Wow, brainfart…to practice what I preach, my team name is “Out on Waveland”
I’m the Samoan Rendezvous.
I am, as I was last year, “The Cougars.”
Why? Because the cougar is nature’s leadoff hitter, that’s why.
Mentioned it somewhere up there, but to make it clear, I am “Socks Repeating”
join up people, it’s fun, we swear! 
Crunkin’ Mully Style here.
Well, folks. Here we go. Sorry I’m a litttle later than I said I’d be, but we have 10 days until the big draft, so I figure there’s still pleanty of time to finalize the details. I made a call on the final league settings.
Here’s the look at the Roster settings. Changes in bold.
Batters
Catcher ©
First Base (1B)
Second Base (2B)
Third Base (3B)
Shortstop (SS)
Corner Infielder (CI)
Middle Infielder (MI)
Infielder (IF)
Left Fielder (LF)
Center Fielder (CF)
Right Fielder (RF)
Outfield (OF)
All Batters (Util)
Pitchers
Starters (SP) (2)
Relievers (RP) (2)
All Pitchers § (3)
Disabled List (DL) (2)
Bench (BN) (6)
Comments: I decided to up the number of bench spots due to the fact that we’re only at 14 players without much reason to expect growth. This should still be fun, and I figure that expanding the rosters a bit was reasonable. I’m not married to this idea, especially since we have 2 DL spots, so let me know what you folks think. However due to the need for probably one reserve IF, C, OF each and room for the expected 5 SP spots, this looks right to me. Had the league gotten bigger I’d have probably opted to only go with either a IF/Util slot instead of both.
Here’s a look at the Scoring Settings. Changes in bold.
Batters
Runs ®
Home Runs (HR)
Runs Batted In (RBI)
Strikeouts (K)
Stolen Bases (SB)
On-base Percentage (OBP)
Slugging Percentage (SLG)
Pitchers
Wins (W)
Saves (SV)
Strikeouts (K)
Holds (HLD)
Total Bases Allowed (TB)
Earned Run Average (ERA)
(Walks + Hits)/ Innings Pitched (WHIP)
Comments: I added two stat categories here that should probably effect your pre-draft settngs, so be aware. I’m guessing this might see a little resistance since it’s non-traditional, but hear me out. I added Holds because i’m one of those guys who thinks that the Save is one of the most misleading statistics out there. No other stat allows a mediocre player to get alot of cheap stats based on coaching situations. Reminds me of the Moe Williams 1-yd TD. Secondly, do you really think that guys like Dotel and Lidge in past years, K-Rod last year, and a host of others are less valuable than the guy in there in the 9th? Or the guy in there for the first for that matter. I don’t. My ideal solution would have been to have Saves + Holds, but basic Yahoo doesn’t allow it. So, I want to mitigate the impact of drafting super-stud closers by allowing another player to match them with solid set-up men. Plus it broadens the draft pool by putting those guys on your radar for something other than ERA and WHIP.
I also added Strikeouts. This was for a couple reasons. One, to balance the number of pitching and hitting stats. Secondly, because I think it’s reasonable to have one negative counter stat for both batting and hiting too. Not to mention the fact that I’ve spent far too many years watching the Cubs field a team of wild-swingers who make highlight reels, but rarely the playoffs. I think people under-estimate the negative impact of the K. If you’re from Baltimore or San Fran, get used to learning the hard way.
As before, critisism is welcome, though it’ll take a concensus to make me alter these. Hope everyone’s feeling me with these changes.
Finally, mark your calendars. We’ve got a draft date of Thursday, Mar 31 9:00pm CST Thats in 10½ days. 251 hours to be more precise. 250 hours, 26 minutes to be even more precise.
Here’s the current roster at the moment. Pretty sure I got all the screen names/team names right.
Petelin
Baltimore Weirdos (Weirddave)
Isotopes (Petey)
Dale Sveum Revisited (Jimmy Chitwood)
Winnowill’s Winners (Winnowill)
Tazmanian Devils (colour wolf)
Gotham Guitaristas (spooje)
Rackensack Diamonds (rackensack)
Samoan Rendezvous (Munch)
The Cougars (brianjedi)
Crunkin’ Mully Style (Mullinator)
Socks Repeating (Kiros)
Free Robinson Cano! (Wilson)
Out On Waveland (Omniscient)
Thats it. I’m going to declare a lock down on the settings as of 5PM this coming Friday (sooner if no one posts any complaints) so that everyone has maximum time to set their pre-draft settings and rankings. Remember to pre-draft! We don’t want anyone getting disconnected or having any other issue that submarine a whole team for the season. Good luck all.
Damn, sorry folks, dropped the bal when I posted that. The rosters should read:
Need to lose those
Corner Infielder (CI)
Middle Infielder (MI)
Spots in the original, made a goof when I C/Ped.
I agree with you about holds, at least in the RL value. I’m not sure that it translates quite as well to fantasy, but it’s another thing to make things interesting, so it’s cool with me.
I’d prefer to get rid of both negative counter stats, because I don’t like the disproportionate influence it gives to people who just don’t pay attention to their rosters, as well as the way it lends itself to some sort of silly strategies. Last year we all spent the last few weeks not starting as many pitchers as we could afford, because there was a cluster of 6-8 people within about 50-100 total bases, and the potential gains from any non-perfect game paled in comparison to the gains from finishing with as little actual pitching as we could manage.
Either way I’m pretty excited for the draft
I like the changes. I’m sad to see the reappearance of TB, but only because of the way they screwed me last year. But having them means having K as a hitter’s category, which I love. It really adds a lot to the strategy.
Also to any bystanders, there are two slots left, and we love newcomers (to give spooje company in the cellar)! So join up.
I like having a couple of negative counters, I think it is an important facet to the game. And honestly, I’m not sure the goofy strategy of benching pitchers to protect the TB slot while sacrificing Ks, Ws, or SVs is any more weird than seeing players dropping sluggers to fill in a couple extra SB guys at the end of the year or benching weak hitting catchers and 2Bs for the last 3 weeks to keep your OBP/SLG up. Rotisserie leagues are just strange like that, so I can’t see that this one case warrants change.
That said, I really am pretty attached to having Ks there for hitters, and I really want to have one negative stat for both sides of the ball. TB isn’t a perfect solution, however I can’t see any other negative pitching stats I’d prefer. The only other alternative really is BB, and it seems even more apt for anomolies than TB is. I’m open to suggestions, but TB is the most workable it seems.
Well, TB is decent. Let’s look at the alternatives and over-analyze them:
Losses: Negatives - hey, I hate having *wins * be a category - they’re not indicative of a pitcher’s ability, they’re indicative of a team’s ability. Positives - tips the balance away from the starters and towards middle and late relief.
Hitsor Walks: Negatives - already covered by WHIP, and I’m not a fan of doubling up stats when it’s not necessary. Positives - nothing that WHIP doesn’t cover.
**Runs ** or Earned Runs: Negatives - see above, but change WHIP to ERA. Runs is an even worse category - it’s sort of a combination of ER and Losses. Positives - nothing that ERA doesn’t cover.
Homeruns: Negatives - This is an interesting category. Frankly, I’m having a hard time making a case against it. Certainly, good pitchers give up HRs. But really bad pitchers give up more (I’d think). And if the ultimate goal of adding categories is to further draw the distinction between the good and the not-good, this certainly measures something other categories don’t. I guess the only negative is that it’s not a very accessible category of sorts. A secondary negative is that it favors NL pitchers over AL pitchers. Positives - Makes that 2-run homer in the 9th to your closer even that more devastating. Which is oddly a good thing.
Intentional Walks: This is just crazy talk. Negatives - this is ultimately a manager’s decision, and shouldn’t impact a pitcher. Positives - this is ultimately a manager’s decision, which is an aspect otherwise completely absent from fantasy baseball.
Hit Batters and Wild Pitches: Negatives - you really can’t have one without the other, IMO, and that’s too many categories. Positives - makes it that much easier to make fun of whoever drafts Rick Ankiel (despite his new OF status).
Balks: Negatives - a terribly inconsistently enforced rule that is sure to be the cause of much angst and vitriol in a fantasy league environment. Very arbitrary on draft day. Positives - a terribly inconsistently enforced rule that is sure to be the cause of much angst and vitriol in a fantasy league environment.
Stolen Bases Allowed: Negatives - I have no working knowledge of the difference between a stolen base and “fielder’s indifference”. Because of that, I hate this category. It also penalizes based on pitching technique rather than pitching ability. Positives - none that I can see.
Total Bases Allowed: Negatives - will manage to screw me over one way or another. Penalizes pitchers with a slow outfield. Positives - is a good compliment to WHIP in that it differentiates the type of hits given up. It’s sort of combining a Homeruns Allowed category with a Triples Allowed, Doubles Allowed, etc. An ideal category might be a TBA - a Total Bases Average, or a TBIP - Total Bases/Inn. Pitched. But there aren’t so we don’t.
Overall, it should be pointed out that having a negative pitching category means that the “don’t start anyone” strategy automatically ensures winning half the pitching categories - TB, ERA and WHIP - something that cannot happen in the hitting categories. It favors the uninvolved who give up after the draft, and it subsequently rewards hitting.
In light of that, I’ll throw out for discussion dropping it back to a 6x6 format by combining OBP and SLG into OPS and dropping TB. The “lowest score wins” aspect of both ERA and WHIP seem to balance Strikeouts (hitting) enough to me.
I wanted to give the thread a little bit of a bump, just to make sure everyone sees it.
Munch, nice analysis. My take on it now is that Total Bases isn’t flawed enough to warrant changing up other categories to eliminate it. Yeah, it’s not perfect, but then again you could make a decent case against alot of other categories. I like having slugging and OBP as seperate categories since I think they are in some ways dimetrically opposed, and those rare guys who combine it are uber-studs IRL and should be in fantasy too. Just my feelings there. Plus I put some stock in having hitting and pitching stats having a similar composite. 4 counters, one negative counter, and 2 rate stats for each. Ergo, eliminating TB causes as many or more problems than having ti eliminates.
Plus, if it’s certain to screw you over one way or another, I think that puts it over the top as my new favorite category.
[sub]Damn, I’m getting giddy for this[/sub]
One more thing, amarinth, in regards to your email in case you missed my reply, you’re more than welcome to join up. All the sign up info can be found about 20 posts ago.
Consider this an open invite to any lurkers or late-comers also still interested.
Thanks,
I’m signing up.
Harvey’s Wallbangers are set to return their previous glory!
T-Minus 8 days.
The draft is officially the highlight of next week now. I’m even considering changing my work schedule to give myself the entire evening to prepare.
15 teams and 18 roster spots means 270 players, if I did my math right. That’s pretty deep as far as talent goes, which means we may get a replay of last year’s “Who the hell is that?” late-round picks.
At one point last time, I was talking to people about the draft and they couldn’t believe that anyone was discussing the merits of Craig Counsell vs. Mark Bellhorn in the 12th round.
Yup, I’m excited as well. My money league just announced their keepers, and I’m pissed someone kept my ace in the hole pick. Keepers were announced the Melting Pot league, and I’m fired up for that.
But this draft is going to be the best, because it’s so big and grand and wonderful and long. There is absolutely nothing better than picking the Royals’ 4th starter late in the 18th round, and realize that there are still 6 rounds to go.
Any way we can randomize the order early next week so we can all obsess over our draft positions?
AFAIK, draft order is randomly determined right before the draft.
While I kind of wish the order was decided earlier, it’s always fun in the first round when you see your wish picks go and then have to scramble to decide who you like enough to make a #1.
The commish can also manually enter the draft order before a draft. We’d just have to randomize it offsite.