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08/04/2053
It's the Drillers world, everyone else is just living in it. The top offensive team in the league goes 5-2 to retake the Power Rankings lead. When you are being led by the 'Killer J's' (Jaret Foley, Jett Speer, James 'Wacky' Vandehey, and Jakob Lopez) there is no stopping them. There were a few other teams that went 5-2 though as Carolina, Windy City, and Toronto also flexed their muscle. The top dog though was the Denver Bulls...BC...no Bulls, as they went 6-1 on the week which included a four game sweep of New York. Denver is now 54-54 and their playoff odds have shot up to 71% according to our friends at Stats+. On the flip side the Pawtucket slide continues as they went a dreadful 1-6. They are now 7-20 since July 1 as the train just keeps on rolling...off the tracks.
Power Rankings
1) Dallas Drillers (122.8, +)
2) California Kodiaks (119.1, -)
3) Washington Bats (114.0, o)
4) Seattle Pilots (113.3, +)
5) New Orleans Voodoo (112.3, -)
6) Pittsburgh Millers (102.9, o)
7) Denver Bulls (99.0, ++)
8) Los Angeles Dinos (94.6, -)
9) Maine Guides (93.8, o)
10) Carolina Tobs (93.5, +)
11) Toronto Canadians (93.1, ++)
12) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (90.5, -)
13) Windy City Blues (88.7, ++)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (88.0, --)
15) Baltimore Bulldogs (82.5, ++)
16) Pawtucket Patriots (81.9, --)
17) Montreal Exports (80.7, o)
18) Phoenix Roadrunners (80.1, --)
19) Syracuse Snappers (77.1, --)
20) Hartford Whalers (76.4, +)
21) Wilmington Wildcats (75.7, o)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (66.3, --)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (63.7, o)
24) New York Cyclones (48.6, o)
Performance of the Week
P Ja-Ron Anstey - The 31 year old was cast off by the Cyclones last season, signed a MLC with major league option in December with Denver, was granted FA in May, then re-signed with Denver a week later with a $100k bonus. Fast forward to August and he has now appeared in 17 games for the Bulls, starting nine of them. In his last outing on August 1, he tossed a four hit shutout against NYC with 12 K's and only one walk. He's now 4-3 on the season with a 3.68 ERA and 112 ERA+.
Prospect of the Week
P Heath Day - One of the many Wilmington pitching prospects, Day was a second round pick in the 2051 draft at 17 years old. He's now 19, in the Rookie League, and is 7-4 with a 2.89 ERA in 16 starts this season. Scouts love his potential movement and control, and the fact that he hits 101 mph on the gun is just icing on the cake.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Kodiaks were the king of July after they went 18-7 thanks to some stellar pitching. Their .218 opponents average and 69 allowed runs was the lowest in the league, and they have built a four game lead on Seattle in the Bock. Coming in next were Dallas and Seattle at 16-8, while Indy went 17-9. On the flip side woeful Pawtucket went 6-18, while Philly went 7-18. Some team leaders: Dallas scored 167 runs (NYC 82), Carolina hit 41 home runs (TOR/NYC 16), Phoenix and LAD swiped 54 bases (DEN/HAR 11), Cali allowed 69 runs (MON 155), and Seattle allowed 15 home runs (DEN 37).
2. Congrats to Jaxson Neal for being the 60th player in league history to reach 400 home runs. Neal made his debut in 2034 at the age of 16 when he was an IAFA out of the British Virgin Islands and signed with Montreal for a $5,000,000 bonus. He was promoted to the Rookie League in 2036, and worked his way up to Montreal in 2041. Since then he was a 5x All-Star, won the 2046 Stout Slugger, and helped lead Montreal to the 2044 BLB title. Neal has also played for Toronto, New York, California, and now Maine. This season the 35 year old is hitting .294/.374/.479 with 14 HR and 58 RBI.
3. Well 19 year old Evan Turner needs to clear some room on the shelf as he took home both the Rookie of the Month, and the Batter of the Month in the Import. In July the rookie sensation hit .374/.400/.681 with 7 HR and 20 RBI. As he goes so do the Tobs, as they went 16-10 and are now 55-52 on the season. The last time Carolina had a winning record was 2045 (82-80), and the last time they went to the playoffs was 2038. Their playoff odds are up to 90.5% and it appears the long suffering Tobs fans finally have something to cheer about. Throw in 20 year old slugger Val Schmit who is hitting .256 with 14 HR and 51 RBI. and it looks like the league found the new 'Bash Brothers' for the next decade.
4. Santo Domingo slugger Beau Pruett hit .379 with 2 HR and a league leading 11 RBI last week, but had to watch Aubrey 'Gypsy' Albano take home the player of the week, Albano's sixth such award. Pruett was the second overall pick of the 2048 draft by SDR and has slid under the radar, even after being named to the DL All-Star team this season and last. Did we also mention he was runner-up for the Stout Slugger last season as well? This year he's hitting .328 with 21 HR, 74 RBI, and a 154 OPS+ and has helped SDR get to 55-52 on the year. They are looking to go back to the playoffs once again, which would be their first back-to-back appearance since 2044-2045.
5. What's on tap? The big daddy match-up of them all takes place as California travels to Dallas for a huge...did we say huge...three game series. It's not often you get the two top teams in the league squaring off this late, but it could be a nice preview for the 2053 Brewmasters Cup. Dallas is all about offense, California is all about pitching and defense. Dallas has the best home record in the league, California has the best away record in the league. Last season the Kodiaks swept them 3-1, 6-1, 4-2, so look for the Drillers to try and make a statement.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 15 SB Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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