Post by Ken Rosenthal on May 16, 2016 9:57:19 GMT -5
NEW YORK - Ken Rosenthal here, bringing you all the action from Week 6 around the league.
No surprises this week. The rich got richer, and the poor got poorer for the most part. The colossal matchups between Houston and Chicago... and Milwaukee and Cincinnati were as good as advertised, with Houston and Milwaukee extended their leads in the packed NL Central division. Week 7 brings less huge games... but more opportunities for some upsets...
So as always, take a seat, grab a snack, and enjoy some (occasionally very) opinionated writing about your team. Previous rankings will be noted in parenthesis.
Group 5: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30: Toronto Blue Jays (0-6)
Melvin Upton Jr. is playing well (41.5 points last week), meaning he'll likely find his way to another club in the coming weeks. His 41.5 points were good for a near 60% usage rate for the Jays in Week 6.
#29: New York Mets (0-6)
Victor Martinez is hitting .352 for this team at a ripe old age, yet the Mets failed to reach 100 points yet again. To make this interesting for New York, we look to the #1 prospect of the 2017 draft, pitcher Jason Groome. Things you need to know: out of high school, 6'6, nice fastball.
#28(27): Cleveland Indians (1-5)
Han-Ram went off for 42.5 points points, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the tanking Mariners. The Tribe has sunk to 1-5, and the clock is ticking if they were hoping to make things interesting in an awful AL Central this year. The Indians get Boston next week.
#27(26): Atlanta Braves (1-5)
The Braves fell just short of a two-game win streak as they fell by just over 20 to the Giants in Week 6. Adam Duvall (a new personal favorite on Atlanta) had 21.5 points... seriously, who is this guy? He's a 27 year-old out of the University of Louisville, who's actually been playing in the league since 2014. For the next update on this mystery man... tune in next week.
#26(24): Pittsburgh Pirates (1-5)
Oh, how this team has fallen off the map. Pittsburgh has gone from a team that was a huge snub in missing the post-season last year, to a team that certainly should miss the post-season this year. It may be only a matter of time before this team starts selling off some of its veteran talent.
#25(28): St. Louis Cardinals (1-5)
The St. Louis Cardinals finally climbed out of their five-game losing streak to start the season in their victory over the heavily slumping Pittsburgh Pirates. Starter Jose Fernandez was an absolute baller (to steal a term from another sport). He put up 52.7 points in 14 innings of pitching, giving up just 1 run, and striking out 22 in two starts. Impressive.
#24(25): Chicago White Sox (2-4)
The White Sox ran into a buzzsaw in the clear best team in the American League in the Los Angeles Angels (who nearly scored 400). It doesn't get much easier with the defending-champion Texas Rangers on the docket for next week. Weather the storm Chicago.
#23(21): Kansas City Royals (1-5)
Hisashi Iwakuma and Michael Pineda. Both traded away from the Kansas City Royals this week in about the clearest sign that this team is shifting into rebuilding mode since... the last time something like that happened. All eyes are on star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Sometimes a rebuild includes dealing a team's best player... sometimes it doesn't.
#22(23): San Francisco Giants (2-4)
The Giants were carried by their star third-baseman Todd Frazier in Week 6, who had a terrific outing with 49 points. This was mostly due to a 2 home-run, 21.6 point day early in the week. The Giants are showing improvement, as they've somewhat consistently scored about 200 points. The rebuild is going well in the Bay Area. But San Fran gets Philly and Washington back to back... ouch.
Group 4: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's
#21(22): Boston Red Sox (2-4)
The Red Sox were the buyers when it came to the Michael Pineda market, adding a nice starter to the rotation. The Committee of One thinks Boston has a chance to keep themselves in the picture... if they win all three of their next games: Cleveland, Chicago, and Seattle.
#20(18): New York Yankees (2-4)
A week after pulling off a big upset against the Baltimore Orioles, the team from the Bronx was extremely disappointing, scoring less than 200 points in a loss to the then 1-4 Detroit Tigers. The Yankees have Kansas City this week, but then face a difficult stretch of Minnesota, Texas, and Oakland in weeks 8-10.
#19: Detroit Tigers (2-4)
The Tigers did what they needed to do against New York, picking up their second win of the still young season. Remember, Detroit went 13-6 last season to win the division-crown, and much of the team is still here. Detroit gets Toronto this next week, but will need more key victories in order to catch Minnesota and repeat in the AL Central.
#18(20): Colorado Rockies (2-4)
Colorado fell short to Miami... for the second week in a row. Thankfully, in this league, teams don't have to play other teams three times in a row. The Rockies scored over 300 points (an impressive mark in the rebuilding process). Even more promising, the team didn't have a single scorer of over 30 points, meaning no player had a usage rate above 10%. Compare that to Toronto. The Rocks get the Braves next week.
Group 3: The possible playoff participants
#17: Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2)
As I mentioned last week, I really think Los Angeles needs to add a couple more pieces. Yet, the team is still tied for first in the NL West with Arizona. The Dodgers have been a little lucky so far, but they might want to capitalize on that good fortune and make something of it with San Diego struggling this season.
#16(14): Cincinnati Reds (2-4)
No one likely hates the loaded NL Central more than the Cincinnati Reds this season. The team is still 2nd in points scored this season with 2,176.2, trailing only the Houston Astros. The Reds now get a matchup against that very team in Week 7. If anyone could knock of Houston at this point, it could be Cincinnati. Upset alert?
#15(13): Minnesota Twins (4-2)
Minnesota made a deal for catcher Salvador Perez from K.C., yet fell by less than 2 points to the Defending Champion Texas Rangers. It was a heart-breaker for a nice story this season in the Twins, who hold a two-game lead on the weak AL Central division. Minnesota has a Texas-sized game against Oakland coming up for Week 7.
#14(16): Oakland Athletics (4-2)
Despite another disappointing start to a season and a rather disappointing career, Chase Headley managed 36 points to lead Oakland to a victory over the Royals in Week 6. The Athletics, thanks to their two losses and a crazy division, will need some victories to climb back to the top of the AL West. But their schedule... may prevent them from doing just that. Minnesota, Texas, and Los Angeles coming up.
#13(15): Seattle Mariners (5-1)
The Mariners keep rebuilding... and the Mariners keep winning. The record now stands at 5-1 through six weeks, Seattle being one of three teams with 5+ wins thus far. Unfortunately, the easy start to the season is now over, and the Mariners will essentially have to prove themselves as they get back-to-back matchups against the Los Angeles Angels. Not too many things work better than that as a barometer for a 5-1 team with a low point-total.
#12(10): San Diego Padres (3-3)
The Padres won two in a row... they were good right? Well, they put up a dud (less than 250 points) against the Washington Nationals, and fall back to .500. But just when they needed it, the Padres get a matchup with the lowly New York Mets to surely propel them back above the average as they chase down L.A. and Arizona.
#11(12): Baltimore Orioles (4-2)
What is up with this team? They made moves to improve at the beginning of the year (acquiring Stanton), but have gotten worse. They won their Week 6 game by scoring only 200 points (thank you Toronto). The Orioles now get a big game against the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom they're tied atop the division. Remind us who you used to be Baltimore.
Group 2: The Contenders... They're for real
#10(11): Tampa Bay Rays (4-2)
Tampa Bay is beginning to come around again, and a lot of it is due to two words: Big Papi. The veteran slugger is tearing the cover off the ball this season (184 points). Tampa Bay also scored a better 287 points. Not Tampa Bay standards from last season, but better than the showings so far this year. The Rays need a big victory against the slumping Orioles to re-take the division lead.
#9(5): Chicago Cubs (3-3)
Chicago was the latest victim of the Houston Astros, as they lost by nearly 100 points despite scoring 300 themselves. The Cubs are now .500 though through six. If Milwaukee and Houston maintain their prowess, Chicago will be fighting for one of the last two wild card spots that's likely to include two of the top three in the NL East, Cincinnati, and whoever doesn't win the division in the NL West between San Diego and Arizona. Thankfully, the schedule eases up, with 3 of the next 5 against teams with an under .500 mark.
#8(9): Miami Marlins (4-2)
The Marlins picked up another win in Colorado off the bat of the ancient Carlos Beltran, who contributed 46.5 points. He now has 8 home runs on the young season. The Marlins continue their NL West tour, playing the other four teams in the division in the coming weeks, much preferred to touring the NL Central if you ask the Committee of One.
#7(8): Washington Nationals (5-1)
The Nationals didn't back down after their 2 points loss to Philadelphia in Week 5; the team got back to work by taking care of the Padres to move to 5-1. The Nationals also made a trade, acquiring Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Feldman, and Tyler Flowers.. but at the cost of Kyle Gibson. The depth on offense looks better now, but was it worth it after Gibson's solid season last year? It's hard to doubt the Nats during their early success.
#6(7): Texas Rangers (5-1)
The Defending Champions slept well after winning a nail-biter against the Minnesota Twins to stay within a game of the Angels. Three of the Rangers next four games are against teams under .500, so chances are Texas will keep the pace with the last undefeated team in the American League. The Rangers wouldn't get a chance to knock them off until Week 15... if L.A. lasted that long.
Group 1: The Best of the Best
#5(4): Arizona D'backs (4-2)
Outfielder Adam Jones exploded for 54.5 points, hitting four home runs during the week. However, it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies, as the D'backs were handed their second loss of the season. The D'backs now get Washington... as the Committee said last week, I don't think this team wants to be 4-3 through 7 games.
#4(6): Milwaukee Brewers (5-1)
Milwaukee came up big time in a high-scoring affair with the Cincinnati Reds, beating them for the second time this season to move to 5-1 on the season. Honestly, the Committee of One did not see this coming this season, but the Brewers have certainly impressed. Milwaukee is 3rd in the league in scoring with 2,090.4 points through six games.
#3: Philadelphia Phillies (5-1)
The Phils got revenge on the Diamondbacks in Week 6 after losing to them in Week 4. Philadelphia now sports wins over Arizona, Miami, and Washington, an impressive resume thus far. Now... if Washington could just lose a game. Philadelphia gets San Francisco next week.
#2(1): Los Angeles Angels (6-0)
Los Angeles... destroyed the Chicago White Sox in Week 6, scoring nearly 400 points to keep their perfect record alive. Infielder Ian Desmond had a nice week, scoring 46.5 points. The Angels now play the 5-1 Mariners in back-to-back weeks. This likely won't be as tough of a matchup as it might seen... as Seattle hasn't scored high all season.
#1(2): Houston Astros (6-0)
Well, I promised... the Houston Astros are the new #1 team after they defeated the Chicago Cubs to stay perfect atop the NL Central division. This team looks like one of the better teams I've seen... in awhile. Houston is averaging around 400 points, that's very difficult to beat. Congratulations to the new #1!
Biggest +: Cardinals +3
Biggest -: Cubs -4
Week 7 GoTW: Orioles vs. Rays
Week 7 Match-ups & The Committee's Predictions (in bold)
Rockies vs. Braves
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Astros vs. Reds
Pirates vs. Brewers
Padres vs. Mets
Marlins vs. Dodgers
Phillies vs. Giants
D'backs vs. Nationals
Blue Jays vs. Tigers
White Sox vs. Rangers
Orioles vs. Rays
Indians vs. Red Sox
Yankees vs. Royals
Angels vs. Mariners
Twins vs. Athletics
The Committee's record:
Wk. 6: 11-4
Overall: 65-25
No surprises this week. The rich got richer, and the poor got poorer for the most part. The colossal matchups between Houston and Chicago... and Milwaukee and Cincinnati were as good as advertised, with Houston and Milwaukee extended their leads in the packed NL Central division. Week 7 brings less huge games... but more opportunities for some upsets...
So as always, take a seat, grab a snack, and enjoy some (occasionally very) opinionated writing about your team. Previous rankings will be noted in parenthesis.
Group 5: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30: Toronto Blue Jays (0-6)
Melvin Upton Jr. is playing well (41.5 points last week), meaning he'll likely find his way to another club in the coming weeks. His 41.5 points were good for a near 60% usage rate for the Jays in Week 6.
#29: New York Mets (0-6)
Victor Martinez is hitting .352 for this team at a ripe old age, yet the Mets failed to reach 100 points yet again. To make this interesting for New York, we look to the #1 prospect of the 2017 draft, pitcher Jason Groome. Things you need to know: out of high school, 6'6, nice fastball.
#28(27): Cleveland Indians (1-5)
Han-Ram went off for 42.5 points points, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the tanking Mariners. The Tribe has sunk to 1-5, and the clock is ticking if they were hoping to make things interesting in an awful AL Central this year. The Indians get Boston next week.
#27(26): Atlanta Braves (1-5)
The Braves fell just short of a two-game win streak as they fell by just over 20 to the Giants in Week 6. Adam Duvall (a new personal favorite on Atlanta) had 21.5 points... seriously, who is this guy? He's a 27 year-old out of the University of Louisville, who's actually been playing in the league since 2014. For the next update on this mystery man... tune in next week.
#26(24): Pittsburgh Pirates (1-5)
Oh, how this team has fallen off the map. Pittsburgh has gone from a team that was a huge snub in missing the post-season last year, to a team that certainly should miss the post-season this year. It may be only a matter of time before this team starts selling off some of its veteran talent.
#25(28): St. Louis Cardinals (1-5)
The St. Louis Cardinals finally climbed out of their five-game losing streak to start the season in their victory over the heavily slumping Pittsburgh Pirates. Starter Jose Fernandez was an absolute baller (to steal a term from another sport). He put up 52.7 points in 14 innings of pitching, giving up just 1 run, and striking out 22 in two starts. Impressive.
#24(25): Chicago White Sox (2-4)
The White Sox ran into a buzzsaw in the clear best team in the American League in the Los Angeles Angels (who nearly scored 400). It doesn't get much easier with the defending-champion Texas Rangers on the docket for next week. Weather the storm Chicago.
#23(21): Kansas City Royals (1-5)
Hisashi Iwakuma and Michael Pineda. Both traded away from the Kansas City Royals this week in about the clearest sign that this team is shifting into rebuilding mode since... the last time something like that happened. All eyes are on star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Sometimes a rebuild includes dealing a team's best player... sometimes it doesn't.
#22(23): San Francisco Giants (2-4)
The Giants were carried by their star third-baseman Todd Frazier in Week 6, who had a terrific outing with 49 points. This was mostly due to a 2 home-run, 21.6 point day early in the week. The Giants are showing improvement, as they've somewhat consistently scored about 200 points. The rebuild is going well in the Bay Area. But San Fran gets Philly and Washington back to back... ouch.
Group 4: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's
#21(22): Boston Red Sox (2-4)
The Red Sox were the buyers when it came to the Michael Pineda market, adding a nice starter to the rotation. The Committee of One thinks Boston has a chance to keep themselves in the picture... if they win all three of their next games: Cleveland, Chicago, and Seattle.
#20(18): New York Yankees (2-4)
A week after pulling off a big upset against the Baltimore Orioles, the team from the Bronx was extremely disappointing, scoring less than 200 points in a loss to the then 1-4 Detroit Tigers. The Yankees have Kansas City this week, but then face a difficult stretch of Minnesota, Texas, and Oakland in weeks 8-10.
#19: Detroit Tigers (2-4)
The Tigers did what they needed to do against New York, picking up their second win of the still young season. Remember, Detroit went 13-6 last season to win the division-crown, and much of the team is still here. Detroit gets Toronto this next week, but will need more key victories in order to catch Minnesota and repeat in the AL Central.
#18(20): Colorado Rockies (2-4)
Colorado fell short to Miami... for the second week in a row. Thankfully, in this league, teams don't have to play other teams three times in a row. The Rockies scored over 300 points (an impressive mark in the rebuilding process). Even more promising, the team didn't have a single scorer of over 30 points, meaning no player had a usage rate above 10%. Compare that to Toronto. The Rocks get the Braves next week.
Group 3: The possible playoff participants
#17: Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2)
As I mentioned last week, I really think Los Angeles needs to add a couple more pieces. Yet, the team is still tied for first in the NL West with Arizona. The Dodgers have been a little lucky so far, but they might want to capitalize on that good fortune and make something of it with San Diego struggling this season.
#16(14): Cincinnati Reds (2-4)
No one likely hates the loaded NL Central more than the Cincinnati Reds this season. The team is still 2nd in points scored this season with 2,176.2, trailing only the Houston Astros. The Reds now get a matchup against that very team in Week 7. If anyone could knock of Houston at this point, it could be Cincinnati. Upset alert?
#15(13): Minnesota Twins (4-2)
Minnesota made a deal for catcher Salvador Perez from K.C., yet fell by less than 2 points to the Defending Champion Texas Rangers. It was a heart-breaker for a nice story this season in the Twins, who hold a two-game lead on the weak AL Central division. Minnesota has a Texas-sized game against Oakland coming up for Week 7.
#14(16): Oakland Athletics (4-2)
Despite another disappointing start to a season and a rather disappointing career, Chase Headley managed 36 points to lead Oakland to a victory over the Royals in Week 6. The Athletics, thanks to their two losses and a crazy division, will need some victories to climb back to the top of the AL West. But their schedule... may prevent them from doing just that. Minnesota, Texas, and Los Angeles coming up.
#13(15): Seattle Mariners (5-1)
The Mariners keep rebuilding... and the Mariners keep winning. The record now stands at 5-1 through six weeks, Seattle being one of three teams with 5+ wins thus far. Unfortunately, the easy start to the season is now over, and the Mariners will essentially have to prove themselves as they get back-to-back matchups against the Los Angeles Angels. Not too many things work better than that as a barometer for a 5-1 team with a low point-total.
#12(10): San Diego Padres (3-3)
The Padres won two in a row... they were good right? Well, they put up a dud (less than 250 points) against the Washington Nationals, and fall back to .500. But just when they needed it, the Padres get a matchup with the lowly New York Mets to surely propel them back above the average as they chase down L.A. and Arizona.
#11(12): Baltimore Orioles (4-2)
What is up with this team? They made moves to improve at the beginning of the year (acquiring Stanton), but have gotten worse. They won their Week 6 game by scoring only 200 points (thank you Toronto). The Orioles now get a big game against the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom they're tied atop the division. Remind us who you used to be Baltimore.
Group 2: The Contenders... They're for real
#10(11): Tampa Bay Rays (4-2)
Tampa Bay is beginning to come around again, and a lot of it is due to two words: Big Papi. The veteran slugger is tearing the cover off the ball this season (184 points). Tampa Bay also scored a better 287 points. Not Tampa Bay standards from last season, but better than the showings so far this year. The Rays need a big victory against the slumping Orioles to re-take the division lead.
#9(5): Chicago Cubs (3-3)
Chicago was the latest victim of the Houston Astros, as they lost by nearly 100 points despite scoring 300 themselves. The Cubs are now .500 though through six. If Milwaukee and Houston maintain their prowess, Chicago will be fighting for one of the last two wild card spots that's likely to include two of the top three in the NL East, Cincinnati, and whoever doesn't win the division in the NL West between San Diego and Arizona. Thankfully, the schedule eases up, with 3 of the next 5 against teams with an under .500 mark.
#8(9): Miami Marlins (4-2)
The Marlins picked up another win in Colorado off the bat of the ancient Carlos Beltran, who contributed 46.5 points. He now has 8 home runs on the young season. The Marlins continue their NL West tour, playing the other four teams in the division in the coming weeks, much preferred to touring the NL Central if you ask the Committee of One.
#7(8): Washington Nationals (5-1)
The Nationals didn't back down after their 2 points loss to Philadelphia in Week 5; the team got back to work by taking care of the Padres to move to 5-1. The Nationals also made a trade, acquiring Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Feldman, and Tyler Flowers.. but at the cost of Kyle Gibson. The depth on offense looks better now, but was it worth it after Gibson's solid season last year? It's hard to doubt the Nats during their early success.
#6(7): Texas Rangers (5-1)
The Defending Champions slept well after winning a nail-biter against the Minnesota Twins to stay within a game of the Angels. Three of the Rangers next four games are against teams under .500, so chances are Texas will keep the pace with the last undefeated team in the American League. The Rangers wouldn't get a chance to knock them off until Week 15... if L.A. lasted that long.
Group 1: The Best of the Best
#5(4): Arizona D'backs (4-2)
Outfielder Adam Jones exploded for 54.5 points, hitting four home runs during the week. However, it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies, as the D'backs were handed their second loss of the season. The D'backs now get Washington... as the Committee said last week, I don't think this team wants to be 4-3 through 7 games.
#4(6): Milwaukee Brewers (5-1)
Milwaukee came up big time in a high-scoring affair with the Cincinnati Reds, beating them for the second time this season to move to 5-1 on the season. Honestly, the Committee of One did not see this coming this season, but the Brewers have certainly impressed. Milwaukee is 3rd in the league in scoring with 2,090.4 points through six games.
#3: Philadelphia Phillies (5-1)
The Phils got revenge on the Diamondbacks in Week 6 after losing to them in Week 4. Philadelphia now sports wins over Arizona, Miami, and Washington, an impressive resume thus far. Now... if Washington could just lose a game. Philadelphia gets San Francisco next week.
#2(1): Los Angeles Angels (6-0)
Los Angeles... destroyed the Chicago White Sox in Week 6, scoring nearly 400 points to keep their perfect record alive. Infielder Ian Desmond had a nice week, scoring 46.5 points. The Angels now play the 5-1 Mariners in back-to-back weeks. This likely won't be as tough of a matchup as it might seen... as Seattle hasn't scored high all season.
#1(2): Houston Astros (6-0)
Well, I promised... the Houston Astros are the new #1 team after they defeated the Chicago Cubs to stay perfect atop the NL Central division. This team looks like one of the better teams I've seen... in awhile. Houston is averaging around 400 points, that's very difficult to beat. Congratulations to the new #1!
Biggest +: Cardinals +3
Biggest -: Cubs -4
Week 7 GoTW: Orioles vs. Rays
Week 7 Match-ups & The Committee's Predictions (in bold)
Rockies vs. Braves
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Astros vs. Reds
Pirates vs. Brewers
Padres vs. Mets
Marlins vs. Dodgers
Phillies vs. Giants
D'backs vs. Nationals
Blue Jays vs. Tigers
White Sox vs. Rangers
Orioles vs. Rays
Indians vs. Red Sox
Yankees vs. Royals
Angels vs. Mariners
Twins vs. Athletics
The Committee's record:
Wk. 6: 11-4
Overall: 65-25
