Here we are in the midst of a 10 day All-Star Break matchup so what better time to look back on the first half of the 64/60 Baseball Season. We'll look at the 5 Best in season pickups, the 5 Top Head Scratchers of the season, as well as a brief recap of all the deals up to this point. We'll find out how all the teams fare in the midseason Power Rankings and so what players at the midway point of the season are still keeper eligible from each team. Who knows what other additional knowledge I will drop along the way so grab that morning cup of Joe, light up that morning smoke, or take a brief escape from your morning spank session and see how the 2012 64/60 Baseball season has unfolded.
News & Notes
* The Annual Swing and Swim will be held at Hell and Flimstone Field Saturday July 28th. Festivities will begin around 2PM. I hope all can attend.
* The Dale Thayer Classic golf outing will be the following Sunday July 29th. No start time has been determined yet. Contact Jesse Ward for more details 423.231.6048
* League is up for the 2012 Football Season and all should have received a invite. Let me know if I need to re-submit the invite to you. Also please give me any suggestions on scoring and league format.
* I will release a midseason Keeper list by Monday. The list will have all players who are eligible for keeper status for each team.
* Any party interested in a deep keeper league for next season? I would like to have a 40 Man Roster, 15 Team or more keeper league were 25-30 roster spots are mandatory keepers. Finding 15 owners will certainly be a challenge as this format would not be suited for the casual fantasy owner. Any prospective leads please send my way.
Power Rankings
Team Offense Pitching Total League Rank
TBA 61 36 97 1
Walls 44 42 86 6
#team 46 38 84 11
Haters 53 26.5 79.5 5
Maniacs 48 28.5 76.5 9
Cutters 54.5 20 74.5 4
9irons 32 39.5 71.5 3
Colonels 27 38.5 65.5 10
Stars 30 34 64 7
BCFP 27 34 61 2
Emanski 22 33 55 8
M.R.O.T.A. 23.5 20 43.5 12
* As is the case with every season you have a outlier both ways. Todd Whitley and his dead beat Fantasy owner status gets honors for the worst luck ranking 2nd to last in the league yet a darling in the eyes of the Power Rankings. Conversely the 2X defending Champions BCFP are 2nd in the standing yet rank poorly in the coveted Power Rankings. In the case of #fantasyteamname, I feel Karma is paying him back for his lackluster ownership this season. For the Factory it's clearly another example of how Josh Coleman is simply the best owner and operator the 64/60 has to offer.
Top 5 Pickups
While names such as RA Dickey, James McDonald, Chris Capuano, and Trevor Plouffe come to mind, as players snatched from the Waiver Wire, their names won't be mentioned here. It's not that they haven't been effective it's just a big part of their production was either wasted on the Waiver Wire as is the case with Plouffe or divided up by a number of teams as is the case with Dickey, McDonald and Capuano. Plouffe didn't have a home until the Haters nabbed him up June the 11th. McDonald and Capuano hung on the wire until the first part of May. And for all of RA Dickey's greatness this season he wasn't a permanent lineup fixture until May 30th. The Top 5 isn't based on what I expect their production to be but rather their output since joining their current club. DRUM ROLL PLEASE.............
NAME, Team who claimed, Stat Line since joining said team
5. Lance Lynn, Marshall Maniacs 3.55/97/1.28/9.06/9. It was between he and Jose Altuve for the final spot and I leaned toward Lynn who had it not been for a three start stretch in June would be a Top 20 Pitcher this season.
4. Kyle Lohse, 9irons 2.80/70/1.10/5.15/14. All season long the 9irons have had the luxury of Kyle Lohse. Despite a K per 9 near the bottom of the league Lohse has turned in a Top 30 pitching season.
3. Theo Reddick, #. .264/19/50/42/8/.877 Picked up April 8th Reddick has proved he can be a everyday OF. While I do question his staying power as a Top 25 OF his first half has been nothing short of brilliant and a big reason the #'s are a darling of the Power Rankings.
2. Jake Peavy, M.R.O.T.A. 2.85/108/.99/8.10/13. Another player nabbed up post draft, the Riders have had the luxury of Peavy all season and a Top 15 pitcher is what they have been rewarded with.
1. Fernando Rodney, 9irons. .97/37/.78/9.00/23. While the Rays were scrambling for a closer fantasy owners were putting their stock in every Ray reliever not named Fernando Rodney. Luckily GRC3 doesn't read the Fantasy funny papers. GRC3 looked at the only skill set that matters for the closer, that being who has the job, and ran with it. A top 10 overall P is what the 9irons have enjoyed all season.
Top 5 Worst Drops Of The Year
These have been the most productive players who were dropped by owners this season. These are not opinion related nor do they consider why the player was dropped. Keep in mind many Ace pitchers such as RA Dickey, James McDonald, Chris Capuano, and even AJ Burnett to a degree were not considered. This group has been on 5-7 rosters at some point this season and in most cases multiple times, given are SP streaming ways. Therefore to lay blame on simply the last person to roster them wouldn't be fair. Truth be told the depth, or lack there of, with this list really surprised me. Outside of these five players it was really hard to find someone whom the Owner in question regrets riding themselves of.
5. Angel Pagan- B'Ville Stars 4/17. .296/5/33/32/15/.747. Not a statline to write home about but as I mentioned before the list is surprisingly shallow.
4. Dexter Fowler- Emanski's Deathsquad 5/9. .341/7/31/24/5/1.032. Counting stats solid but not spectacular, however AVG and OPS have been elite since his departure from the Deathsquad.
3. Jose Altuve- Emanksi's Deathsquad 3/20. .303/5/48/27/15/.783. Solid Run totals with plus AVG and good speed combined with 2B eligibility make Altuve the one I'm sure Fenney would like to have back.
2. Rafael Betancourt Marshall Maniacs 3/11. 2.76/34/1.10/9.37/15. I didn't understand it before and I still don't, dropping a closer just days after the draft without incident or reason behind it? While the SV total of 15 isn't among the leagues best his AVG performances have made him a Top 10-15 closer depending on your source for rankings.
1. Jake Peavy- TBA 3/14. 3.12/113/1.04/8.01/14. Perhaps it was Bopp preparing for his season of streaming. Or I suppose Bopp could have thought Peavy was three seasons beyond primetime. Whatever the case may be, in those early morning hours, Bopp waived goodbye to a Top 15 pitcher on the season.
Trade Evaluations
There have been 8 deals consummated this season within the 64/60 circles. Five of which now have enough statistical data in which to declare the early leader in the deal. Will look back on the five and I'll give my analytical breakdown of the remaining 3.
3/19. Emanski's Deathsquad send Pedro Alvarez to Thayer Haters for Brandon Belt.
Outside of Jessse owning his man crush for a brief period nothing substantial was gained in the deal either way. Jesse was rewarded with a terrible AVG with a occasional HR from Pedro before ridding himself. While Belt played little while performing mediocre at best when called upon. Both players hit the Waiver Wire and only Alvarez's HR and RBI totals have been a plus for fantasy teams this season. Verdict: In a game of loser's there are no winners.
4/24. B'Ville Stars send Kendrys Morales and JJ Putz to Marshall Maniacs for Jon Jay and Jayson Werth. The first of two and perhaps many future Father and Son deals. Jayson Werth was to be the center piece for the Stars but only 41 unproductive PA into his tenure a injury has labeled him with those red letters. Jay's roster tenure has provided nothing of value from a Fantasy perspective. For the Maniacs Morales was a league AVG player providing a decent AVG but no counting totals to speak of. Consider him and Jay a wash. Leaving Putz, who although underwhelming does have 11SV's with 22K to throw in on the season. Verdict: The limited contributions of Putz puts the Maniacs on top of this one.
5/16 Marshall Maniacs send Andrew McCutchen and Ricky Nolasco to TBA for Carlos Beltran and Chris Johnson. Throw Nolasco and Johnson out of the equation as both have hit the Waiver wire since the deal. While Beltran was a MVP candidate before the deal he has been steady since it was finalized. .293/7/22/33/3/.811 very serviceable totals. McCutchen has simply been the number 1 player overall since the time of the deal. .388/18/41/50/7/1.190. is the type of slash line that can win you multiple weeks assuming you have any type of avg support from your remaining roster. Verdict: While I thought Beltran may outproduce McCutchen this season moving forward I leaned heavily to the side of TBA on this one longterm. Longterm started the day this deal was finalized and has made Chrissy the top team in the 64/60.
5/21 BCFP send Kelly Johnson, Joel Hanrahan, and The Dale Thayer to the Thayer Haters for Dustin Pedroia. The deal that sent shockwaves across the 64/60 landscape that could be felt years from now. When making the deal for Pedroia I expected to receive a Top 20 player, what I have gotten is a player who has battled injuries all during his tenure with the Factory and has produced a below replacement level statline of .211/1/12/13/3/.571. Meanwhile the Haters haven't fared much better offensively as Johnson is only slightly better with a .227/2/14/14/5/.644 statline. From the rubber however Hanrahan has had a solid stretch posting 14SV/18K to go with a 1.86 ERA. As we all know Thayer was removed from the closer role upon Street's return so while he didn't register a SV for his new club the value of his leadership in the clubhouse could not be measured. VERDICT: Hanrahan alone gives this one to the Haters at the midway point.
5/28 The Cutters send Brennan Boesch,Colby Rasmus, and Logan Morrison to the MROTA for David Freese. A Chris Lee special Garbage Can trade, as Lemaster scoured the bottom of his roster and added up enough garbage to equate for something useful. While Freese hasn't played at a All Star level during that stretch a .317/3/17/18/1/.816 is very respectable. Boesch has been below replacement level during this time while Morrison's only plus production is the 8HR and .806OPS over the same period. Rasmus has been the best player in the deal with a .265/12/30/34/1/.861 slashline. VERDICT: Rasmus leans this deal heavily toward the M.R.O.T.A.
6/4 The BCFP send Carlos Pena, Kevin Youklis, Shane Victorino, and Tommy Hanson, to the Maniacs for Paul Konerko and Frank Francisco. Anytime you do a four for two deal you are expecting the best player in the deal. When you trade three somewhat high draft picks for another you are expecting a Top 25 player in return. As you can expect I haven't been pleased with the .244/3/10/9/0/.654 slashline Konerko has posted during his tenure. Francisco who was a throw in had been the better player posting 4SV and a 2.45 ERA before hitting the DL. While the Maniacs new additions haven't exactly been very effective Youk has been the best player in the deal with a .275/3/15/17/0/.810 slashline, Victorino may be slightly above replacement level with his 6SB, and Pena despite his .192 AVG does have 5HR and 23Runs during that time. Meanwhile Hanson has been below replacement level I would think with only 2QS to speak of with a 4.50ERA and a WHIP of 1.29. VERDICT: The production of Youklis alone gives the Maniacs the early edge.
* Given the short timeframe since these deals have been made I'll give my thoughts on the deals that have taken place over the month of July.
7/6 BCFP send Dexter Fowler, Ian Kennedy, and Jarrod Parker to the Maniacs for Martin Prado and Adam Wainwright. Once again anytime you offer up additional players in the deal you are hoping to get the best player in the deal. In this case I hope to have obtained both. I'm hoping Wainwright can return to the pre-injury version in the second half and give me a P to keep heading into next season. While Prado isn't a superstar in any one particular area he bats in the middle of a decent order and has plus AVG potential something I desperately need. For the Maniacs Kennedy and Parker add depth to a rotation depleted by injury and Fowler has been crazy good this season flying under the radar.
7/9 Maniacs send Rickie Weeks and Lance Lynn to Stars for Chris Perez and Edwin Jackson. Once again a move designed to add depth to a rotation depleted by injuries, for the Maniacs. The Stars roll the dice hoping Lynn can return to the early season form that would clearly make him the best player in the deal.
7/11 Maniacs send Kendrys Morales and Lance Berkman to the TBA for Brandon Belt and Santiago Casilla. That crazy kids at it again living a life high on the overnight dealings of Fantasy Baseball. They may have pulled the trigger one too many times on this one. Casilla is the key to this deal, if he's able to keep the job all season then the deal may be justified. Should Casilla fail then the Maniacs clearly gave up the best player in the deal in Berkman, while I expect Morales to be the better option than Belt in the second half.
Draft Recap
Quite simple who was the best selection of each round. Who has been the least productive. Who has been the most disapointing. And who has the best keeper value for next season. For clarification least productive is just that while most disapointing is the player who has been healthy for the most part yet the production just hasn't been there. Also note players who I felt were way overvalued on draft day were not included. As mentioned the keeper value is based solely on next season with potential increase in draft stock being the main factor in the selection process.
Most Productive/Least Productive/Biggest Disappointment/Keeper Gem
1. Braun-TBA/Ellsbury-BCFP/Adrian Gonzalez-Cutters/Braun-TBA
2. Verlander-Colonels/Longoria-MROTA/Halladay-#fantasyteam/Granderson-Maniac
3. McCutchen-TBA/C.Lee-9irons/C. Lee-9irons/McCutchen-TBA
4. Wright- Colonels/Lincecum-Emanski/Lincecum-Emanski/Wright-Colonels
5. A.Rod-Haters/Crawford-#fantasyteam/Napoli-Colonels/Crawford-#fantasyteam
6. A. Jones-Cutters/M. Young-Colonels/M. Young-Colonels/A. Jones-Cutters
7. Bumgarner-Walls/Utley-BCFP/Lester-Colonels/Heyward-MROTA
8. Strasburg-Stars/Gardner-9irons/Avila-Maniac/Strasburg-Stars
9. Cain-#fantasyteam/Wilson-MROTA/J.Johnson-Emanski/Cain-#fantasyteam
10. Kipnis-Walls/Carpenter-Maniac/Romero-Stars/Kipnis-Walls
11. Ortiz-Haters/S.Drew-9irons/Peralta-MROTA/Ortiz-Haters
12. Beltran-TBA/Pineda-Walls/Bell-Emanski/Beltran-TBA
13. G. Gonzalez-9irons/Bourjos-TBA/Bourjos-TBA/G. Gonzalez-9irons
14. Rios-Colonels/Soria-9irons/D. Young-TBA/Rasmus-Cutters
15. Dunn-TBA/Walden-#fantasyteamname/J. Weeks-Stars/Wainwright-Maniac
16. Melky Cabrera-Haters/Madson-TBA/Gaby Sanchez-Stars/Melky Cabrera-Haters
17. Trumbo-Cutters/D.Mesoraco-#fantasyteamname/R. Martin-Haters/Trumbo-Cutters
18. Hanrahan-BCFP/Brian Roberts-9irons/E. Santana-Walls/Hanrahan-BCFP
19. I.Desmond-#fantasyteamname/Farnsworth-TBA/Minor-Cutters/I. Desmond-#fantasyteam
20. S. Marcum-Emanski/Mayberry-Walls/Buck-Stars/A. Escobar-Cutters
21. Sale-9irons/L.Cain-Cutters/Bucholz-Haters/Sale-9irons
22. Kubel-Haters/T-S. Baker-TBA and B. Anderson-9irons/Chisenhall-#ftn/Kubel-Haters
23. Encarnacion-Haters/Machado-MROTA/Iannetta-Cutters/Encarnacion-Haters
24. Voglesong-Walls/Sizemore-Colonels/Stewart-BCFP/Voglesong-Walls
25. Morales-Stars/Bourgeois-Colonels/Hundley-Walls/Morales-Stars
26. Peavy-TBA/Morel-Maniac/R. Roberts-BCFP/Peavy-TBA
27. Trout-Cutters/S.Miller-TBA/J. Guzman-Stars/Trout
28. Furcal-Maniac/D.Brown-TBA/Sands-9irons/Furcal
29. Altuve-Emanski/T-Bundy,Ramos,Peacock-Cutter,9irons,#ftn/Figgins-Colonel/Altuve
30. Dickey-MROTA/B. Jackson-Haters/Snider-Emanski/Chapman-TBA
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