Save the Dome

The Site I've Always Wanted

2011-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Great MLB Depth Charts site. Covers position battles + projected depth charts and lineups for every level of each organization.

Down for the Count

2010-12-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

Will it be ready for Twinsfest 2011?

Save the Dome is the Best

2010-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this (and you're not), perhaps you've clicked out of curiosity on a link from the #1 ranked team in Benchwarmer Baseball, the 2010 Experts League and Benchwarmer Bash Champion Save the Dome Dogs. Rest assured that between now and the new season, I will reveal all my winning secrets here and perhaps elsewhere. Last year's rankings and depth charts, along with relative underemployment, helped me win 4 league championships out of 6 leagues, one of the notable exceptions being the one league I most wanted to win, the new Murderers' Row ($$money$$!!) league. Congrats to Guttenberg Gandolfinis.

Olde Tymers

2010-06-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Royals celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the 1985 All-MO World Series by fielding a couple of teams for the Willie Wilson Classic, a seven inning softball game for charity. The Cardinals didn't exactly bring out the stars - it was Jack Clark, John Tudor, the rest, and some grocery store executives.

Clark still had his big swing:

Good seats were available and the Royals' camera caught two Benchwarmer Baseball owners taking it in:

Happy Home Opener Day!

2010-04-12T07:28:00.001-07:00

Who can believe today is here?!

In Enemy Territory

2010-04-11T23:06:00.001-07:00

Best Reasons to Lose in 2010

2010-04-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

My preseason prospect list only included players who were/are available in Benchwarmer. As a BWB admin, I'd say the most frequently asked question (to which I actually know the answer) is when new players become available. The rule:

After the initial load of the master list in December, players will be added to the master list only for these reasons:

They are promoted to a major league roster AND earn major league statistics.
They are a number one draft pick in the amateur draft. This is only for one of the top 30 picks and does not include any of the supplemental picks. (If supplemental picks are added in the middle of the first round, they will be included...the intent here is to cover all the primary 30 team slots in the first round).

Putting this another way, no players will be added to the list between January and April – despite signings of players from Japan, Korea, Cuba, etc. and despite any expectations that a minor leaguer not currently on the BWB list will make a major league roster. These players must play in a regular season game before they make our list.

So non first-round draft picks who aren't initially on the 40 man roster trickle in throughout the season. Obviously, a few might even be there the first week. It's important to attempt to jump on these $100 players, as they can be signed cheap and kept under control for a good while (just like in MLB) . Moreover, teams doing the worst pick free agents first, so there is always a reason to pay attention. Here's a quick list of guys definitely worth making room for :

Aroldis Chapman - SP - Cin
Jesus Montero - C- NYY
Jenrry Mejia - RP - NYM
Mike Stanton - OF - Fla
Martin Perez - SP - Tex
Michael Taylor - OF - Oak
Domonic Brown - OF - Phi
Starlin Castro - SS - ChC
Logan Morrison - 1B - Fla
Alex Colome - SP - TB
Matt Moore - SP - TB
Todd Frazier - 2B - Cin
Derek Norris - C - Was
Dee Gordon - SS - LAD
Noel Arguelles - SP - KC
Zach Stewart - P - Tor

No Place Like Home

2010-04-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Where are the Troughs of Yesteryear?

2010-04-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Target Field, 4/2/2010

Ku'oko'a Kila Ka'aihue!

2010-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Why even invite Kila to spring training if he can't make the team with a .378/.472/.733 line? Will the first half of the season be an attempt to "showcase" Jose Guillen in order to find someone willing to kick in a million or two of twelve?? If Randy Winn and Brett Gardner should happen to collide with Nick Johnson on the on deck circle....

In the Trenches

2010-03-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

A wily veteran in Glendale showed me how to correctly hold out a pen (in the left hand, writing side pointed toward the object to be signed, proffered from the right hand) and said that nearing yourself to a cute kid was no guarantee of success. Sometimes only the kid received the prize.

Updated 2010 MLB Projected Starters by Position

2010-03-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Bookmark now (Ctrl-D)!

Hitters are sorted by career OPS, pitchers by career K/9. I will be gradually trying to add columns to the tables, probably starting with 2009 SB.

Updated 3/20/10

I believe all transactional updates are accounted for, but not necessarily every spring training position battle or injury is reflected here. Moreover, A Strasburg or Alex Gordon may still be projected for the majority of PT for the year and is thusly still on the list.

Please comment on this post at any time if there are any galling errors, or if you just want to say hi.

Catchers
First Basemen
Second Basemen
Shortstops
Third Basemen
Outfielders
Designated Hitters
Starting Pitchers
Closers

Mexicutioner

2010-03-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Spring Training 2010, Surprise AZ

2010 Royals Season Preview?

Pablo Sandoval Sighting, Spring Training 2010

2010-03-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

Some have questioned the existence of Pablo Sandoval, but while perusing photos upon return from my Cactus League scouting trip, I couldn't help but notice the imposing silhouette in the upper left corner. A quick crop reveals this shocking profile:

Officially weighing in at 245 pounds, this specimen wears it well and hit a grand slam off Carlos Zambrano, who later defended the Panda. Can he repeat .330 with this body?

Projected 2010 Starting Pitchers and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-03-08T10:07:00.001-08:00

Well, this took me some time. Not many new drafters will be able to utilize, but I am glad I went through with the exercise. I've got at least three "real life" drafts and/or auctions coming up, and it's nice for me to look at all this info. Some of the 5th starters are obviously questionable at this point. As with the other lists, I will try to keep them up to date, even if I'm the only one ever looking at them. My P-Bang1 stat is a secret rudimentary formula indicating Bang for the Benchwarmer Buck.

*These pitchers pitched an insignificant amount of innings in 2009.

**Aroldis Chapman is not yet in the BWB system. For an answer to the FAQ of when he will be, look here.

Team	Pitcher	2010 Salary	Career K/9	2009 K/9	Career ERA	2009 ERA	Career WHIP	2009 WHIP	P-Bang1
SF-1	Tim Lincecum	9553	10.2	10.4	2.9	2.48	1.15	1.05	1.07
Det-2	Max Scherzer	2605	9.5	9.2	3.86	4.12	1.32	1.34	3.65
Tex-1	Rich Harden	3592	9.4	10.9	3.39	4.09	1.24	1.34	2.62
SF-4	Jonathan Sanchez	2964	9.3	9.8	4.81	4.24	1.45	1.37	3.14
LAA-2	Scott Kazmir	2950	9.3	7.1	3.83	4.89	1.38	1.42	3.15
Tor-3	Brandon Morrow	868	9.3	8.1	3.96	4.39	1.47	1.58	10.71
NYM-4	Oliver Perez	1492	9.2	8.5	4.54	6.82	1.46	1.92	6.17
Min-5	Francisco Liriano	935	9.2	8	4.16	5.8	1.3	1.55	9.84
LAD-2	Claytom Kershaw	4008	9.2	9.7	3.36	2.79	1.33	1.23	2.3
NYY-5	Joba Chamberlain	2175	9.1	7.6	3.61	4.75	1.37	1.54	4.18
NYM-1	Johan Santana	6046	9.1	7.9	3.12	3.13	1.11	1.21	1.51
Mil-1	Yovani Gallardo	3232	9.1	9.9	3.57	3.73	1.29	1.31	2.82
ChW-1	Jacob Peavy	3129	9	9.7	3.26	3.45	1.18	1.12	2.88
SF-5	Madison Bumgarner*	100	9	9	1.8	1.8	1.1	1.1	90
TB-5	Wade Davis	202	8.9	8.9	3.72	3.72	1.27	1.27	44.06
Tor-4	Marc Rzepczynski	549	8.8	8.8	3.67	3.67	1.32	1.32	16.03
Sea-4	Erik Bedard	1792	8.8	9.8	3.71	2.82	1.32	1.19	4.91
Hou-4	Bud Norris	407	8.7	8.7	4.53	4.53	1.51	1.51	21.38
Bos-1	Josh Beckett	4706	8.5	8.4	3.79	3.86	1.22	1.19	1.81
Bos-4	Daisuke Matsuzaka	1742	8.5	8.2	4	5.76	1.4	1.87	4.88
NYY-3	A.J. Burnett	4230	8.4	8.5	3.84	4.04	1.3	1.4	1.99
Phi-2	Cole Hamels	4426	8.4	7.8	3.67	4.32	1.18	1.29	1.9
Atl-1	Tommy Hanson	1332	8.2	8.2	2.89	2.89	1.18	1.18	6.16
LAD-1	Chad Billingsley	4051	8.2	8.2	3.55	4.03	1.38	1.32	2.02
NYY-2	Javier Vazquez	6867	8.1	9.8	4.19	2.87	1.25	1.03	1.18
Sea-1	Felix Hernandez	8140	8.1	8.2	3.45	2.49	1.27	1.14	1
Det-1	Justin Verlander	6345	8	10.1	3.92	3.45	1.29	1.18	1.26
Was-5	Garrett Mock	496	8	7.1	5.17	5.62	1.65	1.73	16.13
Bos-2	Jon Lester	4869	7.9	10	3.66	3.41	1.33	1.23	1.62
Col-3	Jorge De La Rosa	2823	7.9	9.4	5.18	4.38	1.57	1.38	2.8
Fla-2	Ricky Nolasco	3336	7.9	9.5	4.43	5.06	1.25	1.25	2.37
Fla-1	Josh Johnson	4034	7.9	8.2	3.4	3.23	1.29	1.16	1.96
SD-2	Chris Young	1158	7.8	5.9	3.87	5.21	1.21	1.45	6.74
Col-1	Ubaldo Jimenez	4633	7.8	8.2	3.8	3.47	1.32	1.23	1.68
ChC-1	Carlos Zambrano	3912	7.7	8.1	3.51	3.77	1.3	1.38	1.97
ChC-3	Ted Lilly	4639	7.7	7.7	4.25	3.1	1.29	1.06	1.66
Cle-2	Justin Masterson	1078	7.7	8.3	3.97	4.52	1.36	1.45	7.14
Bal-3	Brian Matusz	200	7.7	7.7	4.63	4.63	1.48	1.48	38.5
Tor-5	David Purcey	248	7.7	7.3	5.81	6.19	1.59	1.75	31.05
Oak-2	Brett Anderson	2378	7.7	7.7	4.06	4.06	1.28	1.28	3.24
Ari-1	Danny Haren	7163	7.6	8.8	3.61	3.14	1.18	1	1.06
KC-1	Zack Greinke	9077	7.6	9.5	3.73	2.16	1.27	1.07	0.84
Oak-1	Ben Sheets*	1395	7.6	--	3.72	--	1.2	--	5.45
NYY-1	C.C. Sabathia	7875	7.6	7.7	3.62	3.37	1.23	1.15	0.97
Bos-5	Clay Buchholz	712	7.6	6.7	4.91	4.21	1.5	1.38	10.67
ChC-2	Ryan Dempster	4534	7.6	7.7	4.44	3.64	1.47	1.31	1.68
Cin-2	Johnny Cueto	2664	7.6	6.9	4.61	4.41	1.39	1.36	2.85
Hou-3	Brett Myers	1324	7.5	6.4	4.4	4.84	1.36	1.37	5.66
Hou-2	Wandy Rodriguez	4996	7.5	8.4	4.33	3.02	1.37	1.24	1.5
SF-2	Matt Cain	5770	7.5	7.1	3.53	2.89	1.25	1.18	1.3
NYM-2	John Maine	1424	7.5	6.1	4.22	4.43	1.3	1.29	5.27
Cin-1	Aaron Harang	3477	7.5	7.9	4.24	4.21	1.33	1.41	2.16
Hou-1	Roy Oswalt	4080	7.4	6.8	3.23	4.12	1.2	1.24	1.81
Mil-2	Randy Wolf	4573	7.4	7.5	4.13	3.23	1.32	1.1	1.62
Sea-5	Ian Snell	2389	7.3	5.5	4.71	4.84	1.53	1.59	3.06
Ari-2	Brandon Webb*	2468	7.3	4.5	3.27	13.5	1.24	2	2.96
TB-2	Matt Garza	3805	7.3	8.4	3.99	3.95	1.34	1.26	1.92
Det-5	Jeremy Bonderman*	570	7.3	4.4	4.78	8.71	1.4	2.32	12.81
LAA-1	Jered Weaver	4185	7.3	7.4	3.73	3.75	1.25	1.24	1.74
LAA-3	Ervin Santana	2328	7.3	6.9	4.52	5.03	1.32	1.48	3.14
TB-3	David Price	839	7.2	7.2	4.17	4.42	1.31	1.35	8.58
Bos-3	John Lackey	3603	7.2	7.1	3.81	3.83	1.31	1.27	2
Fla-5	Andrew Miller	641	7.2	6.6	5.5	4.84	1.66	1.6	11.23
StL-2	Adam Wainwright	6754	7.1	8.2	3.17	2.63	1.26	1.21	1.05
Tor-1	Shaun Marcum*	1063	7.1	--	3.95	--	1.28	--	6.68
Tor-2	Ricky Romero	2207	7.1	7.1	4.3	4.3	1.52	1.52	3.22
TB-1	Jamie Shields	4312	7.1	6.8	4.01	4.14	1.24	1.33	1.65
ChW-3	John Danks	3889	7	6.7	4.06	3.77	1.33	1.28	1.8
Bal-1	Kevin Millwood	3582	7	5.6	4.02	3.67	1.31	1.34	1.95
StL-5	Kyle McClellan	1334	7	6.9	3.73	3.38	1.37	1.35	5.25
Tex-5	Derek Holland	642	7	7	6.12	6.12	1.5	1.5	10.9
Oak-5	Justin Duchscherer*	569	6.9	--	3.14	--	1.12	--	12.13
Min-2	Kevin Slowey	1254	6.9	7.4	4.39	4.86	1.28	1.41	5.5
Min-1	Scott Baker	3496	6.9	7.3	4.27	4.36	1.26	1.19	1.97
SD-4	Mat Latos	344	6.9	6.9	4.62	4.62	1.3	1.3	20.06
SF-3	Barry Zito	3527	6.8	7.2	3.84	4.03	1.3	1.35	1.93
Sea-2	Cliff Lee	6112	6.8	7	3.97	3.22	1.3	1.24	1.11
StL-1	Chris Carpenter	5545	6.8	6.7	3.88	2.24	1.29	1.01	1.23
ChW-4	Gavin Floyd	3478	6.7	7.6	4.67	4.06	1.37	1.23	1.93
Was-3	Scott Olsen	1253	6.7	6	4.77	6.03	1.48	1.72	5.35
Mil-3	Doug Davis	3615	6.7	6.5	4.31	4.12	1.49	1.51	1.85
Phi-4	J.A. Happ	1621	6.7	6.5	3.21	2.93	1.27	1.24	4.13
Pit-5	Kevin Hart	401	6.6	6.6	5.26	6.92	1.75	1.88	16.46
Phi-1	Roy Halladay	8377	6.6	7.8	3.43	2.79	1.2	1.13	0.79
NYY-4	Andy Pettitte	3684	6.6	6.8	3.91	4.16	1.36	1.38	1.79
ChW-5	Freddy A. Garcia	415	6.6	5.9	4.08	4.34	1.29	1.21	15.9
Fla-3	Anibal Sanchez	754	6.6	7.4	3.86	3.87	1.45	1.51	8.75
Ari-5	Billy Buckner	377	6.6	7.4	5.74	6.4	1.56	1.59	17.51
KC-2	Gil Meche	2107	6.6	6.6	4.43	5.09	1.41	1.57	3.13
NYM-5	Fernando Nieve	219	6.6	5.6	4.2	2.95	1.41	1.5	30.14
SD-3	Kevin Correia	2860	6.5	6.5	4.36	3.91	1.43	1.3	2.27
Ari-4	Ian Kennedy*	111	6.5	9	6.03	0	1.68	2	58.56
TB-4	Jeff Niemann	2401	6.4	6.2	4.03	3.94	1.37	1.35	2.67
SD-5	Clayton Richard	1865	6.4	6.7	4.8	4.41	1.49	1.47	3.43
Col-5	Jason Hammel	2304	6.4	6.8	5.18	4.33	1.52	1.39	2.78
StL-4	Brad Penny	2452	6.3	5.7	4.14	4.88	1.34	1.4	2.57
Ari-3	Edwin Jackson	3901	6.3	6.8	4.66	3.62	1.51	1.26	1.61
KC-3	Kyle Davies	977	6.3	6.3	5.54	5.27	1.62	1.53	6.45
Atl-2	Jair Jurrjens	5336	6.3	6.4	3.21	2.6	1.28	1.21	1.18
LAD-4	Vicente Padilla	2398	6.2	5.9	4.33	4.46	1.39	1.43	2.59
Col-4	Jeff Francis*	764	6.2	--	4.74	--	1.44	--	8.12
ChC-5	Tom Gorzelanny	624	6.2	9	4.87	5.55	1.49	1.32	9.94
Mil-5	David Bush	1516	6.2	7	4.69	6.38	1.26	1.47	4.09
Det-4	Armando Galarraga	2023	6.2	6	4.62	5.64	1.37	1.57	3.06
Tex-4	Brandon McCarthy	665	6.1	6	4.56	4.62	1.36	1.36	9.17
LAD-3	Hiroki Kuroda	1625	6.1	6.7	3.74	3.76	1.19	1.14	3.75
Sea-3	Ryan Rowland-Smith	927	6.1	4.9	3.62	3.74	1.18	1.18	6.58
Atl-4	Tim Hudson	1085	6.1	6.4	3.49	3.61	1.26	1.47	5.62
Cin-4	Homer Bailey	719	6.1	6.8	5.45	4.53	1.61	1.47	8.48
Cin-3	Bronson Arroyo	4190	6.1	5.2	4.23	3.84	1.33	1.27	1.46
Pit-3	Ross Ohlendorf	2301	6.1	5.6	4.54	3.92	1.39	1.23	2.65
LAD-5	Eric Stults	343	6.1	5.9	4.84	4.86	1.51	1.54	17.78
Atl-5	Kenshin Kawakami	2094	6	6	3.86	3.86	1.34	1.34	2.87
Min-4	Carl Pavano	2120	5.9	6.6	4.44	5.1	1.36	1.38	2.78
Fla-4	Chris Volstad	1785	5.9	6.1	4.4	5.21	1.4	1.43	3.31
Pit-4	Charlie Morton	649	5.8	5.8	5.24	4.55	1.53	1.46	8.94
KC-4	Luke Hochevar	1331	5.8	6.7	5.88	6.55	1.47	1.49	4.36
Atl-3	Derek Lowe	3622	5.8	5.1	3.84	4.67	1.29	1.52	1.6
Pit-1	Paul Maholm	3247	5.7	5.5	4.33	4.44	1.42	1.44	1.76
Oak-3	Dallas Braden	1035	5.7	5.3	4.68	3.89	1.44	1.36	5.51
Phi-3	Joseph Blanton	3695	5.6	7.5	4.21	4.05	1.33	1.32	1.52
Cle-1	Fausto Carmona	1138	5.6	5	4.69	6.32	1.49	1.76	4.92
Bal-2	Jeremy Guthrie	2996	5.6	5	4.27	5.04	1.32	1.42	1.87
StL-3	Kyle Lohse	1761	5.6	5.9	4.68	4.74	1.41	1.37	3.18
LAA-5	Joel Pineiro	3530	5.6	4.4	4.39	3.49	1.34	1.15	1.59
ChC-4	Randy Wells	2625	5.5	5.7	2.95	3.05	1.25	1.28	2.1
Bal-4	Chris Tillman	330	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	1.55	1.55	16.36
Phi-5	Jamie Moyer	2755	5.4	5.2	4.22	4.94	1.32	1.36	1.96
Tex-3	Tommy Hunter	702	5.3	5.1	5.2	4.1	1.4	1.3	7.55
Was-2	Jason Marquis	3465	5.3	4.8	4.48	4.04	1.42	1.38	1.53
ChW-2	Mark Buerhle	4248	5.2	4.4	3.8	3.84	1.27	1.25	1.22
LAA-4	Joe Saunders	2863	5.2	4.9	4.22	4.6	1.37	1.43	1.82
NYM-3	Mike Pelfrey	2584	5.2	5.2	4.58	5.03	1.49	1.51	2.01
KC-5	Brian Bannister	2333	5.1	5.7	4.79	4.73	1.37	1.37	2.19
Tex-2	Scott Feldman	2653	5	5.4	4.58	4.08	1.39	1.28	1.88
Hou-5	Brian Moehler	1924	5	5.3	4.8	5.47	1.45	1.54	2.6
Mil-4	Jeff Suppan	2055	5	4.5	4.68	5.29	1.45	1.7	2.43
Cle-5	Jake Westbrook*	462	4.9	--	4.31	--	1.38	--	10.61
Det-3	Rick Porcello	2053	4.7	4.7	3.96	3.96	1.34	1.34	2.29
Bal-5	Brad Bergeson	883	4.7	4.7	3.43	3.43	1.28	1.28	5.32
SD-1	Jon Garland	3425	4.7	4.8	4.42	4.01	1.39	1.4	1.37
Was-1	John Lannan	3157	4.6	3.9	3.91	3.88	1.36	1.35	1.46
Cle-3	David Huff	563	4.6	4.6	5.61	5.61	1.56	1.56	8.17
Pit-2	Zach Duke	3174	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.06	1.45	1.32	1.45
Oak-4	Trevor Cahill	1817	4.5	4.5	4.63	4.63	1.44	1.44	2.48
Min-3	Nick Blackburn	3088	4.4	4.3	4.14	4.03	1.38	1.37	1.42
Cle-4	Aaron Laffey	790	4.3	4.4	4.39	4.44	1.5	1.62	5.44
Was-4	J.D. Martin	435	4.3	4.3	4.44	4.44	1.42	1.42	9.89
Col-2	Aaron Cook	2839	3.7	4.4	4.33	4.16	1.44	1.41	1.3
Cin-5	Aroldis Chapman**		0						#DIV/0!

I Coulda Been an Expert

2010-03-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Long time no post. I was in the running for a couple of analyst jobs at a fantasy baseball site (one of the links on the right side over there). Based on that, and this here blog, I took over an orphan Experts' League team. My preliminary diagnosis tells me I need some better starting pitching, but I like my offense and bullpen. Also most of the ultra-top prospects were not available, so I've got some more interesting 2nd tier guys.

Anyway, I will have to write more words and more frequently in order to retain my position as BWB "Expert." All I have now to qualify me is my strange 3-time champion team (Nokomis) in the Longball League. The team squeaks out the division title every year (five in a row now!), then goes all the way on rotation strength. So, if I could offer any advice based on this, it would be: get five aces! I actually tried this strategy in the Four Star League this year, but only got four real ones (Greinke, Carpenter, Verlander, Gallardo). I'm interested to watch that team this year, as my offense is....full of potential.

I'll be heading to Arizona today, visiting my parents, but also trying to take in as many Cactus League games as possible. I am looking forward to my first ever spring training experience, even if it's not the Twins. As one of the professional positions I unsuccessfully applied for involved projecting playing time down to 5% increments for the Royals, I am now looking forward to seeing Manny Pina and Tim Hamulack in action!

Projected 2010 Designated Hitters and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

These guys can slip through the cracks, although they will show up in BWB under their qualifying positions (if they have one). In the interest of trying to make my depth charts correspond to a team's real starters though, they will be kept here. In Benchwarmer, obviously the DH can be anyone, and is basically also the top bench spot, as they will be the first to substitute for a hitter in the lineup who has missed a game.

A very happy update day as well, as I was able to replace Nick Punto with Orlando Hudson as the Twins' starting 2B. Don't forget February 12 is Blog About Nick Punto Day, or so I've read...

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	2009 OPS	Bang	Qual Pos
Tex	Vladimir Guerrero	2248	954	794	.424377	OF
Bos	David Ortiz	3601	922	794	.256040	1B
Cle	Travis Hafner	1148	913	826	.795296	DH only
Sea	Ken Griffey Jr.	1437	912	735	.634656	OF
LAA	Hideki Matsui	1885	852	876	.451989	DH only
NYY	Nick Johnson	1322	849	831	.642209	1B
Bal	Luke Scott	1627	844	828	.518746	1B, OF
TB	Pat Burrell	1776	838	682	.471847	OF
Oak	Jack Cust	2455	829	773	.337678	OF
ChW	Andruw Jones	1073	826	782	.769804	OF, 1B
Min	Jason Kubel	2241	813	907	.362784	OF
Det	Carlos Guillen	1219	805	757	.660377	OF
KC	Jose Guillen	1485	764	681	.514478	OF
Tor	Jose Bautista	1015	729	757	.718227	3B, OF

Projected 2010 Starting Outfielders and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-01-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Benchwarmer doesn't distinguish between left, center, rightfielders, you just need three of 'em. So they are combined on this list. I assigned just one player per team at each starting position, and identified them as such.

All positional depth charts should now be as up to date as as possible. Feel free to leave a comment somewhere if I've missed something.

updated 3/20/10: New DET OF

*Note: Jason Heyward (big secret here) has no MLB AB, in MiLB: lifetime 899 OPS, 2009 963 OPS
* Austin Jackson: no MLB AB, in MiLB: lifetime 766 OPS, 2009 759 OPS

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	2009 OPS	Bang	Other Pos
LAD-LF	Manny Ramirez	2846	1002	949	.352073
Mil-LF	Ryan Braun	6471	937	937	.144800
StL-LF	Matt Holliday	5498	933	909	.169698
NYM-LF	Jason Bay	5444	896	921	.164585
LAA-RF	Bobby Abreu	4786	896	825	.187213
Bos-RF	J.D. Drew	1876	896	914	.477612
Det-RF	Magglio Ordonez	2694	884	804	.328137
Cle-RF	Shin-Soo Choo	2891	877	883	.303355
Col-RF	Brad Hawpe	2312	875	903	.378460
Pit-RF	Garrett Jones	699	872	938	1.247496	1B
SD-LF	Kyle Blanks	203	868	868	4.275862	1B
Tex-RF	Josh Hamilton	2203	864	741	.392192
NYM-CF	Carlos Beltran	2611	856	915	.327844
LAD-RF	Andre Ethier	4294	853	869	.198649
Cle-CF	Grady Sizemore	3033	851	799	.280580
Fla-LF	Chris Coghlan	1330	850	850	.639098
Hou-LF	Carlos Lee	3618	847	831	.234107
ChW-LF	Carlos Quentin	1470	840	779	.571429
Was-LF	Josh Willingham	1519	840	863	.552995
Bal-RF	Nick Markakis	4634	838	801	.180837
Ari-RF	Justin Upton	1939	836	899	.431150
ChC-LF	Alfonso Soriano	2020	836	726	.413861
Pit-CF	Andrew McCutchen	1105	836	836	.756561
StL-RF	Ryan Ludwick	2224	833	776	.374550
Tor-LF	Adam Lind	3964	833	932	.210141
Bal-LF	Nolan Reimold	753	831	831	1.103586
NYY-CF	Curtis Granderson	3747	828	780	.220977
Hou-RF	Hunter Pence	3074	828	818	.269356
Phi-RF	Jason Werth	3406	827	879	.242807
Phi-LF	Raul Ibanez	3286	826	899	.251369
LAD-CF	Matt Kemp	4687	826	842	.176232
Cin-LF	Chris Dickerson	335	823	743	2.456716
Sea-LF	Milton Bradley	1320	821	775	.621970
NYY-RF	Nick Swisher	2262	818	869	.361627	1B
Min-CF	Denard Span	2609	812	807	.311230
Sea-RF	Ichiro Suzuki	4987	811	851	.162623
Fla-RF	Cody Ross	1990	807	790	.405528
LAA-LF	Juan Rivera	1701	802	810	.471487
Min-RF	Michael Cuddyer	3212	801	862	.249377	1B
LAA-CF	Torii Hunter	2905	801	873	.275731
Tor-CF	Vernon Wells	2908	799	711	.274759
Atl-CF	Nate McLouth	2529	796	799	.314749
Mil-RF	Corey Hart	1866	795	753	.426045
Det-LF	Johnny Damon	3720	794	854	.213441
Tex-LF	Nelson Cruz	1399	794	856	.567548
Ari-LF	Conor Jackson	761	792	516	1.040736	1B
Tex-CF	Julio Borbon	213	790	790	3.708920
SF-CF	Aaron Rowand	1950	788	738	.404103
Bos-CF	Mike Cameron	2630	788	795	.299620
KC-RF	David DeJesus	2759	782	781	.283436
ChW-RF	Alex Rios	3111	775	691	.249116
Phi-CF	Shane Victorino	3705	774	803	.208907
TB-LF	Carl Crawford	3325	772	816	.232180
Was-RF	Elijah Dukes	871	771	729	.885189
Cin-RF	Jay Bruce	997	769	773	.771314
ChC-RF	Kosuke Fukodome	1586	767	796	.483607
SF-LF	Mark DeRosa	2108	767	696	.363852	3B, 1B
Bos-LF	Jacoby Ellsbury	2878	764	770	.265462
KC-CF	Rick Ankiel	1000	763	672	.763000
TB-CF	B.J. Upton	2496	762	686	.305288
Cin-CF	Drew Stubbs	228	762	762	3.342105
ChC-CF	Marlon Byrd	1985	762	808	.383879
Tor-RF	Travis Snider	325	760	748	2.338462
SD-CF	Scott Hairston	1151	758	763	.658558
TB-RF	Gabe Kapler	330	757	768	2.293939
SD-RF	Will Venable	527	754	763	1.430740
Was-CF	Nyjer Morgan	1066	754	757	.707317
Col-LF	Carlos Gonzalez	660	752	878	1.139394
Col-CF	Dexter Fowler	902	746	770	.827051
Ari-CF	Chris B. Young	1813	745	711	.410921
NYM-RF	Jeff Francoeur	3109	743	732	.238984
Oak-CF	Coco Crisp	623	738	714	1.184591
Min-LF	Delmon Young	1756	738	733	.420273
Sea-CF	Franklin Gutierrez	2354	736	764	.312659
Bal-CF	Adam Jones	1710	735	792	.429825
SF-RF	Nate Schierholtz	451	731	702	1.620843
Oak-RF	Ryan Sweeney	1341	728	755	.542878
Pit-LF	Lastings Milledge	677	727	696	1.073855
Fla-CF	Cameron Maybin	213	726	727	3.408451
Oak-LF	Rajai Davis	958	724	784	.755741
KC-LF	Scott Podsednik	1383	720	764	.520607
ChW-CF	Juan Pierre	1278	720	757	.563380
Atl-LF	Melky Cabrera	1555	716	752	.460450
StL-CF	Colby Rasmus	1050	714	714	.680000
Cle-LF	Michael Brantley	131	707	707	5.396947
NYY-LF	Brett Gardner	355	677	724	1.907042
Hou-CF	Michael Bourn	2191	676	738	.308535
Mil-CF	Carlos Gomez	1059	638	623	.602455
Det-CF	Austin Jackson*	100	0	0	.000000
Atl-RF	Jason Heyward*	100	0	0	.000000

Skol Vikings

2010-01-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

OK, I've been busy working on my redistribution draft lists (including my new poor little orphaned Experts League team) this week, but I did update a couple depth charts today, based on free agent signings. I'm working on the all-encompassing outfielders list too, which will be posted soon.

In the meantime, here is a quick minute of the Immigrant Song at the Dome, to get you pumped up for the Vikes' impending victory over the hated Cowboys on Sunday:

Projected 2010 Starting Third Basemen and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

A bit of a motley crew. The first top dog who looks like a bargain, a lot of older guys on the way down, enigmas wrapped in riddles, and a ~~zombie~~ new guy in Oakland.

Updated 3/20/10 - Cantu sticking at 3B? Chone moves J Lopez, for now

*Note: Polanco, Tejeda and J Lopez are penciled in as their team's starting 3B, but will not qualify in BWB until they play 5 consecutive or 10 total games at 3B in 2010.

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	2009 OPS	Bang	Other Pos
NYY	Alex Rodriguez	4096	965	933	.235596
Atl	Chipper Jones	2354	947	818	.402294
SF	Pablo Sandoval	3286	924	943	.312659	1B
NYM	David Wright	4866	907	837	.186395
TB	Evan Longoria	4102	883	889	.215261
Cin	Scott Rolen	1731	868	766	.501444
ChC	Aramis Ramirez	2262	847	902	.374447
Ari	Mark Reynolds	3875	839	892	.216516	1B
StL	David Freese	100	837	837	8.370000	C, 1B
Mil	Casey McGehee	917	829	859	.904035	2B
Was	Ryan Zimmerman	4529	825	888	.182159
Bal	Miguel Tejada*	3938	810	798	.205688	SS
Tex	Michael Young	3281	798	892	.243219
Tor	Edwin Encarnacion	1071	790	729	.737628
LAD	Casey Blake	2202	788	832	.357856
Col	Ian Stewart	1194	783	785	.655779	2B, OF
Fla	Jorge Cantu	3341	780	788	.233463	1B
Bos	Adrian Beltre	2014	779	683	.386792
Phi	Placido Polanco*	3422	761	727	.222385	2B
Cle	Jhonny Peralta	3044	756	690	.248357	SS
ChW	Mark Teahen	1888	749	734	.396716	OF, 1B
KC	Alex Gordon	697	746	703	1.070301
Oak	Kevin Kouzmanoff	2076	743	722	.357900
SD	Chase Headley	1793	740	734	.412716	OF
Min	Brendan Harris	1104	720	672	.652174	SS, 2B
Hou	Pedro Feliz	2386	715	694	.299665
Sea	Jose C. Lopez*	3488	715	766	.204989	2B, 1B
Det	Brandon Inge	2301	699	720	.303781
Pit	Andy LaRoche	1250	666	731	.532800
LAA	Brandon Wood	120	535	559	4.458333	1B, SS

Randy Johnson @ Wrigley Field

2010-01-08T10:26:00.001-08:00

Cheers to an incredible career.

Projected 2010 Starting Shortstops and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-01-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Once again, one man stands alone at the top. ~~Undoubtedly Desmond isn't as good as that number, but the salary means he is risk free.~~ Noticing a few of the bigger gaps between career OPS and 2009 OPS leads to some questions: Was Jason Bartlett just lucky last year, or is he on the way up? J.J. Hardy: overmatched, or ready to rebound?

Updated 2/6/10 - Guzzie back at SS in Was, O-Cab takes over in Cin

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	2009 OPS	Bang	Other Pos
Fla	Hanley Ramirez	6604	917	954	.138855
NYY	Derek Jeter	5686	847	871	.148962
Col	Troy Tulowitzki	4000	831	930	.207750
Atl	Yunel Escobar	2025	801	812	.395556
NYM	Jose Reyes	1827	772	750	.422551
Ari	Stephen Drew	2330	771	748	.330901
Phi	Jimmy Rollins	4600	768	719	.166957
Cle	Asdrubal Cabrera	1661	766	799	.461168	2B
LAD	Rafael Furcal	2263	758	711	.334954
ChW	Alexei Ramirez	1726	755	723	.437428
Min	J.J. Hardy	1735	751	659	.432853
SF	Edgar Renteria	1452	746	635	.513774
TB	Jason Bartlett	1928	744	879	.385892
ChC	Ryan Theriot	2537	726	712	.286165
Hou	Jeff Keppinger	753	723	707	.960159	2B, 3B
Bos	Marco Scutaro	2609	721	789	.276351
Cin	Orlando Cabrera	3655	719	705	.196717
Oak	Clifton Pennington	271	719	760	2.653137
Mil	Alcides Escobar	147	710	701	4.829932
LAA	Erick Aybar	1465	707	776	.482594
StL	Brendan Ryan	806	706	740	.875931	2B
SD	Everth Cabrera	672	703	703	1.046131
Tex	Elvis Andrus	995	702	702	.705528
Was	Cristian Guzman	1882	693	696	.368225
KC	Yuniesky Betancourt	1373	689	639	.501821
Tor	Alex L. Gonzalez	779	689	769	.884467
Sea	Jack Wilson	907	684	654	.754135
Det	Adam A. Everett	654	648	613	.990826
Bal	Cesar Izturis	820	629	622	.767073
Pit	Ronny Cedeno	596	626	701	1.050336	2B, OF

Projected 2010 Starting Second Basemen and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-01-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

'Tis interesting that for each position list I've posted so far, there is exactly one player well above the rest, with a salary to match. Unique to the keystoners though is just how bad a hitter Nick Punto is compared to his peers, his PT and his "real" contract (Sorry, bitter Twins thoughts sneaking through). Didn't there used to be something at firenickpunto.com? Edit: O-Dog, YES!!!!

* Note: Beckham and Figgins are penciled in as their team's starting 2B, but will not qualify in BWB until they play 5 consecutive or 10 total games at 2B in 2010.

** Note: Sizemore has no MLB stats, but has a .824 lifetime minor league OPS, including .889 in 2009, split between AA and AAA.

Updated 3/20/10 - Chone appears ready for second, although they're still double-checking.

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	2009 OPS	Bang	Other Pos
Phi	Chase Utley	5693	902	905	.158440
Tex	Ian Kinsler	3333	827	814	.248125
Fla	Dan Uggla	3599	826	813	.229508
Bos	Dustin Pedroia	4712	825	819	.175085
NYY	Robinson Cano	4576	818	871	.178759
Atl	Martin Prado	1143	810	822	.708661	1B, 3B
ChW	Gordon Beckham*	903	808	808	.894795	3B
TB	Ben Zobrist	2110	805	948	.381517	OF, SS
ChC	Jeff Baker	483	782	810	1.619048	3B
Min	Orlando Hudson	2476	778	774	.314216
Ari	Kelly Johnson	1136	777	692	.683979
Bal	Brian Roberts	4293	776	807	.180759
Tor	Aaron Hill	4599	771	829	.167645
LAA	Howie Kendrick	1144	767	778	.670455
Mil	Rickie Weeks	654	767	857	1.172783
StL	Skip Schumaker	1604	755	757	.470698	OF
Sea	Chone Figgins*	3319	751	789	.226273	3B
SF	Freddy Sanchez	1689	751	742	.444642
Pit	Akinori Iwamura	1046	747	745	.714149
KC	Alberto Callapso	2308	746	813	.323224	3B
Cin	Brandon Phillips	3375	742	776	.219852
Oak	Mark Ellis	1330	740	708	.556391
NYM	Luis Castillo	1420	723	732	.509155
Was	Adam Kennedy	1509	721	758	.477800
LAD	Blake DeWitt	306	717	633	2.343137	3B, SS
Col	Clint Barmes	1650	714	734	.432727	SS
Hou	Kazuo Matsui	1221	712	659	.583129
Cle	Luis Valbuena	649	708	714	1.090909	SS
SD	David Eckstein	1279	706	657	.551994
Det	Scott Sizemore**	100	0	0	.000000

Benchwarmer Bob

2010-01-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Bob Lurtsema says Save the Vikes.

Joe Nathan Warms Up, 9/2/09

2010-01-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Familiar Metrodome sights: Nathan readying for the ninth, modern hairstyles and seats facing the wrong way for baseball. After Brian Duensing pitched the game of his life, striking out seven in seven shutout innings, and Jon Rauch tiptoed through the eighth, we saw an unfamiliar sight: Nathan shockingly and crushingly gave up four runs, including back-to-back HRs by Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko.

Projected 2010 Starting First Basemen and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2010-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I've learned after painstakingly reviewing teams' depth charts at catcher and first base, it's that the Mets stink. I'm adding a column to these tables each time.

updated 3/20/10 - Branyan in CLE? Sanchez in FLA?

*Note: Clement is penciled in as his team's starting 1B, but will not qualify in BWB until he plays 5 consecutive or 10 total games at 1B in 2010.

** 29 lifetime AB

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	Bang	Other Pos
StL	Albert Pujols	9874	1055	.106846
Col	Todd Helton	3350	994	.296716
Hou	Lance Berkman	3472	967	.278514
Phi	Ryan Howard	7973	961	.120532
Mil	Prince Fielder	7054	931	.131982
Det	Miguel Cabrera	6426	925	.143946
Cin	Joey Votto	2200	924	.420000
NYY	Mark Teixeira	7108	923	.129854
Was	Adam Dunn	4031	903	.224014
Bos	Kevin Youkilis	3621	878	.242474	3B
Fla	Gaby Sanchez**	100	874	8.740000
ChC	Derrek Lee	4966	873	.175795
SD	Adrian Gonzalez	5381	869	.161494
TB	Carlos Pena	2581	858	.332429
Atl	Troy Glaus	1053	856	.812915	3B
Min	Justin Morneau	3849	851	.221096
ChW	Paul Konerko	2953	843	.285472
LAA	Kendry Morales	3574	839	.234751
Ari	Adam LaRoche	2997	834	.278278
Cle	Russ Branyan	1213	822	.677659
Tor	Lyle Overbay	1821	812	.445909
SF	Aubrey Huff	2690	812	.301859
Bal	Garrett Atkins	1962	811	.413354	3B
LAD	James Loney	2997	806	.268936
KC	Billy Butler	3058	798	.260955
Tex	Chris Davis	1002	793	.791417
NYM	Daniel Murphy	1198	768	.641068	OF
Oak	Jake Fox	301	761	2.528239	3B, OF
Sea	Casey Kotchman	1217	742	.609696
Pit	Jeff Clement*	144	701	4.868056	C

Projected 2010 Starting Catchers and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2009-12-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

At some point in one of the Godfather books, Vito Corleone reveals to Michael his prime motivation: to stay alive. All the rest (intense devotion to the olive business, etc.) follows therefrom. The Benchwarmer equivalent to this ethos is making sure you have players who are.....playing. With 16 Benchwarmer teams per league and 30 real life starters, if you can get more than two of them on your team, you are not only working toward preventing the dreaded benchwarmer batter oh-fer, you are increasing the likelihood of your opponents having this problem. With five bench slots, I try to have at least one backup at every position, with as many multi-position guys (preferably ones who can hit) as possible. If you can get a starter with a salary of 250 or under, he can be stashed in the minors or played as necessary.

This list doesn't include some prospects who haven't officially won jobs yet. ~~I also kind of gave up on figuring out the Mets' plan for now~~, as they seem to have at least four backup catchers. My goal is to keep this post updated and linked throughout the year. I have ordered the list by career OPS. I also made up a stat called "Bang" which is short for "Bang for the Benchwamer Buck" and is simply OPS / Salary. This isn't too useful as an overall measure, but can tell you at a glance that Miguel Montero is about twice as good a bargain as Russell Martin, directly below him. For that matter, after checking out some of the Bangs that jump out, does it really seem like the worst idea to invest in, for example, Lou Marson, Taylor Teagarden and Jesus Flores for a measly 613 Bucks?

Updated 3/20/10 - Mets read this blog, acquire the great Barajas.

Team	Starter	2010 Salary	Career OPS	Bang
Min	Joe Mauer	4616	892	.193241
NYY	Jorge Posada	1404	859	.611823
Atl	Brian McCann	2160	853	.394907
LAA	Mike Napoli	1050	850	.809524
Bos	Victor Martinez	3519	837	.237852
ChC	Geovany Soto	1020	809	.793137
Was	Ivan Rodriguez	1217	807	.663106
Col	Chris Iannetta	828	807	.974638
Fla	John Baker	853	787	.922626
Pit	Ryan Doumit	786	780	.992366
Ari	Miguel Montero	1108	776	.700361
TB	Kelly Shoppach	718	776	1.080780
LAD	Russell Martin	2071	774	.373732
Cle	Lou Marson	100	771	7.710000
ChW	A.J. Pierzynski	1662	754	.453670
Bal	Matt Wieters	644	753	1.169255
KC	Jason Kendall	1206	752	.623549
Tex	Taylor Teagarden	238	752	3.159664
Cin	Ramon Hernandez	869	743	.855006
Mil	Gregg Zaun	518	732	1.413127
Oak	Kurt Suzuki	1909	727	.380828
SF	Bengie Molina	1735	726	.418444
Phi	Carlos Ruiz	776	716	.922680
Tor	John Buck	518	705	1.361004
StL	Yadier Molina	1423	692	.486297
NYM	Rod Barajas	1083	691	.638042
SD	Nick Hundley	367	683	1.861035
Det	Gerald Laird	925	673	.727568
Hou	J.R. Towles	119	609	5.117647
Sea	Rob Johnson	295	589	1.996610

My 2010 Top Benchwarmer Baseball Prospects

2009-12-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

I am defining "prospect" as any player eligible for rookie status in 2010. For the purpose of this list the player must be currently on the Benchwarmer player list. For the "starters" I am choosing based on a combination of upside and the ability to contribute to a BWB lineup sooner rather than later (i.e. having a job is a big help). All salaries are 100 unless noted otherwise.

Here is a full Benchwarmer starting roster (+ taxi squad):

updated 1/25/10

C: Buster Posey - SF
1B: Justin Smoak - Tex
2B: Scott Sizemore - Det
SS: Alcides Escobar - Mil (Salary 147)
3B: Pedro Alvarez - Pit
OF: Jason Heyward - Atl
OF: Desmond Jennings - TB
OF: Dustin Ackley - Sea
DH: Brett Wallace - Tor
B1: Chris Carter - 1B - Oak
B2: Carlos Santana - C - Cle
B3: Fernando Martinez - OF - NYM (Salary 106)
B4: Ian Desmond - SS/2B - Was (Salary 109)
B5: David Freese - 3B/C/1B - StL
SP1: Neftali Feliz - Tex (Salary 200)
SP2: Stephen Strasburg - Was
SP3: Wade Davis - TB (Salary 202)
SP4: Brian Matusz - Bal (Salary 200)
SP5: Jeremy Hellickson - TB
SS1: Kyle Drabek - Tor
SS2: Madison Bumgarner - SF
RP1: Daniel Bard - Bos (Salary 497)
RP2: Drew Storen - Was
RP3: Daniel Schlereth- Det
RP4: Clevelan Santeliz - CWS
RP5: Carlos Gutierrez - Min
T1: Jacob Turner - SP - Det
T2: Chris Heisey - OF - Cin

Here are 12 longer term picks to fill out our roster's minor league spots. Looking for ultimate upside here. I may tweak this (so many choices!):

M1: Aaron Hicks - OF - Min (a homer pick, but so was Joe Mauer)
M2: Donovan Tate - OF - SD
M3: Bobby Borchering -3B - Ari
M4: Mike Trout - OF - LAA
M5: Jared Mitchell - OF - CWS
M6: Lonnie Chisenhall - SS - Cle
M7: Ike Davis - 1B - NYM
M8: Tyler Matzek - P - Col
M9: Casey Kelly - P (SS?)- Bos
M10: Chris Withrow - P - LAD
M11: Shelby Miller - P - StL
M12: Josh Vitters - 3B - ChC

OK, who did I forget? Or, which recent first round draft picks will be better BWB contributors than these guys? Comments encouraged.

Projected 2010 Closers and Their Benchwarmer Salaries

2009-12-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

You should have at least two of these, as saves are counted for the first two slots in your bullpen. Obviously you can save a lot of money by getting the right guy before a couple of 40 save seasons (note massive salary discrepancies below), but don't guess wrong, as the expensive, reliable guys never seem to be available when you want them. I will actually try to keep this list up to date throughout the season and keep a nice link to it somewhere. Please comment with corrections, updates, comments :), etc.

updated 1/23/10 with Dotel to the Pirates

Ari	Chad Qualls	1253
Atl	Billy Wagner	869
Bal	Mike Gonzalez	2182
Bos	Jonathan Papelbon	6110
ChC	Carlos Marmol	2980
ChW	Bobby Jenks	1616
Cin	Francisco Cordero	4644
Cle	Kerry Wood	1270
Col	Huston Street	2908
Det	Jose Valverde	2477
Fla	Leo Nunez	1527
Hou	Matt Lindstrom	813
KC	Joakim Soria	3502
LAA	Brian Fuentes	3351
LAD	Jonathan Broxton	4080
Mil	Trevor Hoffman	2912
Min	Joe Nathan	7753
NYM	Francisco Rodriguez	4444
NYY	Mariano Rivera	8231
Oak	Andrew Bailey	3777
Phi	Brad Lidge	2718
Pit	Octavio Dotel	1386
StL	Ryan Franklin	4587
SD	Heath Bell	3918
SF	Brian Wilson	3694
Sea	David Aardsma	3470
TB	Rafael Soriano	2959
Tex	Frank Francisco	1007
Tor	Jason Frasor	1679
Was	Matt Capps	1009

Save the Dome?

2009-12-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

This guy knows he wants some kind of stadium for the Vikings. Would probably settle for a renovated Dome.

Raul Mondesi for President

2009-12-23T11:04:00.001-08:00

30-30 men never die...

2009 ALDS Game 3 - Last Twins Metrodome Game

2009-12-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Nine Top NL 2009 Rookies and Their 2010 Benchwarmer Salaries

2009-12-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

(See previous AL list one post down)

Chris Coghlan OF - Fla: 1330
Tommy Hanson SP - Atl: 1332
J.A. Happ SP - Phi: 1621
Andrew McCutchen OF - Pit: 1105
Dexter Fowler OF - Col: 902
Randy Wells SP - ChC: 2625
Garrett Jones 1B, OF - Pit: 699
Casey McGehee 2B, 3B - Mil: 917
Seth Smith OF - Col: 847

Eleven Top 2009 AL Rookies and Their 2010 Benchwarmer Salaries

2009-12-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

Since BWB salaries take into account more than one year of performance, these players may be a good value in your draft (or will they slump sophomorically?) :

Andrew Bailey RP - Oak: 3777

Elvis Andrus SS - Tex: 995

Jeff Niemann SP - TB: 2401

Rick Porcello SP - Det: 2053

Brett Anderson SP - Oak: 2378

Gordon Beckham 3B - CWS: 903

Nolan Reimold OF - Bal: 753

Matt Wieters C - Bal: 644

Brad Bergesen SP - Bal: 883

Ricky Romero SP - Tor: 2207

Travis Snider OF - Tor: 325

Save The Met

2009-12-20T21:40:00.001-08:00

Metrodome from the Guthrie

2009-12-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

Harper's Index Statistic of the Day

2009-08-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Estimated percentage of all existing blogs that have not been updated in four months: 94

Tip of the Day: Pick up players now, while they're cheap!

Starting From Scratch

2009-03-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

The winter's been going by awfully slow, I've had a free team, a reward for winning a division last year, just sitting there waiting to be activated, and said division winner has nine dollars to its name. I've had my fill of mock drafts, prospect lists, and doomsday predictions for society. Time for a draft!

So...I've just finished tweaking my submission for a fresh team in the Bleed Dodger Blue (do these guys know each other?) League. A chance to take a shot at absolutely anybody out there, and if you miss out on a $100 player with a real career in front of him, you might never see him available again. In general, my strategy is to try not to think too much about how many other teams want "my guys," but fit as many of the guys I really want on my list as possible. After all, just like the lottery, you can't win if you don't play. I'd already done my draft's first draft before reading Dave R.'s top 16 draft targets - each guy is very compelling, but are there no BWB secrets any more? :) After scouring and scrubbing I've got 6 of those players on my final list. After the draft's done, I'll take a look at how successful I was in getting the guys I wanted, and if it looks like some other teams look a lot better than mine after putting the pieces together differently...

I guess this should be noted...

2009-01-29T21:01:00.001-08:00

No Comment.

Twinsfest 2009

2009-01-27T13:49:00.001-08:00

I swear, every time I go to Twinsfest, it happens to be the most brutal day of the year to attempt a short trek from a parking ramp to the Dome. This year, my blog photographer and I arrived a little early to ensure that I'd get my Killebrew card autographed (it's for charity, so there's nothing wrong with me). I could not believe the line out there in that weather. Small children literally screamed and ran in circles as their parents convinced them it was going to be fun to stand in a new, warm line for two hours just as soon as they were done waiting out here so they could stand next to a guy they've never heard of for three seconds.

According to The Man, 31,000+ attended this, and if that is true, most of them waited in the Ben Revere line after they were done with the M&M signatures. If Revere puts on another Loftonesque display in the minors this year, the Gomez bandwagon could break down and Ben could achieve backup-QB-like saviour status around town.

I'd anticipated this, beaten the rush to Ben, and my plan to be early to the Mudcat Grant line was going great, and it's not like he wouldn't be there or anything, seeing as how he was hanging with Fergie Jenkins (see above) selling signed baseballs for charity in the late morning. Well, official word soon came that he was "on a plane" even though he was also scheduled to appear the next day....anybody know the story?? The mainstream media is afraid to report the facts! As usual, baseless conjecture by bloggers must carry the day!

Item: World's Biggest Procrastinator Attempts Blog

2009-01-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

Responding to an open invitation by the creator and commissioner-for-life of Benchwarmer Baseball, I decided that posting my deep thoughts on BWB, fantasy baseball, baseball, and other lesser elements of life might possibly be a way to slow my accelerating brain decay and short attention span caused by being born into Generation X.

Anyway....Anyone reading this for at least the next year knows what Benchwarmer Baseball is, but for future generations scrolling all the way to the bottom, BWB is basically an updated, web version of a 150 game season of Strat-O-Matic baseball, without the cool collectible cards, but the outcomes are determined by actual game results rather than dice, and you as the owner/GM/manager get the additional fun responsibilities associated with franchise-building, except nobody gets the extra revenue of the Yankees. Players' salaries are based on performance (take that, Carl Pavano!), contracts are available for the long term planner, and you can experiment with how best to allocate your finite resources. With twelve minor league roster sports, you also get to experience the joy of watching a guy you draft never actually contribute anything at all.

I personally have two BWB teams as of now, the 2002 champion Nordeast Knotholes, of the original Hall of Fame League, and the recently dethroned but perennial divisional powerhouse Nokomis Choo Choo Trains in the Longball League. I resist the temptation to add more each year, as I already participate in two "real life" head-to-head leagues and one old-style NL-only rotisserie league. As the winter crawls by though, and I spend idle minutes at work refreshing ballbug (I love this site!), it is BWB that comes to the rescue by beginning the building of 2009 rosters in December and January. Apart from getting your own rosters set, it is interesting to scan through all the redistribution league drafts, see which prospects everyone is going for, and try to investigate a few new names your own personal favorite sites didn't mention.

With all the information out there, I am not exactly sure what I will be able to add; perhaps I will chronicle my teams' seasons, or the Twinkies' last year in the hallowed Metrodome, or I'll get laid off and spend ten hours a day on a fabulous new Manifesto.....most likely the former I suppose. Through pure chance, the Knotholes have always been hitting-centric, with A-Rod on board since day one, and peaking when he was joined by Bonds and Giambi in their juiced prime. The Choo Choo Trains continue to win divisions with starting pitching, the staff currently anchored by Santana and Peavy. Also right now the Knotholes are swimming in money (though not quite as much, due to a trade for Brian McCann this week), and poor planning left the Choo Choo Trains with, ahem, nine (thought it was a misprint!) dollars as of now. Any big spenders out there want to give me a pile of money for Rick Porcello?