Other Fantasy baseball.

[wolfman]

I didn't want to clutter up the SDMB league threads, so this is for independent teams.

Anybody wanna critique my team, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it, some of my picks were not siting well as I pressed the button, I always put to much into gambling on age and injury in the middle rounds.
It's a standard 5X5 yahoo public league. I haven't followed baseball too closely the last couple years, but decided to get back in the fantasy game.

I had 10th pick of 12, fortunately only one 1 player was on autopick (at least till round 12 or so) My strategy developed into, Starting pitching heavy, look to fill hard to fill spots, and try to stay OK in all batting areas, but not focus on any in particular. But then I panicked in round 4 because all the hitters with any power were going fast.

1. SP Lincecum
2. SS Tulowitztky
3. SP Felix Hernandez
4. 1B Kendry Morales
5. OF Jason Bay
6. OF Bobby Abreu
7. 3B Michael Young
8. SP Wandy Rodriguez
9. 2B Ian Stewart
10. OF Jason Kubel
11. RP Jose Valverde
12 C Kurt Suzuki
13. SP Brandon Webb
14. DH Vlad Guerrero
15. SP Randy Wells
16. RP Frank Francisco
17. OF Nyjer Morgan
18. SP Johnny Cueto
19. Martin Prado
20 Joe Blanton
21 Maglio Ordonez
22. Dice-K

Some gambles. I love Lincecum and Felix as pitchers, and they should be a great anchor. If Tulo can stay healthy I should be good there there. I really don't like Morales, but there was nothing better hitting left. Abreu and Gurrero are someday going to fall totally off the cliff because of age, but I hope they can still contibute well this year. I thought I got Webb in a good place, if he can get back and anywhere near his quality of a couple years ago, I'll be very happy. Ordonez also is a pick hoping for previous potential, and for a 21 rounder I thought it was good. Ian Stewart's .228 last year I think is uncharacteristic, and I think he'll be more around .275 with good HR. Closer will be weak, but any points there are bonus. And Nyjer Morgan who I've never heard of, but should slot in my second DH position to bolster steals a bit.

[Munch]

9. 2B Ian Stewart - not a good pick. He's about to lose his job, and it was way too soon regardless.
13. SP Brandon Webb - I don't like him there. It's not a good upside pick, which you can afford since going heavy SP early.

I think you also took way too many injury-risk players. Tulo, Webb, Vlad, Mags, Dice-K - too much.

However, I think Tulo's worth the risk, both your top SPs are capable of really putting up numbers (but I think going strong SPs is a mistake), Morales is much better than you think (I'd have looked for Votto around there, but Morales is great), Young and Wandy are consistently underrated. Kubel might have been early, but he's a very good player. Your RPs are thin, but ones you have are great - I'd look for Perez to be available or Matt Thornton to provide some bullpen support.

Your late SPs need work. They're all pretty interchangeable, so you might want to scour for some real breakouts. Fausto Carmona is, according to Buster Olney, looking dominant this spring. Colby Lewis is putting up good spring stats. See if Liriano is around. Jeff Niemann and Derek Lowe put up sick spring Ks.

[Wilson]

I like your SPs, but 8 is WAY too many for a Yahoo public league with the innings cap. I'd look to shed one or two and look for bullpen help (besides the two that Muinch mentions, look for Gregerson, Frasor or Bard, or stash Wood on the DL). You really need three closers in a 12 team league to be competitive.
You've got Prado to take over for Stewart, so you're set there. There's got to be someone better than Magglio for your bench, I'd guess.

[Invisible Chimp]

For comparisons sake, here is my team. I also picked 10th of 12 in a standard Yahoo! 5x5 league.

1. Joe Mauer C
2. Ian Kinsler 2B
3. Zack Greinke SP
4. Pablo Sandoval 1B,3B
5. Chone Figgins 3B
6. Bobby Abreu OF
7. Andrew Bailey RP
8. Torii Hunter OF
9. Shane Victorino OF
10. Elvis Andrus SS
11. Michael Cuddyer 1B,OF
12. Jason Kubel OF
13. Roy Oswalt SP
14. Bobby Jenks RP
15. Joel Piñeiro SP
16. Mark Buehrle SP
17. Adrián Béltre 3B
18. Juan Rivera OF
19. Barry Zito SP
20. Francisco Liriano SP,RP
21. Kevin Millwood SP
22. Cody Ross OF
23. Ryan Rowland-Smith SP

We only have two players in common: Bobby Abreu, who we both picked in the 6th round and Jason Kubel, who I drafted 2 rounds later than you. I remember I stole Greinke in the late rounds last year and I think I stole Liriano this year. I am considering dropping Rowland-Smith for Carmona.

[Hawkeyeop]

9. 2B Ian Stewart - not a good pick. He's about to lose his job, and it was way too soon regardless.


To who? Melvin Mora?

[wolfman]

I like your SPs, but 8 is WAY too many for a Yahoo public league with the innings cap. Yeah I know. The last three Cueto, Blanton and Dice-K are on tryout period. I'll probably only keep two or one after the first couple weeks. I was assuming Webb web will be DLed to begin the season so I can stash him in the closet until he shows something as well.

Stewart was a heart pick upgrade. I'm a Rockies fan, and have a lot of hope for him :)

[wolfman]

I did have one browser glitch pick, who has now been dropped to put in a waiver for Carmona. If it goes through I will have 9 SP though :smack: There is just crap for RP out there in my league.

For comparisons sake, here is my team..
Rest assured Zito will have a great year. His entire career has been based around my fantasy team. When not on my team, or on the bench he is a monster, once I play him he sucks.

[Invisible Chimp]

Yeah I know. The last three Cueto, Blanton and Dice-K are on tryout period. I'll probably only keep two or one after the first couple weeks. I was assuming Webb web will be DLed to begin the season so I can stash him in the closet until he shows something as well.

Stewart was a heart pick upgrade. I'm a Rockies fan, and have a lot of hope for him :)

As an M's fan, I try to avoid most Seattle players because playing with my heart over my head is not a way to a fantasy title.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

To who? Melvin Mora?

Eric Young Jr., one presumes.

[wolfman]

Eric Young Jr., one presumes.

Well the Rockies play Ian at third, and he is solid there after they let Atkins go. But he is also 2B qualified in yahoo and that's where I will put himin the lineup.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Yeah, you're right, and neither Barmes nor Young really plays third. I may have planted the seed for Munch to make that mistake by saying it in the other thread, too. Shame on me.

[RetroVertigo]

I had the 1st pick in a 12 team H2H league. Let me know what you think.

1. (1) Albert Pujols
2. (24) Brandon Phillips
3. (25) Félix Hernández
4. (48) Jayson Werth
5. (49) CC Sabathia
6. (72) Andre Ethier
7. (73) Carlos Peña
8. (96) Matt Wieters
9. (97) Chad Billingsley
10. (120) Brian Wilson
11. (121)Mark DeRosa
12. (144) Nyjer Morgan
13. (145) Francisco Cordero
14. (168) David Price
15. (169) J.J. Hardy
16. (192) Jeremy Affeldt
17. (193) Brendan Ryan
18. (216) Jhonny Peralta
19. (217) Rajai Davis
20. (240) Max Scherzer
21. (241) Brad Lidge

[Munch]

For comparisons sake, here is my team. I also picked 10th of 12 in a standard Yahoo! 5x5 league.
Punting HRs and RBI? Bold.
To who? Melvin Mora?
Errr...sorry, I think I confused him with someone. I just read about Ian Desmond getting the job in Washington, and I must have thought there was a two Ian limit at 2B in the MLB.

[Stringer]

1. SP Lincecum
2. SS Tulowitztky
3. SP Felix Hernandez
4. 1B Kendry Morales
5. OF Jason Bay
6. OF Bobby Abreu
7. 3B Michael Young
8. SP Wandy Rodriguez
9. 2B Ian Stewart
10. OF Jason Kubel
11. RP Jose Valverde
12 C Kurt Suzuki
13. SP Brandon Webb
14. DH Vlad Guerrero
15. SP Randy Wells
16. RP Frank Francisco
17. OF Nyjer Morgan
18. SP Johnny Cueto
19. Martin Prado
20 Joe Blanton
21 Maglio Ordonez
22. Dice-K

A little light on power probably, and the back end of your staff is pretty blah except Cueto who I like as a flier. Maglio is not ownable, pick up like Kyle Blanks or literally anyone else. The good side is that you have some nice power at MI and the top of your staff is ridiculous. In a couple months I wonder if you will end up trading Felix or Lincecum for a slightly worse pitcher and power hitting CI.

I had the 1st pick in a 12 team H2H league. Let me know what you think.

1. (1) Albert Pujols
2. (24) Brandon Phillips
3. (25) Félix Hernández
4. (48) Jayson Werth
5. (49) CC Sabathia
6. (72) Andre Ethier
7. (73) Carlos Peña
8. (96) Matt Wieters
9. (97) Chad Billingsley
10. (120) Brian Wilson
11. (121)Mark DeRosa
12. (144) Nyjer Morgan
13. (145) Francisco Cordero
14. (168) David Price
15. (169) J.J. Hardy
16. (192) Jeremy Affeldt
17. (193) Brendan Ryan
18. (216) Jhonny Peralta
19. (217) Rajai Davis
20. (240) Max Scherzer
21. (241) Brad Lidge

Love this team, can't believe CC was around at 49. Is your league all Sawx fans?

[RetroVertigo]

Love this team, can't believe CC was around at 49. Is your league all Sawx fans?

No. This league emphasizes more hitting stat categories, so pitching gets pushed back just slightly. King Felix was probably taken a little early by me (as no other pitchers were taken for another round), but I really wanted him.

[Munch]

Love this team, can't believe CC was around at 49. Is your league all Sawx fans?

I don't know what to think. As an H2H team, it's even harder to judge. I'm not high on Phillips, so I'd have a hard time taking him in Round 2, and I'd have waited even longer on SPs. I think he should find someone punting SBs and trade Pena to him for someone who's not going to destroy all the goodwill AVG that Pujols will provide, and focus on R, SBs, AVG and the occasional RBI win.

[Stringer]

I don't know what to think. As an H2H team, it's even harder to judge. I'm not high on Phillips, so I'd have a hard time taking him in Round 2, and I'd have waited even longer on SPs. I think he should find someone punting SBs and trade Pena to him for someone who's not going to destroy all the goodwill AVG that Pujols will provide, and focus on R, SBs, AVG and the occasional RBI win.

I think in H2H, if you're going to be weak in a category, AVG is the one to pick. Week to week AVG is pretty flukey, and you'll probably still win it some weeks even if your team AVG is hovering around .265-.270. I wouldn't trade away any of that power, if anything I'd trade away speed.

[wolfman]

Well my waiver went through so I gotCarmona, and then dropped Blanton for a little more bench hitting depth in Konerko.

And Retro, I love the team. I am always high on Pitchers and you got to great ones in good places.

[Incensed]

Hey guys, I've got a Yahoo FB question for you-

Can the commissioner alter and/or expedite a pending trade without the league knowing it?

I ask because I suspect tampering on the part of my league commish, but the only commish changes listed are the standard predraft category/positional adjustments. Our trade review setup is "league votes" if that matters.

[Stringer]

Well my waiver went through so I gotCarmona, and then dropped Blanton for a little more bench hitting depth in Konerko.

Carmona is terrible, Spring Training be damned. At least go with someone with upside like Latos or Homer Bailey.

[Munch]

Hey guys, I've got a Yahoo FB question for you-

Can the commissioner alter and/or expedite a pending trade without the league knowing it?

I ask because I suspect tampering on the part of my league commish, but the only commish changes listed are the standard predraft category/positional adjustments. Our trade review setup is "league votes" if that matters.
I believe the answer is no, since you're on "league votes". If not, I believe the commish can expedite with a notification/note to the league.

[MTRG]

Can I play?

8th pick in 10 player 5x5 roto (auto draft)

1. (8) Mark Teixeira
2. (13) Roy Halladay
3. (28) Derek Jeter
4. (33) Ben Zobrist
5. (48) José Reyes
6. (53) Jonathan Broxton
7. (68) Mariano Rivera
8. (73) Ricky Nolasco
9. (88) Asdrubal Cabrera
10. (93) Ian Stewart
11. (108) Aramis Rameriz
12. (113) Kurt Suzuki
13. (128) Michael Cuddyer
14. (133) Raúl Ibañez
15. (148) Frank Francisco
16. (153) Ryan Madson
17. (168) Mark Buehrle
18. (173) Mike Adams
19. (188) Max Scherzer
20. (193) Brad Hawpe
21. (208) Fernando Rodney
22. (213) Scott Kazmir
23. (228) Franklin Gutierrez

[Stringer]

Ya'll need to post your league settings. There is a difference between the Yahoo defaults 3 OF / 2 Util and ESPN default 5 OF / CI / MI.

Can I play?

8th pick in 10 player 5x5 roto (auto draft)

1. (8) Mark Teixeira
2. (13) Roy Halladay
3. (28) Derek Jeter
4. (33) Ben Zobrist
5. (48) José Reyes
6. (53) Jonathan Broxton
7. (68) Mariano Rivera
8. (73) Ricky Nolasco
9. (88) Asdrubal Cabrera
10. (93) Ian Stewart
11. (108) Aramis Rameriz
12. (113) Kurt Suzuki
13. (128) Michael Cuddyer
14. (133) Raúl Ibañez
15. (148) Frank Francisco
16. (153) Ryan Madson
17. (168) Mark Buehrle
18. (173) Mike Adams
19. (188) Max Scherzer
20. (193) Brad Hawpe
21. (208) Fernando Rodney
22. (213) Scott Kazmir
23. (228) Franklin Gutierrez

You're short on power and your SPs after the first two aren't that great. Your biggest weaknesses will be HR/RBI/W. Ks might not be terrible with Broxton and your SPs.

[ReticulatingSplines]

Carmona is terrible, Spring Training be damned. At least go with someone with upside like Latos or Homer Bailey.

Agreed. There are so many guys with higher ceilings who I would bet are available. A couple of other names are Wade Davis and Jorge de la Rosa.

[Munch]

(auto draft)
Ouch.

1. (8) Mark Teixeira
2. (13) Roy Halladay
3. (28) Derek Jeter
4. (33) Ben Zobrist
5. (48) José Reyes
6. (53) Jonathan Broxton
7. (68) Mariano Rivera
8. (73) Ricky Nolasco
9. (88) Asdrubal Cabrera
10. (93) Ian Stewart

4 pitchers in the first 10 picks, two of them RPs. I don't want more than 2-3, none of the RPs. I just won't pay for saves anymore. "Gotta have a top closer" is the same as "gotta have a top kicker" in football.

Zobrist, Reyes, Jeter and Stewart make up 4 other picks in your top 10. That's...not good. You're going to have to trade someone off (probably for an OF), but right now, everyone going to be undervalued. Wait for Reyes to come back strong (I really think he will) and find someone who needs steals. Pair him up with Rivera and you might be able to get Kemp/Braun out of it. Maybe.

11. (108) Aramis Rameriz
12. (113) Kurt Suzuki
13. (128) Michael Cuddyer
14. (133) Raúl Ibañez
15. (148) Frank Francisco
16. (153) Ryan Madson

Oh boy - more RPs! Way to go, Yahoo autodraft. I think that Ramirez may come back strong, so you could trade Stewart off for someone needing a 2B upgrade with no issues. Ibanez won't repeat (which I've said the last 3 years now...), but I do like Cuddyer. And an early catcher... Oof.

17. (168) Mark Buehrle
18. (173) Mike Adams
19. (188) Max Scherzer
20. (193) Brad Hawpe
21. (208) Fernando Rodney

Rodney and Adams. So Yahoo thought you needed more relief. Man... I like Scherzer a ton there. I'm not high on Buehrle, but others are.

22. (213) Scott Kazmir
23. (228) Franklin Gutierrez

These are who you'll be dropping to pick up the guys left that have high upside. I think you'll have to be aggressive this year to have a chance. Don't be afraid to trade away all your RPs - saves emerge, and you can't afford to have one-category guys when you need to make up ground on offense and with SPs. I love Halladay and Nolasco, so you're off to a good start there. You also are deep in positions that are shallow - so Yahoo didn't completely handicap you from a trade standpoint. Someone in your league has JJ Hardy (that'd be me in two leagues), and may be willing to make a deal.

[Munch]

Agreed. There are so many guys with higher ceilings who I would bet are available. A couple of other names are Wade Davis and Jorge de la Rosa.

de la Rosa is owned in 100% of ESPN leagues, Wade Davis in 90.1%, Latos in 88.2%. Carmona looks amazing right now, and he's free (11.2% owned).

[ReticulatingSplines]

de la Rosa is owned in 100% of ESPN leagues, Wade Davis in 90.1%, Latos in 88.2%. Carmona looks amazing right now, and he's free (11.2% owned).

Right, but the poster said it was a Yahoo league, where de la Rosa has 83% ownership, Davis 19%, and Latos 13%. I have no idea why such a disparity, but it is what it is.

Carmona's been great for three weeks, but he's been lousy for three YEARS. That one stellar year he had in the middle, his FIP was almost 4.00, and he never strikes anyone out. Just real low ceiling, is my only point.

[MTRG]

Thanks, Munch and Stringer... Appreciate the advice. Wish i had moe experience/time that i didn't have to jump into autodraft league; but for now, fantasy baseball is just for shits and giggles.....

fogot to list scoring cats

will not go into it here, but will point out that there are inning limits for pitchers especially.

Ouch.



Zobrist, Reyes, Jeter and Stewart make up 4 other picks in your top 10. That's...not good. You're going to have to trade someone off (probably for an OF), but right now, everyone going to be undervalued. Wait for Reyes to come back strong (I really think he will) and find someone who needs steals. Pair him up with Rivera and you might be able to get Kemp/Braun out of it. Maybe.

Yeah, on one hand I was like , "wow, five of the top 8 shortstops" then, i was " wow, what do i do with 5 short stops.

Interesting that you suggest holding until their value increases,


Don't be afraid to trade away all your RPs - saves emerge, and you can't afford to have one-category guys when you need to make up ground on offense and with SPs.

Don't quite understand punting RPs. Saves, Holds and Ks would benifit from players with high inning:K ratios.

I do see now that I would be better off with SPs with a better inning : K ratio.

I'll be looking in that direction when I shop around for trades. .

[MTRG]

scoring cats

Batters Stat Categories: Runs (R), Home Runs (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB), Batting Average (AVG), Slugging Percentage (SLG), On-base + Slugging Percentage (OPS)

Pitchers Stat Categories: Wins (W), Saves (SV), Strikeouts (K), Holds (HLD), Earned Run Average (ERA), (Walks + Hits)/ Innings Pitched (WHIP), Quality Starts (QS

[Munch]

Right, but the poster said it was a Yahoo league, where de la Rosa has 83% ownership, Davis 19%, and Latos 13%. I have no idea why such a disparity, but it is what it is.
That's not ownership percentage, it's starting roster percentage.

Carmona's been great for three weeks, but he's been lousy for three YEARS. That one stellar year he had in the middle, his FIP was almost 4.00, and he never strikes anyone out. Just real low ceiling, is my only point.

Both Carmona and Bailey have been terrible in the MLB. But Carmona did have an excellent year at one point, Bailey hasn't. They each have high ceilings and rock bottom basements. But Carmona's done it before. I'll go with him.

[Munch]

scoring cats

Batters Stat Categories: Runs (R), Home Runs (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB), Batting Average (AVG), Slugging Percentage (SLG), On-base + Slugging Percentage (OPS)

Pitchers Stat Categories: Wins (W), Saves (SV), Strikeouts (K), Holds (HLD), Earned Run Average (ERA), (Walks + Hits)/ Innings Pitched (WHIP), Quality Starts (QS

Ah. Reyes is not not worth nearly as much anymore, Zobrist jumps up the board. SBs are very puntable at this point, with so much emphasis on hitting.

Saves and Holds are worth less in a league like that (unless there's a REALLY low IP limit - standard is 1350). Holds are always available on the waiver wire, saves are always overvalued - and saves also always emerge throughout the year. I'm not saying "punt", I'm saying "sell high".

[ReticulatingSplines]

That's not ownership percentage, it's starting roster percentage.



No...if you look at players on your roster, it's indeed starting percentage. But go to the "players" tab and look someone up--it clearly says "% owned." For example, I have Miguel Montero and he's 69% started and 83% owned.

[Munch]

Ah thanks. I'd been looking for that option. I thought it was weird they'd only show starting roster %.

[Stringer]

Both Carmona and Bailey have been terrible in the MLB. But Carmona did have an excellent year at one point, Bailey hasn't. They each have high ceilings and rock bottom basements. But Carmona's done it before. I'll go with him.

I don't think Bailey has been that terrible in the MLB. Around 7 K/9 in the second half, and last year he was just inconsistent, which I'd expect from a 23 year old in his first full season in the bigs.

But of course we're talking about late fliers, all these guys are like playing darts blindfolded, so go with your gut! :D

[Munch]

Ah thanks. I'd been looking for that option. I thought it was weird they'd only show starting roster %.

Another quirk about this - my Yahoo league didn't have Jason Heyward available, as it was a "MLB rosters only" player pool. They added him today to the waiver wire. His "% owned" is at 0% - so they're looking at these league types separately. So stupid!

[dalej42]

Anyone know if in an ESPN league, can the commissioner see your watch list? I'm in a very competitive 12 team keeper league and I've got a list of players I'm watching that I'm thinking about picking up.

[Munch]

Anyone know if in an ESPN league, can the commissioner see your watch list? I'm in a very competitive 12 team keeper league and I've got a list of players I'm watching that I'm thinking about picking up.

Doubtful. I wouldn't think there'd be a reason to do so.

[wolfman]

Well about 1/3 of the way through the season I have to look back and say what WTF!!
After a draft in which i went 2 pitchers in the first three rounds. I thought I would dominate 4 out of 5 pitching categories with strong starting pitching, and hopefully slip in enough offense to make it a race.

Instead my ERA and Strikeouts are low middle, and my wins are dead freakin last. but thanks to all my flyers and free agent pickups I am actually leading my league in Runs, HR RBI and I'm second in average. :smack: Vlad, Konerko, Prado, and Maglio, the highest of whom was a 14th rounder are all top 50 players. Damn baseball is a frustrating sport to master.

Of course they will probably all cool off, and Kendy Gramatica may be done for the year, so who knows.

[dalej42]

Is it time to just drop Carlos Pena? I have Lance Berkman and Todd Helton. I hate dropping a player like Pena in a keeper league, but Pena has been sitting on the bench for a month now.