Dude, it’s September already?! This season has absolutely flown by… Talk about your cliche open! We say this every year, and I think I said this in a similar open… I’m at a lack of creativity during the grind!
With rosters expanding today, it should be a fun final 2-and-a-half-weeks of stashing as the non-competitors head into the offseason. For the races though – the AL is looking like it’s going to be a brutal finish! The Tribe take a 1.5 point lead this morning, after being tied with the Blue Jays yesterday. TIED at this point of the season! Out of control… Unfortunately the NL is less intriguing, with the Cubs continuing to make a little bit of noise, but not enough to really challenge the Nats. Here’s how week 22 went down in the 2016 REL League:
| NATIONAL LEAGUE | ||
|---|---|---|
| REL Dynasty – NL | ||
| Nationals | 139 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $71 | n/a |
| Cubs | 115.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $37 | n/a |
| Pirates | 101.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $42 | Oswaldo Arcia SD – OF $5 |
| J.T. Marlin | 100 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| Suplex City Cards | 97 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $79 | n/a |
| San Fran Giants | 96 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $6 | n/a |
| Knoche’s Rockies | 85 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $31 | Stephen Cardullo Col – 1B $22 |
| Well the master plan has backfired a little since I last checked in. My 2017 pitching staff that has potential to give me middling pitching numbers and put me in position to compete has gone by the wayside. The Zach Wheeler and Brandon McCarthy train has been derailed slightly. McCarthy sounds like he’s OK, but I certainly don’t trust Wheeler right now or for next year. Good thing I still have Jose Reyes to trade for a Starter next year when Story is healthy. I also spent $22 on Stephen Cardullo, but I wanted to make sure nobody grabbed the potential starting Rockies 1B next year.
Also I am up to 3 points each in ERA and WHIP which tells me there’s improvement coming. Watch out 2017 the Torenado’s coming for REL1. |
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| NY Dodgers | 76.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $94 | n/a |
| Mookie Mets | 73.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $89 | n/a |
| Cincinnati Reds | 72.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $5 | n/a |
| Diamondbacks | 61.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $66 | n/a |
| Philadelphia | 56 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $45 | n/a |
| Brewers | 47 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $21 | Taylor Jungmann Mil – SP $1, Albert Suárez SF – SP,RP $0, Yhónathan Barrios Mil – RP $0 |
| Despite slogging my way through this rebuilding year, this past week was the AWESOMEST WEEK EVER! A lotttttttttt of positive developments up and down my roster that are getting me feel antsy in my pantsy at being at least a winning team in 2017 (well, by winning I mean being at leats top half of the standings…).
ANDREW MOTHERF TOLES! Been writing about him for a while. All he’s done is hit .519 (!!!!!) over his last 12 games with 3 HR and 13 RBI. This was supposed to be a steals guy! Not to mention, that’s over only 6 STARTS! Just an epic grand slam last night in a 6-8 game to win it for the Dodgers (I’ll just gloss over it was my pitcher, but whatever) 10-8, and I love his compact lefty swing. Let’s take a ride down memory lane – here’s my first write-up after nabbing Toles. I called him a possible leadoff guy then with visions of sugarplums and rose-colored glasses, but it looks even more possible now. WELCOME TO MIXED LEAGUE DISCUSSION! SCOTT SCHEBLER! I took a flier on him after he was cut when he was sent to the Minors, and after epicly struggling yet again, we’re now seeing why he was a .300 hitter with power in AAA. Over his last 15 games, .339 with 4 HR and 11 RBI. WELCOME TO THE MIXED LEAGUE DISCUSSION! RYAN SCHIMPF! I was actively shopping Schimpf when he got hurt early on, and good gracious am I glad no one bought him low. Last 11 games, .324 4 HR 9 RBI. ALREADY BEEN IN, THEN OUT, BUT NOW BACK IN THE MIXED LEAGUE DISCUSSION! BROCK STEWART! No need to write more, I already did the Pitcher Profile on him… WELCOME TO THE MIXED LEAGUE STREAMING DISCUSSION (if he starts again)! ALEX REYES! In the rotation. We all know enough about him. PROBABLY AN ADD IN MIXED LEAGUES! Ok, enough all caps. Other positives – Jason Heyward is hitting .333 the past two weeks. Adam Morgan has had 2 out of 3 good starts, and the bad one virtually all the damage came on a grand slam. Well, I guess that’s about it as positive developments on the active squad, with some other status quo going on, but it’s been a fun little turnaround after barely fielding a 1/2 roster just a month ago while rebuilding. |
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| Braves | 44.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $84 | n/a |
| Padres | 34.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $100 | n/a |
| AMERICAN LEAGUE | ||
|---|---|---|
| REL Dynasty – AL | ||
| The Tribe | 129.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $55 | n/a |
| I don’t really have much to update. 18 days till the REL World Series. I’ve been in 1st and 2nd place this week.
I’m hoping for a couple of hot stretches and few injuries. Pujols is already having more foot problems. He’s really kept my offense afloat during this cold stretch for the Indians bats so it’s hard to second guess that trade too much. I just need other guys to step up now. Honestly the real life Tribe has to turn it around for me to have a chance. We are really struggling. All the hitters have been slumping and besides Kluber I have no idea what my starters are going to do in each start. Except Tomlin, he’s going to give up home runs I know that for sure. We just swept the Twins so hopefully that breaks them out of this slump and we can go on little run. Go Tribe! |
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| Blue Jays | 128 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $75 | Tommy Layne NYY – RP $4 |
| Orange Birds | 106 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $54 | Matt Davidson CWS – 3B $0, Taylor Motter TB – 3B,SS,OF $0, Cody Anderson Cle – SP,RP $13, Drew Stubbs Bal – OF $3, Johnny Barbato NYY – RP $0 |
| Astros | 105.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $20 | Adalberto Mejía Min – RP NA $1, Enny Romero TB – RP $1 |
| With 2.5 weeks left and being well out of 1st place I’m not sure there’s a whole lot left to look forward to this baseball season. That’s how I would have normally thought when I found myself in this situation but in this league that just isn’t the case.
First off, with the vast majority of my players being Astros I’ve watched more Astros games this year than I probably have my entire life. Yeah Altuve is a good player, Correa has hall of fame potential, Springer is always entertaining, and Bregman seems to get it done night in and night out. While this has been good for my fantasy team it’s also endeared me to some players that without this league I never would have followed so closely, and now I watch not for the fantasy stats but instead I watch for the AL wild card race and to see if my young squad of misfits can somehow bring it all together and make some noise come October. Second, it’s September call up time and with 22-25 keepers in a 15er AL-only and with players not available for pickup until they see the majors there seems to be a high possibility that more than a few unprotected young players will get the call and my guess is that the bidding will be fierce with over a third of the total FAAB still available. However me and my $20 left probably won’t be going for the top guy(s) available, and I’m ok with that. As I look at my 25 man squad for next year I already seem extremely strapped for roster spots. Just to name a few that I currently have on the outside looking in – Carlos Gomez, Valbuena, Tyler White, Colby Lewis, Adalberto Mejia, and Enny Romero (Did Enny have an August or what? Nice job kid). Then a few on the cusp that I’m currently calling ‘in’ – Preston Tucker, Marisnick, Jett Bandy, Gregerson, AJ Griffin, and McHugh. Plus I have my own potential call-ups in Casey Gillaspie (I can hope) and David Paulino who is already on the 40-man roster, although his 1st 2 starts in AAA haven’t gone well. Finally I want to talk for a minute about Matt Strahm, a guy I went out of my way, and payed a hefty price to acquire. A 21st round JuCo pick in 2012 and after only 30 pro innings Strahm underwent TJ surgery, not to pich again until late 2014. Prior to this year Strahm was seen as a 4th or 5th starter at best with a solid fastball, an adaquate curve, and a change up that wasn’t MLB calibur. In AA this year Strahm found the change-up, a pitch now considered his best and for a guy that is extremely tough on lefties he finally has an out pitch for the righties. However Strahm has already thrown 118 inning this year after throwing only 94 in his 1st full year back from TJ in 2015 and the Royals are rightfully taking it easy on their now top pitching prospect (according to MLB.com). With this new found change-up and an unquestioned ability to get major league bats out the KC brass has already stated that Strahm will get a shot at joining the starting rotation next spring and if I were a betting man, I’d bet he takes it. |
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| Red Sox | 104.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $22 | n/a |
| Tigers | 101 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $13 | JaCoby Jones Det – SS (called up) |
| Mariners | 83 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $15 | n/a |
| White Sox | 77 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $63 | n/a |
| Power Rangers | 69 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $12 | n/a |
| Yankees | 68.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $59 | n/a |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 65.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $1 | n/a |
| Halos | 53 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $33 | Boog Powell Sea – OF $0 |
| Royals | 52 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $34 | n/a |
| Athletics | 40.5 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $4 | n/a |
| Minnesota Twins | 17 | Waiver Adds and Prospect Callups Past Week: |
| FAAB Remaining: | $70 | n/a |
