Fantasy Baseball Bust

My fantasy baseball season has passed the point of knowing who will contend for the coveted Iowa Farm League first-place trophy, and who will wait until next year to pursue glory.

I fall squarely in the latter category. My team of promise has turned to putricity (I had to make up a new word just to describe my team).

Back in April we held our player auction (we bid against other teams for the right to own a player and accumulate his major league statistics). As an owner, you make certain assumptions when determining which players to buy:

• What can you expect in terms of performance? (although the same is true for baseball players as for investments -- "Past performance is no guarantee of future results")
• Does the player play for a quality major league team, or an also-ran? Also-ran teams tend to pile up fewer positive stats.
• Does the player have an unusual track record of injuries that hinder performance and playing time?
• Can the player be purchased at a value price, or will he break the bank? During the draft we have to meet certain payroll requirements.

I *thought* I had a good team. Four quality starting pitchers; the best closer in the National League; some legs to steal bases; some bats to power runs. My strategy was to dominate three categories -- holds (a statistic for middle relievers that I thought would be undervalued), WHIP (a pitching ratio that rewards quality) and on base percentage (the frequency with which a batter makes it to first base). I figured to finish middle of the pack or better in the other offensive categories (runs, stolen bases, home runs, and RBI), and middle of the pack in the pitching categories of saves, wins, and strikeouts.

Here's what's really happened:

Runs: last of 12
Home runs: 10th
RBI: 7th
Stolen bases: 10th
On base percentage: 2nd
Wins: last
Saves: 7th
Strikeouts: last
Holds: 2nd
WHIP: first!!!!

My prediction about OBP, holds and whip were good. The rest is a mess. Injuries took their toll on my entire starting pitching staff, then on several of my best bats. To add insult to injury, last week my two best players were traded from National League teams to American League teams. In the transaction, they became irreplaceable. My run at an upper division finish is now a race to stay out of the cellar.

It's been 4 years since I finished in first place ....

... make that 5.