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08/02/2055
The biggest ELO gain of the week belongs to the Philadelphia Freedom who went 5-2 by beating up on Carolina and Denver. The Freedom are still on pace for a top three pick, but their wins seemed to sink the ships of Carolina and Denver. Both teams went to the playoffs last season, with Carolina going as far as a game seven home run away from winning it all. Sometimes it just ain't your year. The top week record wise belongs to NYC who went 5-1. The Cyclones are only six games under .500 yet 10 back in the IL wildcard. Other top weeks were had by Santo Domingo, Pawtucket, Hartford, and Dallas who all went 5-2. On the other side of life Wilmington went 1-6. The Wildcats are another 2054 playoff team on the brink, as their postseason odds now sit at 1.5%. At least they still have a chance though, albeit a small one.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 69-36 | 1552.8 | 30.2 | 1580.3 | 2.7 | 1589.7 | -6.7 | 1583.0 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | IL | 67-41 | 1518.1 | 41.9 | 1574.3 | -14.4 | 1564.2 | -4.2 | 1559.9 |
| 3 | Seattle | IL | 63-42 | 1535.1 | 24.5 | 1574.8 | -15.1 | 1567.6 | -8.0 | 1559.6 |
| 4 | Dallas | DL | 63-45 | 1541.7 | 12.3 | 1573.1 | -19.0 | 1547.2 | 6.8 | 1554.0 |
| 5 | California | IL | 63-44 | 1525.8 | 25.0 | 1536.1 | 14.7 | 1549.9 | 0.8 | 1550.8 |
| 6 | Baltimore | IL | 64-44 | 1492.8 | 56.5 | 1527.2 | 22.0 | 1540.8 | 8.5 | 1549.3 |
| 7 | Syracuse | DL | 64-44 | 1508.2 | 35.0 | 1548.7 | -5.5 | 1556.5 | -13.3 | 1543.2 |
| 8 | Santo Domingo | DL | 58-47 | 1502.2 | 25.4 | 1501.8 | 25.8 | 1519.9 | 7.8 | 1527.6 |
| 9 | Windy City | IL | 61-47 | 1506.4 | 20.4 | 1523.9 | 2.9 | 1520.8 | 6.0 | 1526.8 |
| 10 | Pawtucket | DL | 56-51 | 1524.7 | -2.3 | 1529.1 | -6.7 | 1518.9 | 3.5 | 1522.4 |
| 11 | Maine | DL | 58-47 | 1483.7 | 34.9 | 1531.5 | -12.8 | 1519.0 | -0.4 | 1518.6 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | DL | 60-46 | 1489.0 | 29.6 | 1506.4 | 12.2 | 1512.3 | 6.3 | 1518.6 |
| 13 | New Orleans | DL | 55-52 | 1485.0 | 28.0 | 1483.1 | 29.8 | 1516.7 | -3.7 | 1513.0 |
| 14 | Hartford | DL | 52-57 | 1514.3 | -6.4 | 1492.4 | 15.5 | 1500.4 | 7.5 | 1507.9 |
| 15 | Carolina | IL | 48-59 | 1525.0 | -33.6 | 1508.1 | -16.7 | 1497.2 | -5.8 | 1491.4 |
| 16 | Wilmington | DL | 50-57 | 1518.5 | -35.0 | 1493.1 | -9.6 | 1496.4 | -13.0 | 1483.5 |
| 17 | Denver | IL | 48-59 | 1507.8 | -28.4 | 1481.6 | -2.3 | 1497.3 | -18.0 | 1479.3 |
| 18 | New York | IL | 50-56 | 1485.1 | -7.6 | 1462.6 | 14.8 | 1469.5 | 7.9 | 1477.4 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | DL | 45-62 | 1528.4 | -57.0 | 1479.2 | -7.8 | 1472.5 | -1.1 | 1471.4 |
| 20 | Phoenix | IL | 45-62 | 1447.6 | -10.6 | 1449.9 | -12.9 | 1430.1 | 7.0 | 1437.0 |
| 21 | Montreal | DL | 40-68 | 1479.1 | -54.6 | 1420.5 | 3.9 | 1425.0 | -0.5 | 1424.5 |
| 22 | Philadelphia | IL | 38-69 | 1443.0 | -21.4 | 1414.2 | 7.4 | 1406.4 | 15.3 | 1421.6 |
| 23 | Toronto | DL | 36-71 | 1424.7 | -33.2 | 1407.8 | -16.3 | 1391.6 | -0.0 | 1391.5 |
| 24 | Batavia | IL | 31-78 | 1460.7 | -73.7 | 1399.9 | -12.9 | 1389.6 | -2.6 | 1387.0 |
Performance of the Week
P Cayden Wittmeyer - The 29 year old broke into the Top Performances of the season this past week when he threw a complete game shutout of the Bulldogs. On July 30th Wittmeyer took the mound, and two hours and fifty-three minutes later he walked off with his 10th victory of the season. Over the course of the game he allowed only four hits, walked one, and struck out 11. He's now 10-8 on the season with a 2.89 ERA and 139 ERA+.
Prospect of the Week
1B Carlos Kinney - The 20 year old has been lighting up A ball this season with 31 HRs and 76 RBIs in 92 total games. A round three pick in 2052 by the Canadians, his power potential is loved by scouts and his work ethic is loved by coaches. At 6'4 he's a solid first basemen, but if he can keep developing his ability to the put the bat on the ball, he will be a star for Toronto in a few short seasons.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Charlie Spence didn't make the Top Performances of the season this past week, but he did set the BLB record for most strikeouts in a single game. On July 30th against Windy City he went 8.2 innings, allowed two runs off of six hits, walked one, and struck out an amazing 21 batters. He had a chance for strikeout 22 to close out the game, but walked Abel Kazaz and was pulled. Herm Cobaj came in and got Del Tarrance to hit into a fielders choice to then end it. The box score shows that every single Windy City hitter struck out at least once, with Preston 'Cowboy' Capps leading the way by whiffing four times. Spence now has 242 K's on the season and is on pace for 366. The single season record of 342, set by Christian Vines in 2046, is definitely in jeopardy.
2. Who won the month of July, none other than the New Orleans Voodoo. After trading away pieces and planning for the future, the Voodoo went 18-7 to shoot above .500 and put themselves in contention to make the playoffs. Not bad for a team with the seventh best farm system in the league. The other top teams in the top three were Washington (17-7), and Santo Domingo (17-8). The Bats have clinched going to the postseason once again, and have a 91% chance of winning the Stout. Meanwhile Santo Domingo now has a 91% of making the playoffs as they sit comfortably 11 games over .500. On the other end poor Toronto went 5-20. They do have a 10% chance, but sadly it's not making the playoffs but finishing last in the league. They do have the fourth best minor league system in the BLB though, and with players like Kinney in the pipeline the future is bright.
3. Age is just a number for 37 year old Jaxson Neal of the Wildcats as he's in the midst of a 24 game hitting streak. After being unhappy in Montreal where he was hitting .268, he was shipped to Wilmington to give the Wildcats a shot at the playoffs. In 43 games there he's hitting .346 with 4 HRs and 16 RBIs and has put up a 1.1 WAR. This past week he also smacked his 1000th and 1001st extra-base hit. He's now ranked 5th among active players, and 28th all-time in that category. Signed with a $5,000,000 bonus out of the British Virgin Islands in 2034, he helped lead Montreal to the Brewmasters Cup in 2044 where he was the MVP of the series. He has also been named to six All-Star games and was the Stout Slugger in 2046.
4. Young slugger Grady Faulkner has been on a rampage lately. The 22 year old is only in his second season (first full season), and recently won the Domestic League Batter of the Month. What did he do in July you ask? How about hitting .404 with 13 HRs and 33 RBIs. During the month he saw his numbers go from .259/.351/.457/.808 to .296/.379/.578/.956. He is the lead Clown in HR and RBI for the team, and has moved into the Top 20 position players in the league according to the OSA. He was the 7th overall pick in 2053 out of Cal State Fullerton, and one year later was the runner-up for the New Brew. If he would have played a full season there is no doubt he would have taken that trophy home. With Indy having one of the best records in the league he might be leading them to another trophy in the near future though.
5. What's on tap? How about some interleague match-ups that could be a Brewmasters preview? First up we get Dallas at Los Angeles. The Drillers are still first in the league in runs scored, while LAD is first in wSB and second in ZR. Then we get Syracuse at Seattle. The Snappers lead the league in hits, while Seattle has the only sub 3.00 ERA in the league (2.90). Throw in California at Dallas, Seattle at Indy, Syracuse at Seattle, and Indy at Windy City, and there are some great must-see games from your holodeck this week. Streak wise Hartford has won four in a row, Wilmington has lost four in a row, Neal has his 24 game hitting streak, Faulker has an RBI in nine straight games, Elias Owen (IND) has scored in seven straight games, and Charlie Guevin (CAL) has converted 24 straight save opportunities.
Stat of the Week
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| More Walks Than Hits (Top 25 Players) |
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