The following has nothing to do with the Pitcher List staff leagues, however, I need to get this off my chest. After wearing this for the entirety of Turn the Clock Forward Night at Safeco Field and pulling whatever this is a few days before, I think it’s official. Dee Gordon is now my favorite player in baseball. I’m officially rooting for the Mariners to win the AL West and for a Mariners and Braves World Series. Call me a dreamer, but seeing Gordon, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuña all sharing the same field and having fun while playing the most important game of their lives. It would be beautiful.
Now, on to the staff leagues.
Before we get into this week’s best performances and closest matchups, feel free to take a closer look at our rosters, transactions, and matchups by following these links: Legacy League, Prodigy League, Futures League. Likewise, if you’d like to read the previous weeks’ reviews, follow this link.
Legacy League
Best Performance—That One Time at Band Kemp (Dave Cherman)
This week’s premiere Legacy League performance was brought to us by Dave Cherman (6-3-4). After weeks of draws, Dave’s team was obviously sick of it all and decided they would take out their frustration on Kyle Bishop last week and Ben Palmer’s squad (6-7) this week. Dave won the most recent week 9-1, taking all five hitting categories behind brilliant performances from Matt Carpenter and Willson Contreras. The pitching wasn’t slouching either, totaling 73 strikeouts while maintaining a 3.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Looking to continue his recent hot streak, Dave will face off against Ben Pernick in the week to come.
Closest Matchup—Taijuana Brass (Ben Pernick) vs. Nola Contendere (Kyle Bishop)
The aforementioned misters Pernick (2-9-2) and Bishop (5-7-1) made up the closest matchup in the Legacy League’s Week 13. The two tied this week, each winning five categories. While Ben took runs, homers, RBI, batting average, and ERA, Kyle won the remaining stats—steals, strikeouts, wins, saves, and WHIP. Ben’s lead in both steals and K’s was only 1, making the ultimate draw even more noteworthy. The tie this week marks the 7th time in thirteen weeks that there has been at least one draw in the Legacy League.
Prodigy League
Best Performance—good Kris, m.A.A.d. Robbie (Jason Dunbar)
This week’s most dominant week in the Prodigy League was from none other than Jason Dunbar (7-6). Jason touted an 8-1-1 victory over Andrew Gould (6-6-1), on the back of fantastic starting pitching and solid offense. With two brilliant two-start performances from Kenta Maeda and Freddy Peralta leading the charge, Jason easily won strikeouts, wins, ERA, and WHIP. While the hitting categories were much closer, Jason still managed to take four of the five behind strong showings from Nicholas Castellanos and Max Muncy. Now in fifth place, Jason is set to face a tough opponent this week in KV (9-4).
Closest Matchup—DothRockies Horde (Austin Bristow II) vs. Walker Buehler’s Day Off (Myles Nelson)
When the two teams that are tied for first place go head to head, you expect a good matchup. That is exactly what happened this past week when my own team (9-2-2) was set to play Myles Nelson (9-4). Each of us employed a fair amount a streaming, trying to out-do the other in terms of active strategic moves. However, when the dust settled, I was able to walk away with a hard-fought 5-4-1 win. My offense really came through for me this week, as I was able to win all but steals. For that, I’d like to specifically thank Andrelton Simmons, Matt Carpenter, and Anthony Rendon. While most of my streams, and my aces for that matter, let me down this past week, my hitters were able to pick up the slack and pull out a win.
Futures League
Best Performance—Mike’s Cereal Shack (Dan Wist)
Dan Wist’s team stood out as the best in the Futures League this week. He bested Paul Martin (4-7-2) this past week by a final score of 8-2. Dan’s pitching was fantastic this week as he won all five pitching categories with ease behind great starts from Luis Severino, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Robbie Ray. The offense pitched in as well, providing enough power to win home runs, RBI, and batting average. In the following week, Dan is set to face Mike Wexler (7-6).
Closest Matchup—Rob Zaccheo vs. Morristown Frackers (Nate Von Benken)
The closest matchup in the Futures League was that of Rob Zaccheo (5-4-4) and Nate Von Benken (6-5-2). Both familiar with these close bouts, I’m sure each of them would have preferred a bit less stressful week, however, it was not to be as the week came down to the wire on Sunday. Ultimately, Nate was able to break a 5-5 tie with a save from Jeurys Familia on Sunday, in his only inning of work that week. That save, the only one between the two teams made all the difference. Isn’t it just crazy how little things like that seem to wait until the very last moment to reseolve themselves?
