Choo will not run away with this title, based on the keeper rosters. A great draft can change that of course, but right now, several teams are in the mix for playoff spots.
Big League Choo
Franchise Record:
887-772-285 (.530), Fifth Season
He’s the runner-up to the JLB World Series Champion two
years in a row. It’s a tough pill to swallow, coming in second after a long
season. It’s even harder to accept the second time it happens, especially after
a dominating regular season.
Choo was far and away the best American League team in 2015,
posting 257 wins, which ranks fourth all-time in JLB history. He won his second
straight AL Pennant, which ties him with the Gamblers and Outs as the only
teams to have won a pair of pennants.
In 2015, he’ll look to become the first to three.
BATS: Twenty-four
hours before the keeper deadline, Choo was set to keep 11 batters. Then, at the
last moment, he panicked and added a starting pitcher. It was rather surprising
considering who the pitcher was and whom he dropped in his stead. Alexei
Ramirez, a Cuban mind you, is ranked sixth at a position that is hard to find
good offensive players nowadays. But then, all of a sudden, Zack Wheeler went
down with a torn UCL, and though it is a huge blow to his pitching, it may be a
great boost for his offense, because the sixth-ranked shortstop is back on his
team. He joins eight batters with 20-plus homer potential, including a pair who
have 30-plus homers in them. RBIs obviously will be a by-product of the power
potential, as will runs. Jose Abreu was a matchup changer last season, and he should be the same again. Matched with Edwin Encarnacion, we're looking at weeks where the two could combine for 14 homers by themselves, sending Choo to the 20s. Speed categories will need to be addressed in the
draft.
ARMS: I have to
say, I’m a bit baffled by the moves of Big League Choo. Last season, he was
fourth in ERA with a team mark of 3.46 ERA. He had 128 wins, 159 quality
starts, 11 complete-games and 1,801 strikeouts — all ranking in the top half of
the JLB. But, off go Max Scherzer and Johnny Cueto. I agree with the Cueto move
because I don’t necessarily like his 2015 outlook, but Scherzer, is a tough
sell. When he traded him, Scherzer hadn’t signed with the Nationals yet, but
nevertheless, it left him with little to work with. Michael Pineda had a great
2014, going 5-5 with a 1.89 ERA, but it was cut short. Injuries continue to be
a problem for him. If Choo can get a healthy 30-plus starts, he’ll be in better
shape, but there’s nothing to suggest that will happen. Chipping in will be
Jake Arrieta, Hisashi Iwakuma, Aaron Sanchez and Danny Salazar. Arrieta is the
most intriguing and Sanchez has great potential, but the rest all provide
issues. The biggest problem for Choo is, he doesn’t have that safe bet one
would want — a Kershaw, Bumgarner, Hernandez, Wainwright, Price, to name a few.
… At least, he has the best closer in the game.
N.J. Bombers
Franchise Record:
1,525-1,410-521 (.517), Eighth Season
The Bombers have had a very successful first eight years in
the JLB. With playoff trips in seven of the eight campaigns, he’s constantly
put together a squad that competes in the American League. Unfortunately, the
World Series has avoided him, losing in the ALCS in three of the last four years,
including to Choo in the last two. A tie-breaker ended his run in 2013 and a
16-4-4 loss to Choo in 2014 sent him in the offseason looking to regroup.
BATS: The Bombers
didn’t pull a Choo and change at the last minute. He will be one of four teams
to take 11 bats into the draft. He’ll have a good mix of power and speed, too,
with five 20-plus home run hitters and four 30-plus base stealers. He has the
No. 1 first baseman, according to MLB.com, in Paul Goldschmidt, and he has
another five players who are in the top-seven in their positions. Starling
Marte is just outside that at No. 11 in the outfield, but as Kyle would know
from my constant trade requests, I like Marte to have a huge year for the
Pirates. The Bombers will need a bit of a bounceback from guys like Jay Bruce
and Evan Longoria, and they both could be on very bad teams, so that’s a bit
worrisome; nevertheless, both should have season’s worthy of their keeper
status.
ARMS: The Bombers
pitching staff is a bit shaky as Jered Weaver is getting up there in age;
Anibal Sanchez struggled with a few injuries and made only 21 starts a year
ago; and Yordan Ventura, a player who I really like, saw a great increase in
innings pitched last year. First, Weaver is 32 after posting an AL-best 18 wins
last season with a 3.59 ERA. He’s been strong, but I wouldn’t expect another
18-win season. The division will be much more competitive and that will cost
him some wins. Sanchez is 31 and coming off his lowest innings total in years,
and Ventura saw his innings total increase from 150 to 210. I don’t like using
that as an excuse, but it worries me due to the number of times Verducci is
right about these high-risk players. The Bombers do welcome back the Rookie of
the Year Jacob deGrom, and Carlos Carrasco, whose slow rise to success is finally
making the Cliff Lee deal a bit better for the Indians. Together, these five
pitchers have potential to make a strong starting five for the Bombers; he’ll
just need everything to go right.
Gameday Gamblers
Franchise Record:
1,726-1,403-543 (.544), Eighth Season
It’s been a slow fall for the Gamblers. Once the golden boy
of the American League, he went to four straight World Series from 2009 to
2012, winning a pair of them in 2009 and 2010. Since then, struggles have taken
over as aging players who once led him to the promised land have regressed. So
he needed to address the issue with a new wave of players. It also meant saying
goodbye to players like Joe Mauer and Brandon Phillips, staples of those
championship squads. Now, the big question is, are the kids ready to play?
BATS: Parker
wasn’t able to cut the ties with everyone as Joey Votto still made the team,
despite his 2014 struggles. But, he is only a year removed from playing 162
games, batting .305 with 24 homers, 73 RBIs and 101 runs scored. If he’s
healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t return to that level. And if so, he
joins a strong group of hitters with Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez, Adam Jones
and Justin Upton. I also think Nick Castellanos takes the next step this year
to provide great numbers at third. Where the Gamblers will need some luck is at
catcher with Mike Zunino — his golden prospect from two years ago — and Javier
Baez, the Whiffmaster. Baez has power potential galore, and if the holes in his
swing can be fixed, the Gamblers do have a lineup that can contend with Choo in
certain aspects. He’ll just have to catch him during the weeks that Abreu and
Encarnacion don’t combine for 10 homers.
ARMS: Heading
into the draft, depth appears to be a bit of an issue, but when his biggest
rival goes big on bats, he felt the need to do the same. And whereas it cost
Choo two ace pitchers, it cost the Gamblers perhaps one, if you believe Masahiro
Tanaka survives the 2015 season. With the departure of Cueto and Scherzer from
the American League, it means the best two pitchers belong to the Gamblers.
Clayton Kershaw is easily a favorite to be sitting around his Abercrombie Crew
on ESPN again next November, and Stephen Strasburg, in my opinion, will give
him a run for his money. On weeks where the Gamblers can get a combined three
starts from that duo, he’ll be in good shape, but he is going to need some
help. Gio Gonzalez needs a bounce back year in the worst way, and Andrew Heaney
needs to develop now with a new team. And the fifth guy, Alex Meyer, will not
be up until at least July, if at all. No reason to start the clock on a team
that isn’t going anywhere.
Jerkin’ My Kurkjian
Franchise Record:
572-680-211 (.463), Fourth Season
The Jerk promised not to trade in the offseason. He didn’t
want another year of regret. But alas, he was a big dealer in 2015 and he’s
happy with his squad heading into the season. With a JLB-most 10 players
qualifying for minor league status, he could be a year out from competition,
but if he sticks with this crew, he could jump up with a great rotation heading
into 2016. Nevertheless, the wild card is attainable in 2015, so this season
isn’t a wash.
BATS: Six of the
10 minor league eligible guys are bats, and all six will graduate from that
status next year, so this will be the year he decides the seven to make the cut
into 2016. Yan Gomes was quietly one of the better catchers from fantasy
standpoint, batting .278 with 74 RBIs and 61 runs scored. He should provide
similar production this year. Outside of Melky Cabrera, there are a lot of
on-the-cusp players on this team. Anthony Rendon and Nolan Arenado have
star-power potential, but they both need to drive in more runs, and Jean Segura
regressed big-time last season and needs a bounceback. Marcell Ozuna showed spurts
of brilliance, but struggled at times to finish with a .269 average. The best
production may come from Brandon Belt. You may recall his hot start to 2014 and
then injury struck and he finished with only 214 at-bats. He’s healthy and
ready to go and I expect a big season out of him, the kind that will make Jerk
forget he traded Anthony Rizzo to get Rendon.
ARMS: Alex Cobb,
Tyson Ross and Matt Latos aren’t your sexy trio of veteran starters — the likes
of which we see on several National League teams — but it is a viable set of
starters. Cobb is a darkhorse Cy Young candidate for many and Ross, the
most-traveled man in the JLB, should find even more wins in 2015 with an
offense behind him. Latos also joins a winning team in a pitcher’s ballpark.
And then, the Jerks get dangerous with Jarred Cosart — in that same pitcher’s
park — and Sonny Gray. With those five alone, from a depth standpoint, Jerk is in the best shape in the American League. He also has Dylan Bundy, who could see some time in July, and Lucas
Giolito, who may still be a year away, but he’s looking like an ace on the horizon.
The crazy thing about these seven starters? All seven can be keepers in 2016.
The four minor leaguers all have at least another year of eligibility,
including at least three years for Bundy and Giolito (depending on when and if
they come up this year).
Sex Panthers
Franchise Record:
1,459-1,469-528 (.499), Eighth Season
It’s been two years since the Sex Panthers were just four
categories away from going to the World Series, and she’s hoping 2015 is her
time to rise and shine again in the American League. She took somewhat of a hit
when Marcus Stroman went down with an ACL injury, but a few good draft picks could
make her forget about that and get her into the hunt for a wild card.
BATS: Heading
into the draft, there’s a lack of power and speed that needs to be addressed. A
healthy Albert Pujols should be able to do what he did last year in 633 at-bats
(.272 average, 28 homers, 105 RBIs and 89 runs scored) and Jonathan Lucroy has
proven to be a top-three fantasy catcher after batting .301 with 13 homers, 69
RBIs and 73 runs scored last season. The Sex Panthers also have some high
average bats in Martin Prado and Christian Yelich, both in a Marlins lineup
that I believe will produce some great numbers this season. Andrelton Simmons,
who takes over for long-time Sex Panther Derek Jeter, needs to find his bat
again after two straight seasons in the .240s, and Nick Markakis needs to be
healthy and ready to go. The Sex Panthers may need to build toward 2016 when
Byron Buxton should arrive. If he’s the real deal, he’ll be a player to rally
around for years.
ARMS: Jeff
Samardzija, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes aren’t your ace starters, but they’re
serviceable in fantasy and they’ll get the job done some weeks, and they’ll disappoint
in others. The same should apply for Trevor Bauer and Collin McHugh. Tanner
Roark isn’t slated to be in the lineup, but all it takes in an injury or a few
Gio Gonzalez blowups (latter most likely) for Roark to get back into that
Nationals lineup, where he went 15-10 with 2.85 ERA and 138 strikeouts. The
good news for the Panthers is that Bauer, Roark, McHugh and Stroman all have at
least one more year left of minor league eligibility. A few good moves, perhaps
a deadline trade if out of the race, and she’ll be set up for 2016.
Chalupa Batman
Franchise Record:
0-0-0 (.000), First Season
Last season, the Cheese Steaks turned around a franchise in
disarray rather quickly, winning the National League and falling short of the
World Series with a loss to Vandelay in the NLCS. If Chalupa falls short of the
World Series in the ALCS, he’ll consider 2015 a great success. There’s still
some work to do and a few players who are on the cusp of stardom, so he’ll need
them to arrive early and get a few great draft picks to catapult him over the
rest of the wild card contenders in the American League.
BATS: As soon as
2016, we could be all staring in awe at Chalupa’s lineup, particularly the outfield.
Joc Pederson, Adam Eaton and George Springer is the perfect mix of speed,
power, run production and run scoring potential. The key word is potential.
Pederson may be the best of the group, and Springer, in my opinion, has Mike
Trout-like abilities. Eaton is more of a table-setter, so RBIs will be low, but
he can score 100 runs easily, especially in that White Sox lineup. Similar
table-setting stats should come from Dustin Pedroia and Danny Santana. David
Ortiz has shown no reason for us to doubt his production yet again, as has
Justin Morneau, who won the batting title in the National League last season. He
should provide 20 homers, which will go nicely with the 30-plus jacks from Evan
Gattis, Ortiz and Springer.
ARMS: In the
American League, James Shields and Doug Fister will work just fine as a one-two
punch, and Matt Shoemaker, who went 16-4 a year ago, can slide into that No. 3
slot to make a decent trio to lead Chalupa. Homer Bailey will begin the year on
the DL, so I’m not sure what he can expect out of him, so that is why he should
be more excited about what youngsters Henry Owens and Noah Syndergaard have for
him in the near future. They’ll both likely start at Triple-A, but at some
point, they’ll be up and making life a bit easier for the Batman.
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