This past week we saw the Cincinnati Reds sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game set, James Paxton threw a no-hitter in his native country of Canada, and we learned that Ichiro has no idea who Tom Brady is.
Also, I’d like to take a moment to note that it is May 14, 2018, and the Atlanta Braves have the best record in the National League. As we all expected.
Now, onto the staff league’s top performers and closest matchups!
As always, 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—Nola Contendere (Kyle Bishop)
Kyle Bishop (4-2) ha the best performance of Week 6 in the Legacy League as he defeated Andrew Todd-Smith by a score of 8-2. Kyle’s offense, led by Odubel Herrera and Ender Inciarte, took every category save for average, hitting 13 home runs and stealing 10 bases. Kyle’s pitching was similarly impressive, as he finished the week with a 1.60 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. A two-start week from Aaron Nola definitely helped his cause and Kyle was found after the dust settled Sunday evening shouting, “look upon my ratios and despair!” Kyle’s squad will face off against Nic Gardiner (1-5) in Week 7.
Closest Matchup—You’ll Never Defeat Andrus (Dave Cherman) vs. Xander Booger (Alex Fast)
The unintentional, yet constant inclusion of Alex Fast in the Legacy League section of this piece has me reconsidering this format. Yet again, Fast’s team (3-1-2) finds itself in the closest matchup of the week after a tie with Dave Cherman (3-2-1). In a very entertaining string of messages, Alex lamented Giancarlo Stanton’s 4-4 performance, “Stanton picked a really irritating day to rise from the dead as he almost single-handedly stole a victory from me today. My hatred for the Yankees grows deeper by the day.” As for Dave, he was just happy not to be beaten by a team named Xander Boogers (Fast lost a bet).
Prodigy League
Best Performance—Valley of the Dahls (Jake Bridges)
After a full month of losing, Jake Bridges (2-4) has found his rhythm. Now on a two-game winning streak, Jakes’s team was brilliant this past week, toppling KV Boparai’s squad (4-2) by a score of 7-3. Odubel Herrera, Francisco Lindor, and Giancarlo Stanton helped Jake’s team hit 21 total homers to go along with a .347 batting average. Double-digit strikeout totals from Shohei Ohtani, Jon Gray, and Sean Newcomb were the key to a whopping 87 Ks for Jake. Taking every pitching category besides saves, Jake’s squad seems to be on the up-and-up. Aiming to continue his newfound success, he’ll face Troy Kaluder (2-4) in Week 7.
Closest Matchup—Walker Buehler’s Day Off (Myles Nelson) vs. Max Bauer (Andrew Gould)
En route to his league-leading fifth victory of the year, Myles Nelson (5-1) narrowly defeated Max Bauer (1-4-1) with a final score of 5-4-1. With a tie in wins and saves separated by only one, Myles was able to edge out Max. Interestingly enough, this is the third time that Myles has won saves, despite having by far the fewest in the league with a grand total of 8 for the year. Call it luck, call it clutch, call it what you want, but the 5-1 record speaks for itself.
Futures League
Best Performance—House Acree (Tim Acree)
In the Futures League, there was none better than Tim Acree in Week 6. His team (4-2) trounced Dan Wist’s (3-3), winning 8-2. Taking every category besides batting average and saves, Tim cruised to his fourth win of the season. Willson Contreras’s 3 dingers and 12 RBI definitely helped Tim lock up those categories, as he won each of them by those exact figures. On the pitching side, his trio of Dallas Keuchel, Chris Sale, and Charlie Morton led the charge in an 87 K, 6 win week. With Brennen Gorman (3-3) up next, Tim will look to improve upon his league-leading 4-2 record.
Closest Matchup—The Hans Molemen (Ben Chang) vs. Team Still (Henry Still)
In a very close 5-3-2 matchup, Henry Still (2-3-1) was able to narrowly surpass Ben Chang (3-2-1). While Henry won runs, RBI, average, and ERA fairly handily, the ties in home runs and wins could have cost him the win. Ben simply needed one ball to fly a bit further, or Rich Hill, Dylan Bundy, Jacob Faria, Kenta Maeda, and Masahiro Tanka to suck less. Then he probably would have won.
Final Notes
After a wholly non-scientific look into the standings of the three leagues, I have denoted three teams from each league that I believe are the top three based on their performance in the ten contested categories. My observation does not take any team’s record into account and has no mathematical or statistical backing aside from the simple observation that the team has performed well thus far. Without further ado, my proposed top three teams from each league in no particular order:
Legacy League
Nola Contendere (Kyle Bishop), M-M-M-Mookie and the Betts (Ben Palmer), Ian’s Pornogriffey (Ian Post)
Prodigy League
Syndergaarden Cop (Jonathan Metzelaar), The Gregorious D.I.D.I. (Jeff Davis), Walker Buehler’s Day Off (Myles Nelson)
Futures League
House Acree (Tim Acree), Team Gorman (Brennen Gorman), You Don’t Know Whit (Paul Martin)