Random Thoughts

[DOUGHBOYS]

Just a few thoughts...

Jose Bautista, for a long time, has been a player that most other players in baseball, don't care for.
Bautista found out that Major League clubs did not want to deal with his personality when he put his talents up for bid...
And nobody bid.
Now that Bautista is on his career downhill slide, baseball needs a new player to take over as being 'the ass of baseball'
Well, baseball doesn't 'need' a guy like this, but inevitably it happens.
And the guy that takes over must be talented.
I mean, it's no fun hating a guy like Daniel Descalso. Descalso has enough problems staying in baseball and keeps his nose clean.

Know it or not, we already have Bautista's replacement.
He has been grooming himself in getting in minor skirmishes over the last couple of years.
Manny Machado.
If it were any other player but Bautista or Machado, the Red Sox would have already forgotten about Machado's slide into Pee Wee Pedroia last week.
But, it is Machado.
And they'll never forget.

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Are there many members of the American WBC team having a great start to the season?
Danny Duffy, Jonathon Lucroy, Buster Posey, Alex Bregman, Sam Dyson, and Eric Hosmer have not come near to past numbers. And that's being nice. Most, struggling mightily.
Are they better off than Drew Smyly, JA Happ, Brandon Crawford, or Sonny Gray who have, or are playing with injuries?
I believe WBC participants, in the future, will at the least, take a hit when it comes to pondering players for a fantasy platform.

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Trea Turner and Gary Sanchez have spoiled it for short term player expectations.
We expect excellence and we want it now.
What about Aaron Judge?
Turner and Sanchez have Judge at a disadvantage.
Those two only had to be wonderful for a couple of months.
Season over and BAM! they are household names.
Judge is starting at the beginning of the season. He is in for the six month stretch.
If April were September, Judge could have been a first or second rounder the following year.
We get to judge Judge over six months.
Surely, he will see slumps and times where the pitchers find a hole over the extended time.
At the same time, some are predicting a home run title THIS YEAR for Judge.
Iit is a lot easier being in Turner and Sanchez shoes.
They didn't have to go through what Judge will soon see.
180 days of hearing, "How long do you expect this to last?" Every day, two or three times a day.
It'll wear on Judge. It would wear on anybody.
He has handled it wonderfully, but we are not even to the heat of Summer as yet.

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By the way, what has happened to Sanchez and Turner?
Sanchez has as many homers in the minors as the Majors this year. One.
Turner has proven that he can hit at Coors this year. Most of his rbi, runs, and both homers half of his hits, have come at Coors in a three game series.

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Most reading this own several fantasy teams. When owning several fantasy teams, the time put into each team dwindles.
We begin to avoid FAAB teams. We let go of non-contending teams in August to focus more on cash teams.
It is with this thought in mind that I believe the Draft Championship format should be tweaked.
Draft Championships make owning fantasy teams easier. There is no FAAB.
But now, with so many owners owning so many teams, the Draft Championships should help us further.
Lineups should be best lineup by computer.
It would save us the time to deal with lineups every Monday and Friday.
We invested $150 into these teams. Draft Championships are mock drafts with skin.
Most NFBC'ers have teams that are more highly regarded than these DC's.
It could also mean more teams for the NFBC.
Less work more teams.

As said, just thoughts....

Edit for typo's

[KJ Duke]

Why is Machado disliked?

To get to optimal lineups, the switch would have to be made to points scoring ... I don't see that happening as successful as the DC's have become. However, I wouldn't mind a switch back to once-a-week roster changes for DCs.

... but a separate optimal-DC contest should be offered, maybe as standalone leagues to start.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Machado has rubbed many players the wrong way.
He got into a few muchismo moments with Josh Donaldson two years ago.
Last year, Yordano Ventura and him went round and round.
This year, it's the Red Sox.
Those are the public squabbles.
Like Bautista, Machado goes a little too far out of his way to make life miserable for his counterparts.
Maybe 10 years from now, he will find his own Rougned Odor.

Yes, another DC contest with optimal scoring would make for exceptional choices for NFBC drafters.
In that contest, I would like to see the 'carrot' taken away for the most part.
Put more money into league prizes, less emphasis on the Overall.
Just to switch it up a bit and see what the amount of signups reveal.

[headhunters]

on the sox and orioles- i blame buck,manny and that goofy ump that threw out gausman. dear buck and manny- if sale wanted to hit him- he would have it him. a foot behind him? please. get a grip. buck is from the tony larussa camp- we will always have the last word- and it will never die. fun for us though.

[KJ Duke]

Ken Giles took a blown save after coming in with the bases loaded and none out in the ninth inning Friday against the Angels. Why A.J. Hinch let starter Dallas Keuchel load the bases before finally yanking him in the ninth is anyone's guess. Not only did Giles have to deal with that mess, but Mike Trout was the man up when he entered the game. Trout hit the first of three singles that Giles gave up on his way to blowing the save. He at least preserved the tie, so the blown save shouldn't be held against him by Hinch. Really, the blown save should be credited to Hinch instead.

Nominee for dumbest rotoblurb of the year: Closer comes in with 4-run lead, gives up 3 hits, one of which scores along with all inherited runners but did not "deserve" blown save. Then ends up credited with a Win for his 9.00 era 3.00 whip, one-inning performance. No mention of W above, so apparently that was well-deserved.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Ken Giles took a blown save after coming in with the bases loaded and none out in the ninth inning Friday against the Angels. Why A.J. Hinch let starter Dallas Keuchel load the bases before finally yanking him in the ninth is anyone's guess. Not only did Giles have to deal with that mess, but Mike Trout was the man up when he entered the game. Trout hit the first of three singles that Giles gave up on his way to blowing the save. He at least preserved the tie, so the blown save shouldn't be held against him by Hinch. Really, the blown save should be credited to Hinch instead.

Nominee for dumbest rotoblurb of the year: Closer comes in with 3-run lead, gives up 3 hits, did not "deserve" blown save. And he ends up credited with a Win for his 9.00 era 3.00 whip, one-inning performance. No mention of that above, so apparently IT was well-deserved.

Agreed.
If Hinch had taken Keuchel out and a reliever had left the bases full for Giles, it is still the same scenario.
Giles job is to close out teams for a Save. Period.
What led up to that Save op is of no matter.
This writer failed.