It’s only the middle of August. While the standings certainly matter more now than they did back in June, the only standings that really count are the final ones. Nonetheless, August standings tell us a lot about our teams. If your league is like most, about 2/3 of the teams are pretty much out of the running for the title.
I wrote the above disclaimer because my team in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship is, as of Thursday, leading the league and in 20th place overall. However, there are four teams fighting tooth and nail, and the standings change hourly. Any one of the four teams can win the title and no one would be surprised. The fifth- and sixth-place teams are a ways out, but certainly not out of the running. Should make for an exciting September.
Looking back at my draft, I learned a couple of things. First, I didn’t do a really good job of drafting. I took Derek Jeter in the third round (pick #44), and Troy Tulowitzki in the fourth round (#47). I also suffered a number of injuries, as listed below (with the batters listed in the order that I drafted them).
Albert Pujols- June 12, 15-day disabled list, out until June 26.
Derek Jeter- various day-to-day injuries.
Troy Tulowitzki- Two disabled list stints: May 3 15-day disabled list, out until July 21; 15-day disabled list, out until July 21.
Todd Helton- July 4, 15-day disabled list, likely out for the season.
Jason Bay- Healthy.
Michael Bourn- Various leg injuries plus the inability to hit the ball.
Dan Uggla- June 30, ankle injury, missed ten days.
Evan Longoria- August 11, 15-day disabled list, due out approximately 3 weeks.
Adam Jones- August 5, 15-day disabled list, likely out for the season.
Milton Bradley- Hurt daily, every day.
Garret Anderson- Reasonably healthy, especially for him.
Mark Reynolds- Healthy.
Ryan Freel- June 24, 15-day disabled list, out for the year.
Josh Bard- April 12, 15-day disabled list, never recovered.
Michael Barrett- April 8, 15-day disabled list, never recovered.
Mark DeRosa- Healthy.
I am willing to bet that my team’s relative health hasn’t been inordinately different than most teams. I haven’t been snakebit, nor lucky. Sure, losing Tulo could have been devastating, but at least I don’t have Carlos Lee. Helton’s injury was a blow, I guess, but he wasn’t performing anyway. Longoria's and Jones’ injuries, especially this late in the year as I am fighting for the title and some significant money, are challenging. However, if you look at your team or other teams in your league, I’m sure that you will find that my injuries are typical, better than some, not as bad as others.
Yet, I have survived a rather average draft and a fair amount of injuries, such that I find myself in a very competitive spot and a real chance at not only winning my league but also cashing in the overall competition. How is that?
Well, my pitching has been good, but that is not the only reason. The biggest reason for my success has been none other than Mark DeRosa. Yes, you read that right, Mark DeRosa has been my MVP. DeRosa’s numbers are pretty good, but certainly not better than those of Pujols, Longoria, Bradley, or others. What makes DeRosa stand out is that he can fill in virtually anywhere.
DeRosa qualifies at outfield, second base, third base, middle infield and corner infield. As a result, if an outfielder goes down, DeRosa fits. When Helton went down, DeRosa shifted into my corner infield spot. When Tulo went down, twice, DeRosa played middle infield. With Longoria out, DeRosa can play third. By drafting DeRosa, I was essentially drafting a guy who could fill in, with a bit of maneuvering, at every position except catcher.
Versatility became the key. Rather than scouring the waiver wire hoping to find a Nick Punto-type player on a good week, I just turned to DeRosa. Although he was not among my top fourteen hitters drafted, DeRosa has over 300 at-bats for my team. When you look at the Puntos and Andy Martes of the world, (your typical waiver wire fodder) you will find that DeRosa’s .280 average, 75 runs, 68 RBI, 13 home runs, and 5 stolen bases, thus far, are quite helpful.
Fourteen guys like Mark DeRosa will lead you to a bottom half finish in your league, but one versatile Mark DeRosa might be worth $5,000, a league title, and a shot at the overall money.
Just a thought.
Best of luck,
Buster