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Washington Bats (35-16; 1st Place in Stout, best in BLB)
3-0 vs. Batavia
4-0 @ Wilmington
Against the two worst teams in the IL, the Bats don't lose a game. Pump the breaks. A 7-0 week is amazing but these are games good teams should win. With that said...Tom...Matt...here ya go:
The Good
-Guess who is back? SP Kel "Fucking" Murphy! That's who! I have an undefeated pitcher on my roster, a $20 million pitcher, a top 20 pitcher, a former top 20 pitcher and a former 1st round pick coming into his own finally, and Murphy leads the rotation in ERA. He pitched nine shutout innings against the Muckdogs, giving up just two hits, two walks and struckout four. In his last 24 innings, he has given up just two runs.
-My starting infielder Yong-Koo Lim is a very GOOD "bad player." He's not good. He is ranked 23/24 amongst BLB 3B. He expects a bench role but starts in both lineups. In the lineup vs. RH he starts at 3B, vs. LH he starts at SS. He has very low work ethic. Very low leadership. Very high greed. Low loyalty. He has 52 hits on the season and only one of them being an XBH. His OPS+ is just 78...but I love the kid. He's a good defender at both spots, makes contact, bunt, can steal a little and is a great fit at the #2 spot in both lineups. With a runner on 1st, he is hitting .324 with a .743 OPS. With a runner on 1st and 2nd, he is hitting .533 with a 1.096 OPS.
The Bad
-I'm not sure LF BJ Jobe or 3B Tyler McLouth is ready for this level. Two weeks in the bigs and they are struggling. Both have played very well defensively and my scout increase ratings on both after the June 1st re-scout, but neither is playing well enough to continue to get regular at bats. I hate sending prospects down but if they don't pick it up, I will be forced to.
The Ugly
-I guess it's nitpicking on a 7-0 sim but SP Ivan Gutierrez has not pitched well this season. Now 3-2, 4.71 ERA, 1.64 WHIP after walking seven guys in three innings and giving up four runs. He was on the top 20 players list to start the year and has pitched amazingly well in D.C. the past four seasons. He was always a guy who pitched better than his ratings for me so maybe it's all finally catching up to him. Or maybe he is "hurt" (fragile tag) and just doesn't know it yet. I expect him to either turn it around soon or go on the DL with something serious.
The Farm
-In last year's Rule V Draft, the Bats selected a SP from Double-A Seth Schnitzler who was clearly not ready for the big league level. He finished the year with a 61 ERA+, -16 VORP and a 6.41 ERA. This year, after getting full player eligibility, he was immediately sent down to Triple-A and he has flourished. After nine starts, 4-1, 2.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 178 ERA+. My scout thinks he is a future #4 and at 24-years-old, with a six-man rotation at the BLB level, he has some time to continue this development.
The Week Ahead
-Stout Week! Two vs. Morgantown, two vs. Virginia and three vs. Wilmington. I've actually played significantly better on the road this year (22-4) as opposed to home (13-12) but I think this should be a solid week for the Bats. I'll say, 1-1 vs. Morgantown and Virginia, then 2-1 vs. Wilmington.
3-0 vs. Batavia
4-0 @ Wilmington
Against the two worst teams in the IL, the Bats don't lose a game. Pump the breaks. A 7-0 week is amazing but these are games good teams should win. With that said...Tom...Matt...here ya go:
The Good
-Guess who is back? SP Kel "Fucking" Murphy! That's who! I have an undefeated pitcher on my roster, a $20 million pitcher, a top 20 pitcher, a former top 20 pitcher and a former 1st round pick coming into his own finally, and Murphy leads the rotation in ERA. He pitched nine shutout innings against the Muckdogs, giving up just two hits, two walks and struckout four. In his last 24 innings, he has given up just two runs.
-My starting infielder Yong-Koo Lim is a very GOOD "bad player." He's not good. He is ranked 23/24 amongst BLB 3B. He expects a bench role but starts in both lineups. In the lineup vs. RH he starts at 3B, vs. LH he starts at SS. He has very low work ethic. Very low leadership. Very high greed. Low loyalty. He has 52 hits on the season and only one of them being an XBH. His OPS+ is just 78...but I love the kid. He's a good defender at both spots, makes contact, bunt, can steal a little and is a great fit at the #2 spot in both lineups. With a runner on 1st, he is hitting .324 with a .743 OPS. With a runner on 1st and 2nd, he is hitting .533 with a 1.096 OPS.
The Bad
-I'm not sure LF BJ Jobe or 3B Tyler McLouth is ready for this level. Two weeks in the bigs and they are struggling. Both have played very well defensively and my scout increase ratings on both after the June 1st re-scout, but neither is playing well enough to continue to get regular at bats. I hate sending prospects down but if they don't pick it up, I will be forced to.
The Ugly
-I guess it's nitpicking on a 7-0 sim but SP Ivan Gutierrez has not pitched well this season. Now 3-2, 4.71 ERA, 1.64 WHIP after walking seven guys in three innings and giving up four runs. He was on the top 20 players list to start the year and has pitched amazingly well in D.C. the past four seasons. He was always a guy who pitched better than his ratings for me so maybe it's all finally catching up to him. Or maybe he is "hurt" (fragile tag) and just doesn't know it yet. I expect him to either turn it around soon or go on the DL with something serious.
The Farm
-In last year's Rule V Draft, the Bats selected a SP from Double-A Seth Schnitzler who was clearly not ready for the big league level. He finished the year with a 61 ERA+, -16 VORP and a 6.41 ERA. This year, after getting full player eligibility, he was immediately sent down to Triple-A and he has flourished. After nine starts, 4-1, 2.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 178 ERA+. My scout thinks he is a future #4 and at 24-years-old, with a six-man rotation at the BLB level, he has some time to continue this development.
The Week Ahead
-Stout Week! Two vs. Morgantown, two vs. Virginia and three vs. Wilmington. I've actually played significantly better on the road this year (22-4) as opposed to home (13-12) but I think this should be a solid week for the Bats. I'll say, 1-1 vs. Morgantown and Virginia, then 2-1 vs. Wilmington.
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