Draft preview: Auction Strategies

I like steak. Who doesn't like steak? I mean, even a vegetarian probably likes steak -- just not the means to get a steak.

Sometimes, though, I like to eat a hamburger. It's essentially the same animal, with the same heat applied to it, and it all ends up in the same place (my stomach) through the same porthole (my mouth). But it's still different.

That's how an auction is. It's still the same Fantasy Baseball league once the seasons starts. You still need to have a relatively good grasp of MLB players and you still need 8-14 owners to get together for the dispersal of said players.

But an auction has so much more to offer when considering different strategies to dominate your league.

We're not suggesting that you change your current league into an auction format, but if you are thinking of starting up a second league -- definitely consider making it an auction league.

In an auction league, you can get any player you choose, as opposed to a regular straight draft, where if you are in the back end, you can write off any chances of getting Albert Pujols or Jose Reyes. And you get the added enjoyment of trying to outsmart your opponents by tricking them into bidding more or by waiting in the weeds for bargains.

Each owner gets $260 to purchase 23 players, and then you finish the night with a six-round reserve draft. Welcome to old school Fantasy Baseball!

Set your budget for each player you expect to get drafted, and then try to split groups of players at each position into tiers. As the draft progresses, try to get the best values within each tier at each position.

About halfway through the auction, you might notice that there are a good number of players that went for much more than you expected, which means the upcoming players are probably going to go for lower than you expected. This is the auction fulcrum, where the value of players suddenly shifts and bargains are around every corner. Try to save money so you can take advantage when this happens, but make sure you still get a couple high-price players for around the money you budgeted early on.

With 23 players to draft and start, a Fantasy Baseball auction is not like a Fantasy Football auction, where the superstars are few and far between. You can afford to let Pujols go for an exorbitant price, because there's a good chance you'll get a solid first baseman for about half the price to go with an excellent outfielder that you used your surplus on.

For those that are handy with a spreadsheet, consider setting one up for your team at least. Break it down to show what you have to spend total, as well as what your highest bid can be on any individual player. The way you do that is by taking your total available salary dollars and subtracting $1 for every open roster spot (since $1 is the minimum that can be spent).

Random tips

Locate the big-mouth in the room –- and sit as far away from him as you can. You don't want to miss out on a $5 bid on the closer you've been waiting on just because Chatty Charlie was expounding on why his pitching staff is the greatest ever created.

Remember that this is a huge poker game. Talk up the players you don't want and keep quiet about players you do want. This isn't rocket science ... If you talk badly about a player that is currently up for bid, you will drive down the salary. Just shut up.

Make sure you realize as the auction moves along that you have enough decent players left on the board for you to spend your money. You don't want to get caught with money still on the table after the auction ends ... Don't nominate a player you want in the early going, but as you head into the final half, only nominate players you want, and only nominate them at $1. Let someone else climb the salary scale. You have all the time in the world, so use it wisely.

Change your bidding style == bid early on some players and late on others. You don't want people to know if you are about to bail on a player or if you plan on bidding up another $15.

Try to nominate a better player at the same position as the player you just won. In other words, if you just won Rickie Weeks for $13, you want to make sure that Robinson Cano goes off the board soon, while people still have money. Once bidding on Cano gets to $10 and slows, you can say, "He's waaaaay better than Weeks, and he went for $13!" That could induce owners into spending much more than even you had pegged Cano for.

If you have extra cash as the auction starts to wind down, start bidding $2 for the players you want to assure you don't get outbid for the best of the remainders.

Don't discount the mental powers of zero! If you are in a bidding war with an opponent, and the price begins to escalate to $20, force his hand. Instead of bidding $18, allowing him to go to just $19 == you bid $19. For some reason, it's much tougher mentally for someone to go to $20, entering the next series of digits, than it is to go to just $19.

Once you get to the final few rounds of the auction, try to get your No. 2 catcher earlier than everyone else. Since most owners aren't going to be dying to spend more than $1 on their second backstop, they become like kickers in a Fantasy Football auction, which means first come-first serve. The 16th-rated catcher can cost you the same as the 24th-rated catcher if you do it at the right time.

Finally, your best strategy is being well prepared, well read and well rested. Just like when you run a race, especially an endurance race, you need to give yourself every advantage early on or else you'll be looking at your opponents' backs the entire time.

Have a question for the Fantasy Baseball writers? How about a comment or a suggestion? Feel free to email us at DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Please add "Attn: Auctions" so we know which column you are referring to. We might not be able to answer all questions due to a large volume, but we’ll do our best.