It's time to check in at the FBLG regular season's midpoint (a week late, anyway) and take a look at the midseason MVPs.
1. Ryan's Rangers (1,819 points, 7-3): Gio Gonzalez, Matt Adams and Nolan Arenado are on the DL, but so what? Bill's team just keeps rolling along, as evidenced by the 32-point week posted by Chase Anderson. MVP: The team is named for Ryan Braun, but Carlos Gomez (187 points) is the best performer here.
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| Frank Tanana led the league in strikeouts in 1975 and in ERA and shutouts in 1977. But in 1976, he was 15th in the MVP voting. His mustache finished in spots 1 through 14. |
2. E-3 (1,730 points, 6-4): Adam's team wet the bed this week thanks to a combined 8 points from Johnny Cueto, A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett. But at least his Mets and Phillies hitters keep producing. MVP: Andrew McCutchen was the No. 1 overall pick, but Cueto (187 points) has been the No. 1 player on E-3.
3. Fresh Fish (1,706 points, 4-6): Rick's attempts to collect every Marlins player on his team hit a snag when second baseman Derek Dietrich was sent to Triple-A. That didn't stop the Fish from putting up a 190-point week thanks to a 40-pointer from Clayton Kershaw. MVP: Has anyone been better than Giancarlo Stanton (202 points)?
4t. Danger Zaun (1,700 points, 3-7): The Rich/Brian team cracked the 200-point barrier behind a ton of pitching power and offense from Todd Frazier and Khris Davis. Too bad Adrian Gonzalez hasn't hit anything in a month and Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been even worse. MVP: It was looking like Jose Fernandez's year, but now the pressure is on Stephen Strasburg (167 points) to lead the way.
4t. Pitch You Blockhead (1,700 points, 6-4): Is Scott's quartet of Zack Greinke, Jeff Samardzija, Ryan Vogelsong and Ian Kennedy the best in FBLG? It sure looked like it this week. If Hanley Ramirez heats up this summer, watch out for PYB. MVP: It would be fun to say Jonathan Lucroy, but it's definitely Greinke (190 points).
6. Tanana in the Tailpipe (1,675 points, 6-4): Matt's team clearly leads the league in DL stints and crippled outfielders. Welington Castillo joined Bryce Harper, Mark Trumbo, A.J. Pollock and Dillon Gee on the disabled list this week, and Juan Lagares is hurt too. Jonathan Papelbon posted 1 point in his lone appearance to put the cherry on top of this 115-point dud week. MVP: Adam Wainwright (207 points) has been FBLG's top pitcher.
7. Arbitration Losers (1,655 points, 5-5): Tim's best performers in a blowout loss to DZ were Denard Span and Jake Arrieta. That says it all, but we'll add more: Matt Holliday and Michael Cuddyer are dealing with injuries, and Gerrit Cole is headed to the disabled list. Ouch. MVP: The return of Cliff Lee (118 points) is greatly anticipated.
8. Rocky Mountain High (1,633 points, 5-5): Are the wheels coming off Jon's team? Carlos Gonzalez went to the disabled list, and Yasiel Puig missed time with an injury. Better hope Troy Tulowitzki can stay healthy. MVP: Tulowitzki (196 points) had another big week and is among FBLG's top scorers.
9t. Misfits (1,563 points, 4-6): Daniel Murphy's 24-point outburst was the lone bright spot for Reid's team this week. Poor performances included those by Ike Davis (-1), Michael Wacha (1), Aaron Harang (4), Chris Johnson (4) and Everth Cabrera (6). MVP: Madison Bumgarner (192 points) hasn't been the best pitcher in FBLG, but it's closer than you might think.
9t. Rookies (1,563 points, 4-6): A 43-point week from Jordan Zimmermann helped Henry's team get past RMH and climb into a tie for ninth in the rankings. On the down side, Mike Olt posted a zero and Andrelton Simmons and B.J. Upton combined for only 14. MVP: No surprise here. Paul Goldschmidt (195 points) has been worthy of being the No. 3 overall pick.
