The auction dollar values ​​below are based on projections for a 5X5 12 team mixed grill league. This is not an assumption of how much the players will pay, but rather our idea of ​​how much they will be worth of your budget for the 2011 season taking into account the likelihood of missing games due to injuries, platoon situations or Charlie Sheen Parts. The values ​​take into account the scarcity of positions, so each player appears in the position in which he is most valuable.

First base “It’s not like that. Look, the king is still the king, okay?” -D’Angelo Barksdale

1) Alberto Pujols $43

Phil Hildreth: Pujols has been king since the day he stepped into the batter’s box in St. Louis, and, by the way, he’s playing for the right to win the kind of money that gives you Super Bowl popcorn on TV. Are you worried about contract distractions?

Brother Obando: No. I don’t see any slowdown this year. His walk rate and strikeout rate were actually going in the wrong direction last year, but I don’t see that as a trend. He’s been around for so long that we tend to forget that he just turned 31 and has a lot of important years ahead of him. He’s been the model of consistency and there’s no other legitimate contender for the first pick, right?

pH: Maybe an argument can be made for Hanley Ramirez if the rumors that he wants to steal 50 bases again are true, but I’m not going to make that argument. The list of players who will reach 40 HR and .330 is too short. In fact Pujols is the whole list.

2) Miguel Cabrera $35

HO: This is where some concern comes in. At first glance Cabrera is a younger Pujols, but what do we do with the persistent problems with alcohol? Can’t say for sure if he’s affected his game yet, but we may be talking about a suspension if there are more legal issues.

pH: Well, this isn’t the NFL and so far Cabrera has gotten away without so much as a flick of the wrist. I suspect this isn’t a new problem, which is why he’s probably been racking up numbers his entire career with a hangover anyway. Baseball-wise, the Tigers really improved their lineup with Victor Martinez batting behind Cabrera compared to the cast of characters that led Cabrera to career-high intentional walks last year. My advice is to talk about the drinking issues and then see if you can hook him for the discount.

3) Joey Vote $29

4) RyanHoward. $28

5) Marco Teixeira $27

6) Prince Fielder $25

HO: A lot of people feel the need to put Votto in the top two in this position, but I still can’t get over him. But really, his short track record is the only factor holding him back right now. The same was said about Pujols and Cabrera and it was a pleasure to have them early in their career. However, to take that risk, you will probably have to pay more. On the other hand, Howard needs to hit 40 HR to justify his staying in this group. Even setting aside the fact that he missed almost a month last year with an ankle injury, his power numbers were unequivocally low and he has nothing else to offer.

pH: I think Howard can meet his price here. He’ll never be a top-tier guy because he won’t hit for average, but 40 HR is a good hometown goal and I hope the Phillies recover from their offensive funk last year. Prince Fielder is a value alert that should be circled on every draft sheet. He’s a bit under the radar playing in Milwaukee, so he can probably be had for the lowest price in this group.

HO: I’m not interested in Fielder at all this year. To me it’s Ryan Howard on a lesser team. If he managed to be in a league without a die-hard Yankees fan, Teixiera is a big target. The guy just had a bad year and is too talented to repeat that performance in 2011. Simply put, Teixera has a best-case scenario of hitting .320, while the advantage of Howard and Fielder is still a good nose down from .300.

7) Kevin Youkilis $21

8) Adrian Gonzalez $19

9) David Ortiz $18

HO: The Red Sox bleacher. The fact that these guys hit 3-4-5 in the same lineup adds to all of their values. Youkilis gets an extra boost because he’ll get 3B eligibility pretty quickly if he doesn’t start the season with it. Gonzalez is going to be overhyped because of the new stadium and better team, but maybe we should slow down a bit and remember that he’s only hit .300 once in his career so far. Oh yeah, and there’s that other thing about him coming off shoulder surgery. The recipe for a delayed spring training after an injury in a new city has a slow April written all over it.

pH: While he’s not likely to get a discount on any Boston player this year, David Ortiz might be the closest thing to a good deal. He will benefit the most from the new signings and will clearly no longer have the pressure of being the man. Secretly, he put out a pretty decent season last year even though he basically cleared out the entire month of April again. Be sure to keep in mind that Ortiz doesn’t have 1B eligibility in most leagues and that he probably won’t acquire it this year. We just put it here because otherwise there would be a DH list just for Ortiz and the ghost of Jim Thome.

10) Adam Dunn $16

11) Justin Morneau $15

12) Kendry Morales $13

13) Paul Konerko $13

HO: I’ve seen a lot of praise for Adam Dunn this year, mainly because of the change in local stadiums. Washington’s switch to the launch pad that is New Comisky is especially beneficial to the southpaw Dunn. It’s a bit of a shock to see Morneau all the way here. The main issue is health, of course, but he was putting up monster numbers when he was playing, so he might be a good candidate for superior performance this year. Konerko somehow had the best season of his career last year at the age of 34. Konerko’s average is likely to return to his career range of around .280 in 2011.

pH: I am one of those singing Dunn’s praises this year. Writing well requires locking things down securely, and Dunn is a known quantity. If you draft him, you know your average will take a hit, but that’s the easiest batting class to get back at the end of the year. Why? Because the leader can go down as fast as his team goes up. I also like Morneau. The backlash based on last year’s injury has gone too far. I think he’s still an elite guy and the news from Twins camp is that he’s on his way to being a full-time player at least to start.

14) Charles Lee $11

15) Billy Butler $11

16) Adam Lind $10

17) Garrett Jones $9

18) Gabby Sanchez $9

19) Derrek Lee $9

20) Ike Davis $8

HO: In this range, you should look for potential for a breakout season rather than just a stable backup. Opinions about Adam Lind are going to vary wildly this year. Last year was bad, for sure, if you’re high on it, it’s totally faith based. The Royals seem to think Billy Butler is about to take the next step, so they locked him up for four years despite having plenty of corner infield prospects on the way. I think all the young players in this group have an excited edge, just stay away from Lee and Lee. By the way, I have no idea why the Orioles think Derrek Lee is the answer from the basement of the AL East.

pH: I think Carlos Lee is overlooked and probably has a better chance of having a recovery year than Lind. Carlos has a long history of hitting .300 with 25 HR and 100 RBI, while Lind only has one high-producing year. I also think you’re too close to the Derrek Lee situation to be objective. The guy is only two years away from 35 home runs. The Orioles aren’t building for the future anymore, but it will be fun to watch them with that lineup. As for the youngsters, I’m not sure why Gabby Sanchez is here, but I think Ike Davis has some power that he will show a little more this year.

HO: The Orioles don’t make sense. It seems they have decided that beating the Blue Jays is the ultimate goal to aim for. But they haven’t shown the ability to build a young team either, so they might as well give it a try.

21) Lance Berkman $6

22) Freddy Freeman $6

23) James Loney $6

24) Lucas Scott $6

25) Adam LaRouche $5

26) Carlos Pena $5

pH: Freddie Freeman is the new Jason Heyward; at least that’s what the hype machine says and i’m buying it for now. I hope he works his way up to a better spot in the lineup than the 7th hole I’ve seen him projected for. The Braves managed to score a lot of runs last year and the offense should be better with Dan Uggla and the aforementioned Heyward having a year of experience. I am also considering Berkman as a high-performing candidate. I’m just doing some sloppy math here, but if Pujols and Holiday have an OBP of more than .400, then Berkman will almost always hit with runners on base.

ooh: Luke Scott has been an interesting player to watch, but the Orioles seem determined to displace him by bringing even older players who can only play 1B or DH. Where is the love for Carlos Peña? Can you imagine a world where a player hits under .200 and then gets $10 million to start with the Cubs next season? I actually like the Cubs move as a decent buy-low investment, but I don’t think it will work for fantasy. If you find yourself desperate for HR, you might be tempted, but those HRs won’t support Rs or RsBI, so he really is a one-of-a-kind player (yes, I said RsBI).

27) Matt LaPorta $3

28) Kila Ka’aihue $3

29) Aubrey Huff$2

30) Daric Barton $1

pH: I don’t think I would take any of these guys because there is not much to do. If I had a dollar to spend here, I’d think of Brett Wallace or Mitch Moreland. They’re both young guys who have day jobs, so there’s a chance they’ll stand out.

ooh: Why do you always criticize our rankings? The overwhelming chances are that Wallace and Moreland will be waiver-wire level players. Of course anything can happen, but usually it doesn’t. When you’re drafting here, you probably just need temporary padding anyway. Both Huff and Ka’aihue are capable of holding for 2 weeks, which would make you happy to have them in your lineup… at least for those two weeks.

pH: That’s a good point. Obviously the rankings are based on probability percentages, but I’m always drawn to long shots with potential.