Tout Wars, Take 2: BABS strikes back

I spent the summer of 2018 with the single goal of finishing higher than last place. BABS is not proud, but I can’t blame her. She is who she is. I just performed poorly. So I decided to take a different approach for this year. I would leave less to chance. Once again, the player…

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Turning over the Tout Apple Cart

When the Florida Marlins purged their roster this past off-season, a reason given was that their cache of stars was not winning them anything. One could argue that acquiring a few pieces could have been the quicker path to contention, but other teams have had success by tearing everything down and starting over. I am…

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Tourniquet

The following article was written 10 years ago, at BaseballHQ.com, during the season that was filmed for the “Fantasyland” documentary. In honor of my current last place Tout Wars team, and Memorial Day, I present this redux.  I woke up on the morning of April 24 to find my Tout Wars team (12-team AL) in…

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Tout Wars, BABS and the Changing Marketplace

Player projections are irrelevant. What you think players are worth is irrelevant. All that matters is the marketplace. Here is the description that I have used time and time again: “If you are convinced that a player is worth $25 and land him for $21, you will have overpaid if the rest of your league sees…

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Go Big or Go Home: My Tout Wars Team

Last year in Tout Wars, several of the participants decided that a conservative approach in these redraft leagues did not get the job done. More often than not, the winner was the owner who drafted the most risky plays that paid off. A report card of surprising “A’s” and “F’s” often bested those with “B’s”…

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Negotiating Change, part 2

In Part 1, I attempted to orchestrate some change in the free agent bidding process by working up negative backlash towards live bidding events in order to sell the idea of the Vickrey Method. The email exchange continues… JOSH PALEY, 2000 CDM Diamond Challenge Winner: As for which auction method is preferable, I suspect that if…

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Negotiating Change, part 1

The Tout Wars experts leagues made a constitutional change this season that eliminated a rule that had been in place for about a decade. After a bunch of wrangling, Tout tossed the Vickrey method for free agent bidding. There were two reasons for this change, only one of which was really valid in my mind.…

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BABS Goes to Tout Wars

AL/NL-only leagues are incredibly challenging, moreso today than when they were first introduced in 1984. The burgeoning disabled list, platooning and incessant roster turnover have diminished the importance of Draft Day. In redraft leagues, it’s particularly difficult to achieve an optimal roster structure. And if just one owner employs a strategy that skews the auction…

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