The National League is filled with talent. Four teams battled till the end last season, and the same four should be at it again in 2012. The entire National League East is included in that, which is why it is no surprise the World Series Champion came out of the NL East as a wild card. Even the third place team, Vandelay Industries could have made a run in the playoffs last season had he made it. He was the only third-place division finisher to not have a losing record, and he actually had more wins than two other second-place division finishers. The NL East was brutal. The three teams beat up on each other and they're going to do it again in 2012. It's clearly the hardest division to win in all of the JLB and predicting the winner will be tough to do.
The National League West is a bit of a different story. Chief Otto Parts won the title by 46 games last season, the largest margin in all of JLB. This year could be similar as Team Suck tries to get back on track and The Duchess takes on a new/old owner, formerly the Noisy Basterds from 2008.
National League East
You’re Freaking Out
2011 Record/Finish: 234-180-66/National League East Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 234-180-66 (.556)
Bats ★★★☆☆
The outfield is dreamy. Matt Holliday in left, Carlos Gonzalez (LF, CF, RF) in right, and B.J. Upton in center. ... I know, you just said, “What? B.J. Upton?” I’m telling you, I like him for a bit of a bounce back year. I think he’ll rebound and provide enough of a punch until the real dream outfield comes together. That’s moving Cargo to center and inserting Bryce Harper. In the infield, there is only one .300 hitter and that’s Adrian Beltre, but don’t let that fool you. Neil Walker and Freddie Freeman have great potential and I really like them to be mainstays on the Outs roster for years to come. A big key will be which Asdrubal Cabrera will play at shortstop this year. Will he be first-half Cabrera who batted .293 with 55 runs, 22 doubles, three triples, 14 homers and 51 RBIs or will he be second-half Cabrera batted .244 with 32 runs, 10 doubles, no triples, 11 homers and 41 RBIs? That was a big drop off and the Outs were hurt by it. The Outs also were hurt by a Brian McCann’s second half drop-off — .310 to .203, 50 RBIs to 21, 36 runs to 15. For McCann, it’s two straight seasons of .270 batting average. He’s 28 entering his sixth year of catching and one has to worry if this is the decline.
Arms ★★★★★
We still have the draft to finalize the pitching staffs, but the Outs are making a pitch at stealing “Best Pitching Staff in JLB” from the Slammers. Keeping Jon Lester, Mat Latos, Shaun Marcum, Jordan Zimmerman, Dan Haren and Mat Moore surely helps. Lester quietly had a decent season for the Sox who fell apart, and he, Haren, Moore and Latos will all have close to 200 strikeouts this season. All are on teams that I believe can win their divisions, so the wins will be there for them, too. Zimmerman and Marcum are really the only question marks because of injuries, but they’re still decent keepers. And when it comes to keepers, you want to have the guy shutting the door on the team that is projected to win close to 100 games. The Angels are expected to do that, and Jordan Walden should be the guy getting most of the saves for LA.
JimmyJam Slammers
2011 Record/Finish: 236-195-73/Second in division, National League pennant, World Series Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 960-735-297 (.556)
Bats ★★★☆☆
The Slammers went into last year’s draft needing a new bat at second base. Darwin Barney and Ryan Theriot filled in while Chase Utley was out, and then when Utley came back, the Slammers were on their way. This year, Utley’s out again and it’s looking like short-term fixes aren’t going to work any more at second base. Shortstop also is an issue with Hanley Ramirez moving to third base and likely losing his shortstop eligibility by 2013. Left field is empty, too, so there are some real big holes to fill. Fortunately, the Slammers have solid bats in Eric Hosmer, Michael Young, Andrew McCutchen, Nelson Cruz and Billy Butler. The offseason acquisition of Adam Jones could prove to be fruitful, too. That, and the re-emergence of Hanley Ramirez could prove to be the biggest key to the Slammers success in 2012. He's raking the ball in the spring, and we all know that doesn't mean a whole lot, but he said he's having fun. He's now close friends with Jose Reyes and the chemistry is looking good for a potential return to batting glory.
Arms ★★★★★
The best pitching staff in 2011 remains for the most part in tact. Cliff Lee, David Price and Cole Hamels are all 200-strikeout and 15-plus-game winners. Jeremy Hellickson is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Vance Worley finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and Shelby Miller is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball — and he’s projected to make his debut this season. Add in Jonathan Papelbon, who will close the door for three of the aforementioned pitchers, who helped the Phillies post a team ERA of 3.02, which was the lowest ERA for a majors team since 1989. The Slammers pitching staff set a JLB record with a 3.16 ERA last season, besting the original record of 3.38 (Bad News Bears, 2008). The next closest ERA last season was 3.58 (Gameday Gamblers).
Vandelay Industries
2011 Record/Finish: 210-210-60/Third in division
Owner’s All-Time Record: 464-387-133 (.576)
Bats ★★★★☆
In two years, this will be five stars. For now, it’s four. The infield is solid with Buster Posey (C), Carlos Santana (1B), Dustin Ackley (2B), Ryan Zimmerman (3B) and Starlin Castro (SS). All five of those guys can be All-Stars this year. Several will be. And they’ll join center fielder Matt Kemp, who will likely win the NL MVP this season. The couple questions come in left field and right. In left, Carl Crawford has to battle back from a nagging wrist injury and show he can produce like he did in Tampa. In right, Jason Heyward needs to show that his sophomore slump was just that. Fortunately, also in right is Giancarlo Stanton, who last year under the alias of Mike drove in 87 runs. If healthy, he’ll easily surpass that.
Arms ★★★★☆
Roy Halladay and Yovani Gallardo make this a four-star unit. Two guys who will win 15-plus games and strike out better than 200 with a sub-3.50 ERA are exactly what you want as a fantasy owner. Add in Ricky Romero and a healthy Adam Wainright and Vandelay has a decent start to a 12-man pitching staff. Neftali Feliz was slated to be a starter, but for the second year in a row, the Rangers may be sending him back to the bullpen again. So, all of a sudden, he has a decent closer to go with Andrew Bailey and Brandon League, who will each put up 35-plus saves, if all goes well.
National League West
Chief Otto Parts
2011 Record/Finish: 245-171-64/National League West Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 245-171-64 (.577)
Bats ★★★★☆
Three guys who will bat .300? How nice is that? Miguel Cabrera, Hunter Pence and Troy Tulowitzki are studs and they’ll continue to be just that this season. Cabrera will contend for a batting title, while Tulo and Pence will be the key players in both their lineups this season. So much so, that I think Tulo will be an MVP candidate this year. Kemp will win it, but Tulo will give him company. Outside of that, there’s consistency at second with Howard Kendrick and speed at short with Elvis Andrus. At catcher, there’s a pair of players — Alex Avila and Matt Wieters — who will be just fine for the Otto Parts. Look for Wieters to become the everyday man in the lineup this season. Center field is bare and left field just has Logan Morrison. Multiple third basemen, David Freese and Brett Lawrie, also will create some offense for the Otto Parts.
Arms ★★★★☆
It’s a heck of a starting three. Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander and Ian Kennedy. We’re talking about 200 strikeouts and a pair of guys — Verlander and Kennedy — who had more than 20 wins last season. Verlander is the AL Cy Young winner and King Felix is the 2010 AL Cy Young winner. Ian Kennedy was fourth in NL Cy Young voting last year. Derek Holland will join the trio again this season, and with a new contract, Holland will look to duplicate his 16-5 season from a year ago. Zach Britton was the talk of spring training last year and he provided some sparks early on, but he tailed off and now he’s dealing with injuries, so that’s dents this five-man rotation a bit. But the bullpen is looking good to start with Drew Storen and Jonny Venters returning for the Otto Parts.
The Duchess
2011 Record/Finish: 200-218-62/Second in National League West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 183-231-90 (.452)
Bats ★★★☆☆
There’s potential here, but that’s all. I can’t give this offense any more than three stars at this point, and the new owner has to understand that re-building is in need. But, there’s a nice foundation. Yadier Molina, Pablo Sandoval, David Wright and Jon Jay are big parts of this team and The Duchess will have to build around him. Ryan Howard should come back in May, but until then, Justin Smoak will have to be man. He’s shown moments of brilliance, but they’ve all been brief. He needs to find consistency and take off. If that happens, add him into the core of this lineup. Brennan Boesch is in the same boat, and he has no excuse with the lineup his is in. Also noteworthy is Carlos Lee, who I didn’t include in the “foundation” because of his age, but he could easily be a big part of this team for the next couple years with the Astros moving to the AL. Lee will undoubtedly be a DH in 2013, if he isn’t traded before then.
Arms ★★★★☆
When my brother was asked to take over this team, he asked, “Who’s on the team?” Well, the first pitcher I said was Tim Lincecum. After that, it was a big, “Um.” John Danks is a keeper, and he had a rough 2011, but there’s no reason why he can’t bounce back and get closer to the numbers he had in 2010. The bullpen is virtually set with closers John Axford and Francisco Cordero, and set-up man Fernando Salas who had a strong season for the Cards last year. With the bullpen nearly set, The Duchess can focus on starting pitching in the draft.
Team Suck
2011 Record/Finish: 157-263-60/Second in National League West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 782-933-277 (.462)
Bats ★★☆☆☆
Team Suck for the first time in three years missed the playoffs and it will take some work to get back to the top. Age is an issue for Team Suck, which is why you’re seeing guys like Placido Polanco, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu being sent packing this season. The only question mark there is Martin, but with Carlos Ruiz, it’s understandable. But even still, some of the keepers are getting up there in age. Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, Lance Berkman and Coco Crisp are all in their 30s. Prince Fielder is the big bat, and at 27, he’s the guy to build around. Team Suck will hope for a much better year out of Colby Rasmus, who hasn’t really lived up to his potential. He’s one of three center fielders on this roster, so Team Suck will have some holes to fill elsewhere. Because unlike the Athletics, he can just throw three center fielders out there in the outfield.
Arms ★★★★☆
If there’s a bright side, it’s pitching. Matt Cain, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto will lead this squad that could with a little help lead Team Suck into contention. Josh Tomlin will add to the rotation and Joel Hanrahan will be in the bullpen. With the No. 1 pick, Team Suck will have a chance to bolster the rotation; however, he also may want to use that pick on offense. It’s a tough choice. The biggest thing will be getting younger. Four roster spots were lost due to lack of eligible minor leaguers.
The National League West is a bit of a different story. Chief Otto Parts won the title by 46 games last season, the largest margin in all of JLB. This year could be similar as Team Suck tries to get back on track and The Duchess takes on a new/old owner, formerly the Noisy Basterds from 2008.
National League East
You’re Freaking Out
2011 Record/Finish: 234-180-66/National League East Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 234-180-66 (.556)
Bats ★★★☆☆
The outfield is dreamy. Matt Holliday in left, Carlos Gonzalez (LF, CF, RF) in right, and B.J. Upton in center. ... I know, you just said, “What? B.J. Upton?” I’m telling you, I like him for a bit of a bounce back year. I think he’ll rebound and provide enough of a punch until the real dream outfield comes together. That’s moving Cargo to center and inserting Bryce Harper. In the infield, there is only one .300 hitter and that’s Adrian Beltre, but don’t let that fool you. Neil Walker and Freddie Freeman have great potential and I really like them to be mainstays on the Outs roster for years to come. A big key will be which Asdrubal Cabrera will play at shortstop this year. Will he be first-half Cabrera who batted .293 with 55 runs, 22 doubles, three triples, 14 homers and 51 RBIs or will he be second-half Cabrera batted .244 with 32 runs, 10 doubles, no triples, 11 homers and 41 RBIs? That was a big drop off and the Outs were hurt by it. The Outs also were hurt by a Brian McCann’s second half drop-off — .310 to .203, 50 RBIs to 21, 36 runs to 15. For McCann, it’s two straight seasons of .270 batting average. He’s 28 entering his sixth year of catching and one has to worry if this is the decline.
Arms ★★★★★
We still have the draft to finalize the pitching staffs, but the Outs are making a pitch at stealing “Best Pitching Staff in JLB” from the Slammers. Keeping Jon Lester, Mat Latos, Shaun Marcum, Jordan Zimmerman, Dan Haren and Mat Moore surely helps. Lester quietly had a decent season for the Sox who fell apart, and he, Haren, Moore and Latos will all have close to 200 strikeouts this season. All are on teams that I believe can win their divisions, so the wins will be there for them, too. Zimmerman and Marcum are really the only question marks because of injuries, but they’re still decent keepers. And when it comes to keepers, you want to have the guy shutting the door on the team that is projected to win close to 100 games. The Angels are expected to do that, and Jordan Walden should be the guy getting most of the saves for LA.
JimmyJam Slammers
2011 Record/Finish: 236-195-73/Second in division, National League pennant, World Series Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 960-735-297 (.556)
Bats ★★★☆☆
The Slammers went into last year’s draft needing a new bat at second base. Darwin Barney and Ryan Theriot filled in while Chase Utley was out, and then when Utley came back, the Slammers were on their way. This year, Utley’s out again and it’s looking like short-term fixes aren’t going to work any more at second base. Shortstop also is an issue with Hanley Ramirez moving to third base and likely losing his shortstop eligibility by 2013. Left field is empty, too, so there are some real big holes to fill. Fortunately, the Slammers have solid bats in Eric Hosmer, Michael Young, Andrew McCutchen, Nelson Cruz and Billy Butler. The offseason acquisition of Adam Jones could prove to be fruitful, too. That, and the re-emergence of Hanley Ramirez could prove to be the biggest key to the Slammers success in 2012. He's raking the ball in the spring, and we all know that doesn't mean a whole lot, but he said he's having fun. He's now close friends with Jose Reyes and the chemistry is looking good for a potential return to batting glory.
Arms ★★★★★
The best pitching staff in 2011 remains for the most part in tact. Cliff Lee, David Price and Cole Hamels are all 200-strikeout and 15-plus-game winners. Jeremy Hellickson is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Vance Worley finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and Shelby Miller is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball — and he’s projected to make his debut this season. Add in Jonathan Papelbon, who will close the door for three of the aforementioned pitchers, who helped the Phillies post a team ERA of 3.02, which was the lowest ERA for a majors team since 1989. The Slammers pitching staff set a JLB record with a 3.16 ERA last season, besting the original record of 3.38 (Bad News Bears, 2008). The next closest ERA last season was 3.58 (Gameday Gamblers).
Vandelay Industries
2011 Record/Finish: 210-210-60/Third in division
Owner’s All-Time Record: 464-387-133 (.576)
Bats ★★★★☆
In two years, this will be five stars. For now, it’s four. The infield is solid with Buster Posey (C), Carlos Santana (1B), Dustin Ackley (2B), Ryan Zimmerman (3B) and Starlin Castro (SS). All five of those guys can be All-Stars this year. Several will be. And they’ll join center fielder Matt Kemp, who will likely win the NL MVP this season. The couple questions come in left field and right. In left, Carl Crawford has to battle back from a nagging wrist injury and show he can produce like he did in Tampa. In right, Jason Heyward needs to show that his sophomore slump was just that. Fortunately, also in right is Giancarlo Stanton, who last year under the alias of Mike drove in 87 runs. If healthy, he’ll easily surpass that.
Arms ★★★★☆
Roy Halladay and Yovani Gallardo make this a four-star unit. Two guys who will win 15-plus games and strike out better than 200 with a sub-3.50 ERA are exactly what you want as a fantasy owner. Add in Ricky Romero and a healthy Adam Wainright and Vandelay has a decent start to a 12-man pitching staff. Neftali Feliz was slated to be a starter, but for the second year in a row, the Rangers may be sending him back to the bullpen again. So, all of a sudden, he has a decent closer to go with Andrew Bailey and Brandon League, who will each put up 35-plus saves, if all goes well.
National League West
Chief Otto Parts
2011 Record/Finish: 245-171-64/National League West Champion
Owner’s All-Time Record: 245-171-64 (.577)
Bats ★★★★☆
Three guys who will bat .300? How nice is that? Miguel Cabrera, Hunter Pence and Troy Tulowitzki are studs and they’ll continue to be just that this season. Cabrera will contend for a batting title, while Tulo and Pence will be the key players in both their lineups this season. So much so, that I think Tulo will be an MVP candidate this year. Kemp will win it, but Tulo will give him company. Outside of that, there’s consistency at second with Howard Kendrick and speed at short with Elvis Andrus. At catcher, there’s a pair of players — Alex Avila and Matt Wieters — who will be just fine for the Otto Parts. Look for Wieters to become the everyday man in the lineup this season. Center field is bare and left field just has Logan Morrison. Multiple third basemen, David Freese and Brett Lawrie, also will create some offense for the Otto Parts.
Arms ★★★★☆
It’s a heck of a starting three. Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander and Ian Kennedy. We’re talking about 200 strikeouts and a pair of guys — Verlander and Kennedy — who had more than 20 wins last season. Verlander is the AL Cy Young winner and King Felix is the 2010 AL Cy Young winner. Ian Kennedy was fourth in NL Cy Young voting last year. Derek Holland will join the trio again this season, and with a new contract, Holland will look to duplicate his 16-5 season from a year ago. Zach Britton was the talk of spring training last year and he provided some sparks early on, but he tailed off and now he’s dealing with injuries, so that’s dents this five-man rotation a bit. But the bullpen is looking good to start with Drew Storen and Jonny Venters returning for the Otto Parts.
The Duchess
2011 Record/Finish: 200-218-62/Second in National League West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 183-231-90 (.452)
Bats ★★★☆☆
There’s potential here, but that’s all. I can’t give this offense any more than three stars at this point, and the new owner has to understand that re-building is in need. But, there’s a nice foundation. Yadier Molina, Pablo Sandoval, David Wright and Jon Jay are big parts of this team and The Duchess will have to build around him. Ryan Howard should come back in May, but until then, Justin Smoak will have to be man. He’s shown moments of brilliance, but they’ve all been brief. He needs to find consistency and take off. If that happens, add him into the core of this lineup. Brennan Boesch is in the same boat, and he has no excuse with the lineup his is in. Also noteworthy is Carlos Lee, who I didn’t include in the “foundation” because of his age, but he could easily be a big part of this team for the next couple years with the Astros moving to the AL. Lee will undoubtedly be a DH in 2013, if he isn’t traded before then.
Arms ★★★★☆
When my brother was asked to take over this team, he asked, “Who’s on the team?” Well, the first pitcher I said was Tim Lincecum. After that, it was a big, “Um.” John Danks is a keeper, and he had a rough 2011, but there’s no reason why he can’t bounce back and get closer to the numbers he had in 2010. The bullpen is virtually set with closers John Axford and Francisco Cordero, and set-up man Fernando Salas who had a strong season for the Cards last year. With the bullpen nearly set, The Duchess can focus on starting pitching in the draft.
Team Suck
2011 Record/Finish: 157-263-60/Second in National League West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 782-933-277 (.462)
Bats ★★☆☆☆
Team Suck for the first time in three years missed the playoffs and it will take some work to get back to the top. Age is an issue for Team Suck, which is why you’re seeing guys like Placido Polanco, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu being sent packing this season. The only question mark there is Martin, but with Carlos Ruiz, it’s understandable. But even still, some of the keepers are getting up there in age. Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, Lance Berkman and Coco Crisp are all in their 30s. Prince Fielder is the big bat, and at 27, he’s the guy to build around. Team Suck will hope for a much better year out of Colby Rasmus, who hasn’t really lived up to his potential. He’s one of three center fielders on this roster, so Team Suck will have some holes to fill elsewhere. Because unlike the Athletics, he can just throw three center fielders out there in the outfield.
Arms ★★★★☆
If there’s a bright side, it’s pitching. Matt Cain, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto will lead this squad that could with a little help lead Team Suck into contention. Josh Tomlin will add to the rotation and Joel Hanrahan will be in the bullpen. With the No. 1 pick, Team Suck will have a chance to bolster the rotation; however, he also may want to use that pick on offense. It’s a tough choice. The biggest thing will be getting younger. Four roster spots were lost due to lack of eligible minor leaguers.
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