2013 Season Recap: Manwaring a Muumuu

How bad are the Mets? This man was one of the league's most dominant pitchers,
finished fifth in the Cy Young... and had nine wins.

Overview

Total points: 4,610 (1st place)
Head-to-head record: 12-6 (2nd place)
Postseason: Lost in championship round

Draft

Best picks: Matt Harvey (9th round), Shelby Miller (11th round), Jedd Gyorko (14th round), Domonic Brown (15th round)

Worst picks: Aramis Ramirez (3rd round), Jimmy Rollins (8th round), Jason Kubel (10th round)

Season highlights

Put up 258 and 216 in back-to-back weeks in May and June to grab hold of the points lead and not relinquish it. ... Advanced to championship round and went toe to toe with Arbitration Losers, but had to settle for second place. ... Led all teams in scoring from starting pitchers with 1,622, 144 more than the second-place team. ... Rotation of mainly Matt Harvey, Mat Latos, A.J. Burnett, Mike Minor and Shelby Miller was dominant much of the year. ... Also finished second in points at catcher and shortstop. ... One of league's best offenses when players were healthy, which was not too often.

In a nutshell

A classic case of peaking too soon. In the middle of the season, this team seemed unstoppable despite injuries to Aaron Hill, Aramis Ramirez, Wandy Rodriguez, Carl Crawford and Michael Cuddyer. Seemingly overnight, though, the offense went in the tank, the older players showed their age and ace Matt Harvey was injured. Muumuu stayed afloat down the stretch and eked out some close wins in the playoffs before falling in the championship round. The team run by the commissioners will be drafting from the bottom next year and expects to contend for another title.

2013 Season Recap: Arbitration Losers

"Did you catch that?" "Yes I did."
Marlins rookie pitcher Jose Fernandez did it all this year to lead the
Arbitration Losers to the title.

Overview

Total points: 4,420 (2nd place)
Head-to-head record: 10-8 (6th place)
Postseason: Won championship

Draft

Best picks: Allen Craig (5th round), Jonathan Lucroy (6th round), Gerardo Parra (16th round)

Worst picks: Matt Kemp (1st round), Johnny Cueto (3rd round)

Season highlights

Team was basically unstoppable after mid-July, winning last four games in regular season and rolling through the playoffs. ... Co-aces Cliff Lee and Jose Fernandez led the way, but pitching was solid top to bottom. ... Martin Prado's hot streak after the all-star break allowed for major positional flexibility when the inevitable injuries arose. ... A potent offense was led by Allen Craig, Matt Holliday and Jonathan Lucroy. ... Was second in the league in points at 1st base, starting pitching and relief pitching and third at catcher and outfield. ... Upset Testosteraun Braun 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs, then knocked off top-seeded Misfits 2-0 in the semifinals. ... Finally lost a week in the championship series, but won the war with a 215-point effort in the decisive week.

In a nutshell

This looked like one of the league's most dangerous teams after the draft, but injuries to Matt Kemp, Johnny Cueto, Angel Pagan, Chase Headley, Neil Walker and others kept them from their full potential for the season's first half. No matter. Shrewd moves by the owner, some players returning to health, and breakout years from Jose Fernandez, Gerardo Parra and Allen Craig led the Losers to the head-to-head title and a runner-up spot in the points race. After having the second pick in the draft and using his jinxing powers against Matt Kemp this year, we'll see how Tim responds to drafting near the bottom next year. It figures that he'll be a threat to repeat.