Pitcher List League Review: Week 1

Week 1 (or Week 2 if you decided to have a four-day scoring period for some reason) is now in the books.

Here at Pitcher List, our staff are just getting started with the competitive spirit of fantasy baseball; the victors are gloating or releasing a sigh of relief, while the losers are licking their wounds and prepping to take the next matchup. Let’s run down this week’s best performances and closest matchups.

Now that all three leagues are up and running, feel free to take a closer look at our rosters, transactions, and matchups by following these links: Legacy League, Prodigy League, Futures League

Legacy League

Best Performance—OHMYGODITSAFIRE sale (Alex Fast)

Alex Fast’s team topped Nic Gardiner’s defeating him 7-3. Fast’s pitching staff, led by Jon Gray, Chris Sale, and Gerrit Cole, was dominant, posting 115 Ks and 8 wins, along with a 2.43 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.

Closest Matchup—You’ll Never Defeat Andrus!! (Dave Cherman) vs. Nola Contendere (Kyle Bishop)

Dave Cherman narrowly beat out Kyle Bishop this week, winning 5-4-1. On Slack, Dave admitted he tanked ERA and WHIP early in the week in favor of chasing wins and strikeouts, a risky strategy that paid off for him in a big way in the first matchup of the year.

Prodigy League

Best Performance—Team Davis (Jeff Davis)

Jeff Davis’s team, led by Bryce Harper, Jacob deGrom, and Reynaldo Lopez, had a fantastic week, topping Mark Weston’s squad 7-3. Jeff’s offense put up 22 home runs in Week 1, and of the three categories he did not win, both Ks (92-89) and WHIP (1.304-1.333) were quite close.

Closest Matchup—Walker Buehler’s Day Off (Myles Nelson) vs. good Kris, m.A.A.d. Robbie (Jason Dunbar)

When the winner doesn’t take a majority of the categories, you know it was a great matchup. That was the case here, as Myles Nelson eked out the win 4-3-3 against Jason Dunbar. The two tied in runs (64), Ks (109), and wins (7), and the deciding factor was a single home run, as Myles and Ozzie Albies three dingers won homers 12-11.

Futures League

Best Performance—House Acree (Tim Acree)

Sporting the best record of the week was Tim Acree, who defeated Grayson Blazek 9-1, only losing stolen bases. Tim’s team did not stand out in any one category (save for ERA where his staff put up a 2.80 mark) yet across the board his totals were enough to top those of his opponent. With a team featuring Week 1 standouts Rhys Hoskins, Adam Eaton, and Chris Sale, Tim has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Futures League.

Closest Matchup—Team * (Autin Perodeau) vs. Team Still (Henry Still)

In a week full of 7-3 and 8-2 finishes,  Henry Still’s 5-4-1 victory over Austin Perodeau seems close in comparison. The two tied in home runs and Henry only won steals by 1, the deciding factor in a very close opening week.

Final Notes—After an entertaining and eventful first week (Shohei Ohtani might be a monster) my first observation of the season is on acquisition strategy. If you look back at the standings, you’ll note that the leader in moves in each league lost their match rather handily. While this is likely circumstantial, it is a trend I’ll be keeping an eye on. I’m interested to see if the transaction-heavy streaming strategy can be successful in these leagues throughout the season.