Newsletter for games through 6-26-22

FEAT OF THE WEEK!!

Chris Taylor of the Dodgers struck out 4 times against the Reds on June 21…on the very next day he hit for the cycle…momentum only lasts as long as tomorrow’s starting pitcher…

COMMENTARY

All-star break is coming up, which you might want to keep in mind as you think ahead with your starting rotations…the week starting July 18 will be a short one…Brewers lead the ASFBL in homers with 110..only the Braves also have triple-digits at 104…Top 6 ASFBL homer teams are all in the NL, which is what happens when you make the DH universal, I suppose…MLB leader is the Yankees with 124…only 3 of the top 6 MLB teams are from the NL…Dodgers lead the ASFBL in runs and are 2d in MLB…actual Astros have scored 318 runs, but Jim Casey has his team at 354…I don’t have tables of data for easy comparisons on this one, but that’s pretty good…generally, ASFBL scoring is a little lower than the MLB average…only by about 10 runs over 75 games so far…Rockies are 8-2 over the last 10 games, which would be the best in the NL had not their division-mate Dodgers checked in at 9-1…Astros are best in the AL at 8-2 (now +1 WOR) and Bosox are at 7-3…Greg Achten is blowing away the AL with +11 WOR and nobody else is more than +6…the ASFBL Yankees are scuffling a bit (nobody was going to keep up with that actual Yankee performance), but if you are a sports memorabilia collector at all you owe it to yourself to check out his facebook page…my facebook timeline tells me that 10 years ago Rick Wynne, Tim Walsh, Leo Leckie and I caught a spring training game together…the Leckie family is a collective +17.5 WOR and nobody has a negative number…Oakland should just hire all of them…still impressed that Ben Leckie and John Weerts are in such strong WOR territory in such a strong division…Guardians, Chisox, and Royals all had 5 wins this week and all in the AL Central…Cleveland has the best AL pitching with an ERA of 3.24, and the next 4 teams are all in the AL East (Yankees, Jays, Bosox, and Rays)…Giants ERA hovers at the league average but they’ve allowed fewer homers than any other team…Miami has the best MLB stats for any starting rotation, with an ERA of a measly 2.41…Astros have the best actual bullpen at 2.34, followed by the Cardinals at 2.72…Baltimore can pitch, with an overall team ERA of 3.55…

FEATS AND FAILURES

Connor Joe (Colorado)  had 5 hits (on 6/22/2022 against Miami) 
Tyler Nevin (Baltimore) struck out 5 times (on 6/22/2022 against Washington) 
Washington and Baltimore played 14.5 innings on6/22/2022
Hunter Dozier (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 6/22/2022 against Boston) 
Austin Riley (Atlanta) struck out 4 times (on 6/23/2022 against San Francisco) 
Darin Ruf (San Francisco) struck out 4 times (on 6/23/2022 against Atlanta) 
Sandy Alcantara (Miami) struck out 11 batters (on 6/24/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
Giancarlo Stanton (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 6/25/2022 against Houston) 
Shane McClanahan (Tampa Bay) struck out 12 batters (on 6/25/2022 against Pittsburgh) 
Victor Robles (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 6/25/2022 against Texas) 
Jorge Soler (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 6/25/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
Gerrit Cole (New York (NYM)) struck out 15 batters (on 6/25/2022 against Miami) 
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 11 batters (on 6/26/2022 against Toronto) 

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Newsletter for games through 6-19-22

FEAT OF THE WEEK

Clayton Kershaw is back, at least in the ASFBL, throwing a no-hitter against Anaheim on 6-14 while striking out 12…the Angels traded Trout but it probably wouldn’t have mattered since he struck out 10 times on that same day while playing for the Brewers…2 walks short of a perfect game….and Syndergaard matched his zeros for 7 innings before Will Smith hit a bottom-of-the-ninth homer to win the game and preserve the no-hitter…

COMMENTARY

The Brewer sweep of the Mets had ripple effects in two divisions…it opened space for the Phils and Braves who both took advantage with 5-win weeks and were a collective 10-3 to march closer to the top of the division…and it helped the Brewers keep pace with the Cardinals, who matched their 4-2 record on the week…the Dodgers ran the table in the NL west to expand to a double-digit lead and move into solid command of the best record in the league…but they were only the second-best team in the division on the week since Ben Leckie’s Rockies went 6-0….Reds were a solid 4-2 and the Giants and DBacks broke even…Miami and Washington are both even with or better than their actual clubs…top the of AL East went bananas with the Bosox — a strong contender for best ASFBL team given their first-place status and +8 WOR — and Jays going 11-2 between them…Baltimore played spoiler this week at 4-3…they did their damage against the Rays, really helping the Jays and Yankees try to jockey for the dark horse status…the top of the AL Central took on water with the Twins and Guardians both stumbling, letting the Chisox, Tigers, and Royals inch closer, although nobody had a winning week…best race in the league right now is the dogfight between the Angels and the Astros, who are within a half game of each other…whole division is +14 WOR…Houston has the better record over the last 10, 20, and 30 games but the Angels are 20-9 in 1-run games, best in the league…so you can tell Phil Nevin isn’t coaching them…

FEATS AND FAILURES

Andrew Vaughn (Chicago (CWS))  had 5 hits (on 6/13/2022 against Detroit) 
Jorge Mateo (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 6/14/2022 against Toronto) 
Mike Trout (Milwaukee) struck out 4 times (on 6/14/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
Jarred Kelenic (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 6/14/2022 against Minnesota) 
Michael A.Taylor (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 6/15/2022 against San Francisco) 
Eugenio Suarez (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 6/15/2022 against Minnesota) 
Francisco Lindor (New York (NYY)) hit 6 RBI (on 6/15/2022 against Tampa Bay) 
Mike Trout (Milwaukee) struck out 4 times (on 6/15/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
C.J. Cron (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 6/15/2022 against Cleveland) 
Alek Manoah (Toronto) struck out 11 batters (on 6/16/2022 against Baltimore) 
Brendan Rodgers (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 6/16/2022 against Cleveland) 
Jazz Chisholm (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 6/18/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
Logan Gilbert (Seattle) struck out 12 batters (on 6/18/2022 against Anaheim) 
Matt Chapman (Toronto) hit 6 RBI (on 6/19/2022 against New York (NYY)

Newsletter for games through 6-12-22

RULES THOUGHTS

We are considering revising the fielding transformation grid…for example, shortstops lose points if they play second, but if the thought is that second is easier than short that might need tweaking. As a second example, the “setup” situation is defined as the 7th inning or later, which it definitely was when the rule was written, but with starters going shorter distances maybe that needs tweaking and/or the roles can be set more specifically, like an “earliest inning” field for each reliever. Anyway, take a look at the rules page (link on top of this page) and let us know what you think. If you have other rules suggestions forward them to Leo who can compile them…and then we’ll decide what to change (if anything) and when to change it.

COMMENTARY

Top of the NL Central got it done this week, with the Cardinals going 6-0, the Brewers going 5-1, and the Cubs checking in at 4-1….that’s a collective 15-2…Dodgers set the pace in the west with a 5-1 mark but the Padres put together a winning week and hold on to the 3rd wildcard spot…Rockies and Marlins are both positive-WOR teams…Jays made a move in the AL East with 5 wins in 6 games but the Bosox have kept their +7 WOR and are in a three-way tie with the Twins and Angels for the most wins in the Senior Circuit…Cleveland crept inches closer in the Central and sits at +2 WOR…the Astros moved to within a game of the Angels in the west this week, and the question is whether Greg Achten can keep his club at the +10 WOR pace that’s put him a game in front of Jim Casey’s collection…Oakland and Texas are a combined +9 WOR….that division is tough…Miami has the best collection of gloves with a net fielding impact of giving up 8 hits…Baltimore fielders have robbed the most hits with 34…Atlanta has the second best net fielding production, putting the top two clubs in the NL East…Cubs and Brewers are 3 and 4, putting the next 2 best clubs in the NL central…the NL East is where fly balls go to die…Atlanta leads the ASFBL in homers with 90…only 3 teams (Brewers and Dodgers) have more than 80…but the Dodgers have scored the most runs…Yankees lead the league in ERA….Rays pitchers have allowed the fewest runs…Jays bullpen has allowed 13% of inherited runners to score, best in the league…average is about 25%….my Mets allow 30%…that’s on-brand…Dodgers have stolen 45 bases, most in the league, and only been thrown out 4 times…Leo does a better job than I of keeping track of trades, but I will say that seven different owners were involved in deals this week…next big event on the horizon is the all-star break…hope your summers is treating you well!

FEATS AND FAILURES

Konnor Pilkington (Cleveland) struck out 13 batters (on 5/30/2022 against Kansas City) 
Alejandro Kirk (Toronto)  had 5 hits (on 5/31/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
J.D. Davis (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 5/31/2022 against Washington) 
Matt Chapman (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 6/1/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Randal Grichuk (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 6/2/2022 against Atlanta) 
Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) struck out 5 times (on 6/3/2022 against Toronto) 
Luis Garcia (Washington) hit 6 RBI (on 6/4/2022 against Cincinnati) 
Yordan Álvarez (Houston) hit 6 RBI (on 6/4/2022 against Kansas City) 
Luke Voit (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 6/4/2022 against Milwaukee) 
Nick Gordon (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 6/5/2022 against Toronto) 
Jace Peterson (Milwaukee) struck out 4 times (on 6/5/2022 against San Diego) 
Jorge Alfaro (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 6/7/2022 against New York (NYM)) 
George Springer (Toronto) hit 6 RBI (on 6/8/2022 against Kansas City) 
George Springer (Toronto)  had 5 hits (on 6/8/2022 against Kansas City) 
Bo Bichette (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 6/8/2022 against Kansas City) 
Emmanuel Rivera (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 6/8/2022 against Toronto) 
Jordan Luplow (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 6/8/2022 against Cincinnati) 
Austin Riley (Atlanta) struck out 4 times (on 6/8/2022 against Oakland) 
Pavin Smith (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 6/8/2022 against Atlanta) 
Victor Caratini (Milwaukee) hit 6 RBI (on 6/8/2022 against Philadelphia) 
Trea Turner (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 6/9/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Seth Brown (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 6/9/2022 against Milwaukee) 
Jazz Chisholm (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 6/10/2022 against Houston) 
Josh Sale (Texas) hit 7 RBI (on 6/11/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 6/11/2022 against Philadelphia) 
Rougned Odor (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 6/11/2022 against Kansas City) 
Tyler Anderson (Los Angeles) struck out 14 batters (on 6/11/2022 against San Francisco) 
Tomas Nido (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 6/11/2022 against Anaheim) 
Eugenio Suarez (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 6/11/2022 against Boston) 
George Springer (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 6/12/2022 against Detroit) 

Newsletter for games through 6-5

COMMENTARY

Sorry for the lateness and this will be short…got out of the house earlier than intended and never made it back….the Dodgers Rick Wynne has made 10 trades with 10 different owners this year…impressive and very collegial…briefly bragging on the Mets, no middle reliever has a better name for his role than Holderman….way better than Homer Bailey…congrats to the Braves and their 6-1 mark and the Pirates who went 5-1…Dodgers took 3 of 4 from the Mets, and claimed the most wins and best record in the NL…Bosox are hot in real life and had the only perfect week at 6-0…kudos to the Rangers who went 5-2…Greg Achten’s Angels are 6-4 over the last 10, which is something since the actual Angles are zero for their last 14….Skrovan’s Guardians would be within 2 games of first thanks to his +3 WOR had not Tim Walsh’s Twins set the pace at +4 WOR….

FEATS AND FAILURES

Konnor Pilkington (Cleveland) struck out 13 batters (on 5/30/2022 against Kansas City) 
Alejandro Kirk (Toronto)  had 5 hits (on 5/31/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
J.D. Davis (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 5/31/2022 against Washington) 
Matt Chapman (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 6/1/2022 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Randal Grichuk (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 6/2/2022 against Atlanta) 
Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) struck out 5 times (on 6/3/2022 against Toronto) 
Luis Garcia (Washington) hit 6 RBI (on 6/4/2022 against Cincinnati) 
Yordan Álvarez (Houston) hit 6 RBI (on 6/4/2022 against Kansas City) 
Luke Voit (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 6/4/2022 against Milwaukee) 
Nick Gordon (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 6/5/2022 against Toronto) 
Jace Peterson (Milwaukee) struck out 4 times (on 6/5/2022 against San Diego)

Newsletter for games through 5-29-22

COMMISH

Leo and I have played over-the-line together, and let’s just say that nobody was going to mistake us for major leaguers…but we’ve finally found a baseball-related activity that Leo and I might be better at than Mike Trout…apparently he’s a lousy fantasy sports commissioner…the ASFBL has had zero suspensions for slapping incidents sparked by waiver disputes…

COMMENTARY

Vince Velasquez of the Rangers threw a no-hitter against Oakland!!!!….took 126 pitches and it involved 3 walks…Oakland still went on to have a winning week…Texas was 5-1…Greg Achten of the Angels has the best AL record with 33 wins…Rick Wynne of the Dodgers leads the NL with 32, but has a better overall winning percentage…Tim Walsh also has 32 victories, putting him in second in the AL and tied with Rick overall…the Mets and Yankees have the best real-life records in their leagues…Mark Yee and I each have our teams in first but neither of us has kept pace with the actual clubs…Danny Wildes got a 6-1 record out of the Braves this week, tying him with Rick and the Dodgers for the best NL record this week…Josh Clark and the Cardinals held to first in the NL central but Chris Zewiske’s Brewers picked up 2-and-a-half games to move to within a half-game of first…Cards have the better WOR mark, and Gordon Leckie’s Cubs have the best NL WOR overall…Giants and Rockies both have strong WOR showings in a very competitive NL West…Anaheim is sitting atop everything, but the Astros and Rangers were each 5-1 and gained ground on the Angels…John Weers’ has surely gotten past the worst part of the schedule with a fantasy baseball Purple Heart, had a winning week, and has his team back in positive WOR territory…Hugh Brown’s Bosox are a great story in the AL, sitting 5.5 games above reality, 20-10 over their last 30, and challenging the Yankees in the East…they’d be the second wild-card team right now…Josh Mitchell‘s Seattle bunch is 3-17 over the last 20 but he’s only 1 game below the actual Mariners…three of the top four WOR finishers are all in the AL, and they are all in different divisions…Cleveland pounded out 17 hits against the Astros on the 23rd, and Richie Palacios had 5 of them…William Contreras of the Braves had eight homers and two doubles last week…in the style of our times he also struck out 12 times…Mookie Betts of the Dodgers had six homers and one more RBI than Contreras…Kyle Farmer of the Reds hit .538 in 26 at-bats last week…also walked three times…Yonathan Daza of the Rockies leads the ASFBL with a .392 average…he’s got 97 at-bats and by way of comparison Ty France of Seattle has 204…27 lineups submitted this week to go with 7 trades…love this league!

FEATS AND FAILURES

Owen Miller (Cleveland) struck out 4 times (on 5/23/2022 against Houston) 
Richie Palacios (Cleveland)  had 5 hits (on 5/23/2022 against Houston) 
Starling Marte (New York (NYM)) hit 6 RBI (on 5/23/2022 against San Francisco) 
Ke'Bryan Hayes (Pittsburgh) struck out 4 times (on 5/24/2022 against Colorado) 
Jorge Mateo (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 5/24/2022 against New York (NYY)) 
Hoy Park (Pittsburgh) struck out 4 times (on 5/25/2022 against Colorado) 
Jarred Kelenic (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 5/25/2022 against Oakland) 
Stone Garrett (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 5/25/2022 against Cincinnati) 
Randal Grichuk (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 5/26/2022 against Washington) 
Tyler Nevin (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 5/27/2022 against Boston) 
Jesus Aguilar (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 5/27/2022 against Atlanta) 
Kyle Tucker (Houston) stole 3 bases (on 5/28/2022 against Seattle) 
Aaron Hicks (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 5/29/2022 against Tampa Bay) 
Matt Chapman (Toronto) struck out 4 times (on 5/29/2022 against Anaheim)