2013 Season Recap: Going Going Gonzo

Hopefully next year these guys can keep the damn Cardinals out of the World Series.

Overview

Total points: 3,860 (7th place)
Head-to-head record: 6-12 (8th place)
Postseason: 2-3 in consolation round.

Draft

Best picks: Adrian Gonzalez (1st round), Jay Bruce (3rd round), Wilin Rosario (9th round), Jason Grilli (16th round).

Worst picks: B.J. Upton (2nd round), Ian Kennedy (4th round), Trevor Cahill (7th round)

Season highlights

Toppled Misfits in first week of playoffs before falling in week two. ... Made a great trade, adding Jean Segura for Garrett Jones and ending up with one of the league's best shortstops. ... Jason Grilli, until getting hurt, was the league's top-scoring closer. ... Wilin Rosario scored as many points as the first catcher drafted, Buster Posey. ... Adrian Gonzalez and Jay Bruce provided steady points for this team all season.

In a nutshell

The good, the bad and the ugly. We've talked about the good already; the bad largely involved lots of playing time for the two Braves you REALLY didn't want to have this year, B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla. And the ugly was a pitching staff anchored by the enigmatic Ian Kennedy and the flighty (and hard-luck) Jeff Samardzjia. Gonzo looked like a threat early but quickly fell out of contention and was left playing spoiler late in the year, nearly upsetting the Misfits in the first round of the playoffs. We'll see how they bounce back next season.

2013 Season Recap: Rookies

This 13th-round pick ended up second in the league in batting average.

Overview

Total points: 3,834 (8th place)
Head-to-head record: 7-11 (7th place)
Postseason: 2-3 in consolation round.

Draft

Best picks: Alfonso Soriano (8th round), Carlos Gomez (10th round), Chris Johnson (13th round).

Worst picks: Yovani Gallardo (4th round), Adam LaRoche (5th round), David Freese (7th round).

Season highlights

Swept season series from head-to-head champion Arbitration Losers. ... Outfielders Alfonso Soriano (398) and Carlos Gomez (397) were each a couple bloopers from 400 points. ... Late selections of Gomez and Chris Johnson turned out to be boons with highly drafted Jason Heyward spending much of the season injured and David Freese forgetting how to hit. ... Soriano's mid-August hot streak was among the season's most impressive, as he had a 49-point week, including days consecutive days of 14, 16, 6 and 11.

In a nutshell

Went with the all-aces draft - Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Yovani Gallardo in the first four rounds - but without the desired results. Strasburg was hurt and got no run support much of the year, and Gallardo was mediocre. Heyward's injuries and Everth Cabrera's suspension hurt, as did regression from Adam LaRoche, Marco Scutaro, Zach Cozart and Freese. If the Nationals hadn't taken the first 4 months of the season off and Heyward had been healthy, this could have been a very different season for the Rookies, who will look to bounce back in 2014.