State Farm Weekly Recap: Falcons Push Back Into Race for Top 3 Finish

The Roger Dorn Baseball League Playoffs are shaping up for an epic finish with 2.5 weeks remaining on the schedule as the Alamo Short Stacks and Spokane Fightin' Fish continue to battle it out for the League Championship. The Stacks rode a monster day at the plate Sunday to take over the top spot heading into Period 25 as their lineup reached base 37 times, posting a .524 on base percentage.

Team of the Week: Maltese Falcons, 391.5 Points

59-287, 287 AB, 12 2B, 14 HR, 41 RBI, 31 R, 2 SB, 31 BB, 2 CS, 3 HP, 2 SF

57.2 INN, 29 HA, 10 BBI, 59 K, 9 ER, 6 W, L, 3 S

The Maltese Falcons had a sluggish start to the 2022 RDBL Playoffs but broke out with a 172.5 point day on Tuesday. The pitching staff was dominant, allowing just nine earned runs over 57 2/3 innings with Yu Darvish, Clayton Kershaw, Sonny Gray and Waiver Claim Bailey Falter all posting 35 or more points in the period.

Hitter of the Week: OF Aaron Judge, Maulers, 44.0 Points

11-20, 20 AB, 2 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R, 5 BB, CS

Judge continues to assault American League pitching, posting a .550/.640/1.250 slash line last week while hitting a ridiculous .484/.590/1.031 over the RDBL Playoffs. He's a heavy favorite to win the RDBL Regular Season Hitter of the Year Award and could become the first to also win the Playoff MVP in the same season.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Yu Darvish, Falcons, 77.0 Points

14 INN, 3 HA, BBI, 15 K, 2 W

The addition of Darvish early in the season from the St. Joseph Jokers has paid massive dividends for the Falcons with the right-hander putting an exclamation point on a dominant season in Period 24. Darvish posted 14 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits overall, helping the Falcons post a league-high 391.5 points in the period.

Prospect of the Week: RHP Ryne Nelson, Heads, 40.0 Points

Nelson posted 40.0 points and a 2.38 ERA over starts against the Dodgers and Padres and now has 74.0 points over his first three big league starts. Nelson is joined by Dray Jameson and Brandon Pfaadt as pitching prospects on the rise in the Hammerheads system.

Life Insurance Player of the Week: RP Ian Kennedy, Maulers, -25.0 Pts.

It's been a frustrating Playoff run for GM Chris Ferraro with Ian Kennedy among four pitchers on the staff to post negative points in Period 24. Kennedy allowed five earned runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings of work as the Maulers enter the final two and half weeks trying to dig their way out of 6th place.

Hitting Prospect of the Year: Michael Harris, Hops

If teams had another chance at the 2022 Reserve Draft, it's quite probable that Meinert Hops outfielder Michael Harris III would be the first name off the board following a breakout season after being selected 24th overall by GM Garrett Shelley. His quick ascent to the big leagues and immediate production earned him the 2022 Roger Dorn Baseball League Hitting Prospect of the Year Award.

Harris started the season in Double-A, slashing .305/.372/.506 in 43 games before the Atlanta Braves promoted him to the big leagues, skipping over Triple-A. He didn't skip a beat as a core piece of the Braves lineup, slashing .298/.343/.517 over the remainder of the RDBL Regular Season while clearly earning a Playoff activation from the Hops.

The lights of September have hardly been too bright for Harris who has slashed .377/.389/.736 in the RDBL Playoffs while entering Friday ranked 11th in Playoff scoring.

It was certainly a strong year for hitting prospects as Harris edged out Julio Rodriguez (Fightin' Fish), Corbin Carroll (Stacks), Gunnar Henderson (Jokers) and Adley Rutschman (Clovers) for the award.

Honorable Mention: Julio Rodriguez (Fish), Corbin Carroll (Stacks), Adley Rutschman (Clovers), Gunnar Henderson (Jokers), Jordan Walker (Grapes), Elly de la Cruz (Clovers)

Free Agent Claim of the Year: Spencer Strider, Taters

A 14th place finish wasn't exactly how Idaho Taters GM Mike Friedrich expected the season to play out. While a number of things went wrong, Friedrich did nail his early season claim of right-hander Spencer Strider who looks to be a key piece of the club's plans heading into 2023. Strider's dominance on the mound earned him the 2022 RDBL Free Agent Claim of the Year Award.

Strider finished the RDBL Regular Season ranked 39th among all starting pitchers in just 16 starts while posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He's taking things up to another level since the Taters were eliminated, positing three consecutive quality starts while allowing just three earned runs in 20.0 innings while punching out 32. The run was highlighted by a 16 strikeout performance against the Rockies on September 1st.

With a full season ERA of 2.69 entering his start Monday against the San Francisco Giants, Strider has his spot locked into the top of the Taters 2023 rotation with hopes that rehabbing teammate Mike Soroka can join him as a pair of $5 values for Friedrich.

Honorable Mention: OF Taylor Ward (Stacks), Eugenio Suarez ('Crats), Johnny Cueto (Taters)