Fungoes 4, Goofs 1

Fungoes played 5 games vs the Goofs at WTF:

June 2:

The SUPER GOOFS got by the FUNGOES at WTF Field.  The final score was 3 to 1.

 

The Fungoes lost it in the 8th inning when the SuperGoofs did all their damage plating 3

runs.  Daniel Nava led off and keyed the rally when he delivered a base-hit.

Casey McGehee next to the plate and he drew a walk.  Lucas Duda then reached

on an error.  Angel Pagan followed, but he was set down on strikes.  David

Dejesus got his chance to keep things going, but he went down on strikes.

Brandon Phillips contributed to the rally and reached on an error.  (If you'll notice all runs 

unearned and all three outs in the 8th were strikeouts - &*$%-%#@&)!  Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 

next to the plate, but was promptly struck out.  The game was a scoreless duel until the 6th inning. 

The win was credited to Koji Uehara(2-0) who went 1 inning allowing no runs.

Uehara got help from Joaquin Benoit who was credited with his 6th save.

Steve Cishek(0-2) ended up with the loss in relief.  

June 3:

The Fungoes and the Super Goofs locked up in an exciting one-run game at WTF Field.  The final score 

was the Fungoes 7, the Super Goofs 6.In the 7th inning the Fungoes scored 3 runs with the help of 3 hits.  

The big moment was provided by Eric Hosmer who made the home-town crowd a happy bunch when

he stroked a single which was good for two runs.  The SGs had a chance in the 9th but they came up short. 

Trevor Rosenthal(2-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 2/3 of an inning and allowing no runs. Rosenthal was 

helped out by Jonathan Papelbon who recorded his 7th save.  The loss was charged to Huston Street(0-1) in relief.

He allowed 2 hits and 1 walk in 2/3 of an inning. 

SG's manager was in a contemplative mood after the tough loss, 'It is really a pisser to lose this kind of a game.  

It may seem weird to some, but it is easier to take the occasional blow-out loss.  It is the ones that just

barely get away that hurt so much - like this one!'

June 4:

Left fielder Rajai Davis had 2 base hits as the WTFers defeated the SGs by a score of 4 to 2 at WTF Field.

The Fungoes jumped on top to stay in the bottom of the 3rd inning when they tallied 2 runs on 1 hit.  

The win was credited to David Price(3-3) who went 7 innings allowing 1 run. Jonathan Papelbon recorded the save,

his 8th.  Phil Hughes(2-2) was the losing pitcher.  

August 10:

Clayton Kershaw went 9 solid innings at WTF Field where the Fungoes beat the Super Goofs 2 to 0.

Kershaw(5-2) was on top of his game.  He allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk in 9 innings dropping his ERA from 2.25 to 1.89.  

Yu Darvish(1-2) ended up with the loss. 

August 11:

Center fielder Mike Trout lofted one into the 'cheap seats' and had 3 RBI as the WTFers beat the Super Goofs in 

10 innings by a score of 5 to 3.

The score was knotted at 3 after nine innings.  The Fungi won the hard fought contest in the 10th inning.  

After an out was recorded, Brett Gardner initiated the scoring spurt when he lined a base-hit.  Trout came next and he

bombed a two-run dinger making the Fungoes victorious to the delight of the the home town crowd.  

Trevor Rosenthal(3-0) got the win allowing no runs in 2 and 2/3 innings. The

loss was charged to Sergio Romo(0-2) in relief.  He allowed 2 hits and no

walks in 1/3 of an inning.

Super Goofs blasted the first ball park homer of the year at WTF, nailing down that 20-sided roll of 1........Credit Lucas Duda with that 2-run homer on June 3!

It's finally that time again...

Zaps 4, Buckeyes 3

Zaps take 4 of 7 at Buckeyes

4/9 Zaps 10 Buckeyes 4

4/10 Buckeyes 5 Zaps 3

4/11 Zaps 6 Buckeyes 5

 

9/10 (1) Buckeyes 3 Zaps 2

9/10 (2) Buckeyes 5 Zaps 3

9/11 Zaps 11 Buckeyes 2

9/12 Zaps 10 Buckeyes 2 

Goofs 3, FFTs 2

All games played at The Grove.

Gm1 - Goofs win 8-5
Gm2 - FFTs win 5-2
Gm3 - Goofs win 5-1
Gm4 - Goofs win 1-0. See below.
Gm5 - FFTs win 9-4

In game 4, Jacob deGrom and 2 relievers combined to throw a no-hitter. Here's the game write-up and boxscore:

The PHIL -SG SUPER GOOFS pitching staff gave the fans an evening that they'll
never forget by tossing a combined no-hitter! The tension started to build
around the 6th inning.  By the 9th inning the crowd was electrified and
struckout 8 TERRY batters.  TERRY could do no damage in the bottom of the
9th. 
Jacob Degrom(6-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 6 innings and allowing
no runs. Joaquin Benoit was credited with his 7th save.  John Lackey(4-2)
ended up with the loss.  He pitched 4 innings and surrendered 5 hits and 3
walks.
'You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than this
happening,' said Degrom who got credit for the win, 'I don't expect it to
sink in for awhile.' he said. 'You know, it's hard to say who was better, the
starter or the bullpen!'

Tweeners 2, Mavs 1

Tweeners take 2 of 3 from the Mavs at the Hooverdome.  Combined with 2 losses on Draft Saturday, we manage a season split at home vs. Mavs.

4/30 – Tweeners 9, Mavs 1.  Designated hitter Nelson Cruz went yard and had 4 RBI as the NORM TWEENERS

beat the TAD MAVS by a score of 9 to 1.

 

Cruz provided much of the offense. He lined a one-base hit in the 1st inning,

bombed a two-run dinger in the 3rd inning and laced a base-hit scoring a run

in the 4th inning.  Defying the odds, Michael Bourn also homered for the 4^th time in 39 games.  NORM finished with 15 hits while TAD ended up with 6.

 

Hisashi Iwakuma(5-2) allowed 1 run in 6 innings, and picked up the victory.

Iwakuma got relief help from Drew Smyly who gained credit for his 2nd save.

The loss was charged to Wily Peralta(0-2).  He was not very effective,

surrendering 7 runs in 3 and 2/3 innings.

7/11 – Mavs 6, Tweeners 3.  Jonathan Lucroy had 3 base hits and Yovani Gallardo allowed TAD's manager to

rest his bullpen, tossing a complete game as the TAD MAVS topped the NORM

TWEENERS by a score of 6 to 3 at The Hoover Dome.

TAD won the game with a rally in the top of the 8th inning plating 3 runs on 2

hits.  Billy Butler got things going when he ripped a base-hit.  Justin Upton

followed and he drew a walk.  Michael Morse was the next batter, but he

struck out.  Marcell Ozuna was next to bat, but he was a strikeout victim.  George Brett inexplicably left Cory Rasmus in to pitch to 

Bryce Harper, who came up to bat and belted a three-run homer.  TAD finished with

10 hits in the victory.  

Gallardo(2-0) was the winner allowing 3 runs for the game. Drew Smyly(2-2) was

charged with the loss in relief of Felix Hernandez.  When questioned, TAD's manager remarked,

'It's been a while since a win felt this good - heck, it's been a while since

we had a win period!'

 

7/12 – Tweeners 3, Mavs 1.  Nelson Cruz rocketed 2 homeruns and had 3 RBI at The Hoover Dome as the NORM

TWEENERS beat the TAD MAVS by the count of 3 to 1.

 

Cruz had a big evening at the plate.  He blasted a two-run home run in the 4th

inning and blasted a solo shot in the 6th inning.  Both were questionable 1-3 BPHRs, confirmed on replay review, giving Cruz 11 bombs on the young season.  Despite losing, TAD

out-hit NORM 9 to 6. 

 

Madison Bumgarner(6-3) went 6 and 2/3 innings allowing 1 run for the victory.

Santiago Casilla recorded his 12th save.  Jason Hammel(1-3) ended up with the CG loss.  He surrendered just 6 hits and no walks in 8 innings.

First Demerits of the 2015 Season

The Killer Bees, Wahoos, Rhinos, and Drillers have all been assessed 1 demerit each for not having 20 games played before the end of March.

Also, this is the season when, according to the original rule, we no longer have any "grace" demerits. Teams ending the year with only 1 demerit will be forced to cut down to 20 players before next year's Draft.

The next deadline is 35 games played and reported before May 1.

Sidewinders 3, Buckeyes 2

Snakes take 3 of 5 at Buckeyes

6/12 Snakes 7 Buckeyes 2

6/13 Buckeyes 4 Snakes 2

8/19 Snakes 3 Buckeyes 2

8/20 Buckeyes 6 Snakes 4

8/21 Snakes 5 Buckeyes 1 

Warpigs 4, Killer Bees 1

The Bees finally took the field for the 2015 season.

All games played at The BallPork.

Game 1 - Warpigs win 4-2. Jon Jay went 3-4, R.A. Dickey got the win, and Anthony Varvaro threw 3 perfect innings for the save. I don't know what's worse: Seeing Curtis Granderson batting third, or Dickey walking him.

Game 2 - Warpigs win 11-5. Michael Wacha wasn't good, allowing 5 hits and SIX walks in 6.1 innings, but the Pig bats put up a 6-spot in the 3rd and 4 more in the 4th. Robby Cano and Yadier Molina each had 3 hits. Victor Martinez knocked in 3.

Game 3 - Warpigs win 2-1. Lorenzo Cain hit a 2-run double in the 2nd inning, otherwise Jered Weaver was outstanding. Dickey went 5.1 and got the win. Joe Smith earned the save by getting the final two outs.

Game 4 - Warpigs win 2-0. Lance Lynn threw another shutout (with relief help).

Game 5 - Bees win 5-4 in 10 innings. Carlos Santana homered off of Dr. Doolittle in the 10th for the win. The Pigs had a mad rally in the 8th to tie the game, but left 2 runners stranded. This was the first extra inning game for both teams.

Warpigs 7, Rhinos 3

We tried something interesting: We played the games via Netplay while sitting here together. It had the stat convenience and speed of computer play without having to share the same screen. It went incredibly smoothly. Here are the results:

First 5 games were played at The BallPork

Game 1 - Rhinos win 4-3. R.A. Dickey allowed 3 homers. It was all Tim Hudson needed.

Game 2 - Rhinos win 3-1. Gerritt Cole kept the Pig bats quiet. Adam Wainwright takes his first loss of the season.

Game 3 - Warpigs win 2-0. The game was scoreless until the 7th when A.J. Pollock singled in a run. Another scored on an error by Joey Votto. Lance Lynn and four relievers got the 3-hit shutout.

Game 4 - Warpigs win 2-1. Adrian Beltre hit a 2-run double in the bottom of the 8th. Dickey pitched 8 innings for the win. Joe Smith got the save.

Game 5 - Rhinos win 4-2. Chris Archer went the distance for the win. A 2-run homer by Jayson Werth in the 8th finally got the Pigs on the board.

Last 5 games were played at the Rhino Reservation

Game 6 - Warpigs win 5-1. Justin Morneau and Lorenzo Cain homered. Cain went 3-4 and also stole 3 bases. Wainwright got the win.

Game 7 - Warpigs win 6-3. Jose Fernandez struck out 11 in 6 innings for the win.

Game 8 - Warpigs win 5-2. With the game tied 2-2 in the 8th, Matt Wieters hit a pinch hit, 2-out, 3-run homer for the win. Pedro Strop got the save.

Game 9 - Warpigs win 7-0. Fernandez and four relievers combined for a 4-hit shutout.

Game 10 - Warpigs win 2-1. With the Rhino management squirming at the possibility of an extra inning game (check out his pitchers' innings!), former Rhino Troy Tulowitzki hit a 2-out solo homer in the 8th to put his old boss out of his misery.

FFTs 3, Fungoes 2

FFTs at Fungoes.  5 games:

April 1

One run was the difference at WTF Field as the Fungoes defeated the FFT'S 4 to 3.

David Price(2-0) pitched a fine game.  He went 7 innings and surrended up 6

hits and no walks.  Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth and was

credited with his 2nd save. 

Jeff Samardzija(9-8) was the loser.  He struck out 9 batters in 6 and 2/3

innings despite losing the game.

April 2

Second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera hit 2 doubles at WTF Field where the

FFT'S beat the FUNGOES by the score of 4 to 0.

Hiroki Kuroda(3-3) earned his pay with a solid performance.  He went 6 innings 

surrendering 4 hits and 1 walk seeing his ERA drop from 3.18 to

2.81.   Kuroda got help from Mike Dunn who was credited with his 2nd save.  Tanner

Roark(0-2) was hit with the loss.  He allowed 9 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings.

'Ahhh, that victory was surely needed.  Man alive, things were getting awfully

grim,' noted FFTs manager.  'Now, we need to string a bunch of wins

together and turn things around!'

May 3

Right fielder Hunter Pence had 4 hits as the FFT'S defeated the FUNGOES 3 to 1 at WTF Field.

The FFTs won the game with a rally in the top of the 9th inning scoring 2 runs on 2 hits.  After an 

out was recorded, Adeiny Hechavarria jump-started the rally as he singled.  Yoenis Cespedes

came to the plate and tripled.  Asdrubal Cabrera then worked the squeeze play to perfection.  

The win went to Mike Dunn(1-0) who allowed no runs in 2 innings. Fernando

Rodney got the save, his 6th.  Steve Cishek(0-1) was the losing pitcher in

relief.  

May 4

Clayton Kershaw mowed down 10 FFT batters and catcher Salvador Perez had 2

base hits as the Fungoes bested the FFT'S 3 to 2 at WTF Field.

Kershaw(3-0) pitched a fine game.  He went 8 innings surrendering 8 hits and 1 walk. 

Jonathan Papelbon preserved the game for Kershaw, recording his his 3rd save.

John Lackey(1-1) took the loss.  Kershaw was pleased with his performance.

He noted, 'I had good zip on my pitches.  Just as important, my location was

right on.  The fans really got into the game too - that always helps me.

Now, if I can only do that again in my next outing.'

May 5

Jacoby Ellsbury lofted one into the 'cheap seats' as the FFT'S topped

the Fungoes by a score of 3 to 1 at WTF Field.The FFTs took the lead 

for good in the top of the 3rd inning scoring one runneron 2 base hits. 

That was all Mike Leake(4-4) needed.  Leake got relief helpfrom Fernando

Rodney who was excellent in relief and gained credit for his 7th save.  The 

loss was charged to David Price(2-1).  He allowed 9 hits and no walks in 8 innings.

Zaps 6, Buckeyes 1

Game 1- Jon Niese went seven shutout inning and the bullpen held the
lead as the Zaps take the opener 2-1.
Game 2-The Buckeyes put a six-run fourth inning on Kluber with Martin's
bases loaded double driving in three on the way to a 7-4 win.
Game 3- Homers by McCutchen, Bautista, and Utley backed up Scherzer's
eight innings of one-run pitching for a 7-1 whitewash.
Game 4- Mcutchen goes four for four to power an eighteen hit attack that
broke a close game open with a five-run seventh inning in a 10-4 home
team triumph.
Game 5- Kluber outdueled UCLA alum Trevor Bauer in a 2-1 nail biter for
the Zaps.
Game 6- Brandon Morrow blew a Buckeye lead by coming on in relief and
promptly giving up five runs in the sixth inning to allow the Zaps to
claim 7-3 win.
Game 7- Cole Hamels threw a complete game two-hit shutout to win the
finale 4-0.

Mavs 7, Buckeyes 0

Mavs take all 7 at Buckeyes

5/19 Mavs 7 Buckeyes 1

5/20 Mavs 5 Buckeyes 3

5/21 Mavs 7 Buckeyes 3 (10 innings)

7/27 Mavs 12 Buckeyes 1

7/28 Mavs 2 Buckeyes 1

7/29 Mavs 6 Buckeyes 5

7/30 Mavs 3 Buckeyes 2 

FFTs 3, Fungoes 2

Fungoes at FFTs

June 14

Eric Hosmer lofted one into the 'cheap seats' and had 4 RBI at The Grove as the Fungoes

pulled off a dramatic comeback beating the FFT'S by the count of 12 to 6.

The FFT manager was unable to overcome the big offensive rally in the 9th inning when the 

Fungoes exploded for 8 runs on 8 hits.  The key offensive moment was provided by Daniel 

Murphy who silenced The Grove as he doubled which was good for two runs.  For the game DEREK out-hit TERRY 17 to 10. 

The win went to Trevor Rosenthal(1-0) who allowed no runs in 2 innings. The

losing pitcher was Fernando Rodney(1-1) in relief.  Rodney was feeling

apologetic in the locker room, 'I sure let that one get away.  What a

miserable feeling to let the guys down; and our fans.  One minute things are

looking great, then. BOOM, it's over with! I just hope I get a chance to

redeem myself real soon!'

June 15

The FFT'S registered 6 runs in the 6th inning and had an easy time of it

at The Grove defeating the Fungoes by a score of 8 to 3.

John Lackey(2-1) pitched a solid game.  He went 8 and 1/3 innings allowing 7

hits and 3 walks dropping his ERA from 3.72 to 3.50. 

The loss was charged to David Price(2-2).  He was unable to control the FFT

offense and allowed 12 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings.

June 16

John Jaso touched them all and had 2 RBI as the Fungoes beat the FFT'S in 11 innings 

by a score of 5 to 3.  Both teams were tied at 3 runs apiece after nine innings.  Eric Hosmer 

led off the inning for the Fungoes when he reached on an error.  After an out was recorded, 

Ryan Zimmerman stepped in and he ripped a one-base hit.  Dyson took second on a stolen 

base.  Freddy Galvis followed and he lashed a single.  Matt Carpenter came to the plate and

laced a single.  Brett Gardner got his chance to keep things going, but he went down on strikes.  

Seth Maness(1-0) went 1 inning allowing no runs for the win. Jonathan Papelbon

recorded his 4th save.  The loss was charged to Junichi Tazawa(0-1) in

relief.  He was a hard-luck loser as he did not allow an earned run in his 1

and 2/3 innings of work.  

August 22

Designated hitter Hanley Ramirez had 2 base hits as the FFT'S defeated

the Fungoes by the score of 5 to 4 at The Grove.

The victory went to John Lackey(3-1) who went 7 and 1/3 innings, allowing 3

runs. Fernando Rodney earned the save, his 8th.  Price(2-3) was the losing

pitcher.  He pitched 6 innings and surrendered 8 hits and no walks.

'I had a little blister on my index finger before the game, but I thought it

was nothing.' Lackey said.  'I was lucky I got a win because I couldn't put

the ball where I wanted it.'

August 23

At The Grove, the FFT faithful were treated to an intriguing pitcher's duel.

Mike Leake(5-4) finally bested Clayton Kershaw(3-1), by the score of 3 to 1.

The FFTs set the tone of the game in the first inning when they scored 2 runs on

2 hits.  That was all the runs Leake needed.  

Leake got help from Fernando Rodney who was credited with his 9th save.

Kershaw was hit with the loss.  He gave up 9 hits and 2 walks in 8 innings.

Depth Charts

The depth charts on your team page have been updated. Just click on your team's icon.

Warpigs 3, Zaps 2

The Warpigs made their trip out west and came back with 3 wins.

Game 1 - Pigs win 6-2. Jose Fernandez makes his first start of the year and goes the distance, fanning a dozen. Yadier Molina homered and doubled.

Game 2 - Pigs win 15-5. Adam Wainwright goes to 3-0, but the offense was the story. The Warpigs pounded out 23 hits, including a 5-6, 2-homer night by Troy Tulowitzki. A.J. Pollock tied a team record with 2 triples.

Game 3 - Zaps win 8-3. There was no answer for Andrew McCutchen who had a triple and 2 homers.

Game 4 - Zaps win 6-4. Jose Bautista and Robby Cano traded 3-run homers.

Game 5 - Pigs win 6-3. Cano went 3-3 with a stolen base and another homer. Wainwright (4-0) got the win.

2015 Draft by the Numbers

The final pick of the 2015 Draft was number 214, Buddy Carlyle by the Fungoes.

Of those 214 selections...

195 were carded
106 were carded pitchers
89 were carded hitters
14 were uncarded players
5 selections were passed

The last 35 of those 214 selections were made in the Lightning Round.
9 of those 35 Lightning Round selections made it onto the final rosters of their teams.
The latest selection to make a club was Cory Spangenberg, who was taken by the Warpigs at pick 206.
The Buckeyes kept 3 of their 5 Lightning Round picks.

The first round included 10 hitters and 6 pitchers.
From pick 129 to 149, there was a run on pitchers as only 1 of those 21 picks was a hitter.

Of the 14 uncarded selections, the first was Blake Swihart, taken by the Rhinos at pick 22.
The 4th round was the favorite for uncarded selections, as 5 went then.
In fact, between picks 43 and 67 - a stretch of 25 picks - 9 were uncarded.

There were 6 trades made during Draft weekend.

From the Green Room

There are some interesting sites and sounds as the likely first round picks gather in the green room to prepare for their introduction to the NASOMA world.

In the center of the room, surrounded by cameras and microphones we see Corey Dickerson. He's leaning back in his chair, arms behind his head, feet propped up and crossed at the ankles, a huge cigar in his mouth. He's obviously on top of the world as he prepares to be the overall #1 selection where he will obviously win a championship title in his first year.

Over in the corner, largely ignored, sits Josh Harrison. His head is in his hands and he is sobbing and mumbling over and over something about becoming a Nad.

And there's Jake Arrieta. His sly, sarcastic smile indicates he is confident he will be drafted back to the team that sent him unceremoniously to the curb two short seasons ago. "This time I'll be calling the shots" he tells reporters. His smile dissipates somewhat when one of the reporters informs him that this same team spent an early 1st on Tony Cingrani last year - and now he's a cut.

There is a cluster of young pitchers gathered at a long table answering questions from the press. While Collin McHugh, Jacob deGrom, Matt Shoemaker, Mike Fiers, Carlos Carrasco, Ken Giles, and Wade Davis await yet another question about the fears of becoming an Inmate, Dellin Betances, after being asked about the Mock Draft that surfaced on Big Innings, responded with, "Da fuck is Goofs? Is that a real team?"

Sitting at a small card table hastily set up in the corner are the youngsters Jorge Soler and Joc Pederson. There is a name card set out for Corey Seager, but he is apparently not here yet.

Everyone present agreed that the best thing about the weekend is that the DVs and Bees do not have first round picks. "Seriously," said Mr. McHugh, "who wants the threat of that shit hanging over his head?"

From the hallway outside the room was heard, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stroman, but your name is not on my list."

Interrupting Intentional Talk

Depth Charts

Clicking on your team's icon on the NASOMA.org website will take you to your team's homepage. There you will see an updated depth chart of your current players. The players are listed randomly at each position, but it gives a good visual of how many options you currently have at each position. There's also a link to your 2014 stats on that page.

Oh, and NASOMA.org also now has a link to a printable excel spreadsheet of the draft grid.

Rosters and Draft Grid are Official

The deadline for roster cuts has passed, and the Draft Grid has been updated. If you owned a pick numbered 160 or higher, those picks have moved up and changed numbers. As always, please check yours for accuracy.

Here's some data...

There are 988 cards in this year's set.
522 are hitters. 466 are pitchers.
We protected 350 carded players.
202 are hitters. 148 are pitchers.
There are 638 carded players available in the draft.
We protected 16 uncarded players.
The Warpigs and FFTs kept the most players with 28.
The Buckeyes kept the fewest with 16.
The Fungoes and Rhinos both kept 3 uncarded players.
We will officially draft a maximum of 179 players (not counting the Lightning Round).

Final Rosters: 16 * 32 (+1 per the Extra Reserve Contest) = 513
Players protected: 350 + 16 = 366
513 - 366 = 147 + 32 (Tweener Rule picks) = 179

The Lightning Round, which is optional, could have a maximum of 80 carded players drafted.

Players kept (hitters/pitchers/uncarded)
28 Warpigs 14/14/0
22 Wahoos 12/8/2
21 DVs 12/9/0
28 FFTs 15/12/1
27 Rhinos 14/10/3
26 Fungoes 13/10/3
18 Inmates 11/7/0
18 Nads 13/5/0
24 Drillers 13/11/0
25 Zaps 14/11/0
16 Buckeyes 8/7/1
23 Mavs 12/9/2
27 Sidewinders 15/11/1
18 Killer Bees 8/9/1
23 Tweeners 14/8/1
22 SuperGoofs 14/7/1

Here are the maximum number of uncarded players each team may select in the draft:
3 - Rhinos, Killer Bees
2 - DVs, Drillers, Zaps, Buckeyes
1 - FFTs, Inmates, Tweeners
0 - Warpigs, Wahoos, Fungoes, Nads, Mavs, Sidewinders, SuperGoofs

Bees and DVs trade

The DVs traded Jered Weaver to the Killer Bees for pick 54.

Pigs and Rhinos swap picks

The Warpigs traded a 2016 9th round pick to the Rhinos for picks 128 and 147.

Buckeyes make 3 trades

The FFTs traded picks 81, 161, and 177 to the Buckeyes for pick 76.

The Wahoos traded picks 134, 150, and 166 to the Buckeyes for pick 127.

The Zaps traded picks 126, 142, and 158 to the Buckeyes for pick 111.

Bees make two trades

The Sidewinders traded Mark Trumbo, a 2016 5th, and picks 47, 63, 79, and 95 to the Killer Bees for pick 25.

The Warpigs traded picks 54, 140, and 145 to the Killer Bees for pick 41.

Top 100 Players Right Now

MLB Network presented their list of the top 100 players in baseball "right now," with consideration being given to recent performance and expected performance. The list is at the bottom of this post.

Here are the number of those 100 players on each NASOMA team. And assigning 100 points for #1, 99 points for #2, etc., the teams' point total is given as well.

Zaps - 10 players - 668 points (by far the best team in the league)
Sidewinders - 10 players - 562 points
Tweeners - 10 players - 386 points
Warpigs - 9 players - 552 points
Drillers - 7 players - 381 points
Wahoos - 7 players - 294 points
Rhinos - 7 players - 275 points
FFTs - 6 players - 291 points
DVs - 6 players - 241 points
Fungoes - 5 players - 346 points (including #1 and #2)
Mavs - 5 players - 337 points
Inmates - 5 players - 277 points
Killer Bees - 4 players - 102 points
Nads - 3 players - 103 points
SuperGoofs - 2 players - 98 points
Buckeyes - 0 players - 0 points (but he'll still be in the playoffs)

Players in the Draft - 4 players - 137 points

Here's the list. It's open to debate. Lots of snubs, of course. (Morneau wins the NL batting title, but is not in the top 100... but Prince Fielder is! No Garrett Richards, but Justin Verlander is on the list! No to Lorenzo Cain, but yes to Adam Eaton? Come onnnnnnn!)

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Mike Trout
3. Felix Hernandez
4. Giancarlo Stanton
5. Chris Sale
6. Andrew McCutchen
7. Miguel Cabrera
8. Buster Posey
9. Jose Abreu
10. Robinson Cano
11. Max Scherzer
12. Jose Bautista
13. Paul Goldschmidt
14. Adam Wainwright
15. Corey Kluber
16. Johnny Cueto
17. Troy Tulowitzki
18. Josh Donaldson
19. Yadier Molina
20. Adrian Beltre
21. Michael Brantley
22. Adam Jones
23. Jonathan Lucroy
24. Bryce Harper
25. David Price
26. Madison Bumgarner
27. Hanley Ramirez
28. Zack Greinke
29. Ian Desmond
30. Jose Altuve
31. Anthony Rendon
32. Joey Votto
33. Victor Martinez
34. Craig Kimbrel
35. Jordan Zimmermann
36. David Ortiz
37. Justin Upton
38. Carlos Gomez
39. Wade Davis
40. Greg Holland
41. Jhonny Peralta
42. Carlos Gonzalez
43. Jon Lester
44. Jason Heyward
45. Yu Darvish
46. Matt Holliday
47. Hisashi Iwakuma
48. Hunter Pence
49. Edwin Encarnacion
50. Cole Hamels
51. Evan Longoria
52. Dustin Pedroia
53. Anthony Rizzo
54. Jacoby Ellsbury
55. Matt Kemp
56. Yan Gomes
57. Kyle Seager
58. Adrian Gonzalez
59. Masahiro Tanaka
60. Matt Harvey
61. Aroldis Chapman
62. Yasiel Puig
63. Ryan Braun
64. Josh Harrison
65. Alex Gordon
66. Nelson Cruz
67. Freddie Freeman
68. Doug Fister
69. Stephen Strasburg
70. Sonny Gray
71. Salvador Perez
72. Carlos Santana
73. Neil Walker
74. Todd Frazer
75. J.D. Martinez
76. Jayson Werth
77. Alex Cobb
78. Julio Teheran
79. Christian Yelich
80. Jose Fernandez
81. Starling Marte
82. Jeff Samardzija
83. Chris Carter
84. Nolan Arenado
85. Andrelton Simmons
86. Jose Reyes
87. Kenley Jansen
88. Lance Lynn
89. Jake Arrieta
90. Russell Martin
91. Devin Mesoraco
92. Gerrit Cole
93. Adam Eaton
94. Ben Zobrist
95. Pablo Sandoval
96. Yordano Ventura
97. Prince Fielder
98. Justin Verlander
99. Albert Pujols
100. Joe Mauer

Rosters and Picks

On the Rosters page, I have highlighted the picks you would lose if you made no more cuts or trades between now and next Friday night (or in the case of the Bees, how many picks you would ADD). I know several teams still have cuts to make, but I wanted a visual of where you stand with your combination of players and picks. Official Pre-Draft Rosters must be set by midnight Friday night.

The following day, I will adjust the Draft Grid and Roster Page on the webpage to reflect the picks you will have in the Draft. I'll post a print-friendly version of the Grid. I'll also consolidate a list of every player eligible to be drafted. Let me know if you want a copy of this.

To refresh, your total number of picks and players is:
  30
+ 2 (Tweener Rule)
+ # of Reserves you own

There will be a 5-round Lightning Round at the conclusion of the Draft. The Lightning Round has a special set of rules: picks cannot be traded (the players you select can); you must be present to participate; carded players only; 60 second time limit each pick; if you select an ineligible player, you're done.

Before the weekend is over, everyone's official roster listing 30 active players and your reserved players is due. And remember, when you play your first game, the 25 players active for that game MUST be on the 30-man roster you turn in.

Beeboy, I hope you'll be able to keep up with the live draft and make your picks via the Google docs page. I hate that you won't be there.

Official Roster Deadline

The deadline for making any final cuts to your roster is 11:59 PM on Friday, March 6th. Don't feel like you HAVE to wait until the last minute (unless you are the Wahoos). Please refer to the official rosters here and then let me or the Buckeyes know of any changes you wish to make.

The following day, I will update the Draft Grid to reflect your official slate of picks. You get 1 pick for each open roster spot on your team, plus 2 additional picks for the Tweener Rule. So, if you have more than that number now, the picks at the end of your list will disappear. On the other hand, if you DON'T have enough picks, your picks from rounds 13+ will be added to cover it.

The Zaps would like to go ahead and get pick 1 signed and out of the way, so he selects Jason Giambi.

Nadman, you're up.

FFTs and Warpigs trade

The Warpigs traded Tyler Lyons and players to be determined to the FFTs for picks 92, 140, and 145. The PTBD will be from among the players cut by the Pigs following the 2015 Draft.

Totals for Top Ten Right Now

In looking at MLB Network's Top Ten Right Now lists, you get an idea of the current strengths of the teams in NASOMA. Here's a grid showing the teams represented by each Top Ten player:

If you assign a point system (10 points for #1, 9 for #2, etc.), here are the team totals:

1. Zaps 64
2. Sidewinders 60
3. Warpigs 59
4. Drillers 43
4. Wahoos 43
6. Mavs 39
7. DVs 35
8. Tweeners 32
9. Fungoes 30
10. FFTs 29
11. Inmates 27
12. Rhinos 22
13. Goofs 19
14. Killer Bees 8
14. Nads 8
16. Buckeyes 1

Some observations...

There are 6 Top Ten players available in the Draft - a total of 31 points. And with some teams having multiple 1st round picks (including the Zaps and Wahoos), those teams' point totals will get better.

Also, while this subjective ranking system has its flaws (How the hell is Napoli in the Top Ten, but Morneau is not?!?), it is a fairly accurate snapshot of the talent at the top of each team. It doesn't reflect the depth of each team as accurately, however - especially where pitching is concerned. And it doesn't rank the DHs, which for some teams is an important asset.

The Wahoos get 32 of their 43 points from their infield; the Drillers have 43 points too, but NONE come from pitching. The Snakes get almost half of their 60 points from pitching alone. The Zaps, however, get points at every position except RP and LF - and when he drafts Corey Dickerson, LF will be covered too.

Top Ten Right Now - 3B & C

From MLB Network, the top ten players at each position. Here are the top ten for 3b and catcher.

Third Base
1. Beltre, Warpigs
2. Donaldson, Drillers
3. Harrison, Free Agent
4. Rendon, Zaps
5. Wright, Sidewinders
6. Seager, Wahoos
7. Carpenter, Fungoes
8. Longoria, DVs
9. Uribe, Sidewinders
10. Arenado, Tweeners

Not making the top ten: Machado, Sandoval, Frazier, Aramis Ramirez, Headley, Chisenhall, Prado, Lawrie

Catcher
1. Posey, Drillers
2. Lucroy, Mavs
3. Molina, Warpigs
4. Gomes, Tweeners
5. Martin, Zaps
6. Mesoraco, Sidewinders
7. Perez, Fungoes
8. McCann, DVs
9. Norris, Wahoos
10. Ramos, DVs

Just missing: Castro, Wieters, Zunino, Rosario, Ruiz

Wahoos and Tweeners Trade

The Wahoos traded Gregor Blanco to the Tweeners for Ryan Howard and pick 91.

New Season Updates

The file downloads for the new season of Strat cards will be available at the end of the day tomorrow (Monday, 2/9). There are a number of "improvements" in this year's version.

Here’s the complete list of improvements to Strat-O-Matic Baseball 2015:

1) Free Online Draft - Now your league members can hold your draft in real-time on the Strat-O-Matic servers, and the best part about it is that this is a free service! To hold the draft, the commissioner of the league sets up the league files using the Windows game, then uploads them to the Online Drafting website. From there the entire draft is held online, in real-time. After the draft, the commissioner downloads the files and imports them back into the Windows game so that league play can commence.

 

2) Support for up to 36 Teams per League - The previous limit was 30 teams in a league. This has been increased to a maximum of 36 teams in a league.

 

3) New Computer Manager Relief Pitcher Setting - A new setting called "Always remove reliever at end of inning" has been added to the Computer Manager Pitcher Settings dialog. The computer manager will always remove this pitcher after the current inning ends (in other words, before the next inning begins). Many modern day managers will do this with particular relief pitchers, normally limiting them to one or less innings pitched per appearance.  

 

4) Card Image - Ballpark Effects - If you have purchased the Card Image Option, then the ballpark effects are now integrated into the card image displayed on the Game Screen Layout. Instead of the original (advanced) card result, the actual ballpark effects result is shown on the cards. This will make it easier to evaluate the current batter and pitcher and will make more sense when the ballpark result is rolled with the dice. Note that the only place this is done is on the in-game batter vs. pitcher card image (where the dice are rolled). You can still view the player's original card image by clicking on the player's name to display his notebook. Also note that the ballpark effect results are shown in yellow to indicate the original card result has been replaced with the ballpark result.

 

5) Condensed Play Log - An optional Condensed Play Log has been added to the Daily Reporter and Newspaper Games Stories reports. This log shows every play that happened in the game in a condensed format. When you select this option on the Autoplay/Boxscore Options dialog, this new play log will appear on both the Daily Reporter and the Newspaper Game Stories.

 

6) Support for DH Specific Lineups - Draft League Mode now allows lineups to be defined, which are to be used only when the DH rule is turned on. As an example of how this can be handy, this capability allows you to define DH lineups for National League teams, which will be used when they play interleague games on the road vs. American League teams.

 

7) WAR, BABIP and Other Sabermetric Stats Added to Player Detail Report - WAR and other newer sabermetric-type stats such as BABIP have been added to the Player Detail Report. These new metrics are useful tools when evaluating player performances as they provide additional insights into the value that each player adds to his team.

 

8) Pitcher Game Log Report - WHIP has been added to the Pitcher Game Log report.

 

9) Awards Voting Report - This report has been improved so that the all-star, gold-glove, and silver slugger awards are now based upon the positions that players were used in replays instead of their real-life primary positions.

 

10) Boxscore Improvement – Box scores now list Team RISP. For example, "2-for-7" means the team had two hits in seven times at bat with runner(s) in scoring position.

 

11) Game Notes - The Game Notes feature has been improved by adding more information about the current series games that have been played. There is now another line following each game that indicates the winning and losing pitchers (and their updated records) and also the reliever who recorded a save (if there was one).

 

12) Player Notebooks - Batter and pitcher notebooks now display Slugging on the Hitting and Pitching tabs.

 

13) Draft-O-Matic - The Draft-O-Matic logic has been improved by adding another internal layer of player evaluation. This will result in a better selection of batter cards with more emphasis now being placed on drafting players who not only fit an available role on the team, but who also bring a higher overall skill level. Previous versions of the draft logic were more focused on just filling out team roles.

 

14) Super Hal Pinch Running - A COPY button has been added to this dialog. This button can be used to copy one Pinch Running pecking order to another. For example, say you first setup your order vs. Standard Righties. Your order vs. Reverse Righties might be similar. Instead of creating it from scratch, you could copy the Standard Righties order to Reverse Righties order and then customize the Reverse Righties order with just the differences.

 

15) Social Media Updates - Blogger & Twitter Support Updated: Support has been added for the new Twitter and Blogger APIs. IMPORTANT - You must read the note about setting up blogger in order to use this feature! The Twitter access code was also completely rewritten to support Twitter's new API. Please refer to the Social Media topic for more information.

 

16) Bugs Fixed

• Draft League Mode was choosing the wrong starting lineup against pitchers who had extreme balance ratings. For example, vs. Joe Saunders (2013, SEA) the program was not correctly using the L9L lineup.
• Netplay would sometimes hang when using the Actual Pitcher's Hitting card feature.
• Newspaper Style Recap - Starting pitchers for double-headers were not displaying properly.
• The Game Notes report would sometime incorrectly display the starting pitchers for upcoming scheduled games.
• The Player Detail Report was not reporting games started by pitchers for Double-Duty players properly. The Games Started section of the batting report was showing the pitcher's games started under "DH" instead of under the "Pi" column.
• When Double Duty players pinch hit in the top of the 9th they were always being used in relief at the start of the bottom of the 9th inning, even in situations where a more appropriate reliever was available in the bullpen.
• Added Strikeouts to Traditional Pitching in the Report Writer (this should have been on the report by default).

 

17) New Seasons - Support for the new 2014, 1969 (Deluxe Super-Advanced), 1953 (Deluxe Super-Advanced), 1873 National Association, 1911 Negro League, 1922 Negro League, 1934 Negro League, 1945 Negro League, and 2014 Japanese Baseball seasons has been added.

 

18) Ballpark Photos 

• 7 new ballpark pictures - Chicago-NL (day and night), Oakland (day and night), Kansas City (night), Atlanta (day and night)
• 33 new ballpark entry pictures - Chicago-NL-4, Oakland-6, Kansas City-4, Texas-1, Colorado-5, Atlanta-6, Houston-2, San Francisco-5

 

19) Play-By-Play  

• Over 500 new lines of Nickname play-by-plays have been included.
• New and updated Trivia questions are included.
• All 30 team play-by-play files have been edited and updated for 2015 season. 

iScore App

Take a look at this app and let me know what you think. I have read about Strat players utilizing it to keep up with their cards & dice games, and wondered if it was something worth looking into. It's $9.99, so I think I'd want to know more about it before wasting ten bucks. Yes, I'm cheap.

Mock Draft Update - Early February Version

Let's try this again...

1. Zaps - Corey Dickerson. At this point, the first pick hasn't changed. And why would it?

2. Nads - Josh Harrison. Ditto. On the other hand, this could still be the young Cub, Soler.

3. Wahoos - Jake Arrieta. Best of a good group of starting pitchers.

4. Mavs - Jorge Soler. Or a pitcher. There's no telling. But in the drafts done around the country that include only guys carded for the first time, Soler is the highest pick that isn't already on a NASOMA roster.

5. Goofs - Dellin Betances. The Goofs are in the hunt for the AWD title, and Betances is the best reliever in the draft.

6. Wahoos - Wade Davis. Just as good a card as Betances. Maybe better.

7. Inmates - Jacob deGrom. I don't know if deGrom is better - or more valuable - than McHugh, but I don't think you can go wrong with either.

8. FFTs - Joc Pederson. Young Dodger sets the tone for the FFT draft.

9. Goofs - Collin McHugh. I don't know if McHugh is better - or more valuable  - than deGrom, but...

10. Inmates - Carlos Carrasco. There are a handful of SP/RP guys with good cards and good futures. This is one of them.

11. Nads - Mike Fiers. This is another one of them. Harrison and Fiers would be a couple of really big Nads. I'm tellin' ya, the Nads could be riding high this year. They could hang around. Don't expect them to shrink away from the competition. Go Nads!

12. Buckeyes - Mookie Betts. The Buckeyes are rebuilding, and this guy could be a core player for awhile. He's projected to start in RF for the Red Sox.

13. Wahoos - J.D. Martinez. Maybe the third best full-time hitting card in the draft. If he slides to 13, the Hoos have a steal.

14. Zaps - Aaron Sanchez. Or Shoemaker. Or Giles. The two he doesn't take will be there at 17 when he picks next. The Zaps have a great team already, and they're going to have a great draft. Definitely the team to beat in 2015. It's not even close. I'm predicting 120 wins for the Zaps. Who's with me?

15. Sidewinders - Dee Gordon. The Snakeman could prove me wrong just for spite, but the speedy, left-handed hitting second baseman seems to be a perfect pick for this team. But don't be shocked if the only team capable of hanging with the Zaps takes Panik instead.

16. Fungoes - Danny Santana. Hechavarria would still be a good pick, but Santana is probably the better ss for the Fungoes until Lindor comes around.

Top Ten RIght Now - RP and 2B

MLB Network's Top Ten Right Now...

Relief Pitching
1. Wade Davis, Free Agent
2. Greg Holland, Mavs
3. Craig Kimbrel, Sidewinders
4. Dellin Betances, Free Agent
5. Joaquin Benoit, SuperGoofs
6. Aroldis Chapman, Sidewinders
7. Mark Melancon, Wahoos
8. Koji Uehara, SuperGoofs
9. Zach Britton, Free Agent
10. Tony Watson, Sidewinders

Interesting choices. Obviously the Snakes have a great bullpen (they have 3 other guys in the pen who are also good). Three of these guys are in the draft. And, of course, we in NASOMA look at relievers a little differently. We evaluate at least 95% of bullpen guys by how they did LAST YEAR as opposed to how good they'll be THIS year. But still, there's not a lot to argue about here.

Second Base
1. Robinson Cano, Warpigs
2. Dustin Pedroia, Wahoos
3. Ben Zobrist, Tweeners
4. Neil Walker, Drillers
5. Ian Kinsler, DVs
6. Jose Altuve, Inmates
7. Howie Kendrick, Mavs
8. Chase Utley, Zaps
9. Brian Dozier, Nads
10. Scooter Gennett, Buckeyes

This is not a real strong group. Even the guys at the top had down years. I think Altuve should be higher, and I'd probably put Wong or Gordon on the list. I still think Kipnis is top ten despite his crappy 2014. Phillips is fading, Murphy just needs to improve with the glove, and Panik/Odor/Schoop are knocking on the Top Ten door.

Zaps and Inmates Trade

The Inmates traded Wellington Castillo and pick 186 to the Zaps for pick 110.

Starting Pitching and First Base - Top Ten Right Now

More from the MLB Network Shredder...

Starting Pitchers
1. Clayton Kershaw, Fungoes
2. Felix Hernandez, Tweeners
3. Chris Sale, Sidewinders
4. Adam Wainwright, Warpigs
5. Max Scherzer, Zaps
6. Johnny Cueto, Sidewinders
7. Corey Kluber, Zaps
8. David Price, Fungoes
9. Madison Bumgarner, Tweeners
10. Jordan Zimmermann, Wahoos

Hard to argue too much with this list. MLB is definitely pitching-rich these days. So much so that many good pitchers are left off the list. Pitchers like Strasburg, Darvish, Lester, Greinke, Hamels, Richards, Fernandez, Sanchez, Iwakuma, Teheran, Tanaka...

First Base
1. Miguel Cabrera, FFTs
2. Paul Goldschmidt, Zaps
3. Jose Abreu, Drillers
4. Joey Votto, Rhinos
5. Freddie Freeman, Killer Bees
6. Edwin Encarnacion, Wahoos
7. Anthony Rizzo, Inmates
8. Mike Napoli, Zaps
9. Adrian Gonzalez, Nads
10. Carlos Santana, Killer Bees

At first base, however, there's plenty of room for argument. Mike Napoli? Would you rather have him RIGHT NOW than Hosmer, Adams, Morneau? I'd rather have Pujols than Napoli. Or Belt. Or Mauer. Hell, I'd rather have Prince Fielder than Mike Napoli. Okay, maybe not Prince.

And I'm biased, but Morneau should be on this list. He won the batting title last year in the NL and has more OB+TB on the right side of his strat card than any other 1bman - meaning he had a pretty good year.

I have no problem with the top 3 (though I'd flip 1-2), but I'd have Rizzo at 4.  I'd have Freeman at 5, Morneau 6, Encarnacion 7, Votto 8, Santana 9, and Hosmer (or maybe Matt Adams or Brandon Belt) at 10. Napoli and Gonzalez would not be on my top 10.

Buckeyes and Snakes trade

The Buckeyes traded Brandon Belt to the Sidewinders for Jurickson Profar, a reserve, and picks 111, 143, 175, and 191.

Pigs and Inmates Trade

The Warpigs traded pick 173 to the Inmates for Brett Anderson.

Mr. Cub

January 31, 1931 - January 23, 2015

Fungoes and Bees Trade

The Killer Bees sent a reserve pick to the Fungoes for pick 48.

Home Ballparks

Every year, we have the option of keeping the BP numbers we have or altering them as much as +2/-2. And in every Presidential election year, we can move to any park we want and use their new numbers. This wasn't always the rule. I can't remember when we adopted this rule, and I can't remember what rule we used before the election year rule. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast.

The numbers are kept on the roster page, and in the SOMBB game. The problem was, I couldn't find any place where the actual park we were using had been written down. The computer game had names for our ballparks, but those were almost always wrong and sometimes said things like The Baptist Bowl. It's important to know your BP because you can't adopt your park's new numbers if you don't know which park you're in.

I started by asking you guys. You'd be surprised at how many couldn't remember. And a few were mistaken on where they were playing their games. There's a joke in there somewhere.

So I did a little research. I have MLB park numbers for every year, and I have the NASOMA park numbers back to 2000. I followed each team back until it was apparent they had taken a new park. Typically, I would get back to 2011 or 2007 when it would become obvious that the team took a new park in the following "election" year.

Since I had my own BP numbers back thru when I entered the league, I researched those all the way back until then. The results of my BallPork research is listed at the bottom of this page. Your team's research will look similar; I just didn't go back as far. I'd be happy to share your results with you. Just let me know.

Here are the results for each team (If you feel I have made a mistake, let me know)...

Warpigs, San Diego (since 1989)
Rhinos, San Diego (since 1996)
FFTs, Kansas City (since 2008)
Sidewinders, Washington (since 2008)
DVs, Baltimore (since 2008)
Mavs, San Francisco (since 2008)
Nads, Kansas City (since 2008)
Killer Bees, ChicagoAL (since 2008)
SuperGoofs, Miami (since entering the league in 2009 - it was Florida then)
Inmates, Los AngelesNL (since 2012)
Drillers, Miami (since 2012)
Tweeners, Miami (since 2012)
Zaps, ChicagoAL (since 2012)
Wahoos, Colorado (since 2012)
Buckeyes, New YorkAL (since 2012)
Fungoes, San Francisco (since 2012)



The Warpig BallPork research...

1987 - 5/5, 17/17 (Seattle. The team I took over had already started their season. This was the park.)

1988 - 5/5, 18/18 (The new Seattle numbers)

1989 - 0/0, 14/14 (I moved to San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. These are the SD'88 numbers.)

1990 - 0/0, 16/16 (We weren't adjusting back then; these are the new SD'89 numbers.)

1991 - 0/0, 16/16 (I kept the same numbers for the next decade.)

1992 - 0/0, 16/16

1993 - 0/0, 16/16

1994 - 0/0, 16/16

1995 - 0/0, 16/16

1996 - 0/0, 16/16

1997 - 0/0, 16/16 (FYI, Jack Murphy was renamed Qualcomm in 1997.)

1998 - 0/0, 16/16

1999 - 0/0, 16/16

2000 - 0/0, 16/16

2001 - 1/1, 3/6 (Qualcomm had become a pitcher's park. These are the SD'00 numbers.)

2002 - 0/0, 5/8 (I began a decade of adjusting the HR numbers almost every year.)

2003 - 0/0, 7/6

2004 - 0/0, 7/6 (This is the only year I didn't adjust it - I have no idea why.)

2005 - 0/0, 7/7 (SD'04 was the first year of Petco, but I just kept adjusting the Qualcomm numbers.)

2006 - 0/0, 9/9 (And here we go, cranking the fences in a little bit every year.)

2007 - 0/0, 11/11

2008 - 0/0, 13/13 (See a trend?)

2009 - 0/0, 15/15

2010 - 0/0, 17/17

2011 - 0/0, 19/19

2012 - 0/0, 20/20 (There was only a sliver of grass between the infield dirt and the warning track.)

2013 - 0/0, 20/20 (The commissioner wouldn't let me go any higher.)

2014 - 2/2, 1/4 (The new SD'13 numbers. With no offense, I decided to protect my pitchers.)

 

San Diego since 1989.

Corner Outfielders - Top Ten Right Now

MLB Network and the "Shredder" had the following top ten:

Right Field
1. G.Stanton, DVs
2. J.Bautista, Zaps
3. B.Harper, Mavs
4. J.Heyward, Mavs
5. M.Cuddyer, Goofs
6. C.Gonzalez, Inmates
7. H.Pence, FFTs
8. B.Moss, SSW
9. M.Kemp, Rhinos
10. J.D.Martinez, free agent

Cuddyer? Weird. But outside of Stanton and Bautista, this is a really weak group. Harper is still more hype than substance... Heyward is almost as bad vs LHP as Scooter Gennett... Cuddyer and JD are really DHs... and CarGo has been hurt too much. After Stanton and Bautista, my top 5 would have 3. Pence, 4. Kemp, 5. Heyward/Harper

Left Field
1. H.Ramirez, FFTs
2. J.Werth, Warpigs
3. M.Brantley, SSW
4. S.Marte, Inmates
5. A.Gordon, Rhinos
6. N.Cruz, Tweeners
7. M.Holliday, DVs
8. C.Dickerson, free agent
9. J.Upton, Mavs
10. C.Yelich, Drillers

Hanley is ranked #1 in LF despite the fact he's never played there. Amazing. A lot of depth here. The list leaves off Cespedes, Gardner, and Melky. Werth and Holliday are getting old, although Werth has been really good the last few years... Cruz is also up there in age and can't play defense... Dickerson can't hit outside of Coors. My top of this list would be 1. Brantley, 2. Gordon, 3. Yelich, 4. Marte, 5. Upton.

Thoughts?

Looking Ahead - 2015 NASOMA

Well, the cards aren't here, but the ratings are, and that makes it time for this year's Crystal Ball Gazing post. So many things to consider... Can Kershaw and the Fungoes repeat? Will the Drillers finally return to the post season after two years away? Are the Buckeyes really rebuilding for the first time since... well... ever? And does this mean they will miss the post season for the first time since 2008? Can the Zaps or Pigs get back on top? Can the Snakes ride the best pitching staff in the league to another title? Is this the year the Nads make the playoffs? Is this finally the Year of the Inmates?Do the Bees still suck?

Let's take a look...


The Herman Wheeler Division

Let's start at the home of the defending champion Fungoes. Kershaw and Trout are back. Matt Carpenter is as good as ever. Price is improved. Harvey is gone but more than adequately replaced in the rotation by Roark. The Fungi have excellent starting pitching and a pretty good bullpen. All they need is a shortstop. They don't need one other thing. Well, and a 2nd baseman. A shortstop and a 2nd baseman, and that's ALL they need. They don't need one other thing. And a right fielder. A shorststop, a 2nd baseman, and a right fielder. And that's all they need.

The Inmates have a strong infield, but have needs everywhere else. They have two early 1st round picks, however. Now we see if he can turn those 2 picks into an ace for his rotation, a dominant reliever, and a top tier left-handed bat.

The Nads finally have a roster ready to play beyond game 162. All they really need is bullpen, and there will be plenty of bullpen to choose from in the first few rounds of this draft.

The Rhinos made it to the World Series in 2010 and 2012. That's all I got.

Prediction: 1. Fungoes, 2. Inmates, 3. Nads, 4. Rhinos


The Ab Wheeler Division

The Snakes have the best pitching staff in NASOMA. Best rotation. Best bullpen. Best staff. His offense is heavy on the left-handers - which fits his park - but there are a couple of holes to fill. Kipnis getting a 2b-4 is the biggest of those holes. But this is the Snakeman, and it is a lock that he'll have the Sidewinders in the post season. Book the flight now.

The Bees have Freeman and Simmons in their infield. And they have Teheran, E.Santana, and A.Wood at the top of their rotation, but they have almost nothing else. It could be a long year at the Hive.

The Tweeners have the deepest rotation in the league, with 7 starters who could help the rotations of anybody. The Tweeners need some bats and bullpen, but having a great rotation is a good start.

The Goofs have a lot of needs - mostly health for his rotation. If the Goofs were in the HWD, I'd give them a chance at the post season. But beating the Snakes and Tweeners will require something Goofy happening.

Prediction: 1. Sidewinders, 2. Tweeners, 3. Goofs, 4. Killer Bees


The Bob Uecker Division

The Warpigs have their roster set, which is good because they have no picks. The pitching staff is not as good as the Snake staff, but will still be a strength. The starters aren't as good as the 2013 staff, but this time there's a bullpen to bail them out. And after a year setting offensive futility records, trades were made to improve the run-scoring potential.

The DVs have an aresenal of RH hitters, and their infield defense will be air tight. They even have a quality rotation. But the bullpen needs a major re-stocking, and a left-handed DH needs to be found. The bigger problem is the lack of draft picks with which to fill those holes. The draft is deep in RH relief, so that part should be easy to rectify.

The Wahoos have a great infield, an ace in the rotation, and one of the best relievers out there. An even better asset is 4 picks in the first 19 picks of the draft. By the time those 4 picks are made, the Wahoos could be the team to beat.

The FFTs are the sleeper team in the BUD. Their right-handed hitters are as good as the DV group, and if they can add a shortstop and some bullpen, the FFTs will be much improved over last year. On the other hand, if the FFTs go for an infusion of youth, it might be another down year - but with good things ahead.

Prediction: 1. Warpigs, 2. Wahoos, 3. DVs, 4. FFTs


The Millard Fillmore Division

The Zaps are once again loaded for bear. The only offensive hole is LF, and Chris Dickerson is poised to be the first pick in the draft to make this lineup complete. The rotation is also top tier. And with so much bullpen being available in the draft, expect the Zaps to win 100+ before losing to the Sidewinders again in the playoffs.

The Buckeyes don't miss the playoffs very often. The last time was 2007 & 2008. But the great Houdini is rebuilding from scratch. Looking at how bad this team is for 2015, most managers would expect 100 losses easy. But this is the Buckeyes... so I'm gonna say... 95-67. :o)

The Drillers have been oddly missing from the post season the last 2 years, but that should end in 2015. A couple of years of astute drafts have brought the Drillers to the point where they will not only challenge the mighty Zaps for the MFD, but challenge everybody for the Higdon. They'll need some quality pitching depth. And they'll hafta hope the Zapper will continue telling him who to draft.

The Mavs might be in trouble. They still have one of the best catchers... and one of the best closers... and their outfield is still deep. But they need a lot, and this division will be tough at the top. The have pick 4 in the draft, so that will help. The best bet is a .500 year followed by a return to the top in 2016.

Prediction: 1. Zaps, 2. Drillers, 3. Mavs, 4. Buckeyes

I just realized my division winners would all be repeats from last year. Hard to believe that would happen, but it's certainly possible.

Top Ten Right Now - CF & SS

The MLB Network has a show called Top 10 Right Now, where they debate, discuss, and pick the current best ten players at each position. Brian Kenney and a guest former player make their selections, and a "shredder" makes a final selection based on recent offensive and defensive statistics and the expectations for the upcoming season. It doesn't take into consideration the long term prospects. The results are often questionable. The first two episodes this season dealt with shortstop and centerfield. Below are the results from the shredder. Feel free to leave your Top 10 in the comments section.

Center Field
1. McCutchen, Zaps
2. Trout, Fungoes
3. Puig, Drillers
4. Gomez, Rhinos
5. Jones, Inmates
6. Ellsbury, FFTs
7. Eaton, Wahoos
8. Pollock, Warpigs
9. Cain, Warpigs
10. Span, Goofs

Shortstop
1. Tulowitzki, Warpigs
2. Peralta, Sidewinders
3. Desmond, Wahoos
4. Reyes, Zaps
5. Hardy, DVs
6. Mercer, Wahoos
7. Aybar, Nads
8. A.Ramirez, Goofs
9. Lowrie, DVs
10. Simmons, Bees

I have no problem with the CF list, other than them listing Puig in CF (53 games) instead of RF (91 games).

At shortstop, I disagree on a couple of names. First of all, there is no way Lowrie should be on this list when Crawford and Castro are not. Mercer at #6 is a shocker. I wouldn't have him on my Top 10, either. And Simmons at #10 is debatable. I mean, sure he had a horrible year on offense, but he is by far the best fielding shortstop in the game. I'd have him a lot higher.

So what do you think? What do your lists look like?

Previously Unreported Post-World Series Conversation

The Snakeman and Zapper both stayed at the Pigsty following last fall's playoffs. After the victorious Fungoes left, here is a conversation that may have taken place. (With a tip of the hat to Flo.)

Snakeman: Well, that sucked.

Zapper: Oh, come on! At least you MADE it to the World Series.

Snakeman: The Fungo pitching was just too good.

Pigman: You had a great year. Over a hundred wins and a World Series appearance is a great year.

Snakeman: It's just hard to get over something like this. I made soooo many bad moves.

Zapper: Nah, you're still one of the best. The Fungo pitching was just too good.

Snakeman: Can we go somewhere and get ice cream?

Pigman: Sure. That'll be just the ticket for getting over a Series loss.

Snakeman: Can I get sprinkles?

Zapper: No, sprinkles are for winners.

NASOMA Championship Rings

I was pointing out to the Fungoman that John Jaso had just won back-to-back titles on different teams, and it got me to wondering which players had been on the title winners the most often - and especially which of the good luck charms had brought their winning ways to multiple franchises. So, I put together a list of the rosters of the NASOMA champions. Well, almost all of them: I don't have rosters (or stats) for the 1984 & 1987 Strangers or the 1988 Bandits. But not counting those three clubs, there are 20 players who have earned 4 or more rings. There are a few of the names you would expect on the list, but a couple of surprises as well.

Here's the list:
7 - Mark McGwire
6 - Barry Larkin, Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling
5 - David Cone, Paul Molitor, Arthur Rhodes, Robin Yount
4 - Mike Cameron, Will Clark, Keith Foulke, Steve Garvey, Tony Gwynn, Toby Harrah, Andruw Jones, Ryan Klesko, Jorge Posada, Albert Pujols, Russ Springer, David Wells

Of these, there are six players who have won with 3 different teams. They are: Tony Gwynn (Buckeyes, Cletes*, Pigs), Andruw Jones (Pigs, Drillers, Zaps), Ryan Klesko (Drillers, Pigs, Buckeyes), Jorge Posada (Pigs, Drillers, Zaps), Arthur Rhodes (Pigs, Snakes, Zaps), and David Wells (Buckeyes, Pigs, Drillers).

There were also four players not on the above list who won 3 titles - all with 3 different teams: Chipper Jones (Zaps, Bees, Pigs), Jesse Orosco (FFTs, Cletes*, Pigs), Tim Raines (Buckeyes, Cletes*, Snakes), and Scott Sanderson (FFTs, Buckeyes, Pigs).

Greg Maddux won with the Cletes* in 1993, then won with the Warpigs in 95/96/97 and again in 99 for 5 titles in 7 years.

But the good luck charm award is a tie between two guys you wouldn't guess: One is the old righty reliever  Keith Foulke, who is the only player to win the league in 4 straight years. He helped the Drillers win in 2000 & 2001, then was traded to the Warpigs where he won titles in 2002 & 2003. The other is another old right-handed reliever, Russ Springer, who won 4 titles with 4 different teams, the Snakes in '98, the Drillers in '00, the Bees in '08, and the Pigs in '09.

Now... Toby Harrah won with the Buckeyes in 1982 & 1983. He repeated the back-to-back titles with the FFTs in 1985 and back with the Buckeyes in 1986. If I find he was on that mysterious 1984 Stranger team, we have a new winner.

Good luck charms, indeed.

Boggs, Beeboy, and Beer

Upon hearing Wade Boggs claim that he once drank 107 beers in one day, the Beeboy commented, "I have that many before breakfast."

Ratings Are Available

What I don't get is why the sports radio guys aren't talking about the ratings when I get in the truck after school. What the hell else is there to talk about???

Anyway, the ratings are available now for download at Strat-O-Matic. You can also order a hard copy if you want.

I believe I'll need a sick day or two at school.

DVs and Buckeyes trade

The Buckeyes traded Jed Lowrie and pick 109 to the DVs for Leonys Martin and Domonic Brown.

Championship Ring Trivia Questions

1. (easy) Which NASOMA player won titles in each of the last two seasons?

2. (medium) Who is the only player in NASOMA history to win titles in 4 consecutive seasons?

3. (hard) Who is the only player in NASOMA history to win exactly 4 titles with exactly 4 different teams?

Bees and Goofs trade

The Killer Bees traded Daniel Nava to the SuperGoofs for Jordan Walden and pick 85.

Newest Hall of Fame Members

Pigs and Mavs trade

The Warpigs traded Jake Odorizzi and Justin Wilson to the Mavs for R.A. Dickey and Sean Doolittle.

2015 Hall of Fame

Below are the names on the ballot this year, and this is a link to their statistics. How many would get your vote? Please reply to this with the names of the players receiving your vote. The number beside each name is the number of times they have been on the ballot.

Rich Aurilia (1)
Jeff Bagwell (5)
Craig Biggio (3)
Barry Bonds (3)
Aaron Boone (1)
Tony Clark (1)
Roger Clemens (3)
Carlos Delgado (1)
Jermaine Dye (1)
Darin Erstad (1)
Cliff Floyd (1)
Nomar Garciaparra (1)
Brian Giles (1)
Tom Gordon (1)
Eddie Guardado (1)
Randy Johnson (1)
Jeff Kent (2)
Edgar Martinez (6)
Pedro Martinez (1)
Don Mattingly (15)
Fred McGriff (6)
Mark McGwire (9)
Mike Mussina (2)
Troy Percival (1)
Mike Piazza (3)
Tim Raines (8)
Curt Schilling (3)
Jason Schmidt (1)
Gary Sheffield (1)
Lee Smith (13)
John Smoltz (1)
Sammy Sosa (3)
Alan Trammell (14)
Larry Walker (5)