Archive for May, 2014

Misery Loves Company

Saturday, May 17th, 2014

At the one quarter mark of the season, it is far too early to draw conclusions about how the season is going to turn out.  However, the early indication is that this is not going to be a good year for two teams with serious title aspirations.  The Kings and Mavericks were head and shoulders above the pack in 2013 and the pre-season projections indicated that they were the favorites again this year.  But nearly seven weeks into the season, they find themselves in the bottom two spots in the league standings.

So what’s going on with these two recent powerhouses?  Well, their problems are fairly obvious and similar.  Both have had the strengths of their teams completely neutered by injuries.  Of course, disappointing performances from healthy players haven’t helped the cause either, but it is nearly impossible to remain competitive when fielding a short-handed roster.  At the risk of this turning into an article in which I whine about my team, that’s pretty much what’s going to happen.  So you’ve been warned.

The Kings won the title last year on the strength of their offense.  They easily led the league in batting points and finished in the top three of all five offensive categories.  So far this year, they find themselves ninth in batting points and last place overall.  They are at or near the bottom of every offensive category except stolen bases.  Here are their currently injured offensive players:  Brandon Belt, Ryan Zimmerman, Carlos Beltran, Jay Bruce, Wilin Rosario, Michael Cuddyer, Aramis Ramirez and Omar Infante.  All of those players, except Ramirez and Infante, were major contributors on last year’s championship squad.  Belt still leads the team in home runs and was pretty much their only offensive player having a good year at the time of his injury.  Among their “healthy” hitters are two more guys who have dealt with injuries earlier this year:  Jose Reyes and Coco Crisp.  Only five offensive players have been in their lineup basically every day.  As much as some of these hitters have struggled this year, the Kings probably weren’t going to be among the leaders right now even with a healthy roster, but these injuries have basically sunk the ship.

Oh, and the Kings pitching staff hasn’t been a model of clean living either.  Anibal Sanchez and Jason Grilli are currently on the DL (though both are expected back soon).  Three other injured pitchers have been dropped from the roster entirely to make room for injury replacements:  Patrick Corbin, David Hernandez and Nate Jones.  The first two are out for the year and Jones’ return is a complete mystery at this point.  At the time I am writing this, 13 of the 28 players who were on the Kings roster at the completion of the draft are on the disabled list.  That’s almost half the roster!

I don’t think the Mavericks are feeling too sorry for the Kings though.  The Mavs haven’t had the same quantity of injuries, but the severity of the injuries they have suffered and the fact that they have mostly been consolidated to one specific position has created a grave situation for them as well.  Arguably, the Mavericks had the best pitching staff in league history last year.  Right now, they find themselves dead last in pitching points.  Five of their star pitchers have been dealing with significant injuries this year.  Matt Harvey probably won’t pitch this season following off-season Tommy John surgery.  Martin Perez became the latest of the long list of pitchers lost this year due to torn elbow ligaments.  Clayton Kershaw finally returned to action a couple weeks ago after missing more than a month.  Mat Latos and Taijuan Walker are both yet to pitch in the big leagues this season and their return dates remain unknown.  Of the starting pitchers who played a major role in the Mavericks’ super staff a year ago, only Stephen Strasburg has remained healthy throughout the early part of 2014 (knocking on wood w/r/t Strasburg).  The Mavericks haven’t been dealt the same type of blow to their offensive roster, but the recent loss of Matt Wieters to an elbow injury is problematic.

The Kings and Mavericks find themselves in a bit of a predicament in terms of attempting to upgrade their rosters as well.  Due in large part to all of the aforementioned injuries, both teams are running out of available free agent signings.  The Kings are down to just four signings to use in the remaining 3/4 of the season while the Mavericks have only three at their disposal.  Of course, a few other teams are in a similar bind.  But it is safe to say these teams simply cannot afford many more injuries.  It’s too early to give up, but the Mavericks and Kings need healthier rosters to get themselves back in the mix.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the biggest injury casualty of the season to date, which occurred earlier this week.  Demigods phenom pitcher Jose Fernandez was diagnosed with a torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday.  I think he and Perez bring the number of Tommy John casualties this season up to a staggering total of 20.  But Fernandez is the biggest loss yet.  After a dominating rookie campaign that earned him the NL Rookie of the Year award, the Demigods selected him with the second third pick in the draft in March.  He had already become the ace of the Demigods staff (well, he and Yu Darvish anyway) and arguably the best pitcher in the league.  At the time of the injury, he led the league in strikeouts.  According to Mike, he was the leading candidate for DTBL Rookie of the Year and very much in the mix for Cy Young as well.  Fortunately, he is still only 21 years old and the success rate in returning from Tommy John surgery is quite high.  So he still figures prominently in the Demigods future.  However, this is a serious blow to their 2014 title hopes.

I would argue that this is the second straight year, and third time in the past five years, that baseball has lost it’s most electrifying, must-watch pitcher to a torn elbow ligament.  Last year it was Matt Harvey.  In 2010 it was Stephen Strasburg.  Fortunately, there are still a lot of great pitchers out there to watch on a daily basis, but it really stinks that we are missing full seasons from these guys at the peak of their powers.  I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again:  this elbow injury epidemic is hurting the game.  I continue to hope that the best minds in baseball and the medical community are able to solve this dilemma, even if the positive results take years to materialize.

Posted in Demigods, Kings, Mavericks | No Comments »

DTBL April Awards

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014


In the past, there have been regular features regarding a player and pitcher of the week here in DTBL.  Unfortunately, keeping up with that arrangement for a full season is difficult.  Instead, what I’m aiming to do is do an awards column every month.  The goal will be to feature the top 5 players for each of the big DTBL categories – Rookie of the Year (ROY), Cy Young, and Most Valuable Player (MVP).

These won’t be monthly awards in that they’re honoring the top 5 every month.  Instead, they will be cumulative, to give a snapshot of who’s leading in the awards chase as the season goes on. In this way, it should be interesting to see who maintains their torrid starts, who drops off, and who comes on strong as the season goes along.

With each category, you’ll find the 5 picks along with their stats. I’ll offer some brief commentary about the players involved, and comment on surprise players who don’t make the cut. I’ll rely on ESPN’s Player Rater for rankings if players are particularly close, and to help differentiate pitchers and hitters for ROY.

All stats below are through April 30.

ROY:

1. Jose Fernandez, Demigods – 0.832 WHIP, 1.59 ERA, 4 W, 0 SV, 55 Ks
2. Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners – .279 BA, 22 R, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 0 SB
3. Sonny Gray, Jackalope – 1.146 WHIP, 1.76 ERA, 4 W, 0 SV, 37 Ks
4. Anthony Rendon, Naturals – .316 BA, 19 R, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 1 SB.
5. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 0.930 WHIP, 1.47 ERA, 2 W, 0 SV, 26 Ks

In a decision that should surprise no one, Jose Fernandez claims the top spot in the ROY category. Stellar numbers across the board indicate no drop off from his stellar year last year. Josh Donaldson is one of the few bright spots on a dismal Moonshiners squad, as he’s proving worthy of his lofty draft selection. Sonny Gray’s numbers definitely overperform his draft slot; this holds true even more for Anthony Rendon, particularly as he gets bounced around various positions in the field. Finally, Julio Teheran’s ratio stats are incredible, with only wins and strikeouts holding him back from vaulting up the leaderboard.

The surprises in this field are the disappointing starts from the top two picks, Wil Myers and Yasiel Puig. Puig is starting to heat up, but Myers is definitely struggling. In fact, rookie pitchers are far outstripping rookie hitters to this point, with Michael Wacha, Andrew Cashner, and others knocking on the door. Watch out for Brian Dozier as well; he’d be on this list if not for starting the season on the Moonshiner bench.

Cy Young:

1. Adam Wainwright, Cougars – 0.778 WHIP, 1.20 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 42 Ks
2. Jose Fernandez, Demigods – 0.832 WHIP, 1.59 ERA, 4 W, 0 SV, 55 Ks
3. Johnny Cueto, Demigods – 0.766 WHIP, 1.15 ERA, 2 W, 0 SV, 50 Ks
4. Zack Greinke, Naturals – 1.047 WHIP, 2.04 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 46 Ks
5. Francisco Rodriguez, Naturals – 0.769 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, 0 W, 11 SV, 17 Ks

For Adam Wainwright, Jose Fernandez, and Johnny Cueto, their numbers speak for themselves. Stellar WHIPs and ERAs, tons of strikeouts. Zack Greinke is right there with them. For all these pitchers, the question is, can they stay healthy and maintain this success for an entire year?

The real surprise on this list is the return of Francisco Rodriguez. Undrafted going into the year, the Naturals picked up K-Rod off the scrap heap after the first week, and what a signing he’s been. A miniscule whip, a perfect ERA, 11 saves, and 17 strikeouts. Who knows if this renaissance will last, but he’s definitely deserving of this space through April.

There is no shortage of pitchers lurking in the shadows, however. Felix Hernandez and Max Scherzer both feature stats that wouldn’t look out of place here. On the flip side, Clayton Kershaw’s absence in April has probably doomed him from being considered for the award this year, while Stephen Strasburg’s ratios are uncommonly high.

MVP:

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals – .364 BA, 24 R, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 0 SB
2. Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope – .269 BA, 19 R, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 2 SB
3. Adrian Gonzalez, Darkhorses – .317 BA, 18 R, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB
4. Mike Trout, Mavericks – .321 BA, 21 R, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 4 SB
5. Albert Pujols, Jackalope – .279 BA, 21 R, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB

Troy Tulowitzki’s tantalizing numbers show what he can do when healthy (and with the benefits of Coors Field). The question with him, as always: can he stay healthy? Giancarlo Stanton had a monstrous April with 8 homers and 31 RBI. One has to wonder what he could do in a smaller home park. Adrian Gonzalez has found his power again, smashing 8 homers in April; the same can be said for Albert Pujols and his 9 dingers. Of course, everyone knows what Mike Trout brings, and his inclusion on this list is no surprise.

There is no shortage of players jockeying for position behind this quintet – Alexi Ramirez, Justin Upton, Jose Bautista, Nelson Cruz. And while Prince Fielder of the Moonshiners has been terrible with his move to Texas, the even bigger surprise is how off Miguel Cabrera has been. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on this list next month, but 2 home runs through April is uncharacteristically poor for a two years removed from a Triple Crown.

Questions? Comments? Grievances your player got left out? Feel free to leave your comments below.

Posted in Awards, Cougars, Darkhorses, Demigods, Jackalope, Mavericks, Moonshiners, Naturals | No Comments »

Blog Change

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014

This post really belongs in my web site update thread, but I’m putting it here to do a live test to make sure my latest changes are working properly.

For years, I’ve been using player action photos in my blog entries, but like a vast majority of small-time bloggers, have done so on somewhat shaky legal ground.  I’ve always been on the look-out for a more legitimate, and free, way of obtaining photos to embed in my posts.  Fortunately, such a source is now available to me.

A couple months ago, Getty Images, one of the largest image repositories (if not THE largest), announced that they would start allowing almost all of their millions of photos to be embedded in non-commercial web sites, blog posts and social media outlets.  So, starting with this post, I plan on taking advantage of this.  I will embed photos from Getty in all of my future posts.

As you can see, the embedded image contains links to share the photo as well as a link back to the original Getty host page if you click the photo.  The one negative about the manner in which Getty has decided to make these photos available is that most industry insiders believe they will ultimately go the route of YouTube and include ads in these photos, one way or another.  If/when that occurs, I may revisit this topic.  But in the meantime, I think this should work great for this blog.

Mostly coincidental, the timing of this change is just about perfect.  Mike has offered to start writing a semi-regular feature for the DTBL News.  I’d hate to put our resident patent examiner in the awkward position of potentially breaking an intellectual property law, but now we don’t have to worry about that.  I’m not going to spoil the theme of Mike’s article, but look for the first one to be posted very soon.

And on that note, if anybody else is interested in contributing to the DTBL News, whether it be occasional features or even a one time article, please contact me.  I highly encourage this.  You all already have the ability to create blog entries, but I would like to pass along some tips for keeping the posts consistent and compatible with the main site page.

Finally, I should mention one other temporary change to the site.  In working on this new photo embedding feature, I had to upgrade this WordPress software since it was several years out-of-date.  Unfortunately, in doing so, I had to remove the single sign-on bridge which allowed us to use the same logon account for the main web site, the message board forum and this blog.  That bridge is not compatible with newer versions of WordPress and is no longer supported by the original developer.  So I’m going to be looking for a replacement.  But in the meantime, if you are logged onto your regular site account, you will still be able to make forum posts, but won’t be able to reply to blog posts or create your own blog entries without a separate log on.  I should be able to fix this relatively soon though, so this is just a heads up.

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