Week 1 just finished. So obviously it is wayyyyy too early to look at any races for the 3 prestigious awards in SASL. But, we can take a look at the betting favorites for each race and compare back later to see how it fared. These are what our experts have as the betting favorites to win each race.
Most Valuable Player:
Charley Robinson (The North): Charley Robinson just won the 2019 SASL MVP in the upper division. His stats in 2019: .730avg/1.98ops/5hr/43rbi/32runs. Very impressive year and his consistency year in and year out is remarkable. In a combined division like in 2020, his contribution will be magnified without the protection he enjoyed in Savages.
Mike Liang (Dynasty): Mike Liang finished third in the National League MVP vote last year behind Mike Velez and his own teammate Amit Bhasin. He has already established his immense talents on the defensive side of things. But let’s not forget what he did at the plate in the National League: 3rd in Home Runs, 5th in BA, 1st in OBP, 5th in OPS. This year we may see voters give him more credit if he can stay at that same level (if not even better).
Rafael Liriano (The Ones): Rafael Liriano has played a couple of years in the SASL and has made the All Star team both teams. He is a 5 tool player who can play any position in the field. His stats in 2019: .617avg/1.81ops/7hr/35rbis/30runs. This year he joined The Ones and if he can get them to a high enough seed, he will get massive accolades.
Tom Kahl (Shooter McGavins): Tom Kahl aka TK, won the AL Rookie Of The Year with an outstanding season with the Savages last year. His stats in the AL: .631avg/2.07ops/6hr/38rbi/35runs. He received 100% of the votes in the ROY race. This year he is playing for the Shooter McGavins and sets his sights on the MVP trophy. He played some phenomenal defense and was batting at the top of the order for a feared Savages lineup. TK was a difference maker all year.
Ahmad Halimi (Hit Squad): Ahmad Halimi comes into 2020 after compiling his best season of his career in 2019. He was a crossover player who made it to the All Star team and MVP shortlist in both divisions. That was impressive and we expect a strong encore. Hit Squad are going for a 3peat who will need Ahmad at his best. His impressive power display last year is only the beginning of his true worth to the Hit Squad. He means as much on the field as he does off the field to them.
Managers of the Year:
The Ones (Naeem Bhalli/Amby Cruceta): Preseason they were dubbed the “Most Improved Team”. Naeem Bhalli and Amby Cruceta were on a mission this offseason. So far they are 0-2 with losses to The North, but if they can get their talent to gel, they may run away with this award.
Dothrakis (Sunny Naveed/Hashim Naveed): This is a rookie team led by brothers Sunny Naveed and Hashim Naveed. They have bought a bunch of new talent to the league and we are excited to see the team grow the rest of the season. If they can finish in the top 3 seeds by the end of the season, who can deny the brothers this award?
MonStars (Salman Quader/Sajeel Haque): Salman Quader and Sajeel Haque didn’t even have a team a month before the season started. Now they are looking at a team full of veterans who’s been there, done that. The challenge for these captains will be how to get them excited week in and week out as veterans team often lack the necessary energy to keep the younger teams at bay.
The North (Charley Robinson/Irfan Musliwala): In their initial trial run in the Fall, they were able to secure a Fall Ball championship by fending of Dynasty in an epic Finals matchup. They did lose 75% of the team over the offseason and reshaped the entire roster and core. If the rehashed roster can secure a deep run to the playoffs, there will be plenty of praise to go around for Charley and Irfan.
Troopers (Sunil Rangila/Wahid Hoosein): So far, So good. Yes we are counting their week 1, 2-0 start against the champs in this analysis. The early returns are fantastic. Sunil and Wahid completely changed their roster and had a roster overhaul. They can completely reshape the Troopers “brand” and make it a free agency destination for the future at this current pace. We really like where they are headed.
Rookie Of The Year:
Rookie of the Year is always tricky in the beginning. There are no stats to fall back on. Only word of mouth. With that being said, here are some of the rookies we will be watching closely to start the season:
- Mike Perri (DadBods)
- Andy Sanchez (Dothrakis)
- Pablo Sanchez (Dothrakis)
- Justin Sevilla (Dothrakis)
- Vinny Florido (MonStars)
