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(AP)
Seattle stays hot with a 5-1 week after sweeping up and coming California and taking two of three against Stout leader New York. They are still #1 in the power rankings and holding off Pittsburgh who went 6-1 and has won 12 of 13 to tie Maine for the Ale lead. Miami also had a 6-1 week with a four game sweep of New Orleans and winning two of three against Maine. On the other side of the rainbow New Orleans and Wilmington went 1-6 while California, Los Angeles, and Toronto all went 1-5. Some stat leaders of the week: Denver and Indy with 13 home runs, Hartford with a .331 average, Wilmington with 12 stolen bases, Miami with a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and only 11 runs allowed in seven games.
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (125.7, ++)
2) Pittsburgh Millers (124.5, ++)
3) Maine Guides (111.5, -)
4) Indianapolis Racers (110.7, ++)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (109.4, +)
6) New York Knights (107.4, +)
7) Miami Sharks (107.0, ++)
8) Hartford Whalers (104.0, +)
9) Washington Bats (104.0, -)
10) Los Angeles Dinos (102.4, --)
11) California Kodiaks (99.5, --)
12) Syracuse Snappers (97.1, o)
13) Batavia Red Jackets (94.0, o)
14) Baltimore Bulldogs (83.8, ++)
15) Carolina Tobs (80.8, o)
16) Pawtucket Patriots (80.0, --)
17) Windy City Blues (79.7, +)
18) Denver BC (74.3, -)
19) Philadelphia Freedom (73.0, ++)
20) Montreal Exports (64.5, ++)
21) Wilmington Wildcats (58.5, -)
22) Toronto Canadians (57.5, --)
23) Phoenix Roadrunners (57.0, +)
24) New Orleans Dukes (56.5, --)
Performance of the Week
3B Bing-zhang Lopan - On May 20th against Montreal he had two home runs in three hits, drove in six runs, and scored twice in a 9-1 Rum Runner victory. On the year he's hitting .253 with 5 HR's, 15 RBI's, and a 0.8 WAR while playing 26 games at short stop with a +1.0 ZR.
Injury of the Week
CF Manny Padilla - The 13th overall pick in the 2029 draft suffered a sprained ankle against Pawtucket running out an infield hit in the 2nd. The next batter Jermaine Williams then hit a grand slam which took some of the pain away. On the season he's hitting .210 with 3 HR's and 12 RBI's with a +1.2 ZR in center field. Padilla gets a lot of small injuries and is a common sight on the day to day injury log, but this one will keep him out for about a month.
Prospect of the Week
SS Pat 'Melody' Nunes - Making his BLB debut this week Nunes comes in as the top rated prospect in the BLB. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 2026 draft and his potential is off the charts, but his lack of work ethic and intelligence have kept him in the minors for six and a half years. At 23 it's now or never. So far in two games he has had six at bats with no hits and two K's but he'll learn on the fly and could be a superstar for the Roadrunners in a few seasons.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The preseason has kicked off in the Rookie League. Teams are starting to shuffle players around by signing FA's and promoting International Complex prospects as they get ready for opening day on June 22nd. Now is the busy period as teams don't want to be caught with less than the 28 players allowed and suffer the fate that a few of the teams did in their first few seasons. Yes we're looking at you 2029 Lakefield Bluejackets who went an astounding 4-64 while starting pitcher DJ Stanley went 0-27 with a 15.43 ERA.
2. As the RL gets ready to kickoff the rest of the feeder leagues are getting close to the finish. In HS the championship series is currently going with the Basic Wolves facing the Enid Predators. Basic currently has a 1-0 lead in the best of three. They feature four 1st round picks and their offense is 1st in runs scored, average, and on base percentage. They have won three straight HS titles and are going for an unheard of four in a row. In the NCAA the Oregon State Beavers are in the College World Series awaiting the winner of UNLV/Cal State who are tied at 1 game apiece. The Beavs had the best record in the NCAA this season by going 34-16 due to their pitching staff who was 2nd in runs allowed, starters ERA and bullpen ERA. Finally in the CCBL the Bourne Braves took home the cup for the 2nd straight season after beating Chatham 8-2 on May 24th and winning the series two games to one.
3. It's not often you see a 33 year old making $24m pitching in AAA when he still has gas in the tank but Wes Perry has been doing just that. After losing his confidence with two back to back losing seasons after going 28-1 in 2029 he started the season in AAA and went 3-2 with a 3.15 ERA. Those close to him said it helped him get his focus again and he was recently promoted back to the BLB. So far in two starts he's 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA and 0.65 WHIP. If he continues to pitch even half as well as that he will be a big boost for another potential deep LAD playoff run.
4. On May 19th Johnny Swope launched his 300th career home run against California in the 3rd inning off of Ethan Beach. The fan who caught it after the game gave it to Swope and got some nice memorabilia and a photo with the former Triple Crown winner and future 1st ballot Hall of Fame selection. On the season Swope is hitting .344 with 11 HR's, 29 RBI's, and a 2.3 WAR. He's now 78th all-time in home runs and at 30 years old we think he might reach 500.
5. In the we like playing these guys category: SDR is 6-0 vs New Orleans, Pittsburgh is 6-0 vs SDR, Cali is 6-0 vs Phoenix, and Seattle is 6-0 vs Baltimore.
Stat of the Week
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