Chronicles of ottoneu: FanGraphs Experts League, Year Two

Last year, Eno Sarris gathered a group of fantasy experts from around the internets and formed the FanGraphs Experts league – an ottoneu league using traditional 5×5 roto scoring – pitting some of the best fantasy minds around (and me) against each other in a battle royale.

This year, we resume the battle.

The lineup has changed ever-so-slightly this year, so let me reintroduce you to your gladiators:

Andy Behrens (Yahoo – Roto Arcade)
Mike Newman (FanGraphs, Scouting the Sally)
Jeff Erickson / Peter Schoenke (RotoWire)
Andrew Fiorentino (RotoWire)
Tim Heaney (KFFL)
Andy Andres (Tufts University)
Neil FitzGerald (BaseballHQ)
Tom Keppy (BaseballHQ)
James Quintong (ESPN)
Jack Moore (RotoHardball, FanGraphs)
Eno Sarris (FanGraphs)
Chad Young (ottoneu, FanGraphs)

We’ll be providing updates here throughout the season, but I thought I would start by offering up my projections for final standings.

Team	Pitching Pts	Hitting Pts	Total Pts
KFFL	41	52	93
Team RotoWire	44	33	77
Earl Webb	48	24	72
Eno’s Slaughter	34	37	71
Veteran Presents	41	29	70
Andy Behrens	27	41	68
Dyersville Nine	44	20	64
Fiorentino (RW)	31	27	58
ESPN Quintong	29	26	55
Amateur Hour	28	25	53
Scouting the Sally	17	34	51
BIG BOPPERS	6	42	48

Those numbers are based on taking a weighted average of a few projection systems (ZiPS, PECOTA, CHONE, and OLIVER) and piecing together each team’s lineup. I include starters and, where necessary, reserves.

And based on those numbers, Heaney comes out as a CLEAR favorite. However, I think there are some question marks here. His rotation projects well, but has a number of question marks (Daniel Bard, Neftali Feliz, Max Scherzer, Jake Peavy, among others) who will have to play crucial roles. And while his stars on offense shine bright (Albert Pujols, Curtis Granderson, Evan Longoria, and more) the back half of his lineup isn’t nearly as strong, and his bench is a bit thin – injuries could take a toll.

The co-owned RotoWire team, on the other hand, has a stout top of the rotation (Roy Halladay, Zack Greinke, C.J. Wilson) and finds themselves holding newly minted closers Joel Peralta and Alfredo Aceves.

On the other end, almost at the bottom, you will find my Amateur Hour squad. A ragtag bunch of no-good players hoping that their chemistry as a team and chipper optimism can carry them all the way to the top. Their manager, on the other hand, feels he is perilously close to falling off the deep end. Those numbers are inflated by a deep but shaky bullpen (Joe Nathan, Brett Myers, Matt Capps, Javy Guerra) that could fall apart at any moment.

Lucky for you, Eno will probably provide some updates around here, so you will get to hear about this league from someone who is fighting to finish in the money. But if I had to guess, most of my updates are going to focus on how to best prepare for 2013.

Although maybe not just yet…after all, it’s only April – anything can happen!