Robert Fitzgerald Wins Week 24 Prize

[Tom Kessenich]

Congratulations to Robert Fitzgerald whose The Brushbacks team in New York League 1 led the way in the NFBC last week with 3,206 points.



Vladimir Guerrero (.346-3-10) led the way offensively while Todd Helton (.417-2-7), Kurt Suzuki (.300-1-10) and Jeff Francoeur (.292-0-6) also had good weeks at the plate. Scott Kazmir and Fausto Carmona combined for four wins while Kazmir had 21 strikeouts. Todd Jones had four save to round out the pitching leaders.



For finishing first last week, Robert wins a Tom Seaver Autographed Mets Mitchell & Ness "1969 Model" Home/White Jersey courtesy of Upper Deck Authenticated. Congratulations again to Robert and good luck to everyone in the NFBC this week.

[Tom Kessenich]

Balance was the key to Rob Fitzgerald’s NFBC draft and it was the key reason why his The Brushbacks team in New York League 1 led the way in the NFBC last week with 3,206 points.



Vladimir Guerrero (.346-3-10) led the way offensively while Todd Helton (.417-2-7), Kurt Suzuki (.300-1-10) and Jeff Francoeur (.292-0-6) also had good weeks at the plate. Scott Kazmir and Fausto Carmona combined for four wins while Kazmir had 21 strikeouts. Todd Jones had four save to round out the pitching leaders.



“The keys to my week were awesome pitching coupled with a solid

well-rounded offense,” Fitzgerald said. “For the week, my team ERA was under 1.7, my WHIP was under 1.00 and I had seven wins. The best part was the pitching got better as the week went on, with amazing end of the week shutouts from Scott Kazmir and Fausto Caramona.



“In the 13-innings Kaz pitches last week he gave up zero earned runs and had 21k's in 13 innings pitched. Carmona wasn't too far behind with and ERA and WHIP under .600, and he won both games he started. Toss in Todd Jones' 4 saves in 5 games and it was about as good as you could get.



“Offensively the team was led by Vlad Guerrero, he of the .346 average, 6 runs, 3 home runs and 10 RBIs for the week. He's been on fire since coming back from his sore triceps. Todd Helton got hot as well, hitting over .400 to go along with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. The balance was really helped by my most recent free-agent pickup, Joey Votto - .389 average - and surprisingly Kurt Suzuki, who batted .300 and knocked in 10 runs.



This balance was precisely what Fitzgerald was hoping his team would achieve when he prepped for his draft at the Hilton last March.



“I picked 14th which caused me to change my strategy – and lose the lousy attitude I had when I found out that was when I was picking,” he said. “I broke the draft rounds into numerous groups and had a strategy for each of those groupings b ased on how the draft was shaking out – the positions to target, when to reach for a player, what kind of player to look for etc.



“I also went with what I considered to be the best player available regardless of position and figured I would target them later in the draft and hope for some gems. Lastly, I wanted to get a well-balanced pitching staff that had consistent performers versus the young phenoms and tried my best to not lose the game in first 10 rounds. Consistency was the motto.



“All in all, for picking 14th, I think my strategy worked well.”



Fitzgerald’s offense has been anchored by players such as Guerrero, Lance Berkman and Johnny Damon, while his pitching staff is led by Francisco Rodriguez, John Lackey and Kazmir. Among his late-round gems were Khalil Greene (18th round), Ted Lilly (19th), Tom Gorzelanny (21st) and Al Reyes (27th).



“My favorite pick and one I’m most proud of was Al Reyes,” Fitzgerald said. “He was a write-in. Go D-Rays.”



This is Fitzgerald’s second year in the NFBC. He lives in Bethel, CT with his wife and two children and runs an online advertising business for a large sales and marketing company.



For finishing first last week, Rob wins a Tom Seaver Autographed Mets Mitchell & Ness "1969 Model" Home/White Jersey courtesy of Upper Deck Authenticated.