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04/27/2054
Hartford and Montreal go shooting up the standings, and the Power Rankings, as they pull off 6-1 weeks. Nothing like starting off slow just to blow past the competition. Considering there are roughly 23 weeks to go, we won't hand out any division titles quite yet. Never the less it's a great boost for the fans. On the flip side Maine and Batavia had the ugly unicorn by going 0-7. The poor Muckdogs scored only 16 runs while allowing 47. Meanwhile the word on the mean streets of Portland (ME) is that skipper Tommy McLarnan has been fired. He's been at the helm of the Guides since 2048 where he has led them to four playoff appearances and the 2052 Brewmasters Cup. Goodbye sweet prince, safe travels.
Power Ranking
1) California Kodiaks (152.0, o)
2) Seattle Pilots (130.2, o)
3) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (121.2, ++)
4) Carolina Tobs (120.0, -)
5) Denver Bulls (117.0, ++)
6) Pittsburgh Millers (114.7, -)
7) Washington Bats (113.0, ++)
8) Wilmington Wildcats (106.0, +)
9) Dallas Drillers (104.0, -)
10) Los Angeles Dinos (104.0, ++)
11) Syracuse Snappers (103.0, --)
12) Indianapolis Clowns (101.0, -)
13) Hartford Whalers (98.7, ++)
14) Windy City Blues (93.7, --)
15) Montreal Exports (89.0, ++)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (75.0, ++)
17) Pawtucket Patriots (75.0, --)
18) Toronto Canadians (65.3, -)
19) Phoenix Roadrunners (60.0, ++)
20) New York Cyclones (51.8, +)
21) Philadelphia Freedom (48.8, --)
22) New Orleans Voodoo (43.0, +)
23) Maine Guides (41.0, --)
24) Batavia Muckdogs (29.0, --)
Performance of the Week
P Rick 'Barracuda' Robertson - We are in the age of young gunslingers who are middle to late round picks. Let us introduce the 21 year old Robertson, who was a 4th round pick in 2050, as the latest example. Already in his second season in the BLB, he torched Dallas this past week with an 8 inning, no run, three hit, 10 K performance during a 1-0 victory. He hits 100 mph regularly, can throw complete games, and his fastball and change-up are unhittable at times. Not bad for a guy who was 7-10 with a 5.04 ERA in high school.
Prospect of the Week
1B Kelvin Young - In 2051 he won the Outstanding Hitter award, in 2052 he was an All-Star, in 2053 he was an All-Star and finished second in the Outstanding Hitter Award. This season he's hitting .279/.401/.571 with 11 HR and 32 RBIs in 41 games. His power potential is off the charts according to some scouts, but coaches say he frustrates easily. The 20 year old is hoping to be a first round pick in the upcoming draft, but your guess about that is as good as ours.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We only had two cycles all of last season, and we already had one so far this year. On April 24th against Windy City, Washinton's Shan Waseem accomplished the rare feat in five at bats. Waseem singled in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, grounded out in the 4th, hit an RBI triple in the 6th and hit a two-run home run off Regis Jacobo in the 8th. The Bats won 8-4 and Waseem was the player of the game. Discovered out of Tunisia in 2046 by Washington scouts, he put up a monster season last year when he hit .257/.403/.523 with 31 HR and 103 RBIs, while also being named the Brewmasters Cup MVP. Just another Bats success story, in a long line of Bats success stories.
2. In that same game Bats speedster Julian 'Skeeter' Ludin stole four of the seven bases he swiped last week. He's now 14 out of 15 for the season and on pace for 113 while only being thrown out 8 times. We know he's fast but my goodness. The thing about 'Skeeter' though is that he has health issues, the biggest being his inability to remain healthy. Last season he played in 138 games, the year before 117. In both years he still put up a 5+ WAR, and he's the heart and soul of the Bats team. It might be time for manager Pat Fiume to give him the red light a little more. Fiume was a 1st round pick by California in 2022, where he swiped double digit bases in six of the seven seasons he played there. After retiring in 2035 he was hired by the Washington organization in 2042 and took over the Bats in 2043. Since then he's only missed the playoffs once and has managed the Bats to three titles.
3. Well Evan Turner woke up after the DK called him out last week. The 20 year old ripped 10 hits in 21 at-bats, compiling a .476 average with 6 HR and 9 RBIs. Previous to that he had 1 HR and 4 RBIs in 70 at-bats. He's now on pace for 57 HR and the Tobs lead the Bats by one game in the Stout. Can they win the division this season? They have the talent but they are young. Currently they are +4 in the PYT (highest in the league) thanks to a -7 run differential. They are the only team in the league with a winning record but upside down in RD. Washington should take the Stout again, but the later half of the 2050's could belong to the Tobs.
4. Fred Heard was hired late last season by New York to try and turn around the Cyclones. He went 6-6 to close out the year, not bad for a team that was 56-106 overall. This season though NYC started out 5-10 and Heard promptly got the ax. He retired from the BLB in 2025 after playing for Dallas, Maine, KC, Seattle, Batavia and Hartford during a 10 season career. Heard wasn't heard from again until 2051 when LAD signed him as their first base coach. Taking his place is newly hired Tom Bankston, one of the most respected managers in all of baseball. He managed the Bats previous to Fiume, were he led them to six straight playoff appearances and the 2039 title. After starting out 46-43 in 2043, he was let go in a shocking move by the Washington front office. He landed on his feet and was given control of California in 2044, where he led them to nine straight playoff appearances before being let go this past off-season. He's a three-time manager of the year and New York should be thrilled to have him.
5. What's on tap? The highlight of our week is Washington at Carolina for a three-game series starting today. Last year the season series was split down the middle 6-6 as the Tobs began their resurgence. Can they prove the DK wrong and make a statement against the two-time defending champs? Another fun series is Wilmington at Indy. The Wildcats are on the prowl as they are 12-8 this season. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2038, the longest streak in the BLB by far. Under new management as of last season they are turning things around, quicker than many predicted. Indy meanwhile is 11-9 and hasn't had a winning season since 2048. They have increased their win total each of the past four seasons though, with last year finishing at 80-82.
Stat of the Week
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