Hey there,

I tried to do you all a favor this year and at the same time hopefully save you some time and money.  As you fantasiers know, this is mass-spam time for fantasy baseball preview magazines.  Which one(s) do you need and which of the them is the best bang for the buck?  Well, I have investigated a large portion of them, the ones I saw at my local book stores, Target and Wal-mart and I am proud to announce that Sporting News Fantasy Baseball 2010 is the winner!  Congrats!

Now, I want this to be a positive post so I am not going to mention the other magazines I examined.  Most of them weren't bad, though one in particular had a lot of silly articles -- like how to improve your draft by drafting naked.  I like humor as much as the next guy, probably even more, but when chunk down close to $10 bucks for a magazine you want content that will help you prepare for the upcoming baseball season.

I didn't include any online previews because I am not a huge fan of them, to be honest.  I like being able to take my fantasy research materials with me where ever I go, including the special study room that us men like to use for quiet time. ;)

Anyway, back to the winner and what I liked about it.  For one, the pages are all magazine pages, not cheap recycled paper.  Better quality pages lead to a magazine that will hold up all year.  Since this will be a main tool for me this year, I'll use it often.

Covers aren't that big of a deal to me, but this one does a decent job of highlighting the content inside.  By the way, Albert Pujols is this year's cover boy extraordinaire -- he's on just about every mag' out there which can actually make all the publications blend together.  The SN added pictures of Tim Lincecum, Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer to make them less AP overkilled.

A removable cheat sheet is a nice little extra and again it's fairly sturdy (many times "pull outs" are unpulloutable without mass ripage  - I call the rights to "unpulloutable", you heard it hear first!).

They break down each position, as well as 3-year averages which is handy and then towards the back they have easy-to-read projected lineups for each team.  I really like that because in a draft sometimes you want a quick glimpse at a MLB team's line up to find some over-looked potential sleeper.

The only down side is that since this was also one of the first publications to hit the shelves, they don't have most of the big off-season roster moves (Cliff Lee still listed as a Phillie and Roy Halladay as a Blue Jay etc...).  That has to be one of the toughest decisions to make as a publisher of this type of reference magazine -- go to print too early and you miss player movement, too late and you miss a huge chunk of your targeted audiance.

So, there you have it,  Sporting News Fantasy Baseball 2010 is my officially endorsed fantasy magazine for the 2010 baseball season.  Congrats to Bill Bender, Matt Lutovsky, Brad Pinkerton and George Winkler for their great work on the content and to publisher, Mike Kallay, as well as everyone else involved with bringing the excellent magazine to market.

Go buy it, and may the fantasy gods smile upon you this season!  I am not affliated with the Sporting News in any way, this is just my opinion.

-Johnny Archive 

Hey there!

If you think you are a seasoned fantasy owner and would like a challenge, this might be your lucky day.  We have 1 opening in the Johnny Archive Invitational League (J.A.I.L.) for the upcoming 2010 baseball season.

Now, this not some free ESPN league that you can casually play and expect to have success.  Not hardly.  This is a 14-team daily-transaction mixed AL/NL 5X5 league with some of the most talented fantasy owners on the planet.  There is a $100 entry fee (BAIL, as we call it), but all the money is paid back in prize money.  It is a very aggressive league that has only 3 bench spots so you have to be active and not be afraid to make tough decisions.

To be honest, most rookies are overwhelmed and can't handle it.  So, if you inquire about the spot make sure you have the "stones" to be able to hang with the big boys for the entire baseball season...because the other 13 owners will and they'll gladly chew up another wanna-be J.A.I.L. member.  Matter of fact, I doubt any rookie is capable of winning the J.A.I.L. in their first year, that if one does, I'll pay them an extra $500 on top of the normal league prizes!

Again, there is only 1 spot open and I doubt it will be open long.  It looks like we'll be drafting Sunday March 14, but it's not 100% confirmed yet.

If you're interested, contact me here or email me johnnyarchive@johnnyarchive.com.

-JA

2010 Baseball State of the Union

by Johnny Archive

1) Intentional Walks will now be instant, just like College and High School. Watching a major league pitcher go through the motions of throwing 4 wide-ones is a complete waste of time.

2) All new stadiums must have a roof, at least a retractable roof. Rain-outs are so 20th century. Yes, I'll miss doubleheaders, but I won't miss sitting at a ballpark for 4 hours only to have the game called.

3) We need to bring back well-endowed women (Morgana anyone?) randomly running onto the field to kiss ballplayers. I know I just lost the lady readers (wait ladies, it gets better for you later, I promise!) with this one, but I just got the guys attention!

4) Molina rule: We must have at least one group, of at least 3 family members, playing in the big-leagues at all times. You just don't see that in other sports.

5) Fantasy writers (FSWA members only) need to have a vote for the Hall of Fame. Well, at least one...okay, me!

6) All players must be made available to the draft before they can sign with a MLB team. No more big payroll teams buying international talent.

7) Spring Training needs to be shortened by 1-2 weeks. This will allow the season to start sooner and avoid those lame final games of spring training that are yawn-fests.

8) Phones in clubhouses need to be made cordless so the manager can talk to the bullpen on the way to and from the mound. Heck, the manager can even talk to the bullpen while he's at the mound!

9) Hire/promote more female umpires! I bet even Earl Weaver would treat Ump's better, well maybe not.

10) Allow Saves to be awarded to a pitcher who pitches in the 8th inning. Many times a game is "saved" before the 9th inning.

There you go, my suggestions to make our beloved game even better. Agree or disagree, you have to admit most of these make sense.

Anyway, feel free to comment on or add to this list!

1/28/10

Hey there!

Guess who is getting ready to rock n' roll for the upcoming 2010 baseball season?!  Yeppers, I am feeling that rumbly in my tumbly and that can only mean one thing (I watched too much Winnie-the-pooh as a child?)!  It's almost BASEBALL TIME!  Wootage, baby!

Okay, so what does Johnny Archive have planned for '10?  Well, the podcast is definitely coming back -- stay tuned for an official season premier date and time.  Can you believe it, this will be year 3 and we're getting better each and every year.  The Fantasy Sports Channel Hosts, of which I am a member, just took down a nice award at the FSTA Awards as best podcast.  Sweet, aye?!  I'll be focusing on a little different focus this, a smidge less extra stuff and a ton of more specific fantasy baseball content.  To that, the podcast will be 1 hour long, still Sunday Evening (not 100% set in stone at this time) and there will be a few special episodes splashed in through the season.

Speaking of longevity, can you believe this little ol' blog has been going strong for 5 years now?! WoW!  I know I ran out of gas a little at the end of last year, and thank goodness Hack helped, but I will try and be more consistent all year in 2010.

What about the J.A.I.L. league, JA?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  It's is back for it's 4th season and we still have that strong core of players that got it going in the beginning.  We'll have a couple of new faces this year as we all go after Bill Brickley and his 2009 title.  But this league has amazing staying power and I would argue some of the absolute best fantasiers in the game today.  Looks like we'll be doing our draft Saturday March 6 at 3PM ET, but I'll confirm that as soon as I know for sure.  And yes, I'll be covering the draft live at BlogTalkRadio.com.

Today's post is the first of many this year and I will again be doing what I can to help you get that inside edge in your fantasy baseball league.  As regular readers know, I enjoy looking outside the other so-called experts realm of thinking to give a different perspective on players and their values.  For example, I was high on Joe Mauer last year because his value and upside compared to where you would be drafting him (rounds 7-12) was very good, this year I am staying clear of Mauer.  Why?  Because he will be a 1st or high 2nd rounder this year and there's too many red flags (position, health, new ballpark etc...).

I'll have much, much more on Mauer and the other players I am concerned with as well as players I think will be bargains on draft day.  Once again, my list of MIPs will be filled with surprises.  Ummm, I forgot, what's a "MIP"?  MIP = Most Intriguing Player

So, I hope you had a nice quiet, safe and restful winter, but it's time to get busy.  We've got work to do.  Those Yoohoo Showers don't grow on trees, ya know.  I know, that doesn't really make sense, but you know what I mean.

I'm back, baby!  Let's get this party started!

-JA

It was an absolutely thrilling championship in the 2009 JAILBowl as the Drop Kick Fluties barely defeated CDN Raider 4 Life, 110-107, and completed their PERFECT SEASON! Entering Monday night, the 'Fluties had what seemed like a comfortable double-digit lead, 100-83, with the Vikes' Kicker and Defense yet to play. CDN only had one player left, but it was perhaps the best fantasy player and #1 overall pick, Adrian Peterson. The 17-point cushion slowly eroded until it was down to a mere 3 points, thanks to the 2 TD game by A.P. But the realgame was running out of time and the Bears were lining up for the game-winning field goal. Once again, AJ's team had life as the kick was no good -- meaning overtime and an opportunity for Peterson to score more points. With the ball for the first time in OT, Peterson caught a swing pass and rumbled for 10 yards which would have closed the gap even more, but he fumbled which negated the point gain. To make matters worse, the fumble was recovered by the Bears who then scored the game-winning touchdown which ended the game, the championship and the season. Both Carlton and AJ deserve big props for managing their teams and making this one of the most intriguing fantasy seasons ever. Here is the path the 'Fluties took to accomplish their amazing feat of perfection: Week Opponent Result 1 @Team Robert Won 98 - 88 2 @Don't Tread On Me Won 121 - 101 3 (Pro Fantasy Games) Won 131 - 110 4 @The True Guru Won 113 - 90 5 CDN Raider 4 Life Won 127 - 93 6 Oracles of Omaha Won 147 - 75 7 @The Fantasy Sports Forum Won 117 - 99 8 Felon's M*A*S*H* Unit Won 115 - 98 9 Death Row Doggies Won 97 - 90 10 Swiss Cheeseheads Won 99 - 97 11 Archive Army Won 115 - 88 12 @JunkyardJake Won 130 - 120 13 @JERSEY HITMEN Won 122 - 118 14 The True Guru Won 147 - 127 15 Team Robert Won 112 - 69 16 Cdn Raider 4 Life Won 110 - 107 (JAILBOWL 2009) The Drop Kicks' had the 8th overall pick in the draft and ifyou look at their picks, they went against the grain choosing names that many fantasiers were leery of on draft day. Just look at their top 5 picks; (1st)Andre Johnson, (2nd)Aaron Rodgers, (3rd)Chad Ochocinco, (4th)Thomas Jones, (5th)Ray Rice. All solid players, but the making of a "perfect team"? And it's not like they made a monster trade (no trades all year)or snagged the biggest free agents (most players that were added were later dropped) that turned their season around. No, this was simply the case of a terrific fantasy owner(s) putting together a solid team, not over-managing, and gettinga few breaks over the course of the season. I have stated repeatedly on my podcasts and on my blogs how talented I feel the members of the JAIL leagues are, and I think the 2009 JAIL FB season is a classic example of that. The Browns are good people and great fantasy owners. Enjoy the rewards and the satisfaction the title of CHAMPION brings, as you deserve it! Let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the new decade bring you joy and prosperity! -Johnny Archive

Five Trends From the

2009 Fantasy Baseball Season

by Matt "Hack" Hackenmiller　

1. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. The 2009 season saw many of the stars spend large amounts of time on the disable list. It seemed as if no one was immune. First round players like Jose Reyes and Grady Sizemore as well as three of the top pitchers in baseball (Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy, and Johan Santana) all missed a significant amount of the season. Then if this wasn't bad enough, when the calendar turned to August, just when most fantasy managers are making a run at a title, we saw players like Justin Morneau and Josh Hamilton get shut down for the season. Hopefully, in terms of fantasy baseball, these player's injuries are in the rearview mirror and they are healthy for the 2010 season.

2. The stolen base is cool again. For much of the decade most Major League teams relied on the home run to score runs. This was reflected in fantasy in that it was difficult to find players that would contribute in the stolen base category and those few players that actually did steal bases saw their values inflated. But with Major League baseball implementing more drug testing, home runs are magically down, and teams are searching for ways to manufacture runs. This has lead to more players stealing bases. There are the obvious names like Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, but players like Michael Bourn, Nyjer Morgan and Elvis Andrus have also emerged. Even the once driven Moneyball Oakland A's have Rajai Davis stealing over forty bags this season. As if I had to prove my point any further, even lumbering Ryan Howard has a ******** eight stolen bases.

3. The Rockies learned how to pitch. Prior to the 2009 season, most Rockies pitchers were thought as very unreliable when it comes to fantasy baseball. But this season, the Colorado staff has turned into one of the best in the National League. The quintet of Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel, Jason Marquis, and Aaron Cook has all provided an excellent source of wins and strikeouts for fantasy managers. It will be interesting to see if this trend can continue into the 2010 season.

4. That Albert Pujols guy is pretty good. Coming into the season, there was some injury concern about Phat Albert. But he quickly put those concerns to rest early as he went on a first half tear with an OPS of 1.179. It is pretty clear that we are witnessing one of the great players not of just our generation, but of all time. Also, even when most people thought that Pujols couldn't get any better, he went out and stole sixteen bases this season. Those unexpected stolen bases are gold for fantasy owners.

5. The monster that is Citi Field. It is always difficult to predict how a new stadium will affect will play. This was never more true than with the two new stadiums in New York this season. The new Yankee Stadium played like a bandbox while the Mets' Citi Field played like the Grand Canyon. Even when the Mets' offense was healthy, they struggled mightily to score runs on a consistent basis. Third baseman David Wright had a strong batting average, but his power numbers plummeted. This translated into the Mets having one their worst seasons of the decade. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how the Mets rebuild their line up and if they are able to attract premium free agents to play in their offensive oppressive stadium.

Final Words. As another fantasy baseball season comes to an end, I can't help but think about how far this game has come. Whether it is Roto style or Head to Head, more people continue to find the joy of the game each year. Web sites like Blogtalk Radio and Fangraph.com not only supplement the other mainstream sites, but offer valuable information that extends the public's knowledge of the game. Fantasy football might still be king in terms of the number of players, but fantasy baseball continues to close the gap and brings in newcomers every year. I am looking forward to a bigger and better 2010 baseball season.

Hey everyone,

 

We have 1 spot left for our 12-team JAIL Fantasy Football League!  If you think you can handle tough competition then why don't you take this opportunity to prove your skills?  The draft is tomorrow Saturday (8/29) at 7pm ET.  We'll be releasing the draft order as soon as we fill this final spot.  It's a $50 entry fee (BAIL) with all the money returned in prize money.

Let me know if you are interested by emailing me at johnnyarchive@johnnyarchive.com.  I'll be broadcasting the draft live on BlogTalkradio.com starting at 6:30pm ET.

-Johnny Archive
JAIL Commish

The battles continues...

I am out of the hospital after another bout with an infection that caused all kinds of havoc with my bodies ability to regulate the appropriate temperature.  I can't tell you how uncomfortable it is to be sick and have a fever with 104+ degree Texas heat outside.

My partner, Matt "Hack" Hackenmiller, has also been under the weather so content for the ol' blog has been a bit scarce.  But it's Friday and I'm finally able to sit at my desk long enough to put together a post.

There is some good news in the fantasy baseball world for me personally.  As most of you know, for much of the 2009 baseball season my fantasy teams have been near, or at, the bottom of the standings.

Some of my teams have made steady improvement, though my run as J.A.I.L. Champion will be coming an end after 1 year since I'm like 70+ points out at this point and battling to finish out of last place.  I have to give props to the Brickley's and the Monster Mash team which has been in first place for most of the season and is primed to take the '09 crown.  Of course, Joe Lano and his Jersey Hitmen will have a thing or two to say about that, as will Hal Groves and the two rookie owners Bryan Clarke and Brent Voorhees.

All is not lost for your bud, Johnny Archive, though.  You see, as of today I am now officially in 1st place in my NFBC Online league!  After a long and steady run I have made up a tremendous amount of ground.  This is a very active and competitive league and being in front on August 14th in no way means I am going to end up there on October 1st.  I can say with a fair amount of confidence, that I like my chances of staying in the thick of things for the final few weeks.

Here's a peek at the overall standings.

NFBC ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIP, APRIL 4TH, 4 PM LEAGUE 3 STANDINGS    (Last Update - AUG 14, 12:37 A.M. E.T.)
Rank	Team	Batting Pts	Pitching Pts	Overall Pts	Change
1	Johnny Archive Snips	48.0	36.5	84.5	+3.5
2	No Soup For You	35.0	45.5	80.5	-1.0
3	Eddie's Kingdom Killebrew	49.5	30.5	80.0	+1.0
4	pluto_12's	40.5	32.0	72.5	-1.5
5	House of Pain	39.5	32.0	71.5	-1.5
6	Hackensack Bulls-3	20.0	48.0	68.0	0.0
7	Jack&Kami	43.5	24.0	67.5	0.0
8	The End Game	38.5	25.5	64.0	-2.0
9	4-8-15-16-23-42	25.5	37.0	62.5	-1.0
10	HMS Dauntless	18.5	35.0	53.5	-0.5
11	PAGDO and PINNY	17.0	25.0	42.0	+3.0
12	Phillies 2	14.5	19.0	33.5	0.0

 As you can see, this is a league where even at this point in the season there are several teams who are seriously in contention.  It is not a coincidence that my fantasy team has made a significant move during the recent hot streak by the New York Yankees -- remember I drafted all 3 of the Yanks' big ticket free agent signings Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia.

The other key move was barely winning the Tommy Hanson FAAB bidding war.  He has been a huge addition to my pitching staff that had really killed me early in the season.

Another good sign is that even with my latest run and gain in points, there are at least 10 more points I can pick up if my team can remain anywhere near the recent production.  On top of that, there are a few categories where I have almost locked myself into finishing 1st or 2nd.  Here's a look at a few of these individual categories.

Team	SV	Pts	Chg
Johnny Archive Snips	93	12	0.0
pluto_12's	84	11	0.0
Jack&Kami	65	10	0.0
House of Pain	63	9	0.0

 

I have actually benched at least 1 Closer, I have 4 solid ones, for the past few weeks as I've tried to pick up a few more Ks/Wins.  At this point, I could release all my Closers and still finish no lower then 2nd place.

Team	HR	Pts	Chg
Jack&Kami	226	12	0.0
Johnny Archive Snips	225	11	0.0
The End Game	207	10	0.0
Eddie's Kingdom Killebrew	202	8.5	+0.5
Phillies 2	202	8.5	-0.5
House of Pain	196	7	0.0

 

As you can see, I'm in a tight race for the top spot in HRs.  My team is led by Teixeira, Adam Dunn, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Holliday and top Catchers Joe Mauer and Brandon Inge.  One guy that should be helping but isn't is David Ortiz, but maybe he has a little "juice" left in him?  No matter, finishing at least 2nd in this category looks likely.

With no disrespect to any of my other leagues, this league is probably my most important league this year.  After all, in case you don't know or forgot, I pledged to undergo a vasectomy if I did NOT win this league.  Thus the name, the Johnny Archive Snips.

By the way, several other J.A.I.L. owners are fairing extremely well in the NFBC this year.  Congrats to Carl Brown and Brennan Brown who are not only winning their league, but are climbing up the ladder, 51st last time I checked, as one of the best teams in the entire 600 team rankings.  The Snips are 71st overall -- not bad considering the huge field.

Just for fun, I'll post my roster for you all to take a look at judge.  Be nice!

SET LINEUP (8/14 to 8/16)
NAME	8/14	8/15	8/16	8/17	8/18	8/19	8/20	POS	% OWN	% START
Inge, Brandon C,3B DET	KC	KC	KC	-	Sea	Sea	Sea	3BCCIUTLBench	100.0%	93.9%
Mauer, Joe C MIN	Cle	Cle	Cle	@Tex	@Tex	@Tex	@Tex	CUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Teixeira, Mark 1B NYY	@Sea	@Sea	@Sea	@Oak	@Oak	@Oak	-	1BCIUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Barmes, Clint 2B,SS COL	@Fla	@Fla	@Fla	-	@Was	@Was	@Was	2BMISSUTLBench	89.8%	69.4%
Fox, Jake 1B,3B,OF CHC	Pit	Pit	Pit	@SD	@SD	@SD	@LAD	1B3BCIOFUTLBench	44.9%	30.6%
Tulowitzki, Troy SS COL	@Fla	@Fla	@Fla	-	@Was	@Was	@Was	MISSUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Bourn, Michael OF HOU	@Mil	@Mil	@Mil	-	Fla	Fla	Fla	OFUTLBench	100.0%	77.6%
Coghlan, Chris 2B,OF FLA	Col	Col	Col	-	@Hou	@Hou	@Hou	2BMIOFUTLBench	81.6%	81.6%
Dunn, Adam 1B,OF WAS	@Cin	@Cin	@Cin	-	Col	Col	Col	1BCIOFUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Holliday, Matt OF STL	SD	SD	SD	@LAD	@LAD	@LAD	@SD	OFUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Taveras, Willy OF CIN	Was	Was	Was	-	SF	SF	SF	OFUTLBench	93.9%	61.2%
Matsui, Kazuo 2B HOU	@Mil	@Mil	@Mil	-	Fla	Fla	Fla	2BMIUTLBench	71.4%	40.8%
Gonzalez, Adrian 1B SD	@StL	@StL	@StL	ChC	ChC	ChC	StL	1BCIUTLBench	100.0%	100.0%
Ortiz, David UTL BOS	@Tex	@Tex	@Tex	-	@Tor	@Tor	@Tor	UTLBench	100.0%	79.6%
Burnett, A.J. P NYY	@Sea	@Sea	@Sea	@Oak	@Oak	@Oak	-	PBench	100.0%	95.9%
Floyd, Gavin P CHW	@Oak	@Oak	@Oak	KC	KC	KC	-	PBench	100.0%	98.0%
Gonzalez, Gio P OAK	ChW	ChW	ChW	NYY	NYY	NYY	-	PBench	69.4%	61.2%
Guthrie, Jeremy P BAL	LAA	LAA	LAA	LAA	@TB	@TB	@TB	PBench	53.1%	49.0%
Hanson, Tommy P ATL	Phi	Phi	Phi	Ari	@NYM	@NYM	@NYM	PBench	100.0%	95.9%
Jimenez, Ubaldo P COL	@Fla	@Fla	@Fla	-	@Was	@Was	@Was	PBench	100.0%	100.0%
Lidge, Brad P PHI	@Atl	@Atl	@Atl	-	Ari	Ari	Ari	PBench	100.0%	85.7%
Rodney, Fernando P DET	KC	KC	KC	-	Sea	Sea	Sea	PBench	100.0%	91.8%
Sabathia, CC P NYY	@Sea	@Sea	@Sea	@Oak	@Oak	@Oak	-	PBench	100.0%	100.0%
Aardsma, David P SEA	NYY	NYY	NYY	-	@Det	@Det	@Det	PBench	100.0%	81.6%
Anderson, Brett P OAK	ChW	ChW	ChW	NYY	NYY	NYY	-	PBench	100.0%	75.5%
Anderson, Garret OF ATL	Phi	Phi	Phi	Ari	@NYM	@NYM	@NYM	OFUTLBench	55.1%	38.8%
Callaspo, Alberto 2B KC	@Det	@Det	@Det	@ChW	@ChW	@ChW	-	2BMIUTLBench	63.3%	40.8%
Gordon, Alex 3B KC	@Det	@Det	@Det	@ChW	@ChW	@ChW	-	3BCIUTLBench	75.5%	40.8%
Holland, Derek P TEX	Bos	Bos	Bos	Min	Min	Min	Min	PBench	67.3%	28.6%
Wilson, Brian P SF	@NYM	@NYM	@NYM	@NYM	@Cin	@Cin	@Cin	PBench	100.0%	85.7%

 

Okay, that's about it for now.  Thanks for understanding meal frantic real life intruding upon my fantasy activities.  I'll be live this Sunday at 6pm ET at BlogTalkRadio as part of the Fantasy Sports Channel.

-Johnny Archive

I just got back from "Big D" and the entire Archive Clan had a great time.  We took in a Rangers game, hit Six Flags and shopped the new Lego Store.  Good solid fun...and after all the "issues" lately, definitely earned.  The Ball Park in Arglington is an absolutely beautiful place to watch a ballgame.  Yeah, I've been there before, but it strikes me everytime I go just how nice a stadium it is.

Okay, once again Hack has been cranking out some great baseball stuff.  Here's his latest article about the Bucs.

 

The Pirates' Bounty

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a flurry of moves at the 2009 trade deadline. They ended up trading away many veterans that left the fans and critics to question the sanity of the Pirates' front office. What really angered the detractors is that these moves were made amidst the Pirates' fifteenth consecutive losing season, almost assuring a sixteenth losing campaign. Despite all of the acrimony in the Pittsburgh area, the question remains, were these trades really that bad for the organization?

In various trades over the last month and a half, the Pirates have traded away Nate McLouth, Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson and Nyjer Morgan. All of these players were nice veteran hitters, but none of the all that special. None of them were

Chart I.	OPS	Rank by Position
Adam LaRoche	0.770	10
Freddy Sanchez	0.776	6
Jack Wilson	0.691	10
Nyjer Morgan	0.707	19
Nate McLouth	0.819	7

considered to be a player the franchise could be built around. In fact, as Chart I. shows, only two of them ranked in the top ten in OPS at their position. Wouldn't it make sense, then, for the Pirates to try and trade some of these subpar players for some younger talent? What is the problem in that?

One trade that I found particularly intelligent was that trade of Morgan, a career minor leaguer, for Lastings Milledge, a talented, but often troubled outfielder. At the time of the trade, Morgan was enjoying his best stretch as a major league player. In returned, the Pirates received a player with much more upside. This type of move has much more logic in it than trying to sign a fringe player like Morgan to a long-term deal after one successful season. That would be a Gary Mathews, Jr.-like signing.

It is also important to remember that when General Manager Neal Huntington inherited this club in 2007, this core of players was already in tact. The minor league system was bare after the previous regime had botched high draft pick after high draft pick. So Huntington was in a position of having an unspectacular group of veterans at the major league level and no prospects in the minor leagues to improve the club. With that said, the organization felt that none of these veterans were worth the money, and rightfully so, to sign to long-term deals. So he made trades to try and improve the farm system and hopefully build talent for the future.

Like most businesses in America, the economy has had an affect on baseball as well. The steel industry in Pittsburgh has been hard hit, which has obviously had an impact on the city. The Pirates' attendance was down this season even with those veteran players, so bringing in those younger players shouldn't be that much of a detriment in that area. But if the salaries those players trades away are examined more carefully, we would see how money matters even more. Jack Wilson, he of the .691 OPS, makes 7.25 million in 2009 and has a club option of 8.4 million in 2010. Again, doesn't it make sense for a franchise to try and trade away an over paid, unproductive player to save money in these uncertain economic times?

It is still up for debate how much talent the Pirates received in these trades. Outfielder Lastings Milledge, catcher Jeff Clement, and pitcher Tim Alderson have all been considered top prospects at one time or another. A lot can happen between now and when some of these players come up in two years. However, it is a time in baseball when many organizations are following the model set up by teams like the Tampa Rays and Minnesota Twins, which were built around young prospects. So, now more that ever, major league teams are very reluctant to trade away young talent. Consider the Cliff Lee trade. The Philadelphia Phillies did not have to give up any of their top echelon of minor league talent to get the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.

As fans, we want to see that our teams have a plan of how the organization is going to be built. Huntington faces a tough proposition of trying to turn around a continual losing franchise. The plan that was in place prior to 2007, obviously was not working, so a change was in order. Here's hoping, for the Pirates' fans sake, that this plan has a positive ending.

It's been a little crazy in the real life of Johnny Archive, so I haven't been able to spend as much time in fantasy land.  Here's an article Hack put together about the Rockies.  Make sure you catch us at our new time for the podcast, every Sunday 6-7pm ET.

I'm making a road trip to check out the Mariners as they take on the Rangers this weekend.  Scheduled to pitch for Seattle is King Felix, so it should be a good game.

 

Reconstructing the Rockies' Pitching Staff

　

Since their inception in 1993, the Colorado Rockies have had a difficult time finding pitchers that can consistently get outs. This has been a particular problem because of the conditions of playing in the rarified air of Denver, Colorado. The ball carries farther and this has lead to the Rockies continually having the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Also, the thinner air depresses the break in a curveball and slider. Well, obviously, if there isn't a break in a breaking ball, it is going to be hit very hard. But in 2009, the Rockies made an effort to find pitchers that had the ability to succeed in Coors Field.

In the past to solve this problem, the Rockies went after and signed high profiled free agent pitchers. They signed Darryl Kile in 1998. Then in 2001, the Rockies agreed to pay Mike Hampton 10.5 million dollars a year and Denny Neagle 7.2 million a year. With those two signings, the Rockies' front office thought they had solved the curse of the Mile High air. Despite spending all that money, the Rockies' staff struggled. Hampton and Neagle had reoccurring injuries and even when they were healthy, they didn't justify their contracts. The struggles of Kile, Hampton, and Neagle scared off other starting pitchers from signing with Colorado because all three of them had been effective pitchers prior to coming over to the Rockies.

If the Rockies couldn't attract starting pitchers to Colorado, they decided to try something else. At the beginning of the 2002 season, Rockies began storing game balls in an atmosphere-controlled climate, known as "the humidor," to keep them from shrinking, hardening and losing friction in Colorado's unique environment. This would, in theory, make the ball react the same in the Coors Field air as it does at sea level stadiums. From the 1995 to 2001 seasons, National League pitchers at Coors Field had an ERA of 6.50, more than two runs above the league average. Since installing "the humidor," National League pitchers lowered that ERA to 5.44 at Coors. The Rockies' front office thought that this was the answer to their pitching problems, but many Rockies pitchers complained that these new "humidor baseballs" were slippery and hard to grip, still making breaking balls difficult to throw. Even though the organization was heading in the right direction, most of their pitchers were unable to use all of their pitches successfully.

Chart I. Pitch Type
	Fastball %	Two Seam %
Jason Marquis	64.6	13.3
Aaron Cook	85.2	9.5
Ubaldo Jimenez	66.1	1.2
Jason Hammel	62.3	0.6
Jorge de la Rosa	58.7	2.0
Chart II. Rockies' Pitching Staff
	GB%	FB%	K/9	HR/9
Jason Marquis	58.3	26.7	4.18	0.62
Aaron Cook	54.7	25.1	4.98	0.97
Ubaldo Jimenez	53.0	27.1	8.11	0.42
Jason Hammel	46.6	30.9	6.20	0.86
Jorge de la Rosa	47.0	33.7	9.12	0.88

Starting the 2009 season, the Colorado front office made bold moves in the construction of there pitching staff. The Rockies top five starters-Jason Marquis, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Hammel, and Jorge de la Rosa-all feature sinking fastball as the main part of their repertoire. Using the pitch type statistics from Baseball Info Solution, we can see in Chart I. what percentage the Rockies starters throw their fastball and more importantly, how often they throw the two-seam fastball. The pitch type statistics does not differentiate between a fastball and a sinker, but the more fastballs a pitcher throws, the more likely they are actually throwing a sinker. By doing this, they are inducing more groundballs and giving up fewer home runs. It is a staff that does not concentrate on racking up strike outs, but rather getting quick outs and letting the defense make plays behind them. As an entire staff, the Rockies throw a fastball 65.2% of the time. Compare that to one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, the Boston Red Sox, only throw their fastball 57% of the time.

Chart III. Home/Road Splits
	Home ERA	Road ERA
Jason Marquis	3.79	3.23
Aaron Cook	4.58	3.41
Ubaldo Jimenez	3.99	3.73
Jason Hammel	7.20	1.93
Jorge de la Rosa	5.81	3.88

The new emphasis on ground balls is evident in many areas of the staff. This philosophy has allowed the Rockies to not only pitch well at home, but on the road as well. In the past, they would have had a significant home/road split for there staff. So far in the 2009 season, however, other than Hammel none of the Rockies pitchers have that extreme home/road split. The Rockies' staff as a whole is one of the better ones in the National League. They do two important things that are a key components for a team to win games: not walking batters and not allowing home runs.

The 2009 Colorado Rockies are a far cry from the slugging Rockies teams of the mid-90s. The front office should be commended for knowing the ballpark in which they play and building a pitching staff that can succeed in that environment. Not only have the Rockies have supported their pitchers by fielding an excellent defense behind them, especially up the middle. Catcher Chris Iannetta, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, second baseman Clint Barmes, and centerfielder Dexter Fowler are all above average defenders that can cover a lot of ground. Many organizations struggle with this concept and they can't find the right combination to field a winning team. Credit the Rockies for learning from their past mistakes and build a pitching staff that gives the team a good chance of winning ball games.