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Pioneer Press Week 10
Struggling Players Begin to Round into Form; Hitting 4 HR’s in Consecutive Games Becomes Trendy; A New Hope for Picking Next Week’s Winners
Written By: Ryan Florentine (SeBellba)
RECAPPING WEEK 10:
Kylolan Renado 337.50pts @ Liu Kang 285.75pts
Kylolan Renado continues to be ruthless when it comes to his recent matchups, pummeling yet another team who actually had a strong week. Despite studs Noah Syndergaard, Robbie Ray, Mookie Betts and Andrelton Simmons warming the DL spots, this team keeps rolling along. It’s truly astonishing what Jason has been able to put together up until this point in the season and its only plausible that it gets even better as his team gets healthy. On the aforementioned point about Liu Kang having a quality week, newcomer Ian Kinsler posted a solid (30pts), Miguel Andujar (35.50pts) and Jon Lester threw up (28pts). Tony will look to follow the same path of I GOT WOOD and take this moral victory to a scoreboard victory next week.
I GOT WOOD 337.75pts @ Attack of the Clones 230.25pts
I GOT WOOD built off the positives in last week’s lost to take down the former #1 overall team, Attack of the Clones. I GOT WOOD used an overall team effort to pull out a decisive victory this week as 18 of his 25 players scored in double figures. There wasn’t a true “standout” from Mike’s team this week, but Miles Mikolas (27pts) is probably the best bet. One of the least heralded pitchers in the big leagues, Mikolas has a sub 1.00WHIP and is ranked 20th in all of fantasy baseball scoring. What did he do this week? Oh, just 7 innings of 0ER baseball. On Brendan’s side, this week could not have been any worse. Not only did he suffer a loss on the scoreboard but top pitchers Masahiro Tanaka (19pts), Shohei Otani (7pts) AND Stephen Strasburg (-8pts) landed on the DL due to injuries. How long they are all sidelined is still being determined but Brendan will be attempting to at least tread water until they return, hopefully in time for the stretch run.
Darth Maulina 347.25pts @ Sea Gon DickerJinn 339pts
Darth Maulina lined up another Phantom of the Menace showdown this week, this time facing Sea Gon DickerJinn. While the original final face-off between Maul and Qui-Gon was quite impressive in its own right, it’s arguable that this round was ever better. Coming down to the Sunday Night Baseball game between the Mets & Yankees, Darth Maulina was clinging to a narrow lead after Sea Gon DickerJinn’s massive Corey Kluber-(52pts)-led Sunday. Luis Severino was on the bump for DickerJinn and while he performed respectably, his 9pts left Sea Gon DickerJinn 8.25pts short. Khris Davis (30.25pts) hit 4HR in 4 days to slay Luis Severino (37pts) and the rest of Cody’s squadron. Logan’s victory brings balance to the standings, leaving both teams sitting at 4-6.
Hoz Solo 263.25pts @ Willie Mays Hayes 328.25pts
If there’s one thing to take from this matchup it’s that team’s, like people, are predictable. It looked as though Hoz Solo would stop his skid of tough losses after the first couple days of the matchup as Zach Eflin (43pts) and Sonny Gray (28pts) dazzled in their Tuesday starts. All of that was before the thrashing Wilile Mays Hayes gave out on Friday night. 109pts in a night is the exact definition of how to successfully stage a comeback. Trevor (Tyler) Bauer (31pts) sat down 12 Tigers en route to 31 points. J.A. Happ (25pts) didn’t go the strikeout route but sat down 21 O-birds without letting any cross home plate and Caleb Smith (20pts) did the same, albeit only getting 16 outs. Merge strong pitching performances with Paul Goldschmidt (56.25pts) putting on a hitting display by blasting 4HR in 2 days and… voila, victory!
The Emperial Judge 218pts @ Rhys’ Pieces 294.75pts
Rhys’ Pieces, despite being Rhys’ Piecesless for the majority of this week, came through for their crippled teammate. It always helps when Cody Bellinger (35pts) followed this week’s trend of knocking 4HR in 4 days and Jose Berrios (35pts) lead the pitching side of the ball to provide a strong pitcher-batter balance. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to highlight just one pitcher on Rhys’ Pieces this week as 4 pitchers broke the 20pt barrier, including Blake Parker (37pts) who may have finally righted the ship. The biggest story in this matchup may actually have come from the losing team. Aaron Judge (6.50pts) started off Monday with an 0-9 with 8K’s line, which put The Emperial Judge in a hole too big to climb out of by week’s end.
Sea Barraclough 272.25pts @ The EmpTurner 281pts
The EmpTurner struck back on Sunday to grab victory from the clutches of defeat. For a majority of this week it looked like Sea Barraclough would carry the slight edge earned by Max Scherzer’s (47pts) stellar Tuesday start and Jose Martinez’s (43pts) 4HR’s in 3GP, to victory. However, quality starts from Zach Godley (6pts), Brandon Woodruff (12pts) and Ivan Nova (22pts) on Sunday afternoon proved to be too much for Casey to thwart. Of note, The EmpTurner lived up to his reputation of a league powerhouse, proving he’s more than a single player and can defeat the league’s elite even without Kershaw. On the other hand, Sea Barraclough is left wondering how he could have two players score 40+pts, Jose Martinez and Max Scherzer, yet still not come away victorious.
SeBellba 265pts @ Lambdo Salerissian 318pts
Lambdo Salerissian had a trick up his sleeve this week, pulling the upset over SeBellba, who had previously rolled to victory in a week 2 matchup between these squads. SeBellba has been on a downward trod over the past 4 weeks, sandwiching two 300+ efforts with two clunkers. The inconsistency of the offense (4HR total this week) has to be concerning for owner, Ryflo, however Francisco Lindor’s (6pts) 0-20 streak surely won’t last long. Moving on to the victors, Lambdo Salerissian picks up an impressive victory, further enforcing the notion that he won the James Paxton (47pts) swap with SeBellba. Since picking up the flame-throwing lefty, Lambdo is 2-1 with an average of 308.50pts scored, compared to the 0-2, 195pt average in the two weeks prior. One would be amiss not point out Eduardo Escobar’s (32.50pts) contributions this week, which have been in line with his production the entire season.
TRADES/RUMOR MILL:
In a minor deal this week, The EmpTurner took a chance on White Sox starter, Lucas Giolito, to build on a successful 6 inning start earlier this week and hopefully regain some of the glimmer that made him such a highly touted prospect in the Adam Eaton trade. In return, Liu Kang received former 9th round selection in the 2018 fantasy draft, second baseman, Ian Kinsler. Tony has to be counting on the general assumption that Kinsler suddenly didn’t go from a 359pt fantasy player to someone not even projected to reach 250 this year, at his current pace.
Attack of the Clones has openly confirmed that Dallas Keuchel is a hot commodity of late, with at least 4 mystery teams in on the Houston left-hander. The former Cy Young Award winner has disappointed this season by his own standards, however is a strong bounce back candidate as we grow nearer to the midway point in the season. Keuchel pitches on one of the best teams in baseball and has shown flashes of that brilliance that earned him a Cy Young at multiple times this season. Believing Keuchel will find that consistency will undoubtedly be the driving force behind any owner willing to pull the trigger on such a deal.
SeBellba has discretely made it known that a couple of his batters have hit the trading block this week, including 2-time All-Star Dee Gordon. It has been confirmed that SeBellba is hoping to sure up his starting rotation. At least one team has been interested in acquiring Dee’s services, however no deal seems imminent at the moment.
Aforementioned 19-year-old phenom Juan Soto has been placed squarely on the trading block this week by The EmpTurner. It’s being speculated that Soto would fit well with a rebuilding squad attempting to garner a vast number of potential keeper options for next season. With the season only being in Week 10, it may not behoove a team to completely go into sell mode, however acquiring Soto would be a far cry from admitting this, given the pace he is currently hitting at in Washington. It will be interesting to watch Soto’s play throughout the remainder of the season and even more eyes will be watching the value he garners in our league as we near closer to the trade deadline.
Call Me the Comeback Kid:
Ian Kinsler (30pts) was one of many struggling veterans who saw an uptick in performance this week. Kinsler smacked a HR in 3 straight games.
Lance Lynn (17pts) has turned around a dreadful first month and a half by posting 4 straight quality starts.
Paul Goldschmidt (56.25pts) found his stroke, depositing 4 baseballs over the wall (Back-to-back 2 HR games) to go along with 9 RBI.
Sonny Gray (28pts) was on a mission this week, punching out 8 Blue Jays over 8innings. Gray has been a conundrum seemingly his entire career but will aim to keep his current good fortune going against WAS next time out.
Alex Cobb (6pts) posted a quality start this week and may finally be finding his groove as we approach the middle of June. Nope, nope, nope. Sunday morning thoughts that don’t pan out at its finest. Cobb was putrid on Sunday giving up 9 earned in 3.2 innings.
Cody Bellinger (35pts), while not quite fitting the bill of “struggling” as the others on this list, did hit a HR in 4 straight games this week, giving him 12 on the season.
Carlos Santana (20.25pts) picked up a hit in every game he played this week to along with a 4:1 BB:K ratio.
Matt Carpenter’s (21pts) turnaround started approximately a week back, however his play of late, compared to how he started the season, earns him a comfy spot on this list. Carpenter picked up 8 hits, including a double and a HR in 6 games this week.
Ryan Braun (24pts) went 7/16 this week with 2HR, a triple, 7RBI and 5 runs scored. The former All-Star has been having a subpar season up until this point, hitting under .250 and less than 8HR.
Fantasy Heroes:
Batters:
1. Paul Goldschmidt (WOOD)- 56.25pts
2. Jose Martinez (BARR)- 43pts
3. Brandon Crawford (DICK)- 35.25pts
4. Miguel Andujar (KANG)- 35.50pts
5. Cody Bellinger (RHYS)- 35pts
6. Max Muncy (DICK)- 33pts
7. Eduardo Escobar (LAMB)- 32.50pts
8. Freddie Freeman (MAUL)- 32pts
9. Jose Alutve (CLON)- 31.25pts
10. Ian Kinsler (KANG)- 30pts
Pitchers:
1. Corey Kluber (DICK)- 52pts
2. James Paxton (LAMB)- 47pts
3. Max Scherzer (BARR)- 47pts
4. Ross Stripling (KYLO)- 46pts
5. Zach Eflin (SOLO)- 43pts
6. Clayton Richard (MAUL)- 41pts
7. Reynaldo Lopez (WOOD)- 39pts
8. Andrew Heaney (MAUL)- 37pts / Luis Severino (DICK)- 37pts / Blake Parker (RHYS)- 37pts / Mike Fiers (HAYS)- 37pts
Looking Ahead: For the purpose of not pissing people off or having my personal biases towards certain players/teams continually show up and be publicized in this press, the “Looking Ahead” section will feature MLB: The Show* simulations of the following weeks games. In determining a winner for the following week, each matchup will play (sim) a 3-game series with the first team to 2 victories being declared next week’s victor. The goal of the 3-game series is to allow each team’s depth to be on display. MLB: The Show simulated week 11 and these are the results: *MLB: The Show rosters are updated only to the point of the beginning of the season. Players such as Alex Cobb are rated higher than how they are performing currently. However, other players are rated lower than they should be, making the roster’s more or less relatively accurate. Also, injured players are in Triple-A, for example, Clayton Kershaw is in Triple-A when simulating his matchup vs. SeBellba.
SeBellba @ The EmpTurner
G1: The EmpTurner 4 SeBellba 3
G2: SeBellba 3 The EmpTurner 1
G3: The EmpTurner 13 SeBellba 3
Eric takes the victory according to MLB: The Show this week by absolutely demolishing Ryan’s team in a decisive game 3 blowout. Trea Turner turned out to be the MVP of this series, posting a slash line of .615/.643/1.153, including 2HR’s and a stolen base. Of note, SeBellba held a 3-1 lead in the 9th of Game 1 when Edwin Diaz gave up a 3-run HR to none other than Trea Turner.
Kylolan Renado @ Sea Gon DickerJinn
G1: Sea Gon DickerJinn 4 Kylolan Renado 0
G2: Kylolan Renado 4 Sea Gon DickerJinn 1
G3: Kylolan Renado 6 Sea Gon DickerJinn 3
Kylolan Renado takes this week thanks to strong pitching and timely hitting. Benintendi accounted for 5 of Jason’s runs this week, smashing 2HR’s in game one and another 2-run shot in game 2.
I GOT WOOD @ Sea Barraclough
G1: Sea Barraclough 5 I GOT WOOD 3
G2: I GOT WOOD 8 Sea Barraclough 7
G3: I GOT WOOD 1 Sea Barraclough 0 (10 innings)
I GOT WOOD got a series victory thanks to Manny Machado’s go-ahead HR in game 3. MLB: The Show is quite high on Mike’s team, ranking him as the 5th best in the league despite his 3-6 record this year.
The Emperial Judge @ Willie Mays Hayes
G1: Willie Mays Hayes 2 The Emperial Judge 1
G3: Willie Mays Hayes 9 The Emperial Judge 0
For as much as MLB: The Show loves Mike’s squad, it feels the opposite about Aaron’s, ranking him 13th in the league. Willie Mays Hayes’ rode an Evan Gattis 8th inning HR in Game 1 and a complete-game-shut-out performance from Mike Fiers in game 2 to clinch a series victory.
Hoz Solo @ Liu Kang
G1: Hoz Solo 6 Liu Kang 4 (12innings)
G2: Liu Kang 3 Hoz Solo 2
G3: Hoz Solo 7 Liu Kang 2
Hoz Solo gets a win this upcoming week according to MLB: The Show. Hopefully this fantasy victory lead by Eric Hosmer’s 3HR series leads to better luck for Trent as the season progresses.
Darth Maulina @ Rhys’ Pieces
G1: Rhys’ Pieces 8 Darth Maulina 4
G2: Rhys’ Pieces 3 Darth Maulina 0 (12 innings)
Rhys’ Pieces came away with the 2-game sweep in this matchup thanks to Verlander and Berrios throwing back to back gems, 15innings, 2ER’s combined.
Lambdo Salerissian @ Attack of the Clones
G1: Attack of the Clones 10 Lambdo Salerissian 1
G2: Attack of the Clones 2 Lambdo Salerissian 1
The team that MLB: The Show likes the most? Attack of the Clones. Rated as the best team in our league, Brendan’s squad showed a nice bounce back performance after rolling over against I GOT WOOD this past week. The game projects Kuechel to turn around his play as he threw a 1-run complete game in game 1.
Standings:
Rebel Alliance
1. Attack of the Clones (8-2)
2. Sea Barraclough (7-3)
3. Rhys’ Pieces (5-5)
4. I GOT WOOD (4-6)
5. Sea Gon DickerJinn (4-6)
6. The Emperial Judge (4-6)
7. Hoz Solo (1-9)
Galactic Empire
1. The EmpTurner (8-2)
2. Kylolan Renado (7-3)
3. SeBellba (7-3)
4. Liu Kang (5-5)
5. Darth Maulina (4-6)
6. Lambdo Salerissian (4-6)
7. Willie Mays Hayes (2-8)
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