Week Whatever Power Rankings

1. Grumpy Munchkins – Casten shares first place in the standings now, but I don’t really think its close. The Weiters trade made sense and gives Brandon some nice flexibility in the 2B slot between Cuddyer and Craig. Pitching was awful last week and there’s some notable weak names (Estrada, Iwakuma) and weak seasons (Halladay, Scherzer, Shields) revealing a chink in the armor.
Rest of season schedule (ROS): Anal, Cowhide, Keepin, Montezuma, Clayton

2. One Nut – Jason gets a slight bump here as Russ’s squad seemed to have a power outage and, while he was certainly aided by the ineptitude of Pierce’s team, One Nut had a solid week across the board (minus the four QS, which was tied for second least in the league, one above – you guessed it – Pierce).  Jason’s very lucky schedule gives him a chance at the regular season crown as he only played once include Cowhide, Grumpy, Montezumas, and Clayton.
ROS: Angry, Urban, Donkey, Moose, Prestige

3. Clayton & King – Tough week to go against the white flagged Donkey Punchers, who performed quire well across the board. The two were close in six of the ten categories and Russ was lucky to win three of them and tie one. While his top hitters are very good and pitching might be the best in the league, guys he relied on to get where he is like Kipnis and Hamilton have struggled.
ROS: Moose, Prestige, Anal, Cowhide, Grumpy

4. Cowhide – Another solid week across the board, despite some issues pitching (4.40 ERA), but Dave’s team has certainly hit a stride having not lost a matchup since Week 8. Tough schedule coming up, but Dave’s proved he belongs among the top teams. His starters are an interesting mix though, as the 4.40 ERA was accomplished with four guys above 9.30 and nine guys below 2.70
ROS: Keepin, Grumpy, Montezumas, Clayton, Ring

5. Ring – Again, can’t move Dagan into the top tier with the pitching the way it is – 5.68/1.56 is just not the caliber championship teams are made out of.  He tied Urban and was lucky to do that, as the 10 HR were good but 22 R, 28 RBI, .292 OBP were bad and he failed to capitalize on a bad performance from a weakened competitor. It sure does look like he found a gem in Rizzo though (one that he should probably deal for pitching).
ROS: Donkey, Moose, Prestige, Anal, Cowhide

6. Montezuma’s – Another tough, close loss that can be blamed squarely on bad pitching, losing four of five categories there. Power is still a problem and the downward trend is more than a little disturbing. Only 8.5 games out, the one time contender for the top seed looks like it’ll be lucky holding off Moose for the rest of the season. A few easier matchups should help.
ROS: Prestige, Anal, Cowhide, Grumpy, Keepin

7. Moose – A rebounding offense and excellent pitching gave Brian a win over the reeling Revenge. The 6/63/2.18/1.11/7 pitching line was stellar and is surely the type of production Brian was hoping to see against a fellow contender. The road ahead though has some tough speed bumps.
ROS: Clayton, Ring, Billy, One Nut, Angry

8. Donkey – Chris has done a nice job selling off more parts while maintaining a competitive team. Hes managed to acquire additional 7, 9, and 10th round picks while giving Brandon, Russ, and myself a run for our money (14-14-2 against the three opponents). It will be tough to keep that up given the depleted state of the team.

9. Angry – Incredible pitching line with 10 QS and a 2.80/1.18 pitching would’ve beaten most teams this week, nevermind Troy. Have to wonder if Kyle could still be competing if he stuck with. I don’t think the team was championship level  (particularly the pitching), but he’s had a pretty solid team the whole year.

10. Anal – Some solid pickups move Andrew up the list. Despite the 2-7 record, he had a good week and wasn’t far from a 5-5 record. The keepers aren’t stellar, but there’s some good young players that could prove valuable going into next year.

11. Keepin – A few more deals and some unexpected underperformance and this team is a shadow of what it was a couple weeks ago. I thought his team was better than his record for a while, but not anymore. The team is playing at its talent level now, which is not particularly good

12. Prestige – I was so onboard with the Trumbo-Gardner swap when Lars went through with it earlier in the season, but it proved to be a major part of his demise. Neftali is heading for TJ and Gardner looks like he’s done as well, while Trumbo is a sure fire keeper and Buchholz has rebounded nicely after a tough start. Shit happens.

13. Urban – Ouch. That offensive output (29/4/17/7/.298) was, well, offensive. The pitching wasn’t awful, but still not great, yet he still managed to split with Dagan. Unfortunately, Dan lost out on the opportunity to deal Broxton before he became the Reds setup man.

14. Billy – I understand it can be time consuming and frustrating, but Troy has been out of it long enough that he should be in a much better position for 2013 at this point. He has no additional early picks and mediocre keepers in Beltre, Reddick, Willingham, Pence, VMart, and JParker. CDavis, AHill, Willingham, Victorino, Headley, Motte, Axford, Harang, Fister should all have been jettisoned at this point, but most contenders have few holes at this point and it Troy hasn’t helped his position going into next year. Frustrating is an understatement.

More Trade Reviews

Montezumas receives:
OF Alex Rios CHW
SP Mark Buehrle MIA
SS Rafael Furcal STL

Round 24
Keepin receives:
SS Ian Desmond WAS
1B Carlos Pena TB
SS JJ Hardy BAL
RP Frank Francisco NYM
Round 19

This trade would’ve never happened had Desmond not been injured as his 30/30 potential has been one of the season’s greatest revelations for this one time afterthought. But six weeks is a long time to wait, especially in the midst of a very competitive playoff run. Rios’ resurgence has been almost equally impressive as he is suddenly a top 15 player contributing across the board. He will replace Pena, who was very disappointing after a good start and is not even contributing to OBP. Hardy just seems lost this year, though not sure Furcal is a huge upgrade. Big Frank is what he is – good at times, awful at others, never secure in his status as closer. And a 19th for a 24th isn’t a big deal, but a move in the right direction for Pierce.
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Urban receives
Mark Teixera
Yovani Gallardo
Round 14

Donkey receives
Mike Moustakas
Gio Gonzalez
Round 9

This was a rather surprising swap to see among two who have waved the white flag. It’s a pretty even swap as well, though I like Donkey’s return better for the long term, especially with Mous at a key position and already producing at such a high level. Gio can be erratic at times, but he’s been very good for the most part and ultimately ended up being a great keeper for Dan. The nice part about the deal for Dan is he gets two players who have just been producing at all star levels for a long time. Though, as a former Yovani owner, to own him is to be frustrated by him. He can be absolutely brilliant with CG, 0 ER, 15K outing and follow it up with a 3 IP, 6 ER dud. Tex is a pretty consistent top tier 1B and above most of Dan’s other potential keepers, so its understandable to give up Mous’ longterm outlook. Not sure Chris deserved a pick that high as part of the deal, but its sort of nit picky given the talent involved.
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One Nut
Alex Rodriguez
Round 17

Cowhide
Francisco Rodriguez
Round 14

Interesting. Jason could potentially be handsomely rewarded for taking on another injured all-star, or ARod could be back in time for the playoffs to be just about over. Tough to tell with a fractured hand, but I can’t blame Dave for grabbing a pick for him and freeing up the roster spot. BB-Rod sucks and probably will be dropped in short order once he blows his next save chance. But the guess is Dave wasn’t expecting much from him.

Trade Reviews

Montezuma's Revenge
Edinson Vólquez 
Round 19
Round 21

Donkey Punchers
Mike Minor 
Round 16
Round 17

I actually liked Minor as a guy to recover and end the season on a high note, but he’s pretty unreliable and Volquez is in a perfect situation in San Diego. He’s still a bit erratic at times, but the high K totals and consistent quality starts makes him well worth a seven-round upgrade, particular when the picks are all clustered in the late teens. Plus, my pitching has struggled the past couple weeks and CLewis has left us for the year.Again, Chris is selling in the right way, improving his keepers, improving draft picks and selling from the back end of the draft (he officially has no picks in the 20s). There’s still talent available for him to trade as well, so he’s got three more weeks to further improve his team.
---------------------------------

Billy
Víctor Martínez
Round 21
One Nut Wonders
Round 20
This is just friggin retarded. Christ just drop him Jason. One round in the 20s is irrelevant. Not a bad idea for Troy heading into next year though if VMart still has his C eligibility. He’s getting a bit long in the teeth, but may be worth it. 
----------------------

The Angry Pirates
Kendrys Morales (LAA - 1B,OF) 
Jason HammelDL (Bal - P) 
Round 8
Round 11

Cowhide Joyride
Jason Kubel (Ari - OF) 
Paul Maholm (ChC - P) 
Round 16
Round 16

I was less enamored of the trade from Dave’s perspective than the Walker one. Certainly Kubel is having a fantastic season. I drafted him hoping he’d show this type of power, then traded him when he was at 6 HR despite his nice RBI and OBP totals. Obviously that was a stupid move, but it happens. I was in negotiations with Kyle for 6-8 round upgrade in a deal involving Kubel, but wasn’t going to match this. The problem with acquiring guys like this at this point in the season is their historical performance does not support a continual torrid pace like this, meaning in most cases you’re paying for the past two months of Kubel and getting the production of the first two months – which isn’t bad at all, but a second round pick is a high price to pay and Dave has officially sold out 2013, with NO picks in the first five rounds. The other problem here is, unlike Casten’s acquisition of Halladay, who he can easily spin for a decent pick to a team looking to keep him and make up some of that 30-round downgrade, I find it highly unlikely Kubel works his way to obvious keeper status, making it difficult to trade him in the offseason. Maybe he’s just the perfect fit for that park, but guys generally don’t suddenly become big stars at the age of 30. That said, he could be a key difference maker for Dave this year. Not sure Malholm is worth anything, but hey Kyle Lohse seems to be doing it,so why not. Either way, Kyle has done an excellent job rebuilding with 9 picks so far in the first five rounds.
---------------------------------------

Cowhide Joyride
Neil Walker (Pit - 2B) 
Round 17

Anal Hershiser
Rickie Weeks 
Round 12

Nice move by both teams as Walker has turned his season around after a slow start and Weeks has only been his former self in spurts. Certainly when you look at the numbers at the end, I’m willing to bet Weeks – with his historical performance considered – still looks like the better keeper. But certainly Walker is worth a five round upgrade to solidify the keystone with the 112th ranked player in Yahoo, sporting a sneaky 49/9/47/7/.361 line. Really, it’s a steal for Dave, who has to give up a former binky. But isn’t it funny how binkies can turn to dinkies in the matter of a few months? Dave has really turned things around from a difficult start and is steadily climbing the ladder.
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THE GRUMPY MUNCHKINS
Bobby Parnell
James Shields

One Nut Wonders
Tommy Hanson 
Jaime García

It’s always interesting when two contenders trade at this point in the year. And I actually like this one for both teams. Casten has enough high upside hurlers that he could trade some potential with Hanson young and inconsistent and Garcia injured for reliability. Shields has definitely had his issues, but you know he’ll go out there each day and rack up the Ks. Parnell will be back on the junkpile once Frank is back.
I like the move for Jason because he needs to take some chances and build up some depth to that pitching staff. If Garcia comes back healthy and Hanson can make it through the year better than the first half, I expect Jason will win this one. But that’s a big if, so I can’t blame either side. Either way, this trade looks more splashy than it actually is given the struggles and injuries as both of these two “studs” have the exact same shitty ERA – 4.39.
-----------------------------------

THE GRUMPY MUNCHKINS
Roy Halladay
Round 22
Round 23
Round 24

Donkey Punchers
Joaquín Benoit
Round 7
Round 13
Round 19

If you ever needed evidence Casten is going all out, well here it is. That’s a lot to give up for a pitcher with 65 k in 83 ip and a 4.32 era, even if his name is Halladay. I certainly expect Roy to pitch better than he has and he could be a key cog in Casten’s run at a title. But at what cost? It’s difficult to show restraint when you’re in it and considering the impact for next year, and perhaps its foolhardy. Casten will either have a great keeper or someone to deal in the offseason, so its not all bad for him. For Chris, it’s a brilliant move – 30 rounds of upgrades, including a first rounder for a guy who has underperformed this year and has been surpassed by Matt Cain as the best pitcher on his staff. All of Chris’ moves thus far have made a lot of sense and I expect he’ll be a top contender going into 2013 – just wish he dumped all these guys before he played me.

------------------
Montezuma's Revenge receives:
Round 15

Cowhide receives:
Travis Wood
Round 19

Oops. Didn’t realize I hadn’t done this one. Well, in hindsight I clearly made out quite well and capitalized at the right time, as Wood was lights out for a few weeks and plummeted after the trade (14 ER, in two starts since the trade). Must be the ballpark at Dave’s stadium. Four rounds is a nice bump for someone that ultimately I would’ve dropped. Perhaps its penance for not being able to trade HBailey for anything and having him suddenly become lights out. He still may pan out. He’s certainly got the talent.

Power Rankings

1. Grumpy Munchkins – The rich get richer with the recent trades. Suring up the pitching staff makes this team perhaps the most intimidating force we’ve seen in the league. Of course, he’ll be picking a lot late next year (12 picks in the final five rounds), but can’t blame him for putting his chips all in. Though if he quits at the end of the year, we’re going to have to all go kick him in the sac.

2. Clayton & King – Russ took care of business with Urban last week with some spectacular pitching. Buying low on Buchholz is looking like a brilliant move, while the King has bounced back in a big way and he may have caught lightning in a bottle with Sheets. A deserved big jump here. If Berkman rebounds, he could be the only team with the ability to match Casten’s O.

3. One Nut – Though I’m sure Jason wanted more than 6-3-1 against Troy, the fact that Utley and Howard have been hitting is a positive. Still, the pitching is spotty and his over-fascination with grabbing every anointed closer on the wire isn’t really helping.

4. Montezuma’s – Limped into the break and kept limping in the week after. The main concern here is that vaunted pitching staff isn’t dominating as designed and it just lost a valuable part in Colby Lewis. Still, the disappointing threesome of Upton, Santana, and Hosmer has shown signs of life, so perhaps its just a blip, but the Desmond injury hurt.

5. Ring – Kemp comes back and Ortiz and Votto to the DL; Dagan just can’t seem to stay healthy. The pitching is inconsistent and the closers are low tier now that Myers was traded and this side of the box score is the largest impediment to success facing this team.

6. Cowhide – Don’t look now, but Dave has gone 25-0-5 the past three weeks. The ARod injury hurts and he probably paid too much for Kubel, but there’s no doubt Dave is very much in contention thanks in large part to the resurgence of RZimmerman and FLiriano.

7. Moose – Another tough week for the O, which could only muster half of Casten’s ridiculous 22 homers in the extended week and just 36 rbis. Brian managed to scrape a couple wins in the pitching categories by winning ERA and WHIP by .07 and .06, respectively. He’s got some buffer from the next worst team, but that could go away quickly if things don’t improve.

8. Donkey – Chris beat up my lousy squad pretty good 3-6-1, compliments of Gallardo, Cain and Volquez and an offense that didn’t need to do much to beat the Revenge’s sorry 42/8/38/10/.329 line. Did good getting a first rounder for Halladay’s first off year in a while and still has a bunch of parts to play with.
9. Keepin – The question is when will Pierce actually actively try and trade his parts because he hasn’t done much. There’s a nice base in Pedroia, Wright, Ellsbury, Lester (maybe next year) and Sale and some other intriguing options, but there’s also lots of quality parts that could help a contender.

10. Angry – Kudos to Kyle in capitalizing on my stupidity in dumping Kubel (he only had six HR when I traded him). There’s a few pieces left on the bone, but its mostly a skeleton outside of his nice group of young keepers.

11. Urban – There’s some good parts, but the question is whether he plans to keep four OFs (Choo, Harper, DJennings, and BUpton). If not, there’s value to be had in trading one of them. There are others like Craig, Altuve, Burnett, Ruiz, and BNorris who could help a team down the stretch.

12. Prestige – Like Pierce, Lars hasn’t really attacked the trade market in earnest yet. He could stand to upgrade from past keepers like Stubbs and ACabrera, so there might be some movement in the next three weeks before the deadline.

13. Anal – Managed to beat off Pierce 6-4 and hold strong in 10th. Might be better than I give the team credit for. Andrew is well stocked for the 2013 draft, but he needs some solid keepers beyond Bourn, Strasburg, and Verlander.

14. Billy – Willingham has been a monster, but would be a good sell candidate given his lack of sustained historical performance, as he’s not really a keeper. JParker, though, the guys looks for real and could very well play up to keeper status.

Midseason Review

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It was quite a half of fantasy baseball that was highlighted by a clear division between contenders and pretenders for most of the year, which has lead to some big time trades. One thing that is clear is owners like Casten, Russ, and Dave used their demise in 2011 to their advantage and have made plenty of noise in the first half, with Dave starting slow but ultimately entering the break only a half game out of a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the top three – Brandon, Jason, and yours truly – are separated by only one game, with Russ, Brian, and Dagan not far away. Those in sitting 8-14 in the standings have some work to do, but there’s still time. A lot can change in eight weeks and with some teams in line to get nice boosts from injured stars like Pierce (Ellsbury) and Chris (Halladay), there’s hope.

There is a way to balance a potential playoff run this year with ultimate hopes of contending in 2013 as proven by Casten’s team last year. With the lottery, the lower you are in the standings doesn’t really help ensure a high draft pick, so it’s important for everyone to stick with and update those rosters. Not to mention, MLB teams will be bringing up current minor leaguers who have the potential to help next year. The effort you prove most valuable in 2013.  There’s more money on the line than ever before, so it should be an interesting “second half.”

Power Rankings

1. Grumpy Munchkins – Record is still there despite the injuries and, with some quality trades, Brandon is on the way up and may stay. Cutch is quietly the most valuable fantasy player of the first half.
2. One Nut – Give Jason the nod here now that RHoward and Utley are back, but they will have to quickly prove whether they have enough left to help or if they’ll be worthless name on the roster of a team struggling for a playoff spot.
3. Montezumas Revenge – A lot will depend on the first half disappointments of CSantana, Hosmer, and JUpton, but the pitching is there to win half the games every week.
4. Ring – The ever dangerous Dagan is always right there and, though he needs to improve pitching, the offense is for real with Kemp back. A strong second half from Latos would be huge.
5. Clayton and King – A close fifth, Russ has the talent to be at the top of the list in a few weeks. He’s hit a rough patch with his pitching, but the names are there and Berkman and Crawford are back or close.
6. Cowhide Joyride – For a team that it seemed it was close to burying itself not long ago, Dave has risen from the doldrums thanks to some favorable matchups and resurgent play from his offense.
7. Moose is Loose – No one needed an all star break more than Brian. He has to hope the stop in action will keep his team from spiraling permanently and letting one of the pretenders back into this race.
8. Donkey Punchers – Chris said he’s given up, but his roster says otherwise. I don’t think it’s the right move for him with the guys he has. If he does give up, you have to expect he’d get quite a bit in exchange for that pitching staff, but he has the talent to make a run.
9. Keepin it Real – While he announced he was out of it, Pierce hasn’t really acted like he was out of it, going 16-3 the past two weeks. He’s got a tough schedule and a deep hole to dig out of, but he has the roster (with Ellsbury) to do it.
10. Angry Pirates – Kyle is looking ahead for sure, but that doesn’t mean he won’t compete. The Giancarlo injury hurts, but he’s got other youngins that could make some noise.
11. Urban Achievers – Dan has proven to be one of the most active owners this year in spite of his struggles, and has displayed trashpicking prowess. Hoepfully he can turn that into some value for 2012. In the mean time, he has a team of Craigs Ruizes and Altuves that can give opposing contenders fits.
12. Prestige – Lars had a tough go of it this year. His successes (Lynn, Hammel, Edwin) have been more than offset by his failures (HKendrick, DHudson, Romero, Longo injury, Trumbo trade). I was surprised he was willing to trade one of his better keepers in Price, but I’m sure he’s not done dealing, so we could see some big improvements.
13. Billy – If he had just a wee bit of pitching, he would be a lot higher than 50 games out as his offense continues to produce with guys like Willingham, AHill, and CDavis all having excellent years. Still, the season is a loss and Troy really needs to capitalize on the guys he has because there’s guys worth a pick or two.
14. Anal – Tough go of it for Andrew, lowlighted by the Konerko/CWilson trade. He’s got two 7ths and two 8ths, but his keepers aren’t impressive after Verlander and Strasburg (Bourn, Morse, Bonafacio? WMyers? PAlvarez?), so there’s something to shoot for in the second half.

Top Free Agent Pickups

Includes those drafted, but then foolishly dropped

1. OF Alfonso Soriano (Yahoo! rank: 96^th overall), Cowhide
2. OF Josh Reddick (50), Cowhide
3. RP Fernando Rodney (32), Moose
4. C Carlos Ruiz (49), Urban
5. SP Jason Hammel (118), Prestige
6. SS Trevor Plouffe (145), Ring
7. SP Wade Miley (68), Clayton
8. OF Colby Rasmus (74), Montezumas
9. 3B Will Middlebrooks (243), One Nut
10. C AJ Pierzynski (82), Ring
11. RP Tyler Clippard (77), One Nut
12. RP Rafael Soriano (105), Prestige
13. OF Bryan LaHair (213), Urban
14. 3B Chris Davis (165), Billy
15. RP Ernesto Frieri (72), Cowhide
16. 1B Adam LaRoche (125), Anal
17. SS Kyle Seager (140), Moose
18. SP Jarrod Parker (158), Montezumas
19. RP Santiago Casilla (122), Montezumas
20. 2B Neil Walker (109), Anal
21. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (188), Prestige
22. RP Ryan Cook (87), Montezumas
23. RP Casey Janssen (119), One Nut
24. OF Dayan Viciedo (181), Donkey
25. RP Alfredo Aceves (167), Prestige

Top Trades

For one team, anyway

1. One Nut – PKonerko, CWilson, 14^th from Urban for Bonifacio, HAlvarez, 8^th
2. Montezumas – IDesmond, CSale, 17^th, 19^th from Angry for 13^th, 16^th
3. Angry – MTrumbo, CBuhholz, 12^th from Prestige for BGardner, NFeliz, 14^th
4. Moose – EJackson, 17^th from Cowhide for GBalfour, 15^th
5. Montezumas – ArRamirez from Billy for KDrabek, AHarang
6. Anal – 7^th, ESantana from Moose for DHaren, 24^th
7. Keepin – ARios, YDarvish, 9^th from Cowhide for AChapman, 12^th
8. One Nut – JBeckett, 18^th for OInfante, 22^nd
9. Billy – JParker, JSchafer from Montezumas for THudson
10. Billy – JReddick, CHeadley, JMotte from Cowhide for ARodriguez, IKennedy, KMorales

Best Draft Picks

Takes into account when they were drafted, position scarcity, as well as keeperability. Subsequent moves also impacted ranking, so traded or dropped guys (like Trumbo, Sale, ASoriano, Reddick, JParker and Desmond) who did not return considerable value (Dickey and Chapman, for instance, both brought good return in trade) are not listed.

1. OF Mike Trout (16^th), Clayton
2. SP James McDonald (23^rd), Montezuma’s
3. OF Adam Dunn (11^th), Grumpy
4. 3B Edwin Encarnacion (17^th), Prestige
5. 2B Jason Kipnis (15^th), Clayton
6. SP RA Dickey (15^th), Keepin
7. SP Matt Cain (7^th), Donkey
8. OF Adam Jones (8^th), One Nut
9. SP Jake Peavy (21^st), Montezuma’s
10. C Yadier Molina (21^st), One Nut
11. 3B Mike Moustakas (10^th), Urban
12. SP Lance Lynn (23^rd), Prestige
13. OF Josh Willingham (21^st), Billy
14. SS Jed Lowrie (23^rd), Donkey
15. OF Melky Cabrera (10^th), One Nut
16. OF Carlos Beltran (8^th), Moose
17. RP Aroldis Chapman (22^nd), Keepin
18. SP Chris Capuano (20^th), Montezuma’s
19. 2B Aaron Hill (21^st), Billy
20. SP Madison Bumgarner (8^th), Cowhide
21. 1B Paul Goldschmidt (10^th), Ring
22. SP Kyle Lohse (23^rd), One Nut
23. OF Alejando De Aza (17^th), Clayton
24. 3B David Freese (10^th), Clayton
25. SP Johan Santana (11^th), Cowhide

Best and Worst – Round by Round

This gives credit where credit is, in most cases, due. So I didn’t hold you responsible for dropping the player or trading if you did. You get credit for recognizing the talent. Your lack of faith, however, means it may be more painful than not to see them on the list (may want to skip Round 11, Dave). Injuries largely did not factor in unless there was a pre-existing injury (RHoward, VMart, Pineda, etc) that should’ve lessened your expectations.

Round 7

BEST           

Matt Cain - Donkey Punchers

C.J. Wilson - Anal Hershiser

Madison Bumgarner - Cowhide Joyride

WORST           

Daniel Hudson - Prestige

Mark Reynolds - Urban Achievers

Howie Kendrick - Prestige

Round 8

BEST

Adam Jones - One Nut Wonders

Carlos Beltran - Moose is Loose!

Andre Ethier - Donkey Punchers

WORST           

Alex Avila - Clayton

Ricky Romero - Prestige

Michael Pineda - Montezuma's

           

Round 9

BEST           

Billy Butler - Moose is Loose!

Brandon Morrow - GRUMPY

Jordan Zimmermann - Clayton

WORST           

Ichiro Suzuki - Moose is Loose!

Jimmy Rollins - One Nut Wonders

Ike Davis - Donkey Punchers

Round 10

BEST           

Mike Moustakas - Urban Achievers

Paul Goldschmidt - Ring of Fire

Melky Cabrera - One Nut Wonders

WORST           

Logan Morrison - Donkey Punchers

Ubaldo Jimenez - Moose is Loose!

Jeff Francoeur - BILLY CHAPEL

Round 11

BEST           

Adam Dunn - GRUMPY

Colby Rasmus - Cowhide Joyride

Alex Rios - Cowhide Joyride

WORST           

Ryan Howard - One Nut Wonders

John Axford - BILLY CHAPEL

Jemile Weeks - Donkey Punchers

Round 12

BEST           

Johnny Cueto - Ring of Fire

Ryan Dempster - Donkey Punchers

Joel Hanrahan - GRUMPY

WORST           

Adam Lind - Cowhide Joyride

Mike Minor - Clayton

Francisco Liriano - Cowhide Joyride

           

Round 13

BEST           

Martin Prado - Angry

Kenley Jansen - Cowhide Joyride

Colby Lewis - Montezuma's

WORST           

Heath Bell - Angry

Coco Crisp - Moose is Loose!

Alexei Ramirez - Ring of Fire

Round 14

BEST           

Austin Jackson - Cowhide Joyride

Chase Headley - Cowhide Joyride

Brandon McCarthy - Donkey Punchers

WORST           

Jair Jurrjens - BILLY CHAPEL

Ryan Raburn - Urban Achievers

Jordan Walden - Ring of Fire

Round 15

BEST           

R.A. Dickey - Keepin

Jason Kipnis - Clayton

Mark Trumbo - Prestige

WORST           

Jhoulys Chacin - Urban Achievers

Carlos Marmol - Prestige

Jhonny Peralta - Keepin

Round 16

BEST           

Mike Trout - Clayton

Lucas Duda - Angry

Chris Perez - One Nut Wonders

WORST           

Peter Bourjos - Anal Hershiser

Erick Aybar - Anal Hershiser

Daniel Bard - Angry

           

Round 17

BEST           

Chris Sale - Angry

Edwin Encarnacion - Prestige

Josh Willingham - BILLY CHAPEL

WORST           

Julio Teheran - Angry

Wilson Ramos - Anal Hershiser

Ryan Roberts - Anal Hershiser

           

Round 18

BEST           

Ian Desmond - Angry

Jim Johnson - Prestige

Edinson Volquez - Donkey Punchers

WORST           

Victor Martinez - Moose is Loose!

Gaby Sanchez - Angry

Yonder Alonso - Angry

           

Round 19

BEST           

Alfonso Soriano - Urban Achievers

Carlos Zambrano - Keepin

Vance Worley - Donkey Punchers

WORST           

Javier Vázquez - Anal Hershiser

Randy Wolf - BILLY CHAPEL

Brad Peacock - Angry

Round 20

BEST           

Chris Capuano - Montezuma's

A.J. Burnett - Urban Achievers

Justin Morneau - Moose is Loose!

WORST           

Josh Collmenter - Donkey Punchers

Devin Mesoraco - Angry

Miguel Olivo - Urban Achievers

           

Round 21

BEST           

Jake Peavy - Montezuma's

Jason Kubel - Montezuma's

Yadier Molina - One Nut Wonders

WORST           

Geovany Soto - Ring of Fire

Ty Wigginton - Anal Hershiser

Brian Matusz - Donkey Punchers

           

Round 22

BEST           

Josh Reddick - Urban Achievers

Aroldis Chapman - Keepin

Marco Scutaro - Montezuma

WORST           

Mike Carp - One Nut Wonders

Fernando Salas - BILLY CHAPEL

Greg Holland - Prestige

Round 23

BEST           

James McDonald - Montezuma's

Lance Lynn - Prestige

Jed Lowrie - Donkey Punchers

WORST           

Juan Rivera - BILLY CHAPEL

Jon Jay - Anal Hershiser

Sean Rodriguez - Keepin

           

Round 24

BEST           

Bryan LaHair - Prestige

Jarrod Parker - Donkey Punchers

Ryan Doumit - Ring of Fire

WORST           

Brent Morel - Ring of Fire

Alex Presley - BILLY CHAPEL

Jim Thome - BILLY CHAPEL

Trade Review: Angry and Clayton

Angry receives:
C Jesus Montero SEA
11th rounder

Clayton receives:
C Miguel Montero ARI
12th rounder

Loves this move for both teams really. Not sure why the pick was included since it means rather little, but regardless this works for both considering the current respective focus of each team. Jesus just hasn’t cut the mustard this season. I can’t blame Russ, given the number of high picks, for choosing him where he did considering the immense potential, but he’s just not going to add much value to the team this year other than 20 homers or so. Miguel, though, is very steady and hits in the heart of a good Arizona lineup. He adds value to four of five categories, but his .371 obp is particularly nice to have and is nearly 100 points higher than the Jesus’. Looking at the production over the last 30 days shows the real difference, at least for this year, as Miguel is 12/6/21/.394 and Jesus is 4/1/1/.264. Russ didn’t grab lightning in a bottle in Jesus, but he didn’t dwell on it for too long either. Not a game changer, but a good solid move that improves the offense.

That said, Miguel isn’t a keeper but Jesus most certainly can be and may be part of strong, very young core of Angry Pirates with Gincarlo, Starlin, Jesus, Lawrie, Freeman and Trumbo (an ancient 26 yo compared to the rest). Seattle may also move in their fences a bit, which could make a world of difference for Jesus. They just drafted a catcher with the third overall pick, so you have to wonder how long he stays at catcher, but he’ll at least be eligible in 2013 and likely the year after. If his bat develops as expected, it won’t matter what position he’ll be at.

Trade Review: Angry and Ring

Ring receives
RP Tom Wilhelmsen SEA
22nd rounder

Anal receives
RP Brandon League SEA
18th rounder

Dagan gave up a round more than he probably needed to given the lack of track record and Wedge’s statement that League could eventually get the role back. But it makes little difference that late in the draft. While wins aren’t always easy to come by in Seattle, Wilhemsen has been basically perfect since becoming closer and there’s no real reason to go back to League, who, after Wedge’s comments, went out and blew a couple save chances. Still, there’s enough insecurity with the role that I can imagine a situation where Dagan is reacquiring League for another pick at some point. But another closer was needed and he got one without having to give up an early pick, so mission accomplished.

Trade Review: Montezumas and Prestige

Montezumas receives:
RP Rafael Soriano NYY
24th rounder

Prestige receives:
RP Drew Storen WSH
18th rounder

Though I still expect Storen to be closing games at some point this season (Davey Johnson left the door slightly open), there is a chance Clippard never falters and. at least for 2012, Storen is a setup guy. Regardless, I didn’t want to wait and had two other guys on the DL, so I wanted a bullpen upgrade. Soriano is a huge upgrade as he clearly has shown he is the preferable option over Robertson and has the experience that managers love. He also Ks enough guys and gets enough chances to contribute to four categories. He might just be a top five closer the rest of the way and may be needed for the Revenge since most contenders seem to have pretty good bullpens.

Lars did good for himself here as a six round upgrade is more than most closers go for (Mo was traded for a four round upgrade at the trade deadline last year) and Storen could potentially provide further upgrades if he reclaims the role. If he does, a four-round upgrade would certainly be in order given the number of close games Nationals have, and 10 rounds of upgrades for one closer would be a huge boon for a rebuilding team.

Week 14 Power Rankings

1. Grumpy Munchkins – For a team looking to compete this year, glancing at the 2012 stats for Brandon’s offense is frightening. And to his credit, they were all kept, drafted or traded for. Pitching has been a different story, but there’s production up and down the lineup and a pitching staff more than capable of winning at least three categories every week. He took care of business this week with a 7-2 win over Urban as he brings his talents to the Donkey barn in week 14.

2. Montezuma’s Revenge – It came down to Sunday with Kyle and most categories were up for grabs with eight pitchers going between the two teams that day. It ended with a 5-3 win as Kinsler and Cruz couldn’t beat Blackley out of a QS. I barely edged him out in Ks 81-78 to remain the only undefeated category in the league. Last year’s version of Hosmer, JUpton and CLee could return any time now though.

3. One Nut Wonders – Jason and Russ were pretty close across the board in most categories, but Jason got the edge in 5 and tied in 2.  The offense rebounded from a tough week previously and Utley returned and homered (though didn’t do anything else). With Utley back and Howard on the way, he grabbed another injured former allstar in VMart, who could be back just in time for the High & Tight playoffs to be over. The name is pretty anyway.

4. Ring of Fire – The pitching looked better this week with a 68/3.12/1.19/7 line, but he might need more than Whilelmsen to produce some saves. He’s also coming up a bit short in the other specialist category, with DEspinosa his leading base stealer on the season at 11. That said, the offense has been spectacular as of late and it might just be the case that the Powerful Plouffe is in fact for real.

5. Clayton & The King – Tough 3-5 loss to Jason, with pitching failing to produce a win despite King Felix’s resurgence. Offensively, 46 rbis is awesome, but there’s a lot of really good offenses in the league right now. Russ certainly has a playoff caliber team, but pitching needs to be more consistent.

6. Cowhide Joyride – Welcome to the top six, Dave! The acquisition of Price and Hammel, along with an incredible week overall – a rare truly deserved 9-0 win over Donkey – pushes him over Brian (though, Brian’s string of crappy offensive weeks certainly contributes). Pitching has been a problem this year, but not this week: 4/74/1.40/0.88. Folks, we officially have playoff race.

7. Moose is Loose – Thirteen homers in three weeks is not good. A .288 obp for a week may be worse. Not sure what is the cause, but this is starting to become a trend. Everyone seems to be slumping besides the resurgent IDavis and BButler. A better effort by Andrew’s pitching staff would have made this week much more painful than the split that occurred.

8. The Angry Pirates – Kyle’s team deserves better than the 3-5 loss indicates as he had the second most Ks in the league this week at 78, it just happened to be three behind me. The offense is for real and the throw-a-bunch-of-starters-against-a-wall approach has been successful. He could make a push.
9. Donkey Punchers – Chris’ team continues to only produce middling results. He was certainly better than the 0-9 spanking at the hands of Dave, but the pitching just hasn’t been an edge as it was before and the offense is just OK.

10. Keepin It Real – Perhaps its laziness or maybe he just hasn’t gotten the deals he wanted, but Pierce’s team still has many of the same parts it did when he announced he was done. And the team is still getting it done for the most part. There’s plenty of holes and he’s sitting second to last in the standings, but there’s still talent.

11. Urban Achievers – This team definitely has speed down pat, with an incredible 11 steals lead but Dee Gordon, but the 6.29 era isn’t going to cut it most weeks. By the way, in case you’re wondering, Chooch (Carlos Ruiz) has been the best catcher in fantasy this year and its legit – 38/11/43/.420 and was batting cleanup the other night. That’s tremendous.

12. Prestige Worldwide – The axles are broken and the wheels are coming off this former top team. Things just have not worked is Lars’ favor this year and the Price/Hammel trade sort of seals the deal on what will be a lost season. I didn’t even think a 8.80 era was possible. And unfortunately that window to trade LLynn for anything of value seems to be rapidly disappearing.

13. Billy Chapel – The offense came back to Earth a bit this week, with nice power but only 28 runs and 29 rbis to go along with the consistently awful pitching line (45/6.42/1.45/2qs). Troy ended the week with a 2-8 loss to Dagan, but I’m willing to be if he took Kyle’s approach to pitching (quantity over quality, one bench offense spot), he’d pick up some more wins… not that it’d make a lot of difference in the standings, but just a thought. The offense is good.

14. Anal Hershiser – Pedro, Morse, and LaRoche helped thump Moose for a clean sweep in the offensive categories. Pitching is still disappointing here for a staff with Verlander and Strasburg. But that’s probably because there’s only three other starters, most of whom have been hurt.