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07/13/2054
Apparently a lot of teams went 4-2 this week (or 2-4), but to best them all was Seattle who went 5-1. The Pilots went over to their Domestic foes, swept Indy, and then took two of three from Pittsburgh to show them the Import was still boss. On the other side of life Batavia and Wilmington went 1-5. Team stats wise Washington scored 37 runs (Den 18), Wilmington hit 12 home runs (Den 0), LAD allowed just 12 runs (Pho 44), and opponents hit .184 against Seattle (Ind .324).
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (120.7, ++)
2) Dallas Drillers (117.8, o)
3) Washington Bats (117.7, -)
4) Carolina Tobs (108.0, +)
5) Pawtucket Patriots (105.0, +)
6) California Kodiaks (102.1, ++)
7) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (101.9, --)
8) Denver Bulls (101.7, --)
9) Syracuse Snappers (99.0, ++)
10) Los Angeles Dinos (98.9, ++)
11) Windy City Blues (98.9, -)
12) Indianapolis Clowns (94.9, -)
13) Pittsburgh Millers (93.0, +)
14) Wilmington Wildcats (91.8, --)
15) Hartford Whalers (88.0, --)
16) Baltimore Bulldogs (86.0, o)
17) New Orleans Voodoo (80.1, +)
18) Montreal Exports (77.9, -)
19) New York Cyclones (76.2, +)
20) Maine Guides (70.6, +)
21) Phoenix Roadrunners (64.3, -)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (60.7, -)
23) Toronto Canadians (55.3, o)
24) Philadelphia Freedom (52.6, o)
ELO Rankings
| 1 | Washington | IL | 58-33 | 1588.1 | ||||||
| 2 | Seattle | IL | 58-33 | 1568.9 | ||||||
| 3 | Dallas | DL | 56-35 | 1567.0 | ||||||
| 4 | California | IL | 51-38 | 1543.7 | ||||||
| 5 | Pawtucket | DL | 51-39 | 1535.2 | ||||||
| 6 | Carolina | IL | 52-38 | 1526.1 | ||||||
| 7 | Los Angeles | IL | 48-43 | 1520.3 | ||||||
| 8 | Pittsburgh | DL | 47-44 | 1519.4 | ||||||
| 9 | Santo Domingo | DL | 51-40 | 1519.3 | ||||||
| 10 | Denver | IL | 53-39 | 1515.9 | ||||||
| 11 | Indianapolis | DL | 50-41 | 1513.6 | ||||||
| 12 | Wilmington | DL | 51-41 | 1512.9 | ||||||
| 13 | Hartford | DL | 46-43 | 1510.4 | ||||||
| 14 | New Orleans | DL | 41-50 | 1504.8 | ||||||
| 15 | Syracuse | DL | 47-44 | 1502.4 | ||||||
| 16 | Baltimore | IL | 44-47 | 1501.7 | ||||||
| 17 | Windy City | IL | 49-42 | 1492.6 | ||||||
| 18 | Maine | DL | 37-56 | 1479.7 | ||||||
| 19 | Montreal | DL | 38-51 | 1461.2 | ||||||
| 20 | New York | IL | 38-53 | 1446.7 | ||||||
| 21 | Batavia | IL | 35-58 | 1432.7 | ||||||
| 22 | Phoenix | IL | 33-58 | 1426.3 | ||||||
| 23 | Toronto | DL | 30-61 | 1422.9 | ||||||
| 24 | Philadelphia | IL | 26-63 | 1387.2 |
Performance of the Week
1B Chase Bartell - A lot of games have already been played this season, but Bartell put up the top hitting performance by a long shot yesterday against Toronto. Actually it was three 'long shots' as Bartell smashed three home runs, drove in seven, and scored four times in a 13-8 victory. Bartell last played in the BLB in 2052 for Syracuse. He was released and signed by Maine for $250k in August of 2053, but never appeared for the team or in their minors. He was released again in September, and didn't have a home until Windy City signed him for $200k this May. Bartell played 14 games in AAA before being called up two weeks ago. So far in 13 major league games he's hitting .357/.481/.667 with 3 HRs and 10 RBIs. Yes, this is the same Chase Bartell who exploded onto the scene in 2046 for Denver when he hit .272 with 42 HRs and 108 RBI's and finished second in the New Brew voting. After starting 2047 off by hitting .224 with 2 HRs and 13 RBIs, Denver shipped him down to AAA and sadly he never played for the Bulls again.
Prospect of the Week
1B Henry 'The Artist' Miller - At only 18 the former third overall pick of last years draft is lighting up the Rookie League. So far in 64 games he's smashed 17 home runs while hitting .282/.359/.559. His coaches love his work ethic, and he has the ability to play first, third, or either corner outfield spot. He's the 30th ranked prospect in the league and is projected to reach the BLB in 2056.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Bartell smashed three home runs in a game, the third time it's been done this season, but a day before it was Kyle 'Salesman' Olmsted who accomplished the feat. On July 11th against Batavia he had three hits, all of them out of the park, while he drove in five during an 8-4 victory. After being signed by the Drillers for only $5.2m this season, he's enjoyed the Dallas park and is on pace to put up a 5.2 WAR, which would be his highest since 2049. What's interesting is that this is the second time in his career he's accomplished the 3-HR feat. The last time was a decade ago on April 13, 2044, when he smashed three home runs against Hartford while playing for the Freedom. That was the same year he hit .302 with 45 HRs and won the Stout Slugger.
2. We had quite the rumble this past week when California squared off (literally) against Pawtucket. In the third inning Patriots outfielder James Scarbrough took the first pitch of the inning over the right field wall. Words were exchanged with Kodiaks pitcher Jeremy Thrasher as he rounded the bases, and up came poor Chance Maki to bat. After three balls, two of which almost hit Maki, he was finally drilled by Thrasher on the sixth pitch of the at bat. The 6'3, 200 pound Maki took off and charged the 6'3, 205 pound Thrasher. In what many say was one of the greatest fights in BLB history there were multiple blows exchanged before they were swarmed by their teammates, and believe it or not, the California GM. When the fracas was cleared both players were sent to the showers and the game continued. Thrasher ended up getting six games off, Maki four, and the league office is debating on how to handle the Cali GM situation.
3. New Orleans is 41-50, selling off some big pieces, and has lost a huge chunk of fan interest in the process. Will the ultra-popular Cory 'Boy Scout' Petit be called back up to the BLB to generate some butts in the seats? He's currently hitting .417 in AAA and many wonder if the 2052 Stout Slugger, New Brew, and Designated Driver will ever get another chance for the Voodoo? If not will he get a chance elsewhere? Scouting reports state "he should have no trouble as a BLB first basemen" but apparently the New Orleans front office disagrees. We for one want to see him play again in the bigs, and if not for the Voodoo, maybe for another team on the rebuild.
4. Speaking of fans something needs to be done in Toronto. The Canadians are filling their stadium to a leagues worst 50.1% this season, with an average attendance of just over 20k a game. The have a big market, good fan loyalty, and the fans are interested...but it just appears the prices aren't in line with a 30-61 team. You can only hold Dylan Owens bobble head night so many times. On the other end of the spectrum the Seattle Pilots are filling up their stadium at 98.6% capacity as they bring in almost 44k a game. Currently the BLB average is 32k a game as stadiums are 75.8% full around the league. With the media revenue being equal, and merchandise revenue being within a few million of each other, what sets teams apart is gate revenue and season ticket sales. Therefore in order to stay competitive on the financial side of things, front offices should be updating ticket prices as needed throughout the season.
5. What's on tap? We have a short week before the All-Star HR Derby, the Futures game, and then the 2054 All-Star game (which will be simulated in the Holodeck so players get a little extra rest). We do get some great series though as Seattle travels to California, Wilmington travels to Dallas, and Denver heads to Los Angeles. Streak wise LAD is the only team with a four game winning streak, Burgess 'Nuke' Nalivkin (PIT) has a 16 game hitting streak, and Paycen Bemis (SEA) hasn't lost in 10 straight starts.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive All-Star Appearances (Top 25 Players) |
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| Most Different Teams to Appear As An All-Star With (Top 25 Players) |
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