RCL Roundup: July 16

The Fugs (Epic Beardmen Division) were joined atop the overall standings by Rank Railheads (RCL 40), each with 112 points. The Fugs have managed to overcome the lengthy absence of their number 1 pick (7th overall), Evan Longoria. The Railheads, with the 2nd pick, started their team with Miguel Cabrera. 2 other top 10 teams, Retro Vertigo (ECFBL) and captainpyper (RCL 3), also grabbed Miggy in round 1.  3 more selected Ryan Braun (That’s Not Very Maybin  — RCL Original Recipe, Bay Bombers — Razz Roto 2, and Barry Bonds — RCL 20), while The Gaylords (Conshellation Prize) and Rube Waddell’s Shiny Objects (Magnificent Mustachioed Men) took Joey Votto. We’ve Got the Runs (Baseball Reasons) started by selecting (perhaps accidentally?) Robinson Cano with the 9th pick.

Kiss The Midget (Sphinctory Staff Inflection) added 10 points and were the top gainers, moving up 117 positions to 194th place. Ali’s Beard (Myrtle’s Acres) jumped another 80 spots in the standings to reach the top 100. They have now advanced from 491st to 82nd since June 4.

Expert League: Ryan Carey (Mastersball Carey) extended his lead to 14.5 points behind the fine efforts of Justin Verlander and Matt Cain, along with Mark Teixeira’s 3 home runs in 3 days. Rudy slipped to 3rd place, two and a half back of Dash Davidson (Steamer Dome). Grey gained a point, but remained in 7th. Dalton Del Don (RotoWire Del Don) had a great 3 days, gaining 10 points and jumping 103 spots in the overall standing to 157th. Led by Andre Ethier, Curtis Granderson, and David Ortiz, his team hit .366 with 29 runs, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann anchored the pitching staff, which finished with 3 wins, 4 saves, and 34 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.34 and 1.07 WHIP.

Trades: I traded Jay Bruce for Clayton Kershaw in 1 of the 13 trades completed during all star week. CK immediately gave me a win with 6 strikeouts, 1.50 ERA, and 1.50 WHIP. Mauledbypandas picked up Mark Buehrle to replace Kershaw on his team, Lucky Llamas, and scored a win with 7 Ks, a 1.29 ERA, and 1.14 WHIP. Somewhere, Simply Fred is shaking his head, muttering, “Don’t trade for pitching.” Meanwhile, in the blockbuster of the week, Fred (The Fredsies) sent Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, and Ernesto Frieri to cboruff1 (Copales Charros) for Andrew McCutchen, Will Middlebrooks, Anthony Rizzo, and Jonathan Broxton. In The Dread Pirate Returns, Lajka Bejka traded Joey Votto and James McDonald to Butte Marauders for Trevor Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer, and Justin Verlander. RCL 4 saw Hanley Ramirez dealt for Erick Aybar, Brett Myers, and Matt Harrison. You can find all the trades listed in the fantasy baseball forums. Look for the RCL under “Everything Else.” Also, be sure to check out the Streaming With The Fredsies thread, where Fred graciously allows us to look in on the moves he makes for his RCL team, and helps everyone make pitching decisions.

With the short week, I thought it was a good time to check out the top season stats, rather than the weekly leaders.

* pitching numbers will depend on the use of RP when 180 starts are reached.

TEAM OF THE WEEK — July 9 — July 15
Playin’ The Field    (Beef SAGNOF!)
40/139 (.288) 23R/13 HR/25 RBI/2 SB	28 IP 36K/3 W/0.64/0.75/5 S
Playin’ The Field welcomed back Matt Kemp (5-for-9) to an offense featuring Andrew McCutchen (.583/3 HR) along with Edwin Encarnacion, Erick Aybar, Chase Headley, and Mark Trumbo, who each hit 2 home runs in the 3-day week. Justin Verlander (8 Ks), Cole Hamels (7 Ks), and Jordan Zimmermann (6 Ks) all contributed wins, while Craig Kimbrel (6 Ks in 2 innings) and Santiago Casilla added 2 saves apiece.