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(AP)
The IL continues to shine as they hold the top two spots and take the tiebreaker with three in the Power 5. Seattle stays on top with a 4-3 record and Washington shoots up to #2 after going 5-1 with a three game sweep of New York and then taking two of three from the aforementioned Pilots. New Orleans had the top week though as they went 6-1 and climbed out of the cellar in the Lager. Meanwhile Maine, Pawtucket, and LA all went 5-2. The bottom dwellers this week were Toronto and Syracuse who each lost six of their seven games played.
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (122.0, o)
2) Washington Bats (111.7, ++)
3) Pittsburgh Millers (111.4, ++)
4) Maine Guides (108.7, ++)
5) California Kodiaks (108.4, --)
6) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (104.6, +)
7) Hartford Whalers (104.0, ++)
8) Los Angeles Dinos (102.1, ++)
9) New York Knights (101.7, o)
10) Indianapolis Racers (100.6, --)
11) Miami Sharks (99.9, --)
12) Pawtucket Patriots (92.0, ++)
13) Syracuse Snappers (88.4, --)
14) Windy City Blues (85.3, ++)
15) Denver BC (85.1, -)
16) Carolina Tobs (84.6, --)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (80.6, -)
18) Baltimore Bulldogs (77.0, -)
19) New Orleans Dukes (75.0, ++)
20) Wilmington Wildcats (72.4, -)
21) Montreal Exports (67.4, --)
22) Batavia Red Jackets (66.3, o)
23) Toronto Canadians (57.7, -)
24) Phoenix Roadrunners (52.9, -)
Performance of the Week
RF Robby DeWitt - On June 9th against Syracuse he posted a 103 game score when he hit two home runs, drove in six, and scored three times in a 10-7 victory over the Snappers. On the year the former 1st round pick by Kansas City is hitting .280 with 4 HR's and 27 RBI's while playing a combined 49 games in left and right field.
Injury of the Week
RF Dusty Janson - After going down May 31st against Philly he was scheduled to be out three weeks with a severe calf strain. On June 11th though during rehab he suffered a setback and was expected to miss another three weeks. Almost a month and a half is a long time to lose a guy who was hitting .305 with 8 HR's and 22 RBI's in 48 games. Last season he was the MVP of both the Divisional Series and ILCS and is one of the most popular players on the team.
Prospect of the Week
LF Richie 'Powder' van Luik - No stats and nothing much to go on but he's the youngest prospect in the league at 16 years old and we've never seen a 'Powder' before. Discovered out of the Netherlands in 2031 his work ethic is unmatched for someone that young and scouts say he "plays with a full-throttle mentality at all times." He has a long time before he even gets an at bat in the Rookie League but we'll be keeping an eye on him.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. When outfielder Jayden Paggett of Baltimore showed up on the top players for the week list more than a few people had to quickly jump online and do a little research. Picked with the 22nd pick overall in the 2027 draft out of LSU he spent over five years in the minors before getting called up this past week. At 25 years old the native Texan is a born leader who has a powerful swing and can really burn up the base paths. He showed a little bit of all that when in his first six BLB games he hit .381 with 2 HR's, 6 RBI's and stole a base. They say you can't lose your spot due to injury but Pat DiBona, who's currently out another week with a fractured finger, might be a little bit worried sitting on the DL.
2. In 2030 the league batting average was .273/.270 for the DL and IL. In 2031 it was .263/.262. So far this season we are at .253/.254.
3. On June 10th Washington and New York had a pitching duel where it was 0-0 after nine innings and T.J. Rountree for New York had gone the entire way. New York failed to score in the top of the 10th and low and behold Roundtree came jogging back out to the mound. After getting Dave Davidson to ground out he got Kaden Gaston to a full count before Gaston drove a pitch 353 feet and over the left field wall. T.J.'s final tally: 9.1 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 ER...one loss.
4. California is on a base running tear this year as they lead the BLB with 89 total team swipes. That is more than the bottom five teams of Hartford, Toronto, LA, Denver, and Pawtucket combined. Ricky 'Heartthrob' Figueroa leads the team with 27 while Ron 'Only My Mom Loves Me' Teneyck has 24.
5. At 37 years old Jaime 'Banshee' Stone continues to show why Seattle signed him to big money this off-season as he's currently 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. As one of the more accomplished starters in BLB history he only added to his resume on June 8th when in a 5-2 victory over Denver he recorded both his 200th career win and his 2500 career strikeout. Known for his post-season dominance (career 14-6, 2.29 ERA, 2021 Brewmasters Cup MVP) he is a big reason why Seattle is currently favored by Vegas to win it all.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive Seasons With An ERA Below 3.00 (Top 25 Players, Min 1.0 IP/TmG) |
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