2010 Fantasy Baseball, Spring Training Numbers
March 22, 2010
Category: 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft
It’s always good to look at spring training numbers to give you an idea as what to expect from guys for the season. They’re facing top pitchers who are all displaying their best stuff. No one needs time to get warmed up. No one’s trying new pitches or getting a feel for the ball. They are at the height of their game in March. In fact, I think someone should propose to Bud that the World Series could easily be played in March. Yes, The March Classic. I like how that sounds. Since these spring training numbers mean so much, I decided to look at the top slugging guys in March:
Corey Hart – Leading the charge with slugging at .976. Obviously, no night games and wearing sunglasses is a recipe for success.
Mike Jacobs – He’s even hitting lefties this spring as he racked up 20 RBIs and 7 homers.
Travis Ishikawa – Five homers already and a slugging percentage of .649. Wow, huh? Seriously, reread the word before “huh.” No, that’s a comma. Before that.
Jed Lowrie – He’ll easily end the spring as Boston’s best hitter with a line of .462/500/.872. Can anyone say MVP?
These are the top 4 sluggers for 2009 Spring Training. That’s right. Not 2010. A real beauty pageant of names, right? Seriously, please stop looking at spring stats. Corey Hart didn’t come within 450 points of that slugging percentage for one single month of last year as he went on to his worst season in the majors. Lowrie hit 2 homers and batted .147 in 2009. If you need me to tell you what the other two did, you might need Matthew Berry’s help. Spring stats mean nothing. You should only be looking at who’s healthy, who’s winning position battles and who’s winning rotation spots. The rest is meaningless.
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:07 am
Yeah, I like seeing that Alcides Escobar is hitting .400 but as you say, that’s just guaranteeing him an opening day starting spot, nothing more.
(See Aroldis Chapman)
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:08 am
Amen
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:13 am
Fantasyland, a doc about Tout Wars, is streaming for free at this site:
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/fantasyland/
ased on the bestselling book by Sam Walker, Fantasyland, directed by Stephen Palgon, traces a single season in the expert baseball league Tout Wars. But this wasn’t any ordinary season. This season an outsider, a fan, a non expert, would compete against the greatest minds in fantasy baseball including the founder of Tout Wars and one of the icons of the industry Ron Shandler. To compete against the experts, Jed Latkin, a financial analyst from New York is willing to do anything and everything in his quest to win Tout Wars. Jed is more than just a fantasy baseball player, he puts the “fanatic†in fantasy.
In order to beat the experts Jed attempts to play fantasy for real and hits the road to meet, motivate and plead with actual Major League Baseball players to perform well for his squad the Jedi Knights. He presents players like Gary Sheffield, Justin Verlander, Carl Crawford, JJ Putz, Ichiro with team jerseys in hopes of inspiring his players to lead the Jedi Knights to the top of the Tout Wars standings.
Fantasyland is NOT a film about statistics but rather a glimpse into the world of fantasy sports and the personalities, characters and stories that make up this billion dollar industry. It is a journey with Jed Latkin, one of the most wild and crazy, obsessed fantasy sports players you will ever meet.
Fantasyland is produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision and Endgame Entertainment.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 am
It’s this kind of “reality check” writing that keeps me glued to your website. The major outlets and their “Johan Santana Gets Rocked!” headlines are barely worth a yawn.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:15 am
Wait, Johan Santana got rocked? Fuck me.
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@Elijah: Yup.
@Awesomus Maximus: Cool, glad you like it.
@Bring Back Pluto: Ha!
EDIT: Word.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:18 am
@Bring Back Pluto: Wait, Johan got rocked? Sweet, I’ll just wait 1 more round to take him then.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:21 am
Todd Zolecki reporting that Lidge and Romero are set to start season on DL. Sounds like it’s time to pick up Madson if you haven’t already…
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:23 am
@Grey: You’re killing me Grey. I started looking up players to see if they may be available to at least keep a look at. The truth is that we always get too excited this early because there’s nothing else. We had March Madness for about a day then everyone’s bracket is done since Kansas is out! Going to be a fun year!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 am
Are there any scenarios that should cause us to give any weight to spring training performances? Like watching Sheets to see if he remembers how to pitch?
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@sean: Thanks for the heads up!
@Big League Chew: Gotcha!
@Ben the M: Sheets has 7 or so years of stats to look at as to whether to draft him. He’ll be in the rotation if he’s healthy.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:34 am
Well you said Hart was a sleeper pic. He’s not being considered until the 17th in most mocks. This little post has sold me.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:37 am
@Elijah:
In response to your comment about RCL-strat in the previous post, it really depends on how the other managers are drafting. For example, offense was flying off the board in my draft. So much so that Greinke and CC were still around ’till the 4th round. On the other hand, Pablo Sandoval (and all other 6 3B ranked above him) were gone by the end of round 3.
I think it’s extremely difficult to achieve a balanced team. I think I did an okay job with JJ, Wandy, and Kershaw as my top 3, an Miggy, Kinsler, Sandoval, Soto, and Andrus as my infield. The best hitting team IMO, has one of the worst staffs. And vice versa.
Needless to say, it’s a really tough draft that makes you scrutinize all your picks and makes you think ahead for your next pick. I think the worst part is hearing that beeping noise when a player in your queue gets drafted. I heard that 4 straight times at one point, it was heart sinking.
You know you’re drafting with Razzballers when you’re still getting sniped in the 22nd round. Damn you Figgy, I wanted Correia!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 am
@Joe these stats are from last year :]
great post, grey!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:49 am
I agree that you don’t go look up the “Hottest Bats in F-L-A”…but if you are trying to decide between 2 guys, and one is really hot and the other is not, it could be useful to see what you got in Surprise…DRINK…and March stats could also be useful for fantasy baseball…sometimes…but usually not…what?….DRINK…I had bad Mexican last night and today I’m dealing with a case of verbal diarrhea…
alright serious question…just traded for Beckham…now I have he and Roberts in a keeper league…or Roberts and him…or me and I…whatever it is…so who do I keep for 2B in a keeper league…DRINK!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:50 am
Madson is the obvious benefactor of Lidge’s late development this spring. However, don’t overlook Danys Baez. He’s healthy, motivated and looking good. He’s also closed before. Don’t be suprised if he gets his fair share of saves.
Like the switcheroo. Hope this doesn’t mean that Chris Davis’ patience this spring will evaporate come 4/4.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:53 am
Grey, you need to check out A.J. Mass’ new article at ESPN on Mark Reynolds. I know you’ll get a hearty laugh out of it. Mass posts some of his stats for ’07, ’08 and ’09, including his steals (0/11/24 respectively)… and then pretty much ignores the 24 SB anomaly in his analysis:
“I’m on the side that Reynolds is for real. Even if the batting average does dip a bit, the fact that he steals bases more than makes up for the difference for a potential drop to a .240 batting average.”
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@Tom Reale: Guess it’s good that it’s verbal. Beckham
@Awesomus Maximus: Mass is gooftarded.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:03 pm
They should just call it batting practice instead of spring training. It would clear a lot of things up.
I have the misfortune of being a Cubs fan. Guess what Cubs were batting +.400 in spring training 2009? Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir (aka Mike Power). As you can see, they went on to have phenomenal seasons.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:08 pm
what do you think of rollins/bruce for howard/k-rod in a keep 6 league?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:11 pm
@Grey: Good for anyone not in shouting distance…gotta run to the verbal urinal…
Gracias.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Whats your take on Nolan Reimold then this spring? Dude could hit a parked car right now.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Nice post Grey. Certainly one that should be read by more fantasy “experts.”
I went on a mini-tirade about this on a site last week, in response to an “Oh my goodness, look at Carpenter’s awful line last week…” article on a fantasy site. If one actually watched the game, they’d have seen that he didn’t really throw a breaking ball until the 4th inning.
The response from the author, “well we have to write about something.”
There’s little to be gained from looking at March numbers, but one can actually learn something about a player from actually WATCHING his play in spring. For instance, “is he getting over a newly learned pitch for strikes?” or “is he throwing at his normal velocity?” (I’m looking at you Mr. Sheets)
Seems far too many fantasy ballers want their info spoon fed to them without actually having to do their homework. To them, I say, “buy into my league please!”
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:22 pm
EDIT : could not hit a parked car
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Drafted Chris Tallest Dwarf Young as a 5th SP in an effort to provide some veteran leadership to a staff that already includes Chapman and Feliz. Inexplicably, Latos went undrafted (as did the increasingly popular Marcum). Do I dare drop Young, who’s proven nothing lately but a propensity to get hurt, for the more youthful Hodgepadre…and/or drop any of Chap, Feliz, or Young for Marcum? Thanks!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
@Grey: Good post Grey, you can now avoid 2 of 5 silly questions by linking to this post between now and April.
You might also want to do a post on how and why injured players don’t go on the DL until the last possible moment. Hint to the bleachers: It’s not ESPN, Yahoo!, CBSsports or (insert league management system)’s fault! It’s those pesky big league ball clubs that are to blame.
That’ll clear you out of 4 of 5 silly questions!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Awwww……fine.
*tosses Sean Rodriguez back ont Waiver Wire*
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
No real reason for this post except I am brain-drainingly bored at work and was clicking through old posts and came across this. I almost got kicked out of my cube for laughing so loud…
Carlos Gonzalez – I popped a zit into my bathroom mirror and it spelled out, “Good prospect, but little light on the seasoning. Has value in AL-only.” What other fantasy baseball ‘pert oozes this kind of knowledge?
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@brad: It’s fair, depends on need, I’d take the Rollins side.
@Tom Reale: De nada.
@Mr2Bits: As long as he has a starting job and is healthy, he should be fine.
@zombie: Feliz doesn’t look like he’s going to get a rotation spot, so when it’s official grab Latos.
@The Dude: It won’t stop people from getting excited/nervous.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I’m curious about a few guys and the spot in the order they’ll hit. Anyone have info for:
Cargo
Stewart
Bruce
Reimold
Beckham
Adam Jones
thanks!!
love this site Grey!! good job!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 12:55 pm
@El Famous Burrito: I wouldn’t toss Sean Rodriguez back to the wire just yet. Apparently the Rays are loving his defense and versatility. As a matter of fact, he just mashed another home run as I write this. He could end up being a big boost with eligibility all over the place.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Precise, to the point and such a valid point ……..I’d nominate that as some of your best work …….awesome………TY
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Grey drafting tonight and have the 1st overall pick. Pujols missed another game today with back soreness – would this change your mind in the least as far as taking Pujols or Hanley?
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@Back to Minors: Thanks! Off the top of my head — 1st or 2nd, 6th, 6th, 6th, 2nd, 5th.
@d2bnz: Thanks!
@BP: I’d take Pujols.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:05 pm
@stynyr: You laugh but Cargo just went in the 4th round of a keeper league that we are in the 5th year of. People are losing their minds. Here are some laughs.
3rd Round
Mariano Rivera
Bobby Abreu
4th Round
Hunter Pence
Carlos Gonzalez
Dan Uggla
Sean Rodriguez went 14th in a 24 round draft. People are f’ing crazy this year
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@Back to Minors: Jones could be 2nd too. Depends on Wieters.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:07 pm
@mapwheel: YAY! My easily-swayed opinion has been swayed again.
Seriously, Joe Maddon HAS to find a place for this kid. He already took the first step in breaking up The Brigabe, so stick him in RF and see what happens. Or send Zobrist back to RF, and keep S-Rod at 2B.
Either way, it’s better then the Turd Platoon they’ve been tossing out there for two years now.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:09 pm
@Back to Minors:
Cargo #1
Stewart #6
Bruce #6
Reimold #2
Beckham #2
Adam Jones #4
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
@Mr2Bits: How many keepers? I’d say the 4th round is completely reasonable for Cargo if you’re keeping 6 players or so.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:11 pm
@El Famous Burrito:
I’m just glad they got rid of Gabe F’ing Gross. Ass wipe gave me more grey hairs
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:16 pm
@brett:
8 keepers but you can only hold
2 picks from 1-5
2 from 6-10 and
4 from 11-24
So if this guy wants to keep him next year he will have to lose 3 of these 4 guys
José Reyes
Grady Sizemore
Matt Cain
Elvis Andrus
Pick just didn’t make sense to me as there were allot of big bats still on the board. I had Cargo at a 10-11 pick at best. Guess I’m the only one not getting a chub to some good second half stats to blow my load on a 4th round pick
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
@Mr2Bits: I play in a 5 keeper league and I’m imagining that CarGo will probably be gone in the 6th. Abreau definitely by the 4th.
@mapwheel: Yay another March homer! S-Rod and Ike Davis for MVPs of their respective leagues *rolls eyes*
I’ll be surprised if S-Rod logs over 200 MLB atbats this season. Draft away.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Hey, I am looking for some guidance in setting up a keeper league.
How do you deal with Free Agents? Can they be used as a keeper?
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@Falcon: Short answer is yes.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:52 pm
grey…which side do you like?
holliday/justin upton or arod/choo?
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@grandysdandy: Holliday, but it’s close and fair.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 1:57 pm
would you like that side even better if it was a keeper league?
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@grandysdandy: Maybe a little bit.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
@Andre: How surprised? Pants-crappingly surprised?
Or pause-to-take-in-the-moment-then-go-back-to-folding-your-socks surprised?
Either way, S-Rod just isn’t working for me as a nickname.
What else we got? Sean-Ro? Ro-zilla?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
spring stats don’t matter… but does Alberto taking a pain shot and having an MRI in his back? damn…
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:20 pm
edit: “on” his back…
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:25 pm
RCLs, just a headsup:
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but during the draft the system will place a player at their primary position.” per ESPN.
Impact example: If you are targeting Asdrubal Cabrera to fill a SS slot, but have not yet filled 2B, he will be dumped into 2B slot (through the duration of the draft).
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:31 pm
@Andre: S-Rod has always had pop in his bat and sneaky speed. I’m not saying he’s going to hit 30 homers with a .300 average, but in my deep 18 man league, he’s worth stashing for now. With his defense and versatility, it would be surprising if he didn’t make the 25 man roster; although I do agree he might not see more than 200ABs. I’m willing to take more chances on a bat if it has MI eligibility.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:52 pm
@Mapwheel: I do think he might be worth a stash in such a deep league. I just don’t trust PCL inflated minor league numbers and he’s got a few guys in front of him in the depth charts it seems. If he makes the team and starts off nicely, I can see him getting a good deal of ABs. Otherwise I can also see him playing most of the year in AAA.
S-Rod is a pretty lame nickname. I like Sean-Zilla.
@El Famous Burrito: I’d say a little turtle head peaking out surprised. Wow I just totally grossed myself out. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy as a player – enough for him to have a cup of coffee on my team last season when he came up with the Angels for a minute. He does seem like a K machine however, averaging a K rate of over 30% through his professional career. Unless he shows donkey-power, or improves drastically, he’s going to have a rough time in the bigs.
Since I’m feeling scatological now, here’s a hilarious Youtube clip of George Brett talking about his favorite past time (other than hitting baseballs). Apologies to those who’ve seen it before or have a weak stomach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIqrGsSBob0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIqrGsSBob0
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Hey Grey…
I’m starting an AL only keeper league this year with 7 other friends…keep 3 per year at 5 dollars more next year, along with anyone we have in a minor league system (for free).
As it’s AL only, I’ve started looking deep and all, and as it’s keeper I’m having a little trouble re-evaluating players (ie, Beckham is worth more to own as he’ll get better in the next 2 years I imagine).
But long story short, your thoughts on setting up Longoria to be one of the three anchors of my team over the next three years? Also, any chance of a CBS Sports ranking breakdown with what they have right and wrong? Lastly, any advice about my first year in a keeper league?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:56 pm
@Grey: Ok, I’ve worked him up to offering Howard + Carpenter or Howard + Choo for my Rollins/Bruce. I think I’d prefer the Choo offer and am inclined to take it. What do you think? (16 tm keep 6 5×5 roto)
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March 22nd, 2010 at 2:59 pm
@Simply Fred: And they ridiculously make you fill every position. This annoyance could be solved the way Yahoo does it by letting you leave the draft with as many or few of any position as you want. (unless you’re autopicking)
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
What are your opinions on Nick Johnson as a sleeper this year? Short right field porch, sick OBP, any down side snagging him off the waiver wire?
Note, I need steals like no other and am thinking about Morgan over Johnson. Do I go with a run machine this year and say screw steals or try and lock up another 40 steals on a team which will prob see 60-70 for the entire year?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:07 pm
@brad:
If you get Howard + a guy with 3 left legs for Rollins and Bruce, take it an run as the guy trading is a moron. Rollins will find more first half struggles as last year and Bruce is still a year away
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Uh oh, Chapman left the game with a stiff back.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Mike Jacobs – He’s even hitting lefties this spring as he racked up 20 RBIs and 7 homers.
Travis Ishikawa – Five homers already and a slugging percentage of .649. Wow, huh? Seriously, reread the word before “huh.” No, that’s a comma. Before that.
Jed Lowrie – He’ll easily end the spring as Boston’s best hitter with a line of .462/500/.872. Can anyone say MVP?
where are they going to get their playing time from- they are all backups
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:34 pm
@mrbaseball: “These are the top 4 sluggers for 2009 Spring Training. That’s right. Not 2010.”
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Where does Ever-Cab hit in the lineup?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I think Pablo ripped it up last spring… cust kayin’
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March 22nd, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Oh and Zimmerman is mashing it this spring… 1st round output at 3rd round price? I’m hoping so
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March 22nd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
@Fresh: quizas, but the panda also kicked ass in his cup of coffee the year before.
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@Simply Fred: Thanks for the heads up!
@Ryan Beariot: Everything’s wrong with CBS’s rankings. Longoria’s a good cornerstone. Play to win this year in a keeper.
@brad: Choo one is better.
@Mr2Bits: I’d prefer Morgan.
@Tom Emanski: Damn you, Dusty.
@GTS: Hopefully the top.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Had a draft last night. 11 teams, 6×6 roto w/ obp and hlds. Thoughts?
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Justin Morneau
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Kevin Youkilis
SS Alexei Ramírez
LF Ryan Braun
CF Torii Hunter
RF Bobby Abreu
OF Carlos Quentin
Util Ian Stewart
BN Conor Jackson
BN Colby Rasmus
BN Buster Posey
SP Dan Haren
SP Adam Wainwright
SP Cole Hamels
SP Ricky Nolasco
RP David Aardsma
RP Jon Rauch
RP Takashi Saito
P George Sherrill
P Hideki Okajima
BN Roy Oswalt
BN Phil Hughes
BN Johnny Cueto
BN Jason Motte
BN Kelvim Escobar
BN Ervin Santana
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@paulzone: I think most of your hitting is decent for your categories, except your middle infielders. Jackson’s a decent flier for that league set up, no idea what you’re doing with Posey and Rasmus. Your pitching is stacked.
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@paulzone: Only thing i question is the 5 rp for holds and only one clear choice as closer,only 11 teams means at least 2 per team without taking the teams that are in question into consideration. Do like your starters though good mix of guys. Have to agree with grey posey rasmus unneeded
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
@Grey: Would you trade Nick Swisher for Everth Cabrera in a keeper league where we keep as many players as we want 2 rounds ahead of where we drafted them this year?
So Nick Swisher (Cost 17th round pick if kept) for Everth Cabrera (Cost 16th round pick if kept)
My team is is desperate need of steals, and already has a lot of power. It would just affect my IF position.
I could also try and trade for Nyjer Morgan, but it would cost me more I think.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:10 pm
@Grey: @Smokey:
yeah, wish i had more closers. hopefully, opps there will present themselves that i can jump on for saves.
i could work a trade to strengthen my ss. would you trade one of those top 4 sps (haren, wainwright, nolasco or hamels) for zobrist?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Grey, what do you think of Ryan Sweeney this year? I have him in a 5 OF league.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
@Grey:
Grey supporter of CoJack! BTW, is it just me or does the Dbacks lineup seem pretty good this year. When every guy from 1-8 has fantasy potential (Yes even Chris Young could conceivably be great), it seems like its a pretty good lineup.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:27 pm
@Grey: Grey, you preach to have a top 1B. May I ask why it is so important? I’m looking for a reason that will convince me to draft one early, not the response of “do you want to be the guy without a top 1B?”. Thanks!
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@GopherDay: I’d want Everth.
@paulzone: Not yet.
@Tom Emanski: I think you should find a different 5th outfielder.
@Elijah: They’ll lead the league in Ks, not their pitchers.
@Cheese: Well, do you?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Grey is Sean Rodriguez real. There are so many good to sure fire prospects that have failed so far; Wood, An. LaRoche, Laporta, Maybin, Hughes(As a Starter), Chamberlin, H/ Bailey, Schierholtz, Towles, Clement, off the top of my head.
Off the above list ,anyone of them you think will have a big year. Maybe not big, but unexpectedly good because the lust is off.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
@Grey: Is that the only reason you can give for drafting a top 1B? If it is, doesn’t is just make sense to wait to the final round and grab someone like Adam Larcohe? 25/85 isn’t bad in the final round, instead of paying a premium for 35/110
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@Mark: Not sure if this is your point, but most of those names you list could be huge this year. Guys that are under 25 shouldn’t be written off. As for Sean-Rod, he’ll be 25 this year. Not outside the realm of possibility that he has a huge year. His projections are here:
http://razzball.com/top-20-2nd-basemen-for-2010-fantasy-baseball/
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@Cheese: LaRoche is 70/27/80/.265, that’s not the same as 100/37/120/.305 or 105/47/140/.275.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:00 pm
@Grey: Okay, obviously it isn’t the same. But what combo would you rather have?
100/37/120/.305 and 85/3/50/.285/22
or
95/35/105/.280/12 and 70/27/80/.265
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@Cheese: 2nd one if those were locks. Tulo’s great, but he’s not the same as having a Tex.
EDIT: Words.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:10 pm
@Grey:
I already knew that, heh. One reason Im happy to see CoJack back, it gives us an actual contact hitter. Im optimistic anyways, It just seems like this is the year all that potential gels. If you think the Dbacks are gonna suck don’t pull any punches, I won’t get depressed or anything, just curious what you thought about them offensively as a unit.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
@Cheese:
Tex has his own value in terms of reliability. Its one reason I ended up with Holliday on a bunch of teams. A .318 career hitter is something you can feel pretty comfortable with.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:12 pm
@Grey: I see your point. Let me rephrase my question then. If you couldn’t get one of the top 5 1B, would you overpay to get someone like Votto/A-Gonz, or would you rather wait to just get someone like LaRoche? (And by overpay I mean early 2nd round in a 12 team)
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@Elijah: I think they can be good, but Ks kill lots of rallies. There’s question marks, obviously. They can sneak into the Wild Card, for sure. Their pitching is a lot more questionable than their hitting.
@Cheese: I want reliability like Elijah succinctly put it. You think LaRoche’s is all well and good until he he slumps for a month and you don’t trust him to turn it around.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:24 pm
@Tom Emanski: Chapman left the game with a reason for the Reds to start him in the minors.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
@Grey: I understand you want reliability. It’s just that I’ll be drafting 16th in a h2h league this weekend, and the top 5 1B will probably be gone. I’m just trying to convince myself to take A-Gonz because I’ll have no other opportunity to grab a top 1B after my first 2 picks. I figure I’ll be picking 2 of the following 3: A Gonz, Holliday or J Upton. If you were in my shoes, do you still see yourself taking A Gonz at 16th overall?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Just did my first draft. 10 Team 5×5 H2H with 2 Util, 3 SP, 2 RP. 3P, 8 man bench
1. (7) Mark Teixeira
2. (14) Matt Holliday
3. (27) Pablo Sandoval
4. (34) Jayson Werth
5. (47) José Reyes
6. (54) Johan Santana
7. (67) Nelson Cruz
8. (74) Clayton Kershaw
9. (87) Manny Ramírez
10. (94) Dan Uggla
11. (107) Brett Anderson
12. (114) Jake Peavy
13. (127) Carlos Mármol
14. (134) Billy Wagner
15. (147) Alfonso Soriano
16. (154) Brian Fuentes
17. (167) Jonathan Sánchez
18. (174) Mike González
19. (187) Everth Cabrera
20. (194) Geovany Soto
21. (207) Rich Harden
22. (214) Justin Duchscherer
23. (227) Ervin Santana
24. (234) Mat Latos
25. (247) Homer Bailey
26. (254) Jake Fox
When Reyes hits the DL I’m going to snag Dotel off of waivers. Thoughts? Since it is 10 team, there is some quality talent on waivers.
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@Cheese: Holliday’s before A-Gon.
@MarkM: Your hitting looks fine with some speed hinging on Reyes. Not crazy about Manny, but that’s late enough where I’d draft him too. Not crazy about a few of your pitching choices, namely Harden and Duch. Also, worried about Anderson a bit with all of his pitches from last year. With H2H, I’m a lot more concerned about hitting and your hitting is definitely stronger, so you should be competitive.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:36 pm
i know what you mean – dont get worked up over ST numbers..
but with people with a history of “success” depending on how you define that….
what about conor jackson?
he has proven he can hit consistently… .300 hitter…some power, some steals…
now with word that he may LEADOFF for the d-backs…what do you think his end line looks like?
100/15/70/20/.300?
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@PJtres: Those numbers are possible, I wouldn’t give him 20 steals though.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:43 pm
This was my first ever money or auction draft, so I did not know what to expect. 10 team Head-to-Head Keeper league, standard 5×5. Other than being a bit weak at SB, I feel like I have a solid bunch. Are there any quick-fixes that you see? Once I can put Beltran on the DL, I plan on picking up another SP. Thoughts?
C- Kurt Suzuki ($1)
1B- Joey Votto (19)
2B- Robinson Cano (19)
SS- Ian Desmond (3)
3B- Ryan Zimmerman (22)
MI- Rickie Weeks (8)
CI- Chase Headley (2)
OF- Matt Holiday (25)
OF- Carlos Quentin (14)
OF- Carlos Gonzalez (12)
OF- Hunter Pence (12)
OF- Jay Bruce (8)
Util- Travis Snider (3)
Bench- Carlos Beltran ($6), Everth Cabrera (2), Sean Rodriguez (1)
SP- Zack Greinke ($33), Justin Verlander (19), Cole Hamels (16), Ricky Nolasco (14), James Shields (5), Kevin Slowey (1)
RP- Carlos Marmol ($7), Rafael Soriano (5), Octavio Dotel (1)
Bench- Chris Perez ($2), Francisco Liriano (1)
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:44 pm
@Grey: So in a 8×8 H2H league, this order… Holliday, A Gonz, J Upton?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Just finished my first draft of the year. 20 teamer, 6×6 H2H with OBP, hits, and QS and no AVG. I picked 18th…
C Lou Marson
1B A-Gon
2B Ian Stewart
3B Chris Davis
SS Ian Desmond
OF Curtis Granderson
OF Nick Markakis
OF Carlos Gonzalez
Util Carlos Quentin
SP F-Her
SP Nolasco
RP Aardsma
RP Frank Francisco
P Dotel
P Capps
P Slowey
BN Cueto
BN Buchholz
I really like all the closers I got, but I think I took a lot of risk on my offence.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
@Grey:
I’m not too confident with the pitching either. Yeah sure If Webb comes back even 90% by May and if Jackson is solid, and if the relievers dont suck as bad as last year it should be ok but thats 2 too many ifs.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 6:59 pm
@Nick0rz:
Looks nice to me. I Might have preferred another hitter over F-Her but at the same time having a SP like that in that format seems a huge edge. Your only glaring weakness seems to be Batting average, 3-4 guys liable to hit .250 there.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:05 pm
@Elijah: League doesn’t count AVG.
I was worried about missing out on any decent pitchers since I was going to have such a huge gap between picks. There werent many other players that I really liked who were around then, so I went with my gut.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:07 pm
@Nick0rz:
In that case, well done I think.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:11 pm
saw a guy take CLIFF LEE at 25 in a mock today, before verlander, before lester, etc…… anyway u can justify that grey? It was a standard roto mock, the guy was really hung up on Cliff…. i said ya he’s a great pitcher, but he’s only gonna get you 160-180K’s tops, his response was something about his WINS because Seattles D is going to be so good? Do you take defense into account much at all? I DONT.
I dont know, its funny hearing peoples different reasoning, etc for their picks.
RCL weds night baby, about damn time!
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:23 pm
@Tony: Some people are crack heads when it comes to reasonable thinking in Fantasy Baseball…Grey is a really logical person when it comes to Fantasy Baseball, thats a huge reason I like his advice.
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@JordanRoyal: Beltran could make a difference, but your hitting feels weak for a 10 team league. You went much stronger on pitching, I would’ve preferred the opposite. Your hitting has 5 guys under $10. Would’ve preferred maybe 2 and less money spent on pitching. I think you’re going to struggle if you don’t trade some pitching for some better hitting.
@Cheese: Yup
@Nick0rz: Marson! Team looks good. Your pitching might’ve been better served with an Oswalt-type rather than 3 upside type guys later on. But it’s water under the bridge now. I think your hitting’s very strong for a 20 team league, so that’s great. Overall, nicely done.
@Tony: Pretty comical to hear some rationalizations.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 7:29 pm
@Grey: Great thanks! And I like Marson’s OBP. If he can get it around .350 I’ll be happy. He’ll probably be off my team by the second week in April though when some one else starts to hit.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:02 pm
@Grey: Just finished a 10 team h2h draft. Very shallow (no MI/CI, only 3 OF, and possibly adding a second util). Pls let me know your thoughts on my team and what needs to be done for improvement.
8 Evan Longoria, TB 3B
13 Ryan Howard, Phi 1B
28 Grady Sizemore, Cle OF
33 Brandon Phillips, Cin 2B
48 Mark Reynolds, Ari 3B
53 Brian McCann, Atl C
68 Nelson Cruz, Tex OF
73 Jose Reyes, NYM SS
88 Ricky Nolasco, Fla SP
93 Clayton Kershaw, LAD SP
108 Wandy Rodriguez, Hou SP
113 Chad Billingsley, LAD SP
128 Carlos Gonzalez, Col OF
133 Carlos Marmol, ChC RP
148 David Aardsma, Sea RP
153 David Price, TB SP
168 Francisco Liriano, Min SP
173 Clay Buchholz, Bos SP
188 Kevin Slowey, Min SP
193 Jason Heyward, Atl OF
208 Rafael Furcal, LAD SS
213 Neftali Feliz, Tex RP
228 Corey Hart, Mil OF
There are guys like franklin morales, rauch, perez, madson are available for me to pickup after i put reyes on DL. Also, there ARE playoffs.
Thanks
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Just drafted with the commenter folks. It’s hard when everyone is a Grey disciple aiming for the same players. Some players that you would normally ignore ended up TOO ignored and became great bargains. I just don’t know how I feel about my team though. It’s full of boring guys:
C Doumit
1B M. Cabrera
2B Phillips
3B Jose Lopez
SS Bartlett
MI Uggla
CI Headley
OF Sizemore
OF Werth
OF C. Lee (dropped to 80)
OF Fowler
OF Milledge
Ut Loney
P Hamels
P Nolasco
P Vazquez (dropped to 104)
P Latos
P N. Feliz
P Wilson
P Soriano
P C. Perez
P Lindstrom
Bench Wood, Bard, Saito
I get HRs and steals from a lot of my hitters, but will I be alright on RBIs and Avg? I think I like it. Give me permission to like it.
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@incognithole: Yeah, looks like a shallow team, which means you really need All-Star like performances from a bunch of guys. Anyway, I think you have a solid team. There’s really not many weaknesses on your hitting, so that’s good. Your pitching has question marks. From about 150 on, those guys are going to make or break your team. If Price, Liriano, Buchholz, etc pan out, then you’re good. If not, you’re going to need waiver wire pick ups.
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@Real Tom: I think your hitting is going to be pretty weak. You probably would’ve been better off just reaching for some guys rather than settling for some of those guys. Lee is a bargain there, so that’s good. Loney, Lastings, Headley, Bartlett and Fowler as a number three outfielder are problems. Then you might only have 3 pitchers worth anything. It might be a struggle for you.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:25 pm
dang grey, I just realized that you would NOT consider Vazquez a bargain. Oh well, it could have been a worse pick. I liked Bills more, but I guess I thought it was a bigger bargain than it was.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:26 pm
how do you like C.J. Wilson move to the starting rotation grey
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:27 pm
@Grey: Thats my thinking too…i have a solid 4 SPs and the latter guys (price, liriano, buchholz) are upside picks that i hope to pan out by the end of the season or cut loose. Im also banking on me being the most experienced of the league and therefore a waiver vulture…thanks again
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:28 pm
re: ingonithole, etc
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:31 pm
yea, after Lee I just focused on pitching and let all the OF guys go. Fowler is actually a number four OF, but I agree that my hitting looks pretty weak. Here’s hoping that Milledge and Loney realize some potential.
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@mrbaseball: I don’t like him there.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Hey Grey,
One of my leagues I need pitching like real bad…My ace is jon lester and my 2nd is jorge de la rosa….I have/had nathan and brandon webb…I have begun the slide even before the season starts…Would you recommend trading holliday to get greinke?
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Does this post mean that Troy Glaus will be nothing when it comes to real games? He is tearing it up right now. Should I snag him with my last pick or should I get Blanks or Snider. Team has plenty of speed, but needs some power.
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@Swapnil: You shouldn’t have drafted Webb and Nathan but I wouldn’t trade Holliday for Greinke. I’d trade a lesser hitter for a slightly lesser pitcher.
@dirtyd: I’d grab Snider.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 9:38 pm
grey…
in my keeper league…and in reference the deal i asked about above…
now the other guy wants
Arod/Choo/Nolasco for J-Up/Holliday/ and one of his shields/masterson/or chris young…
would you do it? i have longoria @ 3rd, so losing arod isnt as bad as it might be…i dont think its great value, but i also dont want to miss out on justin upton…im sure once this owner trades him, hes going to be hung onto…
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@grandysdandy: Sure, it’s fair for you.
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March 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 pm
@Grey: Bruce/Lester or Hamilton/Wandy?
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March 23rd, 2010 at 3:41 am
@Grey: Got the big draft coming up Saturday and I am looking for a good website with up to date SP rotation updates. Any good ideas?
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March 23rd, 2010 at 7:48 am
Grey : need steals, who do you like better Nyjer Morgan or Dexter Fowler
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March 23rd, 2010 at 7:52 am
Unfortunately, Lowrie “won” his spring battle with Lugo last year (hands-down, it appeared), and I drafted him accordingly. So here’s another lesson: spring battles are never over. That mess will almost always carry into the season.
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March 23rd, 2010 at 9:34 am
…no matter how clear-cut and decisive the results of the spring battle appear to be.
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