NFBC XII- Conference Championships

[Doctor Who]

I have always enjoyed reading Wayne's blogs on his teams in the past and thought I would do the same this year with a NFBC VII team to give the contest a little more exposure from a guy that is not well known but wants to contribute more to the boards. So bear with me and my "experience" this season. Let's get to the draft and what I thought during the process, which is probably more wrong than right.

Round 1: Pick 9 Albert Pujols: I actually wanted the 6th pick in this draft so I could get the former Cardinal, and when I was given the 9th pick, I thought I had a 50-50 chance at best at getting him. I got lucky and got the guy that I wanted all winter long. He has some injury concerns, but has always been able to play through pain and is due for a huge year in my opinion now that he has some protection behind him. Sorta like how Miggy had a great year when the Tigers got Fielder for protection.

Round 2: Pick 4 Justin Verlander: I had actually never thought one of the big 3 would make it back to me in this spot, and never even considered taking a starting pitcher until round 5. When he fell to me, I had no choice to take what I consider to be the best SP available in the draft.

Round 3: Pick 9 Craig Kimbrel: I get one of my targets going in to the draft. My plan going in this year was to get him and Chapman together as I think they will be a huge edge because of all of their K's and that they the elite of the elite of closers. I saw closers being a risky investment (aren't they always?) this year even in the 2nd and 3rd tiers, so I decided to see if my strategy of taking both Kimbrel and Chapman would be a neat (maybe wrong...) strategy to try in this event. I'll call it the Elite Dual Closer strategy, as both Kimbrel and Chapman together will give me stats like an elite starting pitcher would give me, while getting me to the 85-90 save core a team needs to compete in the overall.

Round 4: Pick 4 Aroldis Chapman: When planning this strategy, I thought I could take Chapman in the 5th or 6th round, but after being in two earlier drafts where he went right after Kimbrel went, I was actually surprised he made it back to me. Now I could actually see if the strategy will be a genious move, or more likely, blow up in my face.

Round 5: Pick 9 Jered Weaver: I planned on grabbing Allen Craig or Billy Butler here but both were taken before my slot. I was however surprised Weaver was still on the board when other SP I had ranked lower went way ahead of him and couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to go with Dual aces along with Elite Dual Closer's. I now have a solid base for pitching.

Round 6: Pick 4 Aramis Ramirez: Aramis fell into my lap as well. 3B is a thin position this year with all the injuries and all the risks to begin with. Only thing I have to worry about is hoping Aramis' 35 year old body can stay healthy one more year. He fits what I am looking for as he helps the AVG and has some pop which is rare this year.

Round 7: Pick 9 Carlos Gomez: Seems like a popular pick around these parts and kinda reached to make sure I got him. He fits exactly what I wanted at this stage of the draft with speed and also helps out in the power department as well. If he had a 275 AVG or above, he would def be in the first 3 rounds of these drafts.

Round 8: Pick 4 Mike Napoli: Actually wanted Austin Jackson here but went right before this pick. With taking pitching early and often, I needed to get some big power at a position that doesn't really give it out. As long as Mike can stay healthy, I think him and the Green Monster are going to have some fun this summer.

Round 9: Pick 9 Hunter Pence: Another guy I targeted as I think he is underrated in these parts due to the poor showing after the trade to San Fran. I've watched Hunter play in Houston and saw him grow up. This guy is a competitor and always seems to find a way to accumulate stats. At the end of the day, you look up and there he is at the end of the year with stats that follow a middle of the order bat.

Round 10: Pick 4 Shane Victorino: The trio of outfielders I wanted is complete. This is another guy I think will love Boston atop that lineup. I think his AVG bounces back and gives me a little pop to go along with his speed.

Round 11: Pick 9 Chase Headley: My 2nd detour of the draft. I was looking to get Aybar or Escobar here and both went while I waited. When I saw Chase still there, I thought I could wait a month to get a guy, whether you think the power is real or not, that plays at a premium position and will bolster a lineup that needs power with all the early pitching I took. Seems like I was right on time, as all the injured guys (Grandy, Hanley) went before my next pick.

Round 12: Pick 4 Nelson Cruz: I was hoping to snatch Grandy here as I loved him before his injury early in March. Not a big fan of Cruz either, but the guy has power and will need to step up for Texas this year after the departure of Hamilton. I'm praying he can give me 150+ games this year.

Round 13: Pick 9 Roy Halladay: This is where all the closer's started to come off the board at an alarming rate. Halladay was never in my plans and actually don't know if this will be a good pick because I was more of a believer he was over the hill than a guy that can still pitch like a #2 or #3 for his team. I saw this more as a risk/reward pick that would be a fun way to either watch the misery up close or be shocked he was just fooling everyone! I'll take something in between for this price.

Round 14: Pick 4 Tim Lincecum: Again, risk/reward pick, and I'm more risky than others. I thought Roy needed a partner to see how many heart-attacks I could have during the 2013 season. If anything, it will keep me entertained to see if this is where I messed up this draft or whether it was a good call. Only 6 more months to find out... Hopefully.

Rounds 15-17 Coco Crisp, Corey Hart, Lance Berkman: Crisp gives me speed with a little pop that this team will need. Hopefully he can stay healthy. Corey Hart was not a planned pick, but just like Headley, knew I needed some power with the early pitching and is coming back in early May. The big Puma was a target for me this year. I've seen Berkman play in Houston and am a big believer in him. Why? Because of something he said on a radio station in Houston this off-season. Berkman admitted he needs to be on a contending team to get motivated. It kinda shows to if you have followed his career. With Texas going to contend this year, and he is back in his home state of Texas (a ton of Texas pride), I think he is due for a classic Berkman season in that park.

Rounds 18-20 CJ Wilson, AJ Pierzynski, Matt Harrison: My plan going into this draft was to get McCann, but didn't think I wanted to do that with all the DL players already on my bench. AJ kinda slid in the draft, and while I'm not a huge believer in that power staying, he plays in a good park and a good lineup to at least get some good counting stats. Wilson kinda slid to me as well, and thought he was a huge edge from what was left on the board of SP and wanted to keep that area an advantage from my earlier start. I also like Mr. Harrison and targeted him. He may be due for a ERA adjustment, but always goes deep into games to get decisions, and is Texas' ace. On this team, I think he fits perfectly.

Rounds 21-23 Marco Scutaro, Omar Infante, Andy Dirks: Got left out to dry in the middle of my infield. Hopefully my MI can play to get me some AVG, runs, and just enough SB and HR to not make it that huge of a negative. I like Dirks this year also, and was surprised to get him to fill in for my injured players I picked earlier.

Rounds 24-26 Mark Teixeira, Daniel Murphy, Jurikson Profar: Let the injury-riddled bench continue! Like I said earlier, I needed to take a few swings for power since I took pitching earlier than I thought I would. Whether Tex comes back enough to contribute is another thing. As you can see, I'm throwing darts on the board for my MI as I'm hoping to find lightning in a bottle.

Rounds 27-30 Vinnie Pestano, David Robertson, Justin Masterson, Jose Valverde: The closer hopefuls come on board, and trying to get lucky with one of them. I liked Masterson in spring training as he kept his walks down and is just a speculative play to see if he can return to form like he has shown in the past. We will see! Just like the closer hopefuls!

And there ya go. I actually love the team and loved how the draft fell to me. We will see if that was a good thing or a bad thing come September. I think my pitching is way more than what I expected to get, and as long as guys can get healthy and stay healthy, I like my offense a lot too as I was able to grab a core that I had targeted from the start. I am def. not the favorite to win with my resume the last 4 years, but hopefully my luck can change. I hope that I can entertain you by either being a disaster that has no clue what he is doing, or be a team to follow throughout the year that has a chance for something memorable. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I will try to emulate what Wayne does great every year as well as others.

[Doctor Who]

FAAB Week 1: Since we drafted the night before my beloved Astros won, I was able to know what I wanted and needed during the draft and not after, so did not make any moves or try to. I do have my eye on a couple of folks though.

Week 1 roster: Not a lot of choices on the hitting side for a bit as 4 out of my 7 bench spots are filled with DL guys or guys that are in AAA. Well that made my decisions easy.

I actually had a small decison to make with my pitching. I'm pretty much locked in with 8 out of my 9 pitchers, getting 2 starts from Weaver, Verlander, and Harrison. I thought about going with 3-4 IP from Pestano or Robertson, but just had a hunch and trust what I saw in Masterson over the spring, even though he is playing the high and mighty Toronto team across the border. He rewarded me with a win, so can't complain there. The fun begins today with Halladay and Lincecum ready to take the mound. As Samuel L. Jackson said in Jurrassic Park, "Hold on to your butts."

[PGromek]

Good read. thanks for posting.

your fate I think hinges on Halladay and Lincecum. You need a dominant pitching staff because your offense is light at the moment

It is easier to plug holes in the 12-teamers though.

I will be interested to see how this one plays out.

[Doctor Who]

Well I just spent an hour and a half with my first week writeup and it gets erased clicking on something on the message boards... Frustrating. Of course the one time I don't write it in Word and transfer over bites me in the butt. Too tired to redo all that work tonight, so will post it sometime tomm and write it up again.

[King of Queens]

NFBC VII + NFBC V = NFBC XII

[Doctor Who]

Haha, thanks. Now that I continue to look like an idiot, I'll be posting my week 1 results shortly. Thanks for pointing it out to me so I can change it.

[King of Queens]

Haha, thanks. Now that I continue to look like an idiot, I'll be posting my week 1 results shortly. Thanks for pointing it out to me so I can change it.

It was a good read -- thanks for posting!

Looking forward to the weekly write-ups.

[Doctor Who]

Take 2!

To get to the numbers at the end of the year, I follow Mr. Shawn Childs advice and try to get a .280 AVG, 44 runs, 12 Hr’s, 43 RBI’s, and 7.5 steals per week. I also aim for 4 wins, 4 saves, 55 k’s, a 3.40 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP. I also think that you need to get to around 300 at bats to have a chance to get those numbers. So how did week 1 go?

(288 AB) .287AVG, 37 Runs, 13 HR, 48 RBI’s, 4 SB

Well this past week was a mixed bag. I got my goals for AVG, HR’s, and RBI’s but was behind in SB and Runs. As expected it shows in the standings as I am in the top 4 in categories that I got my goals in and near the bottom in the categories that I was behind in. Pretty simple, eh?

The Aramis Ramirez injury hurts this team. I’m worried about the power for this team, even though I met that goal. Let’s face it, Coco isn’t going to have many more 3 HR weeks if at all, and neither is Daniel Murphy who helped with 2 himself. I need Coco and Gomez to start running a bit and my steals will catch up. I’m not really worried there… yet.

It looks like Napoli, Pujols, and Berkman are heating up. That looks good for my power this week, but I’m hoping that they get some help like I got this past week. We will see soon enough, but having a WW pickup in place for Aramis will hurt.

(62.2 IP) 5 Wins, 4 Saves, 3.68 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 70 K’s

These totals pretty much explain themselves in the standings as well. I met my goals for Wins, Saves, and K’s. I was way behind in WHIP, and a tad off on my ERA goal. What an interesting week for pitching though!

My elite closer strategy worked perfectly this week! Chapman and Kimbrel combined for 1 win, 4 saves, 0.00 ERA, and a 0.50 WHIP with 9 K’s. Not a bad week! By going two closers who can give me strikeouts like a starter, I blew my K’s goal out of the water with 70, good for 2nd in my league.

Masterson proved to me that sometimes spring stats do count for something. He wasn’t walking as many in spring training and that carried over and proved to be my staff ace this week with 2 wins, 13 K’s, and a 0.69 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

Verlander, Weaver, and Wilson all gave me unimpressive numbers, but numbers that won’t “kill” me. They definitely need to be better going forward though since I spent early round picks on them. I’m also hoping Weaver can get back from his injury he suffered Sunday, so he can pitch against my lowly Astros. Harrison though, did KILL me this week. Everything Masterson gave me, Harrison took it all back. I’m hoping he can fix his problems in Seattle, otherwise he might be riding the pine soon.

Now to two of the weirdest starts I have seen in a while. AND they both happened on the same day. If I would have told you Halladay had 9 strikeouts out of his first 10 outs, you would have been regretting not picking him up! But he was only able to get 10 outs his whole outing because when he wasn’t striking people out, he was getting lit up and couldn’t get anyone out. His velocity was a bit up from spring training so I guess I can take something out of it but so far I’ll mark it down as a FAILED start.

Lincecum followed that start with a win and 0.00 ERA. Once again, you would be jealous that I got him so late. But he walked 7 and mixed in 4 hits in only 5 frames for a 2.00 WHIP. I’m hoping he can get those walks fixed this week. But once again, he will get an “F” for this start.

Overall though, this team gave me an average week. Not bad, not good, and definitely room for improvement. It currently sits in 5th place with 73 overall points, 13.5 out from the leader.

FAAB Week 2- Only one major hole to look for in FA this week. I desperately need to find a 3B to fill in for Aramis while he is on the shelf. I get my man in Greg Dobbs and paid $16 for him… $15 more than I should have. I like Dobbs as a replacement because he is hitting 4th behind Stanton and has shown a little life while he himself is a replacement. I don’t need him long-term of course, just enough until one of my injured 3B can come back from injury.

I also don’t have to worry about bidding 277 on Jim Henderson (let the closer carousel begin!) due to having the two best on my team. That in itself is a change of pace not worrying about how much to bid on a what-if. Speaking of what-ifs, my last pick of draft, Jose Valverde signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers and might get a second chance. I’m hoping he does. Obviously.

Week 3 Lineup notes- Don’t have much choice on switching batters in or out as I have 5 guys now on my bench that are on the DL or in minors. I plug in Dobbs for Ramirez and hope some guys get it going this week. As for pitching, Wilson, Lincecum, Halladay all have two-steps. Hopefully Weaver gets to pitch against the lowly Astros and doesn’t miss a start. I’m taking a chance though that he doesn’t.

[Doctor Who]

Week 3 Results

(289 AB) .301 AVG, 39 Runs, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 7 SB

When you have a .301 AVG, you expect to have a great week. But this week was hardly a good week. I only met my goals in AVG and SB, but came far short in Runs, RBI’s, and HR. My stars this past week continued to be Coco Crisp who had an amazing week before getting hurt as he single handily met my SB goal with 4 SB. He has carried this team offensively thus far this season. Pujols continues to heat up, now only if he would start hitting some bombs with those doubles. When I look across my hitters, I just don’t see where it went wrong other than the power department. Only 3 hitters batted under .278. I hoping that the hitting continues this week, but they have runners on and guys that will score them while they are on base. I’m crossing my fingers for a big week, because I need it to just stay with the pact.

As far as how I did this week compared to my league, I was 2nd in steals and batting average, once again proving that if I meet the goals each week, it will lead to a favorable place in the standings. I was dead last in HR, and surprisingly middle of the pact in RBI’s and Runs.

(54.1 IP) 4 Wins, 4 Saves, 3.975 ERA, 1.178 WHIP, 43 K’s

This week was a disaster for me pitching wise. I chanced that Weaver would be able to come back and pitch against the Astros and was rewarded with him being on the shelf for a long while. Then Matt Harrison decided he was having back problems and also would not make his start. So already, I knew I was down two starters for the week and there was nothing I could do about it. There goes the advantage in strikeouts that I planned.

First, my elite closer strategy somehow bailed me out again this week. I got my 4 saves I needed, even with Chapman only pitching 1/3 of an inning all week. Thank you Craig Kimbrel, who showed he is still lights out!

Justin Masterson continues to be the ace staff and got a lucky win with a 9th inning walkoff from Swisher. Thanks buddy! Meanwhile, Verlander came out to play and gave me one of his starts that I expect out of him.

The only reason I was able to get my 4 wins goal this week, was because of 3 pitchers who had 2 starts this week. First, CJ Wilson was average but got me a win and contributed with 25% of my strikeouts. Then there were the two former aces trying to find their way. How did they do this week? Once again, mixed results but signs of improvement that could lead to something. Halladay showed his former self Sunday, even though it was against the lowly Marlins without their big slugger. Lincecum also had some quality innings where I can see I breakthrough coming soon. He is starting to locate the fastball better and hopefully that gets him so mojo back.

This week, I met my goals in Wins, Saves, and WHIP, but lost a lot of ground on strikeouts. I’ll hope to get that back over the year. Overall this week, I ended up in 5th place for the week with 69.5 points For the year, I am in 6th place with 70.0 Points.

FAAB Week 3 Results: I was very active in FA this week due to all the injuries that bit me this past week. I decided that Dobbs wasn’t cutting it at 3B while Headley gets back into the lineup later in the week. Thank goodness he is coming back as my whole bench is full of DL players. I pick up Chris Johnson for $14 and once again go unchallenged.

Also, with Coco Crisp banged up this weekend, I decided that I couldn’t chance the zeroes and decided to get a replacement. I was kind of surprised to get John Buck for $33, and also have no one even bid on him other than me. I know he isn’t going to keep this up forever, but is batting 4th and playing in Coors this week. I’m hoping he can continue to rake, even just for one more week, as he is more of a short-term replacement than a long-term guy.

Next, I had to get address the the two injured SP’s. I tried to get Jose Fernandez, but knew I wouldn’t get him. He went for 414 in my league, my bid was only 222. I did however once again vastly overpay for the top 2 SP out there that I liked best. I got Barry Zito for $56 (2nd bid was $11) and Jhoulys Chacin for $24 (2nd bid was $1). I think both of these guys have pitched well not only this season, but the end of last season and have always been favorites of mine since a few years ago. Zito has two starts this week also as an added bonus.

Week 4 Lineup notes: I put in Buck for Crisp at the UTIL spot and Chris Johnson will take Dobbs place in the lineup until Headley can get in there to replace him. Other than that, I’m staying the course as these guys will start to put up the numbers I expect them to sooner or later.

My pitching also stays the same, as I replace my two injured starters with Zito and Chacin. I’m still waiting for that “BIG” week on the pitching side. I don’t know if it will be this week, but I’m feeling it is coming soon. We’ll see if I’m right.

See ya next week!

[Doctor Who]

Week 4 Results

The crowd is chanting!!!! FIRST PLACE, FIRST PLACE, FIRST PLACE!!!

(271 AB’S) 42 RUNS, 9 HR, 41 RBI’S, 6 SB’S, .280 AVG

Well it looks like my offense is a little light. I’m desperately needing to find some kind of power and hope some of the DL guys come to save the day before the hole is too deep. Headley is back, THANK GOD! He will hopefully add some power. Some guys are starting to get hot, but the HR’s are not there. I keep expecting a huge week offensively, but the wait is beginning to feel like waiting with your girl to see if she is pregnant or not…

Chris Johnson filled in nicely this week, it’s a shame that Freeman is coming back because Chris is hot at the moment but wont get the consistent AB’s to sustain it. I really need Aramis to get healthy and come back already. Berkman taking the Cubs series off hurt also. Should have saw that coming but was hoping he would at least play 1 if not 2.

I’m realizing now that after Scutaro and Infante has been in horrible slumps this week, that I may need to somehow find some power up the middle.

This team has hit pretty well over the course of the year, but the counting stats haven’t really been where I want them to be. I can’t tell yet if it is a flaw in the team, or just some slow starters and I will make up the counting stats by the end of the year when it all said and done. I’m just happy I had a huge day Sunday to maybe be the start of that week I’ve been looking for.

(53.1 IP) 5 WINS, 2 SAVES, 3.60 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 60 K’S

This week’s pitching felt like hearing Marv Albert say “He’s heating up.” On NBA JAM. Don’t look now, but Doc Halladay and Ole Timmy are starting to heat up and putting some good performances back to back. They gave me a combined 2 wins, 14 K’s, and some great ratios that are vintage Soc and Timmy. This team really needs them to continue that to make up in ERA and WHIP quick.

Masterson came back to earth this week, but he has a bit of a leash on this team, due to the fact of his great start and kind of my favorite on this team.

The two FA pickups this week gave me mixed results. Chacin was awesome, and as long as that oblique doesn’t act up could be in his vintage form and would be huge to start in those pitchers parks. Zito blew up, and got a “Zito-dickpunch.” I still think he could be used as a good spot starter and is worth owning, but I assume I’m in the minority after this week since he now got his own terminology. He is going to have his off-nights but certainly is worth owning in my opinion.

The elite closers continue to dominate, even though this is the first week they didn’t make their saves goal. But in 5.2 IP, they gave me 11k’s, 2 saves and elite ratios along with a win.

Overall this team sits in 1ST with 79.0 points, 1.5 points ahead of 2nd.

FAAB Week 5- Matt Harrison being out until the all-star break hurts but I just can’t hold onto him that long. I’m sure someone will stash him, but don’t really know if he is worth stashing. I pick up Mike Leake for $10. He has been a personal favorite of mine of the years and has 2 starts this week.

With Chris Johnson about to lose playing time, it was time to get someone to fill in at the UTIL spot while guys get healthy, since Dirks is just not cutting it. I was lucky enough to get Travis Hafner for $37. I don’t know if he is back or not, but I’m gonna ride it out.

Week 5 Lineup Thoughts- Have some favorable pitching matchups this week and need to take advantage. The team really needs to be elite and needs to be elite against teams that aren’t playing the best baseball right now. Hitters mainly stay the same, but Headley has taken his spot at 3B and will now be starting at UTIL this week.

[Edwards Kings]

Nice write-up. I enjoy your blog. We share many of the same players from my Auction League roster. Nice to see another perspective.

[Doctor Who]

Sorry a bit late this week. Better late than never. Busy week to start down here in Houston!

Week 5 Results

(316 AB) .266AVG, 46 Runs, 10 HR, 45RBI’s, 3SB

Well I finally got the AB’s I’ve been looking for even with Dirks not batting once for me. I generally am more patient than most when it comes to hitting and it gets rewarded more times than not. Infante had a horrible week last week but hit .571 this week. He was definitely my MVP for the week.

I’m getting the counting stats in runs and RBIs but I still have yet to reach my goal in HR’s. I’m starting to get a little worried about SB’s as well. The guys I expected to be running aren’t. Plain and simple. Cruz, Napoli, and Gomez lead the charge as being my hot hitters that are the base of my offense right now. I just need some guys to get healthy and this team might could catch up in a few areas. Victorino going down this week, really hurts as OF is one of the few places I can’t really find a good replacement for, which is shocking!

(57.1 IP) 2 Wins, 3 Saves, 3.767 ERA, 1.465 WHIP, 63 K’s

This week was kind of a mixed bag all around. First off, Kimbrel is human! I know that will shock some of you. It was my first moment being pissed off this year because of a blown save, then remembered it could be way worse… Can’t do anything about their teams not giving them chances and Chapman was shutdown as always this week. He has been amazing. So far, I’m loving my strategy of not having to worry week to week about closers. Crossing my fingers nothing bad happens.

Speaking of human, Masterson has come back to Earth. I’m a more patient guy than most but my patience is waning. We will give him one more go this week to earn his paycheck.

My pickup of Leake was what everyone else expected but me, merely average to below average for his two starts.

The Lincecum/Halladay week went great. I thought Halladay was on his way back until his blowup tonight, but I’m gonna try to live in the past and pretend tonight was only a hiccup…

Wilson and Zito both had crappy starts, even though I got a win from Wilson. Overall, my pitching was a huge disappointment for me this week when I thought I had some good matchups.

After a bad week my team drops to 2nd in my league. 73.5 points, 1 point out from first.

FAAB Week 6- Well the closer strategy saved me 401 bucks on Valverde. I decided to go cheap this week as I liked my pitching and my hitting only needed a replacement OF for Victorino. I got Nate Schierholtz for $3. I also picked up Lucas Harrell for $2 for his 2 starts this week. Total gut play as he has pitched well except one start. So far Harrell did really well in his first one.

Week 5 Lineup Thoughts- Halladay, Harrell, and Verlander all have 2 starts this week. 2/3 so far have been worth it. Benched Victorino because didn’t want to take the chance he sat all week and so far have been right. Much rather would have liked to be wrong though. Also sat Pierzynski because he was facing tougher pitching and lefty’s early in the week. John Buck will get a few AB’s this week.

[Doctor Who]

Week 6 Results

(308 AB) .282 AVG 45 Runs, 14 HR’S, 44 RBI’S, 10 SB

The explosion was not meant for the offense as this team got every single one of its goals this week for the first time. Carlos Gomez led the way with a huge week this week and is this week’s MVP. Scutaro came back with a vengeance and had a .500 batting AVG with 7 runs. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by the offense that is injured this month.

To date, I have my .280 AVG overall that I want and lead the league in batting AVG. I’m slightly behind in Runs as I am around 11 runs less than what I should be right now. If I had those 11 runs I would be close to first, so Shawn seems to be dead on the numbers you need to be in the top 3. I’m also 11 HR’s behind what I should be at and of course would be in the top 3 if I had them. I’m 10 RBI’s away from where I need to be at and that would get me into top 3. I’m 8 SB’s behind my projections and would have lead me into the top 3. Overall I have 44 points and am no less than 6th in any category. Just one huge week from everyone would help me catch up in those categories. But to be honest, my batters have done exactly what was expected of them.

(58.1 IP) 4 Wins, 3 Saves, 6.789 ERA, 1.749 WHIP, 53 K’s

You guessed it. The above picture is for my pitching. For the first time all year, I don’t get to any of my goals in pitching. This was the first week in where I cussed pretty much every night. I needed a big week already, now I need two big weeks to get back in the picture on the pitching side. This was supposed to be my strength and now has become a major weakness very fast. (Can you see I’m starting to freak out a bit?)

My elite closers were far from elite this week and now are showing kinks in the armor. I did get 3 saves, but the Reds gave 2 saves to a Hoover vacuum rather than my boy Chapman. I’m getting behind in saves so I may have to start looking for that 3rd guy soon.

I’ll start with my boy and recent FA pickup Lucas Harrell. He had a decent start in his first one and then blew up in his 2nd. It was nice knowing you. I should have known better… Masterson, Zito, and Wilson all were very average if not below average this week and didn’t help recoup anything by the blowups of the rest of the group. Lincecum couldn’t save me as he blew up late in his game.

Onto Roy Halladay. It’s a shame. His worst 2 starts in his career back to back. Now onto the DL shortly. Hopefully it’s not a long term injury and he can get right. I took him when I didn’t plan on taking him and now am paying for it. He single handily has ruined my pitching. The sad part at this point is I need him. I need him to at least be average if he can’t be good.

I can’t even celebrate Justin Verlander this week. He got me 2 wins, .643 ERA, .786 WHIP and 17 K’s. Just think what my pitching would have looked like if I didn’t have him.

Taking a look at where I’m at overall where I need to be with pitching has me biting my nails. I’m actually dead on where I need to be in wins with 20, but am 8 behind the leader. I’m 4 saves behind where I need to be, and 10 saves behind the leader. Really need my closers to get chances and step up otherwise will have to find a closer fast. With 289 K’s, I’m actually ahead of my projection by 14 K’s, but 21 K’s behind the leader. I’m dead last in ERA and WHIP. I targeted 3.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP as top 3 and they would be, but with a 4.35 ERA and 1.399 WHIP. I’m going to need a lot of quality starts to get where I want to be. I only have 28 overall points and the targets I’m on target in I’m top 3. The others, well I’m far from it.

FAAB Week 7- Only one move this week. I’m drawing straws at this point and need as many starts as I can get to get lucky maybe. I pick up Bronson Arroyo for 17 bucks unopposed for Lucas Harrell. Hopefully his 2 starts go great and help my climb in ERA and WHIP go faster than it should.

Week 7 lineup notes- Hafner and Berkman head to the bench since they are unlikely to play in the national league parks the first half of the week. Coco went to the DL so he is out. Buck goes in, and Aramis goes back in even though he only has 2 games the first part of the week. What crappy scheduling by MLB this year to have so many 2 game series with 2 off days in between. Arroyo and Chacin go in for Harrell, who was dropped, and Halladay goes to the bench with a DL stint likely.

[Edwards Kings]

Assuming you mean Halladay, have him as well in my Auction League. Already circling the drain and this on might finish the job. Sucks.

[Doctor Who]

Yea Wayne, it truly did blow up my pitching. Just a terrible week and polar opposites of each other when you look at my batting. Can't even celebrate it. I really hope there is a way out of this after a month. I'm still 3rd, 7 points out of 1st but it seems so far away when you keep getting starts like that.

[Doctor Who]

Week 7 Results (3rd place with 73 points- 8.5 out of 1st)

(294 AB) .299 AVG 41 Runs, 12 HR’S, 39 RBI’S, 4 SB

The at bats were a bit short this week due to Pierzynski joining my DL bench, which is probably why my runs and RBI’s were a bit short this week. John Buck shouldn’t have lasted this long on my team, but sticks around due to the injury. He is getting close to a drop. Infante and Scutaro continue to do what is expected out of them with high avg and runs weeks. Nothing special, just their job. Daniel Murphy has been struggling for weeks now, but just don’t know how I can get him out of the lineup. Despite Schierholtz’s .235 AVG, he has proved to be a good investment with the 5 RBI’s, HR, and 3 runs he put up this week. Overall this week, everyone had a good not great week, with only a few stragglers. The offense just continues to chug along doing good not great, which is really how I planned this offense to do. I just need that pitching to start holding their own!

(67.1 IP) 3 Wins, 3 Saves, 3.475 ERA, 1.351 WHIP, 70 K’s

Back to my average pitching week. I really need to start having exceptional weeks, but it is nice not to get blown to shreds like last week. Bronson Arroyo proved to be decent, has he had a great start and a not so good one, but overall got me 12 K’s a win, and okay ratio’s. Wilson followed right behind him with similar stats.

My closers Chapman and Kimbrel continue to show a kink in the armor getting 3 saves for the week, but not so great ratios. Really need them to start stepping up for my strategy to work.

Zito and Lincecum both had very fine weeks, it is a shame I only got 1 win out of the 3 starts on that Giants team. Masterson looks as though he might be back to the first couple of weeks as he had a good start himself.

Chacin and Verlander decided they were going to have horrible whips this week. At this point, I’m getting desperate. Weaver should be back by the end of the month, but I really need a WOW week from everyone all at the same time. I believe I have the pitchers to do it, they just need to all be clicking at the same time. That isn’t too much to ask for is it?

FAAB Week 8- Only one move this week. And it is a big one. I overpaid by almost 250, but in other leagues it looked like an appropriate bid. I decided I needed to jump in the closer carousel. I land Heath Bell for $328. I see Hernandez go for half of that and I guess I just don’t get why. To me, it looks like Putz may be out awhile, even if he doesn’t need surgery. Bell looks like he has regained his old form out west of being just good enough to be a closer on a team. Hernandez is probably the better pitcher, but I think just like Jansen, they would rather use him in key spots than let him only do the 9th innings. If I’m right, it will be huge for this club that has fallen behind in saves and could use the points to catch up and get back into the race for first. I'll be hoping for a lot of these meetings soon...



Week 8 lineup notes- Nothing really big here. Buck stays in for A.J. even though he has been atrocious. May be dumb, but going with Hafner over Berkman at the DH spot because Hafner has the extra game and is playing in a better ballpark for offense. We will see if that comes back to bite me. Bell comes in to give me 3 closers at once. I might fall behind in K’s but hoping for a big week in saves to help me get back up there and not sacrifice K’s too much. I decide to sit Chacin at home against the Giants. My motto for this week is WITH ALL OF OUR POWERS COMBINED!!!!!!

[Doctor Who]

Week 8 Results (3rd place with 71.5 points- 11.5 out of 1st)

(305 AB) .285 AVG 47 Runs, 8 HR’S, 37 RBI’S, 7 SB

This week, nobody really stood out offensively. The offense keeps trucking along being good, not great. At this point though, I am starting to think I need them to be great as my only chance. Napoli has cooled and Buck definitely needs to get out of the lineup ASAP. Pierzynski comes back Tuesday, so will look to get him back in starting this weekend. My outfield also has gone cold, and is really the focal point of this offense. Really hope they get it going this week. At this point, I don’t know if Corey Hart was a good pickup for me as he just keeps getting pushed back on his return date. Mark Teixeira seems like he will be good to go at the start at June, just have to figure out where to play him when he comes back.

(56.2 IP) 4 Wins, 5 Saves, 4.447 ERA, 1.412 WHIP, 56 K’s

I give up. I have completely worn out my wall during Halladay and Lincecum starts. I was so dumb to alter my plan mid-draft for these two guys thinking that my heart knew more than my mind. I kept waiting for them to go back to half of what they were and every time I am disappointed. Well now I’m done. Screw’em.

Speaking of getting on my nerves, Mr. Chapman better get his act together quick for the enormous price I spent for him. Had a chance for 3 saves this week and blew all of them. Bell proved to be a worthy investment so far, and hopefully it continues. I have to get a good run on saves going to get back to my plan of having 7 starters. Kimbrel is back to be his freakish self, and it couldn’t have come any sooner.



My two stars this week was Masterson and Arroyo. 23.2 IP with a 0.00 ERA!!!! What I needed and prayed for!!! I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Basically 3 perfect starts between the two. Too bad, Lincecum, VERLANDER, and Zito ruined that. Thanks guys!

FAAB Week 8- Only one move this week. It seems to be a theme for this team. Let me go with last year’s pitchers. Vogelsong gets picks up for his two starts for $7. He has really struggled this year, but I’m gonna cross my fingers hoping he can get his butt in gear and start to get back on track. We will find out soon enough, but knowing how this team has gone, I’ll probably get two horrible starts to ruin my ERA and WHIP more.

Week 8 lineup notes- Nothing really big here. Offense stays the same for now, with AJ coming back for the weekend. Vogelsong’s 2 starts going in for Zito. Here goes nothing. Can I please get one good pitching week for once!!!!!