The 8th season of the Nephews of Jody Reed season was a fun marathon that included surprise breakout performances, record-setting waiver wire activity, an obsession with launch angle, and highly competitive matchups (barring two exceptions). In the end, the hallowed NoJR championship trophy returned to Rip City.
 |
| An image result from Googling "Rip City Baseball." I never had training like this! |
The Reavers are now 4-time champions after a 2 year hiatus from the top spot. Going back-to-back is easier said than done when injuries, suspensions, and unpredictable lineups in September conspire to take down playoff hopefuls.
As always, TDZ's got your season-ending synopsis for all things 2018 NoJR, including draft analysis with crystal clear 20-20 hindsight that highlights the best and worsts from back in March. Also on tap is a review of the best free agent pickups, and a look at the league record books.
The Branch Rickey Award
 |
| Today I learned that Branch Rickey founded the minor league baseball farm system. A revolutionary GM. |
Final draft rankings:
- Rip City Reavers: 240.78
- Gmonie16: 310.17
- Phantomwarriors: 338.35
- AJ's Aces: 344.70
- Saratoga Oldtimers: 366.43
- Hughes Drubbers: 405.65
- Nuckin' Futz: 439.91
- Muggs: 446.52
- Nickel Blitz: 456.17
- 9 Year Old Throwdown: 456.83
- Grand Theft Votto: 476.35
- VATECH NATS: 573.22
Rip City won best draft this year by a comfortable margin. One big reason why is that my star players didn't get injured or seriously underperform (such as Manny Machado, Freddie Freeman, Lorenzo Cain). On top of that, several players greatly outperformed their draft cost, such as Trevor Bauer ($4, Rank 36), Matt Carpenter ($8, Rank 23), Josh Hader ($8, Rank 29), and keeper Jose Ramirez ($11, Rank 2).
Saratoga Oldtimers still
holds the gold standard for best draft based with his 209.7 showing in 2013.
Dan Duquette Award
| That one time Davis put the bat on the ball this year. |
At the bottom of our draft rankings is VATECH NATS at 573.22. This was really rotten luck as a variety of players were hampered by injuries and underperformed, such as Wil Myers, Buster Posey, Daniel Murphy, Jose Quintana, Adam Duvall, and keeper Carlos Correa. The biggest bust of all turned out to be former top prospect Byron Buxton, who "rewarded" VATECH's $23 investment with a 1267 ranking. It's a testament to VATECH's in-season roster management that he was able to achieve a playoff spot despite the litany of misfortune.
The record for worst draft ever is still held by former GM Lloyd's Christmas, who set an all-time worst mark of 578 in 2015. Those are 5 big points saving the VATECH NATS from the wrong side of the record books.
Revisiting the Draft
While a good draft doesn't guarantee success, it certainly doesn't hurt. Here, we look back in brutal 20-20 hindsight at the top snags and hilarious gaffes. Please note that these players are NON-keeper selections.
Your 2016 All Bargain Team
Catcher: Yadier Molina - Nickel Blitz
$1 - Ranked 352 - 352
- Despite the 352 ranking, Molina was actually the #3 catcher in fantasy this year, highlighting the sad state of affairs for the position. The consistent 36-year old managed to hit 20 HR (the second most of his career) along with 74 RBI, but nothing else about his stat line jumps out.
Honorable mention: J.T. Realmuto at $6 (Hughes Drubbers)
$8 - Ranked 23 - 184
-
It was a bizarre but positive year to say the least for the long-time Cardinal. He book-ended his season with a terrible April (.533 OPS) and September (.558 OPS). In-between, however, was a sublime power-hitting summer where homers were in bloom (1.046 OPS). He set a career high in HR (36) to go along with triple-digit runs and walks.
Overall, this felt like one of the worst 1B classes in fantasy that I've seen in some time given how mediocre the honorable mention below is.
Overall, this felt like one of the worst 1B classes in fantasy that I've seen in some time given how mediocre the honorable mention below is.
Honorable mention: Ian Desmond at $5 (AJ's Aces)
Second Base: Scooter Gennett - Gmonie16
$1 - Ranked 44 - 44
-Ever since coming to Cincinnati, Scooter has been a surprisingly consistent offensive force, edging out Whit Merrifield for the best value at the keystone. The former Brewer set career highs in BA (.310), runs (86), and BB (42) with plenty of pop (23 HR, 92 RBI). VATECH snagged Scooter as a free agent and enjoyed the ride.
Honorable mention: Whit Merrifield at $16 (Nuckin' Futz)
Shortstop: Javier Baez - Gmonie16
$15 - Ranked 19 - 285
- Gmonie16 locked up another solid middle infield value with Baez. The knock on him was that he struck out too often, but even while striking out 25.9% of the time he was able to make solid contact otherwise and put together plus numbers for 5 of 6 categories, including a .290 BA, 101 runs, 34 HR, 111 RBI, and 21 SB. That's what you call a "breakout year."
Honorable mention: Didi Gregorius at $8 (Saratoga Oldtimers)
 |
| Don't knock going gray til you try it - unleash the old man power! |
$1 - Ranked 38 - 38
- Yet another NL Central standout completes our list of infield bargains. Suarez set a career high in HR for the 5th consecutive year (34) to go along with a .283 BA and 104 RBI. I saw a recent blurb about the Reds possibly moving top prospect Nick Senzel from 3B to the outfield, and I have to think Suarez's dependability is part of the reason why.
Honorable mention: Nicholas Castellanos at $2 (Grand Theft Votto)
$1 - Ranked 35 - 35
- I confess: I am largely unaware of the performance of dozens of players on the west coast because I simply don't watch those games, and Haniger is one of them. What I do know, however, is that he had a lot consistency between last year and this year, but in 2018 he happened to have over 200 more plate appearances. The result was a rock solid .285 BA, 60 runs, 26 HR, 93 RBI, and 70 BB. That's wort a lot more than $1.
Honorable mention: J.D. Martinez at $28 (Nickel Blitz)
Outfield: Michael Brantley - Nuckin' Futz
$1 - Ranked 51 - 51
- One of the most underrated storylines of this year in baseball was the return of Brantley. Not only was he able to play a full season for the first time since 2015, he actually was able to thrive. He posted a vintage .309 BA to go along with 89 runs, 17 HR, 76 RBI, and 12 SB. A really solid return on a late draft flier for the Futz.
Honorable mention: Khris Davis at $21 (Phantomwarriors)
Outfield: David Peralta - 9 Year Old Throwdown
$1 - Ranked 61 - 61
- Peralta previously had shown an ability to hit for a solid average, so adding a second dimension to his game would help his value grow - and that's just what happened. He mashed 30 HR, nearly double his previous career high in 2015 (17). If he can hit lefties next year, he'll go to a whole 'nother tier.
Honorable mention: Ronald Acuña Jr. at $11 (Grand Theft Votto)
 |
| Almost perfectly consistent arm slot to mask the pitch. |
Blake Snell - Grand Theft Votto - $2 - Ranked 10 - 20
Patrick Corbin - Gmonie16 - $1 - Ranked 53 - 53
Trevor Bauer - Rip City Reavers - $4 - Ranked 36 - 144
Patrick Corbin - Gmonie16 - $1 - Ranked 53 - 53
Trevor Bauer - Rip City Reavers - $4 - Ranked 36 - 144
Charlie Morton - 9 Year Old Throwdown - $2 - Ranked 106 - 212
Justin Verlander - 9 Year Old Throwdown - $25 - Ranked 9 - 225
- Snell was a revelation, leading the league with 21 wins to go with 221 K, 1.89 ERA, and 0.97 WHIP. Is he the real deal? Well, he went 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA against the Red Sox, and 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA against the Astros. GTV's got one heck of a keeper here.
- At long last, Corbin put it all together and had his breakout season. Yahoo had him ranked ahead of teammate Greinke, giving the Diamondbacks a solid #2 starter. He finished with 11 wins, 246 K, a 3.15 ERA, and 1.05 WHIP.
- Trevor Bauer was on pace for an even better year but ended up missing over a month due to a broken leg. As is, he had to "settle" for 12 wins, 221 K, a 2.21 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP.
- Morton and Verlander were among the SP leading the Astros to another AL West pennant, and Verlander in particular was surprising to me. At age 35, he set new career highs in K (290) and WHIP (0.90) to go with 16 wins and a 2.52 ERA.
- At long last, Corbin put it all together and had his breakout season. Yahoo had him ranked ahead of teammate Greinke, giving the Diamondbacks a solid #2 starter. He finished with 11 wins, 246 K, a 3.15 ERA, and 1.05 WHIP.
- Trevor Bauer was on pace for an even better year but ended up missing over a month due to a broken leg. As is, he had to "settle" for 12 wins, 221 K, a 2.21 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP.
- Morton and Verlander were among the SP leading the Astros to another AL West pennant, and Verlander in particular was surprising to me. At age 35, he set new career highs in K (290) and WHIP (0.90) to go with 16 wins and a 2.52 ERA.
 |
| Ks on Ks on Ks on Ks... |
Blake Treinen - Phantomwarriors - $3 - Ranked 14 - 42
Tony Watson - Muggs - $1 - Ranked 66 - 66
Josh Hader - Rip City Reavers - $8 - Ranked 29 - 232
- As a former Nat, Treinen always had pretty solid stuff, but the control was never consistent and he didn't seem to handle high leverage situations that well. That certainly changed with Oakland this season as he was the #1 RP in the game: 9 wins, 38 saves, 100 K, a 0.78 ERA, and 0.83 WHIP. I certainly didn't see that coming.
- After a disappointing 2017, Watson moved up the California coastline to the bay, and with the change of scenery he returned to form, becoming his usual elite middle relief self, notching 32 HLD (tied for 3rd in MLB). He also had 72 K, a 2.59 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
- Outside of an uncomfortable All-Star debut, Hader can count 2018 as a positive year where he joined the league's RP elite. Working in whatever high leverage situation the Brewers needed him, he collected 6 wins, 12 saves, and 22 HLD while striking out an absurd number of batters (143) with a 2.43 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. Only Aroldis Chapman had a higher K-rate, and I'll never forget when I saw a box score earlier this year (April 30) that said he notched 8 K in a 2.2 IP save.
- After a disappointing 2017, Watson moved up the California coastline to the bay, and with the change of scenery he returned to form, becoming his usual elite middle relief self, notching 32 HLD (tied for 3rd in MLB). He also had 72 K, a 2.59 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
- Outside of an uncomfortable All-Star debut, Hader can count 2018 as a positive year where he joined the league's RP elite. Working in whatever high leverage situation the Brewers needed him, he collected 6 wins, 12 saves, and 22 HLD while striking out an absurd number of batters (143) with a 2.43 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. Only Aroldis Chapman had a higher K-rate, and I'll never forget when I saw a box score earlier this year (April 30) that said he notched 8 K in a 2.2 IP save.
The All-Bust Team
Catcher: Gary Sanchez - Gmonie16
$28 - Ranked 835 - 23380
-Sanchez was a keeper for Gmonie16 because of his elite hitting at a very scarce position, but due to injuries and poor contact rates, Sanchez floundered with a measly .186 BA and 18 HR.
Dishonorable mention: Willson Contreras at $25 (Muggs)
$16 - Ranked 1075 - 17200
- Miggy ruptured his biceps tendon early on, which is unfortunate because his stats weren't too bad before the injury (.299/.395/.448 splits). He'll be 36 years old next April - will he be able to return to the Miggy we've come to know over the years?
Dishonorable mention: Wil Myers at $16 (VATECH NATS)
$16 - Ranked 744 - 11904
- Here's the $16 question: is it worth it to draft a solid 2B who misses half the season due to suspension? Answer: Not really, but a .303/.374/.471 split is definitely worth owning.
Dishonorable mention: Dee Gordon at $16 (Nickel Blitz)
$17 - Ranked 1141 - 19397
- Another unfortunate keeper casualty, Seager missed the year with a sprained UCL after playing only a month of baseball. I'm curious to see if the Dodgers sign Machado long-term and possibly move Seager to 2b.
Dishonorable mention: Carlos Correa at $36 (VATECH NATS)
Third Base: Josh Donaldson - Phantomwarriors
$27 - Ranked 1018 - 27486
- Shoulder and calf injuries sapped the productivity of Donaldson after years of strong seasons with Toronto/Gmonie16. However, when he came back with the Indians, he was pretty solid, repping a .920 OPS in 16 games.
Dishonorable mention: Miguel Sano at $11 (Nickel Blitz)
 |
| Breaking: Byron Buxton to miss the 2019 season due to Gatorade infection. |
$23 - Ranked 1267 - 29141
- B-Bux was the worst-rated value in the draft this year, providing virtually no value in only 93 plate appearances. These were largely due to head, toe, and wrist injuries, but he's quickly becoming one of the least reliable players in baseball. The lone bright spot was 5 SB, but he was meant to be more than an even poorer hitting Billy Hamilton.
Dishonorable mention: Billy Hamilton at $20 (9 Year Old Throwdown)
$19 - Ranked 1043 - 19817
- Evidently our favorite Cubano missed most of the year due to "heel calcifications." I just looked it up on WebMD and, as usual, my browsing leads me to believe I have a variety of ailments that will lead to early death.
Dishonorable mention: A.J. Pollock at $26 (Rip City Reavers)
Outfield: Domingo Santana - Nickel Blitz
$15 - Ranked 1080 - 16200
- Domingo broke out with 30 HR last year, but with new acquisitions like Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich locking down two OF spots, Santana had to split time in the last OF spot with Ryan Braun and Curtis Granderson. The result was a mere 235 plate appearances and 5 HR.
Dishonorable mention: Kris Bryant at $15 (Gmonie16)
 |
| This was his 2018. |
Chris Archer - Rip City Reavers - $21 - Ranked 801 - 16821
Luke Weaver - Nuckin' Futz - $16 - Ranked 990 - 15840
Jose Quintana - VATECH NATS - $21 - Ranked 546 - 11466
Luke Weaver - Nuckin' Futz - $16 - Ranked 990 - 15840
Jose Quintana - VATECH NATS - $21 - Ranked 546 - 11466
Sonny Gray - Hughes Drubbers - $11 - Ranked 930 - 10230
Dallas Keuchel - Nuckin' Futz - $17 - Ranked 562 - 9554
- Archer was the biggest blemish in an otherwise solid draft for Rip City. His ineffectiveness never corrected itself, even with the change of scenery to Pittsburgh. He finished 2018 with just 6 wins, and the other stats don't look much better.
- First there was Jeff, then there was Jered, and now Luke is the latest Weaver to bust. After a solid 2017, he posted an unsightly 4.95 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
- Quintana is now officially sliding into mediocrity as he posted his second straight year with an ERA over 4.
- Part of me wonders if Sonny Gray is going the same route as Tim Lincecum and his arm is giving out. Both are short and fairly slender, and his best days may be behind him (4.90 ERA, 1.50 WHIP).
- It would be cruel irony indeed if Keuchel has lost his stuff (just 153 K in 204.2 IP) after giving Houston so many good IP during their dark times. He's still only 30, so I believe he can get back some measure of his effectiveness.
Relief Pitchers:
- Archer was the biggest blemish in an otherwise solid draft for Rip City. His ineffectiveness never corrected itself, even with the change of scenery to Pittsburgh. He finished 2018 with just 6 wins, and the other stats don't look much better.
- First there was Jeff, then there was Jered, and now Luke is the latest Weaver to bust. After a solid 2017, he posted an unsightly 4.95 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
- Quintana is now officially sliding into mediocrity as he posted his second straight year with an ERA over 4.
- Part of me wonders if Sonny Gray is going the same route as Tim Lincecum and his arm is giving out. Both are short and fairly slender, and his best days may be behind him (4.90 ERA, 1.50 WHIP).
- It would be cruel irony indeed if Keuchel has lost his stuff (just 153 K in 204.2 IP) after giving Houston so many good IP during their dark times. He's still only 30, so I believe he can get back some measure of his effectiveness.
 |
| Literally beating himself up over his poor performance. |
Andrew Miller - Hughes Drubbers - $19 - Ranked 341 - 6479
Ken Giles - Hughes Drubbers - $16 - Ranked 291 - 4656
Cody Allen - Hughes Drubbers - $14 - Ranked 257 - 3598
- Someone needs to fire the bullpen coach for the Drubbers, because the 3 worst reliever values came from Hughes. In general, the causes for each were as follows: 3 DL stints (Miller), bad luck (Giles), and 11 HR allowed plus a worsening walk rate (Allen).
- Someone needs to fire the bullpen coach for the Drubbers, because the 3 worst reliever values came from Hughes. In general, the causes for each were as follows: 3 DL stints (Miller), bad luck (Giles), and 11 HR allowed plus a worsening walk rate (Allen).
All-Free Agent Team
This is always my favorite exercise: looking up who the biggest unforeseen breakouts were. There were a number of players who emerged from the free agent crop to become major contributors.
 |
| Smells like teen bat flips. |
1B - Jesus Aguilar - 39
2B - Jed Lowrie - 65
SS - Jose Peraza - 133
3B - Miguel Andujar - 95
OF - Nick Markakis - 69
Util - Juan Soto - 82
- I can't believe Yasmani wasn't drafted! He was the #2 catcher this year.
- Aguilar was a major addition for Phantomwarriors, contributing 35 HR and 108 RBI for the Brew Crew.
- Lowrie, when healthy, is a solid player and proved to be so for the A's and the VATECH NATS.
- Peraza showed off his wheels (23 SB). That was expected. What was not expected was hitting more HR than Votto (14 vs. 12).
- Andujar is a Rookie of the Year candidate with a .297 BA and 27 HR, but thank goodness NoJR doesn't have defensive stats yet because he's possibly the worst in the league in that regard.
- The outfield has a variety of surprises, such as Hicks leading all Yankees in WAR, Muncy hitting 35 HR out of nowhere, and Markakis providing a vintage season at age 34.
- Last but not least, Soto put together one of the best teenage seasons in years. Boasting a solid BA, plus pop, and patience at the plate beyond his years (16% BB rate), he's going to be a fun player to watch for years to come.
- Aguilar was a major addition for Phantomwarriors, contributing 35 HR and 108 RBI for the Brew Crew.
- Lowrie, when healthy, is a solid player and proved to be so for the A's and the VATECH NATS.
- Peraza showed off his wheels (23 SB). That was expected. What was not expected was hitting more HR than Votto (14 vs. 12).
- Andujar is a Rookie of the Year candidate with a .297 BA and 27 HR, but thank goodness NoJR doesn't have defensive stats yet because he's possibly the worst in the league in that regard.
- The outfield has a variety of surprises, such as Hicks leading all Yankees in WAR, Muncy hitting 35 HR out of nowhere, and Markakis providing a vintage season at age 34.
- Last but not least, Soto put together one of the best teenage seasons in years. Boasting a solid BA, plus pop, and patience at the plate beyond his years (16% BB rate), he's going to be a fun player to watch for years to come.
SP - Mike Foltynewicz - 55
RP - Jeremy Jeffress - 32
P - Steve Cishek - 56
P - Walker Buehler - 98
There was a tremendous amount of depth in the RP department, including the #4 RP in fantasy (Jeffress) and the league leader in HLD (Ottavino, #5 RP). Starters were a bit tougher to come by.
- Fresh off the boat from the Japanese league, Mikolas was tough on hitters, throwing all of his pitches for strikes and mixing them up more than you typically see among starters these days. He won't strike out many (146 in 200.2 IP), but the results say he doesn't have to (18 wins, 2.85 ERA).
- Folty is blossoming into a bona fide ace, hurling 202 K and a 2.85 ERA.
- Lastly I opted for Buehler over some other RPs who were ranked higher due to his impressive rate stats (9.9 K/9, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP). Now, he's dazzling in high leverage postseason action.
- Fresh off the boat from the Japanese league, Mikolas was tough on hitters, throwing all of his pitches for strikes and mixing them up more than you typically see among starters these days. He won't strike out many (146 in 200.2 IP), but the results say he doesn't have to (18 wins, 2.85 ERA).
- Folty is blossoming into a bona fide ace, hurling 202 K and a 2.85 ERA.
- Lastly I opted for Buehler over some other RPs who were ranked higher due to his impressive rate stats (9.9 K/9, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP). Now, he's dazzling in high leverage postseason action.
Odds and Ends
 |
| Yes! NoJR!! YES!!! |
- Funny enough, the only player in fantasy that was on each of the past two winners is A.J. Pollock - and he hardly contributed to either championship.
- We had two trades this year. #1) Nickel Blitz sent Masahiro Tanaka to Gmonie16 for Jacob Barnes on May 1.
- There's no way around it: Gmonie16 won this trade since Barnes put up very little value the rest of the way. But Nickel Blitz at least slept better at night knowing he didn't have any Yankees on his roster.
- Trade #2) Gmonie16 sent Tommy Pham to Rip City for Zach Britton and Brett Gardner on July 15.
- This one is a bit more even, but I'm giving the edge to Rip City. When acquired, Pham was ranked around 150 and not being used by Gmonie16. By the end of the year, Pham was a top-50 player thanks to being revitalized after his own trade to Tampa Bay (1.071 OPS).
- Meanwhile, Gardner played replacement level baseball and Britton was solid but not spectacular.
- Gmonie16 was also the most active in overall transactions with 77 over the course of the year. This actually set a new record, likely aided by revised transaction rules for the playoffs.
- A total of $235 was spent in waiver bids this year, short of our previous record in 2016 ($276). The largest FAAB of the season was the $22 that Rip City spent on Gregory Polanco, which received a competing bid of $10 from Saratoga Oldtimers. Neither GM particularly remembers this because Polanco didn't do much.
- The record bid remains $127 for Joe Ross, spent by Nuckin' Futz in 2015. He always gets his man.
- With an even 473 transactions for the season shatters our previous high in 2016 (400). It's a testament to our active GMs and to loosened transaction restrictions in September.
- Gmonie16 led the league in win percentage at .621. The all-time record for season win percentage is .661, set by Run All Night last year in 2015.
 |
| Life. |
Past season synopses and champions:
No comments:
Post a Comment