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08/01/2050
We are on to August! As another season churns away to the end of summer the Washington Bats have once again seized control of the BLB. This past week they went 5-2 and sit atop of the Power Rankings. Not to be outdone Toronto and Seattle also went 5-2. The best of them though was the mighty Freedom who went 6-1. Alas they are still 27 games under .500 but at least it's something to build on. Meanwhile on the other end of the rainbow we had Wilmington, Carolina, Denver and Indy who all went 1-6. Sometimes you're the sparrow...sometimes you're the snail.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (118.9, o)
2) Batavia Red Jackets (116.9, ++)
3) Toronto Canadians (115.7, ++)
4) Hartford Whalers (115.0, o)
5) Pawtucket Patriots (114.8, --)
6) Baltimore Bulldogs (112.3, +)
7) Los Angeles Dinos (109.7, o)
8) California Kodiaks (109.0, ++)
9) Seattle Pilots (107.6, +)
10) Dallas Drillers (105.9, --)
11) New Orleans Voodoo (104.3, -)
12) New York Cyclones (98.7, --)
13) Pittsburgh Millers (90.7, ++)
14) Maine Guides (89.5, o)
15) Denver Bulls (79.7, o)
16) Windy City Blues (79.7, --)
17) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (75.0, +)
18) Philadelphia Freedom (71.3, ++)
19) Montreal Exports (70.3, +)
20) Indianapolis Racers (64.7, --)
21) Phoenix Roadrunners (63.3, --)
22) Syracuse Snappers (60.6, o)
23) Wilmington Clowns (51.1, -)
24) Carolina Tobs (37.8, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Pat 'Melody' Nunes - We haven't had a top pitching performance in almost a month but Nunes just keeps on swinging the bat with malice aforethought and turned in the 17th best hitting performance on July 26th. Against Pawtucket he smashed three home runs, drove in four, and scored three times...and sadly the Guides still lost 8-6. The 41 year old is now hitting .317 with 23 HR and 65 RBI with an OPS+ of 158. That OPS+ is tied for his career high, which he set last year at the age of 40.
Prospect of the Week
1B Brad 'Scooter' Pendolino - He's come into his own this year, first by growing a fantastic mustache at only 19, and second by hitting .302 with 11 HR and 44 RBI in 83 Rookie League games. Drafted 11th overall by the Kodiaks in 2048 he's currently the 83rd ranked prospect but looks like he could be a star.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. As previously mentioned the Bats smoked everyone in August with a remarkable 21-4 record. They now are tied with Batavia for the Stout lead, and are still hot as they are either 1st or 2nd in almost every offensive category in the Import. Maine turned in the second best record by going 17-8 and now sits in the final Domestic wildcard spot. On the other side Wilmington went 5-19 while Carolina went 6-20. Some team leaders: Washington scored 166 runs (SDR 73), New York hit 40 home runs (SDR 16), Seattle swiped 56 bases (Paw 5), Maine allowed only 59 runs (Car 151), and New York K'd 257 opposing batters (Syr 145).
2. Speaking of the Stout, it has turned into quite the division to say the least. With four 60+ win teams we have replaced the Brutal Bock with the Super Stout. It looks like Batavia and Washington are playoff locks, but Baltimore and New York are in a wildcard race dogfight with California and Seattle for only three spots. The Domestic is the same way as Pittsburgh and Maine battle for the final wildcard spot there. Currently the Guides lead the Millers by half a game, but Pittsburgh has the easiest remaining schedule in the league, and their -8 PYT has odds-makers putting them in the lead to make the playoffs.
3. The countdown to the all-time home run record continues. Many thought JD 'Hurricane' Rice would get to 613 first, but Robert 'Stretch' Jessee has closed the distance. Rice sits at 609, Jessee sits at 606. Rice has hit 5 home runs on the season, Jessee is second in the league with 28. Rice is projected to hit 3 more home runs on the year, Jessee is projected to hit 14 more. Rice is 38 year old, Jessee is 36 years old. It was a heck of a run 'Hurricane', but it appears you are going to get passed in the final stretch.
4. In even more Bats news how about rookie first basemen Issac Stromain taking his second Import Rookie of the Month trophy on the season. For those that don't remember he was a 10th round pick by the Bats in 2043, as the 236th overall pick. There's only 240 picks in the entire draft! The 6'5, 200 pound lefty is 25 years old, but still that's impressive none the less. On the season he's hitting .309/.392/.549 with 16 HR, 58 RBI, with a 154 OPS+.
5. What's on tap? It's the battle of the leagues as each team gets two three-game series this week in interleague. Some great series to watch: Hartford at Batavia, Toronto at Los Angeles, Seattle at Pawtucket, and Dallas at Baltimore. All four of those match-ups feature 60+ win teams and could easily be Brewmaster Cup previews. On the streak side Wilmington has lost six straight, Toronto has won five straight, Ryan Anderson has won 14 straight games for Washington, Kentavious Saldana has won 9 straight games for Washington, and Asa Wyman has a 15 game hitting streak going for the Racers.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Years Leading The League (Top 25 Players) |
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