In an industry, ‘pert 12-team mock draft that I recently participated in, I grabbed Max Kepler with the 194th overall pick, and, quite honestly, I could’ve likely took him in the final round, or just grabbed him off waivers if there were waivers in a mock draft, which there’s not. No one cares about the Twins. I’d say Twins lives matter, but I’m not trying to incite riots. One quick point on that, when someone says “Save the whales” they’re not saying, “I hope a dolphin gets caught in a tuna net and is fed to a group of Japanese tourists as they watch The Cove.” It’s save the whales, not save the whales and eff all other fish. Here’s my 2017 mock draft team, if anyone’s interested. I’d put little to no weight on my draft. I had zero prep and was asked about an hour prior to participate. Last year in 113 games and 396 ABs, Kepler went 52/17/63/.235/6. Obviously, the average is puke-green trying to play itself as Fern Green, Army Green or Avocado. You’re puke-green, and you’re caught. The rest is not bad at all. Mr. Prorater, the assessor of missed time, would put his line at 67/21/79/.240/8. Though, we must remember, when one assesses, they make an ass out of esses, and that’ll get you killed in some hoods. So, what can we expect from Max Kepler for 2017 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
Ideally, Kepler will play from Opening Day on, and hit fifth. Last year, he hit a wall in the 2nd half of the year as his average and power dipped. Or as they say in Kepler’s hometown of Berlin, “Walls are for balls to be hit over, not ideals.” With a full season under his belt, I expect Kepler to hold up better over the course of a season and have a better feel for opposing pitchers. Or as they say in Berlin, “I will guten tag that ball.” Likely, the biggest surprise from his minor league time and major league games is his lack of walks. He had seasons above .400 OBP in the minors, and, last year, he barely cracked .300 with .309. Outside of OBP or Points Leagues, I’m not sure we care, as long as he continues to hit for power and steal bases, which I think he will do. One year he stole 18 bases, and I think he can approach that in the majors too, as soon as this year, because the Twins have nothing to lose. With modest gains on Kepler’s strikeouts and walks, he’ll be on base more. Then, throw in a bit more BABIP (was .261 last year which is low for him), and he could approach .280/.350 for batting average/OBP. That takes him from his six steals to 14 SBs without even trying. The power is there too. He ropes bombs. He averaged about the same distance on his homers as McCutchen, Cano and A-Gon. 22 HRs over the course of the season feels a bit conservative, but I don’t want to gas people up too high, so I’ll give Kepler the 2017 projections of 74/23/85/.266/14, which is a solid third to fourth outfielder with room for upside. Or as they say in Berlin, “Auf wieder-schwing!”
I saw the whole draft and added Kepler to my reserves in most leagues.
In a 12 team dynasty weekly league keep all, with wins and net wins (I know, luck categories ) I scored 1 point last year in each but still managed a 4th place finish overall due to bats, saves and K’s. Here is my current staff. We start 10 pitchers so I usually have 7 SP and 3 closers.
Kershaw, Archer,Ray,Pomeranz,McHugh,J. Ross,Stroman, Velasquez and Gsellman.
Closers I have Allen,Jansen,Thornburg and Ramos. All set there.
1. Do you think this staff can compete considering two categories are tied to wins along with K’s, ERA and WHIP?
2. My most obvious trade chip is Kershaw. I was thinking of offering him in trades. What’s your thoughts of asking for D.Duffy, Quintana,K. Hendricks and W. Contreras (he has 4 catchers) for Kershaw, Stroman,and Ramos?
The wire is picked clean with 120 pitchers on rosters plus more on reserves. I’m always in the razzball mode of win now.
Thanks, and have a good day.
@Packers:
I don’t like that trade for you.
Kershaw & Stroman have the best chance of getting wins for you, not a big fan of Duffy for 2017, Royals and Whitesox are not a good source of wins for 2017.
I’d offer Ramos for Kendricks or Stroman & Ramos for Kendricks & Contreras, if you really need a catcher.
@Malicious Phenoms: random question re Duffy for 2017-what don’t you like about him? From what I see, Although he broke out with his K rate, the GB rate could be an issue next year
@M:
I think last year was kinda of a fluke, don’t see a high ceiling with Duffy and some regression is in order for 2017, IMHO of course..
@Packers: 1. I think it can 2. Don’t love the trade
Save the rainforests and Eff the Redwoods. Those tall jerks are always stealing all the shine! Typical coastal Lib trees!
@Ralph Lifshitz:
Eff saving anything, save your self, and get the F out of America, while you still can!
@Ralph Lifshitz: I’m a coastal elite
@Grey: Yeah me too haha
Nuh-uh! I’m downright snobby!
@Grey: So! I have IQ parties where we only eat imported cheese and drink wine from the previous decade.
Cute, I’m doing a Sudoku right now
@Grey: I just quoted french literature in a conversation about the Pacific-Rim Economy. All my quotes were in French, and I refused to translate after.
I’m dressed in Vineyard Vines and talking about my father’s yacht, and I call him father
@Grey: I have the ugliest Patagonia fleece ever on. It looks like a skinned an Ewok.
I’m wearing a bow tie, b/c I do every day
you two actually made me laugh today. Why in my ind do i see you rolling around the condo with a t-shirt that has the bow tie printed on it
Yeah, with track pants… I own a bow tie (wore one for my wedding), and tried to put it on again this summer for another wedding, and I couldn’t get it on with the help of a YouTube video
have you ever worn one with no shirt like Brutus Beefcake?
Right after booty-takin’ time
takin as in you just robes her of a spoke or as in shakin like doing the mating dance?
Like the African Anteater Mating Ritual!
thats quite a snout
What order would you rank these guys in dynasty leagues going forward? Dahl, benintendi, and bregman
@Nick:
1. Dahl
2. Benintendi
3. Bregman
@Nick: Dahl, Benintendi, close
@Grey: thank you! Love your stuff!
Thanks!
@Grey: I hate to be that guy but I lean Bregs slightly above the others, actually coin flip with him and Dahl. Actually all three are pretty even. This is one of those you cant go wrong questions
Yeah, I could see that, hence the close
@Grey: I think if its close always go IF only because there always to be OF’s to be had and we can patchwork something in a bind where at the hot corner you can go years without someone decent if you miss the boat
Yeah, but OF is shallower now than IF
@Grey: I think its an anomaly right now. I can still patchwork a platoon for OF better than IF
Yeah, it’s close either way
Nice early mock draft, some solid pickin!
Baseball Winter meetings comin up..
It’s startin to feel a lot like baseball 2017 is gettin closer everyday!
@Malicious Phenoms: Thanks! Oh yeah!
I dig Kepler going forward. His minors numbers are all pretty solid (usually near 10%BB and 15%K) and with 20/20 upside. His performance this year was impressive considering that he’s 23 and facing guys like Sale, Quintana, Verlander, Carrasco, and Salazar in that division.
Two Twins players as fantasy sleepers going into next year? This is weird.
@Tweak: Yeah, this might be the last mention of a Twin player for a while
Sup Grey…making a roster cut in my dynasty…i know its apples n oranges but would u rather have Paxton or Asdrubal for 1 yr? QS league. Or is it tomato tomahto based on need
@danny almonte: Paxton
To paraphrase what the AT&T CEO said on the topic recently…God Bless America doesn’t mean you’re saying God doesn’t bless other countries. Saying All Lives Matter is as dumb a retort as saying All Fish Matter.
@Squat Cobblers: Ha, yup
Grey!
Great write-up, almost in mid-season form. Pace yourself!!!
a. Watched Hell or Highwater over the weekend on your recommendation alone. Wanted to watch it with someone but no one cool enough so watched it on my laptop! Fantastic movie! Give me more recommendations, please!
b. Saw The Cove, agreed totally on Green Peace whale fanatics not caring about dolphins at the same time.
c. Gonna love Kepler too! He should at least have the physics of hitting down, if he could ever listen to his father or grandfather whoever the master physicist is in the family.
d. Sorry for arriving late. Got all tangled up in a web of SNAFU. Riddle me this one.
1. A staff member claims to have received a phone call from some guy mimicking a woman’s voice.
2. Staff member claims to have never seen the number and does not know the individual caller.
3. Staff member says ‘Who is this?’ To which they reply ‘Who are you?’ To which he (dumbly) replies ‘I’m Hissein (aka his name)’. And then the caller hangs up.
4. Moments later the local sheriff calls him over from his car without telling him what for. Standard fare here in Chad, there are no Miranda rights therefore no requirements to read them.
5. The sheriff confiscates his laptop and mobile phone and demands a 20$ (a small fortune here, btw!) guarantee as bail (more or less) to release him.
6. The complainant says that my staff member knows the woman (aka the complainant’s wife) and that is grounds enough to sue him for God knows what – almost always relates to some kind of cash punishment.
7. The sheriff has called both my staff member and the couple (the complainants) to his office tomorrow morning to straighten the matter out. If my staff member is innocent they will refund him the fee and (more importantly) his company-issued laptop and the mobile phone. If he is guilty, I will go to jail with him so they will be unable to put him in jail.
8. Using Sherlock Holmes methodology, only 3 possibilities exist.
a. My staff member knows the woman and the husband found his number on her mobile phone and tried calling my staff member in a disguised voice to see if he could catch him saying something like hey mon cheri or something similar.
b. My staff member does not know either of them.
c. The woman has had an affair with someone. In need of a fall guy, she contacts her friends to give her the name of a dummy (aka my staff member) which she gives to her husband to defend herself.
What do you think? Could be enough material for a nice short thriller.
Cheers,
Ante
Thanks! A. Glad you liked it! Moonlight, Arrival, Manchester by the Sea B. Yup C. All Germans are physicists, fact! D. I don’t know, I’m gonna go B, they don’t know either and it’s just Chad being Chad
@Grey: Grey!
Thanks! Will let you know anon on (stutterer) the outcome.
Cheers,
Ante
Yes, I look forward to the mystery being solved
#blackholesmatter
Stephen Hawking, that you?
@Grey: E40=mc hammer
No way! E40=St. Ides
@Grey: Wrong again E-40 = Sizzle I-dizzle
So how do you account for Sizzle l-dizzle is the middle name on Drake’s license?
@Ralph Lifshitz: forty fonzarely!
Hi Grey- Question for you. 16 team keep 6 forever. I have a offer on the table. Machado for Bryant. Here is my roster of poss keeps: Do I take Machado or do I need more like picks?
Thanks in advance
Bryant
Abreu
Posey
Polanco
Yelich
Freeman
Longo
Seagura
I’d want Bryant
Too early for SAGNOF? With Benoit now on board, who gets saves to start the year in Philly?
My guess is it would be Benoit
Hey Grey! In a keep 7 forever, $3 inflation league would you trade:
1. your $30 Kershaw for a $10 JD Mart + one of $11 Carrasco or $12 Degrom?
2. your $4 Ozuna, $5 Schoop, or $8 T Anderson for a $5 Rich Hill or $3 VMart (love those prices)
Thanks!
1. Sure, Carrasco 2. Yeah, Hill side
Does Jake McGee get the closer job in the mile ‘HIGH’ city?
Ottavino is current closer in Colorado
@Grey:
I know, just wondering if you think McGee could eventually take the job.
McGee didn’t do much in Colorado to warrant it last year, and he’s a lefty, so meh, maybe
@Grey:
ok, fair enough, thanks!
No problem
Grey. I’ve been away from baseball a bit as I need to decompress but I loved your save the whales bit.
Ha, thanks!
@Grey: Fuck those dolphin assholes with their squeaking
HA
hi grey
miss u
Hey, you too, Peacecoast!
I’m not fully caught up on westworld but have been loving it. Thoughts?
I’d compare it to Lost, but I was more emotionally involved with Westworld…I’m enjoying Westworld, but feel kinda detached from caring about the characters
@Grey: interesting. I kind of feel similar but I cared about the characters on lost
@Zeus: I’ll admit it. I cried like a baby when sun and Jin and sawyer and Juliet got together in the final episode
Hey Gray. Loved Kepler last summer, when he was hot he won me several weeks mid-summer in my h2h Points league all on his own..
Anyway who are the 6 keepers from this lot? Rounds 1-6, can keep anyone forever. I don’t like any of my pitchers as an “ace”, but there definitely won’t be any better pitchers on the board by round 6, nearly all top pitchers are kept, they’re highly valued in my h2h (Scherzer had the most points in the league last year).
Trout
Arenado
Rizzo
F. Lindor
Trea Turner
Bautista
Cutch
Salazar
Duffy
Britton (?)
Fuck save the whales, you speciest!