Thoughts about my Team - Installment 2
Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:16 am
Week Two Results – What a difference a week makes! Others probably had better pitching weeks, but not many and not many got the production I did. In eight games started, I got six wins. All of them were earned too as no pitcher who got wins gave up more than four runs. The high point was having Shields and Garza go into Boston and I get out with two wins. Shields was dominate though he served up a tater to Marco Scutaro in the fifth, and got gassed in the seventh giving up a homerun to Pedroia. However, with Garza’s dominate start, the two combined for twelve K’s, an ERA of 2.454, and a WHIP of 1.090. These two are very good, are making me look good as they were the first two starting pitchers I took in the eighth and ninth rounds, and are extremely lucky. Boston looked flat all weekend and I would not predict the same results once the Redsox get their mojo working. Garza was also very good in his other start, as well as Danks and Weaver were both dominate. Cook did not get a win in his start, but was serviceable. I knew Bonderman was a ticking time bomb, but had hoped that spacious Safeco and the rather anemic Mariner offense would let me get one more good start out of him. Wrong! He got lit up like a Christmas Tree, though strangely of his nine hits, eight were singles. Needless to say, without Bonderman’s start, my ERA and WHIP would have been significantly better, but I will take my 3.747 ERA, 1.2486 WHIP, 6 Wins, 51 K’s, and 2 Saves. I have not in the past had such good results, so until first pitch Week Three, I am going to bask in the sun.
For the year (all two weeks of it), I am exceeding my targets for ERA, Wins, and K’s by a very decent margin. I am right above my WHIP target (if Sonnanstine had not allowed the one runner inherited from Shields to score I would be right below) and am one off on my saves target. With Frasor out of a closer job and still not pitching well consistently, I am probably not going to make this up very soon. Other concerns about my pitching staff include the AL-heavy nature. My four top starters are all AL and two are in the East. That means most of my starters have a riskier profile than NL teams facing the Padres, Pirates, or Houston. Given my guys have exceeded expectations on games won compared to games started, I know there is a correction coming there. Probably my best NL starter, Lowe, is getting bit by control issues he needs to correct. I am getting good results, but need to get one more solid starter and hope that Webb comes back (looks like late May earliest/early June) in form. Four months of a vintage Webb could put me over the top.
Through Friday, my sticks were out of control. Because of them, when I woke up Saturday morning, I was actually leading my league and was in fifth place overall. I am not used to such lofty heights. My hitters must have sensed my confusion and went into the tank Saturday and Sunday. Still and all, for the week I ended up with a .2921 BA to go with R/RBI/HR/SB of 53/52/18/7 respectively. I got multiple homeruns out of AmRam, Victorino, Willingham, and especially Either (3) and Kemp (4). Through Friday, Either and Kemp were just putting on a show. Joey Votto lead my team with FOUR SB. My big speed guys (Furcal, Victorino, and Kemp) totaled two. Go figure.
Batting-wise for the year to date, I am right on or nicely ahead of all my counting stats. My BA (.2783) being the lone exception. My counting stats of R/RBI/HR/SB are 86/91/24/16 respectively. I still have not really had my best 14 out there yet and I have lost a few days of AB due to minor injuries. Even still, I am averaging 300 AB per week for these first two weeks and that is the major reason my counting stats are what they are.
Week Three Free Agents – For good or bad (mostly bad) certain players you once developed an interest in stick with you, even long after they should have faded into insignificance. One such player for me is David Bush. No matter how bad he has been, I always seem to find myself pouring over his game logs. Bush, by the luck of no viable alternatives, still has a primo NL pitching slot on a team, the Brewers, who should provide enough offense to give him a chance to win, if only he can hold his end up. Most recently, his end has been held up only to offer a target for a swift kick. In 2010 he is off to a good start and has two starts this week (at Washington and versus the Marlins), so I bid pretty strongly for him ($54). I overpaid by about $30, but I really felt he was the best starting pitcher still in the pool. I cut Melky Cabrera to get him. I watch a lot of Braves games and I am finding out probably what a lot of Yankee fans have known for years…this guy just does not have much, or so it seems to me. With Andruw still showing some (not much) signs of having a pulse and only four games from qualifying in the OF again, Cabrera was expendable.
I did not make a move this week to shore up the bullpen, but that will probably be my biggest priority next week. There are about a dozen pitchers out there who could get a chance to save this year, so I need to filter and place the odds on who will be the best candidate to help my team, especially if I keep racking up Wins and K’s and can afford to run three relievers out there.
Week Three Plans – I am now down two/thirds of my starters in the MI (Roberts and Tejada), though Tejada may be back pretty soon. I am getting Alex Gordon back on the corner and if (another big if) he can stay healthy, I view him as an upgrade over Garrett Atkins, who has been keeping the seat warm (if a better alternative presents itself, the Atkins experiment might be closing as he has not shown much yet). As long as Getz is gone, Gordon will not be pushed for AB by Callaspo, so his AB should be very regular.
My OFers Kemp, Either, Victorino, Willingham, DeJesus, and Carlos Guillen (UT) are carrying my team, which is what I hoped would happen given I had the first three by the fifth round of the draft. Tejada has a couple of HR and seven RBI’s through two weeks, but is batting .2391. Likewise, Aramis Rameriz his providing some nice counting stats, but his BA stinks. Both are very solid BA types, so they will turn things around. I need Roberts back sooner than later. With Tejada ailing too, I am going with Valbuena and Iwamura. These guys are decent back-ups, but long-term use may cause excessive spoilage. My catchers are not doing too bad and Soto got hot last week. He has a good BA and has already taken seven walks. Baker also has a great BA and six RBI’s already.
Using Bush in place of Bonderman (I am still holding on to Bonderman for some perverse reason) will get me ten starts this week as he has two (at Pittsburgh against Morton and versus Chicago against Zambrano) like Danks and Cook (at Washington against Stammen and versus Florida against Nat “Cy Young” Robertson). Garza (home), Shields (away), Weaver (home), and Lowe (home) each have one, though Lowe draws Philly and Halladay.
How was your week?
For the year (all two weeks of it), I am exceeding my targets for ERA, Wins, and K’s by a very decent margin. I am right above my WHIP target (if Sonnanstine had not allowed the one runner inherited from Shields to score I would be right below) and am one off on my saves target. With Frasor out of a closer job and still not pitching well consistently, I am probably not going to make this up very soon. Other concerns about my pitching staff include the AL-heavy nature. My four top starters are all AL and two are in the East. That means most of my starters have a riskier profile than NL teams facing the Padres, Pirates, or Houston. Given my guys have exceeded expectations on games won compared to games started, I know there is a correction coming there. Probably my best NL starter, Lowe, is getting bit by control issues he needs to correct. I am getting good results, but need to get one more solid starter and hope that Webb comes back (looks like late May earliest/early June) in form. Four months of a vintage Webb could put me over the top.
Through Friday, my sticks were out of control. Because of them, when I woke up Saturday morning, I was actually leading my league and was in fifth place overall. I am not used to such lofty heights. My hitters must have sensed my confusion and went into the tank Saturday and Sunday. Still and all, for the week I ended up with a .2921 BA to go with R/RBI/HR/SB of 53/52/18/7 respectively. I got multiple homeruns out of AmRam, Victorino, Willingham, and especially Either (3) and Kemp (4). Through Friday, Either and Kemp were just putting on a show. Joey Votto lead my team with FOUR SB. My big speed guys (Furcal, Victorino, and Kemp) totaled two. Go figure.
Batting-wise for the year to date, I am right on or nicely ahead of all my counting stats. My BA (.2783) being the lone exception. My counting stats of R/RBI/HR/SB are 86/91/24/16 respectively. I still have not really had my best 14 out there yet and I have lost a few days of AB due to minor injuries. Even still, I am averaging 300 AB per week for these first two weeks and that is the major reason my counting stats are what they are.
Week Three Free Agents – For good or bad (mostly bad) certain players you once developed an interest in stick with you, even long after they should have faded into insignificance. One such player for me is David Bush. No matter how bad he has been, I always seem to find myself pouring over his game logs. Bush, by the luck of no viable alternatives, still has a primo NL pitching slot on a team, the Brewers, who should provide enough offense to give him a chance to win, if only he can hold his end up. Most recently, his end has been held up only to offer a target for a swift kick. In 2010 he is off to a good start and has two starts this week (at Washington and versus the Marlins), so I bid pretty strongly for him ($54). I overpaid by about $30, but I really felt he was the best starting pitcher still in the pool. I cut Melky Cabrera to get him. I watch a lot of Braves games and I am finding out probably what a lot of Yankee fans have known for years…this guy just does not have much, or so it seems to me. With Andruw still showing some (not much) signs of having a pulse and only four games from qualifying in the OF again, Cabrera was expendable.
I did not make a move this week to shore up the bullpen, but that will probably be my biggest priority next week. There are about a dozen pitchers out there who could get a chance to save this year, so I need to filter and place the odds on who will be the best candidate to help my team, especially if I keep racking up Wins and K’s and can afford to run three relievers out there.
Week Three Plans – I am now down two/thirds of my starters in the MI (Roberts and Tejada), though Tejada may be back pretty soon. I am getting Alex Gordon back on the corner and if (another big if) he can stay healthy, I view him as an upgrade over Garrett Atkins, who has been keeping the seat warm (if a better alternative presents itself, the Atkins experiment might be closing as he has not shown much yet). As long as Getz is gone, Gordon will not be pushed for AB by Callaspo, so his AB should be very regular.
My OFers Kemp, Either, Victorino, Willingham, DeJesus, and Carlos Guillen (UT) are carrying my team, which is what I hoped would happen given I had the first three by the fifth round of the draft. Tejada has a couple of HR and seven RBI’s through two weeks, but is batting .2391. Likewise, Aramis Rameriz his providing some nice counting stats, but his BA stinks. Both are very solid BA types, so they will turn things around. I need Roberts back sooner than later. With Tejada ailing too, I am going with Valbuena and Iwamura. These guys are decent back-ups, but long-term use may cause excessive spoilage. My catchers are not doing too bad and Soto got hot last week. He has a good BA and has already taken seven walks. Baker also has a great BA and six RBI’s already.
Using Bush in place of Bonderman (I am still holding on to Bonderman for some perverse reason) will get me ten starts this week as he has two (at Pittsburgh against Morton and versus Chicago against Zambrano) like Danks and Cook (at Washington against Stammen and versus Florida against Nat “Cy Young” Robertson). Garza (home), Shields (away), Weaver (home), and Lowe (home) each have one, though Lowe draws Philly and Halladay.
How was your week?
