The Dodgers definitely have a World Series champion caliber Showdown squad. They won 104 games, which could've been even better if not for a 1-16 stretch at the end of August/start of September! Lost in the transition from reality to Showdown card form is how good the Dodgers starters were as a collective, with Maeda, Ryu, and McCarthy all turning in fine seasons but not quite pitching enough to make the 2017 Dodgers Showdown rotation. Unsurprisingly, given LA's reputation as baseball's biggest payroll, the Dodgers blow past the typical Showdown 5000 point salary cap with this team. Honestly, I can't wait to print these guys out and face them off versus the Astros!
Without further ado, your 2017 NL Champs -- the LA Dodgers!
Lineup: The Dodgers lineup is deep, featuring an OB 10 hitter in the number six spot. Chris Taylor (the star of my 2017 fantasy team) brings a versatile OB 8 card to the top of the order -- speed, extra base power, a stellar On-Base. All Star SS Corey Seager features in the two hole and he's got good pop. The 3-4 spots are the most dangerous for pitchers, as Justin Turner is an on-base machine while Cody Bellinger (card created by our very own Bob) provides elite power! Puig's got some great pop in the #5 spot, and then high on-base (albeit with a weak chart) Barnes in the six hole. Personally, I really like Joc's card, especially for a #7 hitter and Logan Forsythe is a great piece to turn a lineup over. The one weak link is Grandal, but he at least provides solid defense at the catcher position. Not the most fearsome lineup from the super teams we've examined, but a dang good one nonetheless, especially at the 2-3-4 spots.
Rotation: This is where the 2017 Dodgers really shine. Kershaw is a legit ace, giving a Tier 2 card without any doubles and plenty of strikeouts. He's supported by another Tier 2 starter in Alex Wood, who had a career year in 2017. However, what makes this team special is the lack of a steep fall between the top two and bottom two starters. Darvish may be the best #4 starter we've released, although his low control can get him in serious trouble against deep lineups with good on-bases... like the 2017 Astros. The glue to the rotation is Rich Hill, who's the prototypical Tier 3 starter. Overall, this rotation does not have a weakness and it's pretty clear they're the key to the Dodgers winning over 100 games and getting within one win of the World Series.
Bullpen: Kenley Jansen is about as elite as closers get, leading the way with a fabulous card that'll dominate any lineup. He's a Tier Zero with a preposterously large K range. Current all star Ross Stripling put together a solid 2017 card, while Pedro Baez probably has the second best reliever card. Tier 2 Josh Fields is a bargain for his tier, but has such a rough chart with that home run. Personally, I think that makes him a good cheap addition to my 5000 point team, but makes him a risky option to use for this Dodgers team.
Overall: The 2017 Dodgers are an equal match to the 2017 Astros, and should have some epic 7 game series when replaying their classic World Series. There's not a single position group weakness. They've got absolute star power in Kershaw, Jansen, Turner, Seager, and Bellinger. There's excellent role players in Taylor, Puig, and Barnes, and solid ones like Forsythe and Pederson. The rotation is perhaps the best of the Showdown teams (although the 2016 Cubs would disagree) and the bullpen is loaded. Have fun with these guys, it frankly won't be too shocking to see the 2018 Dodgers come in as the World Series champs.
Also, I just don't really like the way the white "foil" Dodgers cards came out. I'm going to have to figure out exactly what background to use moving forward with LA Dodgers players! Here's the other three for this team in case you feel differently than me though.
Do you actually sleep? You're cranking these out!
ReplyDeleteAnother fun set!