How Much For This Dance?

[DOUGHBOYS]

Last year, the only top 10 3b not to hit the dl was Aramis Ramirez. It looks like 3b are on the same pace for this year. It's strange in that few of these 3b get hurt while playing their position. Of course, some will hit the dl out of sheer habit. Yes Mrs Youkilis, your son has chosen to skate through the rest of his career.
During the draft phase of our season, drafters were alarmed at the few good choices at the position.
Some over drafted 3b, thinking they may either corner the market or at worst have a suitable backup ready made should one go down.
I found this strategy unacceptable. For whatever reason, keeping 3b on the field has been harder than catchers, why draft two 3b with high picks leading to a larger problem?

I wrote about the injuries at third base during the off season. Like now, I couldn't explain it. All I know is that 3b should be considered an injury marred position, like catcher. Only now, it has surpassed catchers.
I drafted Eduardo Nunez on just about all of my teams. I like the player. I like the positionality. And an injury to ARod or even Jeter or Cano puts him in a position to succeed.
That has not happened yet. But, I feel lucky to have him rostered. There will be a lot of mediocre 3b plucked off of faab this week. Guys that will return little for the amount of money needed to secure them. How many times have we passed Brandon Inge's name on the free agent list without a thought.
Now, he's more than a thought. He becomes of importance to some owners.

Closers are going down like flies too. Injuries and under performance being the culprits. Due to the varibles, I've lowered expectations on saves. In the past, most teams had two closers. Now by luck, overbidding on faab, or circumstance, more teams than ever will have more than two closers or one or even zero. Some will have four or possibly five and will be ridiculed for dropping one. Those owners fortune will have others paying a small fortune to obtain his worst closer.
It's a crazy season. Players are throwing $400 a pop at the closer problem, only to see two or three new closers the very next week.
I'm a cheap ass both in real and fantasy life. I've never spent that kind of dough to cover one category.
I liken it to having a real life budget of $1000 and saying, 'SCREW IT, FORGET THE MORTGAGE, I'M SPENDING HALF OUR MONEY ON THERAPY!'...
While therapy may ease your mind and give you a little peace of mind, like the closer d' jour, most of us just need to suck it up and concentrate on the other 90 per cent of our world.

Real life Managers have changed. They want to add more influence to the game. It used to be that they knew the starters and in turn, most lineups were the same day after day. Now, Managers are putting 100% faith in lefty lefty or righty righty match ups, we see more platooning.
I'm amazed that with this, we have not seen closers as a whole, fade.
If I were Robin Ventura, I would have Santiago, Reed, and Thornton all throwing in the ninth inning. Reed for righties, Santiago and Thornton for lefties. I would think of all three as my 8-9 innings guys without a defined role and use them to get the best match ups possible.
But, for some reason, Managers are still like us. We need definition. Clarity. We want THE MAN coming out of the bull pen in the ninth inning. Until he is not THE MAN any more. Then, they get a NEW MAN.
It's a little silly. Marmol may lose his hold in Chicago. Rafael Dolis may become the NEW MAN. But, he has the same problem as the old man. A hard time getting the ball across the plate and that isn't at center stage. He is set up for failure. But, if named closer he will have faab money thrown his way.

This one category burns and churns through faab money like no other.
Closers are pole dancing and we put put $100 bills in their g-strings. Different only in that we get to take the girl home too.
Some will be kept.
And we'll get lap dances aplenty.
But, most will end up back at the club.
Like us.

[headhunters]

so- dusty- you would have 3 guys throwing every 9th inning of every save situation? that will get those arms in shape. also- who is pitching the 6th 7th and 8th?

[DOUGHBOYS]

so- dusty- you would have 3 guys throwing every 9th inning of every save situation? that will get those arms in shape. also- who is pitching the 6th 7th and 8th?

Not Dusty. Dusty would have the current best reliever/starter in baseball, setting up.
No, I said I would revolve those three around the 8/9 innings depending on need.

Amusing that managers think that relievers need defined roles, yet we see hitters hitting leadoff one day, third the next, and sixth the next.
If a hitter gets cold he's moved down the lineup.
If a closer gets cold, he keeps his job till the Manager can take no more.

I like the idea of two relievers throwing the first two or three innings to get through a lineup, then bringing in the starter to hopefully throw the rest of the game. Some teams should be doing this with their sub par fifth starters to give them more a chance to be in a game.
But, forward thinking is not what MLB is all about...

[DOUGHBOYS]

OR, they could just make Sale the closer!

What a wacky, wacky season for closers!

[Winston's Empire]

Good stuff as always Dough!