The Chicago Champions were pitted against the Kentucky Kernels in May.  Chicago sleepwalked through the first three games, losing all three by a combined score of 14 to 3.  After dropping the first two contests, the Champions decided to shake things up by playing their kids versus Hiroki Kuroda.  Kuroda threw a three hit shutout and it was time for the regulars to step back in.

Madison Bumgarner returned the favor by firing a six hit shutout at the Kernels, while striking out ten against no walks.  Then Kosuke Fukudome’s two run blast provided some 9^th inning heroics off of previously unscathed closer Sergio Romo, who stayed in the game to work three innings and pick up the win when Buckeye Nick Swisher took rookie reliever Greg Holland yard in the 11^th.  The Freak, Tim Lincecum bested Jered Weaver 5-3, with some help from relievers Papa Grande & Sergio Romo.  Kuroda didn’t fare as well in Crackerjack Park as he had in Kentucky versus the Champs.  Matt “Raisin” Cain was the winner 4-2.

Unfortunately the Twin K’s bats came to life in the last two games, the Kernels winning 6-1 & 7-3.

Dexter “Flyer” Fowler was the hitting star for the Chicago Champions.  All he did was go 11 for 26, for a .423 batting average, with eight extra basehits, 4 doubles, 3 triples, and a homer.  He also drew three bases on balls and was hit by a pitch.  Flyer scored eleven runs, not bad for seven games, and he also drove in two, for good measure.

Manager Mallasch was quoted as saying, “Without Dex we would’ve really been in trouble.  We only hit four homers to their ten and were outscored 35-23, and to think DF scored 11 times himself.  He had an amazing series”.

So far this year Chicago has already had a nine game winning streak & a nine game losing streak and a four game winning streak & a four game losing streak.  The team will be looking for more consistency in June when we travel to Champaign for 30 games against the IAL western foes.

APBA Blog reader Jim Shaw wrote me recently about my selection of Monster Cards.  Essentially, he said,  “I suggest something other than pitchers’ cards for the above as are a small sample size”. 

Fair enough.  Though the idea for the Monster Card series, was to get the most outlandish and fantastic “cards” out there and show them off, not necessarily the best “players”.  Occasionally, the twain shall meet, however as in this in this week’s case. 

To say that the 2004 Barry Bonds card (which I found on the APBA Games FB fan page recently) is based on 373 at-bats is misleading.  True, but misleading.  That’s because in 2004, he had 232 bases on balls for a total of 617 plate appearances.  I’m sure it left the card makers at APBA with a dilemma since of those 232 walks, over half of them (120) were intentional.  I remember that season.  That year, teams were intentionally walking Bonds out of fear, retribution, and possible resentment .  After a while though, I think they were doing it just because it was the “thing to do”. 

As a result, Bonds 2004 card was given nine 14s.  If my APBA math is correct, the Company gave Bonds credit for maybe 1/3 of a 14 for every intentional walk he received.  Which as you can see, is still pretty amazing. 

I still haven’t even addressed Barry Bonds’ power, the perceived reason he got those IBBs (though you all may have your opinions on that).  For his 45 homers and 75 overall extra base hits, he received a pretty yummy 1-1-1-6-6 (look out with a runner on third!).  With his six steals, Bonds even warranted a 15-10. 

As a result, against a Grade A pitcher, Bonds would get on base an automatic 15 times out of 36 results not counting any error numbers.  Not bad. 

One final point on Bonds’ 2004 card.  His real life batting average of .362 may be one of the highest of any APBA card to get a 55-8.  Of course, the nine 14s make a huge difference.  Using my Quick and Dirty method of determining a batting average of an APBA card, I estimate that it should bat around .367, pretty close to his real life average. 

Imagine that… I got through a Barry Bonds article without mentioning the ‘S-word’. 

The convention opens Friday evening, July 20, in Lancaster.  Information at www.ConventionForAPBAFans.com.

I am hosting a Pre-Convention Warmup at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on Thursday, July 19th vs. the Mets.  First pitch is 12:35 – plenty of time to see the whole game and beat DC rush-hour traffic to head up to Lancaster.

I am offering tickets to the game for $10 to registered convention attendees.  If you’re not going to the convention, you’re still welcome to join us at the game for $15.  All of our tickets will be together.  I haven’t purchased the tickets yet, but face price will be at least $15, probably more.

You can mail payment to
Francis Rose
Convention for APBA Fans
9001 Edgewood Drive
Gaithersburg, MD  20877
or you can e-mail me at francisrose2 AT gmail dot com for electronic options.

Thanks
Francis

Sounds like a great deal!

A few final comments and acknowledgements

First, I would like to thank everyone for participating.  The response was greater than I expected. I guess it shows that no matter what our opinion is on one topic or another, we certainly want to be heard.  Speaking of being heard, I can tell you that John Herson from the APBA Company HAS been paying attention to the survey results so I hope that something good can come from this other than just idle curiosity.

Also, I want to thank those who helped by making suggestions and helpful tips in setting up the survey.  It was greatly appreciated. 

This was my first time doing a survey of any sort and of course, as time went by I realized there were some things I might do differently and certain questions popped up that I wished I had asked.  I tried to stay from personal questions but perhaps it might have been nice to ask people’s gender.  Are there any women APBA players out there?  I’m sure there are. 

Other questions that came to mind after it was too late:

• Have you ever encountered cheating of any sort playing APBA?
• Do you ever play APBA with your spouse/significant other?
• For those in keeper leagues,have you ever found yourself rooting against your favorite MLB team when your league pitcher is on the mound (or up to bat)?  

I might make this survey a annual event so keep an eye out next spring for the Second Annual Great APBA Fan Survey. 

Here are the links to all the posts with survey results

thanks everybody!!

APBA needs to pick up the pace or get left behind.

Good survey – I hope you get many responses.

When APBA made major changes in their boards, that was a big improvement. It’s a much better game now.

Excellent blog, keep it going. Love the game, give ownership a chance

The key to APBA success is getting kids involved. For every one kid that gets turned on to the game, 2-4 more will be referred.

been a part of my life since i was 14 and would hate to think what it would be like without it.

I’d like to go to one of the conventions someday but being disabled living on social security thats kind of doubtful.

If the company thrives, I will be happy, but right now just seeing it survive is the best I’m hoping for. I don’t know if the D&C generation will eventually die off and it will be all computerized, but the company has to do what is best to survive and maybe even grow. Frankly and personally, the Basic game + Ballstat+Baseball reference are all gifts from God for me, as are my family and friends.

great idea

I love the idea of a regional convention, maybe a 1-day marathon tournament. That would be great.

Some of the questions could have had options where if you didn’t play in a league for example, you could have said so , or skipped the question.

Love the blog, Tom. Fun to spend time around like-minded people. I wish there were more local players to allow me some FTF time but on the whole, APBA has been a big part of my gaming life and will remain so into the foreseeable future.

I enjoy playing the game. I took a sabbatical for many years while raising kids but have rejoined APBA with a vengeance. It’s really enjoyable to roll games and learn about baseball history.

Illowa League Rules!!!!!!!

APBA Baseball releases of World Series matchups with two teams from each decade. (ie 1903, 1913, 1923 etc through 2003..then the next release would be 1904, 1914 etc through 2004 etc etc) in each release

Your blog is terrific! Keep up the great work! Richard

I’m interested in modifications to the baseball game. Is there a way to post them? I’m interested in all-decade teams for 70s &80s, is tht possible?

APBA Blog > keep up the good work of getting people involved APBA> keep on, keepin on

My biggest concern is product quality. I am interested in older seasons or special sets (Negro League Japanese even minor- how about a WBC set) but won’t purchase anything besides the current season unless the card stock and print quality improve.

It was a little long.

Maybe a section to ask or talk about special projects or greatest accomplishments. Otherwise good survey.

This is a great survey to gauge how engaged the APBA community is. Thanks for putting this together and keep up the great work on your blog. I love reading it every week!

i just wish i had the time to play it 24 hours a day (wife and 2 young kids will keep that from happening!)

MAKE THE BBW SO YOU CAN PLAY ONLINE

Day in and day out,’ Tedd gets the dice.

Need to hammer with advertising (like strat is doing with Sports Illustrated and Sporting News)

I think APBA is on the right track as long as mr.Herson continues to listen to what the fans want, and keep the passion for the co. I think the APBA blog is awesome, very refreshing, represents the average gamer.

after working all day, rolling a couple of games of my season helps me unwind. I enjoy apba and it is my lifetime hobby. It would take me a couple of lifetimes to do all the seasons I would like.The apba blog is super,keep up the good work,I read it frequently. thanks,dw

Love the Blog

I have been playing APBA for over 40 years and loving it. It’s my true hobby. Played out 1930 AL Lefty Grove went 32-1 8 shutouts and the same 2.54 era as in real life. How can I ever stop playing. Ed Huskey.

You do a great job with the APBA blog. I enjoy raeding it at least three times each week.

Curious to see what the results will be

Good survey. There seems to be an increase in popularity. Now is the time to promote strongly.

Good stuff!! Glad you did this.

Nothing to add. Good job.

Hard to improve Master Baseball, there’s a glitch or two, but it just feels right, and obviously not a computer, which adds to its charm. It SHOULDN’T be exact. Soccer is addicting, but there is considerable room for improvement. I worked my butt off to make a proper homebrew version, and while it was fun to take on the project … a 60+ year old company should have put out a more finished product. Cards and dice are more fun than computers. Thinking of trying Golf this summer

BBW is the future of APBA. It needs to be be updated, keeping all those things that made it attractive, including radio broadcast, but fixing things like l/r splits, park effects, and the other bugs. Dice roll option and card image would keep old timers on board

Making options to have a quicker game available would probably help in getting the younger generations involved. Not to mention if there was a way to play online. Maybe follow Steam’s lead ( maker of various MMORPG ) and put out a basic product that can be modified by the end user to their tastes. Allowing for various derivatives to suit certain needs or preferences.Maybe even use Kickstarter to get the online or electronic versions going allowing those that contribute a version either free or discounted depending on their level of participation.

We are lucky to have this amazing hobby and be able to share it amongst a great group of guys.

The reprints and new cards are confusing not knowing which is which being sold

thanks for doing this, I’ll be curious to see the results.

Thanks for the effort!

Nice quick survey, will be interested in the outcome

APBA Baseball has been a enjoyable hobby for me. Helps me relax and have had alot of fun in our league which is the DUBL and all the friends I’m made in the league.

thanks for taking the time to conduct this survey.

It’s a great game.

I’d love to see more writers join the APBA Blog, writing on various topics about the games, with more variety of sports. Also, maybe some metrics/card creation discussion, information on replays, and leagues. The current APBA blog really reminds me of the APBA Journal, but would love to see even MORE content! Though to be fair, I think what you do accomplish with the limited time and resources you have is phenominal. I check in nearly every day for updates and love the monster card monday discussions.

Great Blob – hope you are able to continue it for some extended period of time.

When dealing with league play, there should be the choice I do not do league play for each of these style questions.

I really like the APBA Blog. In my opinion, this is the real successor to the APBA Journal. Although I view the BTL forum some, it’s negativity is very off-putting.

Thanks for setting it up, Tom, good job!

Good survey. Nice selection of questions and themes.

Thanks for offering it up

thanks

there was no room for past performance. ive been in multiple mail leagues thru years but questions were currently oriented. almost every question could use a write in ‘other’

This was interesting. make sure we see the results

Great survey. Like the way APBA Company is headed.

I really like what you are doing with the APBA Blog! Maybe start making it more like the old APBA Journal with articles and such? I’d be glad to help!

Thanks for the survey and for the APBA Blog.

I really enjoy the APBA Blog was pleased to take part in your survey.

VERY entertaining & informative site! Keep up the Good Work! Best, Rick D

APBA has brought a lot of enjoyment to my life for many years. I have made a lot of good friends through APBA.

Fun survey. I was sorry to see APBA move from Lancaster since it was a half hour away from my house, but I like direction the company is going with the season reprints.

Constructive comments on blogs such as BTL are ok; but negative, finger pointing comments against the company and other posters needs to stop.

I’ve been playing in a face-to-face football league for more than 20 years and early summer (when the cards/player ratings come out) is one of the highlights of my year! I’m happy with what appears to be a return to good business fundamentals by APBA. I just wish the constant complainers on the chat room would cut them a little slick. Some people bitch about everything! On another note, I just became aware of this blog. I’d love to read more posts analyzing the cards (when they come out), and sharing ideas for game modifications, league structures, free agency systems, etc. My league is always open to new ideas.

Keep up the good work guys! Both APBA and this blog. Real P.

Love the APBA blog, and the ’1 for 5′ sites. Just started getting back into APBA over the last few months and those sites have become regular stops. Also, I have been very impressed with the APBA online community. I’ve received tremendous help and advice on my 1930 replay. There seems to be some very nice people playing APBA.

Greatest hobby on the planet. A tremendous group of guys. I have made some deep friendships because of this hobby, (although not in the ibilical sense.)

I am new to APBA, but I have been a tabletop sports gamer for years. I was attracted to APBA by the enthusiasm and loyalty of the APBA gamers. I think the new owner gets attacked for no real reason and people need to give the guy a chance. Also…you have a GREAT blog. Not just good, it is GREAT.

Hope the survey helps…just play the soccer game now and hope they get the bugs out of it before something else comes along…..it is at a crossroads.

Great idea to do this. the company has a ways to go but is on the right track short term.

How the hell was RA Dickey a 9z? 3.28 era with over 200 innings??? I know that he was on the last place Mets, but that was highway robbery!

keep up the good work! 66s!

interesting and will look forward to you publishing the results.

MAKE THE CARDS EASIER TO READ. MOST OF THE GUYS WHO PLAY YOUR GAME DONT SEE AS WELL AS WE USED TO.

Nice survey. Some of the questions I would answer differently because I used to be in multiple leagues and did play through the mail. Also you may want to include stuff about people being commissioners of leagues because I was one of those also.

it’s a great time-tested product and community and we need to make sure we pass on this heritage to the younger generation somehow

Thank you for the soccer game.

Great survey. Thanks!

Excellent survey. Questions have been well thought out. Hope to see you at the convention in July.

Fun survey. Thanks. Hope there are some good suggestions that get into the hands of the right people and not people just bitching that the computer game needs updated. I don’t play it, and would consider buying if there was an updated one…but I’m pretty happy with my one league, basic dice playing for now.

I would love to see you get the bbw products out faster than what you are doing. This 6.0 upgrade is ridiculous. Its taking to long

The survey was very interesting, and brought up to me some points that I can really think about.

Great survey and I will ge awaiting the results

Great idea,enjoyed the survey.

APBA could have really used a PR guy during the past year.

Keep up the good work!

Besides my earlier suggestion regarding pitching fatigue ratings, APBA should also simplify the master game, incorporate righty-lefty matchup ratings, and not make stealing automatic (dice throws, factoring in the runner’s stolen base ability, pitcher’s move to first, and the catcher’s throwing arm).

Would like to see a new 6.0 version of the baseball for windows with new updated features, but still have the same features we have now (Wizard, encyclopedia, or something similar.

Thanks for asking. APBA has been a big part of my life since 1965, and I want it to continue.

Love the APBA Blog… hit it 3-4 times a week. Found some very useful mods and tips and generally the positive attitude.

Thanks for including me!

If you go to Between the Lines I am the guy who posts the decade GTOP tournaments—GOTT (Glory of Their Times my favorite baseball book)

Enjoyed it!

Quit issuing old seasons that some of us old times collected years ago.. Protect the ones that made you!!! I’ve offered my insight many, many times but have never EVER been contacted!! Without your foundation, you are destined to fail…. Please listen to the veterans of APBA!!! Tim Palmer stout4me@bellsouth.net

None.

Thanks for providing the survey. Getting to community involved is the best way to spread the knowledge of the game and to get ‘pulse’ of the community.

Glad to see the company is still kicking. Need to get the new ‘Magnolia’ course for golf, live in Augusta and am going to the Masters tomorrow…woohoo. I love getting the new cards, though work and family pressures have eliminated a lot of my time for APBA. I used to always play a few games with my dad, but he has recently in the past couple of years lost interest due to health and other reasons. The game is a part of me, my past, my childhood, it even helped me in math…imagine that…so many statistics calculations done by hand…replaying the 1970 baseball season. Please keep it up and good luck in Atlanta, welcome to GA.

I love the blog, it is a daily stop for me, keep up the great work!!!

I will looking forward to the new BBW

good job!

Random thoughts: The PRN-9 strikeout vs. an ‘A’ pitcher is the coolest result in the game. … I’d like to see the Horse Racing game re-issued. … I’d like to see APBA stop re-issuing the same baseball sets over and over and over again. Who doesn’t own 1964RRRRRR by now? … Downloadable PDFs of APBA sets would be awesome. … The GameCo ought to send out little certificates to replayers when they finish a full-season project using C&D.

Great survey, thank you for making it happen and I’m looking forward to the results.

Love the baseball game! The cards tell you so much more about a player’s abilities and tendencies than you get from reading his stats in a newspaper.Keep up the good work! Cappy

Thank you for the opportunity to participate.

If you really want to market APBA to the youngun’s then you would have to make a voice-activated, iPhone compatible, 5 minute or less, flash-bang, rap induced, ADHD version to keep their interest. And oh yeah, you would have to PAY THEM to play it. Such is the entitlement generation that is about to blossom in our Brave New Obama World (BNOW!).

CArd correction updates for all APBA games all time, where are they?

I’ve tried to find information on APBA baseball seasons when I was young as just starting to play (i.e. late 1960′s to early 1970′s). I have found the APBA Handbook and miscellaneous APBA Journals. They are very informative, but very expensive. Acquiring historical information about APBA

I appreciate John Herson’s efforts at continuing and growing the games and the open communication. I also appreciate all the work of Skeet,Varyl,and Marc over the years.

As mentioned, I have been in an APBA football league for years. I love it not only for the game play, but the camaderie of getting out once a week and having beers and talking football with fellow competitors. I feel the game could be better and I wonder how much effort is put into football considering baseball is APBA’s bread and butter. That being said, I like the product and hope it continues and that improvements are made to make it the #1 sports sim football board game.

Like to see a new APBA computer football game. Also…No more perforated cards for any sport. Would pay more. Improve web site.

Good survey. I wish John and the Company the best of luck. I’m behind you as I have been since 1966.

Looking forward to the results.

i dont know

Thanks for all you do relating to the game or hobby we all share and love

I would like to see results of the survey.

I would be very interested in attending a convention, including the national one. I’ve not been able to do so in the past, but would like to. Also, the past time I played in a league it was the mid-80s. I’d like to do so again, but haven’t gotten active in looking for one.

It’s the best board game ever created. Keep it going!

have a convention in vegas or on the west coast again

Good luck to the new ownership. Please keep the quality of the products as high as it has traditionally been and do not sacrifice the interests of the dice and card players when you roll out the new computer game.

Really like the game

I have offered to be a beta tester for 5.75 and the lack of response makes me worry about the product direction,,,,

I had a lot of fun taking your survey.

I need the Windows7 version ASAP. I couldn’t wait so I purchased Diamond Mind Baseball. not going to use cards ever again.

I would absolutely love to know the results. Dan Velderrain (ocgolfdawg@me.com) Also would be interested in helping out reference a tournament out here or anything else APBA has going on!!!

I like the game. Enjoy playing it on a limited basis. I hope it stays around.

I think you ought to ask us APBA old timers whose been playing the game the longest. I’d love to know who else has been playing since 1960–and I’d like to learn about anyone who’s been playing the game since it was first marketed.

None at this time. Thanks for allowing me to take the survey

Move convetnion to Atlanta or at least have a regional convention there. Also, offer all APBA games as tournaments at said convention.

No comments or questions except with getting the young kids interested in APBA it would also be athing to try to get the seniors to pick up the game. I’m sure assisted living centers and retirement homes would be receptive. I for one am retired, but don’t live in a retirement home it is just an idea. Since people are living longer playing APBA Baseball would keep their mind stimulated.

I know there are not as many of us as there are baseball players but send some love to the football players of the world.

A good survey indeed. APBA needs to get to the younger market, We are all aging, I fear, and someday, unless newbies are attracted there simply won’t be an APBA. Those of us 50+ are the ‘bill payers’, however, we ALL started at a much younger age.

Good survey–a few questions don’t include all the realm of answers and is confusing especially if you are a BBW player

It takes me over an hour to set-up a masters game and complete it. I’m fascinated that players recreate whole or major parts of seasons. I don’t know how they do it or have time for anything else. Wish I could play faster or had that type of attention span. I wish there was a guide to playing these types of projects. I think I would buy more apba products if I could complete such extended projects quickly.

I enjoy reading the APBA Blog – it’s just got good, solid APBA content. The forums have become an embarassment with the childlike behavior

Thank you for doing this.

wish i had more free time to pursue a great hobby

I’m new to the blog – some interesting stuff here. As with my prior answers – whatever became of APBA computer football?

What helped foster Changuris’ love of baseball as a kid?  You bet.  It was APBA.

“While the brothers followed professional baseball religiously — Terry said they started reading newspaper box scores before he could read — their biggest thrill came from playing outside in their backyard. They also collected baseball cards and played the All-Star Baseball and American Professional Baseball Association board games.

“During the summer whenever it was light outside we were playing whiffle ball or something,” Randy said. “At night, we were playing APBA or listening to WTOP on the radio in bed.”

Hosted by Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation who has found new life as an author and web celebrity), Table Top no doubt has a limited commercial appeal among American people.  But I’m sure it has a niche audience that it appeals to.

Watching it, I couldn’t help wonder what it would be like with APBA as the game du jour.  I imagine for most of us, we would find it quite hilarious.  I chose to link the “Settlers of Catan” episode above.  Towards the end, the losers of the game blamed their dice for their loss and virtually burned them.  

I thought, “Hmm, we APBA players NEVER blame our dice!”.  

This last set deals with APBA and the Community… how we interact with fellow APBA fans that we don’t see on a daily basis. 

Have you ever been to an APBA Convention?

Comments:  Given the time and financial commitment necessary to attend an event that may be on the other side of the country, I suppose 21% is a pretty good number. 

Do you frequent online APBA communities such as Between the Lines and the various Facebook groups?

Comments:  In hindsight, it would have been better to separate these two.  It would be interesting to see what percentage of fans actively monitor BOTH BTL and the Facebook groups. 

That said, it’s no surprise that APBA fans find info, camaraderie, and support online.

In general, are you satisfied with the direction the APBA Company is headed now?

Comments:  This was a big question I was looking forward to the results. 

Mostly good news for Mr. Herson.  Only a very small amount (5%) are not happy with the way things are run at the APBA Company.  A good portion are taking a “wait and see” approach though.

Have you ever traveled more than two hours just to play APBA?

Comments:  I threw this in on a lark.  Just to see how many other people are crazy as I am. 

Have you ever participated in an organized APBA tournament?

Comments:  I know there are organized tournaments throughout the country (as well as the one that takes place every year at the national convention).  I was just curious how many of you had taken part in one.

If there was an opportunity to have a regional APBA convention, how interested would you be in attending such an event?

Comments:  I’ve heard this idea bandied about online by certain people.  Like I said, the cost of a national convention might be prohibitive.  A more regional convention might be more doable for people. 

Sounds like it may be a possible alternative if there were willing organizers. 

I’ll do a follow up post that summarizes the survey in a couple days.

I know I’ve gotten formulas to work in the past but somewhere along the line, they always seem to break down. This one, that I got from this post on excelforum.com, works pretty well.

here is the formula along with a quick description:

A more formula based solution would be:

=((max($b$5:$b$100)-b6)+(c6-(min($c$5:$c$100))/2

This will subtract the team with the most wins from the current team, the subtract the losses of the current team from the team with the fewest losses, then add those two number together and finally dividing by 2.

Place the formula assuming B is the Wins column and C is the loss column.

Hope this helps anyone else.  I know it just made my life easier.  :)

Don just sent the first installment last night:

Guys,

First Round of ILLOWA Draft, thru games of May 6:

1) J Hellickson (TomN): 6-0 36 3-0 23-15 2.75

2) B Lawrie (Rob): 29-112 2-1-3 3 7-22 .277

3) M Pineda (Todd): Seriously injured. DL-Season.

4) G Holland (Keith): 0-7 6 0-2 10-4 11.37. 15 day DL.

5) E Hosmer (Tedd): 27-108 3-1-5 1 11-15 .185

6) I Nova (John): 5-0 31 3-1 28-9 5.58

7) D Espinosa (Mike): 27-98 2-0-1 1 14-34 .194

8) V Worley (DonS): 6-0 38 2-2 36-13 2.84

9) J Weeks (Chuck): 26-109 4-1-2 5 10-17 .174

10) J Arencibia (Marc): 23-77 4-0-2 1 3-19 .234

  Doing this list made me realize that no one traded his first round pick this year.

DonS.

It looks like a mixed bag for the IAL.  #1 pick Hellickson is turning out fine so far at 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA (nice pick! ;-)).  Don’s pick, Vance “the Vanimal” Worley is also off to a good start, too with 36 Ks in 38 IP and a 2.84 ERA.

Ivan “Super” Nova is an interesting case.  His 5.58 ERA is nothing to brag about but he’s 3-1 and has 28 strikeouts in just 31 innings.

But more notable is the presence of the sophomore slump among the top ten.  Danny Espinosa, Jerome Weeks, and Eric Hosmer are all hitting under .200 (though Hosmer does have five homers).  Reliever Greg Holland got his ERA above 11.00 before going on the DL.  Then there is the issue of starter Michael Pineda.  He’s out for the year.  That won’t work out so badly for Todd, though.  Under our league’s rules, if Pineda doesn’t get a card next year (he surely won’t), Todd will get to pick a rookie in his place in 2013.  

For those of you in keeper leagues, how are this year’s rookies panning out in their second year in the majors??