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04/22/41
The Clowns continue to stay hot as they sweep Baltimore and Seattle, have won 10 straight, and move their record to 12-1. They are first in nearly every pitching category and have only allowed 33 runs total in those 13 games, best in the league. Coming in hot right behind them is Syracuse who went 5-1 with a sweep of former champion Carolina. The Snappers are 10-3 and trail Wilmington by two games in the Ale, which is quickly becoming the 'Bock of the DL'. On the other side of life Baltimore, Carolina, and Toronto all went 1-5. The Canadians are now 2-11 and it's only a matter of time before manager Danny Hernandez gets his walking papers.
Power Rankings
1) Wilmington Clowns (186.2, o)
2) Syracuse Snappers (146.5, ++)
3) California Kodiaks (130.6, +)
4) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (127.6, -)
5) Los Angeles Dinos (125.6, -)
6) New Orleans Voodoo (109.0, ++)
7) Dallas Drillers (106.8, --)
8) Pittsburgh Millers (106.0, o)
9) Phoenix Roadrunners (101.9, ++)
10) Denver Bulls (99.9, ++)
11) Pawtucket Patriots (99.9, -)
12) Batavia Red Jackets (95.9, --)
13) Washington Bats (93.9, -)
14) Philadelphia Freedom (89.0, o)
15) Seattle Pilots (89.0, --)
16) Hartford Whalers (85.1, +)
17) Maine Guides (84.1, ++)
18) Windy City Blues (81.1, --)
19) Indianapolis Racers (51.4, ++)
20) New York Knights (49.4, -)
21) Montreal Exports (36.5, +)
22) Baltimore Bulldogs (34.5, --)
23) Toronto Canadians (20.7, +)
24) Carolina Tobs (19.7, --)
Performance of the Week
P Derek Bell - The former 3rd round pick back in 2032 put on a clinic last season when he was 14-6 with a 2.83 ERA in 32 starts. He started out hot again and on April 20th the Exports got scorched in an 8 inning, one hit, and 12 K performance during a 1-0 Phoenix victory. It was his first win of the season for the 26 year old who plays third fiddle behind Yuri Baldwin and Jakob Parnika in what many consider the best rotation in the Import.
Injury of the Week
RF Charles Farris - It was a quiet week for trainers around the league as Farris gets the nod here, but should only miss another week after straining his back on April 19th against Syracuse. The 30 year old was a first round pick by Seattle back in 2031 out of UNLV and played for the Pilots for seven seasons before they let him walk this off-season. He was scooped up by New York in a two year deal for $24.5m and he will be their starting left fielder. He's a lifetime .261/.350/.506 hitter with 174 HR's, 505 RBI's, and one lonely stolen base.
Prospect of the Week
SS Nathan Austin - The Running Reb was just named to the 2041 NCAA All-Star game then won the NCAA Player of the Week award two days later. This season he's hitting .313/.408/.487 with 6 HR's and 31 RBI's after hitting .416/.509/.697 with 11 HR's and 35 RBI's last season. Scouts and coaches say he's a hard worker with average speed and the ability to play in the infield or outfield.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Congrats to Bulldogs outfielder Brendan Matson who hit his 400th career home run this week against Maine. Drafted with the 3rd overall pick of the 2025 draft by Davenport he was eventually scooped up by Hartford in the dispersal draft of 2027. Over the course of nine seasons as a Whaler he was a 3x All-Star and hit 271 home runs. He bounced around between New Orleans, Philadelphia, and New York and suffered some down seasons before being signed again by New Orleans in 2038. In one of the greatest comeback seasons ever he hit .295/.361/.582 with 40 HR's and was selected to his fourth All-Star game. He signed a one year deal with Baltimore after the season, signed another one year deal with New York the following year, and now is back in Baltimore for 2041 on yet another one year deal. He is 36th all-time in career home runs and could find himself in the top 25 by the time the year is over.
2. Toronto has two wins, but one of them is a 15-3 victory against LAD who is tied for the Bock lead with California. In that game Stephan Schouw stole four bases for the Canadians, tying the DL single game record. Last season the relatively unknown Schouw stole 50 bases while hitting .241/.290/.340 and playing 139 games at second base. He was also part of the 2040 WBC where he helped lead the West Indies to the upset championship over the USA. The season so far he's hitting .291 with 8 stole bases and is on pace for an even 100.
3. We talked briefly about Sidney 'Doofus' Ishibashi last week (who's now hitting .309 with 4 HR's and 10 RBI's) but lets look at last years other 'what in the heck is going on' player. New Orleans starter Trey McCaffery was a 2038 All-Star who actually had a better 2039 season when he was 14-7 with a 3.57 ERA. His chronicles in 2040 were well documented as he went 2-17 with a 8.08 ERA in 24 games started. An arbitrator somehow decided to give him $6.1m for his effort and the Voodoo held onto him. So far this season though things appear to be different. Even though he is 0-0 in three starts he's posted a 1.96 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 14 K's and only two walks. He could easily be 3-0 with a little run support and bullpen help so management in New Orleans has to be a little relieved at this point.
4. The minor leagues started this week as all four levels are a go. Syracuse made good on their decision to keep #1 prospect Christian Vines in AAA where he started two games, didn't get a decision in either, and posted a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings. He turns 23 in a few weeks and has made his expectations known that he wants to be playing in the majors. How long can the 10-3 Snappers keep him down? Three top 100 prospects who have been called up for their first BLB experience...Voodoo starter Seth 'Icebox' Cobb, New York starter Korbin Haskell and Washington outfielder Sean Woodward. Good luck guys!
5. Los Angeles is 9-4 and playing well thanks in part to starter Ian 'Wild Card' Hopman. The 20th pick of the 2028 draft is now 30 years old and the captain of the team, but many agree he has never lived up to the expectations the organization had for him. In nine seasons he has never been to an All-Star game and his best season was in 2036 when he went 17-9 with a 3.30 ERA. Many thought at the time the 25 year old would begin a run of dominance, but he then proceeded to win 15, 8, 13, and 10 games over the next four seasons. This year though he's had his best start ever. Currently in three starts he's 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. The Dino's have been to the playoffs one time since 2033 and if they expect to get back it might be on the back of 'Wild Card'.
Stat of the Week
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| Career Franchise Records for Stolen Bases |
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