The Check Swing: Week 5

This week's theme is surprises and disappointments. We here at the FBLG blog provide a team-by-team rundown of draftees who have beaten expectations in the first five weeks and the guys who have been letdowns — or "kinks," to keep the music theme going.

1. Manwaring a Muumuu (874 points, 4-1): Matt Harvey made an impact last year after his call-up, but he's been remarkable in his sophomore season, posting 102 points in the first 5 weeks. On the flip side, Josh Beckett was drafted to add veteran stability to a young rotation. Instead, the homer-prone righty was released after failing to record a victory for the Dodgers.

The Misfits (Reid's team, not the
Kinks album), second in the FBLG
rankings, face Manwaring a
Muumuu this week.

2. Misfits (862 points, 3-2): It's hard to choose a surprise from this group of established performers, but Jaime Garcia would be the choice. Coming off a shoulder injury, Garcia has looked as good as ever in the early going. On the flip side, Roy Halladay has been mostly terrible this season and is seeing a doctor because of pain in his right shoulder.

3. Testosteraun Braun (852 points, 3-2): Jordan Zimmermann has provided 87 points and looks like a co-ace alongside Madison Bumgarner. Plus, the Nationals are giving him run support this year. On the flip side, Julio Teheran was tabbed by many as a breakout candidate after dominating hitters during the spring. It hasn't worked out that way.

4. Arbitration Losers (819 points, 2-3): Brandon Crawford has scored 65 points. That's more than Jonathan Lucroy, Angel Pagan and Matt Kemp, and it matches Cliff Lee's output. Remarkable. On the flip side, Brandon McCarthy brought his ground-ball tendencies to the National League and seemed like a good bet to win at least 10 games with an ERA under 4.00. Instead, he's already been let go by the Arbitration Losers.

5. Going Going Gonzo (809 points, 2-3): Did anyone expect A.J. Burnett to be this good? He's striking out batters left and right, and he's been racking up the victories — to the tune of 96 points. On the flip side, B.J. Upton has been downright awful. He's been benched for stretches by the Braves and has been on Going Going Gonzo's bench as well.  

6. Pitch You Blockhead (806 points, 3-2): Although he was the third outfielder drafted by PYB, Starling Marte is one of only four FBLG players who have surpassed 100 points (Matt Harvey, Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright are the others). On the flip side, Kris Medlen has pitched well enough to post a 3.38 ERA, but his record is 1-4. That's not what PYB expected from its ace.

7. Lawyers, Guns & Money (779 points, 3-2): Lance Lynn has had a fantastic start, but he was drafted to be this team's ace. The true surprise is Hyun-jin Ryu, who was an unknown commodity after coming to the U.S. from Korea. He's earned 87 points, just 4 fewer than Lynn. On the flip side, Ben Revere has looked awful in his first year in the National League. It didn't take long for the Phillies to drop him from the leadoff spot, and it's hard to steal if you can't get on base.

8. Silver State Sagebrushers (776 points, 1-4): With 84 points, Dexter Fowler has been one of the top players in FBLG, and being atop the Colorado lineup could lead to seasonlong success. On the flip side, although Chad Billingsley's elbow blew up, that wasn't much of a surprise. The real head-scratcher here is another terrible start for Rickie Weeks. Almost a quarter of Weeks' 49 points came in one game this week.

9. Fresh Fish (739 points, 2-3): Jean Segura has been phenomenal for the Brewers, and Fresh Fish has reaped the benefits with Segura replacing the injured Hanley Ramirez. On the flip side, Matt Cain and Miguel Montero have gotten off to slow starts, but Giancarlo Stanton has been truly disappointing. The Miami slugger scored only 31 points before going down with a hamstring injury.

10. Rookies (725 points, 2-3): Baseball pundits' opinions were split on Carlos Gomez before the season. Gomez has proved his doubters wrong, continuing to build on a strong 2012 by scoring 92 points in FBLG. On the flip side, Jason Heyward contributed little before going on the disabled list. His absence has left a major hole in the Rookies' outfield.