Sometimes you have good weeks, and sometimes you have weeks where your team gets outscored by the other team’s offense alone. Baltimore pummeled the Mackerel in Week 8, mustering only 290 points to the Devil Jays’ 465.
“Ugh,” Mackerel GM Jon Bielecki said, “what a frickin’ terrible week. Pretty much everyone was awful. A few guys had average weeks, but most of the team was awful. There’s no other word for it.”
Baltimore swept the weekly league honors, with team of the week, hitter of the week (Asdrubal Cabrera, 41), and pitcher of the week (Michael Pineda, 61). “We just got overpowered,” Bielecki said, “For my part, I need to re-consider the lineup completely. It’s time to stop considering what a guy might or could do and focus more on guys who are actually producing. Week 8 was an example of what happens when the entire team struggles at the same time. Awful.”
Tim Lincecum had the lone bright spot of the week for Mile High, pitching a shutout on Saturday night. “There’s not a whole lot I can take away from this week, other than the hope that it’s not a trend.”
Mile High plays crosstown rivals the Colorado 470s in Week 9 in Leg 2 of the battle for the Shield Of Gratitude. Colorado won the first meeting 248-222.
Mile High completed its second two week winning streak by knocking off a streaking Marshall Street squad which had won four of its previous five matchups. Led by the return of Victor Martinez (42 points), the Mackerel posted their second highest offensive total of the season (241). Eight hitters posted 15 points or more, and only one scored less than 10.
“It was a nice change from last week,” Bielecki said, going over the numbers, “we had four guys score less than 10 and only 5 over 15.”
The pitching roster delivered an average-if-medicore performance considering they had 10 starts for the week. The Mack staff avereaged only 13.1 points per start, getting only 17 points from Tim Hudson over two starts, and 23.5 from young Rockie Jhoulys Chacin.
“They got the job done, but obviously we were hoping for more,” Bielecki said, “Frankly, we got lucky that Marshall Street had a bad week. We lost Lincecum’s second start due to rain, but since we got the win anyway, it actually works out well that we’ll get him twice against Baltimore.”
Mile High will take on Baltimore in Week 8. The teams squared off in Week 2 with Mile High winning 412-301.
After a two week skid, the Mile High Mackerel snapped their late-April losing streak by topping the Speedway Starwipes 345-296 in Week 6 of the ECB. Despite a few struggling hitters, the Mack were lucky enough to matchup against Ryan Friedman’s Speedway Starwipes, who were going through some struggles of their own.
“It’s been a bit of a strange season so far,” Bielecki said, “It feels like a lot of GMs are not really sure what they got from the draft. Myself included, some weeks.” Despite that, the Mackerel lineup has remained relatively consistent considering they currently have three players on the disabled list.
Gaby Sanchez, who was acquired a few weeks ago to fill one of those spots, led the offense in Week 6 putting up 42 points. Craig Kimbrel led the well-balanced pitching attack with 33 points. Mile High takes on Marshall Street in Week 7.
Another year has begun and Mile High has still not figured out how to beat Chicago. The Tiger Army, aside from being the rivals of the Mackerel, are the only squad against which GM Jon Bielecki’s team has a losing record in the history of ECB. That trend continued in Week 4 with a 445-415 loss to Steve Adler’s Tiger Army.
“We put up 415,” Bielecki said in his Monday morning presser, “We do that every week, and we’ll be okay. We just can’t get past Adler for some reason.”
Bielecki hung the loss on sluggers Victor Martinez and Logan Morrison going on the DL before Wednesday’s games started. The Mackerel got only two points combined from them.
“Would that have made the difference? I don’t know. Even with Jhouls’ 5 points, we still had almost 200 points from pitching. We’ve got to point the finger at the offense this week.”
Andre Ethier led the way for the offense, putting up a steady 34 points while David Price won both of his starts for an output of 54 points for the week. Even after the loss, Mile High is still ahead of Chiaco, sitting in 4th place after four weeks. The Mack will take on New Haven (11-25) in Week 5.
Mile High continued their solid early season play and started its first winning streak of the young season by dispatching New Haven to the tune of 406-355.
Troy Tulowitzki took home HOTW honors with 50 points, joining Mark Teixeira as the second Mackerel to take home the honor in the season’s first three weeks. Mile High had 7 hitters score 22 points or more, putting up a season-high 263 points of offense. Jered Weaver continued to not lose, racking up his fourth win in as many starts.
“So far, so good,” GM Jon Bielecki said, “Everything’s clicking right now. We’ve got a couple of concerns, but the rest of the squad is really firing right now.”
“Weaver has been unreal,” he said, “but the biggest thing last week was getting solid starts from Lester, Price, and Cahill. If we can get our pitching together, we’ll be really tough to beat.”
Mile High takes on rivals Chicago Tiger Army in Week 4 of ECB.
As baseball season approaches I thought it may be informative to look at the best single season performances at each position for each of our eight franchises.
Methodology: I decided to use total point for the FANTASY FRANCHISE. The players may have put up more points during our playoffs, but not for this purpose. I also opted not to use points per game as I didn't think it would truly provide the best representation of each team. I decided to allow players to have multiple years for a team, mainly because I want to see if anyone besides A-Rod and Pujols ends up on Woosta’s roster. I used the positions as they would occur in ECB, not the way the MLB organization does it. The rosters were compiled using the stats from the almanac. Unfortunately these stats only went back to 2005 so the years 2001-2004 will not be reflected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
MARSHALL STREET MENACE
POS
NAME
YEAR
POINTS
C
Joe Mauer
2006
428
1B
Jason Giambi
2006
500
2B
Ian Kinsler
2008
510
3B
Troy Glaus
2006
478
SS
Derek Jeter
2006
509
CI
Troy Glaus
2005
430
MI
Robinson Cano
2010
501
OF
Carlos Lee
2007
516
OF
Andre Ethier
2009
507
OF
Ichiro Suzuki
2005
456
OF
Carlos Lee
2008
438
UTIL
Dustin Pedroia
2008
453
UTIL
Derek Jeter
2005
453
P
J. Broxton
2009
541.17
P
CC Sabathia
2008
534.84
P
Rafael Soriano
2010
532.17
P
CC Sabathia
2007
506.5
P
Roger Clemens
2005
508.16
P
Mariano Rivera
--
490.36
What I Learned:
Marshall St? In case you haven't noticed I've been going in the order of most playoff appearances. I didn't expect Marshall St to be ahead of Speedway. And they're not. It's a tie, but such is the magic of the almanac.
Yankees. Watts has taken advantage of the Yankee hatred in this league and benefited from great seasons from a variety of Yankees like Jeter, Rivera, Cano, Giambi, Sabathia, and maybe Clemens (can't remember which mercenary year that was).
SWA. BAT. Andre Ethier is the first Keene Swamp Bat to make our list (fittingly for a former GM who was also a SwaBat), but definitely not the last. Well, maybe he is for this go around, but hope to see some more when I update this list in a few years. Long live the Swamp Bats!
Led by Pitcher Of The Week Jered Weaver’s 60.7 points, the Mile High Mackerel rebounded from a Week 1 loss to Colorado by picking up 7 wins against the struggling Baltimore Devil Jays. Weaver and Troy Tulowitzki (34 points) accounted for almost a quarter of the Mackerel’s league leading 412.5 points and vaulted the Mack to first place atop the ECB standings.
Pitching was the key to victory for the Mack, who got a total of 183.5 points from their six pitchers. “It could have been more than that if it weren’t for the Red Sox being so friggin’ terrible,” skipper Jon Bielecki said, “but overall, I was very happy with the pitching staff we went with last week.”
The Mile High offense contributed a stellar 229 points, which is somewhat impressive considering they got their first double of the season on Wednesday. “It was a team effort on that side of the ball,” Bielecki said, “No one person carried the team. That being said, we’re still looking for more from Uggla and (Austin) Jackson.”
Mile High takes on New Haven in Week 3 without the services of Ryan Zimmerman. “We should be okay,” Bielecki said, “but we’re really going to need Buster and Vladdy to pick up the slack this week.”
As baseball season approaches I thought it may be informative to look at the best single season performances at each position for each of our eight franchises.
Methodology: I decided to use total point for the FANTASY FRANCHISE. The players may have put up more points during our playoffs, but not for this purpose. I also opted not to use points per game as I didn't think it would truly provide the best representation of each team. I decided to allow players to have multiple years for a team, mainly because I want to see if anyone besides A-Rod and Pujols ends up on Woosta’s roster. I used the positions as they would occur in ECB, not the way the MLB organization does it. The rosters were compiled using the stats from the almanac. Unfortunately these stats only went back to 2005 so the years 2001-2004 will not be reflected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
BALTIMORE DEVIL JAYS
POS
NAME
YEAR
POINTS
C
Joe Mauer
2009
454
1B
Prince Fielder
2009
570
2B
Dan Uggla
2010
482
3B
Michael Young
2009
443
SS
Michael Young
2005
484
CI
Prince Fielder
2007
543
MI
Michael Young
2006
474
OF
Grady Sizemore
2008
553
OF
Grady Sizemore
2006
538
OF
Grady Sizemore
2007
524
OF
Adam Dunn
2007
522
UTIL
Adam Dunn
2009
516
UTIL
Adam Dunn
2006
510
P
Chris Carpenter
2005
551.66
P
Johan Santana
2007
508.5
P
Felix Hernandez
2010
505.66
P
F. Rodriguez
2007
493.84
P
Chris Carpenter
2006
448.67
P
Brad Lidge
2008
416.84
What I Learned:
Dunn and Dunn. What were the rest of us thinking? Every year Grashow throws Dunn back in the redraft pool, and every year we all pass on him, looking for sexier picks. Until Watts took him this year. Well played Watterson.
A Man Named Grady. Almost forgot how great that guy was. Pretty incredible to see the production that Baltimore received from Grady and Dunn. Too bad for Cleveland, Baltimore, and baseball fans in general that he has been beset by injuries the last couple years.
Obvious. This team more than any that I have done so far I felt like I would have been able to fill in without even looking at the almanac, even more than Woosta. Michael Young falls in the same group as Dunn who Baltimore has redrafted frequently. Carpenter was a mainstay for many years and the new Baltimore generation of King Felix, Prince, and Joe Mauer have started to leave their mark.
As baseball season approaches I thought it may be informative to look at the best single season performances at each position for each of our eight franchises.
Methodology: I decided to use total point for the FANTASY FRANCHISE. The players may have put up more points during our playoffs, but not for this purpose. I also opted not to use points per game as I didn't think it would truly provide the best representation of each team. I decided to allow players to have multiple years for a team, mainly because I want to see if anyone besides A-Rod and Pujols ends up on Woosta’s roster. I used the positions as they would occur in ECB, not the way the MLB organization does it. The rosters were compiled using the stats from the almanac. Unfortunately these stats only went back to 2005 so the years 2001-2004 will not be reflected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
MILE HIGH MACKEREL
POS
NAME
YEAR
POINTS
C
R. Hernandez
2005
182
1B
Derrek Lee
2005
602
2B
Robinson Cano
2009
453
3B
R. Zimmerman
2009
497
SS
Jimmy Rollins
2007
565
CI
Mark Teixeira
2009
526
MI
Hanley Ramirez
2007
553
OF
V. Guerrero
2007
519
OF
Bobby Abreu
2005
518
OF
Nick Markakis
2008
516
OF
V. Guerrero
2006
512
UTIL
Hanley Ramirez
2008
535
UTIL
Hanley Ramirez
2009
526
P
Roy Halladay
2008
628.99
P
Tim Lincecum
2009
609.17
P
Bobby Jenks
2007
499.83
P
Tim Lincecum
2008
479.67
P
Mariano Rivera
2006
457.83
P
Mariano Rivera
2008
443.34
What I Learned:
There Is More Than One Way To Win. Woosta and Chicago were heavy on OF and 1B types, but Mile High has made 8 playoff appearances in 10 years as well and they have done it with tremendous strength up the middle with the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, and Robinson Cano to the extent they filled his UTIL spots as well.
DRAFT A CATCHER! Ramon Hernandez ranks as the lowest all time player thus far. It looks like GM Bielecki was at least subliminally aware of this as he drafted both Buster Posey and Victor Martinez this year.
Keepers. The one that first comes to mind is Adrian Gonzalez after the 2007 season, but it seems guys like Robinson Cano, Roy Halladay, and Adrian Gonzalez (again) took great offense to being thrown back into the non keeper pool (Get it? MACKEREL!).
As baseball season approaches I thought it may be informative to look at the best single season performances at each position for each of our eight franchises.
Methodology: I decided to use total point for the FANTASY FRANCHISE. The players may have put up more points during our playoffs, but not for this purpose. I also opted not to use points per game as I didn't think it would truly provide the best representation of each team. I decided to allow players to have multiple years for a team, mainly because I want to see if anyone besides A-Rod and Pujols ends up on Woosta’s roster. I used the positions as they would occur in ECB, not the way the MLB organization does it. The rosters were compiled using the stats from the almanac. Unfortunately these stats only went back to 2005 so the years 2001-2004 will not be reflected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
WOOSTA PIMP ROOSTAS
POS
NAME
YEAR
POINTS
C
Victor Martinez
2009
474
1B
Albert Pujols
2009
650
2B
Rickie Weeks
2010
474
3B
Alex Rodriguez
2007
653
SS
Jose Reyes
2006
520
CI
David Ortiz
2006
599
MI
Jose Reyes
2007
517
OF
Josh Hamilton
2008
543
OF
Vernon Wells
2006
519
OF
Manny Ramirez
2008
490
OF
Alex Rios
2007
462
UTIL
Albert Pujols
2006
541
UTIL
Albert Pujols
2010
566
P
F. Rodriguez
2008
654.68
P
Ubaldo Jimenez
2010
570.67
P
Roy Oswalt
2005
521.82
P
Josh Beckett
2009
461.34
P
D. Matsuzaka
2007
458.68
P
Cliff Lee
2008
452.62
What I Learned:
Rich Knows Pitching? I think everyone remembers/knows about Rich's love affair with K-Rod, but I never EVER would have guessed he was the all-time leader in single season points for a Roosta. It will surely help his MLB Hall of Fame resume.
Go Red Sox! Given that we have 6 years of data and only 4 spots for Pujols (if we went back further he could have gotten some of the OF spots I believe) I assumed he would sweep them. I didn't expect Ortiz to make it with his great 2006 season. As a side note Albert Pujols broke 500 points all but one year (when he had 490 points).
Strong Keepers. Many of the men on this list would likely wear a Woosta hat into the HOF as that is the team they would identify with and have spent the bulk of their career. It shows that Rich has identified and kept talent for a long time, likely leading to his 4 ECB titles.
BLUE JAYS! I will listen to Rich anytime he tells me a Blue Jay outfielder will have a great year, like Rios or Wells. So what's on tap for Adam Lind this year (fingers crossed)?
After months of anticipation, the 2011 Elm City Baseball season kicked off in abbreviated fashion last week. The Mile Mackerel welcomed the ECB’s newest member, the Colorado 470s, into the league in Leg 1 of the battle for The Shield Of Gratitude. Mile High finished just outside of the playoffs in 2010 and was looking to start the season off on a positive note for a potential playoff run. Colorado, under new ownership, has made no bones about the fact that their days of being the ECB doormat are over, and looked to prove their point by defeating their crosstown rivals in the Denver Derby.
In a week free of two start pitchers and very many closing opportunities, the focus was on hitting in Week 1, and the 470s answered the bell with a flurry. Scanlan’s squad launched 11 homers as a team in just 4 days led by 3 from inaugural draft pick Ian Kinsler. Mile High kept pace with 10 homers of their own, putting both Colorado teams at the top of league in that category after Week 1. The 26-point win by the 470s can be attributed to the Mackerel’s all-or-nothing approach at the plate. As a team they registered exactly 0 doubles for the week (25 1Bs and 2 3Bs). Tack on an extra win late in the weekend for Colorado’s Gio Gonzalez, and the 470s ended the week winning their first ever series 5-4.
“Is was great to get our first series win,” Scanlan said, “but it was almost more important to make a statement coming into the league. Things worked out very well for the squad this week. Hopefully we can ride that wave into our first full week of action against the Tiger Army.”
Mile High GM Jon Bielecki spoke with a sense of subdued optimism after Week 1’s loss, “We’re not too worried about Week 1,” he said, “Lincecum could have gotten a win on Opening Day, and I’m fairly certain Tulo will get a few hits this year. Teixeira snagging Player Of The Week honors was huge after struggling early on last season. We’re pretty happy with the squad as-is for the moment.”
Mile High will take on Baltimore in Week 2 starting on Monday.
As baseball season approaches I thought it may be informative to look at the best single season performances at each position for each of our eight franchises.
Methodology: I decided to use total point for the FANTASY FRANCHISE. The players may have put up more points during our playoffs, but not for this purpose. I also opted not to use points per game as I didn't think it would truly provide the best representation of each team. I decided to allow players to have multiple years for a team, mainly because I want to see if anyone besides A-Rod and Pujols ends up on Woosta’s roster. I used the positions as they would occur in ECB, not the way the MLB organization does it. The rosters were compiled using the stats from the almanac. Unfortunately these stats only went back to 2005 so the years 2001-2004 will not be reflected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
CHICAGO TIGER ARMY
POS
NAME
YEAR
POINTS
C
Russell Martin
2007
415
1B
Joey Votto
2010
550
2B
Marcus Giles
2005
415
3B
Michael Young
2010
365
SS
Troy Tulowitzki
2009
465
CI
Mark Teixeira
2005
547
MI
Brandon Phillips
2007
407
OF
Lance Berkman
2008
551
OF
Manny Ramirez
2006
528
OF
Manny Ramirez
2005
509
OF
Carlos Beltran
2008
508
UTIL
Ryan Howard
2009
543
UTIL
Mark Teixeira
2008
513
P
Joe Nathan
2005
534.66
P
Johan Santana
2005
533.31
P
Billy Wagner
2006
528.67
P
Bobby Jenks
2006
479.18
P
Fr. Cordero
2007
471.68
P
Jake Peavy
2005
460.99
What I Learned:
I have never been able to trade for David Wright. I have tried with many owners and many various trade arrangements. Nothing ever happened and that is why Michael Young had the best season at 3B with a mere 365 points in 2010. Other years have had me trying to find a solution at 3B with poor results.
The 2-start starter strategy may have skewed the pitcher totals. This is going to involve looking at other teams, but Zack Greinke didn't make my list and he won the Cy Young award in 2009. I'll update this theory later.
My success is due to good 1B and OF. My roster reflects not only the tinkering at 3B, but also appears to indicate a lack of success in finding 2B, SS, and C via the draft or early in free agency. This is likely due to the limitations of our numbers as Mike Piazza, A-Rod, NOMAH, and Bret Boone would likely have produced better numbers.
Denver's oldest ECB franchise wrapped up their 10th season by missing the playoffs in 2010. The season was marred by inconsistent keeper play (Mark Teixeira, Nick Markakis) and a terrible draft (Jason Bay and Adam Lind were the first two Mackerel re-draft picks). Even perhaps the best team pitching season they've ever had could not make up for the shortcomings on offense, which lead to many curse words coming from GM Jon Bielecki's man cave.
At a pep rally consisting of his dog and cat, Bielecki promised that 2011 would see a return to the playoffs and to non-awful drafting. The latter began with the Mackerel selecting Buster Posey in the first round of the re-draft.
"Not many people remember that we actually traded for Buster last season," said Bielecki, "Then he slumped for like a week, I got super pissed, cut him, Woosta picked him up, we shat the bed, Buster won the Rookie Of The Year and, well, let's just say I almost fired myself."
Mackerel fans are hoping that Posey's growth as a hitter continues and he can become the solid fourth offensive keeper that the Mackerel have been missing for the past several seasons. As to his favorite draft pick, Bielecki was unclear, "David Price was our number one pitcher on the board and we were able to get him in the third round, which made us happy. Teaming him up with Lince and Lester is going to be a lot of fun. We're also excited to welcome back Jered Weaver, who we thought was our best pick last year, and Vladimir Guerrero. He's getting up there, but it's nice to see his name in the lineup again."
The Mackerel open their 2011 season on Thursday against the Colorado 470s in Leg I of The Shield Of Gratitude.
Now that Round 6 is over and we are all definitely 100% going to put our names in the cup, Round 7 is a time to figure out who you’ve always wanted on your team and/or who deserves the honor of receiving a championship ring at the end of the season. Who will owners choose as they start rounding out their squad? We know.
GM Grashow (and Felix Hernandez) welcome Zack GreinKKKKKKe to Baltimore. Another player likely to benefit from his change of scenery, Greinke moves to the National League and a team that can actually hit. Grashow made a commitment to advanced metrics by keeping King Felix, who although not likely to dominate the win column, IS likely to dominate the American League! Greinke will look to do the same in his new home and Grashow will gladly collect the quality innings and lots of strikeouts that Grienke will add. – Steve Adler
Round 6 Prediction: Adam Dunn (1B)
Dan Uggla (2B) Round 7, Pick 2 Woosta Pimp Roostas
It’s hard for me to imagine that this guy was ever NOT on GM Rich Gallup’s squad. Even when Uggla was a member of my beloved Mackerel, I felt like he was somehow on loan from the Roostas. For your consideration: The guy has Popeye arms (and face, sort of), he hits of ton of homers, and he has that look on his face that says, depending on the day, he might rather kick your fuckin’ ass and bang your girlfriend than play baseball. Kind of like A-Rod, except he likes boys. – Jon Bielecki
Round 6 Prediction: Jay Bruce (OF)
Andrew McCutchen (OF) Round 7, Pick 3 Speedway Starwipes
It seems like every year when we do these mock drafts, we just assign Frieds “good, 23 year old, player X,” but not this year! We are done with that. We project that with their second redraft pick Speedway will take 24 year old Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen clearly impressed while playing last year in the finals against GM/Coach Friedman and this year will be employed by Speedway hopefully allowing him to hit even more triples. If this mock draft continues, you might see how much Carlos Zambrano impressed Friedman in the next round... or not. – Steve Adler
Round 6 Prediction: Clayton Kershaw (P)
Shin-Soo Choo (OF) Round 7, Pick 4 Chicago Tiger Army
Wha—? Shin-Who Who? It might be a little too early for Choo at this spot, but Adler knows something you don’t know. Choo’s averages across 162 games: 94 R, 38 2B, 21 HR, 95 RBI, 22 SB, 83 BB. Oh, and he’s only 28. Homeboy is a stud. Adler knows this, and now so do you. – Jon Bielecki
Round 6 Prediction: Mike Stanton (OF)
Cliff Lee (P) Round 7, Pick 5 Mile High Mackerel
GM and TIMMAY welcome Cliff Lee back for a second tour in Mile High. Lee helped Mile High to the playoffs last time and will look to do so again as Mile High cannot afford to be left in the cold this year with new owner Jeff Scanlan relocating the New Hampshire 603's to within a stone’s throw of the Mackerel's stadium... literally a stones throw... QUIT THROWING ROCKS YOU TWO! – Steve Adler
Round 6 Prediction: Justin Upton (OF)
Dan Haren (P) Round 7, Pick 6 Colorado 470s
With the loss of Adam Wainwright, and no other serviceable pitchers to speak of, Dan Haren is a logical choice for Scanlan to start a bit of a run on pitching for his 470s. Aside from averaging about 14 wins over his career, Haren is returning to the AL West where he started his string of three straight All-Star appearances beginning in 2007. With Jered Weaver pushing him and a decent-if-healthy offense, Haren could be a force in the ECB this year. – Jon Bielecki
Round 6 Prediction: Buster Posey (C, 1B)
Nelson Cruz (OF) Round 7, Pick 7 Marshall Street Menace
GM Watts is looking to put the Menace back in Marshall Street and at 6'2" 240 lb., Nelson “Muntz” Cruz will go far towards that end. When paired with the giant (albeit slimmed down) CC Sabathia, Cruz will hopefully scare up some wins. Nelson has been unable to find a permanent home, but if he is able to stay healthy he could do so in Marshall Street. His 40 HR potential makes him the pick here as he will join Ichiro in what GM Watts hopes is a perfectly complimentary tandem. – Steve Adler
Round 6 Prediction: Jose Reyes (SS)
Andre Ethier (OF) Round 7, Pick 8 New Haven Traffic Cones
If New Haven can get through this pick with a solid pitcher (i.e. David Price) and a solid hitter with a little upside, like, say, Andre Ethier. The Ethier Bunny missed about 20 games last year, but was on pace to match his impressive 2009 totals. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think that Ethier won’t put up some solid numbers in 2011. - Jon Bielecki
As the remnants of winter hang around early March like a Dementor, one can always count on the looming ECB draft to dispose of any gloom quicker than you can say “expecto patronum.” As usual, this blog will predict the first rounds of the draft with 100% accuracy, so that when Netscape Gold v. 1.0 inevitably crashes on you, you can rest assured that you didn’t miss anything.
David Price (P) Round 6, Pick 1 New Haven Traffic Cones
Having almost an entire hitting lineup just from his list of keepers (and a decent one, at that), Jeff Stanley bucks his closer-heavy trend and picks up the best available young arm. It’s a virtual guarantee that there will still be closers around when Stanley next picks, but Price’s value and the T-Cones need is too high to pass him up with the first pick. - Jon Bielecki
Keepers: Carl Crawford (OF), Kevin Youkilis (1B), Brandon Phillips (2B), Derek Jeter (SS), Brian McCann (C)
Jose Reyes (SS) Round 6, Pick 2 Marshall Street Menace
Jose Reyes is destined to play on Marshall Street. One of the fastest players in the league? Check. Middle infielder? Check. Possible Yankee by the time keepers are due next year as the possible heir to Derek Jeter? Check. There were surely cheers of joy on Marshall Street when Rich finally freed Mr. Reyes. If healthy, Reyes is the best SS available. After Round 6, GM Watterson will have his MI slots completely solidified (with keepers Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano) and focus his attention on the rest of the roster... unfortunately Randy Johnson is no longer around. – Steve Adler
Another former Roosta comes off the board as Jeff Scanlan’s debut draft pick simultaneously breaks the hearts of ECB veterans and sets the stage for a much needed turnaround for his 470s. Posey is one of the best hitting young players in the game and when one is saddled with keepers like Jose Bautista and Nick Swisher, a hitter with long-term upside makes for a great decision. The deal is further sweetened by the fact that Posey is made unavailable to GM Rich Gallup, who elected to keep two of Scanlan’s beloved Rockies. – Jon Bielecki
Keepers: David Wright (3B), Josh Hamilton (OF), Jose Bautista (3B, OF), Adam Wainwright* (P), Nick Swisher (OF)
Justin Upton (OF) Round 6, Pick 4 Mile High Mackerel
It was a busy offseason at high altitudes as GM Jon Bielecki jettisoned stalwart Hanley Ramirez to Chicago for local hero Troy Tulowitzki. In his quest to find the next Hanley, Mile High drafts Justin Upton and his unlimited (although largely untapped) potential. Upton can do it all, at least that's what the experts insist, with a great speed/power combination. Mile High will also be able to keep a close eye on Upton due to his residence in the NL West. Upton gives Mile High their first outfielder and is a nice complement to his returning lineup core of Teixeira, Tulo, and Ryan Zimmerman. The pick would also reunite Zimmerman his old AAU teammate to pal around in the clubhouse.
Keepers: Jon Lester (P), Troy Tulowitzki (SS), Mark Teixeira (1B), Ryan Zimmerman (3B), Tim Lincecum (P)
Mike Stanton (OF) Round 6, Pick 5 Chicago Tiger Army
If there’s anyone Steve Adler trusts about baseball more than himself, it’s Bill James, and Bill James loves him some Mike Stanton. The strapping young slugger has all the upside in the world, and along with new toy Hanley Ramirez, would give Tiger Army fans reason to flock to SoFla for the summer. Add Stanton to Votto, Howard, and Ramirez, and the Tiger Army could have as formidable a set of hitters as there is in the league for many seasons to come. – Jon Bielecki
Keepers: Matt Kemp (OF), Joey Votto (1B), Ryan Howard (1B), Hanley Ramirez (SS), Justin Verlander (P)
What can be said other than Frieds loves the kids? Kershaw will benefit from the tutelage of Speedway keeper Roy Halladay on the field, and hopefully NOT the tutelage of Miguel Cabrera off the field. Frieds has shown he loves high volume strikeout pitchers (who are also good in general). Kershaw fits the mould as well as being only 23 years old. GM Friedman can afford to wait a few rounds for offense as Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, and Chase Utley join Miguel Cabrera to bolster the Wipes offense. – Steve Adler
Keepers: Miguel Cabrera (1B), Evan Longoria (3B), Ryan Braun (OF), Chase Utley (2B), Roy Halladay (P)
Jay Bruce (OF) Round 6, Pick 7 Woosta Pimp Roostas
What’s the best thing about being GM Rich Gallup? With the stable of keepers assembled over the years by the Pimp Roostas, the draft can be all about gambling. Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, and A-Rod alone give the Roostas potentially three of the top 10 scoring hitters in the league in 2011, add the pair of Rockies who can realistically have better seasons than their already impressive 2010 campaign, and Gallup has the luxury of being able to draft the 23 year-old slugger early on and hope for a breakout year. – Jon Bielecki
Keepers: Albert Pujols (1B), Carlos Gonzalez (OF), Adrian Gonzalez (1B), Alex Rodriguez (3B), Ubaldo Jimenez (P)
Adam Dunn (1B) Round 6, Pick 8 Baltimore Devil Jays
This is the easiest and most obvious pick in the draft. It was forecasted last year and came to fruition, there is no doubt that it will happen again this year. Dunn has proven to be one of the rocks of Baltimore. Like Ray Lewis except in out fantasy league. Dunn will likely benefit from the warm Chicago summer air (if it ever comes) and help Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Matt Holliday, and Jason Heyward lead Baltimore back to the playoffs. That is, if they don't completely botch their next pick after choosing to pick at the back end of the draft for back to back picks. – Steve Adler
* – Wainwright (injury) will be replaced with a player to be determined.
DENVER, Colo. -– Competing ECB owners and longtime friends Jeff Scanlan and Jon Bielecki agreed to terms Wednesday on a set of rivalry trophies to be awarded during each season. Scanlan’s 470s and Bielecki’s Mackerel lock horns for 2011’s Week 1 contest, the first ever meeting between the two teams, and the inaugural series for the 470s.
The Shield of Gratitude: In honor of the Starz series Spartacus, which is both mocked and enjoyed by both owners, the shield is awarded to the winner of the first 3 series of each season (total games won across all three series). Tiebreaker is total points across all three series.
The Govnr’s Cup: In honor of Govnr’s Park, a Denver establishment with fine foods, drinks, and douchebaggery, this trophy is awarded to the winner of the fourth and final series of the year (if played). This trophy will be held by the last winning team in years where the teams do not play a fourth time.
This year I thought it would be fun to add a new wrinkle to our KFS draft recap article – the post-draft Q&A. I think it turned out really well, thank you all for your insightful answers. I hope you find it to be as interesting to read as I did.
The draft was held on March 28, 2010 at 8PM and the final picks in round 25 were made around 9:45. All-in-all it went very smoothly (Remember when we had to actually pick our keepers? Someone’s internet connection would inevitably fail and we would all “stall” by taking as long as possible to make our keeper picks in hopes that they would return before their next turn… ahhh, the good old days). The following Q&A is listed based on the picking order of round 6, the first redraft round:
New Haven Traffic Cones Manager: Jeff Stanley
Q: After sticking with your usual closers-first pitching strategy you broke the mold by selecting Mad Max Scherzer in the 20th round. What made you decide to make the jump at this point in the draft?
Q: You selected a recent Tommy John surgery patient (Joe Nathan) with the 1st pick in the 12th round. At what point did you realize the mixup?
A: The bottom line is that both of these picks (along with a couple of others) were mistakes. New Haven management has been busy recently and unable to assemble proper scouting reports. Management was forced to rely on a combination of outdated cheat sheets and the always reliable Yahoo! ranking for a good chunk of the draft (round 6 and on). Not one of my better drafts, but that hasn't stopped me from missing the playoffs in the past. Hopefully some free agent pick-ups throughout the season will help compensate for a less then stellar draft.
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Mark Reynolds with the first pick of the 6th round. He’s like Adam Dunn, but better, and he plays 3rd base. Until Elm City starts caring about strikeouts, Mark Reynolds should be a top points producer at a semi-premium position.
Hated it: Jermaine Dye in round 19. I don’t think he’s even on a team.
Woosta Pimp Roostas Manager: Rich Gallup
Q: You selected Andrew McCutchen with the 2nd pick in the 8th round despite the fact that more proven sluggers and stud pitchers were still available. What are you expecting from the only good player on the Pirates’ roster?
A: In short, I expect at worst a guy who will be solid enough that I can leave him in the line-up all year and feel pretty good about it. At best, I see him as a shining example of the type of player I targeted in this year's draft.There weren't enough of the 30-home run, 100-RBI guys I normally target to go around, so I turned my focus to those Carl Crawford types that can put up big, consistent points through medium power and speed, who everybody expects to suddenly learn how to hit for power but never quite get there. I felt McC was the most exciting guy of that ilk available, and after seeing the next 12 guys get picked I like how it worked out. Of course, if Santana doesn't go crazy this year I'm going to wish I went with another pitcher instead. Q: Carlos Zambrano in Round 22 was an absolute steal. How did you hack into our Yahoo! accounts to ensure that he wouldn’t show up on our draft boards?
A: I work with an amazingly talented team of software engineers who threw together a little something for me. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Zambrano turns out to be the worst pitcher taken in that Round.Between Franklin, Garza, Wolf, Price, and Oswalt, Round 22 is looking like prime Steal of the Draft territory. I will totally trade you Zambrano for Sandoval, by the way. Their similar body types make it a completely even deal.
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Carlos Zambrano with the 2nd pick of the 22nd round. He’s not as good as he used to be, but he’s definitely a great value in the 22nd round and should get his share of wins on the Cubbies.
Hated it: Justin Upton in the 6th round. Jerk.
Mile High Mackerel Manager: Jon Bielecki
Q: You selected Javier Vazquez in the 11th round. Does this mean you think he will repeat last year’s performance despite switching back to the AL?
A: In 4 years in the AL, Javy averaged about 500 points per season and, while not staggering numbers, they were consistent which is what I was looking for out of a fourth pitcher (after Lincecum, Lester, & Broxton). He has gone over 200 innings in each of the last 5 seasons (3 in the AL), and racked up 200 or more Ks in the last 3 seasons. I think he would have gone sooner had he not been wearing pinstripes.
Q: New Haven selected Mark Reynolds with the first pick of the 6th round despite your attempts to make us forget about him by leaving him out of your mock draft write-up. Did the tears filling your eyes have anything to do with your drafting of Jason Bay with the 3rd pick?
A: While you never want one of your on-the-fence throw-backs to be drafted first, it is a dubious honor. That being said, Mark Reynolds was a gamble that paid off for me last year and I was scared to death of drafting him in 2010. Honestly, and you can ask Adler about this, I wouldn't have drafted him even if he had fallen to me at pick 3. Was Bay a bad pick? Once the Mets are healthy (if ever) I would expect him to put up numbers similar to last year. He and Reynolds tied for the 6th highest offensive output in 2009. I would have traded Reynolds for Bay at any time last year and probably would have kept him over Markakis.
Draft Analysis: I always like JB’s drafts. Remember that year he took Hanley and J-Roll with the 8th and 9th picks of the redraft? Nice.
Loved it: Chris Davis in the 18th round. This was a great place to grab Chris Davis and his huge post-hype upside.
Hated it: Not a horrible pick, but I don't like Jason Bay with the 2nd pick in the 6th round. Maybe I’m jaded after watching him for a few years in a horrible Pittsburgh lineup, but I’ve never been a big J-Bay fan. He’s really streaky and injury prone and I think his runs/RBI will be a lot lower after his departure from Fenway and the Red Sox lineup.
Chicago Tiger Army Manager: Steve Adler
Q: You stole a lot of picks from me. I guess great minds think alike. Bravo! Please discuss.
A: Well... glad to hear someone else wanted some of the guys I ended up with. I think that both of our franchises have been competitive... so I can't say that I am completely surprised. I am guessing about which players you are referring to, but I know you had Votto last year so I'll start there. I was jealous that you had him all year as he was a player I had targeted prior to LAST YEAR. I think there may be even more upside there. I also think it is true that in this league owners try to get back a lot of their players (beyond their keepers) from the previous year (see Speedway rounds 6-9). The second guy that I am guessing you mean is Josh Johnson. I looked at your roster from last year (as well as mine) and we both seem to target starters that can throw a lot of innings with a high strikeout rate. The final player that I think you mean: David Price. This I think is for a different reason... and that is because BAL and SPE are notorious for grabbing every good looking prospect and I think Price still qualifies even though he is somewhat forgotten about with the focus shifting to Strasburg.
Q:You chose Gordon Beckham with the 10th round. Are you expecting a breakout season for the young second baseman? Or did you make the mistake of going on a Chicago-based sports website to read the incredible local hype?
A: I think this goes back to the second part of getting players back that you liked the previous year (also think this was another player you may have targeted). I think the reason that I took him that early (and may have overpaid) was twofold. First, if I hadn't taken him right there both Speedway and Baltimore would have had two picks before I got another chance to take him. Secondly, I think that his move to 2B makes him an exceptional value. Although he is relatively unproven the kid DID rake after the first 4 games or so with the White Sox. I think he can hit 20-25 HR's and have an OPS above .800... which coming from a middle infield position is exceptional. PLUS, I kept 2 pitchers this year and hope to never do that again so I want to have a deeper pool of prospective positional keepers.
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Carlos Quentin in the 14th round. This was a great pick in the 14th round. If the reports of him being over his various injuries are true he could quickly regain his status as the elite hitter Adler traded for 2 seasons ago.
Hated it: Nothing really jumps out at me as a bad pick or a reach. The combination of Soriano and Beltran in the 15th and 16th rounds was risky since both are so injury prone. He’ll be lucky to get one full fantasy season’s worth out of these two.
Speedway Starwipes Manager: Ryan Freidman
Q: Was drafting Matt Weiters in the 9th round a rational decision? or were you just “feeling the itch” since Baltimore had selected Heyward with the preceeding pick?
A: It actually had nothing to do with Heyward, although I'm glad it worked out that way. I was ready to draft Weiters heading into that pick regardless. He was the last catcher on the board that I would actively want on my team, and he really wasn't that bad last year, putting aside the hype. .288 with a pace for 15 homers and 70+ RBIs in a full season.
Q: You used 3 of your first 5 picks on pitchers. Was this an intentional strategy? Or were you just taking what the draft gave you?
A: Intentional for sure. Last year's squad was the best team I've had since our inaugural year, and it was nearly all due to having all those aces on the roster. In fact, I really planned to add one more (either Cliff Lee or Matt Cain) until I heard the siren song of Jay Bruce and Lance Berkman just to spite Adler.
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Haren and Carpenter in rounds 7 & 8. I just hope I don’t have to play you the week that Halladay, Haren, and Carpenter each have two starts. Not to mention Hanson who you added a couple of rounds later.
Hated it: James Loney, Round 18. It’s not that he’s bad, it’s just that he’s so, I don’t know, boring.
Baltimore Devil Jays Manager: Jon Grashow – DOSBOT
Q: Jason Heyward in the 9th round? Really? He has fewer than 50 at bats above single-A. What were you thinking?
A: Well, it didn’t help that Yahoo! had a feature article about him on the fantasy baseball front page the day of the draft. Chipper Jones seems to love the guy, and Bobby Cox says he’s the only player whose bat makes the same sound as Hank Aaron’s when he hits the ball. Plus one of the thousand articles I’ve read about Heyward during spring training said he had the potential to have a “Pujols-esque” rookie season. Since Woosta stole the next Griffey Jr (Justin Upton) from last year’s championship roster it seemed prudent to add the next Pujols. Across 3 minor league levels last year he had a 51:51 walk-to-strikeout ratio, so at least he’s not Chris Davis. If we’re lucky we’ll get the second coming of Pujols, if we’re not so lucky we’ll get another Alex Gordon. Either way it will be a fun ride.
Q: You drafted Nomar with your final pick, effectively preventing him from retiring as a member of the Tiger Army. How can you justify this backstabbing behavior?
A:Speaking of Alex Gordon, we were going to take him with our final pick as a joke, but I suddenly got worried that people wouldn’t realize it was a joke. Fearing bad Karma for the entire season (the punishment for making serious picks in the final round), I pulled the trigger on Nomah instead. Admittedly, in his fantasy career we were more like the Dodgers than the Red Sox. I dropped him immediately so that Adler could pick him up and have a jersey retirement ceremony. As I made that pick I was suddenly transported to the TV coverage of one of the All-Star games where Jeter and Nomar were being talked about as the two premier shortstops in the game. They seemed so happy back then, smiling and laughing in the dugout…
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Chipper Jones in the 21st round. I know he has injury issues, but he’s been raking this spring and still has the upside to be an elite third baseman when he’s on the field. Also, apparently he is going to keep both hands on the bat when he hits lefty in order to catch up with fastballs better this season.
Hated it: Cody Ross in the 19th round. I Didn’t really know who to pick at this point. He’s already been cut from the team.
Marshall Street Menace Manager: Jon Watterson
Q: Your first 2 picks were Ellsbury and Ichiro. This will obviously cement your lead atop the steals category, but do you think these picks will help you in Elm City Baseball where “chicks dig the longball?”
A: I had to get back to picking great players. I had become very pitcher-reliant and wanted to get away from that, while also staying away from picking-for-position so early in the draft. I have high hopes for these two players in a number of categories--Runs, 1B, 2B, 3B, and SB. I realize that not getting the 4-point value of a HR (and the RBIs that come with it) may prove to be a downfall of mine, but I hope that these guys are so active in other categories that it makes up for not getting the HRs from them.
Q: You selected Elvis Andrus in the 16th round and Stephen Drew in the 19th round. All in all you drafted 6 middle infielders (including 2 keepers). Is there a method to your madness?
A: Despite what I just said, Elvis Andrus was very much a position play--I needed a shortstop badly at the time. I actually really like him at that late a round. Around Round 19, I started looking at backups, and that is the reason for the proximity of the Andrus/Drew picks.
Cano has Ellsbury/Ichiro potential, for me--I (almost) look at him independent of position, because I think he can fill up so many statistical categories.
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Francisco Rodriguez with the 7th pick of round 12. With Nathan going down, K-Rod is in line to be the best closer in Elm City baseball in my opinion. Getting him as the 5th closer off the board was a steal.
Hated it: Ichiro in round 7. OF is a deep position and Ichiro hasn’t been an elite scorer in Elm City for some time. I liked Carlos Lee (Round 10), Shin-Soo Choo (Round 11), Josh Hamilton (Round 11), and Adam Jones (Round 12) better. Just to name a few.
New Hampshire 603s Manager: Brian Labore
Q: Your selection of Bob Abreu with the first pick of the 7th caught me by surprise. Why did you feel it was necessary to pull the trigger on this pick so early?
A:While not the first name on my list, the 603s really needed to build a solid foundation to compete this year. Coming off last years abandonment, criminal hearings, and scandal, we felt that Abreau had the consistent numbers and play time that could keep our team on track throughout the season.
Q: Your team is obviously strongly aligned with the Granite state. How do you think your fans will react to you drafting the prince of darkness (Jorge Posada) in the 18th round?
A: Posada is neither a fan nor an owner favorite and will most likely be cut ealry in the season but we here in the NH believe that every man should be given a chance to prove he can Live Free, and we all know the alternative...
Draft Analysis:
Loved it: Hideki Matsui in round 20. He retains OF eligibility from last year, but will spend most of his time as LAA’s DH to save his knees. This guy is a professional hitter and one of two Yankees that I admit to liking (along with David Wells). He could easily outscore your first pick (Bobby Abreu) if he can stay healthy.
Hated it: Garrett Jones in round 10. My magic 8-ball said “very doubtful” when I asked if Garrett Jones would repeat last year’s performance. At this point in the draft there were more proven performers and better high-upside picks to choose from.
