Week 11, 2018 Newsletter

Pioneer Press Week 11

The Week When Brendan Drunk Traded Altuve The Winner of the 2018 season will likely look back on Week 11 and attribute the championship to a blockbuster deal (Unless Casey wins); Cody’s team goes through menopause; parity & competition abound!

Written by: Ryflo (SeBellba)

Week 11 Recap:

Kylolan Renado 307.75pts @ Mous Dick ‘Er Son! 227pts

In the world of fantasy baseball, the Pioneer Press highlights the good, the bad and sometimes even the most heinous crimes of a team rolling over on their owner. This is Cody’s story. It’s Friday. Cody still does not have a player with more than 8pts on the week. His team as a whole has 27.75pts. Kluber is no longer here to save them. Now, fast forward to Sunday. Cody has changed his team name to Mous Dick ‘Er Son! and called out the pitching performances of his team. Luis Severino (33pts) and newly acquired Dallas Kuechel (21pts) came to the rescue to make this what one thought was a respectable loss. Keep fast forwarding to midnight on Sunday now. Cody takes to the media to call his team “a woman experiencing menopause”. How they recover from here is anyone’s guess. On a more positive and less graphic note, what Kylolan Renado is doing the league currently is just unfair. Getting performances from the unlikeliest of sources, Ross Stripling (22pts) and Jhoulys Chacin (23pts), make this powerhouse simply unstoppable. One would be remiss not to include the performances of Nolan Arenado (18pts) and Ender Inciarte (18.50pts) in this recap.

SeBellba 285.50pts @ Lords of the SIth 266.75pts

This begins the entries of exciting, intense and nail-biting matchups. SeBellba suffered injuries to the top end of his pitching staff this week in, Mike Foltynewicz (19pts) and Carlos Carrasco (22pts), but their contributions, coupled with Edwin Diaz’s 38pts, were enough to lead SeBellba to victory. SeBellba went with quite a top-heavy approach to victory this week as there was a stark contrast between players such as Francisco Lindor (20.50pts) and Jose Ramirez (22pts) compared to Albert Pujols (13pts) and Travis Jankowski (8pts). Marcell Ozuna (31pts) put in his best effort to will Lords of the Sith to a victory but was unable to make up for the sputtering play of many of his teammates. Just three (3) batters managed to put up double digit points on the week for Eric’s squad. On the bright side, Clayton Kershaw is progressing towards an early July return.

I GOT WOOD 308.50pts @ Sea Barraclough 292.75pts

Shane Greene (36pts) has a career ERA of 4.70. If this was your first week watching baseball you would have never guessed that. Working 4 innings and picking up 4 saves all the while recording a K:BB ratio of 6:0 is about as dominating as you can get. I GOT WOOD picked up additional pitching this week in the form of Sean Manaea (16pts) and that was the difference in this matchup. Sea Barraclough had namesake, Kyle Barraclough (31pts) nearly match Greene’s performance, however was let down more so by the Nationals offense than Max Scherzer (14pts) himself, but nonetheless did not receive the point totals we’re accustomed to seeing from Max. Casey took a page out of Cody’s book this week, calling out the scorching Jose Martinez (10pts) for being with his wife who was delivering their baby and not assisting his fantasy squad.

The Emperial Judge 262.25pts @ Willie Mays Hayes 280.50pts SOMEBODY BREAK UP WILLIE MAYS HAYES! Don’t look now but the once 0-7 squad has won 3 of his past 4 and is averaging a respectable 281pts per week over that span. The Emperial Judge is following a trend in the opposite direction, falling 3 games under .500 with this loss. This marks 3 straight defeats with league stalwart, Kylolan Renado looming next week. Evan Gattis (38pts) went crazy this week, launching 4 HR’s and knocking in 14 Astros. Couple that performance with Mike Clevinger’s (29pts) 11K start and not even Didi Gregorious’s 27.50pt week could put Aaron back into the win column.

Hoz Solo 306.25pts @ Liu Kang 293pts

This matchup entered Sunday deadlocked at 262.25pts a piece. Hoz Solo made significant changes to the roster this week from taking part in the numerous, league-wide blockbuster deals. The hope was that this new roster would avoid suffering yet another close loss and that’s exactly what happened. Jose Quintana (14pts) and Aaron Nola (27pts) were supposed to outduel Chris Stratton (28pts) on Sunday afternoon yet the opposite happened. Mike Trout (43.50pts) put up a monster week for Liu Kang as well, limiting the self-inflicted damage incurred from Zach Grienke (-3pts) and James Paxton (-6pts) but not strong enough to offset the powerful pitching performances from Marco Estrada (24pts) and Michael Fulmer (22pts) on Hoz Solo’s side.

Darth Maulina 301.25pts @ Rhys’ Pieces 321.50pts

Wade LeBlanc (50pts), yes, the Wade LeBlanc that had made 8 total starts in the 3 years prior to 2018, befuddled opponents in a two-start week, racking up 14K’s in 12.2 innings. Unfortunately, Michael Wacha (-18pts) couldn’t keep his run of brilliance going this week and likewise with Andrew Heaney (-12pts), thus severely limiting Darth Maulina’s scoring potential. Rhys’ Pieces used a trio of pitchers to pace his team this week: Dylan Bundy (39pts), Jack Flaherty (46pts), Justin Verlander (22pts). Provided with a 10HR week from the batters, Rhys’ Pieces moved over .500 for the first time since week 3 (2-1).

Lambdo Salerissian 287.50pts @ Attack of the Clones 304.25pts Lambdo Salerissian came close to pulling the upset this week spearheaded by Eduardo Escobar (21.25pts) and his league leading 29 doubles. However, Carlos Correa (29pts), despite losing his middle infield partner, Jose Altuve in a drunk trade, proved to be too powerful for Johnny’s team to overcome. Attack of the Clones received strong pitching performances despite losing Strasburg, Tanaka and Ohtani last week. Former first round selection Dylan Covey (17pts) and Joe Musgrove (21pts) provided an unlikely source of stability, leading Brendan to the narrow victory.

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WEEK 11 MVP:

This was a close call between, Mike Trout, Evan Gattis, Shane Greene & even Wade LeBlanc, who performed admirably in a losing effort. This week’s winner is… Evan Gattis. Gattis amassed 4HR’s, 15RBI, 6 runs scored and “only” 7 strikeouts on his way to 43 fantasy points. He picked up multiple hits in 4 of his 6 contests this week all the while leading Willie Mays Hayes to an upset victory over The Emperial Judge.

WEEK 11 LVP:

The award that nobody wants will normally be awarded to a pitcher, seeing how they can go further into the negatives than batters in a given week, on average. There were plenty of deserving pitchers this week (looking squarely at you Paul Blackburn (-27pts) & Michael Wacha (-18pts)) however there was a batter that was so bad, his team would have been 10 points better off if he got lost on the way to the stadium this week. That would be, CJ Cron (-10pts). Once dubbed, “The next Albert Pujols” by one member of this league, Cron struck out 15 times and failed to record a hit. To his credit, he did walk three (3) times and came around to touch home plate twice!

TRADE RECAP/RUMOR MILL:

Recaps

4:59pm June 11th --> The kilter of this league changed drastically in about 1 hour on Monday afternoon. Four trades were completed in this short time frame, and they were blockbusters to say the least. It all begin at 4:59p.m. when Kylolan Renado pulled the trigger on acquiring last week’s top fantasy performer, Paul Goldschmidt. While Goldy has struggled for much of this season, Jason has to be feeling like Jonah Hill’s character in Money Ball after trading for Rincon. Goldy cost two better than average (when healthy) players in Jake Arrieta and whore, Greg Bird, however this feels completely worth it to acquire Goldschmidt’s services.

Kylolan Renado receives: Paul Goldschmidt

Willie Mays Hayes receives: Jake Arrieta & Greg Bird

5:01pm June 11th --> Next up, 2 minutes later, Lambdo Salerissian and Willie Mays Hayes exchanged Chase Anderson, Daniel Murphy and Travis Shaw for Aroldis Chapman and Charlie Blackmon. Chapman, Blackmon are all but guaranteed to keep producing & one could reasonably argue that Shaw and Anderson should have that same consistency label attached to them. The X-factor in this deal is clearly, Daniel Murphy. When healthy, Murphy is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, however he’s missed nearly three months of the season and is firmly labeled as a question mark at this point. This is a trade that will need to be reevaluated in at least a month’s time or longer to get a clearer view of who took the advantage.

Lambdo Salerissian receives: Aroldis Chapman & Charlie Blackmon

Willie Mays Hayes receives: Chase Anderson, Daniel Murphy & Travis Shaw

5:23pm June 11th --> A lull occurred for the next 22 minutes before Brendan and Cody swapped Yonder Alonso and Vince Velasquez. A relatively minor deal that could have large implications if the uber-talented Velasquez can find an ounce of consistency. On the other side, Yonder is the prototypical, what-you-see-is-what-you-get player. Producing a .250 average and a respectable 11Hr’s is nothing to sneeze at yet nothing that is getting anyone out of their seat either.

Sea Gon DickerJinn receives: Yonder Alonso

Attack of the Clones: Vince Velasquez

6:24pm June 11th --> A whole hour and one minute passed before the next deal took place, this time between Hoz Solo and Lords of the Sith (Formerly The EmpTurner). The NL’s most dominant bullpen arm, Josh Hader got moved for one player in last week’s rumor mill, Juan Soto and another young prospect with a star as bright as the sun itself, Gleyber Torres. Eric positions himself nicely for the playoff push by acquiring Hader and his lights out stuff while Trent receives amazing keeper options for next season while still staying competitive. This is a trade that seemingly will work out well for both teams barring anything unthinkable.

Lords of the Sith receives: Josh Hader

Hoz Solo receives: Glyeber Torres & Juan Soto

8:09pm June 11th --> Now, anybody with any tenure in this league had to know Ryan wasn’t going to let a trading barrage come and go without getting in on the act. After much back and forth, Ryan agreed to terms with Brendan for 3 players he no longer has (more on that later). Brendan received Carlos Martinez who still possesses a sub 3.00ERA despite two clunkers in his first two starts back from the DL, Dee Gordon, who was also scuffling since returning from a trip to the disabled list & Brandon Nimmo. If Brendan’s haul turns it around as they likely will, this will bolster a hobbling squad to the finish line. Even if they don’t though, the players Brendan traded, Kuechel & Herrera are no guarantees either.

Attack of the Clones receives: Brandon Nimmo, Dee Gordon & Carlos Martinez

SeBellba receives: Mike Moustakas, Dallas Kuechel & Kelvin Herrera

8;46am June 14th --> Going out of order slightly for the sake of the narratives built in the last recap, the league’s #1 Kluber Whore flipped the 3 players he acquired from Brendan two days later for prodigal son, Corey Kluber to return home. Kluber joins Carrasco on SeBellba’s pitching staff, forming a formidable 1-2 punch at the top. Sea Gon DickerJinn may have surrendered one of the best pitchers in baseball however he received a ransom for doing so. Mike Moustakas is a top 100 player, Dallas Kuechel was a CY Young recently and as mentioned last week, has shown flashes of brilliance this year even if those flashes have been snuffed out recently and Herrera is dominant and could very well end up being the closer for a contender thus increasing his value exponentially in the next month.

*Fun Fact: Ryan has never drafted Corey Kluber, excluding being drafted as a keeper selection.

Mous Dick ‘Er Son! receives: Mike Moustakas, Dallas Kuechel & Kelvin Herrera

SeBellba receives: Corey Kluber, Scott Kingery & Addison Reed

11:34am June 12th --> As previously mentioned, that trade between SeBellba and Sea Gon DickerJinn did not take place after Brendan and Ryan’s swap. Brendan’s Attack of the Clones actually made an additional deal, this time with The Emperial Judge. The focus of this deal was on Matt Kemp providing another stabilizing bat to Brendan’s outfield while Aaron gets his guy Brandon Nimmo, who he pleaded for the Mets to give playing to at the beginning of the year and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Attack of the Clones receives: Jonathan Schoop, Matt Kemp & Ian Kennedy

The Emperial Judge receives: Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Nimmo & Billy Hamilton

4:20pm June 14th --> The next trade belonged to Darth Maulina and Lords of the Sith. This might have been the most ambiguous trade of the week, with a clear winner obscured. The focal point of the swap is on two rookie pitchers, both of whom have had their fair share of ups and downs in this short season. Luke Weaver was tantalizingly dominant back in April however has put up back-to-back negative point starts and owns an ERA north of 4.50. On the other end, Lords of the Sith acquired the Twins prized primary ball thrower, Fernando Romero. Watching to see which one of these young starters performs at the higher pace the rest of the way will be fun.

Darth Maulina receives: Luke Weaver & Ivan Nova

Lords of the Sith receives: Shin-soo Choo & Fernando Romero

9:47pm June 14th --> In a one-for-one swap, SeBellba acquired talented, but oft-injured, Adam Eaton and I GOT WOOD took on talented, but inconsistent, Sean Manaea. Ryan acquired Adam Eaton last season only to see him land on the 60-Day DL days later. He will be hoping similar misfortunes do not come true this time around. Mike was in dire need of pitching reinforcements and took a chance on Manaea returning to something close to his April form.

I GOT WOOD receives: Sean Manaea

SeBellba receives: Adam Eaton

2:42pm June 15th --> On Friday afternoon, Liu Kang & Lambdo Salerissian added to the blockbusters this week by exchanging the services of Gerrit Cole (#4 on the player rater) and James Paxton (#8 on the player rater), respectively. Neither team overtly gains an advantage by swapping two elite players at the same position, however Tony could make out like a bandit if Stroman and Archer both return from the DL and show their 2017 form.

Lambdo Salerissian receives: Gerrit Cole, Miguel Andujar & Matt Harvey

Liu Kang receives: James Paxton, Chris Archer, Marcus Stroman

3:01am June 16th --> In what is the final recap of this week (3 pages later), Brendan drunk traded away his longest tenured player, Jose Altuve. Classic, drunk trading. Brendan was quite hard on himself in the group chat the following morning, seeming none-to-pleased with his actions, yet the overall trade seems relatively even. His team acquired young Rafael Devers, who has regressed slightly this year but is currently on a 10 game hitting streak and Jose Berrios, who has been ace-like outside of one (1) start dating back to the middle of May. Ecc acquires an obvious upgrade with Altuve over Devers and will be counting on Vince Velasquez to turn in more starts like his last one and less like the one before that.

Attack of the Clones receives: Rafael Devers & Jose Berrios

Rhys’ Pieces Receives: Jose Altuve & Vince Velasquez

Same Faces, New Places:

Let’s check in on how some the traded players fared on their new squads this week:

Corey Kluber (0pts)- A week ago, Kluber provided 52 fantasy points. This week, SeBellba was left confounded as to how whenever Kluber pitches for his team, he struggles. As some may recall, the last time Ryan owned Kluber, he also struggled forcing him to trade him back in 2016.

Josh Hader (9pts) got off to a rocky start, giving up an earned run on his first day under Lords of the Sith’s management. However, he turned it around later in the week, picking up __K’s in __innings.

Paul Goldschmidt (17.75pts) continues to tear up the league, mashing 2more HR’s, albeit he did whiff an unsightly 10 times this week.

Dallas Kuehcel (21pts) turned in a quality start in what has been a tumultuous season. While it has been said numerous times already this season, the Astros hope this will be the start of some consistency for the left-hander.

Sean Manaea (16pts) made an excellent first impression for I GOT WOOD: 6IP, 3ER. While he likely isn’t as good as his month of April, he also isn’t as bad as his month of May. More starts like his last should be in store the rest of the way.

Jake Arrieta (-11pts) was very un-Arreita-like by giving up 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings all the while only punching out 1 Brewer. It’s unclear whether or not Arrieta made sure he, himself, knew how unacceptable his performance was this week.

Juan Soto (14pts) kept raking this week, including a 2-HR day on Wednesday. He’s looking more and more like a stud who will be wreaking havoc on this league for years to come.

James Paxton (-6pts) arrived to Liu Kang and promptly pitched that night. He also promptly got shelled, lasting just 2.1 innings and letting 5 runners cross home plate.

Aroldis Chapman (29pts) kept on keeping on in week 11. He pitched thrice, allowing 0 batters to reach base and recording three (3) saves. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Carlos Martinez (1pts) continues to struggle since coming back from the DL, although he pitched better in his first start for Attack of the Clones, 5IP, 3ER, 6BB than he did in his last start on SeBellba, 3.2IP, 5ER, 7BB. Walks were always a bit of an issue even before the DL trip for Martinez but this is extremely concerning. 18 walks in 3 starts lends itself to questions of Martinez current health.

Fantasy Heroes:

Batters:

1. Mike Trout- KANG (43.50pts)

2. Evan Gattis- HAYS (43pts)

3. Carlos Correa- CLON (35.50)

4. Lorenzo Cain- MAUL (32pts)

5. Eddie Rosario- LAMB (31pts)

6. Marcell Ozuna- SITH (31pts)

7. Didi Gregorious- EMPJ (29.50pts)

8. Ryon Healy- RHYS (29.50pts)

9. JT Realmuto- EMPJ (29pts)

10. David Peralta- LAMB (29pts) / Xander Bogaerts- MAUL (29pts)

Pitchers:

1. Wade LeBlanc- MAUL (50pts) – LeBlanc threw 12.2 innings of 2-run baseball. He struck out 14 this week and only walked 2, good for a 7:1 K:BB ratio against BOS and LAA.

2. Jack Flaherty- RHYS (46pts)

3. Dylan Bundy- RHYS (39pts)

4. Edwin Diaz- BELL (38pts)

5. Shane Greene- WOOD (36pts)

6. Lance McCullers Jr.- BARR (34pts)

7. Luis Severino- DICK (33pts)

8. Eduardo Rodriguez- (EMPJ) (33pts)

9. Arodys Vizcaino- WOOD (31pts)

10. Julio Teheran- RHYS (31pts) / Blaine Hardy- LAMB (31pts) / Kyle Barraclough- BARR (31pts)

Next Week:

*Every game is being played at the Polo Grounds this time around.

Last week, MLB: The Show predictions went 5-2, only stumbling over the SeBellba @ Lords of the Sith matchup & Hoz Solo @ Liu Kang. This week’s predictions are as follows:

Kylolan Renado @ The Emperial Judge

G1: Kylolan Renado 5 The Emperial Judge 6

G2: Kylolan Renado 4 The Emperial Judge 1

G3: Kylolan Renado 7 The Emperial Judge 3

Kylolan Renado received plenty of run support with his new look lineup, featuring Paul Goldschmidt, Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado. The three of them scored 8 total runs. The real story was on Rick Porcello in game 2 as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. Aaron can thank Billy Hamilton reaching on a bunt single for breaking up the no-no. *(It was not a swinging bunt, I watch each play’s outcome using the fast-forward option and it said, “bunt single”)

I GOT WOOD @ Willie Mays Hayes

G1: I GOT WOOD 6 Willie Mays Hayes 10

G2: I GOT WOOD 4 Willie Mays Hayes 1

G3: I GOT WOOD 4 Willie Mays Hayes 6

I REPEAT! SOMEBODY BREAK UP WILLIE MAYS HAYES! MLB: The Show likes him to continue to roll against I GOT WOOD. Daniel Murphy was this week’s MVP, accounting for 6RBI in the first game and 3RBI in the series clincher.

Hoz Solo @ Lambdo Salerissian

G1: Hoz Solo 2 Lambdo Salerissian 1

G2: Hoz Solo 5 Lambdo Salerissian 8

G3: Hoz Solo 1 Lambdo Salerissian 3

Lambdo Salerissian used the services of newly acquired Charlie Blackmon to take next week’s matchup against Hoz Solo. Blackmon was seemingly always on base, collecting 5 hits, 4 of which were for extra bases, and 3 walks throughout the series.

Darth Maulina @ Sea Barraclough

G1: Darth Maulina 7 Sea Barraclough 5

G2: Darth Maulina 3 Sea Barraclough 9

G3: Darth Maulina 3 Sea Barraclough 1 (10 innings)

MLB: The Show likes Logan’s squad to pull the second straight upset over Casey in the most closely contested matchup of the week. Khris Davis hit a 289ft HR in the top of the 10th in Game 3 to take the series. Rhys’ Pieces @ Attack of the Clones G1: Rhys’ Pieces 6 Attack of the Clones 5 G2: Rhys’ Pieces 10 Attack of the Clones 2 Rhys’ Pieces overtook Attack of the Clones 2 games to none. MLB: The Show was not pleased with the wholesale changes Brendan made to his team this week, dropping him to the 5th highest ranked team. Altuve becomes the MVP of this series, accounting for 4 runs scored and 2 triples in game 2.

Lords of the Sith @ Mous Dick ‘Er Son!

G1: Lords of the Sith 3 Mous Dick ‘Er Son! 2

G2: Lords of the Sith 3 Mous Dick ‘Er Son! 5

G3: Lords of the Sith 2 Mous Dick ‘Er Son! 3

Each game in the series was a hard-fought battle focused on the pitching side of the ball. Carlos Rodon got Lords of the Sith out a 1-0 series advantage, giving up 0 earned runs over 8 innings. However, Zach Godley and Tyson Ross were unable to stave off Mous Dick ‘Er Son!’s Jake Odorizzi and Luis Severino in games 2 & 3.

SeBellba @ Liu Kang

*This week’s Matchup of the Week features former Fairfield roommates squaring off.

G1: SeBellba 4 Liu Kang 3

G2: SeBellba 4 Liu Kang 6

G3: SeBellba 9 Liu Kang 5

Albert Pujols might be old enough to remember playing at the Polo Grounds, or at least he showed some familiarity with the ballpark against Liu Kang. Pujols mashed 3 dingers of the course of the series, including a grand slam to account for the only runs SeBellba scored in game 2. Liu Kang’s pitching staff unfortunately let him down in game 3. David Price was pulled after 4 innings, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) to cross the plate.

Standings:

Rebel Alliance:

1. Attack of the Clones (9-2)

5. Sea Barraclough (7-4)

6. Rhys’ Pieces (6-5)

8. I GOT WOOD (5-6)

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10. Mous Dick ‘Er Son! (4-7)

12. The Emperial Judge (4-7)

14. Hoz Solo (2-9)

Galactic Empire

2. Kylolan Renado (8-3)

3. SeBellba (8-3)

4. Lords of the Sith (8-3)

7. Liu Kang (5-6)

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9. Darth Maulina (4-7)

11. Lambdo Salerissian (4-7)

13. Willie Mays Hayes (3-8)