{"id":654,"date":"2020-11-25T15:46:05","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T21:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usba14.us\/?p=654"},"modified":"2020-11-25T16:01:19","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T22:01:19","slug":"untitled-interactive-blog-post-the-sequel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usba14.us\/index.php\/2020\/11\/25\/untitled-interactive-blog-post-the-sequel\/","title":{"rendered":"Untitled Interactive Blog Post: The Sequel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
I guess I should start with the votes for the previous edition, huh? Even Nevada thinks it takes me a long time to count votes *tugs on collar*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By a vote of 11-8 you agree with me that the gap is getting bigger between the PL and the SL<\/li>
A resounding 14 of you agreed with me that sinking to the deepest depths of the 3L isn’t the best way to rebuild, with only 5 thinking it is<\/li>
We had a tie in the Vidro vs Yop debate, with each side getting 9 votes. I gotta say those 9 votes for Vidro did not age well <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So by a convincing 2-0-1 score Cheese has been defeated. He was gracious enough to offer up the questions this week, which will feature me and a mysterious masked man. To spice things up around here I’ve decided to hide identities, which will of course be revealed next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Draft Picks or IFAs?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The league has been built on IFAs, it\u2019s always been the best way to acquire elite talent in our league, and it remains the best way to acquire elite talent in our league. Unfortunately everyone in the league knows this, and unless you\u2019ve got a total revenue of $200M a year like Boston and the other top PL teams you\u2019re not going to be able to compete. That, coupled with draft picks being a free asset that\u2019s given to you every year (no signing bonuses!), make draft picks the safest and smartest bet in building your team.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
In most leagues, I lose this side of the argument. But this ain\u2019t most leagues, and the Champions wall (since my arrival) is filled with teams who built through the IFA market.<\/strong> Looking at the last 10 years, you wanna know who has drafted the most WAR? In the last 10 years the teams to draft the most WAR are St. Louis and Houstonburgh. St. Louis has bounced between divisions and Houston, well, they Pittsburghed themselves. My own experience in drafting 25 players in 2036 has resulted in all of 2 WAR.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n
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Is 30 Over the Hill?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love old men as much as the next guy, but baseball players of all makes and models peak at around age 27. Markus knows this, and it\u2019s part of the game. So by the time a player hits 30 they\u2019ve already been in decline for two seasons<\/strong>. Of the top 10 WAR single seasons in the modern USBA era, only two of those players were age 30 or older – 32-year-old Thom Wilcox, a holdover from ancient times, and 30-year-old Seishiro Nishimura, a pro IFA that only entered the league at age 29 (so we didn\u2019t know what he could have done when he was in his prime).<\/td><\/tr>
Most of us are still idiots at 30, I know I was. In the PL, where these things matter (for some teams), ranking qualified players by WAR the results are quite revealing (5\/5 of C, 14\/33 IF, 6\/21 OF) 42% are 30 or over. 42% wins elections in this country most times. Age is just a number, athletes are playing longer, and nowhere is that more true than in baseball<\/strong> where you\u2019re not sprinting and jumping on a hard court, or having padding men dive at your knees.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n
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Who is the Best Active Player in USBA?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Jonas van Claveren became a full-time starter in 2035 he has slightly more than 36 WAR. The only player even close to that at 34 WAR is Je-myung Yu, and while he\u2019s a fantastic hitter he\u2019s also 32 and a DH. The other players within shouting distance both have 30 WAR – Joey Coco, a 30-year-old clubhouse cancer that\u2019s suddenly injury prone, and Kameron Guangorena, a 30-year-old clubhouse cancer that doesn\u2019t play every day because he\u2019s a catcher. JVC just <\/em>turned 27, and he\u2019s the best player in USBA now and for the foreseeable future<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr>
Kop, Ice Cold, and Dino Tendies are all active players that might lay claim to the best active player. But if you\u2019re asking me to build a championship team this season, my first choice and the anchor of the project would be\u2026 terrible person but outstanding catcher Kameron \u2018Gonorrhea\u2019 Guangorena<\/strong>. The guy is a gold glove and silver slugger at the position of the least talent. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n