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10/09/2039
(AP) - The 2039 BLB playoffs are off as the Wildcard round is over and on we move to the Divisional Series. In the first round we saw three sweeps and a five game series. With only one match going the entire distance we are a long way from emulating the 2038 BLB postseason, which many consider to be the best all-time. Maybe the four upcoming seven game series can start to deliver some of the drama we all so desire.
Power Rankings
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| 1st (1st) . | New Orleans . | ||||||||
| 2nd (3rd) | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| 3rd (10th) | Los Angeles | ||||||||
| 4th (2nd) | Batavia | ||||||||
| 5th (4th) | California | ||||||||
| 6th (9th) | Seattle | ||||||||
| 7th (8th) | Windy City | ||||||||
| 8th (6th) | Washington | ||||||||
| 9th (5th) | Toronto | ||||||||
| 10th (13th) | Miami | ||||||||
| 11th (12th) | Wilmington | ||||||||
| 12th (7th) | Baltimore | ||||||||
| 13th (11th) | Denver | ||||||||
| 14th (16th) | Montreal | ||||||||
| 15th (14th) | Hartford | ||||||||
| 16th (15th) | Indianapolis | ||||||||
| 17th (20th) | Philadelphia | ||||||||
| 18th (21st) | Pawtucket | ||||||||
| 19th (17th) | Maine | ||||||||
| 20th (18th) | New York | ||||||||
| 21st (23rd) | Carolina | ||||||||
| 22nd (19th) | Santo Domingo | ||||||||
| 23rd (24th) | Phoenix | ||||||||
| 24th (22nd) | Syracuse |
Performance of the Week
P Barton Mejia - When you go into Game 5 in a five game series you don't want to see Mejia take the mound against you, but unfortunately that is just what California had to deal with. On October 6th he took the ball, pitched a six hit shutout, struck out 10 and walked only one as the Blues advanced to the Divisional Series behind a 6-0 victory. The Triple Crown winner should win his second straight Pale Ale and third overall as he finished the regular season at 23-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 9.4 WAR.
Injury of the Week
P Demetrius Insua and P Patrick Burgess - Both Seattle pitchers have been hurt but were expected back for the start of the Divisional Series today. Instead both suffered setbacks and Burgess will be out at least another day while Insua needs three more days to recover. The good news is they will be back for the back end of the series but it really puts a kink in manager Troy Harts rotation.
Prospect of the Week
1B Adrian Gramling - Goodness what a season this kid had. The 3rd round pick by Washington in the 2038 draft was named the #67th overall prospect at the start of the season. He then went out and hit .344/.403/.623 with 16 HR's and 54 RBI's in 74 games before getting called up to A ball. He was also the MVP of the RL All-Star game, was the MVP of the A ball LCS, won the A ball title with the Sting, and then was named the RL Outstanding Hitter and Platinum Stick winner at first. He's also only 18 years old.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Congrats to the leagues first ever .400 hitter...twice! In an unbelievable turn of events we saw both LF Richie 'Powder' van Luik (.402) and 2B Johnny Thompson (.401) both do the unthinkable, for the same team, in the same season. Powder also set the single season steals record with 92, breaking the 61 year old record held by Sonny Fulton. We tried to reach Fulton for comment but the now 100 year old was busy drinking and sliding into second at his retirement home.
2. Was there any doubt the Miami Baseball Team would go 18-8 in September, make the playoffs, and then stream-roll sweep their first round opponent? Not for us after we heard famed GM Brad Z was taking over. Can the magic continue against the Voodoo who Miami went 4-8 against this season? Currently the Baseball Team has three 'hot' starting pitchers and a defense to back them up. If I was New Orleans I'd be very worried to say the least.
3. This got lost in the late season shuffle but on September 20th Ian James hit his 500th career home run. At 37 years old and now playing for Montreal, 'Pickles' hit .261 with 21 HR's and 80 RBI's this season. He is a 3x Stout Slugger, 14x All-Star, 14x Designated Driver, and won the 2033 Brewmasters Cup with the Santo Domingo Rum Runners. He finished the season with 502 home runs and is 4th all-time among active players.
4. We never got to properly crown the minor league champions so here we go. In AAA hats off to the Ottawa Beavers (Tor) who defeated the Annapolis Admirals (Bal) two games to none. It was the Beavers first AAA championship since 1985. In AA we had the Myrtle Beach Shorebirds (Wil) defeat the Lexington Quakes (NY) two games to one. It was their first title since 2033 and fourth overall. At the A level the Eugene Stink (Was) took down the Vancouver Mounties (Tor) two games to one to capture their first Bush Championship since 2031. Finally in the Rookie League the Mobile Minotaurs (Den) took down the Delmont Miners (Pit) two to one to capture the Rookie Cup. In the 11 seasons since the Rookie League was introduced the Minotaurs have been to the Rookie Cup four times, winning two and losing two.
5. With Montreal and LAD both making the playoffs this season the longest postseason drought now belongs to the Phoenix Roadrunners. The last time they went to the playoffs was back in 2032 when they won 77 games but sneaked in due to a weak Import League at the time. This team was one of the most dominant teams in history from 2021 to 2024 when they won two Brewmasters Cups but since then have only had two winning seasons. They do have the 4th best system in the league though, some outstanding young starting pitchers, and the second overall pick in the upcoming draft. Things will be looking up very soon we think.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Games Played Without A Stolen Base (Top 25 Players, Pitchers Excluded) |
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