Fantasy Baseball-- Week 21

Ballywood at 93.5, gained 3.5 points and trails by one point in a two team race. Asakusabashi is in third place, gaining one point for the week.

Ballywood made a major trade-- CC Sabathia, Matt Cain, Shin-Soo Choo, Hunter Pence and Francisco Cordero for Curtis Granderson ($17), Brad Lidge ($2), Alexi Ogando ($1), and A-Rod. Asakusabashi needs to make some of its own luck in the pitching categories-- Cain and Sabathia can do this. Giving up Curtis Granderson was a major loss, though. His latest "slam and legs" (game with a homerun plus SB) was yesterday. A-Rod at this point will certainly hit clean up for the Yankees, but I do not trust his knees. My hope is that Choo and Pence can cover most of their HR, RBIs and SB. Given that they all play for contenders, they should not sit much down the stretch.

Four two-start pitchers went, including some risky plays like Francisco Liriano (2W, 3.462ERA, 10K, 1.2308 WHIP) who did not allow an ER at Yankee stadium. Toronto rookie, Henderson Alvarez (4.091, 6, 1.3636), had a win except for a fielding error. Alexi Ogando (W, 4.050, 7, 1.2750), pitched well enough for two wins. Roy Halladay (3.214, 19,1.1429) did well despite no decisions, getting 14K in a complete game, and leaving after five innings with the lead, due to a rain delay. One start pitcher, Brandon Morrow (W, 1.500 ERA, 12K, 0.8333 WHIP) had a better week than any of them, per the CBS weekly rank. He was active! The 62 Ks has to be a team high for the year for a seven day week.

Pitching: K ERA WHIP W SV
Pace 45 ---- ----- 3.4 5
Starting Total 849 3.511 1.2687 65 84
Place 8th(-1), 7th(-1), 9th, 5th , 5th
Week 20 62 3.074 1.1287 5 5
Total 911 3.484 1.2599 70 89
8th, 7th, 9th, 5th, 5th

Mitch Moreland (0.4583,3HR, 4R, 8RBI) had a 2HR, 5RBI game against Jake Peavy. Eric Young, Jr (0.4000, 4R, 2RBI, 5SB) stole three bases in two innings. Brandon Phillips (0.4231, HR, 4R, 6RBI, SB) at leadoff has been solid. Mike Stanton (0.2857, 4HR, 5R, 6RBI) is looking like a keeper. As with the pitching categories, every hitting category for the week was at or better than the established pace.

Hitting: BA HR RBI R SB
Pace 12 43 45 8
Starting Total 0.2700 233 812 854 147
4th 1at (+1/2) 2nd 1st 2nd (+1/2)
Week 20 0.3019 15 50 54 11
Total 0.2717 248 866 904 158
4th 1st 2nd 1st 2nd

Mike Minor was added for this week due to two start status. Matt Cain, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Nolasco also each start twice. Sabathia rather than Halladay has the ninth start, as Halladay is not scheduled until Sunday, and I would hate to not have a fifth pitcher due to a canceled or postponed game. Javier Vazquez was added for Week 22. Sabathia, Kuroda and Garcia will be the two-starters per the calendar. If this schedule remains, then Halladay becomes the ninth starter. This is go for broke time. 5 wins=3 places. 11 saves = 3 places. 0.025 WHIP= 3 places. 28K=3 places. 0.02 ERA= 2 places or 0.17ERA= 4 places. There are enough competitive points in pitching categories for first place. Second place, just two points away, is realistic, given the randomness of baseball, and because many of the points needed will come by outperforming trailers who have less incentive to gun for it. (This works against Asakusabashi in hitting categories, as it will be possible for other teams to make up points against the bottom of the league.) In hitting categories, 0.0060 BA = 3 points, 3RBI=1 point and 8 SB=1 point. These five points represent first in all five hitting categories. Hanging on to hitting points will be hard part enough. Getting to 60/60 hitting points would be unexpected.


Zimmerman (.500, 3HR), Napoli (.345, 2HR), Teixeira(.304, 2HR), Phillips(.423, HR, SB) and Kimbrel (3SV, 9K) were the top Ballywood players.