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07/05/2038
(AP)
California and Pittsburgh are the weekly champions as they each went 6-1. The Kodiaks are now only five back from Seattle in the Bock while Pittsburgh finally moves above .500 for the season. The big news though is New Orleans who climbs back to #1 in the PR after going 5-2 and building a six game lead over Indy in the Lager. The Voodoo are 55-30 and lead the DL in hits, are second in OBS, and 3rd in home runs. Elmer 'Bane' Caceres has been the force everyone thought he would be when drafted 5th overall in 2033 as he's now hitting .304/.380/.644 with 28 HR's, 59 RBI's and a 3.6 WAR. On the other side of life Maine went 1-6 while six teams managed to only go 2-5, including last weeks #1 Washington who got swept in a four game series against California.
Power Rankings
1) New Orleans Voodoo (120.5, +)
2) Seattle Pilots (118.6, ++)
3) California Kodiaks (113.5, ++)
4) Washington Bats (108.9, --)
5) Hartford Whalers (107.4, -)
6) Indianapolis Racers (104.8, -)
7) Miami Sharks (104.5, o)
8) Carolina Tobs (102.6, ++)
9) Pittsburgh Millers (100.2, ++)
10) Toronto Canadians (98.5, ++)
11) Denver Bulls (98.3, o)
12) Batavia Red Jackets (96.3, --)
13) Los Angeles Dinos (91.3, --)
14) Windy City Blues (89.2, --)
15) Montreal Exports (86.8, +)
16) Pawtucket Patriots (85.8, --)
17) Wilmington Clowns (85.6, -)
18) Phoenix Roadrunners (75.4, o)
19) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (72.9, +)
20) Baltimore Bulldogs (72.6, +)
21) New York Knights (70.4, -)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (68.6, -)
23) Maine Guides (56.4, o)
24) Syracuse Snappers (33.1, o)
Performance of the Week
P Ciaran 'Merlin' Ortiz - The IAFA from Chili signed with Batavia back in 2031 for a cool $7,350,000 and he's turned into one of the better amateur free agents in the league. At only 23 years old he's in his first full season in the BLB and on July 3rd he threw a one hit shutout against Phoenix with seven strikeouts and no walks. In the 4-0 Red Jackets victory the only hit belonged to Bruce Viggiano who hit a 5th inning single.
Injury of the Week
P Jamie Waechter - The 32 year old signed a three year deal with Denver after leaving Washington when he was not offered arbitration this past off-season. So far in 31 games he was 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Then on June 28th during the 8th inning he struck out...Bruce Viggiano...and immediately called for the trainer. He was removed from the game and an MRI showed a torn labrum in his shoulder which could sideline him for almost a year.
Prospect of the Week
RF Xzavier 'Blockhead' Medellin - The 11th overall pick in the 2034 draft by Phoenix is currently on their AA team and was recently selected to the 2038 Lautering All-Star team. In 62 games he's hitting .296/.387/.545 with 14 HR's, 46 RBI's and a 1.5 WAR. 'Blockhead' is the #28 prospect in the league and says that Bruce Viggiano is his role model.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. In the steal of the year New Orleans signed 33 year old outfielder Brendan Matson to a one year deal for $1,700,000 on April 16th. He's won POTW twice and just was named the June Player of the Month in the DL. So far in 63 games he's hitting .331/.399/.634 with 17 HRs, 46 RBI's, and a 2.7 WAR. He's almost a lock for his first All-Star appearance since 2035 and according to his agent he is hoping on turning this season into a huge multi-year payday down the road.
2. In the midst of a six game winning streak by California, closer Ethan Jackson has tied the all-time save streak of 78 games held by Hall of Fame closer Jon Cleary. In what many considered an unbreakable record Jackson has a chance to make history this week. To put it in perspective the next closest active streak is Pawtucket's Jayden Crawl who is at 17. The longest this year was a carryover from last season and was 36 games by Red Jackets closer Tom Amesbury.
3. We still have two players with a chance to hit .400, Bruce Viggiano of Phoneix and Seattle's Richie 'Powder' van Luik who just recently had his 23 game hitting streak extinguished. Also even though he took his first L of the season, Barton Mejia leads the IL in wins, ERA, and K's and has a chance to capture the third ever pitching Triple Crown in league history.
4. As long as we're talking about Bruce Viggiano we might as well talk about his struggles in the field. In nine games at first he has complied a -2.2 ZR. In 18 games in right field he has complied a -2.5 ZR. Phoenix as a whole has a -9.1 ZR, which is good enough for 18th overall. Who is first you might ask...well California holds that honor with a +17.2, followed by Miami at +14.4 and Los Angeles at +13.7. Who is in last as an individual...well that dubious distinction falls on Reginald Andruzzi of Toronto who in 40 games at short stop has a -17.6 ZR. Andruzzi now plays for Ottawa, their AAA team.
5. All though he is no Bruce Viggiano, Ian James is leading all catchers in the IL in All-Star votes and look like he will make his 14th consecutive appearance in the "Midsummer Classic". His batting average has dropped almost 100 points from last season though as he's currently hitting .223/.301/.454 with 17 HR's, 36 RBI's, and a 1.3 WAR. At 36 years old he has a player opt out next season and if turns down $26m in the hopes of making more elsewhere he might end up on someone's AAA team.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive All-Star Appearances (Top 25 Players) |
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