Dynasty League Review: AND THE CHAMPION IS…

Here at Pitcher List, we thought it would be fun to give the readers a look into the dynasty leagues of our staff members. Two weeks ago I the wildcard round, the semi-finals and discussed some of my keeper options. This week I discuss the conference finals, the finals, discuss some player’s redraft value next year and answer a question. Next week will be my last week, so I’ll go over my players then and this week focus on the remaining teams. Just as a point of reference, I go over free keepers and our MiLB system in my first dynasty post if you are unsure what some of the terms mean.

 

Week 24

 

 

Slack TL;DR

 

 

Holy. This is why I love H2H formats. There is some validity when people say ROTO is the best fantasy format for skill, as it tends to showcase the best of the best, but endings like this are amazing.

The RD Giants would squeak out a win against the RD Phillies, 234.5 to 232.5. Mike Minor, the RD Giants 2nd best starting pitcher, almost completely blew his chances to make it into the finals. After allowing a home run in the bottom of the 5th I would have thought the Rangers would have pulled him, however, Minor was able to get through the inning and record a strikeout,  winning the matchup for the RD Giants. Minor was absolutely dreadful this period, as he went 10 IP with a 2.20 WHIP, an 11.70 ERA and 5 home runs against. Not exactly what the RD Giants wanted, however, thanks to their excellent relief staff (20.2 IP, 28Ks, 93 fantasy points) they overcame the bad Minor starts and a mediocre stretch from their 2nd best bat Josh Donaldson. I regrettably traded Donaldson earlier this year for MiLB Matt Manning, which now looking back is a bit of a sell-low. However, Manning did get me Noah Syndergaard, who I still hold out hope for, so it wasn’t all bad. Most of Donaldson’s value next year will really depend on where he ends up. I could see him going to the Los Angeles Angels as they have a need at third base, however, I could also see him re-signing with the Braves as he had a very good year and Austin Riley was getting reps in the outfield. He should still be a value in redrafts much like this year, and I can see taking him somewhere in the late 4th or early 5th area.

The RD Phillies put up a really good fight, but much like every year, it wasn’t enough (sorry Nick). It’s a miracle he made it this far if I’m being honest, as he had many injuries (Jameson Taillon, Gary Sanchez, Luke Weaver, Carlos Carrasco) and some suspensions (Frankie Montas, Odubel Herrera) to overcome to get this far. Thanks to all his injuries he had to start players like Curtis Granderson (0-3 with a walk during the period) and Austin Barnes (0-1). In this league injury luck and depth are key, and sadly the RD Phillies only could get lucky with one. Eugenio Suarez continued his bonkers 2nd half this period for the RD Phillies, going 8-22 with 3HR. His 1.081 2nd half OPS is insane, and surprisingly his 2019 ADP is ACTUALLY LOWER than his 2018 ADP in the 2Early Mock Drafts (56 AVG in ’20, 55 AVG ADP in ’19). Partially thanks to the first 6ish rounds being loaded (Joey Gallo going 59th, Matt Chapman 65th, Rhys Hoskins 74th) but I think this is incredible value for the 2nd place leader in home runs.

 

Not to be outdone by insanity, however, is the RD Rangers. They came into the playoffs with the worst record ever for a playoff team at 16-26 and here they are, heading to the RD Finals. I wonder who could have predicted this….

What do you do with a team that is terrible and is also probably going to make the playoffs? -Byron

What Byron means is should he sell-off his pieces or keep going, as he’s in a weak division and will make the playoffs with a losing record. In his situation, I would personally continue to try for the playoffs. Once you’re in, you never know what could happen. Towards the deadline, I would be looking to make deals that won’t cost pick/prospect capital but that can improve the team incrementally enough to help make the push. Pitching depth is key and making sure you don’t have any spots taken by guys that either won’t be starting full-time or hurt. I believe in you Byron.

It was me. I did! I REALLY didn’t but much like the RD Rockies last year, you never know. This is another aspect of H2H points I love, as you get the cinderella teams barely making the playoffs and being able to come together at the right time to make a stellar push. The RD Rangers would spank the RD Red Sox 235 to 138.5. Brett Gardner and Danny Duffy, who he ACQUIRED CHEAP AT THE DEADLINE (*cough* it’s almost like I’M GOOD AT THIS*cough*) would be the key cogs for the RD Rangers this period, scoring 64.5 points total combined. Danny Duffy has had a pretty mediocre year, but from the 1st half to the 2nd half he increased his K:BB% from 9.9% to 15.9%, scoring more points thanks to more strikeouts. He struggled when the RD Rangers first acquired him but came on when it mattered most. Going into ’20 I don’t think Duffy will be a very valuable SP to target, however in deep leagues he could provide some #6-7 SP value.

Brett Gardner has had a wonderful September. He started hitting more flyballs (46.4% in September, 39.5% for the 2nd half) and it helped him contribute to 10 HRs and a .966 OPS. Going into ’20 Brett Gardner is a free agent, which more than likely actually helps his value, as the Yankees have their outfield essentially full. He’s older but still should provide some value as a 20-10 sort of bat. His ADP in the 2Early mocks is 406, so he could provide some stellar value. The RD Red Sox really didn’t have any amazing players, but Steven Matz did get lit up. Someone many called a sleeper coming into 2019, he essentially matched his ’18 FIP with a ’19 FIP of 4.60. His 2Early ADP of 226 is wedged between Mike Foltynewicz and Cole Hamels, and I think I’d much rather have both.

 

Week 25

 

 

THE DUEL OF THE UNDERDOGS! This week was an extra-long period, as we allow 9 days for the finals for it to be an ultimate showdown. All year we had been ripping the RD Giants for their strategy all year (relying too much on spreadsheets, investing a ton of capital in older players, relievers, etc.) and yet here we are. I remember the first couple of weeks he traded his 1st round MiLB draft pick and we all assumed it would be a top 10 pick. Oh, how we were wrong. I kinda always felt the same way about veterans, as I think they’re undervalued in dynasty circles because age is too important a factor sometimes. I sold Charlie Morton to the RD Giants this year for a couple of MLB 12s before the draft partially thanks to his age and boy do I look like a fool now. He was no different than the ace he’s currently been in 2019 this week, as he threw 6 IP with 9 Ks. He finished the year as the SP 8 in CBS scoring and was downright filthy. For ’20 I’d be wary, as his ADP in the 2Early mocks is 62nd and this may be the best year we see from Morton. 194.2 IP is easily his career-high and it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets hurt in ’20, limiting his ceiling. Seth Lugo continued his dominate relief season, throwing 4.2 IP with 5 Ks and a save. He was a bargain reliever, finishing as the 7th best reliever per CBS points (just relievers, no starts) and could be a decent keeper for the RD Giants for ’20. In ’20 redrafts he could be a sneaky late-round pick as I can see a future in which Edwin Diaz is dealt, paving the way for Lugo to get saves.

Most of the RD Rangers production this period came from three players. Elvis Andrus was one, who has had a somewhat under-the-radar 2019. He went 11-31 with 2 HRs, 3 SBs and 3:4 BB:K, scoring 38.5 points which was the 2nd most on the RD Rangers. This year he had 12 HR and 31 SB and was one of only five players to reach 10-30 this year. His 2Early ADP of 125 seems like incredible value for him, as he also gave you 150+ R+RBI in 2019 which really helps. The always streaky Roughned Odor was fantastic this period, going 8-29 with 3 HRs, 12RBI and 2 2Bs. Going into ’20 I do not trust him at all, as he batted under the Mendoza line for a lot of the year and it’s hard to support a .200 AVG when you only walk 9% of the time while striking out 30% of the time. I also foresee Nick Solak taking over the 2B job, leaving Odor to either be traded or be a part-time player. On the pitching side, Austin Voth was surprisingly great for the RD Rangers. He made two starts, allowing 3 ER over 10 IP and getting a win. Going into ’20 I actually kind of like Voth, as he saw a velocity increase from ’18 to ’19 and could be a back-of-the-rotation guy for the Washington Nationals.

 

 

And the 2019 RD Champion is….

The RD Giants! The RD Rangers had deployed a strategy throughout the playoffs which for the most part worked, which was stream as many waiver-wire dudes who start as you can. This period was the downfall, however, as he saw Jorge Lopez implode and Craig Kimbrel be downright awful. Congrats to the RD Giants who get to join the ranks of the RD Blue Jays as champions.

 

 

Oh Lord, what have we done?

 

Thanks for reading my article! If you have any questions about dynasty, my reasoning for deals, players in general, etc, feel free to ask! I can be reached on Twitter, Reddit or here! The next piece will be my final one for the year, in which I describe my team going into 2020 and my planned moves. My final FINAL article this time!

 

(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)