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So, we are past the halfway point of the Fantasy Hurler Invitational, which has proven to be a very competitive league and is hopefully the beginning of a long standing annual event. What started out as a two-horse race turned into a three-horse race going into the stretch between the B-Town Hoodlums, The Nick Adenharts, and the Zulia Lightning Rods. Looking at the rosters of our three frontrunners, it is no surprise why they have held their spots for the majority of the year:
Clutch Draft Picks and Pickups:
B Town Hoodlums -- Zach Grienke, Michael Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez, Adam Lind, Heath Bell
Nick Adenharts -- Joe Mauer, Kendry Morales, Luke Scott, David Aardsma, Josh Willingham
Zulia Lightning Rods -- Adam Jones, Asdrubal Cabrera, Rafael Soriano, Fernando Rodney, Matt Cain
What you'll notice above is a collection of players who have exceeded their expectations and/or draft positions. In addition to not whiffing on your first three or four picks, this is the key to a successful fantasy season. Each team also has a couple of players that were lights out for a couple weeks or a month. The roster flexibility in this league has allowed these owners to continue to roster these players but not have their regression count against their overall numbers. If Nick Swisher, Luke Scott, or Colby Rasmus heat back up again, they can slide back into the starting lineup.
Looking back at the draft board gives me enough perspective to call out the best and worst picks of the year so far:
Best Draft Pick: The Nick Adenharts for Kendry Morales (Round 26, Pick 11). He has been a great value this year and has vaulted himself into the top half of AL first baseman with his year: .292, 20 HR, 58 RBI.
Honorable Mention: B Town Hoodlums for selecting Michael Bourn (Round 24, Pick 9). One of the most valuable fantasy players this year near the very end of the draft. Fantasy gold.
Worst Draft Pick: (Tie) Beer Me for Brandon Webb (Round 4, Pick 6) and Francsico Liriano (Round 6, Pick 6). When you draft pitching in the first 10 rounds, you'd better strike oil. Both of these picks in tandem are an epic fail.
Honorable Mention goes to Bob's own Bits O' Hurl squad for selecting Chris Davis (Round 5, Pick 3). Considering the very next pick was Victor Martinez, this one hurt quite a bit. I think Bob's got a flaming paper bag filled with dog poop to leave on Bill James' doorstep.
Worst Roster Move: My team, Marmol Initiative, for the brilliant move of selecting Huston Street (Round 21, Pick 10) and subsequently dropping him on April 20th. Damn you to hell, Clint Hurdler and Manny Corpas!!!
So there you go, one man's opinion so far of a very fun and competitive league. I am sitting in fourth place trying to take that next step onto the top shelf. With the talent playing as hard as it is in this league, I would feel pretty good about finishing in the top 5, and surprised/ecstatic about cracking the top three.
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