I have decided to write about who my favorite players are by tiers. Each paragraph about the player will explain in detail why they have made my favorite player squad. The following tiers are:
Tier One: The Springer Tier
Tier Two: The Great Aces
Tier Three: The Future Is Now
Tier Four: Fantasy Favorites
Tier Five: First Year Favorites
The Ground Rules: At the end of my post, I will combine and construct my favorite player lineup with all the players I have listed, along with a lineup analysis. I will list players for each position, so all positions will be met for my lineup. Instead of having my favorite pitchers hit, I will include a DH. As far as bench spots, there will be three relievers and two bench spots. There will be one bench bat and one starting pitcher on my bench, just in case one of my five pitchers goes on the IL in the made up games.
Roster Size: 19 Total Players
Position Players:
C,1B,2B,SS,3B, 3 OF, DH, Bench Bat
Pitchers:
Six Starting Pitchers (Five Starters, One Starter on Bench), One Middle Reliever, and Two Closers
Who our opponent is, how the players perform, where we play, who the mascot is, and what jerseys we wear is up to you and for you all to decide! The best part of this whole thing is that this is all made up which makes it so much fun! I hope you all enjoy reading this post, this is one of the better ideas I have come up with.
Note: All stats are through June 25th Regular Season Games.
Tier One: The Springer Tier: George Springer
This first tier is my favorite tier and the most near and dear to my heart. If you are a new reader to my blog, first of all, welcome, it is great to have you! Secondly, you might be thinking "Why George Springer?" or "Who even is this guy?" Simply put, George and I both have a speech impediment, stuttering. As a result, I have gone Springer crazy and am his biggest fan... I promise! When it comes to favorite players, nobody is nowhere close to George and no one ever will be. I am not afraid to admit that I stutter, having this blog is how I express myself in a way without having to avoid words I might get stuck on while talking to people in real life and really say what I want to say.
George Springer: Springer will be my leadoff hitter in my lineup, like he is for the Blue Jays in real life. Always in my leadoff spot in my favorite player lineup, Springer is a lock at the top of my order. Knowing that we both stutter, this makes it a pretty easy and obvious choice that he is my favorite player of all-time, making me somewhat connected to George forever. This also prevents me from changing my favorite player every few seasons, which I think is fantastic!
George is in a tier all by himself and this will not change for as long as I am alive. He has made me want to write more about stuttering and my stuttering journey more often and as a result not care how other people think of me, because at the end of the day I could honestly care less of what people think of me and how I talk. Sure, questions go through my head when I meet someone new like: "How will they react?", "Will they treat me differently?", etc. When he hits a home run or makes a big play, he gives me more motivation to go out and not let stuttering define who I am as a person. He truly is my MVP! I could write about George for hours on end and about how much of an impact he has had on my life, but I will go on.
Tier Two: The Workhorses: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole
The three aces in this tier I have had on my real life fantasy team at least once over the past four seasons since we did not play in the league in the 2020 season. Scherzer in 2017 and 2018, deGrom in 2019, and Cole this current year, 2021. All three will front my rotation, with deGrom being my ace.
Jacob deGrom: The greatest pitcher that I have ever seen throw a baseball is simply named Jake or deGrom to some people. The ace and MVP of my 2019 fantasy baseball championship team, Jake will always be one of my favorites. He truly is one of one when it comes to pitchers, he is from another planet!
Max Scherzer: A true professional, Scherzer brings it every time out. My favorite pitcher for two seasons before deGrom took his place in 2019, Scherzer holds a top spot on this list. Mad Max has the most intensity that I have ever seen out of a pitcher and seems to intimidate hitters pretty easily. Having two different colored eyes, his left eye blue and his right eye brown. When he strikes someone out, a display of his eyes will appear and will light up on the big scoreboard out in the outfield.
Gerrit Cole: Cole was my first overall draft pick this season and has been a wonderful addition to my fantasy team. Sure his spin rate has gone down because of the dumb foreign substances rule, but he is still Gerrit Cole. All aboard the Cole Train, it is coming at a high rate of speed to any team we will play. The pitcher who has a similar voice to Kermit the Frog will be my second starter in my rotation, behind the Great deGrom.
Tier Three- The Future Is Now: Yordan Alvarez, Juan Soto, Walker Buehler, Ozzie Albies, Cody Bellinger
Yordan Alvarez: Alvarez or "Godzilla" as I like to call him is such a beast in the middle of the order for Houston. A fantasy baseball favorite of mine and one of my favorite players in general, I try to draft him every year, as I successfully did this season. Everyone who has played in leagues with me before knows that Alvarez is a player I target year after year. Yordan will be hitting bombs out of Houston for the next 10-15 years. He will slot in as my DH in my favorite player lineup.
Juan Soto: My favorite player in the league who is under 25 years old, all because I ran into him at Spring Training in 2019 without knowing. I did not recognize Soto, because he had a hoodie on over his jersey and also had on sunglasses, so I thought he was a coach. I saw him walking towards the facility, getting ready to go inside so I ended up stopping him, because it is always worth a shot. Once he started signing his name on my ball, I could tell he was spelling "Juan". One of the most dumb questions I have ever asked soon came after, as I asked "Are you Juan Soto?" He nodded his head in response. Once he grinned, I recognized his teeth and the shape of them, as they are very distinct and are easy for me to recognize. Long story short, I was having a panic attack right in front of him while he was laughing to himself. Nobody else was around, it was just me and him talking. At the time, he was entering his first full season, as he burst onto the scene when he came up in 2018, homering in his first career at-bat. We ended up shaking hands and I ran back to my parents in complete shock. I did not wash my right hand for awhile as a result. This is a memory that I will cherish forever.
Walker Buehler: My favorite young pitcher in the game, Buehler had won 23 starts in a row, but that streak was snapped against the Cubs earlier this week. Walker's future is very bright and looks to be the true ace in LA for the foreseeable future. Buehler can reach high 90's with his fastball and cutter. His pitch arsenal is what makes me like him so much and he has the ability to throw triple digits if need be.
Ozzie Albies: I have been a fan of Albies for a few seasons now, I just have never been able to draft him to my fantasy team prior to this season. An argument could be made that he is the best second basemen in the league. He can do it all: hit home runs, make solid contact, steal bases, and has great defensive skills. He gives me a speed boost in both my fantasy league and my favorite player lineup as well.
Cody Bellinger: Bellinger is the best outfielder I have drafted in all my years of playing fantasy baseball, drafting him in the second round of this year's draft. I love his left handed swing, it is a thing of beauty. He will be my bench bat, because he can play both first base and play in the outfield. Cody provides position flexibility which I love and when healthy, he is a top tier player.
Tier Four: Fantasy Favorites: Matt Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Michael Brantley, Kyle Hendricks, Will Smith, Corey Seager, Jose Berrios
This tier is all about players that I seem to draft over and over again on my fantasy teams season after season. After awhile, I get drawn to these players. When I do not draft these players or do not get a chance to draft them, it feels somewhat weird to not have them on my team.
Matt Chapman: Chapman has been my fantasy third basemen for the past three seasons, including this current year. Chapman's defensive ability alone makes him a threat to be in the lineup everyday. The best defensive third baseman in the American League in my opinion, he has home run type power and can produce 20-30 home runs a season, with an average around .250.
Raisel Iglesias: Iglesias was my main fantasy closer for three straight seasons when he was with the Reds. Now with the Angels, Iglesias has so far had an off year, with an ERA just below four. I did not get a chance to draft him this season, but I do somewhat miss him closing games for my team.
Michael Brantley: The most consistent hitter in the league in my opinion, getting Brantley in the mid to late rounds of fantasy drafts is an absolute must for me. He leads the way in the Batting Average category for my team and I love how he can just rack up hits in bunches. Brantley does not have a ton of power, but when you need a base hit, make sure to call Michael Brantley, he has my back every game it seems. Pairing him with Yordan Alvarez who also plays for Houston, is a fantastic strategy for me because you can get both contact and power from the two. Michael keeps his eye on the ball for so long, it is insane, he needs way more attention as he is currently leading the league with a .355 Batting Average.
Kyle Hendricks: When I think of consistency, I think of Kyle Hendricks. Having drafted him in 2017, I know what numbers Kyle could bring to the table when I drafted him again this season. Returning to form over his past few starts, The Professor has already collected 10 wins and has won his last eight. The saying "Slow and steady wins the race." is in Hendricks DNA, who hardly pitches 90 MPH.
Will Smith: When it comes to catchers, Will Smith is at the top of my list. Unlike Dave Roberts who likes to play Austin Barnes almost half the time, Smith will be my full time catcher. All positive signs point to Smith as he is very young and is a top three catcher in the game, at least in my opinion.
Corey Seager: Seager fits perfectly into my lineup and is my favorite shortstop in the league as well. Having drafted him in 2017, and having traded for him in 2019 in my fantasy league, Corey and I get along pretty well. The injury bug seems to get him every other season, though, but when he is in the lineup he is a top shortstop in the league. Not known for his speed, Corey excels at making contact and hitting baseballs over the fence.
Jose Berrios: I have decided Jose Berrios will be my starting pitcher of choice who will be on my bench. Jose can easily fill in for Hendricks or Buehler, depending on who we play or if Buehler gets tired because of the amount of innings he pitches. Having Berrios on my real life fantasy team for two seasons now, I love his consistency he brings to the table, much like Kyle Hendricks. I do not have a problem if someone were to put Berrios in as the fifth starting pitcher, but I like Hendricks consistency a bit more.
Tier Five: First Year Favorites: Matt Olson, Emmanuel Clase, Mark Melancon
This tier is about some of my new favorite players from this season so far. I like the way these guys perform and play the game of baseball.
Matt Olson: Going into my fantasy draft, I did not plan on drafting Olson at all, but he was a great value pick in the 10th round. He has been killing it for me and as a result, I have become a fan of his. When he gets his arms extended in the left handed batters box, it is a pretty good chance he either pulled a home run down the right field foul pole or hit one to right-center. Already with 20 home runs this season, he should be at the All-Star game in Colorado in July, at least I hope so, he has earned my vote.
Emmanuel Clase: I picked up Clase on my waiver wire this season, but as I have mentioned in previous posts, I always have to bench him because of James Karinchak possibly saving the game instead. As a result, Clase will be my middle reliever on my created team so that Iglesias or Melancon will not have to be pressured to pitch multiple innings if need be. Clase features a cutter that is wicked, so maybe he will use it against opponents more often than not.
Mark Melancon: I have chosen Melancon to be my other closer alongside Iglesias. Another player I did not plan on picking up off the waiver wire this season, Mark is leading the league in saves with 23. A ground ball artist, Melancon is known for getting hitters to ground out.
Team Information:
Team Name: Dominant Underdogs
Manager: Adam Dawson
Team Captains: George Springer and Jacob deGrom
Starting Lineup:
George Springer-CF Bats: Right
Michael Brantley-LF Bats: Left
Juan Soto- RF Bats: Left
Yordan Alvarez- DH Bats: Left
Matt Chapman-3B Bats: Right
Matt Olson-1B Bats: Left
Will Smith-C Bats: Right
Corey Seager-SS Bats: Left
Ozzie Albies-2B Bats: Switch
Bench/Utility: Cody Bellinger- 1B/OF Bats: Left
Starting Pitching Rotation:
Jacob deGrom-RHP
Gerrit Cole- RHP
Max Scherzer-RHP
Walker Buehler-RHP
Kyle Hendricks-RHP
Bench: Jose Berrios-RHP
Middle Reliever:
Emmanuel Clase- RHP
Closers:
Raisel Iglesias-RHP
Mark Melancon- RHP
Lineup Analysis: There is a great combination of lefties and righties in my lineup. Albies being able to switch hit at the bottom of my lineup, who will also provide speed on the base paths is great, which as a result will set up my leadoff hitter, George Springer to do even more damage. The middle of my order is flat out incredible with Soto and Alvarez hitting in the three and four holes. I did my best on placing the players where they most likely hit in real life. For instance, even though Chapman and Olson are not hitting second and third like they usually do in the A's lineup, I like having them back to back in my order, very similar to how A's manager Bob Melvin does in real life.
My closers are the one "weak" spot, but I wanted to be biased and not name the best closer in the league for this spot, because this is my favorite player lineup. Luckily, my pitching staff is very strong and hopefully will not have to rely on Iglesias or Melancon much at all. I would lean on Melancon for the majority of saves if it came down to it because I love the veteran presence he brings to my created bullpen. The one thing I noticed after writing these paragraphs about each pitcher is that they are all righties, but it will be fine because they are all great.
Final Thoughts: I hope you all have enjoyed reading who my favorite players are and how I constructed my lineup with all of the players doing their part to be the best team we can be. Hopefully my team can win a lot of games!
See you at the Ballpark!!!
Adam
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