THE NORTH (9-1) vs. DYNASTY (8-2)
The Venue: Gabriel Vitale Memorial Field (Carman Ave)
Time: 8:30am
SASL Game of the Week, was there any doubt? The North (9-1) are at the top of the standings. They are at the top of our latest Power Rankings. Dynasty (8-2) are in 2nd place in the standings and comes in third in the latest Power Rankings after coming off of 2 losses last week. The North seems to have the momentum this week after Dynasty were soundly defeated last week but both teams are very evenly matched.
Not only is this a matchup of the top two teams in the standings which has huge implications for seeding later in the season, it is also a rematch of the 2019 Fall Ball Finals where North beat Dynasty in two games…each game by 1 run. Yes, like we said, they are very evenly matched.
How They Got Here
The North:
For the time being, The North seems like a smooth operating machine. It is no wonder the captains Charley Robinson and Irfan Musliwala are at the top of the latest Awards Watch list for Manager of the Year. They are getting career seasons out of players that are castoffs. Akil Gubbi, Pappu Allen, Nitin Srivastava, Adeel Ahmed are all batting .500+ with counting stats to boot. All are rated 3’s. They are led by MVP candidates Nick Timpone and Charley and solid production from Irfan, Saeed Anwar, Shawn Abraham and Steve Galante. They seem to get the best out of their players.
Thru 5 weeks, they have the best offense in the league by scoring 176 runs in 10 games. A 17 run per game average is beyond elite. They have also tightened up their defense past couple of weeks to get a run differential of +81, which is second best in the league. 3 of the 5 opponents so far have been the 3 teams in the bottom of the standings (Backdoor Sliders, DadBods and Shooter McGavins). Their biggest competition so far was Hit Squad in week 4, in which they split. So rest of the season, they have a tough schedule.
Dynasty:
The Power Rankings called this season for Dynasty ‘Championship or Bust’. They are coming off of 3 straight Fall Ball Final losses. They also were one of the favorites to win the summer season last two years before losing in the playoffs early in the NL Division. This season they added couple of veteran pieces in Ali Ghumman, Kunal Oak to solidify some key areas of weakness. So far both have played exceptionally well. They are also getting big seasons out of their 3 headed monster in the lineup in Omar Hernandez, Mike Liang, and Yamin Patel. The supporting cast of Amit Bhasin, Milan Patel, Ariel Arvelo, Adrian Polanco are all playing up to expectations and they are getting a career out of nowhere from Captain Sajid Kakana batting .650+.
Dynasty were the last team to remain undefeated in the SASL this year. 8-0 start thru 4 weeks and they defeated some tough opponents in those 4 weeks: TSFE, Black Mambas and Troopers. However, they got swept in week 5 by their biggest rival and nemesis in Hit Squad. Dynasty ranks 4th in offense and still remains by far the best defense in the league. They lead the SASL in run differential with a +85, slightly edging out The North.
On Field Matchups
Pitching/Catching:
Dynasty battery-mate figures to be Ali Ghumman and Ariel Arvelo. North usually features Yasar Bokhari and Anwar Sadat. Ali and Yasar at P is at good as it gets. Both are capable of getting thru a day without any walks and keep hitters off balance with their ability to throw the short and deep strikes. Dynasty has a clear advantage at Catcher With Ariel coming off a All Star season and still stinging the ball this year.
Advantage: Dynasty
Infield:
Thru the first 5 weeks of the season, The Norths best defense seems to be Akil at 1st, Adeel at 2nd, Steve at SS and Charley at 3b. Steve is a gold glove type defender at SS with a strong arm and great range. Akil is as good as it gets in defense at 1B as well. In offense, not many teams can match with what Charley and Steve can do. Akil has chipped in with his best season to date by collecting 20 RBIs already. Adeel has been average so far with the bat and below average with the glove but he has potential to turn that around.
Dynasty infield defense is centered around Amit Bhasin at SS. He is a very good hitter but his defense has slipped up a bit in the last few seasons from his heyday. Milan at 3b is one of the more underrated players who’s hitting close to .600 this year and he provides an average glove at the hot corner. Adrian Polanco, 2019 NL Rookie Of The Year is having another productive year with 17 RBIs already. The weak spot seems to be at 1b Sonu who is a good enough defender but his bat has been cold to start the season.
Advantage: The North
Outfield:
We expect The North to go with Irfan Musliwala, Shawn Abraham, Nick Timpone and Saeed Anwar out there from Left to Right. They have all the tools out there: strong arms, very good speed and range, and glove to make some spectacular plays. On offense, Nick has been deadly so far. Irfan, Shawn and Saeed are all on pace for All Star seasons as well and have been getting on base with OBP over .600+ for all three. All 3 are legitimate threats to hit gap to gap and spray the ball.
As far as pure defense, the left side of Omar Hernandez (Lf) and Mike Liang (LCF) for Dynasty maybe the top defense duo in the league. They are also doing damage back to back at the top of the lineup batting 1-2 and seem to score almost every time they get on. RCF Kunal Oak has been a revelation so far. His defense has improved incrementally every year, and his bat is now lethal with an OPS north of 1.7. Yamin Patel will probably be patrolling RF. His bat is a pure middle of the order bat once again but he has limited defensive capability and limited range in the OF.
Advantage: Push
Keys To Winning:
The North:
1. Jump On Them Early: Dynasty can really play tight if you throw the first punch. They play better when playing from ahead.
2. Keep Forces On the Base-paths: If you can make the other team hit 3 or 4 singles to score runs, you will have a good day. If North allows XBH by the bunches, it will be a short day.
3. Don’t Let Ali Dictate The Pace: Ali can get into hitters heads with his variation of quick pitches and long pauses. It’s ok to call for time!
Dynasty:
1. Drink Some Coffee or Red Bull: Dynasty must meet the energy of The North. You know The North will be loud.
2. Clutch Hitting: When you break thru to get some runners on base, Dynasty must cash in. Big games doesn’t provide a lot of chances, so when they do, you have to be ready to bring them home.
3. Play To Have Some Fun: The crutch of this team yearly is that they choke in big games. Just let loose and have fun fellaz! Don’t play so uptight!
Our Prediction:
The North and Dynasty both lost to Hit Squad. The difference is that The North after losing game 1, came back and beat Hit Squad. Dynasty on the other hand lost both. We expect Dynasty to still have lingering effects from last week and The North to take advantage and SWEEP in two close games!
