Going, Going, Gone: Auction Draft Tips

After a couple years of seasoning in snake draft, there's nothing more enjoyable than an auction draft to really put your fantasy knowledge to the test. On draft day, every owner starts with a level playing field - there's no 1st pick that get to control the fate of everyone after.

Auction drafts take pre-draft preparation to another level. Not only must you rank the players at each position, but you must know what price to pay and how to manage your budget to get the most out of your cap. Throw in a bit of psychology and trash talking and you have yourself one hell of thrill ride (or disaster) at the end of the day. So here are some pointers for the auction leaguers out there.

These pointers will focus on a 12-team league (23 man rosters: 14 hitters/9 pitchers) with standard 5X5 scoring. Teams begin with a $260 cap.

Predraft Strategy
- 70/30 split. Just like in a snake draft, most owners want to focus on hitting which is more predictable thus you'll need to spend about 70% of your cap on hitters.
- Aces. While its difficult to land premier pitchers at a cheap price, focus on landing two $20 pitchers to anchor your staff and fill the rest with a few $10 guys and the rest bargains.
- Closers. Don't overpay for a one-category closer in an auction, which basically means no first-tier closers. Land one mid-level closer and one or two third-tier closers if possible. Take some gambles on some middle relievers that could take over for shaky closers early in the season.
- Sluggers. With 70% of your cap for hitters that's around 182 for your team offense. Try to land one $30 slugger, two to three $20 level hitters and the rest will have to be guys with high upside at bargain level prices.
- Prepare, prepare, prepare. Be ready to walk into the war room to do battle because I guarantee that the unprepared will never win an auction league. Don't be the guy that walks in the room with nothing. For one, you'll have your rankings with auction values - check out FIC's player rankings as a starting point and make your own judgements. Two, a calculator is always handy so you always know how much you have to spend. Three, a laptop or good old pen and paper to track the other teams rosters as the draft progresses.

Draft Day Strategy
Auction drafts are so much more exciting than a snake draft as you have to stay focused for the entire process. You don't have time to loaf between picks as every player put up for bid can be yours at any time.
- Know your opponents. This won't be easy to read your first year but if you know there is a homie that will pay up for his local guys, you'll be able to squeeze a dollar or two more out of him leaving them less cash for later.
- Patience. This is the most important aspect on draft day. Let the other owners overpay for superstars in the early rounds while you wait for the cheaper alternatives. Last year I waited a good three hours before landing a player and it was frustrating sitting on my hands, but I would not overpay and ruin my draft - it paid off as I finished in the money and it was my first year in the league.
- Avoid bidding wars. This goes hand in hand with patience. It's fun to win a player you want but don't get caught up in the moment and overpay - in fact you don't even want to pay fair value - the way you win in auction leagues is to bid below a players actual worth.
- Chase out the cash. In the early rounds toss out names that people will overpay for and/or that you have no interest in. This will make for bigger bargains later. I like to chase the closers early - let the other owners blow their pitching budget on Gagne and Rivera. The sad thing is that every draft has its idiot that will blow their wad in the 1st hour on three or four players and be dead money until dollar days - don't be that guy.
- Adaptation. Make sure you adapt to the scene and remain flexible. If the auction is bring out reasonable superstars instead of grossly overpaying, then you may want to snatch one early. Drafts will vary year to year - I've seen level headed early bidding as well as inflated insantiy with the same group of owners.
- Tracking the budgets. Foolish managers don't keep track of every team's dollars and rosters. This is a huge mistake. You must know how much money is still available to be spent and where they can spend it. If everyone has a first baseman and very little cash, you'll almost certainly get an bargain. You'll also know who can spend an extra dollar on a bid and who you won't be able to stay in the bidding for very long. This is most important in the mid-to-late rounds.
- Preemptive bids. Some people suggest that preemptive bids can win you a great player for a few dollars cheaper due to the shock and awe factor. For example, you think Randy Johnson is worth $42. A person throws his name out for a buck and instead of going to 2, you immediately jump to $40. Unfortunately, I've never seen this work in my experience - instead I've seen it do the exact opposite. The managers that have done this have grossly overpaid in my opinion and would have paid significantly less if they had just bid in lower incriments.

Finding a League - I found both of my auction leagues on FIC's message boards. Be sure to chat with the league's commish to find out how competitive the league is and why the other owners left. Just like any league, you want to play with active, competitive owners. If you can't find a league on the message boards, consider putting one together yourself - it'll be more work, but it will be worth the effort...