Author: The Commissioner

OFFICIAL BCL RULES AND REGULATIONS

The CommissionerLeave a comment

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From The Desk of The Commissioner

These are the Official and Up To Date and Decided Upon Rules Of The Backyard, once and for all and maybe even forever…… do not bitch about them later because these are them. If you ever need to find them just make your way over to the blog (google “backyardviews wordpress” or something, if this is something you struggle with) and search under “League Business” on the side there and there they shall be. Study them, know them, respect them, fear them, abide by them.

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Punishment for Exceeding Matchup Starts Limit
Beginning in 2018, exceeding a matchup’s starts limit (typically 12 starts, more in extended weeks) will result in an automatic disqualification if you win or tie a matchup, as well as a roster lock for the first FOUR (4) days of the next week’s matchup.

Special Week (Opening Week & All Star Week) Matchup Starts Limit
Opening week start limit is 19. The All Star Week Matchup start limit is 24. Owners are free to make an agreement with their opponent on a lowered start limit. Disputes between owners over a start agreement may be brought to the attention of league offices, however it’s likely said offices will say something to the effect of “shut up you fuckers and just adhere to the max start limit”.

Minor League Regulations and Requirements

– All teams must maintain a total of TEN (10) minor leaguers at all times barring a trade, DL move involving a minor league player, or on the initial day a player exceeds minor league limits. In this instance, the team will have until the next First Pitch Roster Lock to become compliant. All teams MUST ALWAYS maintain at least TEN (10) minor league players. If you do not have the full allotment of minor leaguers, you will be asked to pick up minor leaguers to reach compliance. If you do not pick up minor leaguers to reach compliance, Low Minors players will be picked up for you and they will suck or be Tim Tebow or both.

– Low Minors spots (6) are for players with 0 MLB IP and 0 MLB ABs. This is mandatory. High Minors spots (a maximum of 4) are for players under 50 MLB IP and 130 MLB ABs respectively. For players with both pitching and batting eligibility, they will lose minor league status upon reaching either threshold. There is no mandatory requirement to own FOUR (4), or any, High Minors players; however as stated above it is mandatory to roster TEN (10) minor leaguers at all times.

Regular Season Violations to Minor League Regs

STRIKES

1st Strike: Offense A (Empty minors roster slot): Warning.

1st Strike: Offense B (Rostering ineligible player at roster lock): Warning.

1st Strike: Offense C (Starting ineligible player at roster lock): Opponent is allowed to select one player that you must sit the following day.

2nd Strike: Offense A (Empty minors roster slot) Warning.

2nd Strike: Offense B (Rostering ineligible player at roster lock): Opponent is allowed to select ONE (1) player that you must sit the following day AND no adds or drops allowed for the following day.

2nd Strike: Offense C (Starting ineligible player at roster lock): Opponent is allowed to select ONE (1) player you must sit the following TWO (2) days AND offending team loses ONE (1) minor league player (High Minors, Low Minors, or Rights) to waiver wire or rights pool. Player will be picked by a jury of your peers, via GroupMe poll.

3rd Strike: Offense A (Empty minors roster slot): Lose TWO (2) minor league players (a combo of HM, LM, or Rights) to waiver wire or rights pool. Player will be picked by a jury of your peers, via GroupMe poll.

3rd Strike: Offense B (Rostering ineligible player at roster lock): Lose FOUR (4) minor league players (a combo of HM, LM, or Rights) to waiver wire or rights pool. Players will be picked by a jury of your peers, via GroupMe poll.

3rd Strike: Offense C (Starting ineligible player at roster lock): Opponent is allowed to select ONE (1) player that you must sit the remainder of the week AND minor league temporary death penalty (lose all minor league players plus rights players, must maintain 10 empty minors and 3 empty rights slots for one year from date of offense).

Violations to Minor League Regs on Sundays/Week 18/Playoffs

– Strikes proceed same as above with Sunday violations carrying into the next matchup with said opponent as needed.

– Week 18 (last week of the regular season) offenses will carry a mandatory drop of ONE (1) minor leaguer (HM, LM, or Rights); player will be picked by a jury of your peers via GroupMe poll.

– Playoff violations will result in same punishments as above for Offense A (Strikes 1 and 2) only. For Offense A (Strike 3) and Offense B and C (all), violation will result in temporary minor league death penalty (lose all minor league players plus rights players, must maintain 10 empty minors slots and 3 empty rights slots for one year from date of offense). Additionally your opponent shall be allowed to select TWO (2) players from your roster that must be benched for the remainder of the matchup.

– If an ineligible player is found in an active lineup, they can/will be removed from the lineup immediately by league officials.

Additional Minor League Reg Notes
– Starting in 2018, minor league violation totals shall be recorded and carried over year to year. Multi-year violations totals can and will be held against you, records of violations shall be maintained in Rights Players document on blog.

– Starting in 2018, 3 strike offenders of the minor league policy will lose their 1st round pick in the following Spring Draft.

– Any owner that accumulates FIVE (5) violations over any time period will not be allowed to participate in any Backyard Draft for ONE (1) full year, beginning on the day of the 5th violation.

– The intention to claim or pass on a rights player once they reach the ESPN system must be declared by the owner of their rights within 1 hour of roster lock on the day the player reaches the system. If the owner is unaware of the player reaching the system for more than 24 hours, the decision must be made within ONE (1) hour of them finding out the player is in the system.

– Rosters may be non-compliant on the day a player comes off of the DL up until roster lock. Previously this rule applied to minor leaguers only, now it applies to all players.

-Owners eliminated from the postseason may allow their current minor league players to exceed the maximums up until the end of the ACTUAL BASEBALL SEASON. Once the World Series concludes, offseason rules for minor leaguers will begin.

Rights Players/Rights Draft(s) Guidelines:

  • Participation in the Rights Players process is not required for any team that does not wish to participate.
  • You may only have THREE (3) draft rights players at any given time.
    • If you decide to keep any of your Rights Players, you will forfeit your picks in the next Rights Draft in descending order (3,2,1) depending on how many players you keep/how many rounds the draft contains.
    • If you renounce the rights to your Rights Player, they will be available in the draft. If they’re not drafted, they are ineligible to be selected in any form until they show up in the system, or the offseason draft.
    • An updated list of Rights Player rosters is on the blog. See blog.
  • Trades are acceptable for Rights Draft picks, and Rights Draft picks for the Spring Rights Draft. This is already being tracked.
  • Rights Players currently unattached to teams ARE eligible but with the following conditions:
    • If a player is drafted in this year’s draft rights draft, they MUST sign with an organization by the All-Star Break Rights Draft (TBD). If they are not attached to a team by that time, they will be released back into the pool for the next year’s draft.
    • This is not negotiable. This is a risk that you take for picking this player. You are being warned.
  • Again, just a little refresher on the draft rights process:
    • If you draft a player, you are obligated to make a decision on his roster status for your team the second he is found to be available in the ESPN player pool.
    • You are free to add him or decline and send him back to the player pool.
    • If you add this player, you will use your waiver spot. Your waiver spot will be used REGARDLESS of whether we notice a player is on or off waivers at the time.
    • If you relinquish the rights to a player, he’s available (via waivers or free agency) to the rest of the league.
    • It’s simple, really.
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OFFICIAL BCL RULES AND REGULATIONS

Out To Pasture? A Shane McCann Joint

The CommissionerLeave a comment

 

S1

 

I sat alone in my pizza taxi the other night, contemplating some of my moves and overall composition of my fantasy roster. I thought, I did a good job getting some young dudes. I mentally patted myself on the back and everything. I did some more extensive sleuthing to find I DID NOT do as good a job as I thought I had in comparison to the rest of ya’ll. That said, I present a ranking of every teams in terms of how old you(r rosters) all reallllllly are. Major Leaguers were examined only.

 

These are done with rosters examined on or about March 23rd, 2018. Ages are averaged out for Opening Day, SO NO MORE ROSTER MOVES UNTIL THEN LOBMAN AND ODOM. Last year’s lowest total moves were the BackdoorSliderz and they made a TOTAL of 191 moves. These two have combined for 52 in ONE MONTH (30 and 22, respectively) and I can’t keep this updated daily until Opening Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ranked Oldest to Youngest

 

 

S2

  1. Astoria Isotopes – Average Age – 29.958 years old

 

Batters Only – 29.39 (4th)

 

Pitchers Only – 30.68 (2nd)

 

Oldest Player – Robinson Cano, 35.44 years old

 

Youngest Player – Matt Olson, 24 years old

 

The Topes have built a roster largely of established veterans and currently own the 6th oldest player currently rostered inn recent pickup Pat Neshek. They own the second oldest pitching staff and oldest overall roster probably due to that pickup, as they were only older by probably a day or two over the next team. I’m not doing the math but as you can see it’s super close. Their youngest player will turn 24 on Opening Day (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT OLSON!) But, hey, at least Aaron Judge is there and isn’t fantasy dead yet, though even he will be 26 shortly after the start of the season. Free agent Greg Holland is still rostered too and he’s on the wrong side of 32. I’m making that a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

S3

  1. Barnegat Banana Slugs – Average Age – 29.957 years old

 

Batters Only – 28.82 (5th)

 

Pitchers Only – 31.41 (1st)

 

Oldest Player – Fernando Rodney, 41.03 years old

 

Youngest Player – Luis Severino, 24.10 years old

 

The Slugs shed at least one aging player in the offseason (see Jake Arrieta) yet still boast far and away the oldest group of hurlers by about ¾ of a year. Sure, Rodney sorta jacks up the average there a bit, but it’s not my decision to roster him. Only two pitchers at all are even under 28 (Jon Gray & Luis Severino.) Thankfully, I guess, some young bats keep their geriatric pitching staff feeling young again, with only three guys over 30, Tommy Pham included.

 

 

 

 

 

S4

  1. Rojo’s Renegade Force – Average Age – 29.70 years old

 

Batters Only – 30.47 (1st)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.70 (5th)

 

Oldest Player – Adrian Beltre, 38.98 years old

 

Youngest Player – Joey Gallo, 24.36 years old

 

The old Force, pun intended, will trot out the oldest group of bats in the league, and the only offensive group collectively over 30. Buoyed by the seemingly ageless (but not actually ageless) Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz, you have to think Father Time will catch up eventually. To counter this, only Johnny Cueto will be aged more than a week over 30 from their stable of arms and a healthy dose of youth does patrol the field to account for – I’m sure – the soon to be retirement of the elder statesmen.

 

 

 

 

 

S5.jpg

  1. Q-Tip City Morning Wood – Average Age – 29.05 years old

 

Batters Only – 29.86 (2nd)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.22 (10th)

 

Oldest Player – Zack Greinke, 34.44 years old

 

Youngest Player – Ian Happ 23.63 years old

 

OH HOW WRONG WAS I?? The Wooders squad contains the second OLDEST bats. This is after I did some work getting younger! SAD! Happ does figure to be a lineup staple for years but age is a vengeful mistress and a healthy amount are at or near 30. Evan Longoria & Daniel Murphy are on that wrong side of 32 I spoke of and Lorenzo Cain will be too shortly after Opening Day. BUT HEY, the pitching is super young, which could be a good and bad thing. Only two are going to be 32+ – close enough Felix – and six are 27 or younger. If they all pan out this could be a dangerous stable of arms, a la the Warriors staff even, in like 5 years. Pitching isn’t volatile though. Is it??

 

 

 

 

S6

  1. Bellcrest Park Babadooks – Average Age – 28.87 years old

 

Batters Only – 29.53 (3rd)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.54 (8th)

 

Oldest Player – Ryan Madson, 37.58 years old

 

Youngest Player – Cody Bellinger, 22.71 years old

 

The ushe blog writer, Los Babadooks, feature some of the oldest stick handlers (despite the rostering of Bellinger and Gary Sanchez) with wily veterans Edwin Encarnacion and Joey Votto, though the bunch is only, on average, about a week older than 4th place. Old Man Ryan Madson is BY FAR the oldest ball handler though, an astounding 7 YEARS older than the next arm, and the only one born before 1987, which is why they have the 3rd youngest staff in the league.

 

 

 

 

 

S7.jpg

  1. Mission Valley X*Rayz – Average Age – 28.50 years old

 

Batters Only – 28.43 (6th)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.59 (7th)

 

Oldest Player – James Shields, 36.27 years old

 

Youngest Player – Roberto Osuna, 24.14 years old

 

The X*Rayz built their championship team with speed (largely anyway) and guys who get on base and that can in part be attributed to the general infusion of youth on the team. Both pitchers and batters are stirkingly similar in age groups and both rank in the bottom half collectively. Besides being the only one willing to roster James Sheilds, only Jeff Samardzija, Yadier Molina and Ian Desmond fall on the “wrong side of 32” as I’ve decidedly coined it. The GM can’t keep half these guys on the roster though and I have no doubt a slew of moves probably happened sometime between when I started this paragraph and when I finished it, but this is not a constantly changing list, folks.

 

 

 

 

 

S8

  1. Lacey Township BackdoorSliderz – Average Age – 28.23 years old

 

Batters Only – 27.36 (8th)

 

Pitchers Only – 29.53 (3rd)

 

Oldest Player – Rich Hill, 38.05 years old

 

Youngest Player – Ozzie Albies, 21.22 years old

 

The Sliderz currently roster the youngest Backyard player in Albies which makes their entry as the 3rd youngest bunch of batters not all that surprising. Only a handful of batters are even over 28, four to be exact. Where the wheels fall off would be the relatively nursing home eligible pitching staff. Jon Lester is 34 and Luke Gregerson soon will be too, and that’s without further mentioning the 3rd oldest Backyarder in Hill. Only two pitchers are 25 and none are younger.

 

 

 

 

 

S9

  1. River City Bad Dudes – Average Age – 28.20 years old

 

Batters Only – 27.64 (7th)

 

Pitchers Only – 29.41 (4th)

 

Oldest Player – Brandon Morrow 33.67 years old

 

Youngest Player – Nomar Mazara, 22.92 years old

 

Another GM that will probably blow up my preseason projections because of the incessant moves, the Bad Dudes slot currently as the third youngest roster, though nearly a year older than the bottom two. Despite this, only 4 players sit on that wrong side of 32 I keep bringing up. Key players like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts are all still just 25 and while the pitching staff isn’t among the younger staffs in the league, some Bad Dudes favorites like Sonny Gray, Danny Salazar and Marcus Stroman are all 28 or younger.

 

 

 

 

 

S10
PRETEND THIS IS ROSARIO AND NOT REYES….
  1. Ocean Gate Trout Fishing Club – Average Age – 27.35 years old

 

Batters Only – 26.73 (9th)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.025 (9th)

 

Oldest Player – Justin Verlander, 35.10 years old

 

Youngest Player – Amed Rosario, 22.26 years old

 

The Fishing Club might be a guy for years if the seemingly surplus of youth ALL works out long term. They missed out on youngest pitching staff by a day (yes, one day) and roster two of the five youngest in the Backyard (Yoan Moncada & Amed Rosario.)  They have just 5 players over 30 and only three surpass 32, in Todd Frazier, Justin Verlander & Andrew Miller.) If they work out, this could be a scary group for some years.

 

 

 

 

 

S11

  1. Garden State Warriors – Average Age – 27.17 years old

 

Batters Only – 25.79 (10th)

 

Pitchers Only – 28.67 (6th)

 

Oldest Player – Ryan Braun, 34.36 years old

 

Youngest Player – Yoan Moncada, 22.84 years old

 

The Garden State Baby Boomers – let’s pretend that associated with babies and not people in their 60s or 70s – have FAR, FAR and away the youngest offense, nearly a full year younger than anyone else at just 25.79 years old. Savvy trades and patience for minor leaguers has no doubt shaped this roster with only Ryan Braun topping even 28 years old on the offensive side. The pitching staff does feature a few “old guys” with David Price being the elder statesman at just 32 but they are still in the bottom half of younger pitching. The spectre of age 30 will creep on a bunch of guys shortly after the season begins, with Stephen Strasburg, Craig Kimbrel, Clayton Kershaw and James Paxton all turning 30 at some point early in the year. OK, Paxton is during the season but you get the idea. Did you know he is Canadian? I learned something today.

 

—-

 

 

 

 

What does all of this mean?

S12

 

Well, pretty much, but it was a tiring exercise meant to entertain that I’m sure exactly zero of you will appreciate but I DID IT ANYWAY.   (EDITOR’S NOTE:  SEAN VERY MUCH APPRECIATES IT.)

 

Out To Pasture? A Shane McCann Joint

Your March Trades Wake Up Call via Morning Wood

The CommissionerLeave a comment

There were quite a few moves made these past few weeks. I know you all care SOOO deeply about what the guy who loses most of his trades thinks BUT it’s about goddamn time someone effing did one. So, deal with it. By Shane McCann-can-can

 

First Trade (3/1):

XRAYZ traded Elvis Andrus, TEX SS to BABDOOKS
XRAYS traded Justin Smoak, TOR 1B to BABDOOKS

BABADOOKS traded Matt Carpenter, STL 1B to XRAYZ
BABADOOKS traded Jorge Mateo, OAK SS to XRAYZ

I’m PRETTY sure there was a draft pick swap somewheres in there too but I ain’t got the time to go find it. Maybe if ya’ll updated ya dang Twitter pages I wouldn’t have to.

 

 

1B Matt Carpenter  –  32 year old 1B for the Cardinals. Carp is coming off a pretty usual Carp year in terms of counting stats (23 HR, 69 RBI, .384 OBP) and is far from dead at his age. He has lost some of his appeal with declining appearances at other positions, though he could and should 2B or 3B eligibility late in the season. Not that the X-Rayz give a crap as they’ve casually tossed Carpenter away already.

SS Jorge Mateo – 22 year old SS for the A’s. Ranked at 72 overall on MLB.com and is the A’s 4th ranked prospect. Rated highest by Baseball America at 64. Mateo fits the typical X-Rays profile of speed and average and will likely be back at AA to start the season.

SS Elvis Andrus  –  29 year old SS for the Rangers. Doesn’t it feel like Andrus should be older? Some very non-Andrus like numbers in 2017 (20 HRs, 88 RBI) seem WAY off the charts (steroids?) considering he’s never topped EIGHT dongs before. But, I’m sure the allure of Andrus lies in his speed, which he has in spades, and the general weakess of the middle infield for fantasy purposes.

1B Justin Smoak – 31 year old 1B for the Blue Jays. At least this guy kinda had the power thing going all along but exploded with a career best 38 round trippers and a stunning 90 ribbies and a suddenly non Mendoza Line riding batting average. The hope is he keeps it up and maybe the Blue Jays don’t die of dysentery this season and maybe aren’t terrible and this looks genius come August.

This was a tough one, but I gotta go with the BABADOOKS. Even if Smoak returns to pre-2017 levels and gets dropped (as I predict he will) Andrus is a nice enough guy to have around filling up the middle of the infield. Mateo isn’t SUPER highly rated and Carpenter was flipped for a dude not in the ESPN system yet which we’ll get to later. Immediate returns favor the Babadooks as I see it.

Second Trade (3/4):

OGTFC traded Yasiel Puig, RF, LAD to SLUGS

SLUGS traded Brent Honeywell, SP TB to OGTFC

THE FISHING CLUB RETURN:

SP Brent Honeywell – about to be 23 year old SP for the Rays. Ranked as high as 11 (Baseball Prospectus) and generally in that vicinity anywhere else. Went under the knife in late February and is already out for the 2018 season and possibly beyond for that pesky Tommy John surgery. He was pretty dominant in the lower levels of the minors and kept it going into AAA with a sky high 11.3 K/9 between the upper two levels. This guy can be something special if he can return to form and keep the character concerns at bay.

RF Yasiel Puig  –  27 year old RF for the Dodgers. Good not great numbers that were much better in ‘17 than over his young career, he could maybe be a guy heading into next year and beyond. Maybe a little odd that his agent dropped him. MAYBE a little concerning that he found himself DEMOTED as recently as 2016. I still think he can produce those good but not great numbers as long as he keeps out of prolonged slumps and ends up in the minors again.

The Return I Like M

HARD TO SAY AGAIN because as much as I like both players, Tommy John surgery isn’t something to dismiss (unlike your client AMIRITE??) nor is being demoted mid-season for literally sucking. My initial reaction at the time of the trade was the Slugs getting out ahead BUT since we are a dynasty league I have to go with the FISHING CLUB in the end. You kinda already know what you’re getting with Puig and while he is a solid dude, the upside of Honeywell is too much for this casual observer to ignore.

Third Trade (3/4):

XRAYZ traded Lorenzo Cain, MIL CF to WOOD

XRAYZ received the 4th pick in the All-Star Break Draft
WOOD received the 8th pick in the All-Star Break Draft

 

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

4th Pick in the Draft – Little hard to place a value on a pick when the actual draft hasn’t taken place. Moving up four spots does have it’s advantages though

THE WOOD RETURN:

CF Lorenzo Cain – nearly 32 year old CF for the Brewers. Cain offers a skill set that is (was?) SEVERELY lacking in Q-Tip City. One that helped the X-Rayz to a title is all. He moves to a more hitter-friendly park in Milwaukee and while he won’t offer drastic numbers in the power department, that was clearly not the direction headed with this acquisition.

8th pick in the draft – See above, except for moving down bad.

It’s a little biased BUT I like the WOOD side more. Decent speed picked up for little more than a draft pick swap. Considering how much our normal writer dislikes rating draft pick trades, it would appear the Wooders got Cain for practically nothing, even if he was headed from Dropsville anyway.

The Fourth Trade (3/6):

SLUGS traded Adam Eaton, CF/WAS to WOOD
SLUGS traded Cody Allen, RP/CLE to WOOD
SLUGS traded Jimmie Sherfy, RP/AZ to WOOD

WOOD traded Alex Reyes, SP/STL to SLUGS
WOOD traded Erick Fedde, SP/WAS to SLUGS

THE WOOD RETURN:

CF Adam Eaton – 29 year old CF for the Nationals. Slugs GM Brian Smith had a mini meltdown following Eaton’s season-ending injury last year (because this was the seemingly 75th injury to a Slugs player at that point) and rightfully so as he was on to something good in 2017. He was at a career high OBP when the injury happened on a good team. Sadly, the injury derailed said breakout season and threatens to delay the start of his 2018 campaign. HOWEVER, once healthy, he figures to return to form a produce good, solid counting stats for the Wooders this year.

RP Cody Allen – 29 year old RP for the Indians. Allen notched 30 saves for the 3rd straight year for the Wahoos last year and a sub 3.00 ERA while posting a K/9 of 12.3. This was the prize of the deal and while closers occasionally are a risky move because of how quickly they can lose their jobs, Allen does seem to have one of the more secure jobs in baseball despite the now yearly spectre of Andrew Miller.

RP Jimmie Sherfy – 26 year old for the Diamondbacks. In a normal situation, you don’t trade for what amounts to a holds guy (for now, anyway) but with 10.2 IP of shutout ball last year, he will nab (hopefully) holds while under high minors status. Is it SP, RP minors holds? No, but ya take what you can get.

SP Alex Reyes  –  23 year old pitcher for the Cardinals. Reyes is coming off TJ surgery but has shown in his previous 46 IP in The Show that he can produce. 4-1 record, 1.57 ERA and a K/9 over 10 in those 46 IP. His role when he returns (May-ish) is a bit undefined and muddy at best BUT I see no reason he isn’t getting something important, be it holds, saves or dubyas, in the near future. Speaking of future, the dude is just 23 so he has a lot of time to return to the dominance he showed in 2016. He is MLB.com’s 17th ranked overall prospect for a reason.

SP Erick Fedde – 25 year old Nationals pitcher. Currently competing for a spot in the major league rotation, this dude was TRRRBUL in 2017 in his limited time before basically dying of an forearm injury and losing the rest of his season. He’s fallen off the MLB prospects watch in terms of their top 100 but he remains the 4th guy on the Nats list, and their top pitcher. He has the stuff to be a mid rotation type of guy still if he sticks around in the Big Dance.

The MORNING WOOD in a landslide, if one GroupMe poll is to be believed. While Reyes is a nice piece to potentially build a franchise around, the haul of a top 10 closer, potential future closer and a strong center fielder all under the age of 30 raised some eyebrows and I humbly agree.

Fifth Freaking Trade (3/

WOOD traded Adam Duvall, LF/CIN to LTBS

LTBS traded Kolby Allard, SP/ATL to WOOD

LF Adam Duvall – 29 year old LF for the Reds. Duvall followed up his 2016 All-Star breakout season with a pretty similar 2017 (without the All-Star selection, sad face) which in most formats was pretty good. 31 ding dongs, 99 RBI and that unsightly .301 OBP. That looks to be his only real weakness because he strikes out a lot but I guess it could be constant double play balls which would matter to his real life team FAR more than the Sliderz. An overall solid but not flashy contributor who finds himself whored out this offseason, only to return to where is all began and without so much as a single AB for either team that cast him aside.

SP Kolby Allard –  20 year old pitcher for the Braves. Rankings for this former 1st round pick vary greatly, from Baseball America at 65 to Baseball Prospectus, which places him at 24. He’s reached as high as AA ball and figures to return there to start the 2018 season. He’s shown a middling ERA and K rate so far in the minors but he’s still only going to be 21 this year.

As much as I don’t like it, I like the BACKDOOR SLIDERZ return better. A fly on the wall of the negotiations told me that this was a smooth transaction with both owners finding a good match and making it happen. Duvall isn’t a sexy name (think Jay Bruce) but he is going to produce some pretty sexy numbers even with the probably bad on base percentage. Allard is a bit of an unknown and just isn’t highly touted as a prospect. The Braves tend to know what they’re doing but no one is perfect and we won’t know how this pans out in hindsight until he cracks the majors, maybe in 2019. FOR NOW, Duvall is the better player here.

The Sixth Goddamn Trade (3/7):

XRAYZ traded Matt Carpenter, 1B/STL to LTBS

LTBS traded Hunter Greene, SP/CIN to XRAYZ

Also swapped were LTBS receiving the 2nd overall pick and X-RAYZ receiving the 15th pick

THE BACKDOOR SLIDERZ RETURN:

1B Matt Carpenter – Ya’ll know how I feel about this guy. See above.

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

SP Hunter Greene’s rights –  18 year old pitcher for the Reds. Second overall draft pick in the MLB draft last year. Super young still and yet so highly rated, sitting at 21 on MLB.com and 29 on Baseball America. Won’t sniff the majors for some time but he’s highly touted and THEY’RE NEVER WRONG!

The Return I Like More:

The BACKDOOR SLIDERZ. If memory serves, Greene was picked 1st last summer which you can view as a swap for that 2 spot, which in theory was slightly lower value. I then look at it as getting Matt Carpenter with the 15th pick, which if he were a free agent and in the pool he wouldn’t fall as low. It’s close, but I see a TEENSY bit more value heading to Lacey Township than it sent out.

Mercy Me, the Seventh and Last Trade (3/8):

BAD DUDES traded Monte Harrison, CF/MIA to XRAYZ

XRAYZ traded Adonis Medina, SP/PHI to BAD DUDES
XRAYZ traded Lazaro Armenteros, LF/OAK to BAD DUDES

Also swapped were X-Rayz receiving the 19th overall pick and the Bad Dudes receiving the 15th pick.

THE BAD DUDES RETURN:

SP Adonia Medina – 21 year old pitcher for the Phillies. Ranked 86th on MLB.com, Medina has languished in Low A ball so far but he is still only recently allowed to purchase alcohol. What he has done in that class has been serviceable if not great with low ERAs countered by a middling strikeout rate. Could be a guy but leaning, for me, towards like a Jon Garland.

LF Lazaro Armenteros – 18 year old left fielder for the A’s. This poor kid has been traded, dropped and traded like a $5 whore the past few months it seems. Ranked 7th on the A’s prospect list (it’s something?) he’s so far only played some rookie ball with little to show for it sooooo who knows.

THE X-RAYZ RETURN:

CF Monte Harrison –  almost 23 year old CF for the Marlins. Generally ranked in the 70s on our major ranking sites. He was a piece in the trade that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee and no doubt was acquired (here and in Miami) for his speed, though he has shown some pop lately.

The Return I Like More:

The X-RAYZ yet again. This is partly because Lazaro was dropped and then traded for a week late by the same dude. Prooooobably could have just dropped someone else BUT I shall manage my own damn team. Harrison looks like a slightly better prospect of the two others and seems closer to making his major league debut than Medina, though I still do like him. Far from a landslide here but points off for the Lazaro thing.

Your March Trades Wake Up Call via Morning Wood

10 Players Rival GMs Will Lowkey Be Keeping One Eye On

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The Backyard Fantasy Baseball League has become a year round spectacle, with all 10 GMs trapped in our lil GroupMe bubble (despite what Mikey T thinks, yes all 10) for 365 days of the year. With all that coverage comes intense scrutiny for every move, add/drop, or blockbuster trade you make. The GroupMe chat will usually pick a winner and loser of each trade, and then tear into the loser. The blog soon follows to kick the losing GM while they are down (DESERVEDLY SO). Much like modern day social media, however, the initial reaction can sometimes be uneducated and misguided. Each GM has their reasoning and rationale for their decisions, and it all fits into the big picture of their team. Having said that, there is no denying that we each covet our core players and most of our team overall. The loss of a beloved fan favorite, face of the farm, or super-role player is more painful than any comment that can come from a group chat. Today we rundown the departed players that each GM will secretly be keeping tabs on in team headquarters.

Mission Valley X-Rayz: 2B Daniel Murphy (traded to Q-Tip City in 2017 offseason)

What they miss: It seems like the champagne shower was still drying on the X-Rayz locker room floor when news broke that they had traded Daniel Murphy to Q-Tip City. GM Mike Odom is known for being aggressive with his moves and sold an aging piece for a bounty of young talent and picks. Management felt Murphy was at peak trade value, coming off an age 32 season that saw him start in the All Star Game. But as the X-Rayz head into 2018 expecting nothing less than a repeat, there is no denying the gaping hole left in the middle of the lineup with the departure of Murphy’s 23 HRs, 43 doubles, and .384 OBP.

X-Rayz biggest fear: Murphy makes it back for Opening Day and shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to show his great OBP while mashing 20+ dongs and 40+ doubles once again. This is actually what is expected from X-Rayz management out of Murphy in 2018, it’s 2019 and beyond they are worried about. Always trying to be one step ahead, Mike Odom may be kicking himself if a title defense falls short due to a lackluster offense while Murphy rakes in 2018.

Lacey BackdoorSliderz: Shohei Ohtani, P/OF (Passed on by BDS in 2017 ASB Draft at picks #1 & #3)

What they miss: Lacey never actually owned Ohtani. After making several pre-ASB Draft trades , they controlled the top of the board and had not one but two shots at the dual position international superstar. Fearing there would be issues with his US arrival, GM Sean Dochney passed on Ohtani at #1 and #3 overall for Hunter Greene and Juan Soto. Ohtani fell to the Renegades at #6, and is now going to be the first ever positional player/pitcher in ESPN’s system.

BackdoorSliderz biggest fear: Ohtani not only matches but exceeds the hype, becoming a legitimate positional player as well as legitimate pitcher. Watching Ohtani become the first player ever to register a stat in more than 7 categories in one season under the Backyard scoring format as a Renegade will be a tough piece of sushi for Dochney to swallow.

Astoria Isotopes: Rhys Hoskins 1B/OF (acquired via waivers then traded to Bellcrest)

What they miss: NOTHING because the man never suited up for Astoria. Following the X-Rayz BCS finals minor league violation debacle, Isotopes GM Mikey T’s patience was rewarded as he snatched up nuclear hot bat Rhys Hoskins. Deciding not to buy into the hype, T ended up flipping Rhys in a package with Cody Bellinger and Scott Kingery to acquire superstar 3B Nolan Arenado. Assuming they did their research, one must think Astoria views Hoskins as just as a guy and not a potential superstar in the making.

Isotopes biggest fear: We all know what Cody Bellinger can be (he has shown us) and Scott Kingery is still just a lottery ticket, but there is no denying the power potential Rhys Hoskins showed in his brief major league time during 2017. Everyone is aware of Arenado’s monster credentials (reigning Backyard MVP), elite ability (120 HRs in last 3 years), and dream home park (Coors, duhz), Astoria may have overpaid for their soon to be 27 year old 3B. If Hoskins continues to improve and becomes a 30/100 25 year old with IF/OF eligibility, it will pain Mikey T to watch a Phillies game for the foreseeable future.

Rojo’s Renegades: Kyle Schwarber, OF (traded to Ocean Gate before 2017 in-season deadline)

What they miss: Not much to miss here outside of one thing: massive upside. Schwarber has been a nightmare for GM Ryan “Rojo” Johnson since being acquired in a trade, suffering a brutal injury, losing his C eligibility, and having a miserable 2017 at the plate. With all that said, Rojo clearly had big hopes for Schwarbs, and the Cubs themselves did as well. After being fast tracked to the majors, the mega potential still looms beneath the ugly blemishes on his resumé.

Renegades biggest fear: Despite winning this trade in most people’s opinion, any slight regression by Madison Bumgarner combined with a monster and sustained power explosion by Schwarber could swing this trade back into OGTFC’s favor. Rojo invested a lot of time and assets into Schwarber, as well as other projects such as Joey Gallo and Julio Urias. Traditionally clutching his projects tight, watching Schwarber become a 30 HR guy with any sort of solid OBP will be devastating to Rojo’s trade morale for years to come.

Bellcrest Babadooks: Ronald Acuña, OF (traded to Lacey in 2017 offseason)

What they miss: Acuña never stepped foot on a Backyard major league level field for the Babadooks, so the team isn’t missing much. After being mined from the waiver wire depths early on in the season by GM Sean McLaughlin, the Braves OF skyrocketed up prospect boards and is sitting atop most currently. Forever the prospect pessimist, Sean opted to do what Mikey T also did when he found something valuable on the side of the road: post it on Backyard’s version of eBay. The Babadooks got a young stud arm in Aaron Nola, a top prospect in his own right in Fernando Tatis Jr., and wild card Jonathan Villar in exchange for the top prospect in baseball. And as they say in the Simpsons:

Babadooks biggest fear: Nowhere is it published that Nola will become Kershaw-esque and Tatis Jr. is highly touted but isn’t breaking any scouting grading systems currently. If Acuña matches or exceeds the massive hype he’s receiving, oh boy. The BackdoorSliderz will have a superstar to build around for a decade to come, while Bellcrest faithful will look longingly at Acuña from afar. Daydreams of a Bellinger/Acuña combo dancing in their head as they watch Villar sit for the 4th day in a row.

Barnegat Banana Slugs: Jake Arrieta, SP (Traded to River City in 2017 offseason)

What to miss: A LOT. There was a lot GM Brian Smith likes about Jake the Snake. Here is a short list

  • His beard
  • His intensity
  • His fastball
  • His eyes
  • His muscles
  • The fact that he didn’t need PEDs to succeed
  • His monster 2015 season

So while you could argue Starling Marte could make this spot, I could argue he BROKE BRIAN’S HEART with that suspension. So Arrieta it is here.

Banana Slugs biggest fear: Jake finally gets signed, has a chip on his shoulder, and replicates his 2015 performance while wearing a Bad Dudes uniform.

Ocean Gate Trout Fishing Club: Brendan Rodgers, SS (traded to Lacey before 2017 trade deadline)

What they miss: Ocean Gate still boasts a stocked farm system even after this trade, so Rodgers isn’t necessarily a huge loss CURRENTLY. The fact that he was traded along with Justin Turner for Brian Dozier in a dynasty league leaves the door open on this deal. Did the OGTFC overpay? Will they regret moving Rodgers?

Ocean Gate’s biggest fear: Heroy is going to claim he fears nothing, and hell with his deep farm he can overcome this scenario. But you can’t question it will sting if Rodgers becomes a premiere 2B and or SS with 20+/80+ a season while Dozier fizzles out by 2020. The Coors factor is the icing on the cake in this scenario.

Toms River Titans: Rafael Devers, 3B (traded to Renegades during 2017 season)

What they miss: The Titans already miss the scintillating potential, as well as the 10 HRs and 30 RBIs hit by Devers in the majors last year. For a GM that is renowned for his shrewd moves, Ryan McLaughlin sure took a bath when he sent BOTH George Springer and Rafael Devers outta town to acquire Yu Darvish (other garnish was involved). Springer is a superstar and we won’t even go into that, but Devers becoming a star in his own right would be the ultimate slap in the face to Ryan.

Titans biggest fear: Devers emerges as an elite power hitter out of the 3B position for a decade or so, while Springer continues to be a dominant bat. Yu Darvish fades away into the sunset with lackluster seasons after 2020, leaving the Titans to watch the duo they traded away combine for 60+/200+ for years to come.

Q-Tip City Morning Wood: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B (traded to Banana Slugs in 2017 offseason)

What they miss: Oh not much only the first 80 grade ever given out for a prospect’s hit tool. 😮 After coming in dead last for the 2017 season, the Morning Wood traded both their top draft picks and their top prospect. An interesting decision for a team trying to mold for the future, and all the pressure in the world (well, I guess only Q-Tip City) is on Starling Marte. While many have criticized GM Shane McCann’s moves, there is no denying the additions of Marte and Murphy make for a better 2018 product on field.

Morning Wood biggest fear: Vlad Jr. becomes the second coming of Vlad but with a better batter’s eye. Guerrero dominates and becomes a top 1-5 player in baseball, giving the Banana Slugs a superduperstar to build around until roughly the time Shane’s kid’s have graduated college.

River City Bad Dudes: Gleyber Torres, SS(traded to Isotopes before 2017 season)

What they miss: Nothing, considering he was acquired only so he could be flipped again for Craig Kimbrel. But what if Mikey T held up rival GM Mike Lobman for more loot, and left Torres stranded in anti-Yankees country River City? The backlash against T at the time would have been extreme, and Lobman would have been livid when Torres tore his UCL. But fast forward to today, and Bad Dudes 2B Rougie Odor had a miserable 2017, leading to questions about his future with the team. And the anti-Yankees stigma died the instant Giancarlo Stanton donned the pinstripes. So, after failing to win the title with Kimbrel’s elite 2017, we now turn our attention to Torres in an attempt to give this trade a final grade.

Bad Dudes biggest fear: It isn’t a fear as much as a “woulda shoulda coulda”, considering Lobman never intended to keep Torres but he would likely be very happy to have him today. If Torres goes on to become a superstar and bats in front of Stanton while Kimbrel slowly erodes, this trade will be an easy evaluation.

10 Players Rival GMs Will Lowkey Be Keeping One Eye On

2018 Spring Draft (Rights Mock) by Mitch Russo

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After gathering information and listening to GMs during the offseason, I’m finally ready to put pen to ink and bathe myself in some rumor and innuendo. Some slots are based on projected forfeiture of rights by teams prior to the draft. I’ve heard enough from reputable sources to justify my projections. Without further adieu, our first mock draft.

1. Toms River TBD- Pavin Smith, 1B, Diamondbacks

21 year old that has a good bat projection, especially if pop comes along. The pitching wealthy Artist Formerly Known As the Titans would love to pair Pavin in their pipeline with last years #5 overall ASB selection, 1B Brendan McKay, as they look to fortify their offensive attack.

2. Point Loma X-Rayz: Forrest Whitley, SP, Astros

It’s no secret X-Rayz GM loves trees, so it’s of no surprise Forrest Whitley is at the top of his draft board. Add that to the fact that he’s 6’7″ and has been a K-Gun in the minors thus far, it’s easy to see why Point Loma has pegged him this high.

3. Rojo’s Renegades: Yoshihisa Hirano, RP, Diamondbacks

Another thing that is no secret: Renegades management LOVES holds. Considering the Renegades have the most open rights slots to fill (by my projections), they can afford to use this high selection on a “non-prospect” due to his seemingly defined bullpen role and minor league eligibility. After just missing the 2017 postseason, a win now move like this makes a lot of sense.

4. OGTFC: Jesus Sanchez, OF, Rays

One of the hardest, if not the hardest, teams to project. And unfortunately for me they’ve shrewdly gone and acquired back to back picks in the Spring Draft. Let’s just randomly link them to this super talented Rays outfielder and hope for the best.

5. OGTFC: Bubba Thompson, OF, Rangers

I DIDN’T WRITE THIS TO AVOID THE TOUGH QUESTIONS. So let’s link Heroy to another random player and hope for the best. The former two way athlete could appeal to Ocean Gate scouts, and their insane value on Trea Turner leads me to believe they are still on the hunt for long term steal guys. WHAT THE HELL why not.

6. Banana Slugs- J.B. Bukauskas, SP, Astros

With a stocked offensive pipeline, and their Major League aces aging with every year, I see a flamethrower in this slot to the Slugs. I am throwing J.B. in here, since I’ve just got a gut feeling his stuff would appeal to management down there. Disclaimer: YES I KNOW YOU HAVE BRENT HONEYWELL

7. Isotopes- Chance Adams, SP, Yankees

8. Toms River TBD- Adam Haseley, OF, Phillies

Haseley seems to be much better on paper than Mickey Moniak (who went #1 in the Spring 2017 Backyard Draft 🙄) , and the Titans would be very happy to walk away from this draft with a bat like Pavin and a toolsy OF like Haseley.

9. Rojo’s Renegades- Keston Hiura, 2B, Brewers

The savvy Rojo can easily snag the Major League ready Hirano at #3 and still scoop up the tremendous bat of Hiura here with their next pick. The .422 OBP in the minors thus far won’t be what sell this man to team management, it’s going to be the fact that Hiura is half Japanese and half Chinese!

10. Isotopes- Ian Anderson, SP, Braves

No, I did not forget to write a blurb for Mikey T’s first pick. There was simply nothing else that needed to be said. CLOSE to the same here. Once ‘Topes management stumbles upon the fact that Anderson went #3 overall in the 2016 MLB draft to the Braves they will slowly submit their god damn draft card for the second year in a row I’m sure.

11. Rojo’s Renegades- Jake Burger, 3B, White Sox

After dropping Nick Pratto, the Renegades add another corner IF with some long term pop projection. The ghost of the WVU Bombers will never die, and this team will forever want boppers at heart.

2018 Spring Draft (Rights Mock) by Mitch Russo

2018 Announcements 

The CommissionerLeave a comment

Eyes on the Future, Part 1

2018 Spring Draft

The Spring Draft will return in 2018!Although it will likely occur during the winter technically, it is called the Spring Draft because it happens during Spring Training. NOW that I have cleared that up, I can announce that the date is TBD. Because who knows when ESPN will open the league up again for sure in 2018. The draft will be held on the first weekend following the league being re-activated. The date will be flexible so schedules will be accommodated. The draft will consist of 3 rounds. Draft order will be decided by reverse standings, with the BCS Cup winner and runner-up selecting 9th and 10th. In order to be eligible to draft, a team must have at least 1 open roster or rights spot. A team must have one open roster spot or rights spot for each draft pick they use in the draft. Teams with no empty roster spots or rights spot will not participate in the Spring draft. They are not permitted to trade for a pick once the draft has started. The draft will take place in a GroupMe chat, separate from the Backyard Radio feed.


2018 All Star Break Rights Selection Process

The Rights Selection Process returns for the 2018 season! The event will take place on the Thursday following the All Star Game. The process will have 3 rounds. A team must have 1 empty spot in their controlled rights pool for every pick they make during the process. Draft order will be decided by reverse standing, with the BCS Cup winner and runner-up selecting 9th and 10th. Any player not in the ESPN system is eligible to be selected. The draft will take place in a GroupMe chat, separate from the Backyard Radio feed.
 


The Backyard Baseball Hall of Fame

Introducing the Backyard Hall of Fame! Ballots on the first class of candidates will be sent out shortly. Voting will be 100% league owners. All stats over a players 162 game season will be considered. Only stats from the 14 categories in the Backyard scoring structure will be observed. Players must receive 70% or more of yes votes to be inducted. Players are only eligible for the ballot twice. Players will enter the HoF with the team that owned them for the most total time during their Backyard career. A petition may be filed if a team feels they have a claim to a HoF inductee. If deemed valid by the league office, a league vote will be held to decide which cap said entrant dons. A maximum of 5 players may enter in any given year. A minimum of 0 players may enter in any given year. A website will be opened to display the players in our HoF. Beginning in 2018, events such as cycles and no hitters will also be logged in the HoF. The Hall of Fame class will be released 1 by 1, beginning on the Monday of the BCS Cup and released daily until the full class has been announced. The induction ceremony will be held before the start of the Spring Draft.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for Part 2: Future Proposals. 

2018 Announcements 

Backyard Rules and Regulations Update

The CommissionerLeave a comment

IMG_1059.JPG

 

ALOTTA THIS HAS LIKELY BEEN ADJUSTED AND/OR SMOOTHED OUT SEE THE MARCH 2018 RULES INSTEAD

 

Backyard Rules and Regulations
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY…although I understand it’s very VERY late in the season. However most of these rules and protocols are known and just not put down in ink somewhere MUCH TO MIKEY T’S DISMAY. So without further adieu…..

 

Over 12 starts
Beginning in 2018, starting more than 12 pitchers will result in an automatic disqualification if you win or tie a matchup, as well as a roster lock for that day and the following day. Starting more than 12 pitchers in a losing matchup will result in a roster lock for that day and the following day as well as that opponent being allowed to pick one start for you to bench during your next matchup with them. Decision on who to bench must be decided by 5 minutes before roster lock on the Sunday of the matchup. Any owner that exceeds 12 starts in Week 18 or during the playoffs will be disqualified and will have their rosters locked from the moment of the violation until the following Opening Day. Current rule posted during 2017 still applies for 2017.

 

All Star Week Matchup Start Limit
The All Star Week Matchup start limit is 24. Owners are free to make an agreement with their opponent on a lowered start limit. Any disputes between owners over a start agreement will be handled by league offices.

 

Minor League Violations
To view the Minor League rules, click here. https://backyardviewsblog.com/2017/04/10/from-the-desk-of-the-commissioner-minor-league-regulations-and-requirements/

To view the Rights Process Protocol, click here https://backyardviewsblog.com/2017/06/19/draft-rights-the-next-step/

 

Additions to the policies in place
– Owners selecting a player to be benched by their opponent for violating the minor league policy must select their player 3 minutes before first pitch of said players game.

– All minor league strikes reset the day after the BCS Series concludes. Multi year violations totals can and will be held against you.

– Beginning Opening Day 2018, all 2 and 3 strike offenders of the minor league policy will lose their 1st round pick in the following Spring Draft.

– Any owner that accumulates 5 violations over any time period will not be allowed to participate in any Backyard draft for 1 calendar year, beginning on the day of the 5th violation.

– The intention to claim or pass on a rights player once they reach the ESPN system must be declared by the owner of their rights within 1 hour of roster lock on the day the player reaches the system. If the owner is unaware of the player reaching the system for more than 24 hours, the decision must be made within 1 hour of them finding out the player is in the system.
– The current legislation states: – All teams must maintain a total of 8 minor leaguers at all times barring a trade, DL move involving a minor league player, or the day a player exceeds minor league limits. In this instance, the team will have until the next First Pitch Roster Lock to become compliant. All teams MUST ALWAYS maintain at least 8 minor league players.

We shall be altering that. Teams may be non-compliant on the day any player comes off of the DL up until roster lock. They no longer need to be minor leaguers only. The rule now applies to major leaguers as well.
Offseason Minor League Compliance
Owners that are eliminated from the postseason may allow their current minor league players to exceed the maximums up until 24 hours before the Spring Draft. These owners can not make any trades or adds until they make their roster compliant.

 

Gross Owner Negligence Clause aka The Unwritten Rule That Must Now Be Written Cuz Someone Went And Abused It
An owner may petition to the league office once (1) every 2 calendar years to have a player added back to their roster after having dropped them. Petition must be filed within 1 hour of the disputed transaction. Player must have been owned by team for over 1 calendar year to be eligible for petition.

 

I do believe that covers it (for now). The loopholes never stop, so please send any suggestions or comments towards the Commissioners Office.

 

Backyard Rules and Regulations Update