Garbage Picking
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Garbage Picking

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Watch

Fantasy Baseball owners are as bad as toddlers when it comes to patience. They want the results now and two bad starts or two tough weeks at the plate is just too much for them to take. They’ll jump ship before a distress signal has even been sent. Leagues with limited or no DL slots make this time of year exciting to watch the drop section of your league’s transaction log. Remember it’s always better to take the bad end of a trade then drop a potential asset. No matter what I say or do I will never change the average owner, so I have to just sit back and garbage pick through their drops.

Leonys Martin owners haven’t had a lot to smile about so far.

Erik Johnson- Chicago White Sox- Starting Pitcher

Johnson had a lot of helium in early drafts before Alex Wood and Yordano Ventura stole all the pre-draft hype. Through his first two starts Johnson looked like he was going to prove that his draft stock deserved to be falling by looking very hittable. Those who dropped him may be kicking themselves after watching him dominate the Red Sox lineup yesterday to the tune of 9 strike outs in 6 and a 1/3 innings. Johnson is a fringe pitcher in 12 team mixed, but is a must roster in any larger leagues. His strike out upside is just better than what you probably have at the bottom of your rosters.

Dexter Fowler- Houston Astros – Center Fielder

Fowler started out of the gates hot and owners were patting themselves on the back just like last year that they took him late in drafts, but an illness has really sapped Fowler for the last few weeks and owners are starting to panic. He has been dropped in a ton of leagues for streaming types like David Murphy or Dayan Viciedo and that was a mistake. I am not a huge fan of Fowler. I’m not one of these guys that think he will all of a sudden put it all together and be a premier outfielder. (some people actually believe that.) I think he’s a serviceable fourth or fifth outfielder to have who can fill power and speed categories when you’re in a pinch. He should be rostered in in all 12 team mixed leagues with at least 5 bench spots.

Kyle Seager- Seattle Mariners- Third Baseman

Seager is off to another slow start this year. Last season he was dropped almost everywhere in 12 team mixed leagues only to see him become a valuable asset down the stretch. He no longer holds second base eligibility, but third base isn’t the deepest position in the league. With players like Moustakas, Sandoval, Lawrie and Freese struggling and Middlebrooks and Beltre hurting it makes hanging on to Seager that much harder. The reason I say harder is because owners see third-baseman like Marcus Semien and Trevor Plouffe flying off the waiver wire while they sit on their hands. I believe owners should just keep Seager on the bench if they can. He’s too valuable as a third-baseman that has the ability to hit 20+ homers and steal 10 bases.

Khris Davis-Milwaukee Brewers-Left Fielder

Davis being dropped is an example of expectations being too high in the fantasy draft process. People were punting homers in the middle of their drafts thinking they were going to grab Davis late and get a potential 25-30 homer guy. That is a lot to ask of a young player. I still like Davis a lot, but I wasn’t banking on him as my steady 3rd Outfielder. Don’t cut bait on Davis just yet, unless there’s something crazy on the waiver wire. Keep him on your bench until he gets his feet under him and starts to get better pitches to hit. In leagues of 14 or bigger I wouldn’t think of dropping him yet. The Jason Kubel’s of the world will always be there to pick up if Davis is still struggling in a month or two.

Leonys Martin-Texas Rangers- Center Fielder

Martin is caught up in the downward spiral that is the Texas Rangers. The injuries to the pitching staff and lineup have lumped a lot of pressure on players that aren’t used to shouldering it. Martin’s spot in the lineup was always going to keep his numbers somewhat down, but he has gotten off to much slower start than I would have thought. He’s got zero extra base hits and only two steals so I can understand the frustration. Martin is another one I am holding on to with all my might and I’m even trying to target as a secondary throw in in trades. When the Rangers get healthy and the heat picks up in Texas I expect Martin to break out.

Some studs that I have seen or heard hit the waiver wire. Allen Craig (Dan Strafford just told me about this one), Wilin Rosario, and David Ortiz.

Some other guys people might be losing patience for that you should pick up. Brett Lawrie, Danny Salazar, Homer Bailey, Billy Butler and Xander Bogaerts. I wish I played in more leagues where they hit the wire!

Seattle Mariners Future
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Seattle Mariners Future

Fantasy Baseball

Seattle Mariners Future

Robinson Cano leads the Seattle Mariners

Robinson Cano Has A Lot To Smile About in Seattle

TheSeattle Mariners future is now folks. I thought they were a year or two away just as recently as the beginning of spring training, but they are becoming a team that can not be overlooked on the field, or int he box score.

Oh the all important box score for the fantasy baseball player. It used to be we, as fantasy baseball players and fanatics, would only check the Seattle box score when we either had King-Felix (Felix Hernandez) pitching that night or when we were facing him. The only other time I may have caught myself checking the Mariners’ position players is when I was completely injury ravaged and wanted to see who was actually alive and starting for them.

So that’s last night’s box score from the Mariners game. Just glancing at it will let you know that James Paxton had a very good night. This early in the season he more than likely didn’t pitch into the 9th inning so what ever he did he didn’t give up a run to a decent offensive baseball team in the Angels. In reality if you watched the game you would have seen James Paxton look like one of the most dominant left handed starting pitchers to come a long in a long while. His fastball was touching 98mph and his off speed stuff was almost unhitable after seeing that cheese.

The offensive performance was more of the early season same for these Mariners. Abraham Almonte got on base a few times. Brad Miller drove the ball hard when he wasn’t striking out (2 for 5 with 3 K’s last night.). Robinson Cano continued to stay hot going 2 for 4 and Justin Smoak and Corey Hart provided some middle of the order power, both homering in the 9th inning. Dustin Ackley couldn’t keep his hot streak alive as he was 0 for 4, but he has never looked more like the 2nd overall pick that he was then now.

This off season I have to admit I was a little obsessed with the Seattle Mariners. I could not get enough news about the health of Taijuan Walker and the short stop battle between Brad Miller and Nick Franklin. I was also targeting Hisashi Iwakuma in my Fantasy Baseball drafts because I would be getting a nice injury discount. Walker seemed to be passing every hurdle without complaint as he rehabbed his sore shoulder and Brad Miller outmashed Nick Franklin in Spring Training to nail down the coveted short stop spot for the Mariners.

A Team Of Ifs

The Starting Rotation: If each member of the starting rotation stays healthy and pitches up to their ceiling as players then the Mariners will have one of the best, if not the best rotation in the American League. Felix Hernandez is often over looked when talking about aces because people think too much about the win as a stat. Hernandez still has the best swing and miss stuff in the league (20 change-ups the other night and 17 swing and misses) even though his fast ball isn’t as fast as it once was. Hernadez’s control and movement make him an uncomfortable at bat for anyone in the league. Erasmo Ramirez was supposed to explode on the scene last year, but he struggled in his first season in the bigs. There was nothing wrong with his stuff, it was just his confidence and ability to pin point his pitches. This spring The Eraser was stellar in Spring Training and won a safe spot at the top of the Mariners rotation. His first outing of the season was a masterpiece that only had one blemish, a sinker that was deposited over the center field wall by Raul Ibanez. James Paxton, who is currently the number three starter, is a tall flame throwing lefty that is the perfect pitcher to slot after any of the Mariner right handers. The angle of his fast ball coupled with velocity makes Paxton a potential strike out machine. Hisashi Iwakuma is 23-11 so far as a Mariner and sported an impressive 4.40 K/BB rate. I’m not sure why people sleep on Iwakuma as a fantasy baseball asset, but it really doesn’t matter to me because I just pick him where I can and include him in trades where I didn’t get him. The ultimate final piece to this rotation will be Taijuan Walker. Walker is a big time talent that has been season in the minors since 2010. The Mariners gave him a cup of coffee in the majors last season and Walker teased his potential as he had a 7.2 K per 9 rate and a 3.60 ERA. Walker was a better prospect than the highly regarded Sonny gray of the Oakland A’s and should be back in the rotation by early May, yet he was drafted at the very end of Fantasy drafts or not at all in some cases. I drafted him everywhere I could and especially targeted him in leagues where I had a DL spot or two at my disposal. While Walker and Iwakuma are on the mend I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Young put up decent numbers for the Mariners as their 5th starter. It was supposed to be Randy Wolf in that spot, but Wolf was offended when the Mariners asked him to sign a non guarantee to his contract. So the Mariners turned to the often injured Chris Young who had lost out on a spot in the starting rotation for the Washington Nationals.

Catcher: If Mike Zunino can develop in the bigs instead of getting more seasoning in the minor leagues. The Mariners were widely panned for bringing up Zunino last season before he was ready for the challenge of catching in the major leagues. Zunino struggled and the Mariners struggled to support their young prospect. This season the Mariners added the well traveled John Buck to support Zunino and hopefully won’t put too much pressure on the young catcher to perform offensively. Zunino projected as a plus bat behind the plate and I feel like his time will come, but asking for him to be a fantasy asset this season would be a lot.

1st Base: If Justin Smoak can finally fulfill just a portion of the potential the Mariners saw in him when they traded Cliff Lee for him. Smoak is off to a fantastic start this season. He has already slugged 2 homers and driven seven runs batting in the four hole protecting Robinson Cano. This looks like the Justin Smoak the Rangers were waiting on and the Mariners were hoping for. If he can bat over .270 with the threat of power from both sides of the late it won’t be so easy for teams to pitch around Cano. If Smoak falters the the Mariners have Logan Morrison and Corey Hart who can man first base, but I don’t think that will be necessary this year.

2nd Base: Robinson Cano took the big money from the Mariners and most people said he chose the money over winning when he did. I am a Yankee fan and I thought Cano saw a genuine opportunity to be the face of a franchise on the upswing. While there are many ifs when talking about the Mariners, Robinson Cano is not one of them. Cano is the best second baseman in major league baseball and looks like he wants to be the unquestioned leader of the Mariners. Good for him and the Mariners.

3rd Base: Kyle Seager is one of my favorite young players in the league. He can hit for power with a decent batting eye and will steal the occasional base all while fielding his position better than league average. I thought Seager was going to benefit from hitting directly in front of Robinson Cano this season, but he has started the season in the 6 hole and should have plenty of chances to drive in Robinson Cano. I do think his fantasy value takes a hit in that spot, but I’m not panicking.

Short Stop: Brad Miller was the darling of the Fantasy Baseball world in the off season. With short stop being such a shallow position you can forgive fantasy die-hards for not holding back on their enthusiasm. Miller first had to beat out Nick Franklin for the position and did so convincingly. Miller has not slowed down since Spring Training and has already smacked two home-runs and is sporting an over .1100 OPS. Miller is the real deal folks. he will hit for power and score plenty of runs hitting in front of Cano, but you will have to live with some high strikeout totals. he has a big swing and doesn’t like to cut it down with two strikes.

Outfield: Abraham Almonte is a switch hitting Center Fielder that Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon seems to have fallen in love with. Almonte doesn’t offer anything in terms of power, but his speed and position on top of the Mariners order make him interesting in AL only formats. If Almonte can’t hit his weight they always have big Michael Saunders who could take over. Saunders operates as the fourth outfielder for now and is featuring in Right Field while Corey Hart continues to get healthy. Saunders is a legit 20/20 guy if he gets a full opportunity, but he has never been able to hit for a high enough average to warrant it. The aforementioned Corey Hart is a big piece of the Mariners puzzle. He is a legitimate power right handed bat when he is healthy. The only bad thing is he hasn’t been healthy in a while. Hart was a solid fantasy performer in his Brewer days before a lost season last year. A lot of people drafted him and stashed him last season only to get burned. Those same Fantasy players may have avoided him this season because of it. If Hart can stay healthy he will be an asset to the Mariners and fantasy owners with his power. The last piece of the outfield puzzle is Dustin Ackley. Ackley is a former second overall pick that was supposed to be the Mariners second baseman for the next 15 years. Instead he struggled mightily last season, both in the field and at bat, so the Mariners decided to make him an outfielder. First they tried him in Center Field which was a mistake, and now he has been give the left field job without any competition. Ackley projects as a hitter that should hit for a high average and also keep a high OB%. The only problem is he doesn’t have much power for the position. I think the Mariners figure they could come out ahead in the power department in the middle infield and eventually at the catcher position so his lack of power won’t hurt their overall team.

Closer: If Fernando Rodney can keep the closer’s role for the entire season he should ave over 40 games with this pitching rotation. If he falters then Danny Farquhar will be waiver wire gold. Keep an eye on Rodney and Farquhar if you’re in need of Saves.

As you can tell I have really been concentrating on the Mariners for selfish Fantasy purposes, but nonetheless you should start looking at them as well.

Fantasy Spin:

Zunino should only be owned in AL only leagues for now.

Smoak should be rostered in 14 team leagues and larger. I wouldn’t kill my Faab budget on him though.

Seager is some one you may have to play match ups with with his low spot in the batting order.

Miller will be a top ten short stop, but don’t go crazy trying to trade for him.

Ackley is going to be an asset in leagues with Batting Average especially because of his position eligibility. (2B,CF,LF)

Hart is always an injury risk, but makes for a nice Utility player when healthy.

Walker should be owned in every league you are in (except 8 team leagues, but what’s fun about 8 team leagues?)

Erasmo and Paxton are key targets for the waiver wire in 12 team leagues and larger. In ten team leagues it may be tough to give up on who you drafted so early.

Feel free to comment and let me know which, if any Mariners, you targeted in your fantasy baseball drafts.

Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft
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Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft

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Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft

Swag-Diamond Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft Recap and Analysis

7- Edwin Encarnacion, Tor 1B $41 Encarnacion was one of my main targets in this auction. Starting only 3 Outfielders and adding a Corner-Infielder spot makes Encarnacion a nice option instead of blowing your entire budget on Mike Trout ($57) or Andrew McCutchen (who went to @naapsterman for only $45). I was in on McCutchen, but once it went to 45 I backed off. Encarnacion ended up going for the same as Chris Davis and $5 dollars cheaper than Paul Goldschmidt.

15- Troy Tulowitzki, Col SS $31 Obviously I am gambling on health with Tulowitzki, but who aren’t you gambling with health when it comes to the top Short Stops. Hanley Ramirez ($38) isn’t exactly Super Man and Jose Reyes (only $19 to Ryan Forbes who had a great auction) is, well Jose Reyes. I had Tulow as a $30 player so one extra wasn’t a huge deal.

45 Jose Bautista, Tor OF $24 Bautista was my biggest target in this auction. In 5 x 5 with OB% instead of BA% he can be huge. I was hoping to get him for $22 and went to $24 which was one below my $25 dollar rating.

54 Justin Upton, Atl OF $7 All I can say is everyone fell asleep on this one. I only threw out a $7 bid because there didn’t look to be to much action and I didn’t exactly want him, but I wouldn’t mind making someone else pay for him. By getting him for only $7 dollars it opened me up to spend a little more at other spots.

57 Justin Verlander, Det SP $21 Verlander was my #4 Starting Pitcher before the injuries to Darvish and Kershaw and now he is a much tighter 3B. His price was scoffed at a bit, but then Strasburg went for $33 and Scherzer, Wainwright and Sale all went for $26, Verlander’s price didn’t look all that bad.

89 Mike Moustakas, KC 3B $9 Oh boy did I get caught with my hand in the cookie jar on this one. I was hoping some of my fellow owners would be bidding him up on the account of his strong spring and of course when I thought someone would go to $10 they stuck me with him for $9. Moustakas was a $5 player in my ratings and I almost doubled that up.

90 Wilin Rosario, Col C $19 Rosario is a target of mine everywhere. I overpaid for him here, but when I looked at the Catchers that were available after he was put up, there was no one that could come close to what he brings. He ended up costing the same as Joe Mauer and was 6 and 5 dollars less than Santana and Posey, respectively.

94 Jered Weaver, LAA SP $12 Another one where I got caught bidding up. I was hoping some people would be desperate for starting pitching and paying for past performance, but $12 was not a bad price for Weaver. FantasyPros actually has him rated for $12 and I have him as a $10 SP in Mixed Leagues so I’m not too upset.

104 J.J. Hardy, Bal SS $9 I needed a middle infielder with some pop and Hardy was the guy. His BA% doesn’t matter here and his counting numbers are nice for the MI spot. I still over paid (by at least 3-4 dollars) in a mixed league setting, but I didn’t like what was left on the board.

126 Alex Gordon, KC OF $12 Huge OB% advantage and I get him at a discount?! I don’t know why people are sleeping on Gordon this year, but I’m not concerned as I picked him up everywhere. I got a $8 discount according to FantasyPros and he was $8 cheaper than Hunter Pence who is a very similar player.

143 Trevor Rosenthal, StL RP $16 We need to start two relief pitchers and Rosenthal was the last of my upper-tier closers left. I spent a little more than I wanted (I have him at $12) but I had extra money to spend.

146 R.A. Dickey, Tor SP $6 R.A. could be one of those injury bounce back players, but I only wanted him at the right price with his high WHIP so $6 was perfect.

147 Pablo Sandoval, SF 3B $8 Moustakas was not going to be the thirdbaseman I was going to bank on and Sandoval was a nice back-up/starter plan for around the same price. I wanted to only spend $7 on him, but $8 wasn’t out of the question.

165 Andrew Cashner, SD SP $8 Cashner was a big target for me. (no pun intended with his height) With Wins not being a category Cashner is equal to a lot of the bigger name pitchers available and he can always work on getting his K-rate up.

166 Sergio Romo, SF RP $6 Not bad for my 2nd RP. I had Romo as an $8 closer and again I get some value. He’s in my top ten so there’s that as well.

183 Christian Yelich, Mia OF $3 Yelich is a player who i hope gets off to a fast start. He’s a bit of a post-hype sleeper because he was last year’s version of George Springer. A guy with power and speed who could be a huge fantasy player in the future. I’m not confident that future is now, but if he starts fast the $3 investment could pay dividends in a trade.

196 Danny Salazar, Cle SP $8 Salazar was a must because I needed to add K’s after getting Weaver and Cashner. Salazar has top of the rotation strike-out stuff, but I think people are over-paying in redraft leagues. $8 is not bad and is actually below where i had him rated.

200 Austin Jackson, Det OF $4 Huge discount alert. Some people were running out of money and I picked up a steal in Jackson at $4. FantasyPros has him rated at $16 and I have him just below that at $15. So excited about this buy.

203 Clay Buchholz, Bos SP $3 With a DL spot available he is definitely worth the gamble. When healthy he is top of the rotation stuff and when he’s hurt he’s on the DL. I recently heard Eno Sarris say the very same thing and it’s always good to have someone reassure you. Cueto went for $6 and he’s the same injury gamble. Great when healthy and when he’s hurt you DL him.

209 Marco Estrada, Mil SP $3 I really like the Strike out upside and I didn’t want to overpay for him in a room of experts. $3 was perfect for me as I had him rated as a $6 SP.

213 Brian Dozier, Min 2B $5 Bit of an overpay here, but I needed him because I had missed out out Gyorko to TraderX for $16. I couldn’t go that high and now Dozier was my position punt. Not that bad a punt though with his ability to go 20/15.

222 Adam Eaton, CWS OF $3 This late in the auction strategy came to the forefront. I knew some of my other friends in the league wanted Eaton and their max bid left was $3, so I threw out an opening bid of $3 dollars on an outfielder that people want and they were stuck letting him go to me. If he doesn’t end up in my starters maybe I can package him for a new 2B option.

256 Taijuan Walker*, Sea SP $2 I had $2 left and I had a DL spot to use so Taijuan Walker was a nice lottery ticket to get this late. I would much rather have him sitting on my DL then spend $2 on Danny Haren or any other former decent fantasy pitcher.

The Worst Over Pays

Ben Zobrist for $25 – that was just crazy because his number have been declining for the last few years and you can’t pay a premium just on flexibility.

Yu Darvish for $36 – It’s never a good strategy to over pay for a stud Starting Pitcher and this case was no different. His neck issues aside this was at least $8 too much for me.

Billy Hamilton for $21 – I know the hype train is in full effect, but this is still a ONE-Category guy that should not be going in the same price range as Matt Holiday or Alex Rios.

Bryce Harper and Steven Strasburg for a combine $72 – I don’t mean to pick on my good buddy Ricky Sanders here, but these were two overpays for me. Sometimes you get caught up in the auction with your eyes focused on your targets and you blow your budget because of it. It caught up to him at the end of the draft as his depth took a hit.

The Best Buys

Nolan Arenado for $1 – One dollar price tag was a little soul crushing for me as I paid a combined $17 for Panda and Moustakas. I really like Arenado this year and I would have been a lot happier if I went Panda and Arenado and saved the Moustakas money to get Gyorko at 2B.

Austin Jackson for $4 – This guy score a ton of runs and he will steal bases. His OB% is not ideal for an OB% league, but he is still worth at least 4x the cost. I won’t even count the Upton buy because there was a lot of chatter in the message box when that was going on. Distracted everyone.

Hisashi Iwakuma for $8 – Renee Miller picked up a nice injury steal here by getting the excellent Iwakuma for below market value. I have Iwakuma as a $15 pitcher and would have loved to get him, but Renee made a great buy.

Aroldis Chapman for $5 – This was a really smart buy considering he will still pitch for at least 17 weeks of the season. He cost the same as Booby Parnell who could lose his job the first month of the season.

FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft
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FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft

Fantasy Baseball

FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft

This year I made the choice to join the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and I couldn’t be happier. Not only do I get to belong to a great group that supports the industry’s best and brightest, but I get to participate in leagues with fellow writers.

This season I was asked to join the latest FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft (The Nado DiFino Award) and I thought that was a great chance to see where my rankings stacked up before my main money leagues drafted over the next two weekends.

For Reference FSWA Leagues Start-

CC,1B,2B,3B,SS,MI,CI,OF,OF,OF,OF,OF,OF,UT,P,P,P,P,P,P,P,P,P

and Scoring is

Runs,RBIs,SBs,OB%,Slugging% – Ks,ERA,WHIP,QS,Saves

When I found out I had the fourth pick in the draft I was praying that Andrew McCutchen would fall to me becuase he fills up all five offensive categories and plays a position that will end up being depleted with 12 teams having to start 5 Out Fielders. Well in a draft full of fantasy writers that didn’t happen. Paul Goldschmidt was there for me to take him, but in a league where you start 9 Pitchers every week I couldn’t pass up on the clear number one, tier to himself, Clayton Kershaw. That was the first of many slightly controversial picks I made in this draft.

COACH ESSER DENNIS
4	Clayton Kershaw, LAD SP Over Goldschmidt was tough, but I’m happy
21	Jose Bautista, Tor OF Needed a high upside Outfielder and Bautista can top four categories if healthy
28	Justin Verlander, Det SP This was a personal preference. I have him rated 3rd-SP most don’t
45	Joe Mauer, Min C 2-Catcher League Mauer is huge in OB% and Runs
52	Matt Kemp, LAD OF -Big gamble on health here. Wouldn’t have got him in the next round
69	Matt Carpenter, StL 2B -Value pick here as he is plus in Runs,OB% and decent in Slugging%
76	Josh Donaldson, Oak 3B -Another value pick, Wanted to wait and go with a sleeper later, but not bad.
93	Trevor Rosenthal, StL RP -The last of the upper tier Closers and now with Chapman hurt its good value
100	Jose Abreu, CWS 1B -needed some upside power at 1B and love to gamble on Abreu
117	Hisashi Iwakuma, Sea SP -Iwakuma has a lot of upside as long as that finger is ready soon
124	Danny Salazar, Cle SP -Salazar is going to break out this year and reached a little here
141	Austin Jackson, Det OF -Jackson was always a target and his ESPN ADP kept him off screen
148	Jason Castro, Hou C -Castro was the last offensive Catcher that could be plus in Slugging%
165	Jason Grilli, Pit RP -Steady closer who has a decent WHIP as well
172	Brad Miller, Sea SS -big time target for me and it was tough to lay off Castro and Simmons as they fell
189	Khris Davis, Mil OF -Fourth Outfielder with power upside-a bit of a gamble
196	Lance Lynn, StL SP -Lynn is nice starter to have in this format with his K totals
213	Matt Garza, Mil SP -Auto picked Garza when Adam Eaton was in my que but had been sniped-still stings
220	Nate Jones, CWS RP -The last decent upside closer left.
237	Taijuan Walker, Sea SP – Walker here was a round early based on ADP, but the shoulder sounds good
244	David Freese, LAA 3B – Batting fourth against Lefties and if healthy not a bad Corner Infielder
261	Oswaldo Arcia, Min OF – One of my favorite late round power sources
268	Michael Brantley, Cle OF -Solid outfielder with room for improvement-pure depth
285	Neil Walker, Pit 2B – Could be a nice value pick for MI depth-if not, to the wire I go
292	Devin Mesoraco, Cin C -Vargas knee issues had me looking for a 3rd Catcher when normally I wouldn’t
309	Todd Frazier, Cin 3B – Too much potential this late in the draft. RBIs in a pinch
316	Erik Johnson, CWS SP – Late round sleeper or bust. I like what I saw last year and worth a gamble
333	Junior Lake, ChC OF – Needed Steals and he could get 20 this year while putting up decent Slugging%

As you can tell my team lacks stolen bases and I will have to look to make a trade early on or raid the waiver wire for this year’s Nate McLouth. Let me know what you think and who you are targeting in your fantasy baseball drafts.

Fantasy Baseball – Undervalued
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Fantasy Baseball – Undervalued

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy Baseball – Undervalued

Through the first few of my actual money drafts of 2014 the same players keep sliding in drafts. Many of these undervalued players have already become roster magnets for me and I really can’t complain based on past performance or the 2014 projections I have on these players. So without further adieu these are some players you should target when they start to fall.

Wilin Rosario-Catcher-Colorado Rockies

Rosario is one of the only catchers in the league that has 30 homer potential, yet he continues to slide in drafts. In leagues that only start one catcher and are smaller than 14 teams i don’t tend to worry too much about drafting the position unless there becomes a clear “value win” or I feel the catcher run is in full swing. It’s a lot like dealing with a one quarterback league that doesn’t weigh touch down passes as six points in fantasy football. After the first few catchers it’s pretty much fantasy league average through catcher 14 in my rankings. Rosario is the only one in my high-mid catcher rankings that I tend to target because of the home run potential. If you see your team is slipping in that category in Roto-style or if Home Runs count as 5 points in your points league then don’t miss out on this guy. You can find his current ADP at Fantasy Pros Here.

Justin Verlander-Starting Pitcher-Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander is a stud. Instead of remembering his up and down season from last year try and remember how dominant he was in the playoffs. (23 Innings – 1 Run – 31 Strikeouts) Those are the numbers that get you excited about owning Justin Verlander and those are the numbers that are going to make him a draft steal this year. He is regularly going behind last year’s rookie phenom Jose Fernandez in drafts and that’s just not right. I have Verlander ranked right in my top 5 and have no fears at all about his perceived regression last year. Don’t let him last too long in your drafts because you will be sorry. Go to Fantasy Pros here for his current ADP across all sites.

Kyle Seager-Third Base-Seattle Mariners

Last year it was tough to own any Mariners besides King Felix (Felix Hernandez) and be happy about it, but Kyle Seager quietly had a very good year and he did it with multiple position eligibility in some formats. This year people seem to have forgotten that Seager showed pop (22 homers) and even some decent wheels (9 stolen bases). Seager has even more value in leagues that start a corner infielder, but in leagues that start a traditional lineup he can be the ideal first player on your bench or utility player. Instead of going in the low to mid 70s he is regularly available in the ealry 100s in drafts and I seem to be picking him off constantly. Go here to see his current ADP across all sites.

Hunter Pence-Out Fielder-San Francisco Giants

All Hunter Pence did last year was put up solid numbers in almost every category (.283-27 HRs-99RBIs-22SBs) and yet during drafts this year he continues to be over looked constantly. I know people always like their new shiny toys, but Billy Hamilton over Hunter Pence has happened far too often. I know his swing is ugly, but you don’t actually have to watch every at bat of your second fantasy outfielder. Seriously I can’t think of any reason he should slide this low (current ADP) unless it’s purely on aesthetics or latent antisemitism.

Cardinal Rules – Injury Report
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Cardinal Rules – Injury Report

Fantasy Baseball

Cardinal Rules – Injury Report

You might think this post is about trying to make sure you have as many St. Louis Cardinals on your fantasy baseball roster as possible, but it’s not. (That is a good way to win though.)

There are a few cardinal rules you need to abide by before heading to your draft or auction in fantasy baseball. First make sure you know the scoring system of the league you are about to try and win. Unless winning isn’t your thing, then just show up and draft based on any old ranking system. At least you will really like your team with that method, even if it ends up in second to last.

My second cardinal rule is to make sure you have up to date injury information. Do not go to the draft and assume Thursday’s injury report will be good for Sunday’s draft. A lot of things can happen in two days time. For example, the Atlanta Braves starting pitching rotation was decimated in a 48 hour window with elbow injuries to Kris Medlin and Brandon Beachy. Imagine how bad your rotation would look right after the draft if you had no idea they both had appointments with Dr. James Andrews.

The reason I’m posting this today is because I got bit by the lack of information bug this weekend. I took over a keeper league team that was built primarily around it’s position players and knew I needed to concentrate on starting pitching to make a dent in this particular points league. I had a very busy weekend planned and knew i wasn’t going to be able to do as much research on Saturday or Sunday morning as I would have liked, but I felt fairly confident.

I had seen a blip of a story on Patrick Corbin leaving his Spring Training start because of pain in his elbow. The particular post I saw only mentioned forearm tightness that seemed to be effecting his slider and that it was something to monitor, but didn’t seem like a huge issue. If it had been a draft during the week I would have been looking up every Diamond Backs beat writer’s Twitter timeline and trying to see if this meant he should be dropped down my rankings. Unfortunately the draft was on Sunday and the injury was on Saturday while I was out all day with my wife and kids. Only so much research can be done on your phone while your wife reads the menu.

Long story short I had an extra third round pick from a predraft trade and I used that on Corbin. Obviously in retrospect it was a huge mistake, but that mistake was compounded by me not drafting enough healthy pitching that didn’t have question marks around it. Sonny Gray as my ace doesn’t feel as comfortable without Corbin there as my second starter. Clay Buchholz as my third starter was worth a gamble if Corbin was healthy, but with Corbin out Buchholz makes my rotation very vulnerable.

Long story short I wrote this post as friendly reminder/warning that injuries do happen while your cooking steak on a stone and consuming mass quantities of sangria. Wake up just a little early or go to bed just a bit later and pour over the day’s injuries. Don’t take one story or article as the undisputed truth on the severity of an injury.

The Fantasy Baseball Black Book
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The Fantasy Baseball Black Book

Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball DFS

The Fantasy Baseball Black Book

The twists and turns of life often bring you back to a very familiar place. The twists and turns of my life brought me to Somerville, New Jersey to raise my children in my wife’s home town. While my wife was very familiar with the surroundings of this part of New Jersey, I was not. I often got route 202 confused with route 206 and became even more confused when it turned out they become the same road just north of Somerville.

I clung to sports to get my bearings and started coaching in the local high school. Football and Wrestling filled my days and nights and I started to master all the little ins and outs of the towns here in Somerset County. Then my wife became pregnant with triplets and my life completely changed. Instead of teaching and coaching I was changing diapers and making formula. Instead of watching game film or scouting opponents I was watching Sesame Street and going to well visits.

While I was talking to one of my friends from High School on Facebook they mentioned that a mutual friend was in a similar situation and lived relatively close to me. That mutual friend turned out to be Joe Pisapia, author of The Fantasy Baseball Blackbook, and someone I hadn’t spoken to since graduation. I looked Joe up on Twitter and we reconnected. It proved to be a very small world. We had grown up only a few blocks from each other and now we lived in neighboring towns. It was amazing how much we had in common. We both married amazing women who had become the major bread winners in the household and had daughters that we stayed home to take care of. We both were infatuated with fantasy sports and immediately started picking each other’s brain on theories and strategies.

I was primarily involved in the fantasy football world and had been away from fantasy baseball for a number of years when we reconnected. Joe, on the other hand, had been writing about fantasy baseball on multiple sites and was on SiriusXM Radio on the Going 9 Baseball show along with another childhood friend Dan Strafford. Not only was Joe posting articles and talking baseball on the radio, but he was author to the Number 1 Fantasy Baseball book on Kindle. The ideas and theories behind Joe’s book brought me back to Fantasy Baseball in 2013 and I couldn’t be happier. It made me look at rankings and the draft in an all new way and actually had me right back up on top of the leagues I was in my first year back since the late 90’s.

If you don’t believe me or are skeptical you should listen to some friends in the industry who think just as highly of The Fantasy Baseball Black Book as I do.

“Pisapia’s ideas and concepts on relative value are some of the smartest things I’ve read on this topic in all my years playing fantasy. All the things you think you know about fantasy are going to be colored and changed once you read this.”– Will Carroll, Lead Writer for Sports Medicine, Bleacher Report Member, BBWAA and PFWA

“Joe will have you looking at your player rankings in a whole new
way… and it will help put you ahead of the curve.” – Chris McBrien Host, “Dear Mr. Fantasy” Podcast

I was so excited about Joe’s latest book that I wanted share it with as many friends and followers as I could. Joe was nice enough to provide me an excerpt from his latest book so that my readers and followers can see what they’re missing by only buying a fantasy magazine from the local drug store. Here’s some of what the new book covers.

The new and expanded 2014 edition includes:

* Over 400+ player profiles including minor league prospects
* Expanded RPV for all players in varying formats (roto & points)
* 2014 Draft Strategy for all formats including Daily Fantasy Baseball leagues
* Chapters on being a commissioner, most overrated/underrated players, making trades and managing your team, and the answers the five biggest questions in fantasy this season
* More Dynasty and Auction League content than ever before

Here’s the excerpt, and don’t forget to click on the link to buy The Fantasy Baseball Black Book 2014 Edition.

By Joe Pisapia the creator of the revolutionary statistic RPV (Relative Position Value) and the author of The Fantasy Baseball Black Book 2014 Edition. Available on Amazon Kindle Store and iTunes for Apple Devices. Check out www.fantasyblackbook.com for your fantasy baseball news and listen to him on Sirius210/XM87 Fantasy Sports Channel Going 9 Baseball Every Thursday 8-10PM EST.

RPV – Relative Position Value

The age old argument in fantasy sports has always been whether or not to value position scarcity. Many have had theories on both ends of the spectrum. The biggest problem is neither side has been able to quantify their stance on the subject. That is until the Fantasy Baseball Black Book created the statistic Relative Position Value otherwise known as RPV. What RPV does is allow you to compare players to their peers at their respective positions with weighted values based on their production. It also gives you a look into each position as an entire entity to see just how valuable catchers are compared to second basemen as a whole. Best of all, it is completely adaptable to all formats, styles, scoring systems. RPV is adjustable to your specific league style and depth of talent. It’s the single most useful draft tool and player evaluation system available to fantasy players. And for any roto league players skeptical of this stat translating into your format, get ready to see fantasy in a whole new light.

RPV goes so much deeper than just measuring out league average production at a position. That really doesn’t help you much because all that gives you is a medium baseline to work off of and stay above. But what does that mean? It doesn’t weigh the players value above that baseline nor weigh the elite at the position versus the elite at other positions.

For example, let’s pretend the league average second basemen offensive stat line is: .260BA/70R/10HR/70RBI/7SB

The “experts” who use this logic insist that Player X is better than the league average and Player Y is under the league average so therefore Player Y is not valuable. Here is the major problem with this approach; the league average holds 30 players at second base. Fantasy leagues play 12-20 second basemen every week (depending on format and MINF slots). Therefore, the “league average” concept is obsolete. The fantasy league average is what is applicable based upon the depth of your personal league. My 24 team dynasty league is a totally different set of circumstances than my 16 team points league or 12 team roto league. You must have an adjustable tool to measure players in all situations.

Let us take things a step further. It’s not enough to know the statistical average fantasy points of the top 12 second basemen over the last three years (roughly 400 points). You need to have some way of quantifying how much better (or worse) a given player is compared to the next guy available at his position on draft day. I call this approach Relative Position Value of a player or RPV. This theory is simple to grasp and easy to utilize when creating your tiers for your draft.

To begin using RPV, you’ll need a method that will assign a numerical value to each player that reflects his performance. Any single measurement method will do; however, it is most easily communicated using fantasy points (or projected fantasy points) which measure a player’s true overall production. However, just because we are using points does not mean the result is not applicable to roto formats. In fact, it can be a huge asset when creating your draft strategy in roto leagues. You just have to adjust the point value by adding more weight to stolen bases and being aware of positive and negative batting averages (above/below .275BA as the benchmark). On the pitching end, you increase the value of saves and awareness of positive/negative ERA (3.75ERA being the threshold). We will investigate roto RPV further as the chapter continues.

With the basic point value system Robinson Cano is the highest point getter at second base with a 550 point average over the last three seasons. The average over that same period for the top 16 second basemen is 375 points. Note that we are looking at Cano versus a grouping of 16, but of course the number can be adjusted for any depth necessary.

The formula to determine the RPV or the percentage in which a player is better than the fantasy league average is:

(Individual Player Point Value − Fantasy League Average of the Position) ÷ Fantasy League Average of the Position = RPV

In the case of our example:

(Robinson Cano’s 550 −The Average 2B points 375) ÷ 375 = .46

So what does this .46 number mean? It means Cano is +46% better than the league fantasy league average second basemen. Therefore his RPV is +46%.

RPV can also show a negative impact. That would mean a player whose point total is below the position average (the 375 point threshold in this circumstance). RPV lets us see not only the negative affect of these players, but also the extent of that negative impact. For instance, let’s plug in Omar Infante’s 3 year average of 320 points into the equation.

Infante’s 320pts – 375 FLA (Fantasy League Avg) ÷ 375 = −.15 or −15%RPV

This means that should you end up starting Omar Infante in your league that you are down -15% in production at that given position relative to what the average second basemen in your league will achieve. Therefore, you must make up ground at another position just to keep up with the league average at an overall team level. The goal is to be at or above the average at every available position in order to maximize each available roster spot. Bill James once said if you had a league average player at every position you would make the playoffs in MLB every year. That would be accurate in fantasy terms as well. However, what we want to do is get to the playoffs with a real chance to win. In lay terms, you want to squeeze as much juice from every single orange you have in your crate so that your glass is as full as it can be, or at least fuller than the guy next to you. You have a certain number of finite active roster slots in your lineup and getting the most out of them each week is the key to success.

RPV IN THEORY

For an example, let’s take a look at the RPV leaders at each position over the last three years using the standard scoring system. Again this is for a field of 16 deep at each position. The second RPV in brackets

[X%] is for a 12 team roto league pool with expanded rosters (2C/CINF/MINF/5OF etc). The three year leaders by position are:

(FL AVG Points) =Fantasy League Average points

[RL AVG] = Roto League Average points

C Carlos Santana {398pts} (289 FL AVG pts) +38%RPV

[based on 256 roto league average points Santana = +55% roto RPV]

1B Prince Fielder {522pts} (418FL AVG) +25%RPV [386 RL AVG = +35%]

2B Robinson Cano {550pts} (375FL AVG) +46% [356 RL AVG = +55%]

3B Miguel Cabrera {636pts} (375FL AVG) +70% [346 RL AVG = +85%]

SS Ben Zobrist {443pts} (358 FL AVG) +24% [330 RL AVG = +34%]

*ALL ROTO OF RPV based on a 360 point ROTO AVG*

OF #1 (440) – Mike Trout (*only two full seasons*) (601) +37% [+70%]

OF #2 (376) – Alex Rios (424) +8% [+17%]

OF #3 (319) – Alfonso Soriano (369) +10% [+3%]

* #4 and #5 OF for roto only

*OF #4 (274) – Austin Jackson (342) [-5%]

*OF #5 (240) B.J. Upton 286 [-21%]

*SP RPV values hold true in all formats*

(w/ a secret points league advantage discussed later in this chapter)

SP#1 (522) – Clayton Kershaw (669) +28%

*SP #2 (409) – C.J. Wilson (440) +8%

*SP #3 (337) – A.J. Burnett (372) +10%

*SP #4 (291) – Mike Minor (311) +7%

*SP #5 (256) – Ryan Vogelsong (269) +5%

RP #1 (321) – Craig Kimbrel (522) +63%

*RP #2 (241) – Glen Perkins (264) +10%

One of the most interesting things about looking at 3-year averages is that the “best” player at each position is not necessarily the one that jumps to mind. Ben Zobrist for instance is not the player Hanley Ramirez or Troy Tulowitzki is, but Zobrist does produce consistently and he stays on the field regularly. In points leagues, Carlos Santana’s +38% is higher than Mike Trout’s 37%, but clearly there is no universe Santana goes before Trout nor should he. What it does illuminate is that relatively speaking, Santana’s value based on the positional depth of catcher is extraordinary. It also shows how valuable a catcher who plays more frequently just 5 games a week. We

Notice that for the outfield and pitching positions I’ve broken things down into individual roster spots, even though the players who are eligible at these positions are all drafted from a single pool. I think this is appropriate when considering RPV, because, not all three outfielders on a fantasy points league squad represent the same level of quality or performance. Thinking this way, you can see why drafting a solid number one outfielder is important, but once you have one, the rest of your outfield slots can be filled later in the draft.

There is a distinct difference in the points and roto RPV numbers. You can also clearly see when the talent pool expands to a 12 team roto league with 5 OF/CINF/MINF etc. the percentages expand. What also grows is the disparity between the top and bottom numbers. You also see how even the best 4^th and 5^th outfielders are in the negative pool making outfielders a higher priority in roto. The OF pool becomes a matter of supply and demand. There are 90 active OF playing a night in MLB (3OF x 30 teams). In a 16 team points there are 48 (3 OF x 16 teams). That is about half the total talent pool. In roto, you normally have 5 active X 12 teams which is a pool of 60. That is 2/3 of the talent pool and I am not counting how many you will see used in DH or UT lots. That can easily bump that number to 70 or more out of the 90 available.

In 12 team roto leagues, Mike Trout’s value skyrockets as it should. OF is where you will get the majority of stolen base production and that is crucial to roto leagues. Another clear leap is at catcher. Santana’s RPV also increases a great deal based on the expanded catcher pool and lack of production at the bottom third of the top 24 catchers. As for Miguel Cabrera, well he is still equally brilliant in all formats.

Fantasy Sports: Trades
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Fantasy Sports: Trades

Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Football

Fantasy Sports: Trades

Being Proactive Vs. Being Annoying

I am all for trying to better your roster from the time the draft ends to the very second that you are eliminated from the playoffs. I even love making trades during a draft. That’s why I always prefer having a live in-person draft because you can use some of the best skills a poker player possesses to your advantage. You can read a person’s reaction to a pick. (bad or good.) You can use your memory of how much an owner loves a certain player to corner them into a trade. You can even use your mathematical skills to gain an advantage when trading draft picks.

The problem I have seen with online drafts full of anonymous strangers is there is little to no advantage to be culled for trade purposes during a draft. The message board is often filled with braggadocio and insults, and offers little useful information to the cunning owner. The occasional, you sniped me comment, can be used, but even then the owner knows they opened their big mouth during the draft. The trade block after a draft is filled with mistake picks that look like road side junk on the way to a theme park.

After a draft is always a delicate time for trades. It’s easy to take a player or two off an owner’s hands that had some buyer’s remorse, but trying to pry away top draft picks is often a fruitless endeavor. They were drafted high for a reason. The owner believes in their talent and opportunity. The only time I even try and go after an owner’s first few picks is when there is some post draft news that may affect how in love they really are with that player. Is the backup all of a sudden going to be handed a bigger role. Is there an injury that went unnoticed in the preseason.

Make Sure You See The Signs

If an owner tells you up front that they would prefer not to talk about trades until after the season starts, take that as a big hint. They are basically posting a huge warning sign that states CLOSED UNTIL THE SEASON. Treat these owners like they are bears in hibernation. You don’t really want to go prodding the bear and end up creating an enemy for life.

If an owner says a certain player is OFF LIMITS don’t cross that line. As the great @WHUDEY says all the time, habitual line steppers will be put in their place! No rationale or pointing out of holes in an owner’s lineup will help you pry away an untouchable. You will only make that owner dig in deeper, like a jungle warrior trying to avoid an invading army. You are only setting yourself up for disaster if you keep on with the assault.

If an owner says they have a certain need, make sure your trade offer solves that problem otherwise you are wasting people’s time. Don’t try and sell your offer as a problem solver if it only puts a band-aid on an open wound. When someone loses Reggie Wayne for the year don’t offer them Hakeem Nicks for Jimmy Graham. Not only are you insulting their intelligence, you are bringing your own into question.

If your 100 MESSAGES aren’t being returned it’s time to rethink your strategy. Trying to get a trade done is not a war of attrition. You don’t try and wear down the other owner until they finally accept an offer. You are not only alienating the owner, but you are setting yourself up for a big problem. If you continuously set your sites on one player you can make so many offers that you may make a mistake where you give away way too much for that player. It’s especially dangerous if the owner you are trying to force a trade with is a poker player. A good owner (poker player) could be just checking and checking every time they decline your trade offers without a reason, waiting to trap you into that one big hand where he empties your wallet. (roster.)

Being First To The Feeding Frenzy

When there is a major injury on a Sunday in fantasy football, the first thing I do is check the owner of that player’s roster for possible trade fits. I treat that owner as if they are a stranded swimmer out in the ocean. Life boats will be coming at them from all angles with some boats looking more inviting then others. Being first to lend a hand with a sensible offer can put you at the head of the line if there are multiple owners with similar offers. Remember that most owner’s worst traits tend to come out when they smell blood in the water. They offer their waiver wire bound wide receiver and act like it’s the golden ticket from Willy Wonka. I’m pretty sure Slugworth wouldn’t even want Miles Austin on his roster if it meant some of Wonka’s secrets.

Please use these tips as a guide of what not to do in trying to trade in fantasy sports.

Ryan Braun Problems

Well folks, we are headed into the All Star break and it’s time to take stock of the first half of the fantasy baseball season. I am currently leading or in second place in all of my leagues, but I am in no mood to celebrate.

Why, you ask?

His name is Ryan Braun.

I was unlucky enough to pick third or fourth in four different leagues this year, and you guessed it…I drafted Braun across the board. I reassured myself with every draft that Braun is a beast. “Don’t worry Dennis, even if anything comes of this PED stuff it won’t be until after the season,” I said to myself. My mutterings became like white noise in the background as I was walking out of drafts with an ACME sized anvil hanging over my head.

You are probably saying, “Hey buddy you knew the risk. Why should I listen to you complain?”

You don’t have to listen. You can go back to your cozy beds filled with the Miguel Cabrera’s of the world. I’ll just be tossing some of my worthless Barry Bonds 1987 Fleer Rookie cards on the fire and reminiscing about times gone by when fantasy owners didn’t have to also be labor lawyers in their spare time.

It’s true that I knew the risk when I drafted him, but who can blame me? I’m a gambler at heart and I have the ATM receipts from Atlantic City to prove it (NOTE: I seem to have misplaced the massive deposit slips I promised my wife though). I saw a mark and I took it down. How could I turn down the clear cut 2nd or 3rd best player at #3 or #4 overall in every draft? It’s like Braun and I were destined to be together.

That last part scares me a little.

The entire reason I stopped doing fantasy baseball back in the late 1990’s in the first place was because of guys like Bret Boone and Barry Bonds. Drafting back then was like playing a dart toss carnival game at the Jersey shore. You would show up to a draft and toss a dart and hope the balloon (player) was filled with juice. Your eighth round pick might break records that were set during the Deadball era. They were wild times.

Now you have to check in Vegas’s black book as well as your draft day cheat sheets just to make a pick. (I think only NBA players are in that actually – see Charles Barkley and Antoine Walker).

I wouldn’t even be sweating the Biogenesis stuff so much if Braun could just play. When he was playing early in the season he wasn’t himself, but he was still very useful. Since then he’s been on every list possible. The disabled list, the bereavement list, the cheating-lying scumbag list. Oh wait that list hasn’t been announced yet, but has been leaked more times than if Pam and Tommy did another sex tape.

Braun has his injured thumb for an excuse, but it’s his head I’m worried about. How do you stare down a 90 MPH fastball when you know your entire legacy and life’s work hangs in the balance of an ongoing investigation? If it is proven that he cheated, Braun will face the biggest backlash the sport has ever seen, hands down. The common fan will never forgive Braun for going after his specimen collector Dino Laurenzi, Jr at a press conference when he happened to win his appeal.

I am more worried about the Brewers than my own fantasy baseball teams. It’s not like they can whip out a Yankee-sized checkbook and replace him. The way their farm system looks makes Mets’ fans pump out their chests. A season-long suspension might single-handedly kill baseball in Milwaukee. The Brewers chose to make him the face of the franchise. He rewarded them with an MVP and they rewarded him with the biggest contract in their history. Now he may kill their playoff hopes for the next ten years.

Don’t cry for me Argentina! Oops, I meant fantasy baseball gods. My fantasy teams won’t be in as bad a shape as the Brewers if Braun gets suspended. I made back-up plans. I even made back-up plans for my back-up plans and should at least keep my head above water. I traded for Chris Davis in the leagues that I could get him early and at a reasonable rate to make up for the homeruns and RBIs. I traded for Desmond Jennings and Starling Marte to make up for the stolen bases. I even took a shot on Jason Heyward using an ultimate buy low package where I sent two waiver wire pick-ups for Cole Hamels and Heyward.

I may be able to fill out a line-up, but I was much happier when Braun was stashed on my disabled list and I didn’t have to think about him every day (like the Yankees with Alex Rodriguez rehabbing in Tampa). Now he’s on the bereavement list and I can’t even clear a bench spot. In my three daily lineup change leagues that has become a big problem.

Braun is in fantasy roster limbo. He could come back after the break and play like an angel delivering my team to a championship while he fights to defend his name. He could be a demon that gets cast off of my roster when his appeal goes down in flames. Or he could just hang around my bench popping his head in and out of my lineup from day to day resembling a shell of his former self.

Either way, the torture of fielding terrible trade offers for Braun has put me in my own little circle of hell. You wouldn’t believe the names that have filled my inbox. At this point I would be happy if I got offered B.J. Upton for Ryan Braun. Not that I would take it. It would just be nice to be offered someone that was actually drafted instead of picked up off the waiver wire the day before.

This article originally appeared at www.fantasyjudgment.com as part of an ongoing diary series.

Fantasy League Commissioner Wanted

You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. While Cinderella’s early 90’s power ballad may have made me queasy at the time, truer words were truly never spoken. I had no idea how lucky I was that my buddy from age five had been our fantasy football league commissioner for all these years. He was truly unbiased and thoughtful in every situation. Whether it was rule changes, votes for new members, or controversial trades, he always put the integrity of the league first. Over these last 15 years, I now realize I have taken him for granted. I never knew how much he improved my quality of life until I started venturing out into new leagues recently.

I feel like all three major sports leagues in the U.S. could take some notes from my old commissioner. Roger Goodell with the NFL has put himself front and center in all things and only cares about his own legacy. Bud Selig has made MLB an old buddy-buddy league that is full of underhanded dealings and biased rulings. David Stern walks around believing that he made the NBA a must see league, even though it was the league that Magic, Bird and Jordan made. I’m not talking about Gary Bettman because, well this isn’t Canada. Is it?

I have joined a bunch of different leagues the last few years and found the commissioners have closely resembled at least one of the big three. In one league, rules were changed after the draft that clearly benefited the commissioner and his cronies. His Bud Selig impression was not appreciated and I was quickly a one and done league champ. The worst situation was when I joined a dynasty fantasy football league that was clearly run by a Roger Goodell clone. Every correspondence was rank with arrogance. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when he traded for Jimmy Graham and Dez Bryant and gave up Eli Manning and Michael Turner. I died a little inside when I emailed the entire league to ask for some back up with my protests to this trade-rape, and found no backers. When I pressed one league member about why he didn’t protest the trade he said, “It wouldn’t matter if we protested, the commissioner has complete autonomy over the league and will beat down any challenges in the ranks.”

Situations and priorities change, and so does life. Three kids later, an ever growing workload, and free time that would only be envied by an indentured servant has made it impossible for me to take on the responsibility of being a league commissioner. I feel like I would be unbiased, fair, and decent, but alas I am not available for the job.

The ones that are available sadly don’t measure up. Think about it…who in their mid-thirties to early forties has time to run fantasy leagues? Single guys in their thirties or forties have the time, but do we really want them in charge? They are probably single for a reason. They have either never had their stuff together long enough to impress a mate or have been found wanting by the opposite sex (or same sex) when given the chance. Whether they lied, cheated, or stole none of these traits make for a good commissioner. Ideally, you want your commissioner to be like the dad from Growing Pains, not Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons (Worst Commissioner Ever).

My real frustration comes from the laziness that has permeated some of these leagues. Instead of having an honest commissioner make fair decisions on trades, I have been forced to deal with league votes. How can a league vote ever be fair to a team in a playoff position? It’s like having ten angry jurors deciding your fate. Teams ahead of you have the bias of not wanting you to catch them. Teams below you want to catch up to you and will not be happy if you strengthen your squad. Then there is the team you are playing that week that has the ultimate bias.

Recently I made a trade that had to be put to a league vote. The GM that I was playing that week told me he was voting against the trade solely out of spite. The trade would have given me a little more power and he didn’t want me to make up a disadvantage in homeruns that week. I had to sit on my hands and hope everyone made a fair and unbiased decision. It was gut-wrenching, but it eventually passed. (P.S. Chris Davis hit a two-run homerun on Sunday for me to tie in homeruns and give me the RBI category)

So if you are reading this and feel you are a man among men, please step up to the plate and be a league commissioner. Fantasy leagues need you, I need you, and more importantly, America needs you!

This article also appears at www.FantasyJudgment.com as part of a weekly series called Coach Esser’s Diary.