Update on the Worst Fantasy Team Ever

I ranted earlier about the disaster that was my fantasy team and it has only gotten worse. Players that were performing have stopped or gotten injured and it is a complete disaster. However, I did finally get my first win this week to go to an awesome 1-8. Here is the list of players destroying my life:

C Geovanny Soto: He was on the original list and has not done anything since. .204-2-13 is absolutely terrible for someone coming off a .285-23-86 rookie season. I have been trying to find a replacement all year but catcher is not a very deep position. I have been hoping Matt Wieters can take his place but he is also not off to a good start. It is not a large enough sample for me to rant on him but it is a very slow start for Baseball America's #1 prospect.

SS Jose Reyes: He was also on the original list but the reason has completely changed. Before it was due to a lack of production and now it is a lack of playing. After my post it seemed he had turned the corner and started to produce. He then tore his hamstring and has not played since May 20th. He is still a couple of weeks away from coming back and I doubt he will be the same when he comes back. Of course, Reyes would have a lost year the year I use my 1st round pick on him.

OF Jay Bruce: He is not that frustrating because the expectations were that great. Yes, he has hit 14 home runs this year but he is doing it batting .216. The most frustrating part it is all in spurts. He has had two big weeks that he has produced and has done nothing the rest of the time.

OF B.J. Upton: He has started to produce a little lately but it has still been a terrible season for someone who should be a .300-20-80-30 player. Instead he is currently .220-3-15-17.

OF Josh Hamilton: I have never hated a recovered crackhead more. First he wasn't producing and then he had nagging injuries and now he has torn abdominal muscle and is out for over a month. I will never touch him again because the drugs have destroyed his body so much that he can never stay healthy. In the last 3 years he has played 281 games out of a possible 380 games. That makes Joe Mauer look like Lou Gehrig.

1B Joey Votto: Votto was one of the bright spots in the first couple weeks. He then suddenly came down with bout of dizziness. He played every so often and produced when he did but missed a lot of games. It was first related to an ear infection and he sat for awhile. He then came back but the problem persisted. He then went on the 15 day DL for personal reasons. It is believed to be related to the dizziness (some have speculated that it is vertigo) but it has not been said why he is on the DL. There is no idea of when he will be back or if he will ever be back. I understand you have to respect his privacy but he is killing my fantasy team because I have no idea when he will be back.

P Brandon Webb: Has not pitched since Opening Day and does not appear close to doing so. The most annoying thing is that the site I use since he is supposed to be a Cy Young contender is not able to be dropped so I have had to hold him the entire time.

Players that have also hurt me this year: 3B Garrett Atkins, P Rich Harden, P John Lackey, and P Brian Wilson

Players that have surprisingly done well this year: 1B James Loney, 2B Brandon Phillips, P Cole Hamels, P Erik Bedard, and P Edwin Jackson

Why my Fantasy Team is a Disaster

After draft day in mid-March I was pumped. I had an awesome team and was envisioning running through the league on the way to a title. One month later my team is 0-4 and in shatters. I have almost completely given up on this team. Here is a list of culprits that I currently detest:

C Geovanny Soto: Coming off a rookie of the year award hitting .285-23-86, I was not expecting huge numbers but I was expecting similar numbers. Instead I have gotten .167-0-4. Awesome.

2B Brandon Phillips: He isn't Chase Utley or Ian Kinsler but he is a good offensive 2nd baseman at a thin position with decent speed. I have gotten .204-3-11 and only 4 stolen bases. Cool.

SS Jose Reyes: He obviously was my first round pick. He is assumed to be a lock for 70 stolen bases and 15 home runs while hitting around .300. He hasn't been brutal but he is not playing like a first round pick. He currently .257-1-8 and only 6 stolen bases. Great.

OF Jay Bruce: I was looking for him to breakout and become a star in his first full year in the majors. His stats don't look that bad so far at .253-6-14 but the problem is that he hit 4 of those home runs and 8 rbis in the one week I sat him. Super.

OF Josh Hamilton: He has been labeled as the real Roy Hobbs and has otherwordly talent. He is coming off a great season and in the middle of the crazy Texas lineup I expected great things. Instead he is the only guy on the Texas team not hitting. He is .242-2-10 and currently on the DL. Fantastic.

OF B.J. Upton: He was coming off a great postseason in which he hit 7 home runs. He has the power to hit 20-30 home runs, speed to steal 40+ bases and hit around .300. He also is on a very potent lineup in Tampa Bay. Instead I have been dealing with a player hitting .152-0-2 and only 6 stolen bases. Magnificent.

P Cole Hamels: I am so sick of him. He started with a couple bad starts and currently leaves every game early with a different injury. I have no idea when he starts and he only gets through 4 innings when he does. He started the year with elbow problems. He then got hit with a line drive in the shoulder. Last start he rolled his ankle and sprained it. Terrific.

P Brandon Webb: He was supposed to be my reliable staff ace. He had pitched 200+ innings 5 straight years and with an ERA under 4.00 and around 180 K. He got blown out his first start and went onto the DL with a shoulder problem that was only supposed to be two weeks. He is currently not expected to return until at least early June. Incredible.

All of these players are quality players and were not seen as gambles or terrible risks. If these guy played to their potential I would be in great shape but my team is filled with all of the disappointments in the majors. I do have some players who are pulling their weight like James Loney, Joey Votto, Erik Bedard, Aaron Harang and Clayton Kershaw. I am still hoping they can turn it around and I can still win the title but I am already this week well on my way to 0-5.

Preview Recap, Awards and Post Season Predictions

AL Central
Minnesota Twins (7)
Cleveland Indians (11)
Chicago White Sox (12)
Detroit Tigers (17)
Kansas City Royals (24)

AL East
Tampa Bay Rays (1)
Boston Red Sox (2)
New York Yankees (3)
Toronto Blue Jays (14)
Baltimore Orioles (29)

AL West
Los Angeles Angels (5)
Oakland Athletics (16)
Texas Rangers (19)
Seattle Mariners (26)

NL Central
Chicago Cubs (4)
Milwaukee Brewers (13)
Cincinnati Reds (18)
St. Louis Cardinals (20)
Houston Astros (23)
Pittsburgh Pirates (30)

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies (6)
New York Mets (8)
Atlanta Braves (15)
Florida Marlins (21)
Washington Nationals (27)

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers (9)
Arizona Diamondbacks (10)
San Francisco Giants (22)
Colorado Rockies (25)
San Diego Padres (28)

LDS
Rays over Twins in 4 games
Red Sox over Angels in 3 games
Phillies over Dodgers in 5 games
Cubs over Mets in 4 games

LCS
Rays over Red Sox in 6 games
Cubs over Phillies in 7 games

World Series
Rays over Cubs in 5 games

AL Awards
ROY: David Price, Tampa Bay
Cy Young: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston
MVP: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay

NL Awards
ROY: Cameron Maybin, Florida
Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
MVP: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia

#10 Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks
Last Year: 82-80 2nd in NL West
This Year: 2nd in NL West


Last year the Diamondbacks flew out of the gates to a 20-8 start. They were then undone by their own doing and the Dodgers acquisition of Manny Ramirez. The team filled with young players has gotten a year older and this year looks to best the Dodgers this year and make the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Opening Day Lineup w/Projections
2B Felipe Lopez .274 8 HR 53 RBI
SS Stephen Drew .296 24 HR 75 RBI
CF Chris B. Young .251 25 HR 87 RBI
LF Conor Jackson .294 15 HR 89 RBI
RF Justin Upton .261 23 HR 79 RBI
1B Chad Tracy .266 17 HR 75 RBI
3B Mark Reynolds .255 30 HR 78 RBI
C Chris Snyder .238 17 HR 62 RBI
P Brandon Webb

Rotation
RHP Brandon Webb 19-9 3.11 ERA 176 K
RHP Dan Haren 17-8 3.15 ERA 198 K
LHP Doug Davis 10-11 4.40 ERA 149 K
RHP Jon Garland 13-9 4.79 ERA 103 K
RHP Max Scherzer 12-8 3.15 ERA 187 K

CP RHP Chad Qualls 3.27 ERA 27 SV 73 K

Best Case Scenario: The Arizona batters learn that contact is there friend. Upton blossoms into the All-Star player he will be. Drew, Jackson and Young further their development and become a force in the middle of the lineup. Scherzer stays healthy and is an immediate ace backing up Webb and Haren. This team wins 90+ games and wins the NL West and makes noise in the playoffs.

Worst Case Scenario: The strikeouts keep rolling as Mark Reynolds nears 250 strikeouts. Injuries riddle the rotation. Upton is still a .220 hitter. Scherzer is not ready to take the next step and also continues his shoulder struggles. Arizona can not figure out the bullpen leading to chaos and blown leads. This team finishes around .500 and might end up in 3rd place.

Player Most Important to Success: Max Scherzer. Scherzer made a lot of noise in his appearances last year with the Diamondbacks. He had an ERA of 3.05 in 7 starts and 56 IP and 66 K's in those 56 innings. The problem with Scherzer is that he has yet to throw over 100 innings in a single season yet. He is already not likely to be ready for Opening day and won't likely pitch until mid-April. If he can stay healthy he will be a very imposing 3rd starter in this rotation that will be the best in the National League. This pitching staff will be able to shut down the Dodgers lineup to win the division and will not a be a team anyone will want to face in a short series in October.

Outlook: What killed the Diamondback last year was the inability of the lineup to make contact. Mark Reynolds struck out 204 times, Chris Young struck out 165 times, Justin Upton 121 times in only 356 at bats and Stephen Drew also struck out 109 times. You can not win a lot of games with the middle of the lineup striking out 1 out every 5 at bats or worse. They absolutely have to cut down on the strikeouts and realize they don't have to swing for the fences every time. That being said the lineup has a lot of young talent that can produce throughout the lineup. If Scherzer develops this team has the best pitching staff in the NL. Webb and Haren will be able to win games for the team that they have no business winning. Those two were the only reason this team finished above .500 last year. I had this team winning the division before Manny went back to the Dodgers. While it is still close and should be a hard fought long race I think ultimately the Diamondbacks will fall short due to the lineup to the Dodgers and miss out on the playoffs again in 2009.