There was little doubt which hitter and which pitcher would be the most expensive in the NL LABR auction. The question was merely how high the bidding would go.
As the RT Sports website clock counted down, defending champ Doug Dennis of Baseball HQ had the honor of the first nomination. Would it be reigning league MVP Shohei Ohtani? Or would it be rookie of the year Paul Skenes?
But Dennis, as veteran LABR observers know, has quite the contrarian streak – which he displayed once again by tossing out … Mark Vientos!
The suspense didn’t last very long, however, with Skenes coming out fourth overall. Fantasy Alarm’s Howard Bender persevered to win him at $33. And right after that, came Ohtani.
Shohei … the money
Coming off an epic 54-homer, 59-steal season – and returning to the mound in 2025 – Ohtani is the ultimate weapon in fantasy baseball. He can slot in as a pitcher or hitter (but not both) each week, giving his team tremendous flexibility.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
The bidding on Ohtani blew past Skenes, then topped the $38 Elly De La Cruz fetched as the second player nominated. In the end, I went back and forth with Baseball HQ’s injury expert, Matt Cederholm in the final battle. When he reached $46, I tapped out and Dr. HQ had his franchise cornerstone.
Cederholm didn’t stop there, adding Zack Wheeler, Ryan Helsley, Mookie Betts, James Wood, Michael Toglia, Spencer Schwellenbach and Matthew Boyd within the first six rounds – and in the process, spending $199 of his $260 budget.
In stark contrast, CBS Sports’ Frank Stampfl didn’t win a single player through the first three rounds of nominations (and only two of the first 65 players), as he opted for a classic spread-the-wealth strategy. Third baseman Austin Riley and pitcher Dylan Cease were his top buys at $25 each. Different strokes for different folks.
NL LABR RESULTS: Complete draft grid, auction prices
NL auction dynamics
Despite the spirited bidding to start, prices for those top players turned out to be a bit lower than perhaps they should have, leading to some in-draft inflation.
After De La Cruz, outfielders Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker went for $37 apiece and Corbin Carroll $35. Only one other pitcher topped the $30 mark: Zack Wheeler of the Phillies ($31).
While the general consensus among NL first basemen has either Bryce Harper or Freddie Freeman atop the position, Pete Alonso ($32) was LABR’s most expensive. Freeman was nominated first and only made it to $27, a nice buy for Creative Sports’ Brian Walton. Harper went for $30 and Olson for $29.
Also, the closer options were tossed out in a truly random order, which created a fair amount of chaos. The Giants’ Ryan Walker was nominated first, setting the bar at $18 and driving prices up for the higher-rated closers who came afterward: Ryan Helsley at $23, Edwin Diaz at $23, Robert Suarez at $19 and finally, Raisel Iglesias at $24.
With the top relief arms off the board, things cooled considerably, as LABR managers became reluctant to chase saves or opted to invest in closers-in-waiting. Some bullpens to watch:
Dodgers: Tanner Scott ($16), Kirby Yates ($8), Blake Treinen ($2), Michael Kopech ($2).
Phillies: Jordan Romano ($11), Orion Kerkering ($5), Matt Strahm ($5).
Cubs: Ryan Pressly ($12), Porter Hodge ($5).
Diamondbacks: Justin Martinez ($10), A.J. Puk ($7).
NL prospects abound
It‘s always interesting to see how LABR values young players who don’t have much of a track record in the majors. A year ago, Skenes, Jackson Chourio and Michael Busch turned out to be exceptional values.
Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews had some success late last season, especially in stealing bases. He was this year’s top rookie at $20 to ESPN’s Eric Karabell, who also picked up Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw for $13.
On the pitching side, Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers was a surprisingly tame $14 pickup for Brian Walton of The Cardinal Nation. Karabell also got the Phillies’ Andrew Painter for $3.
Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin ($6), Marlins 1B Deyvison De Los Santos ($5) and Diamondbacks SS Jordan Lawlar ($2) were also taken in the auction – as were catchers Dalton Rushing ($3) and Augustin Ramirez ($2) and pitchers Quinn Mathews ($4), Bubba Chandler ($2), Brandon Sproat ($1) and Rhett Lowder ($1).
For more in-depth fantasy baseball stats and analysis, subscribe to BaseballHQ.com.