’s Commentary

Just eight of the Touts bidding this week – mainly for slight upgrades/replacements. High bid was Rudy Gamble’s $27 for Giants SP Andrew Suarez who has a nice two start week. Suarez was my second choice (at a much cheaper price but I won Boston 1B/OF Steve Pearce for $4 as the Sox will face three LHSP next week so Pearce, a good OBP hitter should have starts in those games plus whatever other at bats he gets. After four dollar bids for Pearce and Suarez, I bid $0 on other choices, a ploy also used by Scott White to add three pitchers.

Todd’s Take

Suarez is one of the good first half stories. With Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija all missing time, Suarez gave the Giants innings. With Chris Stratton having issues lately, Suarez stays in the rotation while Stratton has been farmed.

Along with Perry’s sage Pearce pick-up, I like Rudy Gamble snagging Alen Hanson. Hanson has been playing nearly every day, but with Joe Panik out, Hanson should play even more. Better yet, he’s been leading off, assuring maximum number of at bats.

HEAD-TO-HEAD MIXED AUCTION

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

PLAYER WINNING BID
JZimmermann, Det Paul Sporer 77 Andrea LaMont 23 Michael Rathburn 4
Dr. Roto 3
MTrumbo, Bal Andrea LaMont 44
MStassi, Hou Jake Ciely 29 Stephania Bell 7 Michael Rathburn 3
ASlegers, Min Peter Kreutzer 22 Jake Ciely 17
JWinker, Cin Peter Kreutzer 13
EDeLosSantos, Phi Dr. Roto 13
SRomo, TB Andrea LaMont 12
JHellickson, Was Michael Rathburn 8 Dr. Roto 3
BJohnson, Bos Michael Rathburn 8
NGoodrum, Det Dr. Roto 8
YRamirez, Bal Jake Ciely 7
CIannetta, Col Stephania Bell 5
IKinerFalefa, Tex Andrea LaMont 2
JJimenez, Det Dr. Roto 2
LPerdomo, SD Clay Link 1 Michael Rathburn 4

UNAWARDED BIDS

PLAYER
KMorales, Tor Andrea LaMont 12
LTrivino, Oak Andrea LaMont 5
MHarvey, Cin Michael Rathburn 4 Clay Link 0
COswalt, NYM Michael Rathburn 4
MAndriese, TB Michael Rathburn 4
CMcHugh, Hou Jake Ciely 2
AMinter, Atl Clay Link 1
KHigashioka, NYY Andrea LaMont 1

Todd’s Take

Is Jordan Zimmermann to be trusted? This recent stretch could just be a hot streak or he could have found something. With declining velocity, the veteran righty needs to figure out a way to get MLB hitters out. For Zimmermann, it’s increased usage of a slider that’s always been scored as his best pitch. I prefer velocity, but Zimmermann could continue some short term success. This type of change doesn’t always have staying power.

Tout Daily Wrap: Bell rings in big win

As ESPN’s injury analyst, Stephania Bell usually details other people’s pain. Last night, she inflicted some to the Tout Daily field, posting 176.25 points, the second highest individual total of the contest.

Stephania braved the weather warnings in Philly, sticking with Zach Eflin who came through with a sterling 7-inning performance. She didn’t fare so well with Shane Bieber, but the budget saved with arms enabled Stephania to assemble an array of sticks putting up double-digit points in all but one spot, missing going eight-for-eight by one point. Max Muncy and his two-homer night lead the way for the 2018 Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame inductee. Check out Stephania’s lineup below.

Coming in second for the week was SI.com’s Michael Beller with Rotowire’s Derek VanRiper grabbing third. Justin Mason (bandwidth prohibits listing all his affiliations… oh , what the heck: Friends with Fantasy Benefits, Fantasy Alarm, Fangraphs, Sleeper and Bust Podcast and FNTSY) leads Period 4 at the halfway point with VanRiper and Beller next in the race for the Period’s three Golden Tickets. Fantasy Alarm’s Rick Wolf continues to lead the pack for the wild card ticket with Todd Zola edging past Clay Link for the second most overall points. Here’s the Leaderboard.

Be sure to check out Tout Wars weekly content beginning with the comprehensive Tout Wars FAAB report every Sunday, then the Tout Table on Monday, our Tout Daily Picks on Tuesday with the Tout Daily Wrap every Wednesday.

Here’s Stephania’s roster:

Tout Daily Picks: Is it Eflin hot enough for ya?

Lawr Michaels (CreativeSports2, @lawrmichaels)

Zach Eflin: The Phillies righty is 6-2, 3.02, with a 1.17 WHIP and 57 strikeouts over his last 56.2 frames and faces an Orioles team that is hitting just .225 off righties. And Eflin gets to pitch at home.

Gene McCaffrey (Wise Guy Baseball, @WiseGuyGene)

Zack Greinke: Zack Greinke is exactly the kind of pitcher who should benefit from pitcher’s umpire Bill Welke, plus he’s a good bet to provide what passes for quantity these days.

Jake Ciely (Rotoexperts, @allinkid)

Clayton Kershaw: It feels as though every time I pay up for Clayton Kershaw, I get the Klayton Pshaw knockoff version. Nevertheless, I’m not thrilled by most of the slate with Greinke vs. the Cardinals and the good Bieber facing a low K team, so here we are… despite the Pirates having the 10th lowest K% against lefties.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy)

Zach Eflin: He’s pitching incredibly well this season with slightly more than a strikeout per inning and gets to face an Orioles club that is whiffing nearly 25% of the time against right-handers this season. They’ve also struggled mightily over the past week, posting a woeful team wOBA of just .285 in that span.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella)

Marco Estrada: The Mets look like they’re playing out the string in July. Estrada is coming off of a June with a 2.35 ERA and 2.88 FIP. He’s unlikely to twirl a gem but his salary gives me space to use some high end bats tonight.

Ray Murphy (BaseballHQ, @RayHQ)

Ryan Yarbrough: Nice cheap pitching option in Miami

Michael Rathburn (Rotowire, @FantasyRath)

Ryan Yarbrough: Hard to pass on price/matchup

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Clayton Kershaw: At $12,000 this is one of the cheapest opportunities to roster Kershaw in your starting lineup. I’ll take the over on over or under 20 fantasy points tonight.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Marco Estrada: Going with two cheap pitchers – Estrada & DeSclafani so that I can afford an obvious Reds stack.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Zach Eflin: Underlying metrics say this guy is eflin’ good