Injuries, suspensions and power-hitting rookies. Who had a good week five in the BaseballGB Fantasy League?

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Norwich No II	37	12	37	2	.282	.879	3	5	47	1	4.58	1.36	10
Weston-Super-Sox	20	4	21	7	.240	.657	0	0	24	2	6.75	1.57	2

Norwich were the biggest winners of the week, staying top with a 10-2 score against the Sox. Bellinger was the star performer, scoring eight times, hitting three homers, driving in 12 and batting .429. Velasquez had a win and 12 strikeouts while Kimbrel and Diaz had two saves each.

The Sox salvaged steals thanks to five from Dee Gordon while Dayton and Madson had a hold each.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	25	9	34	0	.262*	.841	2	3	45	3	4.17	1.41	3
The Cheddar Chasers	27	12	30	4	.262*	.868	1	4	51	3	3.58	1.23	8

The Chasers ran out 8-3 winners against the Slugs in a power-filled matchup. Goldschmidt hit three homers while Benintendi scored six runs and was one of four Chaser batters to hit a pair of longballs. Cole struck out 15 and helped take ERA and WHIP while Feliz had two saves. Suarez drove in nine for the Slugs while Zimmerman hit .500 to take average on a ti-break. Cobb and Garrett picked up wins.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Batteries Essential	40	8	32	11	.291	.880	3	0	53	3	3.21	1.72	8
Iron Men	31	5	26	3	.272	.824	3	5	30	1	1.39	1.02	3

Iron Men find themselves at the foot of the standings after an 8-3 reverse against Batteries Essential. Billy Hamilton had a monster week for the victors, scoring 11 runs, homering, knocking in eight and stealing nine bases in an offensive sweep. Daniel Norris struck out 12 and three relievers had a hold each. Giles had two saves and Martinez helped take ERA and WHIP for Iron Men, who need to make the most of those DL spots.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Durham Riverkings	37	15	41	3	.305	.922	4	1	41	3	3.86	1.13	8
Richie’s RBI’s	39	13	34	7	.272	.878	2	2	50	1	4.89	1.27	4

The Riverkings got the better of the RBIs 8-4 as the teams put on a home run derby. Machado hit four homers while Healy and Baez had three each and Inciarte helped take average and OPS. Leake picked up a win and made the difference in ERA and WHIP while Betances had two holds. Carpenter scored eight runs for the RBIs while Villar and Segura had two steals each. Porcello struck out 13 and Chapman collected two saves.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Beckenham A&E Dept	27	4	19	1	.224	.689	2	7	50	0	1.69	0.96	4
Cheshunt Maltsters	28	11	24	5	.211	.732	3	5	66	2	3.35	1.14	8

The Maltsters got the better of the A&E Dept 8-4 as Ozuna and Abreu had three-homer weeks and Altuve scored six, knocked in six and stole two bases. Sale won twice while striking out 21 and Reed had two holds. Posey helped Beckenham take average while Allen had three saves and Roark helped take ERA and WHIP.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	24	7	28	2	.237	.704	3	0	38	0	2.29	1.32	7
The Bath Bombers	22	3	17	2	.194	.567	4	0	45	2	3.95	1.33	3

The Knights picked up a 7-3 win against the Bombers in a matchup which was more about the pitching than the offense. Urias and Verlander helpd the Knights take ERA and WHIP while Stanton had a three-homer week and knocked in nine while Conforto scored seven times and made the difference in average and OPS. Bundy won twice for the Bombers while Wacha struck out 11 and Bowman and Shaw each had a hold.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	22	7	38	2	.276	.754	4	3	72	1	4.70	1.21	5
Jesmond Dennings	38	4	19	3	.287	.791	3	3	39	2	3.75	1.28	6

Jesmond are back to winning ways after defeating the Isotopes 6-5. Votto scored nine runs and hit .389 for the week while Miller had two holds and McCullers helped take ERA. Ramirez and Pedroia, who knocked in seven, had multi-homer weeks for my side, but a miserable Sunday with the bats proved costly in average and OPS. Cueto had a win and 16 strikeouts while Samardzija helped take WHIP.

The week six matchups are as follows:

Norwich (1st) v RBIs (5th)

Bombers (2nd) v Riverkings (7th)

Isotopes (3rd) v Slugs (11th)

Chasers (4th) v Knights (12th)

Maltsters (6th) v Knights (9th)

Batteries Essential (8th) v Jesmond Dennings (13th)

A&E Dept (10th) v Iron Men (14th)

There were many big offensive weeks in the BaseballGB Fantasy League. Which teams reaped the benefits (or who had lots of Nationals) and who avoided damage to their ERAs?

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	30	5	24	2	.222	.669	2	0	41	1	3.50	1.21	0
Richie’s RBI’s	38	8	32	6	.238	.748	4	1	42	4	0.96	0.79	12

What a week for the RBIs, who swept the Knights 12-0. Neither side posted massive offensive numbers but Harper (10 runs), Judge (four homers, .400) and Carpenter (nine RBIs) did most of the damage. The pitchers posted ridiculously good ERA and WHIP stats thanks to Yankees past and present in Nova, Tanaka and Severino. Chapman had the lone save while Benoit had three holds.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	38	11	28	1	.287	.866	2	1	41	4	5.43	1.66	2
The Bath Bombers	47	10	40	3	.316	.877	4	1	40	4	3.75	1.17	8

The Bombers stay top after defeating the Slugs 8-2. Justin Turner (.538) and Trea Turner (11 runs, 13 RBIs) were the offensive stars while Darvish picked up a win and helped take ERA and WHIP. Zimmerman had a four-homer week for the Slugs while Archer struck out 10.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	24	13	34	3	.286	.901	1	3	38	2	2.60	1.04	8
Iron Men	28	10	33	1	.296	.885	1	4	24	0	3.96	1.12	3

The Isotopes outslugged Iron Men on the way to an 8-3 victory. Owings hit three homers, knocked in 10 and stole three bases while Cruz had a four-homer week. Estrada led the staff with nine strikeouts while Wood’s gem helped take ERA and WHIP. Ronson had two holds. For Iron Men, Sano had a monster week, batting well over .500 and he joined Rendon (eight runs, .440) in driving in 11 as Anthony had a nice month in a day on Sunday. Giles, Johnson, Oh and Kintzler each had a save.

 

eam	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Jesmond Dennings	19	2	14	4	.283	.783	5	1	46	4	2.91	1.41	3
The Cheddar Chasers	35	12	37	4	.311	.980	1	1	49	1	3.60	1.08	7

The Chasers are over .500 after a 7-3 win against Jesmond. Five players had multi-homer weeks while Goldschmidt hit .500 and stole three bases. Quintana struck out 10 while Cole posted miniscule WHIP stats. Triggs and Pineda each picked up a win without allowing earned runs for Jesmond, while Miller had two holds.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Beckenham A&E Dept	22	7	28	4	.254	.739	4	7	55	0	5.02	1.54	4
Weston-Super-Sox	32	9	34	2	.285	.801	2	1	28	0	3.08	1.03	7

The Sox picked up a 7-4 win against the A&E Dept. Wil Myers hit three homers and knocked in nine while Adam Jones helped take average and OPS. Keuchel, Iwakuma and Musgrove helped take ERA and WHIP. Greinke had a win and 20 strikeouts for Beckenham, while Allen saved three games and Dyson had a pair of steals.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Batteries Essential	29	3	22	9	.269	.702	3	3	41	1	4.43	1.48	5
Cheshunt Maltsters	22	5	21	2	.243	.739	2	5	55	3	3.33	1.34	7

The Maltsters got the better of Batteries Essential 7-5. Abreu had a multi-homer week and made the difference in OPS while Kluber and Sale each struck out 10 and Rodriguez helped take ERA and WHIP. Melancon and Osuna had two saves each. For Batteries Essential, Pollock scored seven and stole seven, teaming with Blackmon (nine RBIs) to take average and OPS.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Durham Riverkings	36	11	44	8	.275	.829	2	3	34	3	4.85	1.58	4
Norwich No II	28	11	41	5	.291	.867	2	4	56	0	4.10	1.12	6

Finally, Norwich got the better of the Riverkings 6-4. Bryant made the difference in average and OPS and joined Reynolds, Freeman and d’Arnaud in hitting two homers. Walker struck out 11 and helped take ERA and WHIP while Diaz had two saves. Inciarte stole five bases for the Riverkings while Kemp knocked in 10 and Murphy 12. Jones had two holds.

Week Five match-ups

Bombers (1st) v Knights (14th)

Norwich (2nd) v Sox (5th)

RBIs (3rd) v Riverkings (8th)

Isotoptes (4th) v Jesmond (13th)

Chasers (6th) v Slugs (1th)

Maltsters (7th) v A&E Dept (10th)

Batteries Essential (9th) v Iron Men (12th)

 

It’s time to look back at week three of the BaseballGB fantasy league, which featured a large number of very close matchups. Which teams are still off to a flying start and which unlucky managers had MadBum and Starling Marte?

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Jesmond Dennings	29	6	20	1	.269	.786	2	2	45	5	2.05	0.98	2
The Bath Bombers	32	6	27	5	.274	.789	6	1	51	6	2.25	0.95	9

The Bombers are top after their impressive 9-2 win against Jesmond. The hitters fell a homer shy of an offensive sweep as Eric Thames and Michael Brantley did most of the damage.

The Bombers lost Miggy to the DL but at least Trea Turner and Kipnis returned. Darvish was one of six pitchers with a win, led the staff with 12 strikeouts and teamed with Carrasco and Wacha to take WHIP. Votto had a three-homer week for Jesmond while McCullers helped take ERA and Casilla had two saves.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	24	7	29	4	.253	.749	0	5	44	1	6.30	1.45	4
Cheshunt Maltsters	23	7	26	6	.244	.732	2	6	60	1	2.36	1.05	6

It was a pretty poor week for the Isotopes as they suffered a 6-4 defeat to the Maltsters and had the small matter of a massive ban for Marte to deal with as well. Fair play to Cheshunt who deserved the victory.

Altuve and Jose Ramirez each hit two homers and had two steals while Kluber, Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez took care of wins, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP in a very impressive week for the pitchers. Brach had three saves. Arenado and Cruz helped my team salvage four offensive categories but it was a pretty miserable week for the pitchers.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Durham Riverkings	21	9	27	3	.259	.748	3	1	37	2	2.57	1.11	6
Weston-Super-Sox	27	7	27	7	.300	.808	1	3	31	0	4.10	1.21	5

The Riverkings edged past the Sox 6-5. Shaw had three homers and knocked in eight while Leake won again and Eickhoff and Santana helped take ERA and WHIP. The pitching staff has been hit by injuries to Gray and MadBum though.

The Sox had the better of the offense as Betts scored four runs, drove in nine, swiped three bases and teamed with Braun to take average and OPS. Maurer had two saves on a pitching staff riddled by injuries.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	41	15	43	2	.311	.980	1	1	50	2	6.17	1.58	6
Richie’s RBI’s	43	11	32	1	.299	.885	2	1	40	3	1.63	0.89	5

The Slugs hit their way to a 6-5 win over the RBIs in a matchup full of power. Story hit three homers and knocked in eight while Trout stole two bases and teamed with Souza to take average and OPS. Archer led the staff with nine strikeouts.

The RBIs were unlucky not to win more offensive categories given the impressive numbers – particularly a 10-run, three-homer, 7 RBI, .550 week for Harper. Benoit had two holds while Tanaka and Nova took care of wins, ERA and WHIP.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	21	8	26	0	.271	.789	4	4	69	1	5.31	1.45	4
Norwich No II	36	11	26	4	.245	.750	3	4	45	1	4.39	1.36	5

Norwich squeezed past the Knights 5-4 in another closely-fought matchup. Freeman hit four homers and scored seven times while Tomas went deep three times and drove in eight. Duffy made the difference in ERA and WHIP. Stanton hit .400 with four homers for the Knights while Salazar picked up a win and led the staff with 16 strikeouts.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Iron Men	25	6	23	2	.268	.798	3	7	35	0	3.23	1.14	6
The Cheddar Chasers	26	7	31	3	.251	.776	1	2	50	3	6.27	1.63	6

The Chasers and Iron Men couldn’t be separated, drawing 6-6. Polanco and Haniger helped Iron Men take average and OPS while Oh and Giles had three saves and Manaea picked up a win and helped take ERA and WHIP. Goldschmidt scored six runs while Duvall and Fowler hit two homers each for the Chasers. Ray struck out 16 and Wilson had two holds.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Batteries Essential	26	7	26	9	.255	.751	2	3	42	1	4.43	1.38	6
Beckenham A&E Dept	23	8	25	6	.238	.707	4	4	52	0	2.52	1.00	6

Another matchup, another tie. This time Batteries Essential and the A&E Dept finished all square. Pollock and Blackmon did most of the offensive damage for Batteries Essential while Glover had the lone hold.

Beckenham had the edge in homers thanks to three from Rizzo and two each for Bruce and Schoop. Scherzer picked up a win and helped take ERA and WHIP while Wainwright struck out nine and Davis had two saves.

Close matchups

I’m not sure we’ve ever had so many close matchups in a single week, with five out of seven being decided by one category or ending in a tie. That bodes well for a very competitive league this year. What with a number of injuries this past week, it might not be a bad idea to make sure you use your DL spots and either scour the free agent pool for help or have a look at the other rosters in case there are any trade possibilities.

Week four matchups:

Bombers (1st) v Slugs (9th)

Norwich (2nd) v Riverkings (5th)

Sox (3rd) v A&E Dept (11th)

Isotopes (4th) v Iron Men (13th)

RBIs (6th) v Knights (12th)

Maltsters (7th) v Batteries Essential (10th)

Chasers (8th) v Jesmond (14th)

Which teams would continue their good starts and which were out to prove opening week defeats were not the norm? It’s time to look at the scores from week two of the BaseballGB Fantasy League.

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Iron Men	26	2	24	8	.289	.781	2	3	36	2	4.06	1.19	3
The Bath Bombers	31	12	34	2	.278	.864	3	5	64	1	1.88	1.11	9

The Bombers were the biggest winners of the week, defeating iron Men 9-3. Eric Thames led the team with eight runs and RBIs, launched five homers and unsurprisingly helped take OPS too. Bundy and Taillon each picked up wins on Sunday, teaming with Darvish and Carrasco to take ERA and WHIP while Robertson had three saves. Bogaerts and Cain hit .435 or better for Iron Men while Polanco stole three bases and Giles had a hold.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	23	5	17	2	.189	.614	4	0	51	6	3.20	1.24	3
Norwich No II	27	5	22	5	.216	.624	3	4	42	1	2.25	0.98	8

Norwich go top with their 8-3 win against the Slugs. It wasn’t a matchup packed with offense, but Yelich scored eight runs, homered, knocked in six and stole a base. Cotton and Duffy helped take ERA and WHIP while Kimbrel had three saves. Paxton was the star performer for the Slugs, winning twice, striking out 17 and not yet allowing any earned runs this season. Ottavino had three holds.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Cheshunt Maltsters	33	11	42	4	.328	.982	5	3	78	2	3.90	1.19	7
The Cheddar Chasers	37	8	24	5	.284	.825	4	7	50	2	2.82	1.31	4

The Maltsters outslugged the Chasers on the way to a 7-4 win. Ozuna hit four homers and knocked in 12 while Altuve, Jose Ramirez and Avisail Garcia all batted well over .500 for the week. Sale had a win, 22 strikeouts and helped take WHIP. Lindor scored six runs for the Chasers while Dozier swiped two bases. K-Rod had four saves while Ray made the difference in ERA.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Jesmond Dennings	27	11	36	1	.274	.870	2	0	64	2	4.87	1.25	7
Richie’s RBI’s	29	8	30	6	.250	.792	3	4	37	3	5.71	1.39	5

Jesmond picked up their first win of the year by defeating the RBIs 7-5. Cespedes hit five homers and drove in nine while Piscotty knocked in eight and Kepler batted .400. In an up and down week for the pitchers, Pineda won twice and struck out 17, one more than de Grom, as both New York starters helped take ERA and WHIP. Villar swiped three bases for the RBIs while Harper scored eight runs. Chapman had three saves, Rivero three holds and Tanaka and Severino each picked up wins.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	21	8	26	2	.256	.723	4	7	65	0	2.78	1.18	6
Beckenham A&E Dept	21	7	21	2	.272	.792	4	3	55	0	4.16	1.29	2

The Isotopes made it back-to-back wins to start the year but had to dig themselves out of an early hole to defeat Beckenham 6-2. Khris Davis and Cruz made the difference in homers and RBIs while Holland had three saves, Samardzija struck out 15 and Estrada helped take ERA and WHIP. Rizzo and Schoop both hit .409 for the A&E Dept and helped take OPS while Davis and Iglesias picked up wins out of the pen.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Batteries Essential	24	8	21	5	.220	.655	4	0	27	0	3.10	1.22	5
Weston-Super-Sox	29	7	26	4	.307	.862	3	0	29	0	5.25	1.42	5

Batteries Essential and the Sox finished in a 5-5 tie. Franco, Blackmon and Andrus each hit two homers for Batteries Essential while Hamilton stole three bases. King Felix and Gio Gonzalez each picked up wins and helped take ERA and WHIP. Myers helped take average and OPS for the Sox, while Gordon and Springer scored five times and McCann knocked in five. Harvey struck out 11.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	25	7	21	2	.231	.739	2	1	49	2	4.65	1.45	5
Durham Riverkings	21	7	20	0	.223	.680	2	2	50	6	2.40	0.97	5

Finally, there was another 5-5 tie as the Knights and Riverkings couldn’t be separated. Stanton hit three homers and knocked in six for the Knights while Chris Davis scored six runs and teamed with Seager and LeMahieu to take average. Renfroe had a multi-homer week for the Riverkings while Santana helped take ERA and whip with his complete game gem, Eickhoff struck out 12, Jansen had two saves and Jones, Dunn and Betances each had two holds.

Week Three matchups:

Norwich (1st) v Knights (12th)

Bombers (2nd) v Jesmond (11th)

Isotopes (3rd) v Maltsters (8th)

Sox (4th) v Riverkings (6th)

RBIs (5th) v Slugs (10th)

Chasers (7th) v Iron Men (14th)

Batteries Essential (9th) v A&E Dept (13th)

The fantasy baseball season is under way. Read on to see how the first week of the 2017 BaseballGB league shaped up.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Jesmond Dennings	21	4	12	1	.210	.624	2	0	61	1	4.26	1.11	2
Norwich No II	28	8	25	7	.256	.727	4	3	51	3	3.70	1.36	10

Norwich are off to a flying start after a 10-2 win against Jesmond. Odor, Freeman, Tomas and Trumbo powered an offensive sweep while Duffy was the pick of the starters and Kimbrel and Neris took care of saves and holds. McCullers notched 17 strikeouts for Jesmond, teaming with deGrom to take WHIP.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Cheshunt Maltsters	16	3	27	2	.236	.626	1	2	32	3	2.61	1.16	3
The Bath Bombers	31	9	26	7	.285	.861	4	4	61	2	2.95	1.11	9

Bath go second with a 9-3 win against the Maltsters. Mazara hit two homers and drove in nine while Perez hit four solo homers. Trea Turner stole three bases before going on the DL. Britton had three saves while Strasburg picked up a win and 11 strikeouts. Ozuna and Santana each knocked in six for the Maltsters while Brach had three holds and Sale helped take ERA.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	25	7	24	1	.227	.669	3	4	51	1	4.02	1.19	3
Weston-Super-Sox	31	14	35	3	.235	.800	2	1	27	2	1.47	0.77	9

The Sox started well with a 9-3 win against the Knights as Springer hit four homers and Puig, McCann, Myers and Braun all hit a pair in an offensive sweep while Gordon stole two bases. Madson had two holds while Harvey, Iwakuma, Sanchez and Keuchel put up great ERA and WHIP stats. Verlander struck out 10 and had a win for the Knights while Treinen notched three saves.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	34	11	30	2	.308	.903	2	6	61	1	4.04	1.22	7
Batteries Essential	27	8	26	3	.247	.745	3	2	59	1	3.09	1.07	4

The defending champs started 2017 with a win against Batteries Essential. Khris Davis hit three homers while Diaz, Arenado and Realmuto all went deep twice. Cueto struck out a dozen to go with his two wins while early returns on Greg Holland are good with four saves. Batteries Essential had the edge in steals thanks to Blackmon, Hamilton and Pollock while Fulmer and Syndergaard helped take ERA and WHIP.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Iron Men	21	4	15	5	.212	.644	3	2	47	2	4.57	1.11	4
Richie’s RBI’s	34	10	36	7	.237	.719	4	1	43	2	5.71	1.51	7

The RBIs got off to a winning start with a 7-4 score against Iron Men. Torreyes knocked in seven while Villar and Harper went deep twice in an offensive sweep. Sano knocked in eight for Iron Men, who took four pitching categories thanks to Giles, Kershaw and Carlos Martinez.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Beckenham A&E Dept	21	3	13	6	.202	.602	4	8	52	0	2.15	1.03	5
The Cheddar Chasers	31	8	25	8	.231	.722	1	3	41	1	5.37	1.42	7

The Chasers got the better of a tight matchup against Beckenham, winning 7-5. Goldschmidt and Lindor powered an offensive sweep while Wilson picked up a crucial hold. Greinke, Scherzer and Lester helped the A&E Dept take ERA and WHIP while Davis, Rodney, Iglesias and Allen each had two saves.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	33	12	39	2	.256	.872	4	3	59	7	2.85	1.09	6
Durham Riverkings	23	9	35	2	.295	.897	5	1	63	1	3.03	1.01	5

Finally, the Slugs edged past the Riverkings 6-5. Belt made the difference in runs, homers and RBIs for the Slugs while Strop and Ottavino had three holds each, Colome notched three saves and Paxton helped take ERA. Wieters and Murphy helped the Riverkings take average and OPS while Arrieta had two wins and joined MadBum in racking up 16 strikeouts.

The week two matchups are as follows:

Norwich (1st) v Slugs (7th)

Bombers (2nd) v Iron Men (11th)

Sox (3rd) v Batteries Essential (10th)

Isotopes (4th) v A&E Dept (9th)

RBIs (5th) v Jesmond (14th)

Chasers (6th) v Maltsters (12th)

Riverkings (8th) v Knights (13th)

In the second part of our review of the BGB Fantasy League draft, we look at Rounds 11 to 20 and the overall state of each of the 14 teams drafted.

Round 11
1.	Álex Colomé(TB – RP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Dallas Keuchel(Hou – SP)	Weston-Super…
3.	Sean Manaea(Oak – SP)	Iron Men
4.	Marcell Ozuna(Mia – CF)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Jos̩ Peraza(Cin Р2B,SS,CF)	Norwich No II
6.	Jake Lamb(Ari – 3B)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Dexter Fowler(StL – CF)	The Cheddar …
8.	Aledmys Diaz(StL – SS)	Orpington Is…
9.	Odubel Herrera(Phi – CF)	Durham River…
10.	Byron Buxton(Min – CF)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Tanner Roark(Was – SP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Maikel Franco(Phi – 3B)	Batteries Es…
13.	Nomar Mazara(Tex – OF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Max Kepler(Min – OF)	Jesmond Denn…

I’m aware that the gap at SS could become problematic if I leave it too much longer, so consider Tulo and Andrus before hoping Diaz is for real.

Keuchel could be good value here for the Sox while Peraza’s speed and flexibility could be a nice weapon for Norwich. I had earmarked him as a nice option for later on, but it wasn’t to be. You’ve got to cheer for Kepler given his European roots.

 

Round 12
1.	Ian Desmond(Col – CF)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	David Robertson(CWS – RP)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Yasmani Grandal(LAD – C)	Batteries Es…
4.	Raisel Iglesias(Cin – SP,RP)	Beckenham A&…
5.	A.J. Ramos(Mia – RP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Jon Gray(Col – SP)	Durham River…
7.	J.T. Realmuto(Mia – C)	Orpington Is…
8.	Adam Duvall(Cin – OF)	The Cheddar …
9.	Keon Broxton(Mil – CF)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Aaron Nola(Phi – SP)	Norwich No II
11.	Brad Miller(TB – 1B,SS)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Steven Matz(NYM – SP)	Iron Men
13.	Evan Gattis(Hou – C)	Weston-Super…
14.	Matt Holliday(NYY – 1B,OF)	Mighty Slugs

At this point I’m aware I’ve loaded up on hitters so far and really ought to start rounding out my rotation and getting another closer before too long. I strongly consider Matz here but end up going for Realmuto.

I don’t usually take a catcher this early but I like the average and speed he brings. But I know after picking nine hitters in 12 rounds that I must pay much more attention to my pitching staff from now on. Duvall had a nice power year so could be a decent pick for the Chasers while the Maltsters go for Miller’s unusual positional flexibility and big power bat.

 

Round 13
1.	Kyle Barraclough(Mia – RP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Troy Tulowitzki(Tor – SS)	Weston-Super…
3.	Hunter Pence(SF – OF)	Iron Men
4.	Addison Reed(NYM – RP)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Vince Velásquez(Phi – SP)	Norwich No II
6.	Aaron Judge(NYY – OF)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Francisco Rodríguez(Det – RP)	The Cheddar …
8.	Jeff Samardzija(SF – SP)	Orpington Is…
9.	Javier Báez(ChC – 2B,3B,SS)	Durham River…
10.	Julio Urías(LAD – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Jonathan Schoop(Bal – 2B)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Elvis Andrus(Tex – SS)	Batteries Es…
13.	Michael Brantley(Cle – OF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Shawn Kelley(Was – RP)	Jesmond Denn…

Plenty of good picks this round. Reed has been excellent for the Mets and next in line to close in Familia needs a day off or gets hurt. Schoop is massively underrated and brings nice power at 2B for Beckenham while Bath bet on a rebound for Brantley and it’s no surprise to see the RBIs pick another Yankee in Judge.

I think about a second closer but decide another starter is more important, nabbing Samardzija in the hope an improved Giants bullpen will lead to more wins, although I do consider Pineda’s strikeout potential too. I’ll get a second closer in the next round.

 

Round 14
1.	Michael Pineda(NYY – SP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Jason Kipnis(Cle – 2B)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Sam Dyson(Tex – RP)	Batteries Es…
4.	Eduardo Núñez(SF – 3B,SS)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Jake Odorizzi(TB – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Hunter Renfroe(SD – OF)	Durham River…
7.	Tony Watson(Pit – RP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Neftali Feliz(Mil – RP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Jeanmar Gómez(Phi – RP)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Yasmany Tomás(Ari – OF)	Norwich No II
11.	Brad Brach(Bal – RP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Jim Johnson(Atl – RP)	Iron Men
13.	Brandon Maurer(SD – RP)	Weston-Super…
14.	Garrett Richards(LAA – SP)	Mighty Slugs

Pineda goes to Jesmond while Kipnis, who has been hanging around at the top of the undrafted players list for quite some time, is snapped up by Bath which should be great value here.

I nab Watson as my second closer after Dyson goes. It’s a bit of a risk having him and Herrera as neither have done the job full-time before, but he should be able to cope having auditioned after Melancon was traded last summer. That leaves me with six picks left. I still want to get three more SPs, two RPs and a bench hitter.

 

Round 15
1.	Carlos Gómez(Tex – CF)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Ryan Madson(Oak – RP)	Weston-Super…
3.	Will Harris(Hou – RP)	Iron Men
4.	David Phelps(Mia – SP,RP)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	H̩ctor Neris(Phi РRP)	Norwich No II
6.	Drew Smyly(Sea – SP)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Robbie Ray(Ari – SP)	The Cheddar …
8.	J.A. Happ(Tor – SP)	Orpington Is…
9.	Jerad Eickhoff(Phi – SP)	Durham River…
10.	Matt Bush(Tex – RP)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Adam Wainwright(StL – SP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Cam Bedrosian(LAA – RP)	Batteries Es…
13.	Ben Zobrist(ChC – 2B,OF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Logan Forsythe(LAD – 2B)	Jesmond Denn…

Just three hitters selected this round as managers start to round out their pitching staffs. I opt for Happ and even though I’m not expecting him to win 20 again he still should be able to get 12-14 wins. Batteries Essential pick up Bedrosian, who should close while Huston Street is out.

 

Round 16
1.	Matt Shoemaker(LAA – SP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Salvador Pérez(KC – C)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Kole Calhoun(LAA – OF)	Batteries Es…
4.	Carlos Rodon(CWS – SP)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Koda Glover(Was – RP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Ryon Healy(Oak – 3B)	Durham River…
7.	Marco Estrada(Tor – SP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Ian Kennedy(KC – SP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Joe Ross(Was – SP)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Taijuan Walker(Ari – SP)	Norwich No II
11.	Drew Pomeranz(Bos – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Tyler Clippard(NYY – RP)	Iron Men
13.	Víctor Martínez(Det – 1B)	Weston-Super…
14.	Tyler Naquin(Cle – CF)	Mighty Slugs

Another round, another SP for me. This time it’s Estrada, who didn’t win many games last year despite his good numbers. I reason that if he and Happ can combine for roughly the same number of wins (fewer for Happ, more for Estrada) I’ll be in decent shape.

In a pitching-heavy round, I think V-Mart should be a decent pick for the Sox and Salvy for Bath is a good call here too.

 

Round 17
1.	Alex Cobb(TB – SP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Brian McCann(Hou – C)	Weston-Super…
3.	Francisco Liriano(Tor – SP)	Iron Men
4.	Mike Zunino(Sea – C)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Carlos Beltrán(Hou – OF)	Norwich No II
6.	Felipe Rivero(Pit – RP)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Jedd Gyorko(StL – 1B,2B,3B,SS)	The Cheddar …
8.	Greg Holland(Col – RP)	Orpington Is…
9.	Matt Wieters(Was – C)	Durham River…
10.	Arodys Vizcaíno(Atl – RP)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Jay Bruce(NYM – OF)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Randal Grichuk(StL – CF)	Batteries Es…
13.	Eric Thames(Mil – OF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Hunter Strickland(SF – RP)	Jesmond Denn…

I had planned on getting some holds at this point but there was one closer still on my queue in Greg Holland. I figure he’s worth a punt at this late point. If he helps add saves to what Watson and Herrera provide, great. If he flames out in Coorsfield, it’s no big deal to ditch him and get a holds guy from the free agent pool.

Three picks left, so I’ll definitely go for holds next time. Beltran in round 17 is very nice for Norwich while Durham hope Wieters can rebound from injury in Washington and Bath gamble on the power of Eric Thames.

 

Round 18
1.	Darren O’Day(Bal – RP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Luke Gregerson(Hou – RP)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Mike Napoli(Tex – 1B)	Batteries Es…
4.	Jarrod Dyson(Sea – CF)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Curtis Granderson(NYM – CF)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Tyler Thornburg(Bos – RP)	Durham River…
7.	Héctor Rondón(ChC – RP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Kevin Siegrist(StL – RP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Ronald Torreyes(NYY – 2B,3B,SS)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Tommy Joseph(Phi – 1B)	Norwich No II
11.	Matt Moore(SF – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Neil Walker(NYM – 2B)	Iron Men
13.	Welington Castillo(Bal – C)	Weston-Super…
14.	Pedro Strop(ChC – RP)	Mighty Slugs

Gregerson and O’Day vanish as holds options so I decide to go for Rondon. The run on SPs has slowed in the last few rounds but i could still use one more. But I also need to decide on a bench hitter and there are a couple of intriguing options…

 

Round 19
1.	Adam Ottavino(Col – RP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Yasiel Puig(LAD – OF)	Weston-Super…
3.	Russell Martin(Tor – C)	Iron Men
4.	Blake Snell(TB – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Jharel Cotton(Oak – SP)	Norwich No II
6.	Kevin Kiermaier(TB – CF)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Justin Wilson(Det – RP)	The Cheddar …
8.	Dansby Swanson(Atl – SS)	Orpington Is…
9.	Travis Shaw(Mil – 1B,3B)	Durham River…
10.	Cameron Rupp(Phi – C)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Fernando Rodney(Ari – RP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Jacoby Ellsbury(NYY – CF)	Batteries Es…
13.	Melky Cabrera(CWS – OF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Robert Gsellman(NYM – SP)	Jesmond Denn…

… one of whom is Puig, who is taken by the Sox. Could be brilliant, could be terrible but certainly worth a gamble here. The other is Dansby Swanson, who I decide to draft. He could be a Rookie of the Year candidate and a nice insurance policy if Diaz falters. Or he could be useful trade bait.

Shaw could be a nice pick for Durham if he plays regularly for the Brewers while Rodney could be closing for Arizona.

 

Round 20
1.	Lance Lynn(StL – SP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Jason Grilli(Tor – RP)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Mike Moustakas(KC – 3B)	Batteries Es…
4.	Chris Carter(NYY – 1B)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Alex Wood(LAD – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Sonny Gray(Oak – SP)	Durham River…
7.	Tyson Ross(Tex – SP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Collin McHugh(Hou – SP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Stephen Vogt(Oak – C)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Brad Hand(SD – RP)	Norwich No II
11.	Eduardo Rodríguez(Bos – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Michael Lorenzen(Cin – RP)	Iron Men
13.	Tim Anderson(CWS – SS)	Weston-Super…
14.	Brandon Drury(Ari – 2B,3B,OF)	Mighty Slugs

 

The final round sees me queue up Lance Lynn as he returns from Tommy John surgery only for Jesmond to beat me to him. Sonny Gray goes too so I consider a few other options who I won’t name as they went undrafted and decide to take a punt on Tyson Ross.

He’ll likely miss the first couple of months but if he can get that sinker working with that lineup around him he could be a nice source of wins. And if it doesn’t work out, no harm done.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with my roster. I think I should be competitive across the board offensively and only have one batter in Davis who is unlikely to hit for a particularly high average. I was worried that being so hitter-heavy early in the draft would be a problem but I feel the back of the rotation, while not particularly flashy, should be decent enough. Although that is the obvious area for improvement. And I can’t complain about the bullpen.

Here’s my brief summary of the other teams:

Slugs: Decent power across the board but only one .300+ hitter from last year. Pretty decent rotation although Richards an injury risk. Just one closer but should be competitive in holds.

Sox: Very hitter heavy so may need to use some surplus as trade bait. Shouldn’t be short of power or speed. Price an injury concern. Has four good starters and two closers but needs additional SP depth and holds.

Iron Men: Decent spread of power and speed but EE likely only hitter to hit 30+HR. Average a slight concern. Excellent 1-2 punch of SP in Kershaw and Martinez and closers in Oh and Giles. Quite reliever heavy in pitching depth.

Maltsters: Plenty of power options but need Altuve to help lift team average. Catcher a bit of a weak spot. Like the Kluber-Sale-Pomeranz combo and good bullpen.

Norwich: Loaded with power and should still hit for good average too. Strong bullpen but lack of a recognised ace on young SP staff could be a problem. Has plenty of hitting to use as trade bait though.

RBIs: Young hitters mean this lineup could be feast or famine. Average could be a problem but have plenty of speed. Rotation could be good provided Tanaka stays healthy.

Chasers: Very deep offensive lineup, particularly on the infield. Power and speed well covered. Could use a bounceback season from Cole and hope Ray and McHugh can lower WHIP. Bullpen looks pretty strong.

Riverkings: Very strong pitching staff, and if Sonny Gray gets back on form, look out. Should have enough power and just enough average to be decent offensively. Good positional flexibility too.

Knights: Plenty of power throughout team but average may suffer in the outfield. Like the Donaldson/Seager combo. May need a second closer but rotation looks good and could get better if Wood rebounds and Urias has a larger innings limit this year.

A&E Dept: Power, power and more power although may lack a .300 hitter. Like the rotation a lot and should be fine for saves. In need of holds but that can be sorted relatively easily.

Batteries Essential: Range of 20+HR options plus should be OK for speed. A lot may depend on how Pollock does. Four good SP and two closers but could use extra SP depth and holds. Has hitting surplus to trade from.

Bombers: Mix of youth and experience offensively. Banking on a good year from Trea Turner and Brantley staying healthy. May need a little more power from OF. Pitching staff looks good across the board.

Jesmond: Lacking a catcher. Votto likely to be carrying the load with average but plenty of youthful promise from Correa and Bregman. Desmond’s injury leaves a gap at UT and may need extra OF depth if Kepler struggles.Very strong bullpen and nice 1-2 punch of deGrom and Hamels.

Mike Trout was the first player drafted. Brandon Drury was the last.

Find out who the other 278 players were as 14 teams gathered for the ninth draft in BaseballGB Fantasy League history.

Part One looks at Rounds 1 to 10. Part Two tomorrow will cover Rounds 11 to 20 and a review of the 14 teams.

Round 1
1.	Mike Trout(LAA – CF)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Mookie Betts(Bos – OF)	Weston-Super…
3.	Clayton Kershaw(LAD – SP)	Iron Men
4.	José Altuve(Hou – 2B)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Kris Bryant(ChC – 1B,3B,OF)	Norwich No II
6.	Bryce Harper(Was – OF)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Paul Goldschmidt(Ari – 1B)	The Cheddar …
8.	Nolan Arenado(Col – 3B)	Orpington Is…
9.	Manny Machado(Bal – 3B,SS)	Durham River…
10.	Josh Donaldson(Tor – 3B)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Anthony Rizzo(ChC – 1B)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Charlie Blackmon(Col – CF)	Batteries Es…
13.	Trea Turner(Was – 2B,CF)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Joey Votto(Cin – 1B)	Jesmond Denn…

I logged in to find my team was picking 8th out of 14 teams in the randomly drawn order. Not great but not too bad either. The advantage would be a reasonably regular turn to make my picks so I could afford to be a bit more flexible than being at either end of the snake. I consulted the mock draft results I had done where I picked 6th out of 12 teams to get a sense of how I built that team, which players were likely to be available in the important opening rounds and how I could apply what I had learnt to this draft.

It was no surprise to see Trout go first, but I think the second choice is particularly interesting this year. Do you got for Betts and his all-round power, average and speed and have him fill the CF spot, or do you go for Bryant’s raw power and positional flexibility? In the end, Betts went second but it was a slight surprise to see both Altuve and Kershaw go above Bryant. It’s not as if any of them are bad picks – far from it – but I’m sure Norwich wasn’t expecting to be able to get Bryant.

I had originally highlighted Manny Machado as a first pick possibility, but with the RBIs going for Harper early it meant Arenado was still available when it was my turn to pick. The thought of Machado and his SS eligibilty did appeal, but in the end I decided I couldn’t pass on Arenado’s superior power. The rest of the opening round saw Bath select Turner’s intriguing power and speed combo while Votto was Jesmond’s opening pick.

 

Round 2
1.	Carlos Correa (Hou – SS)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Miguel Cabrera (Det – 1B)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Noah Syndergaard (NYM – SP)	Batteries Es…
4.	Max Scherzer (Was – SP)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Corey Seager (LAD – SS)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Madison Bumgarner (SF – SP)	Durham River…
7.	Starling Marte (Pit – CF)	Orpington Is…
8.	Francisco Lindor (Cle – SS)	The Cheddar …
9.	Masahiro Tanaka (NYY – SP)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Freddie Freeman (Atl – 1B)	Norwich No II
11.	Chris Sale (Bos – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Xander Bogaerts (Bos – SS)	Iron Men
13.	Ryan Braun (Mil – OF)	Weston-Super…
14.	Robinson Canó (Sea – 2B)	Mighty Slugs

Jesmond and bath both opted for a combo of veteran 1B and young star with their first two picks, and it’s a fine tactic. I wasn’t planning on taking a pitcher until round three or four and was hoping to nab one of Seager, Lindor, Bogaerts or Marte. I like Lindor a lot but I am a huge Marte fan so decided to fill CF now and leave SS for later. The RBIs made a bold move with Tanaka in round two. Nothing wong with having him atop your rotation, but there were still some other options I would have gone with first.

 

Round 3
1.	Trevor Story(Col – SS)	Mighty Slugs
2.	George Springer(Hou – OF)	Weston-Super…
3.	Edwin Encarnación(Cle – 1B)	Iron Men
4.	Corey Kluber(Cle – SP)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Rougned Odor(Tex – 2B)	Norwich No II
6.	Aroldis Chapman(NYY – RP)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Brian Dozier(Min – 2B)	The Cheddar …
8.	Nelson Cruz(Sea – OF)	Orpington Is…
9.	Jake Arrieta(ChC – SP)	Durham River…
10.	Giancarlo Stanton(Mia – OF)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Jon Lester(ChC – SP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	A.J. Pollock(Ari – CF)	Batteries Es…
13.	Yu Darvish(Tex – SP)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Yoenis Céspedes(NYM – CF)	Jesmond Denn…

The run on young SS continued as Story followed Lindor and Bogaerts off the board. I was hoping Jake Arrieta would still be there when it came to my turn but the slightly early picks for Tanaka and Odor meant Nelson Cruz was still around. Grabbing another power bat here was something I felt I couldn’t pass up, so I changed tactics and nabbed Nelson. As four SP flew off the board this round I knew I pretty much had to get an ace next pick.

The RBIs were the first to take a closer in Chapman. I’m not usually a fan of taking closers very early although if you are going to, he’s the guy. I reckoned I could wait a bit longer for some less flashy but still decent enough options. Batteries Essential took a gamble on AJ Pollock recovering from his injury nightmare of last year.

 

Round 4
1.	Jacob deGrom(NYM – SP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Stephen Strasburg(Was – SP)	The Bath Bom…
3.	J.D. Martínez(Det – OF)	Batteries Es…
4.	Carlos González(Col – OF)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Justin Verlander(Det – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Daniel Murphy(Was – 1B,2B)	Durham River…
7.	Johnny Cueto(SF – SP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Kyle Seager(Sea – 3B)	The Cheddar …
9.	Jonathan Villar(Mil – 2B,3B,SS)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Christian Yelich(Mia – CF)	Norwich No II
11.	José Abreu(CWS – 1B)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Gr̩gory Polanco(Pit РOF)	Iron Men
13.	Adrián Béltre(Tex – 3B)	Weston-Super…
14.	Kyle Schwarber(ChC – C,OF)	Mighty Slugs

More SPs were flying off the board as deGrom, Strasburg and Verlander all went before my turn, but I was happy enough with Cueto as my ace. If Murphy had still been available it would have been tough to pass on him. Norwich can take advantage of Yelich’s new CF eligibility while the Slugs opted for the power potential of a fit-again Schwarber.

 

Round 5
1.	Chris Archer(TB – SP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Wil Myers(SD – 1B,OF)	Weston-Super…
3.	Carlos Martínez(StL – SP)	Iron Men
4.	Andrew McCutchen(Pit – CF)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Gary Sánchez(NYY – C)	Norwich No II
6.	Matt Carpenter(StL – 1B,2B,3B)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Justin Upton(Det – CF)	The Cheddar …
8.	Hanley Ramírez(Bos – 1B)	Orpington Is…
9.	Kenley Jansen(LAD – RP)	Durham River…
10.	Chris Davis(Bal – 1B)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Buster Posey(SF – C,1B)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Kyle Hendricks(ChC – SP)	Batteries Es…
13.	Carlos Carrasco(Cle – SP)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Cole Hamels(Tex – SP)	Jesmond Denn…

I’m a big Archer fan, so was annoyed to see him go to the Slugs here – he would have formed a nice 1-2 punch with Cueto. Carlos Martinez and Mat Carpenter were two others I was considering here but they soon went too. I weighed up going for Posey and Chris Davis but felt Hanley was the safer option and provided the better mix of average and power. Three more SPs went at the end of the round. I started to think I should get a second SP before too long.

 

Round 6
1.	Alex Bregman(Hou – 3B)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Zach Britton(Bal – RP)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Ian Kinsler(Det – 2B)	Batteries Es…
4.	Todd Frazier(CWS – 1B,3B)	Beckenham A&…
5.	José Bautista(Tor – OF)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Matt Kemp(Atl – OF)	Durham River…
7.	Khris Davis(Oak – OF)	Orpington Is…
8.	Jonathan Lucroy(Tex – C,1B)	The Cheddar …
9.	Jean Segura(Sea – 2B,SS)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Mark Trumbo(Bal – OF)	Norwich No II
11.	Carlos Santana(Cle – 1B)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Seung Hwan Oh(StL – RP)	Iron Men
13.	Dee Gordon(Mia – 2B)	Weston-Super…
14.	Evan Longoria(TB – 3B)	Mighty Slugs

Zach Britton was a major reason my Isotopes did well last year but any hopes of a reunion were dashed by Bath, although I was still prepared to wait for my first closer. With my favoured SP options being a bit lower down the draft rankings at this point I decided to get another bat.

I had Kemp lined up only for Durham to beat me to him. Dee Gordon was there, but with Marte already on my roster speed wasn’t a high priority. Instead I went for Khris Davis in the hope of more power and that I could make up for his low average elsewhere.

 

Round 7
1.	Kenta Maeda(LAD – SP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Adam Jones(Bal – CF)	Weston-Super…
3.	Anthony Rendón(Was – 3B)	Iron Men
4.	Mark Melancon(SF – RP)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Edwin Díaz(Sea – RP)	Norwich No II
6.	Rick Porcello(Bos – SP)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	José Quintana(CWS – SP)	The Cheddar …
8.	Julio Teherán(Atl – SP)	Orpington Is…
9.	Dellin Betances(NYY – RP)	Durham River…
10.	DJ LeMahieu(Col – 2B)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Zack Greinke(Ari – SP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Billy Hamilton(Cin – CF)	Batteries Es…
13.	Justin Turner(LAD – 3B)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Andrew Miller(Cle – RP)	Jesmond Denn…

A couple more closers went in round seven in Diaz and Melancon while it was also interesting to see two elite holds guys go this early too in Miller and Betances. I was very happy to add to my rotation with Teheran. He pitched well for me last year but didn’t have many wins to show for it but I think the Braves should be much better this year.

I was aware I still hadn’t filled either of my middle infield spots yet, so that was something I would need to address soon. I like the Greinke pick here for Beckenham as I would expect him to have a bounceback year. Turner’s a nice pick for Bath too.

 

Round 8
1.	Stephen Piscotty(StL – CF)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Adam Eaton(Was – CF)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Eric Hosmer(KC – 1B)	Batteries Es…
4.	Wade Davis(ChC – RP)	Beckenham A&…
5.	Albert Pujols(LAA – 1B)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Nate Jones(CWS – RP)	Durham River…
7.	Adrián González(LAD – 1B)	Orpington Is…
8.	Gerrit Cole(Pit – SP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Willson Contreras(ChC – C,OF)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Danny Duffy(KC – SP,RP)	Norwich No II
11.	Roberto Osuna(Tor – RP)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Lorenzo Cain(KC – CF)	Iron Men
13.	David Price(Bos – SP)	Weston-Super…
14.	Brandon Belt(SF – 1B)	Mighty Slugs

If Hosmer or Pujols had still been available at my turn in round eight it would have been very tempting to take one of them and fill UT. Instead I was left with the choice of Pedroia or Gonzalez.

Although Adrian’s power numbers have dipped he is still a decent RBI source and his average should be decent. I decided to avoid the 2B/SS hole for another round and go for Gonzo. Davis, Jones and Osuna are three more closers in demand but I felt I could get away with waiting another couple of rounds before getting my first reliever.

 

Round 9
1.	Rich Hill(LAD – SP)	Mighty Slugs
2.	Aarón Sánchez(Tor – SP)	Weston-Super…
3.	Ken Giles(Hou – RP)	Iron Men
4.	Jackie Bradley Jr.(Bos – CF)	Cheshunt Mal…
5.	Craig Kimbrel(Bos – RP)	Norwich No II
6.	Greg Bird(NYY – 1B)	Richie’s RBI’s
7.	Andrew Benintendi(Bos – OF)	The Cheddar …
8.	Dustin Pedroia(Bos – 2B)	Orpington Is…
9.	David Dahl(Col – CF)	Durham River…
10.	Danny Salazar(Cle – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
11.	Cody Allen(Cle – RP)	Beckenham A&…
12.	Félix Hernández(Sea – SP)	Batteries Es…
13.	Jameson Taillon(Pit – SP)	The Bath Bom…
14.	Jeurys Familia(NYM – RP)	Jesmond Denn…

Having almost taken Pedroia the previous round, I was surprised to see him still available here, so decide to make a start on my middle infield. A few relievers I had in mind for the next round vanish here in Kimbrel, Familia and Giles.

I decide I can’t wait any longer for a closer and must get one in the next round. Hill could be a nice pick for the Slugs here if he can stay healthy while the Chasers bet on the promise of Benintendi. I drafted Dahl in a GM league a few years back so he could serve Durham very well while Batteries Essential get King Felix.

 

Round 10
1.	Lance McCullers Jr.(Hou – SP)	Jesmond Denn…
2.	Addison Russell(ChC – SS)	The Bath Bom…
3.	Michael Fulmer(Det – SP)	Batteries Es…
4.	Joc Pederson(LAD – CF)	Beckenham A&…
5.	John Lackey(ChC – SP)	Newcastle Kn…
6.	Kendrys Morales(Tor – 1B,OF)	Durham River…
7.	Kelvin Herrera(KC – RP)	Orpington Is…
8.	Kevin Gausman(Bal – SP)	The Cheddar …
9.	Iván Nova(Pit – SP,RP)	Richie’s RBI’s
10.	Marcus Stroman(Tor – SP)	Norwich No II
11.	José Ramírez(Cle – 3B,OF)	Cheshunt Mal…
12.	Miguel Sano(Min – 3B,OF)	Iron Men
13.	Matt Harvey(NYM – SP)	Weston-Super…
14.	James Paxton(Sea – SP)	Mighty Slugs

Fortunately no more closers go before my next turn, so I opt for Herrera. I like the Morales pick for Durham as he brings power as well as 1B and OF(!) eligibility. Stroman’s a man for the big occasion as the playoffs and WBC have shown, so he could have a big year for Norwich.

After 25 weeks, the winner of the BaseballGB Fantasy League has been crowned. It was a battle between two BaseballGB writers, but who would claim the title?

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	25	11	27	5	.304	.973	6	1	78	2	4.57	1.41	8
The Cheddar Chasers	21	5	29	1	.293	.839	4	2	44	0	2.28	1.12	4

In the championship final, my Isotopes claimed the title for the third time after defeating Matt’s Chasers 8-4. The offense took five categories as Zobrist homered three times, Trumbo hit .440 and Trout stole three bases. Thornburg blew two saves but ended up with a pair of wins, while Teheran struck out 15 and Reed picked up two holds. The Chasers had the edge in RBIs thanks to Posey while Dyson had two saves and McHugh, Sanchez and Nolasco helped take ERA and WHIP. Tip of the cap to the Chasers for a strong playoff showing, defeating higher-ranked teams on the way to the final.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Cheshunt Maltsters	34	10	27	9	.285	.859	2	3	35	1	3.30	1.40	9
Iron Men	33	9	25	6	.324	.951	2	1	19	0	4.30	1.52	2

The Maltsers claimed third place after defeating Iron Men 9-2 in a matchup which was much closer than the score suggests. Segura batted .500 with nine runs, three homers and three steals while Gyorko also hit three homers, Gomez knocked in eight and Goldschmidt swiped four bases. Clippard had a win, a save and a hold while Samardzija struck out 11 and Estarda helped take ERA and WHIP. Granderson hit .550 for Iron Men while Cano’s six homer, 11-RBI week saw him make the difference in OPS. Gsellman and Tomlin each picked up wins.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	22	4	16	0	.237	.714	5	0	39	3	3.72	1.37	6
Newcastle Knights	27	8	29	1	.284	.813	2	6	12	0	4.50	1.20	6

The Slugs finish the year in fifth after winning a tiebreaker against the Knights after a  6-6 tie. The Knights failed to meet the 20 inning minimum limit, and given their 6-0 lead in saves, it cost them fifth place. Odorizzi was the pick of the five Slugs pitchers with  a win, also striking out eight and helping to take ERA and WHIP. Bush had two holds. The Knights posted an offensive sweep as Wieters, Kinsler and Tim Anderson each had multi-homer weeks and all knocked in five runs. Kinsler also scored six times and hit .391.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
NorthEast Riverkings	25	5	30	0	.310	.889	7	3	68	0	3.77	1.33	8
Norwich No II	23	5	26	1	.254	.684	1	5	40	3	5.50	1.60	3

Finally, the Riverkings ended the season on a high after defeating Norwich 8-3. Carpenter hit two homers, knocked in six and joined Simmons in Piscotty in scoring four runs. Darvish was one of seven pitchers with a win, striking out 12 and teaming with Moore, Norris and Rodon to take ERA and WHIP. The Cleveland duo of Allen and Miller saw Norwich take saves and holds while the lone steal of the matchup came from Adam Duvall.

THANKS FOR PLAYING

That’s all for this year. I’d like to thank all the managers for taking part this year in what was another strong and competitive league. Also thanks to Matt for uploading all of my posts all season long. I will be in touch again as soon as we can set up a new league for next season. But before all that at least we can enjoy the playoffs without worrying about our ERAs.

Fantasy Baseball may not seem as important after the terrible news about Jose Fernandez, but week 24 decided which two teams will battle it out for the BaseballGB championship.

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
The Cheddar Chasers	27	10	36	1	.260	.793	7	4	44	1	2.25	1.08	8
Cheshunt Maltsters	21	8	24	3	.243	.744	5	4	60	3	3.55	1.27	3

The Chasers booked their place in the final by defeating the Maltsters 8-3. Pedroia, Donaldson (six runs), Melky Cabrera (seven RBIs) and Morales (seven RBIs) each had multi-homer weeks as the hitters took five categories out of six, with Reddick hitting .400. Lester was the star pitcher, winning twice and helping to take ERA and WHIP. The Maltsters had the edge in steals thanks to Blackmon, Goldschmidt and Gomez while Estrada struck out 15 and Clippard had two holds.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	33	10	39	5	.280	.876	4	3	55	1	5.07	1.29	6
Iron Men	30	5	27	6	.259	.725	4	2	70	2	3.63	1.08	5

The Chasers will face my Isotopes in the final after my side did just enough to see off Iron Men 6-5. The hitters took five categories as Zobrist hit .421 and Trout joined Frazier in scoring seven times. Todd went deep twice, as did Asdrubal Cabrera, who joined Trout in driving in seven. Thornburg had two saves while Britton’s on Sunday proved to be crucial. Iron Men had three steals from Dee Gordon while Verlander had a win and 11 strikeouts. Manaea and Gsellman helped take ERA and WHIP while Baez and Hand each had a hold.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	31	8	25	4	.325	.903	2	5	39	0	1.77	0.89	9
Norwich No II	16	5	26	2	.277	.736	5	3	34	2	5.74	1.53	3

In the consolation bracket the Knights defeated Norwich 9-3. Kinsler batted .615 while Betts batted .500 with seven runs and Ortiz launched three homers and knocked in eight. Maurer had a pair of saves while Robertson and Cashner led the staff with six strikeouts each. King Felix and Finnegan helped take ERA and WHIP. Norwich had the edge in RBIs thanks to 10 from Franco while Blanton had two wins and a hold.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	36	11	36	7	.343	1.010	2	1	45	1	4.07	0.99	8
NorthEast Riverkings	21	8	24	4	.223	.684	3	6	53	1	4.26	1.24	3

The Slugs are through to the consolation final after beating the Riverkings 8-3. An offensive sweep saw Inciarte score seven runs, Gattis belt four homers and Freeman drive in seven while batting .500 with two steals. Lackey and Colon helped take ERA and WHIP. The Riverkings salvaged wins, saves and strikeouts thanks to Kimbrel, Giles and the late Jose Fernandez.

The matchups for the final week of the fantasy season are:

Championship final

Isotopes (1st) v Chasers (6th)

Third place playoff:

Iron Men (5th) v Maltsters (7th)

Consolation final:

Knights (3rd) v Slugs (4th)

Seventh place playoff:

Norwich (2nd) v Riverkings (8th)

 

The first round of the BaseballGB playoffs took place in week 23, with eight teams battling for a chance at the title but only four could advance. Which of the top four teams would survive?

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Orpington Isotopes	24	5	20	3	.218	.685	2	6	57	2	4.66	1.32	11
NorthEast Riverkings	15	3	14	1	.198	.565	5	3	52	0	5.96	1.55	1

We start with a big win for my Isotopes who defeated the Riverkings 11-1. The result sounds a lot more impressive as it actually was as both teams struggled to put up decent numbers. Frazier sparked an offensive sweep with five runs, two homers, seven RBIs, a steal and a .333 average. Happ helped take ERA and WHIP while Bauer struck out 12 and Britton had four saves and Reed had a pair of holds. Five different Riverkings picked up wins, with Daniel Norris the most impressive.

 

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Cheshunt Maltsters	42	13	40	4	.317	.980	1	1	61	2	3.67	1.20	10
Norwich No II	28	12	32	3	.222	.760	4	2	55	1	4.81	1.40	2

The Maltsters are also safely through to the semi-finals after defeating Norwich 10-2. In a matchup full of power, Segura had five homers to go with eight runs and eight RBIs and a .455 average while Blackmon (.462) and Murphy (.450) also helped take average and OPS. Goldschmidt stole three bases to round off an offensive sweep. Jon Gray was the star on the mound, twirling a complete game shutout which featured 16 strikeouts. Clippard and Gregerson had a hold each. Norwich took wins and saves thanks to Duffy and Ottavino while four players had multi-homer weeks, including three for Braun.

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Newcastle Knights	30	5	27	2	.262	.707	3	4	39	1	4.12	1.44	4
The Cheddar Chasers	28	5	23	1	.296	.835	5	2	45	3	3.31	1.14	7

The Chasers paid no attention to the pre-matchup rankings, knocking out the third-placed Knights 7-4. The pitchers won five categories as McHugh and Lester each picked up a win without allowing an earned run and posting miniscule WHIP numbers. Benoit had two holds. Melky Cabrera and Donaldson helped take average and OPS. For the Knights, Ortiz hit two homers and knocked in six while Arenado scored six runs. Anderson and Betts had a steal each.

Team	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OPS	W	SV	K	HLD	ERA	WHIP	Score
Mighty Slugs	35	10	38	5	.293	.888	3	1	45	0	4.53	1.46	5
Iron Men	22	7	18	7	.250	.677	5	2	57	4	3.23	1.22	7

Iron Men got the better of the Slugs 7-5 to book their semi-final place. Miranda had a win and eight strikeouts while Verlander and Roark helped take ERA and WHIP. Grilli and Will Smith had two holds each while Diaz and Gomez each had a save. Gordon ran wild with six steals. Hanley Ramirez had a monster offensive week for the Slugs, launching five homers, knocking in 12 and batting .462 while Inciarte scored seven runs. Alex Reyes had a pair of wins.

The week 24 matchups are as follows

Championship bracket

Isotopes (1st) v Iron Men (5th)

Chasers (6th) v Maltsters (7th)

Consolation bracket

Norwich (2nd) v Knights (3rd)

Slugs (4th) v Riverkings (8th)