Predicting Tonight’s NL Wild Card Winner

So the offenses have had their say, the pitching has had their say and the game has been previewed so it’s time to put up or shut up. Who takes home the crown and gets the consolation prize that is facing off with the Chicago Cubs on the road in the NLDS? Is it going to be a Noah Syndergaard led New York Mets squad or is it going to be a Madison Bumgarner led Giants squad?

In all honestly I left the whole “even number” thing out as much as I could because on a long enough timeline that will have to come to an end eventually but I can’t see the Mets getting passed the Giants in this contest. The Mets pitching is stellar and if they can get the ball to Jeurys Familia with a lead that may be the ball game leaving me with egg on my face but the Giants just have so much postseason experience and so many clutch hitters and so many players that have been there before it’s hard to root against them in a one-game playoff. It may even be hard to root against them in a best of five series to be completely frank and honest. That is why I’m going with the Giants tonight in Queens.

Well that and I’m a Yankees fan and according to Michael Kay I can’t be a fan nor can I root for both… and I’m inclined to agree with him. 

Fantasy Baseball: The Closer Position

We are about 1/5 of the way through the Major League Baseball season and if you’re bullpen is in shambles in your fantasy league you may want to keep reading. I am by no means a Fantasy Baseball guru but I do like to think I know a thing or two about MLB in general so hopefully this post can help you shore up the back end of your bullpen and propel you to a victory in your league.

If you don’t already have Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Greg Holland, David Robertson, Andrew Miller, Glen Perkins, Trevor Rosenthal, Huston Street, Joakim Soria or Hector Rondon you may or may not be in trouble in your league right now. Every pitcher on this list with the exception of Kimbrel (flirting with a 6.00 ERA that has to come down soon) and Holland have been dominant all season long notching save after save and K after K but what if you weren’t lucky enough to get these players? I may have a few names that may be available via trade or even in the free agent market if you league size, team wise, is small enough to help you make your second half push.

Koji Uehara has bounced back from a slow start this season and a DL trip and looks more like the guy the Red Sox hoped they were getting when they signed him to an extension at 40 years old. Zach Britton, Drew Storen, Jonathan Papelbon, Santiago Casilla and Francisco Rodriguez seemingly have no one in their bullpens to challenge them for the jobs so it seems like even if the ERA’s and peripherals are inflated a bit these men are shoe-in’s for every save opportunity their respected teams get this season unless traded.

Jeurys Familia has done well with the New York Mets and you could snatch him up in a trade with someone thinking they got the best of his hot start and who are thinking they are selling high. The same can be said for A.J. Ramos who stole the job from Steve Cishek in Miami and has done well in a very limited sample size in the 9^th inning.

The final list of players include a few that are shaky at best but are the walking poster child of high risk high reward type signings. Players like Cody Allen, Brett Cecil, Jason Grili, John Axford, Mark Melancon and whoever comes out on top of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers closing competition on the fly may get you above water just enough to do some damage in your leagues. If not I offer a money back guarantee on all my Fantasy advice, good thing it’s free right?