Well, I toyed with the idea of last minute changes...but decided not to. I'll be the first to say it. I feel very uneasy with this team of mine. Not too much to my liking to be honest. But, we stick to our guns, eh?
Good luck y'all.
Champs League is Full - Good Luck Fellas!
by kaviksdad » Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:58 am
I don't normally defend my winning percentage, but if you look at mine this year you'll find it much lower than normal - except when you look strictly at the tour.
I've been in much fewer leagues this year, other than the tour, and those I have been in are long term keeper leagues. This year I essentially forfeited any chance to win in order to develop monster teams in the future (right Qk?). We'll see how that works, but 6 of my 2006 teams were of that type and my winning percentage was significantly lower than usual (My future draft picks were quite high, however).
I didn't not participate in any autoleagues this year, so I couldn't "pad my stats" so to speak.
As for predictions, I agree that the West is the toughest - with Spicki and Marcus as 2 of the toughest managers I've faced (repeatedly) this year. I'm also quite happy to be away from Qk, who seems to beat me up on a regular basis with his LH teams.
I've been in much fewer leagues this year, other than the tour, and those I have been in are long term keeper leagues. This year I essentially forfeited any chance to win in order to develop monster teams in the future (right Qk?). We'll see how that works, but 6 of my 2006 teams were of that type and my winning percentage was significantly lower than usual (My future draft picks were quite high, however).
I didn't not participate in any autoleagues this year, so I couldn't "pad my stats" so to speak.
As for predictions, I agree that the West is the toughest - with Spicki and Marcus as 2 of the toughest managers I've faced (repeatedly) this year. I'm also quite happy to be away from Qk, who seems to beat me up on a regular basis with his LH teams.
- kaviksdad
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by MARCPELLETIER » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:52 pm
Well, here is my view.
I insist here on the weaknesses, but obviously, we are all capable managers that avoid the obvious mistakes on spending un-wisely the money. So please don't forget that I consider you all very good coaches (all of you). :D
East
1-maligned
[b:ac4720534a]strength[/b:ac4720534a]:
7 SPs, which allow him to match his rotation to his opponents line-ups;
reverse rhp a powerful tool against his division; bullpen committee a bit weak, but perfectly adapted to his stadium;
Strong middle defense.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness[/b:ac4720534a]
-has the single most overrated player in his roster (Helton).
Original platoons (at 2b, dh, c?) that perhaps are not as optimal as they could be.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I consider this team to be the most capable to win inside AND outside its division.
2-bombers
[b:ac4720534a]strength[/b:ac4720534a]: line-ups perfectly fit for MM, with on-base from left-handed hitters and power from the right side.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness[/b:ac4720534a]: his strong rhp will get a severe beating in many games against his divisional opponents. Bedard is a too costly #5. Bullpen would have beneficiated from having some strong and reverse rhp instead of having all E relievers.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: Team will struggle inside the division, but will succede outside the division. It's hard to figure out if this will be sufficient to hold on first place, once game 130 arrives.
3-stevep
[b:ac4720534a]strength:[/b:ac4720534a]
8 left-handed hitters, which provides an advantage considering that bombers and most teams outside his division opted for strong rhp.
Has some reverse left-handed hitters, provided a good balance.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
-Team overall is not fit to the power that its stadium yields. The pitchers overall, and moreover the bullpen, allow a lot of homeruns, while his offensive line-up is relatively weak. Will end up with much more homeruns allowed than hit. Team perfectly fit for Dolphins, RFK, or Tropicana, but not Ameriquest.
-The unbalanced line-up (8 left-handed hitters) will cause problems if the team makes the playoffs, as opponents will be able to sit the strong rhp that the team will see during the season (for example, spicki will sit Escobar (one of his 5 regular SP) if he crosses stevep during the first-round. Considering that the reigning champ is gonna be the one winning the Finals, and not winning the overall season, stevep's team is likely to yield an important edge to his opponents when playoffs kick in.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I am perhaps under-estimating the potential of this team to capitalize on the BP homeruns of its opposing teams, perhaps making me un-appreciate the real strength of this team. What I am certain is that a team playing in a stadium that stresses power cannot afford to lose the homerun battle. I think this team will lose this battle.
4-odie
[b:ac4720534a]strength:[/b:ac4720534a]
-powerful line-up that includes some of the best effective players. Francoeur is a nice addition to an overall line-up clearly shifted towards hitting rhp.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
team is overspending on bullpen, given his stadium, and still doesn't have a clear-cut closer for 1-run games;
Berkman playing in left-field is not worth 6M;
Team best fit for Ameriquest, but Tropicana lacks power for this line-up to take full advantage of the game.
Harris is too weak to be a lead-off; no valuable dh waiting on the bench to pinch-hit for the platoon Harris/Carroll.
I have rarely seen catcher Martinez being worth the money.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is the most unorthodox in this league, so perhaps I lack to see the strength of its most surprising choices.
1-mcsoupy
[b:ac4720534a]strength: [/b:ac4720534a] Team fit to its stadium, with strong lefty pitching forcing opponents to rely on direct homeruns;
Right-handed Turnbow and Crain will force opponents to rely on Hal for making the right pinch-hits.
Has some of the best values in Floyd, Kotsay.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Team would have been more efficient if the lefty SPs had more BP homeruns on their cards.
Likely to lack a third reliever.
No good back-up for injury-prone Johnson except for dh-Giambi. This can cause problems.
Schneider`s defense is a waste of money with all SPs and closer having a hold no worse than -5.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: Its homefield will hurt its opponents (inside and outside its division), many of which rely on the long ball vs lhp. I think this edge will compensate from the many small weaknesses that will nevertheless hurt the team along the way.
2-Cummings
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Offensive line-up clearly shifted towards hitting lhp better, a strong positive in a division loaded of lefty pitching.
Best combo in Lee-ARod
The pitching is perfectly fit for his division, with the importance set on of reverse rhp.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Team will struggle outside its division, as the other teams will take advantage of its stadium and its pitching squad.
Needs the right bullpen settings, as the weak starting rotation will stress the use by Hal of the trio Osoria-Kline-Mercker.
Team could have beneficiated from a few more platoons at the positions held by cheap stakes.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is clearly the best fit when playing inside its division. Perhaps it will make enough damage to its divisional opponents to occupy first place until the end of the season.
3-qksilver
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Late roster moves improved the team by increasing power vs lhp and solidifying the bullpen for a much-needing starting rotation;
Starting rotation will beneficiate from playing in a division with low BP homerun ratings;
Good balance of strong on-base at the top of the line-up and powerful clean-ups vs both lh and rh.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Stadium doesn't offer a clear edge to the team;
Challenging bullpen for fixing the right settings, as this team needs 150+ IP of Wagner.
Lefty starting rotation is a weakness in this division that includes some strong line-ups vs lhp, and doesn't provide any clear-cut advantage.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is hampered by the fact that it plays in the hand of his divisional opponents, without getting much benefit in return.
4-cminton
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Offensive line-up shifted towards hitting lhp including some of the best offensive reverse left-handed hitter, a good asset in a division loaded of lefty pitching
Overall team fits well the stadium.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
From my experience, expensive 5-men rotation rarely pay back the money invested.
Strong left-handed (Duke, Rogers, Kazmir) will allow opponents to make easy adjustments.
Bench is extremely weak.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I have seen cminton having good win-loss records in the past with teams having a 5-men rotation despite finishing with approximately even RA/RS. In my opinion, this is not likely to work in this competitive level.
1-spicki
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Pitching structure extremely well fit for power stadiums, with Clemens at #1 and three top-notch relievers to take the load for the rest of the rotation. Nice asset with homefield being USCellular and with Coors in the division;
Will hit many more homeruns than will allow homeruns.
Good mix of platoons and injury-prone players, which increases the effectiveness of the money invested.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
One-dimensional offense, with relatively weak on-base and low speed, can cause problems on the road in a league that is slightly shifted towards pitching stadiums
Injuries can cause problems with Hal not able to keep up with the right changes
Offensive line-ups with potentially the worst gbA profile in the league will stop some rallies (Castillo, Tejada, Stinett/Greene, Gibbons, Durazo all over 25 chances).
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: The team is built to win many games against cheap SPs, which are easily under stress in US Cellular, and for whom relievers are not always available. Playoffs are of another nature.
2-marcus wilby
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Has potentially the top 3*SP best fit for a low-hitting stadium. Team will be very strong in the playoffs, with its top SP taking potentially 85% of all starts during the playoffs (compared to 75% during the season).
Extremely solid middle defense.
Solid bench
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Lacking on-base at the top of the line-up. Overall on-base is low for a team playing in Kauffman.
Roberts often not worth his money.
Offensive line-ups include some low-average-hitting players (Sexson, Langerhans, Thomas) that don't fit the stadium.
Cabrera-Dickey-Elarton appear as an extensive pitching combo (3M) for the #4 spot only.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team offers lots of flexibility of the manager I am who likes to make day-to-day adjustments. My hope is that this will be sufficient to maintain myself in the playoff picture, and then have my top three firearm to dominate the playoffs.
3-kaviksdad
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
REverse lhp (Santana, Davis) likely to be a major strength in the division.
Very potent pitching structure, with solid SPs, outstanding closer, and a capable set-up man to make the bridge when needed
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
For a team playing in Coors, it lacks some power, with 3 positions (both vs lhp and vs rhp) providing no power.
Weak defense in the corners (lf, 1b, 3b) will cost some games
Perhaps lacking a third solid reliever for home games
Sweeney and Murton don't appear to me as the most effective players at their respective positions.
The starting rotation is vulnerable against the long ball.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is a very capable, balanced team, in a stadium that is usually home of unbalanced teams. Will certainly finish with a positive record.
4- sknsfan
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Good balance of money spent on SP, RP, and offense.
Bullpen depth allows the team to make aggressive change
Team powerful enough to play in division with kaviksdad and spicki
Strongest 3-4 combo in the league after Lee-ARod (with Pujols and Bay) will score runs in all stadiums.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Weak ss-2b combo.
Taveras likely to be one of the weakest lead-off in the league.
Offensive line-up with 9 right-handed hitters allow oppsing teams to confront this team with aggressive right-handed SP.
Team would improve with a stronger #1 set-up man at the expense of #2 and #3 set-up men.
Pujols and Bay among the worst values in the league's set.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is not bad, overall, and will win many games at home. But the presence of Escobar, Webb, and Cabrera in the division, in addition to the other dominant pitchers (Clemens, Martinez, Santana) will not give any rest to this offense.
I insist here on the weaknesses, but obviously, we are all capable managers that avoid the obvious mistakes on spending un-wisely the money. So please don't forget that I consider you all very good coaches (all of you). :D
East
1-maligned
[b:ac4720534a]strength[/b:ac4720534a]:
7 SPs, which allow him to match his rotation to his opponents line-ups;
reverse rhp a powerful tool against his division; bullpen committee a bit weak, but perfectly adapted to his stadium;
Strong middle defense.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness[/b:ac4720534a]
-has the single most overrated player in his roster (Helton).
Original platoons (at 2b, dh, c?) that perhaps are not as optimal as they could be.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I consider this team to be the most capable to win inside AND outside its division.
2-bombers
[b:ac4720534a]strength[/b:ac4720534a]: line-ups perfectly fit for MM, with on-base from left-handed hitters and power from the right side.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness[/b:ac4720534a]: his strong rhp will get a severe beating in many games against his divisional opponents. Bedard is a too costly #5. Bullpen would have beneficiated from having some strong and reverse rhp instead of having all E relievers.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: Team will struggle inside the division, but will succede outside the division. It's hard to figure out if this will be sufficient to hold on first place, once game 130 arrives.
3-stevep
[b:ac4720534a]strength:[/b:ac4720534a]
8 left-handed hitters, which provides an advantage considering that bombers and most teams outside his division opted for strong rhp.
Has some reverse left-handed hitters, provided a good balance.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
-Team overall is not fit to the power that its stadium yields. The pitchers overall, and moreover the bullpen, allow a lot of homeruns, while his offensive line-up is relatively weak. Will end up with much more homeruns allowed than hit. Team perfectly fit for Dolphins, RFK, or Tropicana, but not Ameriquest.
-The unbalanced line-up (8 left-handed hitters) will cause problems if the team makes the playoffs, as opponents will be able to sit the strong rhp that the team will see during the season (for example, spicki will sit Escobar (one of his 5 regular SP) if he crosses stevep during the first-round. Considering that the reigning champ is gonna be the one winning the Finals, and not winning the overall season, stevep's team is likely to yield an important edge to his opponents when playoffs kick in.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I am perhaps under-estimating the potential of this team to capitalize on the BP homeruns of its opposing teams, perhaps making me un-appreciate the real strength of this team. What I am certain is that a team playing in a stadium that stresses power cannot afford to lose the homerun battle. I think this team will lose this battle.
4-odie
[b:ac4720534a]strength:[/b:ac4720534a]
-powerful line-up that includes some of the best effective players. Francoeur is a nice addition to an overall line-up clearly shifted towards hitting rhp.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
team is overspending on bullpen, given his stadium, and still doesn't have a clear-cut closer for 1-run games;
Berkman playing in left-field is not worth 6M;
Team best fit for Ameriquest, but Tropicana lacks power for this line-up to take full advantage of the game.
Harris is too weak to be a lead-off; no valuable dh waiting on the bench to pinch-hit for the platoon Harris/Carroll.
I have rarely seen catcher Martinez being worth the money.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is the most unorthodox in this league, so perhaps I lack to see the strength of its most surprising choices.
1-mcsoupy
[b:ac4720534a]strength: [/b:ac4720534a] Team fit to its stadium, with strong lefty pitching forcing opponents to rely on direct homeruns;
Right-handed Turnbow and Crain will force opponents to rely on Hal for making the right pinch-hits.
Has some of the best values in Floyd, Kotsay.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Team would have been more efficient if the lefty SPs had more BP homeruns on their cards.
Likely to lack a third reliever.
No good back-up for injury-prone Johnson except for dh-Giambi. This can cause problems.
Schneider`s defense is a waste of money with all SPs and closer having a hold no worse than -5.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: Its homefield will hurt its opponents (inside and outside its division), many of which rely on the long ball vs lhp. I think this edge will compensate from the many small weaknesses that will nevertheless hurt the team along the way.
2-Cummings
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Offensive line-up clearly shifted towards hitting lhp better, a strong positive in a division loaded of lefty pitching.
Best combo in Lee-ARod
The pitching is perfectly fit for his division, with the importance set on of reverse rhp.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Team will struggle outside its division, as the other teams will take advantage of its stadium and its pitching squad.
Needs the right bullpen settings, as the weak starting rotation will stress the use by Hal of the trio Osoria-Kline-Mercker.
Team could have beneficiated from a few more platoons at the positions held by cheap stakes.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is clearly the best fit when playing inside its division. Perhaps it will make enough damage to its divisional opponents to occupy first place until the end of the season.
3-qksilver
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Late roster moves improved the team by increasing power vs lhp and solidifying the bullpen for a much-needing starting rotation;
Starting rotation will beneficiate from playing in a division with low BP homerun ratings;
Good balance of strong on-base at the top of the line-up and powerful clean-ups vs both lh and rh.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Stadium doesn't offer a clear edge to the team;
Challenging bullpen for fixing the right settings, as this team needs 150+ IP of Wagner.
Lefty starting rotation is a weakness in this division that includes some strong line-ups vs lhp, and doesn't provide any clear-cut advantage.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is hampered by the fact that it plays in the hand of his divisional opponents, without getting much benefit in return.
4-cminton
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Offensive line-up shifted towards hitting lhp including some of the best offensive reverse left-handed hitter, a good asset in a division loaded of lefty pitching
Overall team fits well the stadium.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
From my experience, expensive 5-men rotation rarely pay back the money invested.
Strong left-handed (Duke, Rogers, Kazmir) will allow opponents to make easy adjustments.
Bench is extremely weak.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: I have seen cminton having good win-loss records in the past with teams having a 5-men rotation despite finishing with approximately even RA/RS. In my opinion, this is not likely to work in this competitive level.
1-spicki
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Pitching structure extremely well fit for power stadiums, with Clemens at #1 and three top-notch relievers to take the load for the rest of the rotation. Nice asset with homefield being USCellular and with Coors in the division;
Will hit many more homeruns than will allow homeruns.
Good mix of platoons and injury-prone players, which increases the effectiveness of the money invested.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
One-dimensional offense, with relatively weak on-base and low speed, can cause problems on the road in a league that is slightly shifted towards pitching stadiums
Injuries can cause problems with Hal not able to keep up with the right changes
Offensive line-ups with potentially the worst gbA profile in the league will stop some rallies (Castillo, Tejada, Stinett/Greene, Gibbons, Durazo all over 25 chances).
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: The team is built to win many games against cheap SPs, which are easily under stress in US Cellular, and for whom relievers are not always available. Playoffs are of another nature.
2-marcus wilby
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Has potentially the top 3*SP best fit for a low-hitting stadium. Team will be very strong in the playoffs, with its top SP taking potentially 85% of all starts during the playoffs (compared to 75% during the season).
Extremely solid middle defense.
Solid bench
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Lacking on-base at the top of the line-up. Overall on-base is low for a team playing in Kauffman.
Roberts often not worth his money.
Offensive line-ups include some low-average-hitting players (Sexson, Langerhans, Thomas) that don't fit the stadium.
Cabrera-Dickey-Elarton appear as an extensive pitching combo (3M) for the #4 spot only.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team offers lots of flexibility of the manager I am who likes to make day-to-day adjustments. My hope is that this will be sufficient to maintain myself in the playoff picture, and then have my top three firearm to dominate the playoffs.
3-kaviksdad
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
REverse lhp (Santana, Davis) likely to be a major strength in the division.
Very potent pitching structure, with solid SPs, outstanding closer, and a capable set-up man to make the bridge when needed
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
For a team playing in Coors, it lacks some power, with 3 positions (both vs lhp and vs rhp) providing no power.
Weak defense in the corners (lf, 1b, 3b) will cost some games
Perhaps lacking a third solid reliever for home games
Sweeney and Murton don't appear to me as the most effective players at their respective positions.
The starting rotation is vulnerable against the long ball.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is a very capable, balanced team, in a stadium that is usually home of unbalanced teams. Will certainly finish with a positive record.
4- sknsfan
[b:ac4720534a]strength [/b:ac4720534a]:
Good balance of money spent on SP, RP, and offense.
Bullpen depth allows the team to make aggressive change
Team powerful enough to play in division with kaviksdad and spicki
Strongest 3-4 combo in the league after Lee-ARod (with Pujols and Bay) will score runs in all stadiums.
[b:ac4720534a]weakness:[/b:ac4720534a]
Weak ss-2b combo.
Taveras likely to be one of the weakest lead-off in the league.
Offensive line-up with 9 right-handed hitters allow oppsing teams to confront this team with aggressive right-handed SP.
Team would improve with a stronger #1 set-up man at the expense of #2 and #3 set-up men.
Pujols and Bay among the worst values in the league's set.
[b:ac4720534a]Overall[/b:ac4720534a]: This team is not bad, overall, and will win many games at home. But the presence of Escobar, Webb, and Cabrera in the division, in addition to the other dominant pitchers (Clemens, Martinez, Santana) will not give any rest to this offense.
Last edited by MARCPELLETIER on Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
- MARCPELLETIER
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
by kaviksdad » Thu Feb 08, 2007 12:30 am
As usual, an excellent analysis Marcus. Although I don't necessarily share your opinions about Sweeney platooned in Coors, you seem to have my team pegged exactly how I see it. I'm really counting on Rivera to lock down those 1 run games, and as that goes, so goes my season.
- kaviksdad
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:34 pm
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