Failure to Play SMART enough and the lessons to remember in 2016 highlight the final 2015 fantasy baseball Week That Was:

Loyal readers know that Rick Wolf and I (and in recent years, the First Lady of Fantasy, Stacie Stern) play by our SMART system and follow the Rules of Engagement.  If you want details on those systems, check this out:  http://www.fantasyalarm.com/articles/colton/18002/fantasy-baseball-playing-smart-in-2014/.   

Well, in 2015, we were just not SMART enough and just not loyal enough to the Rules of Engagement.  Result – basically we came within one avoidable mistake of winning each of three major expert leagues:  LABR NL, LABR AL and Tout Wars AL (of course, we take nothing away from the great players who will top the standings in each of those leagues this year while I bemoan our lack of diligence).  Finishing in the top 3 or 4 in each of those leagues against the best in the world is hardly embarrassing, but as my good friend Doug Dennis always says “flags fly forever.”  Not being SMART enough means we will be stalled at nine pennant flags – at least until next year!

So what went wrong?  Read on….

LABR AL

There is a reason we finished second ahead of 10 great players.  We invested wisely in guys like Chris Davis and his rebound, Dallas Keuchel and his all-world GB% being for real and Kendrys Morales rebounding in a year where he actually did have spring training.  Alas, but absent a miracle this weekend, it will all be for naught as one failure to stay with the wingman will spell doom. 

Jacoby Ellsbury: The Rules of Engagement are clear and exist for your protection and the protection of your fantasy baseball team.  As I wrote last year and every year: 

“Don’t invest heavily in players who have undergone off-season surgery or who are oft-injured.  Predicted medical recoveries do not always go according to plan.  Plus, players who get hurt once often get hurt again.  Of course, you cannot take this rule too far.  This last part bears repeating – we are not saying you should never roster an injury prone player, we are saying do not roster such a player at close to full price. Insist on a 25-33 percent discount or spend your hard earned fantasy money elsewhere.” 

For some reason, we ignored this rule and rostered Jacoby Ellsbury at $33.  What did we get for that big spend? .261 with 7 HR, 21 SB, 66 runs and a mere 33 RBI.  Yuck.  Had we followed the Rules and invested that money wisely, our second place finish could well have been glorious.  Not SMART enough.

LABR NL

Here, we were in contention all year because we did some things right, including investing in A.J. Burnett’s rebound upon return to Pittsburgh, Francisco Cervelli at $4 thriving as a starting catcher and backing up Adam Ottavino with John Axford (on taxi).  However, one big investment shows once again, we were not SMART enough.

Carlos Gomez:  You can understand why we were excited to roster CarGo II.  80 HR and 111 SB over the last three years is special production.  However, we made the fatal mistake of violating the Rules of Engagement and paying full price for a player with an injury history.  In our excitement, we overlooked the fact that Gomez has never had 600 AB in a season and in four recent seasons had 415 AB or less.  Shame on us.  For our $32 we got .255 with 12 HR and 17 RBI.  Ugh.  Injury prone players get injured.  Get a discount if you draft such players.  Repeat: Get a discount if you draft such players…

Tout Wars AL

Again, we made a lot of good decisions here.  Kendrys Morales for a mere $10; Mike Moustakas and his break out for $10; C.J. Cron and his 16 bombs for $4, etc.  However, one mistake sealed our fate: 

Jeff Samardzija:  The Rules of Engagement are clear:  “Players are human beings. They miss home, they miss their families, they need to get to know their teammates, etc. However, most of all, players who have signed for enormous numbers press at the start in order to try and justify getting paid the gross national product of many countries. That means that most big money/new home players start slow and thus fail to put up year-long stats that match their projections.” 

Yes, I know the Shark landed on the south side via trade, but the same human element applies.So, while we loved his stuff, we should not have invested full value.For our $22 we got an ugly 4.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and only 11 wins.Now had we invested in the SMART, consistent and stay at home Sonny Gray and his 2.73 and 1.08 WHIP that WOULD have been SMART.

Remember these lessons for 2016.  We will try harder to be SMARTER!

And now the moment you well, may or may not be waiting for, the Baron of Bottom of the Page pontificates aka Schultz says: “The 2015 baseball season will long be remembered for the number of new faces that made their debut and the exceptional number of pleasant surprises. For all that was new in the world, come the end of the season there is one tried and true trope that simply never gets old – year-end lists. The All-Schultz Teams may not be as fresh and new as Kris Bryant, yet the All-Schultz Teams will never grow old.

So since people unquestionably and indubitably love lists, The Week That Was proudly presents the 2015 ALL-SCHULTZ TEAMS

THE 2015 M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN TEAM

What irony, hailing in the new with a horribly outdated reference. Nonetheless, if you stopped watching this team halfway through the season, you missed the surprising twist.

C:  Stephen Vogt (OAK) – After seeing the bright lights of the All-Star Game, the A’s veteran remembered he was a journeyman, going from .287, 14 HR and 56 RBI to .217, 4 HR and 15 RBI.

1B: Joey Votto (CIN) – With nothing to watch in Cincinnati, the once (and future) NL MVP was the hottest hitter in the second half with an insane .362 AVG/.535 OBP/.617 SLG.

2B: Jason Kipnis (CLE) – Midway through the summer, The Kipnis was enjoying a renaissance as the most dominant roto-2B in the land. He left all the power and speed and his batting eye in the first half.

SS: Francisco Lindor (CLE) – Thanks to Votto, the Tribe’s new phenom wasn’t even the greatest second-half superstar in the state of Ohio. However, his .350, 10 HR, 42 RBI and 11 SB would have triumphed in the other 49 states.

3B: Todd Frazier (CIN) – Did anyone remember when Schultz said to run far away from the 2015 Home Run Derby champion?

OF: Khris Davis (MIL) – The other Chris Davis – the one you think spells his name wrong – hit 21 home runs in the second half. You didn’t know that, did you? I swear to you, it happened.

OF: Carlos Gonzalez (COL) – Reemerging as much more than relevant, the original CarGo’s .280, 27 HR, 62 RBI exceeded many others’ entire 2015 season.

OF: Yoenis Cespedes (NYM) – If you just paid attention to what transpired after the All-Star Break, your NL MVP resided in Queens . . . and it wasn’t even close.

SP: Jake Arrieta (CHI) – Well maybe it was close. The deserving Cy Young winner went 12-1 in the second half with a 0.75 ERA (the best post-All-Star break mark in MLB history) and 0.73 WHIP. Oh yes, he also struck out 113.

RP: Drew Storen (WASH) – Closing on a contender and then the GM brings in Jonathan Papelbon and destroys every single ounce of a dominant reliever’s value. Looking back – extremely shortsighted and tremendously undeserved.

U:  David Ortiz (BOS) – Perennially given up for dead, Ortiz rebounded from a .231 first half to the tune of .325, 22 HR and 65 RBI.

THE 2015 MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA TEAM

Playing for the league minimum (or close to it), the feisty Aussie delivered well above his pay scale when it counted the most. Just like the members of this team.

C:  Russell Martin (TOR) – In a season where the Mariners’ catchers set records for lowly hitting and nearly every reliable backstop showed their age, the biggest surprise was any catcher that slightly exceeding expectations.

1B: Chris Davis (BAL)/Albert Pujols (LAA) – After Davis’ sub-Mendoza season and Phat Albert’s long battle with plantar fasciitis, no one expected a return to form with Crash leading the majors in home runs and Pujols slugging 40 bombs.

2B: DJ LeMahieu (COL) – If you acquired him for $1, it wasn’t because you knew how to spell his name. Getting .301 with 61 RBI and 23 SB made you hit spell check real quick.

SS: Yunel Escobar (WASH) – The bloom was long off the rose of the once-touted prospect by the time the tradewinds brought Escobar to Washington. In a season rife with disappointment, the converted shortstop’s .314 was the only bright spot in DC that didn’t involve Bryce Harper or Max Scherzer.

3B: Mike Moustakas (KC) – Yet another post-hype prospect, Moose carried the momentum from last year’s postseason into 2015 and rewarded his believers with a .284, 22 HR, 82 RBI line with practically no risk to the investment.

OF: A.J. Pollock (ARZ) – With no fanfare whatsoever, the D’Backs phenom put up a McCutchen-like .315, 20 HR, 76 RBI, 39 SB and 111 R at a fraction of the cost.

OF: Lorenzo Cain (KC) – Many have gone down in flames waiting for the five-tool superstar to expertly utilize even one. Like Moustakas, the postseason invigorated Cain. While most doubted, those who believed benefited to the tune of .307, 16 HR, 72 RBI, 29 SB and 101 R.

OF: David Peralta (ARZ) – The Peralta without a typo surely helped pose the question of, how could a team with him, Pollock and Goldy be so disappointing? Maybe it’s ‘cause none of them could pitch.

SP: John Lackey (STL) – Remember Chicken & Beer? Remember Lackey getting dumped onto St. Louis because he busted in Boston? Remember when everyone forgot about him this year and he put up a 2.77 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 2015?

RP: Jeurys Familia (NYM) – Every year there’s a closer that comes out of nowhere to save a ton of games. This year at Citi Field, with Jennry Mejia out with a lame brain, Familia notched 43 saves.

U:  Alex Rodriguez (NYY) – You were absolutely correct to stay away from the 39-year-old steroid case that had two bad hips. Until you could have had 31 HR for $1, that’s kinda shortsighted. Good value for bucking common sense and moral decency.

THE 2015 1989 TEAM

Taylor Swift was just a pop superstar juggernaut and then Ryan Adams rerecorded all her songs and now she’s universally revered by hipsters as a trenchant songwriter. After this season, no one on this team will ever again be considered a niche performer.

C:  Kyle Schwarber (CHC) – The third head of the Cubs rookie Cerberus hit so well that everyone will probably forget he will unlikely qualify as a catcher in 2016.

1B: Jose Abreu (CHW) – In 2014, the Cuban slugger wasn’t supposed to acclimate well to American pitcher. He did. In 2015, he wasn’t supposed to repeat. He did. In 2016, he should remain consistent. He will.

2B: Dee Gordon (MIA) – Everyone (including Schultz) keeps waiting for Gordon to regress back to where he was when he first came up with the Dodgers. For the second straight year, he led the league in steals (Billy Who?) and now adds an NL batting title.

SS: Xander Bogaerts (BOS) – The Sox brought the X-Man up when he was still just a raw talent. His .320 breakout isn’t a fluke and everyone now knows who will be in the midst of the Red Sox Revival.

3B: Manny Machado (BAL) – Finally healthy, the 23-year-old blasted 35 HR, stole 20 bases and scored 102 runs. With all deference to Arenado, Donaldson and Bryant, the most dominant 3B may reside on the East coast.

OF: Nelson Cruz (SEA) – For the second straight year, the world has waited for the disgraced steroid user to reap what he sowed. For the second straight year, he disappointed by putting up MVP-quality numbers.

OF: J.D. Martinez (DET) – An Astro washout, the other Martinez may have been the one true bright spot on the dismal Detroit season. Proving last year’s power resurgence was no fluke, he stroke 38 HR while driving in 102 runs.

OF: Adam Eaton (CHW) – Rebounding from a disastrous start of the season, Eaton finally flashed the five-tool talent the Sox were expecting when they imported him from the desert.

SP: Dallas Keuchel (HOU) – Keuchel is no longer the Astros starter with the funny beard that always looked capable of making the leap. Just look at every Corey Kluber blurb from 2014-2015 and switch in Keuchel for 2015-2016. Good luck Yankees – you’re gonna need it.

RP: Trevor Rosenthal (STL) – Going the Mariano Rivera failed starter route, the knock on Rosenthal was that he was too wild and wouldn’t hold up under the pressure. It’s time to consider him Kimbrel-Midwest.

U:  Miguel Sano (MIN) – It wasn’t Byron Buxton that became the Twins rookie phenom. Sano swings big and swings hard and if he can’t figure out how to use his glove, is on his way to being the next Big Papi. Hopefully, the Twins don’t give him to the Sox for free.

THE 2015 FANTASTIC FOUR TEAM

Lots of hype, lots of money, lots of disappointment. This team likely helped you plan for 2016.

C:  FILL IN NAME HERE (MLB) – Nearly every catcher in MLB not named Posey or McCann proved to be disappointing in some form or fashion. Truly historic in the position’s mediocrity.

1B: Chris Carter (HOU) – The young Houston slugger was supposed to capitalize on his strong 2014 showing. Instead, he and Evan Gattis combined to strike out close to 1,300 times.

2B: Robinson Cano (SEA) – The former Yankee finished strong but the once-presumptive King of 2B spent way too much of the season making people question whether he was hurt.

SS: Ian Desmond (WASH) – Coming into the 2015 season, Desmond was the only player to go 20/20 in each of the last 3 seasons. Although he went 19/13, his .233 and 69 runs left much to be desired.

3B: Pablo Sandoval (BOS) – The Kung Fu Panda has had his black belt revoked. Arguably the worst debut season since Carl Pavano traveled down the Major Deegan.

OF: Carlos Gomez (MIL/HOU) – The expectations for the false CarGo were so high that he succeeded in disappointing in all five categories. He saved the Mets season by not being healthy enough to go there, making Wilmer Flores a folk-hero in the process. He’s entitled to a half share of the Mets postseason winnings.

OF: Hanley Ramirez (BOS) – He is likely thanking Big Papi every day that Pablo Sandoval was also on the team this year. If he can’t play first base next year, there are big problems afoot in Boston.

OF: Yasiel Puig (LA) – So much talent, so little everything else.

SP: Jeff Samardzija (CHW)/James Shields (SD)/Andrew Cashner (SD)/Mat Latos (FLA/LA) – If you walked out of your draft/auction with this staff, you were egregiously mistaken as to the reliability of your starting rotation.

RP: Neftali Feliz (TEX/DET) – Went from closing for the eventual AL West champs to being outright released. Was it really three years ago that he was on the mound trying to close out the World Series?

U:  Victor Martinez (DET) – The signs were there given that V-Mart underwent offseason knee surgery. Even so, .245 with 11 HR and 64 RBI was woefully disappointing.

Thanks to everyone who kept up with the weeks that were with The Week That Was. Even more thanks to The Overlord Mr. Colton for keeping me around and letting me pontificate on a weekly basis. See you all in 2016.”

Response: I know I make fun of him but he really exists and Schultz provides great info and some solid humor every single week!  Bravo my friend.