Week 11 5×5 Mixed MVP: Adam Dunn has struggled to get hit batting average over the Mendoza line the past three seasons, but this week he had no problem at all, batting .389 with 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 6 runs scored, giving him a $63.54 RotoValue in the shallow mixed league. That edged out Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Gonzalez, who hit .476 with 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 runs, and 1 SB, who was second with a value of $61.44.
Top pitcher: Yovani Gallardo has struggled for most of the year, but this week he was outstanding, winning twice and tossing 14 scoreless innings, giving up 7 hits and only 3 walks for a .0.714 WHIP and a 0.00 ERA. He only struck out 9 batters, but I’m sure his owners won’t complain. They may still be grouchy because that stellar week only lowered his seasonal ERA to 4.41 and his WHIP to 1.346. Gallardo’s RotoValue on the week in the 5×5 mixed league was $47.88, edging out Indians rookie Corey Kluber. Kluber also won twice, giving up only 1 earned run, 13 hits, and 3 walks in 16 innings, giving him a 1.00 WHIP and a 0.56 ERA. That performance earned $46.92 in the mixed league, and cost me winning ERA and WHIP in my head-to-head matchup in a 5×5 AL-only league.
Tampa Bay’s Matt Joyce had the second-best AL line of the week, batting .385 with 4 HR, and 1 SB, but he scored just once aside from his homers, and only drove in one other player than himself on the week, leaving just 5 runs and 5 RBI. He had $43.24 in 5×5 AL only value, and $48.11 in the deep 4×4 AL only format, trailing Dunn’s values of $45.89 and $51.52. Kluber ($33.85 and $34.34) was the top AL pitcher in these formats, with Miguel Gonzalez (2.51 ERA, 0.837 WHIP, 2 wins, 7 Ks in 14.33 IP; $30.31) having the second-best 4×4 value. Despite pitching 5.33 more innings, Gonzalez was just behind Aaron Harang in 5×5 value, as Harang pitched a 2-hit complete game shutout to win his only start – a 0.222 WHIP over 9 innings. Usually adding strikeouts gives an even bigger advantage to 2-start pitchers because of more innings, but Gonzalez fanned only 7, while Harang whiffed 10, edging Gonzales $26.73 to $26.39 in the 5×5 deeper format. The top closer in 4×4 was Jim Johnson, who posted a 1.80 ERA, 0.400 WHIP, and 4 saves in 5 innings, earning $27.69. But Johnson had just 2 strikeouts, and earned only $18.79 in 5×5, while Greg Holland struck out 7 in only 3 innings, with a 3.00 ERA and 0.667 WHIP and 2 saves, which was worth $21.70 as the top closer in 5×5.
In NL-only, Carlos Gonzalez earned $53.79 in the deep 4×4 and $50.97 in the 5×5. Ian Desmond was the 4×4 runner-up position player, batting .421 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 2 SB ($40.42), while the recently promoted Tyler Colvin hit .316 with 3 HR, 6 runs and 7 RBI to earn $39.66 on the week. Gallardo earned $40.66 in 4×4, and $38.62 in the 5×5, far ahead of other pitchers. Jhoulys Chacin of the Rockies had 2 wins, a 2.63 ERA, and a 1.098 WHIP in 13.67 innings to earn $26.64 as the 4×4 runner-up pitcher, but he only struck out 5 in his two starts, dropping him to 5th in 5×5 scoring, where his RotoValue fell to $23.24. Like the AL, a single-start gem was unexpectedly the 5×5 runner up for the week. Madison Bumgarner fanned 10 in just 7 scoreless innings against Atlanta, giving up only 2 hits and 1 walk for a 0.429 WHIP to go along with his 0 ERA giving him a $26.20 RotoValue. Steve Cishek notched 3 saves in 2.33 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts as the league’s top closer for the week. earning $18.83 in 5×5 and $25.68 in 4×4. Counting strikeouts as a category devalues relievers relative to other pitchers.