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06/28/2055
Well it was a good run for Seattle as the Washington Bats quickly laid the smacketh down with a three game sweep of said Pilots and took back over the top spot. Washington went 5-1 last week and we can definitely smell what they are cooking. The Pilots ended up 2-4, but they do have the third best record in the league so they shouldn't fret too much. The top record of the week though belongs to Windy City who went 6-1. They are now 14 games over .500 but are sitting in third in the 'Brutal Bock'. Meanwhile the top gainer in the ELO rankings was Baltimore who also went 5-1. Thanks to a 2-1 series victory over California they gained 9.2 ELO points while also moving to 10 games over .500. The last great week belonged to Dallas who went 2-1 against Indy and swept Montreal. The Drillers have almost pushed their Lager lead to double digits. On the other side of life Batavia went 0-7 as they have firmly claimed last place. With the fifth best system in the league, and a sure fire top pick next season, brighter days are ahead.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 52-25 | 7.6 | 1589.4 | |||||
| 2 | Seattle | IL | 49-27 | -2.7 | 1578.1 | |||||
| 3 | Dallas | DL | 49-29 | 4.3 | 1576.6 | |||||
| 4 | Los Angeles | IL | 51-27 | 7.6 | 1569.9 | |||||
| 5 | Syracuse | DL | 48-30 | -7.1 | 1547.7 | |||||
| 6 | California | IL | 45-34 | -1.5 | 1537.5 | |||||
| 7 | Windy City | IL | 46-32 | 7.8 | 1527.2 | |||||
| 8 | Pawtucket | DL | 41-36 | 5.5 | 1526.1 | |||||
| 9 | Baltimore | IL | 44-34 | 9.2 | 1523.2 | |||||
| 10 | Maine | DL | 43-34 | 5.6 | 1514.0 | |||||
| 11 | Santo Domingo | DL | 39-37 | -5.1 | 1505.6 | |||||
| 12 | Wilmington | DL | 38-41 | 2.2 | 1502.6 | |||||
| 13 | Indianapolis | DL | 44-34 | -6.9 | 1502.5 | |||||
| 14 | Carolina | IL | 34-44 | 2.6 | 1496.0 | |||||
| 15 | Hartford | DL | 36-44 | 5.3 | 1490.8 | |||||
| 16 | Pittsburgh | DL | 34-44 | 0.4 | 1486.6 | |||||
| 17 | New Orleans | DL | 35-44 | 2.3 | 1474.8 | |||||
| 18 | New York | IL | 36-42 | -7.2 | 1471.0 | |||||
| 19 | Denver | IL | 32-46 | -6.0 | 1469.8 | |||||
| 20 | Phoenix | IL | 37-42 | -7.6 | 1461.9 | |||||
| 21 | Montreal | DL | 27-51 | -6.5 | 1426.2 | |||||
| 22 | Philadelphia | IL | 27-50 | 2.3 | 1419.3 | |||||
| 23 | Toronto | DL | 28-50 | -0.1 | 1413.2 | |||||
| 24 | Batavia | IL | 21-59 | -12.0 | 1389.6 |
Performance of the Week
2B Michael Aiken & 1B Stuart Beale - Both players had identical stat lines this past week that propelled them into the top performances of the season list. On June 22nd Beale lit up Montreal, and on June 23rd Aiken beat up Indy. Their stat lines: 5 at bats, 4 hits, 2 home runs, and 3 runs scored. Dallas won their game 13-2, while Pawtucket beat up the Clowns 9-5.
Prospect of the Week
3B Scott McDonald - Picked third overall just a few weeks ago, McDonald is only 17 but gives the Roadrunners another top hitting prospect. Out of the top five, Phoenix now has three of them. That bodes well for the fans in the desert. He has a ton of growth to do, but scouts believe if he gets there he will be am elite power hitting third baseman.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Last week Pawtucket had 72 hits, and 14 of them were home runs. Whenever you hit almost 20% of the balls out of the park it will more than likely be a good week. The top flyer for the team was none other than Rodrick Madhubuti, who smacked five over the wall. He now has a league leading 23 home runs on the year, and is on pace for 48. He's hitting .232, but thanks to a good eye at the plate his OBP is a respectable .371. Overall for Madhubuti he has 59 hits, and 40 of them are either a double or home run. His strikeout percentage is fourth worst in the league, but when he gets a hold of it watch out.
2.Seattle had a rough week but they have the magic when it comes to pitching lately. Cayden Wittmeyer was 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA in May. He's now 8-5 with a 3.39 ERA and has been absolutely dominant in June. Over the month he's 5-0 with a 1.73 ERA, and has struck out 44 batters while only walking four. Can you say Import League Pitcher of the Month? Last season it was Paycen Bemis who went an amazing 18-2 with a 1.88 ERA after going 9-11 with a 4.06 ERA the season before. This season it's 37 year old Norm Aouita who went 6-12 with a 3.65 ERA last season in Maine. He signed a four year contract this off-season with Seattle (which shocked more than a few thanks to his age) and he's now 8-1 with a 1.66 ERA and is the front-runner for the Pale Ale.
3. It's not often the BLB sees a player on the same team for his entire career, especially one that has lasted 16 seasons. Welcome to the stage though Judd Ramirez. Drafted in the second round of the 2039 draft by Phoenix, Ramirez made his debut for the Roadrunners a season later. Since 2040 he's been their first basemen in 2,242 games, or 86% of their total games played. During that time he was named an All-Star in 2043 and 2044, has hit 449 home runs (33rd all-time) and has 900 extra base hits (54th all-time). He's a fan favorite in the desert where his leadership and work ethic are second to none. Ramirez has a team option next year for $15m, and it will be interesting to see what Phoenix does with it. How far does their loyalty stretch?
4. Syracuse won 55 games in 2050, 90 games in 2052, 65 the next season, 88 in 2054, and now they are leading the Ale while on pace to win 93. The up and down roller coaster looks to be on the climb again. It helps that they are the toughest home team in the league, as they check in at 30-9 at Snapper Park. During those 39 games they are hitting .302 to their opponents .250 and have outscored their opponents by 79 runs, or over two runs a game. They don't have a ton of power (21st overall in home runs), but they lead the entire league in hits and their pitching is ranked second in Domestic in runs allowed, starters ERA, and relievers ERA. Sounds like a recipe for a potential deep playoff run.
5. What's on tap? We have some fun match-ups this week as Windy City travels to California and Baltimore in the battle of the wildcard seedings. The Bulldogs are 16-9 in June, Windy City is 15-10 (and has won five straight), and California has been struggling at 12-13. Another great series is Indy at Santo Domingo. The Clowns have also had a rough June as they are 12-13, while SDR has shot back above .500 while going 14-10. Streak wise Josiah White (DAL) has a 25 game hitting streak, Evan Turner (CAR) has a 14 game hitting streak, and Oliver Lanham (BAL) has won six straight.
Stat of the Week
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| Most 20 HR/20 SB Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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