Champs: Who is your highest priced offensive player?

in our playoffs concluded last night jpav bautista hit a horrendous .122 with a .184 slugging. mcutch did so good for you in that season I made him my number 1 in my current league. after 27 games he has a 1.102 combined average with 28 runs scored. both he and tulo crushed it for you in the playoffs, but tulo of couse went down in game 6 and left segura in over his head.
that team won 101 games with 2 10+ million hitters for you. if not for betances and his 21 shutout innings in 13 playoff games it would have been all yours I'm sure.

Scumby: It's not platoons either (but it definitely can be).

Edge: How about the other managers?

I will say as a disclaimer, I agree you can win in any wide variety of ways, including with Trout as your straw to stir the drink. My observation is that in 25 leagues with unique winning managers, a pattern emerged. Trout was not used. Why?

The responding managers so far are all very capable managers in their own right and I get that you can win with Trout. But what if you miss Trout in the autodraft? Is your strategy of "I need Trout to win" now mean you can't win?

I will go out on a limb and argue you can win in spite of Trout, but not because of him. There's a distinct difference.

We'll get there, I just want to stoke the fires a little more...

The question I have back is, of those 25 teams, how many were autoleagues?

I see a HUGE difference in autoleagues, how teams are made (and how they win) compared to vet driven leagues. Not that vets don't go in autoleagues as well. Just the team make up and strategies vary greatly (in my opinion) between the 2.

If you look at the top salary players for 2014, one sees that lefty batters with power who dominate against right handed pitchers are few. Reggie Jackson and Yastrzemski caliber players are not there. There are lots of power hitters against left handed pitching. I had Abreu and Bautista on my one lucky Tournament championship team.

Will Bryce Harper be the "must have" next year?

Lewke:

Here's how to be first loser: McCutchen AND Tulo on the same team. This failure actually prompted my starting this thread.

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/1412408

Geekor:

They were mostly autoleagues but some were tour leagues and vet leagues. I don't see how that makes any difference at all.

look at how much time tulo lost, not even including his absence in the crucial game 6. I will never spend up on a player that high with any kind of injury risk. inspired by you I also picked up samarszja and wainright. they are a combined 4-8 for me with a 4.89 era after 27 games. I'm sticking with them. the worm will turn and then watch out world!

To answer one of J-Pav's questions, I almost never draft a top offensive hitter. I mostly draft a real good 70m team, so I'm covered everywhere and see what the league gives me. Sometimes I draft Rizzo, usually late in the draft. If Trout's available and I can make it work, I go for him.

I have Trout and VMart on one team now, and I agree, 2 studs is too many. Too many holes.

To answer Geekor's question, three of my teams were vets leagues, three auto. Though the autos had some pretty great players in them.

2. I agree (but there's more meat on this bone still...)

Off topic I admit. But I will never after this year be able to read a statement like this and not think of Joseph Randle.

OBP per dollar?

I would love to comment but my teams have pretty much sucked this season.

Let's get everyone involved anyway!

Hands down, who is the best value offensive player in the set (2014)?