National League West
Chief Otto Parts, 62 points (18 first-place)
Team Suck, 47 points (5 first-place)
Steroid.ERA, 32 points (1 first-place)
This could be the Chief Otto Parts’ season.
On paper, he’s easily the favorite to win the NL West, and if you have any doubts, just look at his lineup. The picks, the moves, the keepers; all have set him up to have a scary lineup and a formidable rotation.
Team Suck has strength in the rotation, too, but it doesn’t come close to what I project the Otto Parts to have, while I can say the same about Steroid.ERA’s offense.
Team Suck and Steroid.ERA will stand in the way, and I can see them taking a series from the Otto Parts if they catch him on a bad week, but it’s not going to be enough.
It’s going to be a building year for ERA, but he’s got the offense to steal some categories, and if the pitching rotation comes together at the top, he can compete for a wild card.
Still, it’s going to be an uphill battle because in my opinion, the Otto Parts may be the best team in the JLB.
1. Chief Otto Parts
2012 Record/Finish: 237-178-65/first place in NL West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 482-349-129 (.569)
I can’t say that “I love” the Chief Otto Parts pitching staff, because I love my pitching staff, and I won’t cheat on my rotation.
I’m not that kind of guy.
But even though I can’t act on it, I can sure as hell gawk at this collection of stud pitchers.
It’s a rotation that has the potential to be the best in the JLB for years to come.
The Otto Parts have steady veteran keepers in Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels, both who I think will finish in the top 5 in Cy Young voting this year. Hamels is my pick to win the NL Cy Young, and even though I have someone else picked for the AL, you cannot deny the fact that Verlander will be right there.
The pitcher slotting in at No. 3 in this rotation finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting two years ago when he went 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA for the Diamondbacks, but Ian Kennedy had a bit of a regression in 2012 going 15-12 with a 4.02 ERA.
If his statistics are somewhere in between those two seasons, the Otto Parts will take that.
I know what you’re thinking at this time.
So, beside the top two, what’s there to love about this rotation?
It’s the depth coming up.
Jameson Taillon and Kevin Gausman may equal out to be the best young tandem in the JLB, and if they both come up in July, as anticipated, the Otto Parts is going to be able to keep these guys through the 2016 season as minor leaguers.
But that’s not all.
Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, Trevor Cahill and Ross Detwiler are solid back-of-the-rotation starters in fantasy. All should have double-digit wins and all four should combine for 500-plus strikeouts.
The Otto Parts will just have to choose their starts wisely.
And yes, there’s more. Brandon Beachy is sitting on the DL and should be ready to return to the Braves rotation at some point this season. That’s another boost for the Otto Parts.
Offensively, I don’t have to say much other than the Otto Parts have Mike Trout, Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig and Miguel Cabrera.
Need I say more?
Don't believe me? Take a look yourself.
2. Team Suck
2012 Record/Finish: 205-204-71/second place in NL West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 987-1,137-348 (.470)
Team Suck’s pitching isn’t to the caliber of Verlander and Hamels, although it could be.
Suck’s rotation has a top-notch starter in Zack Greinke, who I think will not be a top-10 Cy Young candidate, but he'll still pitch very well for the Dodgers.
Jumping into the Cy Young race (and I’m talking top 10) will be Max Scherzer, and if that happens, Team Suck’s trade of Johnny Cueto will look like a steal.
I’m not saying Cueto is going to have a bad year, but rather, I’m saying the add-ins of Mike Minor, Tom Wilhelmsen and Vinnie Pestano will make the difference.
The latter two join another pair of relievers kept by Team Suck — Rafael Soriano and Joel Hanrahan — to form one of the top bullpens in the JLB, as they are projected to post a combined 100-plus saves on the season.
Simply put, Team Suck should own that category in most matchups.
Offensively, he may take care of the stolen bases and triples categories often, too, with Brett Gardner, Jimmy Rollins, Alejandro De Aza, Juan Pierre and Jean Segura.
But he’ll struggle in many of the power categories.
Prince Fielder is the only player on Team Suck projected to have 25-plus homers (he’s projected to have 35) and he’s one of just three players projected to have more than 65 RBIs. Fielder is predicted to have 116, Andre Ethier 85 and Chase Headley 76.
So, he’ll need some players to step up and have bigger years than projected.
It also will help if the Rangers call up or trade Mike Olt sooner than many think. He’s capable of providing a power boost, but Team Suck just has to wait for him to get that chance to show it.
So for right now, Team Suck is going to focus on runs, singles, triples, sacrifices, stolen bases and average. If he can get good production in those categories, he’ll be able to compete.
3. Steroid.ERA
2012 Record/Finish (old owner): 137-267-76/third place in NL West
Owner’s All-Time Record: 0-0-0 (.000)
To build a team in the JLB, it takes a dedicated owner who has some patience and does the proper research — just ask Justin Brown.
The players are out there to build a winning team, it just takes dedication and research.
Not all of us can be Gina Johnson, who just drafts a team without any research whatsoever.
ERA did a good job before and after the draft to address a pressing need by drafting Tim Hudson No. 1 overall and trading a mid-round pick for Jon Lester.
They join a rotation that includes Tim Lincecum and Matt Garza, who are both question marks. I think both can have decent seasons, but if you wanted me to put money down on that, I’d easily back away from the statement — so confidence isn’t extremely high.
So with that in mind, there are two things ERA has to try and do this season. First would be to stay on top of the minor league reports and try and grab some decent keeper-worthy starting pitchers.
Second would be to hope a few of his veteran players, especially those in positions where he has two good players (like right field), have big years and can be traded near the deadline for a keeper-worthy pitchers.
Now, I’m not writing the ERAs off yet. I know it sounds like it, but I’m not, because I like his offense.
With a lineup that comprises of Yadier Molina, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, David Wright, Erick Aybar, Alfonso Soriano, Colby Rasmus, Carlos Beltran, Torii Hunter and Nelson Cruz, he has the chance to win some offensive categories.
So, in essence, to compete, he just needs a few surprises in the pitching department to make the next step in 2013. Ideally, those surprises would be Lincecum to bounce back and Garza to stay healthy.
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