Draft Day Budget Sheet

By John Coleman, 3/1/00

Money Allocation Chart #1

When I mention bargains, I mean players going wellbelow the bid price.

Grabbing closer prospects is a crapshoot. The only safe bet is to spend $1 onmiddle relievers that you think will produce. If you have them at a buck, keepthem. Just don't pay $11 for them! Middle relievers are the least predictablepitchers you can find. That makes them risky.

If you watch that group of starters priced at $10-$20, you will see several ofthem go for half that price. By the time these guys are being brought up,everyone will have overspent on the hitters and better starters. You should beable to snag 4 of them for $2-$8, but I don't know which ones. If you budgetfor that much money in four pitching slots, you will get some bargains. Thoseguys are always "cheated" in the draft.

Do you know how to use a draft budget sheet? It's simply a list of positionswith pre-set dollar amounts. It's a roster sheet for your team. When you win aplayer, write his name down on the sheet along with his contract. If hiscontract is more or less than the slot was budgeted (and it usually is) simplyreassign excess dollars (or take dollars from) another open slot. This budgetplan is essential for a good, patient, evenly built team. Here's a sample:

HITTERS	PITCHERS
$8 – C $5 – C $23 – 1B $10 – 1B/3B $15 – 3B $17 – 2B $8 – 2B/SS $21 – SS $27 – OF $16 – OF $13 – OF $7 – OF $3 – OF $2 – DH/UT	$21 – SP $12 – SP $8 – SP $5 – SP $3 – SP $3 – P $2 – P $29 – RP $2 – RP

Now, I'm not saying that you have to use these numbers. If you have keepers,then you will be changing several of them right away. This particular planallots 67% to hitters. You can win with 70% or you can win with 60%. There's norule here, just a lot of hype. It's all about picking the right players. ButUSE this budget sheet, whatever plan you like. It will give you greatdiscipline. And don't EVER use a computer at the draft.

Money Allocation Chart #2

The followingrecommended amounts are extremely flexible. Some allocate $90 for pitching while others allow for $100.  Do whatever you feel is the most comfortablebut remember to make appropriate adjustments on other lines.  During the draft you buy a hitter for say,$18, then add or subtract the $2 somewhere else. Established leagues with protected rosters can use the chart bysimply writing in the protected players names next to their salaries whilemaking necessary adjustments to the other values.

Feel free toadjust the individual dollar values prior to the draft.  For those leagues that draft from both theA.L. and N.L., the values would be heavily weighted at both ends.  That is, you would still want to pay topprice for the bonafide star players but, due to the extra talent available, themiddle-valued players would still be available at the end of the draft.  Hence, more $1 bargains.  This will allow you to spend a tad more onthe star players. You should also stayaway from the injury-prone players in mixed leagues because there is just toomuch talent available from the healthy ranks.

Remember that the values listedbelow are just an example. Write downthe dollar values (in pencil) with which you feel the most comfortable and beready to adjust throughout the draft.

Hitters (14) Pitchers(9)

$25-35_______________________________           $25-30___________________________

$20-23_______________________________           $15______________________________

$18-23_______________________________ $15______________________________

$15-20_______________________________ $10______________________________

$10-15_______________________________           $5_______________________________

$10-15_______________________________           $4_______________________________

$10________________________________ $1_______________________________

$10________________________________ $1_______________________________

$5_________________________________ $1_______________________________

$5_________________________________

$5_________________________________

$2_________________________________

$1_________________________________

$1_________________________________

Total = $180                   Total = $80

Draft Day Inflation/Deflation Chart

Your league's money situation	You have less than $8 per player to spend	You have average money to spend	You have more than $12-$14 per player to spend
Draft Day Deflation*	Bid up to 80%-100% of a player's perceived worth.	Bid up to 80%-100% of a player's perceived worth.	You control the bidding. Make sure you spend your money on bonafide talent and take few risks.
Each team has an average amount of money to spend	Bid up to 80%-90% of a player's perceived worth.	Bid up to 80%-90% of a player's perceived worth.	You should be able to control the bidding somewhat unless another owner has big bucks to spend.
Draft Day Inflation**	Bid up to at least 100% of a player's value or jump in where you can. This situation is the toughest draft day scenario, and will be a true indicator of your bidding abilities. Sleepers have added importance here.	Bid up to at least 100% of a player's value (especially star players) or jump in where you can.	Spend your money quickly but wisely. Bid up to as much as 120% for quality talent but do not overspend for marginal players. Do not wait until the end of the draft because you could get stuck and take money home with you.

* A situation by which 70%-80% ofthe owners in your league have less than an average of $10 to spend per player.

** A situation where at least halfof the owners have over an average of $10 per player to spend.

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