Week 1: Monday Roundup

That little girl has 3 fewer errors at shortstop this season than E-e-eugenio Suare-e-ez.

STUD

• Dustin May (M) struck out 8 in 6 shutout innings to earn the win.

DUDS

• Eugenio Suarez (R) - stop us if you'd heard this before - made an error. We're starting to think playing him at shortstop might not be the amazing idea the Reds hoped it would be.
• Tyler O'Neill (M) was caught stealing. Not in the Mike Leake way... the normal baseball way.
• David Price (LCL) allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of relief.

INJURY OF NOTE

• Fernando Tatis Jr. (SCC) left the game with a partially dislocated shoulder. His status is up in the air.

Giancarlo Slamton. 471 feet 💪 pic.twitter.com/XAuEQpTtlh

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 6, 2021

Week 1: First Sunday Roundup

As if the Dodgers rotation wasn't terrifying enough, Julio Urias has been unleashed.

STUDS 

• Nick Castellanos (JVC) homered, tripled, scored twice and drove in 3.
• Julio Urias (M) struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings to earn the win.

DUDS

• Keston Hiura (JVC) erred. I know we're all stunned.

Week 1: First Saturday Roundup

Did you know Tyler Mahle attended the same high school as our own Brian Deka?

 STUDS

• Zach Wheeler (R) struck out 10 in 7 shutout innings for the win.
• Tyler Mahle (R) struck out 9 and allowed 2 runs in a 5-inning win.
• Manny Machado (BOPP) homered, singled twice, scored twice and drove in 2.
• Wil Myers (LCL) had 2 doubles, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and a walk.
• Joe Musgrove (LCL) struck out 8 in 6 shutout innings to earn the win.
• Jake Arrieta (CB) struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win.
• Starling Marte (AL) tripled, singled 3 times, drove in 1, scored 3 runs and stole a base.

DUDS

• No one quite dudded, but we'll throw Caleb Smith in here for his 3-run, 4-strikeout, 3-inning loss.

Week 1: First Friday Roundup

We'd love to blame this little scamp for Trevor Bauer's late-game implosion, but Bauer had hit the showers by then.

STUDS

• Corey Seager (TIN) went 3 for 5 with a double, 3 runs, an RBI and a walk. 
• Eric Hosmer (JVC) went 3 for 3 with a homer, 3 RBIs and 2 runs.
• Trevor Bauer (PM) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Coors Field, but then Coors reared its ugly head. Bauer ended up striking out 10 and allowing 4 runs in a 6.1-inning win. 
• Will Smith (M) — the catcher one, not the pitcher one or the big metal spider one — went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs. 

DUDS

• Fernando Tatis Jr. (SCC) went 0 for 3 with 2 Ks and 2 errors. Oof. He also was caught stealing. Double oof. He's on pace for 243 errors this season, which would be a record for non-Pedro Alvarezes.
  

Week 1: First Thursday Roundup - Opening Day!

I don't know if I'll be putting on this headset again.

Welcome back to another season of Studs, Duds, and making fun of the Mets and other baseball atrocities.

STUDS 

• Eric Hosmer (JVC) was the first triple-shy-of-a-cycle guy of the year, driving in 3 runs. We're gonna call them #tripleshy from here on out to save all the typing. 
• Nick Castellanos (JVC) was #tripleshy, scoring twice and driving in 2. I guess technically he was before Hosmer, whatever. We assume the homer was a deep drive to left. 
• Paul Goldschmidt (LCL) had 2 doubles, two singles, an RBI and 3 runs scored. 
• Jake Cronenworth (LCL) singled, tripled, scored 3 runs and drove in 2. 
• Josh Hader (SCC) vultured a win with a 3-strikeout inning. 
• Ketel Marte (CB) was #tripleshy, adding a second single and scoring twice.

DUDS

• Freddie Freeman (TIN) lived up to his first-round billing with an opening-day error. 
• Luis Castillo (BOPP) blew up, in the bad way, allowing 8 earned and striking out no one in a 3.1-inning loss.

HEALTH DUDS 

• The Nats brought their specific brand of dysfunction to Opening Day, managing to outdo the Mets in a battle of laughable ineptness by having enough COVID issues to postpone Thursday's game. The teams won't play until Saturday at the earliest. 

Ah, that opening day weather we all look forward to.

Opening Day Is Nearly Here

We don't know who any of the guys on the right side are.

Opening day is tomorrow! 

Make sure your lineups are set for the start of the 2021 FBLG season.

Remember: all roster additions made before the season's first pitch are free. You'll then have 40 moves for the rest of the season. Lineup swaps don't count as moves.

Baseball is here!

Pre-Draft Projected Lineups, Rotations

What the commishes think of all your roster decisions.

Here's a look at the projected rosters for NL teams this year, with starters, key reserves and closers. 

Injured players are in italics.

Braves

C: Travis d'Arnaud

1B: Freddie Freeman

2B: Ozzie Albies

3B: Austin Riley

SS: Dansby Swanson

OF: Marcell Ozuna, Cristian Pache, Ronald Acuna

Key reserves: Johan Camargo, Jake Lamb, Ender Inciarte

SP: Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Mike Soroka, Ian Anderson, Drew Smyly, Bryse Wilson

Closer: Will Smith

Brewers

C: Omar Narvaez

1B: Keston Hiura

2B: Kolten Wong

3B: Travis Shaw

SS: Luis Urias

OF: Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Jackie Bradley Jr.

Key reserves: Orlando Arcia, Avisail Garcia

SP: Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Brett Anderson, Josh Lindblom, Freddy Peralta, Adrian Houser

Closer: Josh Hader

Cardinals

C: Yadier Molina

1B: Paul Goldschmidt

2B: Tommy Edman

3B: Nolan Arenado

SS: Paul DeJong

OF: Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson

Key reserves: Matt Carpenter, Lane Thomas, Justin Williams

SP: Jack Flaherty, Kwang Hyun Kim, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, John Gant, Carlos Martinez

Closer: Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos

Cubs

C: Willson Contreras

1B: Anthony Rizzo

2B: David Bote

3B: Kris Bryant

SS: Javier Baez

OF: Joc Pederson, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward

Key reserves: Nico Hoerner, Jake Marisnick, Eric Sogard

SP: Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, Zach Davies, Trevor Williams, Alec Mills, Adbert Alzolay

Closer: Craig Kimbrel

Diamondbacks

C: Carson Kelly

1B: Christian Walker

2B: Josh Rojas

3B: Eduardo Escobar

SS: Nick Ahmed

OF: David Peralta, Ketel Marte, Kole Calhoun

Key reserves: Tim Locastro, Asdrubal Cabrera, Pavin Smith

SP: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Madison Bumgarner, Caleb Smith, Luke Weaver, Taylor Clarke

Closer: Joakim Soria, Stefan Crichton

Dodgers

C: Will Smith

1B: Max Muncy

2B: Gavin Lux

3B: Justin Turner

SS: Corey Seager

OF: AJ Pollock, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts

Key reserves: Chris Taylor, Edwin Rios, Matt Beatty

SP: Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, David Price, Julio Urias, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin

Closer: Kenley Jansen

Giants

C: Buster Posey

1B: Brandon Belt

2B: Tommy La Stella

3B: Evan Longoria

SS: Brandon Crawford

OF: Alex Dickerson, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater

Key reserves: Donovan Solano, Wilmer Flores, Darin Ruf

SP: Kevin Gausman, Johnny Cueto, Anthony DeSclafani, Aaron Sanchez, Logan Webb, Alex Wood

Closer: Jake McGee, Reyes Moronta

Marlins

C: Jorge Alfaro

1B: Jesus Aguilar

2B: Jazz Chisholm

3B: Brian Anderson

SS: Miguel Rojas

OF: Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte, Adam Duvall

Key reserves: Isan Diaz, Jon Berti, Garrett Cooper, Lewis Brinson

SP: Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Sixto Sanchez, Elieser Hernandez, Trevor Rogers

Closer: Anthony Bass

Mets

C: James McCann

1B: Pete Alonso

2B: Jeff McNeil

3B: JD Davis

SS: Francisco Lindor

OF: Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto

Key reserves: Kevin Pillar, Jonathan Villar, Albert Almora Jr

SP: Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi, Jordan Yamamoto

Closer: Edwin Diaz

Nationals

C: Yan Gomes

1B: Josh Bell

2B: Starlin Castro

3B: Carter Kieboom

SS: Trea Turner

OF: Kyle Schwarber, Victor Robles, Juan Soto

Key reserves: Andrew Stevenson, Ryan Zimmerman, Luis Garcia, Josh Harrison

SP: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Jon Lester, Joe Ross, Austin Voth, Erick Fedde

Closer: Brad Hand

Padres

C: Austin Nola

1B: Eric Hosmer

2B: Ha-seong Kim

3B: Manny Machado

SS: Fernando Tatis Jr.

OF: Tommy Pham, Trent Grisham, Wil Myers

Key reserves: Jurickson Profar, Jake Cronenworth, Victor Caratini

SP: Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Dinelson Lamet, Joe Musgrove, Chris Paddack, Adrian Morejon

Closer: Mark Melancon, Emilio Pagan

Phillies

C: JT Realmuto

1B: Rhys Hoskins

2B: Jean Segura

3B: Alec Bohm

SS: Didi Gregorius

OF: Andrew McCutchen, Adam Haseley, Bryce Harper

Key reserves: Scott Kingery, Brad Miller, Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn

SP: Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Zach Eflin, Matt Moore, Chase Anderson, Vince Velasquez

Closer: Hector Neris

Pirates

C: Jacob Stallings

1B: Colin Moran

2B: Adam Frazier

3B: Ke'Bryan Hayes

SS: Kevin Newman

OF: Bryan Reynolds, Anthony Alford, Gregory Polanco

Key reserves: Erik Gonzalez, Brian Goodwin, Todd Frazier

SP: Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl, Tyler Anderson, JT Brubaker, Trevor Cahill, Wil Crowe

Closer: Richard Rodriguez

Reds

C: Tucker Barnhart

1B: Joey Votto

2B: Jonathan India

3B: Mike Moustakas

SS: Eugenio Suarez

OF: Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Nick Castellanos

Key reserves: Shogo Akiyama, Dee Strange-Gordon, Kyle Farmer, Aristides Aquino

SP: Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Wade Miley, Jeff Hoffman, Michael Lorenzen

Closer: Amir Garrett

Rockies

C: Elias Diaz

1B: CJ Cron

2B: Ryan McMahon

3B: Josh Fuentes

SS: Trevor Story

OF: Raimel Tapia, Garrett Hampson, Charlie Blackmon

Key reserves: Brendan Rodgers, Greg Bird, Sam Hilliard

SP: German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Jon Gray, Austin Gomber, Peter Lambert

Closer: Daniel Bard

Totally Premature Injury Report

Carlos Carrasco is one of many, many Mets who are hurt to start the season. Perhaps 2021 really WILL be a return to normal.

With just one week to go before our draft, we here at the Commissioners' Office thought it was a good time to dust off the old baseball encyclopedia and see who's facing health issues as opening day approaches. 

ARIZONA: RP Tyler Clippard has a capsule strain in his right shoulder, which isn't great for a right-handed pitcher; he won't pitch for six weeks. OF Kole Calhoun has a meniscus tear in his knee and hopes to return before May. 

ATLANTA: SP Mike Soroka is recovering from an Achilles injury and might not make a start this spring. He's expected to miss one or two regular-season starts. 

CHICAGO: RP Rowan Wick has missed time with an intercostal strain but has been throwing off a mound. 

CINCINNATI: SP/RP Michael Lorenzen is day to day with a shoulder strain. 1B Joey Votto has returned to camp after a bout with COVID. SP/RP Tejay Antone is day to day with a groin strain. SP Sonny Gray is day to day with a back injury. RP Lucas Sims also is day to day with a back injury.

COLORADO: SP Peter Lambert will miss most of the season after having elbow surgery. 2B Brendan Rogers will miss at least a month with a hamstring strain. CF Ian Desmond is opting out of the 2021 season (for now), robbing us of another year's worth of Ian Desmond jokes. 

LOS ANGELES: The Defending World Series Champions™ have a few injuries, but they're all to middle relievers and scrubs you weren't going to draft anyway. 

MIAMI: The Marlins also have no injuries to key players. Quick, somebody cover Starling Marte with bubble wrap! 

MILWAUKEE: 2B Jace Peterson aggravated a thumb injury and was told he wouldn't make the roster. Womp womp.  

Mike Clevinger will fit in
perfectly in San Diego, dude.

NEW YORK: Here comes the good stuff. Thanks, LOLMets. SP Noah Syndergaard will miss half the season while recovering from elbow surgery, but he hit 96 mph in a recent bullpen session. SP Carlos Carrasco might miss as many as eight weeks with a hamstring injury. 1B Jose Martinez, hilariously listed an a LF in some reports, has had knee surgery and will miss four months. 2B Robinson Cano (remember him?) will miss the 2021 season because he inherited Ryan Braun's stash of pharmaceuticals. 

PHILADELPHIA: C J.T. Realmuto is day to day with a sore thumb. SP Spencer Howard is day to day with a back problem. So is SP Zach Eflin. Both were scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Sunday. SP Vince Velasquez is day to day with an oblique injury. IF Brad Miller is day to day with a mild oblique injury. RP Seranthony Dominguez will miss half of the season after having elbow surgery. 

PITTSBURGH: 1B Todd Frazier is day to day with back tightness. Welcome to the club, Todd. RP Felipe "Vazquez" is out with ... um ... let's just call it legal problems.

SAN DIEGO: OF Trent Grisham is day to day with a hamstring issue. RP Drew Pomeranz has a forearm problem but is playing catch from 100 feet. Call me when he's playing catch from 46 feet. C Austin Nola is day to day with a finger injury but is expected to try holding a bat within the next few days, which is apparently a new strategy for Padres catchers. 1B Eric Hosmer is day to day with a tummyache. RP Matt Strahm will miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury. Good grief, there's more? Get your shit together, Padres. SP Dinelson Lamet is day to day with an elbow injury and is likely to open the season on the DL. SP Mike Clevinger and his Lincecum-esque hair are out for the season after he had elbow surgery. Welcome to San Diego, Mike!

SAN FRANCISCO: 1B Brandon Belt is day to day with a heel problem. Rich has been calling him a heel for years. 3B Evan Longoria has a foot injury but could take the field by the middle of the week. Fortunately, the Giants have a low bar for their third basemen. Or is it a wide berth? Ahem — moving on... SP Alex Wood is day to day with a back injury. SP Tyler Beede will miss half the season while recovering from elbow surgery. RP Reyes Moronta is recovering from a labrum injury and came into camp out of shape. Seriously, where do the Giants FIND all these fat guys? 

ST. LOUIS: SP Miles Mikolas is day to day with a sore shoulder, which popped up while he was recovering from a flexor tendon strain. SP Kwang-Hyun Kim has a back problem but threw a bullpen session Saturday. SP Dakota Hudson is likely out for the season while recovering from elbow surgery. 

WASHINGTON: SP Stephen Strasburg — you don't say — has a calf issue but is allegedly on track to avoid the DL.

Divisions Updated

After a tortured and laborious process, which cannot be adequately explained here, the 2021 FBLG Divisions have been created.

Hank Aaron Division

• Henry
• John
• Ray
• Rich/Brian
• Tim

Tommy Lasorda Division

• Adam
• Bill
• Jack
• Matt
• Reid

2021 Preseason Updates

Champions.

That unhappy fan picture has sat atop this blog for 17 long, agonizing months. Since then, the Dodgers won the World Series, and basically nothing else good happened. 

But! Baseball is almost back. The FBLG draft is coming up at 2 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, March 28. And opening day - no fooling - is April 1.

A couple updates and reminders for everyone, because it has been a long, long time since we've partaken in FBLG.

• The rules remain the same. The only alteration this season is adding a fourth bench spot to help owners deal with what could be a COVID-y early season. 
• Head-to-head matchups run Monday-Sunday. Prizes remain based on both head-to-head record and overall points.
• ESPN handles positional eligibility. Now that Joe Maddon is out of the NL, we don't have to worry as much about Anthony Rizzo being eligible at 2B. I believe the position eligibility is based on either 20 games at a position the previous year, or 10 games at a position in 2021.
• In fact, ESPN handles nearly all the rules, and most are pretty obvious. There are two that we, the commissioners, monitor because they can't be hard-wired in to ESPN.
• Your relief pitcher position MUST be a pitcher who works primarily in relief. No matter how ESPN defines each pitcher. Commissioners reserve the right to insist you not - to use a football example - put Taysom Hill in as your tight end.
• Once a starting pitcher has pitched in a game during a week, HE CANNOT BE REPLACED IN YOUR LINEUP UNTIL THE NEXT WEEK. You only get to use 4 starters per week, make them count. 
• At all other positions, you may make changes as often as you like. Players lock in at the start of their games each day, so you have maximum flexibility.

The draft is a true snake draft. Each pick has a 2-minute time limit that is enforced by ESPN. Draft order:

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

The scoring rules remain the same. If anyone needs a refresher on scoring (rim shot), please email the commishes.

Think that's it for now. Lots of good information out there on ESPN, Rotoworld, Rotowire and other fantasy sites. We will try to have a few more depth chart and injury updates before the draft.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! See you all soon.