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04/16/2046
Here...We...Go! The 68th season of the BLB kicked off this week as the 2046 season is underway. So far things appear to be where we left off as the 2045 BLB champion New Orleans Voodoo come out of the gate with a 5-1 record and tops in the Power Rankings. Close behind was California, New York, LAD, Pittsburgh, Pawtucket and Montreal who all went 5-2. On the flip side Indianapolis went 1-6 while six teams won only two games. With around 155 games left we're pretty sure there is still time to right the ship.
Power Rankings
1) New Orleans Voodoo (153.0, ++)
2) California Kodiaks (134.6, +)
3) New York Knights (134.6, ++)
4) Pawtucket Patriots (133.6, ++)
5) Pittsburgh Millers (133.6, ++)
6) Los Angeles Dinos (132.6, ++)
7) Montreal Exports (132.6, ++)
8) Batavia Red Jackets (123.0, --)
9) Denver Bulls (105.9, --)
10) Wilmington Clowns (104.9, ++)
11) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (101.9, ++)
12) Hartford Whalers (78.1, --)
13) Phoenix Roadrunners (77.1, ++)
14) Dallas Drillers (75.1, --)
15) Washington Bats (75.1, ++)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (74.1, --)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (73.1, -)
18) Syracuse Snappers (59.0, +)
19) Seattle Pilots (57.0, o)
20) Carolina Tobs (47.4, --)
21) Maine Guides (47.4, --)
22) Toronto Canadians (46.4, -)
23) Windy City Blues (45.4, +)
24) Indianapolis Racers (18.7, --)
Performance of the Week
P Kelani Encinia - The 30 year old ace of the Millers started out hot on April 10th with a 3-hit shutout of Hartford during an 8-0 Pittsburgh victory. On the day Encinia struck out 10, walked none, and only allowed one batter to get past first base. The 5x All-Star is in his 8th season with the Millers and has compiled a career record of 110-40 with a 2.72 ERA.
Prospect of the Week
1B Riley Sistrunk - The 35th overall pick of the 2043 draft by Baltimore cracked the top prospect list as #100. Scouts question his work ethic but he looks like a typical Baltimore first basemen who can hit the cover off the ball. Last year in 78 rookie league games he hit .266/.369/.390 with 5 HR's and 34 RBI's. He also refuses to smile for pictures.
Game of the Week
| Apr 13, 2046: Box Score | Game Log | Season Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Five Things We Think We Think
1. Christian Vines is on a mission to redeem the Snappers after last years debacle and so far so good...well at least for Vines. Syracuse went 2-4 on opening week and Vines had both wins. Two starts, two wins, no runs allowed, no walks allowed, and 22 strike outs. He's on pace for a 21.0 WAR. Maybe Syracuse should go down to a four man rotation?
2. Richie 'Powder' van Luik stole one base this week, giving him a career total of 651. The all-time record is 677 held by Jerry 'Juice' Daly who was removed from the league for PED's back in 2002. Since then many have hoped for this record to be broken and it looks like Luik should do it this season. He's on pace to finish the year tying Daly, but since the lifetime .342 hitter only hit .158 this past week we're not too worried. His 162 game average for stolen bases is 81, and at only 30 years old he could put the record completely out of reach by the time he hangs up his cleats.
3. Some late FA signings occurred during the first week when guys sitting at home realized it was time to get realistic about demands if they wanted to play. Pittsburgh picked up 2x All-Star and 4x DWI winner 2B Jimmy Doss, Hartford signed up MR Tom Benjamin who posted a 2.71 ERA in 76.1 innings last season, Denver picked up Garret Clausnitzer who started his career for the Bulls, led Indy to the 2034 title, and has been a dominant reliever for over 15 years, and New York brought 1B Mat Washburn, their 2030 1st round pick, back home.
4. Is this the year hitting returns to the BLB? So far it doesn't look like it. After one week the Import checks in at .223, lowest in league history. Meanwhile the Domestic checks in at .243, also the lowest in league history. Where have all the hitters gone!
5. We didn't waste any time this season getting after it in interleague as the Domestic and Import square off for six upcoming games. Some match-ups to look forward to: New York at Pittsburgh, New Orleans at LAD, and Montreal at California.
Stat of the Week
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| Highest Career Double/Stolen Base Combinations (Top 25 Players, Sorted By Lower of 2B/SB) |
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2046 DK Season Predictions
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
Ale
x Pawtucket
z Maine
z Pittsburgh
z Wilmington
Hartford
Syracuse
Lager
x Dallas
z New Orleans
Montreal
Santo Domingo
Toronto
Indianapolis
Stout
x Carolina
z Washington
z Batavia
z New York
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Bock
x California
z Seattle
Windy City
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Denver
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Wild Card
Pittsburgh over Maine
New Orleans over Wilmington
Seattle over Batavia
New York over Washington
Divisional Series
Dallas over Pittsburgh
New Orleans over Pawtucket
Carolina over New York
California over Seattle
League Championship
Dallas over New Orleans
California over Carolina
Brewmasters
Dallas over California 4-2
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Stout Slugger
Chance Maki - Maine
Zander Howard - Carolina
Pale Ale
Christian Vines - Syracuse
Derek Bell - Phoenix
Refreshing New Brew
William Minniear - Toronto
Julian Irwin - Batavia
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