DTBL News

Category: Gators

  • Good, Bad and Ugly

    Moonshiners first baseman Prince Fielder

    You’ve heard all about the champion Jackalope.  Now it’s time to take a look back at the 2011 season for the other nine teams.  I’ve grouped them into three categories:  the good, the bad and the ugly.  These groups don’t necessarily relate to the order of finish, but how competitive the teams were compared to expectations.  The three teams I identified as “good” all finished higher in the standings than they did a year ago and should feel like they are headed in the right direction.  “Bad” isn’t really the right word for the second group, because two of the three teams actually finished near the top of the standings.  Disappointing is a better way to describe them.  Finally, the teams that fall into the “ugly” category would probably like to pretend 2011 never happened.

    THE GOOD

    Mike’s Moonshiners

    The quickest team out of the gate, the Moonshiners led the league for a good part of the first quarter of the season.  They stumbled a bit in early summer and never really recovered, finishing in third place.  However, that was up two spots from a year ago and was their best finish since 2008.  The improvement was almost entirely due to the pitching staff, which received a huge boost from the Jackalope trade which brought them ace pitcher and Cy Young candidate Jared Weaver.  While I already mentioned how beneficial that trade was to the Jackalope, the impact was similar for the Moonshiners.  Weaver turned their average pitching staff into one of the league’s best.  He finished in the top five of the league in ERA, WHIP and wins.  Meanwhile, the offense was carried by slugging first baseman Prince Fielder (38 HR, 120 RBI) and 30/30 man Ian Kinsler (32 HR, 30 SB).  Now that the pitching staff has been fixed, the Moonshiners will look to improve their offense going into 2012.  With the Jackalope winning their first title this year, the Moonshiners are now the longest tenured DTBL team without a title.  They figure to have a good chance to change that next year.

    Dom’s Demigods

    The biggest jump in the standings was made by the Demigods.  After finishing dead last a year ago, they managed to move into the top half of the standings with a fifth place finish in 2011.  This is despite the fact that they got almost nothing out of their first overall pick (Buster Posey);  same with his catching partner Joe Mauer.  The rest of the offense was surprisingly good though, finishing in the top five in every category and leading the league in batting average.  The indisputable MVP of the team was Matt Kemp, who hit .324 with 39 HR, 126 RBI, 115 R, 40 SB.  He led the league in RBIs and was the only player to appear on the league leaderboard in all five categories.  He even flirted with the NL Triple Crown until the final week of the season.  The pitching staff was a bit of a disappointment, but overall, the Demigods appear to be headed in the right direction.

    Charlie’s Thunder Choppers

    Although they only wound up finishing one spot higher than a year ago (6th, up from 7th), this was a much better year for the Choppers.  They were a title contender in the second half of the season for the first time in five years.  They wound up finishing 16 1/2 points out of first, cutting almost half the deficit from a year ago (32 points).  As I documented in an article a couple months ago, it was some recent first round draft picks that helped pump some more juice into the Choppers offense.  Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson finished first and second in the league in home runs (43 and 41 respectively).  Both are strong MVP candidates, while Bautista is even eligible for the DTBL Rookie of the Year award.  Granderson led the league with 136 runs scored, the highest total since 2007.  The Choppers boast another strong ROY candidate in closer Craig Kimbrel who saved 46 games in his first full MLB season.  If the Choppers can add one or two more elite starting pitchers, they are another team to watch in 2012.

    THE BAD

    Nick’s Naturals

    Okay, I admit it isn’t really fair to put the Naturals in a category labeled as “bad”, because they were definitely not that.  But a defending champion almost always has its sights set on repeating, and the Naturals weren’t quite able to do that this year, finishing a distant second.  In some ways, this Naturals team was every bit as good as the one that tied for title last year, but the Jackalope were just a little better.  The Naturals were unable to repeat their amazing feat of 50 batting points from a year ago, but still led the league with 45.  They figured they would need to get more out of their pitching staff though.  Unfortunately for them, that didn’t really happen.  Newly acquired Zack Greinke was solid, but he, along with the rest of the staff, didn’t have a truly spectacular season.  Still, the Naturals shouldn’t regret their Greinke/Howard trade, because the pitching would have been worse without Greinke.  Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto led the league’s best offense.  Cabrera won the batting title with a .344 average.  Overall, there is nothing for the Naturals to be ashamed of this year.  They were as close as one half point behind the Jackalope in late August.  They figure to be right back in the title hunt again next year.

    Kevin’s Kings

    Again, this wasn’t a “bad” season for the Kings.  They finished exactly where they did a year ago, in fourth place.  However, this time fourth place meant 15 points back and not really a serious contender down the stretch.  Last year, they were in the hunt right until the end and finished just five points behind the co-champions.  Other than place of finish, there was virtually nothing in common between the 2010 and 2011 Kings.  This year’s squad had a below average offense and one of the league’s best pitching staffs.  It was just the opposite in ’10.  The main reason for the pitching upswing was one man:  Justin Verlander.  Verlander tied a DTBL single season record with 24 wins.  He also led the league in WHIP (0.920) and strike outs (250).  Really, he’s the only Kings pitcher who sticks out as having an impressive year, yet they managed to garner 40 pitching points.  On offense, it was an underwhelming and injury plagued season for almost all of the Kings stars.  Jose Reyes bounced back to being one of the league’s elite players, but he too couldn’t stay healthy.  It is hard to say where this franchise is headed.  Without Verlander’s monster year, they could have finished near the bottom of the standings this year.  On the other hand, had a few key guys stayed healthy, they may have been in the hunt until the end.

    Marc’s Mavericks

    Now this is the one team in this group where the “bad” label probably applies.  For the second straight year, the Mavericks finished in eighth place.  But this isn’t a franchise that typically goes through long rebuilding processes.  Last year, they were completely wrecked by injuries and essentially gave up with a couple months to play.  This year, they had some injuries, but that wasn’t the biggest problem.  Disappointing seasons from almost all of their young players gave them little hope of competing.  They have had five first round picks the past two years, and I would call several of them major disappointments at this point.  Carlos Santana and Matt Wieters had decent seasons at a weak offensive position, but the jury is still out on them.  Gordon Beckham and Jayson Heward have been huge busts so far.  The only Maverick who really stood out as having a tremendous 2011 season was Clayton Kershaw.  Kerhsaw led the league in ERA (2.28) and was just behind Verlander in WHIP (0.977), wins (21) and strike outs (248).  It should definitely come down to those two for the Cy Young award.  The Mavericks really need to hit some home runs with their early picks in next year’s draft because the last two years have been rather forgettable.

    THE UGLY

    David’s Darkhorses

    The Darkhorses set a standard of excellence in winning four consecutive DTBL championships from 2006-2010.  This year, not only did they fail to meet that standard, but they wound up with the worst finish in league history for a defending champion, finishing a distant seventh.  They won those four titles by having the most balanced team in the league, usually finishing first or second in both batting and pitching.  This year, they somehow managed to fall to the middle of the pack in both areas.  Injuries were a factor, but not to the extent you would expect for a team that fell apart like this.  Below average seasons for most of the roster is the main explanation.  I suppose it was bound to happen eventually.  On the bright side, Jacoby Ellsbury turned himself into one of the best fantasy players with a 32 HR, 39 SB season while hitting .321.  His Red Sox teammate Adrian Gonzalez had another solid year for the Darkhorses, but dropped off a bit in the second half.  One major problem with the pitching staff was the criminally bad run support Tim Lincecum received.  He only won 13 games despite putting up his usual dominating numbers in the other categories.  James Shields and Chris Carpenter also won fewer games than you would expect from their other numbers.  I’ll chalk this up as a worst-case scenario season for the Darkhorses.  Surely, things will go better next year.

    Greg’s Gators

    I should point out that until the final day of the season, it appeared the Gators, and possibly the Cougars as well, were going to break the DTBL record for fewest total points in the 10 team era.  Fortunately for them, both teams picked up a point or two in the final day and avoided this place in history.  They wound up tied for ninth place with a putrid 21 total points, one clear of the record low mark of 20 by Tim’s Titans in 1999.

    While the Gators did avoid that distinction, they managed to set a different low water mark.  Their six batting points are the fewest ever in the 10 team era (since ’98, batting or pitching).  Only a couple stolen bases prevented them from finishing dead last in all five offensive categories.  Sadly, they were in last by a fairly wide margin in most categories.  They are going to have a tough time finding enough players worthy of keeping.  About the only offensive player who put up keeper-worthy numbers was Dan Uggla, and even he only hit .233.  The pitching staff was a little better, mostly thanks to C.C. Sabathia.  Injuries to Jair Jurrjens and Josh Johnson prevented them from having a pretty respectable staff.  Overall, there is a lot of work to do for this squad.  I think 2011 was clearly the worst season in franchise history.

    Kelly’s Cougars

    I think Kelly clearly had more important things on her mind this year, which caused her to not put a lot of time and effort into her team.  I’m not sure it would have mattered though.  Much as was the case with the White Sox, Adam Dunn almost single-handedly ruined the Cougars season.  Nobody had a particularly good season either though.  Josh Hamilton fought through injuries, and other key players were simply inconsistent.  The pitching staff was especially poor, though that can be partly blamed on the loss of staff ace Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery before the season even started.  This will be chalked up as a forgettable year for the Cougars.  Perhaps with some bounce back years from their key players, 2012 should be better.

  • Trade Deadline Recap

    Demigods outfielder Carlos Beltran

    Here is my review of the trades involving one or more DTBL players which were made in the weeks/days leading up to today’s MLB trade deadline.  Since I’m not too knowledgeable about prospects, my take will focus mostly on the DTBL players and the impact these guys will have on their new teams as well as the DTBL implications.

    July 12 – Brewers/Mets

    • Brewers get:  RP Francisco Rodriguez (Moonshiners)
    • Mets get:  2 PTBNL
    • MLB impact:  The Brewers made a significant improvement to their bullpen without giving up any players of note.  When this deal was initially completed, it wasn’t clear what this would mean to their closer situation.  However, John Axford has continued to save games for the Brewers, so Rodriguez appears to have been acquired strictly for set-up duties.  Meanwhile, the Mets were able to unload a potentially enormous payroll drag had K-Rod finished enough games to kick in his guaranteed player option for 2012.  This appears to have been a win-win deal for everyone but Rodriguez.
    • DTBL impact:  This was a costly trade for the Moonshiners, leaving them with just two closers.  Fortunately, another rumored trade of Drew Storen to the Twins never happened, or they could have been left with a single closer.  They still rank third in saves, but that position could be in jeopardy.

    July 26 – Nationals/Reds

    • Nationals get:  OF Johnny Gomes (Cougars)
    • Reds get:  LHP Chris Manno, OF Bill Rhinehart
    • MLB impact:  Not much point in discussing this one too much.  This was simply a dump trade by the Reds to make room for a rookie.  I don’t really know why the Nats were interested in Gomes though, as they clearly aren’t going anywhere this season.
    • DTBL impact:  Gomes has been on the Cougars bench since May.  Since he figures to remain a platoon player in DC, it is unlikely he’ll give the Cougars much of a boost from here on out.

    July 27 – Cardinals/Blue Jays/White Sox

    • Cardinals get:  SP Edwin Jackson (free agent), RP Octavio Dotel (free agent), RP Marc Rzepczynski, OF Corey Patterson, 3 PTBNL
    • Blue Jays get:  OF Colby Rasmus (Naturals), 3B Mark Teahen, RP Brian Tallet, RP Trevor Miller, RHP P.J. Walters
    • White Sox get:  RP Jason Frasor, RHP Zach Stewart
    • MLB impact:  This was one of the strangest trades of the week in that it featured two teams in tight division races selling off pieces while a non-contender acquired the biggest impact player.  Rasmus had lost favor in St. Louis and had been relegated to the bench.  So the Cardinals getting rid of him wasn’t terribly surprising, but they certainly sold low on a talented player.  They did acquire some much needed help for their rotation with Jackson though.  The 27 year old Jackson has already been traded 7 times in his career!  He’s a free agent after this season too, so it is likely he’ll be in yet another uniform next year.  The White Sox got a nice reliever in Frasor, but this trade was mostly done to shed some payroll.  Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are probably the big winners in this trade, getting Rasmus for hardly anything.
    • DTBL impact:  Jackson and Dotel are free agents.  The Kings dumped Jackson about a month ago.  It is possible some other team will give him a shot now that he is pitching for a NL team that can score some runs.  This was a great trade for the Naturals since Rasmus will return to being an everyday player.  Also, he could see a big spike in his numbers playing in a good hitters park and as part of a strong lineup.

    July 28 – Giants/Mets

    • Giants get:  OF Carlos Beltran (Demigods)
    • Mets get:  RHP Zach Wheeler
    • MLB impact:  Beltran was considered the premier offensive player on the market, and the Giants definitely needed some offensive help.  Beltran should give the Giants a significant boost as they attempt to defend their World Series title.  He will be a free agent following this season, so it made sense for the Mets to trade him.  Apparently, Wheeler is a very highly regarded pitching prospect, so this should be a good trade for both teams.
    • DTBL impact:  Even though this was one of the biggest trades of the week, it will probably have a minimal effect on the Demigods.  Beltran is moving from one pitchers park to another and probably a weaker supporting cast.  Beltran is also not the fantasy player he used to be since his power numbers are down and he doesn’t steal a lot of bases any more.

    July 29 – Phillies/Astros

    • Phillies get:  OF Hunter Pence (Jackalope)
    • Astros get:  RHP Jarred Cosart, 1B/OF Jonathan Singleton, RHP Josh Zeid, PTBNL
    • MLB impact:  This is a huge trade for the Phillies who have had a bit of a black hole in right field this season.  It makes their already impressive lineup just a bit stronger, further strengthening their resume as the best team in the National League.  The Giants are still a threat due to their pitching, but the Phillies are the team to beat in October.  Meanwhile, this was phase one in the Astros fire sale.  They acquired some very good prospects, but the near term future is not bright.
    • DTBL impact:  I would call this deal a big win for the Jackalope, who have had almost nothing but positive developments all season.  Pence figures to get a lot more RBI opportunities in Philly and is going to a great hitters park.  The Jacaklope lead has shrunk a bit in recent days, but this trade should give their offense a boost.

    July 30 – Red Sox/Royals

    • Red Sox get:  2B Mike Aviles (free agent)
    • Royals get:  INF Yamaico Navarro, RHP Kendal Volz
    • MLB impact:  Not much to this deal.  Aviles was simply a utility player in Kansas City and that will continue to be the case in Boston.
    • DTBL impact:  It is unlikely the DTBL free agent Aviles will attract much attention following this deal.  His playing time will be severely limited.

    July 30 – Rangers/Orioles

    • Rangers get:  RP Koji Uehera (Gators)
    • Orioles get:  P Tommy Hunter, 1B/3B Chris Davis
    • MLB impact:  The Rangers picked up a setup man who has some of the best numbers in the league this season.  Uehera has incredible 64/8 strike out/walk numbers in 48 IP.  They gave up a pair of players who they didn’t have much use for either, so this has to be viewed as a good deal for them.  On the Orioles side, not receiving any legitimate prospects was surprising, but they did get two MLB ready players.  They didn’t appear to have anywhere to put Davis when the trade was made, but the Lee trade a few hours later opened up 1B for him.
    • DTBL impact:  Minimal.  The Gators have used Uehera almost all year, but unless he’s going to start getting save opportunities (very unlikely), this trade doesn’t change his value at all.

    July 30 – Indians/Rockies

    • Indians get:  SP Ubaldo Jimenez (Gators)
    • Rockies get:  RHP Alex White, RHP Joseph Gardner, IF/OF Matt McBride, LHP Drew Pomeranz
    • MLB impact:  I don’t like to criticize teams for trying to go for it all when the opportunity presents itself, but I think this may be a bit of a short-sighted trade by the Indians.  Yes, they are only a couple games out of first right now, but I believe they have overachieved to this point and are unlikely to win the division even with Jimenez.  Meanwhile, they traded away two of their best pitching prospects.  Jimenez should benefit by no longer pitching in Coors Field.  Also, the NL to AL switch is less significant in this case since he is going to pitch in a very mediocre AL Central.  He is not a free agent to-be, so this trade could be an important building block for the Indians, but call me skeptical.  Great deal for the Rockies, IMO.
    • DTBL impact:  It will be very interesting to see how Jimenez pitches in Cleveland.  He hasn’t been a truly elite pitcher in well over a year now.  The Gators need him to return to his early 2010 form in order to help revive their middle-of-the-road pitching staff.  It’s all about how well he pitches.  This trade probably won’t affect his numbers that much one way or the other.

    July 30 – Giants/Indians

    • Giants get:  SS Orlando Cabrera (Moonshiners)
    • Indians get:  OF Thomas Neal
    • MLB impact:  I was a little surprised by this trade on the Indians side.  On the heals of their Jimenez deal, they sold off a valuable veteran in Cabrera.  Apparently, they are very comfortable with Jason Kipnis as their everyday 2B, even though he just made his MLB debut earlier this week.  I think it came down to Cabrera requesting to go somewhere he was wanted.  The Giants are a perfect fit.  He has a wealth of playoff experience and can help fill a number of roles for the Giants.
    • DTBL impact:  The Moonshiners have been shuffling Cabrera in and out of their lineup.  That doesn’t figure to change much, but this is still a good trade for them because Cabrera was seeing his role diminish in Cleveland.  He could still provide some value for the Moonshiners before this season ends.

    July 30 – Pirates/Orioles

    • Pirates get:  1B Derrek Lee (Choppers)
    • Orioles get:  1B Aaron Baker
    • MLB impact:  The Lyle Overbay era as the Pirates starting 1B is mercifully over.  The Pirates got so little production from that position, it is a miracle they are still in contention.  Lee provides a significant upgrade at that position.  I doubt it will be enough for them to hang with the Cardinals and Brewers, but it was the right move to make.  Obviously, getting rid of the veteran Lee made sense for the Orioles who are going nowhere fast.
    • DTBL impact:  The Choppers haven’t used Lee since May.  I don’t see this trade changing his role too much since he is probably in a worse hitting situation in Pittsburgh.  He is a capable replacement though, should they need to call on him.

    July 31 – Cardinals/Dodgers

    • Cardinals get:  SS Rafael Furcal (Moonshiners)
    • Dodgers get:  OF Alex Castellanos
    • MLB impact:  Furcal is clearly a big upgrade over Ryan Theriot at shortstop for the Cardinals.  This all comes down to him staying healthy.  If he is able to stick in the lineup, he will be a nice addition to the highest scoring team in the NL.  This is pretty much just a dump for the Dodgers.
    • DTBL impact:  Pretty much the same as the impact for the Cardinals.  If Furcal can actually stay healthy, he will be a valuable contributor for the Moonshiners.  This trade doesn’t change his value too much, though he will probably have a chance to score more runs with the likes of Pujols, Holliday and Berkman hitting behind him.

    July 31 – Braves/Astros

    • Braves get:  OF Michael Bourn (Jackalope)
    • Astros get:  OF Jordan Schafer, RHP Juan Abreu, RHP Paul Clemens, LHP Brett Oberholtzer
    • MLB impact:  Big addition for the Braves.  They are trying to piece things together with all their recent injuries.  Two obvious needs were center field and leadoff hitter.  Bourn fills both holes.  I think the Braves could have used another power hitter too, but Bourn will certainly improve the offense.  This was part two of the Astros fire sale.  Of course it makes sense for them to get as many decent prospects as they can, but boy are they going to struggle to win games the rest of this year and probably next season too.
    • DTBL impact:  Once again, the Jackalope benefit from the Astros upheaval.  Bourn was putting up great numbers for a pathetic team.  I doubt he will be able to improve upon his current stats too much, but getting out of Houston is definitely a net positive for him and the Jackalope.

    July 31 – Rangers/Padres

    • Rangers get:  Mike Adams (Cougars)
    • Padres get:  LHP Robbie Erlin, RHP Joe Wieland
    • MLB impact:  You can pretty much read everything I wrote about the Uehera trade and repeat it here.  In fact, Adams’ stats are almost identical to Uehera’s too.  They have been two of the best setup men in baseball this year.  So Adams is a very nice addition to the Rangers bullpen.  Unlike the Uehera deal though, the Rangers actually gave up prospects to get Adams.  Therefore, I would say this is a good trade for the Padres too.  The Rangers are going to have an awfully strong bullpen.
    • DTBL impact:  Again, a non-closing reliever changing teams doesn’t really change his value much.  Neftali Feliz has struggled at times this season, so Adams could be next in line to get saves if that continues.  But for now, Adams fantasy value is unchanged by this deal.  Perhaps a slight downgrade based on going from a great pitchers park to a hitters paradise.  The Cougars will no doubt continue to use him though.

    July 31 – Pirates/Padres

    • Pirates get:  OF Ryan Ludwick (Moonshiners)
    • Padres get:  PTBNL
    • MLB impact:  The Pirates need all the help they can get to improve their offense.  Although I doubt he will make a major splash, Ludwick should help.  Remember, he is only a couple years removed from being a big time power hitter for the Cardinals.  Getting out of PETCO could be just what the doctor ordered.  On the flip side, the dreadful Padres offense will only get worse without Ludwick.  Hard to judge this trade for the Padres though since all they got was a player to be named later.
    • DTBL impact:  This wasn’t one of the big deadline trades, but it has the potential to be one of the biggest in terms of fantasy implications.  The Moonshiners haven’t gotten much out of Ludwick since signing him in early June, but he could be a major contributor the rest of the way.  This deal is a big win for them.

    Just a reminder that the DTBL trade deadline is still a couple weeks away.  Trades must be completed by August 15.  We haven’t had a trade since the draft, but this could certainly change in the upcoming weeks.  I think the reason for the lack of trades is two-fold:  a lot of teams have had their hands tied due to a rash of injuries, leaving few healthy bodies to deal.  Also, it seems a lot of teams have needs at the same positions (3B and OF in particular).  But now that the race is starting to heat up, perhaps some teams will get creative to make a deal.

  • 2011 DTBL All-Stars

    Jose Bautista highlights a loaded American roster.

    Sorry I’m a few days late with this, but I’m finally ready to announce the 2011 DTBL All-Stars.  The 18th annual DTBL All-Star Game is tentatively scheduled for next Friday, July 15 at 10 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. PDT.  As mentioned a few days ago, the game will be live video-streamed here.

    For the second straight year, the American Division will be managed by Nick while Dave will call the shots for the National Division.  Perhaps there will be a little extra drama involved in this matchup as Nick and Dave try to claim final bragging rights from their championship tie a year ago.  They broke all ties in voting and chose the 23rd player for their rosters.  For the first time in  league history, there was a team without any representation on the initial All-Star roster.  Therefore, Nick was forced to use his 23rd player slot to make sure the Gators received a bid.  He chose third baseman Johnny Peralta, who wasn’t even on the All-Star ballot (also a first).  Peralta had fewer at bats than Danny Valencia at the time I created the list, which kept him off the ballot.  Dave was able to use his 23rd slot with a more conventional pick, David Ortiz.

    The American Division appears to have the stronger roster, which is not surprising considering they hold four of the top five spots in the standings.  Their rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, Felix Hernandez and Dan Haren is about as good as you can get (all but Haren were Jackalope a year ago).  Meanwhile, the National team is loaded with Kings.  10 of the 23 players are from the Kings roster, which isn’t terribly surprising since they are the division’s lone contender so far this year.

    Here are the 2011 DTBL All-Stars:

    American Division

    Starters:

    • P – Roy Halladay, Jackalope
    • C – Brian McCann, Jackalope
    • 1B – Prince Fielder,  Moonshiners
    • 2B – Rickie Weeks, Naturals
    • 3B – Adrian Beltre, Choppers
    • SS – Asdrubal Cabrera, Naturals
    • OF – Jose Bautista, Choppers
    • OF – Ryan Braun, Jackalope
    • OF – Curtis Granderson, Choppers

    Reserves:

    • C – Victor Martinez, Naturals
    • 1B – Paul Konerko, Moonshiners
    • 3B – Johnny Peralta, Gators
    • SS – Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals
    • OF – Hunter Pence, Jackalope
    • OF – Justin Upton, Naturals
    • P – Cliff Lee, Jackalope
    • P – Jered Weaver, Moonshiners
    • P – Felix Hernandez, Jackalope
    • P – Dan Haren, Moonshiners
    • RP – Craig Kimbrel, Choppers
    • RP – Heath Bell, Jackalope
    • RP – Mariano Rivera, Choppers
    • RP – Drew Storen, Moonshiners

    National Division

    Starters:

    • P – Justin Verlander, Kings
    • C – Miguel Montero,  Kings
    • 1B – Adrian Gonzalez, Darkhorses
    • 2B – Robinson Cano, Kings
    • 3B – Alex Rodriguez, Kings
    • SS – Jose Reyes, Kings
    • OF – Matt Kemp, Demigods
    • OF – Carlos Gonzalez, Kings
    • OF – Jacoby Ellsbury, Darkhorses

    Reserves:

    • C – Carlos Santana, Mavericks
    • 1B – Mark Teixeira, Cougars
    • 1B – David Ortiz, Demigods
    • 2B – Brandon Phillips, Cougars
    • OF – Jay Bruce, Kings
    • OF – Matt Holliday, Darkhorses
    • P – Cole Hamels, Demigods
    • P – James Shields, Darkhorses
    • P – Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks
    • P – Tommy Hanson, Kings
    • RP – Joel Hanrahan, Cougars
    • RP – Francisco Cordero, Kings
    • RP – Brian Wilson, Darkhorses
    • RP – J.J. Putz, Kings

    Click here to view the full voting results.

  • Weaver Cruises Through April

    Moonshiners pitcher Jered Weaver

    My timing isn’t very good with this post as Jered Weaver picked up his first loss of the season tonight.  However, this doesn’t change the fact that he had a truly remarkable April and is the primary reason why the Moonshiners find themselves in first place one month into the 2011 season.

    Weaver finished the month with a perfect 6-0 record, winning all six of his starts.  He compiled a 0.99 ERA, 0.788 WHIP and 49 strike outs, all very impressive numbers.  Shockingly, none of these marks were good enough to lead the league, except wins, but I’ll get to that in a bit.  His six wins are two more than any other pitcher has accumulated though.

    The Moonshiners acquired Weaver from the Jackalope during the first round of the draft in exchange for their first round pick.  As we all knew at the time, Weaver was exactly what the Moonshiners needed:  a true ace.  However, I don’t think anyone expected him to come out of the gates quite this strong.  He has helped lead the Moonshiners to a top two ranking in every pitching category except saves (4th).  Combined with the league’s best offense to date, the Moonshiners find themselves 13 points ahead of the pack with a very impressive 87 points.

    Trading Weaver hasn’t really killed the Jackalope as you much as you might think though.  They still have arguably three of the top five pitchers in the league and are right behind the Moonshiners in total pitching points.  If their offense, specifically Albert Pujols, picks it up a bit, the second place Jackalope will be right on the Moonshiners’ heals.  Ryan Braun has carried their offense so far, with a league leading ten home runs and a .356 batting average.  Braun would probably get my vote for Offensive Player of the Month.  One other candidate for that title would be Darkhorses outfielder Andre Ethier.  Just a couple minutes ago, he recorded a RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 28 games.  Going into tonight, he led the league with a .378 average, just a few points ahead of his Dodger teammate Matt Kemp.

    Weaver wasn’t the only pitcher who compiled ridiculous statistics in April.  Amazingly, Gators pitcher Josh Johnson has him beat in both ERA and WHIP.  Johnson has a 0.88 ERA and 0.707 WHIP.  Some bad luck has kept his win total at just three though.  Johnson has carried the Gators to the third most pitching points in the league, however a putrid offense has kept them near the bottom of the league standings.  The third pitcher who deserves special mention is Weaver’s Moonshiners and Angels teammate Dan Haren.  Haren has a 1.23 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP with four wins.  At one point, Weaver and Haren combined for eight wins in eight starts.

    There is one other big news item tonight.  Mariano Rivera became the DTBL’s all-time saves leader with the save he picked up against the Tigers this evening.  This is deserving of a separate blog post though, so I will go into more detail about Rivera later this week.

  • Manny and More

    Former Gator Manny Ramirez

    We’re about two and a half weeks into the 2011 baseball season, but in many ways, things look very much like 2010.  The Naturals are once again tied for first place, although not with the Darkhorses who are off to a slow start, but rather the rejuvenated Moonshiners.  Last year, pitching dominated like it hadn’t since the pre-steroid era.  That trend has continued early this season.  And finally, Manny Ramirez continues to be in the news for all the wrong reasons.

    Let’s start with Manny.  His sudden retirement has probably been the biggest story of the early season.  Facing another performance enhancing drug suspension, he elected to retire instead.  The Tampa Bay Rays signed him this off-season in hopes of riding one last surge from one of the best hitters of the last two decades.  Instead, Ramirez recorded only one hit in 17 at bats prior to his sudden retirement.  Similarly, the Gators felt he had a little left in the tank as they decided to protect him this past winter.  This past week, the Gators released the best player in franchise history, ending the longest tenure of a DTBL player and team in league history.

    The Gators drafted Ramirez in the 8th round of the 1995 draft, possibly the biggest DTBL draft steal ever.  He helped lead the Gators to a championship in his DTBL rookie season and then again in 1998.  His name litters the league record books.  He is the all-time RBI leader with 1746.  He ranks third in career home runs (528) and runs scored (1467).  His career batting average of .314 just misses the top ten.  He also holds the league’s single season RBI record with an incredible 165 in 1999.  Ramirez hit 30+ home runs with 100+ RBIs in nine straight seasons from 1998 through 2006.  He even had four seasons with a batting average over .330.  An amazing hitter, but unfortunately, all of these numbers will be considered tarnished by three separate PED related suspensions and/or positive tests.

    With the Gators release of Ramirez, this leaves another Gator, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez (Kings) as the longest tenured players with a single DTBL team.  Both were drafted by their respective teams in 1997.  They are the only two players who have been on the same team since before the turn of the century.  Interestingly, last year’s Gators squad had four such players on their roster:  Ramirez, Jeter, Billy Wagner and Pedro Martinez.  Although Martinez did not make an appearance for the Gators (or any MLB team) during the season.

    In other news, the Moonshiners have been in first place for a good portion of the season so far.  Their huge draft day trade with the Jackalope has paid early dividends as Jered Weaver has already won four games and leads the league in strikeouts too.  The only other pitcher with four wins is his Moonshiners and Angels teammate Dan Haren, who leads the DTBL in ERA and WHIP.  So Moonshiners hurlers lead every pitching category except saves.  The Naturals are keeping pace as well and currently find themselves exactly where they finished 2010:  tied for first place.  The Naturals have been led by Troy Tulowitzki and his seven home runs.  I don’t have the full statistics in front of me, but Tulo’s numbers since late August of last season have been absolutely ridiculous.

    In the first week of the season, there were rumors of changes to the stitching and/or other physical attributes of the baseball due to an early surge of home runs and scoring in general.  Those rumors have been put to rest since then as pitchers have continued to dominate.  Six of the ten DTBL teams have ERA’s below 3.40, which is a very respectable mark.  It is too early to make any comparisons to totals from previous seasons, but I think it is fair to say that the juiced ball talk during the first few days of the season was probably a bit premature.

    There are a couple league records that are likely to fall this season.  I should have mentioned these before the season started, but better late than never.  First, Choppers relief pitcher Mariano Rivera is on the verge of becoming the league’s all-time save leader.  He needs just three more to tie Trevor Hoffman with 560.  He already leads the league this season with seven saves.  The long-time Cougar has been traded twice the past two years.  Next, Alex Rodriguez has a chance to break the DTBL career record in both home runs and RBIs.  He sits 14 home runs behind Barry Bonds and with Manny Ramirez’s retirement, ARod needs 56 more RBIs to catch Manny.  I completely neglected to mention another career record which was broken last season.  Juan Pierre passed Kenny Lofton on that list during the 2010 season.  Now if only he could catch fly balls in the 9th inning…

  • 2010 DTBL All-Stars

    Thanks to everyone for voting for the 2010 DTBL All-Stars.  The 17th annual DTBL All-Star Game is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 18 at 9 p.m EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.  Nick will be managing the American Division while Dave will be calling the shots for the National Division.  The two of them were responsible for breaking all ties in the voting and for selecting the 23rd player for each roster.  And now, here are your 2010 DTBL All-Stars.  The final voting results are posted below the rosters.

    American Division

    Starters:
    P – Ubaldo Jimenez, Gators
    C – Mike Napoli, Moonshiners
    1B – Miguel Cabrera, Naturals
    2B – Rickie Weeks, Naturals
    3B – David Wright, Moonshiners
    SS – Elvis Andrus, Jackalope
    OF – Carl Crawford, Naturals
    OF – Vladimir Guerrero, Choppers
    OF – Ryan Braun, Jackalope

    Reserves:
    C – Victor Martinez, Naturals
    1B – Albert Pujols, Jackalope
    1B – Paul Konerko, Moonshiners
    2B – Dan Uggla, Gators
    OF – Vernon Wells, Jackalope
    OF – Shin-Soo Choo, Moonshiners
    P – Roy Halladay, Jackalope
    P – Josh Johnson, Gators
    P – Yovani Gallardo, Moonshiners
    P – Jon Lester, Naturals
    RP – Rafael Soriano, Moonshiners
    RP – Heath Bell, Jackalope
    RP – Phil Hughes, Choppers
    RP – Billy Wagner, Gators

    National Division

    Starters:
    P – Adam Wainwright, Cougars
    C – Joe Mauer, Demigods
    1B – Justin Morneau, Kings
    2B – Robinson Cano, Kings
    3B – Evan Longoria, Demigods
    SS – Hanley Ramirez, Darkhorses
    OF – Josh Hamilton, Cougars
    OF – Carlos Gonzalez, Kings
    OF – Alex Rios, Kings

    Reserves:
    C – Jorge Posada, Mavericks
    1B – Kevin Youkilis, Mavericks
    2B – Dustin Pedroia, Demigods
    2B – Martin Prado, Darkhorses
    OF – Torii Hunter, Darkhorses
    OF – Adam Dunn, Mavericks
    P – Chris Carpenter, Darkhorses
    P – Tim Lincecum, Darkhorses
    P – Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks
    P – Clay Buchholz, Kings
    RP – Neftali Feliz, Mavericks
    RP – Jonathan Broxton, Darkhorses
    RP – Mariano Rivera, Mavericks
    RP – Brian Wilson, Darkhorses

    Players by team:
    7 – Darkhorses
    6 – Jackalope, Mavericks, Moonshiners
    5 – Kings, Naturals
    4 – Gators
    3 – Demigods
    2 – Choppers, Cougars

    Voting Results

    American Division

    Catchers

    10 – Mike Napoli, Moonshiners
    8 – Victor Martinez, Naturals
    2 – Kurt Suzuki, Gators

    First Basemen/Third Basemen

    10 – Miguel Cabrera, Naturals
    8 – Albert Pujols, Jackalope
    7 – Paul Konerko, Moonshiners
    6 – David Wright, Moonshiners
    5 – Joey Votto, Naturals
    3 – Adrian Beltre, Choppers
    1 – Scott Rolen, Naturals

    Second Basemen/Shortstops

    8 – Dan Uggla, Gators
    8 – Rickie Weeks, Naturals
    5 – Elvis Andrus, Jackalope
    4 – Derek Jeter, Gators
    3 – Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals
    1 – Howie Kendrick, Naturals
    1 – Chase Utley, Choppers

    Outfielders

    10 – Carl Crawford, Naturals
    10 – Vladimir Guerrero, Choppers
    9 – Ryan Braun, Jackalope
    8 – Vernon Wells, Jackalope
    5 – Shin-Soo Choo, Moonshiners
    4 – Jayson Werth, Choppers
    3 – Andrew McCutchen, Naturals
    1 – Justin Upton, Naturals

    Starting Pitchers

    10 – Ubaldo Jimenez, Gators
    8 – Roy Halladay, Jackalope
    7 – Josh Johnson, Gators
    6 – Yovani Gallardo, Moonshiners
    6 – Jon Lester, Naturals
    4 – Jered Weaver, Jackalope
    3 – Felix Hernandez, Jackalope
    3 – David Price, Naturals
    2 – Cliff Lee, Jackalope
    1 – C.C. Sabathia, Gators

    Relief Pitchers

    9 – Rafael Soriano, Moonshiners
    7 – Heath Bell, Jackalope
    6 – Phil Hughes, Choppers
    6 – Billy Wagner, Gators
    5 – Jose Valverde, Naturals
    3 – Francisco Rodriguez, Moonshiners
    2 – Carlos Marmol, Choppers
    1 – Matt Capps, Jackalope
    1 – Joakim Soria, Naturals

    National Division

    Catchers

    9 – Joe Mauer, Demigods
    7 – Jorge Posada, Mavericks
    2 – John Buck, Cougars
    2 – Geovany Soto, Darkhorses

    First Basemen/Third Basemen

    9 – Evan Longoria, Demigods
    9 – Justin Morneau, Kings
    7 – Adrian Gonzalez, Darkhorses
    7 – Kevin Youkilis, Mavericks
    4 – Alex Rodriguez, Kings
    4 – Michael Young, Darkhorses

    Second Basemen/Shortstops

    10 – Robinson Cano, Kings
    10 – Hanley Ramirez, Darkhorses
    7 – Dustin Pedroia, Demigods
    2 – Martin Prado, Darkhorses
    1 – Rafael Furcal, Darkhorses

    Outfielders

    10 – Josh Hamilton, Cougars
    9 – Carlos Gonzalez, Kings
    9 – Alex Rios, Kings
    6 – Torii Hunter, Darkhorses
    4 – Adam Dunn, Mavericks
    3 – Matt Kemp, Demigods
    3 – Ichiro Suzuki, Demigods
    2 – Andre Ethier, Darkhorses
    2 – Magglio Ordonez, Mavericks
    1 – Matt Holliday, Darkhorses
    1 – Shane Victorino, Cougars

    Starting Pitchers

    10 – Chris Carpenter, Darkhorses
    10 – Tim Lincecum, Darkhorses
    10 – Adam Wainwright, Cougars
    9 – Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks
    8 – Clay Buchholz, Kings
    2 – Justin Verlander, Kings
    1 – Roy Oswalt, Darkhorses

    Relief Pitchers

    9 – Neftali Feliz, Mavericks
    8 – Jonathan Broxton, Darkhorses
    8 – Mariano Rivera, Mavericks
    6 – Brian Wilson, Darkhorses
    5 – Andrew Bailey, Cougars
    2 – Francisco Cordero, Darkhorses
    1 – Matt Lindstrom, Demigods
    1 – Leo Nunez, Kings

  • DTBL News Returns!

    After a longer than expected break, DTBL News is back!  I have set up this new WordPress blog to serve as the host for the DTBL News.  Since WordPress is an extremely well supported and highly used blogging software product, I anticipate this will be a great tool for our league.  On the flip side, the old blog software I used on the previous web site was a mod to the phpBB message board system, which had not been supported or updated in several years.  I was hoping to find something similar to use on the new site, which would automatically tie into the existing web site and message board user system.  However, I decided WordPress would be a much better alternative.

    There is a tool available that can be used to integrate WordPress with phpBB so we can continue to use a single sign-on for all web site functions.  I have had some issues getting this to work though.  As you may recall from back in March, I temporarily messed up the entire site login/logout functionality when I was trying to get this to work.  I haven’t touched it since, but this is definitely something I want to implement sooner rather than later.  But in the mean time, I will be the only one who is able to post blog entries.  Of course, I will let you know when I have it set up for any user to create new posts.  In the mean time, if you have anything you feel is DTBL News worthy, just send it to me and I’ll post it for you.  Unlike the old site, I don’t plan on setting up unique blogs for each person.  Instead, once this is completely set up, all of you will have the ability to create/edit/reply to all posts in this single blog.

    Another blog related task I need to complete is an import of all the entries from the old site.  WordPress has a pretty robust import feature, however the old blogging system didn’t exactly comply to standards necessary to get this to work automatically.  I should be able to work around this and get all the old news over here though.  I doubt anyone really cares about this, but it is nice to have that stuff for historical purposes.

    But enough about the blog.  Let’s get to the news since we’re about a quarter of the way into the season already.  First, the latest news is the first trade of the regular season.  The Mavericks and Naturals completed yet another trade between the league’s two most common trade partners.  Some of you may have seen this transaction earlier today and thought the Naturals acquired something for nothing.  That is not the case.  The Mavericks dealt closer Jose Valverde to the Naturals for their second round pick in 2011.  Valverde has already recorded 10 saves with a minuscule 0.51 ERA and 0.792 WHIP.  This trade should help shore up the Naturals bullpen which has been a little bit of a disappointment, but already ranks in the top half of the league in saves.  Meanwhile, this trade could be interpreted as a bit of a surrender for the Mavericks who find themselves in a disappointing eighth place.  Losing one closer isn’t going to have a devastating effect on the team, however, this trade clearly has no upside for the Mavericks in 2010 since they did not receive a player in return.  More about both of these teams in a bit.

    Perhaps the two most news worthy stories I missed so far this season is a pair of no-hitters, including a perfect game.  The perfect game was thrown just a week ago by Dallas Braden of the Oakland A’s.  It was the second consecutive perfect game thrown against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Mark Buehrle did the same against the Rays last July.  Braden’s perfect game was the sixth thrown since the DTBL began in 1993, however Braden is not a DTBL player.  In fact, he’s the first player in the DTBL era to throw a perfect game prior to his DTBL debut (assuming he will be in the league in the future).  Kenny Rogers was not in the DTBL when he threw his perfect game in 1994, but he had been in the league the year before and returned in 1995.

    The other no-hitter was thrown by a DTBL pitcher.  Ubaldo Jimenez pitched nine hitless innings against the Braves on April 17.  He was the first Colorado Rockies pitcher to throw a no-hitter.  It was just one of many dominating performances by Jimenez this season.  The Gators hurler has already accumulated a league high 7 wins and league best 1.12 ERA.  His sub 1.00 WHIP and 54 strike outs also place him among the league leaders.  Jimenez has been carrying the Gators pitching staff so far and is one of the front runners for the Cy Young Award.

    As for team accomplishments so far, the Jackalope have been the lead story.  With the exception of a couple days at the very beginning of the season, the Jackalope have held the top spot in the league standings the entire season.  They have been led by their thoroughly dominating pitching staff.  Roy Halladay pitching in the National League is almost unfair.  Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke and Jared Weaver have been their usual dominating selves, although they have been a bit unlucky in the wins department.  Meanwhile, Cliff Lee came off the disabled list a few weeks ago to give the Jackalope as good of a starting five as you will ever see.  Even their bullpen has been better than expected with Matt Capps leading the league in saves.  The Jackalope offense has been solid too, although they have slipped a bit in recent weeks to allow the field to close the gap.  What was a double digit lead for a good portion of April is now just four points over the three time defending champion Darkhorses.

    The Darkhorses are lurking once again.  While they have not dominated the league quite the same as they have in recent years, they are still right near the top of the league in both batting and pitching.  The Jackalope certainly have to be concerned that their lead may not last long.  The other closest contender is the Kings.  After an absolutely miserable 2009, the Kings have rebounded back into a more familiar position near the top of the standings.  The improvement of their offense from last year is almost unbelievable.  They currently have 48 of the possible 50 batting points.  Unfortunately, their pitching staff has not been very good, which keeps them seven points behind the Jackalope.

    The Naturals, Demigods, Gators and Choppers find themselves in the middle of the pack.  All four teams are very much alive and well.  The Naturals figure to get a boost from the Valverde deal.  The Demigods and Gators are in similar positions needing more offense to move up the standings.  The Choppers are only in sixth place, but should be pretty happy with where they stand.  After several years of having one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, they have improved in that area thanks to a couple of relievers who are actually starters.  C.J. Wilson and Phil Hughes have not only provided bonus wins and strike outs, but they are arguably the Choppers best two pitchers.

    The Mavericks, Moonshiners and Cougars bring up the rear.  The Mavericks have not had a lot go their way so far this season.  Their three first round picks have been a little disappointing.  Second overall pick Matt Wieters has put up pedestrian numbers thus far,  Gordon Beckham has been brutal and Billy Butler has been solid but could never be considered a great draft pick considering the Mavericks had just released him a few months prior to the draft.  The Moonshiners have also been the victim of some extremely under-performing players, including first round pick Ben Zobrist.  The Cougars offense was about as bad as you could get a few weeks ago.  They have picked up a few points since then though and are on the verge of climbing out of last place for the first time in quite a while.

    Now that I have this blog up and running, hopefully I’ll be able to keep it fresh with somewhat regular updates.  My next post will almost certainly be an update on where I stand with new features and a web site re-design that I hinted at during the offseason.  Don’t expect the latter to happen anytime soon, but I’ll share my plan with you soon enough.