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07/03/2051
Seattle, Denver, and Pawtucket rose to the top this past week as the BLB finished off the month of June. Those three teams managed to each go 5-1 and continue to be some of the best in the league. The Washington Bats were right behind them at 5-2, while a handful of teams went 4-3. A little further down the spectrum we have the 2-5 Cyclones, 1-5 Racers, and finally 0-6 Freedom. We expected so much more out of GM HAL this season, but he's just not getting it done.
Power Rankings
1) California Kodiaks (125.4, o)
2) Pawtucket Patriots (124.2, o)
3) Seattle Pilots (113.8, ++)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (109.2, +)
5) Toronto Canadians (107.5, -)
6) Washington Bats (106.2, ++)
7) Denver Bulls (105.2, ++)
8) Los Angeles Dinos (102.1, --)
9) Miami Sharks (101.2, -)
10) Dallas Drillers (101.0, o)
11) Baltimore Bulldogs (98.2, --)
12) Pittsburgh Millers (95.5, -)
13) Maine Guides (84.1, ++)
14) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (82.6, +)
15) Hartford Whalers (82.4, --)
16) Phoenix Roadrunners (80.2, o)
17) Wilmington Clowns (77.8, +)
18) Syracuse Snappers (75.0, ++)
19) New York Cyclones (70.5, o)
20) Philadelphia Freedom (69.5, --)
21) Indianapolis Racers (66.8, -)
22) Windy City Blues (61.8, o)
23) Montreal Exports (60.2, o)
24) Carolina Tobs (58.0, o)
Performance of the Week
P Kelani Encinia - The 35 year old doesn't appear to be slowing down and July 1st against Seattle showed why he's still one of the best in the game. Over the course of 8 innings he allowed two hits, one run, and struck out 11 as the Bulldogs won easily 8-1. On the season he's now 8-5 with a 2.61 ERA and 152 ERA+, which are the best numbers he's put up since the mid 2040s when he was with the Millers. The Fountain of Youth has struck again in the BLB.
Prospect of the Week
C Devin Geertz - The second overall pick of the 2050 draft is playing AA ball and hitting a nice .319/.351/.507 with 8 HR and 31 RBI in 54 games. He was also just selected to the Lautering All-Star game, his first since being a 4x All-Star in the Cape Cod league. At 6'6 and only 21 years old, he has a chance to be one of the best young catchers the league has seen in quite sometime.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Looking back at June and the clear winner of the month was the Toronto Canadians. They went a leagues best 21-6 and took over the Lager divisions top spot. All though their pitching is suspect at times, their offense is first in the Domestic in average, OBP, hits, extra base hits, and runs scored. During the month of June they were the only team to hit over .300 (.302) and their 170 runs were 22 more than second place.
2. The reason Toronto only has a one game lead in the Lager is because New Orleans went 20-9 during the month of June, thanks in part to rookie pitcher Chase Mellas. The 24 year old was a second round pick by the Voodoo back in 2044 and made his BLB debut this season. Last month he was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA, and for the year he's 9-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 14 games. He throws a wicked 101 mph fastball, a devastating slider, and he's working on his curveball. Once he gets that down he could be one of the best in the league.
3. Hats off to Aubrey 'Gypsy' Albano who reached 2000 career hits at the young age of 30. Signed out of the Philippines in 2037 by the Miami Sharks he was traded to Pawtucket in 2041. In nine seasons there he was a 5x All-Star before shockingly being traded to Toronto last season. He was once again an All-Star but opted out after the season. He then signed a six year deal worth $168m with the Snappers and continues to shine by hitting .349 this season. Will he be trade bait or is he going to be a cornerstone in the Snappers rebuild?
4. A second hats off to Philly pitcher King Sadiraj. At 37 years old he just reached 2500 strikeouts. There are only 40 players in the history of the league with more K's, and he's projected to strike out another 100 or more this season, which would put him in the top 35 all-time. Not bad for a guy who all-time is 156-108 with a 3.62 ERA and 110 ERA+...and never been an All-Star.
5. What's on tap? How about are the Bulls for real? This week Denver hosts the first place Kodiaks for their third match-up of the year. So far they have played them to a 3-3 draw, but their +6 PYT has to be a little concerning. The Bulls are 10th in the Import in runs allowed, and 5th in runs scored...but they just keep finding a way to win. Another good series is Washington at Seattle for four games starting July 6th. The Bats won the first series 3-1, and currently are first in the Stout at 45-32, but Seattle is second in the Bock and has the better record at 48-30. Last season the Pilots were a game away from being in the Brewmasters after they knocked off the Bats in the Divsional Series. Streak wise Pawtucket's Dennis Daley has an 18 game hitting streak, Toronto's Amonte Raper has a 16 game hitting streak, and 3x All-Star Bradley Beehn has now lost 11 straight games dating back to last season.
Stat of the Week
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| Home Run Title Winners in Descending Order of HR's (Top 25 Players) |
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