Power Rankings - The Bottom Half

Editor's note: I decided in order to make these power rankings more interesting, rather than being so optimistic for the top 6, you, being in the bottom half of the league will be under much more scrutiny. I want to keep this interesting so prepare to have your team bashed. This may also help motivate guys in the bottom half to exceed into the top 6 rankings. Guys who are relegated from the top 6 are open season. Should be a fun way to go about these rankings and best of luck the rest of the way.

Pat, Brian, & Joe determining who will be the first one to "spread out". - Gene Quinn, Norwood Park Baseball 2001

 7. Mark's Team (2-3)

Mark, in every team picture ever.

Mark's team turned out to be a tough formidable opponent. Some key players that did some damage were Goldschmit & Big Papi, with a couple stud throwers including: Keuchel, Strasburg, & Mcgee. I personally want to thank Mark for not making the draft, subsequently auto-drafting.  Turns out, he was the pick before me and I was quite satisfied with the amount of available players left for the taking. You're the man Mark!

Some favorable #'s

• Sacrifice Fly - 15 tied for league best
• Walks - 151 
• Pitching Strikeouts- league leading 266

Very similar stats to my team, leading in sacrifice fly's & intentional walks. Thus, concluding that teams are afraid to pitch to Mark's ball club. Guys are old school, they get RBI Sac fly's & walk their way to first every damn game. What real key X factor this team possesses is David Ortiz. The guy is an animal and is rounding third on his way home to end his career. Here is an article portraying the story of David Ortiz hitting a home run for a young boy named Maverick, great story.

Still, very scary...........

 

Has strong potential to move up into the top 6 with veteran ball players and solid pitching core. For now, he will have to lead off the bottom half.

Draft Grade: F (Manager did not show up to draft.)

8. Nolan's Team (2-3)

Sadly, this first season for Nolan will have a gut wrenching punch that may overlook prolonged success. You all know what I am referring to. We all wanted to see who would grab the king of SWAT, Kyle Schwarber. I took Cano with the 51st pick, while Nolan grabbed Schwarber the very next pick at 52.

 The moment Kyle went down:

The moment Nolan knew his season had ended:

Just a brutal start to the season. To re-iterate: this injury happened during the first week of games (so Schwarber essentially had zero games played for Nolan this fantasy season). I would be thanking Pat if I were you. Regardless, it must be tough being the youngest one in a league filled with men. I would also like to personally thank you for dropping your 9th round pick, Ian Desmond.

Some favorable #'s

• Pitcher wins - 19
• Quality Starts - League leading 25
• Solid picks in Donaldson, Sale (first pitcher to 8-0), Fowler, and the steal of the draft with the 220th pick: Michael Conforto.

Team possesses a strong ability to enter into the top 6 with a season long battle. Key performers need to remain that way throughout the season. Avoid injuries will also help.

Draft Grade: C (Sorry Schwarber)

9. Springfield Isotopes (2-3)

This team may have the best outfield in the game. Guys like Pat would have a huge problem getting an extra-base hit off this outfield. Speed kills. Trout, Pollock, Braun, Gonzalez, Elsbury, Holiday, Castillo. Pitchers can probably improve, may be an opportunity for some other managers to contact Jim for an outfielder. I believe this team is 1-2 strong starting pitchers away from that top 6 hunt.

Some favorable #'s

• None noteworthy. However, Springfield Isotopes has the first winner of the 'Papelbon of the week" award - Rougned Odor. I am not going to touch on it here, because this will get it's own post - be sure to check it out soon.

Of course this kid did roids.

Joining the ranks of managers who will test a kid out, who... will test positive for P.E.D.'s. 

Draft Grade: C-

10.  Sean's Team (1-4)

Starling Marte was placed on paternity leave at the beginning of the week. Yet, Sean started him on his active roster. My theory is that this is Sean's way of telling us he is all in on having a kid soon. Think about it, what more subtle way to announce you're expecting, then to leave a hidden GEM in your lineup. It's like he's saying, "Sure, I support this guy." In reality, he does not want to be made fun of when he subsequently has that first child and asks his boss if he can take 6 months off.

Quick, here's a live look at Sean waiting in his window for kids to show up at Imlay so he can join them in a game of H.O.R.S.E. 

 

The reason I know it will be a game of H.O.R.S.E is because there is absolutely no chance he is running up and down that court. It's why he has the smoothest shot on the NW side of the city, yet is a resemblance of Dougie Buckets on defense.

Some favorable #'s

• Doubles in a single week - 17 (week 2)
• Stolen Bases - league leading 29
• Earned Runs - League leading 66 
• Pitcher Wins - 19

Not sure how the stolen bases add up, being that this manager does not believe in speed. He's been quoted saying, "running is too much energy, hit the long ball and you can walk around the bases." 

This quote from Sean actually sums up how I see his team ending up this year. My guess is that he will lead the league in Home Runs by the end of the year. Listen to some of these guys: Story, Stanton, Bautista, Park, Hosmer, Frazier. This team is going to put up big numbers this year. Look out for a back door slider from this manager and co.

Draft Grade: C

11. Shane Falcos (1-4)

I really like the Carlos Correa pick. The kid has a chance to be one of the best short stops to play the game. This manager also possesses a unique quality and that is knowing the other GM's in the room. He saw that his guy Rizzo was off the board to the #1 sox fan in the draft, and went with the veteran pick in Jose Abreu. Now, this is certainly a step in the right direction, but it still remains to be seen if this team can win games that span a week. I really love the dedication in having Miguel Montero on your bench, who is owned in just 8% of leagues. I think you portray the optimistic Cubs fan with this look, & for whatever reason, it suits you.

Some favorable #'s

• Stuck out - League worst 67 times in week 3. 
• Wild Pitches - only 4 all season.

Striking out is going to happen, but limiting wild pitches is monumental to making a playoff run. See where I'm going with this? K, great.

Frankly, this team needs to make more moves like Abreu for Rizzo if they want any chance of making the playoffs. Pitching needs to improve, as well as team morale. Maybe you should give Papa Ross a try, he threw out 4 base runners in last night's game to Milwaukee.

Draft Grade: C-

12. The Boowahs (2-3)

Trying to play catch with Pat now-a-days.

I am sure most of you saw this coming. You know my direction of this blog and how I feel about the commish in an earlier metaphor comparing Pat's team to Todd Frazier running into a wall and breaking his face. It's no secret, and quite honest, I don't think Pat has the worst team anymore. I am ranking him last because he has made a whopping 20 moves through the first 5 weeks of the season! Where is the direction? Where is your trust in guys? I'm just glad Pat is not a major league manager because you might be on his team for a week before you get sent back down to triple A ball. Think of it this way, he has added/removed someone from his lineup 4 times/week for the past 5 weeks. That's madness. I wanted to post Pat's draft lineup to mix and match who has come and gone from his team, but I do not have 6 months like Sean to do so. It would take the world's largest nerd to create an algorithm befitting the strategy this manager is attempting to win this league with.

Some favorable #'s

• Home Runs - League best 17 in week 6
• Doubles - League best 17 in week 6
• Total Bases - League best 142 in week 6
• Caught Stealing - League worst 12 times

It is clearly evident that Pat should not be stealing bases. Sean and him should stick to H.O.R.S.E. With that being said, I would be lying if I did not tell you this team is a dark horse. As of late, this team is proving itself as a formidable foe. Definitely look for this team to make a huge comeback and fight to get in that top 6. I also have to admire owning a player like Tyler Glasnow. He is owned in just 1% of all fantasy leagues, oh, and is also still in Triple-A currently not on an active roster. Love the determination and the homework you do on these upcoming prospects. Idiotic? Sure. But, admirable.



And just how we saw Timmreck in his bunny costume, we get a glimpse of Pat in his natural habitat:

Draft Grade: D (I don't know if there are any guys on your team left from the draft.)

  

This concludes this week's power rankings. Hope you all enjoyed it. Agree with the rankings? Disagree? Have something you want mentioned? Post a comment or shoot me an email.