Sometimes things just don't as planned. This is one of those instances. My 2014 Tout Wars team was embarrassingly bad. We all have a sob story to tell, and since I have the pulpit, here is mine. Grab some tissues, or a six pack, and get ready to share the misery with me.
OPENING DAY ROSTER
(click on this link to see the preseason write-up).
Catcher: John Jaso ($5), Yasmani Grandal (1)
First Base: Eric Hosmer (22)
Second Base: Aaron Hill (11)
Third Base: Brett Lawrie (13)
Shortstop: Elvis Andrus (20)
Middle Infielder: Brad Miller (12)
Corner Infielder: Corey Hart (6)
OF: Matt Holliday (23), Hunter Pence (21), Alex Rios (21), B.J. Upton (6), Daniel Nava (7)
Utility: Michael Brantley (4)
Pitchers: Zack Greinke (17), Matt Cain (17), Danny Salazar (16), Sergio Romo (13), Fernando Rodney (10), Tim Lincecum (6), A.J. Burnett (4), Joaquin Benoit (3), Taijuan Walker (2)
Bench: Wily Peralta, Felipe Paulino, Chris Young, Rickie Weeks
WHAT WENT WRONG
Everything? The epitome of my issues can be seen in two deals I made (you can read about all the deals below). I needed help on the hill so I dealt for Yu Darvish and Michael Wacha. I got six starts out of Wacha and Darvish, who was injured two days after the deal was consumated, never made a single start for me. Nice huh?
I pushed, as you all know, Corey Kluber and Tyson Ross hard this spring. Hard. They both had wonderful seasons and were even better than I thought they would be (truth be told). How different would my season have been if I had passed on Cain ($17) and Salazar ($16) who were brought up early in the proceedings and just followed my gut and gone Kluber ($6) and Ross ($7)? Auctions are so hit or miss. The talent of working an auction really is an art. In this league I failed at that aspect of the game. Oh yeah, bowing out late when the bidding got to $5 for Victor Martinez, when I had enough to add him, that also turned out to be a catastrophic blunder (I let him go to the eventual league champion. If I had just bid one more dollar...). Lincecum, Burnett and Walker all offered nothing efforts.
Among the hitters... Hosmer was a failure. Ditto Hill, Lawrie, Miller, Hart and Grandal. My infield turned in an "F" effort. In a 15-team league it's nearly impossible to overcome all of that. Upton and Nava - let me remind you this league counts OBP instead of average - failed.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Do you see anything above that did?
OK, Holliday/Pence were solid plays for their cost. The best bargain from draft day on any team? Likely the $4 I spent on Brantley who was out outright superstar (.327-20-97-94-23).
On the hill Greinke was a star as he always is. Rodney piled up a career best 48, the same number he had in 2012. Peralta was a great bench add who won 17 games with a 3.53 ERA and 154 Ks.
That's it, and that's sad.
Things were so bad that here is my starting staff the final week of the season: Rodney, Qualls, Mujica, Cishek, Casilla, Rosenthal, Quakenbush, Burton. Obviously I was going for saves and trying to inch out a point or two in the ratio categories. At least I was able to accomplish that.
TRADES
Trying to plug hold like the kid sticking his finger in the dyke, the Little Dutch Boy, that was my season long goal. Nothing worked.
4/21: Sent B.J. Upton and received Billy Butler
5/25: Sent W.Peralta/Maybin/Brantley and received A.J. Pollock/Michael Wacha/Torii Hunter
6/02: Sent Eric Hosmer and received Mitch Moreland/Gerardo Parra
7/11: Sent Alex Rios/Zack Greinke and received Jason Heyward/Tanner Roark/Steve Cishek
7/13: Sent Billy Butler/Torii Hunter and received Desmond Jennings/Nathan Eovaldi
7/18: Sent Andrus/Lawrie/Trevor Bauer and received Michael Morse/Brad Miller/Adam Jones
7/18: Sent Corey Hart and received Lorenzo Cain
8/03: Sent Jason Heyward and received David Wright
8/10: Sent Hunter Pence/Brad Hand and received Yu Darvish/Grady Sizemore
8/18: Sent John Jaso and received Santiago Casilla
8/29: Sent Matt Holliday/Tanner Roark and received Andrus/ Trevor Rosenthal
8/31: Sent Adam Jones and received J.D. Martinez/Glen Perkins
Can't say I didn't give it the old college try.
ADDS
($100 FAAB)
The list is mind-numbingly long as I was scrambling all year to find something, anything. Here's the whole list. Get ready ($100 FAAB to spend).
| Date | Player | Team | Amount |
| 9.22 | JBurton | Min | 1 |
| 9.22 | AAmarista | SD | 1 |
| 9.15 | BMiller | Sea | 1 |
| 9.15 | JMercer | Pit | 1 |
| 9.15 | EMujica | Bos | 1 |
| 9.15 | JFields | Hou | 1 |
| 9.01 | KQuackenbush | SD | 10 |
| 9.01 | JoRamirez | Cle | 1 |
| 8.25 | RHernandez | LAD | 1 |
| 8.25 | LMorrison | Sea | 1 |
| 8.18 | JTurner | LAD | 1 |
| 8.18 | SRomo | SF | 1 |
| 8.18 | JFamilia | NYM | 1 |
| 8.18 | EInciarte | Ari | 1 |
| 8.11 | BOberholtzer | Hou | 1 |
| 8.11 | WCastillo | ChC | 2 |
| 8.04 | DJeter | NYY | 1 |
| 8.04 | MGonzalez | Bal | 1 |
| 8.04 | BHand | Mia | 1 |
| 8.04 | JMarisnick | Hou | 1 |
| 7.28 | JPetricka | CWS | 1 |
| 7.18 | KGiles | Phi | 5 |
| 7.07 | EMujica | Bos | 1 |
| 6.3 | ZPutnam | CWS | 1 |
| 6.3 | TDArnaud | NYM | 1 |
| 6.23 | SPearce | Bal | 4 |
| 6.23 | DBuchanan | Phi | 1 |
| 6.16 | JMontero | Sea | 1 |
| 6.09 | JMercer | Pit | 1 |
| 6.09 | DEspinosa | Was | 1 |
| 6.02 | JChamberlain | Det | 1 |
| 6.02 | RWeeks | Mil | 1 |
| 5.26 | JOviedo | FA | 1 |
| 5.12 | CMcGehee | Mia | 1 |
| 5.05 | CQualls | Hou | 1 |
| 5.05 | GGreen | LAA | 1 |
| 4.28 | MStroman | Tor | 7 |
| 4.28 | TBauer | Cle | 4 |
| 4.21 | JShuck | LAA | 1 |
| 4.14 | GGermen | NYM | 1 |
| 4.07 | PStrop | ChC | 4 |
| 4.07 | CMaybin | SD | 1 |
McGehee was a great add who I leaned on all year.
LoMo had a nice final month.
I added Mercer. Dropped him. Then added him again.
I drafted Miller and added him back in September when he finally started hitting.
WINNER: Derek Van Riper, Rotowire
FINISH: 14th out of 15 teams. If you compare my team to everyone else from draft day, don't allow trades or free agent, just go by draft day rosters, my team would have finished 12th. At least I drafted a somewhat better club than my finish suggested. Somewhat.