Dynasty
It’s said that there are two certainties in life, but there are actually three. Death, Taxes, and Dynasty bringing in a competitive team every single year.
With a delayed start to their season because of the first week bye, we make our final preview for Dynasty, the historic SASL franchise around from day 1 that is looking for its third and last championship that it needs to justify its name. It will require some savvy veteran leadership as well as some younger athletic talent to push Dynasty over the hump in a super competitive league this year.
It looks like Saj, Sonu, and Faizal have joined forces, and have managed to put together the following formidable roster. Each veteran brings his own strengths and knowledge of the game, and is flanked by younger and athletic talent and power that should not be slept on this season.
Dynasty
Rehan Murtaza/Usman Ghumman- P
Saj Kakana- C
Pete Banta- 1B
Ray Lorenzo – 2B
Shadesh Baijnath – 3B
Amit Bhasin- SS
Asad Haque- LF
Jonathan Cayetano- LCF
Luis Tejada- RCF
Yamin Patel – RF
Ariel Arvelo- EH
Subs
Faizal Sherriff
Sonu Bhasin
Manny Singh
A brief rundown of the lineup/defense shows some good spread and distribution of power, high average contact hitting, the ability to hit to both sides of the field, and of course solid game IQ that these veteran names bring to the field.
Pete Banta at 1B is a vacuum for more errant throws than any infielder in the league with his stature and dynamic glove. On offense he is always a threat to go yard. He surprised many with a cameo in right field in the finals against Savages several years ago while on Empire, showing some utility and versatility if needed.
Ray Lorenzo a more than capable 2B or SS adds a steady glove, good IQ, and a power bat to the middle of the lineup.
Shadesh Baijnath is a very good all around player with great speed, good arm, solid glove, and a power bat, he has versatility that can take him almost anywhere on the field including LCF.
Amit Bhasin the household name at SS, still getting it done despite being 40+. One can only hope to age as gracefully. At bat he still sports an annual 600+ average and will sneak a few by your outfielders when they let their guard down.
An all around very solid infield, as good as any in the league, is backed up by an outfield of Jonathan Cayetano, Luis Tejada, Asad Haque, and Yamin Patel. This outfield will really be the key to Dynasty’s success this season.
Jonathan adds a strong bat especially effective to the opposite field, if you take too long to get the ball back in he will easily take 2nd or 3rd base given his good speed. Asad is a solid contact hitter that has his gaffes in the outfield from time to time, a threat to go to both sides of the field with line drives, some even over an outfielders head. Every year it seems Dynasty claims Yamin is no longer his old self. While last year following his surgery may have actually shown that, alas there are no Dynasty stats to corroborate. The two years prior he is seen sporting a .600-700 avg, over 10 home runs a year, and an OPS in the top 10 in the league. We expect the same kind of production from this seasoned veteran at the plate, but his glove will be the rate limiting step if he is indeed the full time RF. Flanking Yamin is likely to be Luis Tejada who adds a good glove to the mix, decent speed, but at the plate he will send quite more than a few over the fence.
Watch out for not just a 1-2, but 1-2-3-4-5 combo gut punches in the lineup with Pete Banta, Yamin Patel, Luis Tejada, Ray Lorenzo, and Shadesh Baijnath. Your outfielders are likely to be well acquainted with the fence after just one trip through this Dynasty lineup.
Adding veteran depth, IQ we have:
Manny Singh, the most patient hitter at the plate in the league with sneaky pop and line drive shots to all fields. His solid and steady glove can be deployed in the infield or the outfield, showing good versatility.
Faizal Sherriff, he’s still definitely got it with the bat, and at 1B, C, or even 2B sometimes still, he can get the job done quite well. The type of player you love on your team, and hate when he’s not, he will add some zest and fire to the Dynasty side of the bench.
Sonu Bhasin also provides his old-faithful glove at 1B. You’d think he had a job at Carvel in his younger days the way he scoops the throws that he does.
Rehan and Usman will fill in at pitcher and add additional depth, they bring strong knowledge to the game especially Usman who also has a knack also for videography and in game commentary. In a pinch, these two can provide surprising coverage of positions in the field.
Overall we have a great group of guys that we expect to be a solid middle of the pack team. Attendance, health, and some good fortune are keys to this lineups success.
