Friday, September 30, 2022

Yankees at Indians Developing ...

 The matchup of perhaps the two best starters in the game - Cole vs. Bieber, had crazy twists meriting a 6th inning update.

Cole's strike out range is 23-48 and Bieber is 24-48, and both keep the action on their cards 83% of the time due to their PB 2-9.

In the first 6 innings Cole drew a 51, 51, 51 and 52 for 4 walks that certainly would have had Yankees fans angry, particularly since Bieber had a 48 to get a strikeout call.

The fun z-plays came into play to break the tie, as reyes drew a 52 with Ramirez on 1st base which is a drive to the top of the wall that requires a second card, and that 62 was a base clearing double to make it 1-0 Guardians.

Then the next inning with one on Ramirez was up for a clutch defensive play to center field where Hicks is only a CD1, and the 76 led to another rbi double to make it 2-0.

In the 6th Cole came out as a pb2-8, got one out, then gave up a walk to be a pb2-7, then a double to Naylor to be a PB 4-7 and leave down 2-0 with men on second and third, and we brought in Holmes and his very tight 11-17 hits allowed, but on a PB 2-7.



The problem for the Indians is a really thin bullpen. Their 2nd best player is a PB 4-7, while the Yankees 2nd best is a PB2-9.

They did survive to hold onto the 2-0 win in game 1, but the pen could not hold a 3-2 lead in the second game, and Aaron Judge's double was the game winning hit for a 5-3 Yankees win and split of the series.



Sunday, September 25, 2022

Aaron Judge Chases Maris' 61st HR Tonight, Most Improved Statis-Pro Card Includes 24-36 Statis-Pro HR Range

As Aaron Judge chases Roger Maris' 61st Home Run tonight, his new Statis-Pro card was releases with his incredible 24-36 home run range. This 2022 Act (based on Actual stats) has four more home run numbers then his already incredible 2022P (based on pre-season Projected Stats) card, which had a 25-33 Home Run range and calculated to a 0.907 OPS. The actual card is based on his 1.116 OPS.

He also improved his OBR/STL (speed when running the bases and stealing basis from the C/D on his projected card. After stealing 16 of 19 bases this year he is now a B/B.

Judge is one of just 10 batters who will receive an improved card based on regular season stats that showed more than a 0.060 improvement in OPS and the player being in the top 100 overall in the MLB. The other nine improved cards are shown further down.



To play, you can print the free Statis-Pro Baseball Game and PDFs of Judge and all the 2022 Batters, 2022 Pitchers from Arizona to Miami, and 2022 Pitchers from Milwaukee to Washington.

The other 9 batters who get an improved card for their regular season stats are:

Andres Gimenez - CLE 2022 Act

Brandon Drury - SD 2022 Act

Eugenio Suarez - SEA 2022 Act

Jose Altuve - HOU 2022 Act

Manny Machado - SD 2022 Act

Nolan Arenado - STL 2022 Act

Paul Goldschmidt - STL 2022 Act

Starling Marte - NYM 2022 Act

Yordan Alvarez - HOU 2022 Act




Saturday, September 24, 2022

2022 Projected Statis-Pro Cards - Running Updates of AL Season Nearing Conclusion

Wrapping up the regular season in reverse order. First the standings as of September 25 at 8 pm. Top 6 teams make playoffs. The color coding indicates the three big series remaining. While Seattle is gone, if the White Sox win their series against the eliminated Mariners, then they could get in the mix. Each team has their ace and No. 2 starter going in that series.
 
TeamW   L    GB   Pct       R/G    R All/Gm   Best case
Toronto311750.6465.804.30Bos, Balt?
NY Yankees282020.5834.403.60Cle, Balt?
Boston272110.5635.003.90Tor, Balt?
Minnesota302410.5564.304.10Balt?
Cleveland262200.5424.503.90NYY, Balt?
Houston322800.5335.504.40Done
Chicago WS2226-40.4584.404.50Sea, Balt?
LA Angels2331-60.4264.005.50Done
Seattle2232-70.4073.905.10ChW
Tampa Bay2337-90.3833.604.60Done
Baltimore612-50.3333.506.70As needed

We track all games in our season here

Each team's 10th series is against the Orioles, and only played if it is still in doubt if they will make the top 6 and in the playoffs, or if they have a chance to make the top two for a bye in the playoffs.

You can print out the entire Statis-Pro game for free by clicking here. To make it easier to print Statis-Pro player cards based on 2022 projected stats, we broke the pitchers cards in half and changed everything to a PDF. To print player cards with each sheet containing only one team, click for the 2022 Batters, 2022 Pitchers from Arizona to Miami, and 2022 Pitchers from Milwaukee to Washington. If you want to add some fun, you can use this chart for unusual "Z-plays."

Some league rules we us are that each game actually counts as a 3-game series, with the winner of the series getting credit for winning 2 out of 3 UNLESS the winning team:
a. leads by at least 5 runs at the end of the 8th inning,
b. has not used their reliever with the best PB rating by the end of the 8th inning, and
c. holds onto win the game even if by less than 5 runs.

We have played 90 games this season and 25 have ended up as sweeps under the rules above, which is 27.7% and within 1% of the number of 3-game series that end up in sweeps in Major League Baseball.

Results that have already happened the last couple of days, in reverse order:

White Sox Playing to Stay Alive

The top 6 teams can hope the addition of ace Castillo to Seattle to give them the strong 1-2 pitching punch with Ray is enough to shut down the White Sox and basically wrap up who the 6 playoff teams are. If the White Sox do well enough to stay in the mix then all the teams except the Astros still have hte option of a final series against the Orioles.

Castillo (Sea)Giolito (CWS)
Ray (Sea)Kopech (CWS)

With Buxton Out for Season Twins Offense Weak, but they beat Angels 3-0 and 3-1

Angels officially eliminated. The Twins mustered just enough offense for 2 wins and basically clinch - but with their best player Buxton out for the season and replace by Celestino in cf for the playoffs.





Astros Disappointing Split with Struggling Rays

The Orioles were added to the 10 teams originally used just to give the options of a 10th series so that each team could go through their 4-main rotation 5 times.


Astros disappointed split with Rays to finish season. 32-28 finish should be enough, but 11-1 finish for White Sox or 12-0 finish by Angels could knock them out.


Final Series 8: Rays B. Lowe Lost for White Sox near do or die.

 The White Sox are 4 games out of a playoff spot heading into Tampa for their 8th series of the season.

Cease (CWS)McClanahan (TBR)
Lynn (CWS)Rasmussen (TBR)

After this series we will be down to our final 9th series, and then if needed teams have a 10th series against the Orioles.

DL

Before each series we check for any 60-day DLs and take those cards off the team. The White Sox lost two pitchers, but both had very week cards that would only have been used if they were being blown out. 

The big blow is to the Rays, who lose cleanup hitter Brandon Lowe

Game 1 - ChiSox 6-3 sweep, only 3.5 games out

Amazing set of rules came into play.

Tim Anderson made another error - he has the worst fielding rating at E6 CD1.

ChiSox fans will forgive him with one of the best batter cards in the game, which came into play to put the White Sox up 6-0 in the 4th.

Joe Kelly came into pitch the 7th, and while I usually only allow relievers to pitch one inning, my league rule is if they strikeout every batter then they get to pitch another inning. Kelly ended up striking out 6 of 7 batters,.walking the other. 

That left the White Sox up by at least 5 runs after 8 innings without losing their closer Liam Hendriks in those 8 innings - the rules in our league for getting credit for a sweep ...

As.long as the team holds onto win the game.

However Ruiz hit a batter, allowed 2 hits and walked a batter, while getting only one out.

That meant Hendriks had to be brought in with the score 6-1 and bases loaded. A team does not need to maintain a 5-run margin, but if they lose the game it switches from a 3 games.to 0 series win to a 1 game to 2 games loss. Hendriks did walk 2 batters to make it 6-3 and with bases loaded the winning run for the Rays was at the plate. 

Hendriks (a pb 2-9) kept the action on his card with a PB 5, and the drew a 51, barely within his 23-51 strikeout to end the game.

The only downside is he now cannot pitch in the nightcap, but they are now only 3.5 games out of the playoffs.



Game 2 - Tampa 6, Chicago 3

A typical Rays series - used 6 pitchers in both games :-).





Friday, September 23, 2022

Statis-Pro playoff wire - Cleveland vs. seattle

Developing ...

Seattle is 4 games out of the in our Statis-Pro season. Their 8th of 10 series will be against one of the teams the need to catch - Cleveland.

Here are the matchups for tonight:

Mckenzie (Cle) vs Gilbert (Sea)

Plesac (Cle) vs Boyd (sea)

Details to follow.

The Guardians 5 games to 1 win over the Mariners moved them up to the same spot they'd be in the actual MLB season - the 3-seed. The Mariners in turn are close to eliminated with just two series to go.





Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Awful Angels - Despite 2 Trout HRs

 How can a team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani be this bad both in real MLB and in our Statis-Pro season. Check our the player cards for yourself and the score sheet below. They gave up 17 runs in 2 games and could have been much more. 

To make it easier to print Statis-Pro player cards based on 2022 projected stats, we broke the pitchers cards in half and changed everything to a PDF. To print player cards with each sheet containing only one team, click for the 2022 Batters, 2022 Pitchers from Arizona to Miami, and 2022 Pitchers from Milwaukee to Washington.

4 of the 6 playoff teams of projected Statis-Pro teams is the season ended today would also make the actual MLB playoffs. The two differences are the Red Sox and Twins would make the Statis-Pro playoffs while the Mariners and Rays would make the actual MLB playoffs.

Dalbec drew a clutch batting card (BD) twice in a row with bases loaded in the top of the 10th but hit two foul home runs or the final would have been 11-7 instead of the 8-7 win. The first game was a 9-2 sweep as No. 8 batter Arroyo had a homer and 3 doubles.





Monday, September 19, 2022

Why Twins Starter pulled with no hitter in matchup of Statis-Pro over achievers

 In our season using projected Statis-Pro Cards, two team has played much better in real life (Orioles and Tampa), 7 have been about the same in both, and tonight's series matched up the 2 that had been much better in Statis-Pro (Twins and Jays).

No there is one. The Jays received credit for a 4 games to 2 series based on credit for a sweep for another slugfest (10-3), but more interesting notes about the game occurred in the pitchers, duel in the second game.

Blue Jay Mitch White threw 4 no hit innings, but the former Dodgers' "max IP" is 4.

When a player hits his max innings, he can stay in the game, but his remaining endurance SR, which had actually only dropped from 11 to 6 due to one walk and 4 innings ending, is automatically dropped to 0 for the 5th inning. 

In his case that dropped him a PB 4-7 to a PB 2-6, but because the reliever who would have come in for the 5th was also a pb 2-6, so we left him and he got three straight outs so his PB stayed 2-6 through the inning, but the end of the inning would have made him a PB 2-5 for the 6th inning so he was removed. 

In a throwback in the 8th inning, speed and defense broke the 0-0 tie.

Merrifield singled in the top of the 8th, but was thrown out stealing.

In the bottom of the 8th Urshela singled, and Nick Gordan pinch ran and stole 2nd.

Kepler the doubled him home.

Kirilloff then hit a drive requiring a clutch defense play by center fielder Springer, who is only a cd2. He did catch the ball, but due to the weak defense allowed Kepler to go to 3rd base with one out.

Note that while I recorded the play as a S8, it is not really a sacrifice fly because a player only gets that credit if a runner scores, but we record to remember what happened in the game.

Arraez then did have a sac fly, on an FD9 allowing the second run to score for the 2-0 win.

Here are the new standings with the Jays in 1st as the only team over achieving now.








Sunday, September 4, 2022

Video fixed - Statis-Pro Game Tracker as Orioles Win 1st 2 - Video of Fast Action Cards

Thanks readers for informing us the video on this blog was not working. It should be now.


Here is the tracker of all the match-ups in our Statis-Pro league. 

Our fun addition of the Orioles to let every team play an even 10 series results in a lot of runs allowed - they've given up 7.5 runs per game - by far the worst figure in the league. However, it has been feast or famine as the photos at the bottom of this blog show. Their ace Means, while only a PB2-6, went 11 innings and allowed only 2 runs in his first two starts, including 6 scoreless inning against Tampa for the first win of the year - 4-0 in 10 innings on a Mateo grand slam homer.

The Orioles then fought back from down 4-8 for a second thrilling extra inning 14-11 win over Tampa.  It doesn't look like either of those two teams will make our 6-team playoff, but we list the standings and where each team ranks in average runs scored and allowed in our season.

First, a video on how I go through my 4-sided deck of fast action cards the 5th through the 8th time.

Then onto the Tampa vs. Baltimore series and the standings.





StandingsWLGBRSrnkRArnk
Toronto2715061st4.66th
NY Yankees282024.65th4.12nd
Minnesota241835.43rd4.54th
Houston292545.82nd4.97th
Boston222054.56th3.91st
Cleveland212164.57th4.43rd
LA Angels202274.58th5.510th
Chicago ws182494.49th4.55th
Seattle212794.84th5.18th
Baltimore61294.210th7.511th
Tampa Bay1830123.711th5.29th

Cedric Mullins Silver Lining for 20,000 to 1 Orioles

 We knew adding the Orioles to our league of the top 10 AL teams would be rough - these are cards for what the Orioles players were projected to do when they were 20,000 to 1 odds to win the AL East.

In real MLB they have been one of the greatest surprise teams ever and are only 8 games behind the Yankees and have a shot at a wildcard. However, the Statis-Pro Cards are overmatched, and for the second straight series they wasted on great start (ace Means 5 innings and left trailing 1-0) in a 2-0 loss, the were blown out 13-1. 

The one bright spot has been leadoff hitter Cedric Mullins who went 4 of 8 and stole a base in the series.

For the Mariners, Ray went 8 innings with 13 strikeouts and 0 walks in the opener, and former Red Luis Castillo threw 6 innings allowing 1 run.

We are leaving the Orioles cards out to play the struggling Rays, who always seem to play better in real life then in the game.

Here is the grid of hard to hear matchups and records. The top 2 teams will get byesz and the 3rd through 6th place in wild cards once each team has played the other 10 teams each in a 2.game series.