Fungoes Raid the Cut Piles for Pitching

The Drillers traded Ian Kennedy and Pedro Baez to the Fungoes for pick 109.

The Nads traded Michael Feliz and pick 82 to the Fungoes for pick 77.

DVs and Bees Trade Pitchers

The DVs traded relievers Alex Claudio and Alex Colome to the Killer Bees for starting pitchers Luis Perdomo and Julio Teheran, infielder Chris Owings, and future considerations.

The Bees are the winner of the much-coveted Claudio sweepstakes, and all it took was a couple of washed-up starters and a utility infielder - none of whom was going to make the Bee roster. The future considerations will probably be draft picks that the Bees would otherwise lose at cutdown. Said the DV manager, "Our goal, as always, is to achieve mediocrity. I believe we are almost there."

Drury to the Pigs

The DVs traded Brandon Drury to the Warpigs for pick 148.

Drury, who was already on the DV cut list, is 25 and penciled in to be the starting third baseman for the Yankees. He may still be a Pig cut - either before or after the draft - but for now he has hopes of serving an apprenticeship under Adrian Beltre before taking over the reins at the hot corner.

Cards We Don't Use

When you start sorting your cards, there will be some you'll need to remove. For one thing, there are 42 pitcher batting cards to eliminate. Also, there are a number of split cards for guys who were traded between leagues during the 2017 season. Below is a list of those cards, with the number of ABs or IPs on the card to help identify them. Some have one extra card; some have two. I put this together hurriedly, so I wouldn't be surprised to find I left somebody off or messed up. If you see a mistake, let me know and I'll fix it.

Brett Anderson 33
Nori Aoki 102 & 234
Alex Avila 92 & 219
Jay Bruce 149 & 406
Ryan Buchter 27 & 38
Trevor Cahill 61
Bartolo Colon 63 & 80
Chase d'Arnaud 57
Yu Darvish 50 & 137
Sean Doolittle 21 & 30
Oliver Drake 53
Lucas Duda 171 & 252
Sam Dyson 38
Neftali Feliz 27
Nick Franklin 82
Jaime Garcia 44 & 113
Dustin Garneau 68
Marco Gonzales 37
Alen Hanson 57 & 160
Chris Hatcher 23 & 37
Adeiny Hechevarria 65 & 265
Jeremy Hellickson 52 & 112
David Hernandez 36
Edwin Jackson 71
Jeremy Jeffress 25 & 41
Hyun Soo Kim 87 & 125
Brandon Kintzler 26 & 45
Tom Koehler 56
Mike Leake 32 & 154
Jonathan Lucroy 142 & 281
Ryan Madson 20 & 39
Jhan Marinez 51
Leonys Martin 115
J.D. Martinez 200 & 232
Brandon Maurer 39
Miguel Montero 87 & 98
Eduardo Nunez 165 & 302
David Phelps 47
Brandon Phillips 102 & 470
Jose Quintana 84 & 104
Addison Reed 27 & 49
Sergio Romo 25 & 31
Adam Rosales 84 & 205
Fernando Salas 45
Pablo Sandoval 99 & 160
Danny Santana 143
Michael Saunders 200
Anthony Swarzak 29 & 48
Blake Treinen 38 & 38
Stephen Vogt 122 & 157
Justin Wilson 40
Blake Wood 57
Travis Wood 42 & 52
Kirby Yates 56

DVs and Buckeyes Trade

The DVs sent Seth Lugo to the Buckeyes for Curtis Granderson.

Pick Me Up

The Warpigs traded picks 127, 143, and 164 to the Wahoos for pick 98.

Team Depth Charts

Click on the team icons on the homepage to see updated depth charts of each team. And as always, I did not presume to rank your players in any particular order. I just listed every player available at each position based on your current roster.

Let me know if you see any errors.

Warpigs Acquire First Overall Pick

The Warpigs traded David Peralta, Guillermo Heredia, and Jose Iglesias to the Nads for picks 1, 97, and 100.

For the Nads, filling three holes instead of one with the first pick makes the rest of the draft easier. Peralta will play LF. Heredia can platoon with him in left while serving as the backup in CF and RF. But the big addition for the Nads was getting Jose Iglesias and his ss-1e8 and +13 clutch points.

The Pigs move into the #1 spot in the draft. Who they have targeted there has not been announced, but with LF now completely empty, there's a good chance pick 1 will be used to fill the void.

First one here!

NASOMA at Opening Day

The Fungoes made their second trip to Strat's Opening Day, this time with the Rhinos along.

MLB's Top 100 Players Right Now

I'm not going to list them all for you, but the top 5 were:
5. Stanton
4. Votto
3. Harper
2. Altuve
1. Trout

The highest ranked pitcher was Kershaw at #6.

The Fungoes and Weevils both had 4 in the top 20.

There were 8 players listed who are not currently on NASOMA rosters and therefore in the draft. The highest ranked is Pham at #59.

As for the NASOMA breakdown, the Sidewinders (of course) ruled with 11 of the top 100.

11 Sidewinders (top ranked player was Sale #21)
8 Drillers (Donaldson #9)
8 Fungoes (Trout #1)
8 Warpigs (Judge #15)
8 Weevils (Scherzer #11)
6 Inmates (Altuve #2)
6 Rhinos (Votto #4)
6 Tweeners (Arenado #7)
6 Wahoos (Ozuna #32)
5 DVs (Stanton #5)
5 Killer Bees (Freeman #14)
4 Buckeyes (Sanchez #26)
4 FFTs (Darvish #67)
4 Mavs (Harper #3)
3 Nads (Ramirez #22)
0 Goofs

The New and Improved Mocktastic Draft

There are people out there who have cards in their hands right. I am not one of them, of course. To honor Opening Day 2018, here's the latest Mock Draft.

1. Nads - Tommy Pham. In the first Mock Draft, I had the Nads taking Devers here, but Pham has probably the best card in the draft, he's balanced, and he has 444 ABs. He's very deserving of the first pick in the draft. If I had the first pick in the draft, I wouldn't hesitate before picking Pham. (Note: After typing this, I looked at MLB's Top 100 Players Right Now, and Pham is #59, the highest ranked player not already on a NASOMA roster.)

2. Killer Bees - Avisail Garcia. The Bees still think they can win this year. This delusion will lead to the first mistake of the draft.

3. SuperGoofs - Shohei Ohtani. That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

4. Inmates - Chad Green. Smart owners don't take relievers with the 4th pick of the draft. But winning managers do. The HEAD INMATE fights off every one of his natural instincts and grabs the best relief card available.

5. Tweeners - Luis Castillo. The Tweeners have a good rotation already, but they're all left-handed. Castillo only has 89 innings and cannot relieve, but he's the best combination of useful card and prospect among the available pitchers.

6. Drillers - Zack Godley. It's gotta be killing DD to take a 28-year old starting pitcher here instead of, say, Vlad's kid, but the Drillers are about to kick off their most promising season since Bonds was applying the clear every day. Godley makes them better right now.

7. Weevils - Austin Barnes. Why not? Somebody has to catch that stable of aces. And Barnes can also help the offense although in a limited role.

8. FFTs - Chris Taylor. Another pick that's consistent with Mock1, but that's only because it's such a perfect pick.

9. DVs - Brad Peacock. The head DV said about Peacock, "His name makes me giggle."

10. Mavs - Rafael Devers. The Mavman will be beside himself with glee when the young but unproven Devers slips this far. It's unusual for the Mavman to be beside himself; he is usually beside the Buckeyes.

11. Rhinos - Ronald Acuna. And all the bettors who put money on a Rhino run through the playoffs tear up their ticket stubs simultaneously while muttering, "Knew it."

12. Inmates - Tucker Barnhart. The Barnhart pick brings out the first "good pick" of the draft. But since it was the HEAD INMATE who said it, I don't think it counts.

13. Fungoes - Chase Anderson. The Fungoes need pitching. After this pick, they'll still need pitching, but this is a great start.

14. Mavs - Rhys Hoskins. Meanwhile, the Head Buckeye, who was holding the Hoskins card, reconsiders seating arrangements for future drafts.

15. Buckeyes - Matt Olson. In his 189 AB at Buckeye Park, he'll hit around 45 homers.

16. Tweeners - Eddie Rosario. Big slide for Rosario, and it makes no sense. He's one of the best full-time hitters in the draft. Tweeners catch a break.

17. Killer Bees - Jordan Montgomery. Nice starting pitcher to get in the 2nd round - especially when facing the Snakes. Like the Bees can beat the Snakes. Ha!

18. Nads - Alcides Escobar. Same as last mock draft. The Nads get their ss-1.

19. SuperGoofs - Jhoulys Chacin. There aren't many decent SPs with a good amount of innings remaining. Chacin isn't a sexy pick, but he's a good one.

20. Inmates - Paul DeJong. It's the Year of the Inmates.

The Season Ahead

To forecast the upcoming NASOMA season, I enlisted the help of several experts. The responses I received were enlightening, and they were used to come up with the following predictions.

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 

Some put in a lot of work...

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.

All said and done: Warpigs. Not a vintage Pack of Porcine Pounders, but still potent.

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.

By the way...

It's official. According to the latest poll results, the Bees suck the most. In fact, it was unanimous.

Alex Gordon to the FFTs

The Rhinos traded Gold Glover Alex Gordon to the FFTs for the chance to pick a player from the FFT cuts after the Draft.

Mavs Trade Two Relievers to the Warpigs

The Mavs traded relievers Justin Wilson and Pedro Strop to the Warpigs for Francisco Liriano and a reserve. The teams will also swap 2019 picks, with the Mavs getting the Pig 4th and sending the previously attained Pig 5th back to Hooterville.

Wilson and Strop are much-needed components for a weak PigPen, while the reloading Mavs acquire their 7th reserve.

Sometimes I think you guys are just messing with me...

The FFTs traded picks 180 and 184 to the Wahoos for picks 174 and 190.

Awesome Tommy Lasorda

Thanks, Beeboy, for bringing this to my attention.

Cotton Pickin'

The Inmates traded picks 60, 61, and 127 to the Warpigs for picks 47 and 116.