Hometown Teams 2014 All-Star Break: Round 1 Results

It's taken me a little more time than expected to plug all the rosters into my copy of MLB 14: The Show and simulate the first round of matchups. But I finally found some time between prepping for my fantasy football draft, familiarizing myself with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, tinkering with my Magic: The Gathering EDH decks, and other random stuff like my job and family, to take this project one step further. Here's a new color-coded bracket for the start of the second round, followed by a summary of the results, and finally a breakdown of the final two teams.


As could be expected, neither of the two favored teams in the preliminary round came away with the victory. Game 1 delivered the pitcher's duel that we all expected with both Clayton Kershaw (Texas) and Felix Hernandez (Venezuela) each managing a quality start, but then leaving with the game still tied. Victor Martinez proved the hero with a late home run and Francisco Rodriguez nailed down the save easily. Game 2 also featured a solid pitching matchup where neither Jon Lester (West US) nor Chris Sale (Florida) figured into the decision. It was Wade Davis who faltered, giving up a late home run to Jacoby Ellsbury, whose Western counterparts never looked back.

In Game 3, we get the first example of where I let the video game's rankings take precedence over actual 2014 statistics, which may have proved fatal for one of my favorite teams (more on that later). Health permitting, Masahiro Tanaka would have started for the International team, but in his absence, the raw stats would favor Colombian right hander Julio Teheran to take his place. However, the game put forth Yu Darvish as the team's #1 starter, and I can't say that I disagree, given the Japan native's track record and truly electric stuff. On the other side, the game suggested David Price, but I gave the nod to Adam Wainwright based on his 2014 performance (he averaged 95 points per game through the All-Star break against Price's 77.6 ppg). In any case, it was the offensive prowess of Cuba's own Yasiel Puig - who hit two home runs in the contest - that continued the upset trend.

Based on how things are going, I'll bet you can guess who won the matchup between the intimidating Dominican Republic and the powerful Northeast US. It was pitching that spelled the D.R.'s doom with Johnny Cueto just not able to get going against the likes of Mike Trout and Nick Markakis, who managed a grand slam in the slugfest. Jeff Samardzija pitched the North to victory in another case of the game suggesting a starter without the statistical edge. Although neither of the above cases represents the favorite team I mentioned earlier.

As a native of California, I may have put too much stock in the games played by the Californian team. This bias led to an inordinate amount of last minute tinkering to the lineup before the simulation. Below is how the team arguably should look on paper based on 2014 stats, and in the summary I'll tell you what changes I was compelled to make by the computer players' attributes:

As an Oakland A's fan, I really like Coco Crisp. He plays a good defense, sparks the team with his winning personality, and is the best true leadoff hitter among this group. The game, however, doesn't think too highly of his lack of power, and instead opted for Dustin Pedroia in the leadoff spot - a guy who is big on reputation but small on 2014 production (10.1 ppg thru the ASB) - shifting Utley to DH and Braun to LF. They also preferred power hitting catcher Jason Castro (8.0 ppg) to on base machine John Jaso, which proved problematic when Castro air mailed an attempt to throw out a base stealer, leading to a decisive Venezuela run.

In the pitching rotation, I can't say I blame the game for slotting "Big Game" James Shields and erstwhile phenom Stephen Strasburg above Garrett Richards, because who even knew who Garrett Richards was before this year? (And honestly, who knows who he is even now?) The pitching on both sides was great, but it was Venezuela's creative use of their bench that led them past CA: pinch runner Alexi Amarista came in after a Pablo Sandoval single, then stole second and scored on a Martin Prado hit. Since it's double elimination, we'll see California take on Zack Greinke's Florida in the loser's bracket.

With the Wild West's completely unexpected victory over the much higher ranked Central US, every game in the first round was officially an upset. In this case, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament prevailed behind a strong pitching performance by Tim Lincecum, who outdueled Max Scherzer and quieted a very potent lineup. I don't know what this trend means for the accuracy of The Show's programming, the nature of double elimination tournaments, or both, but take a look at the Central's lineup for what is very likely to be the second-to last time, if the current patterns hold...

Remember "It's over 9000!!!"?

Well, it is. Deal with it.

Phenax Dimir Mill: a Story of a Deck

The marble floor of the circular room was ringed with alternating Ionic and Doric columns. While the high level of craftsmanship was plain to see, it was also plain to see that the columns were purely ornamental, for the room had no roof, nor walls, but instead remained open to the night sky, across which bright, enchanting constellations played.

The room was occupied by a handful of characters, each with their own intentions and impressive powers. The most intimidating of these was an old, shriveled yet deceptively powerfully built humanoid, whose features were almost entirely concealed under a heavy hood and cloak. The suit of armor and sheathed weapon were clear to see, but the figure's gender, or even race, could not be determined. Beside this creature, and several feet above the floor, floated a fearsome shirtless vampire, raven hair flowing although there was no wind in the chamber. He floated down near ground level and whispered into the hooded figure's ear.

"Master Lazav, do you know where we are? Or how we got here? I have searched the minds of all present, and none have any knowledge of the Implicit Maze."

"No indeed, Mirko," sneered Lazav, the Dimir Mastermind also in a whisper. "This place does not seem to have any affiliation with any of the Guilds of Ravnica... Except for one of our guests!" Its attention turned swiftly to another powerful vampire, floating several feet above its companion. "Szadek, I presume. I did not expect to find the Lord of Secrets outside the safety of Agyrem."

"Nor did I," responded the larger vampire, dressed in gaudy papal robes and with eyes as blank as a comic book superhero's. He floated even higher, crossed his legs and clasped his hands in front of him. "It appears I have been summoned here, as have you, by a powerful leader with some special purpose. But I sense no such creature..."

His white eyes fell on a scrawny yet charming and unintimidated merfolk, who said brazenly, "I hope you're not insinuating that it could be me. I'm honored, but I just simply can't identify with most of you." When he felt he gave his jest enough time to be absorbed, he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself: Ambassador Laquatus," the smiling merfolk replied, bowing low to the ground. "I represent the cephalids of Otaria, on the plane of..."

"Dominaria," piped in a voice from a corner of the room, belonging to a thin, blue-clad man with spiky black hair and a blue scar down his right cheek. "I'm familiar with your work. I consider myself somewhat of a memory adept myself."

"Oh, don't be modest, Jace," cooed an attractive, scantily-clad female mage from another corner. She sidled up to the famous planeswalker and draped herself over his shoulders playfully and sensually. "We all know you're the best at what you do."

At the mention of this name, the hooded figure perked up. "Jace Beleren? Although in somewhat less fashionable garb than when we last met... But seeing you means that whoever brought us here has extracted you from the Implicit Maze of Ravnica as well!"

"I have spent some time in that plane's sprawling metropolis," replied a bewildered Jace. "But I haven't been back for some time, nor do I recognize this maze you speak of. I've been traveling the plane of Shandalar, relaxing at the Evos Isle."

"Why, I've been in Shandalar too, darling!" interjected the woman. "Earning the favor of the Xathrid demons of the Dark Realms. I'm surprised we didn't run into each other."

"And I'm surprised you think that was a coincidence, Liliana" groaned Jace, rolling his eyes and shaking himself free of her grasp. "But I am merely one of many Jaces, we could say. The multiverse is a vast place, and I have no doubt that more (and less) powerful alternate versions of myself exist in many other corners of it, wielding their own magic and influencing events in their own way."

"Tell me then," chimed in Liliana, "does this version of Jace have any idea where we are or why we were brought here?"

"Allow me to answer that question," came a sinister voice that seemed to emanate from one of the great constellations itself. The stars began to animate into the form of a gigantic gray male figure with a mask and gauntlets made out of shimmering gold. "I am Phenax, God of Deception, and this is my domain."

"A god?" scoffed Laquatus, his smile quickly fading. "Those are merely the stuff of childhood legends."

"Legends, yes. But here on the plane of Theros, we are very real," boomed Phenax, raising his hand and causing a mass of stars to swirl around him. "We are the physical embodiments of the concepts and ideals that shape the lives of the people here."

"Incredible! Deception, eh?" mused Lazav. "It seems that your world might be very similar to ours. And how many of you... Gods are there?"

"Funny you should ask," responded Phenax, although it did not seem like he found anything particularly amusing. "Until recently, there were 14 in the pantheon. It is partly due to the addition of another that I have called you all here."

"Addition?" blurted Jace. "Is it possible then to actually become a God?"

"Regrettably so," answered Phenax. "A planeswalker like yourself, a native Theran satyr, has accomplished this feat. He has also, regrettably, been exiled from our plane by a jealous God who was quite resistant to change. While in exile, it seems he has become part of a powerful army, much like the one I have gathered here. I have tracked his progress to many strange planes, many of which you are familiar with. I have enlisted your services to travel to these planes and face these foes in battle!"

"Forgive me for asking," Laquatus volunteered, "but why should we go seeking after these enemies? What cause do we have to fight?"

"Wherever there are minds wielding powerful magic, it is my duty to break them," thundered Phenax from the night sky. "The stronger, the better! I shall spread lies and deceit until the mortal realm is thrown into utter confusion. I know deep down in your hearts, you all have the same goal. Follow me onto the battlefield, my minions, and take the glory you deserve!"

===

The above account is a possible flavor text inspired story of how a Magic: The Gathering Commander deck led by Phenax, God of Deception might have come into existence. For those of you who don't recognize most of the phrases in the preceding sentence, I hope the narrative was at least somewhat enjoyable.

Speaking of narrative, that's actually the goal I have when creating a Magic deck: to tie all the mechanics and characters and flavor together in a way that makes sense creatively, while also not being too embarrassingly bad to play with. Of course, I quickly and frequently question this goal whenever I play with those decks, since my friends' decks are for the most part built to win, period. But the silver lining is that losing repeatedly only inspires me to justify my obsession with the flavor aspects of Magic by writing stories like this, rather than driving me to break from my principles and make my decks ruthlessly overpowered with an eye towards nothing but gaining the victory.

I'll probably write some more about how these decks actually play some other time, so those of you who enjoyed reading about these characters can learn a little bit about how they interact in the game space. Until then, I'll just continue striving towards the dream of making a deck that's both playable and flavor relevant.

Hometown Teams 2014 All-Star Break, Seeds 3-6

I'll admit, I haven't had time to simulate the first round games on my PS3 yet, but since the first two games in round two can technically be going on at the same time, I'll jump right into talking about those matchups. For those of you who need a refresher, these include the 3rd seed Dominican Republic taking on the 6th seed Northeast US, and the 4th ranked Southeast US taking on the 5th place International/Team World/All the Other Countries.

As was the case in the most recent World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic is the team to beat, in my opinion. Not only is the lineup stacked from top to bottom (I won't go position by position because most of the names on the below list should be recognizable enough), but they have amazing depth. If Edwin Encarnacion looks like he's going to miss significant time, David Ortiz can fill the DH slot better than most. Need left-handed power off the bench? They've got Pedro Alvarez and switch hitter Melky Cabrera. What if Hanley Ramirez needs a late-inning defensive replacement? Call on Jose Reyes, Starlin Castro, or Erick Aybar. Don't think Carlos Santana can handle a full workload behind the plate? Wilin Rosario's not a wizard with the glove by any means, but he is a full-time backstop. Even the starting pitching, which has traditionally been a weakness for this country, has developed into a strength, mostly thanks to the emergence of Alfredo Simon to slot in behind bona fide ace Johnny Cueto. But there is depth here too, with Edinson Volquez and Yordano Ventura waiting in the wings if anything happens to their top 5. I also didn't place any left handed relievers on the roster, preferring to focus on the working closers (two of whom are among the best in the game), but Antonio Bastardo and Fernando Abad are available for those tough lefty batters.

Looking at both the teams in the Eastern time zone (as you will have done if you read to the end of this post), you'll see a clear divide between offense and pitching. I won't tell you which is which here, but I'll give you a hint: any team that can trot out Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Todd Frazier 2-3-4 in the lineup is going to vex many an opposing pitcher. Following that trifecta is legitimate future star candidate George Springer and breakout catcher Devin Mesoraco, plus since this isn't just a fantasy team, Jason Heyward's plus defense actually means something, as does Derek Jeter's clubhouse presence (although depending on your opinion of him, that could be a positive or a negative). It's not that this team doesn't have good pitchers, but their top guys are middle of the rotation types on their actual teams (although Rick Porcello could potentially be an ace on a non-historically-great rotation and Jeff Samardzija was once the ace of the almost-historically-bad Cubs earlier this year). What this team lacks, compared to the Dominicans, is depth of star power, and I honestly don't see them advancing to the next round.

This next matchup is where things get interesting, mostly because of a slightly controversial decision I made with regards to dividing the territories. If you look at a map of the Eastern US, you'll see that while Kentucky and Tennessee are both clearly in the south, they're also divided halfway between the Central and Eastern time zones. To make a long story short, I gave both of those states (totaling 35 players between them) to the Southeast team, which gave them access to two of the best pitchers in the game right now: David Price and Sonny Gray. The main reason I made this tough decision was to even out the number of players available to each territory: without the 35 guys from TN/KY, the Central team would have 140 players to choose from while the Southeast would have just 97. Plus, even without Price and Gray, the Central is still the second seed team, so they clearly don't need any help. And it's not like any player would supplant Adam Wainwright from the SP1 role anyway, so we're really just talking about the middle of the rotation here... plus a useful bullpen piece and another shortstop option in case Chris Owings stays injured for any amount of time. We'll see how things go in the simulation, but I think this team's offense is weak enough that it might not matter one way or another.

This should come as no surprise based on the influx of Cuban stars, but no country dominates this international team more than the land famous for Castro and cigars. Jose Abreu might win Rookie of the Year (despite his long track record of playing professional baseball) and we've all seen the impressive talents of Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes (although I predict a significant downturn for the latter following his trade to the Red Sox, and not just because I'm an A's fan... or rather exactly because I'm an A's fan). Then there are All-Stars Alexei Ramirez (who I moved to 2B for the first time since his rookie year in 2008 to make room for a better defensive shortstop) and closer Aroldis Chapman who has returned admirably after taking a line drive to the face in Spring Training. And the Cuban contingent would be even stronger if Jose Fernandez didn't succumb to the Tommy John bug early in the season (he was averaging 86.3 points per game at the time of his injury). Japan has a very strong presence on the pitching side, even without Masahiro Tanaka, who is very likely done for the year as well (which is why I included a sixth pitcher on the depth chart, who is no slouch himself). I put Yan Gomes behind the plate over Yadier Molina not only because Yadi is injured and having a worse season offensively, but also because I wanted to give a shout out to the first ever Brazilian born player in MLB history. Speaking of injuries, if Brett Lawrie isn't healthy enough to play, future star Xander Bogaerts can fill in just fine.

I'll run the simulations on these matchups before analyzing the final two teams, so get ready for some fake recaps, coming up next time!