Look at all these people on the boards!

[CC's Desperados]

Originally posted by The Franchise:

quote:Originally posted by CC's Desperados:

We can knock out another 10 pages of chat tonight! You might need to lay off the Pepsi. Too much caffeine late at night could lead to you giving up all your secrets. [/QUOTE]I have the Vu up...I wanted knock out some of this team stuff tonight.

[Raskol]

Shawn, I have a problem. I can't lay off of Axford in the 10th-12th rounds. How much is my treatment going to cost?

[KJ Duke]

Originally posted by Raskol:

Shawn, I have a problem. I can't lay off of Axford in the 10th-12th rounds. How much is my treatment going to cost? You're having visions of Rollie Fingers. Take two Prozac and don't fall asleep with MLB classic games playing on TV.

[CC's Desperados]

Originally posted by Raskol:

Shawn, I have a problem. I can't lay off of Axford in the 10th-12th rounds. How much is my treatment going to cost? I think a girl named Lizzy with an Ax would do the trick!

[Raskol]

Well, I tried both of these excellent suggestions, but now I'm wired like Microsoft from the Prozac and my wife is wondering who the chick with the blade is.



Would you Sai To get some insurance later on if I can't cure my Ax problem?

[CC's Desperados]

Originally posted by Raskol:

Well, I tried both of these excellent suggestions, but now I'm wired like Microsoft from the Prozac and my wife is wondering who the chick with the blade is.



Would you Sai To get some insurance later on if I can't cure my Ax problem? Maybe the Brewers can save you from the hanging and add a closer. Axman did alright last year just don't overpay when you are carrying Wood around!

[King of Queens]

Originally posted by CC's Desperados:

quote:Originally posted by Raskol:

Shawn, I have a problem. I can't lay off of Axford in the 10th-12th rounds. How much is my treatment going to cost? I think a girl named Lizzy with an Ax would do the trick! [/QUOTE]I think I found her!

[CC's Desperados]

Looks like I might have to take one for the team!

[Raskol]

I think we'd all like to help out Ms. Axe, but there's business at hand.



Dunn--over/under on HR & AVG?



Weeks--over/under on SB?



BOS Catchers--who gets the most PT and are any of them rosterable?



BJ Upton--top of the order this year or stuck in the bottom again?

[The Franchise]

Originally posted by Raskol:

I think we'd all like to help out Ms. Axe, but there's business at hand.



Dunn--over/under on HR & AVG?



Weeks--over/under on SB?



BOS Catchers--who gets the most PT and are any of them rosterable?



BJ Upton--top of the order this year or stuck in the bottom again? 40 .260



15



Tek. If Salty stinks up the joint, yes.



Lead off or 3 hole





My last name is not Childs though.....

[CC's Desperados]

Originally posted by Raskol:

I think we'd all like to help out Ms. Axe, but there's business at hand.



Dunn--over/under on HR & AVG?



Weeks--over/under on SB?



BOS Catchers--who gets the most PT and are any of them rosterable?



BJ Upton--top of the order this year or stuck in the bottom again? 43 and .245



30



Double down



Can you say, "Hell Ya"?

[CC's Desperados]

The Royals don't win 60 games this year. They may have the worst starting staff in major league history.

[751542]

yeah but...they are going to be in the playoffs in 2 years....rrriiiiiigggghhhhhhhhttttttt

[CC's Desperados]

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

yeah but...they are going to be in the playoffs in 2 years....rrriiiiiigggghhhhhhhhttttttt Their minor league pitchers are two years away. I'll go with .500 in 2015.



[ January 08, 2011, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: CC's Desperados ]

[LONG GONE]

I'll take the over on the 2015 Royals Childs.

[Raskol]

Record setting rotation (in a bad way)...check

new position players everywhere...check

my belief in Billy Butler to deliver...not



Name That Tune for the first Royal to go in drafts this year:

[Ando]

Soria!

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay Doughboys, entertain the folks. We have 115+ people on the boards looking for some information, so get your band together (Shawn, Nelson, Emory!!) and start talking about players. You can help me out until I get the official statement to post. C'mon, let's do it. Baseball talk will start here soon.

[CC's Desperados]

Outlook: The Orioles are in for a long season. They have some talent in their starting lineup, but the starting staff is full of question marks. They added a big time power bat to their starting lineup in Mark Reynolds. He was acquired in a trade with Arizona for David Hernandez (P) and Kam Mickolio (P). They also made an upgrade at SS by trading for JJ Hardy. The Orioles signed Derek Lee to a one year contact. With addition of Lee, they are going to score some runs. Over the long haul, they don’t have enough depth in their rotation to win consistently. I could see them playing well for a good portion of the year, but one dry spell by their starters and a weak bullpen will leave them short in the win department. Baltimore signed Kevin Gregg. He may very end being the closer this year.



Starting Lineup: (1/1/2011)



1-Brian Roberts (2B)

2-Nick Markakis (RF)

3-Derek Lee (1B)

4-Mark Reynolds (1B)

5-Adam Jones (CF)

6-Luke Scott (DH)

7-Matt Wieters (C)

8-JJ Hardy (SS)

9-Felix Pie (LF)



Hitting Bench: Nolan Reimold had Achilles surgery in 2009. It hurt him in 2010 and his mobility could be a problem going forward. The Orioles talked about playing him at 1B in September 2010. He will most likely split time with Felix Pie to start the year, but his bat may be more advanced than Josh Bell so first base could be an option. Robert Andino will be the utility infielder. Jake Fox will be the backup catcher and see some playing time at 1B, OF, and DH. With the Derek Lee signing, Brandon Snyder and Josh Bell compete for backup role. Snyder’s power has yet to develop and he looks like he could use another year at AAA. Josh Bell had 2 walks and 53 K’s in 159 major league at bats so he’s far from a sure thing. His power is there, but he needs a better approach at the plate.



Starting Rotation:



1-Jeremy Guthrie

2-Brian Matusz

3-Chris Tillman

4-Jake Arrieta

5-Brad Bergeson



Other options: Zackary Britton, Rick Vandenhurk, Jason Berken, Troy Patton



Jeremy Guthrie pitched well in the 2nd half of 2010. He’s nice arm, but he’s only a 4th or 5th starter on a good team. There’s good chance he gets moved mid season. Matusz pitched well at times last year, but it was tough to trust him after the All Star break. He should improve, but he has limited upside due to the team. Tillman has some talent, but he had trouble making the next step to the big leagues. I could see him having a nice 7 or 8 start stretch, but he needs more major league seasoning. Arrieta struggles with his command at times. He may be serviceable for a short period of time. Bergeson is a soft tossing righty. Britton has some upside. He will get a chance to start as some point in 2011. Rick Vandenhurk struggled in 2011, but he has strikeout ability.



Closer:



1-Kevin Gregg

2- Koji Uehara

3-Mike Gonzalez



For the money the Orioles are paying Gregg, he will be the closer to start the year. He isn’t a high profile guy and he could struggle giving up homeruns. Uehara had some success closing last year. He will be first in line to close. Mike Gonzalez struggled with his velocity last year. He shows flashes, but he is too erratic to get a shot unless there is a couple of injuries.

[DOUGHBOYS]

How about the Hall of Fame and it's stinky way of electing players.



Don't you guys agree that there should be guidelines for these writers instead of being judgmental about things that don't take place on the field.



I'm starting to take the initiative that all players should be voted in, no matter the steroids, gambling, etc as long as they have the numbers on the field........



Why should I not feel this way?

[CC's Desperados]

When the 2009 fantasy baseball season started, Steve Jupinka was the #1 ranked player in the NFBC main event. The #1 ranking is great, but it isn’t worth the paper it is printed on. He had won three main events and finished 2nd overall in 2008. The consistency is what we all strive for, but he’s playing for the title and the big check that comes along with it. In the 2008 season, Steve was riding high with a 200+ point in July. The title was well within his reach. Unfortunately for him, he had a couple of injuries in August. By early September, it was dog fight to the finish. I think that experience kept him motivated during this season. As his offense was beginning to fade, he was able squeeze points out of other areas of his team. In the end, the #1 ranked player got it done. He won the 2010 NFBC title and the $100,000 check that goes along with it. He finished with 3925.5 overall points (90.2 %). He dominated his league finishing with 144.5 out of a possible 150 points (96.3 %).



I’ve have the pleasure of being a friend with Steve the past 6 years. He’s great player and even better person. On the fantasy level, he doesn’t leave any stone unturned. His prep starts right after the baseball season ends. He’s a big spread sheet guy. So while he is looking at how other teams had success in 2010, I thought I would look at how he won the NFBC main event in 2010.



He drafted his league in Las Vegas. Here is his draft:



1-Ryan Howard (1B)

2-Matt Holiday (OF)

3-Derek Jeter (SS)

4-Nelson Cruz (OF)

5-Ubaldo Jimenez (SP)

6-Bill Butler (1B)

7-Matt Cain (SP)

8-Alex Rios (OF)

9-Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)

10-Francisco Rodriguez (CL)

11-Jorge De La Rosa (SP)

12-Martin Prado (2B)

13-Brad Lidge (CL)

14-Colby Rasmus (OF)

15-David Price (SP)

16-Troy Glaus (3B)

17-Lasting Milledge (OF)

18-J.A. Happ (SP)

19-Jeff Francoeur (OF)

20-Scott Podsednik (OF)

21-Homer Bailey (SP)

22- Colby Lewis (SP)

23-Miguel Olivo (C)

24-Seth Smith (OF)

25-Vincent Padilla (SP)

26-J.R. Towles (C)

27-Tony Gwynn (OF)

28-Kris Medlan (P)

29-Mike Aviles (2B)

30-Matt Harrison (SP)



I remember looking at his draft in Vegas. I thought it came out ok, but he missed (drafted before he could get them) on a couple of players that would have made his team better. I thought he was in for a battle. This first week of the NFBC I heard about his first draft. I thought he nailed the first 10 rounds. The draft broke perfect. I thought he made a couple of mistakes in rounds 11-20. It’s amazing how much perception changes once the season starts.



When you look at this draft, you can see multiple injuries and a few players that underperformed. His starting staff looked short. He was weak at C2. In his 2008 season, he took two catchers in the first 6 rounds (Martin and McCann). It was interesting to see him wait on catchers in this draft. I’m sure it wasn’t his plan, but he adjusted on the fly.



I’m going to review his weeks to so we can see how he managed his team. You need to keep in mind the goals for every category each week – BA: .280+, 11 HR’s, 44 runs, 42 RBI, and 7 SB’s, 4 Wins, 3.75 ERA, 1.27 whip, 48 K’s, and 3.5 SV’s.



In the NFBC, we can pickup players from the first week of the season. Steve’s only move was dropping Jeff Francoeur and adding Jake Westbrook ($1). He was most likely a double starter. The best player dropped was Trevor Cahill.



Week 1: He comes out of the gate smoking in offense – At Bats: 300, .326 BA, 54 R, 16 HR’s, 46 RBI, and 10 SB’s. He hits every category goal the first week. Jake Westbrook does have double starts, but he doesn’t use him. He pitches poorly. He has great pitching also – IP 63, 6 wins, 3.143 ERA, 1.302 whip. 57 K’s and zero saves. Other than saves, a great start on the pitching side. He even took the Vincent Padilla beating in game one. He picks up Edgar Renteria ($44), Delwyn Young ($4), Dioner Navarro ($2), and Jensen Lewis ($1). He drops Mike Aviles, Tony Gwynn, J.R. Towles, and Jake Westbrook.



Week 2: His second week is about average, but he had a couple of HR’s on the bench – At Bats: 307, .270 BA, 39 R, 10 HR’s, 42 RBI, and 6 SB’s. It’s important to look at your at bats each week. He has great pitching again in week 2 – IP 48.2, 6 wins, 2.589 ERA, 1.192 whip, 43 K’s, and 0 SV’s. He has zero saves after two weeks. He’s using 8 starters. He picks up Rafael Betancourt ($22) and Angel Pagan ($13). Pagan was huge hit on the free agent market. He cuts Jenson Lewis and Edgar Renteria. He’s looking for a second closing option to fill in for Brad Lidge. Pagan ends up being the player he hoped Lastings Milledge would be.



Week 3: His runs, RBI and BA are weak this week – At Bats: 285, .263 BA, 27 R, 10 HR’s, 34 RBI, and 12 SB’s. Nelson Cruz stole 5 bases. Steal are looking like a strong category. His ERA and whip take a hit in week 3 – IP 67, 5 wins, 4.030 ERA, 1.358 whip, 64 K’s, and 3 SV’s. Kris Medlan moves into the rotation, but he only last 3.1 innings. He gets his first three saves of the year. He finds his fix at the 2nd catcher position John Jaso. He wins the bid $17 to $11. He also adds Jason Vargas ($14), Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($5), and Jeff Keppinger ($1). He drops Dioner Navarro, Rafael Betancourt, Vicente Padilla, and Delwyn Young. Jason Vargas gave him very good innings off the waiver wire. John Jaso isn’t a stud at catcher, but he gives him solid bat bats. After three weeks, he finds three players to help his team.



Week 4: Nelson Cruz gets hurt. He’s been using Seth Smith, but Angel Pagan is the player that will be Cruz’s replacement. His power has disappeared which is keeping his RBI down – At Bats: 298, .298 BA 55 R, 5 HR’s, 33 RBI, and 6 SB’s. Jorge De La Rosa goes on the DL. Matt Harrison pitches poorly – IP 49.1, 3 wins, 2.190 ERA, 0.953 whip, 40 K’s and 0 SV’s. Saves are beginning to be a problem. He picks up Andy LaRoche ($27), David Murphy ($10), and Jose Contreras ($10). Jose Contreras gets the closing job with Ryan Madsen going on the DL. He has two closers now. He drops Jeff Keppinger, Lasting Milledge, and Matt Harrison. Milledge wasn’t getting it done. I wish I cut him earlier. The Pagan pickup makes him expendable. David Murphy should get more at bats with Nelson Cruz out.



Week 5: His power is still struggling – At Bats: 308, .282 BA, 41 R, 6 HR’s, 39 RBI, and 4 SB’s. His first weeks power has carried him this far. He should have the right inventory for power. They just need to start hitting homeruns. With more power, his RBI should rise also. The other categories are on target. J.A. Happ goes on the DL. Homer Bailey pitches poorly. Jason Vargas steps in for De La Rosa and he pitches great – 1 win, 1.929 ERA, 0.929 whip, and 12 K’s. His team wins 7 games with 2.591 ERA, 1.106 whip, 61 K’s, and 1 SV. He gets two vulcher wins by his relievers but only one save. He loses Homer Bailey this week. He drops him and adds Trevor Cahill ($10). Cahill has double starts after being called up from the minors. Cahill is a slam dunk for him. He gets him a week early. He cuts John Jaso and picks up Greg Zaun ($12).



Week 6: Troy Glaus (3 HR’s), Martin Prado (3 HR’s) and Miguel Olivo (3 HR’s) come to life – At Bats: 324, .302 BA, 45 R, 14 HR’s, 50 RBI, and 8 SB’s. This kind of week will give you a little bounce in you step. His pitching came up short this week. Brad Lidge looked like he was coming off the DL, but he cost him half a week of pitching – IP 46.1, 2 wins, 4.079 ERA, 1.165 Whip, 32 K’s, and 2 SV’s. After 6 weeks, he has 29 wins. Anytime you are on the right side of the number in wins, you have to feel good. He really needs Lidge back. He has 7 saves. He picks up Felipe Lopez ($37), Bud Norris ($21), and Carlos Rosa ($2). He drops Andy LaRoche, David Murphy, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. It was interesting Corey Hart was picked up this week for only $92. Asdrubal Cabrera goes on the DL. Felipe Lopez is his fill in. Rosa was a speck closer play.



Week 7: Felipe Lopez hits 2 HR’s and 6 RBI. Nelson Cruz returns - .458, 2 HR’s and 12 RBI. He’s been a monster when he’s been on the field. He has another solid offensive week – At Bats: 321, .292 BA, 53 R, 10 HR’s, 57 RBI, and 9 SB’s. When you have a week like this, you gain ground in the overall standings. His pitching gets back on track – IP 68.2, 5 wins, 2.228 ERA, 1.165 whip, 44 K’s, and 4 SV’s. The K’s were short for the innings pitched. He finally gets a saves from someone other than Frankie Rodriguez. He picks up Mark Ellis ($20), Will Ohman ($16), Madison Bumgarner ($15), and George Kottaras ($9). John Axford is picked for $46 unopposed. Pedro Alvarez was picked up for $2. He drops Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Rosa, Bud Norris, and Greg Zaun. Cabrera is out for at least two months. We are 8 bidding periods in and his largest winning bid is $44. Will Ohman is another speck play in saves.



Week 8: Rios (3 HR’s, 6 RBI, and 3 SB’s) and Pagan (4 SB’s) help him to another good offensive week – At Bats: 290, .337 BA, 50 R, 9 HR’s, 40 RBI, and 13 SB’s. Mark Ellis and Seth Smith had great numbers on the bench - .333+, 6 R, 4 HR’s, and 9 RBI. He missed on a great start by Cahill when he uses Ohman as a 3rd reliever – IP 46, 3 wins, 2.348 ERA, 1.056 whip, 32 K’s, and 2 SV’s. When you look at his starters, he has three elite starters – Jimenez, Cain, and Price. Colby Lewis is very good 4th starter. Cahill and Vargas very good waiver wire finds. He has lost three starters – Bailey, Happ, and De La Rosa. He cuts Bumgarner for Daniel Bard ($15). He loses Nelson Cruz again.



Week 9: Troy Glaus is becoming a stud - .307, 8, 4, and 10. He has another great 5 category week – At Bats: 320, .293 BA, 59 R, 14 HR’s, 53 RBI, and 9 SB’s. He continues to get great pitching – IP 68.1, 6 wins, 2.766 ERA, 1.259 whip, 52 K’s, and 3 SV’s. With these category numbers, he had to be one of the top teams in the contest this week. Will Ohman isn’t working out as a closing option. Brad Lidge returns on the weekend. Joe Contreras had a couple of weeks of closing, but he didn’t have many chances. He picks up Jonathan Niese ($23), and Vicente Padilla ($10). Both pitchers game him 6-8 good weeks of very good pitching. As good as his pitching has been, he is still looking for more. His offense is solid so he isn’t looking for hitting help. Coco Crisp is picked up for $34. Madison Bumgarner resurfaces for $33. Steve was two weeks ahead of the curve if he wanted to keep him. He drops Bard and Ohman.



Week 10: His offense slows down – At Bats: 303, .270 BA, 44 R, 9 HR’s, 35 RBI, and 9 SB’s. Seth Smith is losing at bats and George Kottaras is looking replaceable. Troy Glaus is still playing well - .407, 2 HR’s and 5 RBI. If his pitching wasn’t good enough, he has his best week of the year – IP 77.2, 9 wins, 1.854 ERA, 0.914 whip, 60 K’s, and 3 SV’s. Jonathan Niese pitches a complete game 1 hitter for a win. He’s now plus 12 in wins with a great ERA, whip, and K’s. His offense is rock solid across the board. Ryan Howard and Matt Holiday haven’t even started to get hot. He makes his biggest bid of the year for Justin Masterson ($63). It was kind of a surprise with how well his pitching was. His biggest weakness was saves. His second highest bid also happens this week for Alfredo Simon ($57). He’s 16 saves behind the pace to be in the top 20 %. He picks up Pat Burrell ($12). He finally cuts bait with J.A. Happ. He drops Ellis and Padilla.



Week 11: Ryan Howard finds his stroke - .333 with 4 HR’s and 8 RBI and strangely enough so does Matt Holiday - .434 with 4 HR’s and 8 RBI. His at bats drop – 281, .291 BA, 46 R, 15 HR’s, 52 RBI, and 6 SB’s. It’s another week where he would gain in four categories. His hot double starter didn’t work out. Justin Masterson pitched poorly leading to a weak ERA – IP 71.2, 4 wins, 4.019 ERA, 1.186 whip, 67 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He misses on two quality starts by pitching Masterson and De La Rosa. Simon gets a save on his bench. I’m not sure if he holds onto him, but he picks up Brandon Lyon ($13). He cuts Jose Contreras. He upgrades at 2nd catcher – Alex Avila and drops Kottaras.



Week 12: His offense comes up short – At Bats: 287, .282 BA, 43 R, 8 HR’s, 38 RBI, and 5 SB’s. Colby Rasmus is the only player that provides any offense – 3 HR’s and 6 RBI. His elite pitchers show some cracks. Cain gets racked and Jimenez pitches poorly – IP 50.2, 4 wins, 5.151 ERA, 1.559 whip, 49 K’s, and 4 SV’s. Trevor Cahill and Kris Medlan pitched well on his bench (2 wins). Masterson pitches poorly on his bench. He starts to sense Troy Glaus has a problem. He picks up Chris Johnson ($24), Andy Oliver ($19), and Chris Iannetta ($10). I had to go back and look at his K’s. After 9 weeks, he had 425 K’s. His pitching numbers were in line except his K’s were just behind the top 20 %. He decided to pump up the starts in week 10. He went from averaging 47.22 K’s per week to 50.08. He drops Pat Burrell, Alex Avila, and Justin Masterson.



Week 13: His power dies this week – At Bat: 293, .310 BA, 37 R, 3 HR’s, 31 RBI, and 9 SB’s. Glaus is losing at bats with a knee problem. Chris Iannetta hits a homerun, but he only gets 8 at bats. Cain and Jimenez pitched poorly again – IP 57.2, 3 wins, 4.838 ERA, 1.405 whip, 49 K’s, and 4 SV’s. Brandon Lyon gets racked on his bench. He took a hit in the overall this week. Sensing the HR decline, he picks up Jim Thome ($32) and Lyle Overbay ($5). He cut Brandon Lyon and Andy Oliver.



Week 14: His offense bounces back in a big way. He gains all the overall offensive points back in one week – At Bat: 318, .295 BA, 51 R, 19 HR’s, 55 RBI, and 7 SB’s. Ryan Howard and Matt Holiday hit 7 HR’s with 18 RBI. Chris Iannetta added 2 HR’s. His pitching also bounced back – IP 59.1, 4 wins, 3.640 ERA, 1.146 whip, 52 K’s, and 5 SV’s. Simon saved 3 games. Cain pitched poorly again. Jorge De La Rosa returned, but he was on his bench. He picks up Juan Gutierrez ($47) and Tyler Greene ($1). He drops Chris Johnson and Lyle Overbay.

Week 15: This was the week of the All Star game. He has a great half of a week on offense – At Bats: 190, .294 BA, 29 R, 7 HR’s, 29 RBI, and 3 SB’s. Ryan Howard was the key – 4 HR’s and 8 RBI. His pitching was brutal this week – IP 38, 3 wins, 6.158 ERA, 1.447 whip, 24 K’s, and 1 SV. David Price struggled and Jorge De La Rosa was a disaster. He picks up Juan Rivera ($43) and Hong-Chin Kuo ($1). He drops Jim Thome and Tyler Greene.



Week 16: You know you are having a good year when your base stealer is hitting two homeruns in a week – Scott Podsednik .392, 4, 2, 6 and 4. After 16 week, he has had only two weeks with a batting average under .280 - At Bats: 327, 41 R, 14 HR’s, 44 RBI, and 12 SB’s. Ubaldo Jimenez gets lit up like a Christmas tree – 12.27 ERA and 2.455 whip – IP 51, 2 wins, 3.882, 1.314 whip, 37 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He’s getting into a fine line for the overall. He needs more K’s and saves. He’s going to have to maximize 6 starting pitching spots. He can’t afford for his best starters to **** the bed. Kuo and Gutierrez get saves on his bench. De La Rosa pitches better. He picks up Scott Sizemore ($27) and drops Kuo.



Week 17: I shouldn’t have talked about his batting average. He has his worst week of the year – At Bats: 317, .2468 BA, 43 R, 10 HR’s, 39 RBI, and 6 SB’s. He probably could handle the hit in BA. His pitching makes some gains in K’s and wins – IP 69.2, 6 wins, 3.746 ERA, 1.292 whip, 61 K’s, and 4 SV’s. Simon blows up, but he gets one save. He picks up Adam Kennedy ($25) and Lyle Overbay ($1). He cuts Juan Gutierrez and Scott Sizemore. Prado goes in the DL.



Week 18: He has a drop in at bats. He loses Ryan Howard – At Bats: 265, .234 BA, 33 R, 5 HR’s, 36 RBI, and 8 SB’s. Troy Glaus is dying. Lyle Overbay does hit a HR with 5 RBI filling in for Howard, but his BA is poor. He has back to back positive weeks in K’s and saves – IP 71.1, 5 wins, 1.893 ERA, 1.051 whip, 58 K’s, and 5 SV’s. He uses 7 starters and Simon saves two games on his bench, but he pitches poorly. He loses Chris Medlan for the season and he replaces him with Carlos Zambrano ($25). He adds Ryan Kalish ($29). Carlos Zambrano was a perfect cover for Medlan.



Week 19: His offense continues to slide with the loss of Howard and Prado – At Bats: 296, .270 BA, 35 R, 6 HR’s, 36 RBI, and 7 SB’s. Overbay and Kennedy aren’t getting full time at bats. Ubaldo pitched real well (18 K’s). He had solid pitching, but he only had one win. His K’s were strong for the number of innings pitched – IP 56.1, 1 win, 2.396 ERA, 1.189 whip, 66 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He has 52 SV’s with 7 weeks to go. He picks up Mike Minor ($33), Mark Teahan ($10) and Jayson Nix ($3). He drops Overbay and Kennedy.



Week 20: His at bats slide and it is official: there is a homer drought – At Bats: 275, 32 R, 1 HR’s, 31 RBI, and 6 SB’s. Martin Prado comes back. Ryan Howard returns, but he is on his bench. The K’s continue to come – IP 70.2, 4 wins, 3.439 ERA, 1.217 whip, 60 K’s, and 1 SV. He loses Frankie Rodriguez for the season. Troy Glaus is pretty much done. He finds his replacement for Rodriguez – Brandon Lyon ($35). He also adds Koji Uehara ($15) Lyle Overbay ($4), and Jed Lowrie ($2). He cuts Troy Glaus, Felipe Lopez and Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano would have helped him down the stretch, but he need two shots at closer with Rodriguez out. This week on the waiver wire the players he needed to fix his team were available.



Week 21: His offense continues to come up short – At Bat: 282, .212 BA, 34 R, 9 HR’s, 34 RBI, and 5 SB’s. Scott Podsednik is starting lose at bats at LA. Brandon Lyon saves three games the first week in his lineup – IP 68, 3 wins, 3.838 ERA, 1.206 whip, 59 K’s, and 4 SV’s. He’s 5 straight weeks of great K’s. Uehara get three saves also, but he is on the bench. Jonathan Niese is starting to lose it. Colby Lewis has his worst week of the year. He picks up Vicente Padilla ($7), Michael Morse ($5), and Eduardo Nunez ($2). He dropped Jason Vargas, Mark Teahan, and Ryan Kalish.

Week 22: The bleeding continues on the offensive side – At bats: 290, .251 BA, 39 R, 9 HR’s, 37 RBI, and 10 SB’s. The pitching continues to gain points in K’s. He has his best week in saves all year with two closers – IP 73.2, 5 wins, 4.154 ERA, 1.452 whip, 69 K’s, and 6 SV’s. Uehara saves two more games on his bench. I think the Jonathan Niese project is just about over. He adds Danny Espinosa ($15), Juan Gutierrez ($10), and Melvin Mora ($3). Clay Hensley was another closer possibility on the wire. He drops Jonathan Niese, Eduardo Nunez, and Jed Lowrie.



Week 23: His offense comes out of its slump – At bats: 320, .2875 BA, 59 R, 14 HR’s, 44 RBI, and 3 SB’s. He misses on a great half of a week by Espinosa. Ryan Howard hit 3 HR’s with 11 RBI. Saves are coming around – IP 48.1, 4 wins, 4.097 ERA, 1.20 whip, 53 K’s, and 6 SV’s. It’s nice when you go 6 starters and still make your wins and K numbers. He had 2 great starts with wins and a save on his bench. He drops Melvin Mora, Vicente Padilla, and Chris Iannetta.



Week 24: The homeruns are still a struggle – At Bats: 307, .283 BA, 47 R, 8 HR’s, 42 RBI, 3 SB’s. Steals are fading, but he was in good shape in that category. He goes 6/3 again and makes his wins, but he was a bit short in K’s – IP 55.2, 4 wins, 4.204 ERA, 1.042 whip, 43 K’s, and 5 SV’s. Gutierrez saves two games on his bench. He picks up Robert Andino ($1), Peter Bourjos ($1), and Phil Coke ($1). He cuts Mike Minor, Wilson Ramos, and Scott Podsednik.



Week 25: The first half of the year he had great hitting almost every week. He builds up the offense, but he was slowly bleeding it away – At Bats: 288, .239 BA, 40 R, 5 HR’s, 21 RBI, and 8 SB’s. He did have 5 homeruns on the bench. He figures he’s solid in wins and K’s; so he uses 5 starters and 4 relievers. It couldn’t have worked out better – IP 61.1, 3 wins, 2.935 ERA, 1.076 whip, 60 K’s, and 10 SV’s. Whatever points he lost in offense, he made up in saves. The last waiver period he picked up Edwin Encarnacion ($6), Melvin Mora ($5), Casper Wells ($1), and Alex Avila ($1). He had $13 left for the last week of the year. He dropped Robert Andino, Phil Coke, Trevor Cahill, and Seth Smith.



Week 26: His team cruised home – At Bats – 268, .276 BA, 35 R, 11 HR’s, 31 RBI, and 5 SB’s. His pitching was solid the last week of the year – IP 61.1, 2 wins, 2.348 ERA, 0.929 whip, 54 K’s, and 5 SV’s.



Quahogs finished with a .2785 BA with 1111 runs, 247 HR’s, 1030 RBI, 189 SB’s, 109 wins, 3.339 ERA, 1.195 whip, 1346 K’s, and 87 saves. His offense quit on him after week 18. He had enough of a cushion in offense to hold onto most of his points. Here’s where in finished overall in all categories:



BA: .2785 - 21st



Runs: 1111 – 20th



HR’s: 246 – 116th



RBI: 1030 – 63rd



SB’s: 189 – 24th



Wins: 109 – 29th



ERA: 3.339 – 22nd



Whip: 1.195 – 8th



K’s: 1346 – 56th



SV’s: 87 – 57th



In most years his homerun total wouldn’t have a chance. The offense was down across the board in major league baseball. He had a few injuries, but almost every player game him solid stats before getting hurt. Ryan Howard underperformed, but he was still a 30/100 player. His second catcher was weak all year. Derek Jeter had a poor year except for runs. Angel Pagan delivered about what he had hoped from Milledge – 492 at bats, .298 BA, 68 runs, 10 HR’s, 58 RBI, and 34 SB’s. Alex Rios was a key hit for him in the 8th round. Matt Holiday was a rock solid major league player. The combo of Jimenez, Cain, and Price gave him a huge edge at the front of his staff. The K’s weren’t elite, but he found plenty on the waiver wire. Colby Lewis was a great pick after the 20th round. Trevor Cahill was one of the best free agent pitcher pickups of the year. Jason Vargas helped bridge the gap. The three late closer Brandon Lyon, Koji Uehara, and Juan Gutierrez allowed him to get some sleep in September. It was job well done. This will have more value when you see what some of the problems other team had.



He seemed like he always wanted to the extra bats on his bench to cover an injury during the week. He only had a couple of weeks where his at bats were short. He didn’t carry any long term prospects.

[Greg Ambrosius]

I knew the band would strike up at just the right time... AWESOME!!



Now let's see some baseball discussion and I'll post some Slow Draft results shortly. Pitchers and catchers report in 44 days.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Even if the Commissioner granted Pete Rose the right to be in the Hall of Fame, today's high-fallutin' writer's would not vote him in. It is a travesty. Judging a players character should not be in the mix...

[DOUGHBOYS]

Even if the Commissioner granted Pete Rose the right to be in the Hall of Fame, today's high-fallutin' writer's would not vote him in. It is a travesty. Judging a players character should not be in the mix...

[CC's Desperados]

My next team review is the overall winner the NFBC 12 team format. I haven’t had as much success with this game as the 15 team event. I’m not sure if I’m approaching the draft incorrectly or my in season management needs to be changed to have success in this game. The overall winning team was Layin’ the Smack Down owned by Jaime Baird. Jamie is a long time CDM salary cap player. I wish I knew more about the history of that game so I could give him credit for the success he has had in that game. All I know is I’ve seen his name ahead of mine in the CDM standings many times and most of the time near the top in the overall standings. The top players in the CDM games have crossed over to the NFBC. The strength of CDM players is weekly game management and roster construction. With limited moves during the year, you need to get your team construction close to being right to start the year. The NFBC offered a learning curve for the CDM players. They know the top inventory, but team construction was much more difficult in a draft environment. Well Jamie figured out the master plan and he took home $85,000 by winning the NFBC Online and Double Play championship.



I was intrigued when I looked at Jamie’s team near the end of the baseball season. I didn’t think it had the roster to win the overall championship. He could have had some top players hurt and dropped off his roster. I thought I would look at his team to help me understand how he won and maybe learn something along the way. Here’s his draft from the number two position:



1-Hanley Ramirez (SS)

2-Joey Votto (1B)

3-Victor Martinez (C)

4-Ben Zobrist (2B)

5-Justin Verlander (P)

6-Clayton Kershaw (P)

7-Josh Johnson (P)

8-Carlos Gonzalez (OF)

9-Adam Jones (OF)

10-Kurt Suzuki (C)

11-Brian Wilson (CL)

12-Rajai Davis (OF)

13-Ian Stewart (MI)

14-Jorge De La Rosa (SP)

15-Brian Fuentes (CL)

16-Chris Davis (CO)

17-Stephen Strasburg (SP)

18-Drew Stubbs (OF)

19-Conner Jackson (OF)

20-Johnny Cueto (SP)

21-Troy Glaus (3B)

22-Ian Kennedy (SP)

23-Erik Bedard (SP)

24-Delmon Young (OF)

25-Jamie Garcia (SP)

26-Matt LaPorta (1B)

27-Brett Myers (P)

28-Fernando Rodney (RP)

29-Randy Wells (P)

30-Will Venable (OF)



He started with an elite SS. He hit on two star players – Votto and Gonzalez. He built his starting staff with three elite starters inside of round ten. He had two good catchers and one elite closer. It was nice see someone win with my buddy Ben Zobrist.



Before this season starts, he picks up Gio Gonzalez for $23. The runner up bid was $22. He drops Fernando Rodney.



Week 1: At Bats: 324 - .274 BA, 46 R, 12 HR’s, 41 RBI, and 9 SB’s. He has a great start as far as at bats. Every category is off to a good start. IP 53 – 2 W, 4.585 ERA, 1.358 whip, 54 K’s, and 3 SV’s. Josh Johnson and Justin Verlander get lit up the first week of the year. He doesn’t pick up any players this week.



Week 2: At Bats: 321 - .227 BA, 34 R, 2 HR’s, 21 RBI, and 14 SB’s. At bats are great again, but he gets poor production. He’s off to a great start in steals. IP 58.2 – 2 W, 3.682 ERA, 1.364 whip, 59 K’s, and 0 SV’s. He loses Brian Fuentes for a week. He picks up Mike Wuertz ($17) and Ryan Sweeney ($5).



Week 3: At Bats: 262 - .236 BA, 35 R, 8 HR’s, 33 RBI, and 6 SB’s. He had short at bats from 7 players. Joey Votto and Kurt Suzuki were the only two players that played well. IP 66.1 – 5 W, 4.34 ERA, 1.523 whip, 50 K’s, and 2 SV’s. He uses 8 starters. He replaces Chris Davis with Ike Davis ($257). He’s looking for power and he adds Russell Branyan ($47). Saves are short after three week so he takes a shot on Kam Mickolio ($37), but he drops Brett Myers. Someone picked up Buster Posey for $2.



Week 4: At Bats: 246 - .276 BA, 29 R, 7 HR’s, 39 RBI, and 9 SB’s. A month into the season his offense doesn’t look like anything special. The only category that is in line is steals. Kurt Suzuki game him zero at bats for the week. IP 59.2 – 7 W, 2.112 ERA, 0.872 whip, 63 K’s, and 1 SV. He has a great week of pitching. His wins are on pace. K’s are solid. Saves are off to a slow start. He picks up Carl Pavano ($27), Brandon Inge ($17), and Matt Treanor ($5). He wins Pavano by tie breaker. They both bid $27.



Week 5: At Bats: 302 – .268 BA, 40 R, 12 HR’s, 52 RBI, and 4 SB’s. His top three draft picks all have good weeks – 7 HR’s and 19 RBI. IP 61.1 – 3 W, 3.375 ERA, 1.207 whip, 69 K’s, and 4 SV’s. He adds Scott Hairston ($17) and Brett Myers ($15). He was able to get Brett Myers back. Mat Latos was picked up for $67.



Week 6: At Bats: 282 – .251 BA, 40 R, 7 HR’s, 35 RBI, and 3 SB’s. We’re almost 6 weeks into the year and this offense doesn’t look one of the best in the contest. Kurt Suzuki only has 4 at bats this week. IP 60.1 – 5 W, 2.387 ERA, 1.011 whip, 52 K’s, and 2 SV’s. His pitching numbers are getting in line. He still needs to find another closing option. He picks up John Ely ($33), Jon Garland ($7), and Mike Cameron ($17). He cut his base stealer Rajai Davis and Brett Myers again.



Week 7: At Bats: 321 – .302 BA, 49 R, 12 HR’s, 49 RBI, and 10 SB’s. He has a good five category week, but he takes a zero from the UT position. IP 86.1 – 10 W, 2.606 ERA, 1.019 whip, 63 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He had 5 double starters this week. With the 10 wins, he gained a lot of points in the overall standings. John Ely pitched great and he won two games. He picks up Edwin Encarnacion ($25), J.C. Romero ($17), and Coco Crisp ($10). Coco Crisp turned into a very good source for SB’s.



Week 8: At Bats: 256 - .269 BA, 41 R, 11 HR’s, 46 RBI, and 5 SB’s. Victor Martinez give him 9 at bats. Joey Votto missed most of the week. IP 67.1 – 6 W, 1.871 ERA, 1.114 whip, 69 K’s, and 2 SV’s. He’s carrying one batter and 6 pitchers on his bench. He picks up Will Ohman ($17) and Russell Branyan ($7).



Week 9: At Bats: 303 - .306 BA, 56 R, 15 HR’s, 50 RBI, and 7 SB’s. His offense is coming around. He made up ground in 4 categories. Troy Glaus and Delmon Young led the way with 6 HR’s and 19 RBI. IP 65 – 4 W, 4.708 ERA, 1.554 whip, 53 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He uses three relievers. Will Ohman pitched poorly. He adds Drew Storen ($27) and Carlos Guillen ($3). He wins Storen in a tie breaker.



Week 10: At Bats: 314 - .299 BA, 49 R, 17 HR’s, 60 RBI, and 8 SB’s. He has another 5 category offensive week. Every player hit a HR’s except Martinez and Stewart. I have to give credit for picking up Coco Crisp. He’s held him for a month with zero at bats. IP 64.1 – 7 W, 2.518 ERA, 1.088 whip, 68 K’s, and 6 SV’s. He carried Strasburg for 9 weeks and he gave him instant dividends. He won 2 games with 22 K’s. The wins are piling up. He’s plus 11 after 10 weeks (The target number is 4 per week. He has 51.). He has 26 saves. He’s about 10 behind a pace. With wins and K’s being so strong, he’ll have a chance to chase saves later in the year. He picks up Jose Tabata ($47), Ryan Theriot ($27), and Aroldis Chapman ($7).



Week 11: At Bats: 280 - .257 BA, 36 R, 10 HR’s, 42 RBI, and 4 SB’s. Carlos Gonzalez misses half the week. IP 63.2 – 4 W, 2.969 ERA, 1.021 whip, 70 K’s, and 2 SV’s. He’s made his quota in K’s every week of the year and he had plus numbers 7 of 11 weeks. He finds his future Troy Glaus replacement – Pedro Alvarez ($37). He also adds Fernando Rodney ($15). He’s spent $770 so far. It’s interesting that he’s picked up 26 players and 17 of his players have a bid that end in a 7.



Week 12: At Bats: 303 - .264 BA, 47 R, 9 HR’s, 43 RBI, and 11 SB’s. Coco Crisp is activated. He plays well – 5/11 with 6 runs and 1 SB. IP 71 – 3 W, 3.676 ERA, 1.254 whip, 61 K’s, and 5 SV’s. He adds Madison Bumgarner ($27) and Will Venable ($1).



Week 13: At Bats: 283 - .250 BA, 42 R, 17 HR’s, 59 RBI, and 8 SB’s. He has a huge homer and RBI week while taking a zero from Victor Martinez. IP 63 – 5 W, 1.143 ERA, 1.206 whip, 60 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He has 7 starters pitching well. He hasn’t chased saves all year. He picks up John Ely ($7), Dexter Fowler ($7), Felipe Lopez ($2), and Dana Sardinha ($1).



Week 14: At Bats: 326 - .269 BA, 56 R, 13 HR’s, 39 RBI, and 10 SB’s. I’m guessing his BA is negative after 14 weeks. He’s had 9 weeks below .270 and 5 above. His Martinez replacement gives him 9 at bats. IP 60.2 – 7 W, 3.857 ERA, 1.269 whip, 63 K’s, and 2 SV’s. He took two double starter beatings for the week – John Ely and Ian Kennedy. I thought he got off of Ely before he lost it, but he took one more ride and he made him pay. He takes a shot on Chad Qualls ($12), Wade Davis ($3), and Carlos Ruiz ($1).



Week 15: At Bats: 173 - .254 BA, 21 R, 5 HR’s, 19 RBI, and 4 SB’s. IP 38 – 3 W, 2.605 ERA, 1.50 whip, 37 K’s, and 4 SV’s. The pitching is the strength of his team. Saves are hold ground. He picks up J.J. Putz ($22).



Week 16: At Bats: 333 – .242 BA, 48 R, 14 HR’s, 49 RBI, and 7 SB’s. The batting average isn’t coming around. The other cat’s were solid for the week. IP 80.1 – 9 W, 1.793 ERA, 1.095 whip, 67 K’s, and 4 SV’s. He has a huge pitching week. He has 82 wins and 46 SV’s. The saves have been steady with two closers after the slow start. I have him down for 958 K’s which are 158 ahead of pace. After 16 weeks, he needs to gain ground in BA and SV’s. He adds Luke Scott ($47), Joel Hanrahan ($33), and Juan Gutierrez ($15). He has $52 left for the 10 weeks.

Week 17: At Bats: 331 - .293 BA, 52 R, 13 HR’s, 44 RBI, and 12 SB’s. Ben Zobrist misses most of the week. I’m wondering how long before he kicks him to the curb. He’s transitioning from Troy Glaus to Pedro Alvarez. IP 55 – 0 W, 4.909 ERA, 1.545 whip, 47 K’s, and 4 SV’s. He uses 3 relievers and he has his worst K week of the year and the wins disappear. I think he loses Steve Strasburg. He cut Gio Gonzalez last week. I bet he’d like to have him back. Damn he wins Gio Gonzalez for you guess it $7. He also adds Chris Johnson ($3).



Week 18: At Bats: 301 - .289 BA, 44 R, 14 HR’s, 50 RBI, and 7 SB’s. The BA is coming around and he’s had three good weeks in the other categories. IP 43.2 – 1 W, 5.977 ERA, 1.351 whip, 36 K’s, and 3 SV’s. The wins have died. The K’s are drying up. He switched to three relievers, but he lost ground in the other four categories. Joel Hanrahan was pasted for 6 runs in 3.2 innings. He cuts Troy Glaus. He adds J.J. Putz ($3) and Blake DeWitt ($2).



Week 19: At Bats: 310 - .277 BA, 44 R, 5 HR’s, 35 RBI, and 4 SB’s. A slow week on the offensive side. IP 56.2 – 3 W, 4.288 ERA, 1.465 whip, 46 K’s, and 3 SV’s. He’s lost the rhythm on the pitching side since Strasburg went down. Strasburg returns and he struggles. He adds David Murphy ($3), Jon Garland ($3), James McDonald ($1), Ryan Raburn ($1), and Wade LeBlanc ($1). Raburn was a homerun for him. He was looking for a MI and he hits on an impact player down the stretch.



Week 20: At Bats: 309 - .249 BA, 41 R, 7 HR’s, 43 RBI, and 10 SB’s. Carlos Gonzalez misses most of the week. IP 69 – 6 W, 2.348 ERA, 1.217 whip, 64 K’s, and 3 SV’s. His starting pitching comes back to life. He still uses 3 relievers. He adds Hisanori Takahashi ($4) and Joe Blanton ($3).



Week 21: At Bats: 329 - .313 BA, 55 R, 18 HR’s, 55 RBI, and 13 SB’s. He has a monster offensive week led by Votto, Ramirez, Raburn, Martinez, and Gonzalez – 15 HR’s and 37 RBI. IP 62 – 5 W, 1.887 ERA, 1.161 whip, 60 K’s, and 3 SV’s. This was a great all around week. The saves are still short, but he gained ground in 9 categories. He drops Strasburg. He picks up Fernando Rodney ($14), Koji Uehara ($3), and Marcus Thames ($1).



Week 22: At Bats: 306 - .281 BA, 50 R, 13 HR’s, 45 RBI, and 8 SB’s. He’s had 5 of 7 good weeks since the All Star break. IP 44.2 – 1 W, 2.619 ERA, 1.254 whip, 47 K’s, and 10 SV’s. He uses 4 closer and he is reward for the first time all year. He doesn’t pick up any players. He has $3 left.



Week 23: At Bats: 305 - .314 BA, 45 R, 12 HR’s, 65 RBI, and 13 SB’s. His team is on the move. Coco Crisp steals 7 bases plus he hits 2 HR’s with 7 RBI. IP 63 – 2 W, 2.143 ERA, 0.905 whip, 62 K’s, and 10 SV’s. He couldn’t have scripted it any better- back to back 10 save weeks. His team is on the cusp of the overall lead, but he lost Josh Johnson. He even had 2 saves on the bench. He has 82 SV’s on the year. He adds Barry Zito ($1).



Week 24: At Bats: 302 - .291 BA, 48 R, 14 HR’s, 52 RBI, and 6 SB’s. He just needs to get at bats and maintain his categories the rest of the way. IP 55 – 4 W, 4.255 ERA, 1.182 whip, 48 K’s, and 3 SV’s. Joe Blanton turns into Josh Johnson for a week – 1 win with 16 K’s. He had 3 wins on the bench. He picks up Clay Hensley ($1) and Danny Espinosa ($1). He has no free agent dollars left for the last free agency period of the year.



Week 25: At Bats: 299 - .331 BA, 55 R, 13 HR’s 52 RBI, and 8 SB’s. He has his best batting average week of the year. He hits hit goals in every category. This had to be a fun team to watch down the stretch. They played really well. Hanley Ramirez is done for the year. IP 50.2 – 3 W, 1.421 ERA, 1.007 whip, and 7 SV’s. He used five closer this week.



Week 26: At Bats: 283 - .233 BA, 31 R, 8 HR’s, 36 RBI, and 7 SB’s. His team coasted home the last week of the year. IP 48.1 – 4 W, 1.490 ERA, 1.117 whip, 62 K’s, and 8 SV’s.



His team finished the year hitting .2749 with 1135 R, 288 HR’s, 1154 RBI, and 206 SB’s. He had 111 wins with 3.015 ERA, 1.2074 whip, 1478 K’s, and 100 SV’s.



With five weeks to go, he had 62 saves. He was on a pace for 77. If he finished with 77, he would have had 398.5 overall points in saves. Jamie had 38 saves the last five weeks. He gained 327 overall points in saves the last 5 weeks of the year.



Here’s where he finished in the overall in every category:



BA: 202nd – top 24 %



R: 61st – top 7 %



HR: 60th – top 7 %



RBI: 13th – top 1.5 %



SB’s: 21st – top 2.5 %



Wins: 85th – top 10 %



ERA: 7th – top 0.8 %



Whip: 63rd – top 7.6 %



K’s: 25th – top 3 %



SV’s: 96th – top 11.6 %



His team finished with 7628.5 points (92.1 % of the overall points). His team finished the year with 7584 at bats and 1558 innings pitched. The NFBC main event winner Steve Jupinka’s team finished the year with 7521 at bats and 1529.1 innings pitched. Even though the games are different, you can get similar at bats and innings pitched. The 12 team game has better replacement players and the competition to pick up players is less. The 12 team roster should have 4 or 5 better players on a top team.



When you look over his roster, you can see where he did a great job managing his team. There weren’t many moves that didn’t work out on the pitching side. Here’s a couple of example:



Joe Blanton IP 39 – 4 W, 2.077 ERA, 1.051 whip, and 40 K’s

Madison Bumgarner IP 64.2 – 5 W, 1.948 ERA, 1.160 whip, and 49 K’s

Jon Garland IP 43.2 – 4 W, 2.473 ERA, 1.237 whip, and 36 K’s

Gio Gonzalez IP 111.2 – 11 W, 2.176 ERA, 1.173 whip, and 92 K’s

Johnny Cueto IP 148.1 – 10 W, 3.276 ERA, 1.254 whip, and 110 K’s 0



In each case, he received better pitching stats than the pitcher finished with for the year. If you add this to his three front starters – Verlander, Kershaw, and Johnson, he had over a 1000 innings with a sub 3.00 ERA. Jaime Garcia and Steve Strasburg gave him another 160 innings with plus ERA, whip, and K’s.



To have a special team in the 12 team contest, you really need 6 elite starters. Jamie nailed his first three starter in the draft. He drafted a couple of players that helped during the year – Garcia, Strasburg, and Kennedy. Brett Myers pitched well this year, but he cut him before he started pitching better – IP 27 – 2 W, 4.00 ERA, 1.407 whip and 18 K’s. He carried Jorge De La Rosa half the year, but he dropped him after the All Star break when he decided he needed more saves. De La Rosa pitched 23 innings for his team. Gio Gonzalez was the key replacement for one of those players.



I always thought a team could make up saves in a short period of time if the other pitching categories were in line. A couple of years ago in the NFBC main event, I was hoping to make up saves the last two weeks of the year. I increased the relieving inventory, but I wasn’t rewarded. I didn’t have the right core of closers. I think his last five week was a perfect storm and I’m not sure it’s repeatable every year. It just shows that you can pound away at wins and K’s with good pitching and then wait for your chance to make a run at saves. He pretty much used two closer for 21 weeks. I think he used three closer a couple of week and only one at least one week. I’m guessing, but I think he used 44 pitching slots for saves through the first 21 weeks. He used 20 the last 5 weeks of the year. For the year, he used 64. It breaks down to 2 1/2 closers for the year. He had a very high rate of saves per roster slot used. His team averaged 1.5+ saves per pitching slot used. Brian Wilson saved 47 games in 26 weeks (1.80 per week). He was the key player on draft day.



His draft is another example of why you take Hanley Ramirez over Albert Pujols. It’s not that you are comparing Ramirez’s stats to Pujols. It’s the top first baseman you can get in the next round in some drafts. In 2009, you could have drafted Prince Fielder in round2. In the 12 team drafts, Joey Votto was the key first baseman. He probably didn’t make it to the front of many 15 teams drafts in round two. I drafted a team from pick two and I also drafted Votto. It was a great start, but I missed on Sandoval which was my first strike. If you draft Pujols, who are you going to draft at short?



Ok, back to his draft, Hanley was one of six roster spot where he had plus steals. The Coco Crisp/Rajai Davis combo stole 44 bases in 372 at bats. Crisp was huge pick up for him. He ran more than I expected and he stayed healthy than I thought he would. Most of his other steals came from Zobrist, Stubbs, Votto, and Gonzalez. In his roster structure, he had 56 steals from SS and 2B. He had one pure base stealing slot (Crisp and Davis, but Crisp ended up helping in 5 categories), and two 20/20 players – Gonzalez and Stubbs. Votto’s 16 steals from 1B was a nice bonus. I think he had great roster structure.



His two catcher were hurt part of the year, but they gave him 971 at bats with 116 runs, 32 HR’s, and 149 RBI. Many players are down on taking catcher early, but he had an edge at the position this year. His replacement catchers gave him 1 run with zero HR’s and zero RBI in 65 at bats.



He did a good job looking for a replacement 3B before Troy Glaus fell off the cliff. He added Pedro Alvarez and Chris Johnson. He knew Alvarez was a BA drag and he dropped him when Johnson looked like he had something more to offer. Johnson gave him 198 at bats with 21 R, 7 HR’s, 30 RBI, and a .292 BA. Ryan Raburn was a monster in 145 at bats. He hit .344 with 28 R, 9 HR’s, and 29 RBI.



Jamie had an excellent draft and he did an even better job of managing during the year. Jaime is one of the top fantasy players in all formats and I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from him. I think his draft philosophy was strong and one that could win over time. Each year the player inventory changes so you need to match your style with the changing player field.