Monday, May 21, 2035
(AP)
Hail to the Tobs! They go 5-1 on the week with a sweep of the Denver BC and move into first place in the DKPR. Two Lager teams did one up them though as both New Orleans and Santo Domingo went 6-1. The Dukes are now 19-19 while the Rum Runners are 18-20 as they both try to crawl back into the division race. Meanwhile the aforementioned BC went 0-7 as they continue to battle Montreal for the top pick in next years draft. Montreal still has the upper hand with eight wins but it could be a close one.
Power Rankings
1) Carolina Tobs (120.9, ++)
2) Pittsburgh Millers (116.4, +)
3) New York Knights (115.9, +)
4) Syracuse Snappers (115.4, --)
5) Washington Bats (114.7, --)
6) Hartford Whalers (109.9, --)
7) Windy City Blues (109.2, ++)
8) Indianapolis Racers (108.2, -)
9) New Orleans Dukes (101.0, ++)
10) Phoenix Roadrunners (100.7, +)
11) Seattle Pilots (97.9, o)
12) Miami Sharks (93.3, --)
13) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (92.3, ++)
14) Wilmington Clowns (91.5, --)
15) California Kodiaks (89.7, +)
16) Philadelphia Freedom (87.3, -)
17) Baltimore Bulldogs (82.3, --)
18) Los Angeles Dinos (78.5, --)
19) Pawtucket Patriots (74.1, +)
20) Batavia Red Jackets (71.8, --)
21) Toronto Canadians (63.3, +)
22) Maine Guides (60.3, --)
23) Montreal Exports (31.9, +)
24) Denver BC (31.4, -)
Performance of the Week
P Barton Mejia - On May 20th the 22 year old threw an eight inning masterpiece against Baltimore by allowing no runs, three hits and striking out seven while walking none. In seven starts on the year he's now 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. In only his second BLB season he throws 100 mph, has four pitches, and is one of the hardest workers on the team. He could become one of the most dominant pitchers the BLB has seen over the next decade and no one would be surprised.
Injury of the Week
P Dan Bradford - After the last pitch of the game against Washington on May 20th he grabbed his elbow and grimaced in pain. Instead of joining the celebration after beating Washington he walked straight into the dugout and was taken to the training room. An early diagnosis shows he suffered a torn elbow ligament and will be out for at least eight months. At 36 years old it might have been his last pitch.
Prospect of the Week
P Zelton 'Deathblow' Marrero - He won't discuss how he got his nickname but 'Deathblow' has potential that is off the charts. Unfortunately it hasn't translated to the field yet as the 17 year old had a 8.84 ERA last season and is currently 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA this year. His coaches love him though and he's a great teammate so if he develops he could be a top notch starter down the road.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. How about Ed Mossberg. Originally drafted by Kansas City when the Comets folded he was picked up by LAD in the 2028 draft and was named the New Brew after hitting .320/.391/.584 with 29 HR's and 85 RBI's. He became the captain of the team and played with LA until 2033 when he became a FA and was signed by California. He ended up only playing 24 games for the Kodiaks before being released at the start of this season after Spring Training. He couldn't find any work until May 9th when SDR signed him to a minor league contract and he ended up cracking the starting lineup this past week after starter Dave Grubel went down with an injury. Mossberg then promptly hit .450/.520/1.100 with 4 HR's and 10 RBI's, was named the DL Player of the Week, and might have turned the Rum Runners season around.
2. The postseason continues on for the 'feeder' leagues as the scouts refer to them. At the HS level the Jackson Polar Bears are up 1-0 against Poly Prep while the Lake Travis Captains have a 1-0 lead over the Seton Hall Prep Pirates. In the NCAA the Regionals feature three series tied 1-1 in Arizona State vs LSU, Arizona vs Baylor, and UNLV vs Pacific, while Cal State already punched their ticket to the Super Regionals with a 2-0 sweep of UCLA. In the CCBL the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox took down the Cotuit Kettleers two games to none to win their first title since 2030 and their league leading ninth Cape Cod championship overall.
3. The BLB has been not only the premier league in the USA but one of the most premier leagues in the entire world. Case in point as we look no further than Killian Pena and Benny Tatsuno. Pena came to the BLB from Venezuela in 2033 and was signed by Washington, where he leads the entire league with a .376 average and 32 RBI's. Tatsuno came from Japan in 2032 and plays for Pittsburgh after being traded by California and he leads the entire league with 15 home runs.
4. Can you imagine a California team with Wright at DH, Welborn at C, Swope at 3B, Schmidl at SS, Mossberg at 1B, and Tatsuno at LF?
5. Eliott Paul of the Freedom is back in the bullpen after starting 32 and 33 games respectively the last two seasons. He's been placed in the closer role and in 16 games is 1-0 with 13 saves and a 0.41 ERA. He started 25 games for Seattle in 2030 and went an amazing 21-3 but moved to the bullpen in 2032. After Philly signed him to a four year contract worth $41.5 million he tried his hand back starting but he looks like he found a home for now.
Stat of the Week
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Most All-Stars Drafted By Franchise |
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