Currently stuck at last in a winner's league...can you help?

minor league rover Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 21

I thought I had a decent draft going into a Yahoo's winner league, but I'm currently mired in last place. It's your classic 10 category Yahoo league. Here's my current roster:

C Russell Martin
1B Prince Fielder
2B Luis Castillo
3B Edwin Encarnacion
SS Orlando Cabrera
OF Nick Swisher
OF Alex Rios
OF Jason Bay
Util Billy Butler
Bench
C Kenji Johjima
2B/SS Ryan Theriot
OF Andruw Jones
3B Evan Longoria

Pitchers:
SP Johan Santana
SP Chris Young
RP George Sherill
RP Brandon Lyon
P Ian Snell
P Jeremy Guthrie
P Tim Lincecum
Bench Chad Cordero
DL Scott Kazmir

Can you help me, please?

General Manager Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 451

Yes starting scoping the wire immediately for another SP and ditch Lyon. He's worthless. Besides that i would have a little patience. Another suggestion would be to start The Riot over Castillo. He's going to collect more runs than Castillo this year i think. I would play the hot hand between Edwin and Longoria too. They are both very good, but Edwin is notorious for slow starts. But dont drop him he will come back and hit 25HR maybe more.
Have some Patience. I have Sabathia on my team. If i can be patient so can you.

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:28 am

your offense will be better once martin and prince come around, which they both should. that castillo/encarnacion infield is terrible, though. gotta change that up. put in theriot at 2B for the moment, and start scanning the wire for middle infielders. get longoria in there too. i'd just drop castillo, i don't get the attachment people seem to have to him. might drop EE too, if there's somebody with some upside that you can add; he's not the kind of established producer like prince that you can afford to wait around for.

who are some of the better free agents on the wire? infield, outfield, pitching, everybody. focus on young guys with talent who are showing some signs of performing - guys like longoria and butler.

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:15 am

Yeah, you shouldn't be stuck with Castillo/Theriot and Encarnacion at 2B and 3B in a 10-team league. Try trading an extra OF like Jones, or 3B (sell high on Longoria or give up Encarnacion if anyone will take him) to upgrade your middle infield.

And if you can't use Johjima in a trade, I don't see any sense in using a valuable roster spot on him when you have Martin. Use it for a high-upside player or a hot hitter/pitcher like Conor Jackson, Micah Owings, etc who could be breaking out.

Your SP will be pretty solid as long as Kazmir comes back OK, but your RP is very weak. If you can't get a cheap closer in a trade, I'd look for quality MR like Broxton, Neshek, Bell who will help you even if they aren't closing. Or you can speculate for future closers like Qualls, Brocail, Acosta, Rauch, etc. Just make sure to hit the WW hard when a new closer is available to help out that situation.

Finally, just be patient. It's like 1/12th of the way into the season or something like that. Don't panic yet.

General Manager Joined: Jan 16, 2006 Posts: 308

brianc2008 wrote:

I thought I had a decent draft going into a Yahoo's winner league, but I'm currently mired in last place. It's your classic 10 category Yahoo league. Here's my current roster:

C Russell Martin
1B Prince Fielder
2B Luis Castillo
3B Edwin Encarnacion
SS Orlando Cabrera
OF Nick Swisher
OF Alex Rios
OF Jason Bay
Util Billy Butler
Bench
C Kenji Johjima
2B/SS Ryan Theriot
OF Andruw Jones
3B Evan Longoria

Pitchers:
SP Johan Santana
SP Chris Young
RP George Sherill
RP Brandon Lyon
P Ian Snell
P Jeremy Guthrie
P Tim Lincecum
Bench Chad Cordero
DL Scott Kazmir

Can you help me, please?

Ignore the standings this early in the season.

General Manager Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 451

I think you would regret dropping Edwin this early. Like i said he has notoriously slow starts.

minor league rover Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 21

I dropped Lyon for Heath Bell. I think I will wait and see before I make any other moves. This time last year I was in 8th place, so I'm not panicking. I just don't want to wait until June or July where they'll be more set in stone.

On the waiver wire:
Ellsbury, Melky Cabrera, Bill Hall, J. Willingham, Votto, Polanco, Iwamura, DeRosa, J. Vidro, Mark Ellis

Pitchers: G Floyd, Looper, Kuo, Bruney, C Silva, Kip Wells, Lyon, Accardo, J. Rauch, Meche, Er. Santana, Millwood.

General Manager Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 451

Honestly i might try to trade Johjima if you can. If not i would drop him for Ervin Santana who appears to have found his form again. Carrying two C is pointless. If anything if you want to carry that many hitters, i would swap Votto for Johjima that gives you a backup 1b and OF.