This past week Rick Wolf and I had the honor of not only participating in the Tout Wars AL auction but of defending our title.  You can see us nominate and land Mike Trout as the centerpiece of our title defense right here.  Yes, that is me in a Mariano Rivera jersey as I am superstitious when it comes to competition and I donned that jersey at last year’s winning auction, but I digress.  Honestly, I was going to review our Tout Wars title defense team but since the Wolfman did such a good job already, I decided to look at the Tout Wars AL auction in another way – by shadow drafting.   I list the team below with some quick comments.  If you want more detail, tune in to a special Colton and the Wolfman on SiriusXMFantasy Sports Radio tonight (Wednesday March 25, 2015) at 10pm ET.  For now, here is my shadow draft for Tout Wars AL:

The Hitters

Brian McCann $18:  The Yankee catcher is as reliable as they come for power.  In his second year in NY, he should rake.  30 HR are very much on the table.

Kurt Suzuki  $2:  This is an OBP league.  Having a catcher who will help you in OBP and get enough ABs to get some counting numbers at $2 is a score.

Kendrys Morales  $11:  Morales continues to be vastly underrated this spring.  Give him a mulligan for 2014 when he had no team or spring training and look for a return to 20-80.

Robinson Cano $31:  The S in SMART stands for Scarcity.  There is no more consistent performer at the scarce 2B position than Cano who is even more valuable in OBP leagues.  Honestly, I do not know why he ever goes under $35.

Alcides Escobar $18:  Solid speed at a weak position. 30 SB floor.  I am in. 

Carlos Santana $28:  113 BB and 25+ HR in 2014 and this is an OBP league.  Add in that his first two months of 2014 depressed his stats and that he is both 1b and 3b and you have a stud.  $30+ dollars of production is on the way.

Didi Gregorious $8: His glove keeps him in the lineup.  The short porch in Yankee Stadium as well as his solid OBP tendencies make him valuable at this price.

David Freese:  $11:  .332 OBP with 8 HR in second half after getting healthy.  Doubling that would not surprise me in the contract year for this halo.

Mike Trout $47:  Life is good when an MVP season is the floor.  OBP monster who is on fire this spring.

Dustin Ackley $9:  Post-hype sleeper who is ready to prove he deserved all the hype.  I am in.

Travis Snider  $4:  Did he figure out lefties? Maybe.  If he did, this is a huge profit.  If he did not, he will still produce more than $4 in value in that bandbox in Baltimore.

Craig Gentry $2:  This team needed speed and by the end of the year 20+ swipes will be there.

C.J. Cron $5:  Josh Hamilton is gone for a while or all year.  Cron hit 11 dingers in part time play last year.  Upside is very high and even the 11 HR from last year makes him worth $5. 

Mitch Moreland $2:  Why not take a flyer in a guy who hit 54 HR from 2011-13 in part time play?

The Pitching Staff

Kyle Gibson $3:  Throws hard and is improving.  Looking beyond the surface stats and you will see a bargain.

Kevin Gausman $11:  Got better every month from June on.  Throws 95.  Freed from bullpen-rotation-AAA roller coaster.  This year’s Garrett Richards.

Chris Archer $18:  This is a bit of a reach but pitching is expensive and 175 K’s are pretty much guaranteed.

C.C. Sabathia $6:  Throwing 93-94 this spring.  Had a K rate over 9 last year before getting hurt.  Throw out last year’s numbers and look for profit, albeit not the Cy Young $30 pitcher of yesteryear.

Shane Greene $6:  I am not ready to dub him Corey Kluber but moving to a better park should at least allow him to repeat last year.  If that change is as good as people say, look out.

Daniel Norris $2:  Top K rate in all of the minors is worth this investment no?

Edward Mujica $1:  Who thinks Uehara will stay healthy?  Geez, this could pay off in week 1.

Brett Cecil $11:  Announced as closer after the draft so take advantage of the news.  Even if he loses closer role at some point, the 13K/9 will make him valuable.

Chad Qualls $6:  Only needs to close 1/3 of the season to earn this and more.  He will.

Final Thought 1:  If you want to shadow draft right along with the experts, you can.  Tout Wars is once again running their shadow draft contest “Doubt Wars” which can be accessed here:  . 

Final Thought 2:  The Draft Guide is here!  Want to know how to get your copy FREE?  If you want a real shot at winning your league, DO IT NOW!