Rules Issues to be Voted on at the Draft

Before the draft begins, we will have to discuss some rule changes, so think about some of these issues before tomorrow and we'll vote on them before the draft:

1. Eliminate pitcher streaming - We can't have it so that someone can pick up as many pitchers as they want in order to take wins and K's. Well, we can, but I think it's kind of unfair. There are a few different ways to salve this problem. One would be a category change: changing K's to K/9 and changing W's to quality starts or adding losses. This keeps you from piling up starters to get the highest totals, but you may also be able to stream for quality starts and I'm not a fan of adding an extra pitching category (losses).

Another solution is enforcing an innings pitched limit or a moves limit. By creating a season lone moves limit or a weekly moves limit, you would have to choose you pick-ups wisely and you couldn't really "stream" as much as spot start.

We could also use a free agent acquisition budget with no $0 bids allowed, this would limit everyone to less than 100 moves on the season (a mark only a handful have passed over 5 seasons), and they would have to place the highest bids for the players they want.

There's also the option to change nothing. In five years we've only had a couple of minor accusations and for the most part everyone is trustworthy. I'm just trying to eliminate gray areas.

Personally I'm a fan of the moves limit. It doesn't change the landscape of the league too much but will keep someone in check if they are doing too much streaming. I would set it around 4 or 5 per week but that's something we can vote on as well.


2. Money - It's going to be $50, $75, or $100. Bring $100, prepare to vote on it.

Commish Says: Bring a Laptop to the Draft!

Hey everyone,

         So to avoid the usual problems involved with having a giant poster board to write all of the names on, I think we are going to switch up the format. I have created a google document to keep track of the draft, (much like what I did for the fantasy football playoffs). If everyone brings their computer then they will be able to open up the document and see me type in the picks as they are made.

         This will eliminate the following problems/inconveniences:
                  1. I don't have to buy/ fill out a draft board with the selection order including traded draft picks
                  2. No one will have to write in every pick at the draft
                  3. No one will complain bout having to write in every pick at the draft
                  4. You can use ctrl+f to see if the player you are about to draft has already been taken
                  5. It will be easier for me to enter picks post draft when there is no poor handwriting to read or                       weird spellings to figure out


If people still want the draft board we can arrange that, I just feel like this will be easier and more convenient.  It's live cyber drafting! It's the way of the future! embrace it!

Lottery Results: Dan Alber is #1

The lottery results are in! The results are as follows:

1. Dan (22%)
2. Brad (17%)
3. Andy (9%)
4. Eric (33%)
5. Perka (5%)
6. Greg (14%)

Breaking News: Rose/Travers Joint Venture for Last Spot

             Finally, the position has been filled. After 7 days of back and forth, complete with long discussions and rigorous interviews, the 12^th manager spot has finally been filled. Commissioner Russell Travers, his older brother Richie Travers, and friend of The Franchise Eric Rose came to an agreement late last night that would allow for both managers to get in on the league in the form of a 90/10 split.

          “Eric Rose will be there at the draft to select the team, but Richie will be the manager” Russ Travers said in an interview, “Eric wasn’t comfortable putting up the money to take on such a crappy team, and Richie wanted the team but couldn’t make the draft, so this is a perfect compromise.” Richie will also put up 90% of the funding while Eric will cover the rest and will take home 10% of the winnings if by some miracle they finish in the top 3. 

          Once again, commish shows everyone why they pay him the big bucks. despite two managers quitting without a lot of notice, the spots have been filled with time to spare and we should have full attendance at the draft.

          “I’d like to be able to draft but still, I’m excited, I like building a team from the ground up” said Richie, who will be on a plane to Texas for business while the draft is taking place. The older Travers brother is no stranger to fantasy baseball, as he has spent the last ten seasons managing a team in the Diamond Dynasty, another Westwood based fantasy league.

          Rose is also a fantasy baseball vet and has spent two years playing the The Franchise fantasy football league. The combination of Rose drafting and Travers managing should add a formidable new look team into the league.

The agreement also brought upon a very important change. Eric & Richie are changing their keepers. They have switched out Carlos Gomez in favor of Mark Trumbo, so plan accordingly in your draft preparation.

McCauley Closing in on Manager Position

The latest word from the league front office is that Tom McCauley is the front runner for the new manager position. McCauley, who was recommended by The Franchise’s newly hired manager Bryan Bart, has confirmed an interest in the league, stating, “I could def fuck with fantasy baseball."

The response around the league has been enthusiastic towards the possible new hire, 

“I’d say good fit, another kid who loves his sports and would always pay attention I feel” one manager said in a private conference.

“I think the new crop of managers is adding a lot of personality and excitement” said another. 

The possible addition of Tom along with the addition of Bart could certainly inject some energy into a league that usually goes on life support from early June to late July.

“I’ve played in fantasy leagues with Tom, he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind, you can’t have enough of that attitude” Commissioner Russ Travers said in a Monday interview, “I’m going to be thankful to whoever takes this job on short notice with subpar keepers."

As far as the state of the team is concerned, there has also been a discussion among league officials to provide some sort of “compensation package” to the newest manager including draft picks and a possible amnesty clause. Stay tuned for further developments.

Some Keeper Facts

One Club Men

          Since the inaugural draft in 2008, these 4 players have played for one team and one team only, always kept, never traded, and never released from the roster*:

-David Wright, 5^th overall pick, Brad Calandrella

-Miguel Cabrera, 10^th overall pick, Eddie Perkins

-Tim Lincecum, 65^th overall pick, Ryan Fitzgibbon/Dan Alber

-Evan Longoria, 182^nd pick, Russ Travers

*Knocked off the list this year: Alex Rodriguez (Mark), Jose Reyes (Greg), Ichiro Suzuki (Roland), Mark Teixeira (Pru/Andy)

         

Five other players drafted in 2008 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year, but not by the manager who drafted them.

-Hanley Ramirez, 2nd overall pick, Zack Hanrahan, TRADED in

2010 to John DeMovellan

-Albert Pujols, 7th overall pick, Chris Pflanz, TRADED in

2008 to Russ Travers

-Ryan Braun, 18th overall pick, Chris Pflanz, TRADED in 2008

to Mark Chirokas

-C.C. Sabathia, 19th overall pick, Matt Pru, TRADED in 2008

to Chris Pflanz

-Dustin Pedroia, 85th overallpick, Zack Hanrahan, TRADED in

2011 to Greg Thompson

Face of the Team

Of the nine keepers listed above, all of them have been kept for the maximum 5 years. Maybe you didn’t end up with one of these sure things, but there was also a handful of guys taken in the 2009 draft who have stayed with the team that drafted them for four years, never dropped or traded*:

-Prince Fielder, 17^th overall pick, Brad Calandrella

-Jacoby Ellsbury, 20^th overall pick, Ryan Fitzgibbon/Dan Alber**

-Justin Verlander, 153^rd overall pick, Eddie Perkins**

*knocked off this list this year: Roy Halladay (Roland), Carl Crawford (Johnny), Joe Mauer (Greg)

**Although these players haven’t been kept every year, they have played for only one team over four years.

Two other players drafted in 2009 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year but not by the manager who drafted them.

-Felix Hernandez, 
68th overall pick, Gibbon/Dan Alber TRADED in 2010 to Matt Keaveney 

-Justin Upton, 112th 
overall pick, Eddie Perkins TRADED in 2009 to John DeMovellan

Team Vets

If you haven’t guessed what’s coming next, this next category is for players drafted in 2010 who have stayed with their respective team, never dropped or traded:

-Robinson Cano, 27^th overall pick, Russ Travers

-Carlos Gonzalez, 75^th overall pick, Russ Travers

-Josh Hamilton, 55^th overall pick, Andy Musto

-Jose Bautista, free agent, Andy Musto

-Jered Weaver, 63^rd overall pick, Brad Calandrella

-Joey Votto, 19^th overall pick, Chris Pflanz

-Andrew McCutchen, 33^rd overall pick, Matt Keaveney

-Ian Kinsler, 8^th overall pick, Eddie Perkins

Two other players drafted in 2010 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year but not by the manager who drafted them.

-Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Keaveney, TRADED to Dan Alber 2010

-Troy Tulowitzki, Russ Travers, TRADED to John DeMovellan in 2010

How Did We Get Our Keepers?

There are three ways to obtain a player in this league,
drafting, trading, and free agent acquisitions. This year, we had keepers come
from all three methods, here’s a team by team breakdown:

Andy

Draft: Hamilton ’10, Hamels ’11, Heyward ‘12

Free Agency: Bautista ‘10

Brad

Draft: Wright ’08, Fielder ’09, Weaver ’10, Encarnacion ‘12

Bryan

Draft: Strasburg ’11, Kershaw ’11, Cain ’12, Bourn ‘12

Dan

Draft: Lincecum ’08, Ellsbury ’09, Stanton ‘11

Trade: Gonzalez ‘10

Eddie

Draft: Cabrera ’08, Verlander ’09, Kinsler ’10, Kemp ‘11

Greg

Draft: Bumgarner ’12, Jones ’12, Harper ‘12

Trade: Pedroia ‘11

John

Draft: M. Trout ‘12

Trade: Upton ’09, Ramirez ’10, Tulowitzki ‘10

Matt

Draft: McCutchen ’10, Beltre ’12, Butler ‘12

Trade: Hernandez ‘09

Mark

Draft: Braun ’08, Bruce ’12, Posey ‘12, Price ‘12

Pflanz

Draft: Votto ’10, Castro ’12, Zobrist ‘12

Trade: Sabathia ‘08

Russ

Draft: Longoria ’08, Cano ’10, Gonzalez ‘10

Trade: Pujols ‘08

???

Draft: Andrus ’11, Gomez ’12, Scherzer ‘12

Trade: Granderson ‘10

79% Drafted, 19% traded for, 2% acquired off FA

Other stats

Average Age of Keepers: 28

7 Under 25 (15%) vs. 15 over 30 (31%)

Youngest keepers: Greg, avg. age = 24.75

Youngest -B. Harper, 20

Oldest keepers: Brad, avg. age = 29.5

                   Oldest -Pujols/Beltre, 33

24 AL keepers vs. 24 NL keepers

16 new keepers vs. 32 kept in years past

1 C, 6 1B, 3 2B, 5 3B, 4 SS, 16 OF, 12 SP

36 hitters (75%) vs. 12 pitchers (25%)

Russ, Dan, and Perka have the exact same keepers as last year (three straight years for the Commish)

Jose Bautista is the only 2013 keeper to have never been drafted in The Franchise.

Breaking News - Hanrahan: "my heart is not in it anymore"

Zack Hanrahan shook things up in a big way for The Franchise as he abruptly announced his resignation from the league via Facebook a mere 15 days before the draft. Hanrahan had been MIA the entire offseason, his only league activity coming when he renewed his team for the 2013 season on February 21^st.

 “I apologize for the lateness, but [I] will be resigning as well. It has been fun, or at least back in the day, my heart is not in it anymore.” He said in his official statement, which came out on Friday night at 8:15pm, less than four hours from the keeper deadline.  The news came out of nowhere, as no one had heard from him in weeks.

The feeling around the league has ranged from anger to confusion to sorrow. Defending league champion John DeMovellan could barely muster a comment, “I’m not even mad, just sad. What happened?” Reportedly DeMovellan was the last one to hear from Hanrahan in the form of a missed phone call less than a week ago.

Other managers are shocked more than anything, as evidenced by the abundance of comments on Zack’s wall post. One anonymous fan of the league even texted in to express his displeasure, “Not even part of the league but that is soo weak”.

Commissioner Russ Travers finally spoke on the matter at a Saturday press conference, “It’s disappointing, when you compare the way Roland [Zhou] left with this…I just don’t know” Although Zhou announced his resignation after a draft date was already set, it was still well before the keeper deadline, and gave ample time for the league front office to find a replacement.

Zhou posted a classy farewell on the Facebook wall days later, which earned the approval of the league by way of 9 “likes”, essentially 100% of the league (excluding new manager Bryan Bart, and Facebook ghosts Hanrahan and Andy Musto).

The commissioner didn’t dwell long on the nature of Hanrahan’s departure and spoke more towards what has to happen in the coming two weeks, “I started the search for a new manager last night, and we’re going to try to find a replacement as soon as possible.” Although Travers did express some concern as to the difficulty of the process, “Finding a replacement for Zhou was easy, he worked hard to build up some great keepers. This is a different story, this is a last place team without a lot of keeper talent, I’m just hoping we can find someone willing to take the job.”

The team is coming off a last place finish in 2012, the worst season of Zack’s 5 year Franchise career. His keepers (assigned by the league based on Yahoo O-Rank) are Curtis Granderson, Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, and Max Scherzer, not exactly championship material.

The Commissioner ended his Saturday press conference on a melancholy note, as this marks the 2^nd manager of the 10 remaining “originals” to resign this pre-season, “Of course I love the kid and the league will miss him, I just wish it could have ended differently.”

The league had held a 100% retention rate for the last two years, but Hanrahan’s departure makes him the fourth of the original twelve Franchise managers to resign since 2008.

For those of you looking for my annual keeper analysis article come back tomorrow, clearly couldn’t get it done today.