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2010 Half Cajun Team Capsule
2010 Butt Pirates Team Capsule
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4th PLACE - 124.0 PTS
The defending champions entered 2010 with a huge weight taken off of their shoulders following their title romp of the year before, and owner Dave Farrell felt confident in his team’s chances of a repeat – and why wouldn’t he? The HCBB MVP, Albert Pujols ($59) was back on the roster as the highest-priced keeper in the history of the league, and no one in the league featured a more impressive pair in the middle infield than did the Butt Pirates with Hanley Ramirez ($22) and Dustin Pedroia ($11). With ace starter Chris Carpenter ($18) also returning, the Pirates were easy picks to be among the contenders again – but there were signs that 2010 would not be as easy a road for the franchise to travel as had been the season prior. The signing of Everth Cabrera ($10) was a surprising one – and the two-year deal given to always-injured Ben Sheets ($6) was completely mystifying – and both decisions would come back to haunt Farrell’s squad, as both would be all but worthless in the defense of the Pirates championship. Still, the Butt Pirates forged their way to the top of the HCBB standings yet again, this time in the role of pursuer as they attempted to run down several teams, most notably 1 st half leader Half Cajun. Leading the way would be Pujols and Comeback of the Year candidate Alex Rios ($24) on offense – along with Aubrey Huff ($1), acquired in a huge trade early in the year for next-to-nothing from Time to Run in one of the steals of the year. On the mound, a bargain bullpen of closers (Brad Lidge, Andrew Bailey, and Huston Street for a total of $38) would help the Pirates lead the HCBB in saves. Farrell’s squad would be in the thick of the title chase until the very end – even managing to claw their way briefly into 1 st place on the Friday before the season ended – before slipping back into 4 th place (but only 2 points away from back-to-back titles). Even though they would narrowly miss matching the 1998-1999 Amazing Grace squad’s feat and becoming only the 2 nd team in HCBB history to win consecutive titles, the 2010 season was still another tremendous effort from a franchise that has cemented their place as one of the HCBB’s elite teams.
TEAM MVP - ALEX RIOS
White Sox outfielder Alex Rios had long been a fantasy tease with his five-tool potential, but there had been more disappointment than solid production over the years for his owners – at least until 2010 rolled around. The Butt Pirates were able to acquire Rios for what would be a bargain price of $24 on draft day – and the outfielder would deliver arguably his best season in the majors. Rios would end up with career highs in RBI (88) and SB (34), while also adding in 21 HR, 89 runs, and a solid .289 average. While others on the Pirates roster provided slightly better numbers, none would do so in as unexpected a fashion as Rios would.
 
TEAM RO-SHAM-BO - EVERTH CABRERA
While Hanley Ramirez exemplified the definition of a “five-category fantasy player” in 2010, Butt Pirates shortstop Everth Cabrera of the Padres – signed to a contract in the off-season by owner Farrell to the surprise of many HCBB owners – paled in comparison. In fact, if you looked up “zero-category fantasy player” in the dictionary last season, you likely would have seen a picture of Cabrera, who was so bad last year that San Diego eventually gave up on the youngster, shipping him to the minors. Unfortunately for the Pirates, that option wasn’t available for them; instead, Farrell’s squad suffered the consequences of Cabrera’s locked-in presence in their lineup, as the middle infielder hit a paltry .220 with a miserable 1HR, 22 RBI, 20 runs, and only 8 SB in 191 at-bats.



As far as putting up fantasy stats, Everth Cabrera was a low-calorie option for the Butt Pirates in 2010.
 
OUTLOOK FOR 2011
The Pirates, as has been the case in many seasons previously, were active in the spring – shuffling through their roster again. Unlike last season, however, Farrell’s squad doesn’t look to be in as good a position as they have past few seasons. Pujols and Pedroia – two of the cornerstones of the offense last year – are gone, and while super-stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez ($27) is back again, along with team MVP Rios ($29) and the recently acquired Michael Stanton (free) – so is Colorado outfielder Seth Smith ($6), a bizarre acquisition that left numerous HCBB owners scratching their heads. One thing is certain, though – whether loaded with talent or not, the Pirates and their owner have more than proven their mettle over the last several seasons, and the franchise has joined the very select group of teams that is a threat to win every season, no matter who is filling out the Pirate uniforms.
 
2009 Butt Pirates Team Capsule
  
 

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