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(AP)
The contenders separated from the pretenders this week as several teams had huge weeks. New York, Indy, and Pittsburgh all went 6-1 while Santo Domingo and Washington all went 5-1. As of now all those teams are playoff bound with Indy moving into the 4th wildcard spot in the DL and New York seeming to secure the 2nd wildcard spot in the IL. Meanwhile Toronto and Wilmington went 1-6, with Toronto doing their best to wrap up the #1 pick in the upcoming draft. Philly also went 1-5 which now puts them a half game back from California and Phoenix for the 4th wildcard spot in the IL.
Power Rankings
1) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (123.6, +)
2) Washington Bats (121.6, +)
3) Pittsburgh Millers (117.3, +)
4) Maine Guides (113.7, o)
5) Los Angeles Dinos (110.9, --)
6) Seattle Pilots (108.5, o)
7) New York Knights (103.4, +)
8) Hartford Whalers (103.3, o)
9) Indianapolis Racers (101.2, ++)
10) Miami Sharks (90.4, --)
11) Batavia Red Jackets (90.2, -)
12) Pawtucket Patriots (88.0, +)
13) Syracuse Snappers (86.8, -)
14) California Kodiaks (82.6, -)
15) Philadelphia Freedom (81.0, +)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (80.6, +)
17) Phoenix Roadrunners (78.6, ++)
18) Carolina Tobs (77.9, +)
19) Denver BC (76.4, -)
20) New Orleans Dukes (76.1, --)
21) Windy City Blues (73.5, +)
22) Montreal Exports (65.0, +)
23) Wilmington Wildcats (64.4, --)
24) Toronto Canadians (48.2, o)
Performance of the Week
P Casper Schmidt - On September 15th against Windy City he tied the top pitching game score of the season when he pitched a two hit, nine strikeout shutout in a 2-0 victory. This comes off a two hit, five strikeout victory over Windy City on September 4th. Let's be honest the Blues are tired of this guy. On the season Schmidt is 12-8 with a 4.42 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 3.6 WAR.
Injury of the Week
P Pieter van Westen - The Bats being fully in control of the Stout and having a wildcard BYE is huge as van Westen should be back by the time the postseason starts. When he left the game against Philly on September 14th the front office was fearing the worst but so far it has only been diagnosed as a shoulder strain. On the season he's 6-3 with a 3.91 ERA after missing most of the season recovering from a torn flexor tendon in his elbow he suffered late last year.
Prospect of the Week
RF Erwijn 'Moriarity' de Jong - The 20 year old from Belgium hit .323 with 4 HR's, 76 RBI's, and 23 SB's for Washington's A club this season. He was selected to the 2032 All-Star game and won the Platinum Stick award in right field this season. His hitting potential is off the charts and his intelligence and work ethic are already being raved about by both scouts and his coaches. He's a perfect future evil genius for the evil empire Bats.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Nine out of the ten teams in the IL have a wildcard playoff shot...and it's September 20th. Seattle, Washington, LAD and New York have already punched their ticket but the race for the 3rd and 4th wildcard spots goes Batavia, Phoenix, California, Philly, Denver, Baltimore, and Carolina...with Batavia at 92% and Carolina at 1.3%. The BLB has never seen something like this.
2. Johnny Swope was on a tear last week as he crushed six home runs, including at least one the past five games. The all-time record is by CJ Viger who hit seven in a row in 2021. Swope hit .291 last season with 47 HR's and 121 RBI's and so far this year is hitting .328 with 28 HR's and 81 RBI's. He missed almost two months with a fractured thumb after being hit by a pitch on July 3rd by Denver pitcher Tristan Kendrick otherwise he would be in the Triple Crown race once again.
3. The bad blood continues between Seattle and California as a brawl broke out during their September 14th match-up. In the 4th inning with California leading 6-0, Kodiak pitcher Tom Vidrine gave up a solo shot to Hidekazu Mizoguchi. Up came Hisanobu 'Super' Maeda who was beaned on the first pitch and the fight was on. The 6'1, 215 pound Maeda charged the mound and rocked the smaller Vidrine with a left fist before teammates separated them. There was pushing and shoving for the next five minutes before both teams were finally corralled back to their dugouts. Neither player was injured but Vidrine was suspended six games by the league office and Maeda was given three.
4. On September 15th RJ Kapper for Pittsburgh made his return against none other than Maine. After getting beaned by Maine on June 17th and missing almost six weeks he returned on August 2nd before getting beaned again by Maine on August 6th and missing another six weeks. So when he checked into the game as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning none were too surprised when he kept stepping back and struck out on only three pitches. His 4.4 WAR in only 71 games is pretty impressive as Dusty Schmidl currently leads the league with a 5.7 WAR in 144 games.
5. No one from the 2032 draft has made it to the BLB yet while only two players from the 2031 draft have...and both of them belong to Syracuse. Seth Blankenship, drafted 1.2, and Edwin Meck, drafted 1.12, are both 21 years old and playing in the majors. Blankenship has played in 143 games and is hitting .228 with 17 HR's and 28 SB's while posting a +8.3 ZR in center field. Meck has played in 84 games and is hitting .225 with 7 HR's while posting a +2.3 ZR at second base. The future is bright for the Snappers.
Stat of the Week
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| Oldest Players To Win The Stout Slugger Award or Pale Ale Pitcher Award (Top 25 Players) |
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