August 29, 2011

Curtis Granderson seizes control of AL HR/RBI/R, Justin Verlander maintains AL dominance despite a shaky Saturday start, and Roy Halladay slides down the NL leaderboards. Net result? Dan remains on top.

Amy Gill needs to outscore Dan to win, and Jason Salavon can tie by scrounging up a leader-point of his own somewhere. Prince Fielder in NL HR and Halladay in NL IP might be their best resources for catch-up points, although Amy can also score if Tim Lincecum snatches the ERA title from Johnny Cueto, who needs 22+ innings in September to qualify.

Keep checking www.mlbpool.blogspot.com for the latest injury updates and more frequent standings.

August 21, 2011

Not much has changed since last week. Ryan Braun takes over the NL runs lead from the injured Jose Reyes, vaulting Jason Salavon from 16th to 7th and dropping Aaron Smith from 20th to 22nd.

As we approach the season's final month, look for some more in-depth coverage as the pool gets down to the wire.

August 14, 2011

After an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, including over two weeks lost due to injury, Albert Pujols shows up among the MLB category leaders for the first time this season, pulling into a tie with teammate Lance Berkman for the NL lead in home runs, prior to today's action.

Despite picking Pujols in four different categories, Dan McCloskey took over first place in the pool a little over a month ago, and has only relinquished the lead for one update since. So, the recent Albert Pujols development would seem to be big news, but actually...not so much.

The top six leaders in the pool all have Pujols for NL HR, so his recent resurgence only negatively affects a few, including Sid Harris and Amy Gill, who fall from top five to outside of the top ten as a result.

August 9, 2011

Sorry about the lapse in coverage... both Jud and Dan have been on vacation.

Categories to watch: AL HR (Bautista 33, Teixeira 32), NL HR (Berkman 28, Pujols 27, Fielder 26), NL R (Reyes on DL), NL ERA (Vogelsong 2.48, Halladay 2.51), NL S (Kimbrel 35, Wilson 34).

July 31, 2011

John Agnello assumes the lead by virtue of Brian Wilson’s hot July in the NL saves category, edging out Dan McCloskey by one HBP. Three other entrants (Jason Z., Sid H., and Amy G.) complete our five-way tie with 6 points, but lag behind John and Dan by several beanballs.

Although Cleveland’s acquisition of Ubaldo Jiménez has frozen the former Colorado ace’s assets in three NL pitching categories, trade deadline activity has had little effect on our Pool stats so far. Heath Bell’s name will be hefted about for a few more hours today, so check up on www.mlbpool.blogspot.com for the latest trade updates and other Pool-related info.

July 24, 2011

No major changes since our last update, as Dan holds on to his perch atop the MLB Predictions Pool leaderboard. Our top ten’s been shuffled around a bit, with Cole Hamels (NL W) and Brett Gardner (AL SB) allowing Aaron Smith and Amy Gill to sneak into the second and third spots, respectively.

Albert Pujols seems to be heating up, with 4 HR and 10 RBI since the All-Star break. Troy Tulowitzki is also on a tear, although his teammate Carlos González just hit the DL with a bruised right wrist.

We’ll keep our eyes open as trade rumors continue to swirl, paying extra attention to news containing keywords “Ubaldo” or “Heath.” Remember that players traded across leagues only maintain statistics from their original designation, with the exception of HBP totals. Check www.mlbpool.blogspot.com for more frequent updates and other Pool-related information.

Congrats to Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar on this weekend’s HOF induction.

July 13, 2011 (All-Star Break)

The AL won the Home Run Derby, the NL won the All-Star Game, and two categories out of twenty are generating more than half the points in our 2011 MLB Predictions Pool. If not for Roy Halladay’s innings and Michael Bourn’s steals, our current point average of 3.35 (our lowest update since May) would be well under the Mendoza Line.

Have no fear! We’re still well above our usual pool numbers for the All-Star Break, and we’re scoring higher than ever in HBPs. Studly seasons by Adrián González, Justin Verlander, and Clayton Kershaw have helped Dan McCloskey to the top of our list, although nine other entrants only trail by one category-point. We may be scouring the disabled list for answers as often as the boxscores, with several of our more popular player choices in shaky physical condition.

Remember that players traded across leagues only maintain statistics from their original designation, with the exception of HBP totals. Check www.mlbpool.blogspot.com for more frequent updates and other Pool-related information.