Awards Watch – American League GM of the Year
With only 1 week in the books, having an award watch this early may do nothing more than give the league something to laugh at in a few months. That being said, we learned a lot about a number of teams, new and old. Week 1 usually provides a good snapshot of teams being at (or close to) full strength. So in our first edition of awards watch, let’s look at the top GM’s:
Sanjay (516) – Sanjay’s team 516 put the league on notice by getting two mercy wins against the Savages, the defending champions. To put this in perspective, the Savages had two losses all of last season, including the playoffs. Sanjay brought in a veteran team with a lot of experience and a lot of firepower throughout the lineup. While the league may not know some of the players, based on their week 1 performance, guys like Yoba and Mauris will soon be on everyone’s scouting reports. Don’t let all those sluggers fool you, they can defend at every position as well. Denon has more protection in this lineup than any he’s ever had, a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Prince (Empire) – Empire may have been relatively quiet in the off-season, but made a loud statement week 1; scoring 39 runs while only allowing 3 against the Troopers. Already a deep roster, Empire added all-star Shawn, giving them a no-fly zone with Dheeraj, Shawn, Harvey, and Kunal. Prince did a great job keeping the entire team together from last season, banking on the team’s experience and chemistry. While questions have arisen about how Empire will manage their gigantic roster, the team has previously shown they can juggle playing time, and keeping everyone on the same page. With so many interchangeable players, look for Empire to be a tough matchup every week.
Saiful (Outlaws) – After not being in the league for 3 years, Saiful brings back the Outlaws. Just like in the past, he wasn’t shy about telling the league how good his team was going to be. After their week 1 sweep of the Scoobies, he may just be onto something. In the playoffs, it’s all about winning close games, and the Outlaws were able to pass this early test with a 1 run victory in game 2. Bringing back a large chunk of their young core from years past with names like Greg, Ahmad, Majid, and GM Saiful himself, they are poised to make a big run and surprise some of the veteran teams in this division.
