Do I Wish Them Well?

I wish some teams well. Others, not so much.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Yes, I wish them well. As long as they don’t win too many games against the Padres, they’re okay in my book.

Atlanta Braves: No, I do not wish them well. They’re still doing that “tomahawk chop” thing. I wanted them to win the World Series last year, just so the Astros would not win it.

Baltimore Orioles: Yes, I wish them well. They’ve had some tough breaks recently, but I really want them to rise again. I prefer them winning the AL East over the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Rays.

Boston Red Sox: I wish them well. I actually like some of the Red Sox players. I want them to lose to the Yankees, but they’re not annoying like in years past.

Chicago White Sox: Of course I wish them well. The White Sox were my dad’s team growing up and I have a lot of good will towards them. I don’t think they can ever become “my team”, since they’ll constantly be going up against the Yankees. But I’m on Tim Anderson’s side in the Josh Donaldson fiasco.

Chicago Cubs: I wish them well. The team is a bit of a wasteland, but they still have a certain charm. And Seiya Suzuki is just cool.

Cincinnati Reds: I wish them well. I don’t understand what the heck they’re up to, trading great players to Seattle, but they have some promising young players, and should be good again soon if they don’t screw it up.

Cleveland Guardians: I wish them well. Like the Reds above, their behavior is somewhat ponderous and disappointing, but I love their energy and grit. (see Josh Naylor home run celebrations).

Colorado Rockies: I wish them….pretty well. My cousin Gayle was a huge fan. 😥 Again, don’t beat up on my Padres too much, but feel free to beat the Dodgers as often as possible. Also, love Kris Bryant and Connor Joe.

Detroit Tigers: I….don’t wish them well, for now. Not really a fan of anyone on their team. Check back again when Riley Greene debuts. I might be wishing them well.

Houston Astros: I don’t wish them well. (Jeremy Peña excluded).

Kansas City Royals: I wish them well. They’re bringing up all their rookies (Bobby Witt, MJ Melendez) and that’s a good thing. Also, Brady Singer once won me a fantasy league on the last day of the season in 2020.

Los Angeles Angels: I wish them very well. They’re a really fun team and should make the postseason this year. Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, Shohei Othani, Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh, Noah Syndergaard, Andrew Velazquez, Tyler Wade, and so on and so on. And David Fletcher, when healthy. Lot to like here. And only 40 minutes away, sans traffic.

Los Angeles Dodgers: I don’t wish them well. As a Padres fan, I need them to lose. I do wish Mookie well, and if they ever promote Miguel Vargas, him too. And Bellinger. And Lux. Yeah, I guess I like some of these guys.

Miami Marlins: I wish Jazz Chisholm and Miggy Rojas well. And Alcantara and Jesus Aguilar. You know what…I like this team.

Milwaukee Brewers: They have enough likable players that I really don’t mind this team. (Yelich, McCutchen, Rowdy). I wish them well.

Minnesota Twins: Typically, I wish them well, but I am angry with the Twins right now. Royce Lewis did not need to be sent down to the minors. 😡

New York Yankees: Of course I wish the Yankees well. This is my team. I love the stadium, the history, the fans, the Bronx, the culture. And I really want Aaron Judge to get a ring.

New York Mets: I’ve wished them well in the past, and I may again in the future. I find this particular Mets team to be un-well-wishable. Don’t ask me why. I just don’t like them. Love their broadcast team tho!

Oakland Athletics: No.

Philadelphia Phillies: Yes, I wish them well. They’ve done everything right, and it hasn’t worked. This team should be winning more. What the heck?

Pittsburgh Pirates: I used to wish them well, when they had Andrew McCutchen. Now, I’m really bored. Wake me up when they promote Oneil Cruz.

San Diego Padres: I grew up watching Tony Gwynn. A Padres World Series win would be the greatest thing ever. I wish them extremely well. Go Friars!

San Francisco Giants: I supported the Giants when I lived there. They’re an historic franchise. I like them, I like their manager. I wish them semi-well, for my friends who support them. I’m getting a little sick of all the platooning, roster maneuvers, Rays-like behavior. Pick a lineup and stick with it.

Seattle Mariners: Love the M’s. Wish them well. This may not be their year. This is the Angel’s year!!

St. Louis Cardinals: I probably shouldn’t, but I wish them well. I like the history, I like the loyalty of the fanbase, love their current players. They should try and win the NL Central again soon. Just don’t beat the Padres in the playoffs and I’ll wish you well.

Tampa Bay Rays: Do NOT wish them well. Hate the stadium, hate all the weird lineups. They seem to have a cool vibe, but I am not down with it.

Texas Rangers: Not a fan this year. When is Jack Leiter due to arrive? (Honorable mention: Jonah Heim).

Toronto Blue Jays: This is a feel-good team. For somebody. Not me. I do not wish them well. Please go .500 on the season.

Washington Nationals. Nope.

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Locked Out 🔒

So, it’s looking more and more like we won’t start the MLB season on time. It’s fine, totally fine. Let’s give the two sides as much time as they need to fix the game, get everything figured out. April baseball is stupid anyway. Too cold. Just ask Luis Castillo. He doesn’t really get going until the warmer months.

And if you’re hungry for baseball before MLB figures things out, there’s college baseball. I myself live in Los Angeles, so I have all kinds of college baseball I can go to. Just near me, Occidental are playing a double-header on Saturday!! UCLA (🐻) and USC (🤮) are starting up as well, plus I’m sure there’s plenty of junior college (“JuCo”) ball about to start, just about everywhere.

Maybe I’ll make a “College Baseball in Los Angeles” schedule that you all can check, to see who’s playing that day and what time, what channel it’s on, etc. etc.

Who doesn’t fancy a drive down to Long Beach on a gorgeous Spring day?

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Here’s Kevin’s chart!

Here’s the chart we discuss in today’s episode of the So Baseball podcast.

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I Was In Fifth Place For A Second [UPDATE: back in 5th!]

So, my wave of upward momentum appears to have crested. I hit a ceiling, or something similar. But that’s fine. I’ll keep trying.

But wait,

I’m Back, Babyyyyyyy

Update, I pulled back into fifth place!

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I’m in Sixth Place in My TGFBI League

Slowly climbing the ranks, both in the league and in the overall

I still think I could win this thing. Or come in second at least! Let’s look at what is driving this push. First of all, I picked up Yasmani Grandal and he’s been mashing. I bet most fantasy folks are doing a fantasy football draft today. Not me! I’m still all-in on fantasy baseball.

Secondly, a couple pitchers have gone off super hard for me. Two wins from Zach Plesac and Mark Melancon had a win and two saves.

FAAB is about to run for this week, so we’ll see who come up big for me next!

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I’m In Seventh Place in My TGFBI League

Current standings as of August 22nd, 2021

Yes, it’s been rough. Rough stuff. I have climbed up to seventh place in the vaunted TGFBI fantasy tournament, and 219th overall. (Please note that the eighth place team behind of me is ahead of me in the overall by nine spots). This season has been brutal for the injuries, the demotions, the overall suckitude of some of my draft picks.

Let’s take a quick look at my Opening Day roster and see who’s still with us, and who isn’t:

So, I dropped Luis Robert when he got hurt, boy would I like to have him back, although he’s not exactly hitting the cover off the ball. I think the duo that did me in on the hitting side were Keston Hiura and Andres Giminez. Complete disappointment, especially given how high they were drafted. On the pitching side, Jesus Lizard and Pablo Lopez were busts, as were Zach Davies and Brad Keller. Plesac has also been injured and underachieved.

But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Honestly, if Huascar Ynoa hadn’t punched that wall, I might actually be in this thing, but who knows. With six weeks left in the regular season, I will keep fighting. I’m glad that I’ve crawled back from 13th to 7th place. I’d love to crack the Top 5, but who knows…..

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TGFBI Post-Draft Breakdown (Rounds 21-30)

Let’s get this over with, because I’ve really had it with this team. I’m currently sitting in 13th place and 321st overall, so let’s try to figure out what the eff went wrong.

Some real highs and lows in the final third of the draft.

Round 21, Mark Melancon: I guessed right here!!! Melancon is the definitive closer in San Diego and has done well thus far. A rare bright spot for my team.

Round 22, Brad Keller: Total disaster. First two starts have been an utter pile of crap. He’s just serving up hanging sliders to get thumped over the fence. At least he was on my bench for the second start. Looking like a drop for Week 3 FAAB.

Round 23, Tommy La Stella: He’s been injured, but still pinch hitting? Does that mean he can’t play the field? TBD I suppose. As a lefty, he’ll be a strong-side platoon 2nd baseman for the Giants when healthy. Definitely a hold/wait-and-see candidate.

Round 24, Jordan Romano: Another fortunate reliever pick that appeared to win the closer role after the Yates injury. And then Merryweather happened. I still think Romano will get his share of the saves, so I’m starting him every week until proven otherwise.

Round 25, Robbie Grossman: Has delivered as promised, minus the .125 average. He’s leading off and has at least one steal, if memory serves. No major complaints here.

Round 26, MacKenzie Gore: Another stash-and-hold in a round where I really needed a Major League player. Kind of a shithead move by me here.

Round 27, Miguel Rojas: This guy was clutch for me last year. He’ll be my MI this season, as long as he’s healthy. It’s worth it for his shoes alone!

Round 28, Trevor May: this was my bad reliever pick. Even if he eventually gets save chances for the Mets, I have no confidence he can convert them. Borderline drop in 2-3 weeks if he doesn’t start locking shit down.

Round 29, Brett Gardner: I’ve already dropped Gardy and that might have been a mistake. Judge is hurt and more injuries are sure to follow for the Yankees. Tauchman is essentially a pinch runner now, so Gardner might be an everyday player by the end of April.

Round 30, Steven Brault: He got injured right away and I dropped him for Roberto Perez because Sean Murphy had a wrist injury.

So what have we learned? Well, In a 15-team, NFBC-style league, only one draft-and-stash prospect is allowed, and only in the last 3 rounds. I may be in 13th place, but the season is only 8 days old. Some of my players who are sucking (Hiura, Gimenez, Marco Gonzalez) could figure it out, and some of my prospects (Franco, Gore) could get called up soon. But overall, I guess FantasyPros was right to give me an F for this draft. But we press on, into the unknown, and live to fight another day…

Good night!

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TGFBI Post-Draft Breakdown (Rounds 11-20)

The season is already underway, but as promised, here’s a look back at the middle rounds of my TGFBI draft!

Middle Rounds of the Beloved TGFBI League 29

Round 11, Taylor Rogers: Nobody knows who the closer in Minnesota will actually be, but Rogers is fine and will get his share of the chances. I could have taken Colome, Will Smith, or apparently even Aaron Civale, so maybe this was a crap pick. At the time of publishing, he’s got a 0.00 ERA, a 0.00 WHIP after two appearances, but no saves. This is a wait-and-see.

Round 12, Sean Murphy: I think I was the last person to take their first catcher. I’m happy with this pick, but he’s a little banged up, so the jury’s still out. Comparatively, I can’t believe how late Mitch Garver fell after last season’s debacle. Maybe shoulda taken him…

Round 13, Andres Gimenez: This guy had such a great Spring Training, winning the shortstop job outright, but he has sucked so bad in his first three games, that Amed Rosario is starting today. I have several shares of Gimenez and this is looking like a potential bust.

Round 14, Marco Gonzales: Definitely took this guy too early. His first start against the Giants was ‘not great’, and things are not gonna get easier, as the M’s pull into Target Field this week. I actually debated not starting him, but ultimately did. Watch this space for mid-week misery if he gets lit up again.

Round 15, Christian Walker: I stand by this pick. The guy is tough as nails, getting hit in the effing face with the ball, bleeding all over, and back in the lineup the next day. He will hit homers for me this season, and that’s what he’s being paid to do.

Round 16, Chris Taylor: We know he’s going to play 4-5 days a week, maybe six sometimes. Look, I’m happy for Gavin Lux that he’s off to such a hot start. I want him to do well. I just need Taylor to do well too. I like to get these guys with a lot of positional options, so I can slot them in to different spots. As of now, Taylor has played in three of the Dodgers’ four games. I’ll live with that.

Round 17, Manny Margot: The player that famously caused our leader Justin Mason to drop an F-bomb on his Main Event stream. I guess I feel lucky to have gotten him here? He’s starting most days in Tampa and has already hit a home run. Solid pick.

Round 18, Zach Davies: With all the inconsistent pitching I have on this squad, I needed my steady guy with great control. Davies is that guy, and he’s my only starter to get a win in Week 1. (Jordan Romano also got one, but not going to count on more from him).

Round 19, Wander Franco: Stupid pick, I’ll admit it. With the shallow team I have, there is no room to stash prospects who may or not be up in May or June.

Round 20, Jorge Alfaro: Like I said in my previous post, gotta love this Marlins squad, so getting Alfaro as my second catcher is great. Does your catcher steal bases, because he does!

We’ll finish up this round-up later in the week!! Good luck all!

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TGFBI Post-Draft Breakdown (Rounds 1-10)

Yep, I got accepted into the real TGFBI fantasy baseball league, for industry experts, like me, yeah, um, right. I am so flipping stoked, of course, but enough about that. How did the draft go, you’re asking. Well…

It went real nice, Steve, thanks for asking! But seriously, I had the 13th pick, so that was a little harsh, but can’t dwell on that. Being right near the turn, but not actually on the turn is kinda brutal (spoiler alert). I got sniped by Keaton DeRocher at least three times, and twice in a row, and that’s what makes this fun, right? We play this game for fun! So here we go…

Round 1: Jose Ramirez, what is there to say, he’s a top 10 position player in all roto formats (steals, AVG and power) so this was a no-brainer.

Round 2: Bryce Harper, some risk, but the guy crushes the ball and plays with a lot of passion. Bring it on, Harp.

Round 3: Luis Robert, at this point, all the true ace pitchers were gone and so was Eloy Jimenez, so I took Luis Robert, who is just a fun player. He’s going to ruin my AVG, so will need to address that later.

Round 4: Lance Lynn, my first pitcher. Had to do it. Could not wait another 24 picks or whatever it was. He’s fine, he’s good. He tends to stay healthy and pitch deep into games.

Round 5: Zach Plesac, big question mark. Is he as good as he looked last year? Time to just cross your fingers and hope the stuff is for real.

Round 6: Keston Hiura, sort of a panic pick. I started worrying about 2nd base. Even though he’s going to kill my batting average (am I punting AVG?) I like the power upside of this guy. Miller Park, great hitter’s ballpark.

Round 7: Jesus Luzardo, I kinda love this pick. He was sort of slept on. I think he might be the best pitcher in Oakland. I could have taken Matt Olson or Paul Goldschmidt here, but I figure Clegg already has Bellinger, and Keaton isn’t going to take Goldy and Olson….WRONG!!! HE TAKES BOTH!!

Round 8: Max Muncy, misery pick. Both of my 1Bs got sniped, BY THE SAME GUY, so I had to settle for Muncy, who I’m not particularly fond of. As a consolation, he has been crushing recently in Spring Training, so maybe he’ll be okay.

(This brutal sniping was the point in the draft that I should have realized that you shouldn’t leave key players on the board hoping they’ll come back around to you. With a 60-second timer, maybe more people panic on the turn and miss a trick, but with 4 hours to pick, it’s not an issue.)

Round 9: Pablo Lopez, no brainer, had to get in on the fun-time Marlins rotation. I guess I’m glad I didn’t get Sixto, who will start the year at the alternate site. Some times there’s no predicting these things, I just got lucky. I thought about taking Carlos Correa here, but Keaton has Lindor and Clegg has Gleyber, so he’ll probably last 4 more picks right? WRONG!!! Keaton snipes me once again!

Round 10: Wil Myers. No regrets here. Yes, I got sniped on Correa, and shortstop now becomes a problem for this team, but gotta love Myers. I tried to draft him everywhere in 2021, after losing out on him on a FAAB bid last season and regretting it all year. Slam Diego was the best part of 2020, and it sucked not having a piece of the action. He is coming out of Spring Training red hot, so let’s hope he can keep it up and stay healthy!

So that’s Round 1-10, and at this point in the draft, I like my team, but don’t love it. Stay tuned for more observations on the later rounds tomorrow!!

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My TGFBI Season, Article 1

I just found out I got into the real TGFBI fantasy baseball league for 2021. I’m excited, but nervous. These are the pros, the best fantasy pundits in the game. I am going to try and not come in dead last.

I have about 25 research podcasts to catch up on, and will start recording some of my own here. This is gonna be amazing!

Let’s hope the players can all stay healthy, we get fans back in the stadiums, and 2021 is a return to normalcy for the country and for baseball!

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