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.

#8 New York Mets

New York Mets
Last Year: 89-73 2nd in NL East
This Year: 2nd in NL East, NL Wild Card


The Mets are moving into their new digs this season and they are still being overshadowed by the Yankees who are also moving into new digs. The Mets collapsed after starting strong for the second straight time. By the end of the season, Johan Santana seemed to be the only player capable of contributing. GM Omar Minaya promised to make drastic changes but all he did was add two closers to the team. Many blamed the bullpen for the collapse but this team still has issues which could lead to finishing behind the Phillies for the third straight year.

Opening Day Lineup w/Projections
SS Jose Reyes .303 17 HR 69 RBI 67 SB
LF Daniel Murphy .289 10 HR 73 RBI
3B David Wright .314 32 HR 121 RBI 17 SB
1B Carlos Delgado .261 30 HR 104 RBI
CF Carlos Beltran .281 29 HR 117 RBI 20 SB
RF Ryan Church .270 15 HR 74 RBI
2B Luis Castillo .251 2 HR 31 RBI 13 SB
C Brian Schneider .247 8 HR 47 RBI
P Johan Santana

Rotation
LHP Johan Santana 17-8 2.87 ERA 194 K
RHP Mike Pelfrey 15-10 3.67 ERA 116 K
LHP Oliver Perez 14-11 4.45 ERA 173 K
RHP John Maine 15-10 3.91 ERA 167 K
RHP Livan Hernandez 6-12 5.76 ERA 78 K

CP RHP Francisco Rodriguez 2.56 ERA 41 SV 73 K

Best Case Scenario: Rodriguez and Putz close up the bullpen and make Mets games 7 inning games. Delgado still produces at age 36. Starters 2-4 stay healthy all year and give quality starts to backup ace Santana. Mets find a way to get production from hitters 6-8. Leaving Shea Stadium rids the team of the August and September demons and they finish strong down the stretch. They win the NL East and head to the World Series.

Worst Case Scenario: K-Rod is worn down from last years work load and is ineffective. Injuries riddle the rotation and the Mets need 200 innings from Livan Hernandez. Delgado's bat is too slow to keep the clean-up spot. Hitters 6-8 do nothing putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Reyes, Wright and Beltran. The team gets off to a slow start leading to mass changes with the firing of the manager and GM and this team falls apart finishing 3rd in the NL East.

Player Most Important to Success: John Maine. If the Mets are going to win the NL East they need to get quality starting pitching behind Johan Santana. Pelfrey can be relyed on for the most part and Oliver Perez will win enough games for them but John Maine is the pitcher who if he produces moves this team ahead of the Phillies with 4 quality starters. He missed last September with a bone spur in his shoulder. It should not affect him but he has been underwhelming in spring with an ERA of 10.38. If he can give them 180-190 innings with an ERA under 4.00 like he did in 2007 this team will be fine, if he can't this team might be golfing in October.

Outlook: It seemed that people thought the bullpen was the only issue facing the Mets last year. While it definitely hurt the team last year they have other issues that have not been addressed. Their lineup has serious holes with Luis Castillo at 2B and Brian Schneider at C. Livan Hernandez won the 5th spot in the rotation. This team still has weapons to compete for the division but the main question is whether the ghosts of the past two years will haunt this team and stop this team again this year. If this team does make the playoffs, the lack of All-Star pitching behind Santana won't let them advance very far if they get there.

WBC Preview (Part 2)

Here are the teams 1-4.

4. Japan
Pool A
2006 result: 5-3 Won 2006 Classic
Notable Hitters:
C Kenji Johjima
2B Aki Iwamura
RF Kosuke Fukudome
CF Ichiro Suzuki
Notable Pitchers:
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Outlook: Japan is very similar to Cuba in that they are a great unknown. Most of their talent plays in Japan and are the great unknown. Japan is a little more well known than Cuba as they do have Major Leaguers on their team. No one is going to blown away by Dice-K this time around. Japan has been scoured for talent since the arrival of Ichiro and it's success in the WBC and most of the elite talent has been found with the latest arrivals having mixed results like Fukudome or Kei Igawa. They have the easiest Pool and should make the semifinals where anything can happen so they should be able to compete to defend their title but I don't expect them to win it this year.

3. Venezuela
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Cesar Izturis
2B Jose Lopez
LF Bobby Abreu
1B Miguel Cabrera
RF Magglio Ordonez
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Melvin Mora
C Ramon Hernandez
CF Endy Chavez

Notable Pitchers: Felix Hernandez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, Armando Galarraga, Francisco Rodriguez

Assets: 3-6 Hitters very solid, Three solid starters, very good closer
Issues: Hitters are on the older side and lack athleticism. Lack of pitching depth.
Outlook: A very solid team with some elite talent. They could use Johan Santana to add to the pitching depth. The biggest problem for them is they are in the hardest Pool with USA and Canada and if they advance they will be put in the same Round 2 pool with USA, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They have the talent but the road they face and the lack of pitching depth likely will be their downfall and they will likely have a similar result as 2006.

2. Dominican Republic
Pool D
2006 Result: 5-2 Lost in Semifinals to Cuba
Probable Lineup:
SS Hanley Ramirez
2B Robinson Cano
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Jose Guillen
1B Willy Aybar
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz
CF Willy Taveras

Possible Lineup if postions are flexible:
SS Jose Reyes
CF Hanley Ramirez
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Miguel Tejada
LF Jose Guillen
2B Robinson Cano
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz

Notable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Cueto, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jose Arredondo

Assets: Young Pitchers with outstanding stuff, infield depth, speed
Issues: Lack of closer or outstanding middle relief, outfield, finding places for talent
Outlook: The biggest problem for the Dominican Republic is finding a way to get the talent on the field. Having Reyes, Tejada and Beltre on your bench does not help you win games. I think they might end up getting very creative with the positions. There is talk Tejada might play 1st base and they could move Hanley to the outfield and put Reyes at shortstop. If they can find a way to bat Reyes and Hanley 1-2 they will cause a lot of problems for team. They also have been hurt by Carlos Marmol not participating as he could have been the closer they need. This team has a lot of talent and is a serious threat to win the title if they can utilize their ability.

1. USA
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH Chipper Jones
LF Ryan Braun
3B David Wright
1B Kevin Youkillis
C Brian McCann
RF Shane Victorino
CF Curtis Granderson

Notable Pitchers: Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Jonathon Broxton, J.J. Putz

Assets: Very well-rounded lineup, pitching depth, middle relief
Issues: Starting Pitching, outfield depth
Outlook: Team USA is in the unique position of being able to form the type of team they want. Judging by the roster they are looking for a bunch of relievers instead of starters. That strategy has taken a hit with Joe Nathan and Brian Fuentes not participating due to injuries. They still have plenty of players that can come in for an inning and get it done like Scot Shields, Matt Thorton, Brad Ziegler and Jonathon Broxton. They may not be as sexy as Clemens but they should be able to fulfill their roles. The lineup is perfectly balanced. There are veterans in Chipper, Jeter and Rollins and their is youth in Braun, Granderson and Pedroia. They have speed and they have power. The most important thing is they all hit for high average. Of the probable starters only Jimmy Rollins hit below .280 last year and he hit .277. 5 of the starters hit over.300. There biggest issues will be overconfidence and the fact that they are the hunted. But if this team plays with pride and matches the intensity of the other countries they should be in the mix for the 2009 World Baseball Classic title.