The JLB season is upon us
and we all have hope, some more than others.
The draft brought out some
interesting strategies as we saw five rookies and/or players who haven’t
cracked the majors getting drafted.
Only two went over the
next four rounds only to kick back in heavy in the sixth round.
Some teams bolstered their
rosters for runs in 2017 while a few appear to be really pushing for a major
rebuild — that or they are definitely hoping for a bunch of “home runs” this
season.
The Outs didn’t go rookie-rookie-rookie
in this year’s draft — he didn’t have to — and his first couple picks of
Yasmani Grandal, Kendrys Morales and Ben Zobrist should easily put him over the
top again in 2017.
Yes, he was last year’s
on-paper favorite and there’s no way he doesn’t get that title again this
season.
But does that help him for
future seasons?
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| The Juggernaut? Or the JuggerOut |
“Without question, he still has best team on paper for 2017,”
Choo said. “But this is a dynasty league, and with some of his keepers
graduating to vet keepers I am highly surprised he didn’t grab a couple top
flight young guys instead of Kendrys Morales and Ben Zobrist.”
Maybe becoming a three-time champion was more important than
losing the World Series because he went for the future.
You see, Choo, Outs has never lost a World Series. He has to
know what he’s doing, right?
“He went with veteran bats right out of the gate,” Parker said,
“which I believe he could have waited on. A couple injuries to his big guns and
it opens up the NL for someone to dethrone him.”
Perhaps, but this team is rather strong. Maybe even stronger
than last year.
“Better,
I don't think so,” Crox said. “That's not a knock on his current team as they
are still the odds on favorite in the NL, but rather a true comparison of team
vs. a team 365 days apart. I wanted to say that after this draft he's showing
signs of being human, but I now have this really awkward picture in my head of
a Centaur with the head of Kenny Powers.”
That
Centaur looks to me like it’s ready to win the National League again. Just to
many stat categories set to go his way all season.
“Outs
wins the NL again,” said the Trump Steaks through his press secretary Sean
Spicer. “Oh, and Breakfast goes worst to first and wins the AL.”
Nice
misdirection, Spicer. We’re not talking about Breakfast. We’re talking Outs.
And
at the end of the day, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa,
Josh Donaldson, Jonathan Villar, Starling Marte, Rougned Odor, Buster Posey,
Freddie Freeman … and I haven’t even touched the pitching.
It’s
just all too scary to talk about as a division rival.
But
the fact remains, there’s hope.
Why?
Because that best team on paper last year was taken to the last day in the NLCS
and he was taken to the last couple innings of the World Series.
He
was so close to not fulfilling the true championship.
Choo
mentioned to a few of us the other day in a text that there was an article that
said the true way to decide the best team in the league was to not have a
playoff.
But
that’s not what we do. We decide champions, and sometimes, a true champions
arises — one that is the best on paper and the last standing.
Outs
certainly hopes he can make it 2-for-2.
THE REST OF
THE JLB
I
know, that was Outs Fest there. But he’s earned it.
The
American League will certainly be interesting this year. We already know that
the Trump Steaks loves — and I mean LOVES — himself some breakfast.
He’s
ordered up the full bacon, egg and sausage meal with a side plate filled with
flapjacks.
Sam
certainly was the offseason busy-body, trading everything he could pick-wise to
get the players he wanted.
Now,
after the draft, he’s got a competitive roster, but there are some holes. But
hey, he’s a trader. He’ll fill them.
Three
teams that could be active at the deadline are the teams that went heavy into
the youth movement in the draft — Bombers, Vandelay and Lebowski. The latter
has the best change to compete this year despite dedicating several picks to
young potential future stars.
Vandelay
and Bombers, however, will need a little more help to contend this year. The
number of prospects leave them without the depth needed to push through a full
week of matchups, especially on the pitching side.
If
some of those players come up quickly, though, this is a different story.
Then
they would all of a sudden have more pitching than Steroid, who isn’t waiting
for prospects; he’s waiting for trades. That, or he’s at some point going to
have to start dropping bats to fill out a rotation to get six starts a week.
With just seven starters, he’s really limiting what he can do pitching-wise.
“Butter,
what the [censored] are you doing with 6.5 starting pitchers?!” Crox exclaimed.
The
Bombers are nearly as limited in pitching with eight starters.
“Steroid and Bombers confused the hell out of me,” Choo
admitted. “They do know we need pitchers, right?”
Perhaps. Or maybe they’re just holding out hope for that golden
four-for-one deal.
THE PICK
With one swift selection, the NJ Bombers affected several people in the draft. It was a surprising pick considering how soon Mitch Haniger went, but Firestine followed the golden rule in our draft — if you like someone, get them right away or forever regret it.
The truth is, had Bombers not taken Haniger at Pick 2, I would have taken him at 10. And if I would have balked at 10 hoping to get him later, the Cheese Steaks would have grabbed him in the second round.
And that's just what I know. There's a chance others would have bit, so for Firestine, the pick made all the sense in the world.
"The most surprising pick was Mitch Haniger going so
early," Trump Steaks said. "I like him, in fact I was hoping I'd get him mid-second round. I did not expect him to go No. 2 overall."
THAT'S IT?
Yes, it's 12:08 p.m. Opening Sunday. I have dogs on the grill, a crying baby and people on their way over. The Jargon preview must end.
No predictions.
No Jammerscale.
Just fun baseball talk.
I'll have more tonight. And as I've said before, let's have fun. Let's make this year the best when it comes to JLB interaction. I'll keep asking for quotes. Submit ideas and quotes on a whim, too. I'll take them and try to write about them.
Good luck to everyone. Even the Outs.
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