[USML Announce] Pippins Nothing But A Dog - 2023 Version

Sun Mar 19 20:52:37 EDT 2023

We were in California this weekend for a baby shower.  Since when do guys
go to baby showers?  At any rate, someone brought a three-month-old.  It
has been decades since I held a sleeping baby in my arms.  That was bliss.
I thought the kid was a loaner until ours is born.  I was wrong.  Sadly, I
needed to return the child.

On Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 7:45 PM Klein Nine via Announce <announce at usml.net>
wrote:

> You buried the lead, Gramps. Congrats!!
>
> -Andy
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> Owner, Klein Nine (est. 1990)
> [image: image]
>
>
> Sent from Proton Mail mobile
>
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> On Mar 19, 2023, 8:18 PM, Richard Robbins < RERobbins at itinker.net> wrote:
>
>
> :-)
>
> I started a new job 8 months ago, am a year away from completing a
> Master's Degree at UC Berkeley (and so far I'm 2 for 2 when it comes to the
> Big Game, compared to my sons who are a combined 1 for 9), and in May, I
> will become a grandfather!
>
> On Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 6:42 PM springkerb--- via Announce <
> announce at usml.net> wrote:
>
>> We're ready to expand to 11 teams whenever you get bored with whatever
>> you do with your USML time!
>>
>> Mark
>>
>> On Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 03:08:16 PM CDT, Richard Robbins <
>> rerobbins at itinker.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Well written.  Have a great season everyone.
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 2:26 PM Mark Blocker <blockermark at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Jeff:  This is a fun read and a thorough and excellent analysis.  I plead
>> guilty to being a Rebuilder -- a deal that was sealed more firmly when
>> Altuve went down.  But note that the current estimate is that Altuve will
>> be out 8-10 weeks, which means he is back around June 1 -- just in time for
>> one lucky contender to get a huge infield upgrade. For those who are
>> contending, you know where (and when) to find me.  A few additional notes
>> to add.  Not about every team.
>>
>> 1.  Buddha:  This still seems like a contender to me. A "decent amount of
>> everything" is a way to stay in the race early, and this team has plenty of
>> chips to trade to move up.  If they pull off some deals, this team is a
>> threat for the title.  Player that would most help this team:  Ohtani.
>>
>> 2.  Lubeasts:  This team is strong in pitching and weak in the easiest
>> categories to address by trade (HR/RBIs), so I would count this as a
>> contender. Especially so if the purchases of Skubal and Huff are for
>> purposes of trade. But both of those are long-time favorites of the owner,
>> so color me skeptical that they will get moved. Without them, the other
>> contenders will simply have more trade chips than this team. Player(s) that
>> would most help this team: J. Ramirez and Stanton.
>>
>> 3.  Klein Nine:  A question: how many points will it take to win The
>> Damon?  Let's assume it takes 85 points (last year the winning total was
>> 88, but probably will be lower this year with more teams contending). This
>> team projects to have 36 points in hitting (low in average and SB). That
>> means it needs 49 points from pitching and improvements to the offense.
>> That seems like a tall order for the current roster. If Berrios returns to
>> form, this team will have a better chance to hit that number. Player that
>> would most help this team: T. McKenizie.
>>
>> 4.  AYM:  Maybe the best draft of anyone at the table (Doug, kudos to you
>> for using the Rotolab software).  Agree with Jeff's assessment on SBs, but
>> the other category is Saves/Holds, not just saves, and this roster seems
>> geared to secure lots of holds. And saves is another category where you can
>> easily acquire help later on, either via trade or by FAAB.  How many
>> closers each year come from the ranks of the FAAB pool? Player that would
>> most help this team: Altuve, Rizzo.
>>
>> 5.  Nukes:  Agreed that this team is the pre-season favorite. I am
>> attributing that to his willingness to accept "suggestions" on which player
>> to nominate during the draft.  That was smart and classy, and now we will
>> see if that is the secret sauce to winning a title. Player that would most
>> help this team:  Ohtani.
>>
>> 6.  Overall:  If the assessment is correct that there will be lots of
>> contenders (perhaps as many as six), then that leaves a very limited pool
>> of seller teams. This means trade prices may be higher than they were last
>> year.  Buyers beware!
>>
>>   -- Mark B.
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 1:37 PM Jeffrey Winick <jwinick at hwhlegal.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Congratulations to everyone on an excellent draft and good luck on what
>> should be an outstandingly competitive season.  With the exception of our
>> defending champion, Mr. B, this is anyone’s game.  That being said, I have
>> consulted the spirit of Pippin and we have our annual assessment of the
>> state of play in the USML ready for your perusal.
>>
>>
>>
>> *REBUILDERS*
>>
>> *Block’s Bombers* – History teaches that a Bomber’s lineup filled with
>> potential trade pieces does not necessarily set the stage for multiple
>> trades and yet, there’s plenty for Mark to work with here.  Stanton, Rizzo,
>> Ramirez, Kelenic, Kepler, Ohtani, McKenzie and maybe Neris and Leclerc all
>> mean that this team will look different and far better next year.  But
>> that’s not the case for the 2023 campaign.  The Bomber’s will not contend
>> in 2023.
>>
>>
>>
>> *IT COULD BE, IT MIGHT BE…..BUT PROBABLY NOT*
>>
>>
>>
>> *Calamari – *A strange team.  Lots of wins, but lousy ERA and Ratio.
>> Lots of average, but not much in the way of counting stats.  Pippin doesn’t
>> see this as a winning recipe.  Glasnow, DeGrom and McCullers means that Jim
>> will be reading a lot of medical reports.  Rodriguez, Gonzales and Perez
>> means that Jim will doing a lot of cringing when reading box scores.  On
>> the hitting side, the lineup appears to be the epitome of Stars and
>> Scrubs.  Guerrero, Devers, Henderson, Perez and Teoscar are great.  Alfaro,
>> Schoop, Lopez, Badoo, Carpenter and Pollock….well, Pippin was taught that
>> if you don’t have anything nice to say…..  At the end of the day, this is a
>> solid team that doesn’t appear to have the potential to pop.  Pippin sees a
>> somewhat disappointing season ahead for the Calamari.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Brats – *Let’s start with offense.  Or perhaps the better way to say it
>> might be….what offense?  Or perhaps, what an offensive offense.  Well….you
>> get the point.  Lots of stolen bases at the expense of every other
>> category.  Pippin thinks that perhaps John was signaling rebuilding with
>> the pickup of Naylor and Noel.  But if not, even Kyle Tucker isn’t going to
>> be enough to turn this ship around.  Per usual, Mr. Fruit has put together
>> a fine pitching staff, led by Gausman, Gilbert and Ryan.  And Pippin
>> foresees this team ending up with the most saves with the shrewd choices of
>> Lopez, Munoz and Barlow.  If the Brats are playing for 2023, Pippin thinks
>> the offense is going to hold them back.  But if they’re rebuilding, Pippin
>> thinks the future looks bright.
>>
>>
>>
>> *LuBeasts – *The LuBeasts left Pippin a little confused.  Are they in it
>> to win it or are they building for the future?  Bregman and Castillo
>> purchases signaled that the Beasts were all in.  Huff and Skubal indicated
>> a wait and see approach.  So what is it Frank?  Offense looks weak with
>> only stolen bases aggregating to a solid total and the decision to punt
>> batting average should have resulted in more power than it did.  But
>> punting a category creates opportunity that Pippin expects to see exploited
>> soon enough.  The pitching, on the other hand, looks strong.  Bieber,
>> Kirby, Manoah and Castillo is the best 1-2-3-4 in the league.  Looks like
>> there is too much ground to recover to take home the Damon, but this is
>> nonetheless a team that could make some noise.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Buddha – *Pippin wants to like this team more, but just can’t get
>> around to doing so.  It has great balance, with a decent amount of
>> everything, but not a lot of anything other than saves.  The lineup
>> epitomizes Pippin’s assessment.  Lots of good players, but not many (if
>> any) great players.  Plenty of solid production on the offense, but limited
>> potential for breakout performances.  And the pitching is perhaps a bit too
>> dependent upon two Yankees starters (Cortes and Severino) that are as
>> likely to disappoint as they are to please.  So while Pippin sees the
>> ceiling as low, it also sees the floor as high.  This may well be a money
>> team, but probably not the one who will go home with the Damon.
>>
>>
>>
>> *CONTENDERS*
>>
>>
>>
>> *Klein Nine – *Along with the Daddies, this team has the best offense
>> coming out of the draft.  And if Trout and Buxton actually stay healthy –
>> it will lap the field.  Of course, neither has stayed healthy for a very
>> long time, but you just don’t know.  It’s the pitching that is this team’s
>> Achilles’ heel.  If only it had been Eric Hanson rather than Eric Swanson,
>> Pippin would be more bullish (or is that doggish) on Andy’s chances.
>> Rasmussen and Detmers are the real deal.  Gray, Berrios and Anderson are
>> probably not.  And Kremer, Abreu and Swanson are definitely not.  So, while
>> the pitching isn’t a death sentence, neither is it a basis to anticipate
>> the Nine grabbing the Damon.  It could happen, but there is one dog that
>> will be a little surprised if it does.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Berliners *– What the heck was this team thinking spending $107 on
>> pitching and not netting a sure thing in the bunch?  Pippin has no answers
>> and even after having consulted with team management has no clue.  With
>> luck, the pitching could aggregate into a mid level staff, but, this is far
>> too much money spent to not walk away with more confidence.  The offense is
>> encouraging.  Bader is already feeling better and could be back sooner than
>> expected.  That has the potential to make him a bargain.  Julio, Bo and
>> Wander bring star power and there’s plenty of production in all of the
>> hitting categories with the possible exception of power, but that can be
>> addressed in the trade market.  If this isn’t the year, the Berliners
>> picked up lots of top beans, albeit ones that are a little young to do much
>> more than dream on at this point in time.  A trade or two away from
>> relevance.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Angry Young Men* – Pippin noted that Uncle Doug pimped the Berliners
>> out of no less than 6 players during the draft and did exceedingly well in
>> the process.  The team appears to have punted on Saves and Stolen Bases and
>> as a result is teeming with great totals in every other category.  Javier,
>> Sale, Lopez and Civale form a formidable rotation and if any of Gallo,
>> Kiermeier and/or Kike Hernandez produce, they will all be bargains at their
>> salaries.  The AYM don’t often engage in extensive trading, but if they can
>> pull off a few this year, the Damon could be theirs for the taking.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Hoosiers *– The Hoosiers spent their money on hitting and it shows.  A
>> bit more speed would have improved this team’s prospects, but you can’t
>> quibble with any other aspect of the hitting.  But….when you only spend $48
>> on pitching and $20 of that is on your closers, you’ve definitely rolled
>> the dice.  Luis Garcia and Robbie Ray are nice anchors for this staff, but
>> after that it gets scary.  Schmidt has thrown 70 innings over the last
>> three years and may not have a spot in the rotation once (if) Rodon
>> returns.  Clevinger isn’t very good and is one more act of misbehavior away
>> from a suspension.  Whitlock might offer nice production, but his
>> experience of nine career starts suggest he’s a crapshoot.  This team will
>> hang in all year long and if it can trade for a pitcher or two could make
>> things interesting.  But Pippin prefers the last team on the board….
>>
>>
>>
>> *Nukes* – The most daunting team coming out of the draft and heaven
>> knows, Rotolab likes this team.  And yet, while Pippin assigns the title of
>> pre-season favorite to the Nukes, it is more than a bit wary.  This team is
>> comprised of a little (or should we say much) too much risk for Pippin’s
>> comfort.  Sure, Cole and Springs are a fantastic foundation to the pitching
>> staff, but what about the balance?  Zach Eflin has averaged 80 innings a
>> year over the last three years and ended the season with sore knees.  Tyler
>> Mahle is a sabermetric darling who never quite delivers and is now working
>> through shoulder soreness.  Nick Pivetta is a pitcher that belongs on a
>> bench, not in a starting lineup.  James Paxton has pitched 21! innings over
>> the last three years and he’s hurt again, and Michael Kopech is coming off
>> of knee surgery.  Phew!  Duran and Sewald should put up saves, but neither
>> is a lock with Jorge Lopez and Andre Munoz lurking.  The offense on the
>> other hand is locked and loaded with only a little bit of injury risk from
>> Springer.  With a little good fortune and perhaps a trade or two, this team
>> is the one to beat for the Damon.
>>
>>
>>
>> That is all!
>>
>>
>>
>> Pippin (with a little help from a friend)
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Announce mailing list
>> Announce at usml.net
>> http://usml.net/mailman/listinfo/announce_usml.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Announce mailing list
>> Announce at usml.net
>> http://usml.net/mailman/listinfo/announce_usml.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Announce mailing list
>> Announce at usml.net
>> http://usml.net/mailman/listinfo/announce_usml.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Announce mailing list
>> Announce at usml.net
>> http://usml.net/mailman/listinfo/announce_usml.net
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Announce mailing list
> Announce at usml.net
> http://usml.net/mailman/listinfo/announce_usml.net
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://usml.net/pipermail/announce_usml.net/attachments/20230319/82a2992d/attachment-0001.html>