Diamond Dynasty: The month that was…
AUGUST
News
Nothing, really. Just a slow month overall.
After years (literally) of inactivity, Drew was finally called out league-wide on his managerial absence. What followed was a shit-storm of confusion, anger, frustration, finger pointing, and name calling, the likes of which this league has never seen. When the dust settled, Drew survived (for now) and some playoff-bound teams got stronger. Drew’s days may be numbered as a manager (he violated the terms of his ultimatum in less than a week), but he has left an indelible mark on the 2014 season. And as we make the final turn into the stretch run, we can once again enjoy the Diamond Dynasty’s finest tradition - the 13th Annual 6-Seed Shuffle.
From the History Could Be Made department:
- We will have a first-time regular season champion - Neither Alex, Richie, or Jarrett have accomplished the feat.
- We are on pace to witness 3 managers win 120+ games in one season, a DD first.
- If TJ loses this week against Adrian, this would be just the third instance of two managers finishing with winning percentages under .400 (2007, 2013).
- According to my hastily gathered intel, Jarrett’s incredible 16 consecutive weeks without a loss is the longest such streak in Diamond Dynasty history. The complete list:
Consecutive Wins
10 - Jarrett (2014)
9 - Richie (2014)
8 - Heath Bell (2011)
8 - Onion Man (2008)
6 - Six teams tied
Consecutive Wins/Ties
16 - Jarrett (2014)
13 - James (2013)
13 - Kurt (2012)
12 - Adrian (2011)
10 - Kurt (2013)
Consecutive Losses/Ties
13 - Drew (2013)
11 - Adrian (2011)
10 - Paul (2004)
9 - Paul (2004...yes, two different streaks)
8 - Four teams tied
Consecutive Losses
8 - Drew (2013)
7 - Colin (2005)
7 - Caroline Brink (2011)
6 - Three teams tied
Also, this happened!
Standings Analysis
Holy jabroni, we got a barn burner! Jarrett’s historic streak has launched him all the way to first place, tied with Richie. Alex, despite beating Richie 6-4 in week 21, slipped back one spot to third place and is three games back. If Alex finishes in third, he will no doubt look to the 7-2 loss he took in week 19 against Staaf as one of the reasons. Colin seems comfortable with the 4th spot (he’s been there in 14 of 21 weeks thus far), and then it gets a little hairy. Ben and James are battling for a very important 5-seed and the right to play Colin in the first round. The 6-seed will have to play Jarrett, Alex, or Richie, all of whom should finish with top-10 winning percentages in the history of the Diamond Dynasty. Adrian and Kurt are lurking, but might not have enough time to sneak in the playoffs. And Drew has locked up the first pick of the 2015 draft….for TJ. A true stroke of genius from Geers, who has pulled off the improbable double-tank job.
Shutout Watch
Week 17 saw three teams score one category. Richie was the closest to the shutout, taking TJ to town in everything except wins (5-3). Kurt took Ben for a ride, but lost WHIP by .11 and tied saves. Adrian, making one hell of a playoff push, took Alex to the cliff but lost SB by 6 and tied saves.
Alex came back in a big way in week 18. Going into Sunday night, he and his opponent, James, had the Sunday Night Baseball starters. Alex, disregarding my advice to hedge his bet and guarantee him what amounted to a nice steak dinner (albeit at Chili’s) rolled the dice but could not get the win he needed. They tied wins 3-3. Honorable mention goes to Adrian’s 8-2 win over Drew, where he fell 4 RBI’s and 21 batting average points short of a pay day.
Following suit, James roared back from the previous week’s defeat with a 9-0 victory over Drew. Neither team could muster a save. James, how bad does that one hurt?
There wasn’t a shutout scare in week 20.
Jarrett had a 6-day shutout over he-who-must-not-be-named, but Drew put up 7 RBI’s on Sunday to block the shutout and finish the match 9-1.
Battle for the Belt
This section of TMTW is officially a waste of time. 11 consecutive title belt defences. He cannot be stopped, he will not be stopped. For he is Jarrett, conqueror of fantasy opponents and keeper of the WWE Belt. Challengers need not apply.
Who’s Hot
Jarrett got the nod last month, so let’s give it to Adrian! After week 15, Adrian was 15 games behind James for the final playoff spot. In the six weeks following, he’s won 5 out of 6 weeks for a 38-21-1 mark. Macdonald’s last chance is against the 9th placeman, and with Ben’s struggles, anything could happen.
Who’s Not
I dragged Ben through the mud last month (he still qualifies this month) but let’s go to Drew. It’s kind of pointless to spend any time on him but he is really making some history. He’s 5-34-1 in his last 4 contests. I have to go back to confirm but that has to be one of the worst marks ever. And this handsome writer is not at all nervous with a 3 game lead for a bye and seeing him on the schedule to close the regular season. Nope, not nervous. Everything will be fine. I’m fine, everything is ok.
2 Team Spotlight
This week - The Leftovers
Colin - Steady Eddie
Colin is Hunter Pence-ing his career so hard. He’s been the 5-seed each of the last three years, and will most likely jump up one spot to the 4-seed this year. Never too high, never too low, Colin has spent his entire season between 3rd (week 4) and 6th (weeks 2 and 13), with the majority of that time in 4th place. He’s on pace for his best season since 2009 - a bye-week-earning but ultimately disappointing season (3rd place finish in the playoffs). It’s Colin’s time in the spotlight.
Oh, look at that. Mike Trout is fucking awesome. He’s not quite living up to his O-Rank - he’s slipped all the way to 2nd ranked - but he’s on pace to set career marks in home runs and RBI’s while tacking on 100 runs scored and swiping at least 15 bases. The wonderkid leads an offense that ranks above average overall with a 52-49-4 record. The other bash brother, Miguel Cabrera, is having a “down” season, slashing 82/17/91/.299, but is still ranked in the top 20. Jose Altuve has been quite a find; his .336 average leads all of baseball, and his 49 stolen bases ranks third. Beyond the elite guys, Colin has had some solid bounce back seasons from Albert Pujols and Adam LaRoche (24 and 19 HR respectively). With Yadier Molina on the DL and Wil Myers fresh off of it, Colin’s had some injury issues to contend with. But if either of those guys can come back and contribute in the next couple of weeks, Colin would become very dangerous. And I guess it didn’t hurt to trade for Ryan Braun, either.
The pitching doesn’t appear to be as strong, but the team stats say otherwise. His 32 roto points are good for 3rd place. He’s used 43 of his 63 moves thus far which is (you guessed it) in the middle of the pack. Chris Sale is beasting and Mike Fiers has been a great #2 over the past month. The rest of the numbers are coming from (I assume) spot starting as most of the ranks I’m looking at are...undesirable. The relievers are solid and have given him an 11-5-5 record in saves. If Colin falls short this year, it will be from the lack of depth at SP. But that offense could peak at just the right time. Colin will be very difficult out in these 2014 playoffs.
Jarrett - Witnessing History
After week 5, it looked like another typical season for Jarrett. Coming off of four consecutive playoff misses, he was dead in the water, stuck in last place with a 16-32-2 record. But then, something happened. Something magical. Something chemically enhanced. Something...I don’t know. But we may be looking at the greatest assembly of fantasy baseballers this league has seen. Clayton Kershaw made his first start on May 6th - the second day of week 6. And since that start, Jarrett remains unbeaten. MAY SIXTH! Can you comprehend that? Because I can’t! He’s 13-0-3 in his last 16 contests, which as I mentioned before is the longest unbeaten streak in DD history. He’s 107-48-5 (.684) since his last loss, which, over a full season, would set the record for highest winning percentage and most wins. And if you take out his back to back ties in weeks 6 and 7, he’s 13-0-1 in his last 14 matches with a 97-38-5 (.711) record. Alright
that was a lot of numbers - lets look at some players.
Jarrett’s roster is littered with top-100 players. Almost his entire offense are all top hundo. And that’s not including his best player, Paul Goldschmidt, who is lost for the year after breaking his hand on a HBP. He’s been all over free agency, adding guys like Todd Frazier (#23 on the season) and Chris Carter (#3 in the last month). Jarrett leads the league in runs and stolen bases, and is second in average. It’s just a really solid, deep offense with no holes to attack. The offense makes this team go, and the above-average pitching Staaf just adds salt to the wounds.
Aside from the greatest pitcher since Pedro (and that’s debatable), Jarrett can throw out Madison Bumgarner and Julio Teheran every 5th day to complete one of the best top 3’s in the league. You don’t fall too far before you hit the next level of starters, as Alex Cobb and Jered Weaver make for solid middle-rotation guys. The ‘pen is deep, boasting two elite closers in Jansen and Robertson, and backing them up with newly minted closer Joaquin Benoit who has been quite good. The rest are solid bullpen arms with mega k/9 and mini ratios. Having lived through 18-1, anything is possible. But this is the team you do not want to see.
Roto Power Rankings
Offense
1. Richie (40)
2. Alex (38)
3. Colin (37)
4. Jarrett (36)
5. Ben (29)
6. James (22)
7. TJ (21)
8. Adrian (18)
9. Drew (17)
9. Kurt (17)
Defense
1. Richie (44)
2. Alex (41)
3. Colin (32)
4. TJ (31)
5. Jarrett (30)
6. Adrian (28)
7. Ben (26)
8. James (20)
9. Drew (13)
10. Kurt (10)
Overall
1. Richie (84)
2. Alex (79)
3. Colin (69)
4. Jarrett (66)
5. Ben (55)
6. TJ (55)
7. Adrian (46)
8. James (42)
9. Drew (30)
10. Kurt (27)
August’s All-Stars (as of Monday September 1)
C – Buster Posey (Jarrett)
1B – C. Carter (Jarrett)
2B – D. Ackley (Kurt)
3B – A. Rendon (Jarrett)
SS – D. Santana (Kurt)
CI – V. Martinez (Jarrett)
MI – J. Harrison (Jarrett)
OF – A. Gordon (Richie)
OF – J. Upton (TJ)
OF – J. Ellsbury (Ben)
OF – H. Pence (Richie)
UTIL – C. Gomez (Richie)
SP – M. Bumgarner (Jarrett)
SP – M. Shoemaker (TJ)
SP – M. Fiers (Colin)
SP – C. Tillman (TJ)
SP – D. Smyly (TJ)
RP –C. Carrasco (Ben)
RP – A. Wood (James)
P – H. Rendon (Kurt)
P – K. Jansen (Jarrett)
P – F. Salas (FA)
No comments:
Post a Comment