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6/17/2052
The Patriots are the only team who amassed five wins this week as they move back into the top spot in the Astounding Ale. Why is it astounding you might ask? Well if the playoffs started today five of the six teams would be in them, as even fifth place Pittsburgh is currently 34-32. A slew of other teams went 4-2, while Carolina and Dallas went 1-5. The Tobs all but have the #1 pick in the 2053 draft locked up as they are on pace to win 45 games this season. That would be three straight top picks as their already top farm club will only continue to improve. Some team leaders for interleague play: Philly scored 35 runs (Dal 14), Hartford and Batavia hit 9 home runs (Mai 1), Toronto hit .318 (Dal .155), Pittsburgh allowed 16 runs (Bat 31), Denver K'd 72 batters (Bat 38), and opponents hit .175 against Cali (Bat .330).
Power Rankings
1) Pawtucket Patriots (120.5, ++)
2) Maine Guides (120.5, -)
3) Philadelphia Freedom (119.5, -)
4) Washington Bats (107.8, -)
5) New Orleans Voodoo (100.7, ++)
6) Syracuse Snappers (100.6, ++)
7) New York Cyclones (99.2, ++)
8) Seattle Pilots (98.1, o)
9) Batavia Muckdogs (97.9, --)
10) Indianapolis Clowns (97.2, o)
11) California Kodiaks (93.6, ++)
12) Denver Bulls (92.9, --)
13) Pittsburgh Millers (92.7, -)
14) Hartford Whalers (87.8, o)
15) Dallas Drillers (83.6, --)
16) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (82.1, +)
17) Baltimore Bulldogs (78.8, -)
18) Montreal Exports (78.8, ++)
19) Los Angeles Dinos (75.8, -)
20) Toronto Canadians (75.8, ++)
21) Windy City Blues (70.0, o)
22) Phoenix Roadrunners (69.5, --)
23) Wilmington Wildcats (67.8, --)
24) Carolina Tobs (52.4, o)
Performance of the Week
Nathan Thomson - The 6'5 Englishman dominated the Tobs on June 11th with a complete game one-hitter as the Canadians easily won 5-0. Over the course of the game Thomson stuck out eight, walked one, and beaned Zyaire 'Lockjaw' Semijenov just for good measure. At the end of the day it turned into the #1 pitching performance of the year. On the season Thomson is 5-4 with a 4.23 ERA and 94 ERA+ for the 27-38 Canadians.
Prospect of the Week
P Marc 'Mole' Dillard - The #1 pick in the 2052 draft by the Tobs debuted as the #3 prospect in the league, and boosted Carolina over 200 'points' in the Top Systems report by OSA. He's already pitched 49.2 innings on the year at the high school level, so we'll be keeping an eye on what Carolina does with him. At only 17 years old with velocity that can reach 100+mph, he still has a lot of growing to do, but his work ethic is second to none and he could easily be a top flight starter in just a few years.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Congrats to Kelani Encinia who reached 2500 career strikeouts this past week. The 36 year old is a 7x All-Star and 2039 Pale Ale winner, and is still slinging it in 2052. He now ranks 42nd all-time for K's in the history of the league and is projected to finish this season around 35th all-time if he keeps his current pace up. On the season he's now 8-2 with a 2.81 ERA and 143 ERA+.
2. Elias 'Clapper' Owen isn't projected to quite reach the 10/10 club as he's on pace to hit two home runs on the year. What everyone is talking about is that he is projected to steal 105 bases, which would break the single season record set last season, by...well...Elias 'Clapper' Owen. At 22 years old this kid has been playing since he was 15, and the only time he ever missed was for a few days when he had the flu. Richie 'Powder' van Luik better steal as many bases as he can before he retires because 'Clapper' is a coming. He also will be the first member of the elite 2/100 club.
3. It appears the Domestic New Brew is going to come down to Cory 'Boy Scout' Petit of New Orleans, and Buzz Barr of Hartford. Petit leads the DL for rookies in AVG, R, 2B, and RBI, while Buzz leads in HR, OBP, and SLG. Throw in CF Jaret Foley of Dallas who leads all rookies with a 2.1 WAR (thanks to his stellar defense and .303 average), and maybe it turns into a 3-man race? Whatever it turns out to be there are some darn good rooks in the Domestic that will be fun to watch the next decade or so.
4. Denver is tied with Seattle for the Bock lead thanks to their high powered offense. Most of their stars are homegrown as Seth Floyd (2.5 WAR), Brian Mason (2.0 WAR), and Colton Pearce (1.8 WAR) are all Denver draft picks. In the 'one mans trash' pile though is Levi Dunn. Discarded by Pittsburgh he was signed to a minor league contract by Seattle before being traded to Denver in 2050 for Christian Carroll. In only 65 games in 2050 he hit .362 with 7 HR and 36 RBI, in 137 games in 2051 he hit .335 with 17 HR and 78 RBI, and now in 2052 he's hitting .296 with 11 HR and 44 RBI. Carroll is a top notch reliever for the Pilots so it looks like both teams 'won' this trade.
5. What's on tap? Well how about the top teams in the Ale doing battle this week as Maine travels to Pawtucket on June 17th for a three-game series. Last time they met Pawtucket took two of three, and that could easily happen again as the Patriots are a leagues best 21-8 at home this season. Pawtucket leads the DL in hits, hits allowed, runs allowed, and starters average. If those hits start turning into runs (they are currently 6th in the DL), then they will start to run away with the league. Streak wise Erick Timmons (MAI) has a 14 game hitting streak, and Dante Adams (MAI) hasn't lost in 12 straight starts and has won eight straight decisions.
Stat of the Week
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Most Batting WAR with Entire ML Career for One Team
| Player | Team | Years | Active | WAR |
| Mike Morla | CAL | 2018-2034 | 97.40 | |
| Steve Suarez | MAI | 2001-2024 | 96.95 | |
| Dylan Owens | TOR | 2017-2039 | 68.68 | |
| Jerry Daly | VIR | 1991-2002 | 63.00 | |
| Richie van Luik | SEA | 2037-2052 | Active | 57.13 |
| Tristan Romarigues | MAI | 1996-2012 | 53.12 | |
| Dane Jennings | TOR | 2045-2052 | Active | 52.10 |
| Joey Kelch | CAL | 1997-2007 | 51.37 | |
| Kade Priddy | PIT | 2042-2052 | Active | 48.37 |
| Chet Daugherty | IND | 1997-2007 | 41.80 | |
| Tom Roseboom | WAS | 2018-2029 | 41.58 | |
| Jamari Bess | IND | 2023-2035 | 41.05 | |
| Melchior Werth | NYC | 2042-2052 | Active | 38.65 |
| J.D. Carr | NO | 2025-2036 | 35.56 | |
| Johnny Knott | LAD | 2015-2028 | 34.98 | |
| Don O'Finegan | NO | 1988-1998 | 34.49 | |
| Tom Swanson | PHI | 1998-2010 | 34.34 | |
| Pat Barker | BAT | 2021-2029 | 32.85 | |
| Fred Falloon | IND | 2031-2043 | 32.07 | |
| Anastasio Colón | VIR | 1993-2002 | 31.92 | |
| Chandler Beck | LAD | 2042-2052 | Active | 31.81 |
| Ramão Cavadas | LOS | 1992-2001 | 31.66 | |
| Marv Snyder | HAR | 1978-1989 | 31.62 |