Collette Calls: AL LABR By the Numbers

Percentage of dollars spent on hitting: 68.7%, down from 71.0% in 2013
Percentage of dollars spent on pitching: 31.3%, up from 29.0% in 2013
Number of batters greater than or = $25: 19, down from 22 in 2013
Number of pitchers greater than or = $20: 10, the same as 2013

Percentage Spent By Position:

Percentage Spent By Pitching Role:

New Bloods into the AL Hitting Pool:

There were 54 players that were bid on during the active phase of the auction that were not in the 2013 draft. Some of those players were in the National League, while others were not close enough on the radar in the AL in 2013 to be bid on. The big-name crossovers went for big money, but a few players that were in the AL last year made large jumps in their auction values.

Bogaerts, Miller, Calhoun, Villar, Garcia, Dozier, Springer, and Arcia all saw their lots improve significantly with their major league clubs and the experts were aggressive in acquiring these 0 to 1 year players.

New Bloods in the AL Pitching Pool:

There were 45 new names in the final auction results that were not in the 2013 final results, but the amount of new names from outside the league was much slimmer. Masahiro Tanaka and John Axford led the charge in terms of new names to the league, but several 2013 AL pitchers saw their fortunes improve greatly in this draft.

Uehara went from being undrafted to the third-highest paid closer in the league. Salazar went from being undrafted to being the 10th-highest dollar amount for starting pitchers. He was drafted for the same price as Tanaka and went for more than the likes of Alex Cobb, Jered Weaver, and Jon Lester. Gray took the strong finish to the season and the postseason into a $16 bid, going for more than CC Sabathia, R.A. Dickey, and Hiroki Kuroda. Tommy Hunter was drafted on his new role as the closer and went $10 despite the fact he has little ability to retire lefties.

The Helium Hitters:

These are the hitters that were drafted in 2013 for at least $1 and saw their values rise by more than $5 in the 2014 auction:

Josh Donaldson leading that list warms my heart as the person who owned him in 4 leagues last season. A full season of Wil Myers appealed to the experts, as did Ellsbury changing over to Yankee Stadium. If you want these guys in your own auctions and drafts, you need to decide whether to pay the price, reach, or pass in order to find the values.

The Helium Pitchers:

These are the pitchers that were drafted in 2013 for at least $1 and saw their values rise by more than $5 in the 2014 auction:

Experts are clearly believing in the new Justin Masterson as he went from a speculative bid to a solid starter price, even if he went a dollar cheaper than Archer. Both pitchers share similar flaws, but Masterson is more accomplished in how he gets lefties out while Archer struggled to do so last year. Porcello and Smyly, both afterthoughts in 2013, are now both double-digit pitchers due to the improvements each made last year. After Iwakuma goes for $5 in two straight drafts, he finally goes for double-digits in the season where he will start the year on the disabled list. Lastly, if you thought Alex Cobb was going to be a sleeper in your league, it is time to wake up.

The Deflated Hitters:

These are the hitters that were drafted in 2013 for at least $1 and saw their values fall by at least $5 in the 2014 auction:

That's a large list! This is where the league made its shift into investing into more pitching as they walked away from some of the batters that hurt them last year. Suzuki and Konerko are in their statistical swansongs, and Montero is gaining weight and losing opportunities in Seattle. Jackson dropping $10 was surprising as his stolen base production could increase under new manager Brad Ausmus. Hamilton's awful 2013 combined with his current calf injury dropped his value, but not as much as one might have expected. The list is chock-full of disappointing 2013 production, yet some 2014 values are there if you believe in the skills. Drew at $2 presents an excellent profit opportunity, as does a $5 Murphy in Cleveland as well as a $7 Morales assuming he and Drew do not wait until after the amateur draft to sign their deals and land in the American League.

The Deflated Pitchers:

These are the pitchers that were drafted in 2013 for at least $1 and saw their values fall by at least $5 in the 2014 auction:

Morrow is not hurt, yet. Holland and Hellickson are already injured and will be out at least the first two months of the season. Sabathia lost 30 pounds in the offseason and the radar gun readings from the first outing last week were only 89mph. ALERT - They were the exact same last year when he opened the Grapefruit league. If he's going to fall to the low to mid teens, invest! Injury concerns depressed the values of Harrison and Verlander, while Moore's inconsistent command level set his price. If Parker goes for under $10 in one of your auctions and does not end up on your team, you are missing out on a good opportunity.

Lastly, if you would like to see how the auction went in the order the bids happened, click that link. Sometimes, higher prices come due to in-draft inflation and other auction dynamics in play. If you wonder why player A went for more or less than player B, check the auction order sheet to see if auction dynamics came into play.