Pool invite and entry sheet

Greetings pool participants past, present, and future-

It's time to start making our picks for the 2014 MLB Predictions Pool!

This will be the tenth year of our little contest's existence. Karen McCloskey topped the 2013 pool, maintaining our streak of someone new finishing on top each year. Perhaps you'll be next?

(above sheet is VIEW ONLY)

The attached Word version of the entry form does a pretty good job of explaining the rules, but here's a refresher:

• You get credit for picking the league leader in a category only. If a player gets traded to the other league during the season, you're probably out of luck. For example, in 2008, CC Sabathia led the majors in innings pitched, but since he was traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee during the season, he led neither league. You'd get nothing for having picked Sabathia.
• Batting average and ERA leaders are subject to MLB's minimum requirements for qualification (3.1 plate appearances per game a player's team has played for batting average; 1 inning pitched per game a player's team has played for ERA).
• All entries must be e-mailed to Dan at dcmccloskey@yahoo.com or Jud at judehrbar@gmail.com by midnight (EST) of Friday, March 28. This is a firm deadline.
• $20 per person to enter.

We're always open to newcomers joining up. If you have anyone you would like to invite, please request approval from either Dan or Jud. All new entrants are required to submit their $20 entry fee, in addition to their picks, by March 28. Returning entrants may pay by April 30. The two games being played in Australia between the Dodgers and D-backs will take place before our entry deadline, but the stats will count!

We accept PayPal for your $20 entry fee (payable to judehrbar@gmail.com with any fees paid as sender), as well as cash or check mailed to Dan or Jud (addresses found in entry form).

The 2014 MLB Predictions Pool blog is still at http://mlbpool.blogspot.com/, and Twitter is still @PredictionsPool.

Any questions, let us know. Hope you're in for another year.

Good luck,

Dan & Jud

October 1, 2013 FINAL UPDATE

The results are in… Karen McCloskey is our 2013 MLB Predictions Pool winner! She is our ninth new champ in our contest’s nine-year existence; Karen also held or shared the lead in each of our September updates. Congratulations!

Here are the season category leaders, with bold indicating players we actually chose:

AL BA: Miguel Cabrera (8 entrants)

ALHR: Chris Davis

ALRBI: Chris Davis

AL R: Mike Trout (14)

ALSB: Jacoby Ellsbury

NL BA: Michael Cuddyer

NL HR: Pedro Alvarez, Paul Goldschmidt

NL RBI: Paul Goldschmidt

NL R: Matt Carpenter

NL SB: Eric Young Jr.

AL IP: James Shields (1)

AL W: Max Scherzer

AL ERA: Aníbal Sánchez

ALSO: Yu Darvish (2)

AL S: Jim Johnson (5)

NL IP: Adam Wainwright

NL W: Adam Wainwright, Jordan Zimmermann

NL ERA: Clayton Kershaw (12)

NL SO: Clayton Kershaw (12)

NL S: Craig Kimbrel (10)

ALHBP: Shane Victorino

NL HBP: Shin-Soo Choo

ALHBP: Justin Masterson (7)

NL HBP: Charlie Morton

Some pool tidbits:

- Our average score of 3.05 pts is our highest since 2010. Ten entrants predicted at least four categories correctly, compared to seven entrants in 2012 and only two in 2011.

- Our 2013 entrants averaged less than 30 HBP for the first time in Predictions Pool history, breaking a five-year streak of 40+ HBP.

- Mike Levine earns our only “unique pick” this year, as the only entrant to pick James Shields for AL IP. Mike was also the only person to pick September call-up Billy Hamilton for NL SB, who stole 13 bases in as many games for the Cincinnati Reds. Spread that over a full season and Hamilton’s 162 steals easily win the category.

- Karen is the first entrant since at least 2006 to lead in both our first and last official updates in a season.

We hope you had as much fun participating in this year’s pool as we did. Enjoy the playoffs, and congrats to Karen once more!

-Dan and Jud