Playoff wiffleball is finally here! The 2020 championship tournament kicks off with a rare Saturday game on September 12, with semi-finals following the next day, and the championship series on Sunday, September 20th. The Home Run Derby and All-Star Game will follow - probably somewhere between 4pm and 5pm. Anyone can participate in the derby and the All-Star Game, so come on out and hit some dingers.
Playoff Preview
Expert Analysis by Dan Rish
#4 Mighty Knucks (8-6) vs. #5 RBI Steaks (7-7)
Projected Starters: Mighty Knucks
Brandon Wallach
3-2, 26.0 IP, 43 BB, 27 K, 11.54 ERA
Alex Hatch
4-1, 24.0 IP, 49 BB, 32 K, 11.00 ERA
Projected Starters: RBI Steaks
Jimmy Froio
3-4, 31.0 IP, 11 BB, 23 K, 13.55 ERA
Riley Brindle
4-3, 30.1 IP, 52 BB, 41 K, 11.08 ERA
Projected Lineup: Mighty Knucks
-
Chad Kebba
.429 AVG, 4 HR, 9 BB/7 K, .529 OBP, .714 SLG
- Brandon Wallach
.578 AVG, 6 HR, 9 BB/4 K, .648 OBP, 1.044 SLG
- Alex Hatch
.560 AVG, 11 HR, 13 BB/5 K, 0.651 OBP, 1.280 SLG
- Brandon Williams
.451 AVG, 6 HR, 19 BB/8 K, .600 OBP, .863 SLG
- Joseph Marcoly
.500 AVG, 2 HR, 6 BB/6 K, .563 OBP, .690 SLG
- Tanner Jump
.429 AVG, 1 HR, 5 BB/6 K, .515 OBP, .571 SLG
- Christian Heideger
.367 AVG, 3 HR, 7 BB/9 K, .486 OBP, .700 SLG
Projected Lineup: RBI Steaks
-
Jack Sandstrom
.316 AVG, 9 HR, 22 BB/24 K, .500 OBP, .807 SLG
- Steve McGinley
.571 AVG, 4 HR, 8 BB/4 K, .690 OBP, 1.238 SLG
- Jim Froio
.539 AVG, 16 HR, 16 BB/12 K, .613 OBP, 1.224 SLG
- Riley Brindle
.437 AVG, 5 HR, 14 BB/17 K, .529 OBP, .690 SLG
- Mitch Barham
.381 AVG, 6 HR, 6 BB/10 K, .458 OBP, .905 SLG
- Will Wilson
.333 AVG, 0 HR, 9 BB/6 K, .516 OBP, .381 SLG
Team Offense: Edge - Knucks
Knucks .459 AVG, 37 HR, 73BB/61 K, 13.2 RUNS/6
Steaks .426 AVG, 44 HR, 81BB/92 K, 12.5 RUNS/6
The Knucks have tons of consistency at the plate. Throughout the lineup, they hit the ball hard, and there are no easy outs. The Steaks have been somewhat less consistent, costing them this category.
Team Pitching: Edge - Steaks
Knucks .435 OPP AVG, 116BB/71 K, 14.26 ERA, 4.12 WHIP
Steaks .489 OPP AVG, 66BB/64 K, 13.26 ERA, 3.94 WHIP
Riley Brindle has the tendency to pitch best when the chips are down, as in his season-saving win against the Juice in the final game of their season. If everyone else gets smacked around, 3 clean innings could be the difference.
Team Defense: Edge - Steaks
Knucks .554 OPP BABIP
Steaks .593 OPP BABIP
Who do you believe, the stats or your lyin’ eyes? I take my lyin’ eyes, which say that the Steaks opponents’ batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is largely tied to hard-hit, unfieldable balls, but they are more likely to play a clean game in the field with few mental mistakes.
Season Series:
Mighty Knucks 8, RBI Steaks 7 (7/26/20)
RBI Steaks 14, Mighty Knucks 8 (7/26/20)
X-Factor:
Defense will be the make-or-break for both teams in this single game play-in. Neither team is a stranger to high scoring, back-and-forth games, which this game is likely to be. In order to win, these teams will need to minimize preventable mistakes like overthrows. There’s not too much to be done about hits, which makes every chance at a put-out in the field crucial.
Expectation
Steaks win in a barn-burner.
Wild Card Winner vs. #1 Bilabial Stops (13-1)
Projected Starters: Bilabial Stops
Eddie Brown
6-0, 30.0 IP, 11 BB, 72 K, 2.00 ERA
Nick Usoff
5-1, 33.0 IP, 31 BB, 65 K, 4.18 ERA
Projected Lineup: Bilabial Stops
-
Eddie Brown
.519 AVG, 7 HR, 21 BB/10 K, .649 OBP, .962 SLG
- Nick Usoff
.656 AVG, 12 HR, 11 BB/6 K, .708 OBP, 1.377 SLG
- Greg Nyssen
.559 AVG, 2 HR, 11 BB/13 K, .620 OBP, .746 SLG
- Ben Burkhardt
.365 AVG, 2 HR, 15 BB/12 K, .500 OBP, .481 SLG
- Bobby Vadnais
.350 AVG, 7 HR, 6 BB/22 K, .403 OBP, .733 SLG
- Francis Nyssen
.387 AVG, 1 HR, 8 BB/9 K, .513 OBP, .484 SLG
Team Offense: Edge - Stops
Stops .483 AVG, 31 HR, 72BB/72 K, 13.3 RUNS/6
Regardless of who advances, the Stops should smack them around. With a short lineup, power and plate discipline throughout, the Stops have had their way with opposing pitchers this year.
Team Pitching: Edge - Stops
Stops .238 OPP AVG, 42BB/137 K, 3.14 ERA, 1.60 WHIP
Nick Usoff has turned in an admirable season of work on the mound, and is a #2 pitcher who would be #1 on many teams. Not this one. Eddie Brown has barely been touched this season, mixing speeds more ably than anyone in the league.
Team Defense: Edge - Stops
Stops .531 OPP BABIP
When opponents do put the ball in play, the defense is up to the task.
History:
Bilabial Stops 12, Mighty Knucks 2 (8/16/20)
Bilabial Stops 20, Mighty Knucks 5 (8/16/20)
Bilabial Stops 16, RBI Steaks 7 (7/05/20)
Bilabial Stops 5, RBI Steaks 3 (7/05/20)
X-Factor:
Can the winner of the play-in take Game 1? The Stops have played all season expecting to win. How would they respond if that assumption is challenged with high stakes?
Expectation:
Stops waste no time, sweep to a World Series berth.
#2 West Coast Washout (10-4) vs. #3 100% Real Juice (9-5)
Projected Starters: Washout
Dan Rish
6-1, 32.0 IP, 26 BB, 60 K, 4.31 ERA
Karl Koch
3-1, 21.0 IP, 1 BB, 17 K, 5.43 ERA
Projected Starters: Juice
Epo Olivares
4-3, 30.0 IP, 39 BB, 60 K, 5.40 ERA
Adam Brickett
3-2, 22.0 IP, 18 BB, 25 K, 6.55 ERA
Projected Lineup: Washout
-
Jonathan Stevens
.714 AVG, 5 HR, 8 BB/6 K, .767 OBP, 1.314 SLG
- Julian Morales
.516 AVG, 3 HR, 7 BB/8 K, .605 OBP, .839 SLG
- Dan Rish
.571 AVG, 8 HR, 15 BB/8 K, .644 OBP, 1.089 SLG
- Jeremy Salvo
.442 AVG, 4 HR, 19 BB/12 K, .592 OBP, .731 SLG
- Andrew Winter
.422 AVG, 7 HR, 3 BB/20 K, .441 OBP, .797 SLG
- Jason Ciummo
.316 AVG, 0 HR, 13 BB/10 K, .481 OBP, .316 SLG
- Karl Koch
.283 AVG, 3 HR, 4 BB/18 K, .333 OBP, .491 SLG
Projected Lineup: Juice
-
Matt Morris
.511 AVG, 6 HR, 18 BB/8 K, .636 OBP, .915 SLG
- Duncan Robinson
.675 AVG, 1 HR, 5 BB/10 K, .696 OBP, .825 SLG
- Sam LaCroix
.647 AVG, 3 HR, 8 BB/7 K, .714 OBP, 1.000 SLG
- Luke Moedritzer
.647 AVG, 3 HR, 3 BB/3 K, .676 OBP, 1.118 SLG
- Epo Olivares
.472 AVG, 3 HR, 9 BB/7 K, .540 OBP, .679 SLG
- Kyle Ferris
.396 AVG, 5 HR, 7 BB/19 K, .467 OBP, .736 SLG
- Adam Brickett
.270 AVG, 2 HR, 9 BB/22 K, .404 OBP, .459 SLG
- Gabe Showalter
.395 AVG, 2 HR, 13 BB/10 K, .536 OBP, .581 SLG
Team Offense: Edge - Juice
Washout .457 AVG, 32 HR, 74BB/92 K, 13.0 RUNS/6
Juice .481 AVG, 28 HR, 76BB/89 K, 14.2 RUNS/6
The Juice are patient hitters powering an explosive offense. Duncan Robinson has owned Washout pitchers in recent matchups. One part missing from the stats is that the Washout offense improved drastically over the second half of the season with the addition of Jonathan Stevens.
Team Pitching: Edge - Push
Washout .372 OPP AVG, 57BB/95 K, 6.81 ERA, 2.63 WHIP
Steaks .317 OPP AVG, 79BB/108 K, 6.45 ERA, 2.59 WHIP
The Washout pitch with two very different styles - Koch from the short mound, and Rish at the speed limit from the long mound. Olivares and Brickett for the Juice have more similar styles and very similar results. Brickett has yet to face the Washout in his career, so there are no data points to analyze.
Team Defense: Edge - Juice
Washout .529 OPP BABIP
Steaks .505 OPP BABIP
The Juice play the tightest defense in the league, but the Washout are no slouches. The Juice get the edge because they make fewer mental mistakes - a problem which has gifted numerous extra bases to Washout opponents this year.
Season Series:
West Coast Washout 5, 100% Real Juice 2 (8/16/20)
100% Real Juice 9, West Coast Washout 5 (8/16/20)
X-Factor:
With these pitchers and these lineups, expect baserunners via 20-ft singles (vs all four), and walks (not Karl). The question is which lineup will come through with timely hits to bring runs home in bunches.
Expectation
The series goes 3 games. Unlikely heroes emerge.
That's a Wrap!
Stay tuned for All Star and awards announcements. We'll see you next weekend!
