2062 - Brewster Hold 'Em (Part 6): Team 10

[R.Umali]

Team 10, managed by Mustafa Shimshek

Over lunch at his desk, accounts payable lead, Mustafa Shimshek, opened the little envelope that included the results from Sim 8 and immediately scanned the OVERALL rankings. He was tied with Pitch, Please for 1st overall.

OVERALL

99: Pitch, Please
99: Team 10
98: Long and Strong
94: Shoeless Toothbreakers
94: The Balking Dead
84: The WAR Machines
77: Young Guns
75: Knuckleheads Utd.
72: Randy Wright in the Pocket
57: The Bat-tle Axes
54: Pitching a Tent
51: Grand Slamwiches

After Sim 7 he was back down in 5th but now he rebounded in a big way.

He was once again leading in Hitting despite Kazunari Chikafuji missing a few games. It was quite a risk to take Chick-Fil-A in the 3rd round. The 3-time BBA Champion with Charm City had been facing reduced playing time since playing 141 games in 2059. But Mustafa had played a hunch during that fun draft night, even as outfielders like Resurrection Santos III or Jose Bedreddin were still on the board. Mustafa had read the draft table as a bunch of newbies just wanting to go out and have free drinks and Japanese-style bar food courtesy of the twins down at the Brain. Newbie he was not. But the clarion call of "free food" was one he almost always heeded. Plus: "Team Building event," he recalled Dee Dee saying.

He would've loved to switch Chikafuji out, though. There were a bunch of rookie OF that were killing it that were not on teams, like San Antonio's George Stickler (.369 / .423 / .626 with 13 HR 31 RBI 44 R). If that was what the pundits call "little hustle" then one can only imagine what Stickler would be like if he ever does get more "hustle." Stickler's probably going to be picked up by Pitching a Tent, last again in the hitting categories.

After last Sim, Pitching a Tent picked up multi positional player Gabriel Manuel and immediately got 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R. Mustafa had voted "no" on the rule that allowed the last place team in Hitting, Pitching, and Overall to pick up a player. He had liked the "set it and forget" ethos of this version of fantasy baseball. It rewarded people who created a system or a spreadsheet and stuck with it, iconic Charm City Jimmies player notwithstanding. But he understood the need to create more engagement. Goddess knows he's had fantasy teams that were basically drifting wrecks as soon as Memorial Day.

Mustafa had the most gains in pitching, specifically in Holds, Strikeouts, and ERA. Mustafa had punted holds and saves and drafted only one real reliever: 38 year old Steve Warren of Sacramento. So make that 2 hunches. Still, Warren got a hold in Sim 8 and that put him up to 4 in the year.

HOLDS

16 : Pitch, Please
14 : Young Guns
10 : The Balking Dead
10 : Randy Wright in the Pocket
8 : Shoeless Toothbreakers
4 : Long and Strong
4 : Team 10
4 : Knuckleheads Utd.
1 : Grand Slamwiches
1 : The Bat-tle Axes
0 : The WAR Machines
0 : Pitching a Tent

It seemed as if a lot of people punted holds. This despite Dee Dee's humorous section on Holds during her baseball presentation.It was a concept that aroused the most confusion. In retrospect, he should've pounced on that ignorance and drafted for holds. Pepe Rivera would be nice to have: 58 Ks and 53 innings and 4 saves and 9 holds. 6 wins, too. Yeah, "Cheese Dog" would've been nice to have. But nobody was going to drafting him after his winless and save-less and 7.3 K/9 2061 campaign.

The three teams tied for 6th in Holds got 7 points each.

For the K's, George White and Samuel Nebraska both had 2-start Sims and contributed 8 and 11 K's respectively. And his ace, Jim Fleming of Las Vegas, contributed 9 K's in 6 shutout innings. Should've got the win against Montreal but that's baseball. Mustafa's Team 10 has 31 wins. Only 2 behind category leader Pitching a Tent. There're gains to be made in ERA and definitely WHIP, where his team is in 8th with 1.26. Last Sim his WHIP was 1.30, and now he backends a scrum of teams headed by 3rd place Young Guns with a 1.22 WHIP.

He had his team pegged for a 1.20 WHIP at end of season. Still a lot of baseball to play.

TEAM 10 ROSTER (10 bats / 8 arms)

C: Sam Butler (CPF)
1B: Luigi Caravan (LV, 0.343 / 0.418 / 0.600)
2B: Randall Gray (TWC, 14 for 15 SB)
3B: Mauro Diaz (ATC)
SS: Brooks Eliot (NSH)
OF: Kazunari Chikafuji (CCJ)
OF: Luis Rubio (AUS)
OF: Clancy Lee (MTL)
OF: Eric Owens (HAW, 13 HR 45 RBI 34 R)
1B: Stan Lodge (OMA, 17 for 20 SB)

SP: Jim Fleming (LV 4-4, 64 K in 59 IP)
SP: Barney Lindsay (SA 5-3)
SP: Will Ritter (TWC 3-2)
SP: John O'Leary (POR 4-5)
SP: George White (SA 5-2)
SP: Samuel Nebraska (MTL 2-6)
SP: Mario Reyes (4-2)
RP: Steve Warren (SAC 4-0 2 S 4 H)