I’m not participating in the first RotoGraphs mock draft of 2015 (which, as you can see, is almost over). Thus, it’s easier for me to critique (read: take jabs at Mike Podhorzer), because, without a team to criticize, I don’t have to worry about retribution. Yeah, that’s right, I’m an impartial observer, and the Pod Squad is in the crosshairs.
Round 3 is on the docket. In case you missed them: other writers’ looks at Round 1 and Round 2.
Because I’m a hopeless dweeb starved for baseball, I was watching the Mets’ last game of the 2014 season the other day. Sure, sitting through a meaningless game between the sub-.500 Mets and the hapless Astros — when I already know the outcome — might raise questions about my insomnia and/or social life, but keep in mind that the Mets haven’t played winning, feel-good baseball since the Bush administration, and there was a lot to be positive about on Sept. 28.
Lucas Duda cranked home run No. 30 and passed the 90-RBI mark, validating once and for all management’s decision to trade Ike Davis. Bobby Abreu collected the last hit of his career and was rewarded with a heartfelt, rousing ovation from fans who had booed him for years when he was a Phillie. In general, the atmosphere at Citi Field, coming at the conclusion of a strong second half and a 15-10 record in September, hinted that 2015 could be a year of actual competitive baseball in Queens and that there was a lot to look forward to.
And Bartolo Colon notched his 15th victory.
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The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” will not go live in this post. We convened on Thursday, but the audio was substandard. We’re working on a solution to roadblocks in our recording setup.
Eno Sarris and I talked about some of the higher-level newsworthy items of the past couple of weeks. We also talked about a couple of requests. This post will give you the gist of the content we covered in what would have been Episode 185. I’m saving the requests so that you’ll get to listen to them, eventually, though. Look for the newest episode in the coming week.
I am participating in the ongoing mock draft, and Eno Sarris and Daniel Schwartz have already written about a pair of compelling draft choices they made. The pick I made that sparked the most interest was of George Springer, who I took in the fifth round with the 55th overall pick. Chris Cwik selected Matt Kemp with the next pick, which provides a compelling player for comparison.
It was insert cliche here a tale of two seasons for Jason Hammel in 2014: in one, he was the surprise Chicago success story, a guy racking up strikeouts at a high clip while maintaining a sub-3 ERA. In the other, he was the acquired gun who fizzled in Oakland, getting blown apart with a 2-6 record and bloated FIP, a prime culprit in the team’s second-half choke job.
All told, Hammel finished 38th among starting pitchers in Zach Sanders’ end of the season rankings, though surely those fantasy owners who hoped that a move to the (at the time) high-flying A’s and their big ballpark would help Hammel continue his good vibes still harbor some bitterness.
A $20 million contract in hand, Hammel is now on his way back to Chicago, where he’ll look to recapture the success of his first three months of 2014. As far as fantasy owners are concerned, however, he’ll also be looking to prove that his 2015 value is closer to that of his Cubbie tenure than his brief stay in Oakland.
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Of course it isn’t really the night before draft day, but I wanted to get something to go with the holiday season.
Twas the night before draft day and with all my rankings
I knew I would win, and take all the bankings.
The spreadsheets were loaded in my nerd lair
With a budget plus knowledge, I was fully prepared
My prospects and sleepers in bold and high-lighted
My mantra, “Trust the process!” had me delighted
An IPA in one hand, my mouse in the other
The draft began, names flying one after another
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The San Diego Padres have probably created more buzz than any other Major League Baseball team this offseason. New GM A.J. Preller added to his club a few position players who are pretty good in fantasy baseball terms – a couple of them really good, a couple of them who could be (but could also not be). The change in home venue for each doesn’t really affect his projection on offense negatively, either. The new guys all used to play in pretty pitcher-friendly yards.
A cool fantasy baseball thing related to the new guys’ pitcher-friendly yard, Petco Park, is that it has long helped its team to be a sort of fantasy goldmine. When fantasy baseball players search for pitching sleepers and fliers, they usually check San Diego’s roster for youngsters, retreads, and anyone else the Friars might give a shot that year. Petco Park has always had good park factors for hurlers, and the club’s coaching staffs (latest edition led by manager Bud Black and pitching coach Darren Balsley) have good reputations, too.
Now, :-(. The source of the Padres’ newfound buzz will make the cool fantasy baseball thing less cool. Perhaps a lot less.
Coming into 2014, Ian Kennedy was not exactly in great demand in fantasy, which figures, since for a guy whose major league tenure began in the shadows of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, being underrated is nothing new for him. That’s not to say he wasn’t borderline dreadful 2013, or that he didn’t deserve his 70 ADP among starting pitchers back in March.
But as he’s never approached the highs of his breakout 2011 season, in which he posted a 4.9 WAR and finished fourth in that year’s NL Cy Young balloting, an air of disappointment has clung to Kennedy, despite what’s been, at least overall, a very solid run as a major league starter.
That’s why it was nice to see him bounce back this year with what may have been his best season yet, as he finished 47th among starting pitchers, according to Zach Sanders’ end of the season rankings.
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Episode 184
The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!
And Jason Collette is back! He and Nicholas Minnix talk about, among other players in the news, Wil Myers, Derek Norris, Will Middlebrooks, and other new Padres; Max Fried; Kevin Jepsen, Steven Souza, and other new Rays; Michael Morse, Martin Prado, and other new Marlins; Nathan Eovaldi; and Jesse Hahn. Don’t worry: There’s a cursory mention of Justin Upton.
As usual, don’t hesitate to tweet us or comment with fantasy questions so that we may answer them in our next episode.
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I’m the type of guy who likes a good challenge. At least, I must be. Why else would I volunteer myself to write about a 33-year-old reliever who made the transition to the rotation, pitched to a 3.44 earned run average in 32 starts, and then got traded?
Let’s begin by just reflecting on how remarkable Alfredo Simon’s 2014 was. He came into the season more than two years removed from his last start, having spent all of 2012 and 2013 pitching out of the bullpen. Not only had he not started in quite some time, but he was never any good at all as a starter in the first place.
