04/13/2037
(AP)
The BLB turns 60 and the race for the 2037 Brewmaster's Cup is on! Coming out hot are the Carolina Tobs who went 6-1 on the week and take the top spot in the PR. Coming out not as hot were the Denver BC who went 1-6. Don't worry though Denver fans...we still have 155 games to play. Other big weeks belonged to Seattle, Hartford, and Washington who all went 5-2 while Denver was joined by Syracuse, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh who all went 2-5. Some team leaders for the week: Pawtucket smashed 14 home runs, Carolina scored 53 runs, Baltimore swiped nine bases, Toronto allowed 17 runs, and Washington and California had opponents only hit .209 off them.
Power Rankings
1) Carolina Tobs (164.3, ++)
2) Seattle Pilots (130.6, ++)
3) Washington Bats (130.6, ++)
4) Hartford Whalers (129.6, +)
5) Wilmington Clowns (123.0, ++)
6) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (105.9, ++)
7) Montreal Exports (104.9, ++)
8) Philadelphia Freedom (104.9, ++)
9) Toronto Canadians (104.9, ++)
10) Windy City Blues (104.9, ++)
11) Indianapolis Racers (102.9, --)
12) Pawtucket Patriots (102.9, +)
13) Miami Sharks (89.0, --)
14) Phoenix Roadrunners (78.1, +)
15) Los Angeles Dinos (77.1, --)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (75.1, --)
17) Maine Guides (75.1, --)
18) New York Knights (74.1, --)
19) Batavia Red Jackets (59.0, --)
20) California Kodiaks (57.0, --)
21) Pittsburgh Millers (50.4, --)
22) Syracuse Snappers (49.4, -)
23) New Orleans Voodoo (46.4, --)
24) Denver BC (15.7, --)
Performance of the Week
LF Erik Goodwin - With a game score of 96 he smashed everyone else this week, including the Baltimore Bulldogs on April 6th when he had four hits, drove in seven, and scored twice in an 11-6 victory. The 28 year old was a free agent signing from Santo Domingo who's work ethic and championship experience should help the rebuilding Freedom greatly.
Injury of the Week
2B Yu-Hsiang 'Skull' Xiang - On April 7th against Pittsburgh he went down hard after an infield single in the 8th and left with back tightness. Not wanting the fans to be disappointed after his big off-season contract he played the rest of the week and hit .583/.697/.667. Goodness what will the 30 year old do when he is healthy? One area of concern though for the Whalers has to be him getting nicked up in the second game of his career.
Prospect of the Week
SS Trevon 'Hoover' Olvera - The 19 year old is a two time CCBL All-Star who was 3rd in the Outstanding Hitter award last year and won the Platinum Stick at short stop. This season in 25 games he's hitting .224/.327/.500 with 7 HR's and 20 RBI's but is still a top tier prospect. He ability to play almost any position in the field and his leadership will make him a solid pick for any team.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. All off-season long Seattle had to hear about California and how they were the team of the future not only in the Stout, but in the IL and entire league as well. The GM with seven Brewmasters titles went out and signed Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope and Zion Jackson from the Kodiaks as well as added starter Micah Laird and relievers Ernie Wood and Zach Rigsbee in free agency. When the teams met on opening day for a three game series the Pilots quickly showed the rest of the league they weren't quite dead yet as they swept California with scores of 2-0, 6-3, and 5-0.
2. After last years disaster schedule wise in the NCAA, Cape Cod, and High School leagues things were changed up this off-season. Last season teams had to play 12 straight days before getting a day off, then 12 straight days again. With teachers and parents complaining about exhausted student-athletes and injuries piling up alterations were made. More rest between games has not only allowed the players to stay healthy but the ERA's in both the NCAA and CCBL are down almost four points from last season. The BLB's Rookie League schedule also had a few changes made as the teams used to play 88 games in 96 days. Now the 88 games will go until September 15th as the season has been extended to 138 days. The new schedule grid can be seen HERE.
3. Free agency in the last two decades has dramatically changed. In days of old the pickings were scarce and often gone early. In today's game it is April 13th and big names such as Robby Lee, Jaime Rush, and Turrell 'Two Ton' Morris are sitting at home waiting for a call. There are 15 All-Star appearances between just those three! Morris could easily miss this week and the next and still hit 50 home runs. What a time to be a GM with some left over cash.
4. The BLB draft list was recently released and scouts are scouring the nation for talent. Even though the draft isn't until June 16th, which gives teams 10 weeks, the informal process always starts before then. With the HS playoffs starting May 7th and the NCAA and CCBL kicking off May 17th teams should have plenty of time to get a good look at their future BLB stars before they have to make those hard decisions.
5. Speaking of the BLB draft the highest WAR round of all-time happens to be the 2022 1st round. Bet you can't name the top five picks...
Spoiler
Stat of the Week
.
Most Frustrated Playoff Teams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
______________________________________
2037 DK Season Predictions
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
Ale
x Hartford
z Pittsburgh
Wilmington
Syracuse
Pawtucket
Maine
Lager
x Indianapolis
z Santo Domingo
z New Orleans
z Miami
Toronto
Montreal
Stout
x Carolina
z Batavia
z Washington
Philadelphia
Baltimore
New York
Bock
x Seattle
z California
z Los Angeles
Windy City
Phoenix
Denver
______________________________________
Wild Card
Pittsburgh over New Orleans
Miami over SDR
California over Washington
Batavia over LAD
Divisional Series
Miami over Hartford
Indy over Pittsburgh
California over Carolina
Seattle over Batavia
League Championship
Indy over Miami
Seattle over California
Brewmasters
Seattle over Indianapolis 4-3
______________________________________
Stout Slugger
Robert Jessee - Toronto
Rory Elia - Carolina
Pale Ale
JJ Plumley - Wilmington
Tony Ramos - California
Refreshing New Brew
Jayson Buenaventura - Miami
Edgar Alonzo - Washington
______________________________________
Comment