MLB Playoffs "Shout Out!" Contest: Top 3 Win

Here's a fresh and hopefully fun idea for postseason contest.

There is no limit to the number who can join, but only one entry per person, and each contestant must track their own scoring.

I will post a full list of everyone's selections.

THE DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th.

This will only take about 5 minutes per day to check your score.

The top 3 highest combined scores will win an MLB related prize.


BACKGROUND

The playoff schedule includes 43 games starting with the A.L. Wild Card game all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. I have shuffled these games in random order and assigned a number from 1-43.

HOW TO PLAY

1. Select any 10 numbers from 1-43
2. Select any 10 hitters or pitchers


SCORING

Using the daily update from ESPN's "Elias Says" page, you earn points for any of your players who are mentioned for a notable feat from the previous night's game.


Hitters

1. Not mentioned: 0 points
2. Mentioned with no reference to another player: 1 point
3. Mentioned with a reference to another active player: 2 points each
4. Mentioned with a reference to a retired player: 3 points each
5. Mentioned with a reference to a HOF player: 4 points each

Pitchers

1. Not mentioned: 0 points
2. Mentioned with no reference to another player: 4 points
3. Mentioned with a reference to another active player: 8 points each
4. Mentioned with a reference to a retired player: 12 points each
5. Mentioned with a reference to a HOF player: 16 points each

It's a good idea to choose players who you think have the greatest chance of doing something to warrant mentioning in "Elias Says".

Pairing a pitcher with a game is more difficult, so the points are accordingly higher.

Good luck! Any questions, please ask.

On Monday September 29th, I will post the list of games and their assigned number. If you choose a game that was not played (the series ended beforehand), you earn no points.


EXAMPLE

You choose Clayton Kershaw as one of your pitchers. If you chose last night's game (Sep 24th), here is what Elias Says had to say:

"Kershaw puts the finishing touch on an amazing season"

From Elias: Clayton Kershaw's final start of the 2014 season was like most of the previous ones he had this season: eight innings pitched, one earned run allowed, 11 strikeouts and a victory. Assuming that was his last appearance of the regular season, Kershaw finished the 2014 campaign with 21 wins, 239 strikeouts and a 1.77 ERA. Over the last 100 years, only seven other pitchers registered at least 20 wins, 230 strikeouts and an ERA below 1.80 in a single season: Grover Alexander (1915), Sandy Koufax (1966), Bob Gibson (1968), Luis Tiant (1968), Tom Seaver (1971), Ron Guidry (1978) and Dwight Gooden (1985).

Kershaw was mentioned with a specific reference to 3 retired players (Tiant, Guidry, Gooden), and 4 HOF players (Alexander, Koufax, Gibson, and Seaver)

So, you would have earned 100 points for Kershaw:

4 points for each retired player = 36 (3 x 12)
5 points for each HOF player = 64 (4 x 16)

Make sense? That's all you're doing for the 10 games you randomly select.

LINK

http://espn.go.com/espn/elias

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

1 - Miguel Cabrera
2 - Adam Jones
3 - Mike Trout
4 - Bryce Harper
5 - Yasiel Puig
6 - Albert Pujols
7 - Nelson Cruz
8 - Anthony Rendon
9 - Victor Martinez
10 - Matt Holliday

Thanks!