This article is part of our MLB Observations series.
On Tuesday night, we had our 18-team Staff Keeper League auction and reserve/minor league draft. (I share it with RotoWire's COO Tim Schuler.) Here's what our squad looked like at the end of the auction -- new players in red, keepers in black:
As you can see, I bought a all mid-level players and no stars. That's because I had only $67 for eight spots, and with keeper inflation, stars like Mike Trout went for $65. Moreover, in an 18-team league with seven reserve spots, there aren't many quality innings or at-bats available in the free-agent pool, so playing time is at a premium. I don't like any of the new hitters I bought except for Buster Posey at $4. That might sound odd, but remember, there are 36 catchers started in this format.
I do like my pitchers. Matthew Boyd was pitching hurt last year, and he's a strikeout machine when healthy. Jake Odorizzi is almost assured a rotation spot with both Framber Valdez hurt and Forrest Whitley out for the year, Adam Ottavino could close and Justin Verlander will be a good trade chip or keeper later this summer.
Here's what we did in the reserve draft:
I was especially happy to get Mike Foltynewicz, David Peterson and Alex Cobb. All three are in good parks and should begin the year with rotation slots. Yasiel Puig has a sexual assault lawsuit pending against him that explains why he hasn't been signed yet. It could prevent him from playing all season -- and a suspension from MLB is even possible -- or it could resolve at any point. Josh Fuentes is competing for playing time on a wide open Rockies roster, and Emilio Pagan has an outside shot to close.
I targeted former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak who's in the mix for the starting center field spot, and I grabbed Dom Nunez, who's competing with Elias Diaz for the catcher job in Colorado. I also think Bryce Wilson has a shot to lock down a rotation spot.
I actually like my reserves better than my starters, and in a keeper league, they're sometimes as important as the clock doesn't start on them until next season.
Here are the full league rosters (with prices):
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And here are the full reserves/minor leaguers:
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And the order in which they were picked:
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