2016 Team Analysis and Comparisons
The defending champ is poised to make another run at the title this year. He is projected to finish in top three but all teams will be attempting to dethrone OG Bobby, and knock him off his high horse. Speaking of horses, OG Bobby greatest strength is his workhorse pitching staff that will be hard to keep up with. No team can really compete with his top five pitchers that include Harvey, Cole, Carrasco, Syndergaard, and Lester. The rest of his pitching staff is kind of Blah though, unless Kazmir can remember that in baseball it’s good to throw fast. You would think with such a stacked pitching staff that OG Bobby’s hitting would be super weak, but that is a mistake. His hitting is not nearly as stacked as last year, but is still anchored by Mike Trout (he’s pretty good) and Joey “All I do is get On Base” Votto. The rest of his hitters could go several different directions. Will Nelson Cruz be able to hit 40 homeruns again? Can Brandon Belt stay healthy, will Odor stink up the place? Will Cespedes actually try or just stare at baseballs hit in his direction? Will his one dollar hitters tank the rest of his team? He dominated OBP last year but is expected to finish middle of the pack this year because of all his cheap hitters. There is one glaring weakness on OG Bobby’s team, one that he may never be able to overcome. The fact that Fernando Rodney is on his team could singlehandedly derail his whole team. Even if he benched him or completely dropped him, the infection of Rodney may have influenced the rest of him team already. If his pitching staff begins to get blown up early we will know who to blame.
Strength: Pitching Depth
Weakness: Fernando Rodney and Steals
Team Comparison: Cleveland Indians
Turkish has finished in 2nd and 3rd place the last two years so it’s not shocking to see he is projected to be near the top of standings once again. Turkish is one of the only managers to have three top 15 players on his team (selfish). Altuve, Arenado, and Mcutchen are a great trio to build a team around and with George Springer and Michael Brantley both with top 15 potential, Turkish has a team that could really dominate across all the hitting categories. An interesting note is Turkish is predicted to dominate the Stolen Base category because of Billy Hamilton, but it does come with a massive price. Luke would win the OBP category if Hamilton was not on his team but instead is projected to be third only a thread ahead of multiple teams. Turkish is also supposed to be near the top in all the pitching categories. He has two bonafide aces in Keuchel and Strasburg and the best young upside pitchers with Tijuan Walker, Carlos Rodon, Carlos Martinez, and Collin McHugh. The weirdest part of Turkish draft was the fact that he drafted 6 relievers and only one starter (and still not projected to win saves!). If his young arms don’t have breakouts he may be in trouble. There is a scenario where Luke coast to a championship with his players breaking out or everything could fall apart and he begins rebuilding early, which would actually be kind of hard for him since he already has 11 Minor Leaguers.
Strength: Strikeouts and Saves
Weakness: Home Runs and RBI’s
Team Comparison: Pittsburg Pirates
Huntdawg is looking to take a bottom team from last year and make it a contender, which is no easy task. He is already on the right track by being projected to make a huge boost in the standings and it only takes one breakout player to move to the top. Huntdawg has three infielders that could take massive leaps from last year. Kris Bryant could easily hit 40 Homeruns and have 100 RBI this year! All Rendon has to do is repeat his 2014 and he is an elite once again. And if Corey Seager does what he did at the end of last year for a whole season, then Huntdawg will be right near the top. Also, what the heck is Byung-ho Park going to do this year (40 HRS or Deported)? Plus his name sounds like something yelled during Dragonball Z so there at least is a chance he is awesome. Huntdawg did some of his best work before and during the draft. Securing Justin Upton prior to the draft and then adding Prince Fielder gives his team some veterans to help guide these younger players. Huntdawg has pieced together an interesting pitching staff, it is a little behind the elite teams, but drafting Bumgarner to go alongside Tyson Ross and Sonny Gray (his name contradicts itself) will keep him in contention. Can Huntdawg be this year’s Cinderella and surprise us all? Or will Hundawg feel like Cinderella when she found out her name sounded like a foot disease and spiraled into a fit of depression?
Strength: Homeruns
Weakness: ERA and WHIP
Team Comparison: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wacha Wacha in my opinion had the most successful draft by snagging both Cargos and Zack Greinke. Both Cargos have been top ten fantasy players in recent years and even if Greinke were to regress he is going to finish as a top pitcher. Wacha Wacha was in need of adding some studs to his team especially since he has no top 15 players. Projections have Wacha Wacha finishing in middle of the pack this year despite a great draft. Two major philosophy changes seemed to have affected Wacha Wacha’s team. First, last year the average age of his team was a dinosaur and it seemed that his players may all end up on the DL just trying to get to first base, but this year he has gotten younger and sleeker with the additions of Zack Wheeler, Joey Gallo, and Piscotty (way more fun to say in Italian Accent). Another change is he only has three out of the five Cardinals starters as opposed to literally having them all last year. Granted the Cardinals are a great team but diversity can be productive and that’s where Greinke and Price come in. Can these two aces keep up their eliteness on new teams, Wacha Wacha’s season may just depend on it. Once again Wacha Wacha has a huge advantage in the saves race with Wade Davis, Rosenthal and Perkins all who are pretty secure in their jobs and will be racking up the saves. Wacha Wacha still overall has one of the older teams but is full of reliable hitters and pitchers that can consistently keep his team in the running.
Strength: Wins and WHIP
Weakness: Power
Team Comparison: Detroit Tigers
Gulf of Flexico has been lurking near the bottom of the standings the last couple years but is poised to breakout and be a force to reckon with for a long time. He has potential to go from a tiny little Squirtle all the way to a beast mode Blastoise if things go right. (If you don’t understand the reference ask T, he is a big nerd). Gulf of Flexico arguably has the best two players to build a dynasty team around with Bryce Harper and Carlos Correa. These two players could be the core of his team for the next ten years and it kinda sucks for the rest of us. He is projected to finish in the top 5 this year and is one of the more well balanced team in the league. His team is full of breakout candidates that will make and break his season. Which Ozuna will show up this year? Will Joc Pederson remember that your suppose to hit the ball? Will Castro and Myers bounce back? How many bases will Delino Deshields steal? His hitting is projected to be near the top in every category and could easily win all of them, if Cano and Hanley (the steal of the draft) get back to being first rounders! Hanley just needs to not run into walls. Gulf of Flexico has also been able to assemble a pretty impressive pitching rotation. Headlined by Chris Archer and Cole Hamels and then a bunch of sleepers, his pitching staff is predicted to be in the middle of the pack in the standings. He is also hogging the Japanese pitchers with Iwakuma and Meada, so he must really like anime or something??? The question for Gulf of Flexico is not whether he will win in the future, but is the future already here. Has he joined the big boys near the top or is he still McCullering with crayons with the toddlers, we will find out soon!
Strength: OBP and Upside
Weakness: Saves
Team Comparison: Houston Astros
YeahSports last year had the biggest jump in the standings going from last place to 5th place and hopes to take another step forward this year. He is always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter who makes stairs. He claims this is the year he wins the whole thing and he definitely has the team to do it, so I probably have to make sure YouTube comes down to tape his victory. He is the only manager to have only one player outside the 200 in his starting lineup and that’s Byron Buxton, the number one prospect. (So his team is pretty stacked) Also he is not expected to finish below a 7 in any category but WHIP, so I guess you can say that is his weakness. His hitting will be centered on two marlins (no surprise) Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon who combine to cover all the hitting categories. Adding Jose Abreu to his squad is a huge boost and it will be interesting to see if Franco, Schwarber, and Yelich (Marlin) all take big steps in 2016. Also, will Todd Frazier have another second half collapse, I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious so I guess it’s possible. If I had to predict a pitcher to actually challenge Kershaw as the top dog, both Jacob Degrom and Jose Fernandez (marlin) would be at the top of that list, and both are on YeahSports team. The rest of his staff consists of Odorizzi, Stroman, Joe Ross, and Ventura who are “Going Mach Five” with upside. Also, lurking on YeahSports Minor League roster are three up in coming studs by the names of Glasnow, Giolito, and Berrios who will make immediate impacts when they get called up. If YeahSports doesn’t finish in the top three this year he only has Bears, Beets, and Battlestar Gallatica to blame for distracting him.
Strength: Consistency
Weakness: WHIP
Team Comparison: Kansas City Royals
The Legacy has trended his way to the bottom over the last two years finishing dead last in 2015, after a 3rd and 4th place finish the two years before. He needs to redeem his Legacy this year or else he may be the Tim Lincecum of our league and never recover from mediocrity. The Legacy’s season will come down to former first round picks reaching their former glory, headlined by Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Braun, Adam Jones, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Luckily they have a young superstar in the making named Mookie Betts that can remind these older guys how to hit. Speaking of young potential superstars, the Legacy has filled in the rest of his roster with a bunch of them. How productive will Addison Russell be in his first full season? Is Corey Dickerson a good hitter or was it just the Coors affect? Will Xander Boagerts take another step forward and hit some home runs? How good can Wilson Ramos be, now that he figured out your supposed to be able to see to play baseball? Finally, how long will it take for The Legacy to trade Grichuck to Wacha Wacha? Overall, his hitting has potential to compete this year if things break right. The Legacy has employed a similar strategy to his pitching securing some risky veterans like Prince Felix (demoted from king), Tanaka, and Jordan Zimmerman and pairing them with young upside arms like Severino, Iglesias, Matz, and Cobb. If even two of these young arms breakout this year the Legacy will be able to compete this year, as long as Tanakas arm doesn’t fall off midseason. If things fall apart he can always turn to Socrates for some philosophical wisdom to help steer the ship in the right direction. However, if the ship sinks early The Legacy will get to do what he likes best, trade!
Strength: Steals and SLG (kind of weird)
Weakness: Runs and OBP
Team Comparison: Los Angeles Angels
The Battling Bubbas will be the third manager of this team in the last 4 years and will attempt to make them a contender in his rookie year as a manager. Obviously there has been some tension in the club house to drive out the last two managers and Bubbas will try to bring some continuity to the situation. He brought in veteran Buster Posey to impose some veteran leadership and also improve some OBP where he finished almost last place in 2015. Chris Davis and Jose Bautista will both be back to bash their way to the top of the Homerun category and he has a trio of outfielders (Cain, Eaton, Burns) who all could score 100 runs. Cain and Eaton could both also go 20/20 and the rest of his team all should hit 10 or more homeruns, which means Bubbas should be consistently near the top in all hitting categories. One of the more peculiar parts of Battling Bubbas team is the fact that he has rostered FOUR catchers. This might be some elaborate ancient technique I have never heard of, but does seem a bit odd. It will give him the flexibility however, to pick up the best waiver wire pitchers without any hesitation. Speaking of pitching, his staff revolves around Clayton “stupid good” Kershaw who we all know is just plain awesome. The rest of his staff is Quintana, Fiers, Smyly, and Miley and….. that’s it! Literally that’s it! He almost has the same amount of pitchers as catchers. He does however have the best closers of any team that will help boost his strikeouts, which is probably why he has the best strikeout rate in the projections. This team has the potential to compete all year and when he adds some pitching depth during the year has a chance to end up on top.
Strength: OBP and Saves
Weakness: Pitching Depth
Team Comparison: St Louis Cardinals
The Noc-A-Homas has almost won the league twice but has always fallen just short. This could be the year it all comes together, but tragedy has already struck with AJ Pollock missing most of the season. (Stupid Spring Training). It’s like being slapped in the face by a good friend, and Jim knows exactly how that feels. The crazy thing is losing Pollock still doesn’t take him out of contention in the projections. I’m pretty sure most other teams losing a top 15 hitter would mean there season is done, but not the Noc-A-Homas. Superstars Donaldson, Rizzo, Tulowitzki, and Blackmon will still be able to keep his team afloat despite the hole Pollock will leave. And the rest of his hitters are either consistent veterans or players that broke out last year. Can Dozier, Gardener, and Beltre keep up what they have been doing? Will David Peralta and Parra take their breakouts to the next level!? One aspect of Noc-A-Homas team that he doesn’t have to worry much about is his pitching because of pitchers like Kluber and Salazar. Granted there is a bit of injury risk with Cueto and Richards but if they recapture their 2014 seasons then Noc-A-Homas will have four aces. Plus Lackey and Liriano as his 5th and 6th pitchers round out a solid consistent staff. Finally, he always has his Minor League Roster to pull from that is full of studs like Puig, Lindor, and J.D. Martinez. Wait that’s Finger Choppers team?? Sorry I get those confused sometimes. Either way, Noc-A-Homas is expected to compete this year, and every year.
Strength: Runs, Stolen Bases, ERA, WHIP
Weakness: Homeruns
Team Comparison: Washington Nationals
Mywifehatesfantasy has built a team that should once again compete near the top. He however took a lot of risk in the draft by taking no elite players but instead went after some old veterans to fill in his hitting roster. Pujols (36), Zobrist (34), Granderson (35), Choo (33), Fowler (30) are all productive hitters especially in OBP, but they are all on the downswing of their careers. It’s like Mywifehatesfantasy is an Ageist against under 30 year olds, well Josh Reddick is 29 so maybe not. Now it makes sense why he kept David “Father Time” Ortiz. Besides the handful of Grandpas that he drafted he does have a few young hitters who have won Delusional Dynasty Championships. Both Goldsmith and Machado are hoping to bring home their 3rd championship in 4 years as they are the only remaining hitters from those squads. Mywifehatesfantasy once again should win the strikeout category because of Sherzer, Sale, and Arietta. Projected to finish first in most of the pitching stats, he still needs his young pitchers to rise up like Heaney and Gausman (sounds like a superhero whose power involves throwing Gauze) and is hoping that Samardzija will get a haircut and remember how to pitch again. Injuries could haunt Mywifehatesfantasy from reaching the top but he if they stay healthy another championship may be heading his way.
Strength: Strikeouts, Homeruns, ERA
Weakness: Saves and Steals
Team Comparison: New York Mets
FingerChoppers has implemented a strategy that is closely resembling the Atlanta Braves. In an attempt to save money for the future he decided not to spend any money in the draft. The problem is he will never get that 150 dollars back and his team is just plain bad overall. I debated stopping here, but have decided that there are some hidden optimistic traits to this team that I can unearth. He had a lot of good cheap keepers to work with prior to the draft. Lindor is a legit shortstop for the next ten years and should easily finish as a top 5 shortstop this year. JD Martinez stock only rises with Upton being added to the lineup and Victor Martinez and Miggy being healthy. Puig could have a post hype breakout now that everyone doesn’t expect it to happen, kind of like Bryce Harper did last year. Plus he has Verlander, who found his old self last year and Yu Darvish who will be back from Tommy Johns to rack up the K’s. So maybe this team couldn’t have won it all this year even with a perfect draft, but this team looks destined to have the first pick in the Minor League draft this year.
Strength: ……… Lindor? JD Martinez?
Weakness: Draft Strategy
Team Comparison: Atlanta Braves
The defending champ is poised to make another run at the title this year. He is projected to finish in top three but all teams will be attempting to dethrone OG Bobby, and knock him off his high horse. Speaking of horses, OG Bobby greatest strength is his workhorse pitching staff that will be hard to keep up with. No team can really compete with his top five pitchers that include Harvey, Cole, Carrasco, Syndergaard, and Lester. The rest of his pitching staff is kind of Blah though, unless Kazmir can remember that in baseball it’s good to throw fast. You would think with such a stacked pitching staff that OG Bobby’s hitting would be super weak, but that is a mistake. His hitting is not nearly as stacked as last year, but is still anchored by Mike Trout (he’s pretty good) and Joey “All I do is get On Base” Votto. The rest of his hitters could go several different directions. Will Nelson Cruz be able to hit 40 homeruns again? Can Brandon Belt stay healthy, will Odor stink up the place? Will Cespedes actually try or just stare at baseballs hit in his direction? Will his one dollar hitters tank the rest of his team? He dominated OBP last year but is expected to finish middle of the pack this year because of all his cheap hitters. There is one glaring weakness on OG Bobby’s team, one that he may never be able to overcome. The fact that Fernando Rodney is on his team could singlehandedly derail his whole team. Even if he benched him or completely dropped him, the infection of Rodney may have influenced the rest of him team already. If his pitching staff begins to get blown up early we will know who to blame.
Strength: Pitching Depth
Weakness: Fernando Rodney and Steals
Team Comparison: Cleveland Indians
Turkish has finished in 2nd and 3rd place the last two years so it’s not shocking to see he is projected to be near the top of standings once again. Turkish is one of the only managers to have three top 15 players on his team (selfish). Altuve, Arenado, and Mcutchen are a great trio to build a team around and with George Springer and Michael Brantley both with top 15 potential, Turkish has a team that could really dominate across all the hitting categories. An interesting note is Turkish is predicted to dominate the Stolen Base category because of Billy Hamilton, but it does come with a massive price. Luke would win the OBP category if Hamilton was not on his team but instead is projected to be third only a thread ahead of multiple teams. Turkish is also supposed to be near the top in all the pitching categories. He has two bonafide aces in Keuchel and Strasburg and the best young upside pitchers with Tijuan Walker, Carlos Rodon, Carlos Martinez, and Collin McHugh. The weirdest part of Turkish draft was the fact that he drafted 6 relievers and only one starter (and still not projected to win saves!). If his young arms don’t have breakouts he may be in trouble. There is a scenario where Luke coast to a championship with his players breaking out or everything could fall apart and he begins rebuilding early, which would actually be kind of hard for him since he already has 11 Minor Leaguers.
Strength: Strikeouts and Saves
Weakness: Home Runs and RBI’s
Team Comparison: Pittsburg Pirates
Huntdawg is looking to take a bottom team from last year and make it a contender, which is no easy task. He is already on the right track by being projected to make a huge boost in the standings and it only takes one breakout player to move to the top. Huntdawg has three infielders that could take massive leaps from last year. Kris Bryant could easily hit 40 Homeruns and have 100 RBI this year! All Rendon has to do is repeat his 2014 and he is an elite once again. And if Corey Seager does what he did at the end of last year for a whole season, then Huntdawg will be right near the top. Also, what the heck is Byung-ho Park going to do this year (40 HRS or Deported)? Plus his name sounds like something yelled during Dragonball Z so there at least is a chance he is awesome. Huntdawg did some of his best work before and during the draft. Securing Justin Upton prior to the draft and then adding Prince Fielder gives his team some veterans to help guide these younger players. Huntdawg has pieced together an interesting pitching staff, it is a little behind the elite teams, but drafting Bumgarner to go alongside Tyson Ross and Sonny Gray (his name contradicts itself) will keep him in contention. Can Huntdawg be this year’s Cinderella and surprise us all? Or will Hundawg feel like Cinderella when she found out her name sounded like a foot disease and spiraled into a fit of depression?
Strength: Homeruns
Weakness: ERA and WHIP
Team Comparison: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wacha Wacha in my opinion had the most successful draft by snagging both Cargos and Zack Greinke. Both Cargos have been top ten fantasy players in recent years and even if Greinke were to regress he is going to finish as a top pitcher. Wacha Wacha was in need of adding some studs to his team especially since he has no top 15 players. Projections have Wacha Wacha finishing in middle of the pack this year despite a great draft. Two major philosophy changes seemed to have affected Wacha Wacha’s team. First, last year the average age of his team was a dinosaur and it seemed that his players may all end up on the DL just trying to get to first base, but this year he has gotten younger and sleeker with the additions of Zack Wheeler, Joey Gallo, and Piscotty (way more fun to say in Italian Accent). Another change is he only has three out of the five Cardinals starters as opposed to literally having them all last year. Granted the Cardinals are a great team but diversity can be productive and that’s where Greinke and Price come in. Can these two aces keep up their eliteness on new teams, Wacha Wacha’s season may just depend on it. Once again Wacha Wacha has a huge advantage in the saves race with Wade Davis, Rosenthal and Perkins all who are pretty secure in their jobs and will be racking up the saves. Wacha Wacha still overall has one of the older teams but is full of reliable hitters and pitchers that can consistently keep his team in the running.
Strength: Wins and WHIP
Weakness: Power
Team Comparison: Detroit Tigers
Gulf of Flexico has been lurking near the bottom of the standings the last couple years but is poised to breakout and be a force to reckon with for a long time. He has potential to go from a tiny little Squirtle all the way to a beast mode Blastoise if things go right. (If you don’t understand the reference ask T, he is a big nerd). Gulf of Flexico arguably has the best two players to build a dynasty team around with Bryce Harper and Carlos Correa. These two players could be the core of his team for the next ten years and it kinda sucks for the rest of us. He is projected to finish in the top 5 this year and is one of the more well balanced team in the league. His team is full of breakout candidates that will make and break his season. Which Ozuna will show up this year? Will Joc Pederson remember that your suppose to hit the ball? Will Castro and Myers bounce back? How many bases will Delino Deshields steal? His hitting is projected to be near the top in every category and could easily win all of them, if Cano and Hanley (the steal of the draft) get back to being first rounders! Hanley just needs to not run into walls. Gulf of Flexico has also been able to assemble a pretty impressive pitching rotation. Headlined by Chris Archer and Cole Hamels and then a bunch of sleepers, his pitching staff is predicted to be in the middle of the pack in the standings. He is also hogging the Japanese pitchers with Iwakuma and Meada, so he must really like anime or something??? The question for Gulf of Flexico is not whether he will win in the future, but is the future already here. Has he joined the big boys near the top or is he still McCullering with crayons with the toddlers, we will find out soon!
Strength: OBP and Upside
Weakness: Saves
Team Comparison: Houston Astros
YeahSports last year had the biggest jump in the standings going from last place to 5th place and hopes to take another step forward this year. He is always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter who makes stairs. He claims this is the year he wins the whole thing and he definitely has the team to do it, so I probably have to make sure YouTube comes down to tape his victory. He is the only manager to have only one player outside the 200 in his starting lineup and that’s Byron Buxton, the number one prospect. (So his team is pretty stacked) Also he is not expected to finish below a 7 in any category but WHIP, so I guess you can say that is his weakness. His hitting will be centered on two marlins (no surprise) Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon who combine to cover all the hitting categories. Adding Jose Abreu to his squad is a huge boost and it will be interesting to see if Franco, Schwarber, and Yelich (Marlin) all take big steps in 2016. Also, will Todd Frazier have another second half collapse, I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious so I guess it’s possible. If I had to predict a pitcher to actually challenge Kershaw as the top dog, both Jacob Degrom and Jose Fernandez (marlin) would be at the top of that list, and both are on YeahSports team. The rest of his staff consists of Odorizzi, Stroman, Joe Ross, and Ventura who are “Going Mach Five” with upside. Also, lurking on YeahSports Minor League roster are three up in coming studs by the names of Glasnow, Giolito, and Berrios who will make immediate impacts when they get called up. If YeahSports doesn’t finish in the top three this year he only has Bears, Beets, and Battlestar Gallatica to blame for distracting him.
Strength: Consistency
Weakness: WHIP
Team Comparison: Kansas City Royals
The Legacy has trended his way to the bottom over the last two years finishing dead last in 2015, after a 3rd and 4th place finish the two years before. He needs to redeem his Legacy this year or else he may be the Tim Lincecum of our league and never recover from mediocrity. The Legacy’s season will come down to former first round picks reaching their former glory, headlined by Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Braun, Adam Jones, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Luckily they have a young superstar in the making named Mookie Betts that can remind these older guys how to hit. Speaking of young potential superstars, the Legacy has filled in the rest of his roster with a bunch of them. How productive will Addison Russell be in his first full season? Is Corey Dickerson a good hitter or was it just the Coors affect? Will Xander Boagerts take another step forward and hit some home runs? How good can Wilson Ramos be, now that he figured out your supposed to be able to see to play baseball? Finally, how long will it take for The Legacy to trade Grichuck to Wacha Wacha? Overall, his hitting has potential to compete this year if things break right. The Legacy has employed a similar strategy to his pitching securing some risky veterans like Prince Felix (demoted from king), Tanaka, and Jordan Zimmerman and pairing them with young upside arms like Severino, Iglesias, Matz, and Cobb. If even two of these young arms breakout this year the Legacy will be able to compete this year, as long as Tanakas arm doesn’t fall off midseason. If things fall apart he can always turn to Socrates for some philosophical wisdom to help steer the ship in the right direction. However, if the ship sinks early The Legacy will get to do what he likes best, trade!
Strength: Steals and SLG (kind of weird)
Weakness: Runs and OBP
Team Comparison: Los Angeles Angels
The Battling Bubbas will be the third manager of this team in the last 4 years and will attempt to make them a contender in his rookie year as a manager. Obviously there has been some tension in the club house to drive out the last two managers and Bubbas will try to bring some continuity to the situation. He brought in veteran Buster Posey to impose some veteran leadership and also improve some OBP where he finished almost last place in 2015. Chris Davis and Jose Bautista will both be back to bash their way to the top of the Homerun category and he has a trio of outfielders (Cain, Eaton, Burns) who all could score 100 runs. Cain and Eaton could both also go 20/20 and the rest of his team all should hit 10 or more homeruns, which means Bubbas should be consistently near the top in all hitting categories. One of the more peculiar parts of Battling Bubbas team is the fact that he has rostered FOUR catchers. This might be some elaborate ancient technique I have never heard of, but does seem a bit odd. It will give him the flexibility however, to pick up the best waiver wire pitchers without any hesitation. Speaking of pitching, his staff revolves around Clayton “stupid good” Kershaw who we all know is just plain awesome. The rest of his staff is Quintana, Fiers, Smyly, and Miley and….. that’s it! Literally that’s it! He almost has the same amount of pitchers as catchers. He does however have the best closers of any team that will help boost his strikeouts, which is probably why he has the best strikeout rate in the projections. This team has the potential to compete all year and when he adds some pitching depth during the year has a chance to end up on top.
Strength: OBP and Saves
Weakness: Pitching Depth
Team Comparison: St Louis Cardinals
The Noc-A-Homas has almost won the league twice but has always fallen just short. This could be the year it all comes together, but tragedy has already struck with AJ Pollock missing most of the season. (Stupid Spring Training). It’s like being slapped in the face by a good friend, and Jim knows exactly how that feels. The crazy thing is losing Pollock still doesn’t take him out of contention in the projections. I’m pretty sure most other teams losing a top 15 hitter would mean there season is done, but not the Noc-A-Homas. Superstars Donaldson, Rizzo, Tulowitzki, and Blackmon will still be able to keep his team afloat despite the hole Pollock will leave. And the rest of his hitters are either consistent veterans or players that broke out last year. Can Dozier, Gardener, and Beltre keep up what they have been doing? Will David Peralta and Parra take their breakouts to the next level!? One aspect of Noc-A-Homas team that he doesn’t have to worry much about is his pitching because of pitchers like Kluber and Salazar. Granted there is a bit of injury risk with Cueto and Richards but if they recapture their 2014 seasons then Noc-A-Homas will have four aces. Plus Lackey and Liriano as his 5th and 6th pitchers round out a solid consistent staff. Finally, he always has his Minor League Roster to pull from that is full of studs like Puig, Lindor, and J.D. Martinez. Wait that’s Finger Choppers team?? Sorry I get those confused sometimes. Either way, Noc-A-Homas is expected to compete this year, and every year.
Strength: Runs, Stolen Bases, ERA, WHIP
Weakness: Homeruns
Team Comparison: Washington Nationals
Mywifehatesfantasy has built a team that should once again compete near the top. He however took a lot of risk in the draft by taking no elite players but instead went after some old veterans to fill in his hitting roster. Pujols (36), Zobrist (34), Granderson (35), Choo (33), Fowler (30) are all productive hitters especially in OBP, but they are all on the downswing of their careers. It’s like Mywifehatesfantasy is an Ageist against under 30 year olds, well Josh Reddick is 29 so maybe not. Now it makes sense why he kept David “Father Time” Ortiz. Besides the handful of Grandpas that he drafted he does have a few young hitters who have won Delusional Dynasty Championships. Both Goldsmith and Machado are hoping to bring home their 3rd championship in 4 years as they are the only remaining hitters from those squads. Mywifehatesfantasy once again should win the strikeout category because of Sherzer, Sale, and Arietta. Projected to finish first in most of the pitching stats, he still needs his young pitchers to rise up like Heaney and Gausman (sounds like a superhero whose power involves throwing Gauze) and is hoping that Samardzija will get a haircut and remember how to pitch again. Injuries could haunt Mywifehatesfantasy from reaching the top but he if they stay healthy another championship may be heading his way.
Strength: Strikeouts, Homeruns, ERA
Weakness: Saves and Steals
Team Comparison: New York Mets
FingerChoppers has implemented a strategy that is closely resembling the Atlanta Braves. In an attempt to save money for the future he decided not to spend any money in the draft. The problem is he will never get that 150 dollars back and his team is just plain bad overall. I debated stopping here, but have decided that there are some hidden optimistic traits to this team that I can unearth. He had a lot of good cheap keepers to work with prior to the draft. Lindor is a legit shortstop for the next ten years and should easily finish as a top 5 shortstop this year. JD Martinez stock only rises with Upton being added to the lineup and Victor Martinez and Miggy being healthy. Puig could have a post hype breakout now that everyone doesn’t expect it to happen, kind of like Bryce Harper did last year. Plus he has Verlander, who found his old self last year and Yu Darvish who will be back from Tommy Johns to rack up the K’s. So maybe this team couldn’t have won it all this year even with a perfect draft, but this team looks destined to have the first pick in the Minor League draft this year.
Strength: ……… Lindor? JD Martinez?
Weakness: Draft Strategy
Team Comparison: Atlanta Braves