Late in February, CBSSports.com held its annual fantasy baseball NL-only league salary cap draft. As defending champion of the league, I returned to defend the title with much of the same plans that won it for me last season. I intended not to overspend but be aggressive enough in who I wanted. Here is my Fantasy Baseball Auction League Draft Results: NL-Only Targets and Analysis.

This draft was based on a $260 salary cap in a 5×5 traditional rotisserie league format. I have shared my results as prep for your own drafts to see what strategies and approaches can be taken. While I was satisfied with my hitting returns, the pitching is top-heavy and I might have to be vigilant on waivers early in the season, as I was in 2022.

Manny Machado ($39): My stance in recent years has been to avoid the “Stars and Scrubs” approach, and not spend too much on prime superstars. I still wanted a top hitter, though, especially at third base, and Machado is well worth the price as an offensive anchor. I was not going to go into the $40 range for any players, so I was glad no one else continued to attempt to outbid me at $39.

Edwin Diaz ($29): I like to have one dominant closer in an NL-only format to make sure I at least contend in the category. I will acquire one lower-ranked yet rather secure closer later on, and can possibly grab a third off waivers during the regular season. This approach worked well for me in more than one league last season.

Ozzie Albies ($29): It was perfectly fine to pay this price for a potential rebound season from Albies. Hopefully, with the new rules and good health, we will see some of his stolen base production return. Regardless, he was a top pick at a position where the values would drop off significantly after Albies was off the board.

Willson Contreras ($22): Last year I scrambled for at-bats when choosing to punt the catcher position. I am not doing that at two spots this season, so I will take one of the best available players. As you can see, there was an eye on position scarcity when building this team early on.

Aaron Nola ($32): It was starting to get to the point where the very top starters were about to slip off the board, and Nola was a top starter for me last season in a rebound year. I had to get a prime starter to top the staff.

Joey Bart ($5): He has really struggled at the MLB level so far, but Bart is not blocked by any major offseason acquisition. That could be a signal indicating the team has confidence Bart can start to deliver at a respectable level this season.

Joe Musgrove ($26): I drafted Musgrove shortly before his toe injury. Once he returns after missing a month or so, I very much like the top of my starting staff with him and Nola.

Mitch Haniger ($17): It was important to land an outfielder by this point, and one who could provide quality pop and run production. Haniger fit the bill well enough for the price tag in what should be a much better season in 2023 than ‘22.

Kodai Senga ($16): This is an upside play that can make a difference in a very tough field of competition. Senga’s stuff may play better than some expect in the MLB environment.

Brandon Nimmo ($16): It was an overspend for Nimmo, but the outfielders that could post respectable production were thinning out.

Michael Toglia ($3): He has some real power potential and playing in Colorado gives Toglia obvious appeal if he can fare well enough to gain a decent amount of plate appearances. Cutting down on the strikeouts is the major task for him.

Kyle Finnegan ($10): Finnegan was the last of the closers remaining who had some apparent job security heading into the 2023 season. He was very effective in 2022, and even though the Nationals are not projected to win many games, Finnegan will get a decent amount of saves. When Washington wins games, they may frequently be close victories.

Brett Baty ($4): I was very happy to land Baty at this price because I believe he will be an impact hitter who starts to truly blossom at the big-league level this season. The Mets will simply have to find a way to keep his bat in the lineup.

Garrett Cooper ($3): Here’s hoping for respectable production from Cooper, who could hit above .270 with double figures in homers.

Kevin Newman ($2): Looking for enough regular playing time with the Reds here, plus a good batting average and maybe a few steals.

$1 players: Tyrone Taylor, Jack Suwinski, TJ Friedl, Bailey Falter, Kyle Hendricks, Rodolfo Castro, Wade Miley, Tylor Megill.

Reserve Round Picks: Bryce Elder, Mark Vientos, Trevor Williams, Jorge Barrosa, Abraham Toro, Vince Velasquez, Carter Kieboom.

Enjoy the article  “Fantasy Baseball Auction League Draft Results: NL-Only Targets and Analysis”. Check out more by Scott Engel of The Game Day. Wanna see more from Belly Up Fantasy? Click the link here!