MLB Showdown 2012 Shots Friday 

Thank you everyone who choose to join us for our favorite tradition around here, Shots Friday. First things first. A look at the leaderboard. @markrom3 and Jay Bruce have 1 thanks to an inside-the-parker 2 weeks ago. @kylevanpelt also on the board with Adam Dunn's long ball into the Los Angles sky vs Clayton Kershaw. This past week @ruffridennole put himself on the board along with Joey Bats, Jose Bautista. Now let us see some fist pumping action for the efforts. Make sure you send in your predictions for Shots Friday, for which MLB player will hit a home rune, so we all can enjoy some fist pumping #mlbshowdown or #shotsfriday.

MLB Showdown Play For The Card First Base 2012 Projections

The Time Machine: First Base

Mark McGwire(00/01): “Big Mac” has some impressive statistics. He was not the best all around ball player to ever play the game. He was not the fastest. He was not the best situational hitter. In his day he was the man who passed the baton of best home run hitter to Barry Bonds. Say what you will about that pairing. If “Andro” bugs you then this is a sad player to look at. He came up in Oakland as a big, strong, athletic kid who hit 49 home runs as a rookie. A record that is tough to imagine being broken. Mark Trumbo hit 29. A different era I guess. Mark McGwire and Tony La Russa were pair together for so many great season and Tony always protect his big slugger. His 65 home run season following his 70 home run record breaking year was a great follow up. That 65 home run season put up an amazing Showdown card. His 32 Homers in 236 AB's in 2000 was also a great Showdown card for the 2001 set. 

 

MLB Showdown 2011: Team Builder-Hitting Extreme

The V-log may be viewed at 

2011: First Basemen

Player	On	Points	Speed	Field	Bats	HR	Triple	Double	Single+	Single	Walk	FB	GB	K
Miguel Cabrera	11	570	C(11)	0	R	19-20	0	16-18	0	10-15	4-9	2-3	1	0
Joey Votto	10	480	A(18)	1	L	19-20	0	15-18	0	12-14	3-11	0	0	1-2
Prince Fielder	10	470	C(9)	0	L	18-20	0	15-17	0	12-14	3-11	2	0	1
Adrian Gonzalez	10	400	C(10)	1	L	19-20	0	15-18	0	8-14	4-7	3	0	1-2
Paul Konerko	10	350	C(10)	0	R	19-20	0	17-18	0	10-16	5-9	2-4	1	0
Todd Helton	10	350	B(13)	0	L	20	0	18-19	0	8-17	4-7	1-3	0	0
Casey Kotchman	10	270	B(13)	1	L	0	0	19-20	0	10-18	6-9	5	1-4	0
Albert Pujols	9	500	A(19)	1	R	17-20	0	16	0	9-15	4-8	2-3	1	0
Carlos Pena	9	310	C(11)	1	L	18-20	0	16-17	0	15	7-14	0	0	1-6
Mark Teixeira	8	410	B(14)	1	S	16-20	0	14-15	0	11-13	6-10	4-5	3	1-2
Jim Thome	8	360	C(8)	0	L	16-20	0	14-15	0	12-13	3-11	0	0	1-2
Ryan Howard	8	300	C(9)	0	L	17-20	0	16	0	12-15	5-11	0	0	1-4
Freddie Freeman	8	290	B(13)	0	L	19-20	0	16-18	0	9-15	5-8	4	0	1-3
Gaby Sanchez	8	290	B(14)	0	R	19-20	0	16-18	0	11-15	4-10	2-3	0	1
Derek Lee	8	250	C(11)	1	L	19-20	0	17-18	0	9-16	5-8	3-4	0	1-2
Jesus Guzman	8	230	B(15)	0	R	20	19	17-18	0	9-16	4-8	2-3	0	1
James Loney	8	220	B(15)	0	L	20	0	17-19	0	10-16	6-9	4-5	3	1-2
Paul Goldschimidt	7	180	B(14)	0	R	18-20	0	17	0	9-16	3-8	0	0	1-2
Eric Hosmer	7	130	B(16)	0	L	19-20	18	15-17	0	8-14	3-7	0	1-2	0
Justin Smoak	7	110	C(12)	0	S	19-20	0	16-18	0	11-15	6-10	4-5	3	1-2
Daric Barton	7	70	B(15)	1	L	0	0	18-20	0	14-17	6-13	3-5	2	1
Brett Wallace	7	70	B(14)	0	L	0	0	17-20	0	8-16	3-7	0	0	1-2
Juan Miranda	6	140	B(13)	0	L	19-20	18	16-17	0	9-15	4-8	3	0	1-2
Aubrey Huff	6	50	C(12)	0	L	20	0	17-19	0	10-16	6-9	4-5	3	1-2
Mark Trumbo	5	100	B(14)	0	R	15-20	0	11-14	0	7-10	6	3-4	0	1-2
Matt Laporta	5	60	C(11)	0	R	18-20	0	14-17	0	7-13	5-6	2-4	0	1
Brandon Allen	5	50	B(14)	0	L	19-20	18	16-17	0	11-15	7-10	6	0	1-5
Xavier Nady	5	10	C(12)	0	R	20	0	19	0	9-18	7-8	5-6	3-4	1-2
Justin Morneau	5	10	C(12)	0	L	0	0	16-20	0	10-15	6-9	2-5	1	0

MLB Showdown 2011: First Base

The traditionally deepest position in showdown is still that way for the 2011 edition. The top tier is weak with only 2 500+ players, Cabrera and Pujols (570,500 respectively). The power is gone from this years class. No elite or great power coming from our usual heroes so the 5 average power players are the peak of the power mountain. Let us not forget that only 2 players had 40 homers in 2011 and neither played first. The usual suspects of Pujols, Fielder, Cabrera and Howard all hit about 5 few homers then projected. The next tier of players like Pena, Teixeira, Gonalez and Votto all fell short of an unexpected jump. We have come to expect a power surge out of one such player each year and it did not happen. Instead the unexpected homers came from Mark Trumbo with 29. The problem being Marky boy found time to muster up 25 walks in 2011 yielding an on-base percentage of .291 good for a 5 on base. Which leads us to the most important question for those of us drafting the 2011 players for a team: How to do I maximise this mediocrity?

Upcoming blog schedule
6/25/12- 2011 First basemen and breakdown
6/26/12- Team Talk V-log: If you build them will they come- Extreme Hitting?
6/27/12- Time Machine 2000/2001 card spotlight: Mark McGwire 00/01, Jason Giambi 01, Carlos Delgado 01, Jeff Bagwell 00
6/28/12- MLB week in review "Play for the card"
6/29/12 "Shots Friday" where anything and everything can and will happen. This week. Strategy Card play styles? Beyond the rule book.

7/2/12- 2011 Second basemen and breakdown
7/3/12- 2012 Team Talk V-log: If you build them will they come- Extreme Pitching?
7/4/12- Time Machine 2000/2001 card spotlight: Jeff Kent 01, Terry Shumpert 00, Jay Bell 00, Roberto Alomar 00, Edgardo Alfonzo 00
7/5/12- MLB week in review "Play for the card"
7/6/12- "Shots Friday" Leave on the player cards. What are they and how do they work?

7/9/12- 2011 Shortstops and breakdown
7/10/12- Team Talk V-log: If you build them will they come- Balanced?
7/11/12- Time Machine 2000/2001 card spotlight: Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez (00,01,01P)
7/12/12- MLB week in Review "play for the card"
7/13/12- "Shots Friday" Coach cards. What are they and how do they work?

7/16/12 2011 Third basemen and breakdown
7/17/12 Team Talk V-log: Top 10 lead off hitters in the 2011 class
7/18/12 Time Machine 2000/2001 card spotlight: Scott Rolen 00, Troy Glaus 01, Chipper Jones 00, Cal Ripkin jr 00, Fernando Tatis 00
7/19/12 MLB week in review "Play for the card"
7/20/12 "Shots Friday" Stadium cards. What are they and what do they do?

7/23/12 Catchers and breakdown
7/24/12 Team Talk V-log: top 10 home run hitters in the 2011 class
7/25/12 Time Machine 2000/2001 card spotlight: Jason Kendall 00, Mike Piazza 00/01, Ivan Rodriguez 00/01
7/26/12 MLB week in review "play for the card"
7/26/12 "Shots Friday" Broken old strategy cards that need fixing

Follow me on Twitter @mlbshowdownguru
Use #mlbshowdown or #playforthecard to stay connected
Participate in Shots Friday by tweeting your prediction for a player with a home run on a Friday using #Shotsfriday