2015 Preseason Moves

The first official move of the season was a Giants fan adding Emo Juan Uribe.

Players acquired

• Misfits sign SS Adeiny Hechavarria
• The Bryce is Right sign 3B Jake Lamb
• Arbitration Losers sign 3B Juan Uribe (April move #1).
• Already Zaun sign RP Jennry Mejia

Players released

• OF Chris Coghlan
• RP Joaquin Benoit
• 2B/3B Yunel Escobar

Lineup changes

• Rookies: Place SP Mike Minor on DL.
• Retire 21: Place SP Jose Fernandez and SP Homer Bailey on DL.
• Misfits: Bench 2B Chris Owings; Place RP Kenley Jansen on DL; activate SS Adeiny Hechavarria.
• Soler Eclipse: None.
• Pitch You Blockhead: None.
• The Bryce is Right: Place SP Hyun-Jin Ryu on DL.
• Chateau Marmol: Place OF Denard Span on DL.
• Arbitration Losers: Place 3B Anthony Rendon and OF Jayson Werth on DL; activate 3B Juan Uribe.
• Already Zaun: Place OF Hunter Pence on DL; activate RP Jennry Mejia.
• Fresh Fish: None.

Spring training injury roundup: One week to go

When your name is mentioned in the same breath as Dr. James Andrews, it's time to be concerned.

Arizona: SP Patrick Corbin (elbow) isn't due back until June. SP Bronson Arroyo (elbow) won't be back until August.

Atlanta: OF Melvin Upton (foot) is likely out until early May. OF Nick Markakis (neck) expects to be ready for opening day. SP Mike Minor (shoulder) will open the season on the disabled list.

Chicago: SP Jon Lester (arm fatigue) should be ready for opening day.

Cincinnati: SP Homer Bailey (elbow) could be back by mid-to-late April. C Devin Mesoraco (hamstring) says he's fine and that it was just a cramp.

Colorado: SP Jorge De La Rosa (groin) has been shut down. OF Corey Dickerson is battling back tightness. OF Carlos Gonzalez has a sore knee. SP Eddie Butler has shoulder fatigue. SP David Hale (oblique) is out.

Los Angeles: SP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. SP Brandon Beachy (elbow) is likely out until June. CP Kenley Jansen (foot) is likely to miss the first month of the season. RP Brandon League (shoulder) is out for two months.

Miami: SP Jose Fernandez (elbow) is likely out until June.

Milwaukee: None.

New York: SP Zack Wheeler (elbow) is out for the year. CP Bobby Parnell (elbow, hamstring) could be back by early May. 2B Daniel Murphy (hamstring) might start the season on the DL.

Philadelphia: OF Domonic Brown (Achilles) might start the season on the DL. SP Cliff Lee (arm) is on the 60-day DL. SP Chad Billingsley (elbow) should be ready by late April.

Pittsburgh: None.

San Diego: SP Josh Johnson (elbow) could be ready by May.

San Francisco: OF Angel Pagan (back) might not be ready for opening day. OF Hunter Pence (broken arm) is likely to miss all of April. OF Travis Ishikawa is battling back tightness.

St. Louis: SP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) is out again.

Washington: 3B Anthony Rendon (knee) has seen Dr. James Andrews about his knee; his status is unknown. OF Jayson Werth (shoulder) and OF Nate McLouth (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. Denard Span (ab) is likely to miss the first month. CP Drew Storen (blister) should be ready for opening day.

Position battles roundup

Looking to improve their mullet game, the Phillies
might open the season with this man in right field.

With less than a week left in spring training, a few positions remain up for grabs across the National League. Here's a closer look:

Arizona infield: It sounds like Nick Ahmed will win the SS job, which means Chris Owings could slide over to 2B to take Aaron Hill's job. Will Hill play 3B? Will Jake Lamb? Will Yasmany Tomas play 3B or OF? Will he even make the team? What a mess.

Arizona outfield: The D'backs appear set with A.J. Pollock in CF and Mark Trumbo in RF. That leaves David Peralta, Cody Ross, Ender Inciarte and perhaps Tomas in LF.

Arizona rotation: Josh Collmenter, Jeremy Hellickson, Chase Anderson, Rubby De La Rosa and Trevor Cahill will be the starting pitchers to open the season.

Atlanta 2B: It appears Jace Peterson has won the job over Alberto Callaspo and Phil Gosselin.

Atlanta outfield: This situation can be described with a big shrug. It appears to be a Zoilo Almonte/Jonny Gomes platoon in LF, Eric Young Jr. in CF and a hopefully healthy Nick Markakis in RF.

Chicago infield: With Kris Bryant tabbed for Triple-A, 3B is open for Mike Olt, Arismendy Alcantara and Tommy La Stella. With Javier Baez also headed for Triple-A, second base is open for ... Alcantara and La Stella.

Colorado C: Nick Hundley and Michael McKenry appear ready to split time behind the plate, leaving Wilin Rosario as a utility man playing 1B, C and a corner outfield spot.

Colorado rotation: With Jorge De La Rosa hurt, it appears Colorado will go with Kyle Kendrick, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Matzek, Jon Gray and Christian Bergman to open the season. David Hale and Eddie Butler are battling injuries too.

Los Angeles bullpen: With Kenley Jansen and Brandon League set to begin the season on the DL, no one knows who will be in line to pick up saves. Maybe Mike Marshall, Steve Howe or Tom Niedenfuer.

New York rotation: Dillon Gee and Rafael Montero are battling for the fifth spot, and manager Terry Collins has no idea what to do.

Philadelphia RF: With Ben Revere playing LF and Odubel Herrera in CF, it appears RF will be Domonic Brown's home this season. Until he comes off the DL, though, it could be Grady Sizemore. Or Darin Ruf. Or Jeff Francoeur. Or heck, maybe Pete Incaviglia.

Pittsburgh SS: Jordy Mercer will open the season as the starter after Jung Ho Kang had a sluggish spring.

Pittsburgh rotation: Jeff Locke beat out Vance Worley for the fifth spot.

San Diego infield: Will Middlebrooks and Yangervis Solarte have been battling for the 3B job, and Middlebrooks appears to have the edge. Yonder Alonso seems to be the likely choice at 1B, but Tommy Medica has been killing the ball this spring. Also, CF Wil Myers has been taking grounders at 1B.

San Diego rotation: Brandon Morrow appears to have the edge over Odrisamer Despaigne for the final spot in the rotation.

St. Louis rotation: Jaime Garcia, Marco Gonzalez and Carlos Martinez have battled for the fifth spot — although Garcia is hurt (again). It sounds like Martinez will get the nod.

Washington outfield: RF Bryce Harper is the only healthy regular, which means the rest of the opening-day outfield will be a mix of Kevin Frandsen, Tyler Moore, Michael Taylor, Tony Gwynn Jr., Matt den Dekker, Reed Johnson and/or Scott Hairston.

Spring training injury roundup: Two weeks to go

Zack Wheeler's season ended before it even started.

Arizona: SP Patrick Corbin (elbow) isn't due back until June. SP Bronson Arroyo (elbow) won't be back until August. CP Addison Reed (shoulder) hasn't pitched but expects to be ready for opening day.

Atlanta: OF Melvin Upton (foot) is likely out until early May. OF Nick Markakis (neck) could be ready for opening day. SP Mike Minor (shoulder) will open the season on the disabled list.

Chicago: SS Starlin Castro (groin) has missed a couple of games but should be fine. SP Jon Lester (arm fatigue) should be ready for opening day. SP Tsuyoshi Wada is battling a groin problem. SP Jacob Turner (elbow) is being shut down for a month.

Cincinnati: SP Homer Bailey (elbow) should be back by mid-April.

Colorado: SP Jorge De La Rosa (groin) is out, and his status for opening day is unknown.

Los Angeles: SP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. SPBrandon Beachy (elbow) is likely out until June. CP Kenley Jansen (foot) is likely to miss the first month of the season.

Miami: SP Jose Fernandez (elbow) is likely out until June.

Milwaukee: SP Mike Fiers (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day but isn't expected to need a DL stint.

New York: SP Zack Wheeler (elbow) is out for the year. CP Bobby Parnell (elbow, hamstring) could be back by early May. 2B Daniel Murphy (hamstring) might start the season on the DL.

Philadelphia: 2B Chase Utley (ankle) should be ready for opening day. OF Domonic Brown (Achilles) might start the season on the DL. SP Cliff Lee (arm) is on the 60-day DL. SP Aaron Harang (back) could miss opening day. SP Chad Billingsley (elbow) should be ready by mid-April.

Pittsburgh: SP Brandon Cumpton had Tommy John surgery.

San Diego: SP John Johnson (elbow) could be ready by May.

San Francisco: Angel Pagan (back) should be ready for opening day. Hunter Pence (broken arm) is likely to miss all of April.

St. Louis: None.

Washington: 2B Yunel Escobar (oblique), 3B Anthony Rendon (knee) and SP Stephen Strasburg (ankle) should be ready for opening day. OF Jayson Werth (shoulder) and OF Nate McLouth (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. Denard Span (ab) is likely to miss the first month.

Spring training injury rundown: Three weeks to go

Josh Johnson is on the injury report? You don't say. 

With less than three weeks left until the draft, let's see who's battling injuries across the National League.

Arizona: SS Chris Owings is recovering from left shoulder surgery. SP Patrick Corbin (elbow) isn't due back until June. SP Bronson Arroyo (elbow) won't be back until August. CP Addison Reed (shoulder) hasn't pitched but expects to be ready for opening day.

Atlanta: SS Andrelton Simmons (oblique) isn't playing the field yet. OF Melvin Upton (foot) is likely out until early May. OF Nick Markakis (neck) might not be ready for opening day. SP Mike Minor (shoulder) will open the season on the disabled list.

Chicago: SP Tsuyoshi Wada is battling a groin problem. SP Jacob Turner (elbow) is being shut down for a month.

Cincinnati: C Devin Mesoraco (concussion) is expected to be ready for opening day. 1B Joey Votto (leg) is taking it easy this spring as the Reds try to keep him fresh. SP Homer Bailey (elbow) is unlikely to be ready for opening day.

Colorado: OF Carlos Gonzalez (knee) is taking it easy this spring as the Rockies try to keep him fresh. SP Tyler Chatwood (elbow) will miss most of the season.

Los Angeles: SP Brandon Beachy (elbow) is likely out until June. CP Kenley Jansen (foot) is likely to miss the first month of the season.

Miami: SP Jose Fernandez (elbow) is likely out until June.

Milwaukee: C Jonathan Lucroy (hamstring, pink eye) hasn't made his spring training debut yet. OF Ryan Braun is out with the flu.

New York: 1B Lucas Duda (oblique) is expected to be ready for opening day. SP Zack Wheeler (elbow) is awaiting results of an MRI (update 3/16: Wheeler is expected to miss the year with a torn UCL). CP Bobby Parnell (elbow, hamstring) could be back by early May.

Philadelphia: 2B Chase Utley (ankle) should be ready for opening day. SP Cliff Lee is trying to pitch through a tear in an elbow tendon but could need surgery. SP Aaron Harang (back) could miss opening day. SP Chad Billingsley (elbow) should be ready by mid-April.

Pittsburgh: SP Brandon Cumpton had Tommy John surgery.

San Diego: SP John Johnson (elbow) could be ready by May, but it's Josh Johnson, so...

San Francisco: Angel Pagan (neck) should be ready for opening day. Hunter Pence (broken arm) is likely to miss all of April. SP Tim Lincecum is day-to-day with a stiff neck.

St. Louis: SP Adam Wainwright (ab) and SP Lance Lynn (hip) should be ready for opening day.

Washington: 2B Yunel Escobar (oblique) should be ready for opening day. 3B Anthony Rendon has a mild MCL sprain but doesn't need surgery. OF Jayson Werth (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. Denard Span (ab) is likely to miss the first month.

Draft Day Approaching

We're well into March now, which means the 2015 FBLG Draft is approaching fast. This year's draft is scheduled for Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m. Pacific time. Just 26 days away! Please contact the Commissioners Office immediately if this time will be a problem for you.

A few housekeeping notes:

• Rules changes: We've gotten feedback on all our proposed rule changes, and most of it has been positive. We're going to send owners an email giving everyone one more chance to vote against the changes, then we'll implement them for the new season. Check your emails for more details.
• Draft preparation: Everyone should have access to a number of documents in Google Drive. For the pre-draft ones, we'll do our best to keep them updated before the draft. If you can't access any of these, please let us know:
• Projected NL rosters 2015
• 2015 FBLG preseason stats
• FBLG emails 2015
• FBLG scoring
• FBLG rulebook
• FBLG best available players
• Head to head
• Injury updates: As usual, the Commissioners Office will be posting injury updates on the blog in the days and weeks leading up to the draft. Keep your eyes out for those.
• Draft order: In case anyone needs a refresher...
1. Henry
2. Ray
3. Reid
4. Adam
5. Scott
6. Bill
7. Matt
8. Tim
9. Rich/Brian
10. Rick

Think that covers it all for now. You know where to find us with questions.

2014 Positional Leaders

In honor of our recent retiree.

We keep these numbers all year so you don't have to. Position-by-position leaders from the season.

First base

1. Danger Zaun 412 (15.85/week)
2. Arbitration Losers 402 (15.46)
3. Rocky Mountain High 363 (13.96)

Second base

1. Ryan's Rangers 406 (15.62)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 356 (13.69)
3. Pitch You Blockhead 354 (13.62)

Shortstop

1. Rocky Mountain High 354 (13.62)
2. Danger Zaun 341 (13.12)
3. E-3 341 (13.12)

Third base

1. Danger Zaun 353 (13.58)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 336 (12,92)
3. Arbitration Losers 332 (12.77)

Catcher

1. Pitch You Blockhead 377 (14.50)
2. Fresh Fish 360 (13.85)
3. Arbitration Losers 267 (10.27)

Outfield

1. Fresh Fish 1173 (45.12)
2. Ryan's Rangers 1102 (42.38)
3. Misfits 1079 (41.50)

Starting pitching

1. Fresh Fish 1569 (60.35)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 1564 (60.15)
3. Danger Zaun 1506 (57.92)

Relief pitching

1. Danger Zaun 325 (12.50)
2. E-3 279 (10.73)
3. Rocky Mountain High 277 (10.65)

Top-3 finishes

• Danger Zaun 5
• Fresh Fish 3
• Arbitration Losers 3
• Rocky Mountain High 3
• Tanana in the Tailpipe 3
• Ryan's Rangers 2
• Pitch You Blockhead 2
• E-3 2
• Misfits 1

Random tidbits

• Only one team used all its free agent moves this year: the Misfits. Among the important pickups for Reid's squad: Charlie Blackmon, Tanner Roark, Alex Wood, Francisco Rodriguez, Lucas Duda, John Lackey and Jorge Soler.
• The catcher position was as weak as it's ever been. Only four teams averaged even double digits from their catcher and, in total, catchers only outscored closers 2675-2425, or about a point per week per team.
• The 8-point win by Fresh Fish over Danger Zaun was actually the third-closest in FBLG history. In 2011, Ken topped Tim by a mere 6 points and in 2004, in what have been a completely insane finish, Bill topped Tim by 8 points... and Tim was in third! The Klock/Robinson team finished 7 points back.
• Here's how close the Fish-Zaun finish was. Fish had 2696 hitting points and 1815 pitching points. Zaun had 2672 hitting and 1831 pitching.
• The Fresh Fish's last 4 finishes: 10th, 1st, 9th, 1st. Note to NL players: you do NOT want to be drafted by Rick next year.

2014 Season Wrapup

Why this picture? Oh, no reason.

First off, congratulations to Rick's Fresh Fish for their sweep of the head-to-head and overall titles.

FBLG 2014 was among the most competitive ever, with 8 points separating the top two finishers and just 380 points separating 1st place and 8th place. And the winnings were spread around nicely. Great work, everyone.

Rick, Matt, Scott and Adam have already told us they plan to play in 2015. For the rest of you, please let us know your plans when you can. Again, it's not binding, but we'd like to know if we need to try and track down some new owners.

Final standings

1. Fresh Fish 4511
2. Danger Zaun 4503
3. Arbitration Losers 4318
4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4272
5. Ryan's Rangers 4258
6. Pitch You Blockhead 4233
7. E-3 4192
8. Misfits 4131
9. Rocky Mountain High 3958
10. Rookies 3795

Next year's draft order

1. Henry
2. Jon
3. Reid
4. Adam
5. Scott
6. Bill
7. Matt
8. Tim
9. Rich/Brian
10. Rick

The 2015 MLB season starts a week later than usual, with the first game on Sunday, April 5 and the first full day of games on the 6th. This means, for the first time in a long time, the draft will likely not be at the end of Spring Break. Obviously it's 6 months out, but we'll plan on the draft being Saturday, April 4, in our usual online fashion.

Scoring leaders

Batting

1. Andrew McCutchen (E-3) 424
2. Anthony Rendon (Ryan's Rangers) 424
3. Giancarlo Stanton (Fresh Fish) 417
4. Adrian Gonzalez (Danger Zaun) 415
5. Hunter Pence (Misfits) 404
6. Freddie Freeman (Arbitration Losers) 402
7. Carlos Gomez (Ryan's Rangers) 400
8. Yasiel Puig (Rocky Mountain High) 391
9. Justin Upton (Rookies) 370
10. Christian Yelich (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 363
11. Matt Holliday (Arbitration Losers) 360
12. Ryan Braun (Ryan's Rangers) 355
13. Buster Posey (Fresh Fish) 354

Starting pitching

1. Clayton Kershaw (Fresh Fish) 523
2. Johnny Cueto (E-3) 504
3. Madison Bumgarner (Misfits) 466
4. Zach Greinke (Pitch You Blockhead) 434
5. Adam Wainwright (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 425
6. Stephen Strasburg (Danger Zaun) 425
7. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) 401
8. Lance Lynn (Rocky Mountain High) 368
9. Julio Teheran (Ryan's Rangers) 353
10. Jeff Samardzija (Pitch You Blockhead) 352

Relief pitching

1. Kenley Jansen (Rocky Mountain High) 282
2. Craig Kimbrel (E-3) 279
3. Trevor Rosenthal (Pitch You Blockhead) 253
4. Steve Cishek (Fresh Fish) 246
5. Aroldis Chapman (Danger Zaun) 239

Playoffs Week 8: Sunday's Roundup

Another no-hitter on the last day of the season? At least the pitcher was on a FBLG roster this time.

Studs: Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) struck out 10 Marlins and allowed only a walk in a 104-pitch no-hitter. He also singled twice. Johnny Cueto (E-3) had an RBI single, struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Anthony Rizzo (RMH) stole a base, scored twice, hit a 2-run homer and singled twice. Zack Greinke (PYB) hit his 6th double, struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 5-inning win. Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 12 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings. Lucas Duda (Misfits) homered, doubled and drove in 4. 

Duds: The Marlins' hitters. Duh.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 153, Danger Zaun 138

Others

Fresh Fish 150

Arbitration Losers 199

Tanana in the Tailpipe 157

Ryan's Rangers 190

Misfits 131

E-3 198

Rocky Mountain High 137

Rookies 151

Final point totals

1. Fresh Fish 4,511

2. Danger Zaun 4,503

3. Arbitration Losers 4,318

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4,272

5. Ryan's Rangers 4,258

6. Pitch You Blockhead 4,233

7. E-3 4,192

8. Misfits 4,131

9. Rocky Mountain High 3,958

10. Rookies 3,795

Manager Jack McKeon, you and the Fresh Fish have won the points title as well as the playoff championship.
What are you going to do now? "I'm going to Panda Express!"

Playoffs Week 8: Saturday's Roundup

Not even Wily Peralta can believe that Wily Peralta has 17 wins.

Studs: Wily Peralta (RR) allowed 1 run and struck out 13 in a 7-inning win. Justin Upton (Rookies) hit a 2-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Stephen Strasburg (DZ) drove in a run, got the win and fanned 7 in 6 shutout innings. Todd Frazier (DZ) hit a 2-run homer and scored 4 runs thanks to 3 walks.  

Duds: Andrelton Simmons (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with an error. Matt Holliday (AL) went 0 for 2 with an error. Anthony Rendon (RR), Marlon Byrd (FF) and Ryan Zimmerman (FF) each singled and erred.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 128, Danger Zaun 103

Others

Fresh Fish 121 (lead DZ by 14)

Arbitration Losers 167

Tanana in the Tailpipe 139

Ryan's Rangers 183

Misfits 107

E-3 158

Rocky Mountain High 119

Rookies 115