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August 22, 2033
(AP)
Pittsburgh climbs back on top after they go 5-2 during the week by taking three of four from Hartford and two of three from Toronto. After starting the month 3-10 they now hold the Bock lead by 8.5 over Hartford and 9.0 over Pawtucket. Speaking of those Patriots they also went 5-2 but none were better this week than the Knights from New York who went 6-1 and now are 66-58, which believe it or not puts them in a tie for fourth in the Bock with Washington. On the flip side Syracuse, a week after getting a nice DK write up, goes 1-6 and is now 60-64.
Power Rankings
1) Pittsburgh Millers (119.7, ++)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (114.7, -)
3) Pawtucket Patriots (110.6, +)
4) New York Knights (106.8, ++)
5) Miami Sharks (105.7, ++)
6) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (103.1, -)
7) Seattle Pilots (101.8, --)
8) Hartford Whalers (101.4, --)
9) Washington Bats (97.8, ++)
10) Indianapolis Racers (97.6, o)
11) Phoenix Roadrunners (96.7, ++)
12) Batavia Red Jackets (96.6, -)
13) Windy City Blues (96.1, --)
14) Philadelphia Freedom (91.0, --)
15) Maine Guides (89.2, +)
16) Los Angeles Dinos (79.9, ++)
17) New Orleans Dukes (79.8, o)
18) Syracuse Snappers (79.1, --)
19) Wilmington Clowns (78.5, -)
20) Toronto Canadians (70.2, +)
21) Carolina Tobs (69.5, -)
22) California Kodiaks (68.1, -)
23) Denver BC (61.9, o)
24) Montreal Exports (45.8, o)
Performance of the Week
P Hoon 'Yard Man' Park - So far Park has been worth everything the Patriots traded as in seven starts he is 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. On August 21st he threw a two hit shutout against Syracuse with three K's and only two walks. The 41 year old on the season is 12-8 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
Injury of the Week
P Malik Clark - On August 18th against Phoenix he came in during the 7th and made it two batters before leaving with a sharp elbow pain. Later the team trainer released a written statement that said, "Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (FCU) and Flexor Digitorum Superficialis (FDS) – overlap the ulnar (medial) collateral ligament of the elbow (UCL). This is the ligament that often tears in throwing athletes, requiring Tommy John surgery. The FCU is especially positioned over the ligament when the elbow is flexed at a right angle. Due to their location and function, these muscles are considered to assist with the dynamic stabilization of the inner elbow. Unfortunately Malik Clark tore his flexor and will undergo surgery next week and the usual rehab time is up to and over a year."
Prospect of the Week
P Cillian Callison - The 9th overall pick of the 2030 draft by Syracuse was traded to Baltimore in 2031 and then to Denver in 2032. He was selected to the 2033 RL All-Star game and is currently the 44th ranked prospect in the BLB. In 13 games this year he was 5-2 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 1.3 WAR.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Last week it was 31 year old Ian James knocking his 300th career home run, this week it's 29 year old Joy-shan Guo hitting his. Drafted with the 20th pick of the 2024 draft by New Orleans he played seven seasons with the Dukes before signing a huge free agent contract with Batavia in 2032. He's a three time All-Star and is now 11th in career home runs for active players.
2. The IL wild card race is going to be hot! Currently between #1 Philly and #6 Phoenix there is only a five game split. What's crazy is that Windy City had the division lead at the All-Star break and now they they sit in the #5 spot a half game back from Washington. So if the playoffs started today it would be the Stout minus Carolina against the Bock featuring Seattle.
3. Baltimore is 13-3 in extra inning games. Pittsburgh is 22-7 in one run games. They both are 79-45 and lead their respective leagues. Who's luck runs out first?
4. The top 40 players in career WAR in BLB history feature 36 guys in the Hall of Fame, three active players (can you guess who...look below SOTW for answer), and then Katsunori Oto. The six time All-Star was the 3rd overall pick by Wilmington in 2003 and in 2128 games had a career line of .270/.343/.453 with 300 HR's, 1145 RBI's and an OPS+ of 119.
5. As we wrote about last week it isn't surprising that Seth Blankenship leads the BLB in Power-Speed numbers this year. With 28 HR's and 32 stolen bases he comes in with a 29.9 rating. Tom Martin from New York is second with a 23.0 rating while Bruno Damours from Baltimore is 3rd with a 22.4 rating. They are the only three above 20.0 for the season.
Stat of the Week
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| Teams With The Closest Balance Between Power and Speed (Top 25 Teams) |
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Mike Morla, Jamie O'Hearn, Tom Lewis
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