Archive for July, 2015

DTBL All Star Awards Outlook

Monday, July 27th, 2015


Welcome to a slightly delayed version of the All Star awards outlook.  These numbers are all culled from stats as of the All Star break, as the season’s midpoint is always a good time to look back on how the season has gone and look forward to exciting pennant races.  Well, perhaps not in DTBL itself, but one never knows!

Without further ado, here are your category leaders at the break.

»Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera, Naturals, .350
»Home Runs: Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope: 27
»RBI: Nolan Arenado, Naturals and Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope: 70
»Runs: Mike Trout, Mavericks: 68
»Stolen Bases: Billy Hamilton, Naturals: 44
»ERA: Zack Greinke, Moonshiners: 1.39
»WHIP: Max Scherzer, Kings: .780
»Wins: Gerrit Cole, Jackalope: 13
»Saves: Mark Melancon, Jackalope: 29
»Strikeouts: Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks: 160

On to the awards!

Rookie of the Year:

Dallas Keuchel, Moonshiners – 0.997 WHIP, 2.34 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 107 K, 6.8 PAR
Jake Arrieta, Jackalope – 0.986 WHIP, 2.66 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 123 K, 6.7 PAR
Jacob deGrom, Darkhorses – 0.924 WHIP, 2.14 ERA, 9 W, 0 SV, 112 K, 6.6 PAR

As with the Memorial Day outlook, the Rookie of the Year category is dominated by pitchers.  All three of Keuchel, Arrieta, and deGrom sat in the top 10 of pitching related PAR at the break.  And, really, a case could be made for any of these pitchers to be the front runner for the award.  deGrom holds a slight edge in WHIP and ERA; Arrieta and Keuchel are tied in wins;  Arrieta holds the edge in strikeouts; and PAR gives Keuchel the slight edge.  I don’t think anyone would be truly surprised if these three are at the top of the ballot come the postseason.

Honorable mention goes to a trio of outfielders, Charlie Blackmon of the Cougars (who cracked the top 10 of hitter PAR at the break), Mookie Betts of the Kings, and George Springer of the Darkhorses.

Cy Young:

Max Scherzer, Kings – 0.780 WHIP, 2.11 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 150 K, 9.6 PAR
Zack Greinke, Moonshiners – 0.843 WHIP, 1.39 ERA, 8 W, 0 SV, 106 K, 7.6 PAR

Once again, Max Scherzer reigns supreme at the top of the Cy Young list.  A ridiculous WHIP and strikeout total lead to a PAR that’s two full points above Zack Greinke.  However, Greinke’s pre All Star break performance was nothing short of extraordinary in its own right, and makes him a worthy companion for Scherzer.  Greinke hurled 35 and 2/3 scoreless innings going into the break, dropping his ERA to a ridiculous 1.39.  With all the great pitchers in baseball this year, it remains to be seen if Scherzer and Greinke can stay on top of this list, or if any of the pitchers listed below can join the truly elite.

Honorable mention goes to Gerrit Cole of the Jackalope, Sonny Gray of the Jackalope, Chris Archer of the Cougars, and the trio of ROY candidates discussed above.

Most Valuable Player:

Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope – .340 BA, 60 R, 21 HR, 70 RBI, 16 SB, 6.4 PAR
Mike Trout, Mavericks – .312 BA, 68 R, 26 HR, 55 RBI, 9 SB, 5.4 PAR

Given Bryce Harper’s otherworldly season, it’s a bit strange not seeing him at the top of the MVP race.  However, in fantasy baseball, stolen bases still matter, and while Harper mashes the cover off the ball, the speed simply isn’t there.  In contract, the speed is there for the two leaders at the midway point, Paul Goldschmidt and Mike Trout.  Surprisingly, Trout features the bigger power numbers, coming in at 26 homers to Goldschmidt’s 21.  Unsurprisingly, Trout also leads the league in runs with 68  However, Goldschmidt dominates most of the other categories, with a sparkling .340 batting average, a league leading 70 RBI, and a remarkable 16 stolen bases (to Trout’s 9).  In fact, the 16 steals for Goldschmidt are only two off his career DTBL high.  Trout is an amazing player, and it will take a lot for Goldschmidt to hold him off, but as of now, this MVP nod is well deserved, for both Goldschmidt and the Jackalope as a team.

Honorable mention goes to Bryce Harper of the Darkhorses, Giancarlo Stanton of the Jackalope, and the surprising Todd Frazier of the Darkhorses.

 

Posted in Awards, Cougars, Darkhorses, Gators, Jackalope, Kings, Mavericks, Moonshiners, Naturals | No Comments »

It’s a Walk Off!

Monday, July 20th, 2015


Nolan Arenado was the last position player on either All-Star roster to take his turn at the plate in Sunday’s 22nd Annual DTBL All-Star Game at his team’s, the Naturals, home park of Hobbs Field.  A late defensive replacement for the American Division All-Stars, he finally got his chance to swing the bat with a man on and one out in the bottom of the 9th.  Three pitches later, he launched a Trevor Rosenthal delivery deep into the seats in left-center field for a two run, walk-off home run to give the American Division a 2-1 victory over their National Division counterparts.

For the most part, this game was a carbon copy of the last few DTBL All-Star Games.  It featured the game’s best pitchers at the top of their powers, striking out hitters left and right.  For the third consecutive year, at least 26 batters struck out in the game, this year being the highest total of them all at 30.  I don’t have great records of the games prior to 2005, but since then, this was the most strikeouts in an All-Star Game.  American pitchers compiled 16 K’s while the National squad had 14 of their own.

There were scoring opportunities in this game, but most of them were not converted into runs.  Dallas Keuchel got the start on the mound for the American All-Stars and pitched two scoreless, hitless innings.  On the other side, Max Scherzer also completed two frames without allowing a run.  Probably the most impressive pitching performance was put up by the National’s second pitcher, Chris Archer.  He was on such a role that he was allowed to throw three innings, striking out seven total, including six consecutive batters.  Through six innings, neither team had touched home plate.

The top of the seventh brought the game’s first run.  With two outs and nobody on for the National Division, two consecutive left handed hitters delivered hits against the tough lefty reliever Zach Britton.  Jason Kipnis reached on a single and scored on a clutch two out double by his Cougars teammate Charlie Blackmon.  The National All-Stars had a chance to build on that 1-0 lead in the 8th following a leadoff double by Albert Pujols.  But Glen Perkins retired the next three hitters in order, including a pair of strikeouts.  The game remained 1-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Aroldis Chapman got the nod to start the final half inning, but walked the leadoff man, Paul Goldschmidt.  After retiring Ryan Braun on a flyout, Chapman was relieved and Trevor Rosenthal came in to attempt to lock it down.  That he did not.  The first man he faced was the aforementioned Nolan Arenado, who promptly hit a two run home run to send the American Division home with a 2-1 victory.

As I mentioned, I don’t have great records of the All-Star Games pre-2005, so I am unable to confirm if we’ve had a walk-off hit before.  I am fairly certain this is the first walk-off home run though.  Despite only getting that one at bat, Arenado was the unanimous choice as the game’s Most Valuable Player.  Zack Greinke was credited with the win thanks to his perfect ninth inning on the mound.  Rosenthal took the loss.  Although there is no such thing, the obvious winner of the Least Valuable Player would have been Miguel Cabrera, who took the golden sombrero striking out in all four of his plate appearances.  Fortunately for him, his Naturals and American teammate, Arenado, saved the day. The only other American hitter with a significant contribution was Starling Marte, who had a game high three hits (no other player on either team had more than one) and stole a base.

This game ended a streak of four consecutive losses for the home team in the DTBL All-Star Game.  But it continued the streak of games dominated by the pitchers.  Five of the past six games have featured six or fewer total runs scored.  In many ways, this is very representative of the league itself though, where pitching numbers continue to improve year-to-year.  The early years of the DTBL All-Star Game featured some absurd shootouts, so I guess what comes around goes around.  Click here to view the full box score from this year’s game.

Congrats to Nick on managing his squad to a victory and thanks to both Nick and Dom for taking the time to play out the game.  Although the All-Star Game is not a particularly important part of a fantasy baseball season, it is something I look forward to doing every summer, so thanks for at least humoring me and I hope you enjoyed it as well.  On to the rest of the season!

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2015 DTBL All-Stars

Thursday, July 9th, 2015


The first half of the 2015 DTBL season has been dominated by the Jackalope, so it is no surprise that they have been rewarded with a whole slew of All-Star selections.  In the last couple weeks, the Mavericks have reduced the Jackalope lead a bit, and many of the players responsible for that are on the list below as well.  Examining the full standings, the balance of power between the American and National Divisions seems relatively even.  The American squad boasts the first place squad, but two of the bottom three as well.

As has been the case for the last several years, pitchers have continued to dominate all across the league.  The current league-wide ERA of 3.24 is well below the record full season low of 3.31, set just last year.  So it is not a huge surprise that some pitchers with incredibly strong resumes won’t be part of this year’s All-Star Game.  Just to name a few, Felix Hernandez, Jake Arrieta, David Price and Johnny Cueto didn’t make the cut.  Nor did some relievers with out-of-this-world numbers like Wade Davis and Dellin Betances.  Overall, the American Division seems to have the stronger pitching staff, but I’ll give a slight edge to the National Division on offense.

The 22nd annual DTBL All-Star Game is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. PDT.  Due to their top two finishes last season, Nick and Dom will be the managers for the All-Star squads.  Nick’s Naturals will be the host for the game, which will once again be played out using OOTP.  The managers were responsible for breaking all ties in the vote and for selecting the 23rd player on each roster. Here are the 2015 DTBL All-Stars.

American Division

Starters:

  • Pitcher - Dallas Keuchel, Moonshiners (1st All-Star appearance)
  • Catcher – Evan Gattis, Jackalope (2nd)
  • First Base – Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope (3rd)
  • Second Base – Brian Dozier, Moonshiners (1st)
  • Third Base – Josh Donaldson, Jackalope (2nd)
  • Shortstop – Troy Tulowitzki, Naturals (4th)
  • Outfield – Nelson Cruz, Gators (3rd)
  • Outfield – Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope (3rd)
  • Outfield – Starling Marte, Gators (1st)

Reserves:

  • Catcher – Derek Norris, Choppers (1st)
  • First Base – Miguel Cabrera, Naturals (9th)
  • Second Base – Dee Gordon, Gators (1st)
  • Third Base – Nolan Arenado, Naturals (1st)
  • Outfield – Ryan Braun, Jackalope (6th)
  • Outfield – Brett Gardner, Jackalope (1st)
  • Pitcher – Sonny Gray, Jackalope (1st)
  • Pitcher – Gerrit Cole, Jackalope (1st)
  • Pitcher – Chris Sale, Choppers (4th)
  • Pitcher – Zack Greinke, Moonshiners (4th)
  • Relief Pitcher – Glen Perkins, Naturals (1st)
  • Relief Pitcher – Mark Melancon, Jackalope (1st)
  • Relief Pitcher – Huston Street, Gators (3rd)
  • Relief Pitcher – Zach Britton, Gators (1st)

National Division

Starters:

  • Pitcher – Max Scherzer, Kings (2nd)
  • Catcher – Buster Posey, Demigods (4th)
  • First Base – Albert Pujols, Mavericks (8th)
  • Second Base – Jose Altuve, Demigods (2nd)
  • Third Base – Todd Frazier, Darkhorses (2nd)
  • Shortstop – Hanley Ramirez, Mavericks (5th)
  • Outfield – Bryce Harper, Darkhorses (1st)
  • Outfield – Mike Trout, Mavericks (4th)
  • Outfield – J.D. Martinez, Demigods (1st)

Reserves:

  • Catcher – Brian McCann, Darkhorses (3rd)
  • Second Base – Jason Kipnis, Cougars (3rd)
  • Third Base – Manny Machado, Mavericks (1st)
  • Outfield – Charlie Blackmon, Cougars (1st)
  • Outfield – Joc Pederson, Mavericks (1st)
  • Outfield – Lorenzo Cain, Mavericks (1st)
  • Pitcher – Chris Archer, Cougars (1st)
  • Pitcher – Jacob deGrom, Darkhorses (1st)
  • Pitcher – Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks (5th)
  • Pitcher – Madison Bumgarner, Cougars (3rd)
  • Relief Pitcher – Trevor Rosenthal, Demigods (2nd)
  • Relief Pitcher – Jeurys Familia, Kings (1st)
  • Relief Pitcher – Aroldis Chapman, Mavericks (2nd)
  • Relief Pitcher – Andrew Miller, Mavericks (1st)

All-Stars per team:

  • 9 – Jackalope, Mavericks
  • 5 – Gators
  • 4 – Cougars, Darkhorses, Demigods, Naturals
  • 3 – Moonshiners
  • 2 – Choppers, Kings

Miguel Cabrera and Lorenzo Cain were selected as the 23rd players for each roster.  The rosters feature 22 first time DTBL All-Stars, including an incredible group of young superstars like Bryce Harper, Joc Pederson, Sonny Gray and Chris Archer.  Over half of the American team will be making their DTBL ASG debuts.  Another interesting item is the number of All-Stars who were involved in trades just this past March:  Josh Donaldson, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez and Aroldis Chapman.  So all of these top performers are paying big dividends for their new squads.  Here are the full voting results.  Much more All-Star Game coverage will be coming soon.

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Players of the Month: June

Friday, July 3rd, 2015


June was another very good month for the Jackalope.  They maintained a healthy lead of near 20 points throughout the entire month.  They continue to lead the league in both batting and pitching points.  This is especially impressive since they haven’t exactly had a healthy roster at any point this season.  The latest injury will be their biggest challenge to date.  Giancarlo Stanton will miss at least a month with a broken hand.  A top MVP candidate prior to the injury, Stanton has been just one of several outstanding performers for the first place squad.  This injury might give other teams a little more hope though.

Besides the Jackalope maintaining their comfortable lead, the other top stories of June involved a couple pitchers putting up historic runs of starts.  One led to a Pitcher of the Month honor, which I will get to in a bit.  But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Max Scherzer’s incredible run of three consecutive starts with a no-hitter (and near perfect game) sandwiched between two other near no-hitters.  Amazingly, that was not enough to earn Scherzer his second straight Pitcher of the Month award.  In fact, somehow, he didn’t even take home a Pitcher of the Week honor, despite being a hit batsman away from throwing a perfect game!  My method for selecting those honors makes it a near certainty that the weekly pitching award goes to the top starting pitcher who throws two quality starts in a week.  Unfortunately for Scherzer, those three starts came in separate weeks.  Anyway, it was a pretty impressive month for him.  Here are the weekly award winners from June:

Batters of the Week:

Week 9 (6/1 – 6/7) – Jose Bautista, Choppers
Week 10 (6/8 – 6/14) – Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope
Week 11 (6/15 – 6/21) – Manny Machado, Mavericks
Week 12 (6/22 – 6/28) – Nolan Arenado, Naturals

Pitchers of the Week:

Week 9 (6/1 – 6/7) – Chris Archer, Cougars
Week 10 (6/8 – 6/14) – Chris Sale, Choppers
Week 11 (6/15 – 6/21) – Anibal Sanchez, Kings
Week 12 (6/22 – 6/28) – Collin McHugh, Cougars

The races for the monthly awards were both extremely tight with a lot of deserving candidates narrowly missing.  Here are the award winners for June 2015:

Batter of the Month:

Nolan Arenado, Naturals
.304 AVG, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 24 R, 0 SB, 2.57 PAR

Pitcher of the Month:

Chris Sale, Choppers
1.83 ERA, 0.812 WHIP, 2 W, 0 SV, 75 K, 3.77 PAR

You know the Naturals must have a pretty good infield when Troy Tulowitzki is only their second best Rockies infielder.  Nolan Arenado had an incredible month of June and finished with a flourish.  His 33 RBI easily led the league and were the most in a month since Miguel Cabrera had 34 last May.  Arenado just barely edged out a pair of Mavericks for this award:  Manny Machado and Albert Pujols.

It is very hard to win the Pitcher of the Month award with only two wins in the month.  But when the rest of your numbers are setting records, you can overcome criminally poor run/bullpen support.  That’s what Chris Sale did in June.  He is currently riding an eight start streak of striking out at least 10 hitters.  He is only the second player in the past 100 years to accomplish such a feat.  His 75 strikeouts in 44.1 June innings looks like a misprint.  It is also a DTBL single month record, surpassing the 72 whiffs Pedro Martinez recorded in June of 1997.

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