2014 Positional Leaders

In honor of our recent retiree.

We keep these numbers all year so you don't have to. Position-by-position leaders from the season.

First base

1. Danger Zaun 412 (15.85/week)
2. Arbitration Losers 402 (15.46)
3. Rocky Mountain High 363 (13.96)

Second base

1. Ryan's Rangers 406 (15.62)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 356 (13.69)
3. Pitch You Blockhead 354 (13.62)

Shortstop

1. Rocky Mountain High 354 (13.62)
2. Danger Zaun 341 (13.12)
3. E-3 341 (13.12)

Third base

1. Danger Zaun 353 (13.58)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 336 (12,92)
3. Arbitration Losers 332 (12.77)

Catcher

1. Pitch You Blockhead 377 (14.50)
2. Fresh Fish 360 (13.85)
3. Arbitration Losers 267 (10.27)

Outfield

1. Fresh Fish 1173 (45.12)
2. Ryan's Rangers 1102 (42.38)
3. Misfits 1079 (41.50)

Starting pitching

1. Fresh Fish 1569 (60.35)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 1564 (60.15)
3. Danger Zaun 1506 (57.92)

Relief pitching

1. Danger Zaun 325 (12.50)
2. E-3 279 (10.73)
3. Rocky Mountain High 277 (10.65)

Top-3 finishes

• Danger Zaun 5
• Fresh Fish 3
• Arbitration Losers 3
• Rocky Mountain High 3
• Tanana in the Tailpipe 3
• Ryan's Rangers 2
• Pitch You Blockhead 2
• E-3 2
• Misfits 1

Random tidbits

• Only one team used all its free agent moves this year: the Misfits. Among the important pickups for Reid's squad: Charlie Blackmon, Tanner Roark, Alex Wood, Francisco Rodriguez, Lucas Duda, John Lackey and Jorge Soler.
• The catcher position was as weak as it's ever been. Only four teams averaged even double digits from their catcher and, in total, catchers only outscored closers 2675-2425, or about a point per week per team.
• The 8-point win by Fresh Fish over Danger Zaun was actually the third-closest in FBLG history. In 2011, Ken topped Tim by a mere 6 points and in 2004, in what have been a completely insane finish, Bill topped Tim by 8 points... and Tim was in third! The Klock/Robinson team finished 7 points back.
• Here's how close the Fish-Zaun finish was. Fish had 2696 hitting points and 1815 pitching points. Zaun had 2672 hitting and 1831 pitching.
• The Fresh Fish's last 4 finishes: 10th, 1st, 9th, 1st. Note to NL players: you do NOT want to be drafted by Rick next year.

2014 Season Wrapup

Why this picture? Oh, no reason.

First off, congratulations to Rick's Fresh Fish for their sweep of the head-to-head and overall titles.

FBLG 2014 was among the most competitive ever, with 8 points separating the top two finishers and just 380 points separating 1st place and 8th place. And the winnings were spread around nicely. Great work, everyone.

Rick, Matt, Scott and Adam have already told us they plan to play in 2015. For the rest of you, please let us know your plans when you can. Again, it's not binding, but we'd like to know if we need to try and track down some new owners.

Final standings

1. Fresh Fish 4511
2. Danger Zaun 4503
3. Arbitration Losers 4318
4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4272
5. Ryan's Rangers 4258
6. Pitch You Blockhead 4233
7. E-3 4192
8. Misfits 4131
9. Rocky Mountain High 3958
10. Rookies 3795

Next year's draft order

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

The 2015 MLB season starts a week later than usual, with the first game on Sunday, April 5 and the first full day of games on the 6th. This means, for the first time in a long time, the draft will likely not be at the end of Spring Break. Obviously it's 6 months out, but we'll plan on the draft being Saturday, April 4, in our usual online fashion.

Scoring leaders

Batting

1. Andrew McCutchen (E-3) 424
2. Anthony Rendon (Ryan's Rangers) 424
3. Giancarlo Stanton (Fresh Fish) 417
4. Adrian Gonzalez (Danger Zaun) 415
5. Hunter Pence (Misfits) 404
6. Freddie Freeman (Arbitration Losers) 402
7. Carlos Gomez (Ryan's Rangers) 400
8. Yasiel Puig (Rocky Mountain High) 391
9. Justin Upton (Rookies) 370
10. Christian Yelich (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 363
11. Matt Holliday (Arbitration Losers) 360
12. Ryan Braun (Ryan's Rangers) 355
13. Buster Posey (Fresh Fish) 354

Starting pitching

1. Clayton Kershaw (Fresh Fish) 523
2. Johnny Cueto (E-3) 504
3. Madison Bumgarner (Misfits) 466
4. Zach Greinke (Pitch You Blockhead) 434
5. Adam Wainwright (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 425
6. Stephen Strasburg (Danger Zaun) 425
7. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) 401
8. Lance Lynn (Rocky Mountain High) 368
9. Julio Teheran (Ryan's Rangers) 353
10. Jeff Samardzija (Pitch You Blockhead) 352

Relief pitching

1. Kenley Jansen (Rocky Mountain High) 282
2. Craig Kimbrel (E-3) 279
3. Trevor Rosenthal (Pitch You Blockhead) 253
4. Steve Cishek (Fresh Fish) 246
5. Aroldis Chapman (Danger Zaun) 239

Playoffs Week 8: Sunday's Roundup

Another no-hitter on the last day of the season? At least the pitcher was on a FBLG roster this time.

Studs: Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) struck out 10 Marlins and allowed only a walk in a 104-pitch no-hitter. He also singled twice. Johnny Cueto (E-3) had an RBI single, struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Anthony Rizzo (RMH) stole a base, scored twice, hit a 2-run homer and singled twice. Zack Greinke (PYB) hit his 6th double, struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 5-inning win. Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 12 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings. Lucas Duda (Misfits) homered, doubled and drove in 4. 

Duds: The Marlins' hitters. Duh.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 153, Danger Zaun 138

Others

Fresh Fish 150

Arbitration Losers 199

Tanana in the Tailpipe 157

Ryan's Rangers 190

Misfits 131

E-3 198

Rocky Mountain High 137

Rookies 151

Final point totals

1. Fresh Fish 4,511

2. Danger Zaun 4,503

3. Arbitration Losers 4,318

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4,272

5. Ryan's Rangers 4,258

6. Pitch You Blockhead 4,233

7. E-3 4,192

8. Misfits 4,131

9. Rocky Mountain High 3,958

10. Rookies 3,795

Manager Jack McKeon, you and the Fresh Fish have won the points title as well as the playoff championship.
What are you going to do now? "I'm going to Panda Express!"

Playoffs Week 8: Saturday's Roundup

Not even Wily Peralta can believe that Wily Peralta has 17 wins.

Studs: Wily Peralta (RR) allowed 1 run and struck out 13 in a 7-inning win. Justin Upton (Rookies) hit a 2-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Stephen Strasburg (DZ) drove in a run, got the win and fanned 7 in 6 shutout innings. Todd Frazier (DZ) hit a 2-run homer and scored 4 runs thanks to 3 walks.  

Duds: Andrelton Simmons (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with an error. Matt Holliday (AL) went 0 for 2 with an error. Anthony Rendon (RR), Marlon Byrd (FF) and Ryan Zimmerman (FF) each singled and erred.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 128, Danger Zaun 103

Others

Fresh Fish 121 (lead DZ by 14)

Arbitration Losers 167

Tanana in the Tailpipe 139

Ryan's Rangers 183

Misfits 107

E-3 158

Rocky Mountain High 119

Rookies 115

Playoffs Week 8: Friday's Roundup

Doug Fister is ready for the playoffs.

Studs: Doug Fister (Rookies) doubled, scored, struck out 9 and allowed only 3 hits in a shutout win. Ian Kennedy (PYB) struck out 6 and allowed an unearned run in a 7-inning win. Jayson Werth (DZ) was a homer short of the cycle, scored twice and drove in a run. Chris Coghlan (DZ) homered, doubled and drove in 3. 

Duds: Charlie Blackmon (Misfits) went 2 for 5 but made an error and was caught stealing. Jarred Cosart (FF) managed to score 3 points, but he still walked 8 in 5 innings. That's definitely Dud-worthy.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 104, Danger Zaun 60

Others

Fresh Fish 111 (lead DZ by 47)

Arbitration Losers 145

Tanana in the Tailpipe 125

Ryan's Rangers 139

Misfits 71

E-3 126

Rocky Mountain High 84

Rookies 96

Playoffs Week 8: Thursday's Roundup

Remember when this guy was a Padre and a Dodger last year?

Studs: Edinson Volquez (E-3) singled, scored, got the win and struck out 10 in 7 shutout innings. Gio Gonzalez (RR) allowed only 1 hit and struck out 12 in a 7-inning victory. 

Duds: None. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 66, Danger Zaun 41

Others

Fresh Fish 92 (leads DZ by 47)

Arbitration Losers 135

Tanana in the Tailpipe 92

Ryan's Rangers 110

Misfits 64

E-3 107

Rocky Mountain High 72

Rookies 51

Playoffs Week 8: Wednesday's Roundup

Grainy security camera footage appears to show an employee of the commissioner's office kicking Fresh Fish out of the league.

Studs: Jake Arrieta (AL) had a 2-run triple, fanned 11 and allowed an unearned run in a 7-inning win. Clayton Kershaw (FF) had an RBI triple and struck out 11 while allowing 1 run in an 8-inning win. Julio Teheran (RR) singled twice, drove in 2, struck out 6 and allowed 2 runs in a 5-inning win. Kyle Lohse (Rookies) drove in a run and struck out 6 in a 2-hit shutout. Carl Crawford (RMH) doubled, singled, drove in 2, scored 3 runs and stole a base. 

Duds: Everyone who expected points out of the Mets/Nationals game, which was rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 47, Danger Zaun 23

Others

Fresh Fish 73 (lead DZ by 46)

Arbitration Losers 116

Tanana in the Tailpipe 81

Ryan's Rangers 72

Misfits 56

E-3 61

Rocky Mountain High 57

Rookies 42

Email of the Year

No one woke up today expecting a Butch Wynegar reference, did they?

We get a lot of emails in the commish inbox. Some are funny; some are sad; some are whiny; some are almost indecipherable. They're all part of life's rich pageant. And we love them all.

But every once in a while we get one that has to be shared with the group. Today was such a day.


Backstory: Danger Zaun is still in the middle of two battles - with Pitch You Blockhead for the consolation title, and with Fresh Fish for the points title. Since DZ is the commissioners' team, we felt it appropriate to let both of those teams know when we made a small score correction this morning. A play originally called an error was later changed to a triple for DZ catcher Travis d'Arnaud. This meant 2 more points being awarded to d'Arnaud.

Pitch You Blockhead took this news with a stiff upper lip. Fresh Fish, though, brought out the big guns and went for the jugular:

In much the same way as teams play games under protest, the Fresh Fish announced today they are playing the remainder of the FBLG season under protest following the league's Travis d'Arnaud ruling. The Fish contend that the FBLG Commish used his considerable influence as commissioner to strong-arm Major League Baseball into changing the ruling on d'Arnaud's "hit," resulting in the commissioner's team receiving an extra two points. The Fish use as evidence that no catcher in MLB has legitimately tripled since 1977. The Twins' Butch Wynegar was credited with the last triple 37 years ago, although the footage is grainy and most everyone knows that it was what all catcher "triples" are - a single and a two-base error.The Fish wouldn't be taking this dramatic step if not for the fact they are in a battle for $50 with the FBLG Commish, and the Fish already have promised his family that, if they win, they'll go to Panda Express for dinner.

Taking a page from the greatest commissioner in the history of sports - Roger Goodell - we have already denied this protest and subsequently kicked Fresh Fish out of the league. So we guess Danger Zaun wins by default! Sorry, Rick.

Playoffs Week 8: Tuesday's Roundup

Ginger snaps!

Studs: Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 8 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Justin Turner (Tanana) hit 2 solo homers off Madison Bumgarner. Johnny Cueto (E-3) fanned 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Zack Greinke (PYB) struck out 5 and allowed 2 runs in an 8-inning win. 

Duds: Arismendy Alcantara (DZ) went 0 for 5 with 4 Ks and an error. Travis d'Arnaud (DZ) went 1 for 4 with an error. Lucas Duda (Misfits) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 42, Danger Zaun 14

Others

Fresh Fish 40 (leads DZ by 22)

Arbitration Losers 78

Tanana in the Tailpipe 68

Ryan's Rangers 44

Misfits 44

E-3 49

Rocky Mountain High 38

Rookies 5

Playoffs Week 8: Monday's Roundup

He didn't get a hit and he made an error, but Dee Gordon made up for it with his cool levitating-ball-and-helmet trick.

Studs: Adam Wainwright (Tanana) got the win and fanned 8 in 7 shutout innings. Francisco Liriano (RR) got the win and struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. Gregor Blanco (RR) homered, doubled, drove in 2 and scored twice. Santiago Casilla (AL) struck out 1 in a 2-inning win. 

Duds: Matt Kemp (FF), Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) and Dee Gordon (E-3) each went 0 for 5 with an error. At least Gordon had a sac fly. Jorge Soler (Misfits) went 1 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 17, Danger Zaun -1

Others

Fresh Fish 4 (lead DZ by 1 point overall)

Arbitration Losers 30

Tanana in the Tailpipe 32

Ryan's Rangers 32

Misfits 14

E-3 9

Rocky Mountain High 24

Rookies 1