This is one of the more interesting first round match-ups.
The two teams find themselves in the middle of the pack for similar reasons , and the same question can be asked of both teams individually: Which team will show up on Sunday?
For dynasty: This is the same team that gave the top seed Scooby Force their only losses all season, yet got swept during the only meaningful series they had against the #2 seed Shooter McGavins. They split a series with the struggling #8 seed The Ones!
For Bengals: The team that raised eyebrows in the beginning of the season, being atop the standings and sharing the #1 seed for several weeks. Then, getting swept by NWO? Series split with Dad Bods? Don’t fall in love with this team, because after the marriage, you know they’re going to let themselves go.
Its playoff time, and with teams all teams facing nagging injuries and attendance issues at various points in the season, lets assume that the players on these teams will dig deep and find a way to make it to the field.
P: Omar vs Salman: One of the top players in the league both offensively and defensively vs a reliable pitcher with an average bat at the plate. Dynasty.
1B: Gaurav Bhasin vs Hasan Nazmul: A player that was in discussion for all NL team, Hasan, vs a player that provides veteran intangibles and a tad bit more than the routine plays at 1B, Gaurav. Bengals.
2B: Adrian Polanco vs Pervez Khan. Within his given range, Adrian Polanco seems to have a solid glove, good arm, and great bat. Pervez, when not on vacation or bound by commitment to 516, has superior speed, range, but falls a bit short to the offensive season Adrian has put together. Dynasty.
3B: Milan Patel vs Travis Collins. This is one of the more interesting head to head comparisons. Milan last year flirted with .600 average, hitting to all fields, and is known for solid defense and tremendous arm at 3B, but has taken a slight step back in the batting dept this year. Travis has been having a subpar season in comparison to his usual statistical output, but also does provide solid defense. This one really could go for a tie, but in a tough game-on-the-line type of situation, I think you take Travis over Milan especially because Travis can put one over the fence every now and then. Bengals.
SS: Amit B vs Matt S: We’re talking arguable MVP of a team/batting title contender while providing stellar defense all season long in Amit vs elite defense with a luke-warm bat in Matt, the edge goes to Dynasty.
OF: Mike Liang, David Poon, Yamin Patel, Ariel Arvelo, Sajid Kakana vs Jayson Gregory, Saeed Anwar, Manjunathan Shanmugam, Sami Hossain, Yashvinder Mahajan.
Its hard to argue with the firepower that Mike Liang and heavy hitter Yamin Patel bring, and0 the elite defense provided by Mike at LCF. A newer face David Poon showed that he has the potential to make home-run robbing plays in left field vs Scooby Force, taking away sure extra base hits from names like Frank Perez. But, he is also flirting with the softball Mendoza-line, hitting.370 at the plate. Ariel is having a great hitting season and provides good defense, Sajid is a perennial pull hitter that can occasionally smoke one over and unsuspecting left fielders head but the defense may be suspect at times out there.
On the other side, Jayson Gregory is having an incredible season for the Bengals flirting with hitting .700 and he provides a solid defensive presence in a very important part of the field. Saeed is having a great hitting season, and displays clear athleticism and utility but doesn’t seem to be on many people’s radar as a dangerous defensive presence. Manjunathan has been on vacation for much of the season but as a veteran he should come back to take care of business when it matters most. Sami has undoubtedly made strides this season with his bat but can be suspect on defense at times. After all the offseason body building, we find Yashvinder on the DL recently, but he is yet another veteran that can come back and provide a lift for the Bengals, capable of turning back the clock and smoking one over the outfielders heads.
This one is going again to Dynasty.
C/Bench: With the Bengals, there are a bunch of players we could see playing this position, Anwar with the bum hamstring? Sunny? Sami? Yash? Rafat? Manpreet?
For Dynasty, we have Sohel, Sajid, Gaurav, Afnan? We haven’t even mentioned the biggest X-factor of all yet. Jerry Liang. The guy has turned in some rare but stellar performances, just enough to squeak by the minimum playoff plate appearance requirement. Because his name is yet to be mentioned in the field yet in the article, and also because if he is available there’s no way he isn’t on the starting squad, this one goes to Dynasty.
By means of the head to head comparisons, and if you look at the stats, this one should be a clean dynasty sweep, paving the way for a round two clash against the Scooby Force, for which they have been a pain in their ass all season long.
But, let’s also mention two other factors. Weather. Its going to be an absolute scorcher this Sunday. Dynasty is the older team, staffing key positions with slightly older guys that may or may not be as resilient to the heat vs a generally younger Bengals team. Also, grit. The Bengal swag earlier this season was formidable. They also have a way of taking you by surprise when you underestimate them. While they may not have the eye popping numbers that Dynasty does on paper, the roster has names that we’re all familiar with, and for a reason. They have an outside chance of getting it done versus a Dynasty team that historically tends to fizzle out at some point in the playoffs, sometimes quietly, and sometimes when on the brink of championship, recall Fall ball in 2018.
While Dynasty should pull this one off, don’t count Bengals completely out.
