chopsx9

Taking part in a keeper league for the first time and just wondering if anyone has any advice that may be helpful for a first timer? There is a 5 man bench - so do I try and draft a Trout or a Harper or similar player who may not be active at the start of the season and stash them? Any insights on any quirks on this type of league appreciated. Thanks

Ooh I'l play. Vitters tears it up in ST resulting in speculation the he should be starting 3B with the big club. Same with Rebel Ridling and 1B. (I'm covering my bases) ((See what I did there - actually I didn't till I wrote it))

They've got to want to see Darvish against big league competition before pulling the trigger on a deal like that. The rotation isn't exactly stocked as it is. They trade Garza - Darvish blows - Zambrano -?????. Dempster isn't getting younger. That'd be a whole whack of question marks.

The award is based on what was accomplished not on a best guess at what their numbers would have been based on conjecture that may never actually manifest itself. Just look how Soriano's HR totals plummeted when he played for the Nationals. If DS is tougher to hit in - tough [expletive]. That's the nature of the game. If you are evaluating for future performance or determining trade value that's a completly different matter - but that's not what this was. That's like taking the Oscar away from Heath Ledger and giving it to Robert Downey because you think he'd have done a better job than Ledger if had he gotten the role. That's not the argument he's making. It's that Kemp's superiority in production to Braun is that much more impressive because it came playing in an extreme pitcher's park. Because Kemp likely would've put up better numbers playing half his games in Miller Park is just a natural consequence of putting the numbers he did in a less favorable hitting environment. I wouldn't disagree but awards are based on results not on what might have been.

The award is based on what was accomplished not on a best guess at what their numbers would have been based on conjecture that may never actually manifest itself. Just look how Soriano's HR totals plummeted when he played for the Nationals. If DS is tougher to hit in - tough [expletive]. That's the nature of the game. If you are evaluating for future performance or determining trade value that's a completly different matter - but that's not what this was. That's like taking the Oscar away from Heath Ledger and giving it to Robert Downey because you think he'd have done a better job than Ledger if had he gotten the role.

I've always said that they should have 2 awards - Player of the Year (from any team) and MVP (from playoff team). Obviously one player could win both. Don't they? Isn't the Hank Aaron award for the best offensive player? MVP isn't for specifically for someone from a playoff team but still. And I'm firmly in the camp that they don't have to be the same player.

Any chance you can do it for a couple, random, other NL teams? What do you make of all the pitchers suffering from bad luck? EDIT: For some reason I was including Montanez as a pitcher so its really only three. I wasn't counting Z because he's such a good hitter, although, then we should include Hill since he hits like a pitcher.

Weren't Chico Walker and Kevin Foster 80's?? Doug Jennings - was an AFL MVP I think. Brooks Kieschnick Bob Tweksbury - was he 90's? Danny Jackson not obscure enough? Never mind about Foster I was thinking of Reggie Patterson who came up and won 3 games in Sept 85 and I never heard about him again.

I don't think Wilson gets anywhere near 100M. I think 3-4 / 12-15 per. We'll see soon enough I guess.

You're probably thinking of Luis Salazar, who was with the Padres in 84 and was acquired by the Cubs (along with Marvell Wynne) in a post-deadline waiver deal in 89. I think he's really thinking of Ron Cey who came from the Dodgers, rather than the Padres. Could be; I could be thinking backwards on which team he meant by "their" 84 team. Luis Salazar was who I was trying to recall. Ronnie was around for 3 or 4 years if I recall. Anybody recall his inside the park homerun? I'd to love to compare his time to Campanna's.

As hard as it is to be in favor of letting Aramis walk, I still think they can replace him internally much more easily and effectively than they can fill 1st base or the top of the rotation internally. As good as Aramis has been, I really think Fielder/Pujols and Wilson are more important to the Cubs' chances of winning next year than Aramis is, because we can replace him with a Baker/Flaherty platoon and probably still be above average at third. Of course, if Ricketts ups payroll and we can afford all three, I'm all for bringing back Aramis. I'd lay some pretty serious money that Baker/Flaherty would not be above average at third next year. Flaherty seems to struggle initially after each promotion so I'm not sold on him as any kind solution for next year that requires substatial playing time. I think you go darn near all out to keep Aramis. I'd rather him than Wilson. I haven't forgotten the Leo Gomez, Steve Buchelle, Vance Law, Kevin Orie, Gary Gaetti years (Who was the dude from the Padres - I think he was on their '84 team - he took a kick at the can one year too I believe)

No reason to believe that he won't. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100828054703/uncyclopedia/images/b/b5/Exploding-head.gif Are we still on this or had you just been spending a few hours looking for the ideal gif? Johnson has been a very solid bench player all year, and yes, I have no reason to think that he'll just suddenly fall off a cliff, assuming he remains in the same role he has been in. Saying there's no reason to believe that he won't is far from guaranteeing that he will. His BABIP is .409. Neither he, nor any other player in baseball can sustain that. Therefore, you do have reason to think he can't keep it up. .426 now.

Fixed it for you.

Yeah I don't know how many times I've heard "If Ernie Banks were white Junior Kennedy would be my second favorite player!"

He and Lance Berkman were my last two picks.

Where is Reggie Golden?

Mike Fontenot May 28th of last year against St. Louis. Dunston had 3 once didn't he??

No, he's not. He's crap. Take the hit and move on.

"Ridiculous hair?" Don't hate because you're going bald already. That is a majestic mane. Andy comes from the Ron Swanson school of haircut acceptability Ron was rocking some corn rows last week so hopefully well see that next.

Yeah, no shortage of rumors that say little beyond suggesting the deal, including a good portion of them that point out how the trade makes no sense for the Cubs if they're tightening their belts money-wise. It makes even less sense when you and others try to claim the Cubs were willing to eat most of Kosuke's final year to take on two years and $20 million of Daisuke. Really, think about it for two seconds and try to figure out how likely it is that the Cubs would want to do something like that. You're placing WAY too much stock in a quickly squashed rumor to try and make your point. I mean, in your scramble to point out how overpaid you think Fukudome is you honestly think that a team isn't going to unload a $20 million bust for a player they'd be on the hook for 1 year and probably only end up paying $8 or $9 million at the most, would likely OPS over .800, is a very valuable OBP asset and plays great defense. Again, think about it for 2 seconds. Either you think Fukudome is much, much worse than he actually is or the Red Sox are run by an idiot. Or maybe you're one of those people that like to make Hendry out to be some kind of a cartoonish buffoon. He's often very bad at his job, but why would he ever, ever, ever make a deal along the lines of those rumors? Now who's spinning?? Who squashed what? Every story has the Cubs approaching the Red Sox and the Red Sox saying "NO" The point was the Red Sox weren't interested not that anyone thought it was good trade but throw up more straw men. But you know what.... You're absolutely right all the "multiple sources" are Fukudome haters. The entire story is a complete fabrication. I don't even thik Boston has a MLB team. I actually planted most of the stories myself. You got me. The world is flat and Fukudome will get a raise after next year.

Who is spinning what?? - not appropriate is less extreme than grossly overpaid. If I had started with not appropriate and then moved to grossly overpaid that would be spinning. Grossly overpaid implies not appropriate. If you want to get technical not appropriate could imply that he is underpaid - you'd have had better luck with that. It doesn't, I didn't (see above post) and therefore it didn't. ...but feel free to throw up as many straw men as you'd like. If we are assuming a world where Fukudome's 13.5M is "appropriate" then Yes. (See what I did there)

No he isn't. Even the Red Sox - the team many touted as the one that would most appreciate Fukudome's skill set - wanted nothing to do with him - even in trying to dump Dice K. If he's a free agent today you HONESTLY believe he would get anywhere near $13.5Million (I think that's his salary this year) I bet he wouldn't get half of that. Fukudome certainly can be a valuable player doesn't mean he's being paid appropriately. According to fangraphs he's been worth $24m in his 3 years in the league, he has been paid $30.5m. That's not grossly overpaying. And Dice K is owed $7m more than Fukudome, has injury issues, and we already have a crowded rotation. All while we will have a need for Kosuke this year, I am sure it was more Hendry saying no to Dice-K than it was Theo saying no to Kosuke. http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=3263&position=OF#value Unfortunately it was the Red Sox that backed away because the Cubs wouldn't eat enough of the contract. The reporting has it pretty specifically that Theo said no to Kosuke. Later the Cubs apparently broached the subject again and were willing to eat more but it never went anywhere. No shortage on info if you Google it.

Y'know, saying this a billion times doesn't actually make it true. Pretending he isn't, doesn't either. Kosuke is closer to being paid what he's worth than he is to being "grossly overpaid." No he isn't. Even the Red Sox - the team many touted as the one that would most appreciate Fukudome's skill set - wanted nothing to do with him - even in trying to dump Dice K. If he's a free agent today you HONESTLY believe he would get anywhere near $13.5Million (I think that's his salary this year) I bet he wouldn't get half of that. Fukudome certainly can be a valuable player doesn't mean he's being paid appropriately.

Y'know, saying this a billion times doesn't actually make it true. Pretending he isn't, doesn't either.

Its actually win 60/lose 60. The other 40 determine your season. I know I just wanted to choose a number that wouldn't result in someone pointing out some team that only won 59 games...the irony.