THE TOP 25
Here is our current Top 25 hitter list:
These are based on a 24-team mixed 5x5 league with a total budget of $6240, the functional equivalent of an AL Only or NL Only league. About 70 percent of the budget is allocated to hitting.
The last player taken in the current list (#336) has a price of $2. Many other players come after him priced at $2 and $1. This isn’t strictly correct, but the Top 336 do add up to the budget. Once I get the position breakdowns finished this week I’ll get the 336th player down to $1.
There will still be lots of extra players listed at $1 because things are going to change before the season starts and the bottom of the list will change much more than the top (unless a big guy gets hurt).
Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann | 2021
The other issue I should mention is how I handle potential rookies. Players like Jackson Holliday and Johan Rojas may not start the year in the majors, though they may. I give players like this a price because they may, and some leagues allow the drafting of minor league players.
In one AL Only league I play in you can buy minor leaguers in the auction, but the opening bid has to be $10 or more. I think Holliday will be bought in that one, even if the Orioles say he’s going to start the year in the minors.
In this whole list, there are 48 catchers, the amount necessary. I haven’t checked if there are 24 from each league, but when I put out my spreadsheet lists at the end of this month they will be broken down by league, have the right number of players at each position, and the money will add up.
These prices are derived by looking at what each player did last year, how much the market thought he was worth, and how I think the market will value him this year. Then I make my guess about how much he’s going to earn this year based on his skills and the team situation. If there is a discrepancy between the market and my judgment I nudge the price either up or down.
For players I don’t like I want to be under the market, while for players I like I want to be a bit above. That way I can more easily tell during the auction whether players are going for more or less than I expected the market to pay and make adjustments on the fly.
I’m comfortable bidding up to my listed bid price right now, but I look forward to your comments about these and those in the complete price list linked (for Subscribers) after the paywall. Your comments help give me a different perspective, which can be very helpful.
I tinker with these lists all Spring long, or until they’re perfect, whichever comes first.
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