Blair asks if I can provide links to the CBS Sports Analysts leagues that Toz and I participate in.
Sure. Here is the American League link. And here is the National League link (which is the league you specifically asked about).
After winning the A.L. side of the league last year, I'm not doing nearly as well this year. I've been floating along in the mid 60s to very low 70s since late May (out of a possible 120 points; this is a 12-team, 5x5, N.L.-only league that uses Rotisserie-style scoring). My pitching has picked up in the last month or so while my mediocre offense has started to slide.
(For context, here is what I wrote about my auction this spring).
On offense, I'm last in batting average, 10th in HR, 8th in RBI, 3rd in runs, and 3rd in SB. The old team I bought is mostly playing to its age, which hasn't been good for my production in the power categories. Todd Helton, Chipper Jones, Raul Ibanez and Russell Martin have all been disasters to varying degrees. Corey Hart - of all people - has saved my offense from being a complete clusterbleep. Michael Bourn has also done what I expected him to do (steal a ton of bases), while Adam LaRoche and Hunter Pence have also been solid. If Carlos Beltran comes back right after the break and hits (I don't really need the steals that much), maybe there's some ground to make up.
The pitching is a better story. I'm 6th in wins, 9th in saves, 3rd in ERA, 3rd in WHIP, and 6th in strikeouts. I started out the year with a five man rotation that I admitted was a little thin to start out the year. I addressed this in late April by swapping out Rafael Furcal straight up for Tim Hudson. Losing Furcal may have cost me a SB point or two, but Hudson and pre-season free agent pick up Carlos Silva have been the glue of my staff. Ace Johan Santana has been solid, while Ted Lilly and John Ely have been OK. I've been able to do what I usually do: cycle arms in and out until I found what I wanted.
Alas, I haven't been as lucky falling into a second closer. While Carlos Marmol has been great (and kept me in the whiff race), none of my flier relievers took over from the guys in front of them. Carlos Villanueva came the closest...but then John Axford took the job and never let go.
The most encouraging news for me - and for the rest of the league - is that Eric Mack of CBS Sports has dropped 13 1/2 points in the span of two weeks, and now has a mere 86.5 points. The discouraging thing is that no one trades in this league: the trade I made for Hudson is the only trade this league has seen all season long. I'd like to dump what little power I have left and try a modified Sweeney Plan. Without any takers, though, all I can do is what I've been doing: plod along, hope to get lucky in the free agent pool (not so easy when it comes to hitters), and hope to get lucky overall. Given how decimated my offense is by injuries and age, I'm hardly optimistic.
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