Congratulations to Chad and his Tomahawk Chops! In only his second season, Chad rebounded from a challenging draft board by making some key moves in the offseason that propelled him to a successful second year and his first High & Tight championship! Who would've thought moving on from a universally renowned young keepers like Carlos Correa, Carlos Martinez, and Cody Bellinger would be such a key move, but it got him Freddie Freeman, Noah Syndergaard, and Alex Bregman. The trade from Marcell Ozuna to get Ronald Acuna was equally ballsy and brilliant.
Drafting guys like Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Charlie Morton, Josh Hader were key, while Mazara and Polanco were big contributors for periods. The trades to perfect the roster were perhaps the most important -- Ryu for two rounds, Wheeler for six, Verlander/Cruz for Vlad Jr and 12 rounds, Hicks for seven. Chad's commitment to always upgrading his roster made all the difference. Championships are hard work -- so congrats Chad!
Payouts:
Championship: Chad $622.50
2nd Place: Chris $311.25
Reg. Season Champ: Kyle $311.25
Reg. Season Runner-Up: Chad $100
For those who have not paid dues yet, please do so in the next week so I can pay these deserving winners.
And thank you again for all your time and contributions to the league, Dan. You will be missed! We will also need to find a replacement for next season, so please keep an ear out this offseason.
As far as the league goes, I think we're in a good place in terms of rules and structure, but please feel free to propose anything you think would help the league. Clearly we're all getting older and have less time to dedicate to this, but I hope, like me, you continue to see this as a worthwhile distraction that is fun and a great way to stay up to date with the game we all love.
With that, the open offseason trading period has begun! I need draft picks!
Adam
Monday, September 24, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Week 21 & Final Real Rankings
NOTES
The playoffs have started! Reminder that ALL teams are
limited to 3 pickups per week. This resets on Sundays at midnight throughout
the playoffs.
Congratulations to Kyle Baker on his regular season
championship! He will take home 25% of the pot and Chad will get $100 for
coming in second place. Congratulations also to Brian for sneaking into the
playoffs despite being an active seller at the deadline and deflecting a strong
push from Watson to hold him back.
Though he did not make the playoffs, Dagan will have the
first pick in next years draft, which isn't a bad consolation prize. Jed and
Dave tied for the worst record, so I guess we'll split the difference for the
worst record penalty.
For those who didn't make the playoffs, thanks for another
great season. Open trading will begin immediately after the championship. Keep
in mind we need at least one new owner, so get the word out if you know of
anyone who would be a strong addition.
--------------
Going into the playoffs, Chad and the Chops are easily the
hottest team, averaging 4.2 RR the past four weeks. The upstart Moose, One Nut,
Pirates, and Napalm are all lumped into a group in the 5.45-5.65 range.
Meanwhile, KOG and Thor are above 7 and the plummeting Montezuma’s Revenge
(8.2) are 10th in RR over the past four weeks and going against the
hot chops. But this is the playoffs and all it takes is a good week and a
couple hot players to push teams to the championship. Could the hottest team lost to the coldest
team? Could Moose’s Cinderella story
continue with an upset over the regular season champ? Can Jason make a run at
his 4th championship in 7 years – and unprecedented 5th
total? Who will win the battle between the struggling KOG/Thor battle? It will
be an exciting week!
Friday, August 31, 2018
Week 20 Real Rankings
NOTES
It’s a close race to the finish with several teams jockeying for position and the #1 overall spot and 25% of the pot up for grabs. Thor, Angry, and Tomahawk all have a shot at the top seed and a nice chunk of change. Regardless, looking at full season performance and recent performance, it’s pretty clear Kyle and his band of Angry Pirates are the front runners heading into the playoffs, but Chad's performance has been even better recently. Meanwhile, Jason is there lurking...
| 1 | Tomahawk chops | 4.58 |
| 2 | The Angry Pirates | 5.38 |
| 3 | One Nut Wonders | 5.53 |
| 4 | Sexual Napalm | 5.83 |
| 5 | Moose is Loose! | 6.15 |
| 6 | Thor's Hammered | 7.03 |
| 7 | Keep Off Groin | 7.15 |
| 8 | Montezuma's Revenge | 7.43 |
| 9 | Ring of Fire | 7.58 |
| 10 | Take the Knebel | 7.85 |
| 11 | Anal Hershiser | 8.25 |
| 12 | Brokeback Moundmen | 8.25 |
| 13 | Donkey Punchers | 9.28 |
| 14 | Cowhide Joyride | 9.30 |
Interesting that post-deadline, Moose is making a run with an almost entirely rebuilt roster. He’s only 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot. It presents an interesting conundrum when you consider the alternative is 9th place and automatically the first pick in next year’s draft. Meanwhile, Ring, Montezuma’s, and Keep off Groin are all at risk of falling out of the playoffs if Moose gets in. All three teams are limping along, with RR of 7.1-7.5 over the past four weeks. Should be an interesting weekend!
Just a reminder the last place finish pays another $30 next year and second to last pays another $15.
The Real Rankings look like they’re going to fall pretty much in line with the actual standings. It is interesting that Take the Knebel is the outlier because he was a bit of a surprise seller.
Playoff reminders:
- Seed is the tie breaker.
- Champion gets 50% of pot, runner-up gets 25%
- All teams (including non-playoff teams) are allowed 3 transactions per week. There is no injury exemption. Any transaction made after midnight on Sunday counts toward your transaction limit for the week. (If you make a claim on a player on waivers that is not processed until Monday morning, it counts against your limit)
- No transactions are allowed after the championship game is completed.
- Offseason open trading starts immediately following the championship.
Still need payments from Watson ($115), Dagan ($100), and Chris ($100). Paypal is adrok71@yahoo.com.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Friday, August 17, 2018
Week 18 Real Rankings & Trade Reviews
NOTES
What started as a slow-moving market turned into a firestorm of action, with a record 28 trades made during the open trading period. Teams did a lot of fine tuning leading up to the very last minute, which always makes for an exciting end to the season.
The trade reviews are below (let me know if you can't see it and I'll find a better format). But I thought some of you seller might want to see how you ranked going into the offseason in terms of draftboard. All in all, there's some very strong teams with great draft board and good keeper pieces. That can result in a very quick turnaround with a good draft.
For those who have completed their season, please continue to be vigilent and update your lineups. I do monitor to make sure teams aren't being left to die. This is critical to the league and can influence playoff races, so please keep on top of this.
It is with great sadness I have to report a loss among us. Dan Plourde announced this will be his last season and we're sorry to see him go. Dan kept on top of baseball and was always willing to talk trades, so we will miss such an active member of our league. Thank you Dan!
With that in mind, please start thinking of potential managers to add to the league.
Also, if you haven't paid your fee yet, please do so in the next week or so -- that way I can payout everyone when the season ends.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Week 17 Real Rankings
NOTES
There’s a lot of jostling for playoff positioning going on.
With Moose and Anal calling it quits, we’re down to 9 teams fighting for 8
spots (though, keep in mind, there have been instances where sellers make the
playoffs). While the standings says Take
the Knebel should be hanging it up, the Real Rankings say otherwise as he has
the second highest ranking in the past four weeks. The breakdown below shows he also has the top
pitching and sixth best hitting team over the last four.
Meanwhile Kyle’s band of Angry Pirates are firmly entrenched
at the top and have started to separate in the actual standings.
The trade deadline is Sunday at midnight. It’s been oddly
quiet this year with teams unsure which way to go and prices sky high. Only 5 restricted
picks have been traded and four were by two teams, and now the market has more
sellers. Should be an interesting final three days.
The Real Rankings are interesting when you consider it
attempts to remove luck from the output, except, when it comes down to it, baseball
championships – fantasy or real – are often fueled by players getting hot at
the right time. (Perhaps that explains by one certain team with the league’s
top winning percentage in its history and that hasn’t missed the playoffs in 12
seasons only has one championship… but I digress). Therefore, lets take a look
at the hot players over the last month.
It’s very compelling that one seemingly inconsequential swap
of disappointing players earlier in the season has become such a critical trade
for the two teams. Yes, Jason, Matt Carpenter has been awesome, but #18 on this
list has been pretty darn good too.
|
RK
|
NAME
|
TEAM
|
|
1
|
José Ramírez Cle
- 2B,3B
|
The Angry Pirates
|
|
2
|
Matt
Carpenter StL - 1B,2B,3B
|
One Nut Wonders
|
|
3
|
Rougned Odor Tex
- 2B
|
Tomahawk chops
|
|
4
|
Kole Calhoun LAA
- OF
|
Cowhide Joyride
|
|
5
|
Christian
Yelich Mil - OF
|
The Angry Pirates
|
|
6
|
Khris Davis Oak -
OF
|
Anal Hershiser
|
|
7
|
Zack Greinke Ari
- P
|
Moose is Loose!
|
|
8
|
Mike Trout LAA -
OF
|
Montezuma's Revenge
|
|
9
|
Joey Gallo Tex -
1B,3B,OF
|
Moose is Loose!
|
|
10
|
Mookie Betts Bos
- OF
|
Sexual Napalm
|
|
11
|
Francisco
Lindor Cle - SS
|
Take the Knebel
|
|
12
|
Jacob deGrom NYM
- P
|
Thor's Hammered
|
|
13
|
Bryce Harper Was
- OF
|
Thor's Hammered
|
|
14
|
J.D. Martinez Bos
- OF
|
Sexual Napalm
|
|
15
|
Dereck
Rodríguez SF - P
|
Keep Off Groin
|
|
16
|
José Abreu CWS -
1B
|
One Nut Wonders
|
|
17
|
Chris Sale Bos -
P
|
The Angry Pirates
|
|
18
|
Jon Gray Col - P
|
Take the Knebel
|
|
19
|
Max Scherzer Was
- P
|
Montezuma's Revenge
|
|
20
|
Juan Soto Was -
OF
|
Montezuma's Revenge
|
|
21
|
Javier Báez ChC -
2B,3B,SS
|
Anal Hershiser
|
|
22
|
Gregory
Polanco Pit - OF
|
The Angry Pirates
|
|
23
|
Mallex Smith TB -
OF
|
Moose is Loose!
|
|
24
|
Giancarlo
Stanton NYY - OF
|
Cowhide Joyride
|
|
25
|
Carlos
González Col - OF
|
Sexual Napalm
|
Just a reminder that all teams must continue to set rosters
or they will be fined. This is important for the integrity of the league and it
will be enforced.
Please send fee payment if you haven’t yet.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Week 16 Real Rankings
NOTES
The average Real Rankings and actual standings are starting
to look even more similar. While there
is a common perception that H2H is too contingent on luck and matchups, the RR
have consistently produced data indicating luck isn’t a factor over long time
period. Half the league is in the same spot in the RR and Actual, six are
within one spot, and one team is two spots away. Rotisserie is for chickens.
Kyle officially has the most balanced team, ranking tops in
hitting and pitching for RR for the season. The #2 teams aren’t far behind, but
it’s certainly an achievement worth noting as it is difficult to achieve that
balance.
Heading into the open trading period, Jeff’s Take the
Knebels are the hottest team over the last four weeks – by a significant margin.
Their place in the standings is a little
flimsy, but there’s some clear upward trajectory here that the other playoff
teams should note. Likewise, Gibby’s Napalm were making noise prior to the
prolonged Week 16. Chad’s Tomahawks also
had a poor week, dropping him to 5th over the last 4.
It’ll be interesting to see how Brian decides to go. He’s 6th over the last 4, but 10th
in the standings and grouped amongst a bunch of teams with rosters that have
largely underachieved. To a lesser
extent, Dan’s team has been top 8 over the last 4, but remains outside the
playoff spot and produced a dud in week 16.
The relative production should be kept in mind for both team as their
averages over the last 4 -- 6.7 and 7.3, respectively – aren’t anything to
write home about.
On the other side, Jason’s One Nuts are technically in a
playoff spot, but are in danger of falling out.
The team has actually been pretty good, but he has also been the second
most volatile team for the season
Meanwhile, Chris’s Thor is 2nd in the standings by 9th
over the last 4 (last two weeks have been good though).
Teams that are selling:
Anal, Brokeback, Donkey, Cowhide.
Everyone else seems to be either waiting to decide or waiting for prices
to come down. Only one big trade so far, with Tanaka/Gattis going for a 9th
rounder, but I know from discussing with some of you that conversations are
taking place. Best advice for anyone
that is on the fence is to look at the rosters of the top teams and try to
determine how close you are. If it’s a few pieces and some luck, go for it. If
your pitching roster look like an SP2 and a bunch of SP5s and your offense has
been fueled by a nobody on a heater, then maybe not.
Still need money from Watson ($115), Dave, Dan, Dagan, and Chris. Don’t make me beg. Paypal
is adrok71@yahoo.com
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Week 15 Real Rankings
NOTES
One week until the open trading period begins! The big question is who is in and who is out?
The standings and real rankings are essentially the same at this point so it is
hard to draw conclusions. For RR over
the last 5 weeks, it’s not surprising to see Kyle remain on top. Right after
that you have the lingering Napalm and Revenge, the latter of which has quietly
made a late run at the top spot. In the
Actual Standings, Kyle and Adam are joined by Chris and Chad, who are jockeying
for position in what could end up being the closest, wildest race for first in
league history. Meanwhile, Moose may sit
in 11th, but he’s had the 7th best RR in the last 5 and
sits 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.
Anal and Ring are also on the outside looking in, but are only 1 and 1.5
games out.
LAST 5 WEEKS
The Angry Pirates 5.36
Sexual Napalm 5.68
Montezuma's Revenge 6.16
Take the Knebel 6.54
Tomahawk chops 6.60
Keep Off Groin 7.02
Moose is Loose! 7.18
Ring of Fire 7.26
Thor's Hammered 7.56
One Nut Wonders 7.68
Anal Hershiser 7.72
Donkey Punchers 7.96
Brokeback Moundmen 8.40
Cowhide Joyride 8.82
What does all this mean for the trading deadline? The chewed
up corpses of Donkey, Brokeback, and Cowhide are still there for the pecking.
If one of them decide to move big names, there could be a lot to gain if none
of the other teams decide to call it quits.
If one of the other team DO hang em up, then they potentially stand to
make substantial gains for next season with so many teams looking for an edge
to get them to the top spot and an automatic 25% of the winnings.
With that in mind, it’s important to take a hard look at
your roster and attempt to determine which way to go. If your roster is getting
by on luck, then perhaps its best to look past the actual standings. On the
other hand, sometimes all it takes is that one big trade to put you over the
top.
It’s a lot cheaper to trade for keepers now than in the
offseason, so if you’re thinking of selling, now’s the time to do it. Because
an SP that could bring back a first rounder may only get you a 6 round upgrade
in the offseason.
Reminder of the Open Trading Rules:
7.5. During the regular season, prior to the open trading period, teams may only trade future picks after the 10th round. The open trading period will take place two weeks prior to the trading deadline, when teams may trade up to two future picks in Rounds 7-10. There is no limit on the number of picks a team may receive. There are no restrictions to offseason trading, which begins the day after the championship and ends two weeks prior to the draft. This rule is intended to maintain the competitive balance of the league by incentivizing teams to delay mass sell-offs until the end of the regular season.
Open trading begins Sun July 30 at midnight. So, you only have two picks to trade in round 7-10. I will track them on the Yahoo page. The deadline is Sun Aug 12 at midnight. There is no trading after that time. There are no restrictions to trading in the offseason, which will begin upon completion of the H&T playoffs.
TOP 25 PLAYERS – LAST 30
|
1
|
Matt Carpenter StL - 1B,2B,3B | |
|
2
|
Chris Sale Bos - P | |
|
3
|
José Ramírez Cle - 2B,3B | |
|
4
|
Alex Bregman Hou - 3B,SS | |
|
5
|
Francisco Lindor Cle - SS | |
|
6
|
Starling Marte Pit - OF | |
|
7
|
Max Muncy LAD - 1B,2B,3B,OF | |
|
8
|
Javier Báez ChC - 2B,3B,SS | |
|
9
|
Mookie Betts Bos - OF | |
|
10
|
Tyler Anderson Col - P | |
|
11
|
Wil Myers SD - 1B,OF | |
|
12
|
J.D. Martinez Bos - OF | |
|
13
|
Zack Greinke Ari - P | |
|
14
|
Jesús Aguilar Mil - 1B | |
|
15
|
Aaron Nola Phi - P | |
|
16
|
Rougned Odor Tex - 2B | |
|
17
|
Gregory Polanco Pit - OF | |
|
18
|
Jacob deGrom NYM - P | |
|
19
|
Giancarlo Stanton NYY - OF | |
|
20
|
Marco Gonzales Sea - P | |
|
21
|
Edwin Díaz Sea - P | |
|
22
|
Felipe Vázquez Pit - P | |
|
23
|
Kenta Maeda LAD - P | |
|
24
|
Aaron Judge NYY - OF | |
|
25
|
Dereck Rodríguez SF - P |
Jason is brilliant! (Now can I stop getting messages every
time Carp hits a homer?)
Still need money from Watson ($115), Dave, Dan, Dagan, Jeff,
and Shomphe. Paypal is adrok71@yahoo.com
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Week 14 Real Rankings
NOTES
We’ve officially entered the last third of the fantasy
baseball season. At 12:01 am on Monday
July 30, the open trading period will start. Every team can trade up to two
picks in the 7-10 rounds. There is no
limit on the number of picks you can receive.
With that in mind, it’s a good time to take a look at where
you are and where you think you’ll be in three weeks. Most teams are in it at this point, with only
the bottom three looking in and selling. 11th place Anal is only 2.5
games out of a playoff spot, while the top three teams are essentially even and
Montezuma’s isn’t far behind. Could get mighty competitive for the assets that
end up on the market. Frankly, there may not be much of a market unless one of
the 6-11th teams really starts a nosedive.
The real rankings are eerily accurate this year. Only one
team is out of position by more than one spot, with Napalm in 7th in
the Actual and 5th in RR. As I indicated earlier, the Real Rankings
actually provide proof that head-to-head is a perfectly viable setup for a
league, as it shows very little difference between the two rankings. It is very
useful on a week to week basis to show relative production, but in the end
basic mathematics prevails and luck is evenly distributed.
It is interesting to look at the RR in segments. For
example, the second “trimester” of the season reveals how the standings have
fluctuated recently with Kyle pulling away from the pack in a big way and my
team making moves away from the next tier of top teams.
LAST 7 WEEKS
|
1
|
The Angry Pirates
|
5.07
|
|
2
|
Montezuma's Revenge
|
6.09
|
|
3
|
Sexual Napalm
|
6.53
|
|
4
|
Tomahawk chops
|
6.56
|
|
5
|
One Nut Wonders
|
6.64
|
|
6
|
Thor's Hammered
|
6.76
|
|
7
|
Keep Off Groin
|
7.26
|
|
8
|
Ring of Fire
|
7.33
|
|
9
|
Take the Knebel
|
7.53
|
|
10
|
Moose is Loose!
|
7.67
|
|
11
|
Anal Hershiser
|
7.77
|
|
12
|
Donkey Punchers
|
7.80
|
|
13
|
Brokeback Moundmen
|
8.03
|
|
14
|
Cowhide Joyride
|
8.41
|
Still need money from Watson ($115), Dave, Dan, Dagan,
Gibby, Jeff, and Shomphe. Paypal is
adrok71@yahoo.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)