NCU Fantasy Baseball Playoff Preview: Wild Card Week

NCU Baseball Playoffs: Wild Card Preview
Milwaukee Brewers pitchers loom large in our first-round matchups.

Well, we're finally here! It's playoff time, boys. I'm beside myself because my team made it for the first time in years, but I can understand feeling some agony if you just missed this year — I'm looking at you, Mike. It sucks to have your year finish short especially when you pull out all the stops to make trades and get your team prepared for postseason war. It sucks differently, or maybe even more, if you've been out of it for weeks and have checked out and slipped into fantasy football mode, all the while knowing that baseball still going on. For some, it was a welcome change because they like football better, but being essentially eliminated since the all star break sucks. So, to all of the eliminated teams, it was awesome playing with you this year and I'm already looking forward to the 2022 season.

Also wanted to touch on the sad news that we've said an official goodbye to a couple of long-term owners this year: Dave Mowers and Matt Hurm. I've loved having them in the league and if we're lucky they'll find their way back one day. Great owners, great baseball minds and great dudes to talk baseball with. I'll let Paul talk about it when he's ready, but I know we've got some people in mind to fill their spots.

Thanks to all of you for making the regular season so fun; let's turn our attention to our first-round playoff matchups.

#6 - Madison Muskies (13-10) @ #3 - 2020 Champ No Asterisk (16-7)

After a red-hot run to usurp Mayhem Like Mike's claim on the final playoff spot, the upstart Madison Muskies travel to face defending champion 2020 Champ No Asterisk. Over the past month, these two teams have been the #1 and #2 scorers in the league — Troy's team checks in at 343.25 while Jamaal's is at 342.75 over that span. Additionally, the Muskies have blazed to a 73-17-1 breakdown since the All-Star Break while the 2020 Champs have been similarly dominant 70-21. Honestly, it looks more like a championship matchup than a Wild Card battle, but that's how it goes.

Key Players: Nester Cortes/Kyle Gibson double starts (2020 Champs); Tim Anderson returns! (2020 Champs); CIN starting pitchers Mahle/Gutierrez/Miley facing PIT (Muskies); Buxton breaking out (Muskies); Schwindel RED HOT (Muskies).

Prediction: The 2020 Champs' closers prove too much for the Muskies to overcome and Troy's boys move on with a 367 - 339 victory.





#5 - Toast For Tatis (15-8) @ #4 - Garbage (15-8)

Welcome to playoffs, Scott and Jake! It's a battle of roster styles this week. I love that these teams have gotten it done differently; Garbage has a pretty balanced pitching/hitting attack that can bite you any week while Scott has built up a powerful lineup and supplemented with double starts and a couple of elite arms. Both teams have been solid for a while, but scoring has been relatively depressed. Apart from his Week 20 breakout of 339 points, Toast For Tatis hasn't broken the 325-point barrier since Week 14. That's a lot of mediocrity after a hot start, but somehow he's managed an 8-2 record over that 10-week drought. Jake's Garbage has been better, but has skidded into the postseason with two sub-300 weeks in a row. 

Key Players: Elite double-start for Alcantara (Toast); Teoscar Hernandez coming off 61-point outburst (Toast); Elite old-man Wainwright double-start (Garbage); No-No alert: Woodruff vs. Detroit (Garbage)

Prediction
: After a close week-long battle, Garbage gets it done with a number of solid starts and steady output from his bats, winning 336-314.

See you next week for our Semifinal preview!

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