Budget Baller picks?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by CurlyKarkovice

Is Harry Walker related to Larry Walker?

No.

[Charlatan]

Originally Posted by OMGPuppies

The only met I have is David Wright. I tried Howard Johnson, but he completely sucked.

I tried HoJo as a platoon guy on my HR-oriented team. He got an achievement for being a 20-20 player but aside from that his performance was pretty lacking so I dumped him.

[Charlatan]

Originally Posted by Whoofe

does that Sax card come with a case of the yips?

I use Sax on one of my teams but he plays DH so he's not allowed on the field... problem solved!!

[Mikecouil]

Apparently plenty of people are paying attention to these tips. The price of many of these cards has suddenly doubled

[Magus978]

I still recommend Terry Leach (68) as a right-handed specialist. Good enough to work as a good middle reliever in Iron and maybe Bronze if you get a favorable league draw.

[yno88]

A few guys that I've used at one point or another in all 3 of my teams:

The 77 Bill Mueller 3B. Switch hitter with good contact ratings. Useful at 2B also. Can be had for less than 500.

The 75 ovr Ruben Sierra. Another switch hitter. Pretty good contact, good gap and hr power. Trains up to a somewhat respectable 56 in LF. Can be had for around 300PP. Good for 18 HR 75ish RBI up through gold.

The 79 ovr Bert Campaneris SS. This guy is a steals machine, above average infielder, decent contact. Very useful as backup IF, pinch runner, or as a platoon SS vs lefties. Might cost ya 900PP. Don't see this card in an as much.

Cheap platoon favorites:

The silver LF Frank Howard. Terrible 1B/LF defense, but rakes against lefties. Use at DH. Can be had for under 1000 PP.

The 69 Orlando Cepeda 1B also kills lefties and you can get it for 60 PP.

[Mikecouil]

Originally Posted by yno88

A few guys that I've used at one point or another in all 3 of my teams:

The 77 Bill Mueller 3B. Switch hitter with good contact ratings. Useful at 2B also. Can be had for less than 500.

The 75 ovr Ruben Sierra. Another switch hitter. Pretty good contact, good gap and hr power. Trains up to a somewhat respectable 56 in LF. Can be had for around 300PP. Good for 18 HR 75ish RBI up through gold.

The 79 ovr Bert Campaneris SS. This guy is a steals machine, above average infielder, decent contact. Very useful as backup IF, pinch runner, or as a platoon SS vs lefties. Might cost ya 900PP. Don't see this card in an as much.

Cheap platoon favorites:

The silver LF Frank Howard. Terrible 1B/LF defense, but rakes against lefties. Use at DH. Can be had for under 1000 PP.

The 69 Orlando Cepeda 1B also kills lefties and you can get it for 60 PP.

I drew the Cepeda card in one of my starter packs and was really impressed at how well he has performed. I haven't even considered replacing him.

[rudel.dietrich]

I want to add the silver 79 overall 1992 Fred McGriff card

Strikes out a lot and has bad defense but hits for a lot of power and some gap power and should be able to get on base enough for up through silver and possibly gold level.
Can be had for under 900

[Magus978]

I'm gonna bump this because I've got a few players who would do well for the GM on a tight budget. Prices are the 7-day average, followed by what I ended up paying.

RP - Michael Jackson (76) 1994 Record Breaker
7-day AVG: 400
What I Paid: 150

Jackson, who went 3-2 in 36 games for the Giants in 1994, pitched to an amazing 1.49 ERA. He did similar things when I got him in the middle of the 2025 campaign. Going 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA in 32 games, Jackson got the job done when called upon. He has tremendous stuff with good control, as well as 3 effective pitches, as well as a decent forkball. I ended up getting a great steal on him because the starting bid was so low. If you can get him below the 7-day average, do it.

RP - Mike G. Marshall (77) 1974 Historical All-Star
7-day Average: 550
What I Paid: 452

Marshall's got two good pitches (77 Fastball & Screwball) as well as a decent Slider (62) to go along with a nice balance of stuff, movement, and control (74-70-68). In a small sample size late last season for me, he went 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings.

If you're tired of the all-stuff, zero substance relievers and want someone who won't walk the ballpark, Marshall's a pretty good pickup.

2B - Luis Castillo (74) 2003 Hardware Heroes
7-day Average: 299
What I Paid: 299

For under 300 points, Luis Castillo has enough skill to take you up to at least silver. A strong defensive infielder (78 range 64 error, 73 arm, 81 turn DP), training him further in 3rd base and shortstop is something you should definitely do and utilize him all over the infield. Decent contact (69), decent eye (55), and good avoid K's (70). In the right lineup, Castillo can easily hit over .300, and he has enough ability on the basepaths (60 speed, 73 stealing, 100 baserunning) to get at least 20 steals.

Castillo's been a consistent 2+ WAR player for my mediocre National League theme team, and while I could go get myself a slightly better defender who won't commit as many errors, he still hits well enough to convince me to keep playing him and just try to overcome the occasional error.

[Mikecouil]

Originally Posted by Magus978

I'm gonna bump this because I've got a few players who would do well for the GM on a tight budget. Prices are the 7-day average, followed by what I ended up paying.

RP - Michael Jackson (76) 1994 Record Breaker
7-day AVG: 400
What I Paid: 150

Jackson, who went 3-2 in 36 games for the Giants in 1994, pitched to an amazing 1.49 ERA. He did similar things when I got him in the middle of the 2025 campaign. Going 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA in 32 games, Jackson got the job done when called upon. He has tremendous stuff with good control, as well as 3 effective pitches, as well as a decent forkball. I ended up getting a great steal on him because the starting bid was so low. If you can get him below the 7-day average, do it.

RP - Mike G. Marshall (77) 1974 Historical All-Star
7-day Average: 550
What I Paid: 452

Marshall's got two good pitches (77 Fastball & Screwball) as well as a decent Slider (62) to go along with a nice balance of stuff, movement, and control (74-70-68). In a small sample size late last season for me, he went 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings.

If you're tired of the all-stuff, zero substance relievers and want someone who won't walk the ballpark, Marshall's a pretty good pickup.

2B - Luis Castillo (74) 2003 Hardware Heroes
7-day Average: 299
What I Paid: 299

For under 300 points, Luis Castillo has enough skill to take you up to at least silver. A strong defensive infielder (78 range 64 error, 73 arm, 81 turn DP), training him further in 3rd base and shortstop is something you should definitely do and utilize him all over the infield. Decent contact (69), decent eye (55), and good avoid K's (70). In the right lineup, Castillo can easily hit over .300, and he has enough ability on the basepaths (60 speed, 73 stealing, 100 baserunning) to get at least 20 steals.

Castillo's been a consistent 2+ WAR player for my mediocre National League theme team, and while I could go get myself a slightly better defender who won't commit as many errors, he still hits well enough to convince me to keep playing him and just try to overcome the occasional error.

Unfortunately someone is on to these guys because none are currently available

[Magus978]

Originally Posted by Mikecouil

Unfortunately someone is on to these guys because none are currently available

I honestly don't believe their value will go all that high through the roof. They are replaceable fairly quickly if you shoot up the leagues. I don't believe they will do well past silver, so if you've been languishing in the lower tiers, prices shouldn't be too much higher.

I do hope more show up though, and at reasonable prices. Even if you have to pay a little more than what I paid for them, they're still within the "budget" range. I'd say pay no more than 550 for any of the guys I've talked about, and only go up to 600 if you're really really desperate.

[Argonaut]

Originally Posted by Magus978

I honestly don't believe their value will go all that high through the roof. They are replaceable fairly quickly if you shoot up the leagues. I don't believe they will do well past silver, so if you've been languishing in the lower tiers, prices shouldn't be too much higher.

I do hope more show up though, and at reasonable prices. Even if you have to pay a little more than what I paid for them, they're still within the "budget" range. I'd say pay no more than 550 for any of the guys I've talked about, and only go up to 600 if you're really really desperate.

I was actually thinking about buying Michael Jackson as one of my middle relievers in Gold or Diamond League. He had a good combination of ratings that I was looking for. Ended up telling him to "Beat It" and picked someone else, but it was close. There doesn't seem to be too much supply of historical relievers in the Gold/Diamond card tiers at a reasonable price.

Still using Bronze Tony Gwynn and Bronze Luis Aparicio in Diamond League. After years of starting in LF, my Gwynn has finally been delegated to 4th Outfielder, while Aparicio is my Utility IF. There's a Silver Gwynn that's a better hitter but worse fielder, but I don't think I'll pay the thousands of PP necessary to make that minor swap.

[Magus978]

Originally Posted by Argonaut

I was actually thinking about buying Michael Jackson as one of my middle relievers in Gold or Diamond League. He had a good combination of ratings that I was looking for. Ended up telling him to "Beat It" and picked someone else, but it was close. There doesn't seem to be too much supply of historical relievers in the Gold/Diamond card tiers at a reasonable price.

Still using Bronze Tony Gwynn and Bronze Luis Aparicio in Diamond League. After years of starting in LF, my Gwynn has finally been delegated to 4th Outfielder, while Aparicio is my Utility IF. There's a Silver Gwynn that's a better hitter but worse fielder, but I don't think I'll pay the thousands of PP necessary to make that minor swap.

Training up the silver Gwynn wouldn't do too much good anyway. Could only get as high as 79 in left and a middling 47 in center. For probably 1/10th Gwynn's price, you could get a slightly worse hitter in Kevin Bass (72, 1986 Historical All-Star) who can be trained up to nearly 90 in left and a decent 57 in center. Bass has lower ratings across the board, but he still shouldn't strike out too much, plus he's an above average baserunner.

Also, I picked up the bronze Gwynn and the bronze Orlando Cepeda. Gwynn's tearing it up when he plays, and Cepeda has not let me down as a DH. I also recommend that people give the silver Curt Flood (76) a try. Slightly suspect arm (63), but a very reliable glove. Trains up fast too, perfect utility outfielder at any level IMO.

Jackson's a solid reliever even though you chose not to get him, just a matter of how much one is willing to trust him in higher tiers. May not be so effective where all the rich kids play.

[Morug]

Ryne Harper, Dylan Floro and Richard Bleir are my only silver/bronze cards left in my Diamond club. They do the job in relief.

[OMGPuppies]

Originally Posted by Argonaut

I was actually thinking about buying Michael Jackson as one of my middle relievers in Gold or Diamond League. He had a good combination of ratings that I was looking for. Ended up telling him to "Beat It" and picked someone else, but it was close. There doesn't seem to be too much supply of historical relievers in the Gold/Diamond card tiers at a reasonable price.

Still using Bronze Tony Gwynn and Bronze Luis Aparicio in Diamond League. After years of starting in LF, my Gwynn has finally been delegated to 4th Outfielder, while Aparicio is my Utility IF. There's a Silver Gwynn that's a better hitter but worse fielder, but I don't think I'll pay the thousands of PP necessary to make that minor swap.

We need more historic reliever cards. Sutter has been money for me btw.

[waittilnextyear]

I think there are a lot of factors as to what you're looking for and what's a good fit for your particular team.

That said, I can't get bronze Luis Aparicio off of my team. He's not exactly a little-known secret, but he's putting up 3-4 WAR seasons in diamond regularly (mostly fueled by defense, of course). He's batted .267/.297/.346 (77 OPS+) for me at diamond level over 1124 plate appearances, which obviously isn't good. But, when you pair that up with being the best defensive infielder in the game, one of the best bunter/base stealers in the game, then he's a useful player. He only played in 77 games last week, but posted 3.2 WAR so you can do the math for what he was on pace for.

The only other lower rated card that I'm still using in diamond sometimes is bronze John Wockenfuss. Love his ability to "play" C/1B/LF/RF--I use quotes because he's poorly rated at all positions. He's one of the better "moneyball" catchers against left-handed pitching. That 90 power and 82 eye just pops off the page on his profile. He's had many a clutch homer for my squad in PT20.

[Magus978]

I wish I could say Curt Flood (76, 1963 Hardware Heroes) could be classified as a budget baller pick for 825 points...but for all the good hitting ratings he has, he's only hitting .245. I know his eye is suspect, but you'd think he'd hit some good pitches since he won't strike out much.

Nope. Can't hit to save his life. Below average OPS (.666). Decent against lefties, but you don't really face them enough at the lower levels to justify it. Platoon player, nothing more. Instead, I suggest Babe Herman (77, 1932 Hardware Heroes). He's better against righties than lefties. Paid 201 points for mine. Trains up to 93 in left field, according to the positional ratings calculator.

Or, if you want a different idea, try Augie Galan (78, 1943 Historical All-Star). Trains up to 97 in left, and can hit a little bit.

[traveller79]

To this point I managed to avoid posting on the forum, but I've got to stick up for 1963 Curt Flood. I've had Flood as my fulltime LF in gold for the past 2+ seasons and he's been a solid .290 hitter with a +42.3 ZR last year. He was 2.2 WAR as he was training up, then 5.5 and on pace for 5+ WAR again. Similar output to Bader, who's also been a ~5 WAR, +40ish ZR OF from day one. I've got my park set to 1.1 RH AVG, 2B, and 3B and .9 LH AVG and all HRs.

The best way I've found to FTP is to train up cheap defense-first CFs for all three OF spots. The most desirable silvers (Devon White, Lofton) can go for north of 1,000 PP, but it looks like they can continue producing through Diamond, especially in platoons. They won't put up big offensive bonuses, but with the right staff you will get more Putting Up Zeros and In Control achievements in the lower ranks. Plus they can remain useful defensive replacements when you upgrade to a big-ticket diamond or perfect.

Other budget silver OFs are Bader, Victorino, Kiermaier, and old favorite Pillar.

[dbqs]

Originally Posted by waittilnextyear

I think there are a lot of factors as to what you're looking for and what's a good fit for your particular team.

That said, I can't get bronze Luis Aparicio off of my team. He's not exactly a little-known secret, but he's putting up 3-4 WAR seasons in diamond regularly (mostly fueled by defense, of course). He's batted .267/.297/.346 (77 OPS+) for me at diamond level over 1124 plate appearances, which obviously isn't good. But, when you pair that up with being the best defensive infielder in the game, one of the best bunter/base stealers in the game, then he's a useful player. He only played in 77 games last week, but posted 3.2 WAR so you can do the math for what he was on pace for.

The only other lower rated card that I'm still using in diamond sometimes is bronze John Wockenfuss. Love his ability to "play" C/1B/LF/RF--I use quotes because he's poorly rated at all positions. He's one of the better "moneyball" catchers against left-handed pitching. That 90 power and 82 eye just pops off the page on his profile. He's had many a clutch homer for my squad in PT20.

+1 to Little Louie! I have an all-Sox team and he's a backup/defensive substitution star all over the infield (well, not first base, but yeah)

Before I went all-Sox Eddie Mayo was a similar star. Tom Pagnozzi for C DEF is great too.

[Magus978]

Based on my experiences so far in PT, I've compiled a sub-1,000 point list. The players are separated into three groups: Must Have, Worth a Try, and Stay Away. I define budget as a 7-day average of 1,000 points or less.

The must haves are guys that would be at the very least acceptable starters for a team in Iron, Bronze, and maybe Silver. Players in bold are highly recommended and could be useful past Silver in some form.

The players in the worth a try column are guys who could help you at the first two levels, but are probably going to be overmatched ability-wise further up the chain. They're useful for your early days.

The players in the stay away column might be good talents, but for some reason something really drags them down and they play down to their abilities, and as such may not be worthy of extended use on most teams.

Some of these you'll already know. Others, you'll be surprised at. If I feel a player's average 7-day is outrageous, I will post their average all time winning bid instead.

MUST HAVE
C - Bob Boone (78, 1978 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 775
1B - Orlando Cepeda (69, 1958 Rookie Sensation) Average 7-Day: 40
2B - Dave Cash (75, 1975 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 325
3B - Luis Castillo (74, 2003 Hardware Heroes) Average All-Time: 355
LF - Babe Herman (77, 1932 Hardware Heroes) Average 7-Day: 276
CF - Richie Ashburn (71, 1948 Rookie Sensation) Average 7-Day: 203
RF - Tony Gwynn (69, 1984 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 450
RF - Paul Waner (74, 1934 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 310
RP - Mike Jackson (76, 1994 Record Breaker) Average 7-Day: 300
RP - Mike Marshall (77, 1974 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 495
RP - Terry Leach (68, 1988 Unsung Heroes) Average 7-Day: 32
CL - Jeff Lahti (75, 1985 Unsung Heroes) Average 7-Day: 300

WORTH A TRY
1B - Mark Grace (70, 1993 Historical All-Star) Average All-Time: 440
SS - Don Kessinger (71, 1969 Hardware Heroes) Average 7-Day: 378
CF - Augie Galan (78, 1943 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 299
CF - Curt Flood (76, 1963 Hardware Heroes) Average 7-Day: 749
SP - Doug Drabek (76, 1990 Hardware Heroes) Average 7-Day: 260
SP - Joaquin Andujar (73, 1984 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 250
CL - Jeff Reardon (71, 1985 Hardware Heroes) Average 7-Day: 197

STAY AWAY
SS - Ozzie Smith (70, 1989 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 800
LF - Kal Daniels (78, 1988 One Hit Wonder) Average 7-Day: 199
SP - Rick Reed (74, 1998 Historical All-Star) Average 7-Day: 250
RP - Greg McMichael (70, 1995 Unsung Heroes) Average 7-Day: 250
CL - Bruce Sutter (71, 1984 Record Breaker) Average 7-Day: 252

This list will be updated as I try out more players.