Monday, August 27th, 2035
(AP)
Indy stays on top with a 4-2 week while Hartford and Miami get big jumps with 5-1 records. The real winner though and champion of them all was the Toronto Canadians who went 6-0 with sweeps of Denver and Montreal. The not so good team of the week was the New York Knights who went 0-6 and sunk to 6.5 games out of the final IL wildcard spot.
Power Rankings
1) Indianapolis Racers (126.5, o)
2) Syracuse Snappers (122.1, o)
3) Hartford Whalers (112.3, ++)
4) Miami Sharks (112.0, ++)
5) California Kodiaks (109.5, o)
6) Baltimore Bulldogs (108.4, --)
7) Washington Bats (108.4, -)
8) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (105.0, --)
9) Seattle Pilots (100.5, -)
10) Pittsburgh Millers (100.4, -)
11) Wilmington Clowns (97.6, -)
12) Carolina Tobs (95.5, --)
13) Windy City Blues (94.1, o)
14) Batavia Red Jackets (92.3, ++)
15) Philadelphia Freedom (88.3, o)
16) Phoenix Roadrunners (84.3, -)
17) New Orleans Dukes (79.0, +)
18) Toronto Canadians (78.2, ++)
19) Pawtucket Patriots (77.6, o)
20) New York Knights (72.6, --)
21) Los Angeles Dinos (62.8, -)
22) Maine Guides (61.0, -)
23) Denver BC (44.6, o)
24) Montreal Exports (26.9, o)
Performance of the Week
1B J.D. 'Hurricane' Rice - The 12th overall pick in the 2029 draft is in his first full season in the BLB and was just named to his first All-Star game. On August 22nd he showed why with a four hit, two home run, seven RBI effort in a 13-6 victory over New York. On the season the 23 year old is hitting .294/.369/.541 with 27 HR's and 73 RBI's in 120 games.
Injury of the Week
3B Matt 'Stallion' Healey - All though Denver is long out of the playoff race this is still the IOTW because Healey went down on August 21st with a hip strain and won't be fully healthy until next year. That means it might have been the last game the 39 year old ever plays in the BLB. He was drafted in 2016 by Denver with the 7th overall pick and broke into the BLB in 2017. Nineteen season later he's still playing for Denver as a six time All-Star and career .295/.354/.402 hitter with 2775 hits, 933 RBI's, 289 stolen bases and a 71.6 WAR. He's 19th on the all-time leader board in hits and 3rd in all-time triples.
Prospect of the Week
LF Grant Hockensmith - Drafted 1.7 this year by Carolina he's come alive during the A ball playoffs. This past week he hit .375/.500/1.250 with 4 HR's and 13 RBI's in only 16 at bats. He was named the Round 1 MVP as his Kingston Indians defeated the Aberdeen Ironbirds and are now up 1-0 against the Rolling Thunder in Round 2.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Tom Quick for Batavia had lost four in a row before two masterful performances this week. On August 20th he went 7.2 innings and allowed no runs in a 5-0 victory over Philly. Then on August 26th he threw a complete game and once again allowed no runs in a 11-0 victory over Wilmington. He was a 4th round pick back in 2028 and he's 10-9 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 25 starts this season.
2. Montreal was the first team officially eliminated from the playoffs this week. God speed Exports...God Speed. At 23-99 and 57.5 games out of the Lager lead it was only a matter of time before the fans were put out of their misery. Their AAA team the Quebec Fighting Quakers though is in the final four so that should give them something to cheer for. Also they now have the #1 ranked minor league system according to scouts.
3. Philly plays at Phoenix this week in a four game series that will be the last meeting between these teams. Both of them have 61-62 records and are four games out of the final wildcard spot in the IL. So far this season the Roadrunners have won all seven games by the combined score of 50-19. Time for the Freedom to play ball if they want to have a shot at the playoffs.
4. Speaking of Philly they were on the scouting trail this week as they discovered and signed CF Montay Kim out of North Korea this past week. Not only does he looks like a future star outfielder but his batting potential is off the charts. At 16 years old he's rated by scouts very high in work ethic and leadership and is already the 37th overall prospect in the BLB. Not to be outdone California signed two international amateurs in P Charles Tafiti from South Africa and SS Galen Candelaria out of El Salvador. Scouts think Candelaria could eventually play either infield or outfield and be a competent batter while Tafiti throws five pitches and should go back home.
5. Future Hall of Famer Robby Brooksher was back in action this week after missing two weeks with a knee contusion. When it first came across the injury wire on August 10th that he was injured in a car accident people were justifiably concerned. The official report then stated "he was injured when he ran into a deer on the expressway" and people only felt sorry for the deer...and wondered what it was doing on an LA freeway.
Stat of the Week
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More Home Runs Than Strikeouts (Top 25 Players) |
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