Newsletter for games through 4-25-21

APOCRYPHAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: In addition to this missive I also edit the Senate Forum at Cal. State Fullerton, a turgid yet rabid publication dedicated to topics like state budgeting, general education requirement changes, and any other matter of academic trivium….it’s also where, for the first 3 hours of its existence, I had posted last week’s ASFBL newsletter…The Mets activated Stephen Tarpley last week who made his first MLB appearance and faced the required 3 batters…and thanks to Rick Wynne’s dog Fenway, who has recorded the same number of MLB innings/outs as Mr. Tarpley…seriously, best wishes to Fenway…I just love any infinity sign in the record books…shout out to ASFBL newcomer Josh Mitchell, who this week will be presenting his honor’s thesis at CSUF…the topic is “modern-day moneyball” and he ran 400 simulations using 4 different management strategies…that’s doing college right…the main conclusion was that home-grown approaches seem to do the best…develop those minor leagues…

RARITIES: Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) threw a no-hitter! against Pittsburgh on the 18th, striking out 17 batters along the way. Of course, Madison Bumgarner might have done that if they’d have let him go all 9….as an even more rare feats David Peralta (Arizona) hit for the cycle on April 22….

COMMENTS: The weekly records are off a tick because they are designed for a 7-day week, but Steve Clemmons’ Marlins are killing it…tied with the Dodgers for the best NL record…Chris Zewiske’s Brewers are also on fire…8-2 over the last 10…and dead even with the actual club…I don’t even know what to say to John Weerts because I have no idea how the actual Oakland club has won 13 of 14…when I last checked the box score 7 of the hitters had batting averages below .250…3 were under .200…how do those stats add up to a win streak?….filing this under the “it’s a long season” category…the SD/LA rivalry is causing a bit of stir out here in LA…and both Rick Wynne’s Dodgers and Al Benedek’s Padres are ahead of the actual club…it’s a race to watch…top 2 WOR spots in the NL go to the aforementioned Marlins and Danny Wildes’ Braves…and I know in my heart Andy Somers is going to have the Nationals firing on all cylinders before this is over…Steve Leslie’s Bosox lead the AL East, but the Jays, Yankees, and Orioles all have plus-WOR records…keeping the pressure up…4 of 5 teams in the AL central are plus-WOR…Mike Mendoza’s Royals and Leo’s Chisox set the pace with 5 wins each…hats off to Greg Achten who has the Angels on top the the AL west and a game and a half ahead of the actual Angels…and from his in-game text messages you’d think the Angels were in last place…teams named after sock colors are first (Boston, .276) and second (Chicago, .269) in real batting average…best actual HR percentages go to the Yankees and Tigers….best control as measured by lowest walk percentages are the Twins and Rays…one more tip of the cap to Greg Acthen…the Angels have the lowest actual ERA of any ASFBL team…pretty impressive to be in first place while sitting on that stat….

FEATS AND FAILURES:

Gerrit Cole (New York (NYY)) struck out 11 batters (on 4/16/2021 against Tampa Bay) 
Tyler Naquin (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 4/16/2021 against Cleveland) 
Tucker Barnhart (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 4/16/2021 against Cleveland) 
Sandy Alcantara (Miami) struck out 11 batters (on 4/16/2021 against San Francisco) 
Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee) struck out 14 batters (on 4/16/2021 against Pittsburgh) 
Gary Sanchez (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 4/17/2021 against Tampa Bay) 
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 13 batters (on 4/17/2021 against Cincinnati) 
Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 4/17/2021 against Pittsburgh) 
Andrew Heaney (Anaheim) struck out 12 batters (on 4/17/2021 against Minnesota) 
Yonathan Daza (Colorado)  had 5 hits (on 4/18/2021 against New York (NYM)) 
Niko Goodrum (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 4/18/2021 against Oakland) 
Ian Kennedy (Texas) struck out 13 batters (on 4/19/2021 against Anaheim) 
Luke Raley (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 4/20/2021 against Seattle) 
Luis Robert (Chicago (CWS))  hit for the cycle! (on 4/20/2021 against Cleveland) 
Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 4/20/2021 against San Francisco) 
Alex Dickerson (San Francisco) struck out 4 times (on 4/21/2021 against Philadelphia) 
Trevor Story (Houston)  had 5 hits (on 4/21/2021 against Colorado) 
Max Scherzer (Washington) struck out 12 batters (on 4/21/2021 against St. Louis) 
José Iglesias (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 4/21/2021 against Texas) 
Carlos Rodon (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 12 batters (on 4/21/2021 against Cleveland) 
Gerrit Cole (New York (NYY)) struck out 13 batters (on 4/21/2021 against Atlanta) 
Jacob deGrom (New York (NYM)) struck out 11 batters (on 4/21/2021 against Chicago (CC)) 
Josh Rojas (Arizona) hit 7 RBI (on 4/22/2021 against Cincinnati) 
Shohei Ohtani (Anaheim) hit 6 RBI (on 4/22/2021 against Houston) 
Dustin May (Los Angeles) struck out 11 batters (on 4/22/2021 against San Diego) 
Javier Baez (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 4/23/2021 against Milwaukee) 
Wyatt Mathisen (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 4/23/2021 against Atlanta) 
Kyle Tucker (Houston) hit 7 RBI (on 4/23/2021 against Anaheim) 
Willie Calhoun (Texas)  had 5 hits (on 4/23/2021 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 4/23/2021 against Colorado) 
Trevor Rogers (Miami) struck out 11 batters (on 4/23/2021 against San Francisco) 
Sheldon Neuse (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 4/23/2021 against San Diego) 
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 13 batters (on 4/24/2021 against Chicago (CC)) 
Gary Sanchez (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 4/24/2021 against Cleveland) 
Nick Maton (Philadelphia)  had 5 hits (on 4/24/2021 against Colorado) 
Niko Goodrum (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 4/25/2021 against Kansas City) 
Danny Duffy (Kansas City) struck out 12 batters (on 4/25/2021 against Detroit) 
Xander Bogaerts (Boston)  had 6 hits (on 4/25/2021 against Seattle) 
Rafael Devers (Boston) hit 6 RBI (on 4/25/2021 against Seattle) 
Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia) hit 6 RBI (on 4/25/2021 against Colorado) 
Chad Wallach (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 4/25/2021 against San Francisco) 

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ASFBL Opening Day 2021!!

Decorative Note: Please appreciate our opening day bunting 🙂

No Hitter! Two in actual MLB, and the ASFBL gem was thrown by Ryan Weathers (San Diego) on 4/5/2021 against San Francisco. Different guys, same team with MLB-ASFBL karma…

Comments: Congrats to Mark’s Yankees, Tim’s Twins, and Steve’s Marlins, who take the top 3 WOR spots out of the gate…bummer for the Dodgers, Bosox, and A’s…when a real team goes on a hot streak it rarely shows up in cumulative stats, and it’s hard to overcome the hot start of a real team…of course, the real teams are still 3 games ahead of the ASFBL at this point, so the numbers don’t quite add up….the best and worst newcomer performances go to…Josh Mitchell, our only entirely new owner, and he’s in a 3-team logjam for third in the AL west…which is a more competitive division than it’s been in the past…special shout-out to Rick’s Dodgers, who have the only double-digit win to start…8 trades have already been completed, two on the lineup deadline day, and both by Jim Casey…Jim’s in first…the Yerminator is hitting .475 in the ASFBL…and is still by Byron Buxton’s .481…Buxton also leads the ASFBL in homers…one-third of all his hits in MLB this year have left the park…deGrom has 5 more ASFBL strikeouts than Beiber…Beiber has pitched 7 fewer innings…Cleveland and San Francisco have the best real power numbers…look for them to adjust upward in coming weeks…Toronto has the best real-ERA of any fantasy team…it’s under 2.00…the AL East has no team under .500…Philly had a tough start but split 2 with the Mets, who currently lead the division…and are likely to stay competitive right up to the point deGrom’s arm falls off…Dodgers and Twins were both undefeated in inter-league play…

Reminder: Be sure to set the rotation in addition to naming your starters…updating them on the roster page doesn’t assign them to starts…you can do all this automatically by clicking the link on the rotation page, if you wish.

Feats and Failures:

Gerrit Cole (New York (NYY)) struck out 11 batters (on 4/1/2021 against Toronto) 
Akil Baddoo (Detroit) struck out 5 times (on 4/1/2021 against Cleveland) 
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 11 batters (on 4/1/2021 against Detroit) 
Willson Contreras (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 4/1/2021 against Pittsburgh) 
Alec Bohm (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 4/1/2021 against Atlanta) 
Tyler Glasnow (Tampa Bay) struck out 13 batters (on 4/1/2021 against Miami) 
Jacob deGrom (New York (NYM)) struck out 15 batters (on 4/1/2021 against Washington) 
Carlos Rodon (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 11 batters (on 4/1/2021 against Anaheim) 
Evan Longoria (San Francisco)  had 5 hits (on 4/1/2021 against Seattle) 
Zach McKinstry (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 4/2/2021 against Colorado) 
Pavin Smith (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 4/2/2021 against San Diego) 
Victor Caratini (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 4/2/2021 against Arizona) 
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 4/3/2021 against Minnesota) 
Mike Trout (Anaheim)  had 5 hits (on 4/3/2021 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Austin Dean (St. Louis) struck out 4 times (on 4/4/2021 against Cincinnati) 
Byron Buxton (Minnesota) hit 8 RBI (on 4/4/2021 against Milwaukee) 
Dom Nunez (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 4/4/2021 against Los Angeles) 
Dustin May (Los Angeles) struck out 12 batters (on 4/4/2021 against Colorado) 
Renato Nunez (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 4/5/2021 against Minnesota) 
Justin Turner (Los Angeles) hit 8 RBI (on 4/5/2021 against Oakland) 
Justin Turner (Los Angeles)  had 5 hits (on 4/5/2021 against Oakland) 
Jonathan Villar (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 4/6/2021 against Philadelphia) 
Jacob deGrom (New York (NYM)) struck out 13 batters (on 4/6/2021 against Philadelphia) 
Steven Matz (Toronto) struck out 11 batters (on 4/6/2021 against Texas) 
Mark Canha (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 4/6/2021 against Los Angeles) 
Trevor Bauer (Los Angeles) struck out 14 batters (on 4/6/2021 against Oakland) 
Jorge Soler (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 4/7/2021 against Cleveland) 
Danny Duffy (Kansas City) struck out 11 batters (on 4/7/2021 against Cleveland) 
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 12 batters (on 4/7/2021 against Kansas City) 
Joe Musgrove (San Diego) struck out 11 batters (on 4/7/2021 against San Francisco) 
Jose Berrios (Minnesota) struck out 11 batters (on 4/8/2021 against Seattle) 
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 4/8/2021 against St. Louis) 
Zach McKinstry (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 4/9/2021 against Washington) 
Wade Miley (Cincinnati) struck out 12 batters (on 4/9/2021 against Arizona) 
Zack Collins (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 4 times (on 4/10/2021 against Kansas City) 
Aaron Civale (Cleveland) struck out 11 batters (on 4/10/2021 against Detroit) 
Tucker Barnhart (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 4/10/2021 against Arizona) 
Anthony Bemboom (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 4/11/2021 against Toronto) 
Jacob deGrom (New York (NYM)) struck out 12 batters (on 4/11/2021 against Miami) 
Carlos Rodon (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 11 batters (on 4/11/2021 against Kansas City) 
Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 4/11/2021 against St. Louis) 
Trea Turner (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 4/11/2021 against Los Angeles) 
Huascar Ynoa (Atlanta) struck out 11 batters (on 4/11/2021 against Philadelphia) 
Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 4/11/2021 against Atlanta) 
Bo Bichette (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 4/12/2021 against New York (NYY)) 
Victor Robles (Washington)  had 5 hits (on 4/12/2021 against St. Louis) 
Kyle Isbel (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 4/12/2021 against Anaheim) 
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 12 batters (on 4/12/2021 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Cavan Biggio (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 4/13/2021 against New York (NYY)) 
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 4/13/2021 against Chicago (CC)) 
Javier Baez (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 4/13/2021 against Milwaukee) 
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 4/14/2021 against Boston) 
Jose Trevino (Texas)  had 5 hits (on 4/15/2021 against Tampa Bay)