X + 2018 = Championship for Werner

The X-Factors and owner Joe Werner have won their first PicketLine championship after nine seasons out of the money. Joe's previous years were mostly spent in the basement, with a two year hiatus, until he finally broke out a little with a 7th place finish last year.

The noted prospect expert used a very fluid lineup all year, as the underrated Mallex Smith led his team in ABs with 353. Smith had 30 SB and a .373 OB% for the club. Joe made two blockbuster trades that included JD Martinez, Blake Snell, Kris Bryant, Aaron Judge, Matt Carpenter, and Joey Votto, among others.  Needless to say, his offense was loaded and he wasn't afraid to trade stars.

The X-Factors' pitching staff was a bit more stable however, relying on studs like Edwin Diaz (57 Sv, 124 K, 0.79 WHIP), Joe Jimenez (23 Hld), and Trevor Bauer (20 QS, 221 K, 2.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP).

Congratulations to Joe!

2nd: Designated Shitters ($500) Nick Laguardia
3rd: Bohemian Lifestyles ($300) Josh Robbins
4th: Jerkin my Kurkjian ($200) Joe Moore

Owner Roster 2018: Know Your Enemies!

69witSuzynWaldman - John Treadwell - Stafford, VA
AllFlashNoCash - Dave Prince - Hopewell Junction, NY
Biff's Bombers - John Bifolco - Vineyard Haven, MA
Bohemian Lifestyles - Josh Robbins - Gilbert, AZ
Brewmasters - Chris Jenkins - Poughkeepsie, NY
Character Issues - Don Bernovich - Longmont, CO
Designated Shitters - Nick Laguardia - Poughkeepsie, NY
Jerkin my Kurkjian - Joe Moore - Limerick, PA
JF's Adrenalin Pills - Bret Jenkins - Garrison, NY
Los Barbudos - Sven Jenkins - Ulster Park, NY
NY Metroponzians - Sean Comerford - Burlington, CT
PeeDrinkingCrapFace - Dan Slate - Poughkeepsie, NY
Rivercity Catfish - Bruce Heard - Fair Oaks, CA
Slump Buster - Alan Sarpy - Santa Rosa, CA
SONS OF PITCHES - Eric Rosin - Westbury, NY
Sux2BeMetsFan - Shane Lutz - Poughkeepsie, NY
Tallywhacker Jackers - Luke Zukowski - Poughkeepsie, NY
The Good Wood - Mike D'Auria - Brooklyn, NY
Very Small Rocks! - Winston Guest - San Diego, CA
X-Factors - Joe Werner - Lakewood, OH

FINALLY!  After 13 seasons of suffering through brutal summers and a heartbreaking 2nd place, Sven Jenkins (Los Barbudos) finally won his own league.  He used a team with very few stars but very few holes.  Yuli Gurriel (249 TB, 60 K), and Josh Bell (246 TB, 86 RBI) were there all year long, while Carlos Correa (232 TB, .391 OB%) supplied the star power when he wasn't missing time injured.  David Peralta (74 R, 202 TB) and Nomar Mazara (84 RBI) were the unsung heroes in the corner outfield, while Billy Hamilton racked up the SBs.  A couple of transactions were also key to his success.  Jenkins dealt A.J. Pollock for Trea Turner (43 SB, 178 TB) and claimed a then-struggling Alex Bregman (135 TB, .367 OB%) off waivers.

Luis Severino was the clear ace of this pitching staff, throwing 21 QS with 230 Ks.  The rest of the starters included sleeper rookies like Jake Faria (9 QS) and Dinelson Lamet (7 QS).  Alex Colome (47 Sv) and Felipe Rivero (21 Sv, 14 Holds) anchored the bullpen.

Shane Lutz (Gr82BeMetsFan) was neck and neck with Los Barbudos for much of the second half.  The two teams went back and forth multiple times before The Bearded Ones pulled away in the last week.

Lutz' team had the incredible power duo of rookie Aaron Judge (320 TB, .424 OB%) and Bryce Harper (243 TB, .409 OB%).  Eric Hosmer (286 TB, .382 OB%) had a superstar season and Ender Inciarte (20 SB, 242 TB) put up another great all-around campaign.  J.T. Realmuto (240 TB) held the squad together behind the plate while putting up excellent numbers for a catcher.

Jacob deGrom (21 QS) led the pitching staff, which rode the early season success of Alex Wood and a comeback year from Sonny Gray (16 QS, 1.18 WHIP).  The bullpen was scripted by Archie Bradley (24 Hld) in the eighth and Roberto Osuna (39 Sv) closing.

Dan Slate (BACK AFTAH THIS) takes home 3rd place and the $300 prize this year.  This is Dan's third finish in the money and his highest ever finish.  The avid Francessa listener can thank Jose Altuve (112 R, 32 SB, 323 TB, .412 OB%) and Buster Posey (225 TB, .399 OB%) for his offense's success.  Innings eaters like Masahiro Tanaka (17 QS) and Jason Vargas (12 QS) started, and relief aces Andrew Miller (27 Hld) and Kelvin Herrera (25 Sv) finished games.

4th place goes to Dave Prince (AllFlashNoCash), after a hard fought finish to the season.  Unsung stars Kyle Seager (251 TB), Jay Bruce (278 TB, 97 RBI), and Carlos Santana (90 R, 260 TB) supplied the power, while Eduardo Nunez (23 SB, 211 TB, .344 OB%) filled the rest of the box score.  Max Scherzer (22 QS) and Gio Gonzalez (22 QS) dominated, while Corey "Evil" Knebel (drafted in the last round!) racked up 39 saves.


The Pathetic Quotient, an advanced metric created by the Brewmasters that uses transactions and place in the standings to see who did the most work for the smallest gain, is out again this year.  And of course, it's Josh Robbins (Bohemian Lifestyles) who ranks highest.  He used a whopping 379 moves to finish in 17th place!  Congrats Josh!

Congrats to everyone on a very competitive season!

2016: Icemen Put PicketLine in Deep Freeze

Bret Jenkins (Icemen of the Hudson) finally broke his 1st place curse.  After finishing in a money spot 6 times without taking the ultimate prize, Bret gave us all a dominant performance that never left anything in doubt.

The Icemen led basically wire to wire, with almost nobody close to him in the standings.  Mookie Betts, Joey Votto, D.J. LeMahieu, and Brandon Belt made sure he stayed on top in OB% and TB, while Alex Colome shut the door.

John Treadwell (69witSuzynWaldman) put up a valient effort, slowly creeping up on the Icemen all summer.  In the end, second place will have to do for a team that was 30 points ahead of the 3rd place team.

See you next year!

2015 Wrap-Up: A Season of Comebacks

Congratulations to Eric Kantner (New Market Mallers) and Sven Jenkins (Los Barbudos) on finishing 1st and 2nd!!!  These two teams sat 11th and 12th, respectively, at the all-star break, and went on impressive second half runs that defied the idea that you can be buried for good in a rotisserie league.

This was Kantner's second consecutive first place finish (tied last year).  His Boston trio of David Ortiz, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts led his offense, while Jake Arrieta carried his pitching staff.

Jenkins' squad had the sick bats of Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto, while the pitching staff was anchored by Noah Syndergaard.

Great season everyone!

There Are No Ties in Baseball !!??!! 2014 Wrap-Up

After 162 games of Hits, RBI, SB, K, and Holds, we ended in a frickin’ tie.  And unlike Bud Selig, there is nothing I can do to change it.  The PicketLine league does NOT have a tie-breaker rule, so the teams will simply split the two $$$ prizes.

Well, congratulations to Eric Kantner (New Market Mallers) for finishing in 1^st place with Joe Moore (WTFUTLEY).  This makes back-to-back championships for Moore, who sat atop the standings all by himself in 2013.  Kantner and Moore will get $750 each.

The Mallers lingered near the top of the standings all season, but used a late-season surge to grab the money spot.  David Ortiz(3^rd round), Michael Brantley(11^th), Billy Hamilton(2^nd), Neil Walker(18^th), Devin Mesoraco(19^th), Brock Holt(trade) and Anthony Rendon(10^th) led a balanced offense all summer.  Kantner’s pitching staff included Dodgers lefties, Clayton Kershaw (1^st) and Hyun-Jin Ryu(7^th).  Bartolo Colon(13^th) mixed in 16 QS and Michael Wacha(4^th) dealt in the first half of the season before his injury.  The bullpen was anchored by Huston Street’s(8^th) 41 Saves and a shocking season out of Pat Neshek(free agent).

WTFUTLEY overcame a dismal season from 1^st round pick David Wright thanks to an early June trade with 69witSuzynWaldman, who took a struggling Wright in exchange for Felix Hernandez.  Wow.  Moore’s 2^nd through 6^th round picks didn’t hurt either, as he hit on all of them… Giancarlo Stanton(2^nd), Starling Marte Partay(3^rd), Ian Kinsler(4^th), Jordan Zimmermann(5^th), and Jose Abreu (6^th).  The day before the Wright/Hernandez trade, Moore also grabbed Josh Harrison off the waiver wire.  Those two moves were likely the turning point in his season.  Chris Archer(9^th) and Garrett Richards(free agent) combined for 36 QS, while Addison Reed(7^th) and Jenrry Mejia(18^th) closed 59 games.  Wade Davis(free agent) had the best season for any reliever in baseball, mixing with Luke Gregerson(16^th) and Joba Chamberlain(free agent) to rack up Holds.

Finishing in 3^rd place was, of course, Bret Jenkins and The Jimy Kelly Rule.  Bret has now finished in the money six times, without ever taking 1^st place.  Bret once again led the league in transactions, with 332.  Jimy Kelly broke the backs of opposing pitchers with a lineup that included Buster Posey(3^rd), Victor Martinez(7^th), Mike Trout(1^st), and Brett Gardner(6^th).  On the mound, Jon Lester(9^th) and C.J. Wilson(11^th) were the only starters to throw over 100 innings for the club, with Lester posting 27 QS.  Dillon Gee(13^th) pitched well in eight QS and Jessie Hahn(free agent) dealt for 60 innings and six QS.  The back-end of the bullpen was Jenkins’ strong point, with Trevor Rosenthal(4^th) and Craig Kimbrel(2^nd) combining for 78 Saves.

4^th place was a bit of a shocker.  SONS OF PITCHES came out of nowhere to claim the final money spot.  On 9/16, I mentioned them as a possible sleeper on the league blog, but in my mind I wasn’t really giving them a chance based on how far back they were.  However, field manager Eric Rosin used that crazy screaming baseball to rally an offense that included Robinson Cano(1^st), Kyle Seager(8^th), Anthony Rizzo(6^th), Christian Yelich(11^th), Russell Martin(14th), Carl Crawford(10^th), Jason Heyward(4^th) and Corey Dickerson(free agent) to grab the final $200.  When Jose Fernandez(2^nd) went down early in the season it looked like Rosin’s season was doomed.  But starters like Hiroki Kuroda(9^th), Ervin Santana(12^th) and Collin McHugh(free agent) picked up the slack.  A resurgent Jonathan Broxton(free agent) and a consistent Darren O’Day(free agent) piled up Holds, while Santiago Casilla(18^th) picked up some crucial late-season Saves.

Congratulations to all the money winners!!!  As for the rest of us, we stink.

The Best Draft Pick Award goes to Chris Jenkins (Brewmasters), who selected Lucas Duda with the first pick of the final round.  Duda finished the season as the 74^th ranked player in Yahoo, had 92 RBI, 247 TB and .349 OB%.  Unfortunately, the Brewmasters dropped Duda TWICE during the season, before he was finally picked up for good by Shoving & Squeezing on May 28.  The Brewmasters also took Wily Peralta(22 QS) with the last pick of the 21^st round, but again the Brewmasters never reaped the rewards, dropping Peralta for the legendary bat of Justin Ruggiano before the season even began.

Worst Draft Pick Award goes to Sven Jenkins (Los Barbudos), Bryce Harper 3^rd overall.  I didn’t have to look far to figure this one out.  Just three picks into the draft and my team exploded.  Honorable mention goes to the poor owners who took Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Davis and Prince Fielder.  Ugh.

Worst Team Name… this was a tough one this year, with half the league being in contention, but I’m going with Kilt Spinners.  Brutal.

2014 Final Weeks..!..

Just 2 weeks remain in the fantasy baseball season and the PicketLine Fantasy Baseball League is looking at a classic 1st place battle...

Defending champion Joe Moore (WTFUTLEY) and Eric Kantner (New Market Mallers) are separated by just 1/2 a point going into tonight's games.

Can UTLEY follow in the footsteps of the old Roughnecks squad, and win back-to-back titles?... or will Eric and his dysfunctional Married With Children inspired team dethrone the champs?

Both clubs have stellar pitching staffs and sneaky good offenses.

The battle for the final two money spots will come down to a few original league members... Bret Jenkins (The Jimy Kelly Rule) and Josh Robbins (Bohemian Lifestyles) seem to be the frontrunners, with each owner relentlessly working the waiver wire.  Watch out for a flurry of late-season action from these two.

BUT, they need to watch their backs.  Chris Jenkins (Brewmasters), Andrew Tarkowski (Mount Gay Rum), and Eric Rosin (SONS OF PITCHES) are primed to steal a spot if anyone falters.

As for the rest of us, well, we're just hoping to retain a little dignity before the season ends.