Week 6: The Check Swing

It's a good thing Rich isn't here because he'd get lost in Kris Bryant's dreamy eyes. 

We're going to be honest: This edition will be a little shorter than usual. The commissioner's office is operating one man short, as Rich is somewhere in the Caribbean scouting a second baseman who's rumored to be the second coming of Jose Lind.

1. The Rookies (1277.5 points, 2-4, last week 1): Our points leaders lost a close one to the Arb Losers in Week 6, but they still maintain about a 65-point lead. Still, it's odd for the top team in the rankings to have a losing record. Henry got a bunch of points from hurlers Zack Wheeler (21), Patrick Corbin (20) and Robbie Ray (16.7) — all in single starts. At the plate, Nolan Arenado (25) surged into the top 5 in points for position players, Hunter Renfroe (22) went deep 3 times, and Cody Bellinger (20.5) was good despite not leaving the yard at all. The Rookies could have gotten more from Eduardo Escobar (6) and Austin Barnes (6), though.

Should pitchers earn bonus points for good mustaches?

2. Project Mayhem (1212.2, 5-1, last week 3): Bill's team put up 210 points in a win against Lumber Co and needed all of them. Walker Buehler (31) and Miles Mikolas (26) made the most of double-start weeks, as the PM staff allowed only 6 runs in 45 innings. No one on the offense really stood out, although David Peralta (19), Paul DeJong (18) and Ketel Marte (11.5) continue to be among the league leaders in points.

3. When the Ledee Breaks (1179.3, 3-3, last week 2): Matt's team was by far our low scorer for the week, which explains the drop in the rankings. The problem was the pitching staff, which went 1-3 and allowed 19 runs in 30.1 innings. Anthony DeSclafani (18) led the way in a 2-start week and was promptly served with walking papers. The offense was fine, with Trevor Story (20.5) as the high scorer. Story is one of 3 Rockies hitters in FBLG's top 5 position players — which includes a 3-way tie for 5th. Now that Juan Soto is back from the IL, that outfield of Soto, Ronald Acuña (14) and Michael Conforto (18) looks pretty strong.

Brandon Woodruff was really excited
to join Clemente's Bucs.

4. Clemente's Bucs (1177.8, 1-5, last week 4): Ray could file a grievance with the commissioners' office for unfortunate scheduling, and we wouldn't argue. Once again, CB had a strong week but was outscored by a hot team; in Week 6, it was a 212.8-190.7 loss to the Fish. Brandon Woodruff (19) has been a nice addition to the rotation, and Zach Eflin (21) has pitched like an ace at times. At the plate, Charlie Blackmon (29.5) has heated up — he homered 4 times and scored 9 runs in Week 6. Eric Hosmer (16.5) has been another nice waiver pickup, and Max Muncy (18.5) can put up points in a hurry.

5. Lumber Co Lumber (1163.7, 3-3, last week 5): John's team was a hard-luck loser, putting up 205.8 points against red-hot Project Mayhem. The LCL pitching staff was phenomenal, going 4-0 and allowing only 1 run in 32.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. Jon Lester (29.7) led the way with 12.2 scoreless innings. The offense was balanced, with every player scoring in the range of 11 points (Wil Myers) to 21 points (Freddie Freeman). Nick Ahmed (15) doubled 4 times, which might be his career high for a full season.

Jose Offerman is our favorite error-prone
shortstop, but he never played shortstop
for the Mets. 

6. Hassey's Girl (1157.8, 4-2, last week 6): The commissioners' pitchers finally got their act together, led by Hyun-Jin Ryu (42), who picked up 2 of HG's 4 wins and fanned 15 in 17 scoreless innings. However, Greg Holland (-2) was lousy in 2 outings and was replaced by *shudder* a Cardinal. The offense was all NL Central thanks to a healthy Gregory Polanco (28), rookie Nick Senzel (22.5) and MVP Christian Yelich (20). What ever happened to the offensive weapon formerly known as Wilson Ramos (4.5)?

7. Fresh Fish (1145, 4-2, last week 9): When Clayton Kershaw (11.7) is the weak link in your pitching staff, you have a dangerous team. Jacob deGrom (28) was outstanding in 2 starts, yet still managed to take a loss because Mets gonna Met. Chris Paddack (23.7) and Luis Castillo (22) were phenomenal in single outings, and Felipe "Vazquez" (16) recorded 3 saves. The FF offense finally picked up the slack, with Kris Bryant (34) homering 4 times, driving in 7, walking 8 times and scoring 9 times to lead the way. Alex Verdugo (20) and Anthony Rizzo (18) did a nice job riding shotgun, and Offer-med Rosario (14.5) made only 1 error.

8. Arbitration Losers (1132.5, 5-1, last week 7): Well, look at that. Tim is waaaaaaaay down here in the standings, but his team has 5 wins. Sounds like our former commissioner found a way to game the system. Anyway, the big story here was Eugenio Suarez (29.5), who did everything in bunches. Including make errors! Suarez hit 3 homers, 4 doubles and 5 singles; scored 10 runs and drove in 5; walked 3 times; and made 3 gaffes. Tim also got a nice week from Madison Bumgarner (27), who finally got enough support from the Giants' Triple-A offense to pick up a win. Meanwhile, we deny responsibility for Buster Posey (1.5) getting hurt shortly after we mentioned Scott Cousins.

Jason Heyward didn't produce a single hit for Yari's
Autonomics. He used this bat for every plate appearance.

9. Yari's Autonomics (1119, 2-4, last week 8): In a battle of bottom-feeders (sorry, Adam), YA came out just ahead of the lowly Misfits. The pitching staff was outstanding again, although Max Scherzer (32) picked up the only victory. Cole Hamels (21) and Zack Greinke (13) were good in no-decisions. Yasiel Puig (24.5) had a strong week to lead the offense; Puig homered twice and stole 3 bases. Josh Bell (18) also performed well, as Adam tried to manage his first-base platoon with Pete Alonso (4). Jorge Alfaro (3) was barely there but still helped the team more than Jason Heyward (-0.5).

10. The Misfits (1038, 1-5, last week 10): With zero transactions made, 2 injured outfielders, and 1 relief pitcher in the starting rotation, Reid's team appears to be a ship adrift at sea (no, that's not a Mariners joke). Although Jon Gray (11) and Noah Syndergaard (7) have pitched well, Jack Flaherty (1) has been a disappointment. Justin Turner (30) erupted for 5 homers and 10 RBIs, and Yadier Molina (20) is the top-scoring catcher in FBLG. But Paul Goldschmidt (21) hasn't lived up to his billing, Ryan Braun (9.5) is dinged up, and Jose Peraza (8) is struggling to get playing time.

Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story
power the Colorado offense.

Batting leaders after Week 6

1. Cody Bellinger (R) 173
2. Christian Yelich (HG) 155
3. Nolan Arenado (R) 143.5
4. Paul DeJong (PM) 136.5
5t. Javier Baez (AL) 134
5t. Trevor Story (WLB) 134
5t. Charlie Blackmon (CB) 134

Pitching leaders after Week 6

1. Luis Castillo (FF) 132.3
2. Hyun-Jin Ryu (HG) 118.3
3. Zack Greinke (YA) 116
4. Stephen Strasburg (CB) 115
5. Max Scherzer (YA) 112.3