The Doctor Main Event Blog

[Doctor Who]

Before I delve into my draft this past Saturday, I wanted to dive into why this trip to Las Vegas this year was certainly different for me and thank some of the great people that I got to meet for the very first time. As most of you know that read this blog every season since I started it a few seasons ago, my dad passed away last summer. Many of you reached out then, which was very heartfelt and very nice. As the summer went on, it was different not being able to talk strategy or baseball with someone while being in the race for a major money spot in the Online Championship as well as my first main event cash, even though I dwindled down the wire. Out of nowhere, Quahogs came out of nowhere and reached out to be a crutch for me as a listening ear at the end of the year. So Steve, I know I’ve told you many times before, but thank you for hearing me yap about my team even though you had nothing to do with it. Thank you for making this winter not as bad as it could have been with nobody to talk baseball with, and I apologize for the daily morning texts you probably have grown accustomed to now. I never would have thought in a million years that not only would you pair in a small primetime league with me, but the Platinum and the Diamond Auction as well. Thanks for letting me sit at those tables and enjoy competing with some of the best guys NFBC has to offer, and even letting me have some influence on what went on during those drafts. He is definitely a HOFer in my book, not only for what he has achieved in the past in this game, but for being a crutch for me in real life. I’ll never forget it and am forever grateful for you doing that for me.


Which leads me to this past weekend of drafting and the other great players I got to meet for the first time. Before this year, I never really stayed around the drafts after they were done or really got to talk to some of the great people that play this game. This year I came out of my shell a little bit to talk to some of these guys that play this game that I respect and have always listened to from afar on these boards. I know Doughy has already put one of these out, and I know Wayne will too when he starts his Main Event Blog that he does every year, but I thought I would try and give you an idea of what some people, including me in the past, really miss at these main events. I’ll try to fit everyone in here, but alas my memory isn’t what it used to be years ago. Could be all the vodka and red bull but who knows. I wish I could have talked to more, but the few I did left great impressions.


Scott Waggener, the man with the same last name except we spell it differently, thanks for all the drafting fun this year, how about next year we switch it up and you sit behind me for a Prime and the Main Event.

Bryan Vogel, was nice talking to you at the viewing party and the main event. You know your stuff and definitely have the same type of underrated humor as me.

Doughy, wish I was able to talk more to you over the weekend, as a handshake wasn’t enough, but you were a very popular man this weekend and never wanted to interrupt you as always felt like you were having a great time in the conversation you were having with others.

Mr. Lord Zola himself, I apologize again for my stupidiness (Yes, I know it’s really not a word) at the viewing party, but loved listening to your thoughts on the daily’s and how to cross them over to the NFBC crowd. Or so you can understand better, 8475984302675 8743217489273!

Joseph Lecak, hope you had fun in your first draft buddy. I think you will definitely enjoy this year, and glad I could help you with some tips on what to expect for the first time at these crazy drafts.

Gabe and Lindy Hinkelman, both are great human beings and Gabe always looked like he was the life of the party. Thanks for the invite to breakfast Lindy.

Bob Mazur, it was great to meet you and have breakfast with you. You welcomed me like I was already part of the family. Can’t wait to do it next year.

Joseph Martens, it was great to interact with someone my age. Glad I wasn’t the youngest person there!

Vlad Sedler, was nice to finally meet you, since you were one of the first people I remember reading on the message boards, way back to the CDM days.

Dave Potts, love his quiet sense of humor and always on his game no matter what draft he is doing. I’m glad someone watches Seinfeld as much as me.

KJ Duke, was a pleasure going against you basically the whole weekend it seemed. You definitely have that cool smooth grace and always seem to be having a blast and worry free. You have some great thoughts, whether it is about the industry or coming up with something new, or going with your guys. I could have listened to you and Zola for hours talk after the Diamond Auction Sunday. Enjoy the Cubs broadcasts this year.

Shawn Childs, another HOF, was very down to earth, approachable and always being goofy and having fun. He is another guy that when he talks, you listen.

Wayne Edwards, loved talking with you at the party and the Main. I’m your predecessor as far as these blogs go, and every year I try to make it as interesting as yours, as it is the standard. Good luck this year. Hopefully we will have some good teams to talk about finally for everyone to read about.

Glenn Schroter (KOQ), it was finally good to put a name to a face. One of these years, I’ll definitely try and make a late night with you. Looks like you have a ton of fun out there.

Michael Edelman, another guy I was glad to put a face to a name. You Jersey guys are always awesome in the back and forth. Could listen to it for hours.

Speaking of Jersey, Dobies you were awesome. If I could pick a representative of Jersey it would be you. You remind me a ton of one of my best friends. Tall, commanding presence, not afraid to talk shit and get it back. Definitely gets my vote for funniest guy I met in Vegas this year.

Bob Particelli, Mr. Diamond himself, was awesome to meet you and listen to your thoughts on team construction and the general BS of Vegas. Another guy that is very underrated and maybe doesn't get the accolades he deserves.

Glenn Lowy, another guy that downplays his fantasy baseball prowlness, but very entertaining and knowledgeable. Very welcoming vibe at any time, and has a gravitating type personality.

Finally, thanks Greg and Tom for putting on these events every year and looking out for us. I think all your hard work and personalities give this event a head start on the home league feel. Brady, thank you for all the hard work for being the best in the biz as far as a draft facilitator can be.

I didn’t intend for this to be so long, but I wanted to give some people some props this past weekend. All of you guys are great players and I did most of the listening than talking this time, as you all know so much about this game and I have so much respect for your game it is hard not to just listen. Thanks for allowing me to listen in and be part of the group. Hope this mosquito wasn’t too much of a bother for all the sharks I met out there this weekend.


If you have read this far, I will wait until next week to put out my roster, and strategy of what I was hoping to achieve this season with this team. I know most of you may prefer I blog about the Diamond Auction or Platinum instead of this Main, but we all know someone will take away my crayons if I try to blog about anything else.


Until next week my friends, good luck with the second weekend in New York, Chicago, and online, and I’ll hopefully try to entertain you this season with the inner workings of this Main Event team. Decided this year that I will go with the Main Event rather than the Prime, so you can follow two main event teams this year and compare and contrast with Wayne's team and enjoy the journey with both of us.

[Edwards Kings]

Thanks for the kind words, brother. I am glad you have enjoyed my blog as I have certainly enjoyed yours!

[Quahogs]

Speaking of Jersey, Dobies you were awesome. If I could pick a representative of Jersey it would be you. You remind me a ton of one of my best friends. Tall, commanding presence, not afraid to talk shit and get it back. Definitely gets my vote for funniest guy I met in Vegas this year.

Wags ! Good God man, Dobies ain't from Jersey ! You just insulted my whole state

Glad you had a great time pal. There's no better place for us fantasy junkies.

[ALL-IN JD]

Speaking of Jersey, Dobies you were awesome. If I could pick a representative of Jersey it would be you. You remind me a ton of one of my best friends. Tall, commanding presence, not afraid to talk shit and get it back. Definitely gets my vote for funniest guy I met in Vegas this year.

Wags ! Good God man, Dobies ain't from Jersey ! You just insulted my whole state

Glad you had a great time pal. There's no better place for us fantasy junkies.

I have my neighbor Lowy and with the like of Jupinka, Edelman and Partecelli there is no need to devalue our beautiful Long Island neighborhood!

As for my Ultimate partner himself and what you said about him (even though I break his balls often!), and for those of us that have gotten to know him, I do not think it comes as a surprise. Great guy and true gentleman!

[KJ Duke]

Didn't know the back story Dustin ... thanks for posting, it's always interesting to hear about the person behind the team. Good luck with Steve this year, you couldn't have a better partner.

[CC's Desperados]

Nice to meet you as well and good luck this season. Maybe next year, you can sell the keys to the Quahogs franchise on E-bay as a draft kit as his information fort is heavily guarded.

[Doctor Who]

The Main Event. Where the sharks and the mosquitos get to start the year on the same level. In only 26 short sprints, we will all know who wins the race. This year I decided to talk about my Main Event team, not only because that is everyone’s favorite event, but it will be fun watching the two bloggers go at it this year. I’ll actually keep track in this thread of Wayne’s and this team below to start the side betting. I kid. I kid.

This year setting my KDS was different. Usually I go a straight 1-15 and see what I get. This year I wanted a top 3 pick, and if I couldn’t have that, a top 8 pick going from 8-4. Of course, it was not to be. I was awarded the 10th pick in my main event with the likes of the million dollar man, Mr. Potts on one side of the draft with King of Queens and Chris Liss, and on the other side of me Donn Johnson and KJ Duke. That’s what is so great about the main; there is no easy league because everyone is in this contest. Even the little mosquitos like me have a chance to take the crown. This is the year guys. I’m calling it.



I’m not a shark so I couldn’t go with Babe. Jake Taylor represents the mosquitos best.

Going into this draft I was hoping that the second best pitcher would fall to me at 10. If he wasn’t there, I would go with an offensive player like Adam Jones or the great, but often injured star Troy Tulowitzki. My plan after that was to grab a Springer/Marte in Round 2, due to the fact I hated the second round batters this year so would have to reach to grab a guy I liked. After that, it would be to grab the best available pitcher or power bat until the back half of the draft to pick up some cheap speed. I definitely wanted two aces and two closers, but knew it would be hard to do while getting the power bats needed to stay in the race for the batting categories. One of the main things I have learned through the years here in the NFBC, is to be extremely flexible, don’t base your draft on one or two guys, because they may not be there, and to zag while everyone is zigging. I also try to have team flexibility and not clog up something early where I can’t take a steal late. Sounds easier to say than it is to actually do though. So let’s see how my team shaped up this year. I know everyone will be rooting for me to beat them in the Main Event.

Side thought before I begin. The name of this team will be Wags Warriors, as my main event team is always named. That name actually was used by my dad and me for all those years at CDM and we transferred it to the main event team when we came over. I’ve had that team name now for 20+ years in fantasy baseball, but this will be my first time using it alone.



1. Felix Hernandez- I’m really high on him this year. I know some guys are taking Scherzer over him, but I’ll stick to having the King rule my staff. He has a better offense now, plays in a pitchers park, and plays in some big parks out West. Let’s me fade pitching a bit in the next couple of rounds.



2. Edwin Encarnation- Well, my first surprise didn’t take long. I had him last year and loved him. He has been going in the back end of the first and top of the second regularly in each draft I’ve seen to date. I was so shocked he came back to me in the second, I had to look at rotoworld to see if I had missed an injury everyone knew about and I didn’t. This is what I talked about earlier that you can’t plan for the main event. Was very happy to get a first round talent as my second player, and will give me a solid power base to start my hitting.



3. Adrian Gonzalez- I was hoping for a miracle of Springer or Marte coming back to me, but it was not to be. I’m a huge fan of the consistency that A-Gone gives you, and knew he wouldn’t make it back to me at 4, so I had to take him here. Even though I already have my CI committed, he was the best player on the board and it is too early to get picky.



4. Brian Dozier- I was contemplating many things in this spot. I had thought I might try and grab Cespedes here, but he was taken. It was between Dozier and Seager here for me, and I decided to ultimately go with the power bat I like up the middle, since there was a 3B later in the draft I know everyone hates for some reason but I love. Yes, I know I said earlier to not plan your entire draft on one or two guys.



5. Jason Heyward- I haven’t been a believer in years prior, but this year I am. There is something about guys that come into St. Louis and just play better because of it. I don’t know what it is, but it’s true. The turn was brutal for me as really wanted Ryan Zimmerman or Mark Melancon with my next pick.



6. Jeff Samardzija- I didn’t complain too much when he lasted. Another guy I’m big on this year to be a legit second ace. Pairing him with King Felix gives me a great base going forward.



7. Mark Trumbo- My first real snipe of the year was Jorge Soler, who went 4 picks ahead of me. I loved him in this round and thought I would be able to get him here, but instead went with another oldie but goodie in Trumbo. If he can stay healthy, Trumbo will make Todd look good for pumping him up last year, even if it is a year later than he predicted.



8. Sonny Gray- I was actually hoping Dustin Pedroia would come back to me as think he bounces back nicely, but KJ stole him away after already having 3 MI’s on his team already. But then I got my second surprise of the draft by seeing Mr. Gray there. I didn’t plan on grabbing a third SP so early, but I couldn’t let him pass me by this late. I knew it would allow me to grab hitters later when everyone went pitching to catch up.



9. Joaquin Benoit- My plan going into this draft was to grab a top guy and then play it by ear for my second closer. With Melancon being grabbed earlier, I was very grateful to get a guy that I love this year and has a fabulous bullpen to bridge the gap with some great SP’s to keep games close.



10.Ben Zobrist- Love the guy. Love his multi position eligibility, and love the fact he can start at SS for me. He is the type of guy that often gets over looked because he doesn’t have power and doesn’t steal a ton of bags. But he just is solid all-around and always seems to outperform where he goes.



11.Matt Carpenter- My favorite guy I talked about earlier. Always get shit on, but is a tremendous player that can help in average and runs and get a handful of steals and homers. While others go grab a power bat that will get hurt on them, I’ll just keep chugging along with the Cardinals lead-off hitter.



12.Glen Perkins- Was kind of surprised to see him slip to me as the guy is solid and unspectacular. I guess I tend to gravitate to most of those types with this team. Might see some two inning stints this year too. To get two solid closers in this topsy-turvy part of the game is better for my health at least that is what THE DOCTOR tells me. (Ha. You like what I did there? I’ll be here all night…)



13.Wil Myers- My first Meh pick. At this point of the draft I needed to grab a hitter, especially before all the OF bats disappear. I would have preferred a Quintana here as he was taken a few picks later, but thought it would be overkill with the Gray pick earlier. I decided on Myers, because maybe with the pressure off and better hitters around him, he can be a useful guy that has a ton of talent still.



14.Mike Zunino- Love him this year. I think I own him everywhere. Guy was a top end pick, showed some good hitting in the minors, came up last year and hit 20 homers in his first year. They want him in the lineup for 140-145 games this year, and I think he can easily get his average in the .240-.250 range this year with that type of pop he showed last year.



15.Curtis Granderson- Call me crazy with all my low average high power guys, but if they keep falling because of average, I’ll take them. I think Kevin Long and the fences being moved in once again in Citi really help the Grandy man this year. He will play every day on the top of the Mets lineup and I still believe he has something left.

16/17. Mike Napoli/Shelby Miller-Love Napoli this year and think his offseason surgery helps him get back on track in that good Boston lineup. Have you ever tried to play sports with no sleep. Yea, it sucks not playing any sports with no sleep! Shelby is another guy that is unspectacular so nobody pays attention to him. He was the focal point in the Heyward trade and the Braves know how to turn around pitchers.

18/19. John Jaso/ Hyun-jin Ryu- Love Jaso this year due to the fact that he will DH and get regular AB’s in the Rays lineup. He is another example of a guy that isn’t flashy but does his job. Ryu was my first risky pick. How will that back and shoulder hold up this year. He is going to start the season on the DL, but if he can come back healthy, he is a solid number 3 type pitcher to a staff and getting him in the 19th round is a steal. If he gets hurt or can’t pitch, it isn’t a big deal for me to drop him. Have to take some risks in the Main Event.

20/21. Joe Nathan/Mike Leake- I didn’t plan on adding a third closer and actually hate Nathan. But Ausmus is the type of player/manager that trusts his veterans and will have a longer leash than most. Hell, look at the leash he had last year! I’ll try to get as much out of him as I can to give me that half closer you need to really make a push with saves throughout the year and won’t have to spend 300 FAAB dollars to do it. Leake is another guy I like that is not looked at because he doesn’t strike out guys, but he always has a good whip. I have a sneaky feeling the Reds GM expects him to take a small step forward this year, which is why he dealt Simon and Latos away in the offseason.

22/23. Jimmy Nelson/Nick Markakis- Nelson is my high upside arm that I think could take the next step and has some K’s in that arm. Markakis is what happens when you wait too long to build your OF. Wayne, they gave him all that money for some reason right. Maybe he will surprise even me, and I’m the guy that tends to like the under-appreciated assets.

24/25. Luis Valbuena/DJ LeMahieu- Was hoping Schafer would drop to me, but was taken right before me by Donn. Left me scrambling a bit. Valbuena won the job in Houston and can play up the middle to boot and is a nice power guy to help fill in. I love DJ this year later as he plays in Coors, and has some upside now that he doesn’t have to share time with Rutledge. At worst, he is a play on the weeks he is at home.

26/27. Dominic Brown/Bartolo Colon- Brown is my lottery ticket pick I’ve been taking in most drafts. He might come back around or be my first drop. We will see in a couple of weeks. Colon just keeps on chugging. What he is chugging, I have no clue, but at least I get to watch him in the batter’s box this year.



28/29/30. Vance Worley/Bryon Buxton/Blake Swihart- I added Worley to my staff as he seemed to turn it around last year after developing a cutter. Maybe he becomes a home play or a solid 4-5 type for me. My last two picks I decided to go the lottery pick way. Will Buxton come up this year? Who knows, but if I’m able to stash him, he won’t cost me big bucks later. Swihart was on my radar after hearing that the starting Boston Catcher looked like he would be done for the year during the weekend. I knew he might not start the season with the team, but might be pressured to bring up his talent after the super 2 deadline since Hanigan and the backups are likely to not cut it or get hurt.

So there you have it, My main event team this year. I’ll be back later on this week to dissect it a bit more overall in what I’m strong and weak in, but until then would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on it good or bad. I know Shawn loves to dissect these things. What does everyone else think? I got a winner here? Or did I just donate to the MORE fortunate? (Sorry, had to have one more play on words before finishing tonight.)

[Glenneration X]

Nice write up and nice team Dustin.

And thanks for the kind words above. I could have written the exact same words about you (outside of your irrational love for the Astros. )

Good luck this year and keep up the blog.

[Edwards Kings]

22/23. Jimmy Nelson/Nick Markakis- Nelson is my high upside arm that I think could take the next step and has some K’s in that arm. Markakis is what happens when you wait too long to build your OF. Wayne, they gave him all that money for some reason right. Maybe he will surprise even me, and I’m the guy that tends to like the under-appreciated assets.

Yes, yes they did, but while I cannot figure it out (I am old and losing my limited skills too and would have been much cheaper), as a fifth OF Markakis should find some decent all around stats (even a few SB) hitting ahead of Freeman.

Of course I love the Dozier, Trumbo and Perkins picks as they are common with my team. Encarnacion was a great pick and I have no clue as to why he dropped. Just plug those 575 AB, 80+ runs, 25+ HR, 100+ RBI's and .275 BA in for Adrian. Nice, nice, nice. Really like the Napoli/Miller turn (have both on my Auction team). Felix, Samardizja, Gray, Miller, and Ryu (hope his shoulder is not a long-term issue for you) nice core. Higher on Nelson than I am on Leake, but for a 6th/7th end of rotation I have certainly had worse.

Good bangers on offense. Some speed in Dozier, Heyward, even Myers probably more than last year, and guessing you will start LeMahieu to try and get some more. Only real category I think you are short on, but the best looks real good to me!

Nice.

[Doctor Who]

Nice write up and nice team Dustin.

And thanks for the kind words above. I could have written the exact same words about you (outside of your irrational love for the Astros. )

Good luck this year and keep up the blog.

At least I didn't grab as many of my irrational players like you did with your Muts!!!!

[Doctor Who]

22/23. Jimmy Nelson/Nick Markakis- Nelson is my high upside arm that I think could take the next step and has some K’s in that arm. Markakis is what happens when you wait too long to build your OF. Wayne, they gave him all that money for some reason right. Maybe he will surprise even me, and I’m the guy that tends to like the under-appreciated assets.

Yes, yes they did, but while I cannot figure it out (I am old and losing my limited skills too and would have been much cheaper), as a fifth OF Markakis should find some decent all around stats (even a few SB) hitting ahead of Freeman.

Of course I love the Dozier, Trumbo and Perkins picks as they are common with my team. Encarnacion was a great pick and I have no clue as to why he dropped. Just plug those 575 AB, 80+ runs, 25+ HR, 100+ RBI's and .275 BA in for Adrian. Nice, nice, nice. Really like the Napoli/Miller turn (have both on my Auction team). Felix, Samardizja, Gray, Miller, and Ryu (hope his shoulder is not a long-term issue for you) nice core. Higher on Nelson than I am on Leake, but for a 6th/7th end of rotation I have certainly had worse.

Good bangers on offense. Some speed in Dozier, Heyward, even Myers probably more than last year, and guessing you will start LeMahieu to try and get some more. Only real category I think you are short on, but the best looks real good to me!

Nice.

Thanks Wayne! I knew I was short of steals but that is the easiest thing to grab on the WW later to try and gain some points, as power almost impossible to find.

[Doctor Who]

In a short 25.5 weeks we will have a winner. I say 25.5 because all-star week is only the weekend. I can’t wait to watch me some Cubs and Cards tonight, while working on the first FAAB of the season. Last year to get in the top 20% for each category you needed .2674 AVG, 989 Runs, 237 HR’s, 956 RBI’s, and 155 SB’s. For pitching, you needed 99 wins, 3.321 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, 1415 K’s, and 89 saves. It isn’t gospel as years change, but this will be a good starting point for us to achieve this year to be in the mix at the end of the year for the Overall. I like to see what I need for each week and it lets me see what I need in FAAB after a few weeks that I will need to start to address in the 25.5 short sprints that make up this season. So with all you math wizards out there, you can check my math as I did check it twice.

This is what we will need each week to keep up with our target numbers above. If I remember right I try to get 300 AB’s a week to achieve those numbers in batting.

.2674 AVG, 39 Runs, 9 HR’s, 37.5 RBI’s, 6 SB’s

4 W, 3.321 ERA, 1.191 WHIP 55.5 K’s, 3.5 Saves.

This is what I will use going forward each week to check myself against. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a good starting point.

This week’s FAAB bidding was pretty easy since my draft was only a week ago. I made it week without any injuries!!! Hurray! But then, 3 hours before FAAB, the Kimbrel trade. I loved Benoit this year. Made me so sad. I was all ready to make this a quiet week in FA, but then that trade added an hour to FAAB for me. So much for the easy week. So now I had to decide if Grilli was worth the massive bids that were to come. My first bid was 177, then as time went by I came more to my senses and ended up with a measly courtesy bid of $47. I was nowhere close to begin with, as he went for $362 to King of Queens. Herrera and Maybin both went higher than I thought they were going to and I wasn’t close. A ton of money was spent this week, and I only was part of the minor moves. I got David Buchanon for $6 unopposed and Gregor Blanco, who will be a short term fill in with speed for a buck. 5% of the overall FAAB budget got spent in this first week, with King of Queens spending almost half his budget. Round 1 definitely kicked my ass this week as I must have forgotten the work involved in FAAB over the winter.

My lineup decisions this week- Had to bench Napoli this week since the Red Sox are starting in a NL park and he will likely only get one start. I decided to go with the newly acquired Blanco since he gets 4 games to start this week in the early going. I’m sure Napoli goes off somehow and makes me regret getting cute, but it’s the right move. I decided to go with LeMahieu instead of Valbuena in the early going purely based on me needing speed more than power at this moment.
As far as my pitching goes, I’m starting with 2 closers (Would have been 3 if not for the Kimbrel trade), 4 double starters, and three one-start pitchers. It should be a good week to get some counting stats in pitching with the aces getting two starts.

Here’s to a great opening week of baseball! One FAAB in already, opening night is in the books. I’ll be at the Astros opening day tomorrow in the CF Budweiser Patio for those that are lucky enough to watch on ESPN, as we are the night game. I’ll be the guy with the beer in one hand and a hotdog in another. Ahhh, I can’t wait for that Opening Day feeling tomorrow. See you guys next week and try to enjoy this week’s games before round 2 comes in FAAB!

[Doctor Who]

The NFBC is a daily game right? First place in the overall after one day! SEASON OVER!

[King of Queens]

The NFBC is a daily game right? First place in the overall after one day! SEASON OVER!

Congrats!

[Doctor Who]

The NFBC is a daily game right? First place in the overall after one day! SEASON OVER!

Congrats!

Says the guy right on my tail and is second overall!

[Oaktown]

Very nice read, will be fun to follow it since we are in the same league this year.

[KJ Duke]

The NFBC is a daily game right? First place in the overall after one day! SEASON OVER!

Congrats!

Says the guy right on my tail and is second overall!

I'm top 20 overall but third in my league to #1 and #2 overall ! Better on day 1 than with one day to go.

[ALL-IN JD]

Damn right KJ as I know how that feels on the LAST day of the season!!

[Doctor Who]

The first full week sprint is in the books, even if the NFBC is headed into Week 3 (Sorry, I can’t justify one game as a week here, so combining stats for that game and week 1). What a week it was too. Not every day do you start the Main Event in first overall (lasted the first two days up there), then get to be a guest on Greg and Tom’s show on Wednesday night (There is your plug guys) because of it. Although it didn’t last, I’m still top 25 in the overall standings and starting the season in 2nd place in this league after the first full week. Hopefully, I’ll be starting with this paragraph 5 months from now…

Now here comes the crazy part. I don’t really think I had a great week with this team. I know what you’re thinking. This guy is delusional, how is he not happy with a top 25 team? Well, because as I told everyone last week, it isn’t a daily game, it is a season-long game. This first week I lost my favorite closer because of Kimbrel, then my 3rd closer is probably done for the year after one save (Nathan), leaving me now with just one mid-tier guy in Perkins. On top of that, my favorite catcher in Jaso, got dinged up and didn’t play that much this week and is probably out until the start of May. Yes, everyone will go through injuries and demotions this year, I’m no different, I’m just trying to explain that this team might be a bit overrated at the moment due to some amazing starts from some guys on my teams. Hopefully they can continue to carry me while I get everything else sorted out. My first bonehead move of the year was the last second switch, putting Valbeuna in after seeing him batting 3rd opening day in for LeMahieu, even after writing last week I was going to go with DJ.

So how did I do the first week of the season towards the goals I set forth? Pretty well. I know you’re shocked since I just talked about my overall standing. I came just 2 AB’s short of my goal for 300, batted .245, with 43 runs, 11 homers, 36 RBI’s, and 6 SB. I made every goal but batting average and was 1.5 RBI’s short of making that. What does it all come back to? My last minute switch. Had I just left it alone, all 5 batting categories would have been made. But let me not bitch too much about a top 25 overall team. Who was the MVP of this group this week? None other than Adrian Gonzalez, who really accounted for more than 60% of my homers, and almost 15% of my counting stats. Let’s see an encore buddy! It does feel good to love a guy, and he goes off the first week.



As for the pitching part of the equation, it really drove my success this week as well. I had a great opening day with Gray, King Felix, and Colon having great days, and it continued throughout the week. As for the goals I set forth to achieve each week, I aced everything but the saves, which is hard to do when you go in with 3 closers for the week. This week I ended up with 5 wins, 1 save (Thanks Joe!), 60 K’s and a 2.613 ERA with a 0.968 WHIP. Not too shabby if I don’t count saves. Who needs stinking saves anyways! I did get another scare late in the week with Felix, but he came out and said he was fine and I tend to believe him more so than not. This was a harder group to determine who would get my CY Young Award for this week, but it had to go to the guy I didn’t even plan to grab in Sonny Gray. He had two fabulous starts, even though he only got one win, pitched 15.1 innings, grabbed 7 K’s and had an ERA and WHIP at 0.587. I’d say that was an okay week, wouldn’t you? Jimmy Nelson and Bartolo Colon were in consideration though and ended up being second and third in the voting.



This week’s FAAB was going to be another crazy week with half the league (feels like it) changing their closers due to injury or demotion, and this guy needed a closer. With Cecil still in the mix and Parnell looking to come back sooner rather than later, I decided that a 228 bid for Castro and Familia both would net me at least one of them. Once again… Wrong. I should have known since Grilli went for 362 in the first FAAB. Familia went for 423 and Castro went for 402 with the runner up at 267. Both seemed like they were on the high side for all the leagues that I’m in. One interesting pickup I raised my eye-brow at was KJ picking up Benoit ($11), who I dropped a week earlier. I understand the stash plays, but unless he knows about a Kimbrel injury I don’t, I think there are better stash guys out there. But what do I know? I’m just a little mosquito and he is the shark. Anyways, back on track. Focus. I needed to grab a catcher to sub in for Jaso, so my first choice was Roberto Perez, who the Indians seem to like. My $8 bid was foiled by the only guy ahead of me, KOQ with a $9 bid. Second week in a row I’ve been sniped on a player I wanted for $1. I ended up with my second choice for a buck in Tuffy Gosewisch, only because I like his first name and he has a full week ahead of him this week. After missing out on the closer carousel, I grabbed two pitchers with double starts this week, Chris Heston ($7) and Tom Koehler ($4). Overall $1336 was spent this week on players, almost doubling week 1’s FAAB with 9% of overall money spent. So 2 FAAB’s in and almost 15% of the total money is gone.

How am I going to screw up my lineup this week you ask? Valbuena hits the bench because he has two lefties this week and DJ will take his spot. This should have been what I needed to do last week, but no way will I make the same mistake twice. Pitching was a bit harder for me this week. By picking up two pitchers with double starts, it really had me picking and choosing. Nelson and Colon both had solid starts last week and have attractive starts this week. I can’t take out my only closer, and my 3 mainstays are locks. That leaves with me with 5 spots for 7 pitchers. Out of those 7 guys, 5 have double start weeks ahead. It may be the old CDM salary cap part of me, but it just is so hard to sit a guy that has 2 starts versus a guy that only has one. I’m going all in this week and hoping that the double start guys don’t blow me up this week. I’ll be crossing my fingers a ton this week, especially since most of them are going against aces. David CAN beat Goliath!!!! Just like the mosquito can bite the shark! My theme for this season.

[Doctor Who]

And I did it again. A last minute switch putting Nelson in for Buchanon. Let's see if that is this week's boneheaded move!

[Edwards Kings]

And I did it again. A last minute switch putting Nelson in for Buchanon. Let's see if that is this week's boneheaded move!

I think Nelson will be awesome. Ten K's at least while throwing a two-hit shutout on 95 pitches (btw I started Nelson over Fiers so much of this is wishful thinking...if Nelson bombs, I will be taking a big bite of the road-apple too!).

[Doctor Who]

Everyone always talks about “their guys” and what they mean to them. More often than not, you will always hear someone else talk about one of your guys. Matt Carpenter is definitely not one of them. I think I spent all weekend talking him up to anyone that would listen. I think I drove my partner in other drafts crazy with my fondness for the guy. Carpenter has always been the guy that isn’t flashy, not your prototypical 3B with pop. But he always seems to chug right along during the season as one of the better 3B year in and year out. This week he garnered the team’s MVP award, stealing it away with a homer on Sunday night from last week’s MVP, Adrian Gonzalez. The guy is awesome and still nobody knows it. His last 7 games, he has had 2 hits. 8 of his last 9 have been multiple hit games. 6 of his last 7 games he has scored a run. For the season now, he is batting a cool .400 10/2/10, with half of his hits going for extra bases. So the secret is out, yet he will still go unrecognized as a guy that isn’t special and is just filler for one of the big boppers at 3B. Rant over.

With Carpenter leading the way this week, he didn’t have much help on the offensive side of the ball. Only 2 out of the 5 category targets were met batting .277, 48 runs, 6 HR’s, 31 RBI’s, and 2 SB. I am happy though that I continue to hit my 300 AB target the first two weeks. My two catchers continue to be a huge liability with Zunino not hitting like I thought he would and Tuffy doing what a Tuffy should be doing (not great) filling in for Jaso. EE has yet to really get going, while Dozier hasn’t done anything special either. Yet, I’m still sticking in there with 43.5 points in hitting. Not the best, but not the worst either. This team is right where it needs to be in the runs column, and the pop will come from this group, so I’m really not even worried about that yet. My Achilles heel though that continues to remind me day after day is where I will get the speed. I desperately need to find a way to get that into my lineup before it gets too late in the year where I’m too far behind to do anything about it.




There were so many guys in consideration here for this week’s Cy Young. It really should be a collaboration of everyone as Felix went off for 12 K’s in his start (Got over that scare last week in a hurry), Samardzjia pitched his butt off, Perkins finally got me 2 saves, and Shelby got me 2 wins this week. But I had to give it to the kid. Heston had two great starts and ended up with 14.2 IP, 1 win, 11 K’s and a 1.22 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Not bad for a waiver wire pickup. He definitely bought himself another week or two on this team with that performance.




Overall in 79 IP, I was able to get 5 wins, 2 saves, 59 K’s, with a 3.30 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. I hit 4 out of the 5 category targets for pitching, even with the Koehler blowup and the not so great game by Gray earlier in the week. But when 7 of your 9 guys are on for the week, they can absorb a mistake a two. Overall this team has 56 points on the year for pitching, with every category in the top 4 or better except Saves, where I’m second to last. Saves just like speed will be the category that I am worried about for the season. With only one closer, it will be hard to keep pace of the 3.5 saves needed a week. I desperately need to make a play for a second closer, and have missed out on a couple already this season. I did make my first good move of the year though deciding at the last minute that Buchanan wouldn’t be worth it this week and happily avoided his two bad starts. So I’m 1-2 this year on my last minute decisions.

For FAAB this week, I had two goals, upgrade my catchers, and churn the pitching for double starters. I was ecstatic on one end and disappointed on another. KJ keeps churning the catcher pool and stole Caleb Joseph out from under me with a $31 bid. I was 2nd with a $13 bid. My backup bid was stolen by another great player in Potts when he beat me out for a buck on Carlos Ruiz. Guess that means another week of you and me Tuffy! Jaso can’t get healthier any faster! As far as double starters go though, I was thrilled to see I got CC Sabathia for $37 (Runner up had $32) and De la Rosa for $8 (Runner up had $2). I liked those prices even better when other double starters were going for a premium (Gonzalez $68, Santiago $40, Wood $28). CC could end up staying on this team as I think he has something left, as I did last year too. He has averaged a K and inning and has pitched better than his stats have shown thus far. De La Rosa is a sneaky play here. Everyone is afraid of Coors and for good reason, but for some reason this guy loves Coors. He has pitched better there than on the road for the past two seasons. So I’ll give him a shot and play some Russian roulette that he can continue that this year. The top guy that money was spent on this week was Joe Nathan for $122. The other Waggener in this draft must think he grabs that closer role back from Soria who has done a nice job since he has been out. Maybe a team starving for saves shouldn’t have dropped him. Could make my decision making 1-3 for the year… Only $608 total FAAB dollars were used this week, as it was an off week with no real big expenditures. Two full weeks in, and I still have my bullets left for this team, so I like the position I am in there. Now just have to find something that I’m willing to fire on.

My lineup decisions were pretty easy this week as my weekly MI spot decision goes to LeMahieu with 4 games in Coors. Heston will take a break, as will Leake, to get CC and De La Rosa in. My fan favorite pitcher Bartolo will also make it in with another good start last week and gets the Braves this week. I know Wayne can’t wait to go see him pitch and get a hit!



And I can’t leave without saying my Astros are in first place at .500!!! Have we finally gone back in time?





The 8th Wonder of the World, where 25,000 Houstonians showed up on a Thursday night for a tour on its 50th anniversary!

[ALL-IN JD]

Dustin,

Try not to lose much sleep from NOT getting Carlos Ruiz!!

[Edwards Kings]

My fan favorite pitcher Bartolo will also make it in with another good start last week and gets the Braves this week. I know Wayne can’t wait to go see him pitch and get a hit!

Bartolo Colon swings...IT'S A HIT...wait, he is reading something he wrote on his forearm...can we get a close up of that? It says...

1) Drop the bat.
2) Drop the triple bean and chicken fat burrito.
3) Run down the right hand side of the diamond along the white powder line.
4) Do NOT under any circumstances say "Hey, Hey, Hey!"

[low talkers]

Love the write-ups Dustin, good stuff.
The fact that you and I are fighting over Carlos Ruiz probably makes the other 13 teams in our league pretty excited!