ZAN's NL-Only Roto Keeper Fantasy Baseball League Thread (2012 Edition)

[ZAN]

Okay, guys. The 2011 thread was hard to keep track of, so I'm going to start this thread for those of you who are willing to help and give constructive feedback/criticism. I'm more than willing to give you advice in return.

The posts below outline my offseason moves.

 

[ZAN]

So...updating this for the Spring Training Hot Stove.

I finished at the bottom of our league, as expected. I actually finished 7th out of 10. But my team is rebuilt to compete in 2012.

Remember it's an auction-style NL-only Roto-Keeper League. I've wheeled and dealed for the past month to go into this season with a stacked roster. Part of rebuilding is getting the young, promising guys dealt before they fall off.

So I've made a series of 3 trades this offseason. Guys had huge contracts that prevented a rebuild. So it was time for me to swoop in, with all my cap space, and trade my youngsters for the overpriced contracts.

Trade 1:

I trade:
Brett Wallace ($4 in 2012)
Jose Altuve ($4 in 2012)
Jesus Guzman ($4 in 2012)

I receive:
Troy Tulowitzki ($43 in 2012)

Trade 2:

I trade:
Shelby Miller (number 1 pitching prospect in MLB) ($0 in 2012)
Domonic Brown ($4 in 2012, still dwindling in Phillies AAA, despite all the up-side)
Vance Worley ($4 in 2012)

I receive:
Joel Hanrahan ($7 in 2012)
Tony Campana ($4 in 2012)

Trade 3:

I trade:
Brandon Beachy ($4 in 2012)
Billy Hamilton ($0 in 2012, stole 103 bases in Cincy A-ball)

I receive:
Jason Motte ($4 in 2012)

Trade 4:

I trade:
Randal Delgado ($0 in 2012, Braves #2 SP-prospect, highly touted)
Tony Campana ($4 in 2012)

I receive:
Ryan Braun ($55 in 2012)

 

[ZAN]

So after the wheeling and dealing in 2011, I enter 2012 with this lineup. Salary Cap in $260.

C -
C -
1 -
2 - Dan Uggla - ATL ($10, final year of contract)
3 -
SS - Troy Tulowitzki - COL ($43, tendered 2 years)
MI - Zack Cozart - CIN ($4, tendered 1 year)
CI - Martin Prado - ATL ($10, final year of contract)
OF - Ryan Braun - MIL ($55, tendered 1 year)
OF - Carlos Gonzalez - COL ($12, final year of contract)
OF - Chris Young - ARZ ($10, final year of contract)
OF - Jon Jay - STL ($4, tendered 3 years)
OF -
Util - Ryan Theriot - SF ($4, tendered 1 year)

SP - Tommy Hanson - ATL ($10, final year of contract)
SP - Daniel Hudson - ARZ ($7, 2 years remaining)
SP - Adam Wainwright - STL ($4, tendered 3 years)
SP - Stephen Strasburg - WAS ($4, 2 years remaining)
SP -
SP -
SP/RP -
RP - Jason Motte - STL ($4, tendered 3 years) [stock with closers...always tender the max, and buy out contract if they fail...they are hard to come by]
RP - Joel Hanrahan - PIT ($7, 2 years remaining)

Total Team Cost: $188
Cap Space Available: $72
Spots Needed: C(2), 1B, 3B, OF, SP(3)


On the fence about keeping: Francisco Rodriguez ($4).
-He took $9 million arbitration with Milwaukee. So, he's their setup man, for now. I could keep him as a potential mid-season trade would put him in the closers role. If nothing else, I could tender him a 3-year contract, as he'd be a free agent in 2013 to sign as a closer elsewhere. If he goes to the AL, I'm not required to pay the contract off. If he's traded to the AL, I get the player he's traded for at his contract price.

Overall, my team currently costs $188 of the $260 cap. That leaves me to spend 72 bucks on 8 players. My strategy is to buy two $1 backup catchers who hit around .300 (last year, I had David Ross and Ronny Paulino) which allows me to spend 70 on 6 players.

What do you guys think?

 

[ZAN]

Offseason Trade #5

I send:
Zack Cozart (CIN) - SS ($4)
K-Rod (MIL) - RP ($4)
Matt Szczur (CHC) - OF ($0)

I receive:
Jair Jurjjens (ATL) - SP ($13)

I feel like I just added to my list of injury prone pitching. But when Jurjjens pitches, he's good...I feel like Cozart is going to be an animal...but you take cheap pitching when you can get it. I wasn't keeping K-Rod or Szczur; so that was filler in the deal.


This brings my team to:

C-
C-
1B-
2B- Dan Uggla ($10)
3B-
SS- Troy Tulowitzki ($43)
MI- Ryan Theriot ($4)
CI- Martin Prado ($10)
OF- Carlos Gonzalez ($12)
OF- Ryan Braun ($55)
OF- Chris Young ($10)
OF- Jon Jay ($4)
OF-
U-

SP- Tommy Hanson ($10)
SP- Daniel Hudson ($7)
SP- Stephen Strasburg ($4)
SP- Adam Wainwright ($4)
SP- Jair Jurjjens ($13)
SP-
SP-
RP- Joel Hanrahan ($7)
RP- Jason Motte ($4)

$57 cap space to spend on C(2), 1B, 3B, OF, U, SP(2).

By the way. I'm going to have the first pick in the minors draft, because the two guys ahead of me forfeit their first pick to keep Devin Mesoraco and Jameson Taillon. This means either Trevor Bauer (if he doesn't make the Dbacks out of ST), Garrett Cole, or Anthony Rendon will be my first pick. I'm hoping for Bauer, as he'd cost me $0 and would soon fill one of those empty SP spots, allowing me to bid more on other players at the auction.

Any constructive criticism?

 

[ZAN]

So with the team in the post above, do I go get a stud SP or a stud hitter?

$57 to spend. Meaning I can spend the max of $50 on 1 player (if I wanted to spend 1 buck on the remaining 7 spots)

(TOP) Players available for auction by position (there are mediocre to terrible players that are also for grabs...i.e. I didn't name Wellington Castillo for obvious reasons):

C
McCann
Yadi
Soto
Barajas

1B
Votto
Gaby Sanchez
Cuddyer
Belt
Wigginton
Giambi

2B
Walker

3B
Wright
Zimmerman
A-Ram
Polanco
Stewart
McGehee
Rolen

SS
Reyes
Scutaro
Furcal
Lowrie
Greene

OF
Bruce
Either
Werth
DeJesus
Byrd
Ludwick

SP
Halladay
Kershaw
Lee
Josh Johnson
Cain
Tim Hudson
Lilly
Beuhrle
Billingsley
Burnett

(more names at each position to be added...i.e. the guy who has Hanley Ramirez for a team option of 53 will probably drop him, and there are other high profile players with big contracts, too)...

Which direction should I go? Offense looks thin as hell, which is why I took on the ridiculous Tulowitzki and Braun contracts at 43 and 55 bucks...as I easily saw them costing 50 and 60, respectively with Pujols and Fielder gone, leaving them as the premier hitters in the NL (outside Kemp, who is locked into a contract)....

Pitching seems deeper...and with the injury risks on my team (Hanson, Wainwright, Strasburg, Jurjjens)...I might be wise to go get Halladay, even if he'd cost me 50 bucks...it'd solidify my hold on the W, K, ERA, WHIP categories, for sure....

What direction do you guys go?

 

[cubsneedmiracle]

You even have Campana..

CMON MAN

 

[ZAN]

Ummm...no, I don't have Campana. He was a toss-in during one trade, and I immediately packaged him in another.

The guy stole 24 bags in 90 games last year. Duh. He definitely has value in NL-only Roto.

Look at it this way. Michael Bourn costs 30ish for all his steals. Campana would cost about 4 bucks and have almost as many if he had a full year with the club. Just purely off being a late inning pinch runner. Cheap steals.

I'm glad I traded him while I could...looks like Mather will make the Cubs over Campana.

 

[brett05]

I think it's between halladay, votto, and Reyes. It would be nice if you could nab two of them. Mabe Cain and either Reyes or votto

 

[ZAN]

Yeah, I probably don't have enough to snag both. 57 bucks to spend on 8 spots...

I could probably risk it and bid on Josh Johnson and still have enough to possibly snag Reyes. He might not cost THAT much because he's injury prone. But I'm kinda scared about my injury prone SP staff already.

 

[brett05]

I'm Jeanine toward Votto as that should solidify your hitters

 

[ZAN]

Votto, Uggla, Tulo, Braun, and Car-Go in an NL-Only league. OMG. LOL....

A SP staff of Wainwright, Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Tommy Hanson, A.J. Burnett, and Trevor Baeur would be dirty, too.

 

[ZAN]

So the question now is this:

I have decided to go offense. I think that my pitching staff is very solid, as-is, and I'll be certain to go with a couple of cheap SP who have proven they can maintain a low WHIP as my final two pitching slots.

I have 2 C, 1st, 3rd, MI, O, and Util, and 2 SP to fill.

Joey Votto or Justin Upton?

Votto has been injury prone up until 2010, and has torn the cover off the ball since 2010. Upton is on the up-and-up...and should be a sleeper contender for the NL-MVP.

Votto should go for roughly 50-55 bucks, as he's the primary power source up for bid this year. With Pujols and Fielder going to the AL, and Ryan Howard out until June; Votto is the biggest 30 HR threat in the NL, outside Uggla, Braun, Tulo and Kemp (of which I have Uggla, Tulo and Braun, already). I like that Upton has the potential to hit 30, drive in 100, whilst stealing 20...but his bottom side is likely 20, 80, and 20...and he'd most likely cost 50 bucks.

I have a max that I can spend on one player of 59...leaving me able to spend 15 bucks spread on the other slots I need (I have 67 to spend on 9 spots total..meaning my max is 59)...

 

[brett05]

I'm sold on Votto and think he has a real MVP shot

 

[ZAN]

Do you think the decrease in power from Votto to Upton will lose me a place or two in the HR category?

I mean, I have Uggla, Tulo, Car-Go, and Braun to slug it for me in an NL-only league, mind you. Upton would steal 15-20 more bags than Votto, but hit 5-10 less HR and probably 10-15 less RBI...while hitting probably 20-25 points lower on the BA...Everyone on my team is a .300+ (outside Uggla) hitter right now, and .275 usually wins the category as a whole...I'm projected around .290ish...would it be worth it to sacrifice a little BA, and 5-10 HR for 20 more steals? especially since teams rarely run anymore...

 

[brett05]

I hear ya on steals but who could be a flop in 2012? Upton

 

[ZAN]

So I was a bit inebriated at the auction and totally fucked up my plan to get a $30 starter and a $30 power/speed guy.

I ended with with Jay Bruce $32 and Carlos Marmol $26 (giving me 3 closers in our NL-only league).

So here's my team entering the year.

C - Ryan Hanigan $2
C - Chris Snyder $2
1B - Jesus Guzman $1
2B - Dan Uggla $10
3B - Chris Johnson $1
SS - Troy Tulowitzki $43
MI - Ryan Theriot $1
CI - Martin Prado $10
OF - Ryan Braun $55
OF- Jay Bruce $32
OF - Carlos Gonzalez $12
OF - Chris Young $10
OF - Jon Jay $4
U - Skip Schumacher $1

*As you can see, outside my big dollar swatters/swipers, I went with the "don't hurt me approach" and drafted cheap hitters who will do little other than hit higher than .275 (which is the average that usually wins the category). I'm surprised I did that in my drunken stupor.

SP - Jair Jurrjens $13
SP - Tommy Hanson $10
SP - Daniel Hudson $7
SP - Adam Wainwright $4
SP - Stephen Strasburg $4
SP - R.A. Dickey $1
RP - Carlos Marmol $26
RP - Joel Hanrahan $7
RP - Jason Motte $4

*Totally went against my wishes with the pitching staff. I told myself I HAD to have a reliable 200 IP guy (Matt Cain or a Mark Buerhle type). Instead, I ended up getting Carlos Marmol (I was trying to drive up the auction price of him, and no one bid higher when I called out "$26" so I was stuck with him. But, for a buck, R.A. Dickey is alright, I guess. At least he pitches in a big ballpark.

Feedback before opening day, fellas?

 

[brett05]

You did ok. What did votto Reyes upton go for?

 

[ZAN]

Votto went for $52.
Reyes went for $40.

 

[ZAN]

I still like my offense over everyone elses.

I mean, with the power outage in the NL (Pujols, Fielder, Howard gone/out)...to have Uggla, Tulo, Braun, Bruce, Car-Go, and Chris Young is huge.

Nobody can tout a better middle infield OR outfield...and my SP should be tops if guys stay healthy. 3 Closers will put me 1st or 2nd in saves....It all comes down to health, IMO.

 

[brett05]

I'd dumP Marmol ASAP