Mets 1B Peter Alonso

Nothing else left to prove in the minors after blasting 21 ding-dongs in Triple A last season.  Alonso should see regular playing time at 1B. Feel free to deploy Alonso in lineups where power is lacking.  

Rays DH Yandy Diaz

Expected to see time as part of a rotation at 3B with Matt Duffy out of commission.  Diaz was the main piece in return for the Rays in a 3-team deal with the Indians and Mariners.  Diaz has been road blocked in Cleveland, so we’ll get to see what his hard contact can do with regular playing time.  Diaz will eventually pick up position eligibility at 3B and 1B. Feel free to stream him Week 1 if in the lineup. Owners looking for a lottery ticket may want to roster Diaz.

Padres SP Joey Lucchesi

Takes on the Giants at home on Friday. I believe SF will be one of the worst clubs in all of baseball in 2019 yet again.  Lucchesi struck out 13 and walked 4 in 14 spring innings. I own Lucchesi in multiple leagues this year and expect him to take a step forward in 2019.  

This is a recap of a 12-team Weekly Points Auction League. The scoring favors power hitters and power pitchers. Lineups break down to have positions followed by 2B/SS, 1B/3B and Util. I was able to keep the first 5 players at cheap costs allowing me to load up on expensive hitters. As you can see from my draft, I don’t put a premium price on pitching. My pitching staff combined cost $39 dollars. Chris Sale went for $42 and Max Scherzer at $40. Spending big money on pitching has always bothered me due to the unstable nature of the position. Elbows and shoulders tend to give out more on pitchers than hitters so I tend to spend my money on the safer positions. I make a list of all the players I like at each position before the draft and my must have list. Makes it easier for me to draft in an auction.

Nolan Arenado was one of my must haves. Really wanted Alex Bregman, but not for $32 dollars. Manny Machado at $26 is a better value to me. That savings allowed me to fill out my roster at the end a bit more. Machado will be able to play SS, 2B/SS, 3B, 1B/3B in this lineup. Kris Bryant bounces back in a big way in 2019 and has 3B/OF eligibility. Bryant will be able to play 3B/, 1B/3B, and OF for me. Anthony Rizzo cost $26, while Paul Goldschmidt came in a $29 and Freddie Freeman $30. Joey Votto was a $18 bid this season. I’m happy with Rizzo at that price point. This lineup is loaded the power/rbi advantage a majority of the positions. Because of the high strikeouts rates of some of my big hitters, guys with low K and high OBP were added to balance things out.

Pitching wise I targeted cheap pitchers with a high SO/9. May 12.8, Robertson 11.8, Darvish 11.0, Severino 10.3, Lucchesi 10.0, Gray 9.6, Colome 9.5, Bradley 9.4, Castillo 8.8, Eovaldi 8.0, Stroman 6.8, Rodon 6.7, Gausman 6.6. If the command doesn’t show in 2019 then I don’t feel as bad hitting the eject button. Injury concerns are there on this pitching staff, however the league allows up to 4 IR spots. I target pitchers young pitchers that have been in the league for just a few years or are younger than 32. Older pitchers don’t go as deep into games which means that can’t accrue as many counting stats.

The final selections in this draft were all about finding upside. That’s the best way to find lottery tickets. If the ticket busts, makes the decision easier to cut bait to chase the next best thing. Here’s my full draft let me know what you think.

Fall Guy Stuntman Asoc.

NO.
PLAYER
BID AMOUNT
31
Joey Lucchesi SD, SP
$2
32
Aaron Judge NYY, RF
$3
33
Rhys Hoskins Phi, LF
$3
34
Gleyber Torres NYY, SS
$2
35
Luis Severino NYY, SP
$3
68
Kris Bryant ChC, 3B
$29
74
Nolan Arenado Col, 3B
$40
76
Manny Machado SD, SS
$26
80
Anthony Rizzo ChC, 1B
$26
127
Andrew Benintendi Bos, LF
$19
150
Yu Darvish ChC, SP
$8
204
David Robertson Phi, RP
$5
214
Nathan Eovaldi Bos, SP
$2
216
Luis Castillo Cin, SP
$7
217
Byron Buxton Min, CF
$1
218
Elvis Andrus Tex, SS
$3
241
Jon Gray Col, SP
$3
247
Austin Meadows TB, RF
$2
254
Kevin Gausman Atl, SP
$2
265
Danny Jansen Tor, C
$1
270
Archie Bradley Ari, RP
$2
275
Carlos Rodon CWS, SP
$1
279
Willy Adames TB, SS
$2
285
Marcus Stroman Tor, SP
$1
298
Trevor May Min, RP
$2
303
Yandy Diaz TB, DH
$1
312
Alex Colome CWS, RP
$1
320
Isiah Kiner-Falefa Tex, C
$1

Grizzlies SG Delon Wright

The centerpiece of the return from the Marc Gasol trade. Wright really should be playing more minutes as the season winds down.  Mike Conley is a potential shutdown candidate making Wright a must own player. I picked up Wright in a keeper league for a possible stretch run and cheap keeper option for next season.  Weekly players can use Wright in the meantime for looking for rebounding from a Guard. 3-games this scoring period.

Pistons SG Luke Kennard

Drilled 3 or more from downtown in 4 of 5 contests. Kennard has 3-games this week. His playing time and field goal attempts have progressively increased each month this season.  The Pistons are in the thick of fighting for a playoff spot and Kennard could play a role in helping that push. Owners looking for scoring and 3-point shooting should stream Kennard.

Bulls C Robin Lopez

The young Bulls have turned the corner a bit winning 6 out of their last 10.  Lopez was expected to receive a buyout, but will remain with the Bulls the rest of the season.  In the last 7 days Lopez has averaged 14.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in the last 7 days. Bulls have 4-games this scoring period and RoLo should be in lineups.