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04/15/41
And we are off as the 2041 season and 63rd season of the BLB has begun. In the opening week we had a big start from four teams as Wilmington, Dallas, Santo Domingo and Los Angeles all went 6-1. The Drillers are already at 11% of last years win total and with the #1 pick in the upcoming draft things appear to be looking up in Dallas. For the fans in LA they can also rejoice and breathe a sigh of relief after last seasons debacle where they finished 62-100 and 46 games out of first. Even the owner was seen smiling after they established a one game lead in the Bock to finish the week off. Yes it's early, but winning cures all. On the flip side Carolina, Toronto, Montreal, and Indy all went 1-6. One owner who is not smiling is Toronto's Danny Hernandez Jr. The Canadians won only 68 games last season in a year when many predicted they would go deep in the playoffs. It looks as if manager Danny Hernandez (no relation) might be on the hot seat. If he has another bad week he might be outta here before his birthday in two weeks.
Power Rankings
1) Wilmington Clowns (163.3, ++)
2) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (162.3, ++)
3) Dallas Drillers (161.3, +)
4) Los Angeles Dinos (161.3, ++)
5) California Kodiaks (134.6, -)
6) Batavia Red Jackets (132.6, --)
7) Syracuse Snappers (132.6, ++)
8) Pittsburgh Millers (121.0, ++)
9) Windy City Blues (106.9, ++)
10) Pawtucket Patriots (105.9, ++)
11) Washington Bats (100.9, ++)
12) Seattle Pilots (92.0, ++)
13) New Orleans Voodoo (91.0, -)
14) Philadelphia Freedom (88.0, +)
15) Denver Bulls (75.1, --)
16) Phoenix Roadrunners (75.1, o)
17) Hartford Whalers (46.4, --)
18) New York Knights (46.4, --)
19) Baltimore Bulldogs (45.4, --)
20) Maine Guides (45.4, --)
21) Carolina Tobs (21.7, --)
22) Montreal Exports (19.7, --)
23) Indianapolis Racers (18.7, --)
24) Toronto Canadians (14.7, --)
Performance of the Week
1B Elmer 'Bane' Caceres - In a week where California's Logan Jacobi hit three home runs in a single game it was 'Bane' who still had the best performance on April 11th against Pittsburgh. Even though the Voodoo blew an 11-2 lead and eventually lost 16-14 he recorded four hits, six RBI's, and scored three times in six at bats. The 28 year old was the 5th overall pick of the 2033 draft and is a 4x All-Star and 3x Designated Driver winner.
Injury of the Week
P Garret Clausnitzer - The 31 year old signed a three year deal with Seattle before last season and put up arguably his most dominate season of his career. In 102 innings he was 8-2 with 9 saves, a 2.21 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP. So this year expectations were high, but quickly dashed on April 12th against Philadelphia. In the 7th inning he trotted out, threw one pitch, got Mervin Pograjac to ground out, and left the game barely able to walk off the field. He was diagnosed with a torn back muscle and will miss the next 4-5 months.
Prospect of the Week
LF Arthur Shelton - The 2040 NCAA Outstanding Hitter award winner is hitting .286/.396/.445 with 5 HR's, 22 RBI's, and 5 SB's in 32 games. He helped lead the Aggies to the NCAA College World Series last season and this year they are 20-12 and and only one game back from Oklahoma State in the Big 12. He has the ability to play both the infield and outfield and his speed is top flight. At only 20 years old scouts think he has a lot of developing to do but should still be a first round pick in the upcoming draft.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Last season Windy City's Sidney 'Doofus' Ishibashi got a lot of heat for his rather lackluster performance. During his rookie campaign the kid hit .280 with 41 HR's and 114 RBI's. In a sophomore slump he hit .244 with 16 HR's. Injuries, nerves, mental blocks...it was all discussed. In the end 'Doofus' ignored it all and completely got away from baseball this off-season by returning to his native Japan. When he returned the 25 year old seemed at peace, and it showed. In his first week he hit .296/.406/.741 with 3 HR's and 7 RBI's. He's on pace to hit 69 long balls and drive in 162 runs, numbers he won't reach, but what a relief to Blues management to see him cranking again.
2. Syracuse is 5-2, made some huge off-season additions, the DK predicted them to make the playoffs, and yet Christian Vines is still sitting at home getting ready to play for AAA New York!? The 22 year old started three games last season in the BLB and was 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He's been the #1 prospect in the entire BLB the last three seasons and reports are that he's just itching to get back to the bigs. Is it a major league service time ploy? Is there friction between Vines and the general manager? Whatever it is we are hoping the 2038 1.1 gets his shot, and gets it soon.
3. Even with Vines still holding down the #1 prospect spot the Dallas Drillers have overtaken them for the best farm system in the league. They have four players in the top 30 with pitcher Bailey Bolgercoming in at #7, 1B Stuart Beale at #15, pitcher Trevor Kempka at #26, and SS Anderson Speer at #28. Beale and Speer are still young though with Kempa being the old man of the group at 23. Look for him to get called up pretty soon with the other three giving the Drillers some hope for the future.
4. Johnny Swope made his return to California this off-season and the 39 year old somehow made the active roster. The big news though is that he is only 19 home runs short of tying Jamie O'Hearn for the all-time record of 612 career home runs. With the Kodiaks playing in the 'Brutal Bock' though how long will he get a shot to get closer to the record? He is arguably one of, if not the greatest hitter to ever play in the BLB. Drafted 1.1 in 2022 he's won the Stout Slugger five times, been an 11 time All-Star, and won the Designated Driver eight times. His lifetime numbers are .299/.371/.580 with 593 HR's, 1582 RBI's, and 1364 runs scored.
5. The DK was asleep at the switch last season when Clowns outfielder Ryan Hubbard almost became the first 40/40 man in the history of the BLB. He finished the season with 38 home runs and 62 stolen bases, the closest we've had to a 40/40 man since Seth Blankenship teased us in 2036 but fell one stolen base short. So far this season Hubbard has swiped three bases but hasn't hit one out yet. We're rooting for you Ryan!
Stat of the Week
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2041 DK Season Predictions
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
Ale
x Pittsburgh
z Wilmington
z Syracuse
Maine
Pawtucket
Hartford
Lager
x Montreal
z Santo Domingo
z New Orleans
Dallas
Toronto
Indianapolis
Stout
x Washington
Batavia
Baltimore
Philadelphia
New York
Carolina
Bock
x California
z Seattle
z Denver
z Windy City
z Phoenix
Los Angeles
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Wild Card
Wilmington over New Orleans
Syracuse over Santo Domingo
Windy City over Denver
Seattle over Phoenix
Divisional Series
Pittsburgh over Syracuse
Montreal over Wilmington
Washington over Windy City
California over Seattle
League Championship
Montreal over Pittsburgh
California over Washington
Brewmasters
Montreal over California 4-3
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Stout Slugger
Preston Capps - Montreal
JD Rice - Baltimore
Pale Ale
JJ Plumley - Wilmington
Barton Mejia - Windy City
Refreshing New Brew
Drew LaDell - Dallas
Ainsley Hoogeveen - Baltimore
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