Category: Mixed Auction

A Three Way Race in Tout Wars Mixed Auction Will Go Down to the Final Day, Probably.

Fred Zinkie said, “When I joined Tout Wars, I didn’t think it would take years off my life!  I seem to get into these races often, but I can never figure out a way to separate. This year has been no different.”

When Fred says “separate” he means get a big enough lead that he can trot to the finish line. As a two-time champ, he has found ways to come out on top.

Screenshot 2015-09-28 12.33.05As we enter the last seven days of the 2015 season, Fred has opened a six point lead over Tim Heaney and Scott Swanay.

Swanay isn’t confident of his chances. “My team would have to be extremely lucky the rest of the way to win.  Bats have been asleep since mid-August, so a lot of things would need to break my way to come out on top.  Fred’s team has the highest point ceiling of the three, but Tim made some very shrewd late-season roster additions (e.g.- Yordano Ventura for a buck off the waiver wire) that enabled him to regain the lead. It’s not often that you have different leaders 3 consecutive days with just over a week to go – whatever happens the last 7 days, it’s been a fun ride.  Good luck, Tim and Fred!”

Heaney noted that Fred increased his lead Sunday night. He has a three-prong path to victory:

“My team needs many things:

1. My recent power surge to continue. The runs, home runs, and RBI columns are volatile and vulnerable. Yoenis Cespedes just about single-handedly carried my offense for almost two months but is running out of gas.
2. I must also keep pace in strikeouts and wins, so I’m going to have to play off the final week of pitching. I shifted my focus away from starting pitching in the last few months as I’ve tried to rebuild my offense and load up at closer. I’ve lost some traction in WHIP (to Fred Zinkie, of all people) and strikeouts as a result.
3. Have to watch for players who might be resting with postseason berths either officially or all but clinched.”
In Sunday night’s waivers Heaney added Tanner Roark and Dan Haren. Swanay countered with Nick Tropeano, Jorge Lopez (who makes his major league debut Tuesday at Petco), and Chris Bassitt, plus JJ Hardy, and Zinkie stood pat.
To win, Zinkie says that “in short, my team needs to hit.  I have little room to move in the pitching categories. But I could go in either direction in most hitting categories. With good hitting across the final nine days of the season, I could add 5-6 points to my overall total. With poor hitting, I could lose just as many.  Many of my hitters are bunched on the Yankees, Royals, Indians and Orioles. Having those teams succeed down the stretch will make a big difference.”
Some of those plus points came Sunday, after a period when Fred said his team “has been chasing a pack of teams in homers all month, but I have made little progress. The emergence of Darren O’Day as the O’s short-term closer is going to cost me a point in the saves category, and I definitely didn’t see that coming. But overall, I have been mostly treading water in each category.”
Tim Heaney was in second place at the All Star break, 26 points ahead of Swanay and Zinkie, who were a half point apart, virtually tied for fifth place. Since then Swanay and Zinkie have been, by far, the league’s two best teams. Heaney has been the third best.
Tim said about what has happened since: “Despite my starting pitcher decline, I’ve had minor success with rentals Tim Hudson and Erik Johnson the last few weeks. So playing the matchups again the final week is ideal. My $1 of FAAB might hinder that plan.

Didn’t help having Cespedes’ slump and dead weight players like Justin Turner and Greg Holland in my lineup this week — players who can’t be placed on the disabled list because their major league team didn’t put them on theirs — left me behind in warm bodies with at-bats.
I finished third in my rookie mixed auction season and in several years have flashed a few stretches when I’ve been first or close. Fred and Scott are seasoned, smart players. Year after year, this league proves that it’s one of the toughest in the fantasy world.
Good (but not that good) luck to Fred and Scott. This is exciting.”
A look at the volatility index, an assessment of possible points go be gained or lost, supports the claims of all three.
Zinkie could gain up to six points and could lose 7.5. His top score could be 114.5, his worst would be 101.
Heaney could gain 9.5 points, and could lose 8.5. His top score could be 111.5, his worst could be 93.5.
Swanay has a potential seven points of upside, and nine points of downside. His best score could be 109.5, his worst could be 93.5.
To see the current rosters and standings, visit ToutWars.com.

 

Who Is Winning Tout Wars? An Overview

With a month left in the season we’ve crowned one Tout Wars Champion for 2015: Charlie Wiegert is Tout Wars Daily champion. But what about the other leagues? While you can alway check in on the standings and transactions by using the links in the right nav at toutwars.com, at this point it might be a good time to check in on the pennant races.

TOUT WARS AL

Chris Liss is having a classic Liss season, young pitching, lots of hitting, lots of risk, and is seven points ahead of Jeff Erickson and nine points ahead of Mike Podhorzer. The three have bubbled up and down around the top of the standings all season, but Liss has benefited from Chris Davis’s spectacular season, and Carlos Correa’s emergence after being called up earlier in the year. There are plenty of points in play for all three teams, up and down, for this to turn any which way at any time, but Liss is clearly the fave.

Screenshot 2015-09-06 15.02.22

TOUT WARS NL

Mike Gianella is seven points ahead of standing three-time champ Tristan Cockcroft, but just two weeks ago his edge was only two points. For Cockcroft, the problem has been a freefalling pitching staff, which has won just a single game in the last 13 days, allowing Gianella to pass him. These teams have lots of points in play, too, so while you have to prefer to have the lead, there is no sitting comfortably at this point. Still, Gianella has to appreciate that he was the best team in the first half and has been the best team in the second half. Now he just has to bring it home.

Screenshot 2015-09-06 15.12.23

TOUT WARS MIXED AUCTION

At the halfway mark on the season Zach Steinhorn had a commanding lead, but that was before Fred Zinkie went to work. Zinkie was in 12th place on June 28, 39.5 points behind Steinhorn. From that point to the August 31 trading deadline he made 19 trades, and has taken a slim lead ahead of Scott Swanay and Steinhorn. Swanay was in 10th place on June 28th, and has nearly matched Zinkie in the second half. Meanwhile, Tim Heaney is just five points behind Zinkie, in fourth place. There’s a lot of pennant race to come in this one.

Screenshot 2015-09-06 15.21.40

TOUT WARS MIXED DRAFT

Adam Ronis and Paul Greco have been near the top of the standings all year long, but their weak second half performances have given Rudy Gamble a chance to open up some space ahead of them and Eno Sarris (whose had the best second half of them all). Gambles position is pretty strong, but he’s vulnerable in Wins and the pitching qualitatives,

Screenshot 2015-09-06 15.24.53

TOUT WARS X

Bret Sayre entered the last four-week contest 14.5 points ahead of Patrick Mayo and 31 points ahead of Doug Anderson. As we approach the halfway point, Sayre is 15 points behind Mayo, who has moved into a tiny lead. What looked like it might be a blowout has ended up a a nail-biter, if you’re Sayre and Mayo.

Screenshot 2015-09-06 15.34.09

 

Four Tout Leagues and their June 22 FAAB Reports!

mastersballlogoMastersball’s crew digests and displays this week’s moves, with nods to Chris Parmelee, Derek Deitrich, Kyle Schwarber, and Matt Wisler.

Mike Gianella has an excellent and informative look at the Tout NL FAAB pool, where the biggest buys came from last year, and who has made the best gains this year, at baseballprospectus.com.

Tout Wars FAAB Action of June 15

Big bids in each league, but for different players. Read Mastersball.com’s analysis here.

Baseball Prospectus’s Mike Gianella, first place in Tout NL, has his analysis of the week’s Tout AL and NL moves. It’s free!

Traders Go Wild in Tout Wars Mixed Auction! Steinhorn Still Leads!

Screenshot 2015-06-09 13.48.52Prompted by Fred Zinkie’s Tweet, a look at the Tout Wars Mixed Auction trades of the past week.

The first trade (actually before the big 8) was classic hitting for pitching.

Al Melchior gets: Matt Carpenter StL from Scott Pianowski
Scott Pianowski gets: James McCann Det and Jacob DeGrom NYM from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 2:30 PM on 05/28/2015.

Trading season usually starts about two months into the season. Melchior now needed a catcher. So he dealt.

Al Melchior gets: Carlos Perez LAA from Paul Singman
Paul Singman gets: Nick Castellanos Det from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 4:21 PM on 05/28/2015.

More hitting for Melchior for more pitching.

Al Melchior gets: Mark Teixeira NYY from David Gonos
David Gonos gets: Dallas Keuchel Hou from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 1:18 PM on 05/31/2015.

Maybe we should take a look at the standings on May 31. You can see today’s standings here.

Screenshot 2015-06-09 15.14.16

The team in last place in Runs and next to last in homers, adds Teixeira and Carpenter, giving up two arms from his league-leading pitching staff. How good is the staff now?

His starters include Chris Sale, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and the youngsters, Eduardo Rodriguez and Lance McCullers. Might still be plenty good.

Fred Zinkie is usually the action trader in this league. He starts off with a small one.

Fred Zinkie gets: Danny Santana Min from Paul Singman
Paul Singman gets: 3 FAAB dollars from Fred Zinkie
Accepted by all parties at 2:30 PM on 06/01/2015.

Then, loosened up, he goes bigger.

Cory Schwartz gets: Jason Heyward StL from Fred Zinkie
Fred Zinkie gets: Kole Calhoun LAA from Cory Schwartz
Accepted by all parties at 2:10 PM on 06/03/2015.

Cory Schwartz then puts together a righteous threeway.

Cory Schwartz gets: Brandon Belt SF from Nando DiFino
Scott Pianowski gets: Andre Ethier LAD and Yonder Alonso SD and 1 FAAB dollars from Cory Schwartz. And 2 FAAB dollars from Nando DiFino
Nando DiFino gets: Avisail Garcia CWS from Scott Pianowski and Rougned Odor Tex from Cory Schwartz
Accepted by all parties at 11:04 AM on 06/05/2015.

Nando DiFino lures away a top prospect for a former ace.

Nando DiFino gets: Carlos Correa Hou from Joe Pisapia
Joe Pisapia gets: Justin Verlander Det from Nando DiFino
Accepted by all parties at 1:13 PM on 06/07/2015.

Closing the circle, Nando and Fred find common ground.

Fred Zinkie gets: Alex Rodriguez NYY from Nando DiFino
Nando DiFino gets: Wil Myers SD from Fred Zinkie
Accepted by all parties at 6:12 PM on 06/07/2015.

Scott Pianowski returns, introducing Tim Heaney to the dance.

Scott Pianowski gets: Dexter Fowler ChC from Tim Heaney
Tim Heaney gets: Billy Hamilton Cin from Scott Pianowski
Accepted by all parties at 5:21 PM on 06/07/2015.

It’s good to remember this is an OBP league when evaluating that one.

Now Pianowski and DiFino rejigger. Those 3 FAAB are the ones Pianowski picked up in the earlier deal with Nando and Cory.

Scott Pianowski gets: Salvador Perez KC from Nando DiFino
Nando DiFino gets: James McCann Det and Martin Prado Mia and 3 FAAB dollars from Scott Pianowski
Accepted by all parties at 6:14 PM on 06/07/2015.

More players move through Zinkie, as he sells low.

Ray Flowers gets: Mike Fiers Mil, Christian Yelich Mia, Drew Hutchison Tor and 2 FAAB dollars from Fred Zinkie
Fred Zinkie gets: David DeJesus TB and Starling Marte Pit from Ray Flowers
Accepted by all parties at 9:08 PM on 06/07/2015.

And finally, a small one for a big catcher, at least in the future.

Ray Flowers gets: 4 FAAB dollars from David Gonos
David Gonos gets: Blake Swihart Bos from Ray Flowers
Accepted by all parties at 2:14 PM on 06/08/2015.

What’s the final tally?

Al Melchior gets Matt Carpenter, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Perez, giving up James McCann, Jacob DeGrom, Dallas Keuchel, and Nick Castellanos.

Scott Pianowski gets Jacob DeGrom, Andre Ethier, Yonder Alonso, Dexter Fowler, and Salvador Perez, for Matt Carpenter, Avisail Garcia, Billy Hamilton, and Martin Prado.

Paul Singman got Nick Castellanos and 3 FAAB for Carlos Perez and Danny Santana.

David Gonos gets Dallas Keuchel and Blake Swihart for Mark Teixeira and 4 fAAB.

Fred Zinkie gets Danny Santana, Kole Calhoun, Alex Rodriguez, David DeJesus and Starling Marte and gives up 5 FAAB, Jason Heyward, Wil Myers, Mike Fiers, Christian Yelich, and Drew Hutchison.

Cory Schwarts gets Jason Heyward, and Brandon Belt for Kole Calhoun, Andre Ethier, Yonder Alonso, Rougned Odor, and 1 FAAB.

Nando DiFino gets Avisail Garcia, Rougned Odor, Carlos Correa, Wil Myers, James McCann, Martin Prado and 1 FAAB for Salvado Perez, Alex Rodriguez, Justin Verlander, and Brandon Belt.

Joe Pisapia gets Justin Verlander and gives Carlos Correa.

Tim Heaney gets Billy Hamilton and gives Dexter Fowler.

Ray Flowers gets Mike Fiers, Christian Yelich, Drew Hutchison and 6 FAAB for David Dejesus, Blake Swihart and Starling Marte.

June 8 Tout Wars FAAB Reports!

The Mastersball.com crew welcomes Mark Trumbo to the American League and and Joey Gallo to the majors. Big bidding ensued this week!

Mike Gianella’s BP report for Tout AL and NL is here.

May 25 FAAB Reports!

Todd Zola and the crew at Mastersball list the bids and write about them every week, and this week, too.

Jeff Erickson surveys the leagues he plays in FAAB results, which included Tout NL.

Mike Gianella’s BP FAAB round up is now posted at http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=26451.

Who Is Winning Tout Wars Mixed Auction? May 7, 2015 Edition

Screenshot 2015-05-07 11.03.11

Zach Steinhorn (@ZachMLB) is! By a lot!

Zach’s only weakness, if you can call it that, is Stolen Bases. He’s riding on the broad shoulders of Anthony Rizzo, Brandon Moss, Justin Upton, Kolten Wong, and Josh Reddick on the offensive side of things. Star pitchers include Chris Archer, Mike Leake and Ian Kennedy, with Glen Perkins, David Robertson and Bret Cecil closing.