State of the Franchise: Lunatic Fringe

We continue our State of the Franchise Series with the Lunatic Fringe who enter their 11th Season in the Roger Dorn Baseball League with a pair of Peninsula Division Titles. The Fringe are coming off a fourth place finish, exercising patience with a talented group who skyrocketed up the standings between June and July to lock in the top Wild Card spot before a fourth place finish in the RDBL Playoffs.

Franchise History Page

President of Baseball Operations: Tony Guglielmi

Headquarters: San Carlos, CA

Seasons: 10

Cash Finishes: 4

Division Titles: 2

Lifetime Earnings: $1,625

Top Hitter: Ronald Acuña, Jr., 541.0 Points (2023)

Top Pitcher: Sandy Alcantara, 614.0 Points (2022)

2023 Season

The Fringe looked to be on the verge of becoming the league's most anticipated seller in June, but GM Tony Guglielmi had other plans as the club stuck with their core before catching fire and vaulting into the top Wild Card spot. Surviving the loss of ace Sandy Alcantara, the Fringe rode a historic season from Ronald Acuña, Jr. who joined Aaron Judge as the only winner of the RDBL Hitter of the Year and Playoff MVP in the same season.

The move to give $66 to Acuña was hardly Guglielmi's only star-studded move as the club stole Cody Bellinger for just $4 and Kyle Bradish with a Reserve Draft selection while acquiring Matt Olson (who produced 504.0 points) for a pair of Draft picks. Underrated outfielder Lane Thomas helped lead the offense to the second most points in the RDBL last season with all four of those key acquisitions set to return next year.

The 2023 season also marked the a wave of starting pitching options hitting the big leagues and finding success, led by Grayson Rodriguez who emerged as a strong option behind Kyle Bradish and Jordan Montgomery in 2024 while Triston McKenzie, Clarke Schmidt and Josiah Gray all look ready to contribute.

Lost to 2024 Free Agency

RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Lucas Giolito, OF J.D. Martinez, 1B Ryan Mountcastle

Current Projected Keeper Roster Ranked by Value

1 OF Ronald Acuña (2/$66)

2. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (1R/$1)

3. RHP Kyle Bradish (2D/$5)

4. 1B Matt Olson (3/$46)

5. OF Cody Bellinger (2/$4)

6. IF Noelvi Marte (1R/$1)

7. OF Lane Thomas (2D/$5)

8. LHP Jordan Montgomery (2/$20)

9. RHP Triston McKenzie (1R/$1)

10. IF Jeimer Candelario (2/$6)

11 OF Marcell Ozuna (2FA/$5)

12. SS Jeremy Pena (3/$9)

13. IF Wilmer Flores (2FA/$5)

14. RHP Josiah Gray (1R/$1)

15. OF Brandon Marsh (2R/$3)

The group is headlined by 2023 Hitter of the Year and Playoff MVP Ronald Acuna who is fresh off the most dominant offensive season in RDBL History with Matt Olson and Cody Bellinger adding to one of the league's top units. The Pitching staff will be the story of the off-season as GM Tony Guglielmi has a bevy of options while being squeezed a bit by the 2023 Playoff activations of Josiah Gray and Grayson Rodriguez.

Kenta Maeda (2D/$5), Reid Detmers (2R/$3) and Andres Gimenez (3D/$15) stick out as potential trade candidates this Winter while catcher will be a key area for the Front Office to address through trades or the Auction Draft.

Farm System

1. *RHP Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles)

2. SS Noelvi Marte (Reds)

3. *RHP Josiah Gray (Nationals)

4. RHP Triston McKenzie (Indians)

5. SS Jackson Merrill (Padres)

6. RHP Clarke Schmidt (Yankees)

7. SS Carson Williams (Rays)

8. C Harry Ford (Mariners)

9. IF Brayan Rocchio (Guardians)

The Fringe continue to do an excellent job in the Reserve Draft with Guglielmi zigging with a pitching-heavy Farm System while everyone seems to be zagging with a hitter-only approach. The Farm System should produce six Opening Day starters between Grayson Rodriguez, Noelvi Marte, Josiah Gray, Triston McKenzie, Clark Schmidt and Brayan Rocchio with 2023 draftees Jackson Merrill and Carson Williams not far behind.

With Rodriguez and Marte looking like elite options and Merrill holding similar upside, the Fringe Farm quietly ranks among the league's best heading into 2024.

Off-Season Questions

Is Guglielmi willing to enter the Draft with a full rotation?

The Fringe have a stable of starting pitching options heading into 2024. The locks to return are Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez with Jordan Montgomery and Josiah Gray ready as well. The club will be forced to make the call on Kenta Maeda (2D/$5) and Reid Detmers (2R/$3) along with the potential activations of Triston McKenzie and Clarke Schmidt also ready. The option is there for Guglielmi to bring a full rotation into 2024, but the more likely scenario is for the club to leave one open.

Address catcher over the off-season or in the Draft?

The Fringe are unlikely to bring back Connor Wong or Travis d'Arnaud, leaving them currently empty at catcher. Guglelmi could be in luck as the 2024 Free Agent Class has a strong group of backstops available, led by Willson Contreras, Jonah Heim, Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Salvador Perez.

Ace hunting in Auction?

The Fringe will be without Sandy Alcantara in 2024 after riding the ace for the last three seasons. Provided Guglielmi leaves a spot open in the rotation, the Fringe could leverage much of their cap space for a front-line starter in Auction. While they might not have the spending power to target Zack Wheeler or Spencer Strider, the Fringe could be players for Max Fried, Joe Musgrove or Justin Verlander to round out their pitching group.

Rumor Central: Soto Move to Yankees Could Spark RDBL Deal

The pending deal of Juan Soto (2/$65) to the New York Yankees could increase trade interest in the RDBL for the San Mateo Oppo Tacos. GM Erik Nielsen has made it clear that Soto is available as he takes over for the departed Mike Friedrich. Soto was hitting .202 with 5 homers and 11 RBIs as the calendar flipped to May, looking like a lock to not return to any RDBL club in 2024 at his $65 figure. He would go on to hit 30 homers with a .290 average the rest of the way, finishing the year with 536.0 points and ranking third among outfielders in scoring. He was one of three qualified hitters with more walks than strikeouts in 2023 and has still not fallen below the .400 mark for a season on-base percentage in his entire career.

The Oppo Tacos are set to bring back a competitive group, but are short on cap space with the likes of Marcus Semien (2/$37), Adolis Garcia (3D/$15) and Chris Bassitt (2/$16) all expected back.

Nielsen has also made Will Smith (3/$30) and Josh Naylor (3D/$15) available in talks according to sources. Smith finished 2023 ranked third in catcher scoring while Naylor hit .308/.354/.489 in 121 games, leaving more in the tank if he can produce a healthier season.

Around the RDBL

- The St. Joseph Jokers have had initial conversations with the Honolulu Hammerheads on right-handers Sonny Gray (2/$2) and Michael Wacha (2/$1) according to sources. While clubs can’t formally announce deals until January 15th when the 2024 RDBL Season officially begins, Heads officials have been unwilling to discuss Gray’s availability with other clubs making some believe that a deal is verbally agreed to. Gray posted the fourth 500+ season of his career in 2023, posting a dominant 2.79 ERA over 184.0 innings, the most he has worked since 2015.

Wacha was one of the league’s biggest surprises, posting 342.0 points with a 3.22 ERA over 134 1/3 innings. It was Wacha’s heaviest workload since 2017.

The Jokers make a lot of sense for multiple pitching additions after producing two of the six worst pitching seasons in RDBL History over the last two years. The Jokers owned a 4.70 ERA in 2023 and have ranked 14th or 15th in Pitcher Scoring in five of the last season seasons.

- The Alamo Short Stacks are expected to be active before Draft Day as the club currently holds a RDBL-high 16 prospects under contract along with four selections in the 2nd Round and six selections in the first 35 of the 2024 Reserve Draft. GM Greg Shelley has plenty of cap space flexibility with the club currently projected to hold $200 in spending power for just nine openings, making them a potential fit for Juan Soto as well as other high-priced options available this Winter.

Tough Keeper Choices in 2024: Peninsula Division

The 11th RDBL Draft is a little over four months away, but the difficult Keeper Deadline decisions are already clear for Roger Dorn Baseball League Front Offices. We are taking a Division by Division look at some of the tough Keeper decisions teams will face heading into 2024 with each of the candidates below also representing potential trade options this Winter.

Burlingame Blue Ducks: RHP Alek Manoah (3R/$5)

The 25-year-old right-hander was demoted to the minors two different times in 2023 and finished the year in shutdown mode following multiple late-September injections to reduce inflammation and soreness in his throwing arm. He can now wipe the slate clean, though, and look to rediscover his early-career form leading into next season. A first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft, Manoah compiled a dominant 2.60 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 307:91 K:BB over his first 308.1 major-league innings between 2021-22, adding the Pitching Prospect of the Year and Activation of the Year in the RDBL.

Lake Merced Goutfish: LHP Framber Valdez (2/$48)

Valdez has worked the fifth-most innings of any starting pitcher over the past two seasons trailing only Alcantara, Cole, Webb, and Mikolas, ranking seventh in scoring after another strong campaign in 2023. Valdez is certainly worth the $48 investment for 2024, but with a stable of cheaper starting options on their roster, GM Ryan Atkinson could look to part with Valdez and leverage those savings on their offense. Historically, the club prefers salary cap flexibility which could also come with Rafael Devers (2/$44).

Lunatic Fringe: Reid Detmers (2R/$3)

Detmers delivered a surprise performance in 2022 by pitching a perfect game and posting a 3.77 ERA for the season while looking like a potential breakout candidate in 2023. Things didn't come together as planned as the lefty posted a 4.48 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 168:60 K:BB across 148.2 innings. He found an extra tick on his fastball in 2023 (94.4 mph) and upped his strikeout rate to 26.2 percent, but a 9.3 percent walk rate and 1.15 HR/9 both took a step back from the previous season. The Angels lack any real rotation depth, especially with Shohei Ohtani likely departing via free agency, which should lock Detmers in for regular starts again in 2024. Detmers will turn 25 years old in July and still has some upside, but he's currently behind a strong group of Fringe rotation options that could make his return difficult to envision.

Maltese Falcons: RHP Seth Lugo (2FA/$5)

Seth Lugo, long a multi-inning reliever, was a full-time starter in 2023 for the first time with mixed results. He finished the season with solid ratios, but a decline in strikeouts and wins in just 8 of his 33 starts limited his overall fantasy value. Lugo has long been known for his high spin rate pitches, but his two primary offerings did not perform the same as a starter as they did when he came in from the pen. The league hit .171 off his fastball and .159 off his curveball in 2022, but those numbers jumped to .247 and .280 last year when he worked as a starter despite both pitches maintaining their high spin rates. Lugo's velocity dipped a bit working in the rotation as well. Overall, he produced a solid 327.0 point season in 2023 and is in line for a multi-year deal from a new club after opting out of his contract with the Padres.

San Mateo Oppo Tacos: C Will Smith (3/$30)

Smith was on his way to a huge season as he went into the break with a .279/.396/.494 triple-slash line with 13 homers and 46 RBIs, but hit .242/.320/.381 with just 6 homers and 30 RBIs after the break. Overall, Smith ranked third in scoring among catchers, trailing only Adley Rutschman and William Contreras. The $25-30 range has seemed to be the sweet spot for top end Free Agent catchers in the RDBL over the last five years, making Smith worth the contract but far from an overwhelming value making his market an interesting one to follow this Winter.