What an awful week. Just doesn't get worse than this. I came in 10th place... it's an 11 team 
league... for the week. I scored 11... EVELEN... hitting points for the week. I wouldn't have thought that possible, most especially with no injuries. The 7 day collapse cost me 10 overall points and pushed my down into 3rd Place. Here are the current standings...
1 ~ Fantasy Tools 84.5
2 ~ Balls Deep 71.0
3 ~ Antelope Crusaders 68.0
4 ~ Wheats N Raisins 65.0
5 ~ Smokin' Armadillos 64.5
Hitting (80 for 320, .250ba, 5hr, 30rbi, 38rs, 4sb)
The overall numbers for the week aren't THAT bad. The league is so tight though, that even moderate drops have a large impact. For my team, I just have to have my star players produce at closer to expectations and that just hasn't been happening. I keep waiting for a couple of these guys to get hot and then sit back and watch the fireworks. Figure it has to happen... right?
There was good news this week though. Matt Kemp is starting to heat up (10 for 28) and Jorge Cantu is blazing hot now (12 for 26, 1hr). They'd both struggled... so good to see things turning around. Roger Bernadina looks to be winning the RF job in Washington. He's an exciting player with great speed... the Nats guys say he is faster than Nyjer Morgan... and he has power too.
Ryan Howard was one star player that stepped up with a big week. He went 9 for 25 with 2hr, 9rbi and 5rs. He was my player of the week... and he might well be going on a tear right now. His batting eye has improved and he's been going the other way... good signs of him being locked in.
Too many players have been under-producing though. Nyj
er Morgan went 5 for 20 with 3 walks... with just 3 runs and no steals. He didn't even attempt a steal. He's 8 for 16 on the year, so he is either being more cautious or doesn't always have a green light. His major value is in those steals, so I need him running again. Matt Kemp is 6 for 14 on the year in steals and is in much the same boat (though he does lots of other things well). Both these guys ran well last year and I certainly expected that to stay the same. Speed doesn't go into a slump... right? RIGHT??? ... lol.
Albert Pujols went 6 for 23 with 0hr and 0rbi. ZERO Runs Batted In... what the heck? He did steal two bases on Monday... half my team total for the week... so I hopeful his heel is well, healed... and he'll be back on track. He has to start hitting more HRs... I expect more than a 30hr season out of a $51 player, and that is what he is paced out to do right now.
Same with Hanley Ramirez. He was 7 for 21... with 0hr, 0sb and 3rbi and 1rs. That's just not enough for $50. Not what I expect. Hoping he is over this benching thing and that lights a fire under him.
Ryan Braun made his Crusaders debt by going 1 for 10... and Rod Barajas was 1 for 8... ugh. Welcome to the team guys!
Beyond the mere under performing there were some really hideous weeks. Placido Polanco went
4 for 23 and Bengie Molina was 2 for 19. Not big worries there... though Molina could lose his starting job if he slumps for too long. Those were just bad weeks... really bad weeks.
The goat of the week though is... Tony Gwynn. He was 2 for 20... both singles with only 2 walks... 1rbi and 1rs. I've given up on him. He's not a major league hitter. He is fast and an excellent defensive player, so I understand why the Padres hang in there. I can't get passed the "can't hit" problem though. Not sure what I can do about it. He could be a throw-in player in a trade, because clearing his $10 cost against my salary cap would be a help. Perhaps package him with someone like Jorge Cantu... and get two good players in return.
Pitching (76ip, 4.15era, 1.45ratio, 61k, 7w, 0s)
Another solid week with an excellent win total and solid K numbers. The ERA and Ratio weren't that bad... but, thing is... those numbers are never "good"... thus I remain very near the bottom of those categories. Always have a couple of bad outings ruin what would have been solid ERA/Ratio weeks.
Will start with the good news though. Zack Duke was lights out (13ip, 0.70era, 1.15ratio, 10k, 1w). He beat Roy Halladay, which was unexpected. Should have picked up a second win on the week too. Great week though. Brett Myers beat the Tampa Bay Rays (7ip, 0er, 10on 7k)... that's the worst team in baseball beating the best team in baseball. That was unexpected too. Anibal Sanchez (7ip, 0er, 6on, 8k, 1w) continued his strong season. Have been extremely happy with him.
Player of the week though... again... was John Ely
(13ip, 4er, 14on, 11k, 2w). He's been amazing. He throws strikes... only 1 walk in his last 4 starts... which is rare in a young pitcher. They're usually afraid of contact. He goes after hitters though, and does so without being overly hittable. He pitches for what looks to be a very-very good team too. The thing I really liked about his week though was his last start vs Detroit. He got hit pretty hard in the first inning... 3 hits a walk (his first in 20+ innings) and 2 earned runs. A bad inning by any measure. He bounced back strong though... tossing 5 shutout innings and getting the win. Don't know if this will last... but, wow... he does look special.
There were plenty of un-special pitchers though. Both of my Padres pitchers got hit hard this time around. Luis Atilano was awful (6er in 4.1ip). I'm hoping Vicente Padilla... who Atilano is replacing... comes back by his mid-June projection. Have a feeling I'm going to need him by then.
The bullpen was bad. Nick Masset gave up another run. He has a few good games in a row and looks like he's back... then he gets hit again. He has a 7.08era and 1.87ratio in 20.1ip this year. Pretty ugly. He does have 31k though... as many as some Starting Pitchers (such as J Garland). He has to quit giving up runs though.
Matt Capps made his debut by getting a save. Yeah! Then next game... he blew his first save in 18 chances by giving up 2 runs... sigh. Totally figures. Hope that trade gets better than it was these forst few days... ! Sure glad to see Juan Gutierrez gone though. He closed out his Crusader days by going .2ip... with two LONG HRs and a 400ft double off the top of the wall.
Ramon Troncoso was the goat of the week though. He closed the week out by giving up 4er in 0.2ip. He hasn't been good at any point this year. 13k with 1 win in 1/4 of a season doesn't cut it... and now he is having real problems getting outs. He is the next to go. He fits in my Extra Utility spot... so can be replaced by any player (pitcher or hitter). I am currently looking.
Other News
I outlined my big trade last post... which again isn't off to a good start. Expecting that to turn around... soon... though. Did make a couple of other moves too.
Aaron Heilman for Open Spot
I claimed Heilman as a free agent to fill an open spot in my roster created by my big trade. My hope is Heilman will get into the mix for saves... or at least be the setup guy. He was decent last year in Chicago... 72ip, 4.11era, 1.41ratio, 65k... and he was good in 2005, 2006 and 2007 (3.25era, 1.10ratio range with about a K an inning). 2008 was an off year with the Mets... 5.21era, 1.59ratio... though 80k in 76ip.
Overall, he has decent track record... so worst case... he should be decent for me. With the mess the Dbacks 'pen is in, decent would be enough for a good role... setup or saves. That's my thinking at least. He hasn't pitched since I claimed him, and Qualls has had two solid outings. So, we'll see.
Juan Castro for Greg Zaun
Greg Zaun went on the DL with what I'm hoping isn't too serious of an injury. He played with it for a while, and that's a good sign. My big trade gave me the flexibility to replace him with any hitter... so I went with free agent Phillies SS Juan Castro.
Jimmy Rollins has been placed on the DL, which should give Castro everyday ABs. He has no speed and no power and doesn't hit for much average... lol... there is a reason he was a free agent in this league. Thing is, with those everyday ABs he should be good for some Runs and a few RBI. In that lineup, the hits you do get often do produce runs. I figure he should do pretty close to what Zaun would have done in that time. Not a lot of options, so that's good enough for me.
league... for the week. I scored 11... EVELEN... hitting points for the week. I wouldn't have thought that possible, most especially with no injuries. The 7 day collapse cost me 10 overall points and pushed my down into 3rd Place. Here are the current standings...1 ~ Fantasy Tools 84.5
2 ~ Balls Deep 71.0
3 ~ Antelope Crusaders 68.0
4 ~ Wheats N Raisins 65.0
5 ~ Smokin' Armadillos 64.5
Hitting (80 for 320, .250ba, 5hr, 30rbi, 38rs, 4sb)
The overall numbers for the week aren't THAT bad. The league is so tight though, that even moderate drops have a large impact. For my team, I just have to have my star players produce at closer to expectations and that just hasn't been happening. I keep waiting for a couple of these guys to get hot and then sit back and watch the fireworks. Figure it has to happen... right?
There was good news this week though. Matt Kemp is starting to heat up (10 for 28) and Jorge Cantu is blazing hot now (12 for 26, 1hr). They'd both struggled... so good to see things turning around. Roger Bernadina looks to be winning the RF job in Washington. He's an exciting player with great speed... the Nats guys say he is faster than Nyjer Morgan... and he has power too.
Ryan Howard was one star player that stepped up with a big week. He went 9 for 25 with 2hr, 9rbi and 5rs. He was my player of the week... and he might well be going on a tear right now. His batting eye has improved and he's been going the other way... good signs of him being locked in.
Too many players have been under-producing though. Nyj
er Morgan went 5 for 20 with 3 walks... with just 3 runs and no steals. He didn't even attempt a steal. He's 8 for 16 on the year, so he is either being more cautious or doesn't always have a green light. His major value is in those steals, so I need him running again. Matt Kemp is 6 for 14 on the year in steals and is in much the same boat (though he does lots of other things well). Both these guys ran well last year and I certainly expected that to stay the same. Speed doesn't go into a slump... right? RIGHT??? ... lol.Albert Pujols went 6 for 23 with 0hr and 0rbi. ZERO Runs Batted In... what the heck? He did steal two bases on Monday... half my team total for the week... so I hopeful his heel is well, healed... and he'll be back on track. He has to start hitting more HRs... I expect more than a 30hr season out of a $51 player, and that is what he is paced out to do right now.
Same with Hanley Ramirez. He was 7 for 21... with 0hr, 0sb and 3rbi and 1rs. That's just not enough for $50. Not what I expect. Hoping he is over this benching thing and that lights a fire under him.
Ryan Braun made his Crusaders debt by going 1 for 10... and Rod Barajas was 1 for 8... ugh. Welcome to the team guys!
Beyond the mere under performing there were some really hideous weeks. Placido Polanco went
4 for 23 and Bengie Molina was 2 for 19. Not big worries there... though Molina could lose his starting job if he slumps for too long. Those were just bad weeks... really bad weeks.The goat of the week though is... Tony Gwynn. He was 2 for 20... both singles with only 2 walks... 1rbi and 1rs. I've given up on him. He's not a major league hitter. He is fast and an excellent defensive player, so I understand why the Padres hang in there. I can't get passed the "can't hit" problem though. Not sure what I can do about it. He could be a throw-in player in a trade, because clearing his $10 cost against my salary cap would be a help. Perhaps package him with someone like Jorge Cantu... and get two good players in return.
Pitching (76ip, 4.15era, 1.45ratio, 61k, 7w, 0s)
Another solid week with an excellent win total and solid K numbers. The ERA and Ratio weren't that bad... but, thing is... those numbers are never "good"... thus I remain very near the bottom of those categories. Always have a couple of bad outings ruin what would have been solid ERA/Ratio weeks.
Will start with the good news though. Zack Duke was lights out (13ip, 0.70era, 1.15ratio, 10k, 1w). He beat Roy Halladay, which was unexpected. Should have picked up a second win on the week too. Great week though. Brett Myers beat the Tampa Bay Rays (7ip, 0er, 10on 7k)... that's the worst team in baseball beating the best team in baseball. That was unexpected too. Anibal Sanchez (7ip, 0er, 6on, 8k, 1w) continued his strong season. Have been extremely happy with him.
Player of the week though... again... was John Ely
(13ip, 4er, 14on, 11k, 2w). He's been amazing. He throws strikes... only 1 walk in his last 4 starts... which is rare in a young pitcher. They're usually afraid of contact. He goes after hitters though, and does so without being overly hittable. He pitches for what looks to be a very-very good team too. The thing I really liked about his week though was his last start vs Detroit. He got hit pretty hard in the first inning... 3 hits a walk (his first in 20+ innings) and 2 earned runs. A bad inning by any measure. He bounced back strong though... tossing 5 shutout innings and getting the win. Don't know if this will last... but, wow... he does look special.There were plenty of un-special pitchers though. Both of my Padres pitchers got hit hard this time around. Luis Atilano was awful (6er in 4.1ip). I'm hoping Vicente Padilla... who Atilano is replacing... comes back by his mid-June projection. Have a feeling I'm going to need him by then.
The bullpen was bad. Nick Masset gave up another run. He has a few good games in a row and looks like he's back... then he gets hit again. He has a 7.08era and 1.87ratio in 20.1ip this year. Pretty ugly. He does have 31k though... as many as some Starting Pitchers (such as J Garland). He has to quit giving up runs though.
Matt Capps made his debut by getting a save. Yeah! Then next game... he blew his first save in 18 chances by giving up 2 runs... sigh. Totally figures. Hope that trade gets better than it was these forst few days... ! Sure glad to see Juan Gutierrez gone though. He closed out his Crusader days by going .2ip... with two LONG HRs and a 400ft double off the top of the wall.
Ramon Troncoso was the goat of the week though. He closed the week out by giving up 4er in 0.2ip. He hasn't been good at any point this year. 13k with 1 win in 1/4 of a season doesn't cut it... and now he is having real problems getting outs. He is the next to go. He fits in my Extra Utility spot... so can be replaced by any player (pitcher or hitter). I am currently looking.
Other News
I outlined my big trade last post... which again isn't off to a good start. Expecting that to turn around... soon... though. Did make a couple of other moves too.Aaron Heilman for Open Spot
I claimed Heilman as a free agent to fill an open spot in my roster created by my big trade. My hope is Heilman will get into the mix for saves... or at least be the setup guy. He was decent last year in Chicago... 72ip, 4.11era, 1.41ratio, 65k... and he was good in 2005, 2006 and 2007 (3.25era, 1.10ratio range with about a K an inning). 2008 was an off year with the Mets... 5.21era, 1.59ratio... though 80k in 76ip.
Overall, he has decent track record... so worst case... he should be decent for me. With the mess the Dbacks 'pen is in, decent would be enough for a good role... setup or saves. That's my thinking at least. He hasn't pitched since I claimed him, and Qualls has had two solid outings. So, we'll see.
Juan Castro for Greg Zaun
Greg Zaun went on the DL with what I'm hoping isn't too serious of an injury. He played with it for a while, and that's a good sign. My big trade gave me the flexibility to replace him with any hitter... so I went with free agent Phillies SS Juan Castro.
Jimmy Rollins has been placed on the DL, which should give Castro everyday ABs. He has no speed and no power and doesn't hit for much average... lol... there is a reason he was a free agent in this league. Thing is, with those everyday ABs he should be good for some Runs and a few RBI. In that lineup, the hits you do get often do produce runs. I figure he should do pretty close to what Zaun would have done in that time. Not a lot of options, so that's good enough for me.
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