Week 1: Opening Day Roundup

One of baseball's best pitchers, or a member of the Spin Doctors?

And we're back! We'll likely mess around with the format a bit this year on the blog, so stay tuned to see what we come up with. For opening day, though, the classic format.

STUDS: Jake Lamb (FDD) singled, doubled and drove in 4. Noah Syndergaard (BM) surrendered 4 runs - including a homer by Yadi Molina - but struck out 10 for a 6-inning win. Freddie Freeman (R) homered, walked 3 times, drove in a pair of runs and scored thrice. David Peralta (R) had 3 singles, a steal, an RBI and 2 runs. Rhys Hoskins (CB) had 2 doubles, a run, an RBI and a steal.

DUDS: Cardinals and Project Mayhem teammates Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna combined to go 0-8 with 6 Ks. Carlos Martinez (SG) walked an impressive 6 Mets (METS!) in a 4.1-inning loss. He struck out 5 and allowed 4 runs. Hector Neris (AL) barfed all over himself, allowing a 3-run walk-off homer after giving up a hit to Charlie Culberson. Corey Knebel (PYB) blew a save by giving up a hit to Freddy Galvis. Not a banner day for closers.

GIF OF THE DAY: Ian Happ hitting the season's first pitch out of the ballpark and directly into Derek Jeter's soul.

This GIF of Ian Happ's HR swing hitting Wallach in the face sums up the Marlins season on just the first pitch of the year. pic.twitter.com/GkkEVdoROF

— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) March 29, 2018

Opening Day!

We here at FBLG blog headquarters are bubbling with excitement about the 2018 season. Here's to another six months of camaraderie and fun. Enjoy, everyone!

Spring Training Injury Report - Last Call

First Jeff Samardjiza, now Madison Bumgarner. The San Francisco rotation is getting thinner by the day.
Except for Johnny Cueto, who just keeps getting fatter.

It's draft day for FBLG! Let's take one last pre-draft look at the injuries plaguing the fellers in the National League.

ARIZONA: SP Zack Greinke (groin) won't start on opening day but should pitch in one of the first few games. OF Steven Souza (pectoral) is likely out until May. SP Shelby Miller (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to return midseason.

ATLANTA: 3B Johan Camargo (back) is eligible to return from the DL on April 6. SP Luiz Gohara (ankle sprain) is expected to miss the first month of the season.

CHICAGO: SP Drew Smyly (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected to return until after the all-star break.

CINCINNATI: SP Anthony DeSclafani (oblique) will start the season on the disabled list; there is no timeline for his return. SP Brandon Finnegan (biceps) is expected to be on the active roster for opening day or shortly thereafter.

The Dodgers will miss Justin Turner's scraggly beard
— and probably his offense and defense, too.

COLORADO: SP Jeff Hoffman (shoulder) is out, and his status is uncertain.

LOS ANGELES: 3B Justin Turner (broken wrist) does not need surgery and could return as soon as late April. SP Julio Urias (shoulder) might not return until late in the season.

MIAMI: OF Lewis Brinson (head) is day-to-day. SS J.T. Riddle (shoulder) might not be ready for opening day. SP Dan Straily (elbow) might return in mid-April. C J.T. Realmuto (back) and 3B Martin Prado (knee) are expected to open the season on the DL. SP Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) is not expected to be ready by opening day.

MILWAUKEE: C Stephen Vogt (shoulder) will start the season on the disabled list. SP Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) won't pitch off a mound until after the season starts; he might return around the all-star break.

NEW YORK: 1B Dominic Smith (quad) is expected to return in mid-April. INF T.J. Rivera (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't return soon. 3B David Wright (shoulder, back, etc.) is being held out for at least 8 more weeks. OF Michael Conforto (shoulder) is expected to return in mid-April. SP Jason Vargas (hand) is expected to miss at least one start with a broken bone in his non-pitching hand. SP Rafael Montero (elbow) needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the season.

PHILADELPHIA: SP Jerad Eickhoff (lat) will miss 8 to 10 weeks. SP Mark Leiter (arm) is expected to be out until late April or early May.

Did you have Rafael Montero on your draft list?
If so, why? 

PITTSBURGH: None.

SAN DIEGO: C Austin Hedges (calf) is day-to-day. OF Alex Dickerson (elbow) is rehabbing rather than having Tommy John surgery. His return date is unknown. SP Colin Rea (elbow, lat) has not resumed throwing, and his return date is unknown.

SAN FRANCISCO: SP Madison Bumgarner (hand) is expected to be out until at least late May. SP Jeff Samardzija (pectoral) is expected to be out until at least late April. 3B Evan Longoria (ankle, foot) should be ready for opening day.

ST. LOUIS: SP Alex Reyes (elbow) will not pitch this spring and is expected to throw only 100 innings this season. RP Luke Gregerson (hamstring) will start the season on the DL.

WASHINGTON: 2B Daniel Murphy (knee) is recovering from microfracture surgery and is expected to return by mid-April. SP Joe Ross (elbow) might not return until August.

Spring Training Position Battles - Pitchers

Tyson Ross (7.71 ERA in 2017) and Chris Young (7.50 ERA) are trying to pitch their way
into what the Padres are generously calling a rotation.

ARIZONA: The D'backs are one of the few teams with no rotation questions heading into opening day. Zack Greinke is recovering from a groin injury; he's unlikely to start opening day but isn't headed for the DL. His mates will be Robbie Ray, Taijuan Walker, Patrick Corbin and Zack Godley. The closer competition includes Brad Boxberger, Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano, with no one chosen yet.

ATLANTA: The Braves will open the season with Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy, Sean Newcomb and ... wait, really? Scott Kazmir? That can't be right. Well, it might be Matt Wisler instead. It would have been Luiz Gohara, but he tweaked an ankle this spring.

CHICAGO: The Cubs are set with Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks and Tyler Chatwood. Eddie "Geezer" Butler and Mike Montgomery would be next in line when Chatwood goes on the DL. 

CINCINNATI: If you know what the Reds' rotation will look like, you're ahead of Cincy management. Anthony DeSclafani and Brandon Finnegan are hurt, so it's looking like Homer Bailey, Luis Castillo, Sal Romano and two of Tyler Mahle, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson. Isn't Jose Rijo about due for another comeback?

COLORADO: The Rockies appear to have a solid top four, with Jon Gray, Chad Bettis, German Marquez and Tyler Anderson. The fifth spot is up for grabs among Kyle Freeland, Jeff Hoffmann and Antonio Senzatela.

LOS ANGELES: Until the Dodgers decide to play musical chairs with the disabled list, the rotation is set with Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart are still around to fill in, and Walker Buehler might be there too.

Why the hell not, Marlins? Nobody's watching anyway.

MIAMI: Wei-Yin Chen is hurt (again), which means Jose Urena is the Marlins' opening day starter. The rest of the rotation is Dan Straily, Adam Conley and who the hell knows? Everyone else is hurt or has pitched so badly this spring that they're said to be ticketed for the minors. But SOMEONE has to be in the rotation. We assume it will be Dillon Peters or Justin Nicolino or Odrisamer Despaigne or Jarlin Garcia or maybe Charlie Hough. Keep up the good work, Jetes. Meanwhile, Brad Ziegler has the closer job for now, but we find it hard to believe he'll be there all season. Keep an eye on Drew Steckenrider or Kyle Barraclough to pick up a few of the 20 save opportunities Miami will have this year.

MILWAUKEE: Ace Jimmy Nelson is out, so it appears to be Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Jhoulys Chacin for sure. The candidates for the other spots are Brent Suter, Wade Miley and Junior Guerra. Yovani Gallardo is a reliever now, and Brandon Woodruff appears likely to start the year in Triple-A.

NEW YORK: (Disclaimer: Mets projections subject to change as injuries mount.) Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom have locked down spots, obviously. Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Zach Wheeler, Jason Vargas, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Rafael Montero are here too. The smart money is on Harvey, Matz and Vargas pitching with a broken bone in his right hand.

PHILADELPHIA: Jake Arrieta, Aaron Nola and Vince Velasquez are locked in, and Jerad Eickhoff was until he got hurt. That means Nick Pivetta is locked in, with Ben Lively most likely to be the No. 5 guy with Mark Leiter getting hurt today. Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson are still around too, so they remain possibilities.

PITTSBURGH: Ivan Nova is starting on opening day. Welcome to the 1993-2012 Pirates! The rest of the rotation is Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams. Tyler Glasnow is probably going to start the year in the minors until he can get some people out.

SAN DIEGO: Besides Miami's, here's another rotation that makes Pittsburgh's look like the 2011 Phillies'. Clayton Richard get the opening day nod and will be followed by Luis Perdomo, Dinelson Lamet and probably Bryan Mitchell, for some reason. Former San Diego legends Tyson Ross and Chris Young are in the hunt for the final spot, along with oft-injured Robbie Erlin.

Sean Doolittle loves the slow jams. 

SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants appear to be set in the rotation with Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Chris Stratton and Ty Blach. But Derek Holland has pitched well this spring and might get a shot. Mark Melancon is the closer to open the year, but Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland are there if he struggles.

ST. LOUIS: The Cards appear set to open the year with Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Miles Mikolas and Luke Weaver. The closer position is a question mark, though. Luke Gregerson might have the job, but he's been hurt much of the spring. There are rumblings that Dominic Leone might take the job, but he's a former Mariner, so ... come on. Lefty Tyler Lyons might get a shot, too.

WASHINGTON: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark are the obvious top four; the fifth spot will go to A.J. Cole, Jeremy Hellickson, Edwin Jackson or Tom "Bones" Milone. Sean Doolittle seems to be entrenched at closer, but we know how today's managers feel about southpaws pitching to more than one hitter. Ryan Madson, Brandon Kintzler, Joaquin Benoit, Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley are in the bullpen too, so the Nats have plenty of options.

Spring Training Position Battles - Hitters

Ronald Acuna, the top prospect in all of baseball, will be arriving in Atlanta a few weeks late.

We are six days away from the draft and 10 days from Opening Day. Here's a look at how some of the offensive positional battles are going in the National League.

Atlanta left field: To start the season, it looks like a platoon of Preston Tucker and Lane Adams, with Tucker having had the hot spring. Of course, they're just holding the position down for a couple weeks before Ronald Acuna is called up after the Braves play the service time game. Tucker is 14-for-37 with six extra-base hits this spring... of course, Acuna is 19-for-37 with four homers.

Milwaukee first base/outfield: The Brewers might have the deepest offense in the league, so who will play? Christian Yelich (LF) and Lorenzo Cain (CF) are playing every day if healthy, leaving RF and 1B to Domingo Santana, Eric Thames and Ryan Braun. Plus there's a Keon Broxton and a Jesus Aguilar who might not even have spots on the roster. Braun and Yelich can't really play right field, which means Santana will likely be the main guy there, with Braun the main option at first base if he can figure out how to play it. So Thames seems to be the odd man out here unless there's a trade before opening day. For a team in need of pitching, you'd think they'd be looking to trade from their strengths, but what do I know?

Milwaukee second base: Jonathan Villar and Eric Sogard will share time to start the season, and continue to do so unless one seizes the job.

Vin Scully would call Jose Martinez a "daddy longlegs."

St. Louis corner infield: Matt Carpenter (1B) and Jedd Gyorko (3B) are penciled in as the starters. But with Jose Martinez continuing to rake this spring, the Cardinals will find ways to get him in the lineup. He may see some time in right field (spelling Dexter Fowler) and at first base, where Carpenter could move to third and Gyorko to second (spelling Kolten Wong). While Martinez isn't listed as a starter, St. Louis will get his bat in the lineup often.

Chicago outfield: Well, it's Joe Maddon, so who knows? For now, Kyle Schwaber-Albert Almora-Jason Heyward is the likely outfield, but Ian Happ is crushing the ball this spring and will play plenty. The Cubs especially like him in the leadoff spot, and who else will bat there? So expect to see lots of all four of these guys, plus a little Happ in the infield.

Arizona outfield: Yasmany Tomas is the odd fat man out here, with David Peralta and Stephen Souza claiming the corner OF spots to start the year. Jarrod Dyson will also get playing time when AJ Pollock gets hurt. Not if. When.

Arizona middle infield: Nick Ahmed and his Swiss cheese bat will start at shortstop, and Ketel Marte will play second, leaving Chris Owings as a super utility guy.

Los Angeles left field: The list of guys competing here is epic: Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, Kike Hernandez, Trayce Thompson and Alex Verdugo. Chris Taylor (CF) and Yasiel Puig (RF) are playing every day. Kemp is in good shape and hitting well this spring, and seems to be the guy to get most of the ABs in left, with Hernandez and Toles seeming to be the most likely to also see time to start the season. Both are crushing the ball this spring.

Miami third base: With Martin Prado starting the year on the DL, solid prospect Brian Anderson will start the year as the starter. His glove is ahead of his bat at this point, but he hit for good power in double-A last year.

Miami outfield: To start the year, Derek Dietrich (LF), Lewis Brinson (CF) and Cameron Maybin (RF) seems to be the starting trio. Dietrich has played just four games in the OF in his career, but can hit better than most of the trash Miami has to choose from. Brinson is Miami's top prospect and having a great spring.

A healthy Mets outfielder? This can't last long.

New York center field: Brandon Nimmo is hitting and pushing supposed incumbent Juan Lagares. It looks like Nimmo will supplant Lagares as the starter, with Lagares rumored to be on the trading block. Michael Conforto will be in the mix when he returns from an injury, which is supposed to be in May. Since it's the Mets, we'll assume there will be setbacks.

San Diego left field: Jose Pirela appears to be the starter here over Hunter Renfroe. Pirela can also play second base, but the Padres like Carlos Asuaje there, leaving Renfroe likely as a bench bat. Franchy Cordero is also in the mix in left field and crushing the ball this spring, but is battling a groin injury (aren't we all) and may not be ready to start the year.

Philadelphia outfield: Philly signed Carlos Santana to play first, moving Rhys Hoskins to left field. With Odubel Herrera in center field, that leaves Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr to share time in right. Williams is likely to get the bulk of the time, but he can also play elsewhere in the outfield if anyone struggles (lookin' at you, Odubel). Altherr is the odd man out for now, but they want to get him at-bats.

Pittsburgh third base: Colin Moran is the likely starter over David Freese. He's developing into a masher but still learning third base... so, he's Pedro Alvarez 2.0, or something.

Cincinnati outfield: The Reds are planning a four-man "rotation" in the outfield, with Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton, Scott Schebler and Phillip Ervin getting lots of at-bats and hot prospect Jesse Winker also seeing some time. Schebler is expected to play some center field to make this rotation work. Duvall seems unlikely to sit much, so I'm guessing what we're actually talking about here is a three-man rotation between center field and right field.

Colorado first base/left field: With the re-signing of Carlos Gonzalez, there's one fewer spot for the many guys battling for playing time in these two spots. As of now, it sounds likely that Ian Desmond will start the year at first base and Gerardo Parra will be the main left fielder, with Ryan McMahon and David Dahl starting the year at Triple-A. Raimel Tapia will start as the main backup outfielder. Expect to see Dahl and McMahon fairly soon if they stay healthy.

Spring Training Injury Report

Don't expect to see these guys on the field at the same time, Mets fans. 

Hello, FBLG team owners! With only one week remaining until our draft, the commissioner's office figured it was finally time for the David Wright Memorial Injury Report. So without further a-Duda, here were go:

ARIZONA: SP Zack Greinke (groin) is not likely to be ready for opening day. SP Shelby Miller (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to return midseason.

ATLANTA: 3B Johan Camargo (back) is expected to be ready for opening day. OF Ender Inciarte (groin) is expected to return to game action this weekend and be fine for opening day. SP Luiz Gohara (ankle sprain) is expected to miss the first month of the season.

CHICAGO: 2B Javier Baez (hamstring) is expected to return to game action this weekend and be fine for opening day. SP Drew Smyly (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected to return until after the all-star break.

CINCINNATI: 2B Scooter Gennett (shoulder) does not need an MRI and is expected to return before opening day. SP Anthony DeSclafani (oblique) is expected to start the season on the disabled list. SP Brandon Finnegan (biceps) is expected to be on the active roster for opening day.

COLORADO: OF Gerardo Parra (hand) is on track for opening day. SP Jeff Hoffman (shoulder) is unlikely to be ready for opening day.

LOS ANGELES: C/2B Austin Barnes is finally playing in the field and is on track for opening day. SP Julio Urias (shoulder) might not return until late in the season. RP Kenley Jansen (hamstring) is expected to be ready for opening day.

Daniel Murphy isn't a Met anymore,
but he's injured like one.

MIAMI: C J.T. Realmuto (back) is getting some time off but is expected to be ready for opening day. 1B Justin Bour (back) missed a bit of time but is expected to be OK by opening day. 3B Martin Prado (knee) will start the season on the disabled list. SP Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) is not expected to be ready by opening day.

MILWAUKEE: C Stephen Vogt (shoulder) will start the season on the disabled list. SP Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) won't pitch off a mound until after the season starts; there is no timetable for his return. SP Zach Davies (oblique) is on track for opening day.

NEW YORK: 1B Dominic Smith (quad) can't run — obligatory Mets joke here — and won't be ready for opening day. INF T.J. Rivera (elbow) is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't return soon. 3B David Wright (shoulder, back, etc.) is being held out for at least 8 more weeks. OF Yoenis Cespedes (wrist) is expected to return to game action this weekend. OF Michael Conforto (shoulder) is expected to return before the original timeframe of May 1. SP Jacob deGrom (back) appears to be caught up and might be ready for opening day.

PHILADELPHIA: SP Jerad Eickhoff (lat) will miss 8 to 10 weeks. SP Jake Arrieta got a late start to spring training and is ramping up activities. He probably won't pitch on opening day but is expected to pitch in one of the first five games.

PITTSBURGH: SP Joe Musgrove (shoulder) appears to be on track for opening day. SP Tyler Glasnow (flu) should be fine in a couple of days.

SAN DIEGO: OF Alex Dickerson (elbow) is rehabbing rather than having Tommy John surgery. His return date is unknown. SP Colin Rea (elbow, lat) has not resumed throwing, and his return date is unknown.

SAN FRANCISCO: 3B Evan Longoria (ankle, foot) should be ready for opening day.

ST. LOUIS: SP Alex Reyes (elbow) will not pitch this spring and is expected to throw only 100 innings this season. RP Luke Gregerson (oblique) hasn't pitched in a game yet and might not be the closer even if he's healthy by opening day.

WASHINGTON: 2B Daniel Murphy (knee) is recovering from microfracture surgery and is expected to return by mid-April. OF Adam Eaton (knee) is on track to be ready for opening day. OF Michael Taylor (side) has been dealing with tightness but is expected to be ready for opening day.

FBLG 2017 Season Wrapup

Cutch's rebirth this season helped lead Ray to the title.

Congratulations to Ray for capturing the clean 2017 sweep, winning the points title and the playoff championship as well. Makes up for the fact that the Pirates are now scheduled to be bad for the next decade or so. Sorry about that brief tease, Ray. Call it the curse of Jordy Mercer.

We hope you'll all be back next year! Please alert us if that is not going to be the case.

2018 Draft Order

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

Let's enjoy some stats and wrapup from this season first, then we'll talk about the 2018 season.

Clean-shaven and holding a fish. Yes, that's FBLG's leading scorer this year.

Leading hitters

1. Charlie Blackmon (BM) 582.5
2. Giancarlo Stanton (M) 548.5
3. Nolan Arenado (PYB) 535
4. Paul Goldschmidt (AL) 531
5. Joey Votto (LGM) 520
6. Marcell Ozuna (LGM) 499
7. Anthony Rizzo (FF) 479.5
8. Christian Yelich (PYB) 461
9. Daniel Murphy (FF) 441
10. Andrew McCutchen (CB) 437.5

So, it turns out this was a good year to have basically any Marlins outfielder. Anthony Rizzo outshone his teammate, top overall pick Kris Bryant, who finished just outside the top 10. 18 errors, Kris? Really? Even Euengio Suarez laughs at that. Nice bounceback years from Ozuna and McCutchen, and I guess Murphy is a legit hitter now? LOL Mets.

Top hitters by average: Blackmon, Bryce Harper and Adam Eaton averaged 3.7 points per game. Ray's clutch acquisition JD Martinez averaged 3.5.

We really hope that's chocolate.

Leading pitchers

1. Max Scherzer (R) 474.7
2. Clayton Kershaw (CB) 410
3. Zack Greinke (R) 409.3
4. Jacob deGrom (PYB) 406.3
5. Stephen Strasburg (CB) 393.3
6. Robbie Ray (PYB) 388
7. Gio Gonzalez (BM) 371
8. Carlos Martinez (AL) 366
9. Jimmy Nelson (LGM) 348.3
10. Alex Wood (R) 328.3

Lefties! Lefties everywhere. Yes, Henry had 3 of the league's top 10 starters, and he, Ray and Scott combined for the top 6 pitchers on this list. The top 5 are pretty unsurprising, but Ray, Gonzalez, Nelson and Wood came out of nowhere to dominate. Ray (7th round) and Gonzalez (11th) were at least drafted, which is not true of Nelson and Wood. Who was drafted? Such luminaries as Brandon Finnegan, Bartolo Colon, Chad Kuhl, Brett Anderson, Jered Weaver and Matt Harvey. And that is why baseball is amazing and stupid.

Top closers were Kenley Jansen (R), Corey Knebel (LGM), Raisel Iglesias (PM), Wade Davis (BM) and Felipe Rivero (PYB). Again: baseball=stupid.

So thank you all for a fantastic season. We always appreciate how engaged you all are, and everyone always seems to have fun.

You think you've got the new ESPN.com system all set up and then WHAM there's Brandon Phillips' ass.

Now, let's talk about the issues we ran into during our first season with ESPN.com.

• Injured players in lineups. We didn't realize that locking lineups on Monday really meant LOCKING lineups. That's ridiculous. Why would you design a system that leaves injured players in all week? 2018 proposed solution: Changing from a weekly lineup to daily to give owners flexibility. If you want to set your lineup Monday and forget about it, that's fine. But if you want to get injured guys out and shuffle around, that's fine too. Once a pitcher has pitched, he's locked in for the rest of the week - otherwise, we'll free up roster flexibility.
• Waiver order. No offense to Ray, but there's no way he should have gotten JD Martinez. Ditto Matt and Yu Darvish and Henry and Jose Quintana. ESPN defaults to a weird shuffling waiver order that gives no credence to your place in the standings. 2018 proposed solution: We're fairly certain we can lock in a waiver order that is based purely on point totals. If not, we'll come up with some sort of solution that helps the teams at the bottom of the standings when it comes to waivers.
• Too much crap on the waiver wire. With the loss of our manual roster ability came the loss of one of our more innovative systems - the UFA. The ability to stash guys on the bench without penalty meant that the waiver wire pickings were slim all year. 2018 proposed solution: We're thinking of going back to a 3-man bench and adding more transactions. We gave everyone 30 transactions and a 4-man bench this year; what about a 3-man bench and 40 transactions? Let's get nuts.

Those were the biggest issues we saw and complaints we got in the inbox. We also miss hitting points for pitchers and a few other quirks, but there's not a lot we can do about some of those. With these few tweaks, we hope to greatly improve the experience for next year.

What do you guys think? Any other major issues that we didn't address here? Any thoughts on our proposed solutions? Please send any feedback to the FBLG email account, and check your email for news about your winnings or about the fees you owe the commish.

With that, we bid the 2017 FBLG season adieu. We'll try to get the blog rolling again next season in some format that doesn't burn out both the commissioners. That format is still TBD. Thank you all again, and enjoy the playoffs!

Rich's reaction when Deka brings up Shane Victorino.

The Check Swing: Postseason edition

Rich is hard at work in the Commissioner's Office, carefully crafting the 2017 wrap-up blogs.

Weeks 23-24: The Check Swing

Ray (in bowler hat, with sweet 'stache) celebrates rambunctiously with Clemente's Bucs after another championship season. 

Well, gang, another season of FBLG is in the books. The transition to ESPN wasn't as smooth as we had hoped, but we'll address that as we progress through the offseason. We'll be seeking your thoughts and suggestions as we work to improve the technology-assisted tracking system. Today's blog will address the end-of-season standings and the final two weeks of games. Keep an eye on this blog for follow-up analysis from the Commissioners' Office, once Rich mops up all of the tears he shed during his team's disappointing season.

Final standings

George Costanza's hitting advice backfired for
Bodysuit Man in the championship round.

1. Clemente's Bucs (4578.8 points, playoff and points champion)
2. Bodysuit Man (4466.9 points)
3. Lawyers Guns and Money (4417.2 points)
4. The Rookies (4272.5 points)
5. Pitch! You Blockhead (4228.4 points)
6. Quirkin’ For a Livin’ (4184.9 points)
7. Arbitration Losers (4100.3 points)
8. Fresh Fish (4028.8 points)
9. Project Mayhem (3939.3 points)
10. The Misfits (3894.7 points)

Championship battle

Bodysuit Man and Clemente's Bucs were FLBG's top teams throughout the season, and we anticipated this being a dogfight till the end. Instead, it was a real dog. CB jumped out to a huge lead early, and BM never closed the gap. The addition of J.D. Martinez (55) proved to be the difference for CB in the playoffs, and the title round was no different. The Bucs outhomered Costanza 22-10 and collected 60 RBIs; BM had only 26. Dee Gordon (42), Rhys Hoskins (41.5) and Justin Bour (31.5) piled up the points as the CB offense fired on all cylinders. Having Clayton Kershaw (39) and Stephen Strasburg (26) healthy made a big difference, too. For BM, Zack Davies (5) picked the wrong time to be terrible and the hitting just wasn't potent enough. There were plenty of walks (40) and singles (46), but those aren't game-changers.

The rest

If you compare the points standings before and after the FBLG playoffs, you'll notice that only the top two teams changed positions. Does that mean the postseason was meaningless for the rest of us? Yeah, probably.

It's Rich's favorite
Domer, A.J. Pollock.

LGM defeated the Fresh Fish to claim third place in the playoffs, with A.J. Pollock (47.5) actually playing like the stud he was two years ago. Predictably, Marcell Ozuna (38) and Joey Votto (30) were awesome. Matt Harvey (-2.7) somehow found his way onto the roster long enough to make a mess. Yu Darvish (29.3) didn't allow a run in 12.1 innings, finally pitching like the guy he's paid to be. For the Fish, Travis d'Arnaud (22) homered four times but scored only five runs (LOL, Mets). Anthony Rizzo (37) was the leading scorer, and Thurston High School legend Dan Straily (31) was the top pitcher.

Arbitration Losers topped a sluggish PYB thanks to the efforts of Paul Goldschmidt (40.5), Ryan Braun (38.5), Jose Reyes (37.5) and D.J. LeMahieu (32). Julio Teheran (36) pitched well but picked up only one win because the Braves are lame. PYB's pitchers didn't pitch much or particularly well, scoring only 81.3 points across the two weeks. Much respect to Robbie Ray (26.3) and Jacob deGrom (30), though, for fanning 34 batters in 24.1 innings. Brandon Phillips (30.5) was PYB's top batter, which usually isn't a good sign.

Dud of the Week(s) A.J. Ramos looks for the nearest exit
in the New York Mets' locker room.

Quirkin' For a Livin' managed to knock off The Rookies, and here's the shocking part: The commissioners' patchwork pitching staff outperformed the Rookies' arms. Of course, most of that was the edge in the closer battle, with Brad Hand (22.3) being good and A.J. Ramos (0) being a Met. Jon Gray (50) was phenomenal, and Cody Bellinger (46.5) heated back up. Oh, there you are, Trea Turner (34). For The Rookies, Jose Quintana (51.7) and Max Scherzer (40) carried the load. Domingo Santana (44) looked great at the plate to lead the offense. Unfortunately, Jose Pirela (-1) did nothing but get caught stealing and Eduardo Nunez (DNP) filled the traditional Martin Prado role.

Project Mayhem and The Misfits were playing for ... what, pride, maybe? Or because they had to? Regardless, these guys squared off for the sixth consecutive week, and the final matchup had a score of 293.3-292.2, with PM coming out ahead. Kris Bryant (50.5), the pride of Las Vegas, did a little bit of everything. Ryan Zimmerman (27.5) reached the 30-homer/100-RBI plateau just to piss off Rich. Aaron Nola (40) and Rich Hill (35) combined to go 4-0. For The Misfits, Giancarlo Stanton (39.5) continued to blast baseballs to the stratosphere. The pitching wasn't anything to get excited about, though; the staff went 3-4 and Madison Bumgarner (24.7) was the low-output leading scorer.

Weeks 21-22: The Check Swing

Can anybody get this guy out? We know the Dodgers certainly can't. 

Championship matchup

1 Bodysuit Man v. 2 Clemente's Bucs. That's right, gang. After all that, our top 2 regular-season teams will duel for the playoff title. I guess that makes FBLG more like the NBA than MLB.

In review

Bodysuit Man 331.7, Fresh Fish 319.8: The offense wasn't great for T-Bone and the Fightin' Van Buren Boys, but it didn't have to be. Adam's pitching staff was significantly better than Rick's in this matchup, and that's why BM advanced to the title round. Zach Davies (36.7) leads the majors in wins, and teammate Chase Anderson (35.3) is pitching significantly better than he ever has. As usual, Charlie Blackmon (45.5) led the offense, and Wil Myers (44.5) emerged from his slumber to make a difference when BM needed him to. Howie Kendrick (33) hasn't hit like this in years. For the Fish, the pitching staff stunk up the joint to the tune of 34 earned runs in 49.1 innings. Edwin Jackson (18) was Rick's top hurler, which sets up a too-easy barf joke. The offense was quite impressive, though. Anthony Rizzo (45.5), Daniel Murphy (36.5), Asdrubal Cabrera (36.5) and Anthony Rendon (35.5) performed admirably.

As good as Stephen Strasburg was, Robbie Ray
was even better. 

Clemente's Bucs 383.8, LGM 335.8: The deal for J.D. Martinez appears to be the best midseason move in the majors, and the same is true in FBLG. The outfielder has carried the Clemente offense since coming to the NL, and he helped bury LGM in this matchup. Martinez (58) homered 8 times and drove in 16 runs. Still, he wasn't even the best player on Ray's team. Stephen Strasburg (64) appears to be fine after returning from injury; in the past 2 weeks, he went 3-0 with 26 strikeouts in 23 scoreless innings. CB also got big contributions from Rhys Hoskins (42), Dee Gordon (37) and Trevor Story (33.5). LGM actually outpitched the Bucs but couldn't keep up on the offensive side. Alex Avila (12), Kolten Wong (11) were disappointments, but even average weeks from those guys wouldn't have been enough. Before his shoulder exploded, Jimmy Nelson (40) was flat-out awesome, going 2-0 with 18 Ks in 12 scoreless innings.

Arbitration Losers 376.2, Quirkin' For a Livin' 351.5: The Losers outperformed the commissioners on both sides of the ball, so it's no surprise Tim's club came away with the W. The AL roster is a "who's who" of guys who will make Rich furious: D.J. LeMahieu (38.5) paced the offense, and he even ripped 6 extra-base hits! The duct tape in Michael Wacha's (46) shoulder held up long enough for him to go 3-0, and Carlos Martinez (42.7) did plenty of damage as well. Even Tim's Giants got in on the act, with Buster Posey (28.5) and Brandon Crawford (32.5) producing. For Huey Lewis and the Snooze, Scooter Gennett (46) and Nick Markakis (36.5) again were the top hitters. The pitching was underwhelming — as it has been all year — as only Zack Godley (43) and Brad Hand (29.3) did anything of note.

Our choice for Dud of the Week(s)
was a no-brainer. 

PYB 386.3, The Rookies 368: We've run out of things to say about Robbie Ray. Last year, his strikeouts went through the roof, but he was still allowing a fair amount of hits. Not this year. In this matchup for PYB, Ray (68.3) went 3-0 with 36 whiffs and 3 runs allowed in 20.1 innings. That's absurd. Jeff Samardzija (36.7) and Chad Kuhl (31) also were great, so we just don't know what to believe anymore. Christian Yelich (47.5) continues to amaze, and Nolan Arenado (37.5) was his usual self. Rich favorites Zack Cozart (36.5) and Denard Span (32) also excelled. For the Rooks, Ender Inciarte (49.5) collected 23 hits, including 19 singles. On the mound, it was all about Max Scherzer (41), Jose Quintana (29) and Zack Greinke (28). But with Ray looking like Sandy Koufax, it wasn't enough.

Project Mayhem: 339.7, The Misfits 301: Carlos Gonzalez (43) finally earned his money for PM and was Bill's top batter. Ryan Zimmerman (37) was quite studly as well, and Randal Grichuk (27) homered 4 times. Aaron Nola (31.3) was the top pitcher for PM, which also got strong weeks from Jose Urena (25.3), R.A. Dickey (24.3) and Raisel Iglesias (23). Only Rich Hill (13.7) struggled, going 0-3 for the Bad News Dodgers. The Misfits could have used better performances from Madison Bumgarner (3) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (9). You certainly can't fault Nick Williams (49), who drove in 15 runs for the Phillies. Giancarlo Stanton (30.5) homered 4 times but drove in only 5 runs.