04/12/2055
And we are off as Opening Day of season seventy-seven in the BLB has come once again. Last season the Pawtucket Patriots captured their second title of the '50's as they defeated Carolina in a game seven extra innings heart stopper. Can they go back to back like the Bats did in between the Patriot titles?
Enough with the past though, lets get to the present! It looks like once again the Bats are on top of the ELO rankings. After winning 108 games last season, but not getting back to the Brew, it was a disappointing season in Batland. They start out 2055 right though by going 5-1, which included a nice 3-game sweep of Denver. The top week though belongs to Indy, who went 6-1. They started the season out 16th in the ELO rankings, but have moved up to 14th as they now lead the Ale. Other good weeks were Hartford, Windy City, California, and Baltimore who all went 5-2. On the other side of life Montreal and Philly went 1-6. The Exports won their opening day match-up in an exciting extra innings affair, then lost six straight. Looking at the 2056 draft class though and their fans might not mind, as 'Cheat for Wheat'...Basic HS centerfielder Brian Wheat that is...seems to be trending around the league.
ELO Rankings
.
1 | Washington | IL | 5-1 | 6.5 | 1560.9 | |||||
2 | Dallas | DL | 4-3 | -0.3 | 1544.9 | |||||
3 | Pittsburgh | DL | 4-3 | 8.2 | 1533.9 | |||||
4 | Seattle | IL | 4-3 | 3.0 | 1533.6 | |||||
5 | California | IL | 5-2 | 1.9 | 1529.6 | |||||
6 | Pawtucket | DL | 4-3 | 0.5 | 1528.8 | |||||
7 | Carolina | IL | 3-4 | -3.8 | 1523.5 | |||||
8 | Los Angeles | IL | 4-3 | 6.7 | 1522.2 | |||||
9 | Hartford | DL | 5-2 | 2.7 | 1520.8 | |||||
10 | Wilmington | DL | 4-3 | 3.9 | 1519.7 | |||||
11 | Windy City | IL | 5-2 | 12.4 | 1516.8 | |||||
12 | Syracuse | DL | 4-3 | 6.8 | 1511.4 | |||||
13 | Denver | IL | 2-4 | -8.5 | 1503.8 | |||||
14 | Indianapolis | DL | 6-1 | 11.8 | 1503.4 | |||||
15 | Baltimore | IL | 5-2 | 5.3 | 1501.5 | |||||
16 | Santo Domingo | DL | 3-4 | -5.5 | 1499.7 | |||||
17 | New York | IL | 2-5 | -3.5 | 1479.3 | |||||
18 | New Orleans | DL | 2-5 | -4.0 | 1477.4 | |||||
19 | Maine | DL | 2-4 | -3.0 | 1477.0 | |||||
20 | Montreal | DL | 1-6 | -18.5 | 1463.3 | |||||
21 | Batavia | IL | 2-5 | -5.9 | 1453.2 | |||||
22 | Phoenix | IL | 3-4 | -4.1 | 1446.1 | |||||
23 | Philadelphia | IL | 1-6 | -10.0 | 1429.7 | |||||
24 | Toronto | DL | 2-4 | -2.5 | 1419.1 |
Performance of the Week
LF Rodrick Madhubuti - He was traded to Pawtucket from Syracuse in 2052 but never really has had a fair shake, mostly because he can't hit the ball. But when he does manage to hit it...goodbye and goodnight. On Opening Day he showed he belongs in the majors when he smashed two home runs and drove in eight during a 12-6 victory over those scorned Snappers. He might end up hitting .225 this season, with 45 home runs.
Prospect of the Week
SS Zechariah Norkus - He has all the tools to be an All-Star second basement for the Exports, who picked him 3rd overall in the 2052 draft. Currently he's in AA, where he finished the season last year. At only 20 years old he's projected to come up in 2056, and he should be a big part of the Exports turnaround at the end of this decade.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Some big names are no longer on the market after last weeks free agent shopping spree. Two-time All-Star Dez Swanson went to Dallas, 3x All-Star Amric Robinson went to SDR, 6x All-Star Jaxson Neal went to Montreal, Mitch Marcinkowski went to Pawtucket, and Maine scooped up two great defenders in OF Martin Moorman and IF Freddy Mikulski. Throw in that 11x All-Star Andy Phillips re-upped in Baltimore for two years, and 2053 All-Star Bert Franklin re-upped in Pittsburgh for two years, and well it was a busy week for agents and GM's around the league.
2. Denver started out 2-4 this season after making the playoffs last year, but since we still have 24 or so weeks to go it isn't a big deal. What was a deal was when they lost Josiah Foust in spring training for seven months after he ruptured his Achilles running out a lead-off double in the bottom of the first on March 20th. The 6x DWI winner at both second and short, and 2x All-Star, is only 31 years old. Yet he's known by medical professionals around the country on a first name basis. The first time he was banged up was 2039, when he was in high school. Since then he's been on the injury list 33 more times, including a broken knee cap (2047), torn quad (2049), severe hip strain (2053), and hamstring strain (2054). The worse part for the Bulls is that he's owed $20m each of the next two season before he has a player option in 2058.
3. Jett Spear showed this past week he wasn't just a flash in the pan while in Dallas. After signing with Baltimore in the off-season he hit .357 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs, and has established himself as the captain of the clubhouse. The Drillers and their fans aren't too upset though as rookie Ja'Quan McLaren, a former 2nd round pick, looks to be the next great hitter in Dallas. In his first week he hit .520 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs. He was a 2x NCAA All-Star at USC before Dallas scooped him up 39th overall in 2051. Since then he was a 2x All-Star in the minors, and played in two Futures games. It looks like the future is now for McLaren.
4. This is a big week for baseball around the country general. All four of the minor leagues start, and it's the last week of the regular season for the NCAA, Cape Cod, and high school leagues. It also means the 2055 BLB draft is right around the corner. This year the Toronto Canadians hold the #1 pick, as well as pick #9 and #11. Looks like the rebuild is going to go well north of the border. With some phenomenal young hitters coming out of both HS and college, watch out for the 2060 Canadians.
5. What's on tap? Week two and we already get the battles of the leagues as interleague kicks off. Some fun series we are looking forward to: Baltimore at Indy, Windy City at Dallas, and Dallas at Washington. Streakwise Vince Cox (WIL) has a 17 game hitting streak going back to last season, Joseph Tinsley (CAL) has won nine consecutive games, and Kaleb Mannino (NO) is on a 12 game losing streak.
Stat of the Week
.
Highest Career Three True Outcome Totals (HR's, BB's, K's) (Top 25 Players) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
______________________________________
2055 DK Season Predictions
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
.
Start of Season ELO Rankings
1 | Washington | IL | 1552.8 | |||||||
2 | Dallas | DL | 1541.7 | |||||||
3 | Seattle | IL | 1535.1 | |||||||
4 | Pittsburgh | DL | 1528.4 | |||||||
5 | California | IL | 1525.8 | |||||||
6 | Carolina | IL | 1525.0 | |||||||
7 | Pawtucket | DL | 1524.7 | |||||||
8 | Wilmington | DL | 1518.5 | |||||||
9 | Los Angeles | IL | 1518.1 | |||||||
10 | Hartford | DL | 1514.3 | |||||||
11 | Syracuse | DL | 1508.2 | |||||||
12 | Denver | IL | 1507.8 | |||||||
13 | Windy City | IL | 1506.4 | |||||||
14 | Santo Domingo | DL | 1502.2 | |||||||
15 | Baltimore | IL | 1492.8 | |||||||
16 | Indianapolis | DL | 1489.0 | |||||||
17 | New York | IL | 1485.1 | |||||||
18 | New Orleans | DL | 1485.0 | |||||||
19 | Maine | DL | 1483.7 | |||||||
20 | Montreal | DL | 1479.1 | |||||||
21 | Batavia | IL | 1460.7 | |||||||
22 | Phoenix | IL | 1447.6 | |||||||
23 | Philadelphia | IL | 1443.0 | |||||||
24 | Toronto | DL | 1424.7 |
Ale
x Pawtucket
z Hartford
z Syracuse
Maine
Indianapolis
Pittsburgh
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z Dallas
z Wilmington
New Orleans
Montreal
Toronto
Stout
x Washington
z Baltimore
z Carolina
New York
Philadelphia
Batavia
Bock
x Seattle
z Los Angeles
z California
Denver
Windy City
Phoenix
______________________________________
Wild Card
Wilmington over Hartford
Dallas over Syracuse
Baltimore over California
Carolina over Los Angels
Divisional Series
Santo Domingo over Wilmington
Dallas over Pawtucket
Washington over Carolina
Seattle over Baltimore
League Championship
Santo Domingo over Dallas
Seattle over Washington
Brewmasters
Santo Domingo over Seattle 4-2
______________________________________
Stout Slugger
R.J. McCarthy - Wilmington
Andy Dillon - Washington
Pale Ale
Dwan Tamarovsky - Maine
Jannero Peter - Baltimore
Refreshing New Brew
Ja'Quan McLaren - Dallas
Lon Leseberg - California
.