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Behind
the Plate with Varitek - One Week Into 2011 |
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by Steven
Prentiss
Random thoughts one week into the 2011
season:
We definitely have an interesting top of the standings. In
the top eight in the standings, only one franchise (HGH Boys)
has ever won a league title and
that was back in the days of Ronnie and Bosco. Jeff is in 5th place, 28 points
out of the lead – I’m sure he’s already planning his dump
strategy. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the standings, the Light Bulbs can’t
seem to get out of their own way and has been rather firmly entrenched in
the cellar since day 2.
Interesting things I noticed in the HCBB standings:
- The Butt Pirates are still looking for their first win.
- The
Light Bulbs and Willard’s Flapjack
Emporium are still looking for their first
save.
- The Charlestown Chiefs have just 3 HR and 21 RBI on the
season. All 3 HR were supplied by Ryan Braun.
- The
Tasmanian Devils have a 5.94 ERA and a 1.62
WHIP and just 17.5 pitching
points – I thought Crystal was good
at finding good pitching?
- The
Tasmanian Devils are leading the league in
HR and runs scored and
have 65.5 hitting points – who said Crystal
couldn’t build an offense?
- Time to Run is leading wins with 7, has just 4 quality
starts and is dead last in ERA at 6.642.
- The Ball Hogs are 3rd in innings pitched, have 6 quality
starts and have just 3 wins.
- M*A*S*H is leading batting average at .293.
- It has been an amazing 28 days since Clueless made a trade.
Click here for more...
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2011 Draft Day Recap |
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 The 19th Annual Harry Caray's Bleacher Bumz draft is over but the memories will last forever. Draft Day pictures are now available as well as a draft log and draft day rosters.
2011 Draft Day Log
2011 Draft Day Rosters
2011 Draft Day Photos
Also, a thread on the league message board has been started to give owners a chance to break down their draft/roster. Feel free to chime in at the Draft Day Recap.
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2010 Ball Hogs Team Capsule - 1st Place - 126.0 pts |
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 After
a solid 2nd place showing in 2009, the Ball Hogs and owner Steven Prentiss went into the 2010 season hungry to break through again into the championship circle – a place the franchise had not landed since the 2002 season (the franchise’s only championship). The Hogs, much as they were the season before, looked poised to make a run at contention, with a number of solid players under contract before the draft. The 2009 HCBB Rookie of the Year, Jacoby Ellsbury ($6), entered the season as arguably the best keeper in the HCBB, while Justin Verlander ($20) and Matt Cain ($15) formed the backbone of what would turn out to be a formidable staff.
Click here for more...
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2010 Prolonging the Magic Team Capsule - 2nd Place - 125.5 pts |
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 After
his controversial decision to rebuild in 2009, Prolonging The Magic and owner Jeffrey Romero found themselves all-in as the 2010 season approached – but there was little doubt around the league that the Magic entered the year as the favorite to win it all. The Magic were loaded with talent – from Troy Tulowitski ($18), Andrew McCutchen (free), Kendry Morales ($11), and Justin Upton ($11) to head the offense, to Tim Lincecum ($16) as the ace of the pitching staff, Romero’s squad featured some of the best young talent the HCBB had to offer.
Click here for more...
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2010 Half Cajun Team Capsule - 3rd Place - 124.5 pts |
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 There was no place to go but up for Half Cajun in 2010 – but by the time the season ended, owner Adam Caveney watched his franchise put up a tremendous campaign that nearly resulted in his team becoming the first ever in the HCBB to accomplish the feat of going from worst to first. The 2009 plunger winner was coming off a busy off-season, as a series of deals had given Caveney a number of new faces on his roster. The major acquisition had been Mets shortstop Jose Reyes ($36), who was expected to provide the team’s main source of speed, while the returning face-of-the-franchise, Josh Hamilton ($16), was being counted on to rebound from an injury-plagued season and carry the power end of the offense.
Click here for more...
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2011 Keeper Predictions |
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by Steven Prentiss
Total players kept: 155 (NEW RECORD - previous record of 137 set in 2010)
Total dollar players kept: 112 (NEW RECORD – previous record of 105 set in 2010)
Total dollar value:$1743 (NEW RECORD – previous record of $1391 set in 2010)
Total free keepers: 43 (NEW RECORD – previous record of 32 set in 2010)
The keepers for 2011 continue the trend we saw in 2010 – an increase in the number of keepers both dollar and free. In fact, even with one team leaving the league and two expansion teams with no keepers, all records set in 2010 were broken this year, most notably the total dollar amount, which was broken by over $350.
Click here for more...
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2010 Butt Pirates Team Capsule - 4th Place - 124.0 pts |
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 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.
Click here for more...
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2010 Hotel California Team Capsule - 5th Place - 104.5 pts |
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 After a typical season for Hotel California in 2009 that saw them in the thick of the money race, owner Randall Mussman embarked on his 2010 campaign – little realizing at the start of the season what a monumental task his team would be facing by the time the season unfolded. Mussman would shake things up from the outset, dealing starter James Shields to Half Cajun for outfielder Hunter Pence ($18) – who along with returning offensive threats Andre Ethier ($11), Nelson Cruz ($11), and Evan Longoria ($11), would give the Hotel the beginnings of one of the league’s best offenses.
Click here for more...
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2010 Tasmanian Devils Team Capsule - 6th Place - 99.0 pts |
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 After the previous campaign where owner Crystal Mussman had forgone a rebuilding plan to plug away through an injury-filled season, the Tazmanian Devils entered 2010 in not much better shape than they had been going into their rookie season. The main returning star was ace starter Roy Halladay ($42), a surprising keeper for the Devils in the eyes of many in the league due to his inflated price tag. But Halladay would earn his keep, winning both the HCBB Cy Young Award and the Devils’ MVP honors for the second year in a row.
Click here for more...
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2010 Time to Run Team Capsule - 7th Place - 82.0 pts |
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 With their streak of non-money finishes reaching a league-record 12 consecutive seasons, with a near-plunger ending to their 2009 season, and with what looked to be an unimpressive group of keepers going into the 2010 season – things looked as bleak for Time to Run as it had at any point in the franchise’s long history in the HCBB. It wasn’t surprising then that expectations for the franchise were dismal entering the year – but owner Bobby Hudgins would surprise everyone by putting together a scrappy and surprising roster that would allow his squad to be part of the race for the money for the first time since 2004.
Click here for more...
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2010 Charlestown Chiefs Team Capsule - 8th Place - 78.5 pts |
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 The Charlestown Chiefs entered the 2010 with high hopes, barely missing the money in 2009 with a 6th place finish, and carrying a top 5 keeper base going into the season. Slugger Ryan Braun returned for a 5th season, joined on the offensive side by catching stud Joe Mauer and free-agent pickups Carlos Gonzalez and Julio Borbon. In addition, the bullpen was in good shape, with closers Heath Bell and Ryan Franklin. Unfortunately for Chiefs owner Billy Stouder, the 2010 draft day would not prove to be a successful one.
Click here for more...
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2010 HGH Boys Team Capsule - 9th Place - 78.0 pts |
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 Coming off a 7th place finish in 2009 (his best since taking over the reins from Ron Jackson and Joe Bosco) HGH Boys owner Alex Fein was aiming for his first ever money finish in 2010. With a host of top pitching keepers including Josh Johnson ($11), Clayton Kershaw ($13) and Cole Hamels ($16), as well as good offensive values in Shane Victorino ($21), Alexei Ramirez ($11) and a free Gordon Beckham, the HGH Boys had a solid base to begin with.
Click here for more...
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2010 Light Bulbs Team Capsule - 10th Place - 74.0 pts |
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 After a 2009 that saw Light Bulbs finish 14th, last among the three new expansion teams, owner Steven Martiny was looking to take a step forward in 2010. With a number of underpriced, young aces in the making in Tommy Hanson and Ubaldo Jimenez, the Light Bulbs added another in Jon Lester in an off-season deal, and were on their way towards a top-flight rotation. Draft day additions included another top-notch starter in Johan Santana and three closers – Brian Wilson, Francisco Rodriguez and Bobby Jenks – filling out what looked to be a stacked pitching staff.
Click here for more...
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2010 Roll the Bones Team Capsule - 11th Place - 71.5 pts |
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 With one of the best keeper bases of any team entering the 2010 draft, optimism was high in Roll the Bones camp. Studs Ryan Howard, Matt Kemp, Grady Sizemore and off-season acquisition Cliff Lee were expected to carry the club, with Corey Hart, Franklin Gutierrez, Chris Davis and Chad Qualls supporting as well. Owners Joe Mato and Daniel Elkins bolstered the team with draft day purchases Adrian Beltre, Zack Greinke, Carlos Marmol, Michael Young and Conor Jackson, and the team was looking good out of the gate, standing in 2nd place in the middle of April. From that point on, it was all downhill as three players completely derailed Roll the Bones’ season.
Click here for more...
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2010 Tee Timers Team Capsule - 12th Place - 69.5 pts |
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 The Tee Timers entered the 2010 with a mid-ranged keeper base. Three-time team MVP Prince Fielder and speedster Michael Bourn were still under contract at value prices and owner Tony Murphy had three up-and-coming stars stashed as free keepers – Buster Posey, Austin Jackson and Alcides Escobar. The solid offensive keepers were tempered by a luke warm batch of pitchers under contract, including J.A. Happ, Edwin Jackson and 2009 Ro Sham Bo Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Click here for more...
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2010 Suicide Squeeze Team Capsule - 13th Place - 68.5 pts |
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 In last year’s Suicide Squeeze team capsule, the following was written:
Teams who have made the leap to their first money season in recent years have usually struggled the season following (the highest any of the last three franchises in similar situations have finished in the subsequent season has been 12th).
Entering 2010, Suicide Squeeze owner Kenny Creel was looking to reverse this trend. With a limited keeper base, having a really good draft day was imperative to the team’s success. Creel, however, spent the night before the draft drinking heavily on Bourbon Street, and arrived
at the draft still under the influence.
Click here for more...
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2010 Clueless Team Capsule - 14th Place - 66.0 pts |
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 After two outstanding finishes in a row, Clueless??? owner Mike Tate went into the 2010 season, not just looking for a third consecutive money finish, but to make a run at an HCBB title. His pitching staff would be headed by young phenoms Yovanni Gallardo ($11) and Jonathan Sanchez ($6), and backed by dependable veterans Ted Lilly ($9) and a returning Joe Blanton ($8). The big offensive piece returning to the team would be Pablo Sandoval ($11), though while still not catcher-eligible, looked like one of the best young third baseman in the game.
Click here for more...
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2010 M*A*S*H Team Capsule - 15th Place - 40.5 pts |
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 Coming off of an 8th place finish – his team’s second-highest since 2002 – M*A*S*H* owner Neil Arceneaux was feeling confident that his franchise would be able to build on his 2009 run at the money and avoid a return to the bottom of the standings. But unfortunately for him, the entire season would represent a huge step backward – nearly culminating with what would have been a record sixth-plunger. M*A*S*H* had few players under contract leading into the draft, and while Rajah Davis ($12) would excel on the base paths all season and Wandy Rodriguez ($15) would be solid, if unspectacular, on the mound, expected ace Dan Haren ($35) would underwhelm and leadoff man Nyjer Morgan ($6) would be out of a job by the end of the year.
Click here for more...
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2010 A Quality Product Team Capsule - 16th Place - 28.0 pts |
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 After a rocky inaugural season, A Quality Product entered the 2010 season with hopes of building on their initial effort and at least reaching the middle of the HCBB standings – but their sophomore campaign would end up as a greatly disappointing follow-up. Owners Jose Mejia and Alton Adams had been relatively quiet in their 1st season, but they made an off-season splash going into their 2nd, adding B. J Upton ($29) to go with returning stud third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($41) as a start to building their offense. But their draft days plans took a number of turns for the worse, as heavy investments in Brian Roberts ($29), Michael Cuddyer ($29), and Raul Ibanez ($29) would result in mediocre performances and stints on the DL.
Click here for more...
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2010 Road to the Golden Plunger |
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Top 10 Things Uttered at Jose's & Alton's Houses During the 2010 Season
 " Stephen Strasburg was so upset at being a member of our team this year, we think he blew out his elbow on purpose.”
- “We might finish last … but on the bright side, at least we have next season to look forward to.”
Click here for more...
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Outside the Lines: Broken Promises - The Andruw and Adam Story |
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2010 HCBB Drafted Team Results |
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by Steven Prentiss
 It was the end of August 2010 and Half Cajun’s owner Adam Caveney was leading the HCBB with 141 points, 18.5 more than his nearest competitor. Five short weeks later, his team had plummeted and he found himself with a disappointing 3rd place finish. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? The story of one of the most monumental collapses in HCBB history hasn’t been told until tonight.
I’m Steve Croft. This story plus Andy Rooney tonight on 60 minutes.
Click here for more...
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2010 HCBB Season Awards |
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by Randall Mussman
2010 HCBB Most Valuable Player
Jose Bautista (Prolonging The Magic, Clueless)
56.2% of the vote
 54 HR, 124 RBI, 109 R, 9 SB, .2601 AVG
In the entire history of the HCBB, has there ever been a more unlikely MVP winner than Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista? In a league where past winners include future Hall of Famers like Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez, the twenty-nine year old Bautista was little more than an afterthought during the 2010 draft, remaining undrafted until Prolonging theMagic took him with a late reserve pick. But Bautista’s production last season would rank with the best offensive years of anyone in the league’s recent history, as the bargain draft selection would explode for a ridiculous 54 home runs, almost equaling his entire career total up to that point, while adding in 124 RBI and 109 runs. Bautista’s incredible production would be one of the biggest reasons why the Magic would be able to weather the loss of Kendry Morales and remain in contention the entire year.
Also nominated: Carlos Gonzalez (Charlestown Chiefs), Joey Votto (Hotel California), Miguel Cabrera (Suicide Squeeze), Albert Pujols (Butt Pirates), Carl Crawford (Hotel California)
Click here for more...
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2010 Season by the Numbers |
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1391 |
Collective salaries of keepers in 2010, $395 more than 2009, $120 more than 2008 and $367 more than 2007 |
1030 |
Number of runs scored by Prolonging the Magic, the lowest total to win the category post-expansion |
1007 |
Number of RBI by Ball Hogs, the lowest total to win the category post-expansion |
726 |
Number of RBI by A Quality Product, setting a new league low |
Click here for more...
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2011 Current Vegas Odds |
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2011 Vegas Odds |
Charlestown Chiefs 3:4 |
Hotel California 3:1 |
Prolonging the Magic 3:1 |
Light Bulbs 5:1 |
Butt Pirates 7:1 |
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2010
Season Odds Revisited |
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2010
Vegas Odds
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2010
Actual Finish
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Change |
Prolonging
the Magic 3:2
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1
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Ball Hogs
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+1
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Ball
Hogs 3:1
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2
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Prolonging
the Magic
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-1
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Charlestown
Chiefs 3:1
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3
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Half Cajun
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+2
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Hotel
California 3:1
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4
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Butt Pirates
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+3
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Half
Cajun 7:1
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5
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Hotel California
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-1
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Click here for more...
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Worst of 2010 |
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by Randall Mussman
5. Kenny makes an ill-fated trip to the French Quarter – the night before the draft
 Over the years, there’s been one constant about draft day in the HCBB – and that constant is that the draft is part of what, for every owner, is a long, long day. Some owners have compared drafting to partaking in a marathon, with twelve hour days being the norm for teams to put together the rosters they hope will bring them into championship contention during the season. With that in mind, it’s been crucial for HCBB owners to be at their sharpest when the big day arrives each season –
Click here for more...
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Best of 2010 |
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by Randall Mussman
5. Hotel California trade of James Shields to Half Cajun for Hunter Pence
 Going into the 2010 season, Hotel California owner Randall Mussman has started to show some concern about returning starting pitcher James Shields of Tampa – and it was with that in mind, that the five-time champion looked to move his $16 starter to a willing team. Mussman was worried not only about Shields’ increasing contract, but with his declining production – primarily the 5.16 ERA that the Rays’ starter had posted in the 2nd half of the 2009 season.
Click here for more...
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2010 Free Agency Analysis |
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by Steven Prentiss
A QUALITY PRODUCT
Money Spent: $48
Number of Players: 8
Best Pick (date of acquisition): Fred Lewis (6/8/2010)
Most Expensive Pick: Lewis ($23)
Comments: A Quality Product spent nearly half of their FAAB money on Fred Lewis, who proved to be your basic replacement level player at best. He did contribute to their 2nd place in the steals category, adding 13 to the total, but added little else. Phil Coke was another adequate replacement level player in the bullpen, adding some wins and even a couple of saves late in the season. The rest of the acquisitions were basically worthless, making this the second year in a row that AQP was unable to make a big splash in free agency.
Overall Grade: D- |
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Click here for more...
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2010
Reserve Draft Analysis |
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by
Steven Prentiss
There is a slight
change in the way grades are determined this year. Putting this
list together is much harder to do than it used to be. In previous
years, with more and more teams stockpiling minor leaguer (and
in some cases college and Japan league players), it was hard
to get a read of how good a team’s reserve draft actually
was. For most teams, you could have given them an incomplete,
until we saw how some of the prospects panned out. However, I
never went back to evaluate how a draft class actually worked
out. So from this point forward, teams will get credit for players
that they drafted in previous years but who finally paid dividends.
In reality, a team that keeps a free player is essentially giving
up their 10th round reserve pick, and therefore, should get credit
for whatever that player produced. Still there are only two ways
that a free keeper affected the overall grade - if they were
good enough to help the team in 2010 or if they were so bad that
a team would have done better to not keep them and make another
reserve round selection.
Here’s the team-by-team analysis in order of draft selection:
PROLONGING THE MAGIC
Best Pick: Jose Bautista (16th pick of
the 6th round)
Worst Pick: Nick Blackburn (16th pick
of the 2nd round)
Comments: The Magic had little magic
in the first five rounds of the reserve before pulling
a rabbit out of their hat with the final pick of the
6th round. Jose Bautista hit an amazing 54 HR and won
both the HCBB Best Draft Day Value and HCBB MVP awards.
He may be the best draft day reserve pick in the history
of the league, although Jeff thought so highly of him
that he traded him in early May for Chris Volstad. In
addition, Prolonging the Magic keepers Andrew McCutchen
and Michael Stanton, both delivered significant value
in 2010 – McCutchen was activated right after the
draft and a free Stanton was included in a mid-season
dump trade (that returned Bautista back to the Magic).
Overall Grade: A+ |
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Click here for more...
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2010 Keeper Analysis |
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by Steven Prentiss
Without further ado, here is the 10th Annual Keeper Analysis.
Team-by-team totals (in order of return):
| Half Cajun |
+93 |
Top ten profits from Josh Hamilton and Billy Wagner, plus four more of the top 25 (Hudson, Buchholz, Rasmus & Heyward) led to this top ranking. Would have been significantly higher if James Shields hadn’t pitched like Brooke Shields. |
| Charlestown Chiefs |
+80 |
Carlos Gonzalez and Ryan Braun were the cream of this crop, with the bullpen of Heath Bell and Ryan Franklin pitching in to lead the Chiefs to the 2nd spot in the list. Chad Billingsley and Julio Borbonifacio both wasted away some of the profit. |
| Hotel California |
+76 |
Rafael Soriano and Evan Longoria were both top ten keepers, but injuries to Nelson Cruz, Brett Anderson and Asdrubal Cabrera knocked the total profit down. |
Click here for more...
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New Teams/Owners for 2011 |
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by Steven Prentiss
As you all know, A Quality Product will not be returning for 2011 and the Executive Committee embarked on finding a new owner. In our search, we found two great owners and upon the league's approval, we've decided to invite both of them to join the HCBB for 2011 and beyond.
Expansion Team #1 includes a blast from the HCBB past. Doug Mouton will anchor this team. He currently is the Northshore Bureau Chief for WWL-TV. Doug has 12 years experience in fantasy baseball leagues, including two with our own Joe Mato. He's never done an auction before but his partner has experience. His partner is none other than former HCBB owner Joe Frisard (Joe's Jarheads & Holy Cow). Joe will be rejoining the league after a 12-year hiatus. He currently is the Managing Editor/Executive Sports Producer for WWL-TV.
Our second expansion team will be named Willard's Flapjack Emporium - not sure what the meaning is, but I'm sure they'll share it with us. Matt Wheelahan is the lead owner and has 10 years experience and this will be his first auction. Matt is the Manager of the Swamp Room, the locale of our pre-draft Friday lunch. His partner is Travis Campo. Travis works for Cool Rite Coolers and also DJ's on the weekends.
Please join the Executive Committee in welcoming the two new teams to the league. No doubt their additions will add some excitement to the league, especially on draft day!
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2011
Message from the Commissioner |
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by Steven Prentiss
The HCBB league has had some exciting finishes over the years:
Hotel California chipping away a 15 point gap to catch and then
pass Total Satisfaction over the last two weeks of the 2001 season;
The Sveltes winning their first title in 2001, beating Amazing
Grace by just 1.5 points; and Dem Bullwinkle Trout eking out
a victory in 2006, with the top five teams separated by just
4.5 points. But all those finishes were topped in 2010.
Click here for more...
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2011 HCBB Media Guide Cover Unveiled |
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Click on the cover for a larger version
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Media Guide Archives |
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 Did you miss an earlier feature during the unveiling of the 2010 Media Guide? The rest of the 2010 edition as well as all previous editions (going back to 2000) can be found by clicking here.
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News Archives |
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Looking for a story from last year or a previous year? Don't despair. They've all been archived and can be found by clicking
here.
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2010 Draft Day Pictures |
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