DTBL News

Category: Moonshiners

  • Blockbuster Trades Steal Show


    The 23rd annual DTBL Draft began a week ago Thursday. The beginning of the draft always brings plenty of intrigue. But this year, the early rounds were mostly overshadowed by a string of trades that were completed over the first few days of the draft. In total, seven trades were made in four days involving six different teams. And for the most part, these weren’t minor deals involving role players and draft pick swaps. Several of the league’s biggest stars are now on new teams. Some of these trades indicate new philosophical directions for entire franchises.  But before I get to the details of all of those trades, I don’t want the first round picks to feel left out.  So I’m going to do my usual first round recap first.  There were plenty of interesting picks made there too.

    Some years there is a fairly obvious player available for the team with the first pick in the draft.  Other years, there are several strong candidates for that slot.  This year was the former.  In what should have been a surprise to nobody, the Cougars used the first pick in the draft to select White Sox slugging first baseman Jose Abreu.  The Cuban star made his MLB presence felt immediately in the MLB.  He slugged 36 homers with 107 RBI and a .317 average on his way to winning the AL Rookie of the Year award.  Not bad for a guy adapting to a new league, not to mention a new country.  Abreu is the second straight Cuban player to be picked first in the DTBL Draft, following Yasiel Puig a year ago.  The Cougars badly needed an offensive boost after finishing last in all five categories a year ago, further making Abreu the obvious choice.  Really the only slight negative about him is that he is 28 years old.  That makes him the oldest first overall pick since the expansion Naturals took Jeff Bagwell back in 2002.  Curtis Granderson was just a couple months younger when the Choppers picked him in 2009.  Nonetheless, Abreu profiles as a guy who should help the Cougars for many years to come.

    After Abreu came a string of four straight young outfielders with big upside.  With the second pick, the Gators selected the most established of the four when they picked up Corey Dickerson.  The Rockies slugger hit .312 with 24 home runs in his breakout season of 2014.  Playing half his games in Coors Field makes it easy to believe those numbers could get even better with a full season of playing every day.  Next, the Darkhorses selected George Springer of the Astros who displayed his immense power by hitting 20 home runs in his rookie year in fewer than 300 at bats.  He has five tool potential if he can cut down on his strikeouts a bit.  With the fourth pick, the Moonshiners took one of the bevy of up-and-coming Cubs superstars, Jorge Soler.  Somewhat overshadowed by a couple of those other Cubs prospects, Soler is the one who has already proven his worth at the big league level putting up solid numbers after his late season promotion last year.  Finally, the Kings used the fifth pick on another outfielder with big potential, Mookie Betts.  Betts can do it all.  His only current obstacle is a crowded Red Sox outfield, but you would think they will find a way to get him in the lineup one way or another.

    The Jackalope ended the string of outfielders by going with the draft’s first pitcher with pick number six.  They selected Cubs hurler Jake Arrieta, who broke out in a big way last season.  This was not a surprising selection on the heels of the trade the Jackalope made immediately prior to the pick, which I will get to in a bit. Arrieta figures to be a major part of their rebuilt rotation.  The Choppers also took a pitcher in the seventh spot, selecting Tyson Ross.  The Padres pitcher had an outstanding season a year ago, but didn’t garner a ton of attention.  That should change this year thanks to the revamped Padres lineup.

    As is their custom, the Mavericks were able to pick up an extra first round selection in a deal with the Demigods.  So they had two consecutive picks late in the first round.  They used those picks to draft Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances and Cubs shortstop Javier Baez.  These were both high risk/reward picks.  Betances put up ridiculously strong numbers out of the bullpen last year, but his value in fantasy depends largely on whether or not he will be a closer this year.  That seems likely, but he hasn’t been officially handed the job.  He can help the Mavericks in ERA, WHIP and K’s though, even if they go a different route (especially since they picked the other leading Yankees closer candidate later, Andrew Miller).  Baez is about as big of a risk/reward pick as you can get.  On one hand, he has immense power that could blow away all other middle infielders on the board.  But on the other, he has shown no plate discipline at all at the big league level and could easily wind up in AAA.  Of course, the Mavs have plenty of other players ready to fill that spot if Baez doesn’t pan out.  Finally, the defending champion Naturals finished the first round by selecting another good, young pitcher in Carlos Carrasco.  Slightly overshadowed by Indians teammate Corey Kluber last year, Carrasco could become a Cy Young candidate himself this year if he pitches like he did in ’14.

    So that first round was all well and good, but it was most certainly NOT the biggest story of the past ten days.  There were four huge trades made on the first day of the draft before Abreu was selected with the first pick.  Then three more major deals were completed before two rounds were in the books.  These trades range from championship contenders looking to solidify their rosters, to second tier teams trying to plug major holes, to major franchise overhauls.  It is difficult to pinpoint which teams will be the big winners and losers from these deals, but one thing is for sure:  the players/picks involved in these trades will play a major role in determining how teams finish this year.

    The first domino to fall was the Naturals trading Zack Greinke and their fifth round pick to the Moonshiners for Wilson Ramos and a second round pick.  Star pitchers being dealt was a big theme of the week and Greinke was the first.  The Moonshiners badly needed an ace to anchor a rotation that hasn’t really had a standout performer in recent years.  Greinke held that ace title for the Moonshiners for about a day.  The Naturals needed a catcher to fill the crucial spot held by Victor Martinez last year.  They used that early second round pick to select Garrett Richards, who they will count on to replace Greinke.  This is the second time Greinke has been involved in a major March trade.  The Naturals acquired him from the Jackalope in 2011 in a deal that saw Ryan Howard go the other way.  Greinke had four tremendous seasons for the Naturals and should be a major piece of the future for the Moonshiners as well.

    The next trade was something you don’t usually see in March:  a one-for-one trade of star pitchers with no other picks or pieces involved.  The Mavericks traded their first round pick from a year ago, young starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, to the Jackalope for one of the best closers in the league, Aroldis Chapman.  This was the first of many changes for the Jackalope, who felt the need to get younger, particularly in the rotation with ailing veteran Cliff Lee’s season being in jeopardy.  Meanwhile, Chapman (along with first round pick Betances) give the Mavericks an almost unfair bullpen full of fireballers.  Their rotation isn’t too shaby either.  If I had to pick one team as a lock to win one category this year, it would be the Mavericks and strikeouts.  Barring injury, they look pretty solid in the other four pitching categories too.

    As it turns out, the Cole/Chapman deal was just a precursor to a couple more one-for-one deals involving superstars.  The Jackalope immediately turned around and dealt their first overall pick from a year ago, Yasiel Puig, to the Naturals for third baseman Anthony Rendon.  This would have looked like an insane trade a year ago considering the Naturals nabbed Rendon in the sixth round.  But he was quietly one of the most valuable players in the league last year and plays a much more difficult position to fill.  Of course, his switch from second to third created a bit of a problem for the Naturals who were already loaded at the corners.  Unfortunately for the Jackalope, Rendon wound up injuring his knee right around the time this deal was made, which was part of a pretty tough week of injury news for their squad.  However, Rendon’s injury isn’t considered to be too serious, but will be worth watching as the season approaches.  Meanwhile, the Naturals are happy to have Puig and hope he can bounce back from a slightly disappointing season a year ago.  He clearly has major talent and big upside at his young age.

    The final pre-draft trade skewed a little older.  The Mavericks dealt slugging first baseman Edwin Encarnacion to the Darkhorses for shortstop Hanley Ramirez.  The Darkhorses acquired one of the most consistent power sources in recent years while the Mavericks picked up a power source of their own at a premium position.  This figures to be Ramirez’s last year at shortstop though since the Red Sox plan to play him in the outfield.  Only Marc knows for sure, but I’m not positive this deal would have happened had they known they would be able to pick Baez in the draft.  As it currently stands, the Mavericks have five middle infielders and dealing Encarnacion temporarily left them without a first baseman.  But that is a much easier position to fill than 2B/SS.  The Darkhorses are hoping two ex-Mavs players will help boost their power output.  They also drafted former Maverick Carlos Santana.

    The start of the draft did not end the flurry of trades.  Halfway through the first round, a deal was made that somehow managed to exceed the four I just detailed in terms of star power.  The Jackalope traded arguably the second best pitcher in baseball, Felix Hernandez, along with Ian Kennedy to the Moonshiners for third baseman Josh Donaldson and a fourth round pick.  Suddenly, the Moonshiners pitching problems were a thing of the past.  The additions of Hernandez, Greinke and Kennedy is about as big of a rotation upgrade as a team can realistically make.  Despite only being 28 years old, King Felix is already 10th on the DTBL’s all-time strikeout list.  He was a workhorse for the Jackalope in his nine seasons with them, pitching at least 180 innings every season and has struck out over 200 batters in six consecutive seasons.  He will be reunited with two other former Jackalope rotation-mates with the Moonshiners:  Greinke and Jered Weaver.  This signals a huge overhaul for the Jackalope who have been slightly burned in recent years by deteriorating health of their once invincible pitching staff.  Roy Halladay and now Cliff Lee seem to have been lost without getting anything in return.  They elected to make sure the same thing didn’t happen with Hernandez.  The Jackalope rotations of about five years ago were some of the best collection of pitchers this league has ever seen.  But now all are gone, except for Lee, who may never pitch again.  Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that the Jackalope acquired Donaldson who was the Moonshiners first round pick a year ago.  Donaldson had a huge DTBL rookie campaign and could be in for even more now that he has moved to hitter friendly Toronto.

    The next trade was of the more traditional draft day variety.  The Mavericks did what they do best, acquired an extra first round pick from the Demigods in exchange for second and third round picks.  As already mentioned, the Mavericks used that extra pick to acquire Javier Baez following their own selection of Dellin Betances.  As for the Demigods who probably had as few holes to fill as any team entering this draft, they moved down and took outfielder J.D. Martinez with that pick acquired from the Mavericks.  The third round pick turned into relief pitcher Santiago Casilla.  Interestingly, that second round slot was actually a pick they had previously traded to the Mavericks in a deal last May.

    Finally, the Jackalope had one more superstar to trade away.  They dealt franchise icon Albert Pujols to the Mavericks along with a third round pick for Adam Jones.  A couple years ago, trading away Pujols AND a pick for Jones would have been preposterous.  But Pujols is clearly on the downside of his career and is not the perennial MVP candidate that he was for most of his career.  He is the Jackalope franchise leader in home runs, RBI and runs, all by very comfortable margins.  He spent 13 remarkable seasons with the franchise.  So trading him away couldn’t have been easy.  The Jackalope will have a much different look in 2015 without Prince Albert and King Felix.  Adam Jones is no slouch though.  He has hit 25+ homers each of the past four years and has become one of the most consistent outfield contributors in the league.  As for the Mavericks, this deal was mostly about plugging that hole left by the departure of Encarnacion.  Although Pujols isn’t the hitter he once was, by normal standards of judging players, he’s still one of the better first basemen in the league.  If he stays healthy, he should have several more big seasons in him.

    So that sums up the first round of the draft and the seven deals that have been made so far this month.  It has been a well paced draft as we currently sit at the end of the eighth round with still two full weeks before the start of the season.  Thanks to everyone for keeping it moving and good luck with the remainder of the draft.

  • The Forgettable Five


    With two teams breaking point records at the top of the standings, one could assume that records in futility may have been in danger as well. That wasn’t exactly the case for any one team in the 2014 DTBL season, but collectively, five teams did manage to make some history. It was a season to forget for the Kings, Moonshiners, Darkhorses, Gators and Cougars.

    Those five teams were essentially out of the race before the All-Star break. The only real question was which bottom half position would each team wind up in. These five were separated by just a handful of points almost the entire season and frequently shuffled standings places. In the end, none came close to breaking any low water mark records. All five finished with point totals between 32 and 43. But the distance they were behind the champion Naturals is where records were broken.

    It is common for one or two teams to finish miles behind the champions. But five teams is unheard of. The sixth place Kings finished an astonishing 46 points behind the Naturals. In the league’s history, never have more than three teams finished that far out of first place. And the only times when three teams did it (1998 and 2000) were expansion years where two of the bottom three were expansion teams and the third bottom-feeder was a team that folded following that season. To have five teams finish so far out of the hunt this year is really quite amazing.

    The biggest disappointment of the bottom five has to be the Kings. They just barely avoided the worst finish ever for a defending champion, coming in one spot higher than the 2011 Darkhorses. However, a sixth place finish for a team that was considered a favorite coming into the year is pretty embarrassing, particularly when you look at just how far they were from being a contender. It was sort of a Murphy’s Law season for the Kings with everything imaginable going wrong. They were absolutely decimated by injuries, particularly early in the year. At one point in May, literally half of the players who were on their Opening Day roster were either on the disabled list or nursing some sort of injury. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Even the healthy players failed to meet the most modest of expectations. In one year, the Kings have fallen from a juggernaut squad with hopes of establishing a new dynasty to a team full of washed up players with a seemingly bleak future. Not one Kings player figures to receive strong consideration for the post-season awards. Only Max Scherzer, Ian Desmond, Jonathen LuCroy and a couple relief pitchers could be considered bright spots.

    Expectations weren’t as high for the Moonshiners, but 2014 will still go down as a disappointing season for them too. Their problem entering the season appeared to be a lack of superstar players who could carry the squad in multiple categories. That remains their main weakness today. No Moonshiners appeared in the top ten in batting or pitching PAR. The early season loss of Prince Fielder was a dagger and David Wright was a disappointment all year. Two of their better offensive players were a pair of rookies: Josh Donaldson and Brian Dozier. Donaldson was a pleasant surprise out of a first round draft class which included a whole bunch of busts. Jared Weaver led the pitching staff with 18 wins, but didn’t get much help from anyone else in the rotation. Next year, they will try once again to acquire top level players to push them back into contender status.

    The Darkhorses offense was respectable, but their pitching staff really let them down, leading to an eighth place finish. Veterans Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury were joined by younger players like Todd Frazier and Christian Yelich to form a pretty decent offense. But they are still waiting to get a full, healthy, superstar season out of Bryce Harper. And this year’s first round pick, Xander Bogaerts was a huge disappointment this year. They did strike gold with their second round pick though. Julio Teheran was their best pitcher this season. James Shields and Lance Lynn were solid too. The rest of the starters were not and the bullpen finished dead last in saves. Since completing their four-peat in 2010, the Darkhorses have now finished in the bottom half of the standings four years in a row. But they probably have a better stable of young players than any of the other four teams covered in this article. Also worth noting, the Demigods finished in this eighth place slot just a year ago. Perhaps next year the Darkhorses will make a similar leap.

    The Gators have this ninth place thing figured out. For the fourth consecutive year, they finished in that same dreaded spot.  Part of their problem was a very disappointing DTBL rookie campaign for second overall draft choice Wil Myers who struggled through an injury plagued and ineffective season.  Also, losing their longtime ace C.C. Sabathia for most of the season was a huge blow considering how heavily they have relied on him to carry their pitching staff in the past.  On a more positive note, Nelson Cruz bounced back from his PED suspension in a big way, leading the league with 40 home runs.  Scott Kazmir and Alex Wood were shrewd mid/late round draft picks who were solid, but unable to completely fill the void left by Sabathia.  The bullpen was once again a team strength, although it took a bit of a blow towards the end of the season when Rafael Soriano and even Koji Uehara lost their closer roles.  One of these years, the Gators will put it together and avoid another ninth place finish.  Maybe next year.

    This was an extremely disappointing season for the Cougars coming off a very solid fifth place finish in 2013.  Their last place finish was very surprising, especially for a team with such a solid pitching staff.  The offense was not solid though.  In fact, it couldn’t have been much worse.  They finished dead last in all five offensive categories, earning the minimum five batting points.  They are the second team in league history to earn the minimum batting points, joining the 1997 Tidal Wave.  The strange thing is that they actually had one of the best offensive players in the league as Michael Brantley burst into superstar status with his .327, 20 HR, 23 SB season.  Alexei Ramirez and Denard Span were decent.  The rest of their hitters really struggled, led by last year’s team MVP Chris Davis.  Davis hit an awful .193 before having his season popped short due to a drug suspension.  The pitching staff was actually quite good though.  Adam Wainwright won 20 games and was among the league leaders in ERA (2.38) and WHIP (1.03) too.  Madison Bumgarner, before cementing his legacy as a post-season hero, had another great regular season as well.  The bullpen was pretty good too.  Even a slight improvement to the offense next year to complment this very talented pitching staff should make this last place finish a distant memory a year from now.

    We are well into awards season now with MLB announcing winners of some of the lesser awards this week.  The big ones will come next week.  So we better get our own award voting done soon too.  The awards ballot is now available on the main page.  Please take some time this weekend to complete your ballot.  I will begin announcing the winners next week.

  • DTBL August Awards


    As we head into the home stretch, it’s time to take another look into the DTBL award leaders for August.  The races are starting to heat up as season totals begin to look more and more impressive, so for this month, I plan on making some loose predictions as to who I think has the best chance to win each award.

    So as to not potentially influence end of year ballots, this will be my last look at the award categories for this season.  For my end of the season article, I plan on taking a look at something I’ve found interesting through the year, so hopefully you’ll all take a look again then.

    Without further delay, here are the DTBL August Awards.  All stats are through August 31.

    ROY:

    1. Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners – .259 BA, 81 R, 26 HR, 88 RBI, 8 SB
    2. Corey Kluber, Demigods – 1.094 WHIP, 2.47 ERA, 11 W, 0 SV, 185 K
    3. Anthony Rendon, Naturals – .279 BA, 97 R, 18 HR, 72 RBI, 13 SB
    4. Billy Hamilton, Naturals – .267 BA, 70 R, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 54 SB
    5. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 1.069 WHIP, 2.90 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 160 K

    The ROY list through August features four familiar faces in Donaldson, Kluber, Hamilton, and Teheran, and one new one in Anthony Rendon. Rendon has been on fire lately and was leading DTBL in runs scored while putting up solid all around numbers through August. It is interesting to look back and see where these players were drafted. Donaldson and Hamilton were no brainer first round picks. Teheran went a bit later in the middle of the second round. Rendon is a bit of a surprise here, being a middle of the 6th round pick by the Naturals. However, the real surprise is Kluber, an early 10th round selection of the Demigods.

    If Kluber had spent the entire season in the Demigods rotation, he’d be likely to win the award in a walk. In spite of having to play catch up, though, he is definitely in the running, as any of he, Donaldson, and Rendon would make a fine ROY for 2014.

    Cy Young:

    1. Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks – 0.837 WHIP, 1.73 ERA, 16 W, 0 SV, 194 K
    2. Felix Hernandez, Jackalope – 0.909 WHIP, 2.23 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 205 K
    3. Johnny Cueto, Demigods – 0.971 WHIP, 2.26 ERA, 16 W, 0 SV, 205 K
    4. Madison Bumgarner, Cougars – 1.084 WHIP, 2.97 ERA, 16 W, 0 SV, 199 K
    5. Max Scherzer, Kings – 1.151 WHIP, 3.26 ERA, 15 W, 0 SV, 220 K

    The top three of this list, Kershaw, Hernandez, and Cueto, have been on this list most of the season. Miniscule ratios, big win and strikeout totals; they have it all, and could highlight any pitching staff. However, showing the volatility of pitching this year, the last two names on the list, Madison Bumgarner and Max Scherzer, both make their awards debuts. Like the rest of the pitchers, they feature great win and strikeout totals, even if their ratios aren’t quite up to par with the top three.

    That being said, this is Kershaw’s award to lose. Hernandez and Cueto have put up great numbers all year, but Kershaw has been on another level since his return from injury. One can only wonder what his year would have been like if he hadn’t missed all of April.

    MVP:

    1. Mike Trout, Mavericks – .290 BA, 92 R, 31 HR, 97 RBI, 13 SB
    2. Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope – .292 BA, 83 R, 33 HR, 98 RBI, 10 SB
    3. Jose Altuve, Demigods – .336 BA, 73 R, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 49 SB
    4. Michael Brantley, Cougars – .310 BA, 81 R, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 17 SB
    5. Carlos Gomez, Demigods – .282 BA, 85 R, 21 HR, 65 RBI, 29 SB

    Arriving in the MVP discussion for the first time is Carlos Gomez, the only 20/20 player on this list. There’s a good chance he’ll share that distinction with Michael Brantley, who only needs 2 homers and 3 steals to join the club. Both players are here after the unfortunate injuries to Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew McCutchen who find themselves out of the top 5 as a result. Jose Altuve continues to quietly put together an amazing season, hitting for average, stealing loads of bases, and providing a bit of pop to go with it.

    In the end, though, the MVP should come down to two of the best young players in the game today. Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout. If Trout stole bases as often as he did when he first broke in to the majors, he’d be running away with this award. However, slowing down on the bases has left the door open for Stanton. The power, RBI, and batting average edge slightly Stanton, while the runs scored and speed slightly favor Trout. If the numbers remain this close at the end of September as they were at the end of August, we may be looking at the closest MVP vote since Albert Pujols squeaked out the victory over Carlos Gonzalez in 2010.

  • DTBL July Awards


    Perhaps it is a bit late for this article, seeing as how it’s already the second weekend of August, but it’s time to look back at the best of the best for July in DTBL. A lot has changed in the past ten days, so there’s a good chance of seeing a shakeup on this list at the end of the month. But, as all stats are through July 31, 2014, it will be good to acknowledge solid play before seasons were ruined by beanballs.

    Also, for this month, the focus will be on where the players’ stats rank in the DTBL leaders at each applicable category, to check in on just how dominant these players have been.

    Rookie of the Year:

    Julio Teheran, Darkhorses: 1.042 WHIP, 2.69 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 141 K
    Corey Kluber, Demigods: 1.067 WHIP, 2.57 ERA, 9 W, 0 SV, 142 K
    Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners: .247 BA, 72 R, 23 HR, 76 RBI, 4 SB
    Billy Hamilton, Naturals: .270 BA, 53 R, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 42 SB
    Sonny Gray, Jackalope: 1.180 WHIP, 2.65 ERA, 12 W, 0 SV, 121 K

    Teheran continues his rookie dominance, posting a 7th place WHIP, with ERA, win, and strikeout totals just missing out on the Top 10. Kluber marks the first appearance of a partial season player here, but he has been utterly dominant since arriving in the Demigods rotation. A 10th place WHIP, 9th place ERA, and one strikeout out of the Top 10 makes for quite the partial season performance. Josh Donaldson’s consistency sees him in a tie for 7th in home runs, a tie for 3rd in RBI, and a tie for 5th in runs scored, while Billy Hamilton’s otherworldly speed places him in a tie for 1st in that category to go with solid all around numbers for a speedster. Finally, Sonny Gray checks in in a 5 way tie for 4th in wins, while barely missing the leaderboard for ERA. Just missing from this list is Anthony Rendon, who was tied for the DTBL lead in runs scored with 75 at the end of July while also putting up solid numbers in all categories.

    Cy Young:

    Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks: .824 WHIP, 1.71 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 150 K
    Felix Hernandez, Jackalope: .889 WHIP, 2.01 ERA, 11, W, 0 SV, 178 K
    Johnny Cueto, Demigods: .916 WHIP, 2.05 ERA, 12 W, 0 SV, 166 K
    David Price, Naturals: 1.049 WHIP, 3.11 ERA, 11 W, 0 SV, 189 K
    Adam Wainwright, Cougars: .962 WHIP, 1.92 ERA, 13 W, 0 SV, 122 K

    These pitchers continue to light up radar guns and keep opposing players swinging and missing at incredible rates. Kershaw ranks first most everywhere – WHIP, ERA, and wins, and is 8th in strikeouts, a number that is a casualty of his time on the DL this spring. King Felix rates 2nd in WHIP, 4th in ERA, a tie for 9th in wins, and is 2nd in strikeouts. More of the same follows for the rest of these guys: Cueto ranks 4th in WHIP, 5th in ERA, tie for 4th in wins, and 5th in strikeouts; Price has turned things around to the tune of 8th in WHIP, tie for 9th in wins, and first in strikeouts; Wainwright checks in at 5th in WHIP, 2nd in ERA, and tied for first in wins. Honorable mention goes to Chris Sale, who ranks 3rd in both ERA and WHIP, like Kershaw, is hurt by being injured for part of the season.

    MVP:

    Mike Trout, Mavericks: .300 BA, 74 R, 24 HR, 76 RBI, 10 SB
    Jose Altuve, Demigods: .339 BA, 56 R, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 42 SB
    Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope: .293 BA, 69 R, 25 HR, 73 RBI, 10 SB
    Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope: .300 BA, 75 R, 19 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB
    Andrew McCutchen, Naturals: .305 BA, 60 R, 17 HR, 64 RBI, 17 SB

    A thing to note about the MVP candidates this month is that they generally produce in all 5 categories. While the steal totals may not place all of them in the Top 10, they do provide that 5 tool fantasy output that all owners crave. Trout comes in at 3rd in runs scored, a tie for 3rd in RBI, and 6th in home runs. Altuve is tied for 1st in steals to go along with a 2nd place batting average. Stanton is tied for 10th in runs, 6th in RBI, and tied for 3rd in homers. Paul Goldschmidt, the first hit by pitch casualty of this list, was tied for first in runs scored and 10th in RBI, while Andrew McCutchen, the other hit by pitch casualty (or beaning casualty, if you prefer), while missing out on the top 10 in any category, has the best power/speed balance in DTBL. The hardest decision of the month, however, came down to McCutchen and Michael Brantley for the 5th spot, as his solid all around numbers (.316 BA, 71 R, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 12 SB) are definitely worthy of consideration.

    Comments? Disagreements? Have at it in the comment section.

  • American Pitchers Prevail


    In a season where pitchers have once again dominated while offense has lagged behind, it was fitting that the 21st Annual DTBL All-Star Game turned into a pitchers duel.  On Tuesday night at DK Memorial Field, home of Marc’s Mavericks, the American Division jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 3-2 victory over the National Division in the Mid-Summer Classic.

    As it turned out, there were a lot of similarities between the DTBL All-Star Game and last week’s MLB All-Star Game, especially when it came to the starting pitchers, and particularly Adam Wainwright.  Like the MLB game, Wainwright got the start for the National All-Stars and was opposed by Felix Hernandez.  And in similar fashion to his performance last week, things didn’t go that well for Wainwright.  In the top of the first inning, he promptly allowed singles to Yasiel Puig and Troy Tulowitzki to start the game.  Both would later score on RBI singles by Paul Goldschmidt and Jose Bautista.  So the American Division opened up a quick 2-0 lead before King Felix took the mound.  No truth to the rumors that Wainwright was laying in pipe shots to the American hitters.  Clayton Kershaw relieved Wainwright in the second, but he too was greeted by some quick hits.  Victor Martinez and Ian Kinsler started the second with singles.  Martinez scored on a one out double by Miguel Cabrera.  Kershaw was then able to shut the door, but the American squad already had a 3-0 lead after an inning and a half.  Meanwhile, Hernandez was much more effective in his two innings.  He retired the side in order in the first and kept the National All-Stars off the board in the second despite a pair of hits.

    After the second inning, the pitchers on both sides went into cruise control, racking up strikeouts and extinguishing a few mild scoring threats.  It wasn’t until the sixth inning when the next serious scoring chance popped up.  Jonathan Papelbon surrendered a single and a double to put two American runners in scoring position with just one out.  But Trevor Rosenthal relieved him and struck out the only two hitters he faced to keep the score 3-0.  This appeared to be a potential turning point in the game, particularly with what happened next in the bottom of the sixth.  Facing Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a one out single.  Then, Mike Trout followed with a two run blast to left to cut the National deficit to a single run.  Sean Doolittle proceeded to extend the streak of American hitters going down on strikes as he struck out the side in the top of the seventh.  Momentum seemed to be completely on the National side at that point.

    But that momentum would not continue.  No hitters reached base in the 7th or 8th for either team.  The American All-Stars handed the ball to Craig Kimbrel to protect a one run lead in the ninth, facing Trout to start the inning.  He induced a ground out from Trout before walking Freddie Freeman.  But a double play ball off the bat of Brandon Moss sealed the deal as the American Division held on for a 3-2 victory.

    Pitchers dominated not only in keeping runs off the board, but also in compiling a ridiculous number of strikeouts.  The National pitchers somehow fanned 16 hitters in a losing cause.  The American pitchers weren’t short on punch-outs either.  They had 10 of their own for a game total of 26.  I only have easy access to the box scores from the last 10 All-Star Games, so I can’t confirm any ASG records.  However, I’m not aware of a single team strikeout performance greater than the National’s 16.  But believe it or not, 26 is NOT the combined record.  Just last year, the teams combined for 29 strikeouts (15 and 14 each)!  So apparently these absurd K totals are now an All-Star Game trend.

    Felix Hernandez recorded the win on the strength of his two scoreless innings.  Adam Wainwright took the loss.  Craig Kimbrel recorded the save.  OOTP inexplicably named Sean Doolittle as the Player of the Game, despite only pitching one inning for the losing team.  So we had to overrule that selection.  Those present at the game selected Moonshiners second baseman Ian Kinsler as the 2014 DTBL All-Star Game MVP.  Kinsler recorded a game high 3 hits in his 4 at bats.  Interestingly, this is Kinsler’s second DTBL ASG MVP award.  He also received that honor back in 2009 when he hit a key three run homer off Johan Santana to spark an American victory.

    Click here to view the game box score.

    Congrats to Charlie on leading the American Division to the victory!  It was fun, despite being on the losing side.  Too bad I won’t be able to get revenge next year since there is no chance I’ll be managing the National Division again in ’15.

  • All-Star Break Grab Bag


    I hope you are having a great Worst Sports Day of the Year.  The day after the MLB All-Star Game is so barren of sporting events that scoreboard tickers are featuring WNBA and cricket scores.  This is frequently the day in which we play the DTBL All-Star Game.  But as previously mentioned, that will not occur until next week on a date that is still TBD.  In the meantime, this is the perfect opportunity for me to get caught up on a few items I neglected to write about during the first half of the season.

    First, there were a pair of trades during the last two months that deserve mentioning.  Although neither were what you would call blockbusters, both were intriguing nonetheless.  At the end of May, the Demigods acquired closer Addison Reed and outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Mavericks in exchange for relief pitcher Danny Farquhar and outfielder Shane Victorino.  Draft picks were also a prominent part of this deal.  The Mavs picked up 2nd and 5th round picks in 2015 while the Demigods acquired extra picks in the 8th and 12th rounds.  At the time of the deal, the Demigods were in a solid second place, just a handful of points behind the Naturals, while the Mavericks were toiling near the bottom of the standings.  So this deal was clearly an attempt by the Demigods to boost their title hopes for this season, while the Mavericks had an eye towards 2015.  Despite that, the Mavericks have actually been the stronger of these two teams since the deal.  However, that’s not because of the trade since the Mavs didn’t acquire anyone who has helped with their resurgence.  Reed has given the Demigods a boost in saves, recording seven of them for his new team so far.  However, they will need a lot more from him and the rest of the team to run down the Naturals in the second half.  Meanwhile, after one year of not being able to acquire any additional early round draft picks, the Mavericks have already ensured they will head into ’15 with extra early picks.  Although this season is far from over for the Mavericks, at worst, they figure to be right back in the title hunt next year.

    The second trade really flew under the radar as the Kings and Moonshiners swapped spare parts last month.  In need of a catcher due to Wilson Ramos’ second DL stint of the year, the Moonshiners picked up Carlos Ruiz from the Kings for outfielder, and Ruiz’s Phillies teammate, Marlon Byrd.  The  main reason for this trade was so the Moonshiners could temporarily replace Ramos without wasting another free agent signing on a catcher.  But as it turns out, Byrd has been a key piece in the Kings recent offensive resurgence.  He already has eight home runs for the Kings, continuing to defy Father Time.  Long term though, this trade doesn’t figure to have much of a lasting impact on either team.  This was simply a short-term stop-gap deal for both sides.  The Kings and Moonshiners continue to toil through very disappointing seasons.

    Most of my first half writing focused on the negative, from the incredibly high number of injuries to the expected title contenders who were suffering through miserable early results.  So I have almost completely ignored the team that has been dominating this league right from Day 1.  The Naturals have held first place basically the entire year.  In April and early May, that lead was small but consistent.  However, in the past month or so, they have seen that lead balloon into double digits.  At the All-Star break, they find themselves with a 13 point lead over the second place Demigods.  The Naturals being in first place isn’t a huge surprise, considering they won the league just two years ago and are almost always in the title hunt.  But I’m not sure anyone saw them dominating the league in this fashion.  Until very recently, they had been leading the league in both batting and pitching points, the latter being a pretty big surprise.

    The Naturals offense has been simply the best in the league, by a comfortable margin.  They lead the league with 45 batting points, not far from a maximum total of 50.  Troy Tulowitzki has been one of the best players in baseball.  Andrew McCutchen is in the MVP discussion as well.  Billy Hamilton and Anthony Rendon are two of the top DTBL rookies.  I have no idea where Victor Martinez’s sudden power surge came from.  Miguel Cabrera hasn’t been quite the same player he was in his two previous MVP seasons, but even so, his numbers are very good.  The scary thing here is that there is actually room for improvement from some of the offensive roster.  Cabrera could easily increase his productivity in the second half.  Joey Votto and Allen Craig have been mostly MIA this year.  If they bounce back the next few months, look out!

    As several teams learned in the first half, one thing that can quickly derail a title run is a sudden surge of injuries.  To this point, the Naturals have been relatively fortunate on that front.  But they are currently dealing with a few issues on the mound.  Homer Bailey and Jordan Zimmermann are dealing with ailments that hopefully won’t knock them out for too long, if at all.  The Naturals only have one free agent signing remaining, so there are only so many holes that can be filled that way.  But they are pretty well stacked with depth at the moment.  By no means is this thing over, but the Naturals are sitting in great shape with two and a half months left to go.

    Finally, a quick update on site related things I’ve been working on.  When I introduced PAR last month, I mentioned slowly rolling out the numbers from previous seasons.  Unfortunately, I haven’t made any further progress on that as we still have just 2013 and 2014 PAR numbers on the site.  I intend to get back to this soon after the break.  But before then, I have some updates to make to individual player pages and the All-Star and Awards pages (the latter doesn’t actually exist yet).  I’m going to be adding a column to the players’ stats tables to list individual All-Star appearances and awards won.  Like PAR, this will be a work in progress as I accumulate the necessary historical data.  But recent All-Star appearances should be displayed on player pages very soon (maybe by the end of the week).  I will keep you posted on this in the site update thread on the DTBL Forum.

    More DTBL All-Star coverage will be coming soon.  Now let’s get to Friday already so we can enjoy some real baseball again!

     

  • DTBL June Awards

    We’re finally at the halfway point of the DTBL season, and it’s time to look at the best players up to this point. While a couple of players had ridiculous months that almost placed them in my top 5 list, I’ve decided to focus a bit more on consistency with my rankings. Sorry, Jose Altuve. I’ve again used ESPN’s Player Rater to help sort selections, particularly with Rookie of the Year. However, thanks to Kevin’s hard work with Points Above Replacement (PAR), I’ve used this stat to help with Cy Young and MVP ranks as well.To spice up the column a bit, and without giving away my entire ballot, you’ll find at the end my picks for All Star starters at every position, along with a closer. At the halfway point, it seems appropriate to recognize solid players who aren’t quite good enough to crack the top 5 at the end of year awards positions.

    ROY:

    1. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 0.950 WHIP, 2.34 ERA, 7 W, 0 SV, 103 Ks
    2. Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners – .248 BA, 57 R, 18 HR, 61 RBI, 3 SB
    3. Anthony Rendon, Naturals – .281 BA, 53 R, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 6 SB
    4. Yaisel Puig, Jackalope – .311 BA, 44 R, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 7 SB
    5. Billy Hamilton, Naturals – .281 BA, 40 R, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 34 SB

    The top three from May still reside here in the Rookie of the Year rankings. Julio Teheran has continued his stellar rookie season here in DTBL; more on him to come. Josh Donaldson and Yasiel Puig continue to put up big numbers. Anthony Rendon returns to this list after falling off in May, with 6 homers, 19 RBI, 18 runs, and a .310 batting average making up for a lackluster May.

    Unfortunately, Michael Wacha (injury) and Sonny Gray have fallen off this list for now. Brian Dozier and Corey Kluber’s full season numbers would easily be worthy of Top 5 consideration; however, their late entries to their team’s major league rosters continue to keep them off. Finally, Evan Gattis had a ridiculous June with a long hitting streak and 6 homers of his own, but he, too, has fallen victim to the injury bug.

    Cy Young:

    1. Felix Hernandez, Jackalope – 0.919 WHIP, 2.10 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 137 Ks
    2. Johnny Cueto, Demigods – 0.836 WHIP, 1.88 ERA, 8 W, 0 SV, 122 Ks
    3. Adam Wainwright, Cougars – 0.903 WHIP, 2.01 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 105 Ks
    4. Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks – 0.920 WHIP, 2.04 ERA, 9 W, 0 SV, 107 Ks
    5. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 0.950 WHIP, 2.34 ERA, 7 W, 0 SV, 103 Ks

    This list is largely unchanged from May, only seeing Clayton Kershaw’s utter dominance since returning from the DL replacing Zack Greinke. The superlatives of this group run long – top 5 in ERA. 5 of the top 6 in WHIP. Fantastic strikeout totals. Solid win amounts. Anyone in DTBL would be thrilled to have any of this quintet heading their rotation.

    That being said, there is no shortage of pitchers knocking on the door of this group. Greinke. Madison Bumgarner. Jon Lester. David Price. Max Scherzer. Yu Darvish. The overall pitching talent in DTBL may never have been better than it is now.

    MVP:

    1. Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope – .313 BA, 57 R, 21 HR, 60 RBI, 7 SB
    2. Mike Trout, Mavericks – .314 BA, 54 R, 18 HR, 59 RBI, 10 SB
    3. Edwin Encarnacion, Mavericks – .278 BA, 55 R, 25 HR, 65 RBI, 2 SB
    4. Nelson Cruz, Gators – .281 BA, 48 R, 25 HR, 66 RBI, 1 SB
    5. Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals – .353 BA, 65 R, 18 HR, 47 RBI, 1 SB

    Another month, another top two finish for Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout. These two players have almost identical numbers; Stanton’s slight power edge gives him the nod here over Trout’s speed. Edwin Encarnacion, after just missing in May, rightfully shows up here with his prodigious power numbers; better counting stats gives him the edge over Nelson Cruz. Finally, Troy Tulowitzki, who’s been here from the beginning, continues to ride his Coors Field numbers to an outstanding season. Hard to argue with a .353 batting average in June.

    As I mentioned above, Jose Altuve raked in June. A .411 batting average. 17 steals. 11 runs and 9 RBI. He even missed three games. It was hard to leave him off this list, but consistency for the existing top 5 allowed them to hold on to their spots. If Altuve has a July even close to his June, he has a good chance of jumping into best of the best. Rounding out the just missed it group are Carlos Gomez, Michael Brantley, Paul Goldschmidt, and Victor Martinez. And, yeah, I’m still wondering when Miguel Cabrera will show up.

    Here are my All Star starters.

    American Divison:
    C: Victor Martinez, Naturals
    1B: Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope
    2B: Ian Kinsler, Moonshiners
    3B: Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners
    SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals
    OF: Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope
    OF: Nelson Cruz, Gators
    OF: Jose Bautista, Choppers
    SP: Felix Hernandez, Jackalope
    CL: Craig Kimbrel, Choppers
    National Division:
    C: Jonathan LuCroy, Kings
    1B: Edwin Encarnacion, Mavericks
    2B: Jose Altuve, Demigods
    3B: Todd Frazier, Darkhorses
    SS: Hanley Ramirez, Darkhorses
    OF: Mike Trout, Mavericks
    OF: Carlos Gomez, Demigods
    OF: Michael Brantley, Cougars
    SP: Adam Wainright, Cougars
    CL: Trevor Rosenthal, Demigods

    Comments? Disagreements? Have at it in the comment section.

  • DTBL May Awards


    Once again, it’s time to check out the best of the best in DTBL through the month of May. There were some massive months, particularly from the hitters as you’ll see below. Unfortunately, the biggest loss from the list has been Jose Fernandez due to his UCL tear and subsequent Tommy John surgery. Hopefully the injury epidemic is over for now, but this being baseball in 2014, no one seems safe.

    On a more positive note, the players below are a decent mix of guys powered almost solely by an incredible May, and guys who have been consistent year round. As the season plays out, it will be interesting to watch if the streaky guys can finally maintain their play over an entire season, or if the steady mashers will rise, and stay, at the top.

    All stats below are through May 31, and cover Rookie of the Year (ROY), Cy Young, and Most Valuable Player (MVP).

    ROY:

    1. Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners – .280 BA, 48 R, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 1 SB
    2. Yaisel Puig, Jackalope – .344 BA, 32 R, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 5 SB
    3. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 0.932 WHIP, 1.83 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 66 Ks
    4. Michael Wacha, Gators – 1.064 WHIP, 2.45 ERA, 4 W, 0 SV, 75 Ks
    5. Sonny Gray, Jackalope – 1.122 WHIP, 2.31 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 60 Ks

    There’s not much change in the rookie listings, as Donaldson, Teheran, and Gray all are carry overs from April. Yaisel Puig finally returned to his 2013 form, mashing 8 homers and driving in 25 runs while chipping in 4 steals, proving himself truly worthy of his number one overall pick this year. The other newcomer, Michael Wacha, almost made this list in April, but strong consistency vaults him past Sonny Gray in these rankings. Meanwhile, Josh Donaldson and Julio Teheran continued their stellar play from April, with Donaldson putting up almost identical numbers in May, and Teheran upping his strikeout totals to go with slightly depressed ratios.

    Other rookies of note include Anthony Rendon, whose slow May dropped him off the leaderboard, Gerrit Cole, Evan Gattis, Shelby Miller, and Brian Dozier, all of whom have decent to excellent numbers in certain categories, but lack that overall excellence exhibited by the top 5.

    Cy Young:

    1. Johnny Cueto, Demigods – 0.758 WHIP, 1.68 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 92 Ks
    2. Adam Wainwright, Cougars – 0.914 WHIP, 2.32 ERA, 8 W, 0 SV, 81 Ks
    3. Felix Hernandez, Jackalope – 1.024 WHIP, 2.57 ERA, 7 W, 0 SV, 83 Ks
    4. Zack Greinke, Naturals – 1.121 WHIP, 2.18 ERA, 8 W, 0 SV, 76 Ks
    5. Julio Teheran, Darkhorses – 0.932 WHIP, 1.83 ERA, 5 W, 0 SV, 66 Ks

    It’s hard to come up with words that can adequately express just how awesome the top pitches are this year. All five of these guys are bringing it in every category, tossing up video game style ratios with absurd strikeout totals. Johnny Cueto, Adam Wainwright, and Zack Greinke, the April carryovers, have shown that their hot starts are no flukes. Felix Hernandez continues to show why everyone calls him King Felix, while Julio Teheran’s surprising rookie season is enough to vault him into the top five overall for pitchers.

    Unfortunately, everyone could see that Francisco Rodriguez would come back down to earth after his impeccable start. But, even so, there are no shortage of pitchers waiting in the wings. Tim Hudson seems to have found the fountain of youth, Yu Darvish is dealing again after neck issues, Chris Sale, Kyle Lohse, and other are all dealing. The two big surprises, though, are Mark Buehrle, who’s spinning a top 10 season from the free agent list, and Jeff Samardzija, who was leading the majors in ERA through May but only had one win to show for it.

    MVP:

    1. Nelson Cruz, Gators – .315 BA, 39 R, 20 HR, 52 RBI, 0 SB
    2. Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope – .316 BA, 40 R, 16 HR, 51 RBI, 4 SB
    3. Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals – .352 BA, 45 R, 14 HR, 37 RBI, 1 SB
    4. Josh Donaldson, Moonshiners – .280 BA, 48 R, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 1 SB
    5. Yaisel Puig, Jackalope – .344 BA, 32 R, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 5 SB

    Nelson Cruz had a ridiculous May to jump him to the top of the MVP race. A .339 average, 13 homers, 27 RBI; all fantastic numbers. Giancarlo Stanton continues to smash the cover off the ball; one only wonders if he can stay healthy. Troy Tulowitzki continues to rake as well, with his .352 batting average still leading the majors to go along with solid stats all around.

    Then come the two big surprises on this list – Josh Donaldson and Yaisel Puig. Both DTBL rookies are putting up numbers that not only lead their draft class, but compete with the numbers of the established veterans. After this point in the season, it would be no surprise to see them challenging for bragging rights as the best of the best the rest of year.

    However, there is no shortage of competition for this race. The only thing keeping Edwin Encarnacion off this list was a slow April; his 16 home runs and 33 RBI in May were incredible. Carlos Gomez is the only significant power and speed guy, with 11 homers and 11 steals to go with other solid all around numbers. And there’s more, with Alexi Ramirez, Jose Bautista, Michael Brantley, and Paul Goldschmidt all waiting in the wings. In another version of the MVP list, any of those guys could be on it and they wouldn’t look out of place. Finally, Miguel Cabrera has finally remembered how to hit, and may soon take his accustomed place as a member of this elite company.

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

  • DTBL April Awards


    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.

  • A Painful Start

    Darkhorses pitcher Matt Moore

    For several years now, it has felt like the number of injuries has been on a steady rise in Major League Baseball. I’m sure there are facts to back this up, but I’m so certain of it, I’m not going to waste my time researching it.  (That, and I’m lazy.)  This year, we’ve reached a new high (or should I say low?). The number of players who have been sidelined due to injuries in the first four weeks of the season is staggering. Actually, this all started well before Opening Day. In March, at least a half dozen pitchers had their seasons end prematurely due to torn ligaments in their elbows. Several other pitchers have been added to that list since the season started. And now position players are dropping like flies as well. The only good thing about these injuries is that no team has been immune. Of course, the level to which each team has been decimated varies greatly. And to a slight degree, this is reflected in the current league standings.

    It would be a lot quicker to list the DTBL teams who have not lost a player for the remainder of the season due to an injury. There are only three: the Choppers, Gators and Naturals. But even those three have been dealing with injuries to key players. Particularly the Choppers who just got Adrian Beltre back while Chris Sale remains disabled for at least another week and Mark Trumbo figures to miss at least another month. Those are three of their top players. The Gators are about to get Hisashi Iwakuma back in their rotation for the first time this season and they are dealing with some minor injuries to offensive players as well. The Naturals have probably been the luckiest team in the league, from a health standpoint. But even they currently have three players on the DL.

    It’s kind of a disaster for the rest of the league. The two top teams from last season have both been dealing with all sorts of pitching injuries. The Mavericks knew they would be without Matt Harvey this year. But losing Clayton Kershaw after one start was a huge blow. Meanwhile, Mat Latos and Taijuan Walker are yet to make their season debuts. Same for Manny Machado offensively. The good news for the Mavericks is that all of those players are expected to return soon.  The Kings may not have had as significant of injuries early on, but the sheer volume is starting to catch up to them now. Anibal Sanchez and Jason Grilli hit the DL last week, joining teammates Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Cuddyer and Nate Jones. They also lost two draft picks to Tommy John surgery within days of their selections: Patrick Corbin and David Hernandez, who both happen to play for the Diamondbacks as well. Several other Kings are dealing with day-to-day injuries too. It isn’t pretty.

    The Cougars also lost a pair of pitchers to torn elbow ligaments: Kris Medlen and Josh Johnson. They are currently dealing with injuries to two of their top sluggers in Chris Davis and Josh Hamilton. Casey Janssen hasn’t pitched yet this year either. Then there are the Darkhorses who have managed to remain near the top of the standings despite another Tommy John casualty in Matt Moore. Mike Minor will finally take a big league mound for the first time this season later this week. But their biggest blow may have come this past weekend when Bryce Harper tore a ligament in his thumb and will be out until at least early July. Oh, Russell Martin is on the DL for them too.

    How about the Demigods? Well, things were looking bleak in March when Doug Fister, Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto were all dealing with injuries. But Cueto has been excellent and Hamels is back now too. Fister should return next week. So all in all, they are in decent shape. Except they too lost a pitcher, Bobby Parnell, to a torn UCL. Kole Calhoun is currently out with an ankle injury as well. The Jackalope are hopeful about the return of Aroldis Chapman who suffered quite possibly the most gruesome injury of the spring when he took a line drive to the head. On the other hand, Avisail Garcia is out for the year with a torn labrum and Jurickson Profar won’t make his season debut for at least another month. Finally, we have the Moonshiners. Just one season ending injury for them: Brandon Beachy who has undergone Tommy John surgery for the second time in three years and has pitched just 111 innings since the Moonshiners drafted him in 2012. They are also without second round pick Wilson Ramos who is recovering from a broken hand.

    So there you go. That’s a pretty staggering list of injuries, but there are actually plenty of others I didn’t mention who are currently injured or have already returned from previous DL stints, including a whole bunch of current free agents.  Everyone has their own theory on why all of these injuries are occurring, particularly when it comes to the torn elbow ligaments of pitchers.  I don’t think there is a conclusive theory out there yet though.  I certainly hope some of the best minds in sports medicine and therapy will be able to figure this out eventually, because it is taking a toll on the sport to see so many of the best players having full seasons in the middle of their primes completely wiped out.

    There is a little bit of good news though. Injuries usually peak early in the season and settle down as the year goes on. So there is hope for that to occur this year too. But there are already a whole bunch of players who won’t be returning until 2015. Let’s all hope for a healthier May.