It's 2/3 over...do you know where your children are?

[Edwards Kings]

As I look back on the last four months of futility, I am forced once again to ask in this land of wolves and sheep, why is my hair once again curly? While I am sure many of you are appreciative of the annual monetary contribution I make, I myself had hoped to at least make more of a splash. After all, aren’t I the man who usually dominates all his buddies year in and year out, so I certainly should be a player in the NFBC, right? Or could it be that all my charm and good looks are not enough? There are some of us who have had good (really good) years, while struggling in others. Some (like my friends Tom Lord and Shawn Childs among others) seem to have success year over year. And then there is my class…perennial second- and third-division players. What is up with my team THIS year?



Pitchers



If I had to point to one area I sweated over in the last off-season, it would have to be starting pitchers and there I have had at least limited success. With two solid anchors (Haren, who is pitching over his head a bit, and Oswalt, who K rate is down again and will not be a target to be a repeat King next year), I went after a mix of up and comers and solid veterans to fill out my staff. In going for a staff of seven starters to use most of the year, several of the targets for the end of the rotation have paid off (Gorzelanny, Maddux, and O. Hernandez, also pitching over his head). While I did not target Jeff Francis, I did pick him up on a flyer in the draft and he has paid off nicely (I did target Adam Eaton, who did not, but I have not used him much). Those six has given me a very respectable (all numbers as of 7/31/07) 781.7 IP, 3.523 ERA, 122 GS, 54 W (44% W ratio), 552 K (a little low and hence my disappointment in Oswalt) and a 1.247 WHIP. Very strong overall in my opinion.



But then the wheels fall off when looking for the seventh member of the rotation. I wanted the seventh starter to give me a boost in W and K’s without (hopefully) hurting my ERA and WHIP. In the draft I targeted several pitchers which, as it turned out with the success of the end of the rotation, I had hoped will be solid in the middle. Of the three, Millwood, Freddy Garcia, and Padilla, none have helped (Garcia’s K rate/command was great, but he gave up a TON of hits). If one could have reasonably approached their past successes, I would have an A+ starting staff. As it is and although all of the pitchers that I have run through the seventh slot has given me 14 wins and 196 K’s in 263 IP, the 6.023 ERA and 1.696 WHIP brings my starters down to a B+ (at best).



With two slots left for relievers (closers), my choices there have been abysmal. Last year, closers literally fell into my lap and at one time I had four. This year, Huston Street was the only closer I came out of the draft with as some of my league mates were hoarding those types of arms. My analytical abilities came up short on those closers-in-waiting I was successful in getting (none panned out) and I lost out in the bidding/timing on the ones who have made a difference thus far in the season. As a result and with Street’s prolonged illness, I have nine saves. Definitely a failing grade here.



Hitting



Definitely not a pretty picture here. The Corner Men have not been the worst. Miguel Cabrera was my first round pick and he has produced very well. Per the ADP, I was able to pick up Youkilis later than anyone else and his slightly inflated average and power has been a plus, though they have moved him around a bit in the lineup and I was counting on him to score runs in bunches. He has not done bad, but he will do good to break 100. I had very high hopes for the third member, Edwin Encarnacion. His shocking lack of power (more SB than HR) has been a serious blow to my team. Overall, I imagine my CM are middle of the pack in whole, even with Cabrera.



For MI, one other player is having a career-type year in Edgar Renteria. A BA of .337, 71 R, 10 HR and 11 SB makes him a MI anyone would want. Freddy Sanchez is my 2B whom I panic-picked way too early. Decent BA is about all he brings to the table, though his power is starting to pick up (from none-existent to nearly none-existent). I gambled on Juan Uribe looking for power at the position hoping that the relative good BA’s of Renteria and Sanchez would even things out. Wrong. I picked up Jason Bartlett at a good time and he has given me a small boost in SB (which I am doing very poorly in) but little else. I would be generous if I claimed this group was middle of the pack as overall this is a good BA crowd, but they are helping me very little in the counting stats.



Catchers, whom I spent some higher draft picks on, have been a severe disappointment. A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Barrett, both of whom I had ranked fairly high in the preseason, are playing no where near their historical norms. Poor BA and poor counting stats are something I could handle if they were my 22nd and 23rd round picks, but as it is, I have been burned.



My most crushing disappointments have come in the OF. Anchored by Bay, Dye, Willingham and Freel, I thought I had a nice blend of up-and-comers with veterans as well as speed and power. Yes, I knew Freel would spend some time on the DL, but as a group Bay, Dye and Willingham have given me mediocre power (none may crack 30 HR), poor BA and mediocre counting stats given, with M. Cabrera, they were to be the core of my offense. To be kind, Brian Giles has not exceeded expectations for a fifth OFer.



As to UT, two words. Shea Hillenbrand. ‘Nuff said. Stairs, when he had the 1B job in Toronto was OK for me and I put Punto in for a while and he delivered a handful of SB, but overall I have not gotten any production out of this spot.



On offense, Cabrera, Renteria, and Youkilis have given me more than I expected. Most of the rest are playing at below career averages and expectations. As a result, I have the weakest offense in my league.



No conclusions yet as too how much of 2007 is bad luck (certainly) as opposed to lack of skill (certainly not!). As is often said, the view ain’t so great if you are not the lead dog, but as I fight for respectability this year, here is hoping the rest of you are enjoying this as I am even if the results are not what I expected.



[ August 01, 2007, 09:24 AM: Message edited by: Edwards Kings ]