Baseball fans still have the playoffs to enjoy, but the fantasy season has come to a close. After 25 very competitive weeks, which team has been crowned BaseballGB Fantasy League champions? And who would benefit from Jordan Zimmermann’s no-hitter?
Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
Orpington Isotopes | 25 | 7 | 20 | 5 | .238 | .738 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 0 | 1.35 | 0.83 | 8 |
London Bananas | 16 | 2 | 11 | 4 | .296 | .751 | 1 | 3 | 51 | 0 | 2.60 | 0.90 | 3 |
Your 2014 champions are… the Orpington Isotopes.
Before anyone suggests so, this wasn’t a fix!
My team had squeaked through the previous playoff rounds 6-5 and 5-5 (with a tiebreak win) but managed to defeat the Bananas 8-3. The offense took four categories, with Duda belting a pair of homers and driving in six, Frazier going deep twice and scoring six while Utley and Pollock swiped two bases each. But the real star of the show was Jordan Zimmermann, who hurled a final-day no-hitter to help the pitching staff take wins, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. Funnily enough, I have a history with last-day no-nos, if you will allow me to digress.
FINAL DAY FORTUNE
As well as my involvement in the BaseballGB league, I also played in a 16-team dynasty league which included a free agent auction with multi-year contracts and a minor league draft. After spending hours each year reading up about prospects and trying to figure out the best way to complete my 25-man roster, I had never finished higher than the second place, which i somehow managed in my first year, 2007. Since then I had come no closer to the title.
Last year, I was towards the top of the standings, but it was incredibly close between my team and Chris (manager of our Northfleet Knights). Desperate for help on the final day, I decided to add a pitcher. I needed strikeouts and had to hope that he could also help me in ERA and WHIP. His strikeout numbers weren’t anything special, but he would be facing a team which had already made the playoffs and would probably be resting its stars. The player I added was Henderson Alvarez, who duly threw a no-no against the Tigers, sealing the championship for my team. If this happens again next season, I will run out of words to explain it!
BACK TO THE MATCHUP
The Bananas took average and OPS comfortably thanks to Span, Werth, Escobar and Marte while Reed, Janssen and K-Rod had a save each. Hamels, Hammel and Lohse put up great ERA and WHIP numbers which probably would have led to category wins in most other matchups. I tip my cap to Taxi Driver for a great season. There’s always next year.
Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
Norwich No II | 23 | 7 | 25 | 4 | .232 | .750 | 1 | 7 | 56 | 1 | 4.17 | 1.31 | 8 |
Enfield Butchers | 19 | 6 | 27 | 2 | .182 | .554 | 1 | 8 | 55 | 5 | 4.70 | 1.45 | 3 |
Norwich ended the season on a high, defeating the Butchers 8-3 to win the third place play-off. McCutchen was the pick of the hitters, homering twice, scoring even times and driving in eight, while Justin Upton also went deep twice. Fiers struck out 10 and the bullpen helped take ERA and WHIP, led by Chapman, who recorded three saves and nine strikeouts. Trumbo hit three homers and knocked in eight for the Butchers, as Encarnacion drove in seven. Kimbrel, Melancon and Holland took care of saves, while Davis and Clippard combined for five holds.
Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
Beck ‘Nams (GB) | 28 | 8 | 27 | 1 | .291 | .813 | 4 | 0 | 61 | 3 | 3.42 | 1.03 | 6 |
Jesmond Dennings | 18 | 3 | 12 | 3 | .230 | .614 | 4 | 2 | 65 | 3 | 2.97 | 1.07 | 4 |
Beck ‘Nams finished the year with a win, beating Jesmond 6-4 to win the Consolation Playoff final. Markakis, Kemp and Dozier helped the offense take five out of six categories, while Kuroda, Nick Martinez and Kennedy helped take WHIP. Chisenhall, Harrison and Trout each stole a base for Jesmond, while Volquez struck out 10 and team with Fister to take ERA and Hawkins and O’Day had a save each.
Team | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | W | SV | K | HLD | ERA | WHIP | Score |
Batteries Essential | 9 | 3 | 15 | 1 | .220 | .620 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 3.26 | 1.34 | 3 |
The Cheddar Chasers | 13 | 4 | 17 | 3 | .191 | .541 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 1 | 3.82 | 1.25 | 7 |
The Chasers signed off with a 7-3 win against Batteries Essential in the seventh place playoff. Miguel Cabrera and Rajai Davis helped the Chasers take four offensive categories while Nolasco had a win and 11 strikeouts and Lester helped take WHIP. Batteries Essential salvaged average and OPS thanks to Brantley and Gyorko, while Alex Wood helped take ERA.
There you have it. It’s been a fantastic year for the BaseballGB league, with a large number of managers producing our most competitive season yet. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Thanks for being a part of it, and I Iook forward to seeing you in the draft room next year when you all try to knock me down a peg or two. Thanks as always to Matt for his help and don’t forget to keep supporting the BaseballGB site.
2 comments
Congratulations on another title triumph for the Isoptopes!
Thanks all for playing this year and thanks especially to Mark for writing the round-ups and organising it all.
Roll on 2015!
Nicely done MG.