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Welcome to our fantasy baseball auction draft values. This is one of several articles that the RotoBaller team has put together to help you in your auction league drafts. You can also check out other articles for fantasy baseball auction leagues, including hitters and pitchers under $10 and $5.
Knowing which players to bid on and how much is usually the most difficult part of an auction league draft. Should you bid over $75 for Shohei Ohtani or $65 for Aaron Judge? Those are the tough decisions that must be made in this format. However, there are also a handful of players fantasy managers can get for cheap.
So, let's dive into the best $1 hitters and pitchers to target in auction leagues. These five players have an average auction value of $1 and could be sleeper picks for this low price.
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Sal Frelick, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick could be setting himself up for a career year at the plate. After hitting .259 with two home runs, 22 doubles, 32 RBI, and 18 stolen bases across 145 games, Frelick added 25 pounds of muscle this offseason. As a result, he's at least worth a shot at his $1 average auction value.
The added muscle could help Frelick launch more home runs in 2025 and help him post better all-around numbers. He already had a solid 31.7 percent squared-up rate last year and ranked in the top 10 percent of the league in both whiff rate (12.9 percent) and strikeout rate (14.9 percent). In addition, his 29.3 ft/sec sprint sprint ranked in the 94th percentile in 2024.
BOMBS AWAY FOR SALVATORE 🤌🤌@SalFrelick pic.twitter.com/FLeatG7jto
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 16, 2025
So, the Brewers outfielder could wind up giving fantasy managers some boosts in other departments this season while continuing to be a cheap stolen base option. Some of Frelick's added muscle has also been displayed this spring, as he has hit two home runs across his 36 at-bats. With a potential 20-stolen base season on the horizon, he's a low-risk selection at his cheap cost.
Otto Lopez, 2B, Miami Marlins
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Miami Marlins second baseman Otto Lopez is not getting much love in fantasy formats this season. However, Lopez showed enough toward the end of his rookie campaign to make him a worthy $1 selection in auction drafts. The 26-year-old hit .344 at the plate with three home runs, 14 RBI, and four stolen bases across 25 games in September.
Now, we don't know if Lopez will carry that momentum into the 2025 season. His hard-hit rate (38.9 percent) and average exit velocity (88 mph) both ranked extremely poor in 2024, and he had a stretch from June 5 to August 8 where he hit just .179 with two stolen bases. Nonetheless, he figured things out at the end of the year, which should give fantasy managers some confidence in selecting him for $1.
Lopez won't contribute much in the home run or RBI department, but he can hit for a solid batting average and steal upward of 20 bases. So, if you are looking for those two categories at a cheap price, the Marlins second baseman could be a fine option. He finished with a .270 batting average and 20 stolen bases in his rookie season.
Hayden Birdsong, SP, San Francisco Giants
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong is making a strong case to be the team's No. 5 starter this season. Despite entering the offseason behind left-hander Kyle Harrison in the rotation, Birdsong's recent spring training outings have possibly changed that. The right-hander has allowed just one run across 12 innings pitched (0.75 ERA) this spring to go with 18 strikeouts.
Not only has Birdsong looked fantastic this spring, but he appears to have more command on the mound. That was one area that the young pitcher struggled with last year, as he had a 13.7 percent walk rate in his 16 starts for the Giants. However, the 23-year-old has yet to issue a walk across the 43 batters he has faced this spring.
Hayden Birdsong adds 8️⃣ strikeouts to his Spring total 😤 pic.twitter.com/wym9qhIf08
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 16, 2025
Given his success in his four spring training appearances, he is worth spending $1 on in auction leagues. Even if Birdsong doesn't begin the season in the rotation, he could still be a nice target in some leagues. Don't forget, he went into Coors Field last season and tossed six innings of two-run ball with 12 strikeouts in just his fifth career start.
Chris Bassitt, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt might not have the upside of the other players on this list, but he can be a high-floor pitcher option for your fantasy team. Therefore, Bassitt is a potential value pick at his $1 average cost in auction leagues. He has finished with a sub-3.70 ERA in four of the past five seasons while making at least 30 starts in three consecutive years.
Those types of numbers surely make Bassitt a fine $1 addition to your fantasy team. While his ERA might have dropped to 4.16 last season, it's hard to pass on him at this low cost since he has been one of the more consistent starters in the league. The right-hander has won at least 15 games in two of the past three years and has a combined 3.65 ERA over his last seven seasons.
Now, if you are looking for a high-strikeout pitcher, Bassitt will not be the answer. He finished with only a 22.2% strikeout rate and 168 strikeouts last season. However, he is a pitcher who can go deep into games and throw over 175 innings in 2025. That's enough to make him a value pick at this price.
Mitch Keller, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
$1 AAV (Average Auction Value)
It was a tale of two seasons for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller in 2024. In the first half, Keller had a 3.46 ERA and 105 strikeouts across his first 19 starts. But in the second half, Keller finished with just a 5.65 ERA and 61 strikeouts in his final 12 outings. That poor second half is a major reason why the right-hander has an average auction value of just $1.
Nonetheless, that makes him a value pick at this low cost. Keller has shown significant improvements on the mound over the past three years and has finished with a sub-4.30 ERA in each campaign. The Pirates pitcher is also just two years removed from a 210-strikeout season in 2023. So, he's worth bidding $1 for in most auction leagues.
Mitch Keller, Wicked 89mph Changeup. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/r8PDkTNp82
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 23, 2025
His command has been much better in recent years, and his strong first half last season should give fantasy managers some confidence heading into 2025. With Keller also working on his changeup more this spring, we could see a more consistent year from him. As a result, take a chance on him in auction leagues because it could really pay off.
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