MLB Auction Value Trends: I Can't Drive 55

Welcome to the 3rd annual edition of I Can’t Drive 55 where we look at the current auction marketplace and see what combinations of two players can be had for $55. Navigating an auction is a puzzle and depending on category needs or just players that you want, you can get there in many different ways. Using the average auction values in the NFBC 15 team auctions over the last two weeks I’ve picked five sets of players to evaluate what their projections are, and which combo may be the best choice in your auction. The projections used are the ATC projections found on Fangraphs.

Combo 1

Juan Soto $49 and Josh Donaldson $6

Combo 2

Freddie Freeman $39 and Teoscar Hernández $16

Combo 3

Mookie Betts $48 and Anthony Santander $7

Combo 4

Bryce Harper $39 and Cavan Biggio $16

Combo 5

Rafael Devers $28 and Whit Merrifield $27

So, how are you spending your money? Let’s take a look at what each combo can provide.

Power is provided by 4 of the 5 combos with HRs ranging from 65 to 57. Devers and Merrifield fall short with 46.

Runs are an underappreciated stat, and some don’t pay attention to them as much as they do to the other counting stats. Here, the groups are all fairly close ranging from 183 to 194. None of the combos offer a distinct advantage here.

We see some separation in the RBI category with Freeman and Hernandez leading the way with a projected 202. In second is Soto and Donaldson at 183 and Devers and Merrifield again bring up the rear with 167. Considering the differential between first and second, this may end up being the deciding factor.

Stolen bases are a commodity that is rare and sought after early in drafts and with dollars in an auction. It’s not unexpected that the top two power combos have the least amount of speed but the other three provide similar numbers. Harper and Biggio with 17 each, lead with 34 but their batting average is a problem.

Four of the five combos provide good batting average, but as just mentioned Harper and Biggio lag way behind with .246 as compared to .273-.280 for the others. Even though they will give you a boost in stolen bases, they will hurt you in average.

Which combo are you taking? I’m going with the Betts/Santander combo. They may lag a little behind Freeman/Hernandez in RBI, but outgain them in runs, stolen bases and average. With another 12 offensive players to fill in, you can make up the RBIs a little easier than the other categories. The risk is the lack of a track record with Santander. On the other hand, Hernandez has the same risk as well as being in a logjam for ABs in the Blue Jays lineup. The Soto Donaldson duo can provide power and the projections on Donaldson may be on the low side IF he stays healthy and that’s a big if. Harper and Biggio are killed by their average and I’d take them last. Devers and Merrifield provide a combo of speed and average with some power. Not a bad way to spend your money, but overall, not the best.

This is just one aspect of auctions that make them more interesting, in my opinion, than a snake draft. You can’t plan on taking combos like this in a draft, but you can try to do it in an auction format. When going through your pre-auction values, see what combos make the most sense in your league and go for it!