Waiver Claim of the Year: Bryce Elder, Fightin' Fish

The Spokane Fightin' Fish have capitalized time and time again in leveraging their 17 Reserve spots by largely investing in starting pitching options with odds that one will hit big. That was just the case in 2023 as right-hander Bryce Elder's April 10th Waiver Claim turned into the 25th ranked pitcher in RDBL Regular Season scoring while helping lead the Fightin' Fish to their second Regular Season Title.

With the change to a bidding process in 2023, RDBL Front Offices were tasked with allocating their $100 in-season Free Agent budget as effectively as possible. Elder received a $7 blind bid from GM Michael Tirabassi which was matched by the Alamo Short Stacks. With the Fightin' Fish behind the Stacks in the standings at that time, Elder went to the Fish and didn't leave their Active Roster for the remainder of the year.

The burly right-hander produced a 3.39 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 143 1/3 innings, producing nine 20+ point starts in the RDBL Regular Season while ranking 25th among all starting pitchers in scoring.

Alongside Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and others, Elder helped the Fish to a tie for the most team pitching points in the RDBL in 2023, matching the Lake Merced Goutfish with 2,900.0. It was the first time the Fish have produced the top pitching staff in Team History.

Elder is the first Waiver Claim of the Year for the Fish in League History, joining Josh Donaldson (2013), Zach Britton/Josh Harrison (2014), Marco Estrada (2015), Danny Duffy/Jonathan Villar (2016), Alex Wood (2017), Kyle Freeland (2018), Bryan Reynolds (2019), Cedric Mullins (2021) and Spencer Strider (2022).

On The Lookout: Final Week Set to Kickoff in Tight Race

The RDBL Playoffs have been decided by less than 100 points just twice in League History, making the next week one of the most exciting we have seen since the RDBL was formed in 2013. The Spokane Fightin' Fish and Mission Viejo Maulers enter the final Period within striking distance of the Lake Merced Goutfish who have commanded the top spot for much of September.

The Goutfish and Maulers are looking to capture their second RDBL Championship while the Fightin' Fish, currently the only Franchise with multiple League Titles, are seeking their third.

Current Standings and Monday Projected Starters

Lake Merced Goutfish 1399.5 (Snell @ SF)

Spokane Fightin Fish 1377.0 (Verlander @ SEA)

Mission Viejo Maulers Maulers 1341.5 (Castillo vs. HOU)

Lunatic Fringe 1257.0 (N/A)

Idaho Taters 1116.5 (N/A)

Mt. Diablo Devils 926.5 (Kelly @ NYY)

Teams Scramble for Weekend Starters in Waivers

With MLB teams likely to alter their starting pitcher plans on the final weekend of the season, RDBL Front Offices were extremely active in Waivers Sunday night and Monday morning to grab potential replacements for projected 2-start pitchers. The Fightin' Fish hold a RDBL-high 11 projected starts for Period 27, but have five capable options on the bench if any of their projected starts are scratched.

Acuña Hot Playoffs

Ronald Acuña leads all hitters with 130.5 Playoff points, already the ninth most in RDBL History. Acuña is looking to become the first player in RDBL History to lead the league in Regular Season and Playoffs points in the same season. He smashed the RDBL Record for Most Hitting Points in a Full Season with his performance in Period 26 and will look to add onto that number this week.

Alvarez Looks to Carry Goutfish

A Playoff activation in 2021, Yordan Alvarez was an important cog in the wheel of the Lake Merced Goutfish's Championship squad. Now under a 2R/$3 deal, Alvarez is steering the ship, ranking second in the RDBL Playoffs in hitting points with a .354/.500/.732 line as GM Ryan Atkinson looks to capture their second League Title in three seasons.

Snell Looks to Join Record Books

Blake Snell is slotted for two starts in the final Period of the RDBL Playoffs as the Goutfish left-hander looks to put the finishing touches on a stellar 2023 campaign. Snell owns a 0.56 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 32.0 RDBL Playoff innings, leading all pitchers in scoring with 145.0 points. While he's unlikely to reach Jack Flaherty's record 222.0 points set in 2022, Snell could certainly move up the ranks with a strong finish.

Acuña Sets RDBL Hitting Record

The greatest hitting season in RDBL History continues to reach new heights as Lunatic Fringe outfielder Ronald Acuña continues to smash league records. As he approaches the first 40 home run/70 stolen base season in MLB History, Acuña's 671.5 points set a new RDBL Record for Most Hitting Points in a Full RDBL Season, breaking the mark set just last season by Aaron Judge.

Acuña has been a force every step of the way this season, smashing the record for RDBL Regular Season Hitting points with 541.0. His 130.5 Playoff Points lead the RDBL and already rank as the 9th most in League History for a hitter with one full period remaining.

Likely to be named 2023 RDBL Hitter of the Year later this week, Acuña could be the first player in RDBL History to win both the Regular Season and Playoff Award in the same season.

Acuña is in the first year of a $66 contract with the Fringe, the seventh highest contract in League History that is a lock to return to GM Tony Guglielmi's squad in 2024. The Fringe enter the final period of the RDBL Playoffs in 4th place, trailing the Lake Merced Goutfish, Spokane Fightin' Fish and Mission Viejo Maulers.