Conor and I are once again running a Battle of Baby Joba fantasy league. We drafted on Sunday and are ready to see our players in action. I’m king of the early season sleeper pick-up, and Conor somehow coerces people into giving him lopsided deals, so it’ll be fun to get going.

Here’s my roster:

C Matt Wieters

1B Billy Butler

2B Casey McGehee

3B Chipper Jones

SS Hanley Ramirez

CI Gordon Beckham

MI Jimmy Rollins

OF Matt Holliday

OF BJ Upton

OF Carlos Gonzalez

OF Kyle Blanks

OF Travis Snider

Util Paul Konerko

Bench Chris Coghlan

SP Clayton Kershaw

SP Cole Hamels

SP Johan Santana

SP Randy Wolf

SP Ryan Dempster

SP Jorge de la Rosa

RP Jonathan Broxton

RP Joakim Soria

RP Jason Frasor

RP Franklin Morales

Bench Carlos Zambrano

DL Brad Bergesen

And Conor’s Roster…..

C Ryan Doumit

1B Joey Votto

2B Ben Zobrist

3B Pablo Sandoval

SS Jose Reyes

MI Scott Sizemore

CI Carlos Pena

OF Justin Upton

OF Nolan Reimold

OF Alfonso Soriano

OF Franklin Guttierrez

OF Cody Ross

Util Colby Rasmus

SP Roy Halladay

SP Zack Greinke

SP Chris Carpenter

SP Chad Billingsley

SP Jair Jurrjens

SP Matt Garza

RP Carlos Marmol

RP Neftali Feliz

RP Brad Lidge

RP Empty

Bench Stephen Strasburg

Bench 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba Chamberlain (Doesn’t qualify as a reliever yet, but will take a RP role when he does)

Bench Ted Lilly

I’m banking on big breakout years for Blanks, Snider, and CarGo. And I need Chipper Jones and BJ Upton to bounce back in big ways.

Con is hoping his starters repeat their ’09 success, and the Jose Reyes injury could be a big determinant in how good his squad is this year.

We’ll keep you updated periodically throughout the season. Con beat me in the finals last year, but that’ll change, just you wait.

UPDATE: Speaking of lopsided deals, Conor just dealt Zack Grienke for Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Brian Matusz…

Well, Mark Teixeira’s elbow probably hurts after the plunking the other day, and Alf Aceves’ back isn’t holding up that well. Shoot.

Good news: If Tex is out for even a week (unlikely that he’d miss time, but still…) the Yanks have a strong defensive first baseman named Nick Johnson capable of moving over from the DH spot. That would bring Randy Winn into the lineup, probably playing right field while Swishalicious took over the DH-ing duties. So, a Tex injury for a week or whatever won’t kill the team. Plus, Tex is always bad in April anyways. But seriously, don’t fret. Tex should be playing baseball again by Friday at the latest. I’m just saying, worst case scenario, the lineup and defense are still pretty damn good.

Then there’s the Aceves situation. I’ve heard talk that the Yanks might carry an extra reliever until Phil Hughes is needed as a 5th starter in late April. The way the schedule sets up, they won’t need him ’till then. Now, if Aceves has to go on the DL with a balky back, they might just bring Hughes north and put that extra reliever in Ace’s spot. Or, they also could bring two extra relievers. If Ace hits the DL, it’ll be retroactive, and he’d be back by the second or third series of the year. No big deal. Plus, the Yanks have Boone Logan, Mark Melancon, and a whole crop of other guys that are capable of pitching in the bigs right now. With Logan, Girardi would have that 2nd lefty he so desperately wanted.

These injuries are mild, not really anything to be worried about, but it shows what is great about this Yankee squad: the depth and versatility. A lineup without Tex and with Randy Winn is still probably top ten in the league. If a starter goes down, Joba, Aceves, Mitre, Nova, and McAllister, among others, could step in and pitch quality innings. If a reliever goes down, same thing. Obviously, injuries make the team worse, but the Yanks are so good, and have such depth, that they can avoid a big landside in production.

Well, it has been a while since I’ve posted! While skiing was pretty unbelievable, missing a couple days of school set me back a ways. I have been getting slammed with make-up work and I’ve been sailing everyday, so I have been ridiculously busy. I think I’m pretty much done with work, so I should be getting back to posting regularly in the next few days.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know of a little charity project. Dan from Bronx Baseball Daily, Jay “J-Boogie” from Baseball & The Boogie Down, and I have teamed up to donate money to Swish’s Wishes. Nick’s charity is “dedicated to enriching lives and lifting the spirits of children who are facing vital health issues while providing care, comfort and support through the most difficult of times”. Dan, Jay, and I would love your help in raising money for this great charity, so feel free to donate (Obviously there is no pressure here. If you feel like donating then go for it. If not then no big deal.)! I’ll be keeping track of how much we can donate on this blog. Let me know if you want to participate.

I haven’t decided how I’m going to donate. Jay decided on donating 10 bucks for every HR Swisher hits this year. I’ll do something along those lines, I just haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll make sure to let you all know!

The Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball. Yep, I said it. The Dodgers can claim that George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Jonathan Broxton give them the best ‘pen, but they’re wrong. Let’s take a quick look at why the Yanks won’t have to worry whenever they pull their starter.

The Pen as of Today:

Mariano Rivera

Joba Chamberlain

David Robertson

Chan Ho Park

Damaso Marte

Alfredo Aceves

Sergio Mitre/Boone Logan/Mark Melancon (your choice, Joe)

Alfredo Aceves can do just about anything, even though he was rocked by the O’s today. Ace can be a long-man if needed, or he can set-up, he can pitch the 7th, or he can make a spot start. He’s the pitching equivalent of Chone Figgins. Ace will give the Yanks an ERA around 3.50 and will pretty much always keep the Yanks in the game when he’s called upon out of the ‘pen.

Damaso Marte impressed everyone in the postseason last year, and earned himself a bigger role on the squad this year. I expect him to be a part-time set-up man, but primarily just a lefty specialist. When your lefty specialist used to be a closer, could close for other teams, and can be a set-up man, well you’re doing pretty well.

Chan Ho Park was pretty damn good for Philadelphia last year. The Korean reliever has a 2.52 ERA in relief last year and the Yanks expect him to repeat that performance. Park hasn’t had success as a starter since, well, a long time ago. So he’ll only pitch in relief for the Yanks. A 1.18 WHIP  in relief and 52 K’s in 50 innings are signs that he can repeat last year’s performance.

David Robertson is the man. It was Robertson who maneuvered his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the ALCS. The guy has a fastball in the low to mid 90′s, and the almost-25 year old should follow up his solid ’09 with a dominant year as a setup man. He had 63 K’s in 43.2 innings: Yeah that was the best K/inning ratio in the AL. And yes, they mentioned that at least 83 times in the playoffs.

As much as I believe Joba is more valuable as a starter, he is as good as it gets when it comes to being a reliever. In 50 career relief appearances, Joba has a 1.50 ERA. In those 60 innings, he’s recorded 79 K’s. Our 6 Pound 8 Ounce Savior also boasts a 0.983 WHIP in relief. So he’s the Golden Gate of 8th inning bridges.

Then there’s Mariano, who sportswriters love to say is “old.” But when he starts having ERA’s over 3, then talk about him being old, for right now, he’s the best closer in the game. Every year, around May or June, Mariano has back-to-back blown saves and all of the media starts to ask if he’s done, if he’s washed up, if Mariano is too old. Then he proves them wrong for the rest of the season. So just don’t doubt him.

So that’s the 6-headed monster of the ‘pen. The Yanks will carry one more reliever though. Choices include Mark Melancon, Sergio Mitre, and Boone Logan. It basically comes down to whether Joe wants a possibly-dominant reliever, a guy who can go multiple innings, or a 2nd lefty. That’s the manager’s choice, and we should hear what that choice is within a week.

No matter who gets the last spot, that bullpen is going to be the best in the game. The best closer. A setup trio of Park, Joba, and Robertson. A lefty specialist named Marte. A superutility pitcher. That’s going to be a fun bullpen to watch this year…so long as you’re not an opposing hitter.

The Yankees are releasing Chad Gaudin and they named Phil Hughes the number five starter. So yes, Joe Girardi is breaking Commandments 1,3,5,7, and 9. But we’ll allow him to sin for now. Girardi likes the progress that Hughes has made with his changeup, which played a role in his decision to give him the starting spot. Hughsie has been a top prospect for years, and he was supposed to be a part of the rotation back in ’08, now he needs to live up to the hype. He was Joba-esque in the ‘pen last year, now he’ll have to prove that he can have that kind of success for 6 or 7 innings at a time. Hughes had a 5.45 ERA in 7 starts last year before his 1.40 ERA as a reliever. Hopefully he’ll find a point somewhere closer to that 1.40 as a starter this year. Hughes has a more elaborate repertoire than Joba, and if Posada and Cervelli manage games as well as they have in the past, Hughes has the potential to be the best number 5 starter in the league. Remember, though, that Hughes has his own set of inning limits this year, about 170, so we’ll see another starter sometime later in the season, even if they do skip a few of Hughsie’s starts. Joba obviously could come back into the rotation if one of the other guys is injured, so don’t think his starting career is ever. In his interview, Girardi said that Joba could be a starter or a reliever (duh), so the Yanks haven’t given up and sent him to the ‘pen forever. As much as I hate to compare my favorite player to my least favorite player, this situation is a little like the one with Papelbon a few years back. Start out as a dominant pitching prospect, move to the ‘pen, told to try and be a starter, then sent back to relief. Joba isn’t a little sissy girl though, and he’s a helluva lot better pitcher than Papelbon, so expect the Nebraskan Savior to combine with Mariano for the best late 1-2 punch in the game.

Joe Mauer signing with Minnesota is awesome for the Yankees. Why, you ask. Well, the Yanks weren’t going to sign him, not with Gary Sanchez, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine waiting in the wings. Who would’ve been the Twins’ greatest competitor for Joe’s services this winter? Boston. Now Boston will likely end up signing the older, and slightly less talented, Victor Martinez. If V-Mart gets a 5 or 6 year deal, he’d be playing in Boston until he’s 37 or 38, which means they’d be stuck with some of Victor’s declining offensive years. Add in that he might have to move to first base full-time at some point, and that limits some of their offensive potential, as they’re not likely to find a catcher that can hit as good as a prospective first baseman. Basically, the good news about the Mauer signing, is that he’s not a Red Sock. Some people may argue that the signing is bad for the Yanks, because the Red Sox should have more money to bid on Jayson Werth, Cliff Lee, and Carl Crawford, but Boston needs a catcher, hence why I believe they’ll sign V-Mart long term. So that’s where they’ll allocate the funds they would’ve spent on Joe. All in all, I love Joe Mauer reigning the midwest for 8 more years.

Way back when, the Yanks sent Brian Bruney to Washington in exchange for the first pick in the Rule V Draft. That pick was a Los Angeles outfielder named Jamie Hoffman, who was allegedly a Gardner-type of good outfielder, had patience and power, and could be a great option on the bench. Then the Yanks signed Marcus Thames to a non-guaranteed deal to duke it out with Hoffman for that last spot. They also had David Winfree, Greg Golson, and Jon Weber, who were set to make up the Scranton outfield. Everyone thought that the fight for the 25th roster spot would be between Hoffman and Thames, but Jamie has hit .130/.259/.174 and Marcus has a .107/.167/.107 line through the spring. Sure, spring stats don’t “mean anything.” but if you’re fighting for a roster spot, its good to show that you can hit at least a little bit. While the two favorites were wishing they were at the Mendoza line, David Winfree went 5 for 17, though all of tho0se hits were singles. So he’s batting .294/.368/.294. Greg Golson is impressing too, hitting .300/.364/.550 after 20 at bats. Then Weber is being a little bit of a showoff, with a .571/.571/.762 line over 21 at-bats. Small sample sizes, meaningless games, minor league pitching, blah, blah, blah. I’m not saying these stats matter a whole bunch or anything, but Weber, Golson, and Winfree are all impressing this spring, and Thames and Hoffman…aren’t. Hoffman was sent back to the Dodgers this morning, so we pretty much lost Brian Bruney for nothing. Not that he was a huge loss or anything, but, its still disappointing. Now its a four-man race for the last roster spot, so Thames, Weber, Golson, and Winfree better bring their A-game for the next week or two. My prediction: Golson gets the spot. I don’t know why, but I just think that he’s going to surprise us and win the spot, but, we’ll see.

Hey everybody,

I’m writing to let you know the next couple days might be a bit post-less. I am heading out to Alta tomorrow morning at 630 and won’t be back until Sunday night. Kevin is still in Peru, and I don’t think he gets back until Friday. I’ll have access to email while I’m gone, so if you want to join the fantasy league, shoot me a quick email. I just don’t think I’ll be able to post when there is fresh powder on the ground! So bear with us, we’ll be back very very soon. Enjoy the ST!

Jon Heyman of SI wrote an interesting article about the “best units in baseball”. By best units, I mean best infield, best offense, deepest rotation, etc. He gave the Yankees “Best Infield (including catcher)”. Thats not too big a surprise… Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez, and Posada make up the powerhouse that is the Yankees infield (plus catcher). It includes potential All-Star/Silver Slugger/Gold Glove/MVP winners at each and every position. Here is what Heyman had to say:

“Both World Series teams from last year have superb infields. But when one team is spending $93 million on these five positions alone (counting catcher), you have to hope they’re the best. And they are. That figure represents a slightly higher than average payroll for one entire team. But you still can’t quibble with how this money was spent. This is the heart of the best team in baseball. Comprising the fabulous five are two legends (third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter) and three others who are multiple All-Stars with at least some chance of making the Hall of Fame someday (catcher Jorge Posada, first baseman Mark Teixeira and second baseman Robinson Cano).”

Here is a rundown of Heyman’s other “bests”:

Best/Deepest Rotation- Angels (Heyman said that the Yanks, Red Sox, and White Sox may have better overall rotations, but the Angels are much more solid from the front end to the back)

Best Outfield- Dodgers

Best Lineup Balance- Phillies (He said the Yankees lost a bit of balance with the loss of Matsui and Damon, hence no Best Lineup Balance. I would have to disagree with Heyman here. I think that the additions of Granderson and Johnson wholly make up for the loss of Matsui and Damon, and give the Yankees a very very balanced lineup.)

Best Rotation Top- Mariners/Cards (Heyman writes that the Yankees or White Sox might be the best 1-4)

Best Bullpen- Dodgers

Best Bench- Rockies

Best Manager- Mike Scioscia (Girardi in 5th)

Best GM- Theo Epstein (No love for B-Cash here? According to Heyman, Cashman is “in the conversation”.)

Hello to all,
I just wanted to remind you that Kevin and I are hosting a fantasy baseball league for baseball bloggers and fans alike. We would like a couple more people to join, so please don’t hesitate to send me an email if you are interested. We hosted “The Battle of Baby Joba” last season as well, and everybody seemed to have a good time. It actually ended up being Kevin and I in the championship, which was awesome for us (I’m still sorry about the brutal defeat Kev…). Anyway, please let me know if you are interested. conor@6pound8ouncebabyjoba.com