I’ve seen a few articles the past few days about how to replace Corey Kluber and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think they were all shit. It is absolutely not possible to replace the hole left in your roster by losing Kluber. Not with any player or players on the wire at least. The way I see it there is only one way to fill the void, and doing so will weaken your team in other areas. You’re going to have to trade a hitter for a pitcher of Kluber’s caliber. To do so you are going to have to part with a top of the line bat. As I said, this is obviously going to weaken your offensive production. Even if you have a surplus, moving a guy like Freddie Freeman, Francisco Lindor or Andrew Benintendi is going to hurt. The other option would be to sacrifice the future by including a draft pick, prospect or both if your league permits. You could also consider trading Kluber. These options would allow you to trade away a lesser bat right now, reducing the immediate impact. I’d target teams lower in the standings for a move such as this. No matter how you slice it, when that line drive hit his forearm, every one of his owners felt the pain. I heard a rumor that he was going to team up with Corey Feldman and revive the show The Two Coreys on YouTube Premium.
Speaking of YouTube Premium, how many of you have watched the second season of Cobra Kai? I watched the entire season the day it was released, just as I did with season one. And just like season one, it was awesome. I will say this however, the fight scenes are over the top not believable. Way to choreographed. Fights don’t play out like that. Putting that aside, and the fact that all of these kids are somehow black belts in less than a year, the show is fantastic. The storyline/plot, flashbacks and music make this perhaps my favorite show on TV. Is YouTube Premium considered TV? For those that don’t subscribe to this service there is good news. Not only has the show been renewed for a third installment, but YouTube is going to make all episodes available for free. Details can be found here. For Kluber owners, perhaps watching this series can make for less of a cruel summer.
Growing up a Yankees fan I’ve heard (and participated in) my fair share of “hip hip Jorge” chants. Perhaps it’s just the Yankee in me, but it feels kind of dirty recycling the chant for another player. However, Jorge Polanco is certainly mounting a campaign. As of this writing he leads all shortstops in points (102). In fact, there are only eight hitters currently with more points. Those players are Cody Bellinger (179), Christian Yelich (156), Mike Trout (128), Nolan Arenado (123), Marcell Ozuna (117), Mookie Betts (110), Maikel Franco (106) and Alex Gordon (106). Wow, I can’t believe Gordon is still making the rounds with the big boys. Franco’s also a surprise, but not nearly as much as Gordon. Seems I chose wrong when I grabbed Ketel Marte (90 points) off the wire a few weeks back instead of Polanco. Until further notification, he deserves to be universally owned in points leagues.
One thing I often say is “points are points” and that I don’t care how a player accrues them. Eddie Rosario is batting .223, yet he has 96 points which makes him the 18th most point productive hitter. His batting average is relatively meaningless. The only stat that matters in points leagues is points. As Metallica so eloquently said “nothing else matters”.
Eric Sogard looks more like he belongs in a computer lab than he does manning the infield for a Major League Baseball team. Seriously, when they eventually do reboot of Revenge of the Nerds, he’d be a perfect fit for Tri-Lamb alumni. Since being called up from Triple A, Sogard has been surprisingly solid. In 52 plate appearances (12 games), he’s got 50 points (0.96 PPPA). For comparison, Marcell Ozuna also has a 0.96 PPPA. However, he does have more than double the number of plate appearances. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you run out and pickup Louis Skolnick, but he should serve as a reminder that there are players out there on the wire that aren’t totally useless.
Here are my picks for the first team all-awesome lineup so far in points leagues:
C: Willson Contreras (79 points) / Yadier Molina (73 points)
1B: Luke Voit (98 points) / Freddie Freeman (98 points)
2B: Javier Baez (100 points) / Whit Merrifield (100 points)
3B: Nolan Arenado (123 points) / Maikel Franco (106 points)
SS: Jorge Polanco (102 points) / Paul DeJong (101 points)
OF: Cody Bellinger (179 points) / Mookie Betts (110 points)
OF: Christian Yelich (156 points) / Alex Gordon (106 points)
OF: Mike Trout (128 points) / George Springer (97 points)
UT: Marcell Ozuna (117 points) / Trevor Story (99 points)
In other news, Lars Anderson has announced his retirement. When I first read the news I sent my condolences to all of my Metallica fans.
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