2013 Season Recap: Going Going Gonzo

Hopefully next year these guys can keep the damn Cardinals out of the World Series.

Overview

Total points: 3,860 (7th place)
Head-to-head record: 6-12 (8th place)
Postseason: 2-3 in consolation round.

Draft

Best picks: Adrian Gonzalez (1st round), Jay Bruce (3rd round), Wilin Rosario (9th round), Jason Grilli (16th round).

Worst picks: B.J. Upton (2nd round), Ian Kennedy (4th round), Trevor Cahill (7th round)

Season highlights

Toppled Misfits in first week of playoffs before falling in week two. ... Made a great trade, adding Jean Segura for Garrett Jones and ending up with one of the league's best shortstops. ... Jason Grilli, until getting hurt, was the league's top-scoring closer. ... Wilin Rosario scored as many points as the first catcher drafted, Buster Posey. ... Adrian Gonzalez and Jay Bruce provided steady points for this team all season.

In a nutshell

The good, the bad and the ugly. We've talked about the good already; the bad largely involved lots of playing time for the two Braves you REALLY didn't want to have this year, B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla. And the ugly was a pitching staff anchored by the enigmatic Ian Kennedy and the flighty (and hard-luck) Jeff Samardzjia. Gonzo looked like a threat early but quickly fell out of contention and was left playing spoiler late in the year, nearly upsetting the Misfits in the first round of the playoffs. We'll see how they bounce back next season.

2013 Season Recap: Rookies

This 13th-round pick ended up second in the league in batting average.

Overview

Total points: 3,834 (8th place)
Head-to-head record: 7-11 (7th place)
Postseason: 2-3 in consolation round.

Draft

Best picks: Alfonso Soriano (8th round), Carlos Gomez (10th round), Chris Johnson (13th round).

Worst picks: Yovani Gallardo (4th round), Adam LaRoche (5th round), David Freese (7th round).

Season highlights

Swept season series from head-to-head champion Arbitration Losers. ... Outfielders Alfonso Soriano (398) and Carlos Gomez (397) were each a couple bloopers from 400 points. ... Late selections of Gomez and Chris Johnson turned out to be boons with highly drafted Jason Heyward spending much of the season injured and David Freese forgetting how to hit. ... Soriano's mid-August hot streak was among the season's most impressive, as he had a 49-point week, including days consecutive days of 14, 16, 6 and 11.

In a nutshell

Went with the all-aces draft - Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Yovani Gallardo in the first four rounds - but without the desired results. Strasburg was hurt and got no run support much of the year, and Gallardo was mediocre. Heyward's injuries and Everth Cabrera's suspension hurt, as did regression from Adam LaRoche, Marco Scutaro, Zach Cozart and Freese. If the Nationals hadn't taken the first 4 months of the season off and Heyward had been healthy, this could have been a very different season for the Rookies, who will look to bounce back in 2014.

2013 Season Recap: Fresh Fish

This play didn't help the Fresh Fish's chances this year.

Overview

Total points: 3,655 (9th place)
Head-to-head record: 3-15 (10th place)
Postseason: 3-2 in consolation round; lost in consolation championship

Draft

Best picks: Zack Greinke (4th round), Homer Bailey (6th round), Hanley Ramirez (11th round), Jean Segura (14th round)

Worst picks: Matt Cain (2nd round), Miguel Montero (5th round), Ryan Howard (8th round)

Season highlights

Took down eventual points champion Manwaring a Muumuu in Week 3 for one of regular season's three head-to-head wins. ... Got hot late in the season when injured players returned and won three games in consolation round to reach the consolation title game. ... With Matt Cain struggling, Zack Greinke and Homer Bailey pitched like aces. ... Team was near the league leaders in points from second base, third base and shortstop.

In a nutshell

Injuries. So many injuries. Hanley Ramirez, Zack Greinke, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Montero, Ryan Ludwick, Cody Ross, Ryan Vogelsong, Matt Cain, Ryan Howard and Cameron Maybin all missed time for the Fish this year, and that's just the ones the Commishes can remember. This team won the points title in 2012, so there's no reason to doubt they'll bounce back strong in 2014 if a few guys can stay healthy.

2013 Season Recap: Silver State Sagebrushers

Ace Clayton Kershaw "fell" all the way to third in
this year's draft; is he the 2014 No. 1 pick?

Overview

Total points: 3,601 (10th place)
Head-to-head record: 6-12 (9th place)
Postseason: 0-5 in consolation round-robin

Draft

Best picks: Clayton Kershaw (1st round), Justin Upton (3rd round), Michael Cuddyer (7th round), Brandon Belt (12th round), Jorge de la Rosa (15th round).

Worst picks: Starlin Castro (4th round), Rickie Weeks (9th round), Chad Billingsley (10th round).

Season highlights

Swept regular season series with Testosteraun Braun and Fresh Fish. ... Clayton Kershaw's 507 points led all FBLG players by a healthy margin. ... Starting rotation of Kershaw, Jorge de la Rosa, Kyle Lohse and Charlie Morton was one of FBLG's best, ranking sixth in the league with 50 points/week despite not having a fifth starter. ... Brandon Belt was one of the NL's best hitters in the second half. ... David Wright was far and away the best third baseman in the league before being injured. 

In a nutshell

The Sagebrushers were crippled by injuries and underachivers, with Rickie Weeks, Starlin Castro, David Wright, Andre Ethier, Dexter Fowler and J.J. Putz all either missing time with injuries, losing their starting job or just plain putting up bad numbers. This team suffered from poor management after a decent draft, and with some care would have contended for a playoff berth. They will be under new ownership in 2014, so expect to see a lot fewer duds in the lineup next season.

2013 FBLG Wrapup

After a much-needed day of rest yesterday, the Commishes are back to wrap up the FBLG 2013 regular season.

First, we'd like to thank all of you for another awesome year. There were a few snags with new people in charge this year, but we think everything went well overall. And it was another fiercely competitive year with lots of drama. We certainly had fun, and hope everyone else did too.

Assuming that all of you want to return next year, we'll be looking for one new owner for the 2014 season. If you have anyone in mind, please feel free to invite them aboard. The Commishes have a couple people in mind, as well. If you don't think you'll be returning next year, please let us know ASAP. We'll check in again before the season, too.

We'll try to do some team-by-team wrapups over the next month or so, but here are the final rankings. Winners will be notified via email to claim their prizes.

Overall

1. Manwaring a Muumuu 4,610
2. Arbitration Losers 4,420
3. Misfits 4,412
4. Testosteraun Braun 4,328
5. Lawyers, Guns & Money 4,242
6. Pitch You Blockhead 4,127
7. Going Going Gonzo 3,860
8. Rookies 3,834
9. Fresh Fish 3,655
10. Silver State Sagebrushers 3,601

Head to head

1. Arbitration Losers
2. Manwaring a Muumuu
3. Pitch You Blockhead
4. Misfits

Consolation champion

1. Testosteraun Braun

Just for fun, we kept positional rankings all year. Here are the final totals and averages.

First base

1. TB 484 (18.62/week)
2. AL 439 (16.88)
3. Misfits 420 (16.15)
4. Muumuu 389 (14.96)
5. Gonzo 372 (14.31)
6. SSS 336 (12.92)
7. Rookies 294 (11.31)
8. Fish 283 (10.88)
9. PYB 279 (10.73)
10. LGM 245 (9.42)

Second base

1. PYB 424 (16.31/week)
2. TB 399 (15.35)
3. Fish 369 (14.19)
4. Misfits 355 (13.65)
5. Muumuu 348 (13.38)
6. AL 303 (11.65)
7. Rookies 240 (9.23)
8. LGM 220 (8.46)
9. Gonzo 207 (7.96)
10. SSS 152 (5.85)

Shortstop

1. Fish 359 (13.81/week)
2. Muumuu 352 (13.54)
3. Misfits 338 (13.00)
4. Rookies 326 (12.54)
5. TB 312 (12.00)
6. Gonzo 307 (11.81)
7. LGM 292 (11.23)
8. SSS 267 (10.27)
9. AL 227 (8.73)
10. PYB 193 (7.42)

Third base

1. PYB 332 (12.77/week)
2. LGM 330 (12.69)
3. Fish 297 (11.42)
4. SSS 296 (11.38)
5. TB 296 (11.38)
6. Gonzo 295 (11.35)
7. Misfits 269 (10.35)
8. Rookies 267 (10.27)
9. Muumuu 267 (10.27)
10. AL 247 (9.50)

Catcher

1. LGM 377 (14.50/week)
2. Muumuu 355 (13.65)
3. AL 329 (12.65)
4. Gonzo 300 (11.54)
5. Misfits 235 (9.04)
6. Rookies 220 (8.46)
7. SSS 217 (8.35)
8. Fish 215 (8.27)
9. TB 187 (7.19)
10. PYB 186 (7.18)

Outfield

1. PYB 1,206 (46.38/week)
2. LGM 1,177 (45.27)
3. AL 1,120 (43.08)
4. Misfits 1,102 (42.38)
5. Rookies 1,067 (41.04)
6. Muumuu 1044 (40.15)
7. TB 1,022 (39.31)
8. Gonzo 943 (36.27)
9. SSS 917 (35.27)
10. Fish 781 (30.04)

Starting pitching

1. Muumuu 1,622 (62.38/week)
2. AL 1,478 (56.85)
3. Misfits 1,444 (55.54)
4. TB 1,471 (54.50)
5. PYB 1,321 (50.81)
6. SSS 1,300 (50.00)
7. LGM 1,273 (48.96)
8. Rookies 1,257 (48.35)
9. Fish 1,223 (47.04)
10. Gonzo 1,171 (45.04)

Relief pitching

1. LGM 317 (12.19/week)
2. AL 276 (10.62)
3. Gonzo 265 (10.19)
4. Muumuu 242 (9.31)
5. Misfits 223 (8.58)
6. TB 209 (8.04)
7. PYB 204 (7.85)
8. Rookies 165 (6.35)
9. Fish 124 (4.77)
10. SSS 116 (4.46)

Playoffs Week 8: Sunday's report

If someone throws a no-hitter in Miami on the last day
of the season, does it make a sound?

Be sure to check back in the next day or two for your commissioner's season wrap-up. Sources inside the commish's office say there might be a special guest analyst. Is it Bud Selig? The Phillie Fanatic? Tommy Lasorda's nutritionist? Ryan Braun's pharmaceutical representative? Time will tell.

STUDS: Joe Kelly (Muumuu) might have set a FBLG record for points in a relief appearance. Kelly posted 18 points with a double, a run, a win and 5 strikeouts in 5.1 scoreless innings. Andrelton Simmons (TB) had 2 doubles, a single, a steal, an RBI and 3 runs. Jordy Mercer (PYB) was a double short of the cycle and scored twice. Evan Gattis (Rookies) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice.

DUDS: Huston Street (GGG) had a remarkably bad day. He pitched to 5 hitters and retired none of them in blowing the save and taking the loss. He allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch. Dan Uggla (GGG) went 0 for 2 with an error. He did walk 3 times but didn't come around to score.

Consolation finals scores

Testosteraun Braun 158, Fresh Fish 51 (Braunies are the consolation champions)

Battle for second place in points

Arbitration Losers 161 (4,420 total, Losers finish second in the points race)
Misfits 139 (4,412 total)

Other scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 120
Going Going Gonzo 107
Lawyers, Guns & Money 174
Pitch You Blockhead 136
Rookies 100
Manwaring a Muumuu 132

Playoffs Week 8: Saturday's report

Neil Walker took Bronson Arroyo deep twice.

STUDS: Justin Upton (SSS) went 4 for 5 with a homer, a double, a steal and 3 RBIs. Carlos Gomez (Rookies) went 4 for 5 with a homer, 2 steals and 2 RBIs. Adam Wainwright (Misfits) had an RBI single and got the win while striking out 5 in 5.1 shutout innings. Marlon Byrd (Misfits) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Neil Walker (AL) hit a pair of solo homers.

DUDS: Something tells me Bronson Arroyo (Rookies) won't get the start in that one-game playoff against the Pirates. Arroyo allowed 6 runs — on 5 homers — and struck out 2 in a 4.2-inning loss. Edward Mujica (Fish) gave up 2 runs in 0.1 inning. Yusmeiro Petit (Misfits) allowed 5 runs and struck out 2 in a 3.2-inning loss. Chris Johnson (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with an error. Todd Frazier (Fish) went 0 for 3 with an error.

Consolation finals scores

Testosteraun Braun 103, Fresh Fish 44

Battle for second place in points

Arbitration Losers 138 (4,397 total)
Misfits 121 (4,394 total)

Other scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 109
Going Going Gonzo 109
Lawyers, Guns & Money 166
Pitch You Blockhead 126
Rookies 86
Manwaring a Muumuu 107

Playoffs Week 8: Friday's report

In his past 5 starts, Cliff Lee has 54 strikeouts in 39 innings.

STUDS: What a day for top-notch performances from aces! Clayton Kershaw (SSS) singled, scored, got the win and struck out 8 in 6 shutout innings. Lance Lynn (LGM) got the win and struck out 9 in 6 shutout innings. Kris Medlen (PYB) got the win and struck out 7 in 8 shutout innings. A.J. Burnett (Muumuu) allowed 1 run and struck out 6 in an 8-inning win. Cliff Lee (AL) was a hard-luck loser, allowing 1 run and striking out 13 in 8 innings. A.J. Ellis (SSS) hit a 2-run homer and an RBI single and scored twice. Jayson Werth (LGM) hit a 3-run homer, singled and scored twice.

DUDS: Gosh, I don't know. Most of the hitters in the Phillies-Braves game, I guess.

Consolation finals scores

Testosteraun Braun 90, Fresh Fish 32

Battle for second place in points

Arbitration Losers 119 (4,378 total)
Misfits 90 (4,363 total)

Other scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 92
Going Going Gonzo 99
Lawyers, Guns & Money 140
Pitch You Blockhead 112
Rookies 73
Manwaring a Muumuu 95

Playoffs Week 8: Thursday's report

Were you watching this instead of baseball? Probably a good decision.

STUD: Jason Heyward (Rookies, sort of) went 5 for 5 with a homer and 3 doubles. He also scored 2 runs.

DUDS: Pretty much all of us because most of our players are sitting the bench so these "September call-ups" can show what they can do. Which, in most cases, is nothing.

Consolation finals scores

Testosteraun Braun 81, Fresh Fish 9

Battle for second place in points

Arbitration Losers 86 (4,345 total)
Misfits 72 (4,345 total)

Other scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 51
Going Going Gonzo 88
Lawyers, Guns & Money 80
Pitch You Blockhead 84
Rookies 47
Manwaring a Muumuu 57

Playoffs Week 8: Wednesday's report

Carlos Gomez should have made the Duds list for acting like a punk.

STUDS: Kyle Lohse (SSS) singled and struck out 5 in a shutout win against the Braves. Ian Kennedy (GGG) scored a run and allowed 2 runs while striking out 7 in a 7-inning win. David DeJesus (GGG) was a triple short of the cycle and drove in 2 runs.

DUDS: Oh, what a day it was for Duds (especially shortstops)! Starlin Castro (SSS) doubled but made 2 errors. Brandon Crawford (AL), Ian Desmond (Muumuu), Jimmy Rollins (LGM), Troy Tulowitzki (Misfits) and Alfonso Soriano (Rookies) each posted an 0-fer and made an error. Reid's Misfits got zeros from Freeman, Asche, McCann, Byrd, Beltran and Eaton on a 6-point day. Thanks to a 7-run outing from Jhoulys Chacin, Rick's Fresh Fish posted a minus-3 for the day. Phillips, Ramirez, Frazier, Montero, Stanton and Jones combined to go 0 for 20. Ludwick and Morrison didn't play.

Consolation finals scores

Testosteraun Braun 67, Fresh Fish 8

Battle for second place in points

Arbitration Losers 79 (4,338 total)
Misfits 59 (4,332 total)

Other scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 46
Going Going Gonzo 75
Lawyers, Guns & Money 70
Pitch You Blockhead 73
Rookies 36
Manwaring a Muumuu 53