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Small Market Mania
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Written by Jonathan Phillips, RotoExperts.com Staff Writer
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
THE WEEK IN REVIEW COVERS MONDAY TO SUNDAY. STATISTICAL INFORMATION CURRENT AS OF SUNDAY, JUNE 29. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 July 2008 )
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Written by Jonathan Phillips, RotoExperts.com Staff Writer
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Wednesday, 25 June 2008 |
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California has had too much of it lately. Not winning teams, heat. But at SMM headquarters, heat is relative. It simply depends on where you place it. Shockingly enough, some small market teams are in the heat of it themselves, and some may actually make some giant moves in their favor. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 June 2008 )
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Written by Jonathan Phillips, RotoExperts.com Staff Writer
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008 |
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No it wasn't Juan Rivera of the Angels. It should have been but wasn't. Apparently Jon Phillips has suffered an eye injury, which gives him something in common with the plethora of players who have felt the sting of the injury bug. But there are also players returning from injury too. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 June 2008 )
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Written by Jonathan Phillips
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Wednesday, 11 June 2008 |
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It's June, and you can smell it in the air. No, it's not the smell of researched fantasy owners relaxing, although they are. Sure they're still working the waiver wire and making trades. They've already made their first solid deals, while holding firm on players that have slumped, which now might have appeared wise. Yet, they knew better. No, it's not the smell of impending summer. It's the smell of the law of averages. Unfortunately for small market teams, it stinks.
Just a few short weeks ago, when I vacated SMM headquarters, optimism abounded for the small market teams. We were happy, the children sang, and the people danced. All but two small market teams were still in their respective races. Now, only one team still sits atop their division (Arizona), and it's a lousy division. If the Pirates were in the NL West, they'd be in second place. Scary. The Marlins have capitulated to the Phils. The bright shining examples of small-ball that were the Royals and Orioles have all but faded in the last of the Spring sunshine. Oh, the agony that is having only one All-Star from your team represented in the mid-summer classic. I wish I could say that I weren't used to it.
But much like the character Ogilvie was prone to find optimism in the sixteen foul balls that The Bad News Bears hit in their second game, the forthcoming trade deadline will introduce plenty of new prospects for you to peruse. Already, guys like Carlos Gonzalez, Jay Bruce, Joe Mather, & Homer Bailey have made their way to the majors. And as the season wears on, the law of averages will weigh on those players who we all know will make their annual trek to their vacation villa on the DL. Some of them are sipping Mai-Tais there already. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 June 2008 )
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Written by Matt Wirkiowski
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Wednesday, 04 June 2008 |
Jon Phillips is still enjoying the sand and surf, so I’ll be pinch-writing for him this week here at Small Market Mania. While reading Paul Bourdett’s column last week, it dawned on me that bodegas are ‘small markets’ themselves! But hey, you probably weren’t expecting to learn about symbolism in a fantasy baseball column, so I’ll move on to the main attraction… While Jon is a Pirates fan (yes, there are still some of them out there) and is fully embedded as a small market team, my team, the Cleveland Indians, have spent the past 15 years or so straddling that fine line between a small market team and large market team trying to find an identity (and a World Series Championship). This same issue faces the small market teams that Jon has been profiling all season. Based on the talent currently on the major league club, and the top prospects in the minors – do these teams have what it takes to win this year, and more importantly can they continue to build a winning team that contends annually? If not – what do they need to do to win? Interestingly, the five most recent expansion teams qualify for Small Market status: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Washington (a.k.a. Montreal Expos). The other teams profiled here are a mix of true small market teams (Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland, and Pittsburgh) and teams that have historically spent big money, but have recently cut payroll (Baltimore and Texas). Do these teams need to spend more money to be successful, or just spend the available money as wisely as possible? Peter Angelos can probably answer that question for you. Obviously, talent evaluation is important for every team, but it is especially important for teams who have a finite amount of money to spend. Surprisingly, most of these “Small Market” teams that Jon has kept tabs on this season are in a position to make a run at the playoffs. As of May 31, the Rays and Diamondbacks were in first place, while the As and Marlins were in second. The Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Rockies, and Nationals are all in last place. The Rangers are in third place. However, with the exception of the Royals, Rockies, and possibly the Nationals, a quick winning streak could put any of those teams right back in the thick of the playoff race. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 June 2008 )
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