2019 FGM Playoffs Projections, Updates & Results

[Flash]

Now that the regular season has ended, we now have our ten playoff teams, with 3 Division Winners and 2 Wild Card teams from each league.  Here’s a list of our 2019 Playoff Teams:

Franchise GM 2019 Playoff Picture

National League
#1 Seed :PHI: 151   11   0   
#2 Seed :MIL: 117   45   0   
#3 Seed :COL: 110   52   0   
#4 Seed :CHC: 113   49   0
#5 Seed :SF:   109   53   0


American League
#1 Seed :TB:   132   30   0   
#2 Seed :LAA: 131   31   0   
#3 Seed :CHW: 107   55   0   
#4 Seed :NYY: 110   52   0
#5 Seed :SEA: 106   56   0   

Let us begin with a preview of the Wild Card matchups:

In the American League, the :NYY: will meet the :SEA: in the Wild Card matchup.  The Mariners were taken over in midseason by jblum, and through a variety of trades and free agent acquisitions, he was able to turn the Mariners around and secure the 2nd Wild Card spot.  However, the :SEA: lineup has been decimated by injuries and will be shorthanded in their matchup with the Yankees.  The Mariners have Derek Dietrich, Luke Voit, Lourdes Gurriel, and Jeff McNeil on the Injured List.  So it will take some of the other rostered players to step up if the Mariners are to overcome the Yankees.

The Bronx Bombers have also been an FGM success story under first year GM Yeagg.  After negotiating a variety of trades to gain an enormous amount of available cap, Yeagg acquired a boatload of talent through free agency.  With that, he also engineered some mid-season trades and secured some more talent and was looking like a real challenger to the eventual AL East champion :TB:  However, the Yankees, like the Mariners have been bitten by the injury bug and have fallen on hard times in the closing weeks of the season.  SP Chris Sale has had an off year, and is now on the IL with an elbow injury.  MI Yoan Moncada was having a tremendous season, but went on the IL with a hamstring injury.  The good news with Moncada is that he may return this week if his rehab goes well.  The Yankees have certainly been helped the acquisitions of Ian Desmond and Mike Moustakas, but Yandy Diaz is still on the IL and Stephen Piscotty is dealing with an ankle injury.  The Yankees also have SP David Price on the IL, so they will have to deal with the loss of two of their core SPs for the playoffs

Who do you think will come out on top and advance to the a matchup with the :TB:?

In the National League Wild Card matchup, we find the :CHC: meeting the :SF:  The Cubs have some bombers in their everyday lineup:  Mike Trout, Rhys Hoskins, George Springer, Ronald Acuna, Jr., and Marcell Ozuna.  With those players, the Cubs are capable of scoring some big numbers, and they are a compliment to a strong pitching staff.  The Cubs feature Shane Bieber, Yu Darvish, and Masahiro Tanaka, so by the numbers they seem to be more than the Giants can handle.

For their part, the Giants are the only FGM team to feature a lineup with a majority of home team players.  That, however, can be a detriment to a degree because the MLB Giants are a team that is known to lay an egg and only get a few hits.  This was all to evident in the closing weeks of the season when the Giants bats went cold and allowed the Rockies to overtake them and win the NL West.  This season, the Giants helped themselves through a variety of trades and secured Buster Posey, Stephen Vogt, Matt Semien, and Matt Yastrzemski.  However, Khris Davis and Tyler Beede have been disappointing thus far, so it's a hope and prayer for better things to happen in the upcoming Wild Card Matchup.  The Giants are encouraged by the resurgence of Madison Bumgarner,  Brandon Belt, Derek Rodriguez, and the MLB debut of SP Logan Webb.

As for a prediction, let's just say it's in the hands of the Fantasy Gods.

In terms of the other playoff teams, in the National League, the :PHI: have to be considered the odds on favorites to repeat as the FGM Champion.  With a lineup that features Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman, JD Martinez, and Paul Goldschmidt and a pitching corps that has a rotation of Kyle Gibson, Dallas Keuchel, Mike Leake, Miles Mikolas, and Wade Miley, the Phillies seem like a team that is capable of laying the hammer on any opponent.

With all that, the :MIL: have quietly had a tremendous season and are a team to be reckoned with.  Led by NL MVP Christian Yelich, along with Jorge Polanco, Hunter Renfroe and CI Brian Anderson, the Brewers have a potent lineup from top to bottom.  With that, the Brewers have a tremendous pitching staff:  Lucas Giolitio, Tanner Roake, Jakob Junis,  and Eric Lauer.  These SPs are and indication of the depth of the Brewers pitching corps as they await Carlos Carrasco, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, and Tyler Glasnow to return from the IL.  When they are at full strength, the Brewers, like the Phillies, are very, very scary.

In the American League, the :TB: are again the #1 seed.  With their GM on a personal leave of absence for the majority of the season, they were still able to beat back the competition with a lineup that features Manny Machado, Yuli Gurriel, Charlie Blackmon, and Gio Urshela.  They were given a boost with the return of Daniel Murphy from the IL.  Pitching is a strength for the Rays with the likes of Jon Gray, Kyle Hendricks, Julio Teheran, and Stephen Strasburg.  So whomever they face, their opponent will face one of the most complete teams in the entire league.

Not to be overlooked, however, the :LAA: have had a very successful season.  Dealing with a multitude of injuries to it's pitching staff, Angels GM game162, held the staff together behind the arms of Noah Syndergaard, Michael Pineda, and Chris Archer by infusing some new faces in Adam Wainwright and Dustin May.  The Angels lineup will be affected by Joey Votto going on the IL, but the Angels have some hitters in Carlos Correa, Gleyber Torres, Vlad, Jr., and Austin Meadows.

Sometimes, surprises happen in any playoff scenario because some team is overlooked and taken for granted.  Such might be the case with the :CHW: as they come with the 9th best record of the 10 playoff teams.  Yet, in looking at their lineup, there is a reason the finished atop the AL Central Division.  The bats of Matt Chapman, Trevor Story, and Yaseil Puig have helped the White Sox win games, although they will be hurt by the loss of OF Avisail Garcia to the IL.  The White Sox pitching is lead by Trevor Bauer, German Marquez, and Jacob deGrom, so they aren't a team to take lightly.

So there you have it, a synopsis of what each team has to offer and each of our playoff teams have their strengths.  After this week's Wild Card Matchups, here's what we have to look forward to in the ALDS and the NLDS:

American League

Wild Card Winner vs #1 :TB:
#3 :CHW: vs #2 :LAA:

National League

Wild Card Winner vs #1 :PHI:
#3 :COL: vs #2 :MIL:

Feel free to post any comments or predictions.

 :toth:

[papps]

Great write up Flash!

Good luck to everyone in the playoffs!!

[jblum]

Here we go!!! :taco:

[kidd5jersey]

Great work Flash! 

[Flash]

The Wild Card Round has been completed and we’re now ready to move on to the ALDS & the NLDS. 

In the American League Wild Card, the Seattle Mariners pulled off an upset of sorts and knocked off the New York Yankees.  After falling behind earlier in the week, the Mariners used a Sunday push to deliver a Bronx Bomber knockout punch.

The National League Wild Card saw the Chicago Cubs use a depleted, but potent lineup, to beat back the home grown lineup of the San Francisco Giants.  The matchup was close throughout the week, but in the end, the Cubs advanced to the NLDS.

Here are the ALDS and the NLDS matchups:

National League
#4 Seed :CHC: vs #1 Seed :PHI:

#3 Seed :COL: vs #2 Seed :MIL:

American League
#5 Seed :SEA: vs #1 Seed :TB:   

#3 Seed :CHW: vs #2 Seed :LAA:
 

[soonerorlitigator]

Excited to have had a great season to this point. Just hope my depleted staff can hold together for a run.

Thanks as always for a great write up Flash. You make it even more interesting for sure.

[papps]

Its gonna be a great race!  Regular season means nothing anymore.  Staying healthy will be the biggest key.  Good luck everyone!!

[Flash]

With 4 days to go in the ALDS and the NLDS, here's how it's shaping up:

Matchups

National League Division Series
Chicago Cubs  218.86  vs   811.74  Philadelphia Phillies
:PHI: flexing their muscles and spanking the :CHC:
 
Colorado Rockies  281.91  vs  851.58   Milwaukee Brewers
:MIL: are showing the :COL: they are not a team to be trifled with.

American League Division Series
Seattle Mariners  703.13  vs,  287.95  Tampa Bay Rays
The Cinderella story continues with the :SEA: leading the :TB:

Chicago White Sox  244.2  vs,  814.47  Los Angeles Angels
The :LAA: are flying high and bopping the :CHW:

Who will advance to the Conference Series?  We have four more days of play to find out. :toth:

[Flash]

With 2 days to go in the ALDS and the NLDS, here's how it's shaping up:

Matchups

National League Division Series
Chicago Cubs  464.88 vs. 1087.99  Philadelphia Phillies
:PHI: is running away with it and is on the verge of eliminating the :CHC:
 
Colorado Rockies  742.48 vs. 992.52   Milwaukee Brewers
:COL: has made it competitive and closed the gap on :MIL:; but the Max Muncy injury has made the road to victory a lot harder for :COL:.

American League Division Series
Seattle Mariners  961.37 vs. 584.32  Tampa Bay Rays
The :SEA: continues to dominate the :TB:, as Cinderella is still on the dance floor.

Chicago White Sox  619.21 vs. 1035.65  Los Angeles Angels
Things look bleak for the :CHW: as the :LAA: continues to dominate the series.

Surprises can always happen, but in some cases, we have to consider waiting for a miracle if we are going to see any change. :toth:

[kidd5jersey]

Congratulations to Seattle on advancing to the ALCS.