AWD
1. Sidewinders - Easily. They may lack draft picks, but they have the best bullpen in the history of NASOMA, and the rest ain't that bad. Every ballot but one (see below) picked the Snakes to win the AWD. Six of eleven ballots picked them to win it all.
2. Killer Bees - Close race with the Tweeners for 2nd. They are probably a year away from being a playoff team and a year away from making another appearance at the draft. Was picked as a Wild Card on 1 ballot. I cannot and WILL not confirm whether or not it was his own ballot.
3. Tweeners - Surprisingly, the best rotation in the division. And don't let your LHP face Arenado.
4. Goofs - Needs a good draft to avoid 110 losses.
BUD
1. Warpigs - Last year, the other 3 BUD teams were fighting for a playoff spot and the Pigs were rebuilding. This year should be the opposite. The Pigs were picked to win the division on every ballot except one (see below). They did not receive any votes of confidence for winning the Higdon.
2. DVs - They have the best player, the best starting pitcher, and three of the best relievers in the BUD, but not a lot of supporting help. Two experts picked the DVs to be a Wild Card.
3. FFTs - Deepest rotation in the division, but not enough offense or bullpen.
4. Wahoos - Will spend the year trying to come up with a new, non-offensive team logo.
HWD
1. Inmates - Eight of eleven experts picked the Inmates to win the HWD. Four of those responding agreed that this will, finally, be The Year of the Inmates. And they do have an excellent offense, but the key for the Inmates will be the draft. They own 6 of the first 50 picks, and those selections will determine how far the Inmates go.
2. Rhinos - Second place in the HWD is a virtual tie between the Rhinos and the Fungoes. Season-long injuries to Syndergaard and Sanchez doomed the Nose-Horned. Their lineup is every bit as good as the Inmate lineup, and their bullpen is only a shade behind, but missing those 2 starters - along with only 2 draft picks in the first 50, means they'll battle the Fungoes for 2nd in the division and a possible Wild Card berth. Three experts picked them to be a WC team, and one picked them to win the division.
3. Fungoes - The Fungoes received the exact same support of Wild Card nods (3) and division title picks (1). The Fungi have the best SP in the division, the best RP in the division, and Trout, who doesn't suck.
4. Nads - The Nads will NOT earn the first pick in the 2019 Draft. You heard it here first. They will, however, pick 2nd.
MFD
1. Drillers - In what should be a hotly contested division, the Drillers got the nod of the experts. Well,sort of. They received five picks to win the MFD and two picks to be the Wild Card. One owner picked them to win the whole thing (see below). The Drillers have the best and deepest offense in the division and in the league. Their rotation, led by Keuchel, is mediocre. They lack bullpen, but everybody in the MFD lacks bullpen.
2. Buckeyes - If the Drillers can't win this division, the Buckeyes can. They received 4 expert picks to win the MFD and five Wild Card bids. All this despite the fact that they have, well, nothing. And if that doesn't say something about the respect for the game-managing skills of their manager, I don't know what does.
3. Weevils - On paper, the Weevils should be the team challenging the Drillers this year. Their rotation is the best in the whole league - by far. The new owner will have his drafting ability tested, however, as the team has plenty of holes to fill. Two owners picked the Weevils to win the MFD, and another 4 picked them as a Wild Card.
4. Mavs - A good, young team. They'll be back.
The experts pitched in with more than just picks. They had commentary to contribute, as well. Below is some of the great feedback I received.
First, my favorite response...
My initial reaction was to decline your request, since I presume you are indeed seeking worthwhile information, whereas I have only spent approximately 0.00000000025% of my time over the last 4 months thinking about baseball and/or Strat-o-Matic. I might be able to tell you the names of most of the players on my team without a cheat sheet. But then I decided to treat this as a trial run for my draft strategy, which will involve throwing darts. And I have on occasion voted for candidates about whom I knew nothing, so this can't be any worse.
Or maybe it was this one...
The Drillers will win all four divisions and BOTH wildcard slots. Post season consists of a simple trophy engraving ceremony followed by the usual worshiping of DrillerDude.
Then there was this...
Who will win it all? I would take the Snakes in a runaway- although if he doesn’t overthink or overtalk it, the Inmates might make a run.
And this...
Sidewinders win again! (Just because it's a habit now)
And this...
Inmates beat the Pigs in 6 for their first world championship.
And this...
I can see inmates n fungoes n rhinos all at 90 wins
And nads about 70 wins
Ditto on next division as most competitive as I could see all four teams within 6 games of each other
Drillers n Buckeyes n weevils n mavs
1 Weevils – with this roster and 3 of the first 40 picks in the draft, we’re going to see if the Weevils have what it takes to shoot to the top. 3 great starters and 2 other solid ones means he can focus on pen and depth
2 Buckeyes – more homers and the Buckeyes mystique, but this time no No. 1 overall pick. The starting pitching is better and, as always, he’ll find a bunch of 30 innings guys to help him battle for the division.
3 Drillers – there are some REALLY good players on this roster, but they will have a tough time topping the Weevils
4 Mavs – the rebuild is on in Midlothian. Able to carry 37 players on his roster, look for this guy to be back in 2019
1 Warpigs – put an X by their name in the standings. Only question is if they’ll have a first-round bye. Yelich, Judge, Seager means this team is built for now and later
2 FFTs – this group will be competitive and will compete for a playoff spot, but winning the division will be a tall task
3 DVs – wasting the best year of Strasburg’s Stanton’s and Moustakas’ career. Probably looking at 80 wins and a shot at being the first team out of the playoffs at the end of the year
4 Wahoos – full rebuild/reload in gear. Several bats in place that could leave this team able to compete again in 2019. Will still hit some homers, but chances are good they’ll give up more longballs than ever.
1 Rhinos – by far the most competitive division. With Bryant, Bellinger and company if this team wants to win, they’ll win.
2 Fungoes – Murphy, Hosmer, Lindor, etc … this team has bats and Kershaw and Robertson. Will be a dogfight till the end for the division.
3 Inmates – Santana, Rizzo, J.D., Altuve, etc … THIS team has bats. But no Kershaw means they’ll be third best.
4 Nads – 5 of the first 50 draft picks and Jose Ramirez means there is some hope in Nadville.
1 Sidewinders – Certainly his division to lose. Starting pitching not as deep as it’s been in the past, but the bullpen is probably better than ever. The lineup looks stout. Playoffs will be his test.
2 Killer Bees – Rebuild has this team on the brink of the playoffs. Lots of improvement with the likes of Benintendi, Verlander and Freeman.
3 Tweeners – this team isn’t far off with the likes of Robbie Ray, Schoop and Springer. 2019 could be the year of the Tweener.
4 SuperGoofs – Rebuild continues and there’s hope for the future with Swanson, Crawford, Bell, Merrifield and Mazara.
Wild cards – Fungoes and Buckeyes. Inmates and FFTs fight to the finish after watching the Drillers and Killer Bees fade down the stretch.
1) SSWs
2) Warpigs
3) Rhinos
4) Weevils
5) Fungoes
6) Buckeyes
Rhinos over Buckeyes
Fungoes over Weevils
SSWs over Fungoes (in 6)
Warpigs over Rhinos (in 7)
Sets up an epic World Series….
And even more time and effort...
Millard Fillmore Division
Best starting pitching: Weevils,
hands down.
Best bullpen: No
one – all teams need to add to their bullpen. One good stopper does not
a bullpen make…
Best offense: Drillers
Best defense: Infield
= Buckeyes; outfield = Mavs
Most intangibles: Buckeyes,
who are always able to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
All said and done: Drillers
will likely win the division. The Weevils are an unknown commodity and
could throw a wrench into the mix. Never discount the
Shriveled Testicle Gang.
1.
Drillers
2.
Buckeyes
3.
Weevils
4.
Mavs
Bob Uecker Division
Best starting pitching: Kinda
depends on what you mean by “best.” The Pigs and DVs have a pretty good
front of the staff, but the FFTs have the deepest.
Best bullpen: DVs.
Best offense: Having
Stanton gives the nod to the DVs, although the Evil Empire will score in
bunches.
Best defense: Warpigs.
Most intangibles: Warpigs.
1.
Warpigs
2.
DVs
3.
FFTs
4.
Wahoos
Ab Wheeler Division
Best starting pitching: Snakes.
Best bullpen: Snakes.
Again. Maybe the best pen in the league.
Best offense: Bees.
They have some serious mashers. Tweeners and Snakes close behind.
Best defense: All
are leaky somewhere. No clear winner.
Most intangibles: The
Snakes have assembled a machine and aim to keep it running.
All said and done: Snakes.
1.
Sidewinders
2.
Tweeners
3.
Bees
4.
Goofs
Herman Wheeler Division
Best starting pitching: Rhinos.
The Fungi were hit by the injury bug, the Inmates have loads of mediocrity,
and the Nads have nothing.
Best bullpen: Inmates.
Really.
Best offense: Inmates
will score in bunches.
Best defense: Fungoes
outfield by a lot. No infields are great, though the Inmates’ isn’t too bad if
Segura doesn’t play short.
Most intangibles: Inmates
can pull defeat out of the jaws of victory…
All said and done: Inmates.
It’s always the Year of the Inmate.
1.
Inmates
2.
Rhinos
3.
Fungoes
4.
Nads
Wild Cards
DVs and Buckeyes.
World Series
Inmates.
Woo-hoo!
And the final word...
The year of fhe muthafuckin inmate. Comb your hair bitches.
2 comments:
Sounds like The Fungoes should be rebuilding! I would rather compete against the LDMF that the muthafuckin inmate!
It seems I may have a suitor?
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