Draft day injury report

You can read this entire blog entry in the amount of time it takes Scott Kazmir's fastball to get to home plate.

Are you ready for draft day? We certainly hope so. According to MLB expert Harold Reynolds, it's important to draft players who are healthy enough to play for your fantasy team. To follow that advice, you should peruse the following injury report. We're only mentioning the players we consider to be draftable. So don't come crying to us if you go off the board and select Colin Rea because you forgot scientists are piecing his elbow back together with wooden dowels and scotch tape.


Arizona: None.


Atlanta: IF/OF Sean Rodriguez is likely out for the season after being injured in a car crash.


Chicago: None.


Cincinnati: C Devin Mesoraco is recovering from hip and shoulder injuries and will start the season on the DL. SP Anthony DeSclafani is out indefinitely with an elbow injury and is undergoing PRP treatment. SP Homer Bailey is expected to return from an elbow injury in June.


Colorado: 1B/OF Ian Desmond is expected to return from a broken hand by late April. OF David Dahl is expected to return from a rib injury in April. SP Chad Bettis is expected to miss most of the season after doctors discovered that Bettis' testicular cancer had spread.


Los Angeles: SP Scott Kazmir is recovering from a hip problem and will start the season on the DL. OF Andre Either has a back problem and might return in mid-April.


Miami: 3B Martin Prado has a hamstring injury and is expected to be out until mid-April.


Milwaukee: C Andrew Susac is expected to return from a trapezius injury in mid-April. SP Matt Garza is on the 10-day DL with a groin strain.


New York: 3B David Wright has a shoulder impingement and might not begin throwing for 2 more weeks. SP Steven Matz has elbow impingement and won't throw for at least 3 weeks. OF Juan Lagares will start the season on the DL with an oblique injury. SP Seth Lugo might begin the season on the DL with arm fatigue.


Philadelphia: None.


Pittsburgh: None, although 3B Jung-Ho Kang doesn't yet have a work visa.


San Diego: RP Carter Capps will start the season on the 10-day DL as he recovers from elbow surgery. SP Christian Friedrich could return from a lat injury in late April. OF Alex Dickerson will be out until mid-April with a back injury.


San Francisco: OF Mac Williamson is expected to return in April from a quad injury.


St. Louis: SP/RP Trevor Rosenthal is on the 10-day DL with a lat strain.


Washington: 3B Anthony Rendon has missed a few days after fouling a ball off his leg; he might be fine for opening day.

Spring training injury report: 1 week until draft day

At least no one's gotten hurt playing Guitar Hero this year. Right, Joel Zumaya? 

Injured players are running out of time to get ready for the season (looking at you, AGAIN, Devin Mesoraco). Here's a rundown of who's hanging out with the Band-Aids and the ointments in the trainer's room.


Arizona: OF Yasmany Tomas is recovering from a mild oblique injury. OF Socrates Brito will miss a couple of months with a broken finger.


Atlanta: IF/OF Sean Rodriguez is likely out for the season after being injured in a car crash.


Chicago: 2B/OF Ben Zobrist is day to day with a mild neck injury.


Cincinnati: C Devin Mesoraco is recovering from hip and shoulder injuries and appears to be unlikely for opening day. SP Anthony DeSclafani is out indefinitely with an elbow injury. SP Homer Bailey is expected to return from an elbow injury in June. RP Raisel Iglesias, a candidate for the closer job, is recovering from elbow and hip injuries suffered in the shower but is expected to be ready for opening day.


Colorado: SP Jon Gray is day to day with a toe injury. 1B/OF Ian Desmond is expected to return from a broken hand by late April. OF David Dahl is expected to return from a rib injury in April. SP Chad Bettis is expected to miss most of the season after doctors discovered that Bettis' testicular cancer had spread.


Los Angeles: SS Corey Seager is expected to return from an oblique injury in time for opening day. SP Scott Kazmir is recovering from a hip problem and might not be ready for opening day. SP Hyun-Jin Ryu is recovering from shoulder, elbow and leg injuries; he might be ready for opening day. OF Andre Either has a hip problem and might not be ready for opening day.


Miami: SP Jeff Locke is out indefinitely with a biceps injury. 3B Martin Prado has a hamstring injury and will be out until mid-April.


Milwaukee: C Andrew Susac is expected to return from a trapezius injury in mid-April.


New York: 3B David Wright has a shoulder impingement; his return date is unknown. SP Zack Wheeler is recovering from an elbow injury and could start the season on the DL or in the bullpen. SP Steven Matz has an elbow impingement; his status is unknown. OF Juan Lagares is out with an oblique injury; his status is unknown.


Philadelphia: None.


Pittsburgh: 3B Jung Ho Kang has been denied a work visa.


San Diego: RP Carter Capps is recovering from an elbow injury and might be ready for opening day. SP Christian Friedrich is out indefinitely with a lat injury. OF Alex Dickerson will be out until mid-April with a back injury.


San Francisco: 3B Eduardo Nunez is recovering from a mild shoulder injury but should be ready for opening day. OF Mac Williamson is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a quad injury.


St. Louis: None.


Washington: None.

Positional eligibility news for 2017

The late Tony Phillips, this blog's favorite utility man, just found out Jorge Posada didn't know that Phillips
spent time in the majors at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF and DH. 

We here at the FBLG blog love players with eligibility at multiple positions. This season will be a bit tricky for team owners, though, because ESPN's rules are different from what we're used to. Players are only eligible at positions where they played more than 20 games a year ago. For players who are switching positions, you'll have to wait until they've played 10 games at a new position this year for them to be eligible there.

We understand this will make the draft a bit more complicated this year, so here's a list of players eligible at multiple positions or who are changing positions this year. We hope this helps as you prepare for the draft. If you have any questions at draft time, just ask your commissioners for clarification.

Javier Baez (CHI) is eligible at 2B, SS and 3B.
Kris Bryant (CHI) is eligible at 3B and OF.
Matt Carpenter (STL) is eligible at 1B, 2B and 3B.
Willson Contreras (CHI) is eligible at C and OF.
Ian Desmond (COL) is eligible only at OF but is expected to play mostly 1B when he returns from injury.
Brandon Drury (ARI) is eligible at 3B and OF but is expected to be the primary 2B.
Wilmer Flores (NY) is eligible at 1B and 3B.
Jedd Gyorko (STL) is eligible at 2B, SS and 3B.
Howie Kendrick (PHI) is eligible at 2B and OF.
Daniel Murphy (WAS) is eligible at 1B and 2B.
Eduardo Nunez (SF) is eligible at SS and 3B.
Chris Owings (ARI) is eligible at SS and OF.
Jose Peraza (CIN) is eligible at SS and OF but is expected to be the primary 2B.
Hernan Perez (MIL) is eligible at 3B and OF.
Ryan Schimpf (SD) is eligible at 2B but is competing for the 3B job.
Travis Shaw (MIL) is eligible at 1B and 3B.
Yangervis Solarte (SD) is eligible at 3B but is expected to be the primary 2B.
Cory Spangenberg (SD) is eligible at 2B but is competing for the 3B job.
Eric Thames (MIL) is eligible only at OF but is expected to be the primary 1B.
Trea Turner (WAS) is eligible at 2B and OF but is expected to be the primary SS.
Jonathan Villar (MIL) is eligible at SS and 3B but is expected to be the primary 2B.
Ben Zobrist (CHI) is eligible at 2B and OF.

Spring training injury report: 3 weeks until draft day

Remember when the tarp in St. Louis rolled over Vince Coleman's foot during the playoffs and ended his season?

Welcome back for another fun season, FBLG managers! We're back from our winter sabbatical to provide the latest in fantasy baseball injury news as we prepare for the 2017 draft, which is 3 weeks away.


Arizona: OF A.J. Pollock has a tight groin and is day to day. OF Socrates Brito will miss a couple of months with a broken finger.


Atlanta: IF/OF Sean Rodriguez is likely out for the season after being injured in a car crash.


Chicago: None.


Cincinnati: C Devin Mesoraco is recovering from hip and shoulder injuries and appears to be on track for opening day. C Tucker Barnhart has back stiffness and is expected to be ready for opening day. SP Anthony DeSclafani will have an MRI on his elbow after feeling renewed soreness. SP Homer Bailey is expected to return from an elbow injury in June.


Colorado: 1B/OF Ian Desmond was hit on the hand by a pitch, causing a fracture; he will start the season on the DL. C Tony Wolters is expected to return soon after suffering a hyperextended elbow. OF David Dahl has a stress reaction in a rib and is expected to open the season on the DL. SP Chad Bettis is expected to miss most of the season after doctors discovered that Bettis' testicular cancer had spread.


Los Angeles: SS Corey Seager is expected to return from a back/oblique injury in time fro opening day. SP Scott Kazmir is recovering from a hip problem and is working on his mechanics. SP Hyun-Jin Ryu is recovering from shoulder, elbow and leg injuries; his status is unknown.


Miami: SP Jeff Locke will begin the season on the DL because of a biceps injury.


Milwaukee: 2B/OF Scooter Gennett is back from a wrist injury.


New York: 3B David Wright has a shoulder impingement; his return date is unknown. SP Zack Wheeler is recovering from an elbow injury and could start the season on the DL or in the bullpen.


Philadelphia: SP Jake Thompson is recovering from a wrist injury and is expected to open the season in the minors. SP Zach Eflin is recovering from surgery to both knees; his status is unknown.


Pittsburgh: None.


San Diego: 2B/3B Ryan Schimpf is recovering from an oblique injury and is expected to be ready for opening day. OF Alex Dickerson is recovering from a back injury and is expected to be ready for opening day. OF Manuel Margot has a knee problem and might not be ready for opening day. RP Carter Capps is recovering from an elbow injury and might be ready for opening day.


San Francisco: None.


St. Louis: 1B/2B/3B Matt Carpenter has a back problem, and the Cards are worried it could develop into an oblique problem; his status for opening day is unknown. SP Alex Reyes had elbow surgery and will miss the season. SP Luke Weaver is recovering from a back injury and might be ready for opening day, but he could start the season in the minors. RP/SP Trevor Rosenthal has a lat injury; his status is unknown.


Washington: SP Max Scherzer is pitching with a broken bone in his hand and might begin the season on the DL.

FBLG 2016 Final News and Notes

May your offseason be bat-flippingly awesome.

Thank you all once again for a fantastic 2016 season. With just 167 points separating 1st and 6th place and just 381 points separating 1st and 9th, this was the most competitive FBLG season in history.

Hundley Eyes led all pitching staffs with 1839 combined points (starters and closers). Fresh Fish had 1816 and Lawyers, Guns & Money came in third at 1698.

The top offense this year belonged to Arbitration Losers with 2890 points. Next was Retire 21 at 2866, The Lumbar Yard at 2843 and Pitch You Blockhead at 2822.

We don't want to imply that pitching wins championships, but the three top pitching staffs finished 1, 2, and 4 in overall points. The top hitting teams finished 5th, 8th, 3rd and 9th.

Next year's draft order:

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

Please contact the commissioners if you don't plan to play next year. We've already heard from some of you who will be back, and we're glad to hear it. This group has made for an extremely fun and competitive league the past couple years.

We'd also love to hear any feedback about rules changes that have been implemented the past couple years (catcher points for caught stealing, extra bench spot/UFA, September DL moves, etc.) We have no rule changes planned for next season, so feedback on what we've done and any suggestions you have are welcome.

With that, the commishes sign off for the winter. Plan to hear from us around Super Bowl time as we start to ramp up for next year's draft.

FBLG 2016 Position Leaders

The best part about Jonathan Villar's breakout season is that he no longer will be known mostly for this slide.

Which FBLG teams got the most from each position this year? Here's how it breaks down. The players discussed in the analysis didn't necessarily score all the points at that spot for the team but were at least the main contributors.

First base

1. Retire 21 463 (17.81 per week)
2. Goldschmidt Happens 457 (17.58)
3. The Lumbar Yard 443 (17.04)
4. Arbitration Losers 435 (16.73)
5. Pitch You Blockhead 427 (16.42)
6. Fresh Fish 362 (13.92)
7. Rookies 343 (13.19)
8. Misfits 341 (13.12)
9. Lawyers, Guns & Money 268 (10.31)
10. Hundley Eyes 217 (8.35)

Analysis: Freddie Freeman set the world on fire in the second half of the season to propel Ray to the narrow win here. Paul Goldschmidt had what seemed like a down year to finish second, so apparently he's just that damn good.  Anthony Rizzo (LY) and Joey Votto (AL) were their usual awesome selves, with Votto's second half ranking among the best in the history of baseball. Wil Myers was the big surprise at the position, staying healthy and putting together a monster year to finish fifth (fifth behind four guys who should get MVP votes, no shame in that). And from a 14th-round pick, too. After that, there was a big drop, with Adrian Gonzalez (FF) leading the second tier. His days as a dominant force may be over, but Gonzo plays every day and puts up points. Brandon Belt was a disappointment for the Misfits, and Hundley Eyes went through half the league trying to find someone who could play first after Ryan Zimmerman fell apart. The full list: Zimmerman, Lucas Duda, Ben Paulsen, Mark Reynolds, Matt Adams, James Loney and Josh Bell. All to get 8 points per week.

Second base

1. The Lumbar Yard 445 (17.12)
2. Arbitration Losers 413 (15.88)
3. Pitch You Blockhead 359 (13.81)
4. Hundley Eyes 342 (13.15)
5. Retire 21 326 (12.54)
6. Rookies 319 (12.27)
7. Misfits 298 (11.46)
8. Lawyers, Guns & Money 294 (11.31)
9. Goldschmidt Happens 287 (11.04)
10. Fresh Fish 264 (10.15).

Analysis: From last year's analysis: "This position promises to be a crapshoot for the 2016 draft." (Gives self a high-five.) Daniel Murphy (LY) was drafted in the 8th round and may well win the MVP award after leading the league in slugging and OPS. His 47 doubles, 5 triples, 25 homers and 104 RBIs were all career highs. And, as much as it pains us to admit it, DJ LaMahieu (AL) has become a legit force. The NL's leading hitter this year (.348) had 51 extra-base hits and 141 singles. After the top two, there was a decent drop to third-place PYB, which benefited from Jean Segura's bounceback season. Ben Zobrist (HE) and Josh Harrison (R21) were solid contributors all season. At the bottom of the list, Howie Kendrick (FF) had some long cold spells for Rick, Bill struggled to find anyone to play second all year, settling on Cesar Hernandez (GH) and his infinite mediocrity. And Dee Gordon (LGM) went and got himself suspended for Matt, then played at about a B-minus level after coming back in August. 

Shortstop

1. Hundley Eyes 441 (16.96)
2. The Lumbar Yard 409 (15.73)
3. Rookies 360 (13.85)
4. Arbitration Losers 350 (13.46)
5. Pitch You Blockhead 293 (11.27)
6. Lawyers, Guns & Money 286 (11.00)
7. Misfits 281 (10.81)
8. Retire 21 278 (10.69)
9. Goldschmidt Happens 272 (10.46)
10. Fresh Fish 206 (7.92)

Analysis: The commishes used a Colorado shortstop to place atop the shortstop standings for the second year in a row. Last year, Troy Tulowitzki's disappointing season led to 339 points, so shortstop across the league took a huge leap this year. Trevor Story was on his way to the  Rookie of the Year conversation before injuring himself in August, and the commishes pulled a trade for Jean Segura to finish off the monster season at the position. Corey Seager (LY), who will surely win the ROY, was great all year for Adam. Jonathan Villar (R) was one of the season's great surprises, finishing with 38 doubles, 19 homers and a league-high 62 steals. 29 errors, too, but nobody's perfect. Rookie Aledmys Diaz (M) was great when healthy for Reid. As far as the Fresh Fish, the less said about Adeiny Hechavarria, the better. 

Third base

1. Pitch You Blockhead 491 (18.88)
2. Misfits 384 (14.77)
3. Retire 21 364 (14.00)
4. Fresh Fish 362 (13.92)
5. Lawyers, Guns & Money 361 (13.88)
6. Hundley Eyes 328 (12.62)
7. Goldschmidt Happens 302 (11.62)
8. Arbitration Losers 283 (10.88)
9. The Lumbar Yard 277 (10.65)
10. Rookies 260 (10.00)

Analysis: Nolan Arenado and Pitch You Blockhead remain a match made in heaven. Arenado, still only 25 years old, was the top-scoring hitter in the league and lapped the competition at third base. Last year, he led the league with 42 homers and 130 RBIs for Scott's team. This year: he led the league again with 41 and 133. Meanwhile, he's played all but 7 possible games over the last two seasons and is a Gold Glove third baseman. He's in the mix as the top pick in the 2017 draft. Justin Turner's (M) huge second half propelled Reid to the No. 2 spot here, with the combo of Matt Carpenter and Kris Bryant (R21) taking Ray to third place. Martin Prado (FF) was a nice surprise for Rick in the fourth spot. Matt Duffy (AL) struggled, then was traded, then got hurt for Tim, Jake Lamb was a nice find but too late for Adam, and Eugenio Suarez homered (21) and erred (23) his way to the 10 spot.

Catcher

1. Fresh Fish 377 (14.50)
2. Lawyers, Guns & Money 346 (13.31)
3. Arbitration Losers 341 (13.12)
4. Pitch You Blockhead 337 (12.96)
5. Retire 21 304 (11.69)
6. Hundley Eyes 270 (10.38)
7. The Lumbar Yard 225 (8.65)
8. Rookies 192 (7.38)
9. Goldschmidt Happens 188 (7.23)
10. Misfits 170 (6.54)

Analysis: Jonathan Lucroy (FF) started slow, then blew up before being traded to Texas and hitting well down the stretch to give Rick the win here. Buster Posey (LGM) played some first base for Matt, too, hurting his ranking here. He was good-but-not-amazing at the plate this season.  Yadier Molina (AL) was shockingly good, cracking 38 doubles and hitting over .300 after a couple down seasons. And Wilson Ramos (PYB) went from late-round pick to star before his season ended a few weeks early with a torn ACL. Adam, Henry, Bill and Reid struggled all year to find consistency at catcher, going through names like Tucker Barnhart, Miguel Montero, Francisco Cervelli, Cameron Rupp and Nick Hundley, mostly in vain.

Outfield

1. Rookies 1203 (46.27)
2. Lawyers, Guns & Money 1144 (44.00)
3. Retire 21 1131 (43.50)
4. Arbitration Losers 1076 (41.38)
5. Hundley Eyes 1072 (41.23)
6. Fresh Fish 1059 (40.73)
7. Goldschmidt Happens 1056 (40.62)
8. The Lumbar Yard 1044 (40.15)
9. Misfits 1023 (39.35)
10. Pitch You Blockhead 884 (34.00)

Analysis: For the second consecutive season, Giancarlo Stanton (LGM) was drafted highly, then didn't contribute much as his FBLG team put forward a strong outfield anyway. Last year, Reid drafted Stanton and finished first in outfield points despite Stanton's injury; this year it was Matt finishing second despite just 200 points from his top pick. Huge seasons from Carlos Gonzalez and scrapheap find Adam Duvall were the key reasons. But even they couldn't take down Henry's monster outfield of Matt Kemp, Christian Yelich and Starling Marte. When healthy, this was a dominant outfield combo. (The commishes were recently discussing it, and it's possible Matt Kemp has the greatest difference of fantasy baseball value to real world baseball value of anyone. And that's coming from people who really like Matt Kemp.) Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant and Andrew McCutchen (R21) propelled Ray into third place here. At the other end, Reid's outfield of David Peralta, Randal Grichuk and Gregory Polanco (M) looked amazing after the draft, but Peralta barely played with an injury, Grichuk spent time in the minors and Polanco couldn't stay healthy or hit lefties. But that wasn't as bad as Scott, who started the season with Yasiel Puig (struggled, sent to minors), Michael Conforto (struggled, sent to minors) and Domingo Santana (fouled ball off face). Scott got some nice play from Angel Pagan, Alex Dickerson and Jon Jay, but not enough to avoid the basement. Maybe it's time to rename the team Outfield You Blockhead.

Starting pitching

1. Hundley Eyes 1608 (61.85)
2. Misfits 1534 (59.00)
3. Fresh Fish 1519 (58.42)
4. Lawyers, Guns & Money 1457 (56.04)
5. Rookies 1401 (53.88)
6. Arbitration Losers 1277 (49.12)
7. The Lumbar Yard 1274 (49.00
8. Pitch You Blockhead 1174 (45.15)
9. Retire 21 1130 (43.46)
10. Goldschmidt Happens 1042 (40.08)

Analysis: The commishes started their draft with aces Jose Fernandez (RIP) and Noah Syndergaard, and the strategy paid dividends as both finished in the top six among starting pitcher points and led the staff to the win here. Pitching coach Deka supplemented the aces with strong contributors Kenta Maeda, Jerad Eickhoff and Jon Gray, who all stayed healthy and pitched well. The Misfits used a similar drafting strategy, nabbing Max Scherzer and Jon Lester in the first three rounds (sandwiched around poor Matt Harvey), with the two aces putting up nearly 1000 points between them. Scott Kazmir and Matt Moore also contributed along with Harvey. Rick took Clayton Kershaw (FF) first overall, then added Johnny Cueto to keep things afloat while Kershaw was injured. Ageless/Weightless Wonder Bartolo Colon and Jason Hammel (before his annual second-half collapse) supplemented the aces. Despite drafting only one starter in the first nine rounds, Matt put together a solid rotation led by Carlos Martinez, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey to finish fourth. As for the bottom of the pitching standings... well, one way to assure yourself of a great draft pick next season is to finish near the bottom of these standings. Bill's rotation of Gerrit Cole, Raisel Iglesias, Michael Wacha and Wei-Yin Chen looked decent enough after the draft, but all four were hurt, two came back as relievers and two didn't come back at all. Yikes. The most positive thing that can be said is Junior Guerra was an out-of-nowhere nice surprise. Ray's rotation suffered similarly, with Francisco Liriano and Mike Leake being average-at-best, Steven Matz having rotten luck before getting hurt, and Julio Teheran pitching well for a terrible team. Free agent finds Drew Pomeranz and Tyler Anderson kept it from being worse for Retire 21. And the Blockheads had a shot at a double-ace rotation, but Jacob deGrom couldn't stay healthy and Jeff Samardzija was inconsistent (and ugly, but that's neither here nor there). Anthony DeSclafani pitched well, but when he and Christian Friedrich were Scott's best options, that was a bad sign.

Relief pitching

1. The Lumbar Yard 304 (11.69)
2. Fresh Fish 297 (11.42)
3. Rookies 264 (10.15)
4. Goldschmidt Happens 246 (9.46)
5. Lawyers, Guns & Money 241 (9.27)
6. Misfits 238 (9.15)
7. Hundley Eyes 231 (8.88)
8. Arbitration Losers 198 (7.62)
9. Retire 21 194 (7.46)
10. Pitch You Blockhead 132 (5.08)

Analysis: What a strange year at this position. Virtual sure things Kenley Jansen (LY), Jeurys Familia (FF) and Mark Melancon (R) led the way, pitching wire-to-wire for their contented owners. And then there was everyone else. Bill (GH) started the year with Arodys Vizcaino, went to Jeremy Jeffress who was great before being traded into a setup role, then finished with Tyler Thornburg. Yes, an owner whose closers were all Braves or Brewers finished fourth in closer points. Matt went with AJ Ramos (LGM) most of the year and he was excellent when the Marlins let him be the closer. Reid's closer Hector Rondon (M) lost his job to Aroldis Chapman (HE), so Hundley Eyes traded their other closer Seung-Hwan Oh to the Misfits and everyone was mostly happy. But that was only after HE drafted should-have-been-sure-thing Trevor Rosenthal in the 10th round and he imploded to the tune of a 4.46 ERA and 6.5 walks per 9 innings. And those numbers are after he pitched OK in mopup duty down the stretch. They were worse at one point! The Arbitration Losers drafted Jonathan Papelbon, who lost his job then REALLY lost his job, Retire 21's Santiago Casilla was terrible and then lost his job... and yet, Pitch You Blockhead takes the prize here. Scott started the year with Brad Ziegler, who was decent before being traded out of a closing role. Scott then went to hot-starter Jeanmar Gomez, who was fine for a while. And then he wasn't. Over the last five weeks of the season, Gomez scored -4, 14, -1, -3 and -6 for the week, meaning that Scott had 132 points from his closers after week 21, and STILL had 132 points from his closers after week 26. 2016 was the year of Closer Russian Roulette, and some owners didn't make it through unscathed.

Average finish by position

The Lumbar Yard: 4.75

Arbitration Losers: 4.875

Hundley Eyes: 5 

Lawyers, Guns & Money: 5.125

Fresh Fish: 5.25

Rookies: 5.375

Retire 21: 5.375

Pitch You Blockhead: 5.75

Misfits; 6.375
Goldschmidt Happens: 7.125

FBLG 2016 Individual Leaders

Even taking Coors Field into consideration, Nolan Arenado has to be on the short list of MLB's best players.

Hitters

1. Nolan Arenado (PYB) 491
2. Freddie Freeman (R21) 463
3. Paul Goldschmidt (GH) 457
4. Charlie Blackmon (GH) 454
5. Anthony Rizzo (LY) 443
6. Daniel Murphy (LY) 436
7. Joey Votto (AL) 435
8. Matt Kemp (R) 433
9. Wil Myers (PYB) 427
10. Kris Bryant (R21) 427
11. Jean Segura (PYB/HE) 418
12. DJ LeMahieu (AL) 413
13. Corey Seager (LY) 409
14. Christian Yelich (R) 405

Anonymous Nationals reliever (front) congratulates Max Scherzer on leading all FBLG players in points.

Starting pitchers

1. Max Scherzer (M) 545
2. Madison Bumgarner (AL) 496
3. Jose Fernandez (HE) 454
4. Jon Lester (M) 447
5. Johnny Cueto (FF) 437
6. Jake Arrieta (R) 427
7. Noah Syndergaard (HE) 414
8. Carlos Martinez (LGM) 372
9. Clayton Kershaw (FF) 353
10. Kyle Hendricks (LGM) 343

Kenley Jansen led FBLG relievers in points, but where will he be pitching in 2017?

Relief pitchers

1. Kenley Jansen (LY) 304
2. Jeurys Famlia (FF) 296
3. Mark Melancon (R) 264
4. AJ Ramos (LGM) 228

Playoffs, Week 8: The Check Swing

We salute Vin Scully, the voice of baseball for multiple generations. 

Another FBLG season is in the books, gang. Thanks to all of you for making this yet another memorable campaign. Stay tuned for additional blog entries addressing payouts, statistics and other notes. 

1. Hundley Eyes (4,509 points, last week 1): The Eyes have it — the commissioners pulled away at the end to claim the points title. This team made countless lineup changes to keep the offense humming, and the pitching staff was remarkably healthy and consistent. Jose Fernandez, Noah Syndergaard, Kenta Maeda and Jerad Eickhoff stayed on the active roster from start to finish. 

2. Fresh Fish (4,445 points, last week 2): The Fish faded a bit down the stretch, but it's easy to see why the Fish were so good. Building a team around Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto and Jonathan Lucroy was a recipe for success for Rick. In keeping with their pattern, expect the Fish to finish in last place in 2017. 

3. The Lumbar Yard (4,421 points, last week 3): The pitching staff was often wobbly, and Bryce Harper was disappointing, but the Yard made a statement with a potent offense. Anthony Rizzo, Corey Seager, Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner were monsters for Adam. Maybe if Joe Ross had stayed healthy, or if Adam Wainwright had been his usual self, or if Hyun-Jin Ryu had been able to pitch more than once...

4. Lawyers, Guns & Money (4,398 points, last week 4): The Fightin' Zevons went with the offense-first draft strategy, and it didn't quite pay off for Matt. Dee Gordon got suspended, Giancarlo Stanton got hurt (again) and Buster Posey was good but not great. And it turns out the rotation of Carlos Martinez, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey was one of FBLG's best. 

5. Arbitration Losers (4,365 points, last week 6): Didn't it feel like Tim's team was always on the brink of breaking out and contending for the title? Madison Bumgarner, Joey Votto and D.J. LeMahieu were outstanding, but the rotation depth just wasn't there. Zack Greinke pitched like ... well, a Diamondback. 

6. Rookies (4,342 points, last week 5): Injuries really prevented Henry's team from surging up the rankings. Maybe if Starling Marte and Stephen Strasburg could have contributed all season, things would have turned out differently. Still, Jake Arrieta, Matt Kemp and Christian Yelich surpassed the 400-point barrier for the year. 

A year after slashing .293/.359.439, Jason Heyward
slashed .229/.304/.321. That's less than enough to be
our first Dud of the Year. Congratulations, Jason!

7. Misfits (4,275 points, last week 7): Reid's team was built using the triple-ace strategy, and Max Scherzer and Jon Lester made it look brilliant. But Matt Harvey broke down, and top hitter David Peralta was injured and unimpressive when healthy. Gregory Polanco was phenomenal at times but wasn't able to carry the lineup. 

8. Retire 21 (4,190 points, last week 8): The defending champion started slowly and never recovered. Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant were offensive powerhouses, but the Sons of Clemente didn't have the arms to compete with the teams at the top — especially with Steven Matz getting hurt and Francisco Liriano forgetting where the strike zone is.  

9. Pitch You Blockhead (4,128 points, last week 9): Nolan Arenado and Wil Myers kept Scott's team in contention for a while, but PYB faded as injuries set in. Jacob deGrom wasn't able to be an ace for 30-some starts, and there wasn't any consistency at closer. Plus, there were a whole lot of Padres on the roster, and that's usually not helpful. 

10. Goldschmidt Happens (3,850 points, last week 10): As expected, Charlie Blackmon and Paul Goldschmidt were incredible. But the pitching staff, which was supposed to be anchored by Gerrit Cole, was a weak spot all season. And Jason Heyward was pretty awful.

Playoffs, Week 8: Sunday's Roundup

Julio Teheran helped ensure
a Tiger-free postseason.

Studs: Julio Teheran (R21) singled twice, struck out 12 and got the win in 7 shutout innings against the Tigers, who were fighting for a playoff spot. Charlie Blackmon (GH) went 4 for 5 with a homer, 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Matt Moore (M) singled, scored, struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Max Scherzer (M) got knocked around a bit, allowing 5 runs and fanning 7 in a 5-inning win. The victory was his 20th of the season. He did his part at the plate with a pair of 2-run singles. 

Duds: Kenta Maeda (HE) allowed 5 runs and struck out 3 in a 2.2-inning loss. Jean Segura (HE) went 0 for 3 and was caught stealing. 

Consolation final scores

Rookies 173, Retire 21 133

Other scores

Fresh Fish 119

Misfits 191

Lawyers, Guns & Money 188

Pitch You Blockhead 118

Goldschmidt Happens 130

Arbitration Losers 203

The Lumbar Yard 160

Hundley Eyes 176

Playoffs, Week 8: Saturday's Roundup

Is Joey Votto the best hitter in baseball? It's sure seemed that way in the second half. 

Studs: Joey Votto (AL) went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs and a run. Jean Segura (HE) tripled, doubled, stole a base and scored 3 runs. 

Dud: Justin Turner (M) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final scores

Rookies 150, Retire 21 89

Other scores

Fresh Fish 109

Misfits 139

Lawyers, Guns & Money 170

Pitch You Blockhead 104

Goldschmidt Happens 104

Arbitration Losers 182

The Lumbar Yard 135

Hundley Eyes 159