State Farm Weekly Recap: Period 1

Period 1 is in the books with three 2022 Playoff teams topping the standings led by the Alamo Short Stacks who rode a 132.0 point Saturday into 1st Place. The Period was marked by a number of rough outings from aces while Jeff Springs, Dustin May, Kyle Freeland and Justin Steele were among the top contributors on the mound through the first four days of action.

Enjoy our first State Farm Weekly Recap for 2023!

Team of the Week: Alamo Short Stacks (290.5 Points)

53-165, 165 AB, 10 2B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R, 6 SB, 21 BB, HP, 4 SF

40 INN, 25 HA, 7 BBI, 42 K, 9 ER, 4 W, 2 L, 2 S, 2 HB

It was an ideal start for the Stacks who posted 290.5 points in just four days while carrying a 58.0 point lead into Period 2. The Stacks had a balanced attack on offense, hitting .321 as a group with four home runs, 10 doubles and six steals. The group looks to have a strong eye at the plate, drawing 21 walks in just four days while Tim Anderson led the unit with 19.0 points overall.

With favorable matchups, the Stacks six starting pitchers all posted between 19-25 points while 2022 RDBL Reliever of the Year Emmanuel Clase posted 15.0 from the pen. The rotation will face much stiffer competition in Period 2 including a pair of starts against the Blue Jays and one against the Cardinals.

GM Greg Shelley seemed most pleased with the team's depth as Brandon Crawford, Josh Outman and Robbie Grossman combined for 34.5 points while Justin Steele posted a 29.0 point debut against the Brewers.

Pitcher of the Week: Jeff Springs, Taters (35.0 Points)

81 PC, 6 INN, BBI, 12 K, W

Springs dazzled in 14 scoreless Spring Training innings, carrying a 24:2 K:BB ratio after posting 404.0 points and a 2.46 ERA last season. He's off to an even hotter start in 2023 as he worked six no-hit innings on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, punching out 12 against just one walk. He's lined up for another nice matchup in Period 2 against the Oakland A's.

Hitter of the Week: 1B CJ Cron, Falcons (27.5 Points)

7-15, 3 HR, 2 2B, 2 BB

What a start for Cron who has quietly been an $8 steal for the Maltese Falcons, posting 747.0 combined points over the last two seasons. Opening up in San Diego, Cron blasted three home runs with a pair of doubles and walks to lead the RDBL with 27.5 points over Period 1.

Life Insurance Player of the Week: Chris Bassitt, Taters (-36.0 Points)

57 PC, 3.1 INN, 10 HA, 9 ER, L

It was a largely successful opening period for the Idaho Taters who were only sunk by Chris Bassitt's stinker in St. Louis. While the Cardinals look to have one of the league's top offenses, Bassitt looked punchless as he allowed 10 hits and nine earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Wiping out his -36.0 points, the Taters would have been entering Period 2 in fourth place but now sit in eighth due to the stinker.

Prospect of the Week: Brett Baty, Hops

5-14, 2 HR, 2B, SB, BB

Despite disappointment of not making the big league roster, Brett Baty wasted no time trying to prove to the Mets Front Office that they make a mistake. The third baseman went 4-for-5 Saturday with a pair of home runs including a grand slam, adding to a home run on Friday in Syracuse's opener. Baty slashed .325/.460/.425 with three homers and seven RBIs in Spring Training and should continue to put pressure on the Mets, especially if Eduardo Escobar scuffles out of the gates.

On The Lookout: Sunday, 4/2

The RDBL is off and running as Day 4 of baseball is upon us. The Alamo Short Stacks rode a monster 132.0 day on Saturday into the 1st place spot, trailed by the Mission Viejo Maulers and Spokane Fightin' Fish.

Here's what we are on the lookout for on Sunday.

Period 2 Waivers

The RDBL will go through their second round of FAAB Waivers Sunday night as Adam Duvall (21.0 points), Jorge Mateo (9.5 points), Tucker Davidson (20.0 points) and other Free Agents look for a new RDBL home.

Springs the Ace

The Taters struck gold with the 2022 Waiver addition of Spencer Strider, but Jeff Springs hasn't been far behind in production. He'll make his 2023 debut for GM Mike Friedrich on Sunday as the Rays look for the sweep against the Tigers. After a 404.0 point season in 2022, Springs dominated Spring Training with a 24/2 K:BB ratio in 14.0 shutout innings.

MacKenzie Gore

Gore has been considered one of the top pitching prospects in the big leagues for years and will make his first start of the season against the Atlanta Braves as a member of the Mission Viejo Maulers following a late Spring Training deal. Gore struggled mightily through his first four Spring outings, but finished it on a high note with back to back shutout appearances against the Yankees and will look to ride that momentum into Sunday's start.

Hops Ice Cold at the Plate

The Meinert Hops will look to get things going at the plate on Sunday as they enter the day hitting just .184/.277/.194 with 27.0 hitting points, all RDBL-lows. They are one of two RDBL teams without a home run this season while producing just 98 at-bats, the lowest mark in the league.

Jokers Re-Tooled Rotation Gets First Look

The Jokers have had just one start and four overall appearances on the mound entering Sunday, both RDBL-lows. They will send Martin Perez, Ross Stripling and Noah Syndergaard to the mound today as they look to move into the positive side of pitching points, entering the day with -22.0 so far.

'Crats Send Three to Mound

The Las Vegas Aristocrats will send Joe Ryan, Tanner Houch and Eric Lauer to the mound Sunday as they look to jump up in the standings. Entering the day in 11th place, the 'Crats have hit well so far with a .283/.352.478 line while producing a 4.63 ERA in 11 2/3 innings on the mound.

On The Lookout: Aces Shine Thursday

2023 Opening Day has arrived and Front Offices are chomping at the bit to see the CBS Scoring page update. Here's some of the storylines we are closely following on Thursday.

'Crats Unveil Shiny New Toys

The Aristocrats pulled deep into their Las Vegas moneybag, locking up Corbin Burnes to a RDBL-tying contract for a pitcher only to later land Juan Soto to the second highest hitter contract in League History. Burnes will be on the mound in a chilly Chicago Thursday while Soto (oblique) is expected to be in the lineup for Opening Day against the Rockies in a game that was shifted to the evening due to weather in San Diego.

Hops Roll Out Aces

Don't be surprised to see the Meinert Hops roll out to an early lead Thursday as GM Garrett Shelley rolls out Logan Webb, Shane McClanahan, Zac Gallen and Shohei Ohtani on Opening Day.

Scherzer Gets the Ball, Continuing Record Run

Max Scherzer is set to start his fourth RDBL contract, sharing a distinction with Mike Trout as the only players in League History to complete each of his three previous contracts without being dropped. Scherzer was locked up for $50 by the Spokane Fightin' Fish, the pre-season favorite for the 2023 Title, and he will be joined by Shane Bieber and Mitch Keller on the mound for Opening Day.

Rookie Debuts

While neither were activated, many eyes will be on the big league debuts of Jordan Walker (Grapes) and Anthony Volpe (Clovers). Both widely considered Top-5 prospects in the sport, the duo is looking to make a push for a potential Period 9 activation from their respective RDBL clubs.

Glasnow Replacement

The Clovers depth will be tested early as they look to cover up for Tyler Glasnow's absence. GM Chris Shelley is going with Opening Day starter Patrick Corbin Thursday morning who opposes the Atlanta Braves.

Ace of Aces

After back to back 10th place finishes, the Lunatic Fringe are looking to make their return to the Playoffs since 2019 and will kick things off with 2022 Pitcher of the Year Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins ace posted 733.0 points last season, the 9th highest mark in RDBL History.

deGrom Backin Honolulu

The worst kept secret in the RDBL this off-season was GM Ross Horiuchi's interest in a reunion with Jacob deGrom. He's back along with an elite top-end of Austin Riley, Paul Golschmidt and the catching duo of J.T. Realmuto and Tyler Stephenson that should make the Heads a serious threat this summer.

$120 Investment on the Mound for Maulers

The Maulers might have one eye on 2024, but that doesn't mean that can't be competitive in 2023. With the $120 investment in Gerrit Cole and Luis Castillo, both of which are on the mound Thursday, GM Chris Ferraro is looking to make some waves early this year.

Good Greene of Bad Greene

2022 was a rollercoaster for Hunter Greene, but the flame thrower finished on a tear, punching out 51 in his last 35 1/3 innings with a 1.02 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He will look to carry that pace over to 2023 with his 2023 debut against the Pirates on Thursday.