Week 1 Matchup Predictions
Mar 25, 2018 16:13:44 GMT -6
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Post by Minnesota Twins on Mar 25, 2018 16:13:44 GMT -6
Week 1 Matchup Predictions
American League
Minnesota (0-0-0)Vs. Kansas City (0-0-0)
This matchup is always a heated and competitive one that has seen many different outcomes and in many different variations. Some may remember a matchup from 2016 that saw Kansas City win on sunday night when Carlos Rondon entered a game for the Cubs (At the time, on the Fantasy Twins team) in the 8th, and allowed 3 home runs and ended up scoring -8.3, allowing Kansas City to win the week by 5 points. That outcome ended up ultimately being the reason the Royals made the playoffs in 2016 instead of the Twins. Lets get to the matchup. The Twins have one of the strongest front ends of a rotation in the Dynasty League. As long as Stras, Thor and Kershaw can stay healthy, and guys like Bundy and Gio can continue to contribute, this should be one of the toughest teams to beat week in and week out in pitching categories. The twins also have 5-6 other young arms that have some serious potential, but this rotation is also arguably the most injury prone in the league. The Royals enter this matchup with a few newly acquired SPs such as Cueto, King Felix and Tanaka. Also fronted with Maeda looking to bounce back, Porcello in the same boat, and younger arms like Faria and Mejia, they could pose a threat to the Twins in week 1. Jumping to the hitting side, the Royals have 3 top 10 and 6 total top 11 ranked players at their respectibe positions while the Twins hold 4 in the top 10 and one OF ranked 13th at his position in Bryce Harper. Due to a leg injury just after the all star breal, he slipped a bit but could easily be top 10 as well. I see pitching going moreso to the Twins in this matchup and hitting being fairly even, leaning slightly to the Royals.
Winner: Twins 8-2-4
American League
New York (0-0-0)Vs. Boston (0-0-0)
New York comes into this season being the biggest surprise of 2017. Under new ownership, New York plans to start the year off right with a win against Rival Boston. New York holds 6 hitters that rank in the top 11 at their position, against Bostons 4. This proves to be a big week in the hitting department for both teams. On the other side, New York boasters one of the youngest pitching staffs in the league. Both teams play similar styles, as they both hold 5 RP eligible pitchers, saves and holds will be up in the air. New Yorks rotation features Alex Wood, Micheal Wacha and Sonny Gray while Boston will be throwing Vince Velasquez, Zach Davies, Tyler Chatwood and Will also be hoping for a bounce back year out of David Price. I think the 2 split holds, while New york squeeks away with wins and another 2 pitching cats, and the 2 teams split hitting in some fashion.
Winner: New York, 8-5-1
American League
Tampa Bay (0-0-0)Vs. Toronto (0-0-0)
Our 2 time World Series champion and last years Runner-up, formally the Detroit Tigers, now the Tampa Bay Rays, run by the Chatham Corps. Ownership, and led by Brad Chatham himself, look to build off of 3 solid years of Fantasy Baseball. This team, considered by most to be the sheer definition of Dominant, is an absolute dynasty and did nothing in the offseason to lessen his chances at another World Series run in 2018. He faces the always tough, Toronto Blue Jays to kickoff the 2018 season. The Rays currently roster 6 hitters ranked at their respective position in the top 5 and 2, lemme say that again 2, #1 overall ranked hitters in Jose Altuve (no surprise) and Charlie Blackmon (surprising to some). Tampa Bay doesnt appear to be missing a beat heading into 2018. Toronto on the other side of the diamond, currently has 5 players ranked in the top 5 and a total of 7 rostered within the top 12 at their respective position. Toronto deploys stars such as Mike Trout and Robinson Cano hoping to pull off what would widely be considered the most shocking upset of week 1, if it were to happen. Unfortunately for the Blue Birds, The Rays have undoubtedly the deepest pitching staff within the Dynasty League, and Tampas Staff will ultimitely be the bullet that leaves the smokin' barrel that will knock the Blue Birds out of the bright blue sky. I see Tampa dominating on the pitching side, 5-2 and hitting should be close. May sound crazy, but i believe this is the matchup that we could look back at on sunday as the most intriguing of the week.
Winner: Tampa Bay 9-2-3
(This was a tough one, as my gut says give Tampa the victory by a wide margin, but i have a weird feeling Toronto plays it alot closer than anyone expects.)
National League
St. Louis (0-0-0)Vs. Chicago (0-0-0)
Heads up, Cubbies! While you're meandering through these woods, the defending champion Cardinals are looking to rain down feces from the tree tops!! Both squads come into this matchup boasting impressive pitching (starters and closers!) in what could prove to be a nailbiter in pitching cats by matchups end. Home Run monster Marcell Ozuna, and fireballers Verlander, Arrieta, and Jose Twigs and Berrios are fully capable of turning the categories upside down on the opposition, but they are countered a menacing lineup that includes a bullDozier, Justin Upton, and rocket launchers CMart, Yu, Chapman, Nola, and the fearsome Degrominator. At this time, the Cards just have a more season-ready team that stands to win a war of attrition across most categories. Prediction: SPLAT SPLAT!
Winner: St. Louis 10-3-1
National League
Los Angeles 0-0-0 vs. Colorado 0-0-0
Coloradoooo rocky mountain hiiiigh. If you don't think these Rocky bats can hang with the best of them, you're high as a kite! New ownership ushered in marked improvements to a squad that got pounded to the tune of 1-20 in 2017, and they look to be a difficult out for just about anybody this time around. 2017 appears to have been an aberration for the mighty Machado, and if that wasn't enough, Colorado also brings SB king Dee Gordon, Khris Davis, and MVP runner-up Joey Votto to help slam things home. Los Angeles' squad top to bottom appears to be straight-up gnarly, however. Looking to be a true contender in 2018, they appear capable of competing across most categories in any given week. Arenado, Correa, and Hoskins could prove to be murderers row for most teams, and that's the just the tip of the iceberg in LA. Jansen and Kimbrel headline the premier bullpen in the league. I foresee a real nail-biter here. The strong relief pitching of the Dodgers could prove to a deciding factor. Prediction: duck, dive and dodge!
Winner: Los Angeles 7-5-2
National League
Arizona (0-0-0)Vs. Atlanta (0-0-0)
The heat is on! A playoff contender in 2017, the Diamondbacks look to scorch in 2018 with a near carbon copy of the prior years team. Meanwhile, the Braves are attempting a tomahawk chop their way out of the 6-15 mediocrity of yesteryear. Improvements around the teepee have certainly been made going into 2018, and some arrows are certain to hit their mark this season. Names like Murphy, Cespedes, and Sale should strike fear in the hearts of some. The village is currently a work in progress, however, and water is scarce in the desert where the sidewinders reign supreme! The dirty Sanchez, Seagerbomb, and J.D. joined by Gatling guns Scherzer and Keuchel guard the watering hole. Prediction: Cooked!
Winner: Arizona 9-3-2
PROJECTED OUTCOMES Vs. ACTUAL OUTCOMES
Twins 8-2-4. Twins-11-3-0
New York 8-5-1 Boston-9-3-2
Tampa Bay 9-2-3 Tampa Bay-8-6
St. Louis 10-3-1 St. Louis-9-4-1
Los Angeles 7-5-2 Los Angeles-14-0-0
Arizona 9-3-2 Atlanta-12-1-1
American League
Minnesota (0-0-0)Vs. Kansas City (0-0-0)
This matchup is always a heated and competitive one that has seen many different outcomes and in many different variations. Some may remember a matchup from 2016 that saw Kansas City win on sunday night when Carlos Rondon entered a game for the Cubs (At the time, on the Fantasy Twins team) in the 8th, and allowed 3 home runs and ended up scoring -8.3, allowing Kansas City to win the week by 5 points. That outcome ended up ultimately being the reason the Royals made the playoffs in 2016 instead of the Twins. Lets get to the matchup. The Twins have one of the strongest front ends of a rotation in the Dynasty League. As long as Stras, Thor and Kershaw can stay healthy, and guys like Bundy and Gio can continue to contribute, this should be one of the toughest teams to beat week in and week out in pitching categories. The twins also have 5-6 other young arms that have some serious potential, but this rotation is also arguably the most injury prone in the league. The Royals enter this matchup with a few newly acquired SPs such as Cueto, King Felix and Tanaka. Also fronted with Maeda looking to bounce back, Porcello in the same boat, and younger arms like Faria and Mejia, they could pose a threat to the Twins in week 1. Jumping to the hitting side, the Royals have 3 top 10 and 6 total top 11 ranked players at their respectibe positions while the Twins hold 4 in the top 10 and one OF ranked 13th at his position in Bryce Harper. Due to a leg injury just after the all star breal, he slipped a bit but could easily be top 10 as well. I see pitching going moreso to the Twins in this matchup and hitting being fairly even, leaning slightly to the Royals.
Winner: Twins 8-2-4
American League
New York (0-0-0)Vs. Boston (0-0-0)
New York comes into this season being the biggest surprise of 2017. Under new ownership, New York plans to start the year off right with a win against Rival Boston. New York holds 6 hitters that rank in the top 11 at their position, against Bostons 4. This proves to be a big week in the hitting department for both teams. On the other side, New York boasters one of the youngest pitching staffs in the league. Both teams play similar styles, as they both hold 5 RP eligible pitchers, saves and holds will be up in the air. New Yorks rotation features Alex Wood, Micheal Wacha and Sonny Gray while Boston will be throwing Vince Velasquez, Zach Davies, Tyler Chatwood and Will also be hoping for a bounce back year out of David Price. I think the 2 split holds, while New york squeeks away with wins and another 2 pitching cats, and the 2 teams split hitting in some fashion.
Winner: New York, 8-5-1
American League
Tampa Bay (0-0-0)Vs. Toronto (0-0-0)
Our 2 time World Series champion and last years Runner-up, formally the Detroit Tigers, now the Tampa Bay Rays, run by the Chatham Corps. Ownership, and led by Brad Chatham himself, look to build off of 3 solid years of Fantasy Baseball. This team, considered by most to be the sheer definition of Dominant, is an absolute dynasty and did nothing in the offseason to lessen his chances at another World Series run in 2018. He faces the always tough, Toronto Blue Jays to kickoff the 2018 season. The Rays currently roster 6 hitters ranked at their respective position in the top 5 and 2, lemme say that again 2, #1 overall ranked hitters in Jose Altuve (no surprise) and Charlie Blackmon (surprising to some). Tampa Bay doesnt appear to be missing a beat heading into 2018. Toronto on the other side of the diamond, currently has 5 players ranked in the top 5 and a total of 7 rostered within the top 12 at their respective position. Toronto deploys stars such as Mike Trout and Robinson Cano hoping to pull off what would widely be considered the most shocking upset of week 1, if it were to happen. Unfortunately for the Blue Birds, The Rays have undoubtedly the deepest pitching staff within the Dynasty League, and Tampas Staff will ultimitely be the bullet that leaves the smokin' barrel that will knock the Blue Birds out of the bright blue sky. I see Tampa dominating on the pitching side, 5-2 and hitting should be close. May sound crazy, but i believe this is the matchup that we could look back at on sunday as the most intriguing of the week.
Winner: Tampa Bay 9-2-3
(This was a tough one, as my gut says give Tampa the victory by a wide margin, but i have a weird feeling Toronto plays it alot closer than anyone expects.)
National League
St. Louis (0-0-0)Vs. Chicago (0-0-0)
Heads up, Cubbies! While you're meandering through these woods, the defending champion Cardinals are looking to rain down feces from the tree tops!! Both squads come into this matchup boasting impressive pitching (starters and closers!) in what could prove to be a nailbiter in pitching cats by matchups end. Home Run monster Marcell Ozuna, and fireballers Verlander, Arrieta, and Jose Twigs and Berrios are fully capable of turning the categories upside down on the opposition, but they are countered a menacing lineup that includes a bullDozier, Justin Upton, and rocket launchers CMart, Yu, Chapman, Nola, and the fearsome Degrominator. At this time, the Cards just have a more season-ready team that stands to win a war of attrition across most categories. Prediction: SPLAT SPLAT!
Winner: St. Louis 10-3-1
National League
Los Angeles 0-0-0 vs. Colorado 0-0-0
Coloradoooo rocky mountain hiiiigh. If you don't think these Rocky bats can hang with the best of them, you're high as a kite! New ownership ushered in marked improvements to a squad that got pounded to the tune of 1-20 in 2017, and they look to be a difficult out for just about anybody this time around. 2017 appears to have been an aberration for the mighty Machado, and if that wasn't enough, Colorado also brings SB king Dee Gordon, Khris Davis, and MVP runner-up Joey Votto to help slam things home. Los Angeles' squad top to bottom appears to be straight-up gnarly, however. Looking to be a true contender in 2018, they appear capable of competing across most categories in any given week. Arenado, Correa, and Hoskins could prove to be murderers row for most teams, and that's the just the tip of the iceberg in LA. Jansen and Kimbrel headline the premier bullpen in the league. I foresee a real nail-biter here. The strong relief pitching of the Dodgers could prove to a deciding factor. Prediction: duck, dive and dodge!
Winner: Los Angeles 7-5-2
National League
Arizona (0-0-0)Vs. Atlanta (0-0-0)
The heat is on! A playoff contender in 2017, the Diamondbacks look to scorch in 2018 with a near carbon copy of the prior years team. Meanwhile, the Braves are attempting a tomahawk chop their way out of the 6-15 mediocrity of yesteryear. Improvements around the teepee have certainly been made going into 2018, and some arrows are certain to hit their mark this season. Names like Murphy, Cespedes, and Sale should strike fear in the hearts of some. The village is currently a work in progress, however, and water is scarce in the desert where the sidewinders reign supreme! The dirty Sanchez, Seagerbomb, and J.D. joined by Gatling guns Scherzer and Keuchel guard the watering hole. Prediction: Cooked!
Winner: Arizona 9-3-2
PROJECTED OUTCOMES Vs. ACTUAL OUTCOMES
Twins 8-2-4. Twins-11-3-0
New York 8-5-1 Boston-9-3-2
Tampa Bay 9-2-3 Tampa Bay-8-6
St. Louis 10-3-1 St. Louis-9-4-1
Los Angeles 7-5-2 Los Angeles-14-0-0
Arizona 9-3-2 Atlanta-12-1-1