Warpigs 4, SuperGoofs 1

To celebrate Opening Day, the Pigs and Goofs met up for 5 games. The Goofs haven't uploaded (or even bought) the game yet, so we resorted to TeamViewer. So with the Cubs/Marlins and Mets/Cardinals providing the backdrop...

Game 1 @ The BallPork - Warpigs win 5-3. The first time thru the lineup, FIVE Goofs had HR opportunities. Two hit it out and another doubled. The Goofs led 3-0 early, but the Pigs fought back, scoring 2 runs in both the 4th and 5th innings. Joe Mauer singled and tripled, driving in 3 to lead the Pigs. Rich Hill (1-1) got the win, and Adam Warren got his 2nd save.

Game 2 @ The BallPork - Goofs win 3-1. Masahiro Tanaka threw a complete game 5-hitter for the win. Odubel Herrera went 3-5 with a triple and 3 runs batted in for the Goofs. Jacob deGrom struck out 12 for the Pigs.

Game 3 @ The Magic Kingdom - Warpigs win 4-3 in 15 innings. Sean Newcomb shut out the Pigs for 5.1 innings, but the Goof pen gave up a 3-run 8th inning to extend the game. J.T. Realmuto homered to lead off the top of the 15th for the winning run. Carl Edwards (1-0) was the winner, and Steve Cishek finished up for his 5th save.

Game 4 @ The Magic Kingdom - Warpigs win 5-1. Aaron Judge went 3-5 with a 3-run homer for the Warpigs. Jake Odorizzi (3-1) went 8.2 for the win, losing his shutout in the 9th. Carl Edwards recorded the final out to earn his 2nd save.

Game 5 @ The Magic Kingdom - Warpigs win 5-4 in 12 innings. The Pig bats were quiet again, not waking up until the 9th inning when they scored 3 times to tie the game. The Warpigs scored 2 more in the top of the 12th and withstood a Goof homer in the bottom of the inning for the win. Adam Warren (2-1) got the win, and Steve Cishek rescued Carl Edwards to get his 6th save.

D.J. Lemahieu went 12 for 23 in the 5-game series.

Warpigs 2, Killer Bees 1

NetPlay. Games played at the BallPork.

Game 1 - Warpigs 4, Killer Bees 3 - Aaron Judge hit a 2-run homer in the first inning to give the Pigs the early lead. Jake Odorizzi made it stand up with no hits allowed into the 4th, but when the Bees finally did get a hit, it was a 3-run home run by Andrew Benintendi. The Pigs tied it on a single by J.T. Realmuto in the 5th and took the lead on a 2-out double by D.J. Lemahieu in the 6th. Five Pig relievers held onto the lead, giving the win to Odorizzi (2-1). Steve Cishek pitched the last third of an inning for his 4th save.

Game 2 - Killer Bees 3, Warpigs 1 - Six Bee pitchers scattered 9 Pig hits for the win. It might have been worse, but Andrew Benintendi is, for some reason, weak vs LHP, turning what would have been a grand slam into a 2-run single. Jimmy Nelson earned the win, with Fernando Rodney getting the save. Danny Duffy (2-2) pitched well but took the loss.

Game 3 - Warpigs 4, Killer Bees 1 - Aaron Judge hammered his 9th and 10th homers of the young season for the Pigs, and Luis Severino (3-1) went 8.2 innings for the win. Sean Doolittle came on for the final out to earn his 2nd save.

Mavs 5, Fungoes 5

The Mavs and Fungoes played ten games side by side today that were far too ugly for either team to comment on so we’ll leave it to Hal.

4/7:  Dan Straily went 7 strong innings as the Waxahachie Fungoes beat the Midlothian Mavs by a score of 4 to 0.  Straily(1-0) escaped virtually unscathed against the Midlothian hitters.  He didn't allow much, just 2 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings.  Waxahachie ended up with 10 hits for the game while Midlothian had 3.  Jason Hammel(2-7) was hit with the loss.  He surrendered 7 hits and no walks in 6 innings.

4/8:  Matt Harvey delivered 7 solid innings and Eric Hosmer went yard and had 3 RBI as the Waxahachie Fungoes bested the dreadful Midlothian Mavs 4 to 2 at WTF Field.  Waxahachie tallied 2 runs in the 6th inning.  The crucial at-bat was provided by Hosmer who made the crowd happy when he clubbed a two-run home run. Midlothian was set down quietly in the 9th.   Harvey(1-0) went 7 innings allowing 2 runs for the victory. David Robertson gained credit for his 1st save.  Carlos Carrasco(3-5) took the loss.  He surrendered only 3 runs and 4 hits in 7 innings.  

4/9:  At WTF Field, the Waxahachie fans witnessed a great pitcher's duel.  Carlos Martinez(2-4) finally bested his Waxahachie opposite, Joe Musgrove(0-1), by the score of 3 to 0.  Martinez contributed a very nicely pitched game.  He was stingy on the mound, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk in 7 and 1/3 innings.  Both teams' bats went to sleep after the 3rd inning with no runs scored after that point.  Musgrove was charged with the loss.  He pitched 6 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 walks.

5/19:  At Juan Gonzalez Field the Midlothian Mavs outscored the Waxahachie Fungoes 6 to 3.  Waxahachie never recovered after Midlothian took the lead in the 2nd inning as they scored 2 runs on 2 base hits.  Waxahachie was set down quietly in the 9th.  Dinelson Lamet(2-2) went 6 innings allowing 2 runs for the victory. Lamet got help from Mychal Givens who was credited with his 4th save.  Ian Kennedy(0-1) suffered the loss.  He surrendered 4 homeruns in his 5 innings.  The win by Midlothian is a very welcome one as they have been struggling in recent days.  Their record now stands at 16-44 - only 2-8 in their last ten games.  With the loss Waxahachie now has a record of 2-2.

5/20:  In a close game the Waxahachie Fungoes got by the pathetic Midlothian Mavs by the score of 10 to 8.  Will Harris(1-0) slammed the door shut in an excellent relief performance.  He did not allow a baserunner in his 1 inning.  A wild affair, this game saw the lead change 5 times.  David Robertson gained credit for his 2nd save.  The losing pitcher was Joakim Soria(0-3) in relief.  His ERA ballooned from 3.93 to 4.58 as he allowed 3 runs in 1 and 1/3 innings.  

6/16:  In a good matchup it was the Waxahachie Fungoes 6, the lifeless [oh really?  This is the best we’ve played all year] Midlothian Mavs 3 at WTF Field.   Waxahachie wasted no time and took the lead in the first inning when they scored 2 runs on 3 hits.  David Robertson pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 3rd save.  German Marquez(1-0) was the winner allowing 2 runs in 6 innings. Jason Hammel(2-8) took the loss.  He allowed 10 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings.  

6/17:  Left fielder Starling Marte had 2 base hits and 2 RBI as the Midlothian Mavs beat the Waxahachie Fungoes by a score of 2 to 1.  Waxahachie found themselves trailing quickly as the Midlothian bats came through in the first inning when they scored 2 runs on 3 hits.  That was all the runs Carlos Carrasco(4-5) needed.  Midlothian finished with 7 hits in the victory.  Carrasco was helped out by Mychal Givens who recorded his 5th save.  Lance McCullers(0-1) was tagged with the loss.  He was a hard-luck loser, pitching 6 innings and not allowing an earned run.  

8/9:  In a close game the Midlothian Mavs got by the Waxahachie Fungoes by the score of 4 to 2. Midlothian had 3 runs cross the plate in the bottom of the 6th inning when they came up with 4 base hits.  It was enough scoring to earn the victory. Waxahachie threatened in the 9th but Midlothian was able to put down the rally.  The win was credited to Jason Hammel(3-8) who went 6 and 1/3 innings allowing 1 run. Mychal Givens recorded his 6th save.  The losing pitcher was German Marquez(1-1).   Despite losing Waxahachie's manager was optimistic after the game.  'We'll get over this one.  Sometimes the breaks fall your way, sometimes they don't.  Any one of a dozen little things go different, and we come out on top.'  Midlothian now has a record of 17-46.  With the loss, Waxahachie has a record of 4-3 lately, 4-3 overall.

8/10:  Bryce Harper homered and had 3 RBI at Juan Gonzalez Field as the Midlothian Mavs beat the Waxahachie Fungoes 8 to 3.  Waxahachie was unable to recover after Midlothian went ahead in the 2nd inning when they tallied 2 runs on 2 hits.  Midlothian had 10 hits for the night.  Carlos Carrasco(5-5) got credit for the victory, pitching 6 and 2/3 innings and allowing 3 runs. Ian Kennedy(0-2) ended up with the loss.  Midlothian scored big getting 7 runs off him in 4 innings.  With this win, Midlothian has a 19-46 record.  They have been 5-5 lately. With the loss, Waxahachie has a record of 4-5 lately, 4-5 overall.

8/11:  Lance McCullers mowed down 11 Midlothian batters as the Waxahachie Fungoes beat the woeful [there just aren’t enough adjectives for this] Midlothian Mavs by a score of 2 to 0.  McCullers(1-1) was tremendous on the mound for Waxahachie.  He didn't allow much, just 3 hits and no walks in 7 innings.  Waxahachie had only 6 hits for the game.  McCullers was helped out by David Robertson who recorded his 4th save.  Carlos Martinez(2-5) ended up with the loss.  He allowed 2 runs and 5 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings.  'Everything felt great' McCullers said. 'I had a good fastball, I felt I could throw it by everybody today.'

And They're Jockeying For Position As We Head Down The Stretch!

The Fungoes traded picks 13, 29, and 76 to the Tweeners for picks 5, 69, and 85.

Your Draft Primer

As if the fact that the draft is less than 4 days away isn't enough, here's some additional good news. It appears NetPlay may have finally been improved enough to use on a regular basis. This falls under the "I'll believe it when I see it" category, but I've played home and home games vs the Wahoos and home and home games vs the DVs over the last couple of days without a single problem. You should try it out before Friday just to see if you have any issues.

Glenn asked me to pass on a couple of notes about the draft...

We had some issues last season with teams running out of innings or at bats at certain positions.

For pitchers, it is a good idea to have a MINIMUM of 1,000 SP innings and 500 RP innings. That's a minimum. MIN-I-MUM! Any fewer than that, and you're going to have trouble making it to the end of the season. In addition, be aware that just because you have a player who is SP/RP and has 120 innings doesn't mean you should count him for BOTH your starter and relief innings. It doesn't work like that.

And honestly, the teams that had players run over typically had plenty of unused innings by their other players - it was just that one or two of the pitchers were being used way too often (usually by Hal). First, draft enough innings. Then, check constantly throughout the season to make sure no one is being overused. And if they are, put them on the taxi for awhile - especially for road games being managed by CM.

For hitters, figure around 600-650 AB or 680-700 plate appearances per position. Last year, the 16 teams averaged 5583 ABs, 516 walks, 67 HBPs, and 23 Sac Bunts (why does almost no one keep SFs?). Where they bat in the order will affect the totals, of course. I still remember the first time I played the Bandits. Ab had Kal Daniels batting 9th every game, and I couldn't figure out why a stud card like that was buried at the bottom of the order until he explained to me that he would last longer batting there. Just make sure you have everything covered before playing your first game.

We have always worked on the honor system with regards to ABs, IPs, and your pitching rotation, and it's pretty much always worked. Just be aware and take care of your shit. If you're going to carry that 30-inning pitcher or 50-AB prospect (I don't wanna name names, but you know who you are - and RHI KNOW who you are), just make sure you're covered by the other players on your team.

If you have questions, ask the Buckeyes.

Now... Can I go ahead and announce pick 1?!?

A Post from the HEAD INMATE

2018 Zits

Time for the eagerly-awaited unveiling of the 2018 Zit roster, the only available review of the most inept team possible with the available cards. While some of the choices can be (master)debated, the possibility of 150+ losses is irrefutable.

Starting with the Arson Squad:

SP – JERED WEAVER -Ya gotta have an ace, and who better to lead the staff than this grizzled veteran? Not only can’t he keep the ball in the park, but in the event that someone doesn’t homer he can’t hold, either.

SP – BRETT ANDERSON – What staff can function without a lefty? Especially one who can’t get lefties out – or hold baserunners when they get on.

SP – CESAR VALDEZ – A young fire-baller who epitomizes the incendiary meltdown tendencies of a prototypical Zit, every “7” on his card is a hit. He does have a -2 hold, but no one ever hits singles against this guy.

SP – DREW VERHAGEN – Every “9” is a homer chance. Need more be said?

Long Relief – BRADEN SHIPLEY – When Zit starters inevitably tire from tossing BP, Shipley can come in for the long-haul and keep fanning the flames.

Setup – FRANKIE MONTAS – This guy can really set the table with over 15 points of taters vs lefties (not including the 8 points of BP). Spud City here we come!

CL – SHAWN KELLEY – With a closer rating of 3, this card makes you wonder what it takes to get a 6. Ever seen a 6-7 N-HR before? Check out his righty side.

On to the hitters:

C – LUKE MAILE – OK, defensively he’s actually very non-Zit-like. Too bad it didn’t transfer to his offensive capabilities.

1B – CHASE D’ARNAUD – He can actually get a (rare) hit against righties, but he makes up for it by showing flaccid-bat syndrome against lefties and having digit-less hands defensively.

2B – MIKE FREEMAN – How does a “3” at 2B get an e59? Oh yeah, the only chance for a hit on his card is on the right side, with a 3-4 HR-1/flyout 2-20. This is a clean-up hitter extraordinaire.

3B – JAE-GYUN HWANG – Good thing there’s a Hwang in his name, ‘cause he doesn’t show one in his hitting.

SS – RAUL MONDESI – The team speed-demon who’s so fast he outruns groundballs to earn an e56. He’s a * stealer, but how he earned this is a mystery since he’s never on base to steal.

LF – CODY ASHE – The Zit team captain, with only HBPs on his card and a 5(+1)e3 in left.

CF – ALEJANDRO DE AZA – What team is complete without a veteran presence in the clubhouse? Showing e21 (in)capabilities in all three outfield positions as well as a total inability to get on base, young Zits have the opportunity to observe full-fledged acne.

RF – TYLER WADE – The poster boy for the Cancer Bat Society. Power rankings don’t read “W,” they read “WTF?”

DH – STUART TURNER – Also functions as the back-up catcher. The only Zit with “N” power on both sides, which is good, because there’s almost no other way he can get a hit.

Pigs and Hoos Swap Picks

The Warpigs traded picks 97, 98, and 100 to the Wahoos for picks 30, 160, and 180.

At pick 96, the Sidewinders make their final selection. At pick 97, the Wahoos make their first.

Bohl Weevils Pick a Ball Park

The Brantford Bohl Weevils will play their home games this year in Arizona. Singles are 15 both ways; homers are 11.

Pre-Draft Rosters Are Set

After a flurry of last minute (and fairly meaningless) deals, the 2018 NASOMA pre-draft rosters are set.

The draft picks at the end of the draft have been adjusted to fit everyone's roster size. Several teams lost their 11th and 12th round picks (two teams lost late 10th rounders), and the Goofs, Mavs, and Wahoos gained tag-on picks at the end of the draft. If you had a pick numbered 155 or later, that pick is either gone from your list or it has a new (better) number after the adjustments.

Some data on the draft...

The last official pick of the regular draft belongs to the Wahoos, and it is pick 181. There will, of course, be a Lightning Round following the regular draft for anyone wanting to participate.

Most regular draft picks: Mavs (16)

Fewest regular draft picks: Snakes (5)

Most players kept: Rhinos (28)

Fewest players kept: Wahoos (18)

Most and fewest pitchers kept: Snakes (14), Goofs (5)

Most and fewest hitters kept: Goofs (15), Wahoos/Inmates/Mavs/Bees (11)

Uncarded players protected: Rhinos (5), Mavs (2), Wahoos/DVs/Bees (1)

A maximum of 23 additional uncarded players can be drafted this year, with the Mavs (5) leading the way.

There is a link on the home page to a spreadsheet that has all of the available carded players for the draft. It should be formatted to be 2-sided, with the hitters on one side and the pitchers on the other.

Goofs and Pigs Trade

The Goofs traded Andrew Toles to the Warpigs for Brandon Drury and the Pigs' 2019 10th round pick.

Martin Prado Traded to Fungoes

The DVs traded Martin Prado and pick 137 to the Fungoes for pick 125.

Wilmer Flores to the Buckeyes

The Rhinos traded Wilmer Flores to the Buckeyes for pick 159.

Bees Trade Two Relievers to the Buckeyes

The Killer Bees traded Dan Jennings and Dan Otero to the Buckeyes for their 7th round pick in 2019.

Buchter to the Pigs

The DVs traded left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter to the Warpigs for pick 61.

Adam Jones to the DVs

The Inmates parted with their long-time center fielder Adam Jones today, sending him to the DVs. The DVs also receive picks 116 and 137. The Inmates get the 2019 3rd round pick of the DVs.

The plan is for Jones, 32, to man CF for the DVs until Victor Robles is ready to take over.

Warpigs and Drillers Swap Hitters

The Drillers traded Jake Lamb and Tim Beckham to the Warpigs for Carlos Gonzalez and Asdrubal Cabrera.

CarGo will be part of a RF platoon for Oklahoma, while Lamb returns to Hooterville as the lefty side of the DH platoon.

The two utility infielders provide the Drillers and Warpigs with the same role, but Cabrera excels vs LHP and Beckham is a little better vs righties.