Fantasy Baseball Draft #2 Complete

It has been a busy week for me and I haven’t gotten around to sharing my second fantasy baseball draft results to the public. You can take a breath now. I’m here.

This is from a Keeper League I have finished second in the last two years. Usually by September when the playoffs come around, I get distracted and admittedly I have half-assed my roster updates. Since there was no cash prize I never felt the need to steal someone’s WiFi when I was away from home or buy something from Dunkin Donuts just to use theirs.

In the league, we were allowed 4 keepers with at least 1 having to be a batter or a pitcher. My keepers were Andrew McCutchen, Jose Abreu, Max Scherzer, and Chris Sale. The only other one I was maybe going to keep was Madison Bumgarner, however, I’m expecting a bit of a decline from him this season after his glory during the 2014 World Series.

Anyway, here is how my team looks.

I’m very happy with the team. I especially like all of the young players I have on the bench. I purposefully loaded up on Toronto Blue Jays because I have very high expectations for the team.

One thing I did different this year from last was devote time to getting good closers. Typically I’ve ignored them and settled with three. This year, I have Mark Melancon, Cody Allen, Santiago Casilla, and Brett Cecil. I probably went a little heavy with offense, but some of the moves were necessary. Brandon Belt was taken very late and I’ve been impressed with him this spring. Dalton Pompey was my last pick and will be used mostly to add some stolen bases.

Already, I have made a few changes. Danny Salazar was optioned to Triple-A so I signed Carlos Rodon. He’s also beginning the season in the minors so I added Drew Hutchison. I’m a big fan of his and the strikeouts are certainly a big reason why.

Once again, my pitching is stellar and I’m confident between Scherzer, Sale, Jordan Zimmermann, and Sonny Gray at least one will win the Cy Young Award. I’m also quite happy with my offense. Since most of the young players I have are deep on the bench, even if most struggle I should be set.

There’s only one fantasy baseball draft left for me to go through and it’s another keeper league where we hold onto 15 players from last season. Thankfully that means a quick draft and not 2-3 hours of watching people trash talk each other as I stuff my face with food.

2015 MLB Predictions: Jordan Zimmermann Wins the National League Cy Young Award

Ready for another groundbreaking and controversial prediction? Too bad because this isn’t too outlandish.

The addition of Max Scherzer this offseason has given the Washington Nationals everything they could ask for in terms of competing for a title. They already had a near-perfect team with one of baseball’s best starting rotations. In that rotation is the guy who I think will win the National League Cy Young Award, Jordan Zimmermann.

By MissChatter on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2013, Zimmermann had a breakout season. He won 19 games for the Nationals and finished 7th in the Cy Young Award voting. The next season he won 14 games, but with an ERA that dipped down to 2.66. He would finish 5th in the Cy Young Award voting this time around and has pushed himself up into a new echelon of starting pitchers.

There’s marked improved from Zimmermann from these two All-Star seasons. His strikeouts were up in 2014 and in spite of fewer wins he was a much more accomplished pitcher.

Zimmermann enters the 2015 season holding the strap for the last guy to pitch a no-hitter. He did so on the final game of the regular season. This momentum may not necessarily carry over however there’s no reason to dismiss the idea completely.

The reason I think Zimmermann has an advantage over anyone is the staff around him. Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg possibly pitching in front of him, there’s a weaker chance Zimmermann has to face opponents’ aces. Wins aren’t everything for Cy Young Award voting, but it certainly helps and could get Zimmermann over the hump.

By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

What’s this have to do with Pedro Martinez?

Although Pedro Martinez never pitched for the Washington Nationals, he did spend some time with the squad they used to be: the Montreal Expos. Martinez won the Cy Young in 1997 for them which just happened to be the only in franchise history.

Since moving to Washington, no man has dared capture the honor. That is of course until 2015 when Zimmermann bests the second place finisher, Clayton Kershaw. This is what I envision happening.

I predict big things for the Nationals and specifically Zimmermann in the coming season. He’ll earn this honor with a very low ERA and plenty of wins to justify calling him the best pitcher in the league for the 2015 season.

Do the New York Mets Have a Better Rotation than the Washington Nationals?

New York Mets’ rotation not far behind Washington Nationals’

By MissChatter on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Deep Starting Rotations Help Your Fantasy Baseball Team

The deeper a major league team’s starting rotation the better it will help your fantasy baseball team.

It’s pretty simple. Let me use the Washington Nationals as an example since I consider them to have one of the deeper rotations in baseball. Their six starting pitchers are Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark. Although it doesn’t work out perfectly as the season goes along, this makes whoever pitches fifth go against the fifth starters from other teams. This means starting against the gunk the Philadelphia Phillies have last in the rotation on a regular basis. This equals more wins for the pitcher.

By Keith Allison [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Pitching matchups are only a little important when it comes to deciding whether you should start a pitcher or not. You can’t rely on another pitcher to pitch poorly to help your own or vice versa. The only matchup you should ever care about is the opposing team’s offense.

I’m not saying you should only pick up pitchers from teams with deep rotations. I’m just saying when you’re drafting in the 30th round and trying to decide between the fifth starter for a good team and the third starter for an okay one, you should learn more toward the guy playing for the good team.

What’s more valuable to a pitcher in fantasy baseball than a win? Or in some cases, what hurts more than a loss?

When the late rounds arrive and you have to decide who to draft and there aren’t any position players on the Colorado Rockies left, look at pitchers playing for teams everyone is predicting to do pretty good. In most leagues, even when it feels like almost everyone is drafted, you won’t go too deep into most rotations so this won’t be a problem. It’s just one more thing to consider when you feel like you’ve spent an eternity picking your team for the 2015 season and you want to get things over with.

The One Thing the Washington Nationals are Missing: A Guarantee

The Washington Nationals have been very busy this offseason. At first, letting Adam LaRoche walk seemed like a step in the wrong direction. He gives them plenty of power, something they could still use more of.

Then they went out and surprised everyone by signing free agent pitcher Max Scherzer. He was the top free agent this offseason and they were the ones who won his services – for a small fee, of course.

After that, the Nationals suddenly became the favorite. There wasn’t much else the team could or has to do to be great. I already thought they had a good enough rotation to compete.

Today, they signed former Toronto Blue Jays’ closer Casey Janssen to a one-year deal where he’ll be counted on more as a regular relief pitcher instead of someone whose responsibility it is to close the game. Janssen gives them some assurance if Drew Storen fails. In the meantime, he gives them possibly the best bullpen in baseball.

By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Casey Janssen”) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The one thing the Nationals do not have is a guarantee. Will Bryce Harper stay healthy? Will Jayson Werth return from his injury and play at the level they need him to? Will Anthony Rendon have another great year? Will Max Scherzer be worth anywhere near what they’re paying him?

A guarantee is impossible in every aspect of life. Unfortunately for the Nationals, this is not something they can simply buy.

I love their lineup, rotation, and bullpen. Their bench is a bit weak, but benches don’t win you championships. I have a feeling they’ll add some sort of late-inning, pinch-hitting assassin around July to give them a bat off the bench late in games for the postseason. Even that, though, is no guarantee at victory.

The Washington Nationals and Max Scherzer?

New reports are saying the Washington Nationals are the front-runners at signing free agent pitcher Max Scherzer. The deal would give Scherzer 7 years and what we can assume is more money than necessary.

The Nationals already have Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark, and Scherzer’s old Detroit Tigers’ teammate Doug Fister in the rotation. If the Nationals do sign Scherzer, my guess is that Zimmermann or Gonzalez would be traded.

I still have my doubts that the Nationals will actually sign Scherzer because other teams are in much more dire need of pitching. However, based on Strasburg’s low contract he agreed to over the weekend, maybe this was a foreshadow of things to come.

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Max Scherzer) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

A Small, Short, and Unimportant Update on James Shields

According to CBS Sports, there are at least 7 teams still vying for free agent pitcher James Shields. These 7 are more anonymous than the jurors at the O.J. Trial. We know more about the Navy Seal team that killed Osama Bin Laden than we do the 7 teams still making their best effort at snatching up Shields.

Jon Lester signing with the Chicago Cubs and the continued nomad status of Max Scherzer puts Shields in a bit of a predicament. He’s the third among the three free agent pitchers this offseason and many teams are probably either over or under valuing him.

It could very well taken until Scherzer signs for Shields to find a home. There’s no real rush. This offseason seemed to have everyone find a team early, probably to make sure plenty of good kids got their new team jersey for Christmas and all of the bad ones could get the one they wore with their old team.

What Does Free Agent Max Scherzer Need More than Millions of Dollars?

Max Scherzer wants your run support

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Max Scherzer) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

San Francisco Giants Not Signing James Shields or Max Scherzer

The defending champion San Francisco Giants are no longer pursuing free agent pitcher James Shields. Additionally, they were apparently never interested in Max Scherzer in a realistic world.

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Max Scherzer) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The current rotation is shaping up to include Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, and Tim Lincecum. A great rotation if they were all in their prime, questions remain.

Bumgarner is the only sure-thing of the five following his memorable performance in the 2014 postseason. Even so, some have wondered if his arm can hold up with all of the extra innings he was asked to pitch so late into the year.

Peavy has had his struggles in recent seasons as has Cain, who suffered a season-ending injury. For the Tims, Hudson is probably pitching in his final season while Lincecum could have his last chance to make the starting rotation. We have seen the best and worst from Lincecum in the last few seasons, but as the team’s fifth starter how good does he really need to be?

By Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA (Matt Cain Uploaded by Muboshgu) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The more pressing need for the Giants is with their offense. Losing Pablo Sandoval and replacing him with Casey McGehee shows the poor direction they are headed. One player they may be after now is Tampa Bay Rays’ infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist who could play almost anywhere in San Francisco. The Giants are lacking all over the field with the exception of Buster Posey at catcher. Even the great Hunter Pence was not an elite player, better utilized as a locker room leader.

Repeating is hard under any circumstances. Even if they had signed Shields or traded for an equivalent-level pitcher, the Giants have to deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres within the division. Although they won the World Series last season, we need to remember if they had lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card game it would have never happened.

The Detroit Tigers Lost in the Baseball Jungle

It’s rare we see the best pitcher in baseball and the best position player on the same team. For the Detroit Tigers, this was the case for a short period of time.

Justin Verlander won the 2011 Cy Young Award and American League MVP. He was baseball’s best pitcher and as the award went to him, technically the best overall player.

By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Justin Verlander”) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The following season he didn’t repeat either honor, although he did have another great season. Instead the AL MVP went to Miguel Cabrera who happened to win the Triple Crown by leading the league in home runs, RBIs, and batting average. Cabrera repeated the MVP honors again in 2013 sans Triple Crown.

The 2013 season also had another member of the Tigers win the Cy Young Award. This time instead of going to Verlander it went to a well-deserved Max Scherzer.

Most recently in 2014, the Tigers were for the first time since 2010 without an MVP/Cy Young Award winner. However, if not for Mike Trout the MVP Award would have probably gone to Victor Martinez who put together a monster season.

All of the domination and awards given to individual players, the Tigers are only 4-4 in playoff series since this streak began in 2011. They have appeared in only one World Series where they were swept by the San Francisco Giants.

Now, during the purgatory time between the 2014 and 2015 season when teams try to build toward the future, the Tigers look a little lost in the baseball jungle.

Yes the Tigers still have Verlander, Cabrera, and Martinez. Verlander is also coming off a pretty bad season. To compliment him though, they do have David Price. You could then counter that with the loss of Scherzer to free agency. And then there are trade rumors about sending Rick Porcello elsewhere. And the loss of reliable veteran outfielder Torii Hunter.And there’s the lack of a true third baseman and shortstop. And mostly unknowns in the outfielder who may be better suited in a platoon situation. And a bullpen with more question marks than The Riddler’s tight green villain-spandex.

The point is–I’m having my doubts that the Tigers are better than they were last year and that didn’t end so well. The way things are going so far this offseason, the organization may need to take a step back. The American League Central is not as easy to win anymore.

Coming off a World Series appearance, you better believe the Kansas City Royals want to get better and will do something to accomplish this. The Chicago White Sox may have been at the bottom of baseball last year, but their lineup is strong and one more starting pitcher could help them leap into contention. You also shouldn’t count out the Cleveland Indians. They have reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in the rotation and are already attempting to build a better lineup to help the current roster out.

Things are not looking good for the Tigers. They have experimented greatly in many ways and nothing has gotten them over the hump. Unable to win in 2013 with a rotation of Verlander, Scherzer, Porcello, Doug Fister, and Anibal Sanchez with one of baseball’s best lineups to help them out–I have my doubts that this current team has any chance of proving me wrong.