November, 2017

2017 Playoffs Preview

The BDBL played eighteen years without a single team reaching 120 wins in a season. We've now seen a 120-win team two years in a row. Last year, that 120-win team went 12-3 in the postseason en route to their second straight BDBL championship. That same team, the Los Altos Undertakers, will attempt to become the first team to win three trophies in a row since the 1999-2001 Stamford Zoots. To do so, they'll need to defeat the league's newest member of the 120-win club, the New Milford Blazers. Unless, of course, there is a massive upset or two. In the BDBL, November upsets have been known to happen.

As has been the pattern in recent history, six of the eight teams in the 2017 postseason also played in the 2016 postseason. The two newcomers, Salem and Charlotte, have been here before. For Charlotte, however, it is the first postseason appearance for GM Tony Chamra since he returned to the BDBL three seasons ago. Chamra's Charlotte Mustangs are playing perhaps the most interesting series of the postseason. Not only is it the most evenly-matched series of the Division Series, but it features one of the most unusual teams in BDBL history, the Great Lakes Sphinx.

An OL Championship Series matchup between the Blazers and Undertakers seems all but inevitable. In the EL, the St. Louis Apostles are the heavy favorites to retain their Eck League title. To do so, they'll have to get past the always-tough Kansas Law Dogs as well as the winner of that Great Lakes/Charlotte series. If Sylvester can repeat his 2016 playoffs magic, then we could see a rematch of the 2016 World Series between Los Altos and St. Louis. Or, if New Milford continues to win in November, then Anthony Peburn will finally have another chance to win his first-ever GAME in the World Series.

Team	W-L	RS	RA	DIFF	Home	Road	OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR	ERA	Opp OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR
	120-40	871	458	413	61-19	59-21	.806	.840	.795	2.54	.600	.640	.580
	90-70	839	651	188	52-28	38-42	.785	.779	.787	3.71	.689	.667	.703

How dominant was New Milford's pitching this season? In Major League Baseball this year, only four pitchers who qualified for the ERA title managed to finish with an ERA of 2.54 or below. Only one of those four pitchers held right-handed batters to a sub-.580 OPS. The entire New Milford pitching staff, combined, accomplished those feats this season. New Milford's 2.54 team ERA obliterated the previous record set by Los Altos in 2015.

New Milford's pitching held their opponents to an OPS of just .600, which is also a new BDBL record. With the help of three Ex gloves in the infield, New Milford limited opposing batters to a .259 average on balls in play. Only the 2012 Allentown Ridgebacks (.256) and 2008 St. Louis Apostles (.252) exceeded that figure.

Offensively, the Blazers scored more runs (871) than every other team in the BDBL with the exception of the Los Altos Undertakers. They also tied for the BDBL lead in walks (647.) Also, despite their lefty-heavy lineup, they led the BDBL in OPS against left-handed pitching (.840.)

Limited to only 162+ innings due to injury, New Milford's ace was once again, for the eighth year in a row, Clayton Kershaw. Inning-for-inning, 2017 may have been his best year to date. He went 17-2 on the season, with a 1.99 ERA. He averaged just 7.0 hits and less than one walk per nine, and struck out 186 batters (11.6 per nine.) He was backed in the rotation by two 22-game winners: Carlos Quintana (22-7, 2.17 ERA in 224+ IP) and Matt Moore (22-3, 2.64 in 208+.) Masahiro Tanaka (18-9, 3.16 in 219) posted the numbers of a staff ace while working as the team's number four starter.

As impressive as the starting pitchers were in 2017, the New Milford bullpen was downright ridiculous. Chris Devenski, a midseason free agent pickup in 2016, went 12-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 116+ innings. Two other free agents picked up during the middle of last season, Buddy Boshers and Jerry Blevins, posted ERA's of 1.59 and 1.60, respectively, in 79 innings combined. Mid-season trade acquisition A.J. Schugel somehow tallied a 0.62 ERA in 29 innings as a Blazer, and allowed just ten hits. Closer Craig Kimbrel (a mid-draft trade acquisition) somehow posted a 2.24 ERA and saved 47 games while allowing 42 walks in 52+ innings.

The entire bullpen, comprised of midseason free agent pickups and cheaply-acquired trade acquisitions, turned in a Cy Young-worthy performance. In fact, if you combine the names I listed above with two more 2016 free agent pickups (Matt Bowman and Hunter Cervenka) and another cheaply-acquired trade target (Dustin McGowan), you get the equivalent of two Cy Young candidates: 450 IP, 6.1 H/9, 2.9 BB/9, 9.6 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.06 ERA. The most remarkable stat of all regarding New Milford's bullpen is this one: 105-1. That was New Milford's record this season when leading after seven innings. I kid you not.

New Milford's offense and defense were greatly enhanced by two of their free agent signings during the auction. Freddie Freeman (a $12.5 million signing) hit .268/.379/.514 with 50 doubles, 28 home runs, 111 runs scored, 114 RBI's, and 121.3 runs created. All of that was in addition to carrying an Ex glove in the infield. Ian Kinsler, another Ex glove, contributed a .284/.344/.422 batting line and 96.4 runs created.

Mookie Betts, a gift from their OLDS opponents in 2014 (in exchange for the great Miguel Gonzalez and Angel Pagan) led the team in runs created (136.8) and hit .330/.380/.532 with 47 doubles and 25 homers. He led the entire BDBL in hits (230) and runs scored (124.) Michael Saunders, acquired in 2016 for the legendary Steve Pearce, hit .285/.375/.528 with 71 extra base hits and 99.6 runs created. Longtime Blazer Matt Carpenter was the third member of the 100+ RC Club. He hit .270/.390/.520 on the year, with 37 doubles and 26 home runs, hitting mostly out of the leadoff spot in the lineup. Troy Tulowitzki, New Milford's big free agent signing in 2015, led the team in home runs (31) and hit .282/.346/.514 overall.

You can't help but feel sorry for the Ravenswood Infidels. For the second year in a row, their task in the Division Series is to defeat a 120+ win team. A year ago, they managed one win against the 128-game-winning Undertakers. This year, they face a team that not only won 120 games during the regular season, but took eight out of twelve against Ravenswood this season.

Ravenswood's path to the postseason is a familiar story. They were the only team in the woeful Benes Division that won more games than they lost. That said, the Infidels did perform well enough to win a spot in the playoffs in most years. They won 90 games and outscored their opponents by 188 runs (14 more than the third-seeded Salem Cowtippers.) To be fair, Ravenswood's record should have been much better considering that runs differential. Their Pythagorean difference of minus ten was the greatest negative disparity in the BDBL.

The Infidels balanced offense and defensive this season. They ranked third in the OL in ERA (3.71), third in fewest runs allowed (651), third in lowest OPS allowed (.689), fourth in runs scored (839), third in home runs (214), fourth in OPS (.785), and fourth in split OPS, both against left-handers (.779) and right-handers (.787.)

The offense was led by a trio of hitters -- two of whom were acquired during the free agent auction this past winter. Dexter Fowler (.290/.420/.474, 108.7 RC) was signed for $7 million, and Danny Valencia (.315/.379/.528, 102.3 RC) was signed at the bargain-basement price of $5 million. The third impact bat belonged to J.T. Realmuto (.335/.381/.510, 43 doubles, 16 home runs, 98.7 RC), a midseason farm pick in 2014. Brad Miller (.259/.340/.566) led the team in home runs, with 33. Jason Kipnis (.255/.330/.418) and Jung Ho Kang (.226/.346/.452) clubbed 41 homers combined.

Justin Verlander (18-6, 3.24 ERA in 250 IP) earned his spot as the team's ace following his pricey acquisition last winter. John Lackey (11-12, 3.83 ERA in 207 IP), Drew Pomeranz (11-7, 3.97 in 179), and Jake Odorizzi (11-10, 4.30 in 199) will likely fill the remainder of the postseason rotation. The bullpen featured a hodgepodge of middle relievers like Brandon Maurer (2.10 ERA in 68+ IP), Fernando Salas (2.75 in 72), Brandon Kintzler (3.23 in 55+), Cam Bedrosian (3.25 in 44+), and Tyler Thornburg (3.34 in 59+.) The Infidels saved only 25 games this season. Eight different pitchers recorded at least one save, but none logged more than seven.

It will be an uphill battle for the Infidels in the Division Series. Not only did New Milford own an 8-4 record against Ravenswood during the regular season, but New Milford owns the home-field advantage in the series, and Ravenswood is the only team in the OLDS that owns a below-.500 record on the road.

One factor in Ravenswood's favor is that Verlander held New Milford's bats in check in all three of his starts against them this season. In those three games, he allowed just eleven hits and four runs in 19+ innings, with only six walks and 27 strikeouts. With his Ex fatigue rating, he can easily pitch three times in a seven game series. Number two starter Pomeranz threw only one full game (the other he was pulled with an injury in the first inning) against New Milford this season and held them scoreless for seven innings. Lackey started three games and turned in three quality starts.

The BDBL postseason has been filled with wildly-unexpected upsets. With a bit of luck, this could be another.

Team	W-L	RS	RA	DIFF	Home	Road	OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR	ERA	Opp OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR
	103-57	777	625	152	54-26	49-31	.765	.751	.769	3.58	.691	.696	.689
	91-69	850	704	146	48-32	43-37	.781	.801	.773	4.15	.734	.741	.731

A year ago, the St. Louis Apostles barely finished above .500, and won a spot in the playoffs primarily because no other team in their division finished with a winning record. Bobby Sylvester then stunned the BDBL universe by advancing all the way to the World Series, employing his whacky "bullpenning" strategy, before he finally ran into a buzzsaw by the name of the Los Altos Undertakers.

This season, it has been an entirely different story. St. Louis dominated their opponents in 2017, winning a franchise-tying record of 103 games and outscoring their opponents by an Eck League-high of 152 runs.

The Apostles led the Eck League in home runs (239), yet ranked only fourth in runs scored (777.) J.D. Martinez (.303/.372/.583, 33 HR) and Jean Segura (.315/.351/.437) were the catalysts of the offense. They created 104.9 and 101.7 runs, respectively. Anthony Rendon (.274/.341/.468) created 95.7 runs. Rookie sensation Nomar Mazara hit .281/.336/.456 with 23 longballs. Yoenis Cespedes (.255/.333/.500, 29 HR), Jedd Gyorko (.207/.260/.450, 25 HR), and Yasmani Grandal (.202/.304/.440, 26 HR) also topped 20 homers. In total, EIGHT Apostles batters his 19 or more home runs this season.

The St. Louis pitching staff led the Eck League in ERA (3.58), and was the only team in the EL that posted an ERA below 4.00. They also led the entire BDBL in strikeouts (1,615) -- by a lot. Noah Syndergaard (15-3, 2.66 ERA in 189+ IP, with 205 K's) pitched like the ace he is, and Rich Hill (11-3, 2.20 in 114+, with 141 K's) may have been the EL's best pitcher, inning-for-inning. The pitching staff received a huge boost with the midseason acquisition of the late Jose Fernandez (5-4, 2.85 in 72+ as an Apostle), which gave them three legitimate aces for the postseason. David Price (11-13, 4.13 in 209, with 233 K's and only 39 walks) is an impressive fourth starter.

In the bullpen, four different pitchers saved between 10-15 games this season. St. Louis' 60 saves tied with New Milford for the BDBL high. Brad Brach (1.71 ERA in 84+ IP), Pedro Strop (3-1, 1.88 in 48), and Cody Allen (7-4, 2.39 in 71+) were especially effective out of the bullpen.

The Kansas Law Dogs ranked second in runs scored (850) and runs differential (146). They were especially tough in the second half of the season. No team in the Eck League scored more runs or outscored their opponents by more runs than Kansas. Only one EL team (St. Louis) allowed fewer runs in the second half.

The Law Dogs offense led the EL in batting average (.283), OBP (.344), hits (1,623), and doubles (334.) Their top four batters (in terms of runs created) were all holdovers from the 2016 squad: Asdrubal Cabrera (.333/.389/.532, 43 2B, 20 HR, 111.6 RC), Ben Zobrist (.286/.389/.443, 106.5 RC), Christian Yelich (.282/.340/.437, 88.6 RC), and Will Myers (.264/.352/.443, 86.8 RC.) Free agent signing Wilson Ramos (.308/.345/.511, 24 HR) earned every penny of his $7 million salary. Two more returnees from 2016 also greatly contributed: Yangervis Solarte (.343/.392/.511) and Nick Markakis (.282/.340/.471). In fact, if he had managed only 34 more plate appearances, Solarte would have won the EL batting crown.

On the pitching side, GM Chris Luhning's decision to spend $5 million on Tyler Chatwood proved to be a brilliant one. Chatwood (11-5, 3.01 ERA in 167+ IP) led the Kansas starting rotation in ERA, fewest hits per nine, and fewest home runs per nine. J.A. Happ (15-6, 3.72 ERA in 213 IP, with 205 K), who many thought was the steal of the auction at a winning bid of only $7 million, led the Kansas staff in wins. Unfortunately for Kansas fans, the rotation took a nosedive from there. No other Kansas pitcher with more than ten starts posted an ERA under 5.00.

Jeurys Familia (4-4, 2.94 ERA in 70+ IP) led the team with 36 saves, while Francisco Rodriguez (6-1, 1.72 in 57+) was phenomenal in his setup role. Wade Davis (6-3, 2.60 in 45), Hunter Strickland (6-4, 2.77 in 61+), and Will Harris (2-6, 2.85 in 66+) also provided quality innings in middle relief.

The Law Dogs went just 5-7 against St. Louis during the regular season, but they were outscored by just seven runs (49-42.) Happ won both of his starts against St. Louis, and Chatwood won one of his two starts. Unfortunately for Kansas, both starters have endurance ratings of "Av", which means neither of them can start three times in this series. This means Kansas will need two of those starting pitchers with 5.00+ ERA's to step it up in the postseason.

On the plus side for Kansas, the Law Dogs led the Eck League with the lowest rate of home runs per nine. St. Louis scored most of their runs this season on the longball. If Kansas pitching can keep the balls in the park, they may have a fighting chance.

Team	W-L	RS	RA	DIFF	Home	Road	OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR	ERA	Opp OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR
	117-43	923	550	373	59-21	58-22	.823	.781	.837	3.23	.653	.656	.651
	99-61	846	672	174	58-22	41-39	.790	.799	.787	3.89	.690	.711	.676

The Los Altos Undertakers have won 361 games over the past three seasons. Just let that sink in for a minute. That is an average -- AVERAGE -- of 120 wins per season. Needless to say, it is the most dominant three consecutive seasons that any franchise has ever experienced in our nineteen year history. For the third year in a row, Los Altos outscored their opponents by more than 370 runs. Their runs differential of 373 is a three-year low, and yet that is among the greatest differentials in league history. On average, Los Altos beat their opponents by 2.3 runs per game. If it almost seems as though it isn't fair, it's only because it isn't.

The Undertakers easily led the BDBL this season in runs scored, with 923. The last team to score more runs in a season were the 2011 New Milford Blazers. Los Altos led the entire BDBL in slugging (.488), doubles (342), and home runs (277). The last time a team hit more than 277 home runs in a season was all the way back in 2002 -- fifteen years ago.

Power was the name of the game for the Undertakers this year. EIGHT batters on the Los Altos roster hit twenty or more home runs this season, led by Nolan Arendado (.291/.341/.586), who added 40 doubles to his 44 home runs. Anthony Rizzo (.279/.363/.549) hit 43 doubles with 36 homers. Justin Turner (.281/.329/.514) also topped 40 doubles and added 27 longballs. On and on it goes. As if that weren't enough, GM Jeff Paulson added yet another 40-homer bat in Nelson Cruz (.294/.363/.573), who finished the season with 41 homers overall.

Four Los Altos batters finished the season with over 100 runs created, including Rizzo (125.1), Cruz (122.3), Arenado (121.8), and rookie sensation Cory Seager (.323/.367/.491, with 108.6 RC.) That lineup was especially brutal against right-handed pitching. Los Altos was the only team in the BDBL to post an OPS above .800 (.837) against righties this season. They clobbered over 200 homers (213) against right-handers alone!

Compared to years past, the Undertakers' pitching performance in 2017 seems downright disappointing. They ranked all the way down to second place in the entire BDBL in ERA (3.23), after all. They also ranked #2 in the BDBL in OPS allowed (.653), RCERA (3.11), CERA (3.04), WHIP (1.13), and strikeouts (1,566.)

For the third time in franchise history, three different Undertakers pitchers won twenty or more games in the same season. Chris Sale (23-6, 2.84 ERA in 247+ IP), Chris Archer (20-5, 3.82 in 219), and Tanner Roark (20-11, 4.45 in 220+) accomplished that feat this time around. Slacker Aaron Sanchez (17-6, 3.46 in 208) fell three wins shy of giving Los Altos four 20-game winners. Every pitcher on the Los Altos roster who started a game this season, including spot-starter Gerrit Cole, had over five runs of support this year. That certainly helps!

As is the case every year since the birth of the league, the Los Altos bullpen was absurdly dominant. Expensive free agent Kenley Jansen (1-1, 0.79 ERA in 68+ IP, with a BDBL-leading 55 saves) proved to be worth every penny. Only the legendary Eric Gagne (62 saves in his Cy Young 2004 season) saved more games in a season in Los Altos franchise history. Dellin Betances (6-0, 1.98 ERA in 77+ IP), Dan Otero (52, 2.09 in 73+), and Addison Reed (7-1, 2.36 in 76+) were more than capable as setup men. In total, the Los Altos bullpen blew only a dozen save opportunities, which was the lowest total in the Ozzie League.

When I made the decision to rebuild in 2016, I vowed that it would be a short rebuilding period. I spent the entire year stockpiling young talent, and then spent last winter trading much of it away. The end result was a 99-win season and yet another OL wild card. Only one year after winning just 66 games, the Cowtippers returned to contention thanks in large part to a powerful offense built around several of those players I acquired last year.

The team's greatest acquisition last winter was $13 million all-star Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera hit .293/.376/.519 on the season and led the team with 31 home runs. Another big winter acquisition, Jose Altuve (.308/.354/.456) led the team with 109.1 runs created. Unfortunately, the third big trade acquisition from the winter, Kyle Seager, was a severe disappointment, hitting just .236/.322/.420 with only 17 home runs.

Jose Ramirez, the only player returning to the roster from the 2016 team, hit .315/.369/.457 on the season with a BDBL-leading 66 doubles and 108.9 runs created. He was often joined in the lineup by three outstanding rookies: Gary Sanchez (.288/.373/.679), Trea Turner (.334/.358/.563), and Andrew Benintendi (.337/.388/.467.)

Salem's pitching wasn't anywhere near as good as I had imagined it would be at the start of the season. Still, we ranked fourth in the OL in ERA (3.89) and fourth in lowest OPS allowed (.690.) Staff "ace" Stephen Strasburg (8-10, 5.09 ERA in 157 IP) was a huge disappointment, but two youngsters acquired during that 2016 rebuilding project, Steven Matz (15-5, 3.60 in 145) and Jon Gray (10-9, 3.75 in 182+), picked up the slack. Matt Shoemaker (15-7, 3.56 in 172), returning from the 2016 rotation, was the rotation's best and most consistent performer. Junior Guerra (8-7, 4.06 in 130+), acquired at the expense of superhuman Aaron Judge last winter, failed to justify that sacrifice.

In head-to-head matchups this season, Los Altos won eight out of twelve against these Cowtippers. However, they only outscored the 'Tippers by a slim margin of 58-56. As Jeff Paulson is fond of reminding us, the Cowtippers have won three of the four postseason series they have played against Los Altos. The most recent of those matchups, however, was 2013. A lot has happened to both franchises since then.

Team	W-L	RS	RA	DIFF	Home	Road	OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR	ERA	Opp OPS	OPS vL	OPS vR
	98-62	793	753	40	45-35	53-27	.776	.767	.778	4.31	.752	.734	.761
	92-68	858	759	99	44-36	48-32	.795	.834	.780	4.44	.755	.778	.738

The Great Lakes Sphinx had one of the most unusual seasons in league history in 2017. They won their division by seven games despite outscoring their opponents by over 100 runs LESS than the second-place team (40 vs. 146.) Their Pythagorean difference of +14 is surpassed only by the 2016 Bear Country Jamboree (+16.) The Sphinx posted a record of -- get this -- 33-5 in one-run games. A handful of teams in BDBL history have won more than 33 one-run games, but no other team has ever lost only FIVE one-run games in a season. (The 2003 Wapakoneta Hippos held the previous record with nine.) Needless to say, that .868 winning percentage in one-run games is a new BDBL record.

It stands to reason that any team with a 33-5 record in one-run games must have a tremendous bullpen (and a shit-ton of luck!) Kelvin Herrera (5-0, 1.63 ERA in 71+ IP) led the Eck League in saves, and Kyle Barraclough (7-1, 1.57 in 74+) did most of the heavy lifting in middle relief. Combined with Carlos Torres (8-4, 2.82 in 79+), those three relievers won a remarkable 20 games this season. Add John Axford (2-0, 2.89 in 43+) to the mix, and those four went 22-5 combined!

While the bullpen posted some stellar numbers this year, the starting rotation was mediocre at best. Trevor Bauer (14-10, 4.31 ERA in 186 IP) led the rotation in ERA. C.C. Sabathia (16-6, 4.35 in 165+) led the rotation in wins. Late-season pickup Jeff Samardzija (13-13, 4.40 in 217 overall) and Drew Smyley (13-8, 4.66 in 179+) filled out the rest of the yawn-inducing rotation. Another late-season acquisition, Carlos Carrasco, was supposed to take over as the ace, but instead went 5-6 as a Sphinx, with a horrid ERA of 6.21 in 62+ innings.

The Great Lakes offense ranked near the middle of the pack in most categories. Manny Machado (.315/.348/.568, 41 HR, 137 RBI, 120.5 RC) led the way, followed closely by Josh Donaldson (.270/.384/.491, 30 HR, 109.8 RC) and Dustin Pedroia (.301/.372/.438, 34 2B, 104.1 RC.) Starling Marte (.325/.366/.466, 41 2B), Yasmany Tomas (.273/.322/.541, 29 HR), Mike Napoli (.246/.322/.534, 26 HR), and Josh Reddick (.333/.385/.519) were also major contributors. Giancarlo Stanton (.193/.302/.407, 15 HR)...not so much.

Thirteen votes were tallied in preseason polling to determine the favorite to win the Hrbek Division in 2017. Not one vote was cast for the Charlotte Mustangs. Presumably, not even GM/manager Tony Chamra himself predicted that his team would finish with the best record in the division. Yet, in his fourth year since returning to the BDBL, that is exactly what he accomplished.

The Mustangs captured their division by xx games despite ranking ninth out of twelve Eck League teams in ERA. The Charlotte pitching staff posted a 4.44 ERA, allowed a .755 OPS, and served up over 200 home runs, and yet still won 92 games. As you may have guessed, they owe much of their success to their offense. Charlotte led the EL in runs scored (858) and slugging (.465), and ranked #2 in home runs (233.) They feasted on left-handed pitching (an EL-best .834 OPS) and held their own against righties (.780.)

Forty percent of their runs created were generated by just three players: MVP candidate Adrian Beltre (.322/.369/.596, 44 HR, 141 RBI, 140.1 RC), Hanley Ramirez (.301/.380/.558, 35 HR, 121 RC), and Corey Dickerson (.294/.349/.569, 27 HR, 86 RC.)

Two major midseason acquisitions really took this lineup to another level. D.J. LeMahieu, acquired in exchange for Brandon Drury, Joee Ross, and Cory Gearrin, tallied over 100 RC (113.9) on the season, and hit .340/.404/.454 overall (.349/.414/.493 as a Mustang.) Carlos Gonzalez, picked up at the final trading deadline for Braxton Garrett and Nick Wittgren, finished with a .285/.345/.509 line overall, with 42 doubles, 31 homers, and 103.6. In total, Charlotte had four batters with 100+ runs created -- the same number as the Los Altos Undertakers.

As if that weren't enough offensive firepower, the Mustangs also can play Alex Bregman (.277/.339/.554 in 202 AB) for 17 PA's (or roughly three games) in the postseason. Ichiro Suzuki (.313/.429/.438 against same-sided lefties) is another short-usage option.

As impressive as Charlotte's offense was, their pitching was equally unimpressive. Kyle Hendricks (10-11, 4.42 ERA in 207+ IP) was supposed to be a Cy Young contender this year. Instead, his ERA ranks 29th among qualified EL pitchers. Nothing about his performance makes sense. He allowed twice as many home runs to left-handed batters as he allowed in MLB 2016, and nearly 30-percent more hits and walks to right-handed batters.

2016 AL Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer (12-8, 4.46 ERA in 173+ IP) was also a disappointment compared to his MLB performance The de facto ace of the staff was Julio Teheran (12-7, 3.80 ERA in 206 IP.) Anthony DeSclafani (11-6, 4.35 in 134+) and Matt Garza (7-8, 5.25 in 108) filled out the back end of the rotation.

Of all four postseason Division Series, this one may be the most interesting and evenly-matched. These two teams went 6-6 in head-to-head matchups this season. Both teams feature a high-powered offense that is somewhat reliant on the longball. Both teams own league-average pitching staffs, although Great Lakes owns the better bullpen. Neither team has an ace starting pitcher that can carry his team to victory all by himself. It should be interesting to see whether the Sphinx's penchant for winning one-run games carries over into the Tournament of Randomness.