FBLG 2019 Season Wrapup

Who can argue with that?

Well.

Now that baseball season is officially over and some team I despise will win the World Series title once again, it seems to be time to take a final look back at the 2019 FBLG season. It might be too soon, I guess we'll see. (Spoiler alert)

Those of you who have financial transaction needs with the commissioners will be contacted via email.

We hope you'll all be back for FBLG 2020. If this is not the case, please email the commissioners ASAP so we can start working on a new owner.

Final scoreboard

1. Clemente's Bucs 4799.9
2. The Rookies 4787.2
3. Hassey's Girl 4655.4
4. Yari's Autonomics 4618.8
5. When the Ledee Breaks 4597.3
6. Arbitration Losers 4474.1
7. Fresh Fish 4428.8
8. Project Mayhem 4292.4
9. Lumber Co Lumber 4197.8
10. The Misfits 3810.4

Next year's draft order

1. Reid

2. John

3. Bill

4. Rick

5. Tim

6. Matt

7. Adam

8. Rich/Brian

9. Henry

10. Ray

Leading hitters

This is a regular season only blog. This is a regular season only blog.

1. Cody Bellinger (R) 542.5

2. Ronald Acuna Jr. (WLB) 530

3. Anthony Rendon (YA) 532

4. Freddie Freeman (LCL) 518.5

5. Juan Soto (WLB) 510

6. Christian Yelich (HG) 497

7. Nolan Arenado (R) 493

8. Ketel Marte (PM) 490.5

9. Ozzie Albies (R) 490

10. Bryce Harper (LCL) 485.5

11. Eduardo Escobar (R) 482

T12. Trevor Story (WLB) 478

T12. Charlie Blackmon (CB) 478

T12. Peter Alonso (HG) 478

15. Josh Bell (YA) 448

You bastards have no idea how hard this is for me.

Leading pitchers

1. Stephen Strasburg (CB) 455

2. Jacob deGrom (FF) 435

3. Patrick Corbin (R) 416

4. Zack Greinke (YA) 399.7

5. Jack Flaherty (M) 398.3

6. Luis Castillo (FF) 394.7

7. Max Scherzer (YA) 394.3

8. Walker Buehler (PM) 389.3

9. Aaron Nola (HG) 383.3

10. Clayton Kershaw (FF) 371.3

11. Robbie Ray (R) 361.3

12. Sonny Gray (AL) 355.3

13. Hyun-Jin Ryu (HG) 351.7

14. Madison Bumgarner (AL) 339.7

15. Zack Wheeler (R) 335.3

Overview

Woe be unto he who drafteth Jeff McNeil next year.
His Metsing is imminent.

1. Clemente's Bucs 

Unsurprisingly, our champion nailed the draft, starting with Trea Turner, Charlie Blackmon, Stephen Strasburg and Starling Marte. An 11th round Max Muncy and 14th round Jeff McNeil were huge pieces of the championship team as well. Strasburg led the NL in innings and wins and led FBLG in pitching points. Blackmon, Marte, Turner and Muncy all scored more than 400 points, and McNeil fell just short. It was just enough to overcome the offense of our second-place team.

2. The Rookies 

It seems doubtful we've ever seen a draft this good in FBLG... at least one that didn't win the title. After snagging Nolan Arenado and Cody Bellinger - who combined for more than 1,000 points - with his first two picks, Henry grabbed two top-15 pitchers (Patrick Corbin and Zack Wheeler), then snagged Ozzie Albies, Robbie Ray, Kyle Hendricks and Eduardo Escobar. Seven of his first eight picks are on one of the above lists. Amazing! That, uh, will not be true of our third-place team.

This is like a photo of a master chef making his signature dish.

3. Hassey's Girl 

After snagging Aaron Nola and Christian Yelich with the first two picks - hey good start, guys! - let's take a quick look at some other picks. Jameson Taillon (51 points before season-ending injury), Matt Carpenter (LOL), Jesus Aguilar (LOL), Travis Shaw (LOLOLOL), Chris Taylor, Gregory Polanco, David Robertson (5.7 points before season-ending injury), Matt Strahm, Austin Barnes and Scott Schebler. That is an EMBARRASSING list of garbage. Half that list spent time in Triple-A! Yada yada, they signed Fernando Tatis right before the season started, Hyun-Jin Ryu in the 13th round worked out well, and eventually an offense was scraped together that was sorta decent.

4. Yari's Autonomics 

Adam's Nationals-centric team is my very favorite thing to write about today, lemme tell you. Adam drafted Max Scherzer first and MVP candidate Anthony Rendon in the third round, snagging Zack Greinke, Jean Segura, Cole Hamels and Josh Bell as well. He signed wunderkind Peter Alonso before trading him, given his embarrassing wealth at first base. Scherzer wasn't quite "second overall pick" good this year but he, Greinke and Rendon fueled Adam's season.

"Monaghan! Get outta there!"

5. When the Ledee Breaks 

As is his custom, Matt didn't draft a pitcher until the 85th overall pick in the 9th round. Before that, he stocked up on a powerful bunch including Ronald Acuna, Trevor Story, Juan Soto, Michael Conforto, Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal. As he predicted on draft day, his team hit a whole bunch o' dingers (236 to lead the league) but the pitching didn't do a whole lot (743 strikeouts, least in the league). We're all for Matt building his team like a slow-pitch softball team and pulling random strangers off the street to pitch. (At least that's what he tells the cops when they ask why he's pulling random strangers off the street.)

6. Arbitration Losers 

Tim had a pretty solid overall draft, but we're here to compliment him for finding one of the two closers who didn't suck this year: Kirby Yates, your favorite Hawaiian pitcher, was a helluva 13th-round pick. Somehow Javier Baez fell to the mid-second round, and Tim took him along with Manny Machado, Eugenio Suarez (49 homers!), and noted former fat man Kyle Schwarber to build a pretty solid offense. Once Yu Darvish figured things out, he and Madison Bumgarner formed a pretty decent top of the rotation as well. We are fervently refusing to give Adam Eaton in the 11th round any credit. 

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT.

7. Fresh Fish 

Rick can blame the stupid Cubs for his downfall this year - neither second-round pick Anthony "Fat Tony" Rizzo or third-round Kris Bryant were as good as hoped, and that doomed Rick's season. The rest of us can blame the stupid Cubs for letting the Cardinals in the postseason. No wonder they fired Crazy Joe Maddon. Rick had probably the league's best rotation with Jacob deGrom, Clayton Kershaw, Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray, but his offense was disappointing. We're worried Rick is too influenced by Derek Jeter's whims... your team doesn't have to underachieve just because his does, man.

8. Project Mayhem 

Bill's draft was... rough. And I say that as someone who drafted Travis Shaw, so I know what I'm talking about. Lorenzo Cain (second round) was brutal, JT Realmuto wasn't third-round good, Miles Mikolas was not the No. 2 starter you dream about (he was a... different kind of No. 2, mostly), Chris Archer was bad, etc., etc. And yet. Bill got Paul DeJong in the 7th round, and he was great. He got Ketel Marte in the 9th and he outscored Bryce Harper. He even took the perfect platoon of Franmil Reyes and Joc Pederson late, and they combined for 73 bombs. Problem is, the pitching never stood a chance.

Live look at Robinson Cano and Brandon Nimmo.

9. Lumber Co Lumber 

Our newest owner drafted a closer before he drafted any starters, employing Matt's strategy of "what's even the point of a pitcher, anyway?" Problem is, among the first 8 hitters he took were Wil Myers, Robinson Cano and Brandon Nimmo. That is WAY too many Mets... it's shocking the number of IL days those guys had. Anyway, having 2019 Jon Lester as your ace is probably not a great idea, and as good as the offense was to start, it couldn't last. Plus Josh Hader wasn't the unhittable relief ace that was maybe hoped, though he did strike out 130 dudes. A special shutout to this year's inductee to the "why the hell did I draft Jake Lamb" club from a charter member. I feel ya, John.

10. The Misfits 

Our league's senior member (the only guy in the league who watched Lefty Grove pitch in person!) took a bunch of old dudes, as usual, and had mixed results, as usual. The biggest issue for Reid was Paul Goldschmidt's "down" year - he was great, but not the first-round horse Reid needed. Noah Syndergaard was frustrating, Edwin Diaz got totally Mets'd, Jose Peraza lost his job, so did Sean Newcomb, so did Odubel Herrera... not a great season for Reid's draftees. Jack Flaherty looks like a bonafide ace but otherwise this team mostly disappointed.

Enjoy football season, everyone. See you in the spring.

At least I don't have to listen to Joe Buck and John Smoltz this year.

Postseason Wrap-up: Coming in Winter 2025

Commissioner Rich is hard at work on the postseason wrap-up blog. We promise.

Quick Season Wrapup

Here's a bunch of guys who used to be Braves, and also Brian McCann.

Congrats to Henry and his Rookies for winning the head-to-head championship! The Rookies held off a furious last-day comeback by Hassey's Girl to capture the championship with a score of 360.3-343.2.

In one of the closest finishes in FBLG history, Ray and Clemente's Bucs held on for the overall points title, winning by a mere 12 points over Henry's Rookies.

Thank you all for another fantastic season - everything came right down to the wire. I'll be sending emails to those of you who either owe money or have a reward coming your way.

Final scoreboard

1. Clemente's Bucs 4799.9
2. The Rookies 4787.2
3. Hassey's Girl 4655.4
4. Yari's Autonomics 4618.8
5. When the Ledee Breaks 4597.3
6. Arbitration Losers 4474.1
7. Fresh Fish 4428.8
8. Project Mayhem 4292.4
9. Lumber Co Lumber 4197.8
10. The Misfits 3810.4

We'll be back with a more in-depth wrapup soon as we gear up for the real baseball playoffs. Since much of the league is Marlins, Angels, Giants and Pirates fans, we'll also have some recommendations of TV shows you can binge instead.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Sunday Roundup

Look at that gorgeous swing. LOOK AT IT.

STUDS: Eric Thames (HG) homered twice and drove in 3. Hyun-Jin Ryu (HG) struck out 8 and allowed 3 runs in a 7-inning win, adding his first career homer. Michael Conforto (WLB) homered, doubled, walked and drove in 3. Sam Hilliard (PM) was a triple shy of a cycle and drove in 3.

DUDS: Jean Segura (YA) erred. Tanner Roark (LCL) allowed 5 runs and struck out 1 in 3-inning loss.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Saturday Roundup

Ryan Braun's hitting well again.
You know what that means.

STUD: Ryan Braun (M) doubled, singled, walked, stole a base, drove in 2 and scored twice.

DUD: Nick Ahmed (LCL) singled and stole a base — but committed 2 errors.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Friday Roundup

Trea Turner has 16 homers and 34 steals in only 114 games this season.

STUDS: Chase Anderson (M) allowed no runs and struck out 4 in a 6-inning win. Starlin Castro (FF) was a triple short of a cycle and scored twice. Jacob deGrom (FF) didn't allow a run and struck out 9 in a 7-inning win. Mike Foltynewicz (YA) didn't allow a run and struck out 7 in an 8-inning win. Ronald Acuña Jr. (WLB) homered, doubled, walked twice, drove in 2 and scored 3 runs. Trea Turner (CB) hit a pair of solo homers. Jeff McNeil (CB) was a triple short of a cycle, drove in 2 and scored 3 runs.

DUD: Kevin Newman (HG) went 0-fer with an error.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Thursday Roundup

Shane Greene in Detroit: 1.18 ERA and 22 saves. Shane Greene in Atanta: 4.22 ERA and 1 save. 

STUD: Jack Flaherty tossed another gem, striking out 8 and allowing 1 run in 8 innings.

DUDS: Carlos Martinez (HG) allowed 3 runs and recorded 1 out — a strikeout, at least. Shane Greene (R) allowed 1 run in 1 inning.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Wednesday Roundup

Because we didn't want to use a photo of Starlin Castro... we bring you Sam Hilliard!

STUDS: Sam Hilliard (PM) hit 2 solo homers. Starlin Castro (FF) - yes, he's still in the league - homered, doubled twice and scored twice.

DUDS: Dexter Fowler (HG) singled and erred. Kenley Jansen (CB) allowed 2 runs in an inning to blow the save. Brian McCann (FF) drove in a run and erred. Amed Rosario (FF) did what he does best, erring.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Tuesday Roundup

Let's ask Rich "Lasorda" what he thought of Patrick Corbin's performance:
"What's my opinion of Corbin's performance? What the (expletive) do you think my opinion is of it?
I think it was (expletive). Put that in. I don't (expletive) care. What's my opinion of his performance? (Expletive)."

STUDS: Patrick F***ing Corbin (R) struck out 11 in 6 shutout innings to earn the win. Sonny Gray (AL) struck out 9 and allowed 2 runs in a 6.2-inning win. Howie Kendrick (YA) was a double shy of a cycle, walked and scored twice. Marcus Stroman (LCL) overcame his Metsness to toss 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts for the win.

DUDS: Dallas Keuchel (CB) struck out 2 and allowed 5 runs in a 5-inning loss.

Playoffs: Finals, Final Monday Roundup

(eye roll emoji)

STUDS: Marcell Ozuna (FF) homered, doubled and drove in 4.

DUDS: Steven Matz (WLB) struck out 4 and allowed 7 runs in a 4-inning loss. Ryan Zimmerman (PM) walked and erred. Sean Doolittle (PM) took the loss, allowing 1 run and striking out 2 in a 0.2-inning outing. Starlin Castro (FF) singled and erred. JD Davis (FF) erred.

Playoffs: Finals, First Sunday Roundup

These two guys teed off on the Pirates' "pitching" staff.

STUDS: Ryan McMahon (HG) homered twice, singled, scored 3 runs and drove in 4. Nicholas Castellanos (HG) just keeps on hitting, as he doubled twice, singled and scored 3 runs. Zack Wheeler (R) struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings before (all together now) the Mets bullpen blew it. Howie Kendrick (YA) homered, singled twice, scored twice and drove in 3. Anibal Sanchez (PM) struck out 3 in 7 shutout innings to earn the win. Kris Bryant (FF) homered twice, singled and drove in 4. Trevor Bauer (M) finally pitched well, striking out 9 and allowing 1 run in an 8-inning win.

DUDS: Max Fried (R) allowed 5 runs and struck out 2 in a 2.1-inning loss. Jorge Alfaro (YA) walked twice and erred. Jose Quintana (WLB) allowed 5 runs and struck out 1 in 2.1 innings... in a game his team won by 10 runs. Evan Longoria (PM) singled, walked and erred.

Playoffs: Finals, First Saturday Roundup

We don't get a lot of chances to run a photo of Tony Wolters, so we'll jump on the opportunity. 

STUDS: Nicholas Castellanos (HG) doubled twice, scored twice and drove in 3. Tony Wolters (R) doubled, singled, drove in 2 and scored 3 runs. Ozzie Albies (R) doubled twice, singled, drove in 2, scored twice and was caught stealing. Zack Greinke (YA) struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Daniel Murphy (WLB) doubled, singled 3 times, drove in 4 and scored a run. Kris Bryant (FF) homered, singled twice and drove in 4.

DUDS: Victor Robles (CB) singled twice, was caught stealing and made an error. Juan Soto (WLB) went 0-fer with an error. Hector Neris (WLB) struck out 1 and allowed 1 run in a 1-inning loss.

Playoffs: Finals, First Friday Roundup

Paul Goldschmidt is having the worst season of his career, but he does have 31 home runs. 

STUDS: Paul Goldschmidt (M) homered twice and drove in 7. Anthony Rizzo (FF) homered, singled twice, drove in 4 and scored twice. Trevor Story (WLB) homered twice, singled, drove in 3, scored 3 runs and committed an error. Gavin Lux (HG) homered, singled, drove in 3 and scored twice. Nicholas Castellanos (HG) homered, doubled, walked and drove in 3. Nolan Arenado (R) homered, doubled, walked twice and drove in 2.

DUDS: None.

Playoffs: Finals, First Thursday Roundup

Hold up. Did Yu Darvish become an ace again while we weren't looking? 

STUDS: Eugenio Suarez (AL) homered, doubled, walked, drove in 3 and scored twice. Joey Votto (AL) doubled, singled twice, walked, stole a base and scored 3 runs. Yu Darvish (AL) got the win and struck out 14 (!) in 6 shutout innings. Anthony Rendon (YA) homered, doubled, walked twice, drove in 3 and scored twice. Freddy Galvis (YA) homered, singled, walked and drove in 4. Juan Soto (WLB) homered, singled, drove in 3 and scored twice. Marcus Stroman (LCL) struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 6.1-inning win.

DUD: Nick Ahmed (LCL) went 0-fer with an error.

Playoffs: Finals, First Wednesday Roundup

Mike Moustakas had a pretty good birthday. 

STUDS: Jeff McNeil (CB) homered twice, doubled, stole a base, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Dallas Keuchel (CB) struck out 8 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Stephen Strasburg (CB) struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in a 6-inning win. Mike Moustakas (WLB) homered twice, singled, walked and drove in 5. Steven Matz (WLB) and Chris Paddack (FF) each earned a win and struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. Ryan Zimmerman (PM) homered, singled twice and drove in 3. 

DUDS: Ryan McMahon (HG) went 0-fer with an error. Mike Yastrzemski (AL) singled and erred. Jean Segura (YA) walked and erred.

Playoffs: Finals, First Tuesday Roundup

The season-ending injury to Christian Yelich certainly changes the outlook of our championship series.

STUDS: Zack Wheeler (R) struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Walker Buehler (PM) didn't allow a run and struck out 11 in a 7-inning win. Kris Bryant (FF) homered twice, walked, scored 3 runs and drove in 4. Corey Dickerson (FF) homered twice and drove in 3. Jason Heyward (LCL) homered twice, walked twice, scored 3 runs and drove in 3.

DUDS: Daniel Murphy (WLB) singled and erred. A.J. Pollock (M) went 0-fer with an error.

Playoffs: Finals, First Monday Roundup

Mike Foltynewicz has been pitching like an ace again. 

STUDS: Pete Alonso (HG) hit a pair of solo homers. Nicholas Castellanos (HG) homered, singled twice, scored 3 runs and drove in 2. Zack Greinke (YA) got the win and struck out 5 in 6 scoreless innings. Mike Foltynewicz (YA) struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Jacob deGrom (FF) struck out 11 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win.

DUD: Eric Hosmer (CB) was caught stealing.

Playoffs Second Round: The Check Swing

One of the National League's best hitters is in this photo. Not you, Votto. 

The Rookies have advanced to the championship round, which shouldn't be a surprise considering the season Henry's team had. What might be a surprise is that the commissioners posted the high score of the 2-week period and advanced to the finals as well. The team write-ups are more brief than normal thanks to ESPN's website not displaying pitcher point totals at this writing. Thanks, ESPN.

Second-round playoff finals

(2) Hassey's Girl 415.8, (1) Arbitration Losers 392.2
(1) The Rookies 401.5, (2) Clemente's Bucs 379.7
CONSOLATION
(3) When the Ledee Breaks 340.5, (3) Fresh Fish 321.7
(4) Yari's Autonomics 369.8, (4) Project Mayhem 341
Lumber Co Lumber 362.3, The Misfits 291.8

Is Tommy Edman 12 years old? 

Final matchup

(1) The Rookies vs. (2) Hassey's Girl

The week in review

1. Clemente's Bucs (4462.4, last week 1): Despite a valiant effort, Ray fell just short of reaching the finals again. Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that Ray had the highest point total and won the playoff title? That won't happen this year. CB's top producer in this semifinal matchup was ... Tommy Edman? That can't be right. Oh, he had 15 hits and 2 steals? I stand corrected. Josh Donaldson hit 4 homers and Charlie Blackmon had 8 singles and 7 doubles. Led by Stephen Strasburg, Dallas Keuchel and Miles Mikolas, Ray's pitching staff performed well — but not quite as well as The Rookies'. Dinelson Lamet allowed only 3 runs with 14 Ks in 11 innings but went 0-2. Nice work, Padres.

2. The Rookies (4426.9 points, last week 2): Henry's offense had a big playoff series, hitting 19 homers and driving in 56 runs. With hot hitters such as Ozzie Albies, Eduardo Escobar, Cody Bellinger, Nolan Arenado, Aristides Aquino and Scott Kingery, The Rookies look like the team to beat in the championship series. Henry's pitching staff went 5-2 with 71 Ks and only 20 runs allowed in 58 innings. Max Fried fanned 20 batters in 13 innings and went 2-0. Patrick Corbin went 1-2 despite pitching well — he struck out 26 in 18 innings and allowed only 6 runs.

Kevin Newman is our favorite Pittsburgh shortstop
since ... sigh. OK, fine. Since Jordy Mercer. 

3. Hassey's Girl (4312.2, last week 5): The commissioners defeated our former commissioner (Tim) to advance to the finals. The hitters get most of the credit; Hassey bats slugged 23 homers and drove in 59 runs. Despite the presence of 2018 MVP Christian Yelich and Nicholas Castellanos — who's been hitting like an MVP for the Cubs — HG's leading scorer for the week was Kevin Newman. When was the last time a Pirates shortstop was anyone's leading anything? The pitching staff was a patchwork of scrubs, with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Aaron Nola struggling and Craig Kimbrel getting hurt (again). The only wins came from Anthony DeSclafani, Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara. How did these clowns make the finals anyway?

4. When the Ledee Breaks (4285.1, last week 3): Juan Soto put up an absurd 55 points and could be in the running to be the No. 1 pick next year. Yasmani Grandal homered 5 times, walked 10 times and committed an error — pretty much the Three True Outcomes for Grandal. Jose Quintana pitched well and picked up a couple of wins, while Caleb Smith pitched poorly and picked up a couple of losses. Hector Neris was classic Neris, blowing a pair of saves and taking a loss. Imagine that.

Close your mouth, Jughead.
We can smell your breath from here.

5. Yari's Autonomics (4270.8, last week 4): Anthony Rendon wasn't quite as good as his teammate Soto, but 53 points is nothing to sniff at. Josh Bell heated back up, but he did make 2 of Yari's 9 errors. In fact, every YA hitter except Kevin Pillar and Ian Desmond committed at least 1 error. Clearly, Desmond wasn't playing shortstop. On the mound, Adam's pitchers went 4-2 despite giving up 29 runs in 61.1 innings. Archie "Jughead" Bradley picked up 6 saves and found a slice of pizza in his beard. Mike Foltynewicz, who allowed 2 runs in 9.2 innings, actually outpitched Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke and Mike Soroka.

6. Arbitration Losers (4156.9, last week 6): Tim's team didn't have quite enough to get past Hassey and reach the finals. Eugenio Suarez almost made it happen singlehandedly; he hit 8 homers and drove in 15 runs. Bryan Reynolds collected 20 hits as he and Suarez combined for 101 points. Losing Javier Baez to injury didn't help, and Buster Posey could have done more than hit a bunch of singles and walk a few times. We hate to be those guys who rip the Giants just because we can — pause for comedic effect — but Tim was partially foiled by his 2 San Francisco pitchers. Sure, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija went 2-1, but they combined to allow 17 runs in 28.1 innings.

Clayton Kershaw must have thought
the playoffs started already.

7. Fresh Fish (4056, last week 7): Corey Dickerson led the way for Rick's sluggish offense, putting up 41.5 points. Where was the star power? The Fish got only 14 points from Anthony Rizzo, 16.5 from Kris Bryant and 11 from Keston Hiura. Even the pitching was unusually wobbly for the Fish. Chris Paddack was fantastic, fanning 16 and allowing 1 run in 12 innings. But Clayton Kershaw allowed 8 runs in 9 innings and went 0-2, Jacob deGrom allowed 8 runs in 14 innings and went 0-1, and Luis Castillo allowed 10 runs in 19.2 innings (but he did strike out 29 and went 2-1).

8. Project Mayhem (3974.7, last week 8): Bill's hitters had a great week. J.T. Realmuto, Ketel Marte and Joc Pederson all exceeded 47 points and combined for 15 homers and 36 RBIs. Paul DeJong chipped in with 3 homers and 11 RBIs of his own. Unfortunately for PM, the pitching was ... subpar. The team combined to allow 32 runs in 44 innings. Walker Buehler went 2-0 because the Dodgers' offense was able to overcome his 6 runs allowed in 11 innings. Will Smith earned 2 saves despite allowing 3 runs in 3.1 innings. Reminder: This is a 2-week total. Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Hendricks and Elieser Hernandez were terrible in 6 starts yet somehow went only 0-1 combined.

Would Marcus Stroman even crack the top 5 on a list
of the most disappointing Mets of 2019?

9. Lumber Co Lumber (3910.3, last week 9): Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman and Rhys Hoskins showed up to lead John's offense. Colin Moran tried to help but was hurt by his 3 errors. Josh Hader is back to being a relief monster — he struck out 15 batters in 8.1 scoreless innings while earning a win and 4 saves. Marcus Stroman went 0-2 as his disappointing stint with the Mets continues. Jon Lester gave up a lot of runs (which he usually does) but went 2-1 anyway (which he usually does).

10. The Misfits (3521.6, last week 10): Reid's team didn't get the job done on either side of the ball. Jack Flaherty continues to amaze down the stretch; he went 2-1 while allowing 2 runs and striking out 25 batters in 22 innings. The rest of the Misfits' pitchers allowed 34 runs in 36.1 innings. We expect that out of Chase Anderson, but not Noah Syndergaard, Trevor Bauer and Edwin Diaz. OK, maybe we do expect that out of the Mets version of Diaz. At the plate, Justin Turner and A.J. Pollock each hit 4 homers, but it didn't amount to much.

Batting leaders after Week 22

1t. Christian Yelich (HG) 497
1t. Freddie Freeman (LCL) 497
3. Cody Bellinger (R) 492
4. Ronald Acuña Jr. (WLB) 488
5. Anthony Rendon (YA) 479

Pitching leaders after Week 22

1. Stephen Strasburg (CB) 397
2. Jacob deGrom (FF) 380
3. Luis Castillo (FF) 370.7
4. Max Scherzer (YA) 362.7
5t. Patrick Corbin (R) 360.7
5t. Aaron Nola (HG) 360.7

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Sunday Roundup

Sandy Alcantara is the first Marlins rookie to throw 2 shutouts in a season since Dontrelle Willis.

STUDS: Jack Flaherty (M) threw another gem, striking out 10 and not allowing a run in an 8-inning win. Kenta Maeda (LCL) was phenomenal in long relief, striking out 6 and earning the win in 4 shutout innings. Sandy Alcantara (HG) threw a shutout against the minor-league team masquerading as the Royals, striking out in the process. Wilson Ramos (HG) was a triple short of a cycle, walked, scored twice and drove in 3. Scorching-hot Eugenio Suarez (AL) homered twice, singled and drove in 3. Starlin Castro (FF) homered, doubled, walked, scored 3 runs and walked twice. Max Scherzer (YA) allowed 1 run and struck out 9 in a 6-inning win.

DUDS: None

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Saturday Roundup

Starlin the Marlin has been one error-prone Marlin lately. 

STUDS: Cesar Hernandez (M) homered, singled twice, scored twice and drove in 2. Josh Hader (LCL) struck out 4 in a 2-inning win. Marcell Ozuna (FF) homered, walked twice, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Joey Lucchesi (WLB) got the win and struck out 8 in 6 shutout innings. Christian Yelich (HG) stole 3 bases, singled, doubled, drove in a run, walked 3 times and scored.

DUDS: Freddy Galvis (YA) and Starlin Castro (FF) each went 0-fer with an error. Josh Bell (YA) walked and erred. J.D. Davis (FF) singled and erred. Shane Greene (R) allowed 2 runs in 1 innings.

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Friday Roundup

Three homers and zero injuries for A.J. Pollock. I'd have lost that bet. 

STUDS: Christian Yelich (HG) homered, singled twice, walked, stole a base and drove in 3. Eugenio Suarez (AL) homered, singled twice and drove in 4. Tommy Edman (CB) homered twice and drove in 3. J.T. Realmuto (PM) homered, doubled and drove in 3. Ketel Marte (PM) homered, singled twice, walked and drove in 3. A.J. Pollock (M) hit 3 solo homers.

DUDS: Manny Machado (AL) and Starlin Castro (FF) each went 0-fer with an error. Jason Heyward (LCL) walked twice and erred.

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Thursday Roundup

We're not exactly sure what's happening here, but we needed a photo of Willson Contreras. So there you go. 

STUDS: Kyle Schwarber (AL) homered, doubled, walked and drove in 4. Bryan Reynolds (AL) homered twice and drove in 3. Max Fried (R) got the win and struck out 9 in 7 shutout innings. J.T. Realmuto (PM) homered, tripled and scored twice. Willson Contreras (LCL) homered, doubled twice, singled, drove in 2 and scored twice.

DUDS: Aristides Aquino (R) went 0-fer with an error. Brandon Crawford (M) walked twice and erred.

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Wednesday Roundup

In September, Joc Pederson in 6-for-7 with 5 homers.

STUDS: Zac Gallen (HG) took a no-hitter into the 7th, finishing with 8 strikeouts in 7 shutout, 1-hit innings for the win. Joey Votto (AL) was a triple shy of a cycle, scored twice and drove in 2. Tommy Edman (CB) doubled, tripled, scored twice and drove in 1. Starlin Castro (FF) had a homer, 3 doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Kevin Pillar (YA) homered, singled 3 times and drove in 3. Joc Pederson (PM) had 2 more homers, walked, scored 3 runs and drove in 3. Ketel Marte (PM) had a grand slam and 2 singles. Franmil Reyes (PM) homered, doubled, walked, drove in 2 and scored 3 runs. Paul Goldschmidt (M) tripled, doubled, walked and drove in 4. Brandon Crawford (M) homered, walked, scored 3 runs and drove in 3. Tanner Roark (LCL) struck out 6 and allowed no runs in a 6.2-inning win.

DUDS: Anibal Sanchez (PM) allowed 7 runs and struck out 2 in a 5-inning loss.

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Tuesday Roundup

Coming off being named August's NL pitcher of the month, Jack Flaherty tossed another gem Tuesday.
In his past 7 starts, he's 5-1 with a 0.59 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 47 innings. Opponents are slugging .199 against him.

STUDS: Pete Alonso (HG) homered, singled twice, scored twice and drove in 2. Nicholas Castellanos (HG) homered, singled and drove in 4. Kyle Schwarber (AL) was a triple shy of a cycle, walked and scored twice. Jeff McNeil (CB) homered, singled, scored twice and drove in 3. Juan Soto (WLB) was a triple shy of a cycle, scored 3 runs and drove in 3. Jack Flaherty (M) struck out 8 in 8 shutout, 1-hit innings for the win. Jon Lester (LCL) struck out 9 in 6 shutout innings for the win.

DUDS: Colin Moran (LCL) erred. Felipe "Vazquez" allowed a run and struck out 1 in 1 inning to blow a save. At least it wasn't on a 2-out homer by Miguel Rojas! (is handed bulletin) Oh wait, I'm now being told that's exactly how it happened. Well, that's embarrassing for all of us. Edwin Diaz (M) brought up the extreme rear in the horse's ass that is the Mets bullpen, allowing the final 2 runs, blowing the save, taking the loss and bringing all of us a great amount of joy. When the Mets bullpen gives up 7 runs in 1/3 of an inning to lose horribly, that means not everything is wrong in the world.

Playoffs: Semifinals, Second Monday Roundup

Chris Taylor is one of 11 Dodgers with a double-digit home run total this season. 

STUDS: Charlie Blackmon (CB) hit 3 doubles, drove in a run and scored twice. J.D. Davis (FF) doubled, singled twice, drove in 2 and scored twice. Chris Taylor (YA) hit a pair of solo homers and singled. Noah Syndergaard (M) bounced back from a rough outing, striking out 10 and keeping the Nats off the board in a 7-inning win. Rhys Hoskins (LCL) hit a pair of homers and drove in 3.

DUDS: Joey Votto (AL) walked and erred. Juan Soto (WLB) went 0-fer with an error.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Sunday Roundup

Suddenly the 2 errors make a lot more sense. 

STUDS: Eric Hosmer (CB) was a homer short of a cycle, walked, drove in a run and scored. Patrick Corbin (R) and Luis Castillo (FF) each struck out 8 and allowed 3 runs in a 6-inning win. Juan Soto (WLB) homered, doubled twice, drove in 3 and scored twice. Hector Neris (WLB) blew a save and struck out 2 in 1.2 innings — but he got a vulture wins because he was facing the Mets. Freddie Freeman (LCL) homered twice, singled and drove in 5.

DUDS: Ryan "Ed" McMahon (HG) singled, scored and committed 2 errors. Dustin May (HG) struck out 1 and allowed 3 runs in 0.1 inning; he also got hit in the head by a line drive. That's a bad day. Craig Kimbrel (HG) struck out 1 and allowed 3 runs in 0.2 inning. Jeff Samardzija (AL) struck out 2 and allowed 6 runs in a 5.1-inning loss.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Saturday Roundup

Shouldn't the Nationals be shutting this guy down so he's fresh for their next few World Series runs? 

STUDS: Anthony Rendon (YA) homered twice and scored 3 runs. Juan Soto (WLB) homered, doubled, drove in 2 and scored twice. Stephen Strasburg (CB) struck out 14 and didn't allow a run in an 8-inning win. Wilson Ramos (HG) doubled, singled 3 times, drove in a run and scored twice. Kevin Newman (HG) homered, singled twice, drove in 2 and scored 3 runs. Eugenio Suarez (AL) homered, doubled, walked, drove in 2 and scored twice. Bryan Reynolds (AL) doubled twice, singled, drove in 3 and scored a run.

DUDS: Marcell Ozuna (FF) walked and erred.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Friday Roundup

Brandon Belt was one of about a dozen guys who finished a triple shy of a cycle. Rich was extremely happy for him.

STUDS: Nicholas Castellanos (HG) homered twice and drove in 4. Brandon Belt (AL) was a triple short of a cycle, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Madison Bumgarner (AL) struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Starling Marte (CB) doubled, singled twice and scored 4 runs. Ozzie Albies (R) doubled twice, singled twice, scored twice and drove in a run. Eduardo Escobar (R) was a triple short of a cycle and drove in 2. Max Fried (R) struck out 11 and allowed 3 runs in a 6-inning win. Michael Conforto (WLB) was a triple short of a cycle, scored twice and drove in 2. Archie Bradley (YA) struck out 3 in a 1.2-inning win. Anthony Rendon (YA) doubled, singled twice, walked, drove in 3 and scored a run. Ian Desmond (YA) was a triple short of a cycle and scored twice.

DUD: Chase Anderson (M) allowed 5 runs and struck out 2 in a 4-inning loss.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Thursday Roundup

If it were up to us, there'd be a picture of Aristides Aquino up here every day. Oh wait, it IS up to us. Hmm....

STUDS: Kevin Newman (HG) homered twice, doubled, singled, scored twice and drove in 4. Eduardo Escobar (R) homerd, singled, scored twice and drove in 3. Aristides Aquino (R) homered, singled twice and drove in 3. Chris Paddack (FF) struck out 8 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Justin Turner (M) homered, doubled and drove in 3.

DUDS: Hyun-Jin Ryu (HG) allowed 7 runs and struck out 4 in a 4.2-inning loss as his skid continued. Chris Taylor (YA) erred. Isan Diaz (PM) walked and was caught stealing BUT DIDN'T MAKE AN ERROR WAY TO GO ISAN!

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Wednesday Roundup

Hunky Tony DeSclafani totally gnarled up the Marlins, dude.

STUDS: Anthony DeSclafani (HG) struck out 8 in 7 shutout innings for the win. Aristides Aquino (R) homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in 3. Keston Hiura (FF) homered, doubled and drove in 3. Juan Soto (WLB) tripled, singled, scored twice and drove in 2. JT Realmuto  (PM) was a double shy of a cycle and scored twice. Cesar Hernandez (M) doubled, singled twice, scored twice and drove in 3. Freddie Freeman (LCL) homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in 2. Rhys Hoskins (LCL) tripled, doubled, drove in 1, walked and scored twice.

DUDS: Javier Baez (AL) scored and erred (sounds like a fun night at the club, you ask me). Kirby Yates (AL) struck out 1 and allowed 2 unearned runs to take the loss in a 0.2-inning outing. Thanks, Padres defense! Noah Syndergaard (M) gave up 9 earned runs and struck out 5 in a 3-innin gloss.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Tuesday Roundup

It's nice that Mets fans occasionally get to see successful, undamaged players.

STUDS: Nick Senzel (HG) had a homer, a single, a walk, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and a steal. Javier Baez (AL) homered, doubled twice, drove in 3, walked and was caught stealing. Eugenio Suarez (AL) was a triple shy of a cycle, scored twice and drove in 2. Yu Darvish (AL) struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Miles Mikolas (CB) struck out 10 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. Nolan Arenado (R) was a triple shy of a cycle and drove in 3. Luis Castillo (FF) allowed 5 runs and struck out 11 in a 6-inning win. Felipe "Vazquez" (FF) struck out 2 in 1.1 innings to earn the vulture win. Walker Buehler (PM) struck out 11 in 6 shutout innings for the win.

DUDS: Ryan McMahon (HG) and Josh Donaldson (CB) erred. Rhys Hoskins (LCL) singled and erred.

Playoffs: Semifinals, First Monday Roundup

Don't worry, it's not just you. Freddy Galvis ALSO can't believe that he has 22 homers this year.

STUDS: Sonny Gray (AL) struck out 6 and allowed 2 runs in a 6-inning win. Marcell Ozuna (FF) singled, doubled, scored twice and drove in 3. Freddy Galvis (YA) homered, singled twice and drove in 4. Paul DeJong (PM) homered, walked twice, scored twice and drove in 3. Justin Turner (M) was a triple shy of a cycle and drove in 2.

DUDS: Mike Moustakas (WLB) erred and got hurt. Hector Neris (WLB) allowed a run in a 1-inning blown save, striking out 1. Ketel Marte (PM) singled, walked and erred. AJ Pollock (M) erred, as did Nick Ahmed (LCL).

Playoffs: First Round, The Check Swing

There was a lot to smile about if you played for the Nationals, or even if you just had some in your lineup.

The top seeds all advanced in our first-round playoff matchups, setting up some juicy 1 vs. 2 semifinals. Another two-week matchup, with the same week-to-week pitching rules. Use those moves, people! You don't get to roll them into 2020.

First-round playoff finals

(2) Hassey's Girl 372.7, (3) Fresh Fish 359.8
(1) The Rookies 383.2, (4) Yari's Autonomics 369.2
(2) Clemente's Bucs 465.5, (3) When the Ledee Breaks 411.3
(1) Arbitration Losers 337, (4) Project Mayhem 297.7
Consolation: The Misfits 323.5, Lumber Co Lumber 310

Semifinal matchups

(1) Arbitration Losers vs. (2) Hassey's Girl
(1) The Rookies vs. (2) Clemente's Bucs

The week in review

Who let that homeless man into the park?

1. Clemente's Bucs (4084.5, last week 2): An offensive explosion for the ages propelled Ray's team to a first-round win and back to the top of the overall standings. His offense alone scored 348.5 points, which was more than 4 other entire teams in the first round. Trea Turner led the way at 57 - 14 singles, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 14 RBIs, 14 runs, 3 steals - but plenty of others had huge weeks too. Victor Robles (47) was also part of the Nationals' offensive exhibition, and Charlie Blackmon (39), Starling Marte (44.5), Max Muncy (43) and Josh Donaldson (45.5) crushed everything too. All told: 24 homers, 28 doubles, 65 RBIs, 79 runs, 16 steals for this crew. Yikes. For Henry's sake - and that of the rest of us poor saps - hopefully the offense wore itself out a bit. Elsewhere, Stephen Strasburg (37.7) and Dallas Keuchel (36) anchored the staff, which overcame Mike Leake (5) and Alex Wood (6.3) pitching exactly like Mike Leake and Alex Wood.

2. The Rookies (4025.4 points, last week 1): Pretty sure if we'd told you before the season that Max Fried (29) and Dakota Hudson (31.7) would play huge roles in The Rookies' trip to the semifinals, you might not have believed us. But there they were, going 3-0 with 26 strikeouts in Henry's narrow win against YA. Actual ace Patrick Corbin (30) was also great, making up for a lack of much from Zack Wheeler (3) and Adam Wainwright (13.7). As it has been all season, The Rookies' offense was immense, with new addition Aristides Aquino's 42 points only coming in third among hitting points behind Nolan Arenado (45.5) and Cody Bellinger (43.5). Goodness. Eduardo Escobar (33) and Scott Kingery (31) also pitched in in a major way.

The league needs more left-handed Italians.

3. When the Ledee Breaks (3944.6, last week 3): Matt was our tough-luck loser in the first round, putting up the second-most points but getting toppled by Ray's powerhouse. The hitting numbers are pretty staggering: Juan Soto (58), Trevor Story (43), Mike Moustakas (39), Ronald Acuna Jr. (34.5), Michael Conforto (32), etc., etc. More of the same for the WLB offense. The pitching staff, as usual, was all over the place. Jose Quintana (38) was terrific, Joey Lucchesi (29.7) had a pair of wins, and Steven Matz (25.3) was solid.  Zach Davies (4), Drew Smyly (6) and Chase Anderson (-3.7), though, showed the other side of prioritizing offense above all else. Matt was ahead of the curve with his all-offense gambit, and looking at the fantasy numbers this year, more of us may be following his lead in the coming years.

4. Yari's Autonomics (3901, last week 4): Adam's offense went berserk but his pitching was largely a no-show in a narrow loss to The Rookies. Anthony Rendon (56.5) tried to singlehandedly carry the team to victory, and Kevin Pillar (44) was obnoxiously good as well. Josh Bell (29) warmed back up a bit and Jean Segura (31) was his usual self. But the pitching, well, it wasn't great, outside of ace Zack Greinke (42.7), who went 3-0. Max Scherzer (6) left his lone start with an injury, Sean Doolittle (2.3) got roughed up and then went on the IL, and Cole Hamels (12) gave up 13 runs in 13 innings. Mikes Soroka (17.7) and Foltnewicz (7.7) weren't able to make up for the lack of top-end success. But hey, at least Archie Bradley (11.3) has a home now!

If his name were longer, there'd be letters on his butt.

5. Hassey's Girl (3896.4, last week 5): A shoddy draft and ample injuries have forced the commssioners to cobble together a team, and that collection of mostly randos managed to top the Fish to move into the semis. Ace Aaron Nola (43) was awesome, making up for Hyun-Jin Ryu (5) hitting the wall and German Marquez (6) struggling and, shocker, getting hurt. Closer Craig Kimbrel (13) came back from the IL to notch a couple saves and Zac Gallen (26) was solid in a trio of short starts. But it was the offense that pulled HG through to the semis. Pete Alonso (43.5), newcomer Nicholas Castellanos (42), Christian Yelich (37) and Ryan McMahon (35) led the way - we told you this was an odd team. Shoutout to Jon Berti (28.5), who filled in admirably after Fernando Tatis Jr. (2), shocker, got hurt.

6. Arbitration Losers (3764.7, last week 6): Tim used the "I have a National in my lineup and you don't" strategy to beat Bill in the first round, riding Adam Eaton's mind-boggling 61.5 points to a narrow victory. Bryan Reynolds (40) was studly as well... and no one else on the offense topped 18 points. Hmm. An interesting method, to be sure. Eaton had 13 RBIs, 16 runs, 5 homers, just like every other Nat, basically. The rest of Tim's squad combined for 22 RBIs, 28 runs and 7 homers. The pitching staff was very good, led by Sonny Gray (40) and Madison Bumgarner (36). Yu Darvish (24.3) had no decisions, and Kirby Yates (23.3) picked up 4 saves. And so it's on to the semifinals for one of the Giants fans in the league, at least.

At UC Irvine, they called this the Anteater Dance.

7. Fresh Fish (3734.3, last week 7): The Fish fell in the first round to Hassey's Girl because only part of the vaunted pitching staff showed up. Clayton Kershaw (49) and Jacob deGrom (35) were stellar, but Luis Castillo (10.3) and Chris Paddack (-3) weren't. Closer Felipe "Vazquez" notched 2 wins, while Castillo and Paddack combined to go 1-3. Ugh. Offensively, Marcell Ozuna (47.5) exploed for 16 hits, 10 runs and 9 RBIs. Keston Hiura (42.5) and Amed Rosario (41) formed a powerful (and unlikely) double play combo. But catchers Brian McCann (6.5) and Francsico Mejia (3.5) didn't do much and Kris Bryant (18.5) struggled.

8. Project Mayhem (3633.7, last week 8): Bill's team fell in a low-scoring first-round matchup to Tim's Losers. JT Realmuto (42), Ketel Marte (37.5) and Paul DeJong (29.5) were the top hitters, but Isan Diaz (5), Lorenzo Cain (5.5), Ian Happ (8.5), Joc Pederson (13.5) and Franmil Reyes (14.5) didn't do much, with Diaz committing an Amed Rosario-esque 6 of PM's 11 errors. Six! In two weeks, as a second baseman. Even Jose Offerman's eyes widened at that. Bill's pitching was similarly fine but not great: Kyle Hendricks (26) and Elieser Hernandez (22) led the way. Ace Walker Buehler (17) wasn't as good as hoped and had a win fumbled away by the Dodgers bullpen.

All this, and home runs too.

9. Lumber Co Lumber (3548, last week 9): If I told you that Nick Ahmed had 5 homers, 14 RBIs and a 42-point outing in the first round, what would you think? Well, he did, and John still lost to Reid in the consolation round. The pitching was just OK, and Josh Hader was 0-2 in save opps. Aside from Ahmed, Bryce Harper (37.5) and Freddie Freeman (36.5) had monster rounds too.

10. The Misfits (3229.8, last week 10): Jack Flaherty (53) went 3-0 with 21 strikeouts and just 1 run allowed in 18 innings to lead Reid to the consolation win. Offensively, Paul Goldschmidt (37.5) looked something like a first-round pick, Will Smith (34) got jiggy with 5 homers, and Justin Tuner (32) and Ryan Braun (31.5) chipped in nicely.

Batting leaders after Week 20

1. Cody Bellinger (R) 457

2. Freddie Freeman (LCL) 455

3. Ronald Acuña Jr. (WLB) 454.5

4. Christian Yelich (HG) 452
5. Anthony Rendon (YA) 426

Pitching leaders after Week 20

1. Stephen Strasburg (CB) 363
2. Jacob deGrom (FF) 342
3. Aaron Nola (HG) 337.3
4. Trevor Bauer (M) 327.7
4. Luis Castillo (FF) 325