From the beginning of my baseball statistics analyzing career, I have been compiling a document containing all the starting lineups and rotations of all 30 teams, complete with fantasy points and points per game. With only four teams left and none of them set to be eliminated before tonight, I thought now might be a good time to post the latest editions of these teams' lists. The offensive portions of my lineups consist of the starting nine batters (I include a DH in each league just for the sake of consistency), listed in an approximated batting order, and any bench contributor with more than 200 AB. Starting pitchers need at least 10 games started (and more games started than entered in relief) and at least 60 innings pitched, while relievers have no innings minimum or limit, but they must not have started more than five games or 10% of their appearances. I added a bonus name below the relievers with the intention of featuring the more versatile P position, which I use to note the decreasingly popular but ever important "swing man" or "spot starter." Pitchers are listed in decreasing order of innings pitched.
The Red Sox go first because they just took a lead in the series with last night's nailbiter.
With David Ortiz completely oblivious that baseball players generally slow down at age 37, Dustin Pedroia still excellent on his slow decline from dominant, and Jacoby Ellsbury being just healthy enough, the Sox have an unprecedented three 2,000-pointers in their starting lineup (only the Reds equalled that amount with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and Shin-Soo Choo). That is to be expected from a team that led the league in runs scored. I talked about Mike Napoli in my post about 2014 free agents (along with Jarrod Satlalamacchia and Stephen Drew), but suffice it to say he was a welcome source of power and an even more welcome source of beard. The only player in this lineup to be part of a midseason trade (denoted by the *) was slick fielding infielder Jose Iglesias who ironically was dealt to Boston's ALCS opponents to help deal with the hole left by Jhonny Peralta's steroid suspension.
In contrast to the starting lineup, this pitching staff didn't have a single player crack 2,000 points, but it is solid 1-4, now that trade acquisition Jake Peavy (acquired in the Jose Iglesias deal as evidenced by the ^) made Felix Doubront and Ryan Dempster expendable. Looking at the discrepancy between Clay Buchholz's innings total (he pitched the fewest among their five regular starters), point total, and points per game average (the most among any player in all of baseball), it's not hard to arrive at the narrative of a red hot start followed by a long injury, and we'll see if he can regain some of that early-season dominance against another hot starter Max Scherzer in tomorrow's game, but more about him later. Koji Uehara performed well after being thrust into the closer's role following injuries to Andrew Bailey, who played enough to be relevant, and Joel Hanrahan, who didn't.
Now on to the Tigers, who might have just played their last games at home in 2013.
The two numbers that stand out are the insane, out of this world stats of #3 hitter Miguel Cabrera and staff ace Max Scherzer, who were in fact the number two and three scoring players in all of baseball behind tomorrow's starter for the Dodgers in the NLCS, Clayton Kershaw. Cabrera, who is logically baseball's top-scoring hitter, drove in Detroit's first run tonight (his 4th RBI of the series) in the 5th inning against Boston's most consistent pitcher Jon Lester, after showing us again that his lower half is not 100% by getting thrown out easily at the plate four innings earlier. Even though many of Prince Fielder's primary fantasy stats are down from last year, his 2,000+ points of overall production place him just outside the top five at 1B, a traditionally very deep position. On the other end of the batting spectrum we have Alex Avila who hasn't been able to follow up on his lone All-Star season in 2011 (his time spent on the DL accounts for the presence of offseason acquisition Brayan Pena on the bench).
Also, Andy Dirks fell about 300 points short of a league average LF, which explains manager Jim Leyland's urge to have Jhonny Peralta learn how to play the position in the instructional leagues while he was suspended. Speaking of Jim Leyland, if you've been paying attention to the recent Tigers lineup, you'll notice that he has moved Austin Jackson, his leadoff hitter all year, down to the 8th spot in the order, and it's apparently helped with his confidence, as he's gotten two hits in each of the last two games. I guess it's those kinds of decisions decisions like that have allowed Leyland to manage major league baseball teams for 22 years.
The arrangement of these pitchers shows that Justin Verlander was as durable as ever, racking up the most innings on the staff, despite the fact that he was not nearly the pitcher he was in the last couple of years. Scherzer indeed exceeded Verlander's 2012 performance, losing exactly one game before September, while free agent re-signee Anibal Sanchez also exceeded what Scherzer did last year, leading the league in ERA, making this one of the most formidable rotations in the business right now. Like Uehara, Joaquin Benoit also blossomed into a very serviceable, if below-average, closer after the Bruce Rondon experiment failed miserably (the two top projected relievers according to Sports Illustrated combined managed less than 5x Benoit's output: 245 for Rondon, 70 for Phil Coke).
Next time I'll take a look at the lineups of the NLCS participants, hopefully before one of them moves on to the next round.
As you can probably tell by the dearth of posts here throughout the playoffs, I've been taking the latest in a long line of A's losses to the Tigers pretty hard. It's not just that my favorite team is out of the playoffs in a year where I thought they could have made a long run, but it's the fact that the decisive Game 4 loss came almost entirely at the hands of admitted cheater Jhonny Peralta. When the Oakland brass chose to go with the rookie Sonny Gray instead of already-punished juicer Bartolo Colon in the final game, I thought they were setting up a battle of Clean vs. Dirty. But Justin Verlander's gem insured that there is no justice in the baseball world.
So while there are still a couple of rather exciting Championship Series going on, I've checked myself out and plunged headlong into my yearly self-appointed task of compiling a detailed database of all the players who reached the major leagues in 2013. This task is now completed, which means I can now sort through the data and create lists based on certain criteria. The first is a starting lineup consisting of players who are due to become free agents when the World Series ends.
Starting with the top player, both in terms of 2013 fantasy points and pre-2013 rankings, Robinson Cano promises to make the biggest splash of this off-season by far. He just recently fired the legendary Scott Boras to sign with rookie sports agent Jay-Z, and the Yankees show no signs of wanting to reward the 30-year-old with the 10-year contract he so richly desires. ESPN predicts he's most likely to end up with any of these nine teams, and while I'm sure they've already started doing their due diligence on the matter, we'll have to wait until a new champion is named before seeing how this plays out.
On the subject of a new championship, ten of the remaining top free agents to be have a chance to be on the team that eventually wins the World Series. The Red Sox have the most, with four of their starting nine set to hit the open market. Jacoby Ellsbury has played out his option, with a number of injury-plagued seasons evidently causing the Sox to balk at offering their dynamic leadoff hitter a long-term extension. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is likewise in his third and final arbitration year, but I expect him to stick around in Boston, especially given his dramatic game-winning hit last night. Another slugger who may very well get re-signed is Mike Napoli, who was originally signed to a three-year deal before his physical revealed a degenerative disease in both hips. He renegotiated to one year, but the switch to 1B full time has helped him maintain both his health and his career average power output, so I can't imagine the why Red Sox wouldn't want their best beard back in town. The final Sox player on this list is shortstop Stephen Drew who was signed mainly as a stopgap for top prospect Xander Bogaerts. At least he drove up his stock by proving he can stay on the field for more than 120 games for the first time in three years.
What happens to Cardinals star Carlos Beltran likely depends on how deep their October run continues. He's one of the top post-season producers and if he wins his first World Series ring with the redbirds, I have to imagine they'll make a push to re-sign him. If they fall short, however, I'd guess he finds himself a new home. His teammate Edward Mujica both earned and lost the closer's role this season, which could make some buyers eager for relief help feel squeamish about his ninth-inning abilities - but those 37 saves aren't going away. The two Dodgers on this list both arrived via trade: Michael Young from the Phillies (his second trade in eight months) and Ricky Nolasco from the Marlins. Neither are likely to draw huge interest, as Young's bat has slowed significantly at age 36 and Nolasco hasn't yet pitched in the postseason, despite being named LA's #4 starter. I have Omar Infante on this list just because I felt I needed an infielder on the bench, but I doubt if he is going to light up any general manager's wish list this winter.
Bartolo Colon is listed as the same height as Prince Fielder and 10 lbs. lighter, but I'm not sure I buy it. Maybe he just looks bigger because I'm sure a lot more of Fielder's weight is muscle while Colon's is all in his gut. But you can't argue with 66 points per game, and while he's convinced he can last another three years in the bigs, he's probably going to have to be content with going a year at a time. Another pitcher who's sure to seek a one-year deal, as he has since hitting free agency for the first time, is Hiroki Kuroda, who emerged as the Yankees' most consistent pitcher. He's drawn comparisons to A.J. Burnett, even though it's not clear whether the 36-year-old Pirates ace will play next year. Ervin Santana put up big numbers for the resurgent Royals, but I'm not sure it's much more than a smoke and mirrors act in a contract year.
Speaking of smoke and mirrors, boy was Fernando Rodney exposed after an improbably dominant 2012: we're talking a drop of 727 points last year, or the fantasy equivalent of more than 24 saves. Sure he's got a fiery personality and he did lead his native Dominican Republic team to a WBC championship this past off-season, but in this situation the fantasy adage that you must never overpay for saves has to apply in real life. Another fiery reliever will hit the open market this year in Grant Balfour. While he fits very well into a niche of A's closers who will give their fans a heart attack every time out (see also: Jason Isringhausen, Billy Koch, Huston Street), history would seem to point towards the A's letting him go in favor of young blood at the back end of the bullpen.
For those of you still engrossed in the playoffs, by all means, watch the games and care about who wins. Fans of the remaining 26 teams can tune in here for more detailed and interesting lists regarding potential off-season developments.
In Christopher Nolan's legendary blockbuster hit The Dark Knight, the Joker said, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." I've been aggregating statistical data about major league baseball players as a hobby for more than ten years now, and in that time I'd say I've gotten pretty good at it. I've developed more efficient workflows and the technology has improved with the result that I can generate more detailed and comprehensive documents than ever before... and yet I still haven't been able to monetize this practice in any way. I continue to create these documents and distribute samples of them freely over this blog because it's a passion of mine, but if any of you loyal readers would like, or knows someone who would like, a more complete, searchable, sortable version of what you see here, let me know and we can talk price...
The two samples coming at you today are the teams who were the latest to arrive at the postseason party. I can't in all conscience count the Wild Card "play-in" game as the postseason proper because it's the same format as what would happen if the two Wild Card teams in each league finished the season with identical records and had to play a one game regular season tiebreaker. The fact that the Rays and Rangers had to play an extra play-in game to get to the play-in game is just ridiculous, and in light of that ridiculousness, I will start with the official NL Wild Card entry, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Keep in mind that these bloated rosters are as of the last day of the regular season when September call-ups were still in effect. I figured I did all this work, why limit myself to the 25-man playoff rosters? A little refresher on the color coding: Green in the Pos 1 column means the player is in his rookie season. Notable examples include Baseball America's #7 ranked prospect prior to the season Gerrit Cole, who took the league by storm, accounting for the second-highest points per game total on the team. Yellow in the name columns denotes an off-season acquisition, such as staff ace Francisco Liriano, who was an absolute steal at a cool $1 million bucks, or less than 1/16th of opening day starter A.J. Burnett's salary, and C Russell Martin, whose two HR in the Wild Card game off Johnny "CUETO! CUETO! CUETO!" Cueto led the charge into Buctober. A Cyan highlight means the player was acquired midseason, such as Martin's WBC 2009 teammate on Team Canada Justin Morneau. A Yellow/Cyan split in the First Name/Last Name columns is exactly what it looks like: the player was acquired during the off-season and then was flipped by his new team. Both players on this roster to whom this happened came to the Pirates from the Mets in the same deal.
I know playoffs causes all of us to live in the moment, but for those who like to look ahead to the future, there's the Free Agency column. Impending free agents are highlighted in Red, such as tonight's starter A.J. Burnett, finally reaching the last year of a lucrative 5-year deal he signed with the Yankees in 2009. So this start, his 8th career in the postseason, could end up being an audition of sorts for the 36-year old. The green highlight means that the player has an option on his contract - I haven't differentiated whether the option is held by the player, the team, requires a mutual cooperation between the two, or is guaranteed to vest with certain achievements. Hey, I'm getting better but the system is not perfect. A little research shows that Liriano's option vested based on the amount of days he spent NOT on the DL, while Pedro Alvarez's paltry $700k option is sure to be picked up by the team, if an extension is not reached first. The different shades of Blue denote the three years during which a player is eligible for arbitration, starting with the darkest (fill-in closer Mark Melancon) going to the lightest (1B/RF Garrett Jones, although due to his Super 2 status, he will receive a fourth year of arb eligibility).
As you can see by the Points column, sometimes the most important players to a team are the ones with no highlights at all: Andrew McCutchen, a deserving NL MVP candidate, led the team in points by a huge margin and newly-minted closer Jason Grilli, who would have competed for the unheralded Rolaids Reliever of the year award had he not missed all of August with a forearm injury, doesn't become a free agent for another year. Now let's check out a much more stable - and thus less interesting - team in the AL Wild Card Tampa Bay Rays.
Even though injuries kept their top pitchers from racking up the monster seasons that they deserved, this is still a formidable staff. Staff ace and Sports Illustrated cover honoree David Price shut down Texas in play-in #1, team PPG leader Alex Cobb (concussion notwithstanding) held the Indians scoreless in play-in #2, and they still have 17 game winner Matt Moore ready to start the ALDS against Boston. The additions of swingman Roberto Hernandez (nee Fausto Carmona, the first non-homegrown pitcher to start a game for the Rays in a number of years) and veteran reliever Jamey Wright to add to the setup combo of Joel Peralta and Jake McGee, plus surprising rookie lefty Alex Torres, create a very impressive bridge to WBC-winning closer Fernando Rodney. Even without workhorse James Shields, these hurlers can go toe-to-toe with any club in the majors.
Speaking of Shields, the player they got in return for him could very well go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, living up to his #4 prospect ranking by Baseball America. RF Wil Myers hasn't made the splash of Mike Trout or Bryce Harper or even Yasiel Puig, but his boyish good looks and easygoing demeanor are fitting in perfectly with a loose Tampa clubhouse. Speaking of the clubhouse, it seems to have done wonders for perennial problem child Yunel Escobar when he finally found a home after being shipped from the Blue Jays to the Marlins to the Rays in a matter of weeks. Sure he almost collided with David DeJesus last night after he "didn't hear him" calling for a pop fly, but his slick defense has gotten the Rays out of any number of tight spots. James Loney revitalized his career as a starter in west Florida, but despite all the fanfare, he hasn't really put up much better numbers than in his disappointing years with the Dodgers. It's unclear whether Tampa will ask him to return after playing out his one-year deal.
The same is true for last night's hero, Delmon Young, who provided all the offense the Rays would need with a big HR in the 4th inning, was an incredibly smart pick-up by GM Andrew Friedman: a power hitter with a proven post-season track record who was simply cut loose by the phloundering Phillies. His left-handed hitting DH partner Luke Scott is also on the last year of his contract, along with LF/2B Kelly Johnson (why do those positions always seem to go together? Just ask Alfonso Soriano and Chuck Knoblauch). For this team more than any other I can think of, we'll just have to wait and see how the playoffs progress before we can evaluate what they might do in the long winter months ahead.
Torii Hunter strikes again with his second double and then is driven in by (who else) Miguel Cabrera, who looks to be playing through the pain. The Tigers just got another one and it doesn't look like the Twins are likely to score too many more runs off Verlander, so I'm going to sign off after this inning. In other news, the A's have taken a 2-1 lead in Anaheim, looking to at least keep pace with the Tigers in the home field advantage battle. Middle of the 7th Inning (and wake me up if this isn't the final score): DET - 3, MIN - 0
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Twin traitor Torii Hunter finally drove in this game's first run in the 5th with a big ground rule double, complete with bat-flip. But that's all they can get with Miguel Cabrera striking out and Prince Fielder grounding out to the pitcher. I'm scared that with Cabrera's injury situation, if he can come back and contribute a couple of key hits down the stretch, the comparison's to Kirk Gibson's 1988 performance will be forthcoming, which are particularly painful to recall, due to my allegiances. If you'll recall, Gibson once played for the Tigers, making the comparison a little more relevant.
1-0 lead as we head into the 5th notwithstanding, I can't help but feeling as if the Tigers might be on a one way trip to cokesville, population Eric Chavez (or should I say "Choke-vez") based on the way they're getting mowed down my Mets castoff Mike Pelfrey. Sure it looks like we're seeing vintage Verlander, but remember it is the Twins after all. Speaking of the Twins, young catcher Josmil Pinto made the last out of the inning, but as his .362 average over his first 16 games shows, the kid can hit. A lineup featuring him behind the plate, Oswaldo Arcia in left field (not in the lineup tonight due to a batting practice injury) and a healthy Joe Mauer at first could look pretty good in a few years. End of the 5th Inning: DET - 1, MIN - 0
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One cool thing about watching a Twins broadcast is getting to hear deserving Hall of Fame player Bert Blyleven as part of the team calling balls and strikes. In the baseball universe depicted in my baseball card collection, I included Blyleven on the team made up of cards from my Donruss 1990 set (his first year pitching for the California Angels) but left him off my Topps 1992 team (pictured), due to the fact that he did not pitch at all the previous year. It's a nice card though, and seeing as it's going for up to two American dollars on eBay, I guess I'll give him a position of honor in a sleeve.
A player of whom I don't have a card is pitching tonight for the Tigers: Justin Verlander, who has gone unbeaten against the Twins since 2010. He also victimized the Oakland Athletics in last year's division series, facing them in Game 1 at his home of Comerica Park (despite the fact that the A's had home field advantage) and then again to end the series at the O.co Colosseum. In case you hadn't heard, the A's won their division yesterday, for the second year in a row, and if the season ended today, they would face these Tigers in the American League Division Series. However, the season does not end today, and the Tigers still need two wins to lock up the division, while the A's are now just playing for the same home field advantage that so screwed them last year.
It is all but certain that if the Tigers manage to lock up their division with enough time left to set their ideal playoff rotation, Justin Verlander will NOT start Game 1 of the ALDS. As of now, he is not first, not second, but THIRD on his team in pitching points with 1,680 (52.8 Points Per Game) compared to last year's full season total of a staggering 2,722 (82.5 PPG). Luckily for the Tigers, Max Scherzer is on track to notch stats about on par with the 2012 edition of Verlander, currently sitting at 2,665 (86.0 PPG). Surprising SP2 Anibal Sanchez (1,977 with 70.6 PPG) is turning into one of the smartest-looking free agent re-signings this year. In the fourth starter spot, Doug Fister is no slouch, scoring 1,583 total points with 51.1 PPG so far.
The reason I'm obsessing so much about Detroit's rotation is because I want to compare it position-for-position to the A's, who they will most likely face to start October. I wouldn't dare write something like this before the A's clinched their division, but I have no worries about jinxing things for Detroit. I'd be totally happy if Cleveland steamrolled from behind and earned a spot, with Tampa Bay and Texas facing off in the Wild Card game, if only because then the A's wouldn't have to go up against this incredibly talented top four. But I think Oakland has some pretty impressive pitching weapons to trot out there as well.
First is the ageless wonder Bartolo Colon, who missed time due to a PED suspension last year and due to injuries this year, but still leads A's pitchers in points and PPG. Compared to his prospective opponents, he sits somewhere between Sanchez and Verlander: 1,882 with 64.9 PPG. He clearly doesn't have the raw stuff of Scherzer, but he has been in the league while Scherzer was still going through puberty, so I wouldn't count the old work horse out. Starting our hypothetical Game 2 would be the underrated A's homegrown prospect A.J. Griffin, whose bushy moustache and flowing locks recall some of Blyleven's teammates in the 1970s. Then Jarrod Parker, who started the season poorly but has had only one loss in his last 21 starts. For the fourth game, the A's now have some choices. They could go with lefty Tommy Milone, a playoff starter last year who nevertheless had to spend some time in the minors in '13 to refine his mechanics, Rookie strikeout specialist Dan Straily, the narrow leader in points between the two (1,177 to 1,149), or 2013 debutant Sonny Gray, who has the highest PPG among any of them since his call-up from the minor leagues (56.5 to 45.3 and 42.6). Whoever is not chosen to start could also serve out of the bullpen, along with oft-injured lefty Brett Anderson who has seemed to embrace a bullpen role since returning from a long absence.
Going into the Tigers offense, it looks like their biggest weapon is injured, injured bad. To watch him try to hobble down to first base after grounding out in the first inning would have made me feel bad if he wasn't such an integral part of ending the A's season last year. Speaking of bad injuries, Prince Fielder currently leads the league in consecutive appearances with nearly a season's worth of consecutive games more than runner-up Adam Jones. Someone who was just starting to creep their way onto the "Iron Man" list played the same position as the current all-time leader - Orioles 3B Manny Machado - almost certainly had his streak snapped with a gruesome knee injury. All us fans of the sport wish him the best in his recovery.
Cabrera (2,782 with 19.5 PPG) has just gotten on base via a "seeing-eye single" in the third inning, and it'll be interesting to see how he runs the bases with the significant goin/oblique issues he's going through. Oakland's point leader also plays third base: Josh Donaldson has eclipsed the 2,000 point plateau for the first time in his first full season in the majors (2,089 with 13.7 PPG, far behind Cabrera, but eclipsing Prince Fielder's 2,019 and 12.9, who just grounded out to end the inning). But two of their other main offensive players have had their troubles with injuries: Yoenis Cespedes, 2013's Home Run Derby champion, is nursing a sore shoulder while Coco Crisp has missed plenty of time with various problems on the road to a career high in home runs himself.
"Sweet Home Alabama" blares over the PA system as former Oakland Athletic Josh Willingham comes up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, both Justin Verlander strikeouts. And it's not long until the Fox Sports Theme plays after Willingham's second strikeout of the day makes it 8 total of Verlander. Now I know it's just the Twins, but if JV's returning to his top form, making the playoffs shouldn't be too hard for this Tigers team after all. End of the 3rd Inning, no score.
Fans of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering will know that the Prerelease events for Theros, the game's 62nd expansion and the first of three sets in the Ancient Greece-themed Theros Block, took place this weekend. Normally how these limited format events work is that each player receives six 15-card randomized booster packs and creates a 40-card deck (23 spells, 17 lands) from the cards found therein. That was how the Magic 2014 Core Set Prerelease went down, my first ever sanctioned MTG tournament. However, things worked slightly differently for Theros: instead of six random booster packs, players choose a "Heroic Path" based on one of the five colors of mana. They then receive a Prerelease pack five random booster packs, plus a sixth "seeded" booster pack weighted towards the chosen color, including a promotional card that is legal to put in your deck.
Seeing as I have a natural affinity for Blue mana (both my Legacy Highlander Constructed decks have Blue in them), I chose the Blue mana-themed Path of Wisdom. (The other four paths are Honor, Ambition, Battle, and Might, going clockwise around the color wheel.) Each Prerelease pack also included a set-specific Hero Card, and in keeping with the theme, mine was The Philosopher, an occupation I can relate to, given my academic training - I think my bachelor's degree in Philosophy (trans. "lover of wisdom") qualifies me for the rank of (at least amateur) Philosopher. You can't use this card now, instead saving it for the final battle at the end of the set's Hero's Path arc. I personally don't plan on continuing the journey, but it's a cool card to frame next to my philosophy degree.
"Welcome, Hero!" I heard this phrase three times in quick succession upon opening my Prerelease pack, once in my head when I read it to myself and twice when more enthusiastic players at the table announced it aloud to no one in particular. Each path has a different quote from a different key character associated with that path's color, and mine came from the Oracle of Sphinx Isle, a creepy-looking white-bearded Sphinx with empty white eyes and deep blue wings, finely illustrated by Steve Prescott. But as cool as the Sphinx is art and flavor-wise, he's not even the special foil rare promo card in the pack: that honor goes to Shipbreaker "Release the" Kraken, a good example of the new Monstrosity ability introduced for this set. Activating this ability requires a SHIP-load of mana, but when it pops, it has one of the most devastating creature removal effects in the set, tapping up to four creatures for as long as the Kraken remains in play. The next card I saw in my seeded pack was the card behind the key art in the Prerelease pack: Prognostic Sphinx, making good use of the Scry mechanic, which comes back with a vengeance in this set. Others who took the Path of Wisdom were lucky enough to pull Thassa, God of the Sea, one of five color-specific Gods that are Enchantments as well as Creatures. She is special enough to show up on the packaging for one of the booster packs.
I mentioned that each color-specific Path had access to a foil rare alternate-art promo card, and I was lucky enough to draw White's promo card from one of my random booster packs, albeit not foil and with the standard art. Celestial Archon is a good example of the new Bestow mechanic, where an Enchantment Creature can enter the battlefield as an Aura, targeting another creature and making it more powerful. But then the beauty part is that if the enchanted creature ever leaves the battlefield, the Bestowed Enchantment immediately becomes a creature with the power/toughness and abilities that it granted as an enchantment. I got another relevant example of Bestow with Nimbus Naiad, one in a cycle of five Nymphs, one for each color. I also drew two more irrelevant examples of Bestow in the Black and Red Nymphs (Cavern Lampad and Spearpoint Oread), and then when I drew an Observant Alseid (White) from the one booster pack I received as a consolation prize for coming in second place, I knew I had to trade for Leafcrown Dryad (Green) to complete the set.
One more word about flavor and trading before getting into my decklist: Anyone who's familiar with ancient philosophy knows that perhaps the most famous Greek philosopher Socrates was executed by being forced to drink hemlock, a liquid derived from this poisonous plant. Socrates immediately comes to mind, then, when seeing the card Sip of Hemlock, except that while Socrates was generally agreed to be an ugly bearded man, the poor dead person depicted on the card art is an attractive dark-skinned woman. I should know, because I drew three of these cards in my five random booster packs, plus one more in my prize pack. Being the curious philosophy major that I am, I kept my eye out for any other cards that depict the same Socrates avatar, and saw one when my first opponent played Traveling Philosopher, a 2/2 "vanilla" (meaning it has no special abilities) Human Advisor. As it's generally agreed to be a low-value card (it was given a grade of D on Hipsters of the Coast, tied for second-to-last among White Commons), I was easily able to convince someone to make a gift of it to me. More interestingly though, Traveling Philosopher is one of nine vanilla creatures to feature quotes from the fictional Theriad in their flavor text.
Rather than go through all the cards, or even all the themes, I ended up using for my deck, I put together a depth chart of the cards in my deck (a deckpth chart, if you will?) using the aforementioned Hipsters of the Coast 23/17 article that grades all the Commons in Theros. The one remaining rare that I haven't discussed and the five uncommons form the base, out of which a tree of commons spring, each one superimposed with its online rankings. For the sake of comparison, Nimbus Naiad was given an A grade, the highest among Blue commons. As I mentioned, this deck earned me a second place finish in the round-robin style tournament: I won my first two sets two games to one, before losing to one of the two eventual winners who finished the day 3-0. Overall the set was fun to play with and it's always nice to win a few games, but overall the most fun part was hanging out with fellow Magic fans, meeting new people, and diving into the competitive spirit that characterizes both Magic in general and the Ancient Greek mindset in particular.
In baseball, a lot is made of replacement level players - the type of player who can be called up from the minors at any time to fill in for the regulars in case of injury or provide some rest in case of fatigue. So much so that two of the most well-respected baseball sites have developed their own systems of measuring how many "wins" a player contributes above the level of production of an average replacement-level player. So while two weeks ago I looked at the eight teams who missed the Astrology playoffs through the lens of the players who most often led their team in weekly points, this time I'll look at the four remaining teams by examining the players who most frequently came in off the bench as substitutions.
You see, through the whole of this season, I've been doing weekly tinkerings of each lineup to reflect the changing trends in statistical production. As certain starters went through slumps, they were replaced by lesser-known and usually lower-ranked players who had acquitted themselves slightly better. Some of these players were cycled out periodically and some stuck around in the starting lineup for most of the year, and as I mentioned in the last post, I'm sure I didn't make the right decisions on who to start or who to bench every time, but looking at the weekly changes should give a good idea of which players best qualify as replacement-level. I'll start with the team that did the worst in the first round, which proves that there's no foul-play on my part as league manager: the Cancer Crabs.
But first, and I can't believe I didn't think of this before, here's a link to the main page of the Astrology Baseball 2013 League so you can explore the lineups yourself!
CANCER CRABS
The most frequent subs were pitchers, as they're considerably easier to swap in and out: each roster has a full 5 SP slots compared to only 1 for each offensive position, plus DH. Four pitchers were subbed out a team-leading four times: Phil Hughes and Paul Maholm (the two who were healthy and with their major league teams for the whole season), Tim Hudson (who was lost for the season in late July with a broken ankle), and Edinson Volquez (who was cut by the Padres, only to be picked up later by the Dodgers). Wei-Yin Chen was the only starter with 3 sub-outs, joining two-thirds of the team's closer-trio Jim Johnson and Ernesto Frieri (leaving only Chris Perez with 2 sub-outs to his credit).
The offensive side tells two very different stories about the Cancer middle infield: depth at 2B and a complete lack thereof at shortstop. Last year, Howie Kendrick provided a suitable backup to Brandon Phillips, but the revelation that I had made some incorrect calculations in my astrological calculations made Ian Kinsler the clear starter, pushing Phillips into DH limbo. That along with the fact that he struggled with some injuries accounts for his 3 sub-outs. But the patron saint of injuries on this team has to be Derek Jeter, who played a mere 17 games in 2013. I was pretty vigilant about getting the only SS on this team ranked within the top 200 in the game when he was healthy, which is why placeholder Derek Dietrich was taken out of the lineup 3 times. John Buck didn't start the year on the active roster, but his hot start got him into the lineup on three separate occasions. Although the versatile Allen Craig was this team's 4th-highest active scorer (behind only Shin-Soo Choo, Manny Machado, and Yadier Molina), he was subbed out 3 times also mainly due to injuries.
VIRGO MAIDENS
Virgo played well enough to beat Cancer last week, but still find themselves in the consolation ladder, having lost to the #1 seeded Leo. I think I've said this before (in any case I remember thinking it before), but Virgo is interesting in that they have rather murky starter/backup situations in a number of positions. For example, Ian Desmond and Elvis Andrus subbed out for each other a full 4 times this year, with neither able to become the clear favorite. Injuries to Rickie Weeks eventually put Neil Walker in the 2B hotspot, but not before the former was subbed out on 4 separate occasions. The first base round robin of Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, and Freddie Freeman is a true embarrassment of riches and there's really no wrong choice to be made - suffice it to say two of these three occupied 1B and DH for most of the year. Brett Gardner toed the line between fantasy replacement level and injury risk, putting up some decent numbers when he was able to stay on the field.
Gio Gonzalez was ranked as one of the top 50 players in the game, so it's surprising that he led the staff with 3 sub-out/ins, tied with Jason Hammel, a breakout player last year who just kept getting chances to show his stuff. For all the talk of Dan Haren's disappointing season, he put together enough good stretches to amass a decent number of points for this team. The last pitcher to be involved in 3 subs was a valuable playoff addition for those lucky few still in the hunt: Andrew Cashner was owned by fewer than 10% of all ESPN fantasy owners prior to this week when he got a nice bump due to a hot stretch. The only relief sub-out was rather devastating: after Bobby Parnell went down right before the trade deadline, there was no other pitcher on this roster who even came close to amassing any saves.
LIBRA SCALES
Libra had by far the most tinkering out of all the contenders because of tremendous depth in the outfield and starting pitching departments, which luckily made up for tremendous injury troubles in those areas. The most frequent offenders were Yoenis Cespedes (brought in 4 times, taken out 3), Bryce Harper (3 and 3), Jose Bautista, Matt Kemp, and Starling Marte (out 3 times, brought in 2). Just looking at those names gives you an idea of what disgusting depth they were working with here, and that's not even counting consistent starters Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Gonzalez (before his various rash of injuries). On the pitching side, Kris Medlen was subbed out an unprecedented 5 times: no one else on the squad eclipsed 3, but there were four different pitchers who reached that milestone (Jered Weaver, Shelby Miller, Matt Cain, and Derek Holland).
LEO LIONS
Leo was the top team in Fantasy Astrology this year, and the top spot didn't come without a fair amount of tinkering. Let's start with the players with 4 subs: Jason Heyward (various bad luck injuries mixed with periods of slumping), Mark Reynolds (who was able to fill in for both Pablo Sandoval and Anthony Rizzo, plus DH-ing), and Joaquin Benoit (who tag-teamed with fellow middle reliever Santiago Casilla before ascending to Detroit's closer role). Catcher was another messy spot with Wilson Ramos and Ryan Hanigan giving way to breakout star Evan Gattis early, before Ramos won the job back (and taking home the top scoring spot in Round 1 of the playoffs). Once Clay Buchholz went down with his neck injury, a bevy of replacements battled to take his spot with neither Scott Diamond nor Chris Capuano sticking on full time.
Based on what's been happening all through this year, I'd say Leo has the clear advantage in this matchup if due to their momentum alone. I will likely be too engrossed in the playoffs to spend a lot of time analyzing the winner of this playoff matchup, but that's what the off-season is for!
Now in to pitch for the Twins, a member of the WBC Team Netherlands bullpen this year, Shairon Martis. It's been a pretty big year for Dutch MLB players, with top prospects Jurickson Profar, Xander Bogaerts, and Jonathan Schoop spending time with the Rangers, Red Sox, and Orioles respectively, Andrelton Simmons looking like a gold glove contender at shortstop for the Braves, and Kenley Jansen closing things out for the Dodgers. Speaking of the WBC, another Twin, tonight's 1B Chris Colabello, played for Italy. The man responsible for the Twins' only run so far, RF prospect and cleanup hitter Oswaldo Arcia, could very possibly join fellow Venezuelan greats Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, Carlos Gonzalez, and Anibal Sanchez in WBC's of the future.
AND THERE IT IS! A deep fly ball to right field off the bat of Josh Reddick, it's going back, over the head of the outfielder and the wall for a home run! And there with the call as always, Glen Kuiper's "That Baby is GONE!" has never sounded so sweet. Reddick has used his time on the DL to re-grow a version of the grizzly beard he had to start the season (pictured) and it's apparently working well for him.
Speaking of working well, A.J. Griffin worked very well for 7 innings, now gives way to mop-up man Dan Otero, who has been pretty active on the waiver wire, spending time with the Giants and the Yankees before catching on with the A's, but who has also put up a very impressive season out of the bullpen with a miniscule 1.41 ERA and a very strong 4.20 SO/BB ratio. The ground ball specialist did his job in that respect, but also gave up a run on three hits, all grounders, one of which, a comebacker to the mound, he hacky-sacked back to Derek Norris, who couldn't get out of the crouch soon enough to make a play.
Oakland lead 8-2 and I'm officially signing off barring a crazy comeback (goffabid).
END 6th inning: OAK - 6, MIN - 0
We've seen A.J. Griffin do it all this game: strike guys out, induce a clutch double play to escape a jam, courteously pick up catcher Derek Norris's mask after he made a great athletic play to end an inning. We've also seen Coco Crisp grind out some good at bats, the latest of which resulted in an error, which he later turned into a 2B via the stolen base, which Josh Donaldson later converted into a run with an RBI single, giving the A's an always-good-to-have insurance run. (Just ask the Pirates in their recent series against the Rangers: you can never protect too much against a comeback.) A little bit of context: Coco's steal was his 19th of the year, the same number of home runs he has hit as of his blast last night. A 20-20 season might be within reach for the veteran center fielder.
Chris Young is next on the CF depth chart. He is a former leadoff hitter for the Diamondbacks, meaning he had the speed to leg out a triple in the 6th, the Oakland's second of the game, which just got converted into another insurance run by Josh Reddick with a sac fly. Young isn't currently wearing his cool socks, but I'm totally fine with him wearing the unfashionable long pants if it means he's more comfortable to run on those extra-base hits.
As far as roster position is concerned, Young was always projected for a platoon role with left-handed hitting Seth Smith, as evidenced by both of their inclusions in this year's Sports Illustrated Baseball Preview. What they did not predict was the platoon behind the plate, listing lefty John Jaso, but not providing a bench spot for presumed catcher-of-the-future Derek Norris. In addition to making that nice play, he also picked up a strong single and has also been taking a beating behind the plate. Also, if anyone at Sports Illustrated is listening, please don't discontinue the full projected lineup portion of each team's 2014 Baseball Preview page like you did in the 2013 Football Preview. Can't tell you how much I enjoy looking at those things, and I hope I'm in the majority as far as fans are concerned...
END 3rd inning: OAK - 4, MIN - 0
At this point, by design, we've seen every player in the starting lineups come to bat at least once (and exactly once for the Twins, more on that later), and each starting pitcher get some significant work in. We've also heard a third of a game's vocal track from broadcast artists Ray Fosse and Glen Kuiper. And in that time we've also seen the A's continue their scoring ways from last night and put up a four-spot on a two-out rally that included a big triple* from HR Derby champion Yoenis Cespedes, playing DH tonight with the A's outfield now back to full strength with the return of Josh Reddick from the DL a couple days ago.
In that time I've also noticed that Griffin today is sporting a very fashionable, almost Ray Fosse-esque-moustache to go with his flowing locks and his 6 K's in his first 3 IP. Looks like the A's might still be bitter about their tough loss in game 1 of this series on Tuesday.
END 1st inning: OAK - 0, MIN - 0
I watch a lot of A's highlights, so I recognize the voices and phrases of the A's announcers pretty well. Don't get me wrong, I watch a lot of every team's highlights, but the A's guys stick in my mind because I'm (for some reason) more emotionally invested in their games. I also recognize the Yankees announcers, Michael Kay on YES and John Sterling on WCBS, who worked together in the incomparable baseball video games All-Star Baseball 2000 and 2001. And also the Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, who lent their talent to the legendary work MVP Baseball 2005. But my point is it would be great to hear a "That Baby's Gone!" happen in real-time.
Won't happen this inning as the A's go down 1-2-3 to Twins recent call-up Scott Diamond, who has the second-most fantasy points (as of the All-Star Break) of any starting pitcher on the active roster. However, the Twins suffer the same fate at the hands of A.J. Griffin, who is also second in points to Bartolo Colon, but unlike the Twins top pair, each has quadruple-figures in points this year, with a few starts each to go. It's no secret who's favored in this matchup.
The playoffs are fully under way in year two of my Fantasy Astrology Baseball project, but another momentous landmark happens today: the start in earnest of the fantasy football season! It's my second year competing and immediately after my draft, I applied the research I did to creating some quick fantasy football lineups based on the astrological signs, just like I've been doing with baseball for the last couple of years. I'll tell you right now that I'm not going to do any tinkering throughout the season because I need all my wits to focus on my own team. But since my week 1 lineup is exactly what I drafted, I'll spend that energy to profile some of the teams with the more interesting stories going into the year.
For the rankings, I created an aggregate system combining ESPN.com's top 300 with NFL.com's top 200. I didn't look beyond that pool of players, which is why some teams don't have an eligible kicker - only the top 16 were included in the rankings I used and I wasn't about to dig through the fantasy second stringers. I also had to do a little bit more unforeseen research into IDP's (individual defensive players), since it wouldn't make sense to assign a standard fantasy team defense/special teams (made up of many different players from different signs) to a single team. However, ESPN's fantasy site only went up to 150, so again some teams are lacking a full defensive squad. For a full rundown of all players on all teams, check out the astrology league's home page.
Leading the pack according to my rudimentary ranking system - whereby I added up all the ranks of all the individual (offensive) players on each team and organized them from lowest to highest total - are the Aquarius Ages Of. (I tried to get a little more creative with the team names than I was in the astrology baseball league, which I feel is more in the true spirit of fantasy football.) This is the complete opposite of were baseball players born under the same sign sat in this year's version of the same rankings for that sport. The only top 10 offensive player is the consensus #4 pick by both ESPN and NFL: Ray Rice, RB for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Even though Ravens QB Joe Flacco signed a big deal in the off-season, his lack of quality receiving weapons should insure a heavy workload for the small but tough back - he was actually picked second overall in our draft.
Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones just barely made it into the aggregate top 20 (ESPN ranked him 22 overall while NFL had him at a more optimistic 16, for an average of 19.0) while Patriots RB Stevan Ridley (also my team's RB2) just barely missed the top 20 by half a point. Speaking of half a point, our league has adopted a variation of PPR that awards 0.5 points for every reception that I DID NOT include in the fantasy ranking system, as I feel it's somewhat absurd to have the possibility of decimals in a player's final rankings. The most compelling story on this team's offense is injury-prone QB Robert Griffin III - but if his surgically-repaired knee gives out, at least they have Matthew Stafford waiting in the wings. I know basically nothing about defensive players throughout the league, but this unit has four starters in the top 20, including ESPN-elite LB Patrick Willis. And although he will be far from the league's best this year, it's worth keeping an eye on newsworthy rookie Manti Te'o.
Barely behind Aquarius in our rankings system is a sign whose baseball playing equivalents made it to the playoffs last year, the Capricorn Scapegoats (see the play on the traditional goat of the constellation?). Two players who will surely be scapegoats if this team fails to perform will be its pair of top 10 overall players, RB's Doug Martin of the Buccs and Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs. But this team's offensive fortunes will likely live or die with #2 QB Drew Brees, reunited with his recently un-suspended coach with whom he won the Super Bowl three years ago. This is most definitely a coincidence, but the two top-ranked astrology teams also have the two top-ranked kickers: Stephen Gostkowski legs it up for AQU while last season's top scorer Blair Walsh will kick for CAP. Capricorn has the most defensive players to choose from (20 of the top 150), but the three players who ESPN tagged as "Elite" are all in the secondary: safeties Morgan Burnett, Eric Weddle, and Eric Berry. Don't ask me anything about who they are or what they do because I don't know, but now I'll be sure to pay attention when I hear those names come out of a broadcaster's mouth...
Following the trend where absolutely useless fantasy baseball signs look like legitimate contenders in the football landscape, the third spot in my rankings system is occupied by the Taurus Runners. (Get it: like Running of the Bulls? It's not a reference to the maze runners in Dragon's Maze...) The conversation has to start with the RB trio of Seattle's Marshawn Lynch (either the #2 or #3 player in all of fantasy depending on what you read into Arian Foster's injury troubles), Frank Gore (the 49ers lead back is not Elite, but does find himself in the next-tier category: "not sexy, but they get the job done"), and Lamar Miller (a good chance to be a sleeper for the Dolphins). Then there's Cam Newton, whose Panthers were ranked dead last in the NFC according to Sports Illustrated's power rankings, but his ability to run makes him a deadly fantasy option. They've also got Newton's top receiving weapon Steve Smith and Peyton Manning's new favorite WR Wes Welker, PLUS Welker's former teammate #2 TE Rob Gronkowski - and although he is out for the foreseeable future, it's not too bad to have second-tier TE Jason Witten as a backup. TAU's only elite defensive player is Atlanta safety William Moore, but they have a couple of well-known brutal linebackers in Lawrence Timmons and Clay Matthews.
The Sagittarius Archers (baseball) surprised everyone by finishing with a winning record this year, and the Sagittarius Arrowheads (football) stand primed to do the same and more in their league. They've got the top QB (Aaron Rodgers), the top TE (Jimmy Graham), and a top 15 RB 1-2 punch (Alfred Morris - my personal fantasy RB1 - and Matt Forte). While their receiving corps is a little weak - their top WR is Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson, who checks in with an aggregate 76.5 rank - they've got RB's to spare, including rookies Montee Ball and Giovani Bernard (another member of my team's bench). So far every team's defense has featured at least one "Elite" player, and SAG's is Oakland safety Tyvon Branch.
That does it for the top 4, and not a fantasy baseball playoff contender in the bunch. George Carlin had a great bit about the differences between baseball and football, and based on these teams, it looks like the differences extend to the stars themselves. Again, feel free to check on the full lineups and statistics at the league's home page (which should be viewable to all), but don't get too upset if some of the teams aren't filled out completely or the lineups don't change from week to week. This project is intended for reference only as something to look at while your actual teams pound away on the gridiron. Happy Football Season Everyone!
{[REMINDER: Hit play on the video and then read ahead at a normal pace for the full soundtrack-esque experience!]}
Batman had just dispatched a couple of unlucky thugs and was now surveying the scene at Arkham Asylum, which was now under the control of the Joker. From his perch on the Gargoyle, Batman spotted a new threat who he wasn't prepared for...
"Ah, Batman, I was wondering when you'd show up!" The Scarecrow's gangly frame was not likely to strike fear into the powerfully-built caped crusader, but the long gothic halberd he had stolen from one of the stone guardians at the gate was a very real danger... and who could tell what deadly concoction he was holding in his left hand. Plus, the fact that he was standing on top of a precarious rooftop meant that anything could happen.
"Hello Dr. Crane," scowled Batman. "I didn't think you were due to be released for another two life sentences."
"The Joker arranged this early parole for me," responded Scarecrow. "But that's nothing compared to what I have arranged for you. You see, this mushroom," he held up his left hand, which held an oddly shaped, red and white spotted lump of fungus, "grows deep in the underground caverns of Arkham Island. I've used its unique extract to create my most potent fear toxin ever! I knew you'd be dying to sample it, so I've taken the liberty of coating your precious gargoyles in the stuff before you arrived!"
Batman started to feel woozy. Could he be bluffing? Could this just be the residual effects from his... experimenting earlier in the Batcave. But no, this feeling was unlike any he had felt before. Every muscle in his body seemed to be paralyzed with pure dread. No! he thought to himself. Can't give in! Got to fight it! He dove from the gargoyle and adopted his most intimidating fighting stance, but Scarecrow only responded with his trademark grim laughter. The villain's form seemed to grow larger and more menacing before his eyes. His eyes turned a glowing shade of red and his form towered over the Dark Knight. Now he raised his giant flaming halberd for a deadly strike...
In a desperation maneuver, Batman dove towards his foe and landed under the reach of the swing. As the spear clanged to the ground harmlessly, Scarecrow's form seemed to flash back to ordinary size, and Batman did not miss the opportunity. He ducked in and grabbed the Scarecrow by the collar preparing to deliver a finishing right cross, when suddenly he felt a stinging sensation in his left arm. When Scarecrow had dropped his weapon, he drew a concealed pressurized syringe, which he had just jabbed underneath our hero's outstretched left arm. The shock to his system was too much, and Batman slunk forward, helplessly staring up at his victorious enemy...
Batman awoke in a cold sweat to the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning. Rain pelted down on the windshield of the Batmobile, but our hero wasn't driving. He was chained up in the passenger seat, helpless and babbling like a fool. And who was at the wheel but Batman's greatest arch nemesis, the Joker! With another flash of lightning, Batman found himself strapped to the Clown Prince of Crime's former Hannibal Lecter-style restraints, but with Harley Quinn and the Joker leading the way instead of Guards Cash and Boles. Batman struggled desperately to get free, but to no avail. They stopped when they reached Scarecrow, who was waiting for them in the hall ahead.
"Just got to check your prisoner, dear," said Scarecrow, consulting a chart.
"Better make it quick. He's not looking too good," mocked Harley.
"No, he's not," replied Scarecrow, noting something in his chart. "We really should feel sorry for him. He never fully got over his parents' death. It left him quite insane." He brought his masked face sickeningly close to our hero. "What is going on inside that head of yours, Wayne?"
Batman lunged forward, straining at his bonds. "Cut me free!" he shouted with all his might.
The Scarecrow recoiled and briefly cowered behind his clipboard before composing himself. "Bah, he's gone! Just a twisted shell of a man. We don't expect you to accept your new home easily, Batman, but at least I promise your stay here won't be long!" Scarecrow let out a burst of laughter more hideous than ever before. "He's all yours, Joker!"
"Excellent!" exclaimed the clown prince of crime, drawing a large pistol from his belt. "I've waited a long time for this, Bats. Let's start the party... with a bang!"
He pointed the weapon at our hero and with a shriek of evil laughter, squeezed the trigger...
A Gotham traffic light turns from green to red. A chubby, balding motorist named Charlie nonchalantly drives his beat-up jalopy into the intersection when he suddenly has to slam on his breaks. A small purple motorcycle screeched into the intersection, skidding into a sharp turn, and speeding off past Charlie's driver side window. At the controls was a woman in a black skintight bodysuit wearing a helmet decorated with cat ears. He caught the glint of moonlight catching off a diamond that was flying out of her Santa Claus-style loot bag.
The diamond plinks on the sidewalk and up into the outstretched hand of someone riding a gigantic black motorcycle, a real big one, like Vincent Black Shadow sized, which was bat-themed, naturally. The bike skidded nearly to a stop around the corner in front of Charlie's car, and Charlie heard the rider (upon whose red vest he could clearly discern a stylized letter R) say, "Well, score one back for the Gotham Jewelry Exchange," before slipping the diamond inside his belt and roaring off in the direction of the purple bike.
Robin opens up the throttle, the wind speeding through his miniature cape and across his sleek helmet. He knew that Catwoman's cruiser was no match for the Batcycle on a straightaway, and she had nowhere left to turn. He was gaining more and more ground when... **BEEP** **BEEP** **BEEP** blasted the warning siren of the mobile Batcomputer network into his heads-up display. **URGENT MESSAGE REGARDING STATUS OF: BATMAN** **PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE**
The Boy Wonder instinctively slowed down to a more maneuverable speed before announcing, "Acknowledge," into his headpiece.
**MOST RECENT BIOLOGICAL SCANS FROM BATMAN'S SUIT** continued the computer, **REVEAL HE IS IN CONSIDERABLE PHYSICAL DISTRESS** **ADRENALINE LEVELS ABNORMALLY HIGH** **MASSIVE FEAR REACTION DETECTED IN THE AMYGDALA OF HIS BRAIN** **HALLUCINATIONS VERY LIKELY**
"SOUNDS LIKE... /ahem, sounds like the Scarecrow to me!" muttered Robin, not so much to the computer as to himself. "Computer! what is Batman's current location?"
**SEARCHING...** **FOUND: ARKHAM ASYLUM, ARKHAM ISLAND DISTRICT** **MAKE A U-TURN WHEN SAFE...**
"I know how to get to Arkham Island, you moron!" shouted Robin at the computer, as he executed an elegant 180-degree turn. "Sorry, Computer, you're not a moron. Go ahead and pump the audio recordings gathered from Batman's helmet into the PA system. I promise I'll drive very safely while I'm listening.
"Well, looks like it's hero-rescuing tonight instead of bagging the babe with the cash," he muttered, definitely to himself. At least the trip over there won't be boring if I get to listen to some of Professor Crane's theatrics on the way."
As Catwoman drove on, fastidiously checking her mirrors, she couldn't help but notice that her pursuer had ground to a halt and changed directions. She didn't stop, because of course it could be a trap, but she knew deep down that her night wasn't going to end after depositing her spoils at her safehouse. Maybe she would be able to hunt more than diamonds tonight...
The familiar chime of the Arkham Asylum PA System rings through the air as Robin surveys the scene from a giant tree bordering the grounds, his helmet replaced by a sneaky-looking hood. "Greetings all new residents of Joker Asylum," came the Joker's voice over the speakers. "This is the Joker here, your new lord and master with an urgent bulletin. We have the Bat! No joke! We tied him up and locked him in Poison Ivy's airtight anti-plant cell, and we're taking bets on how long he'll last! So make sure no one else gets in here and spoils the fun before I can make some money!" He burst into a trail of laughter as Robin grit his teeth and took note of how many guards were patrolling the courtyard. He counted three, all spread out, so he dove from the tree and crouched behind the closest one, holding a pistol, who was psyching himself up.
"No way anyone's stupid enough to come in here and mess with us!" he growled. "We've got this whole place sealed, no way in or out. I'd like to..." But before he could finish his boast, he felt a hand go over his mouth at the same time as he was flipped backwards. Blood rushed to his head and he quickly fell into as pure a state of rest as he had known in a long time. But Robin didn't have long to admire his handiwork as Joker's voice blared over the speakers once again.
"You know, boys, I can see the feed from all those security cameras," he went on excitedly, "and I'm watching one of you going sleepy-bye right now, thanks to that caped teenage creep!" Robin noticed for the first time that he was staring right into the lens of a camera mounted on the gate. "Stop him, you fools, before he gets any further!"
"Aw, nice one, Tim," Robin admonished himself. "Master crime-fighter, geez." A well-placed R-style shuriken went right through the glass creating a shower of sparks and a broken camera.
"Hey, over here!" shouted one of the remaining guards, desperately clutching an assault rifle. "I heard something!"
Robin ducked behind a pile of rubble just in time to see two thugs in cover formation burst out from behind an overturned truck. The one leading the way shouted back, "Found him! Man Down, over here!" The two thugs quickly rushed forward and huddled over the body. "Come on, do you hear me? Wake up! Dammit, he's out cold. What do we do now?"
The third guard, who was armed with a combat shotgun, stood a ways back, surveying the scene. "We gotta find him, or we're next. Robin? Can you hear me? Show yourself!" Suddenly a metal object came hurtling over the guards shoulder and embedded itself into the truck next to his nose. "What was that!?" cried the guard, wheeling around to face the threat. He was answered by a rough slap on the shoulder, as if someone had given him a congratulatory pat on the back, or had planted a small device on him, let's say. He wheeled around to find himself face to face with his target.
"Here I am, bro," offered Robin. In one of his shrugging hands he held a small device with a button. "What do you think?" The guard half-smiled/half-snarled and raised his shotgun, but Robin's thumb was faster. With an almost inaudible beeb, he activated the snapflash, which immediately exploded into a burst of smoke. The thug to which it was attached got blown back against the truck and landed on the ground with stars in his eyes. The second guard, who was a little bit further away, was not hurt, but felt himself engulfed by smoke. Robin dashed into the fray, extended his staff, and brought it down hard on the skull of the downed thug. Consciousness quickly left him.
"Where the hell are you, you little creep!?" the second guard shouted, firing blindly towards the smashing noise with surprising accuracy. Robin had to quickly activate the staff's bullet shield to protect himself. When a couple of shots pinged harmlessly off the shield, Robin deftly leapt to one side, while simultaneously pulling out his grapnel gun. As soon as he caught the first glimpse of his enemy through the smoke, he fired an accurate shot that attached directly to his target's arm. Robin relished the sound of surprise as the metal prongs gripped into his clothes and flesh for just a moment, before activating the spring-loaded retraction mechanism that sent him hurtling toward the thug. Sometimes you get a shout of fear from these guys as they see you flying towards them, thought Robin to himself, as he accelerated towards a flying kick. But cuz of the smoke, this guy literally won't know what hit him. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, the moment of impact, the sickening BAM / SPLAT sound, and a limp body on the floor.
"Alright, Robin exclaimed, ducking behind the truck and activating his in-mask GPS. "Let's see if I can put a crimp in whatever Poison Ivy has in store for old Bats tonight." He marked the location on his map and sped off into the night...
It's that time again, where the year's four best fantasy astrology baseball teams face off to determine the best players under the stars. As the playoff matchups are two weeks each, I'll have plenty of time to talk about the contending teams - the Leo (1) vs. Virgo (4) and Libra (2) vs. Cancer (3) - so now let's take a brief look back at the 10 teams that didn't make the cut. Over the course of the season, ESPN keeps track of each team's weekly matchup leaders, which I have collated and analyzed for your edification. Granted, this is far from an adequate method of determining a team's all-around best players, since my frantic weekly lineup tinkering might very well have kept a potential top performer on the bench, but it's certainly a good place to start.
Aries Rams (13-8)
Justin Masterson (x5)
Felix Hernandez (x4)
Miguel Cabrera (x4)
Matt Harvey (x3)
Jason Kipnis (x2)
This team features some of the most intimidating names in all of baseball and finished with a better record than two playoff teams (but finished behind the red-hot Leo Lions in their division), which makes it even more impressive that Justin Masterson was a weekly leader more times than any other in his breakout season. The first time All-Star (although he didn't pitch in the contest) beat out such greats as last year's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, former Cy Young Award recipient Felix Hernandez, and the starter for the NL All-Star squad Matt Harvey. Unfortunately three of the four players mentioned above, including Masterson, are currently dealing with injury troubles ranging from the mild (Cabrera) to the potentially career-threatening (Harvey), so it's probably just as well that this team isn't in the playoff picture.
Sagittarius Archers (11-10)
Mat Latos (x3)
David Wright (x2)
Carlos Gomez (x2)
James Shields (x2)
Joe Nathan (x2)
Matt Garza (x2)
SAG's over .500 finish means that no team in the Fire division finished with a losing record, but you can still see how difficult it was for this team to find a consistent leader. Mat Latos has emerged as the bona fide ace of the Cincinnati staff, taking the reins from the oft-injured Johnny Cueto, would-be team offensive leaders Wright and Gomez both had some injury troubles themselves, as did Matt Garza, whose consecutive weeks atop the team leaderboard came leading up to his trade from the rebuilding Cubs to the competitive Rangers. As long as Aries and Leo are battling at the top of this division, I don't think this team has a prayer for reaching the playoffs any time in the near future.
Gemini Twins (11-10)
Craig Kimbrel (x5)
Matt Moore (x4)
Jordan Zimmermann (x3)
Bartolo Colon (x2)
Talk about a closer who can anchor both a fantasy team and a real-life team, Craig Kimbrel's consistency played no small part in maintaining Atlanta's comfortable division lead even when they struggled with offensive injuries and ineffectiveness. Matt Moore likewise has been a revelation, although the Rays have had to play their last month (which they did a quite good job of) with Moore on the DL due to elbow soreness. The fact that all four multiple top scorers are pitchers tells me that this team doesn't quite have a good enough offense to challenge the defending champion Libra for a playoff spot.
Capricorn Goats (10-11)
Mike Minor (x4)
Jon Lester (x2)
Addison Reed (x2)
Edwin Encarnacion (x2)
Hanley Ramirez (x2)
Ivan Nova (x2)
Look at that, another Braves pitcher who spent the most time at the top of his fantasy astrology team's leaderboard. Atlanta's most consistent starter also led my real-life fantasy team, thanks to the disgustingly-disappointing season by Justin Verlander, which is one of the big reasons I failed to make the playoffs this year. The fantasy team with last year's best record was overtaken in the Earth division by the Virgo powerhouse this year, and with Albert Pujols on a clear decline, this squad is not the clear contender they once were.
Scorpio Scorpions (10-11)
Jon Niese (x2)
David Ortiz (x2)
Mike Leake (x2)
Greg Holland (x2)
C.J. Wilson (x2)
Martin Prado (x2)
SCO is the only team to not have a player lead his team more than twice, and what's more, not once was the weekly leader last year's NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, whose smoke-and-mirrors knuckleball act was exposed in Toronto. I am somewhat surprised that neither Pirates surprise success story Jason Gilli nor Francisco Liriano made the list more than once.
Pisces Fish (8-13)
Chris Davis (x5)
Clayton Kershaw (x4)
Anibal Sanchez (x2)
Aroldis Chapman (x2)
Yovani Gallardo (x2)
Fernando Rodney (x2)
Pisces could very well include the year's best performers, on both the offensive and defensive sides, yet they find themselves without a spot in this year's playoffs. Clayton Kershaw is a lock for the NL Cy Young and maybe even the MVP, and if the Orioles end up making the playoffs, Chris Davis could be in line for the AL's version of the same award. I would compare them to my team and say that Justin Verlander's failure to bring his A-game (he led his team in points only one week) kept them from dominating the league, but the stats show no lack of great pitching performers, whether in the rotation or the bullpen. I guess the old adage that good pitching wins championships doesn't apply to the fantasy landscape...
Taurus Bulls (6-15)
Homer Bailey (x5)
Edward Mujica (x5)
As if I needed another example, here's another team whose best performers were consistently pitchers - just two pitchers, in fact - but who fell well short of a .500 season. Not much more to say than better luck next time.
Aquarius Water-Carriers (4-17)
Austin Jackson (x3)
Hiroki Kuroda (x3)
Doug Fister (x2)
Julio Teheran (x2)
Alex Gordon (x2)
A.J. Griffin (x2)
The combined cases of Taurus and Aquarius prove that having a small or large number of multiple weekly leaders can both lead to a bad team overall. It's a good thing that both of these teams rank in the top 3 of the Fantasy Astrology Football league that I just recently built, so at least sports fans born under these signs don't have reason to despair utterly.
With David Ortiz completely oblivious that baseball players generally slow down at age 37, Dustin Pedroia still excellent on his slow decline from dominant, and Jacoby Ellsbury being just healthy enough, the Sox have an unprecedented three 2,000-pointers in their starting lineup (only the Reds equalled that amount with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and Shin-Soo Choo). That is to be expected from a team that led the league in runs scored. I talked about Mike Napoli in my post about 2014 free agents (along with Jarrod Satlalamacchia and Stephen Drew), but suffice it to say he was a welcome source of power and an even more welcome source of beard. The only player in this lineup to be part of a midseason trade (denoted by the *) was slick fielding infielder Jose Iglesias who ironically was dealt to Boston's ALCS opponents to help deal with the hole left by Jhonny Peralta's steroid suspension.
In contrast to the starting lineup, this pitching staff didn't have a single player crack 2,000 points, but it is solid 1-4, now that trade acquisition Jake Peavy (acquired in the Jose Iglesias deal as evidenced by the ^) made Felix Doubront and Ryan Dempster expendable. Looking at the discrepancy between Clay Buchholz's innings total (he pitched the fewest among their five regular starters), point total, and points per game average (the most among any player in all of baseball), it's not hard to arrive at the narrative of a red hot start followed by a long injury, and we'll see if he can regain some of that early-season dominance against another hot starter Max Scherzer in tomorrow's game, but more about him later. Koji Uehara performed well after being thrust into the closer's role following injuries to Andrew Bailey, who played enough to be relevant, and Joel Hanrahan, who didn't.
The two numbers that stand out are the insane, out of this world stats of #3 hitter Miguel Cabrera and staff ace Max Scherzer, who were in fact the number two and three scoring players in all of baseball behind tomorrow's starter for the Dodgers in the NLCS, Clayton Kershaw. Cabrera, who is logically baseball's top-scoring hitter, drove in Detroit's first run tonight (his 4th RBI of the series) in the 5th inning against Boston's most consistent pitcher Jon Lester, after showing us again that his lower half is not 100% by getting thrown out easily at the plate four innings earlier. Even though many of Prince Fielder's primary fantasy stats are down from last year, his 2,000+ points of overall production place him just outside the top five at 1B, a traditionally very deep position. On the other end of the batting spectrum we have Alex Avila who hasn't been able to follow up on his lone All-Star season in 2011 (his time spent on the DL accounts for the presence of offseason acquisition Brayan Pena on the bench).
The arrangement of these pitchers shows that Justin Verlander was as durable as ever, racking up the most innings on the staff, despite the fact that he was not nearly the pitcher he was in the last couple of years. Scherzer indeed exceeded Verlander's 2012 performance, losing exactly one game before September, while free agent re-signee Anibal Sanchez also exceeded what Scherzer did last year, leading the league in ERA, making this one of the most formidable rotations in the business right now. Like Uehara, Joaquin Benoit also blossomed into a very serviceable, if below-average, closer after the Bruce Rondon experiment failed miserably (the two top projected relievers according to Sports Illustrated combined managed less than 5x Benoit's output: 245 for Rondon, 70 for Phil Coke).
