Power Pros Forum

Ryan Burr is my #5 SP in 2019 for my Mets franchise. He's pretty decent.

Thanks! I try to pick familiar players (either guys I've heard of, or that I've drafted before) as often as possible, and after that, I go after college players. In the later rounds, I go for whoever has either decent all-around potential or amazing ability in one category (usually either a speedster or flamethrower)

July 2016 Recap

Another month, another winning record. This month, though, saw a pair of major trades made. Trade #1, made with Houston on the 29th, sent RHPs Alex Cobb and Hector Rondon, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, UTIL Logan Watkins, and SS Corey Seager to the Astros for RHP Dellin Betances, C Tyler Heineman, 2B Wendell Rijo, SS Jonathan Villar, and OF Andrew Aplin. Betances and Villar were placed on the active roster while Heineman, Rijo and Aplin were assigned to AAA. Trade #2, with the Royals, on the 30th, sent second baseman Javier Baez for a major haul including: RHP Kyle Zimmer, SS Ben Murray, OFs Jarrod Dyson and Mitchell Hansen, and $6,000,000 in cash. Zimmer, Murray, and Dyson were sent to AAA; Hansen was assigned to Rookie League Mesa; and RHP Brian Schlitter, C Reese McGuire, and INF Reid Brignac were called up from Iowa.
The team is doing well, and is now tied for first in the National League in home runs, and tied for fourth in the NL in stolen bases. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Brett Jackson have all been good; Won-sub Lee and Jarred Cosart have anchored the rotation; and Matt Harrison still hasn't allowed a run since joining Chicago in a trade. With Heath Hembree taking over as closer, and Brignac and Villar joining the lineup, we'll see how our beloved Cubbies fare in August.

August 2016 Recap

We went 17-12 in August, marking our fifth month (out of five) above .500 for the season. Dellin Betances has a minuscule 0.89 ERA since coming over via trade. Anthony Rizzo has 36 home runs and 11 stolen bases to go with his respectable .275 batting average. He leads the team by far with those 36 homers, 86 RBI and 77 runs. Jonathan Villar and Matt Szczur just beat him out with 12 steals apiece (Villar also had 12 more while still with Houston); and Wates, Brignac, and Bryant are ahead of Rizzo in average.

September call-ups were: RHPs Kyle Hendricks, Casey Coleman and Nick Wittgren; LHP Zac Rosscup, C Andrew Susac, and OFs Jorge Soler and Jarrod Dyson. Hendricks joined the rotation as the fifth starter, bumping C.J. Edwards to the bullpen. Coleman and Wittgren took middle relief roles, with Rosscup to serve as the lefty specialist. Susac is the new third catcher, and Dyson is to be a pinch-runner exclusively. Soler will start in RF against left-handers, and come off the bench against righties.

(Stats as of September 4th)

2016 Regular Season Roundup: 87-75, 1st NL Central

we did the thing where you...play games after the regular season. it is called "play offs". i have no idea what to do.

recap by position:

Catcher: Wilin Rosario started 78 games. He had a cool 31.5 CS% to go with a 3.91 CERA. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (15.2%, 3.59) and Welington Castillo (38.9%, 4.20) were both traded mid-season, and Reese McGuire ended the season as the backup, throwing out one of seven runners and posting a 3.03 ERA in 13 games (nine starts). Rosario finished hitting .264/.294/.452 with 15 home runs; McGuire hit .324/.457/.541 in his 21 games.

First Base: Anthony Rizzo started 160 games at first, with a +12.0 ZR and .992 FLD%. Paul Konerko started one game, Jon Singleton started one game, and Jonathan Villar played one inning. Rizzo handled all 1437 other innings at first. Oh yeah, and Rizzo was second in the MLB in WAR (screw you, late-season Christian Yelich hot streak), hitting .279/.361/.559 with 39 doubles, 44 home runs, 117 RBI, 96 runs, and 12 stolen bases. Konerko was mainly used as a pinch-hitter (and DH), hitting .250/.349/.306 with no home runs in 72 at-bats.

Second Base: Before being traded, Javier Baez started 70 games with a +2.9 ZR. Reid Brignac stepped in admirably, with a +4.1 ZR over 61 starts. Arismendy Alcantara and Jason Kipnis also started a few games; neither was particularly good or bad defensively. Brignac somehow managed to hit .311 with sixteen doubles. Alcantara hit .284 with 15 doubles and 8 steals in 108 games as a utility infielder.

Third Base: Kris Bryant started 120 games, with a +6.9 ZR; he also hit .298, with a .280 ISO and 30 home runs. Alcantara struggled with a -4.0 ZR and .929 FLD%, but perhaps the worst of all was Starlin Castro, who started 21 games early in the season and committed ten errors and put up a -8.8 ZR and .773 FLD%. .773!

Shortstop: The revolving door of shortstop rotated between Villar (+2.2 ZR, 60 GS), Castro (+3.1 ZR, 35 GS), and Corey Seager (+1.4 ZR, 33 GS) along with Alcantara and Baez. Villar hit .261 with 32 doubles and 33 steals; Castro hit .257 with 10 doubles, 8 homers, and 6 steals in his 56 games.

Outfield:

Rotation: Won-Sub Lee (9-10, 3.08 ERA, 194 K, 32 GS) and Jarred Cosart (15-9, 3.16 ERA, 116 K, 32 GS) anchored the rotation all year. Matt Wisler (14-14, 4.00 ERA, 147 K, 32 GS) also put up a fair season, while C.J. Edwards (10-9, 4.56) and Jake Arrieta (8-13, 4.61) struggled a bit. Kyle Hendricks made six starts at the end of the year with a 2-3 record and 5.09 ERA; Ben Wells and Alex Cobb made one spot start apiece.

Bullpen: The ‘pen was anchored by strong years from RHPs Dellin Betances (18 HLD, 1.89 ERA) and Heath Hembree (18 SV, 15 HLD, 2.90 ERA) and lefty Matt Harrison (2.66 ERA). RHPs Brett Bochy (15 HLD, 3.16 ERA) and Adam Ottavino (49 G, 3.40 ERA) as well as LHP Robbie Ross (12 HLD, 3.71 ERA) rounded out the solid group.

Kris Bryant is pretty good.

He and Rizzo both had .280 ISOs, they were insane this year

NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins

Game 1

Miami sent their ace, Jacob Turner, out against the Cubs’ star pitcher Won-sub Lee in Game 1. In the second inning, Kris Bryant doubled, and Wilin Rosario knocked him in with a single. Brett Jackson flew out, and Albert Almora singled after a wild pitch by Turner advanced Rosario to second. Rosario was aggressive, and tried for home, but was gunned down. Ryan Sweeney followed with a two-run homer, and that was it for offense in the game. Sweeney finished 2 for 3 with a handful of amazing defensive plays, but Lee was named Player of the Game with seven shutout innings.

Cubs 3, Marlins 0…W: Lee (1-0) L: Turner (0-1) S: Hembree (1)

Game 2

This one was a slugfest, with Jarred Cosart taking the mound for Chicago and Jose Fernandez pitching for Miami. Derek Dietrich broke the scoreless tie in the second with a solo dinger, but the Cubs responded with four-run innings in both the fifth and sixth, and added one more in the 8th. But they weren’t done; C.J. Edwards gave up six runs in the bottom of the inning, including a grand slam by Lonnie Chisenhall. But an Austin Wates home run in the top half and a scoreless inning by Heath Hembree in the bottom half sealed the game for the Cubbies.

Also, outfielder Ryan Sweeney suffered a herniated disc in his back in the 8th; he was replaced by Austin Wates in left, while Brett Jackson slid over to right. Sweeney was placed on the 11-day DL and will be replaced should Chicago advance to the NLCS.

Cubs 10, Marlins 7…W: Cosart (1-0) L: Fernandez (0-1) S: Hembree (2)

Game 3

Two young right-handers, Matt Wisler and Nathan Eovaldi, squared off in this battle. Both pitched well, but Wisler left the game down 3-2 having allowed a two-run homer to Jeff Malm and an RBI double to Niko Goodrum; Chicago scored on a Matt Szczur RBI triple and a Brett Jackson solo home run. The bullpen could not keep the Cubs in the game, as Robbie Ross allowed a two-run blast to Derek Dietrich. A.J. Ramos pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.

Marlins 5, Cubs 2…W: Eovaldi (1-0) L: Wisler (0-1) S: Ramos (1)

Game 4

It was a wild one at Wrigley. To start, Niko Goodrum was injured running out a double in the first inning, and had to be replaced by Donovan Solano, who scored on a single by batting champ Christian Yelich. After a fielder’s choice put him on base, Jeff Malm came around to score on a Marcell Ozuna double. Turner retired the Cubs 1-2-3 in the bottom half. In the top of the second, back-to-back batters reached on errors by shortstop Jonathan Villar and pitcher Jake Arrieta; they both proceeded to score on groundouts. In the bottom of the second, Brett Jackson tripled to score Wilin Rosario, and Albert Almora drove him in on a long flyout. Both teams went down in order in the third, but the Cubs scored again as Almora drove in Rosario with a single. Then the teams traded perfect innings in the fifth. In the sixth, Almora collected yet another RBI, driving in Kris Bryant on a double; he then scored on a single by Jonathan Villar. Miami tied the game as series star Derek Dietrich picked up an RBI single; Ryan Fisher’s sacrifice fly drove in Marcell Ozuna later in the inning to give the Marlins the lead. But alas, the game was tied AGAIN in the bottom of the 8th, as Matt Szczur (starting for the injured Ryan Sweeney) drove in Albert Almora with a single. And in the ninth, Robbie Ross entered, and struggled again, allowing two hits and getting only one out. Heath Hembree came in to relieve him, but Ozuna hit a sacrifice fly to score catcher J.T. Realmuto. In the bottom of the ninth, A.J. Ramos entered to pitch, and allowed base hits to Kris Bryant and Wilin Rosario to lead off the inning. He then got Brett Jackson and Albert Almora to fly out; Bryant advanced to third on the Almora out. Second baseman Reid Brignac, who had bumped Villar to short and Starlin Castro out of the lineup, came up and got ready. The first pitch was a called strike. The second…

was turned on and driven 392 feet into the stands for a WALK-OFF HOME RUN, advancing the Cubs to the NLCS!!!!!!!

Marlins 7, Cubs 9…W: Hembree (1-0) L: Ramos (0-1)

The Cubs will advance to play the Dodgers in the NLCS; LHP Clayton Kershaw (21-4, 2.18, 267 K; 7 IP, 0 R in NLDS) will be waiting for them in Game 1. Also, Jorge Soler will replace Sweeney on the playoff roster.

NLCS: Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1

Jorge Soler stepped in for his first at-bat in the second inning. He looked out toward Clayton Kershaw on the mound and got settled in. Soler took a ball, then a strike. The next pitch was a pure line drive, a rocket off his bat that landed some 401 feet away in the stands at Dodger Stadium. And again in the fourth inning, he lofted a 409-foot fly ball out on the first pitch from Kershaw. The Cubs took the 2-0 lead and never looked back, riding Soler to a 4-1 victory over the Dodgers Saturday night. Won-sub Lee delivered a great start, allowing only one run in seven innings, and the bullpen held the lead created in part due to the magnificent right-handed power stroke of the young Soler, who had within the past 24 hours gone from just a highly-touted prospect, to a member of the playoff roster after an injury to starting right fielder Ryan Sweeney, to a playoff hero. “It felt great,” Soler said through a translator. “He [Kershaw] is a great pitcher and I have much respect for him, but today I got the best of him.” Kershaw commented back. “I knew this Soler kid was supposed to be good, but I didn’t expect him to take me deep twice. I always try to come into each at-bat with the mindset that I’m going to get the batter out. The Cubs got the best of me tonight, though. All I can do is support my teammates the next two games and hope to take the ball in a few days and get my revenge, so to speak,” the star southpaw said to a large group of reporters gathered around his locker.

Cubs 4, Dodgers 1…W: Lee (2-0) L: Kershaw (1-1) S: Hembree (3)

Game 2

Lineup changes were made; Arismendy Alcantara started in shortstop (though that didn’t last long) and Reid Brignac started at second base. However, in the second inning, Albert Almora got hurt while playing defense; Starlin Castro came in at short, and Alcantara slid to center field. Despite being a matchup of the teams’ number-two starters, it was an offensive showdown, as Anthony Rizzo got the scoring started with an RBI double, and Wilin Rosario singled to bring him home. The Cubs mounted their lead to 3-0 on a Brett Jackson homer, then 4-0 on an Alcantara RBI double, then 5-0 on a Rizzo tater, but the Dodgers struck back in the fifth on a pinch-hit RBI double by Bobby Coyle and a sac fly from Dee Gordon. They tied the game in the 7th, as starting pitcher Jarred Cosart’s fatigue started to show, and a sac fly from Carl Crawford (who stayed in the game at second base, while the player he pinch-hit for, Zack Cozart, stayed in defensively at shortstop, but was removed from the lineup) tied it at five. In the 8th, Alcantara knocked through an RBI single, then executed a double steal with Matt Szczur, who scored on a Castro single. Alcantara scored on a Rizzo single, but Adam Ottavino nearly gave the game back to LA, allowing two runs in the eighth but stranding Jeremy Hazelbaker at second. Chicago extended their lead on RBI singles from pinch-hitter Reese McGuire and Alcantara. Dellin Betances pitched a shutout ninth inning, stranding two runners, to ensure the Cubs a 2-0 series lead.

Cubs 10, Dodgers 7…W: Cosart (2-0) L: P. Rodriguez (0-1) S: Betances (1)

Game 3

Basically, everything went wrong for us in this one. Matt Wisler got hurt running the bases, and had to come out. Matt Harrison came in for some long relief, and gave up ten runs. Jonathan Villar booted two balls at second base. And on top of that, Hyun-jin Ryu, Joakim Soria, and Paco Rodriguez hurled a combined shutout.

Dodgers 12, Cubs 0…W: Ryu (1-0) L: Ottavino (0-1)

Game 4

Jake Arrieta gave up 10 runs in 5 2/3 innings and even Jorge Soler (3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Starlin Castro (3-5, 3 runs) couldn’t overcome this deficit. The Dodgers got home runs by Joc Pederson (solo shot in the 2nd), Hanley Ramirez (2-run homer in the 3rd, solo tater in the 5th), and Matt Wieters (two-run dinger in the fifth) plus three hits from Zack Cozart to overcome their own shaky start from right-hander Matt Magill (3 innings, 4 runs).

Oh, and also Matt Wisler’s injury from Game 3 was a sprained knee and he’s out 6-7 weeks so yeah, his season’s over. At least we might get a decent outing from Won-sub Lee next time out…

Dodgers 10, Cubs 6…W: Fife (1-0) L: Arrieta (0-1)

Game 5

To call it “decent” would be an insult to Won-sub Lee’s masterful outing Thursday night. He was perfect through four-plus. He had a no-hitter through seven. He set the Cubs’ playoff record with twelve strikeouts. And yet, he got a no-decision. His opponent, Clayton Kershaw, was nearly as good, allowing only one run, off an Austin Wates single in the third inning, in seven strong innings.

But this game wasn't about the pitching (okay, yeah, it kinda was). It was about the hitting--and timely hitting at that. David Freese's round-tripper off the bench tied the game off Cubs closer Heath Hembree in the ninth. But in the 11th, with Wates on second base and two outs, Brett Jackson laced a walk-off, line-drive base hit to right against Joakim Soria. And that was all she wrote.

Dodgers 1, Cubs 2 (11)...W: Betances (1-0) L: Soria (0-1)

Game 6

Jarred Cosart didn’t just make an impact with his six shutout innings. He helped his own cause too, collecting two hits and scoring twice, en route to a 7-0 Chicago victory and the Cubs’ first World Series trip in seventy-one years. But Cosart wasn’t the only one chipping in offensively. Starlin Castro (4-5, 2 RBI), as well as four other Cubs with two-hit games and Arismendy Alcantara with a solo homer in the ninth to seal the game, helped as well. And as redemption for his ten runs allowed in his first playoff appearance, Matt Harrison pitched a perfect three innings for the save.

Cubs 7, Dodgers 0…W: Cosart (3-0) L: Greinke (1-1) S: Harrison (1)

Game 1

Kris Bryant homered in the first inning, Matt Harrison and Ben Wells threw three scoreless innings apiece, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Monday night. After Bryant's homer and an RBI single by Jonathan Villar in the second made it 3-0 Cubs, a 46-minute rain delay forced starter C.J. Edwards out of the game after two innings, in which he allowed no hits, but did surrender three walks. The only blemish for Chicago came in the ninth when Adam Ottavino briefly relieved Harrison (who had been pinch-hit for) and allowed a double to Dawel Lugo, who later scored on a wild pitch.

Jake Arrieta will be skipped in the rotation, and right-hander Won-sub Lee will take the ball for Game 2 in Chicago tomorrow evening. Toronto will send fellow righty Marcus Stroman to the hill to try and knot this series at one.

Game 2

#%^$&R&&*$(&^%()#@$)@ relievers.

I mean, come on, Robbie Ross. You couldn’t have…not given up a hit to a guy who had 107 career MLB at-bats—across which he hit .206—in the ninth inning? Come on. You couldn’t have held that same guy—who had gone 1 for 5 in steal attempts this season (all in AA)—from stealing second? Now, sure, some blame should be placed on the fielders behind you for the sacrifice fly—on which Matt Szczur didn’t even attempt a throw—and then the pop-fly base hit by Josh Vitters to take the 3-2 lead, but still…you think you can trust a guy against the likes of Vitters and Chris Iannetta and of course, our mystery man, Dawel Lugo…and then when you go into the bottom of the ninth, you think, “The heart of our order against a dude named Bastardo? This should be easy,” and then they go down 1-2-3, and you walk dejectedly into the clubhouse thinking of ways to get your best hitters to, uh, ACTUALLY HIT, and your best relievers to, uh, ACTUALLY GET OUTS, and you realize that, shoot, someone not named Won-sub Lee is starting the next few games, and you might actually have to, uh, SCORE RUNS, that is, if you want to break the, uh, CURSE OF THE BILLY GOAT.

Anyhow, Jarred Cosart and Chris Heston—who went 17-4 despite a 3.83 ERA—will face off in Game 3 on Thursday night, at Rogers Centre.

We somehow managed to win one of three in Toronto, and it was back to Wrigley where we would have to win both games to take home the trophy. But with Won-sub Lee and Jarred Cosart starting, that idea may not be too far out of reach…

Game 6

It wasn’t even close. Lee threw seven shutout innings, Jorge Soler was 3-4 with a homer, four RBI, and three runs, and Arismendy Alcantara pitched the ninth inning (he allowed three hits, walked one, and gave up two runs). Ryan Sweeney was 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and Anthony Rizzo also pitched in a home run.

The only dark spot was Reese McGuire—and not his play, he was 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI—who suffered an injury running the bases in the sixth inning. “Yeah, they did an MRI, and I tore up some ligaments in my ankle pretty bad. Obviously, my main focus is cheering my teammates on to victory tomorrow, and then I’ll take it slow in the offseason with my rehab.”

Oh yeah, and the score was 13-2.

Jarred Cosart and Rick Porcello will face off tomorrow for the 2016 World Series title.

How did you do this with the Cubs??

1. I signed a stud in Won-sub Lee
2. I got lucky with top prospects like Almora, Soler, and Bryant
3. Brett Jackson didn't do normal Brett Jackson things
4. ???

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now...what you've all been waiting for...

Game 7

we got killed. rip in peace

Other than 2.2 perfect innings from Jake Arrieta in relief, all our pitchers sucked (Ben Wells was the worst, allowing six runs over 1.1 innings). We hit pretty well, but choked with runners in scoring position—our sixteen hits translated to only five runs due to leaving 22 men stranded. Also, Dawel Lugo had a triple and a homer. And only one Jays starter didn’t get a hit—Jose Bautista (he had two walks, though; and yes, Rick Porcello did get a base hit). There were a few bright spots in the game—Starlin Castro was 4 for 5, Anthony Rizzo 3 for 5 with a homer, Wilin Rosario 3 for 5, and of course Arrieta’s pitching—but the 22 men left on base are unacceptable, as is the atrocious pitching—fourteen runs!—and the fact that we seem to make multiple careless errors in every game (Jonathan Villar was caught stealing, and Castro committed an error at shortstop).

Here’s to next season!

2016 MLB Awards

Gold Gloves:

AL: Scheppers, Jimenez, Rios, Travis, Longoria, Iglesias, Trout, Buxton, Arcia
NL: Wood, Bethancourt, Rizzo, Jackson, Arenado, Simmons, Hazelbaker, Almora, Sweeney

Congratulations to the Braves and to our Cubs for having three Gold Glove winners apiece!

Rookie of the Year:

AL: Preston Tucker, LF, Royals (.292, 24 HR) — 2nd: Alex Jackson, HOU; 3rd: B.J. Boyd, OAK
NL: Niko Goodrum, SS, Marlins (.324, 61 RBI) — 2nd: Kris Bryant, CHC; 3rd: Daniel Palka, ARZ

Manager of the Year:

AL: John Gibbons, Blue Jays (100-62, World Series title)
NL: Parker Bernhart, Cubs (87-75, NL Championship)

Cy Young Award:

AL: Tony Cingrani, Indians (17-8, 2.93, 237 K) — 2nd: Erasmo Ramirez, SEA; 3rd: Jake Peavy, SEA
NL: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (21-4, 2.18, 267 K) — 2nd: Matt Harvey, NYM; 3rd: Stephen Strasburg, WSH

MVP:

AL: Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers (.319, 35 HR, 112 RBI) — 2nd: Mike Trout, LAA; 3rd: Blake Swihart, NYY
NL: Christian Yelich, CF, Marlins (.326, 26 HR, 97 RBI) — 2nd: Anthony Rizzo, CHC; 3rd: Joey Votto, CIN