October 2, 2018

It took 163 games to figure it out, but Jud Ehrbar is the winner of the 2018 MLB Predictions Pool. Jud becomes the first entrant to win the pool outright in two different seasons.

• First-time entrant Greg Glassman made an all-time pool record three unique picks this year: J.D. Martinez (AL RBI), Edwin Díaz (AL saves), and Jacob deGrom (NL ERA). Michael Orobona was alone in picking Christian Yelich to win the NL batting title.
• Daltry-Lovejoy led the pool with 63 tiebreaker points, aided by their selection of Cole Hamels (12 HB for Texas and 7 for the Cubs).
• Runner-up Harvey Hawkins had his strongest finish to date this year, smashing his previous best of 16^th place.

Here are the season category leaders, with bold indicating players we actually chose:

AL BA: Mookie Betts

AL HR: Khris Davis

AL RBI: J.D. Martinez (1)

AL R: Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor

AL SB: Whit Merrifield (2)

NL BA: Christian Yelich (1)

NL HR: Nolan Arenado (8)

NL RBI: Javier Báez

NL R: Charlie Blackmon (14)

NL SB: Trea Turner (6)

AL IP: Corey Kluber (6)

AL W: Blake Snell

AL ERA: Blake Snell

AL SO: Justin Verlander

AL S: Edwin Díaz (1)

NL IP: Max Scherzer (7)

NL W: Jon Lester, Miles Mikolas, Max Scherzer (4)

NL ERA: Jacob deGrom (1)

NL SO: Max Scherzer (12)

NL S: Wade Davis (2)

AL HBP: Carlos Gómez (2)

NL HBP: Brandon Nimmo

AL HBP: Charlie Morton (7), Rick Porcello

NL HBP: Zack Godley, Max Scherzer (5), José Ureña (4)

Big thanks to Kate, Steve, and Greg for joining this year, and kudos to Brian for making the daily Twitter and blog updates possible. Enjoy the postseason!

October 1, 2018

Just when this thing seemed all but over, Nolan Arenado smacks two homers in game 162, moving into the NL homers lead and propelling Jud Ehrbar into first place. But, there still is a game 163 for four teams, and more importantly to the pool, for Christian Yelich, Charlie Blackmon and Arenado.

Amazingly, three pool entrants still have a chance. Here’s what our non-leaders are pulling for:
Harvey needs Yelich to score 2+ more runs than Blackmon.
Greg needs Yelich to hit 2+ more homers than Arenado AND for #1 NOT to happen.
Otherwise, Jud breaks our 13-year streak of having a new winner every year.

Expect to hear from Jud with the final update tomorrow.

September 30, 2018

Triple Crown candidate Christian Yelich is now tied with Charlie Blackmon in NL runs… If Blackmon loses the lead, Harvey beats Greg on HBPs. If Blackmon holds, Jud can still win if Nolan Arenado gains a share of the NL home run lead (he trails by one). Dan also has a stake in the NL HR point with Rhys Hoskins, who needs two to tie. Otherwise, Greg is our 2018 winner.

We should add that the Brewers and Rockies are both eligible for potential “game 163” tiebreakers to be played on Monday. Should be exciting!

September 29, 2018

Greg Glassman leads with two days of regular season baseball left, but several categories are still up for grabs:

• Justin Verlander trails Corey Kluber by two in AL IP, with both pitchers on the mound today. A lead for Verlander puts Jim Kushner back in the mix.
• Kluber is one behind Blake Snell in the AL wins category, with Snell also pitching today. Kluber tying Snell can put Jud in the lead.
• Charlie Blackmon’s lead in NL runs is down to two… Harvey Hawkins can move into first place if Blackmon loses the category.
• Seven players are within two home runs of Matt Carpenter in the NL. Nolan Arenado finishing on top would benefit several entrants, and a lead for Rhys Hoskins could put Dan in first place.

Remember that statistics from any potential tiebreaker games DO count!

September 28, 2018

September 27, 2018

September 26, 2018