A series of weather events spoiled many games in Week 01.  The trend continued for Week 02.  Off days and cancellations created lineup chaos and left managers searching for options.  The net result was two ties and two narrow victories.

KK Thunderwolves (1-0) vs.  RK Possums (1-0)

The week’s most interesting match featured the Thunderwolves and Possums.  Both teams won in Week 01.  Rick was able to remain undefeated with a narrow 5-4-1 win.  The Possums’ best stats came from Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.  The pair made four starts, threw 31 innings pitched, struck out 41, and allowed just three runs.  Verlander had a 0.47 WHIP, but Scherzer was even better at 0.25.  Corey Kluber and Tanner Roark was almost as good in their two starts.  The team’s 0.57 WHIP over 58.1 IP was easily the best in the league and likely a record.

Kyle wasn’t able to compete in ERA or WHIP, but he made up some ground in counting stats.  The Thunderwolves had four wins from starters and a fluke victory from Jeurys Familia.  Poor starts from Alex Wood and Yu Darvish inflated Kyle’s rate stats, and Rick took strikeouts with a league leading total.  Kyle won saves, but Rick carried a 3-0-1 advantage into the hitting categories.

Both teams had good offensive weeks.  The Possums led the league in RBI and Kyle was tied for second in home runs.  Rick had a small lead in SLG while Kyle won steals and OBP by equally thin margins.  The Thunderwolves best player was DJ LeMahieu.  He had three home runs and a 0.800 SLG.  Rick answered with a monster four home run week from Khris Davis (who slugged 0.957).  Charlie Blackmon remained hot amid the rainouts and added two more home runs and a 1.000 SLG.  The Possums did just enough – they won two categories to Kyle’s three.  This was enough for Rick to record a win.

The Thunderwolves’ positive start is welcome, but injuries could be building.  Six of Kyle’s position players used in Week 02 are either on the DL or day-to-day.

JK Lannisters (1-0) vs.  SM Lasershow (1-0)

The other team to record a victory in Week 02 was the Lannisters.  The Lasershow put up a good fight early in the week.  However, the Lannisters’ depth carried the team late in the week.  Neither team had great pitching stats.  The Lannisters had the second-worst ERA in the league and the Lasershow weren’t far behind.  Sean had the fewest strikeouts and Jeff had the lowest win total.  The Lannisters were led by the Astros’ Charlie Morton.  He struck out 12 in just six innings pitched.  His good work was undone by a terrible Jose Quintana effort (2.1 IP / 7 earned runs).  Jameson Taillon had a good start for the Lasershow but Michael Fulmer was dreadful.  The Lannisters took a 3-2 lead thanks to an edge in saves.

The Lannisters were better on offense.  Mike Trout added three home runs while Bryce Harper stayed hot.  Matt Chapman was good in limited duty, as was Corey Seager.  The Lasershow got another good week from Yadier Molina.  Francisco Lindor showed signs of heating up with a 0.636 SLG.  Tommy Pham stole three bases.  Pham was open during the off season about wanting to run more, and he appears to be making good on his promise with five steals already.  By the end of the week Sean won steals with ease but the Lannisters were too much in the other categories.  The Lasershow held a lead early in the week but wasn’t able to close out.  The Lannisters earned an ugly win.  Neither team will be thrilled with their performances, but both have some momentum to carry into Week 03.

LK Armadillos (0-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (0-1)

The first of two ties this week belongs to the Goofballs and Armadillos.  After rainouts played havoc with both teams’ pitching matchups, the score was left at 5-5.  The two teams used a combined 44 players (22 each) on offense and 22 total pitchers.  This means that the two teams deployed 66 of their 80 total players.  I do not keep records on how many players enter games but this total has to be near the top.  It also demonstrates why the week was so challenging.  Players like Kole Calhoun, Jason Kipnis, Jesse Winker and Max Kepler saw action (though some were simply in games that were eventually rained out and thus contributed no stats.

Kevin had great power for the week.  Ten players hit home runs including two each from Scott Kingery, Javier Baez, and A.J. Pollock.  The Goofballs led the league in homers and SLG.  The Armadillos had good power too, including eight players with home runs.  They also totaled 12 steals thanks to four from Dee Gordon and three from Billy Hamilton.  This number easily led the league.  The Armadillos’ steal total was greater than every other team’s home run total for the week.  The Armadillos also edged a win in RBI despite a strong push by Kevin on Sunday.  Kevin took three categories but it would prove to be insufficient after counting pitching.

Larry went into Sunday losing several categories.  However, he started by Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard.  The pair scored 23 strikeouts in just 12.1 innings pitched.  At one point, the Mets game was in doubt and Bartolo Colon was the only available starter who could be used late in the day.  The Armadillos picked up Colon, who went into the eighth inning with a perfect game!  He wasn’t needed, though, since the Mets game was not postponed.  Kevin had worse luck with The Cubs/Braves and Twins/White Sox games were postponed.  However, the Armadillos were not able to take strikeouts despite leading the league in ERA and saves.  Four Armadillos’ relievers had at least two saves and Patrick Corbin allowed the most runs for the week at three.  The teams settled for a draw.  Though both would have liked to win, they are probably happy with just avoiding a loss after the chaos during the week.

HP PhoeGnomes (0-1) vs.  CP Legion (0-1)

The week’s final match saw the Legion and PhoeGnomes battle to a strange 4-4-2 tie.  The Legion were strong on offense and were at the top of the league in home runs, SLG, and OBP.  They easily bested Heather’s totals with room to spare in every category but steals.  Paul Goldschmidt led the way with four home runs, eight RBIs, and a 1.042 SLG.  Chris Taylor had a great week in limited time.  He contributed two home runs in just a few games played.  Heather struggled to find any offensive rhythm and ended up at the bottom of the league in all five offensive categories.  She managed to have more RBI than the Lasershow, but was last or tied for last in all four other categories.

Heather fared better on pitching.  She had a great week from Chris Sale who struck out 16 in just 11 IP.  Joey Lucchesi had a nice start as well.  Chris threw fewer innings and had a brilliant week from Carlos Martinez.  He struck out 15 min 13 IP and allowed just one earned run.  All of his good work was undone by a Lance McCullers implosion and general ineffectiveness from the rest of the rotation.  Heather won four categories with ease.  Both teams also recorded just one save.  This was a prime category for one team to gain the advantage but the bad weather again cost both teams.  Like the Armadillos and Goofballs, the Legion and PhoeGnomes are probably happy with a tie.  Both had opportunities and will try to get on track in the coming weeks.

Next Week

The Legion are off to a slow start and have to get things rolling against the Possums.  Rick is one of two undefeated managers and he will try his best to remain at the top of the league.  Heather and the PhoeGnomes take on the Lannisters, who have pitching and injury issues to deal with.  The Lasershow will have to take on the Armadillos, who have put up good numbers despite being winless.  Finally, the Goofballs meet the Thunderwolves.  Both teams need a win to build momentum.

The season opened with several impressive upsets.  The Thunderwolves, Lasershow, and Possums all took advantage of a long week to capture victories.  The Lannisters were to only favorite to win, but they had to fight off a determined Goofballs effort.  The long week gave teams the chance to start their best pitchers as many as three times.  A series of rainouts and odd scheduling decisions caused chaos as managers would find players inexplicably locked out of their lineups from postponements.  When put together, these factors created a volatile environment that produced unusual results.

HP PhoeGnomes vs.  SM Lasershow

The most surprising result of the week saw the Lasershow upset the PhoeGnomes.  Sean improved his team through trades and the draft this offseason.  However, he was still at a disadvantage to Heather’s star power.  He made up the difference with a strong pitching week.  The Lasershow had the best ERA in the league.  This is even more impressive considering the worst ERA was just 3.59.  Jameson Taillon was the star of the week with 14.1 innings pitched, five hits, and 16 strikeouts.  Archie Bradley and Michael Fulmer contributed great stats as well.

It seems like Heather should have been more competitive in ERA.  Luke Weaver, Gio Gonzalez, and Chris Sale combined for six starts, 33.2 IP, 38 strikeouts, and just five earned runs.  Their solid work was undone by a bad week from Blake Parker, a reliever.  He gave up four earned runs in just 4.2 IP.  Aaron Sanchez was worse for the Lasershow (7 earned runs in 11.2 IP) but Sean’s bullpen was more efficient.  The team also recorded seven more strikeouts over eight more innings pitched than the PhoeGnomes.  This gave Sean a 2-2-1 tie heading into the hitting categories.

Both teams struggled offensively, but Sean edged a win with good home run and RBI totals.  Justin Smoak had two homers and 10 RBI.  Yadier Molina was solid in part time duty with two home runs.  Other players like David Peralta had good OBPs (0.478) and SLGs (0.529).  This was enough to yield category victories in home runs, RBIs, SLG, and OBP.  Heather led the league in steals thanks to Trea Tuner, but the rest of the team struggled.  Paul DeJong managed a SLG of 0.067 in 15 at bats.  No PhoeGnome with more than 10 at bats had a SLG over 0.500.  The end result was an upset for Sean and a series of lingering questions for Heather.  Sean has also won the most opening day match-ups (three) over the past four seasons.  He hopes to continue the trend and move into the upper tier of the league.

RK Possums vs.  LK Armadillos

The Possums and Armadillos are known for having tough, intense battles.  This week was no exception.  Both teams had strong power numbers, but oddly low rate stats.  Each team had 14 home runs and combined for 80 RBIs.  However, neither team was able to get over 0.400 SLG and only the Possums were able to get their OBP over 0.300.

Charlie Blackmon had four home runs and Joey Gallo added three for the Possums.  Five other Possums players had homers as well.  Didi Gregorious added two steals and a solid OBP and SLG in limited work.  Other Possums stars were less efficient at getting on base.  Gallo and Khris Davis were well below 0.300.  Joey Votto managed just a 0.226 SLG.  These results caused an odd mix of high home run and RBI totals but low rate stats.

The Armadillos had ten different players with home runs, including three from Giancarlo Stanton.  Starling Marte added two steals.  Nick Castellanos had 11 hits to lead the team.  However, only three Armadillos’ players had an OBP over 0.350.  Gary Sanchez had a particularly bad week.  He had just two hits in 31 at bats.  Dee Gordon’s three steals gave Larry the category, and the Armadillos took OBP.  The Possums grabbed both rate stats, and the teams tied in home runs.  This meant pitching would decide the match-up.

Rick relied on two starts each from three of his best pitchers – Scherzer, Kluber, and Tanaka.  The three answered the challenge with 38.1 innings pitched, eight earned runs, and 46 strikeouts.  This set a strong foundation that was supplemented by good bullpen work.  The Armadillos countered with Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard.  The duo started five games, but were more hittable than Rick’s best pitchers.  More importantly, they only earned one win between them (despite a really good week from Kershaw).  The teams threw about the same number of innings but Rick recorded ten more strikeouts.  Larry dominated saves, but the team couldn’t compete in ERA or WHIP.

The pitching stalemate gave Rick a close 5-3-2 victory.  The Armadillos had a good chance to earn a tie at the end, but fell just one home run and win short.  Both teams have concerns on the offensive side, but the pitching performances were both encouraging.  The Armadillos will need to regroup while the Possums can carry some confidence into their next matchup.

KK Thunderwolves vs. CP Legion

The week’s third upset featured the Thunderwolves overtaking the Legion.  Kyle relied on a surprising offensive output and an incredible bullpen to gain the victory.  Kyle’s stars included Ryan Braun and Gregory Polanco.  The two each and two home runs and combined for 13 RBI.  Rhys Hoskins added a home run and two steals.  Dansby Swanson showed improvement with a home run, a steal, and OBP and SLG near the top of the team.  Swanson was a bust last season, and Kyle needs him to make significant progress to compete.  He showed positive signs in Week 01.

Chris suffered the same fate as Rick and Larry – his team hit a lot of home runs but struggled to get men on base or develop a high SLG number.  Miguel Sano had the best week with three home runs and a 0.727 SLG.  Paul Goldschmidt had 10 walks and Aaron Judge provided some power.  Carlos Correa started strong with two home runs and nine RBI, but there was little other power to be found.  Kyle had a strong lead in steals and took three other categories to Chris’s one (home runs).

The Legion fared better in pitching.  They led the league in strikeouts and wins by a wide margin.  They were near the top in ERA and WHIP and tied for the lead in saves.  Luis Severino and Carlos Martinez combined for four starts, 29 strikeouts, three wins, and just six earned runs.  Robbie Ray struggled in two starts, but did manage 17 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched.  Roberta Osuna was a star out of the bullpen with four saves.  Kyle answered with a huge week from Jeurys Familia who had four saves of his own.  The teams tied for the league lead with eight saves.  Chris had a clear edge in strikeouts, wins, and ERA.  However, Kyle had a superior WHIP.  Carlos Martinez and Robbie Ray each allowed eight walks.  By comparison, Aaron Nola gave up the most for Kyle and had only 5 in 10.1 innings.  Kyle’s pitchers were less wild and his edge in the category gave him a narrow 5-4-1 win.

After a challenging season, Kyle is likely thrilled to open the year win a win.  The Legion are stunned but will try to rebound when the schedule evens out.

JK Lannisters vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs

The week’s final match didn’t feature an upset but it was still competitive until the end.  The Goofballs started strong with a good offensive push.  Brian Dozier had four home runs and a steal.  Freddie Freeman had a monster week with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 13 walks.  Elvis Andrus started strong with a home run and an OBP over 0.400.  In total, ten different Goofballs had home runs.

The Lannisters started the week cold but answered late in the week with an explosion of power.  The Lannisters led the league in home runs, RBI, OBP, and SLG.  They even finished second in steals.  Mike Trout started strong with three home runs and two steals.  Bryce Harper was unstoppable with six home runs, 12 RBI, 13 walks, and a steal.  The Lannisters depth showed its strength, too.  Justin Upton and Marcell Ozuna each had a home run and combined to slug well over 0.600 in part-time duty.  The offensive sweep put the Lannisters into a good position.

On pitching, neither team was as effective as some others in the league.  Gerrit Cole was a star for the defending champs – he threw 14 innings and struck out 22.  Much of his good work was undone by a terrible outing from Jon Lester.  Wade Davis led the way from the bullpen with four saves.  Kevin had a good week from David Price, but the team’s other starters were up and down.  Jose Berrios had one good start and one weak one.  The Goofballs had about eight more innings pitched than the Lannisters, but they lost the strikeouts category.  The Lannisters managed a few more saves and wins, and took the week with relative comfort by the weekend.

The Goofballs can take some comfort in their collective performance.  They would have been competitive against all of the other teams in the league.  The Lannisters put the league on notice that their offense is still a force and the pitching staff is showing signs of improvement.

Next Week

Now that the first long week is over, teams can prepare for more regular schedules and off-days in Week 02.  The Lasershow will try to continue their strong performances against the tough Lannister squad.  The Goofballs and Armadillos will try to pick up their first wins, as will the PhoeGnomes and Legion.  Finally, the Possums and Thunderwolves meet in an earlier battle to stay undefeated.

Larry wrote up the following analysis of the draft!  It’s an excellent read.  I added an evaluation of his team, noted in italics below.  Enjoy!  And thank you to everyone for making the draft fun and successful!

Lasershow–

Coming into his first draft with a lot of holes to fill, Sean did an admirable job of flipping some of his draft picks for immediate help.  In a blockbuster pre-draft trade in which he gave up the first pick in the draft, he added a franchise SS in Lindor and three serviceable players in Smoak, J. Bradley, and Yelich.  Sean also grabbed some much needed pitching help giving up his #7, 9, and 11 picks for Pomeranz, A. Bradley, and Rivero.  These were excellent deals that restocked his roster.

With his first actual pick (#2 – 9th overall), Sean went with Willie Calhoun.  The word is that if Calhoun gets regular playing time – he will hit.  He followed with his extra bonus pick at the end of round 2 – Zack Godley – a highly regarded SP, and then got Travis Shaw in round 3 — all of these were solid picks.

With Schoop already at 2B on the roster, his #4 – Scooter Gennett – seemed a stretch, but Sean rebounded with Austin Barnes and Zach Britton at #5 and 6.  To me, Cuthbert was a reach at #10, but A. Sanchez and T. Chatwood were strong pitching picks at 12 and 14.  Sean did tab two young Red Sox catchers near the end of the draft, but, overall, the bottom few picks were pretty forgettable.

Being on the clock in the heat of the moment can be pretty harrowing.  And I felt like Sean struggled a bit in the late rounds.  But for his first draft, Sean did well.  The experience of this draft will enable him to be even better prepared for the next one.  His willingness to trade picks to fill some of his needs bode well for his future.  I believe his team is definitely headed up and moving in the right direction.

Thunderwolves–

The Thunderwolves offseason was puzzling.  Kyle had the second pick in the draft, but spurned myriad trade offers for multiple players (and draft picks) for that round one pick.  If the strategy was to hold on to the pick, then I assumed the idea was to draft young talent and try to rebuild with a younger roster.  And with that #1 pick, Kyle chose Hoskins – a very strong choice.

But in the second round he went with K. Seager – a player not even frozen?  Then the Thunderwolves went with Ohtani (a universally hyped, but as yet unknown talent) who is unfreezable?  Kyle also froze a couple of older players in Beltre and Braun.  If left unfrozen, would Beltre have been drafted in the first three rounds?  Might Kyle have been better served to go with younger players?  Time will tell.

In round 4, Kyle drafted T. Anderson at SS and then chose a RP in Familia (who has had some outstanding success in the past).  He might have gone a bit early for Claudio (who probably won’t be a closer this year), but he came back with a strong group of mid round picks in Bruce, Eaton, Thames, and Dickerson.  They offered very good value for the spots where they were drafted.  Eaton in particular stands out as a strong pick.  He made a nice speculative move with F. Hernandez in round 17, with C. Gonzalez (who just re-signed with the Rockies) at 19, and J. Polanco at #20.  Even his last pick, Albert Pujols, could provide good value as a DH.

Even though I’m not sure what the plan is for the Thunderwolves, I thought Kyle’s draft improved and got much stronger as he went along.  However, with so many top flight teams vying for the title, was this draft enough for his team to show improvement in the standings?

PhoeGnomes–    

After a disappointing finish last year, the Gnomes came into this draft locked and loaded.  As usual, Heather was ready to pounce if the right deal came her way.  A conditional trade between her and the Armadillos was foiled quickly by the first two picks (and this development also voided another conditional deal between the Armadillos and the Lasershow).  Heather was unfazed though, and went to work.

She gleefully grabbed up a trade offer from the Possums for the fifth pick (for a 2019 first rounder).  And that enabled her to go back – to back – to back in the first round and add Devers, Olson, and I. Happ — what a haul!  Heather followed with DeJong and L. Weaver – excellent picks in rounds two and three.

She then swooped up R. Acuna at #7 (unfreezable – but capable of a potentially strong season for a contending team like the Gnomes) and then took a flyer on M. Cabrera at #8.  He’s a guy she could afford to gamble on who could pay strong dividends.  J. Montgomery was an astute choice in round 11, and Inciarte was very good value at #15.  The Gnomes do seem to be overloaded at 3B, and I think they should definitely consider a trade there (haha).

Just so Heather won’t get the big head, I’ll point out that Hedges for backup catcher at #5 was maybe a little high, but, good grief, the PhoeGnomes look scary good.  They have nice balance, are young, and seem to have few weaknesses.  Congrats to Heather for an outstanding draft.  The Gnomes should be a force this season!

Legion–

An uncharacteristic second division finish last year must have haunted the Legion all off season.  But Chris soothed some of his anger by dealing for the top pick in the draft.  Bellinger was pretty clearly the top choice for most of us, and Chris wasted no time in tabbing him with the honor.  He should be an outstanding franchise type player for a long time.

In round 3, CP selected K. Zimmer, the Cleveland speedster.  Then he was able to immediately grab another OF – Souza – via a trade with the Possums.  Both of these were solid picks.

Chris also managed to get M. Andujar, the spring training phenom in the 4th round.  He then selected N. Williams at 7 as well as three straight pitchers – Clevinger, R. Lopez, and Snell at 8, 9, and 10.  All of these were solid picks in the mid rounds.  After a nice future type pick of D. Fisher at #12, the final group of picks were very pedestrian – and some have already been cut as CP has begun to massage his roster to make a run at the title.

The Legion are very strong, and they don’t seem to have many weaknesses.  Catcher remains to be a problem spot for them, and they don’t seem interested in using a high pick to stabilize that position (maybe because the talent level drops off quickly).  But they are loaded everywhere else. Well, they may be a little weak at 1B – no depth at all (haha).  Position player depth seems to be their only trouble spot.  But if they avoid injuries, the Legion should be very right in the middle of the pennant race.

Possums–

Because of trades, the Possums ended up with only two picks in the first four rounds.  Rick’s trade of his first round pick this year (number 5 overall) was a bit of a head scratcher.  There must not have been anybody in the pool that he considered first round material, since he traded the pick for only a first rounder in 2019 rather than for a #1 plus an additional early round pick which is more the normal asking price.  The result was that he picked only two players in rounds one through four: Brinson and J. Villar.  Rick traded up to get Brinson, and he certainly seems a worthy pick, but Villar – coming off a horrible season last year – will have to rebound to get closer to his 2016 production for this pick to pay off.

After the slow start, the Possums came back nicely with lots of solid choices.  Neris, Cespedes, and Treinen were quickly added.  R. McMahon at #7 was a great pick.  E. Suarez, Roark, J.A. Happ, and Teheran seemed to be decent values in their mid round slots.

There were possibly safer choices at SP available when Samardjiza was picked at  number 6, but he does offer the potential of great strikeout totals.  I thought Gregorius was an excellent choice at #13.  And Rick’s final pick – C. Kelly – is possibly a good future catcher.  Like a couple of other teams, the Possums are pretty weak at catcher, so Kelly could be the answer down the road if he is protected.

The Possums have a strong roster with a very capable pitching staff.  They should be in good shape to make some noise in the pennant race.  However, they are one of the oldest teams in the league, and they will have to avoid injuries, which are often commonplace as players age.  Will they stay healthy enough to be a force?

Armadillos –

[Written by Jeff:]

The Armadillos used a trade with the Goofballs to reload on young talent while hoping to remain competitive in the short term.  Larry needed a restock after a competitive 2017 in which he came up just short.  The Armadillos parted with Anthony Rizzo in return for Trevor Story and a first round pick.  The move alleviated a chronic surplus at first base and may offer an answer at shortstop.

Larry used the additional pick to pair Victor Robles with Amed Rosario.  Robles is solid all-around and is one of the best prospects in the game.  He does not have the proven upside of Bellinger or Hoskins, but he’s in the same area.  Rosario is more focused on speed.  He has some health questions but offers more upside at a position that the Armadillos have struggled to manage for years.

Other early picks include Ozzie Albies, J.T. Realmuto, and Francisco Mejia.  These players are all young and unproven but have considerable room to grow.  Larry can rely on his current stars and evaluate these players throughout the season.  If just one or two make improvements, they can be freeze candidates and possibly future stars.

The Armadillos went for depth in the mid-to-late rounds and got solid contributors like Carlos Santana, DJ LeMahieu, and Rich Hill.  None of these players are likely to be future freezes but they offer plenty of depth and stability to balance the young players taken early.

It’s hard to find a bad pick in this draft.  Johnny Cueto offers some upside, and more interchangeable players like Jarrod Dyson are already gone for younger, better options like Delino DeShields.  Even Zach Davies, who drew snickers from the room, had seventeen wins last year.

This draft is an example of efficient resource allocation and a balance of risk and reward.  It’s a lesson on how to build and maintain a contending team.

[End of Jeff’s take]

Goofballs–

Kevin pulled off the second blockbuster of the offseason by bringing one of his favorite  players – A. Rizzo – home to Chicago.  The Armadillos reluctantly traded their All-Star 1B for a needed SS in T. Story and to accumulate extra draft picks to enable them to grab several young players who they hope will be productive in seasons to come.

With his only pick in the first three rounds, Kevin chose A. Reyes – a potential pitching star of the future.  After that, he then methodically began selecting help in areas of need.  In rounds 4-10, he filled many of those needs with E. Rosario,  Melancon,  Grandal, D. Bundy, T. Walker, A. Russell, and Brach.  These were all decent picks chosen strategically.

Kipnis seemed a reach at #11, but he has at least had a hot spring training.  Arcia at #13 and J. Nelson at 18 were both nice picks.  Even Kevin’s bottom picks seemed to offer a glimmers of talent, and Lincecum with the last pick of the entire draft was an intriguing choice.

Overall, the Goofballs are one of the best balanced teams in terms of position players.  And their starting pitching appears to be improved.  Their bullpen is definitely suspect however, and that could prove costly.

Kevin (whose name pronunciation skills may land him a gig at the National Spelling Bee) guided his expansion club to a tie for second last year, and he has quickly built the team into one that may now be able to compete for a title each year.  Can he nudge his team forward across the finish line or will they have to be satisfied with the long time Cubs mantra of “Wait til next year?”

Lannisters–

After three straight championship seasons (three straight!), the mighty Lannisters decided their pitching staff was getting too old (or too injured) and they went all in on drafting their next generation of pitchers.  Starting with their first round all the way through the 10th round, it was wall to wall pitchers for Jeff.  It seems like an unprecedented streak of pitchers being drafted consecutively by one team.

The run started with L. Castillo, who was highly regarded, and concluded with Charlie Morton, who had a great year with Houston in 2017.  In between, Jeff added Faria, Stroman, Buehler, Lamet, Lester, Rodon, plus two RPs in W. Davis and K. Herrera.  This was a stellar group of pitchers to go to one team.  Jeff also traded up to get the Possums #3 and take N. Cruz.  He is just the type of DH that Jeff has employed so successfully over the years (such as Big Papi).

The Lannisters finally got a position player at #11 in M. Chapman – a strong pick at that spot.  Barreto at #12 could be a star future addition to that vaunted infield.  Fernando Rodney at #14 is older than dirt (but not as old as Big Sexy), however, he was effective last year.  J. Minaya at 15 is the closer in waiting with the White Sox if Soria falters.  There were no wasted picks for the Lannisters, and even the final four – M. Carpenter, Gausman, Lucroy, and A. Verdugo offer some potential.

Of course, the champions could afford to go in this direction because they have the most talented group of frontline position players in the league.  Imagine a left side of the infield that has Bryant, C. Seager, Machado, and Segura.  And an outfield that includes Trout, Harper, Betts, Ozuna, Upton, and Buxton.

Their only weaknesses appear to be at backup catcher (cry me a river) and some aging at 2B.  But Cano hit 26 HRs with 90 RBIs while slashing.288/.341/.474 last year.  Not exactly horrible.

The reigning champs are still loaded and an excellent draft only solidified their status.  At this point they are assuredly the favorites until someone is able to actually catch them.  Will this finally be the year?  If their pitching comes through…it could be that the trophy will stay in Georgia for yet another year.

Congrats to Jeff and the Lannisters on the 2017 championship!   And best of luck to all the teams trying to win it this year!

 

 

 

The Dirt Mountain Baseball league now has an official logo!

The Armadillos created a slugging mascot:

The Lannisters opted for a bold lion:

If you are interested in your team having its own custom logo, merchandise, and apparel let me know!  The logos are $40 each and will be crafted to your specifications.

2018-07-09
CP Mike Clevinger
CP Brandon Nimmo
– for –
HP 2019 Round #01 Pick
Pick is formerly Chris’s pick.

2018-06-16
LK Dallas Keuchel
– for –
KG 2019 Round #15 pick

2018-06-08
LK Seranthony Dominguez
– for –
KK 2019 Round #17 pick
Pick becomes round #13 if Dominquez finishes with 12+ saves for the  year. — This happened so trade is now Round #13.
Pick becomes round #21 if Dominguez finishes with <5 saves for the year.

2018-06-05
LK Daniel Murphy
– for –
JK PTBNL
Trade will contain contingent draft picks based on performance.  Details TBD.

2018-03-03
RK 2018 Round #04 Pick
– for –
JK 2019 Round #03 Pick

2018-03-03
RK 2018 Round #03 Pick
RK 2018 Round #03 Pick (Originally CP’s)
– for –
CP 2018 Round #02 Pick

2018-03-03
RK 2018 Round #01 Pick
– for –
HP 2019 Round #01 Pick

2018-02-23
CP 2018 Round #01 Pick
– for –
HP 2018 Round #01 Pick
HP Wilson Contreras
Note:  Heather freezes Contreras and trades him after.  Swapping first round picks.
Note:  Trade cancelled, no reason given.

2018-02-02
Conditional trade during 2018 draft:  Multiple teams
Note:  Conditional trade involving several teams.  Details are know to commissioner.

2018-02-01
Conditional trade during 2018 draft:  LK & SM
Note:  Conditional draft day trade between LK Armadillos and SM Lasershow.  Details are known to commissioner.

2018-02-01
SM 2018 Round #07 Pick
– for –
LK Drew Pomeranz
Note:  Basic player-for-pick trade.

2018-02-01
SM 2018 Round #11 Pick
– for –
CP Archie Bradley
Note:  Basic player-for-pick trade.

2018-01-26
KG Felipe Rivero
– for –
SM 2018 Round #09 Pick
Note:  Basic player-for-pick trade.

2018-01-16
CP Francisco Lindor
CP Christian Yelich
CP Justin Smoak
CP Jackie Bradley Jr.
– for –
SM 2018 Round #01 Pick
Note:  Chris swaps several players for Sean’s first overall pick.

2018-01-10
LK Anthony Rizzo
– for –
KG 2018 Round #01 Pick
KG 2018 Round #03 Pick
KG 2018 Round #12 Pick
Player to be named later:  Trevor Story
Note:  PTBNL to be named after freeze are announced.
Note:  PTBNL named Trevor Story on 2018-03-02.

KG Capital City Goofballs (14-8-2) vs.  LK Armadillos (14-6-4)

After a tumultuous season that saw five teams in the title hunt until Week 24, a champion has been crowned.  The Lannisters overtook the Lasershow while the Goofballs ended the Armadillo’s dreams in the last week of the year.  Heading into Week 25, the Armadillos controlled their own fate.  If they won, they would claim the title.  Meanwhile, the Lannisters were heavy favorites against the Lasershow.  The Goofballs were still in play, but needed a Lannisters’ loss and a victory to claim the title.  A Lannister loss and Goofballs win would have caused a three-way tie.  However, given the Lannisters’ edge against the Lasershow, the Armadillos had the best chance to earn the trophy directly with a win.  However, the Lasershow crushed the Lannisters in Week 25 last year, so anything was possible.

The Armadillos were let down by a combination of poor performances and strange usage patterns.  The final week of the season sees pitchers throwing shortened games, players getting days off, and playoff positioning dictate bullpen usage.  Larry used eight starting pitchers but only one was able to throw more than 6.0 innings.  Four pitchers threw less than 5.0 innings.  Carlos Carrasco put on an heroic effort, striking out 14 and not allowing an earned run in 8.1 innings pitched.  His work was undone by nightmare outings from Zack Godley and Drew Pomeranz.  The pair allowed 10 earned runs in just 6.1 innings.  Kevin had an even worse pitcher – Luke Weaver.  He allowed an astounding 14 earned runs over 7.2 innings.  Neither team produced acceptable ERA or WHIP totals, but Kevin had a bit more consistency and a solid Blake Snell outing.  Each of Kevin’s pitchers threw a few more innings than their Armadillos’ counterparts.  This gave Kevin an edge in all five pitching categories.

Both teams’ starters for the final week show how unpredictable Week 25 can be.  The Armadillos tried to rely on their offense and they posted good home run, RBI, and SLG totals.  Six Armadillos players had SLG numbers over 0.550.  This secured three categories, but the Goofballs took OBP and steals.  This was more than enough to secure the victory for the week.  The win gave Kevin a shot at the title, and ended the Armadillos’ hopes of an outright championship.  The two teams ended up with equal records and tied in the head-to-head tiebreaker.  This meant that a Lannister loss would result in a shared title and a Lannister tie would cause a three-way deadlock.

SM Lasershow (2-19-3)  vs.  JK Lannisters (15-8-1)

Unfortunately for the Goofballs and Armadillos, the Lasershow were not able to recapture their magic from Week 25 last year.  Sean’s squad was overwhelmed on offense and pitching didn’t break well enough for the club to contend for the week.  A series of pitching meltdowns left the categories open to the Lannisters.  Rich Hill delivered a fine start and essentially secured the rate stats.  On offense, Marcell Ozuna had ten hits for the week and Mike Trout added four home runs.  Byron Buxton, Mookie Betts, and Justin Upton had two steals each.  This was more than enough for the Lannisters to win in a convincing week.

 

The win gave the Lannisters the title after a brutal season of competition.  Despite losing key stars for months at a time, the team’s depth proved to be too much.  Good in-season acquisitions like Byron Buxton and Wellington Castillo were paired with big years from draftees Upton and Ozuna.  The team found just enough pitching to get by, particularly with a great year from Stephen Strasburg.  The bullpen remained dominant and at least one pitcher out of Jon Lester, Rich Hill, and Jose Quintana would step up each week and give the team a chance to win.  Jose Abreu filled the years-long hole at first base, and reliable veterans like Buster Posey and Kenley Jansen offered great production.

The Lannisters win means the Armadillos and Goofballs tie for second place.  The two teams are even head-to-head, so both share the second place distinction.  Each team had chances against the Lannisters.  The Goofballs fell just short in Week 22, when Strasburg delivered two monster starts to save multiple categories and the victory.  The Armadillos managed a draw in Week 12 against the Lannisters but lost their other two match-ups by wider margins.  The Lannisters themselves left a victory on the bench in Week 23 against the Possums.  The margins of victory this season were the smallest ever.  The Lannisters managed to hang on to the championship, but only just barely.  The level of competition in the league continues to grow each season, and having five teams in the running to the very end shows that with a little bit better luck, it could be the Goofballs, Armadillos, Legion, or Possums at the top.

RK Possums (11-6-7) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (11-12-1)

The Possums and Thunderwolves ended their seasons on high notes.  Rick closed his campaign with a solid win against the PhoeGnomes.  After a great week to defeat the Lannisters, Heather’s team seemed to run out of gas.  Rick enjoyed great weeks from Josh Donaldson and Joey Gallo in route to a convincing victory.

In one bizarre note, Josh Tomlin made a nice start for the Possums early in the week.  He was cut, and later had another good start for the Goofballs.  Tomlin was last seen in Week 23, in which he made a good start for the Lannisters against the Possums!  Tomlin somehow floated between three contenders and helped them all at the most critical part of the season.

The Possums end their season with a nice win and an interesting roster.  Rick was second in the league in total home runs and near the top in RBI and SLG.  He also had the second best ERA and strikeout numbers and top wins and WHIP in the league thanks to big years from Kluber, Verlander, and Scherzer.  Can more depth supplement this core and to make another run next year?

The PhoeGnomes finished a season in which the team’s talent just didn’t seem to translate from week to week.  There was early-season hype that the PhoeGnomes might be the team to beat after a series of offseason acquisitions.  However, Heather floated near the middle of the pack in most categories.  The team lacked consistency for whatever reason.  The core roster is strong, and will likely be refined in the offseason.

CP Legion (12-8-4) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (4-16-4)

The Thunderwolves upset the Legion in the last game of the week.  Kyle ends his year with a win and some nice stats from Yu Darvish and Aaron Nola.  Neither team had much to play for, and Chris ends the year in fifth place.  Kyle struggled to a disappointing seventh place finish.  The Legion are probably disappointed in their finish, but some around the league felt this was a rebuilding year for Chris.  He was in the mix up until the last week and has a younger team and fewer draft picks missing.  With great pitching stats, Chris needs to build more of a consistent offensive threat.

The Thunderwolves will need to do some reevaluation after this year, but the team did show flashes of strong play.  Kyle needs to improve across the board and add depth.  However, he was more competitive than his record indicated this season.  The Thunderwolves were not an automatic win and were a threat each week.  The Lasershow made some good roster decisions after the ownership transition.  Both Sean and Kyle can look toward the draft with the first two picks and plenty of needs.

Next Week

Now that the season is over, the Lannisters can celebrate a win in the most difficult, draining campaign the league has seen.  The team persevered through injuries, slumps, and disappointing performances.  New heroes emerged from week to week.  The Armadillos’ unexpected rise to the top was built on solid management.  The team overachieved all season despite injuries and trades that didn’t work out as planned.  They can take pride in coming just one win away from the title.

The Goofballs did more to improve their roster with quality players than any other team.  Kevin’s skillful management has transformed a bad team into a contender.  Despite coming up just short, the Goofballs will be a favorite entering next year.  The same can be said for the Legion and PhoeGnomes.  Both teams have enough talent to compete, and Chris was just a couple of small breaks away from being near the top.  The Thunderwolves and Lasershow struggled, but both had their strong moments.  Sean will work hard in the offseason and Kyle will seek answers as well.

Over the next few weeks, we will start prepping for the offseason.  With an additional three freezes (for a total of 18), feel free to pick up, drop, and trade players until the post season is over.  Eventually we will freeze rosters and start preparations for the draft.  Until then, thanks to everyone for another exciting season.  Now is the time to start building for next year as a whole new series of battles and drama begin.

LK Armadillos (13-6-4) vs. CP Legion (12-7-4)

The week’s biggest battle paired two teams fighting to stay alive and capture the title. The league’s most bitter rivalry played out with everything on the line. The Legion took advantage of a huge week from Aaron Judge. He had five home runs and nine RBIs. Francisco Lindor contributed three more homers, and Chris was second in the league in the category. The team also tied for the league lead in steals. With this much power, it seems like the Legion should have possessed the advantage. However, the Armadillos countered with a great week from Giancarlo Stanton. He hit five home runs and had 13 RBI, along with a 0.484 OBP. The Armadillos enjoyed success up and down the lineup and led the league in RBI and were second in SLG. This gave Larry a 3-2 advantage before pitching.
The Legion have the best ERA in the league on the season. Unfortunately, Chris’s arms let the team down at the worst possible time. Dylan Bundy, Robbie Ray, and Kenta Maeda imploded, and the Legion struggled to a 5.55 ERA. The team managed a few saves and wins, but the short outings cost Chris the chance to take strikeouts. WHIP was also out of reach. The Armadillos had the second best ERA in the league thanks to quality innings from Drew Pomeranz, J.A. Happ, and others. The week’s final totals were close, but the general feeling was that the Armadillos were always in control.
The win creates upheaval in the standings. The Armadillos are now in first place after the PhoeGnomes upset the Lannisters. If the Armadillos win their final match, they will claim the league title. The bitter loss means Chris is out of contention for the title. However, his ability to compete in what seemed to be a transition year should be applauded. This loss will also add a new chapter to the Armadillos/Legion rivalry for next year.

JK Lannisters (15-7-1) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (10-12-1)

After a difficult week against the Possums, the Lannisters needed a win against the PhoeGnomes to stay in control of their own fate. The Lannisters’ pitching stepped up and posted solid numbers. The team led the league in strikeouts and saves by a wide margin. They were second in WHIP and third in wins. Unfortunately for Jeff, Heather’s team had the best ERA, WHIP, and wins totals. Heather earned three categories behind strong starts from Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, and Lucas Giolito.
Heather’s offense also picked up the slack. She led the league in home runs thanks to an explosion of power from many role players. Eleven different PhoeGnomes had at least one home run. Justin Bour was the best of the week with three homers and eight RBIs. The Lannisters had a nice week from Justin Upton, but injuries to almost half of the team’s starting lineup took its toll. Heather won four categories and captured the week. The Lannisters are now a half game behind the Armadillos for the lead.

KG Capital City Goofballs (13-8-2) vs. SM Lasershow (2-18-3)

The Goofballs managed to stay alive despite some miscues and scares. The Lannisters’ loss gave Kevin hope of capturing a share of the title. A.J. Pollock led the way with three home runs. Rhys Hoskins had seven RBI but with a low SLG. This was a trend for the Goofballs, who had a solid home run total but weak SLG figure. The Lasershow took advantage and won RBI and SLG. Rafael Devers had two home runs and an 0.800 SLG. Tommy Pham had two steals. This led to a 2-2-1 category split.
The Goofballs’ season rested on their pitching. Fortunately for Kevin, the team answered the call. No Goofballs starter lasted more than six innings, but none allowed more than three earned runs in a start. This was good for a solid ERA and win total. The Lasershow couldn’t take advantage. Despite a slight roster miscue, the Goofballs were able to hold out and stay alive. The implications for the standings will be discussed below.

KK Thunderwolves (4-16-3) vs. RK Possums (11-6-6)

The week’s final match saw Possums with a chance to stay alive. However, the Thunderwolves stepped up and ended Rick’s season by battling to a tie. The Possums had a good home run total but the team’s SLG and OBP were relatively low. The Thunderwolves took those categories and tied for the league lead in steals. Ryan Braun was the best player for the Thunderwolves, but Ian Kinsler slugged four home runs for the Possums. This prevented Kyle for earning a five category sweep.
On pitching, both teams did well. The Possums earned better counting stats thanks to two wins from Max Scherzer. Kyle had two good starts from Chase Anderson. Despite a good WHIP, the Possums lost the ERA battle thanks to horrible weeks from Masahiro Tanaka and Jeff Samardzjia. Kluber and Scherzer weren’t enough to pull out the win. The tie drops the Possums from title contention, and the team will finish somewhere between third and fifth. Despite losing out, the Possums have had a great season. Rick made several good moves during the season and the team is tied with the Armadillos for the fewest losses on the year. If Rick can convert some of his ties into wins, he will be back near the top again next year.

Next Week

The season ends with two matches that will decide everything. The Armadillos and Goofballs meet in the most important match of the season. If the Armadillos win, they win the championship. If the Goofballs win, they will move into a tie with the Armadillos. Then, attention shifts to the Lannisters, who close against the Lasershow. If the Goofballs win or tie, the Lannisters will claim the title with a victory outright or via tiebreaker over the Armadillos. If the Goofballs win and the Lannisters lose, the Armadillos and Goofballs will share the title since their tiebreaker would be even at 2-2.
If the Goofballs win and the Lannisters tie, then there is a three-way tie for first. The Lannisters hold a tiebreaker over the Armadillos, but not the Goofballs (the teams are 2-2). This means that Jeff would finish ahead of Larry in theory. However, since the Goofballs are tied with the Armadillos, it’s impossible to place Larry below Kevin, and thus the three way tie is unresolvable since Kevin is even with Jeff. If one team held a tiebreaker over both other teams it would be possible.
If the Armadillos and Lannsiters both win, the Lannisters will actually finish the season with more wins. This would be the first time in the history of the league that the team with the most wins did not win the championship. Everything will depend on the Armadillos/Goofballs matchup. Kevin has incentive, since he can possibly share the title. The Lannisters are in the unfamiliar position of needing help. The Armadillos can control their own fate, but with strange player usage in the last week, anything can happen. This is the closest finish in the history of the league, and everything is on the line!

RK Possums (10-6-6) vs.  JK Lannisters (15-6-1)

The Possums met the Lannisters in the most important match of the week.  With a win, Jeff could have eliminated Rick, Kevin, and Chris.  However, the Possums were able to pull off the victory and assure themselves of at least one more week in contention.

Rick’s best production came from Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber.  The pair threw 31 innings, struck out 36 and allowed just a single earned run between them.  In fact, the pair allowed just 16 total baserunners for the week.  The Possums won strikeouts and wins without much of challenge.  However, their overall ERA was just the third best in the league despite the pair’s effort.  This gave the Lannisters a small opening.  They deployed several different starters and got good numbers from everyone except Gerrit Cole.  He was the only Lannisters’ starter with an ERA over 3.20.  The bullpen was especially good, and recorded the most saves in the league without allowing a run.  Rick took WHIP, though, leaving ERA as the only other category in play.  Stephen Strasburg was on pace to win the category for the Lannisters, but he was lifted from the game one inning too soon to put Jeff ahead.  After pulling his bullpen for fear of allowing unnecessary runs, the Lannisters were left just a fraction of a decimal away from the win, and eliminating the other teams.  The corollary applies to the Possums, who would have lost the week without every single valuable inning from the Verlander/Kluber duo.

Though the week was decided by pitching, the Lannisters and Possums put up massive offensive numbers.  The Lannisters were second in the league in home runs, tied for second in RBI, and third in SLG.  Rick was close in SLG and homers, and took OBP.  Josh Donaldson was excellent, with five home runs.  The Lannisters countered with three home runs each from Justin Upton and Mookie Betts.  The forgotten Byron Buxton added two home runs and a steal.  The 2016 second round pick went unfrozen and undrafted after a miserable year last year.  His resurgence after the All-Star game have provided the Lannisters with a needed spark.  The Lannisters took three categories but didn’t get a steal Sunday.  This kept the category a tie and saved the win for Rick.

The result leaves the door open for the Possums and Goofballs.  Both still need to win out and the Lannisters to lose both of their final games.  Chris is in a similar position but could withstand a Lannister tie with two victories, winning in a tiebreaker.  The Armadillos are just a half game back but lack a tiebreaker.  They can only sustain a loss if the Lannisters do as well.  The race is still tight with just two weeks left and an incredible five teams in the mix.

KK Thunderwolves (4-15-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (12-6-4)

The next most important match of the week saw the Armadillos sneak by the Thunderwolves.  Larry needed a win to maintain a realistic shot at the title, but Kyle refused to give up.  The Armadillos dominated on offense.  They posted the highest home run and SLG numbers in the league.  They were second in RBI and tied for first in steals.  J.D. Martinez stayed red hot with three more home runs, and Kyle Seager added three as well.  Tim Anderson stole three bases.  Kyle lacked power but had three steals from Whit Merrifield.  This was enough to at least tie the category.

Kyle’s best chance came from pitching.  This starters had a great week.  Led by 15.0 inning from Zack Greinke, the Thunderwolves had the second best ERA in the league.  They also led the league in wins.  The Armadillos had a good pitching week as well, but couldn’t compete for WHIP or ERA.  However, Kyle’s bullpen let him down and recorded just two saves.  The Armadillos weren’t much better but managed to post three.  Cody Allen did his best, but Kyle left Blake Treinen on the bench on Sunday.  His save and strikeout would have secured the tie for the week.  This, when paired with a disaster start from James Paxton, gave the Armadillos just enough room for the victory. The Armadillos remain the team with the best chance to catch the Lannisters.

HP PhoeGnomes (10-11-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (12-8-2)

Kevin needed a win to stay in the race, and he responded with a workmanlike win against the PhoeGnomes.  Kevin rebounded from some rough pitching outings to post the league’s best ERA in a week with lots of good pitching.  No one pitcher stood out, but Kevin got solid execution in limited innings from Luke Weaver, Blake Snell, and Jose Berrios.  Heather struggled to amass good pitching numbers after two bullpen meltdowns.  Kevin swept all five categories with ease.

On offense, Kevin had good numbers.  Brian Dozier, Freddie Freeman, Kevin Keirmaier, and Rhys Hoskins had at least two home runs each.  This washed out good weeks from the PhoeGnomes’ Andrew McCutchen and Nolan Arenado.  The PhoeGnomes managed to win steals, but it was their only category.  Kevin won the battle and remained in the hunt.

CP Legion (11-7-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (2-17-3)

Like the Goofballs, the Legion needed a win (or at least a tie) to stay in the hunt.   The team responded with a great, complete week on both sides of the ball.  Jose Ramirez and Aaron Judge provided good power.  Several different players added steals.  No Lasershow player had more than one home run.  The Legion had nine players with at least one homer.  This was enough to score the most RBI in the league.  The team swept the rest of the offensive categories, too.

On pitching, Chris provided more good numbers.  Luis Severino continued to provide results in an excellent start.  Parker Bridwell didn’t allow a run.  The Lasershow had a rare win in strikeouts (in roughly the same number of innings pitched), but this was the only category where they had a shot.  Chris won the week comfortably and stayed in contention for the title.

Next Week

The key matchup again features the Lannisters attempting to eliminate their stubborn competition.  The PhoeGnomes must now try to pull off the upset to keep other teams in the race.  The Goofballs and Possums must win against the Thunderwolves and Lasershow, respectively.  Finally, the Armadillos and Legion meet in yet another crucial battle.  Both teams could possibly survive a tie with a Lannister loss, but both know a win is almost essential.

The Lannisters lost a few points after a brutal week against the Possums.  Conversely, Rick gained ground.  The Legion and Armadillos got a few points for wins over weaker teams.

The Possums and Goofballs are heavy favorites at 80% and 73% respectively.  The Lannisters are also favored with a 68% change to win against the PhoeGnomes. The Armadillos and Legion are a coin flip.

The Lannisters rebounded to climb further into the league lead.  The Legion also took advantage of an Armadillos’ tie to move into second place.  Rick leapfrogged the losing Goofballs for fourth place.  Kyle added further separation between himself and Sean.

The big favorites for the week are the Legion and Armadillos.  Kevin and Jeff are favored by about 60% each.  The Possums face a tough test in their must-win game.