Mid-March injury update

The latest on who's hurt and who's healthy with 10 days until the greatest draft on Earth (in honor of bad sports announcing, I'll refrain from using the word "injury"):

• ARIZONA: Outfielder Cody Ross is taking batting practice but seems unlikely for opening day because of a calf. Pitcher Daniel Hudson is out until mid-July with an elbow.

• ATLANTA: Catcher Brian McCann, who has a shoulder, is expected to be on the disabled list until April 16. Pitcher Brandon Beachy is out until late June with an elbow.

• CHICAGO: Third baseman Ian Stewart has been ruled out for opening day as he recovers from a quad. Pitcher Matt Garza is playing catch but is expected to be out until early May with a lat. Pitcher Scott Baker has been shut down because of an elbow and is out indefinitely.

• CINCINNATI: None.

• COLORADO: First baseman Todd Helton, who missed time with the flu, will be ready for opening day. Pitcher Juan Nicasio, who missed time with a knee, has won a spot in the rotation and will be ready for opening day. 

• HOUSTON: Forget it. They're in the AL West now.  Still, here's a fun photo of Jose (Velveeta) Valverde looking like an idiot.

• MIAMI: Catcher Jeff Mathis, who has a collarbone, hopes to return by early May. First baseman Logan Morrison, out with a knee, hopes to return by mid-April. 

• LOS ANGELES: Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is wearing a splint on his thumb and will be checked out by team doctors. Shortstop Dee Gordon is day-to-day with an ankle sprain. Pitcher Zack Greinke is having no issues after having elbow irritation and might be ready to start the season. Pitcher Chad Billingsley's elbow has shown no problems, and he will be in the rotation to open the season. GM Ned Colletti says oufielder Carl Crawford, recovering from an elbow, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Ted Lilly, recovering from a shoulder and the flu, is expected to be ready for opening day.

• MILWAUKEE: Pitcher Chris Narveson, recovering from a shoulder, is in the rotation to open the season. First baseman Corey Hart, who has a knee, is off crutches and is expected back in May. First baseman Mat Gamel, who has a torn ACL, is out for the season. 

• NEW YORK: Third baseman David Wright, out with ribs, could be out until mid-April. X-rays on infielder Justin Turner's ankle were negative, and he is expected to fill in at third base to open the season. Pitcher Johan Santana hasn't been ruled out for opening day with a shoulder, but it doesn't look likely. Second baseman Daniel Murphy is out indefinitely with a stiff intercostal. Reliever Frank Francisco might be ready for opening day with an elbow.

• PHILADELPHIA: Pitcher Roy Halladay is day-to-day with the flu. Outfielder Delmon Young, out with an ankle, might return by late April. 

• PITTSBURGH: Pitcher Jeff Karstens, recovering from a shoulder, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Francisco Liriano will miss the start of the season with a broken nonthrowing arm. Pitcher Charlie Morton, out with an elbow, isn't expected back until after the all-star break.

• SAN DIEGO: Third baseman Chase Headley has a broken thumb tip and is out until early May. Pitcher Casey Kelly might need Tommy John surgery and is out indefinitely. Infielder Logan Forsythe is battling plantar fasciitis but hopes to be ready for opening day. Pitcher Andrew Cashner, out with a thumb, might be ready for opening day. Pitcher Cory Luebke, out with an elbow, hopes to return around the all-star break. Outfielder Carlos Quentin, recovering from a knee, is expected to be ready for opening day.

• SAN FRANCISCO: Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, out with obesity (or an elbow or something) is expected to be ready for opening day. Catcher Hector Sanchez, out with a shoulder, might not be ready for opening day. 

• ST. LOUIS: Pitcher Chris Carpenter, out with a neck, might never pitch again. Shortstop Rafael Furcal, had Tommy John surgery and will miss the season.

• WASHINGTON: None.

Early March injury update

A few injuries/suspensions to be aware of as we move closer to draft day:

• Arizona outfielder Cody Ross has a calf strain and is expected to begin full weight-bearing activities March 18 or 19.  He might not be ready by opening day.

• Arizona pitcher Daniel Hudson is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't be back until the all-star break.

• Atlanta catcher Brian McCann is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss at least the first two weeks of the season.

• Atlanta pitcher Brandon Beachy is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to return by late June.

• Chicago pitcher Matt Garza has a lat strain and is likely to miss the first two weeks of the season.

• Chicago pitcher Scott Baker is recovering from Tommy John surgery and might not be ready to start the season.

• Cincinnati outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is still having quad soreness, but he is expected to be ready for opening day.

• Colorado first baseman Todd Helton is having knee soreness. 

• Los Angeles outfielder Carl Crawford had forearm tightness in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is expected to start the season on the disabled list.

• Los Angeles third baseman Luis Cruz could face a suspension for inciting a brawl in the World Baseball Classic.

• Miami catcher Jeff Mathis has a broken collarbone and will start the season on the disabled list.

• Miami first baseman Logan Morrison is recovering from a torn patella tendon and is likely to be out until mid-April.

• Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez has a sprained knee but is expected to be ready for opening day.

• Milwaukee first baseman Corey Hart has been cleared to ramp up his rehab after knee surgery and is hoping to be ready in May.

• Milwaukee first baseman Mat Gamel is out for the season with a torn ACL.

• New York pitcher Johan Santana is expected to start the season on the disabled list as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

• New York pitcher Frank Francisco has shoulder inflammation and might start the season on the disabled list.

• Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz will serve a 25-game drug suspension to open the season.

• Philadelphia outfielder Delmon Young is recovering from an ankle problem and is expected to return by May.

• San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal didn't swing a bat during the offseason because of tendon inflammation in his finger and will serve a 50-game drug suspension to open the season.

• San Diego outfielder Carlos Quentin is recovering from knee surgery but is expected to be ready for opening day. 

• San Diego pitcher Cory Luebke is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to be ready by midseason.

• San Diego pitcher Andrew Cashner is recovering from a lacerated thumb tendon and might be ready to start the season but could miss one or two starts.

• St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter has irritation in his cervical spine and shoulder and could miss the entire season.

• St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal had Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the entire season.

• Washington pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is experiencing "dead arm" symptoms.

2013 pre-draft information

We've shared a number of documents with all of you over the last week or so, and I wanted to make sure everyone has access. You should have:

• A list of email addresses for all FBLG owners
• A copy of the FBLG rulebook
• A spreadsheet with recent stats for most draft-eligible players (2013 FBLG stats)

Please let the Commissioners know if you don't have access to any of these docs.

As the season gets closer, we'll share a list of projected starters for each team and the FBLG draft document. Since we've heard no objections, we are still looking at a draft at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 30.

Also, if you'd like an email notification when new posts are added here, fill out the Follow by Email form just to the left of this post.

2013 draft order and other notes

Rich mentioned this in a recent email, but it's worth posting here as well.  (Mostly, I'm just adding this so I can figure out how to use this fancy blogging technology.)

• Brian Sandford and Matt Monaghan are replacing Pete and Ken, so please give them a warm welcome and treat them well.  At least until the season starts.

• The draft is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, March 30. We'll use the Google Doc format that we've used in past seasons.

• A 2012 statistics document is forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

• Let Rich and/or me know when you come up with a team name.  If you haven't chosen one after a few weeks of the season pass, we'll give your team an outdated or irrelevant name, like The Elster Unionists or Loggins & Mussina.

Draft order

1. Bill

2. Tim

3. Brian S. 

4. Jon

5. Matt

6. Scott

7. Henry

8. Rich/BD

9. Reid

10. Rick

FBLG 2012 Final Results

OVERALL

1. Fresh Fish (Rick) 4853
2. Misfits (Reid) 4642
3. Billy Ashley Wind Generator (Rich-Brian) 4611
4. Rookies (Henry) 4406
5. Pitch You Blockhead (Scott) 4317
6. Hammerin Hank (Pete) 4169
7. Pickle Bugs (Jon) 4125
8. Triple-A's (Ken) 4116
9. Arbitration Losers (Tim) 4113
10. Halladay Road (Bill) 4096

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Championship: BAWG d. Misfits 2-1

Third-place: Rookies d. Fresh Fish 2-0

Consolation: Triple-A's d. Arbitration Losers (212-142)

Week 27 roster moves

Players acquired

• SP Clayton Richard, by Arbitration Losers (Sept. #3)
• SP Chien-Ming Wang, by Hallady Road (Sept. #3)

Players released

• OF Dexter Fowler, by Arbitration Losers
• SP Alex White, by Halladay Road

Week 27 active roster changes

ROOKIES: No changes

PICKLE BUGS: No changes

PITCH YOU BLOCKHEAD: No change

HAMMERIN HANK: Benched SP Edwin Jackson; activated SP Barry Zito

FRESH FISH: No change

BILLY ASHLEY WIND GENERATOR: Benched SP Kris Medlen; activated SP Adam Wainwright

MISFITS: Benched SP Johnny Cueto and SP Lance Lynn; activated SP Tim Hudson and SP Eric Stults

HALLADAY ROAD: Released 1B Ryan Howard; benched SP Roy Halladay and SP Zach Greinke; moved OF Corey Hart to 1B; activated OF Drew Stubbs, SP Shawn Marcum and SP Chien-Ming Wang

TRIPLE-A'S: No changes

ARBITRATION LOSERS: Benched SP Ross Detwiler; activated SP Clayton Richard

Week 26 update

A 24-point outing from Marco Estrada and yet another win from Kris Medlen sealed the head-to-head championship for Billy Ashley Wind Generator.

BAWG beat the Misfits 222-186 for the deciding Game 3 victory.

But the competition is not completely over for BAWG and Misfits. The race for second place in the overall standings is still on.

The Misfits hold a four-point edge 4585-4581 with three days left in the season. If the Dodgers and Cardinals tie for the final wild-card spot and need a tiebreaker game, that game is consider a regular-season game and would count toward our titles.

The question for the Misfits is this: With two pitchers throwing on Sunday and two others on Saturday, do they have any more starts coming? However, BAWG had three pitchers throw over the weekend. A fourth, Gio Gonzalez, is not likely to pitch much, if at all, in the season's closing days.

With both teams having exhausted their final moves, these rosters are the ones they'll close the season with. BAWG could get a start from Adam Wainwright, but only if the Cardinals haven't clinched a playoff spot by the final day of the season.

In the week's other game, the Triple-A's easily locked down the consolation championship with a 212-142 win over the Arbitration Losers.

But there is still an interesting battle to avoid the cellar.

Here are the overall standings heading into the final three days of the season.

1. Fresh Fish (Rick) 4788
2. Misfits (Reid) 4585
3. BAWG (Rich-Brian) 4581
4. Rookies (Henry) 4344
5. Pitch You Blockhead (Scott) 4236
6. Hammerin Hank (Pete) 4086
7. Pickle Bugs (Jon) 4078
8. Triple-A's (Ken) 4066
9. Halladay Road (Bill) 4056
10. Arbitration Losers (Tim) 4055

Week 26 roster changes

Players acquired

• SP Marco Estrada, by BAWG (Sept. #2)
• SP Lance Lynn, by Misfits (Sept. #3)
• 1B Ike Davis, by Arbitration Losers (Sept. #2)
• OF Adam Eaton, by BAWG (Sept. #3)

Players released

• SP Matt Harvey, by Arbitration Losers
• SP Patrick Corbin, by BAWG
• 2B Neil Walker, by Misfits
• C Kurt Suzuki, by Hammerin Hank
• SP Michael Fiers, by BAWG

Midweek replacement

HALLADAY ROAD: On Sunday, benched OF Ryan Ludwick (missed 3 games); activated OF Corey Hart.

Week 26 changes

ROOKIES: No changes

PICKLE BUGS: No changes

PYB: Benched OF Jayson Werth and SP Wily Peralta; activate OF Jon Jay and SP Edinson Volquez

HAMMERIN HANK: Benched SP Mark Buehrle; activated SP Chris Carpenter

FRESH FISH: No changes

BILLY ASHLEY WIND GENERATOR: Benched SP Adam Wainwright; activated SP Marco Estrada

MISFITS: Released 2B Neil Walker, benched OF Sterling Marte, SP Tim Hudson and SP Eric Stults; activated 2B Mark Ellis, OF Carlos Gomez and SP Lance Lynn and SP Johnny Cueto.

HALLADAY ROAD: No changes

TRIPLE-A'S: No changes

ARBITRATION LOSERS: Released SP Matt Harvey; benched 1B Brandon Belt and OF Dexter Fowler; moved 3B Martin Prado to OF; activated 1B Ike Davis, 3B Pedro Alvarez and SP Ross Detwiler

Week 25 update

The FBLG season comes down to its final full week.

And the head-to-head championship will come down to a deciding third game as the Misfits rallied with a 209-point week to beat Billy Ashley Wind Generator 209-183.

The Misfits used three double starts to power their big week.

The head-to-head final has double meaning for the Misfits and BAWG as both teams are battling it out for second and third place in the overall standings.

The Misfits hold a 14-point advantage heading into the final full week.

The Rookies sealed up third place in head-to-head with a 171-165 win over the Fresh Fish, who are jogging to the finish after their red-hot season. The Fish still have a comfy 217-point lead for the overall championship. The Rookies have fourth locked down with a 118-point edge over Pitch You Blockhead.

The Arbitration Losers finished the head-to-head consolation round robin with a 5-0 mark. But that won't matter much if the Losers don't win the consolation final this week.

In an odd twist, the three teams tied for second in the round robin at 2-2 last week all lost. That created a five-way tie for second at 2-3. The tiebreaker was total points scored during the five-week round robin. And the Triple-A's, who suffered a Week 21 loss to the Losers despite scoring 213 points, carried that with 914 points to beat out PYB's 878.

So it will be the Losers vs. TA's for the consolation title.

Week 25 roster changes

Players acquired

• C Brian McCann, by Halladay Road (Sept. #2)
• SS Brandon Crawford, by Halladay Road (Sept. #3)
• 3B Pedro Alvarez, by Arbitration Losers (Sept. #1)
• OF Sterling Marte, by Misfits (Sept. #1)
• SP Wily Peralta, by Pitch You Blockhead (Sept. #1)

Players released

• SS Dee Gordon, by BAWG
• OF Carlos Quentin, by Misfits
• 1B Ike Davis, by Arbitration Losers
• SP James McDonald, by Pitch You Blockhead

Week 24 midweek changes

HALLADAY ROAD: Activated SP Alex White as emergency start in place of SP Bud Norris; On Friday, activated C Brian McCann, placed C Ramon Hernandez on DL.

Active roster changes

ROOKIES: No changes

PICKLE BUGS: No changes

PITCH YOU BLOCKHEAD: Benched SP Edinson Volquez; activated SP Wily Peralta

HAMMERIN HANK: No changes

FRESH FISH: No changes

BAWG: No changes

MISFITS: Benched 2B Mark Ellis, OF Carlos Gomez and SP Johnny Cueto; activated 2B Neil Walker, OF Sterling Marte and SP Kyle Lohse

HALLADAY ROAD: Released SS Paul Janish, benched SP Alex White; activated SS Brandon Crawford and SP Bud Norris

TRIPLE-A'S: No changes

ARBITRATION LOSERS: No changes