Welcome to Season #3… This is the first season we’re using the paid features in the Yahoo Fantasy Sports league. Most of us already paid $8 for the StatTracker, so $10/team to get the additional features (including the StatTracker) was a good deal for us.
Will my Durham Bulls continue to lead the pack? Will another team come from last place to finish in the money? We’ll know in 6-7 months.
Keeper Lists are due March 11th, Draft is March 17th, 7pm.
I was again able to defend as champion, coming on strong in the second half after struggling through the first half of the season. A Scott Podsednik pick up may have put me over the top.
Mid-Season Report
West Coast Yankees
- K. Wood, P #
- G. Sheffield OF #
- T. Helton 1B #
- J. Smoltz, P #
- A. Jones, OF #
- M. Ramirez OF #
- A. Boone, 3B
- R. Clemens, P
- C.C. Sabathia, P
- S. Hasegawa, P *
- P. Lo Duca, C ****
About a month ago it looked like no one would be able to catch the Left Coast Yanks, but the hitting came back to earth a little and the race at the top is looking up for grabs again. Sabathia and Aaron Boone have been pleasant surprises and the Hasegawa pickup will be a big help over the next 2 months. Look for the hitters to keep putting up big numbers, but this team will only go as far as the starting pitching takes them. The trade of Kerry Wood for Shawn Green and Koskie was a high-risk, high-reward gamble, we’ll see if it pays off.
Durham Bulls
- B. Zito, P #
- T. Glaus 3B #
- A. Rodriguez SS #
- R. Furcal, SS
- E. Martinez DH
- R. Ortiz P
- D. Young, OF *
- L. Castillo 2B ***
The Bulls send 7 players to the All-Star game, but would have sent 10 had they not traded away MacDougal, Lance Carter and Matsui. It was around this time last season that the Bulls traded for Pedro and then pulled away in the second half. After some great pitching from the starters early, the loss of Pedro to yet another injury and some lousy starts by Morris and Zito have upped the Bulls ERA by almost half a run in the last few weeks. A healthy Pedro and youngster Johan Santana look to stabilize the rotation and add some much needed K’s in the second half. Manager Alex King couldn’t give away Russ Ortiz or Milton Bradley earlier in the year in a trade and is now looking like a genius because of it. Free agent pickups Eric Byrnes, Scott Podsednik, Dimitri Young and Frank Thomas have carried the offense over the last month while top keeper Vlad has been hurt and some of the hot starting hitter have cooled off dramatically. The Bulls are looking at another finish in the money this year, despite having the third worst keeper pick – Robb Nen.
Nameless
- M. Prior, P #
- J. Schmidt, P #
- M. Sweeney, 1B #
- B. Boone, 2B #
- E. Guardado, P #
- M. Lowell, 3B
- H. Blalock, 3B *
- D. Willis, P *
That Mark Prior pickup last year was HUGE! The decision to let Aaron Boone go was made a lot less painful bu the fact that Mike Lowell has been tearing the cover off the ball all year long. Blalock has been a very solid contributor and the pitching led by Prior, Schmidt, Brandon Webb (who?) and Dontrelle Willis (double who?) has been very strong. The No Names will be getting Sasaki back for the stretch run and if the pitching continues as it has, they will be near the top of the pack. Pat Burrell has been the second worst keeper decision of the season thus far.
Yomiuri Giants
- I. Suzuki OF #
- B. Bonds OF #
- J. Posada C #
- N. Garciparra, SS #
- J. Moyer, P
- K. Brown, P
- G. Anderson, OF
- J. Giambi, 1B
Once again, the Giants have gotten off to a hot start. The last few seasons they have started hot and then fizzled… perhaps they learned their lesson and didn’t play as much winter league ball this year. A good core of keepers and smart early draft picks have served the Giants well, although the Millwood trade may hurt them if Kevin Brown can’t avoid injury in the second half.
Tahoe SoxFan
- C. Delgado 1B #
- A. Pujols OF #
- M. Williams, P
- J. Varitek C
- C. Everett DH *
- J. Jenkins *
After last year’s tie for 3rd, the SoxFan seemed poised for big things this season, but (although it is to soon to count them out completely) they are in a tough spot to recover from on the pitching side. Perhaps the most active team in trades last season, the SoxFan gathered together a group of the games top hitters. Unfortunately, all of them not named Delgado or Pujols have flat out underperformed. Since being traded from the SoxFan Giambi has been revitalized in his new surroundings while Kevin Millwood struggled with the ajdustment to the high Tahoe altitude. Perhaps Carl Everett is the clubhouse cancer they say he is, but there is no excuse for the season’s Chavez, Beckett and Buehrle have had so far. A now red-hot Sosa will help them continue to dominate the hitting stats.
Second No More
- A. Soriano 2B #
- L. Gonzalez, OF #
- R. Halladay, P #
- W. Williams, P
- B. Wagner, P
- E. Loaiza, P *
- J. Lopez C **
Brash team manager Todd Slatcher changed the name to Second No More this season, and that looks like it will prove to be true – only perhaps not as he intended. Only 3 of Second’s All-Stars were keepers as the drafting of Williams and Wagner and the pick-ups of Loaiza (somebody wake him up and tell him he’s Esteban-Freaking-Loaiza, not the second coming of Sandy Koufax) and Javy Lopez have certainly helped. Mike Cameron continues to make 2001 look like his career year although his run and RBI totals still look fine, and Miguel Tejada is doing his best to make up for his great performance last season. I wouldn’t say they are out of it yet, but they need some breaks and perhaps a trade or two if they are going to finish in the money this year.
KTs Bad Attitudes
- E. Renteria SS #
- J. Edmonds, OF #
- S. Rolen 3B #
- R. White, OF *
- S. Chacon, P *
- L. Carter, P ***
- H. Matsui OF ***
New to the league this year, KTs came out of the box smoking. They’ve since cooled a little but are still a team in contention and have already made some interesting roster moves. The offense looks solid but the pitching after Mussina is suspect of late; especially with Hernandes and Chacon on the DL recently. Hernandez will be back after the break and could give the team a boost. Another closer or two would move them up a few points in saves.
Doh!
- K. Foulke, P #
- R. Sexson, 1B #
- R. Wolf, P #
- M. Giles 2B
- V. Wells, OF
- M. MacDougal, P ***
The first member of the three ‘Wait til next year’ teams, Doh! realized early on that his team needed rebuilding and approached the draft with that in mind. Solid young players like Giles, Teixeira and Wells were great picks and trading the aging and oft-injured Walker for MacDougal is looking like a very savvy play. New addition Kerry Wood joins a strong core of keepers and this team might look pretty scary next season.
Bruin Sluggers
- M. Mulder, P #
- E. Gagne, P #
- M. Mora, OF *
The first round Ken Griffey Jr. pick from the original draft is still haunting this team much like it haunts the Cincinnati Reds. Griffey ahs been hot lately, but this team is still the walking wounded with 5 players on the DL. The pitching is really strong on paper. Schilling, Mulder, Padilla, Ishii, Jerome Williams and Leiter are a formidable rotation and Rivera and Gagne are two of the best in the business. Look for them to gain some points in the pitching columns in the second half.
Senators
- J. Vidro, 2B #
- A. Benitez, P #
- P. Wilson, OF
Snakebit. This team features Paul Konerko on its keeper list – the only keeper selection that turned out worse than Robb Nen and Pat Burrell. With Nen out for the year he certainly hasn’t contributed anything, but he hasn’t approached the crippling effect Konerko has had on the Senators’ team’s OPS. Lance Berkman has started slowly and Randy Johnson has spent most of the season on the DL and he’s been the Esteban Loaiza of old when he hasn’t been hurt. The Senators still have a great core and are a good draft away from being in the hunt next year. They may want to look at making a trade or two in the second half as they start looking towards next season.
Free Agents
- R. Hernandez, C
- B. Donnelly, P
No love for these guys, although Ramon spent some time with the Durham Bulls earlier this season before being cut.
# – Keeper
* – FA Pickup
** – FA Pickup of dropped drafted player
*** – Drafted by another team, acquired via trade
**** – FA Pickup of dropped keeper