Beach Bums Team News

Projected Starting Lineup

2010-02-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

C - A.J. Pierzynski - Its AJ or bust this year at catcher
1B - Paul Konerko - Will probably hold this spot all year unless Ortiz starts using the roids again
2B - Rickie Weeks - Has the gig until he gets hurt
SS - Jason Bartlett - Not hoping for a sophomore slump
3B - Casey Blake - Consistent numbers
OF - Bobby Abreu - An oldie but a goodie
OF - Nate McLouth - Looking for a big year
OF - David Murphy - Probably the first guy to lose his starting spot
OF - Nyjer Morgan - All steals all the time
Util - David Ortiz - This spot is wide open, whoever is hot gets the nod
SP - Dan Haren - Stud #1
SP - Wandy Rodriguez - Stud #2
SP - Max Scherzer - Could be his breakout year
SP - Ricky Nolasco - Need a comeback year
SP - Barry Zito - I think he's back and a nice 5th starter
RP - David Aardsma - Only source of saves
RP - Luke Gregerson - Hoping for holds and K's
RP - Robinson Tejeda - Ditto
RP - Peter Moylan - Ditto again
RP - J.P. Howell - Could sneak in some saves

2010 Draft

2010-02-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

During the Winter Meetings, I traded away Justin Morneau and Alex Rodriguez for draft picks. I figured I needed to rebuild. I went into the draft looking to build a competitive team for 2010 but to set up a title run in 2011.
Here is my 2010 Draft recap.
1.10 Danny Haren, SP - Of the top 3 starters in the draft, Haren has the least risk.
1.12 Bobby Abreu, OF - Still going strong.
2.6 Jason Bartlett, SS - A bit of a risky pick with only one good year under his belt, but Bartlett figures to be a stud.
2.10 Nate McLouth, OF - Outfielders were thin this year so McLouth might be overvalued a bit, but he's a 4 tool player.
3.9 Wandy Rodriguez, SP - An up and coming starter, the new ace of the Astros.
4.10 David Aardsma, RP - My first (and only, as it turned out) closer. The M's are better this year so Aardsma will get plenty of saves.
4.14 Max Scherzer, SP - Mad Max rejoins the Bums and is my fourth starter capable of reaching 200 K's.
5.9 Rickie Weeks, 2B - A high-risk, high-reward pick in a very top-heavy position.
6.9 David Ortiz, DH - I have a thing for veterans, especially ones capable of 30 HR's and 100 RBI's.
7.9 J.P. Howell, RP - A reach here, but will get saves or holds.
8.9 Jack Cust, OF - Will help with HR, RBI and walks.
9.9 A.J. Pierzynski, C - The obligatory mid round catcher pick.
10.9 Luke Gregerson, RP - Will get holds until the Padres trade Bell.
12.9 Casey Blake, 3B - A solid but unspectacular third baseman.
13.9 Seth Smith, OF - Could put up nice numbers if he gets AB's.
13.11 Barry Zito, SP - Looks to continue his comeback. Not bad for a 5th starter.
14.9 David Murphy, OF - A good fill in player with power.
15.9 Robinson Tejeda, RP - A good source of K's.
16.9 Peter Moylan, RP - A good source of holds.
17.9 Daniel Murphy, OF - Backup first baseman.
18.9 Chris Getz, 2B - Could be a steal and get steals if he wins the starting gig.
19.9 John Lannan, SP - The Nat's best starter until Strasborg.
21.9 Ronald Belasario, RP - Solid reliever.
22.9 Darren Oliver, RP - Good with the Angels, can he keep it going with the Rangers.
23.9 Pedro Alvarez, 3B - Young prospects always have a chance of getting playing time with the Pirates.
24.9 Jason Marquis, SP - Not bad for the second to last pick of the draft.

Trade

2009-06-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Pulled off a medium magnitude trade. I shipped Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Marmol to North Texas for Joel Pineiro and Jake Fox. Cuddyer was having a nice year so far (.276/11/39/42/4) but is always an injury risk. Marmol was getting loads of holds but was very inconsistent. Pineiro (6/3.44/42/1.18) gives some stability to my starting pitching was has been racking by injuries and demotions (3 opening days guys are on the DL). Fox takes the place of Cuddyer and hopefully will continue his hot hitting and might qualify at third soon.

Trade

2009-05-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I pulled off a trade to fill a major gap in my lineup. I moved Magglio Ordonez and Khalil Greene for Kurt Suzuki and Andruw Jones. Ordonez was doing poorly and although he still has something left in the tank, my lineup was stacked with outfielders. What I needed was a catcher. Shoppach wasn't getting the at-bats he needed; Suzuki will step in nicely with his over .300 average and everyday play. Greene and Jones were throw-ins but Jones is somewhat more valuable given his much better stats and the fact Greene is on the DL with mental disorders.

Week 4 Update

2009-05-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Back from vacation and I find my team sitting in the cat bird's seat. My starting pitching continue to struggle so I might have to do a deal for another starter.

Week 2 Review

2009-04-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Stank it up in week 2, losing 3-7. The week's MVP was Ryan Ludwick again, posting a 4/3/10/0/1/.417 line. The LVP was Mark Fontenot with absolutely nothing.

Week 1 Review

2009-04-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

I got a nice 8-4 victory in week 1 of the 2009 eMLB season. I took the offensive stats 4-2 losing the HR by a single dinger. Ryan Ludwick and Justin Morneau provided the power and RBI's while Carlos Gomez provided some speed. I took the pitching stats by another 4-2 score, losing the wins category by a single point. Carlos Marmol got 3 key holds and a save (to go with saves from Frank Francisco and Kevin Gregg. Fausto Carmona and Ricky Nolasco stunk it up out of the gate while Rich Harden and Erik Bedard did great. The week's MVP goes to Ryan Ludwick who put up 4/2/5/1/2/.389 while the goat is Lastings Milledge who got sent to the minors.

Rest of 2008 Draft

2009-02-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

7 - Carlos Gomez, OF - I needed some speed and Gomez could deliver. The only issue is playing time.
9 - Kelly Shoppach, C - My starting catcher. The Indians lineup is still up in the air, but 25 HR' and 70 RBI's are easily obtainable.
10 - Kevin Gregg, RP - Mandatory handcuff for Marmol. One will close, the other setup.
11 - Joel Zumaya, RP - Will this be the year for Mr. Guitar Hero? He will be in the mix to close, but I expect him to setup.
12 - Randy Wolf, SP - A solid starter when healthy, he is my 6th man in the rotation.
13 - Mark Fontenot, 2B - Finally picked up a second baseman. Fontenot put up good numbers last year but might not be the full time starter. I will probably need a backup.
14 - Sean Marshall, SP/RP - Yet another Cub. Marshall is a good pitcher that can't seem to stick in the rotation or bullpen. His RP/SP eligibility gives me some more flexibility.
15 - Jerry Owens, OF - Taking another chance on Owens this year. If he gets the starting leadoff gig for the Sox, he could put up very nice numbers.
16 - Roy Corcoran, RP - In the running for the Mariners closer spot. If he gets it, he will be a nice saves value pick, otherwise I hope he gets some holds.
17 - Anthony Reyes, RP/SP - Hopefully will start, but might have to wait for an opening.
18 - Taylor Teagarden, C - A nice high-reward backup for Shoppach.

2009 Draft

2009-02-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

Recap of the first five rounds.
1 - Justin Morneau, 1B - I was looking to trade down, but couldn't get a deal done so this pick became a toss up between Morneau and Berkman. I went with youth since their stats are very similar.
2 - Ricky Nolasco, SP - I traded down in the second and picked up another 3rd rounder. Nolasco had a great 08 season. My primary target here was Edinson Volquez but he went two spots before me. Nolasco only had two less wins and a twenty less strikeouts, but a lower WHIP.
3a - Carlos Marmol, RP - Marmol put up an insane 11.78 K/9 strikeout ratio last year. I figure at least 45 saves for the Cubs this year.
3b - Max Scherzer, RP/SP - A bit of reach for this promising talent. He is slated to be in the rotation but qualifies at RP so I have lots of flexibility.
4 - Frank Francisco, RP - I took Francisco over other available closers due to his great K rate (11.84/9) and the fact that the Rangers should be better this year.
5 - Erik Bedard, SP - Was playing hurt last year on a terrible Mariners team. I expect a return to 180+ K's.

I don't have a 6th or 8th round picks. I will be looking to flesh out my empty roster positions in the later rounds.

Winter Meetings Trade

2009-02-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

I made a minor move in the eMLB Winter Meetings by getting SS Edgar Renteria from The NJ Mets for my 8th round pick. I don't have a lot of confidence in my current shortstop, Khalil Greene and Renteria is a good veteran that comes cheap. If Greene bounces back, great, if not, he rides the pine all season.

Extensions

2008-10-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

I was able to make 3 extensions as a result of my six contracts from the start of the season.
* Rich Harden - stayed healthy pretty much all year and was a stud for the Cubs. He didn't lose after July 1 (but didn't get alot of wins due to crappy run support). Finished with a 2.07 ERA and 181 K's. Will be my number 1 SP going into next year.
* Adam Jones - Hurt for most of August, he was pretty steady all year. This extension is a bit of flyer and is based on Jones improving pretty dramatically. Average is fine, but I want to see more HR's and SB's. He is currently my 5th outfielder.
* Ryan Ludwick - Came out of nowhere to post .299/37/113/104. He seemed to get a fair amount of days off as well. The Cardinal outfield is crowded but they can't afford to sit this guy too much. I look for a better average but less dingers and RBI's.

Deadline deals

2008-09-06T09:05:00.001-07:00

As I was too depressed at the time, I was unable to comment on some trades I made during the season.
On June 12, I trade Derek Lowe for Lasting Milledge. Lowe was having a decent year, but he wasn't helping me much and I could use a good young outfielder. Milledge was good down the stretch and hopefully carries that through to next year as he has a 2 year deal.
Earlier, I trade Tony Pena and Matt Stairs for Melvin Mora, Franklin Gutierrez, Phil Dumatrait, and Braden Looper. More was great and provided a big offensive lift. Dumatrait only pitched a couple times before getting hurt while Looper was decent. Not a blockbuster by any stretch but I unloaded two stiffs for some help.

End of Season Review

2008-09-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

My long, sad 2008 season has mercifully come to a close. I somehow managed to climb out of the cellar and finish 7th in the Western Division ahead of the Redbirds. League-wide, I finished 13th but that didn't qualify me for the consolation bracket.
There is some hope for next year. I finished up 3-0-3 and if I didn't start the season with 6 straight losses, I would have been in the hunt for the postseason.
What went wrong? Almost everything.
First off, my draft stunk. My first 2 picks, Ordonez and Carmona had decent years when they weren't on the DL; you need more from those very important picks. Brett Myers was the epitome of awful until he was finally demoted to the minors; he did come back very strong after his recall so hopefully he won't be dead weight heading into next year. As bad as Myers was, he was an All-Star compared to my next couple picks: Khalil Greene and Manny Corpas; enough said, its too painful. Garko and Lowe were decent, not great, but decent. Out of my remaining picks, only Randy Johnson and Adam Jones got meaningful playing time. The rest stunk. My strategy of getting all the Rockies second baseman backfired as they all stunk; although Clint Barmes came around late in the year but wasn't starting full time. My other strategy of getting young speedsters also backfired as all those guys stunk even worse.
Injuries also killed me. Almost every started I had spent some time on the DL. Only late in the season was my team healthy and playing well.
All this adds up to a dismal 111-134-19 record. There is always next year.

DL is full

2008-06-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

Milledge, Ordonez, Cuddyer, Dumatrait all go on the DL in the last week. The roster is getting mighty thin.

First Win

2008-05-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

After six weeks of ugly losses, I finally got my first win. Can only go up from here.

Update

2008-04-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

* Randy Johnson looked pretty good in his first start back: 5IP, 3H, 0ER, 4BB, 7K. Didn't get the win due to bad defense.
* With the Unit back, my top 4 starters look great. My 5th looks terrible; Jerrod Washburn is auditioning for the spot now.
* Offense is awful but Cuddyer comes back next week and Ordonez looks be coming alive.

Week 1

2008-04-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

Five guys on DL, others hardly playing, crappy pitching...lucky to get 4 wins.

AZ Closer Role

2008-04-02T19:31:00.003-07:00

Lyon blew a save tonight. Is it too early to start calling for Pena?

Adam Jones photo

2008-04-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

Is he so busy he can't do a reshoot?

2008 Draft Picks 8+

2008-02-14T20:38:00.001-08:00

The rest of the draft was spent rounding out the roster, hoping to find that diamond in the rough.
Round 8 started out bad when I took Tony Pena. He was the favorite to be the Diamondback's closer but seemingly the next day, Brandon Lyon was named the closer going into training camp. Hopefully Pena will setup and get a bunch of holds.
I had two sub-strategies for the later rounds. The first was to get all the young speedsters I could. I was able to pick up Reggie Willits, Jerry Owens and Rajai Davis. None of the three are starters but all have the ability to steal tons of bases. Willits will get his chances on the Angles offense most likely filling in for injured players. Owens will probably platoon and pinch hit. Davis has the best chance to get at-bats as he is behind the fragile and old Dave Roberts and the Giants are going with youth. I figure at least one or two of these guys will pan out and I will get steals and possibly trade one to fill a hole.
The second strategy revolved around the second base position. Robinson Cano was the only tier one 2B available and he went 8th overall. The rest of the guys were bunched up. Since I was filling other positions I never picked a second baseman. I had Clint Barmes on the roster (please don't snicker) and he is a candidate for the Rockies 2B job. So I decided to pick up the other likely candidates in Jayson Nix and Ian Stewart. Both of whom are highly touted. I figure one will get the starting gig and I drop the others (except for Barmes).
Overall I like my draft. I picked solid guys for the most part. My biggest deficiency is lack of infield depth. Only at catcher do I have a backup. I will certainly remedy that before the season by dropping some duds and hitting the waiver wire.
A couple of late round gems (IMHO):
Randy Johnson - injured last year, put up decent numbers in 07 and was great in 06. I think he still has something left in the tank and he's playing for a contender.
Rajai Davis - a mentioned his speed, but he plays for a terrible team. I think he starts most of the season and gets 50+ steals.

2008 Draft Picks 1 - 7

2008-02-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

The eMLB draft has begun and things are humming the Beach Bums war room. Our priorities shifted slightly away from SP due to the winter meeting trades. But we still needed talent at every position except for 3B. I was in the position of taking the best available player almost every round.

Round 1 - Magglio Ordonez - Although I had two OF's, Ordonez was too good to pass up. He is a lock for .310/25/110/100. I know have plenty of run production in the outfield with Ordonez, Beltran and Cuddyer.

Round 2 - Fausto Carmona - I had to get a top SP here. I was leaning towards Smoltz or Holliday, but some Indian fan swayed me on the younger Carmona. A repeat of last year's 19/3.08/137/1.21 looks to be in order.

Round 3 - Brett Myers - I was planning on going infield here but I had a feeling about Myers. He was wasted in the bullpen last year but put up great numbers in 05 and 06. I am looking for 15/3.90/200/1.27.

Round 4 - Khalil Greene - With the infielders going fast, I had to jump on the last decent SS left. Greene puts up good numbers (except for average). I predict .260/25/95/90/4.

Round 5 - Manny Corpas - My second year with the Rockies' closer. Corpas was great last year replacing Brien Fuentes and I expect at least 35 saves on a good Rockies team.

Round 6 - Ryan Garko - An up and coming talent. Hit 21 dingers last year and I expect more of the same.

Round 7 - Derek Lowe - A solid but unspectacular starter.

Winter Meetings

2008-01-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

I made two smallish moves during the Winter Meetings.
I got Rich Harden for a 9th round pick and Chris Capuano for a 10th rounder. Harden has a 3 year contract expiring this season while Capuano has a 2 year also expiring this year. This are two low-risk high reward moves. Capuano had a bad year last in 2007 but was very solid in the prior two years. Harden's coming off two injury-plagued seasons but if he gets to his from from 2004/2005, this would be a steal.
Since I had plenty of contract space available, even if these guys turn out to be duds, it shouldn't be too catastrophic for me.

Round 2

2007-09-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

I lost in the second round in a 5-5-2 tie!!! One stinking homer, save or hold would have won it for me. My hitting was horrible this week. Maybe if I had a 1B that actually played.
I hate this time of year when players start shutting it down or guys get benched for callups. I don't even have 5 starting pitchers now.

Round 2

2007-09-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

I just did nip the Heat in round 1, 6-5-1. I had a good lead on Saturday but he made a go of it on Sunday.
Next up is the Dallas Redbirds.

Round 1

2007-09-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

My first round matchup is against the Heat. They have 4 SP's with two starts this week! That means I won't win K's and probably not Wins. Hopefully they will get rocked and I will take the other pitching stats.
Even with Sexson out, my offense is rolling. A-Rod and Ankiel are providing plenty of punch and my "speed" guys are putting in a few SB.

Playoffs

2007-09-07T09:09:00.001-07:00

My team backed into the playoffs, dropping from first to fourth seed.
Injuries are killing me. Now it seems that at least two of my starting pitchers will be skipping starts. Sexson will probably miss a week and I don't have another first baseman (except for Chris Shelton, of course).
At least I have A-Rod and Rick Ankiel to pull the weight.

Back in First

2007-07-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

After a nice little victory over the resurgent Miracles, I am back into the overall league lead. My DL is starting to thin out so maybe I will get back on the winning track.

Update

2007-07-05T20:36:00.001-07:00

My team continues to pound out big wins, but I feel that injuries will catch up to us sooner or later. I have 5 pitches on the DL, 4 of which were on my starting lineup. Sexson, Kent and A-Rod are all hurting and missing games. Ramon Hernandez has been on the DL twice. Giles just got off. Hopefully the All Star break will give these guys some rest.

Rolling Along

2007-05-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

After another big win, the Bums have the second best record in the league! And a nice 7 game lead in the West.

Domination

2007-05-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Bums are firing on all cylinders after an 11-1-0 beat down of the rival Rangers. I am now in first place in the west and am tied for the best record in the league.

Arod = Good

2007-04-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Let's save some for the playoff run.

1st week win

2007-04-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I got a nice 8-3-1 win over the Brewers in week one. I lost the K's race by one even though Buerhle only pitched 1.1 innings :(

Opening Day

2007-04-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

I got a good opening day performance. Dingers from A-Rod, Sexson, Hunter and Kent were nice to see. Valverde looked great and Speier got a hold. Let's keep it up boys.

Seasons starts on the DL

2007-03-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

As the season begins, I have four starters on the DL: Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, Freddie Sanchez and Carlos Quentin. Good thing I have some decent depth, if you can call Oliver Perez "decent" depth.

13th - 17th Round Picks

2007-03-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

The final part of my draft:

13th - Jeff Baker - gotta love those young Rockies players. Baker looked last year, but he might not get any playing time. This is a high reward pick but only if someone gets traded or injured.

14th - Chris Iannetta - yet another Rocky. I had decent production from Yorbit Torrealba last year and Iannetta might the starter this year. Have to watch out for Javy Lopez stealing AB's.

15th - Marcus Thames - not a lot of OF's left so I grabbed one with at least some talent. Another guy looking for playing time, but may fill in at first.

16th - Olive Perez - Perez's middle name is high-risk. If he can recapture his stuff from 2004 I could be looking good. Doh, I just read he stunk up his first spring start...BUST!

17th - Adam Lind - The Bum's Mr. Irrelevant is Adam Lind. Looks like the 4th OF right now, but there are some rumors Reed Johnson is being shopped so he might pan out.

That wraps up the Bums 2007 draft. With all the contracts I had coming in, I was the first to finish.

6th - 12th Round Picks

2007-02-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

6th - Ramon Hernandez, one of the top hitting catchers, should get .275/20/85
7th - Brian Giles, not a power threat anymore, but will help with runs, walks and average
8th - Ryan Dempster, was one of the last proven closers on the board, with the improved Cubs team, he can get 40 saves
9th - no pick, traded to Gaylord
10th - Boof Bonser, love the name, let's hope his game matches
10th - Bob Howry, handcuff to Dempster, will close or setup
11th - Vicente Padilla, solid 7th SP, will probably in my lineup when the Rangers are on the road where his ERA and WHIP and decidedly better
12th - Troy Tulowitzki, supposedly a star in the making, which means I will bust out on a Rockies shortstop two years running

Trade Announcement

2007-01-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

In a shady, back-room deal, I made a trade with the Gaylord Dingers. I will get 1B Richie Sexson and the Dinger's 10th round pick for SP Chris Young and my 9th rounder. With all of the top first basemen off the board, I really needed to do something. Sexson will provide plenty of power and RBI's. Last year, I had an acute power shortage. This year, with A-Rod and Sexson, I could get 100 dingers from the corners.
Young will be missed, but I have drafted some good pitching talent to take his place.

2nd - 4th round picks

2007-01-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

2nd - Jason Schmidt - Schmidt isn't overpowering like he was a few years ago, but he is still good for 180+ K's and great ERA and WHIP, all of which will be helped by moving to Dodger Stadium.
3rd - Torii Hunter - I needed an OF in the worst way and Hunter has a lot going for him. The Twins offense is looked very good so I should expect 25+ HRs and 90+ RBI's plus another 30 SB's.
3rd - Michael Cuddyer - Speaking of the Twins. Cuddyer is coming off a breakout year. Hopefully it won't be a career year and I can get .285/30/100/100 from him.
4th - Mark Buehrle - Buehrle has been a top tier starter for 5 years before having a down year last season. I believe that was an aberration and he will be back in 16/130/3.50/1.20 form in 2007.

I don't have a 5th round so it will be a while until my next pick in the 6th round.

2007 Draft First Round

2007-01-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

My first pick of the 2007 eMLB draft (and the second overall) was Alex Rodriguez. I was close to taking Jose Reyes, but Alex's HR and RBI totals are too much to pass over. I desperately need both in my lineup. He will probably get my open 5 year contract.

Winter Meetings Trade

2007-01-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

I made my first (and possibly only) move during the 2007 Winter Meetings.
I trade my 2nd rounder (21st overall) and my 5th rounder (75th overall) to the Mets for their 2nd rounder (34th overall) and his 3rd rounder (52nd overall). I think the quality moving up 2 rounds is much greater than the drop off in the 2nd round.

2007 Draft

2006-12-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

I faired well in the eMLB draft lottery and have the second overall pick. Must have been the frozen balls. Lots of good players to choose from. Since my five year slot is now open, I need to grab someone to give it to.

Extensions

2006-11-01T16:42:00.001-08:00

The Bums have announced their extensions for the 2007 season:
* IF Freddy Sanchez - Sanchez will provide some much needed average and runs as well as playing multiple positions.
* OF Carlos Quentin - a bit of a gamble, but with alot of upside.
* SP Jered Weaver - will probably have a huge sophomore slump, but too good to let go

Adios Sosa

2006-11-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

y tu contract de cinco anos.

Baseball

2006-09-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how little I care about baseball when the fantasy is done and the Angels are out of it.

Another win

2006-08-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

I posted a nice 8-3 win last week to extend by streak to 5. If my team didn't take most of the summer off, I might be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Trades

2006-08-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a huge fire sale like I was planned, but I think I picked up some nice players for the coming years.
In my first transaction, I sent Javier Vazquez and David DeJesus to Gaylord for Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Madson. Vazquez was way to inconsistant this year and DeJesus probably wasn't going to be extended at the end of the year, even though he has been pretty good. Sanchez has been tearing up the ball and might take the batting title. He plays 3 infield positions and will be extended for next year. Madson is a throw in that will help in holds this year.
Second (and lastly) I traded Joe Crede for Cliff Lee. Crede is having a career year (his contract is probably up) so I at least got a decent pitcher with a contract for him.

4 wins a row!

2006-08-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm on a hot streak!

First win in 10 weeks

2006-08-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

I got my first win in over 2 months and it feels good!

Soliloquy

2006-07-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

To firesale or not to firesale? That is the question...

Did I Mention

2006-06-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

that my team sucks!

My Team Sucks!

2006-06-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

That is all.

Update

2006-06-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

A couple quickies on the Bums...
* Chris Young is hot, giving up only 3 hits in his last two starts.
* Valverde and Weathers are no longer the closers giving me only Fuentes to pick up saves.
* Gotten a couple nibbles on trade deals but nothing that would give me any longer term benefit.
* Haven't got many SB's lately (none this week).

Kent on DL

2006-06-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love it when guys get hurt on the weekend, stick around for a few days and then go on the DL. I lose out on a whole week's stats. I see an 0-12 week coming :(

Week 5 grade

2006-05-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I am sitting at 26-32-2, good for 5th place in the West and 13th overall. The season started promising enough as I was in first for a brief time. However a spanking from the Yankees and some injuries have taken thier toll.
Runs F - I have only one one week and that was a miracle.
HR C - My dingers have started to pick up with Kent heating up.
RBI D - Again, only one win.
BB D - Walks have been pathetic.
SB F - One win, but I can't believe that. This is not a speed team.
AVG C - Two wins, but I think I should be doing better.
Wins C - My pitchers haven't gotten many wins but my RP's have picked up the slack.
SV A - I am surprised I haven't swept saves; Weathers, Fuentes and Valverde have been great.
K B - I was expecting more K's. All my starters are below expectations.
HLD D - Again, another category I should be doing good in. I missed McCarthy's easy holds since he wasn't eligible at RP.
ERA B - Pitching is my strength and ERA and WHIP show it.
WHIP A - See ERA.

Week 3 Preview

2006-04-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Week 3 has the Bums going against the Knoxville "Carls Jr." Possums.
I got bored doing player-by-player breakdowns. From now on, I will just predict the final score.
This week: I lose 5-7.

Week 2 Preview

2006-04-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Week 2 has the Bums going against the Dallas "Love the DL" Redbirds.

C	R. Doumit	B. Molina	Doumit had a decent week but doesn't play enough.	Redbirds
1B	C. Shelton	S. Hillendbrand	Shelton is hot.	Bums
2B	J. Kent	R. Belliard	Kent is a stud.	Bums
3B	J. Crede	B. Inge	Crede has started to climb out of turddom.	Bums
SS	C. Barmes	J. Lugo	Lugo is on the DL (surprise, surprise)	Bums
OF	C. Beltran/M. Bradley/M. Kotsay/J. Rivera	A. Dunn/L. Berkman/A. Kearns/D. Hollins	Sharp dropoff after Dunn and Berkman	Bums
Util	R. Mackowiak	A. LaRoche	Coin toss	Redbirds
SP	D. Willis/J. Vazquez/T. Wakefield/E. Loaiza/C. Young	A. Pettitte/M. Mussina/L. Hernandez/J. Blanton/J. Towers	Pretty close in pitching	Redibrds
RP	B. Fuentes/J. Valverde/D. Weathers/G. Aquino/M. Timlin	J. Borowksi/J. Frasor/L. Cormier/Ra. Flores/T. Coffey	Not many saves for the Redbird in this group	Bums

I see myself taking a 8-4 victory.

Contracts

2006-04-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Before the 2006 season gets underway, the Bums would like to announce the following contracts:
Chris Shelton, 2 year
Clint Barmes, 3 year
Noah Lowry, 2 year
Chris Young, 2 year
Brian Fuentes, 2 year
Jose Valverde, 2 year

Week 1 Preview

2006-04-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Week 1 is a Socal/Norcal grudge match against the rival Bay Area Big Dawgs. In this preview, I assume that the Dawgs replace some starters that are on the DL.

C	R. Doumit	M. Piazza	Doumit is too unknown.	Dawgs
1B	C. Shelton	D. Lee	Lee is a stud.	Dawgs
2B	J. Kent	R. Durham	Kent is a stud.	Bums
3B	J. Crede	H. Blalock	Crede is a turd.	Dawgs
SS	C. Barmes	J. Rollins	Close call.	Dawgs
OF	C. Beltran/M. Bradley/M. Kotsay/D. DeJesus	K. Griffey/B. Bonds/D. Roberts/C. Patterson?	Sharp dropoff after Griffey and Bonds but those two are enough to carry the category, if they don't get hurt	Dawgs
Util	J. Rivera	O. Vizquel	Assuming Rivera gets AB's, he should produce	Bums
SP	D. Willis/J. Vazquez/N. Lowry/E. Loaiza/C. Young	Od. Perez/M. Cain/J. Seo/J. Sosa	I could take wins, K & ERA in this matchup	Bums
RP	B. Fuentes/J. Valverde/D. Weathers/C. Politte/R. Villone	C. Cordero/T. Worrell/M. Batista/Ro. Hernandez/J. Mateo	Bums take saves and holds	Bums

I see myself taking most of the pitching stats while the Dawgs take the bulk of the batting stats. I predict Bums over Dawgs 6-5-1.

Willis to make rotation!

2006-03-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

This was the new item on Yahoo sports for Dontrelle Willis:
Mar 22 The Miami Herald's Mike Phillips reports Florida Marlins SP Dontrelle Willis has locked down a spot in the pitching rotation.

Thanks for that shocker, Mike. This bombshell puts the Dowd report to shame. You have to dig really hard to uncover the fact that the Marlin's second best player and Cy Young runner-up will get a chance to start. I was starting to think Willis would be sent down to Double A to pick up some more innings.

Sosa

2006-03-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Still waiting until Sammy Sosa "officially" retires so I can regain that 5 year contract. Trading for him might be like those NBA swaps for some stiff with a big contract about to expire.

Late rounds

2006-03-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

The draft finally finished up this past weekend. I didn't have any picks until round 21 and by then the bottom of the barrel had been worn out. I got a decent catcher in Brian Schneider. His numbers are improving which is good. Carlos Quentin was a gamble as is Pedro Astacio (even though he moves to another pitcher's park after some nice outing in Petco). My other picks were holds guys in Ron Villone and Kelly Wunsch.

Rounds 11 - 14 Picks

2006-02-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

My original 11th round pick was wasted on Joe Kennedy in last year's supplemental draft. I gained one back in the trade with the former Yoopers. With said pick, I snatched up Mike Timlin, the setup man for the Red Sox. Timlin has been nails the last few years. He will get plenty of holds and might get the closer role if Foulke can't handle it.
In the 12th round I collected some depth with Rob Mackowiak. He qualifies at second, third and outfield. He has some decent offensive numbers but needs to get more at-bats.
I took a flyer on Brandon McCarthy in the 13th round. McCarthy would be starting for almost every other team in the majors but will have to wait for a job on the defending champs. Perhaps an early injury or trade will give him a starting gig.
For my latest pick, I gambled on Joey Devine, reliever for the Braves. Chris Reitsema has a shaky hold on the closer spot and Devine should be next line if he continues to blow opportunities.

Slow draft

2006-02-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

The draft always seems to slow down around this point. I guess guys lose a little interest trying to figure out who will be the left-handed seventh reliever for the Pirates.

Round 10 Pick

2006-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

This is deep sleeper and middle relief territory now. I went with Juan Rivera here. The guy can hit as evidenced by his .275/15/59 line last year. Hopefully he will get enough playing time but it looks like Garrett Anderson is on the downslope and Erstad might get traded or play first, opening up the outfield for Rivera.

Round 9 Picks

2006-02-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

In the 9th round, I finally got around to filling the holes in my roster.
With my first pick, I got underachieving third baseman Joe Crede. He should be hit 20+ homers but probably not much more. I will probably be watching the waiver wire for 3B throughout the year.
I then picked up young catcher Ryan Doumit of the Pirates. He is highly rated and should provide some upside.

Round 8 Picks

2006-02-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

I went into round 8 with openings at third and catcher so I pick an aging starter and a middle reliever.
Tim Wakefield is a solid but unspectacular pitcher. I will expect the usual 15+ wins, 140+ K's, ~4.00 ERA, and ~1.20 WHIP.
I was ready to pick Barajas or Kotchman with my second pick, but they both went before me. Still some decent catchers around but third baseman is barren.
I took my first holds guy in Politte. He will be 8th inning guy for a team that could win 100 games. I see 30 holds with a 2.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.

Round 7 Pick

2006-02-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

With my single pick for the seventh round, I went with another closer in Dave Weathers. He finished the year as the Reds closer and will start the year that way. If he lasts all year, he should be good for 25-30 saves with decent ERA and WHIP. If he doesn't, then he could get plenty of holds. I was ready to pick a catcher or another starter, but there are plenty of backstops available (only 5 selected so far) and plenty of middle tier starters.

Sixth Round Pick

2006-02-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

These are the toughest rounds to pick, IMHO. The stars and obvious everday players are all gone. Now you are looking for veterans with one more year left in the tank, breakout youngster and the ever popular "sleeper." I went into the round still needed a catcher and third baseman and some more outfielders would be nice. The 3B market is dry as a bone and there are still plenty of average catchers available. I was considering taking a strong setup guy as well. In the end I went with outfielder David DeJesus of the Royals. DeJesus numbers last year (.293/9/56/69/5) were nice considering he missing 40 games. I expect more stolen bases (considering that is the only way the Royals will score this year) and runs plus a bit more dingers. May give him a 2 year contract just to have some OF slots filled for next year.

Round 5 Picks

2006-02-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Round 5 was my last with two picks. I really wanted a third baseman. My short list had Garrett Atkins, Ryan Zimmerman and Pedro Feliz on it. Atkins went in the middle of the last round and Feliz went two spots before me (by Sluggers, no less). I thought Zimmerman might be a stretch here due to his inexperience so I didn't bite. Desperate for an OF, I grabbed Mark Kotsay. Kotsay will put up stats if he can stay healthy. He hit .280/15/82/75 139 games last year. In the A's improved offense, I would expect a nice bump to .285/22/95/82 in 2006.
My second saw all my short listers go: Zimmerman, Jones, MacDougal, and Ray. I decided to gamble a bit on Chris Young. He has all kinds of potential going 12-7 with 137 K's in his first full season. In Petco Park, I would expect an improved ERA, WHIP and more K's but probably not many more wins.
These guys might both get 2 year contracts to open the season.

Round 4 Picks

2006-02-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

Round 4 had me looking to solidify my infield and pick up some outfields. I filled one of those needs with my second pick of the round in Chris Shelton, first baseman for the Tigers. I didn't follow him too closely last year, but his numbers are very nice. A full year could be 20 homers and 90 RBI's with a nice average. I may give him a 2 year contract to start the season.
My first pick of the round was another smoke-throwing closer in Jose Valverde. Jose reclaimed the starting closer spot for the Diamondbacks and I don't seem giving it up. I expect 30-40 saves with 80+ K's.

Third Round Picks - Clint Barmes, SS & Brian Fuentes, CL

2006-02-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

With my trade during the Winter Meetings, I have 2 picks for the 3 rounds. Both of my third round picks turned out to be Rockies.
My first pick of the third round was Clint Barmes, the young shortstop. Most of the top shortstops were already under contract so the pickings were slim. Lugo and Eckstein went ahead and most of the rest were promising but injury prone (Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene) or fading (Omar Vizquel). Barmes has the chance to become a stud, especially in Coors Field with all the good hitting around him. He should get a contract to start the season.
Closers were going fast and furious with very few guys left that were going into the season as their team's undisputed closer. Tom Gordon and Brian Fuentes were the top two on my list. Fuentes has better stats but plays in a terrible park for a so-so club while Gordon will get plenty of oppurtunties with the Phillies. In this case I am glad Flash went to the Heat. He isn't getting younger while Fuentes could be closing for years to come.

Second Round Pick - Esteban Loaiza, SP

2006-01-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone has been screaming for Joe Blanton the last few picks. Blanton is good but I think Loaiza is a betty pick. First, he is more proven that Blanton. Granted, Loaiza isn't hall of fame bound, but he has oodles more experience than Blanton. Second, his K/Inning ratio is 0.80 compared to Blanton's 0.58.

Barry Kiper III

2006-01-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Who the hell is Barry Kiper III?!?!

First Round Pick - Noah Lowry, SP

2006-01-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

After seeing half of my 2005 roster go ahead of me, I had to decide where to go for 2006. The IF positions are very weak this year; few first rounders unless you are trying to fill a big hole in your roster. I was decided whether to go SP or CL. A couple top pitchers went ahead of me, like Smoltz, Pettitte and Johnson. Since there were still alot of closers left, I went with Lowry.
Mr. Lowry had a breakout season last year: 13 W, 172 K, 3.78 ERA, 1.310 WHIP. All good numbers. With the Giants being a bit better this year, I expect a few more wins and hopefully 200+ K's.

Last Year's Team

2006-01-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

I find it very interesting (and quite flattering) that all the picks so far, except for the first, were players on my team last year. I was surprised to Giambi so high, though.

2006 Draft Preview

2006-01-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

The 2006 Draft is quite thin. Although I want to be competitve, it will be tough with so few players under contract and with so few free agents. That being said, I compiled some extra picks to grab some young talent. My first priority will be to fill out the outfield and starting pitching. The infield market will be a stretch for me, save for maybe at catcher.