On The Lookout, 4/11: Light Schedule Leaves Opening for Hops

With a pair of games already postponed due to weather, Thursday is shaping up as a light day of RDBL action with just seven starting pitchers slated to take the mound. Clubs are attempting to keep pace with the Maltese Falcons who sit comfortably in first place entering play today.

Player Rankings: Hitter Stats | Pitcher Stats | FA Hitters | FA Pitchers

Positional Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Team Totals: Last 7 | Last 14 | Last 21 | Last 28 | Full Season

Projected Starters for Thursday, 4/11

Falcons: N/A

Aristocrats: N/A

Stacks: Jones (@ PHI)

Grapes: N/A

Tacos: Brown (@ KC)

Fringe: Rodriguez (@ BOS)

Fish: N/A

Jokers: Quintana (@ ATL)

Hammerheads: N/A

Devils: N/A

Clovers: N/A

Maulers: N/A

Goutfish: Whitlock (vs. BAL)

Hops: Gray (vs. OAK), Suarez (vs. PIT)

Ducks: N/A

Falcons Soaring in Standings

The Maltese Falcons enter Thursday leading the RDBL in both hitting and pitching as they have increased their league-lead over the competition to 115.0 points, the highest margin for any club so far this season.  Off-season addition Juan Soto continues to pay dividends with a .360/.468/.540 line and 20.0 points already this period. 

Hops Look to Make Move

The Meinert Hops are the lone RDBL club with two starters on the mound Thursday.  The club enters Thursday ranked 9th in pitching with a 3.88 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and have a pair of favorable matchups today with Jon Gray facing the Oakland Athletics and Ranger Suarez against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Steer Among League’s Best Values

Spencer Steer continues to provide elite value for the Asti Grape Stompers after receiving a $1 contract last year.  Steer is slashing .372/.471/.721 while leading all first base and third base eligible players in scoring while slotting behind Mookie Betts at second base.  Steer posted 429.0 points in his first full season of play in 2023.

Top 10 Pitchers

Tyler Glasnow (Clovers), 91.0

Cody Bradford (Devils), 82.0

Ronel Blanco (Grapes), 82.0

Nathan Eovaldi (Ducks), 73.0

Jordan Hicks (Falcons), 72.0

Corbin Burnes (Hops), 70.0

Garrett Crochet (Goutfish), 69.0

Logan Gilbert (Stacks), 67.0

Kutter Crawford (Hammerheads), 67.0

Merrill Kelly (Devils), 66.0

Top 10 Hitters

Mookie Betts (Devils), 78.5

Shohei Ohtani (Fish), 59.5

Juan Soto (Falcons), 56.0

Spencer Steer (Grapes), 55.5

Freddie Freeman (Clovers), 52.5

Tyler O’Neill (Falcons), 52.5

Mike Trout (Tacos), 52.0

Ryan McMahon (Tacos), 50.5

Yordan Alvarez (Goutfish), 50.5

Jose Altuve (Aristocrats), 50.0

On The Lookout, 4/9: Gray Returns for Jokers Rotation

A full slate of MLB action is on deck for Tuesday which kicks off with a morning game between the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates featuring Nashville Aristocrats right-hander Casey Mize. Monday marked some separation at the top of the standings though every team in the RDBL sits 100 or fewer out of a Playoff spot entering Tuesday.

Here's the latest On The Lookout for Tuesday, 4/9:

Projected Starters for Tuesday, 4/9

Falcons: Bassitt (vs. SEA), Wheeler (@ STL)

Aristocrats: Mize (@ PIT), Javier (@ KC)

Grapes: Harrison (vs. WSH)

Stacks: Lopez (vs. NYM)

Hammerheads: Ragans (vs. HOU)

Maulers: Wood (@ TEX)

Tacos: N/A

Clovers: Soroka (@ CLE), Glasnow (@ MIN)

Fringe: Montas (vs. MIL), Rodon (vs. MIA)

Fish: Bello (vs. BAL), Musgrove (vs. CHC)

Devils: Kelly (@ COL)

Goutfish: Kirby (@ TOR)

Jokers: Gray (vs. PHI), Civale (@ LAA)

Hops: Burnes (@ BOS), Allen (vs. CHW)

Ducks: Eovaldi (vs. OAK)

Falcons, 'Crats Grabbing Control?

The Maltese Falcons and Nashville Aristocrats enjoyed monster Monday efforts with 76.5 and 82.5 points respectively as they hold down the top two spots in the Standings. Both clubs have a pair of starters going Tuesday as they look to tighten their grip atop the RDBL.

Gray Returns for Jokers

The return of Sonny Gray is a big boost to the Jokers rotation with Kodai Senga appearing not far behind. The Jokers enter Tuesday ranked 14th in pitcher scoring with a 4.16 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 75 2/3 innings of work. Gray ranked 7th in Pitcher Scoring in 2023, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 184.0 innings before inking a Free Agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals in the off-season.

Maulers Look to Wipe Away Monday Dud

The Mission Viejo Maulers were setup well on Monday to make a big push in the RDBL Standings but fell well short, posting a 6.75 ERA and -3.0 points across their four starting pitchers. Alex Wood will be tasked with getting the rotation back on track in a tough matchup against the Texas Rangers on the road.

Ragans Moving Into Ace Status

Cole Ragans has backed up last year's breakout finish with an excellent start to 2024 for the Honolulu Hammerheads who scooped up the left-hander for $36 on Draft Day. Ragans has punched out 16 in 12 1/3 IP and will face off against the Houston Astros at home Tuesday night.

On The Lookout, 4/8: Snell Debuts for Goutfish

Period 4 is off and running on Monday as a tight race is the main storyline of the Roger Dorn Baseball League 2024 season thus far. Five teams sit within 24.0 points of the league lead with the Mission Viejo Maulers looking to make a big move Monday as they send four starters to the mound headlined by Luis Castillo. The Maulers rotation is looking to hold down the fort until Gerrit Cole returns.

Here's the latest On The Lookout for Monday, 4/8:

Projected Starters for Monday, 4/8

Grapes: Valdez (@ TEX)

Falcons: Morton (vs. NYM), Cortes (vs. MIA)

Aristocrats: Mikolas (vs. PHI), Assad (@ SD)

Hammerheads: Olson (@ PIT), Heaney (vs. HOU)

Stacks: N/A

Maulers: Luzardo (@ NYY), Eflin (@ LAA), Castillo (@ TOR), Berrios (vs. SEA)

Clovers: N/A

Goutfish: Snell (vs. WSH)

Jokers: N/A

Fringe: McKenzie (vs. CHW)

Devils: Paxton (@ MIN)

Tacos: Turnbull (@ STL)

Fish: Keller (vs. DET), Ashcraft (vs. MIL), Anderson (vs. TB)

Ducks: Williams (@ SF), Darvish (vs. CHC)

Hops: Gallen (@ COL)

Pitching Matchup for the Day: Berrios vs. Castillo

In an all Maulers matchup, Jose Berrios and Luis Castillo will face off as two of four Maulers starters for GM Chris Ferraro on Monday. Berrios has a 2.25 ERA over two starts while Castillo, RDBL's second highest scoring pitcher in 2023, has limped to a 6.75 ERA over his two outings.

Snell Debuts for Goutfish

The wait for Blake Snell is over as the 2023 National League Cy Young Winner will make his Lake Merced Goutfish and San Francisco Giants debut on Monday night against the Nationals. Snell is the lone starter for the Goutfish who enter Period 4 in 8th Place.

Falcons, Grapes and 'Cats Look to Stay Hot on the Mound

The Maltese Falcons Nashville Aristocrats and Asti Grape Stompers posted 1.85, 2.02 and 2.19 ERA's respectively in Period 3 and will look to carry that momentum into Period 4 with five starters between the staffs on Monday.

Stacks Offense Looks for Jolt

After leading the league in offense through Period 2, the Stacks limped to a .204/.295/.333 line in Period 3, ranking 11th in scoring. With big hits to the rotation between Spencer Strider and Justin Steele, the offense will need to pick up the slack to keep the Stacks relevant early in the season.