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I Want To Believe- Primetime

It’s Opening Day. Everyone is excited. Everyone thinks their team is the best day 1. Then the injuries and manager decisions start. We start to have doubt. Why didn’t I see this coming? Why did I think this year would be different? Then your inner self has to hit the refresh button, and say it’s only one day. Sample size. You didn’t do that months of research for nothing now.

I tried doing this last year, but unfortunately work got in the way and my time for writing fell by the wayside. That team had a dual elite closer strategy I tried and did really well. It ended up finishing 3rd, and that was only due to my mismanagement in the final week of the season, otherwise I would have finished first or second.

This year, I planned on using the same strategy. But, when Chapman got hurt, it was time to look at something different, since I was not a big fan of Jansen and Holland at such an early pick. So here is the squad this year. The first draft of the year was full of great players everyone on the message boards knows, so I have an upward battle ahead of me already with this savvy group. For this draft, I was lucky enough to get the 4th pick. I was very excited that my team would start with Cutch, as he is my favorite player this year, as I had him last year on the team I blogged about too.

Round 1- Ryan Braun. Yep, of course Cutch went third in my draft. I am not a fan of Goldy this year and went with my backup plan here who I think will have a good season. At least Greg told me he would… So I’m sure, that was the first “Wow” in this draft from my league-mates.

Round 2-David Wright. I’m getting sniped from both sides now. Was all ready to pick Tulo with this pick, but Joe Berg snagged him before my pick. That would be a theme as Joe did that a lot in this draft. If he can stay healthy, Wright and Braun are nice 5 category producers to start the team with plus AVG.

Round 3-Justin Verlander. Was a target for me in this spot. I really think his issues last year were mechanical, and did enough to prove to me that he will be back to his Cy self this season.

Round 4-Albert Pujols. My obsession with Pujols continues, as I had him with my 1st round pick last year. I refuse to believe this great of a hitter can fall of the face of the earth this fast. If he is 100% healthy, he is another guy that can give me 1st round stats. I was going to take King Felix and go with dueling aces this year, but again Joe sniped him before my pick.

Round 5- Matt Holliday. One of the things, I wanted to try and have this year was solid batting average early and power, to take chances later. Holliday has been consistent and good all of his career. He has been a bit underrated for his whole career. It also seems everyone that is a Cardinal always plays well there.

Round 6- David Ortiz. Maybe a round too early for Big Papi, but he was a target going in this year and wanted to make sure I got him. Right now, pretty happy with the start of my offense, and didn’t want to reach for the SP going off the board.

Round 7- Matt Cain. Another guy I like more than others. I think last year is an aberration and will go back to the years before with good stats across the board. I think the Giants as a team have a chance to contend for a wild card spot, which means Cain will be back among being a good pitcher as well.

Round 8- Cole Hamels. Couldn’t let him drop any further. I know I should have learned my lesson with Roy Halladay last season on taking a pitcher with shoulder woes. I just think Cole should be a 4th-5th round pitcher and only missed the first month at worst. So far the news looks good on his recovery so he might be key to this team’s pitching.

Round 9- Pedro Alvarez. My first mistake in this draft. I’m not a big fan and got caught looking as both Josh Hamilton and Bailey went before my pick. He could be a breakout hitter with power, but all that AVG I gained is out the window now.

Round 10- Ernesto Frieri. I really like Frieri this year. Everyone talks about the 100k club and Frieri snuck under the radar with 98. He also developed a change-up in the offseason and Scioscia loves to get his closers the ball in the 9th.

Round 11-Austin Jackson. I’m a fan of Jackson this year. I think this is the year he finally puts everything together for one complete season. I think Detroit needs him to step up as well with Prince leaving town.

Round 12- Aaron Hill. I was pleasantly surprised he was still around on my pick. I like him this year, but didn’t really like where he was going as I had other guys rated higher than him earlier. But when he dropped to me, I grabbed him like a dog grabs a bone after his owner gets home from the grocery store.

Round 13-Shane Victorino. Another mistake. That makes two. With time running out, took a safe player that I had last year but didn’t really like this year. I wanted to take Chapman here but got greedy and thought I could get him in round 14. I didn’t… Thanks MORONS!!!

Round 14-Asdrubal Cabrera. My internet crapped out on me during the draft, and took the first player in the que. Cabrera is a player I targeted and love this year, but maybe 1-2 rounds early.

Round 15-Torri Hunter. Still wasn’t back in the draft room and took the player in my que. I like him as he is solid and underrated every year, again 1-2 rounds early. Was looking for closers in these two spots and it cost me. I should have asked to have the picks rolled back but since I got two players I liked, I thought I mine as well keep it. This is why drafting LIVE in VEGAS is better!!!

Round 16-Bobby Parnell. I got lucky one last closer lasted until I finally got on. I was definitely worried I wouldn’t. I’m hoping he can stay healthy and get me 30 saves. I’m crossing my fingers for this one.

Round 17- R.A. Dickey. I can’t lay off the veteran pitcher hoping to make a comeback. Last year it was Lincy and Halladay. I’m not expecting Dickey to return to CY form, if he can deliever what he did last year or a bit better, I’ll be happy with this pick.

Round 18-Rajai Davis. This was the Judy round. Revere, Fowler, Bourn, Gardner, and Eaton all went in this round. I like Davis as this team has a ton of power and was short on steals. I like that he will get a lot of the at-bats the first 6 weeks and might earn the job outright by then.

Round 19- Miguel Montero. Probably should have waited on catchers, but Montero might come back to form in the middle of that D-Back lineup.

Round 20- Scott Kazmir. A target I was happy to get. Hey, if Billy Beane spends money on him, that’s good enough for me. Plus, I got to watch him pitch in Sugar Land and he looked awesome. Let’s hope it stays that way!
Round 21- Michael Brantley. Love this guy this year. Underrated and has a chance to shine.
Round 22- Dee Gordon. Couldn’t resist the speed temptation up the middle and needed speed.
Round 23- Russell Martin. Like the 10-10 poss with him, and I can absorb the AVG. I think…
Round 24- Omar Infante. Like him atop the Royals lineup this year. Underrated.
Round 25- Cody Allen. Axford can’t close all year can he? Need saves as Parnell scares me and need that 3rd closer to pop up somewhere…
Round 26- Charlie Morton. Love this guy. Owned him last year and pitched great down the stretch. He is my speculative play.
Round 27- Phil Hughes. Another guy I love. Especially away from the limelight in that park.
Round 28- Trevor Cahill. And, Chris Owings gets sniped from me. Took him for Australia game. Good thing I had that as a cheat game…
Round 29- Mark Melancon. See Cody Allen.
Round 30- Josh Fields. See Mark Melancon.

And there you have it. Thoughts or critiques are welcome. Definitely need some things to break my way (Isn’t that everyone’s thought?). I like a lot of cheap speculative pitching this year, and I think my offense has enough to compete if they stay healthy. We will see. As I said earlier… It’s only opening day. If Mulder and Scully can believe, so can I in this team.

Dustin,

What a Great write up! It's always informative and entertaining to read about another team that you drafted against. We all make picks that we beat ourselves up over. This is a very good team and easily the best offensive team in the league. You are packed and I don't think you missed on a category on the offensive side.

I think your pitching is solid and can be messaged a little bit. You have ratio exposure, but that is to be expected with the offensive numbers I believe you have. I drafted 7 teams and do not have an offense as good as this one.

Don't be afraid to believe in this team, If you can get Hamels to be Hamels the sky is the limit!!

It'll be fun battling with you. Good Luck!!

Thanks Joe for the kind words. The league should be a fun one as I see it as a challenge. Haven't win yet, but have felt close after last year. I "may have put my time in," so to say. Losing my connection was the last thing I needed but maybe it kept me from picking these stupid closers! Maybe if you took it easy on me, you could make me believe even more!

Weekly Goals: 300 AB, .280 AVG, 44 Runs, 12 HR’s, 43 RBI, 8 SB
4 Wins, 4 Saves, 55 K’s, 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

So how did week 1 go?

(313 AB) .246 AVG, 39 Runs, 8 HR, 33 RBI’s, 5 SB

So much for the offense being good on this team. What a miserable week. A week that get you to start thinking how this team is so bad. I have to keep reminding myself that it is just one bad week and a good week this coming week will help make up some ground, but I can’t stop thinking about the horrible start.

When your top 4 hitters bat .200 for the week, you know that you are pulling your hair out. Not to mention that they only have 1 HR between them. The icing on the cake is my 1st round pick, who I reached for, is already an injury concern with the same finger issue he had last year. Here’s hoping for a much better week for these four, along with the rest of these slow-starting bums!

As of now, I need to make up 5 runs, 4 HR’s, 10 RBI’s and 3 SB. It is doable with a good week, but I need it to come quick so I don’t get into a bigger hole than I am already. Can’t have too many bad weeks in this shark infested waters.

(61 IP) 2 Wins, 0 Saves, 4.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 42 K’s

This side of the ball wasn’t much better. I knew my pitching wasn’t as strong going in, so really need the bats to step up, but I thought they would be better than this week’s showing. They will have to get better as well if I want to sniff being anywhere close to the top in this league.

First, the few bright spots. Morton and Kazmir, the two pitchers I love late in drafts this year, don’t give up a single run and pitched beautifully. I can only hope they continue, because I need them even more now. Verlander was okay this week, but 5 K’s for two starts is not what I signed up for after his strong 2nd half and spring training (I know.. I know.. Spring means nothing!).

The rest of my pitchers were below average. Dickey and Cain need to be better. Hughes is a late round guy, but I have higher hopes for him as well. I picked up Scheppers for a possible two start week and he blew up in game 1 and never got the second start. So glad I picked up that bum and beat someone by $5 for those stats!

And one week in, I’m already regretting not doing my dual elite closer strategy. Frieri never got a save chance and his only outing he was not good giving up 2 runs. How is it that no closer pitches well in non-save situations? I don’t get it. My other closer, Bobby Parnell, out for the year. Awesome. Not like he was any good anyways, but one week in, I’m down a closer and now have to scan the WW for one.

I’m 2 Wins, 4 Saves, and 13 K’s behind my goals, and need a way better WHIP and ERA this week. I need to find saves quick, because not too many 8 save weeks happen in this game.

FAAB Week 2- Going into this FAAB period, there were 4 closers, if you can call them that, available. Valverde, K-Rod, Broxton and Lindstrom. You can add Strop to that group since it looks like Veras won’t be holding on to that job. I targeted all 4 of them this week. I only got one. Welcome to the team Valverde! I can’t even say that with a straight face. Here’s hoping and praying he can last all year. I was nowhere close to getting K-Rod, but did come in second for Lindstrom, Broxton, and Strop. Close but no cigar. I was shocked to see Almonte go for over $300 and Blackman go for $187. I liked both, but apparently did not like them enough. I tried to get some starters as well to try and help them out. I got another second place bid on Buehrle, who has a 2-step this week. Also, got second place on Jason Vargas’ 2-step this week. Was disappointed I didn’t get one or the other there. I was delegated my third choice, Bruce Chen. Hopefully he can help me out against Minnesota.

Overall- 12th place 38.0 Points.

Told you it was a bad week. Maybe even the worst since I started playing here. Don't mind me, I'm the guy in the corner of the office weeping like the kid who got his pacifier taken away this week.

Week 3

Well, well, well. He does exist! Brauny showed up this week, and I must have been the only one enjoying all those Philly fans booing him mercifully during his 3 HR game against them this week. As Gene Peterson, the old voice of the Houston Rockets, would say, How sweet it is!

Paging Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright? Hello? Oh, sorry sir, I didn’t mean to wake you up. Actually, yes I did. WAKE UP DAVID! This team needs you. Maybe your frustration will get you hungry enough to start contributing.

Who says catchers are dead weight? Well, normally me… But not this week! Good job guys! Too bad you needed to make up some ground from your previous weeks.

Sir Albert sure seems to lull you to sleep these days. Should I be happy with a 3 HR week? Yea I guess it will do. Just never seems to pop out like he should. Ah… I still remember those glory days in St Louis. Wait. Wasn’t that just two years ago?

These are the weeks where you love Mr. Alvarez. It amazes me how hot and cold this guy is. Never in between. This week, he was HOT. Although, I don’t know if you can classify a .217 BA as hot…

Below Average week for Big Papi. Will you start carrying this team Papi? Or is it not time for your clutchness (Made up word) to make this team a winner?

That Detroit outfield of mine struggled this week. Need these guys to get Detroit winning. Maybe when it starts to warm up out there?

Talking about warming up, the stats don’t show it, but I feel Matt Holliday is due. Dammit, he better be due!

All in all, I can’t complain about the offense all that much this week? Wait, isn’t that what I sort of just did? They seem to be starting to heat up and perform to what they are capable of, which is needed more than ever to make up ground while I try to get this pitching in order.

Overall: (297 AB) .266 AVG, 45 Runs, 15 HR, 54 RBI’s, 8 SB

Will the real Verlander please stand up, please stand up? Could this be the week he starts to show what I think he is capable of? This team needs his strikeouts and quality starts bad. I’m such a Tiger fan this season…

My number 2 pitcher, pitched like a number 2 pitcher this week. Can Cain continue this output? I drafted him as a number 2, so you all know my answer. What do you think?

Speaking of number 2 pitcher, Cole Hamels first start in week 5 can’t come here soon enough. Here’s to your health Cole!

Frieri is the pitcher I thought he was. I just thought the Angels would get him saves is all. He had a pretty solid week. But just 1 save to show for it.

Bobby Parnell’s (That experiment didn’t work!) replacement Jose Valverde was doing so well. I really hope he has a longer leash up there as :gulp: a proven closer. Saturday night, I check my gamecast and see 2 outs in the 9th, up 3, and nobody on. I’m very happy as Valverde has been his early self in the early 2000’s in Arizona. I get busy at work and make it back to my gamecast. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the score. Only Valverde could screw that game up. This team went all in on him. Hopefully he can make it up to me. Fingers crossed. Wait. Didn’t I do that with Parnell? Crap.

My patience for Phil Hughes to get together is running thin. This is a guy I loved and he is killing me right now. Same could be said about Charlie Morton. Both start to have really good starts and then have that one inning they can’t keep it together.

Scott Kazmir is preforming up to expectations thus far. He did get me a win, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much about his start. Here’s hoping that tricep is something minor.

Dickey and Chen had easy starts against below average teams. Of course they both got blown up. Ever have one of those years, that no matter what you do, your pitching always betrays you no matter how hard you try to play matchups?

Overall, Just another below average week on the pitching side. I need some help, and help in a hurry. I’m pretty sure 10 points for pitching is not going to win me anything.

Overall (61.2 IP) 2 W, 2 S, 4.52 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 55 K’s

FA Results- My heart sank in FA this week. Almost nobody bid on the same players in my league, which was surprising with all the part-time could be closers out there. I though, got screwed. It seems to be a theme with this team. I wanted Brandon Morrow for his two-start this week and bid 54. I was then outbid by 2. By the team, just barely in front of my pathetic team. Have to admit, that stung a bit. I was able to get Robbie Ross for his two step though. I also picked up Matt Albers. You might wonder why, and since I picked him up on all my teams, I’ll tell you. I was listening to the Astros game Saturday on the radio, and one of the broadcast guys mentioned that Albers might move into the closers role once he got back from paternity leave, as he has been the only real consistent guy that’s a veteran on the team, which Bo would prefer. Could it be nothing? Sure. But I think the broadcast guys might know something. We will see shortly.

I was shocked to see some of the guys go for so little in my league. Mujica went for 147, only 23 as backup, Rondon and Doolittle only went for 13 to that pesky Money team, Kelley went for 27, and Gregerson 60. All had nobody competing for them. Shocking. Was hoping to see some money blown there.

Overall 48.5 Points. (So I did make up 10.5 points this week) Still in last.

This was a very strange period in FAAB this weekend for this league Dustin. Nine teams picked up 19 players with only runner up bids on 2 of the 19. All 4 players I picked up did not have a runner up bid. Before you beat yourself up to much go the Primetime Bids tabs and see what the players you picked up went for in the other leagues. Even though all 4 of mine went without a second bid I'm ok with the price I paid as the bids were either in line with others or less than most others.

It's very early so 2 weeks in a 12 team league is not a big deal. Keep grinding away, your hard work will pay off!!

Week 4



Excuse me if I come off a little pissed off today. The Rockets broke my heart last night. Sometimes I hate being a fan of a team. I ponder whether or not it is actually worth it in the end. Which brings me to this team. Another team I’m invested in that has let me down thus far too (Told you I was pissy today).

Overall Batting: (301 AB) .285 AVG, 43 runs, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 5 SB

For the 2nd week in a row the offense has continued to perform somewhat like it should. Both my catchers are playing better and making up for lost ground they made themselves the first two weeks.

By the way, I now know what it feels to be Greg. I love being the only guy that is rooting for Brauny to do something. I just love being that guy in the room who everyone hates for rooting for a guy like that. Keep it up my man.

Looks like my speech to Mr. Wright was heard. He has started to hit. Now I’ll get greedy and say that I need some power with those hits David! Let’s see if that works this week…

LOOK WHO’S BACK!!!! Pujols is finally healthy and starting to pay me back for my belief in the man the past two seasons. Hopefully this is a start of a monster season I know he can fulfill.

Since it worked on David, I will now plea with Big Papi. Hey big man, how about you start producing and acting like you are a good hitter. I clogged my UTIL spot up for you, you know.

My Tigers outfield still hasn’t produced and is posing to be a big problem for me. Here’s hoping they get their act together this week.

I thought Holliday was starting to warm up last week, but I guess it just takes a while for an old guy to start boiling. Maybe this is the week, he finally puts it all together.

Alvarez and Hill continue to slump. This team needs them to get hot. We have a lot of ground to make up, and this offense needs to be the hammer for this team. We can’t really have average to below average weeks. We need amazing weeks to have a chance in this league.


Now to the miserable part of this team. The pitching. Do I even want to write about this today?

Overall: (58.2 IP) 5 Wins, 0 Saves, 3.98 ERA, 1.551 WHIP, 54 K’s

First the only bright spot. My two aces with a close third following behind to start the season did well this past week. Kazmir, Verlander, and Cain performed outstanding. They now have to continue that for the coming weeks for this team to do anything in the pitching categories.

Now to the rest. I’m this close to either a) dropping Dickey altogether, or b) benching his ass until he starts getting splinters in his you know what. If it wasn’t for his two start week this week, he would already be there. Here is your last chance buddy.

Chen got a win but pitched below average. Hughes had one bad start and one average start this past week and got a win. Robbie Ross actually had a good two start week for me and I couldn’t have asked for anything more from a pickup.

Now if you are reading this out loud to your children (Yea right!), I’m going to need you to stop reading out loud. I’m so %&#$&$% done with closers. That’s right, you can have them all! I’m just going to give them a middle finger and move on. Frieri and Valverde both blew up this week and got me a total of, that’s right, ZERO SAVES! Hell that was the good news! On top of having these bums on my team, Valverde went and lost his job like everyone knew he would. Thanks for rewarding the guy who believed in you! Excuse me while I go demolish my office…



Overall in 10th- 55.0 Points

FA Results- Okay I’m back. I’ll probably be getting a call from my boss anytime now, so I’ll finish this up. Just to show you I wasn’t joking about not wanting any closers on my team, I cleaned house and picked up 5 starting pitchers. That’s right. Melancon, Allen, Albers, and Valverde, go ruin someone else’s hopes and dreams. I picked up Volquez, who looks as though the Pirates defense and park has helped him for $55 and no back up bid. Must be the only one that believes, which means I’m probably wrong. I also picked up for $1 Wei-Yin Chen, Vargas, Keuchel, and De La Rosa. I like all 4 of those guys and feel their underlying stats look promising enough to help me out in two start weeks.

I went after Harang but was no where close with the $150 winning bid. Farnsworth (Good Luck!) went for 256. I also went after Mejia, but was woefully short on him as well. I liked Bauer, and try to steal him for a dollar in case I didn’t get any of my other pitchers, but this team couldn’t afford to wait and needed guys who could play now more. Also went after Richards, and came in 2nd there. Matt Harrison was another guy I liked and came in 2nd to that pesky Joe Berg guy. He and I must be looking at the same things, because he sure knows every week who I’m looking at.

Week Ahead: As an old CDM guy, I’m going back to my roots. Screw closers, and get as many 2 start weeks as you can. 6 of my 9 starters this week will have two starts. Here is hoping I can start to make up ground in some of these categories. It wasn’t like I was doing well in saves anyway. This is my last hope as if this doesn’t work out, then this team will sink to the bottom of the standings quicker than the Titanic did 100 years ago. Right now, the lights are out. But we are still trying to fight back and get help from surrounding ships to prevent us from sinking for good.

wagner13454 wrote:Since it worked on David, I will now plea with Big Papi. Hey big man, how about you start producing and acting like you are a good hitter. I clogged my UTIL spot up for you, you know.

Hope it works! Nice read.

wagner13454 wrote: I picked up Volquez, who looks as though the Pirates defense and park has helped him for $55 and no back up bid. Must be the only one that believes, which means I’m probably wrong.

I had Volquez in my pitching threads, I simply got the others first. My conditional bids would not have got him though. If he has a good week this week against 2 tough match-ups, you just might have struck free agent gold. I have now populated that bench with a bunch of guys not pitching this week, probably not very smart. We've got some ground to make up Dustin!! Good Luck.

Edwards Kings wrote:

wagner13454 wrote:Since it worked on David, I will now plea with Big Papi. Hey big man, how about you start producing and acting like you are a good hitter. I clogged my UTIL spot up for you, you know.

Hope it works! Nice read.

Yea I know you like Papi just as much as I did this year Wayne.

Money wrote:

wagner13454 wrote: I picked up Volquez, who looks as though the Pirates defense and park has helped him for $55 and no back up bid. Must be the only one that believes, which means I’m probably wrong.

I had Volquez in my pitching threads, I simply got the others first. My conditional bids would not have got him though. If he has a good week this week against 2 tough match-ups, you just might have struck free agent gold. I have now populated that bench with a bunch of guys not pitching this week, probably not very smart. We've got some ground to make up Dustin!! Good Luck.

Thanks Joe. I wouldnt mind the both of us pushing up the standings this week. Let's push some other people down and be the bullies, rather the one getting kicked in the pants.

Week 5


Well at least we got the lifeboats all out. This past week we made a good stride from getting out of the cellar but when I looked at how we did it, I’m still kind of boggled. This team to me had an average week, when I was expecting we had an extraordinary one. I can’t complain too much, but we still must get way better to have a shot at the money in this league. Now let’s get to the action.

Overall Batting: (303 AB) .283 AVG, 40 runs, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 12 SB

Brauny continues to beat the living hell out of the ball. And his teammates. I told you he was a douche! But he is my douche. Well, not this week, since his side is hurting him. Pansy.

My Tigers outfield did amazing this week. Horrible managing though on my part as some of their best stats were on my bench. I hate when that happens. Ugh.

Brantley cooled off, but that was kind of expected with the West coast road trip. But this one I did play right. Got his great stats during the week and then sat him for his 0-10 weekend.

Victorino came back this past weekend as well. This team is now stacked in the outfield due to my mess-up during the draft. So hopefully I can play the matchups right during the year. It comes in handy this week though with Braun being out the first half of it.

My Ortiz plea last week netted me 2 HR. But the .250 AVG must get better. I’m hoping that Papi can stay healthy now that the weather is warming up. Maybe that is what he needs.

The middle of the infield played great this week as Hill finally woke up and Dee continues to excel. A HR and 5 SB’s with a great average is nothing to sneeze at from this group. Need them to continue that this week.

My two 3B however are struggling. David cooled back off again and Pedro has had one good day and has not been good for the rest of them. I’m hoping he can get it together, I know the Pirates do as well.

Montero starting to hit like his former self and is what I was hoping for when I drafted him. Martin struggled this week, eventually landing on the DL. Will have to pick up another option for him this week.

Pujols! Save the best for last. I love watching this guy hit, and am glad he is back. Just needed to get healthy, which he is now. Guy is so strong and so smart on the baseball field.

All in all, I was shocked that my counting stats other than SB were just average. I hit my targets on the number but didn’t do much more. This week being a short week, I hope I just hit my targets, and I will be happy.

Overall: (86.1 IP) 7 Wins, 0 Saves, 3.75 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, 73 K’s

My double starts worked out. I got 4 wins from that group. Of course the guy I paid most for last week was the worst of the group. Still hoping he can bounce back though. Overall I got the wins and strikeouts I was looking for, but still need an amazing week in the ERA and WHIP category quick to start to make a move up those standings.

I almost decided to be bold and sit Cain for his Coors start because of my gut feeling, and was mad that I didn’t follow through. Any of my guys on my bench would have been better, and would have saved my ERA and WHIP this week.

Chen was average for his two starts, which as a waiver wire pickup, I can’t complain. De la Rosa was awesome getting me two wins and solid ratios. Dickey bounced back and gave me a good week that was desperately needed for him to stay on this team. Kuechel pitched pretty well against some tough teams and looks like he might be here to stay on this team. Lastly, Volquez had a good WHIP, but that was it. The ERA and only 5 K’s in two starts need to get better going forward. I was hoping for more of course, so hopefully it was just a blip in the season rather than going back to his old form of sucking.

At least I wasn’t the only one that was pissed about Verlander only getting one start due to Sunday’s rainout. I just feel now he will get blown up on Tuesday, but can’t sit him now. Just because of the principle and bad feeling now that he has to wait two extra days.

Kazmir continues to pitch like an ace and am very happy I drafted him after watching him play for the Skeeters last spring. Hamels came back too this week and pitched great. This team needs him to step up and be the true number two on this team. Here is hoping that this pitching starts to take shape and make some leaps in the ERA and WHIP categories now that it is healthy.

Overall in 5th- 68.0 Points (Yea I know. Why am I not happy I jumped 5 spots and gained 13 points?!?! Still a long way to go for the money…)

FA results: Well with my SP pitching well, including the guys on my bench who have two starts this week, I decided to save some money this week and only get a replacement for the injured Martin. I was very pleased to land Kurt Suzuki for $12. Did I just say that? Well when Salty and Castillo went for double that and they were 2nd and 3rd on my list, I would have been screwed! On top of that he is one of the few who have 3 games the first part of the week. Not saying he will, but if he continues to do what he has been doing, he could eventually steal a spot on this team if Martin isn’t careful.

Well, two short-term closers went for big money again this week. I’m glad I’m out of this game. I contributed to the shopping spree as I let Melancon go last week. He went for $175 this week. Hope you enjoy him Joe! Smith was the other guy that was bought for $200. Just so you can ensure there are saves to go around, I dropped Frieri this week. I’m sure he will go for big bucks next week when he gets his job back. What a waste of a 9th round pick. Ugh. But with this team, having him take up a roster spot when I’m not going to play him because of my change of strategy, it was a must. I think he definitely goes for 100+ faab dollars next week.

Week Ahead: Brauny and Hunter will sit the pine the first half of the week. Feels like I am playing Russian roulette every time I make a lineup change now trying to play the matchup game with this group of outfielders. I hope it ends up benefiting me rather than hurting me as we go through the season.

Pitching was tough this week. I have 6 pitchers going Tuesday, which normally would mean a two start week, but with the screwy schedule, only one now is assured of getting two. Maybe I get lucky and get one or two teams to change their mind and give them normal rest, otherwise next week is going to be a huge one. So my decisions came down to who do I start out of this group? I need three pitchers out of this group. Morton @Bal, Hughes at home against Bal, De la Rosa at home against the all of a sudden good Mets, Chen @ MIN, Volquez at home against TOR, Ross at home against OAK, and Kuechel at home against SEA. I decide that Kuechel at home against probably the weaker hitting lineup is a must, so he is in. I then decide Morton on the road in a hitter park against a hitting team probably is best left on the bench. The rest of the pitchers look the same to me as all have their marks for and against them. I’m deciding to ride with my gut here and go with the guys that have pitched well recently. I decide to ride with De la Rosa at home in Coors (must be going crazy) and Hughes at home against Baltimore. Here is hoping Chris Davis being out helps him. Coming in a close third was Volquez at home, with Ross right behind him. I still might change out before the deadline comes today and tomorrow, but for now going to ride these two horses.

Next week I'll try and find out how my players are doing overall for the year and where I am going forward with my expectations as this will mark the 6th week of the season and almost 1/5 of the way through.

Week 6



So a month down in the season, and I can start to take a look at this team and see where I am over-performing and underperforming on this team. I usually use one month as a good indicator of what a player has done so far for the season. So let’s look back at where it went right and where it went wrong, I’ll also highlight who I think was the best pick of each round thus far, hopefully putting a jinx on those that I don’t own…

Round 1: Ryan Braun- Even though he is on the shelf with an oblique injury right now, so far he has been worth my reach in the first round. He has done exactly what I wanted him to do and now all he has to do is get healthy again and hopefully is back on the field next week, otherwise I will really be hurting then. (Mike Trout- I guess)

Round 2: David Wright- So far, I believe he is underperforming. He hasn’t been horrible, but he hasn’t been good either. I’m hoping that he starts to warm up this month and goes on one of those hitting streaks he can go on where he is on fire for a month. (Tulo- I curse you every day Joe!)

Round 3: Justin Verlander- Well he isn’t his old Cy self like I thought he was going to be. Everything would tell you that except his WHIP, which is almost 1.40 so far this year. He really needs to be the leader for this team and string together a couple of excellent starts. (Jose Fernandez)

Round 4: Albert Pujols- My first home run pick thus far. Albert looks like he is back in his old Cardinal days. If he can continue to rake this summer, he will be a huge help to lead this offense. (Albert Pujols- whoohoo!)

Round 5: Matt Holliday- I selected Holliday because of his consistently of a nice average and counting stats. He has had a slow start, but so has the entire Cardinal offense. I’m not really worried yet, as the Cards usually start to warm up through the summer, so as long as he stays healthy, I think the stats will be there. (Justin Upton)

Round 6: David Ortiz- I took him a bit early and clogged up my UTIL spot for a guy that could rake. So far the HR’s have been there, but he has yet to do much else. It is scary to think what this offense can do, if Wright, Holliday, and Big Papi ever wake up. (Zack Grienke)

Round 7: Matt Cain- I needed Cain to be a solid number 2 guy on this team, but he has been far from it. Now on the shelf, not only does he need to get healthy, he needs to face teams like the Padres at home for a few starts to really make me feel better going forward with him. (Jose Abreu and Tanaka, the import round)

Round 8: Cole Hamels- Well, so far I got a 4th round pitcher 4 rounds later and only missed the first month. He hasn’t shaken off the rust yet, but this is another guy that I need to step up for this team, otherwise this great offense will be all for naught. (Gio Gonzalez)

Round 9: Pedro Alvarez: My first mistake has proven to be exactly what I expected. The power is there, the average is not. So far, other on the team have carried the average so his power has been welcoming. Hopefully, it won’t hurt the team going forward this season. The 2 steals are a bonus. (Julio Teheran)

Round 10: Ernesto Frieri- My first bust of the year. Already dropped and was picked up for double what I thought he would go for. Maybe I dropped him a bit too early and should have searched for saves on the WW, but it’s too late to second guess myself now. (Desmond Jennings)

Round 11: Austin Jackson- He has been a little inconsistent so far this year but the counting stats have added up to an average month in my opinion. Just a solid but unspectacular guy at this point. (Andrew Cashner)

Round 12: Aaron Hill- Has been better in recent weeks, but the slow start has put him in a hole. If he can continue his hot streak in the month of May, this pick might look a whole lot better to me. (Sonny Gray)

Round 13:Shane Victorino- My other mistake pick has been my biggest regret. Should have taken Chapman with this pick as he is coming back like I thought he would. I have one too many outfielders on this team that should be starting, and so far it hasn’t hurt me as I have had one guy that has been hurt, so the depth has been useful, but my plan is that going forward it will be hard sitting one of these guys where my pitching could have used the help. (Chase Utley)

Round 14: Asdrubal Cabrera- Has not been what I thought he would be. Very worried about him as he has not been good at all. Has put me in a position of what do I do with him going forward and how long of a leash he has. (Jon Lester)

Round 15: Torri Hunter- He has been great. Too bad he was on the bench this past week. Knew having one too many outfielders would screw me. Hopefully this ageless wonder continues his torrid pace this month when he is in the lineup. (Johnny Cueto)

Round 16: Bobby Parnell- Not so lucky he lasted to me now. Gone from the team and gone for the season. (Victor Martinez)

Round 17: R.A. Dickey- Has not been good. Every time I think about dropping him, he has a good performance to think he might make up for his other lousy starts. Needs to be more consistent. Either way, because then at least I would know to pitch him or to drop him. (Yordano Ventura)

Round 18: Rajai Davis- So far this has been my 2nd great of pick of this draft. With consistent playing time in Detroit, he has been amazing. If he can keep it up, he will be one of my two main cogs in the SB department I thought I might be short in. (Brian Dozier)

Round 19: Miguel Montero- Started slow the first two weeks, but has been hot ever since. So far, he has been a nice cornerstone for my catching offensive stats. (Alex Wood and Ervin Santana)

Round 20: Scott Kazmir- BINGO! I knew Billy Beane was a genious! So far Kazmir has been not only the ace for the A’s but for my team as well. Keep it up former Sugar Land Skeeter! (The SUGAR LAND SKEETER!)

Round 21: Michael Brantley- Been exactly what I thought he would be. Was a huge target for me this year and thus far has paid off in a big way. He is one of the main reasons that my outfield has a ton of depth. (Kyle Lohse and Brantley)

Round 22: Dee Gordon- Probably my best pick of the draft, as it was just catching lightning in a bottle. Literally. If Dee and Rajai can keep it up this season, I’m feeling much better about the SB department than I was to start the year. (My boy DEE!)

Round 23:Russell Martin: Was very average before the injury. Might not last too much longer on this team. (Tim Hudson)

Round 24: Omar Infante: Gave up on him too quickly. Sure would rather have him than Asdrubal at this point. Maybe I can get the owner to drop him again for me. There are do-over’s right? (Emlio Bonafacio)

Round 25: Cody Allen: Dropped. Change in management’s direction. (LaRoche, Melky)
Round 26: Charlie Morton: Not the same guy that he was last year for me. Droppable. (Travis Wood?)Round 27: Phil Hughes: Underlying stats say he should get better. Hopefully they are right. (Mark Reynolds?)Round 28: Trevor Cahil: Dropped. And horrible. (Jon Niese)
Round 29: Mark Melancon: Dropped. Was right about him getting job, although just for a short time due to Grilli injury. (Josh Beckett)
Round 30: Josh Fields: Dropped. They want to give it to him. He just gives it back is all. (Mike Zunino?)

Key FA Pickups This Year:

Kurt Suzuki: Really like what he has done so far this year. Way over his head, but if he can continue for awhile, I’ll ride him as long as I can.

Dallas Keuchel: Think he might be due for a good season with the underlying stats there and just looks the part so far as a late bloomer for my Astros.

Standings:

.2737 AVG- 11 points- Good start for me here, and the scary part is it could get better.
207 Runs- 8 points- A little behind in Runs, but offense starting to heat up.
50 HR- 8 points- Once again, underperforming but on the way up.
214 RBI- 11 points- On pace so far.
42 SB- 11.5 points- Exceeding expectations.

19 Wins- 9 Points- Behind in wins right now, but with strategy changed, on way up.
2 Saves- 1 Point- This won’t be changing. 9 behind guy in front. Now you know why I changed.
4.565 ERA- 1 Point- Way behind here and need help quick. Have a lot of ground to catch up.
1.395 WHIP- 2 points- Same here. Need to get better in this department quick.
263 K’s- 4 Points- Might be best chance to gain points is in this category.

Total: 66.5 Points- 5th Place

Notable FAAB period notes: Trumbo went for 305 and Frieri went for double what I thought he would get at 205. I picked up another outfielder, yea like I need another one, in Carlos Quentin. More as a block rather than a play for the time being. I also picked up Jeremy Guthrie for his two start week and have essentially started to pray.

The Past Two Weeks

A few of you loyal readers may have noticed that last week I did not have my regular written piece on this team. I’m afraid that real life got in the way. The man I respect the most, who got me into fantasy baseball and real baseball when I was younger, died suddenly during his sleep. My dad was 62. The rest of this season, not including real life, will be tough for me. A lot of first’s that I will have to go through. The thing that has been the toughest thus far is missing the daily talks about baseball, real or fantasy, and hearing the excitement in his voice, not about the teams, but the connection he had with his son, about a game, or as he would always say, a way of life. I’ll try and not make this thing so somber going forward, as everyone has their own issues and demons to live with. I’ll try to enjoy the rest of this season, the last season with my dad’s input on the players before the season. Now let’s get to the team itself.

The FAAB period before last night’s, was a huge success for me. I went after pitching hard as there were some guys that I liked, even from the start of the season and were shocked they were here for the taking. The first being Josh Beckett. I’m a big believer in him this year and was shocked he was dropped as he has done pretty decent up until this point. He has already rewarded me for the faith. The second target is a guy that my dad has always liked, because he is always there at the end of the year with stats you don’t expect him to have. Bartolo Colon in a pitchers park easily is a spot play for this team and I believe he has some counting stats to make up in a good way to get where he normally will be at the end of the year. The third guy was Matt Harrison. I must curse this guy. Liked him last year, and after one start, he was done. This year I picked him up, and after one start, he is likely done. Sorry Matty, I’m putting this one on me. The last guy is a guy that has always had the stuff, but has yet to put it together in Danny Duffy. He is a wildcard. Either will continue with his breakout or be an easy drop. I don’t really see him being in between. I spent around $120 between the four of these guys, and I really do believe they make this pitching staff a huge strength going forward.

A quick overview of week 7. 335 AB’s probably was the most I’ve ever accumulated for a team in the Primetime. With that said, I hit all my targets because of it as it was a strong week in the batting area. Also on the pitching side, I had almost 90 IP, which is a lot as well that I can remember. The pitching was average and it was disappointing to leave 3 wins and below a 1.00 ERA and WHIP combined on the bench. All in all though, it launched me forward in a good way among the leaders in the league. Something that I not only have to hang onto but continue forward in leaps and bounds.

This past week was not a good one in real life or in fantasy for me. With all of my batters slumping at the same time, except for Big Papi and one or two others, HR’s and runs were the only category that I met. Everything else is far short what I need from this team to keep competing.

Pitching is starting to come around slowly but surely with the prior week’s acquisitions. I got 7 wins out of the group, and my WHIP was on target with the K’s barely making the target I set out even though I had some double starts in the group. For the second straight week though, my bench was amazing, which is a double ended sword, because it means my pitching is deep, but they need to count, rather than not. I left 2 wins, 2.00 ERA, 25 K’s and under a 1.00 WHIP on the bench collectively.

This week was just a tweak week for me in FAAB, not like the week before. I picked up Colby Lewis for $8 for his two start week this week and dropped his teammate Matt Harrison since he evidently can’t stand to be on my team ever. I went after Solarte as an upgrade that I could play with Alvarez, but was outbid.

This week I have 5 two start pitchers, so I’m hoping for a phenomenal week so I can start a solid base to continue to build on. This team has an outside shot of making a move this summer as long as we can stay healthy and keep putting up the numbers that are expected. This season, more than any other, I believe is all about whose players can stay healthy the longest and just hope that it isn’t your turn when playing Russian roulette. Right now I'm in 3rd place with 73 points. I’m hoping that at least I can get away in the coming weeks in the game I love from the reality that I know how to live with. It is a blessing and a curse though, because the game I love and want to try and get away with is the same game that was shared with the man that first showed it to me. This season will be more mental than ever for me, and I hope I can continue in his honor and make him proud.

To tell the truth, I didn't read anything past the first paragraph.
That bond of Father-Son through baseball and fantasy baseball is priceless. I know you're hurting. I lost my mentor, high school coach, and most of all, a friend awhile ago. A man who was more of a father to me than my father.
The hurts stays. But, it is mitigated through all the lucky and fortunate times that were shared while together.
Baseball has acted as a band-aid for father-son relationships for years.
The worst of arguments between Father and Son is eased in talking about baseball. And we realize that the love we have for the game, brought us back to the love we had for each other. Even if it wasn't expressed enough.
There will be several times in watching or talking about baseball that will make you think lovingly of him.
Enjoy them.
Condolences.

Can't begin to follow Doughboy but very sorry to hear. Glad you have a lot of fond memories.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to you, my friend, and your family in this tough time. Too early, too soon, but keep having those conversations. They might be slightly one sided, but he will hear them just the same.

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. Very appreciated. Going cold turkey on baseball conversation with someone will take some getting used to.

Dustin,

I am so sorry to hear about your father. I've love following your blog and feel sick for you right now. I hope fantasy baseball somehow can help you through the rough months ahead. I'll be rooting for you, you can win this thing with some pitching and a little divine intervention from above.

Take care Dustin my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thanks Joe. Having this as an outlet and having a few reach out to me has been very encouraging for me. Def has meant a lot to me and just is another reason why the folks that play this game are great people in general, even if we havent officially met face to face.

One of the maddening things about this team is the pitching. It has started to make me crazy. I love double starts in a week, maybe due to my old CDM habits, and this week was no different. Like Wayne has said about his team, his double starts usually have not led to being very good. Last night was no different for me. Got a great start from my hometown guy Kuechel, but Vargas ruined it with his crappy start. Going by feel for pitching has me second guessing myself every hour of every day after the roster deadline. I sat Matt Cain for his start at Colorado, even though he is my 7th round pick and number 2 starter.On top of that I benched Scott Kazmir, my hottest pitcher, for his start at Toronto, due to my fear of the ballpark and Toronto's offense. Yet in my lineup this week instead are Phil Hughes, Bartolo Colon, and Charlie Morton... All are pitching in pitchers parks and two are facing bad teams. Am I reading too much into this in deciding, or am I doing the right thing by playing matchups because I can? Only time will tell of course, but these are the kinds of decisions that I would usually bounce off my dad. Slowly I'll learn to reach out to some other nerds that love this game as much as I do, but until then, I'll just have to wait to see if I'm overthinking it or am doing the right thing.

My condolences on your loss. 62 is way too young.

Week 9

This was the worst week offensively for me and this team, and it shows in the standings as this once good offensive team is in a nosedive. We are still managing to get over 300 AB’s, but a .229 AVG pretty much describes that we suck right now. Brantley has continued to play well and Wright has started to heat up, but other than them, everyone seems that they forgot to hit. Dee Gordon continues to carry this team in the SB department and somehow, this team managed to make the goal in runs. Brauny got hurt in the middle of the week to give me a good scare but was back in and hitting by the weekend, so I was able to breathe again. Victorino though, is back on the DL. So far, having this extra outfielder has helped, as someone has always been injured, but at this point, I would have much rather used that pick elsewhere in the pitching department. The other pick I questioned in Alvarez has me still questioning to this day. He is what I knew he was and yet I picked him anyways because of the “value.” Lesson learned. He has been so cold, that I have considered benching him. I have also been riding the hot bat of Kurt Suzuki that has started to turn cold as well. I’ll give him one more week before turning back to another guy on this team in Russell Martin.

On the pitching side, I got my goal for wins as I should start to make a move in that category soon, since all I have going for me these days are SP. The double starts for this team though are hurting more than they are helping. Just think if I could get average double starts with this team rather than getting blown up all the time! Josh Beckett got a no-no, and 2 wins. He has been a great pickup for me thus far. Hamels has started to become himself now that he has a few starts under his belt, and Hughes paid off for me in believing in him this week with a terrific start. Another guy I believed in, Dallas Kuechel, is pitching his ass off right now in Houston. I’m slowly losing patience with Vargas, as I’m only using him in 2 start weeks that he sucks in. Colby Lewis left the squad this week after giving me another bad 2 start week. I am though, starting to get real worried about my supposed ace, Justin Verlander. He is back to where he was last year and I was 100% wrong about him being back to what he was in the playoffs and the years before. I don’t understand why he can’t keep his mechanics right, and am worried something might be wrong with him that he is hiding. I have missed Dickey’s hot streak just because of the 2 start weeks I’m trying to get in, and he unfortunately will continue to ride the bench this week due to me playing matchups again.

The FAAB period this week was a slow one. I dropped Lewis and picked up De la Rosa for $3 who has a 2 start next week and has done me well in the past. Overall, not a lot of money moved this week as $53 was our top bid for Jamie Garcia. I’m right in the middle of the pack with $365 left for the rest of the year, so I possibly have enough money to get a key guy here, but have to manage it well now that the psycho bidding at the beginning of the year seems over.

Next week, I’ll look more for at where I am in each category in the standings and see where I can move and try to target to get this team to move up since we are two full months into the season and a third of the way home.

Week 10

We are more than a third of the way home. This is where you really have to look at your team and start making adjustments on who to give up on, if there is a better long term replacement and what areas you need to target now before it gets too late and you can’t do anything about it. So this week, I took a look in depth on how I can make this team better and possibly get a money spot, maybe even making a few rash moves this week.

The first category I looked at was AVG. With a .268 AVG, I’m third in my league with first place being at .273. Behind me is .266, so it appears I have a buffer between me and them. So far, I think this team is doing a fantastic job in this category and are holding their own in this category. 10 points in this category.

Next, I took a look at Runs. Right now, I am only have 362 Runs, and this is a category I can make a major move in and target. I’m currently only getting 5 points from this category. With this offensive team, I need to at least get to 3rd place for my 10 points. I’m not to the freaking out stage yet as that 3rd place team only has 380 Runs, so this can easily be attained with a good week or two. Those extra 5 points will be a major help if I can find a way to make up those 18 runs. Home Runs also seem like it is the same. I built this team hoping the offense would be a juggernaut and need them to do so. I have 87 Hr’s, which is only good for 5.5 points. The good news once again is that it is close all the way up to first place, who only has 96. So if this offense can have a good week or two in the coming weeks, it should get back on track, as there are 11 points for the taking right now that is more than possible to attain. Just these 11 points would put me in the money for this league as no one has really run away with it. So I already have found hope 3 categories in.

Next is the RBI category, which I again have a buffer in. I have 355 RBI’s, good for third place. First has 377, a ways away, but being in 3rd place in this category is a nice place to stay since I’m trying to be realistic and not greedy. SB’s have been a sure surprise as Neptune and I have been swapping first place daily but nobody else is near us. 74 Steals is far more than I thought I’d have at this point but I have Dee Gordon to thank for that. He has almost half. Right now, I’m in 3rd place for overall in the batting categories, 8 points behind the leader. With the 11 points I talked about earlier, having the goal to be the best offensive team in this league is still attainable.

The pitching department has been a disaster this year. I knew it wouldn’t be a strong point, but having my closers go down early, including a huge buy that went wrong, I abandoned going after saves early. Even if I would have kept Frieri, Melancon and Allen, I still would be in last place right now, so it appears as though I made the right decision to abandon early after Valverde blew up and Frieri lost his job early on before recently getting it back. Needless to say, I’m only getting 1 point from Saves and that is not going to change at all. I said goodbye to the overall a while ago, but I’m holding out hope, I can still manage to steal this league away from all these sharks that seem to have not bitten my head off completely yet. Wins have been completely opposite. I have 40 on the year, good for 2nd place, which is what I need. I can easily get first place in this category as first only have one more win than me at the moment. I should be able to steal another point here as I will always have 9 starters in my lineup. Let’s just say that I won’t be missing that IP requirement the NFBC has. The other category I have slowly been moving up and have high hopes for is the K category. Currently, I have 498, good for 7 points; first place only has 546, and with my steady climb up this category, have enough time with my 9 starters to take advantage of everyone trying to kill each other in saves. So 5 points are here for the taking.

ERA and WHIP I see as combined categories because they usually translate over. Right now, with my strategy basically trying to get as many counting stats as possible by getting 9 starters in, these categories have suffered. A 4.08 ERA and 1.31 WHIP is nothing to write Mama about and combined only give me 5 points. Unfortunately there is not any room for improvement without drastic changes which I’m not going to hold my breath for. If I can maintain those 5 points and maybe pick up a point or two at best, I’d be thrilled.

With 11 points on the hitting side and 6 points on the pitching side, there are enough points to attain that keeps giving me hopes, even though I’m in 5th with 65.5 points. 1st place only has 82.5 points, so I will keep believing in this team and hope I get some help from above and some good fortune. Just having a few good weeks stringed together could garner a huge jump in the standings. It just goes to show you it is still early even if it doesn’t feel like it and that you can change strategies with in-season management in a 12-team league more so than in a 15 teamer, which is why some like it and some don’t. This is definitely the game most of the outside public could make the jump to from the Online Championship after they think they have done well enough there to jump into the shark infested waters. Hopefully this event will continue to grow and earn the respect of some of these lifelong NFBC members that don’t enter because the Main Event still has the most prestige.

When Dustin reached out to me several days ago with the idea of guest writing each others blog, I thought it was a great idea. A fresh set of eyes as well as a break for the readers to get away from my bitchin and moanin about steals and starting pitching. I haven’t done a 12-teamer in several years. I have never warmed to changing my thinking away from the 15-team strategy. Not that the 12-teamer is easier or anything, just different. Different enough that I am comfortable not being engaged. I do not know if it is the three dozen or so extra pitchers in the pool, the four dozen or so bats, or what. I just like the challenge of slimmer pickens. So looking at a 12-teamer in depth is a real pleasure for me.

The timing of this event when it occured is tough to me (the 21st of March) as there is so much information not out there. Dustin is also in a tough league (I know, they all are). There is a pool of players in the chase that is six deep behind (from 65.0 to 73.5 points) the front two teams and I am guessing the relative positions shift a point or two every day. First place is at 84.0 points right now. A good place to be, but reachable. Categories (like all our leagues) are tight, so there is a premium on every move.

And you know what I hate about Dustin’s team? This scoundrel has used only 18 players all year (this is not meant to jinx, btw) for his offense! That is incredible stability! Overall he has only the fourth most batting points right now, but in several areas, I think his team is under-producing though a little risky age-wise.

In the first round, Dustin got Braun, lamenting McCutchen and declining Goldy. Braun has dealt with oblique and rib injuries, but is still hitting 0.291 27/9/32/5. That may not be killer 1st round numbers, but that is solid. Brantley was a good get, even for a 12-teamer I think, in the 21st round. His .311/39/8/35/7 is a level of production I do not know if Brantley can maintain, but it is in the bank now. Now comes a couple of the Over-the-Hill Gang. You would hope that Holiday (6th and maybe a little early for a 12-teamer) and Hunter (15th), knowing that the counting stats (R/HR/RBI) might be on the decline, would give you decent BA. Here is where some of the upside comes in as they are hitting .264 and .234 respectively. Rajai is the kind of Judy I avoid, but I applaud the pick at 18 where he got him. A bit of a gamble (educated guess) that paid off with 13 steals already. In AB, the “reserves” are Austin Jackson (11th) and Shane Vicorino (13th). So he has mixed and matched his outfielders and done a decent job though none have double digit HR as of the end of the last period.

Dustin did not put a premium on MI hoping to catch some lighting in a bottle later. He did. He is one of the Dee Gordon (22nd) owners, and with Davis “I Want to Believe” has 80 team SB and 11 points in the category, only three behind the leader. Steals are his strongest offensive category. What does it feel like? Tell me….sniff….

Ok, back from my self-absorption. Asdrubal Cabrera (14th) and Aaron Hill (12th) have been solid. I think there is more to come from Hill who has yet to show much power or speed (he usually gives one if not the other before last year’s injuries).

On the corners, you have a hit (Pujols 4th), a miss (Wright 2nd), and a self-described oops (Alvarez 9th). Low BA aside, Pujols should have exceeded Dustin’s expectations so far. Alvarez is what he is…when he guesses right, the ball goes a long way, but will never hit for average. Wright has been ok, but 2nd rounders are supposed to be ok. Also Pujols (.245) and Wright (.279) should have enough BA to cover for Alvarez (.235). They haven’t to date so I see upside here, especially for Wright (you know….YOU KNOW…he will have a big August or something and put him right back up in the early rounds again next year!).

Another guy who should help in BA but is not is Ortiz (6th round and hitting .259). Dustin has already written about Ortiz. He and I are both vested in him (though I got him in the 8th round of a 15-teamer ). He is delivering decent counting stats (would someone in Boston please drive him in occasionally…I mean 14 HR and 26 Runs for Dustin is just ridiculous!).

Dustin waited on catchers with Montero (19th) and Martin (13th). On offense, the biggest FA pick up for Dustin has been Kurt Suzuki who at least is helping in BA. Montero right now is the second rated catcher, so nice pick there.

Overall on offense, Dustin is better than solid. I think the BA will rise, the SB, barring injury to Gordon (outside of Davis, not a huge amount of speed). On the power stats (R/HR/RBI), Dustin is really only lagging in HR. However, there is only 8 HR separating 5 points and 10 points. Stay the course. There is good power on this team, even if some of it is latent right now. My biggest concern would be the age of some of the players and how many naps they will need come September.

Pitching…another story all together. No, that was not “all together”…on three…one…two…three…”another story all together”! Better…work on it.

Dustin took three starters in the top 10 picks…Verlander, Cain, and Hamels. Not much to say there. You cannot cut these under producing guys. You can only hope they turn it around. Also drafted was Dickey (17th), Kazmir (20th and another strong pick from the second half of the draft), Morton (26th and even though he is an ex-Brave farmhand, I am not a fan), Hughes (27th…nice…very nice) and Cahill (28th). As solid and steady as offense has been, here 21 starters have been used so far this year including pick-ups like Keuchel, Colon, Beckett, Ross Jr., De La Rosa, Vargas, Chen, Volquez, Duffy, Guthrie, Lewis, Chen, Scheppers, Harrison, and Tomlin. Colon, Beckett, Vargas, Duffy, Keuchel, and Tomlin are still on the team. There is a long row to hoe to get back to the points needed for pitching. K’s are in the hunt seven back from having 11 points and leading the league in wins. The average stats are a problem with only four points total between ERA and WHIP. The only real chance to move here are for the studs to return to form.

Dustin will not get any help from closers. After investing five draft picks on closers and closers-in-waiting (Frieri, Parnell, Allen, Melancon and Fields), when Parnell went down and Frieri lost his job, saves were tanked after about 14 innings. I totally understand the strategy. Work those other four pitching categories…I get it. I may be too slow to react, but I think this was jumping the gun a bit. Frieri ended up with his job back and has only given up runs in three of his last 15 outings dating back to the first of May. Melancon ended up wracking up a few saves and while Grilli is back, he is old enough to be on this team. Even if you end up with five points, that is four fewer points that have to be made up in the other categories.

In short, this is a good team right now with upside. It should be there in the hunt in September. The offense can carry this team and if some pitching veterans produce to their history, I easily see this as a money team if not an outright winner.

Nice job my friend and thanks for the opportunity.


And practice the inevitable with me...."BRAVES WIN....BRAVES WIN....BRAVES WIN!!!!"

Nice job on the guest blogging, guys. I've enjoyed following these blogs, and it is a nice touch having someone else critique your team/strategy.

Mike