The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

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Glenneration X
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:14 am

What players are you most invested in - 2nd half?

Over the last couple years, I've started a thread listing the players that I was most invested in once our drafts and auctions were completed and heading into the season. With the All-Star game in the rear view mirror and the baseball season past its "symbolic" half-way point, I thought I'd take an updated look at who I'm most invested in as we head down the back stretch. The following is a fantasy starting lineup with the player I have on the most of my rosters at each fantasy position, a comment or two on each player, and for those players I had on my preseason list, my comments then to see how my thoughts may have changed. I currently have 15 total fantasy teams, I'll list the number of those teams any of these players are on in parenthesis. Where applicable, I'll list the player at that position I wish I had invested in instead.

C- WILIN ROSARIO (6 teams) Stats to date: .273/38/13/46/4

Preseason comments - He's been there quite often when I've been ready to grab my 1st catcher. Nice power in a nice park to have power, 30-HR power from one of your catcher spots can make up for a lot of speed options in the end game.
Current thoughts - Though Rosario's been pretty streaky, I can't complain too much about the production to date. The batting avg has been better than expected, he's provided decent power for the position, and has even thrown in a few steals.

C- JOSH PHEGLEY (4 teams) Stats to date: .219/5/3/9/0

Current thoughts - I hope I've found the FA version of Rosario. Let's hope he's at least an improvement on the Jesus Montero's, Yasmani Grandal's, and Tyler Flowers that he replaced.

1B- CHRIS DAVIS (7 teams) Stats to date: .311/70/37/93/0

Preseason comments - Most of the other breakouts from last season have been taken much earlier than Davis in our drafts. 1B is deep and I've waited often at the postion or at CI. When I've been ready to grab a player at that spot, his power potential has often been seen as something my teams could use an infusion of in the 8th-10th rounds.
Current thoughts - I suppose I can't complain too much, but do you think you could get at least one SB Chris??? :roll: :D :P All kidding aside, a huge, relatively inexpensive asset for anyone who took a chance on him. Can he keep it up in the 2nd half? He's striking out a lot more and showing much less discipline at the plate. Let's hope Doughy's theory on K-rate and BB-rate is right and Davis' recent more free swinging ways ends up even adding to his fantasy stats. :)

3B- MANNY MACHADO (4 teams) Stats to date: .309/58/7/45/6

Current thoughts - Probably a slightly better baseball player currently than fantasy player, I thought he might provide a bit more power and speed to date. Still at the price point, a solid contributor. His future ceiling might be limitless.

CI- EDWIN ENCARNACION (4 teams) Stats to date: .265/61/26/73/4

Current thoughts - I'll just use Red Sox Nation's thoughts he provided for the Sirius FM 2014 mock draft because they mimic mine exactly.... "Show me once (2012) Show me twice (2013). This guy is a beast. 40/100 with above league batting avg. players are tough to find. He plays half his games in a great power park for Righties. A healthy Reyes/Bautista (big if) should lead to career highs in runs and rbis." He's referring to 2014 here, but the same thoughts could apply to 2nd 1/2 2013.

2B- AARON HILL (4 teams) Stats to date: .274/18/4/15/1

Current thoughts - I could have gone in a couple different directions here as I also have Ben Zobrist and Rickie Weeks on 4 teams each. However, of these three disappointing to date players, Hill's given me the least to date and therefore hopefully can provide the biggest 2nd half impact. Honestly I can use some improvement from all three. :?

SS- IAN DESMOND (7 teams) Stats to date: .283/43/15/50/10

Preseason comments - One of the few early round players on this list. I love the power/speed breakout last year and believe he is a scarce position option that is trending upwards on a team that is trending upwards. Even as an early round pick, he could return a profit this season.
Current thoughts - I was very high on Desmond going into the season as he was one of my very few early round targets. He's been solid thus far and I remain very high on him. There is one player though I wish I targeted instead.
Who I wish I invested in - Jean Segura. Somehow I totally missed the boat on him and have been kicking myself all season.

MI - BRAD MILLER - (4 teams) Stats to date: .273/10/2/12/2

Current thoughts - Again, I could go Zobrist or Weeks here, Hanley as well. However, after Miller's 2 HR, 5 RBI game last night, he deserves this spot. :)

OF1 - ANDREW MCCUTCHEN - (5 teams) Stats to date: .303/57/11/50/21

Current thoughts - It's a credit to his talent and ceiling that despite the stats listed above, McCutch feels like he hasn't hit his stride yet this season. Though I could regret not choosing Cargo over him when given the opportunity, my bigger regret is choosing Kemp over McCutch twice. :shock: I think McCutch is gearing up for a huge 2nd half.

OF2 - ALEX RIOS - (5 teams) Stats to date: .270/46/11/42/19

Preseason comments - I know, it's an odd year. Still 20/20 options that don't hurt your BA don't grow on trees and he goes later than most of them.
Current thoughts - Hot start, slumping recently, one of the most inconsistent players year to year or month to month in baseball. I'm far from optimistic, but looking for another upswing 2nd half. One of the more likely players to be dealt at the deadline, I'm not sure if that will be a positive or a negative for him. We shall see.

OF3-5 - ALEJANDRO DEAZA (3 teams), LORENZO CAIN (3 teams), LEONYS MARTIN (3 teams), MIKE SAUNDERS (2 teams), PETER BOURJOS (4 teams), DREW STUBBS (6 teams)

Current thoughts - My preseason draft strategy was to focus on these speed/power, risk/reward types to fill out my OF in the 2nd half of drafts. The above were the majority of the players utilized to meet that strategy. Dependent upon injury, performance, playing time, etc. at any given moment, I've switched one for another at different times during the course of the season through FAAB. Still, I've had and have some combination of one or two or more of these players on almost every one of my teams, thus far with varying degrees of success. At least they didn't cost much. :) :?
Who I wish I invested in - Dominic Brown. I've speculated on Brown often in previous years. This season despite the red hot spring, I stayed away. I guess this is a case of once bitten.....

UT- NATE MCLOUTH - (6 teams) Stats to date: .278/53/6/17/24

Current thoughts - An early FA pickup on several of my teams, he likely remains my best of the season. Fantasy comeback player of the year? In a season where SB have been tougher than usual to come by, he's been a pretty useful asset.

SP1 - CLAYTON KERSHAW - (5 teams) Stats to date: 1.98/8/.90/139/0

Current thoughts - Each time when given the choice between Kershaw, Verlander, and Strasburg preseason, I chose Clayton. So far so good. Easily one of the best pitchers in the land, even despite his whiny comments about the best.... Matt Harvey. :)

SP2 - KRIS MEDLEN (5 teams) Stats to date: 3.64/6/1.37/86/0

Preseason comments - He usually goes at the back end of that pitching tier that typically runs from the 4th to 6th round. I believe he is undervalued there due to his short sample size of dominance last year and that he's expected to K a few less than some of the other options that go before him. However, his ERA/WHIP upside makes up for a lot of 6-7 starters that we'll have to throw out there in-season.
Current thoughts - Medlen hasn't been horrible. Yet he feels like such a disappointment. The Beachy factor is also a concern. Medlen's a big key to many of my most important teams. I need him to step it up a bit.
Who I wish I invested in - Matt Harvey. How, oh how did I not end up with Harvey on some of my teams?? He should have been on all of them!!! Dobies, a Yankees fan nonetheless, was pimping him like he was the 2nd coming of Louisiana Lightning. Yet I had my doubts and thought he was being mildly overdrafted. I suck.

SP3 - MIKE MINOR (4 teams), SHELBY MILLER (4 teams), HOMER BAILEY (3 teams), JULIO TEHERAN (3 teams)

Current thoughts - During the drafts, I typically waited on SP3 until the early teen rounds and grabbed one of these upside SP's amongst a few others. So far so good on those listed above. Always a question regarding innings counts, 2nd half fatigue, etc. with young starters. We need these guys to keep it up if we hope to put up the good fight down the stretch.

SP4 - ALEXI OGANDO (7 teams) Stats to date: 2.92/4/1.22/43/0

Preseason comments - A couple years back I dropped him for several teams right before his first start and just before he went on a half season run of quality starts. This year I won't make the same mistake.
Current thoughts - One of those upside young starters I focused on in the early teen rounds, injury aside, Ogando's been decent so far. Due back from the DL shortly, I'm hoping for a 2nd half pitching stats boost from Ogando for many of my teams. I need it.

SP5 - CHRIS TILLMAN (5 teams) Stats to date: 3.94/11/1.35/89/0

Current thoughts - A target for fantasy regression during the 2nd half from what I've read across the fantasy pundit landscape, is he this year's James McDonald? I'll take his stats to date and hope for more of the same through the rest of the season. I've always been a little higher on Tillman than most, I believe this All-Star pitcher may even improve 2nd half.

SP6 - PHIL HUGHES (8 teams) Stats to date: 4.57/4/1.29/88/0

Preseason comments - He showed real signs of a potential breakout last season, his cost before his neck injury was far greater than it was by the time the live drafts came around. He'll be ready for his start on the 11th. At a price that had dropped well into the 20 rounds, I grabbed him often.
Current thoughts - Jeez, is there anyone more inconsistent start to start? OK, maybe Porcello, but still... A candidate to get traded before the deadline, I think that might be the best thing that could happen to his career and my fantasy prospects.

SP7 - TYLER CHATWOOD (5 teams) Stats to date: 2.55/5/1.29/46/0

Current thoughts - I could have gone a couple different directions here, but chose Chatwood because I believe one of the keys to fantasy success is finding that cheap SP in FAAB that you can slot into the back of your rotation and gives you mid or top of rotation stats the rest of the way. Cliff Lee years back, Kris Medlen last year. Can Chatwood be that guy this year? Someone will, why not him? :)

RP1 - JASON GRILLI (7 teams) Stats to date: 1.99/0/.86/63

Current thoughts - Exhibit A this year on why it's often beneficial to wait on closers. Like Jim Johnson last season, Grilli's given me a relatively cheap source of saves, WHIP, ERA, & K's. Of course, I also started with Marmol and Madson on a few teams, so it doesn't always work. :?

RP2 - BRAD ZIEGLER (5 teams) Stats to date: 2.43/4/1.03/24/3

Current thoughts - I chose Ziegler, a very recent FAAB pickup on some of my teams, for this spot because I believe being able to find saves in FAAB is one of the critical components to a winning fantasy season and something I am just awful at. I always choose wrong. Hopefully Ziegler can be a turn for the better for me in that skill, or lack thereof. :?


So there's quite a few of the players I'll be counting on as I fight down the stretch for cash spots and maybe a couple league championships. I wonder how I'd fare if I had one team made up of exactly these players. We'll never know, but if they all do well, I probably wouldn't care anyways. :)

Good luck to everyone in the season's stretch run. I hope the players you're invested in do well for you, just not as well as those I'm invested in. :)

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:27 pm

It figures. I have Ryan Braun on only one fantasy team, my CDM mid-season Premier league. I learned of his suspension around 6:30pm while checking the latest news and lineup info prior to lineups starting to lock at 7pm, plenty of time to make the switch. Oh wait, what's that? CDM locks lineups at 6pm??? What??? Why??? So, of course a full week of zeros awaits me from Braun's lineup spot. :?

Like I said, it figures. When else would this happen except on the day I finally switched him back into my lineup for the first time in weeks and on a lineup Monday that I catch the news a half hour after lineups lock and for a format with an early lineup deadline where there is no Friday lineup moves. The Fantasy Gods probably enjoyed a good chuckle with that one.

I suppose it could be worse. I could have drafted him top 4 in the NFBC! :shock:

Image
Ryan Braun at his press conference accepting the suspension: "I'm not sure what tipped them off to my juicing."

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:18 pm

Image
And so the SI cover curse strikes yet again as half of my fantasy staffs suffer the loss of their top closer. Image


And while on the subject of SI and injuries....
After yet another trip to the DL this season, I think Kemp may have taken the blurb on this cover a bit too literally. :?
Image

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:25 pm

I just put the finishing touches on this week's FAAB bids for all my teams. Jeez, what a nightmare.

After 4 months of FAAB Sundays, the experience would have pretty much lost its novelty during a normal week. However, on a week where it seems like half of Major League Baseball went out for the season, or for pretty much most of the rest of it, it took the chore that is typically FAAB this time of year and made it a horror.

I had to replace or supplement each of the following players all lost for the season or close to it for one or more of my teams:

- Jason Grilli
- Albert Pujols
- Ryan Braun
- Tim Hudson
- Brandon Morrow
- Mike Zunino
- Marcell Ozuna
- Lance Berkman (not official, but when the player himself starts talks about shutting it down, typically not a good sign)


Toss in the following other players I had to replace or make temporary accommodations for due to their issues:

- Matt Kemp's return to the DL after a one game visit to the ballpark
- Derek Deitrich's demotion
- Chris Carpenter's rehab getting shut down and Brett Anderson deciding to gear up for the pen
- Cargo, Altuve, Cain, etc. etc. needing backups due to their various bumps & bruises and resulting day to day status
- KRod, Wells, & Ruggiano losing their jobs or roles due to trades or promotion


This is all on top of the numerous players on my various rosters who need to be replaced just because they SUCK. No fun.


Well at least I'm done and in about 15 minutes, I find out what replacements I've managed to obtain for my NFBC teams. Hopefully this time next week I'm not complaining about how I'm looking to replace them as well. Oh wait, there's rumor that the next round of Biogenesis suspensions will be coming down the pike this week. Hopefully, I have a few dollars left after this week's shopping spree. :?


Image
You might be wondering what this picture have to do with this post or a rough FAAB Sunday?
Well, pretty much nothing, but it does make me feel better.
:)

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:50 pm

I hear ya Glenn. I didn't have many of the injured, although I did attempt to drop Pujols in one league and was unsuccessful.

The thing that got to me today was the PED aspect of the FAAB. I think it's absurd that we have to handicap this crap. I have E. Cabrera and Cano in the super and thought it was ridiculous that I had to overbid to get Lake to insure some sort of MI for the week. I could go from having a nice edge at MI to being in the outhouse, looking for Beckam or someone just like him.

This stuff is hard enough without having to guess what MLB is going to do and when they are going to do it in terms of suspensions and who will take a deal or not. It's certainly taking the fun out of it.
Joe

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:00 pm

Money wrote:I hear ya Glenn. I didn't have many of the injured, although I did attempt to drop Pujols in one league and was unsuccessful.

The thing that got to me today was the PED aspect of the FAAB. I think it's absurd that we have to handicap this crap. I have E. Cabrera and Cano in the super and thought it was ridiculous that I had to overbid to get Lake to insure some sort of MI for the week. I could go from having a nice edge at MI to being in the outhouse, looking for Beckam or someone just like him.

This stuff is hard enough without having to guess what MLB is going to do and when they are going to do it in terms of suspensions and who will take a deal or not. It's certainly taking the fun out of it.
I foresee another crazy week leading up to another crazy FAAB in six days. Between the PED suspensions that are coming down the pike this week along with the non-waiver trade deadline (not to mention the next crop of walking wounded sure to come in this the year of injury), we all may be scrambling to fill multiple holes this Sunday. Jose Veras was the first shoe to drop this week, just a matter of time 'til a few more boots, loafers, and sandles start dropping.

By the way, nice job passing the rest of us like we were standing still in 12-team Super Joe. However, with your team loaded with PED aided stats from Cabrera & Cano, I think the fair thing to do would be to disqualify yourself. Seems only right. :P ;)

Good luck the rest of the way Bud, not that you'll need it.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Thu Aug 01, 2013 8:46 pm

With another month in the books, I suppose it's time for our next monthly update. Unfortunately this one is coming off the worst month of the season for my fantasy teams and that's pretty much across the board. The teams that got off to fast starts and had leads either saw the leads dwindle to a hair or coughed them up altogether. The teams that were in cash spots fell out of them. The teams that were struggling spiraled even further. A tough, tough month. Hopefully, the change in the calendar will also bring a change in fortune. Either way, here we go with the updates.

Diamond League - 8th place, 76 points
Last week, I was starting to feel good about this squad. It had started a short climb up the standings and saw its point total sneak into the 80's for the first time in quite a while. While Particelli is still running away with this league, no one else has been able to separate themselves at another cash spot. So when I hit the 80 mark, it put me less than a handful of points from a cash spot and within a couple handfuls of 2nd place. A pair of good weeks or one great one and who knows. Unfortunately since my brief trek into the uncharted regions of the 80's, I've lost Albert Pujols, Tim Hudson, and now Miguel Montero to injury. With power and SP my weaknesses here, these losses may be a death blow. Still Grandy is due back this weekend and a $2 Cisnero FAAB pickup last week may finally give me some production out of my long empty 2nd closer spot, so maybe there's still hope.

Ultimate Auction - 2nd place, 113 points
Damn you Ferrari!! There he was stalking me for months. I'd pull away for a week, then back he'd come. I'd put some distance between he and I, and then he'd close the gap. Well, he finally stopped stalking and instead raced past me like his automobile namesake racing past a Yugo. He's punting SB's and saves, so at 118.5 points, he's pretty much topped out. However, he's so very strong at the other 8 categories and the players who got him there are still playing so well, I don't see him coming back to me. I'll have to catch him. I guess now I'm the stalker. Hopefully, I can turn my Yugo in for a Bugatti. 8-)

Main Event - Las Vegas - 1st place, 110.5 points, 25th overall
Probably my best last chance to make a run at the Overall, it would still take a major push to get in the hunt. Of bigger concern is my once double digit league lead has shrunken to one measly point. Of greatest concern is that one point lead is over none other than the great Mr. Hinkelman himself. :shock: I guess I better stop dreaming of the Overall and start hoping I can just hold on in this league.

Main Event - Online - 6th place, 90.5 points, 157th overall
The squad that I am chronicling on the BHQ site, how cool would it have been if I had gotten to write about a team that was in contention for the Overall? :mrgreen: Unfortunately, it was not to be. :( Now the hopes and dreams have been reduced to just hoping to cash!!! And that will be a tough enough feat to pull off as it is with 18 points currently separating this team from 3rd.

Main Event - NYC - 4th place, 95 points, 159th overall
Just a cursed team. It seems everyone who's touched this roster has been hurt at some point this season. In recent days, the news of a slower than expected recovery from Aramis Ramirez, an even slower one from Matt Kemp, and the long term loss of Jason Grilli has just been the cherries on top of the big-shit cake. Still, this team is only 6 points out of first. We'll have to find some reinforcements and figure out how to make a charge.

KJ's MLBC Salary Cap League - 1st place, 115 points
I spent the most in this league's draft. It's good to know that my money was well spent thus far. Well, except for the $100-200 spent each on Roy Halladay, Josh Johnson, Chris Carpenter, and even Matt Cain. But I digress. I'll likely lose Nelson Cruz on this team in a few days, and that might hurt me in a tight HR category, but hopefully I've built enough of a cushion in the other offensive categories that it won't affect the standings too much.

Joe Berg's 12-team Super - 4th place, 73 points
The four team race between Juprinka, Dobies, Particelli and myself that was waged through most of the first half has been intruded upon by Chad, Zarogiannos, Donn Johnson, and of course Joe Berg himself. In fact, Joe has taken first place and is starting to separate himself from the rest of a tight pack. MtM, please take a look at example A of the right way to compete in a league named after yourself. :P :lol:

XII - Las Vegas - 6th place, 66 points, 92nd overall
A terrible start to the season here pretty much doomed this team to also-ran status by May. A brief late spring, early summer run kept faint (very faint) hopes flickering. However a recent spiral and now 27 points out of a cash spot has reduced this squad to playing for pride.

XII - Online - 4th place, 84 points, 29th overall
This team was rocking a little over a month ago and threatening the top 10 in the overall. Unfortunately, it is now just another of my XII's spiraling that I just cannot figure out how to turn around. A team crushed by injuries the last couple months to Tulo, Kemp, Willingham, Pagan, Infante, Miguel Montero, Cuerto, Grilli, etc., etc., it makes it a little more difficult to figure. Only 5 points out of 2nd though, I'll need to.

XII - NYC - 5th place, 73 points, 81st overall
4th overall during the May update, still first in its league at the June update, it's hard to believe this is the same team. Now it's only known as Spiraling Glenneration XII #3. Exhibit A that the fantasy baseball season is a long one and that a fast start guarantees nothing.

Online Championship 3/17 - 6th place, 71 points
A team I was ready to give up for dead at the last update, it's made a bit of a run and is now only 6 points out of 2nd in its league. Exhibit A that the fantasy baseball season is a long one and not to give up too soon. :D

Online Championship 3/31 - 1st place, 91 points, 131st overall
A few weeks ago, this team had slipped into the top 50 of the overall. It's now just trying to hold its one point lead in league. Another spiraling 12-teamer? Let's hope not.

Max's 1000 Slow Draft - 9th place, 79.5 points
I've once again fallen below Massotto in this league's standings. I think that pretty much says it all about this team's chances. :?

FBPC Main Event - 4th place, 87 points, 39th overall
Not that I've done much in this league to deserve a better spot, but when you're sitting in a league with the teams in 1st and 3rd in the overall, it sure doesn't make it any easier. :o

CDM Diamond Challenge Mid-Season Premier League - 3rd place, 15th overall
At the beginning of last week, I had managed to get this team to 4th overall. It's slipped a bit since then, but honestly I'm very proud of my showing here so far. Having only played the Diamond Challenge twice before and this being the first time in 3 years, being 3rd in a Premier League of 25 of the salary cap format's top players and 15th out of over 700 overall has me feeling pretty good about this effort.


Well like I stated earlier, July was a rough, rough month. For injuries, for performances, in the leagues, in the overalls. I'm pretty happy to start fresh, flip the page on the calendar, welcome in a new month and hopefully with it, a turnaround for the better.

Good luck to everyone else as we enter the last third of our fantasy seasons and the stretch run to our fantasy finishes. Still a long way to go. It should be a fun ride.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Mon Aug 05, 2013 7:52 pm

Yesterday, I cut Phil Hughes from every team I still had him on, six teams in all. The reason.... Phil Hughes sucks.

Unfortunately, I kept his teammate and virtual equal in suckitude this year still rostered.... Andy Pettite.
I will not make that mistake again next Sunday. The punishment for waiting one week too long.....
2.2 IP, 11 hits, one walk, 7 ER's. :shock:

That's what I get for rostering players from that crappy team in the Bronx. :?

Image
Andy, you suck. You should have stayed on the juice.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by ALL-IN JD » Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:44 pm

Sweet revenge!!!! :D :D :D :D

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:52 pm

I just completed my lineups. I'm going out with the family in a little bit so I had to get it done a little earlier tonight than usual. Even with the busy night, there were no thoughts on skipping it and just letting the lineups from the first half of the week ride. Because with another week came another cavalcade of injuries and with it the need to make these mid-week lineup switches.

Hanley, Cargo, McCutcheon, Weeks, Villar, Parra all bringing unfortunate injury news since Sunday, it's weeks like this that make me thank the Fantasy Gods for Friday lineup transactions on offensive players.

Unfortunately the same can't be said on the pitching side of the ledger. :(

When I set my lineups at the beginning of the week, one or more of Shelby Miller, Chris Archer, Corey Kluber, and Tyler Chatwood were sprinkled across the vast majority of my active rosters. These four young studs were among several other future aces that have been pitching extremely well for me this season, helping make up for the vast drop off in production from established veterans like Hamels, Cain, CC, Kennedy, Josh Johnson, Cahill, Cuerto, Gallardo, etc. etc. and of course the evil twins from the Bronx, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte. :?

With both Kluber and Chatwood slated for a pair of starts each, I went into this week anticipating six total starts and if the fantasy stars were aligned perhaps upwards of 40 to 50 quality innings from my four young studs. Instead the injury curse of 2013 reared its ugly head again and I ended up with the following:

Kluber - 7.1 innings
Archer - 1.2 innings
Miller - 0 innings
Chatwood - 0 innings

Well I guess that's almost 50 innings. :roll:

I could look at the bright side. As of now, it looks like only Chatwood and Kluber will miss most of the rest of the season. That is at least until new news on Miller and Archer come out. :?

Typical of this year. Young performing studs like Chatwood and Kluber are knocked out for the season and couldn't even wait until they could give me the quality stats that I was hoping for this week. In the meantime, over-the-hill fossils like Pettitte just keep chugging along destroying my WHIP and ERA.

Fantasy baseball is not for the faint hearted.

Image
In this photo: The fan in the cap and red tee shirt waits for his turn for an autograph and the chance to let Pettitte know he was his boyhood idol. :shock:

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:46 am

I've often rued the sadism of the Fantasy Gods in this blog for injuries, demotions, suspensions, trades, bereavement leaves, the dreaded paternity leaves, etc., that help take fantasy results out of the control of the fantasy player. However as we all know, there is more than enough blame to lay at our own feet.

We all have what we believe are our strengths and weaknesses. For me, I believe I'm a decent drafter. I believe I'm competent at FAAB (though occasionally brutally incompetent :? ). Where I am absolutely brutal is in lineup decisions. It doesn't matter whether pitching or offense. It doesn't matter whether early season, mid-season, or late season. It doesn't matter what format, what contest, what sport. If there's a lineup decision to be made, I'll make the wrong one. One fatal lineup decision less than two years ago cost me $200K in football.

Going into this week, I had several tough lineup choices as is typical. One involved my last pitching choice in the Ultimate Auction where I am currently in 2nd chasing Jim Ferrari for a $40K payday with WHIP and ERA major battle grounds.
The choices.....

Image
Chris Tillman - Results - 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 ER, 9 K's and a standing ovation when leaving

OR

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Francisco Liriano - Results - 2.1 IP, 12 hits, 2 walks, 10 ER, 1 K and a splitting headache


Which did I choose? Do you really need to ask? There are times I hate this game.

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Glenneration X
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:12 am

Last night Matt Harvey had a less than stellar outing. Not awful, but far short of the standards set by him thus far in his young career. As the undisputed leader of a young staff of phenoms, he, along with Wheeler and more recently Mejia, and several others pitching well both with the big club and on the farm, are creating dreams in the minds of Mets fans everywhere of another era of great young pitching reminiscent of the Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, Gentry or Gooden, Darling, Sid, Cone days of yore (we'll leave the Wilson, Pulsipher, Isringhausen era out of this conversation :( ).

As great as it's been as a Mets fan this season watching Harvey rise to the top of the pitching mountain, as an NFBC player, it's been somewhat bittersweet. You see, I have Matt Harvey on none of my "drafted" fantasy teams. For whatever reason, I thought he was being overdrafted in the spring and never jumped up to grab him in the March drafts. The only team for which I've got him rostered is my CDM salary cap league where he was priced at a number that I thought was a steal. So when Harvey has a night like last night, even though as a Mets fan it's a little disappointing, as an NFBC player it actually helps the cause. Case in point, the Ferrari squad that I'm chasing in the Ultimate Auction lost two points off Harvey's effort (helped along by Bartolo Colon pitching like the toad he is :)).

Still, I think back to the Vegas drafts where Jeff Dobies was pimping Harvey everywhere as the next Seaver (even more than Alan and I do :)) and stating that Harvey was going to reach those heights this year and backed up his statements by drafting him everywhere. I should have listened.


The night before last, Yu Darvish pitched a gem. 8 innings, 1 hit, 1 ER, 1 walk, 15 K's. It doesn't get much better than that. Unfortunately, Yu was another ace that I felt was being overdrafted in the spring and don't have rostered on any of my "drafted" teams. The only teams for which Yu is rostered for me is again my CDM squad, but also my Ultimate Auction squad, both teams where I was able to control the cost.

While Yu did help me inch closer to that Ferrari juggernaut mentioned above, like Harvey I wish I had him on everyone of my teams.

Again I think back to the Vegas drafts, and New York too, where I talked to Juprinka about Yu. He was a big believer and backed up his statements by drafting him everywhere. Again, I should have listened.



We're in the stretch run of our fantasy baseball races. A little more than seven weeks to go and champions will be crowned, cash prizes will be won. However, it is also the time of year when I start to look at what went right with my teams.....and what went wrong. I start to think about those lessons learned.


Lesson Learned - Number 1: With Dobies pimping Harvey, Juprinka pimping Yu.....

Always, always listen to those smarter than you are!!!


In the meantime, I'll just hope that Yu continues his dominance and Harvey continues to slip just a little bit allowing me to catch and hopefully pass Ferrari for the Ultimate Auction crown.

Keep it up Yu, because......

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Yu Da Man!!!


Oops, wrong Texas Rangers photo.....let's try this one.

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Yu Da Man!!!


Hmmmm, I think I like the first pic better. :) 8-)

Money
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:00 pm

You "THINK" you like the first pic better? I know I like it better :D

I love the blog Glenn, keep it coming. :D

I'm still finding it hard to believe nobody blasted me for dropping Trumbo and Crisp in the Super. Time will tell 8-)
Joe

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Quahogs
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Quahogs » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:51 am

Money wrote:You "THINK" you like the first pic better? I know I like it better :D

I love the blog Glenn, keep it coming. :D

I'm still finding it hard to believe nobody blasted me for dropping Trumbo and Crisp in the Super. Time will tell 8-)
12 teamer is a different animal Joe, you know that. There's a lot of high level strategy involved. It's not about the quality of the player dropped it's more about what you need for YOUR team. Why would anyone blast you, your play in the 12 team format is exemplary. Nice job so far in the Super Joe.

I for one however am really digging pic 2. Hey pic 1 was taken in 2005. Those puppies are probably down to her hips now :D

Money
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:49 pm

Quahogs wrote:
Money wrote:You "THINK" you like the first pic better? I know I like it better :D

I love the blog Glenn, keep it coming. :D

I'm still finding it hard to believe nobody blasted me for dropping Trumbo and Crisp in the Super. Time will tell 8-)
12 teamer is a different animal Joe, you know that. There's a lot of high level strategy involved. It's not about the quality of the player dropped it's more about what you need for YOUR team. Why would anyone blast you, your play in the 12 team format is exemplary. Nice job so far in the Super Joe.

I for one however am really digging pic 2. Hey pic 1 was taken in 2005. Those puppies are probably down to her hips now :D
Thanks Steve. I've had some good fortune so far in that league this year. I wasn't really expecting to be blasted from within the league, but probably outside of it. I've had the luxury of having some nice leads in a few categories. There is a long ways to go and I'm sure it will be tight at the end.

Next week I might expand on why I did what I did. I don't want to unduly influence anyone within the league prior to the free agent process this weekend.

By the way, I'd still take pic one, I'd have a hard time believing that them puppies didn't hold up over the years. :D
Joe

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Glenneration X
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:50 pm

Money wrote:I'm still finding it hard to believe nobody blasted me for dropping Trumbo and Crisp in the Super. Time will tell 8-)
As Mr. Juprinka so eloquently put it Joe, why would anyone blast you? I seem to recall a few questioning your drop of Jesus Montero a couple months back and that drop turned out to be quite prophetic.

Like the saying goes.... "You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with Berg." I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that was Hemingway.

I'm figuring many will follow suit this time and we'll see a glut of Trumbo and Crisp drops during this weekend's FAAB. After all, what's Crisp done this week so far? It goes to what I wrote in my previous post....
Always listen to those smarter than you are.


This reminds me of another occasion in Vegas when I should have followed this very advice. :?

I think back to the night before my Diamond draft. It was the Saturday night after the Main and I had no drafts scheduled. I decided to wander down to where the Saturday Diamond was taking place, what has become known as the "First Annual MtM Diamond Invitational", and check out the first few rounds of that draft.

Cabrera went first, followed by Trout, then Braun. Pretty much as expected so far. Votto went off the board, then Kemp, Cano, and McCutchen. Nothing really noteworthy there. Fielder was next to go, Strasburg, Cargo, and J Up. Then Verlander, Kershaw, Harper, and Stanton to finish off the round.

Hmmm. I thought I noticed something peculiar. Was Pujols still on the board? Could Pujols, the greatest fantasy asset of the previous decade, who was currently carrying a 1.8 ADP, have 15 players with $10K apiece on the line decide to pass on him? I thought to myself, those at the back end of this draft are probably pretty stoked at the opportunity to grab Pujols in the 2nd. Funny thing though, they didn't. Reyes went, then Bautista, then Price, Tulo, and Pedroia before someone finally grabbed Pujols at 2.6. Pujols lasted until the 21st pick.

At the first break, I asked Glenn Schroter, aka King of Queens, and one of the players who passed on Pujols not once but twice, what made him do it. His answer.....he didn't trust him.

I did not know what to make of it, but honestly didn't give it too much thought. I wasn't targeting a 1B in the first round, where he went in this draft was still three picks prior to the pick I would have in the 2nd round of my Diamond, and this was the latest that Pujols had gone in any NFBC draft to date.... for now. :?


The next day in my Diamond, I took Robinson Cano at 1.7. I then sat back and watched the rest of the first round unfold. Votto, Strasburg, Harper, Verlander, and Stanton brought us to 1.13. Still no Pujols. I thought wouldn't it be funny if Pujols made it out of the first again? And in yet another Diamond? Well, Tulo went, then Fielder, and with the Kershaw pick at 1.15, history had repeated itself.

But still, no way Pujols makes it back to me at 2.9. Even in the prior night's Diamond, he didn't make it that far. But when Price, Bautista, Longoria, and Beltre started the 2nd round, I began to dream. KOQ was next to pick and I knew he'd pass on Pujols again after what he told me the night before. But then came a Murderer's Row of drafters in KJ Duke, Rick Thomas, and Steve Juprinka. No way in hell all three would pass on this gift. But they did. When Juprinka chose Yu Darvish at 2.8, I sat back for a moment, thanked the Fantasy Gods for my good fortune, and became the only player in the NFBC that was able to pair Robinson Cano with Albert Pujols for any draft this season. 358 NFBC drafts took place this year, and I was the only drafter that was able to get Pujols with a pick as late as the 24th, and it happened in the Diamond. I felt blessed.


Well, fast forward four plus months, and my Diamond team is currently in 10th place. Of my 14 fantasy baseball teams that have weekly pickups, this is the only one not in the top 6 of its league. It is also the only one where I rostered Pujols. Coincidence, probably partially. But the stats say maybe more than partially. I dropped Pujols last week.
His final stats for my Diamond squad....
.258 BA, 49 Runs, 17 HR's, 64 RBI's, and 1 SB. Ugh. :?

At least I learned another lesson.



Lesson Learned - Number 1a: With KOQ not trusting Pujols.....

Always, always listen to those smarter than you are!!!


In the meantime, I'll go with Adam Dunn at 1B the rest of the way in the Diamond. At least he hit a HR today.
As for you Albert.....

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Go Fly Away!!!


Oops, wrong Angel.


Image

OK, there we go. And Albert, thanks for nothing.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:51 pm

Uhh- uhhh (Clearing my throat)....

SCREW ADP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

Money
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:53 pm

Nice story Glenn. As I prepare for a season I take in as much information as possible. I then decide what has merit (to me) and what doesn't. I drafted Pujols in the second round of a XII and thought I did well, boy was I wrong.

Let me clarify a few things here.

1. I am not smarter than anyone, especially not you when it comes to this game.
2. The Jesus Montero drop is very different than this drop.
3. No one will be rushing to drop these players this weekend. Possibly Crisp if his wrist is not better.
4. These were strategic in design, unique to this league. I still own Trumbo on other teams.
5. I think the most debatable part of the drops are the players I kept instead. For me it came down to Trumbo or LaRoach. I'll explain my reasoning next week, but most are obvious to those of us in this league.
6. Play this game long enough and you'll get humbled. I'm not afraid to take risk, I will not sit complacent on a lead. I hope it works out, but know full well, it may not. I laugh at myself each year over some bonehead moves. I don't always play by the book. The risk is calculated, bit it certainly is risk.

The individual leagues are so differant than the overall leagues. I had a 12 point lead in a XII last week and snuck into the top 20 overall. I decided to chase points that could not help me in my league. The move has been anything but successful. I will probably back off it and concentrate on the league. This doesn't happen in the individual leagues.

Glenn, in reality, your team is and will continue to make a move in the Super. With no disrespect to Mr. Dobies team I worry more about the run you're making. I think given your current position in a lot of different categories plus your FAAB advantage, gives you a big shot to win this league. Sorry for going on and jacking the thread. Good luck the rest of the way with all of your teams. I have a feeling we'll be matching strange strategies down the stretch.
Joe

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Quahogs » Sat Aug 17, 2013 7:43 am

Glenneration X wrote:. Of my 14 fantasy baseball teams that have weekly pickups, this is the only one not in the top 6 of its league. ]
That speaks volumes Lowry. You ARE the smart people smart people listen too my friend

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ALL-IN JD
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by ALL-IN JD » Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:34 am

No worries Joe, I like being in stealth mode!! :D :D :D

To be honest, not drafting to punt saves, but to have to punt saves after a month, and to be even in a position to cash is surreal, to be totally honest. Thought it was a strict donation to the law firm of Berg, Lowy and Jupinka!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Money
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:15 am

ALL-IN JD wrote:No worries Joe, I like being in stealth mode!! :D :D :D

To be honest, not drafting to punt saves, but to have to punt saves after a month, and to be even in a position to cash is surreal, to be totally honest. Thought it was a strict donation to the law firm of Berg, Lowy and Jupinka!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ahhh, second overall in the Main event, you fly nowhere under the radar. I doubt you even give this team much thought while you chase down the 100K!!

I get better at this game by watching the best players and the moves they make. You are one of those players. Congratulations on putting yourself in position for the 100K, now leave the small potato stuff to others and concentrate on the BIG PRIZE. :D

What a Great season, I hope you bring it home :D
Joe

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by ALL-IN JD » Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:24 am

Thanks Joe, appreciate the kind words. While I would love the hat trick of winning the Overall, Ultimate Auction and Super it's looking more and more like the Super is turning into the Joe Berg invitational!! Quite an impressive charge to the top spot and catching you will be a long shot at best. Good luck the rest of the way.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:57 pm

Reading the last few posts of this thread, where the trio of fantasy sharks Dobies, Berg, and Juprinka fall all over themselves praising one another's abilities (even throwing a crumb or two of undeserved praise my way) all while battling for serious cash in the 12-team Super, makes me wonder what the hell I've gotten myself into these last few years.

Now don't get me wrong. Dobies, Berg, and Juprinka are all great guys, as good as they come. I enjoy seeing each during the drafts every season and chatting with them on these boards or occassionally through PM's, emails, or texts. They are as humble as they come and their praise for each other comes from a genuine place. However, as great as they are as people, they're even greater as fantasy players. Why the hell did I volunteer to be in a league with them? Having a beer with....yes. Chat about baseball and fantasy...yes. Drafting & battling in FAAB against....uhhh no!!! Yet here I am.

Before I had ever heard of the NFBC, I played in local fantasy baseball leagues. Over the course of 9 seasons in local leagues, I cashed 7 times and won 3 championships. Yet when I found the NFBC, I dumped my local leagues to play against the best fantasy players in the world. I jumped into Main Events, then Supers, Ultimates, even Diamond leagues donating more and more to the Dobies, Bergs, and Juprinkas of the world. I wouldn't even pick easy spots for my low dollar satellites. Instead choosing to play in the Shawn Childs leagues and Doughy's Hot Tub satellites against these same sharks as they warmed up to take more of my money in the bigger events. Why??? :shock:

My psychiatrist called it "Fantasius Maximus Masochism". Translated it means "I'm an idiot".

Even tonight as I write this entry to this blog, I'm preparing to draft in the Billywaz DC, or the football version of the Shawn Childs League or Hot Tub. It's truly a sickness.

However, I believe I've gone through a breakthrough. Reading the Deadheadz rant about Eric John and the 11 "stiffs" he drafted against in order to reach the heights of the Online Championship overall lead, I've had an epiphany.

No longer will I enter these 12-team Supers, no more Ultimates, no more Diamonds, not even a Main Event. From this point on, I just look for the league with 11 stiffs registered and then I pounce. :D


Lesson Learned - Number 2: As Deadheadz recommends....

Always, always look for the league full of stiffs.


And if I follow that advice, I'll avoid future moments like this one......

Image
That's me in orange being welcomed by Dobies, Berg, and Juprinka to the 12-team Super.
(By the way, that's Massotto in blue.)
:D

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ALL-IN JD
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by ALL-IN JD » Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:00 pm

LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Poor Mikey, gone from the boards but never forgotten!!! :D :D :D :D

Money
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Money » Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:22 am

Simply put, I belong nowhere in this conversation with the likes of these players. I appreciate the thought though Glenn. Talk to me in October. By the way is Trumbo doing any good lately? :roll:
Joe

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