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04/24/2056
Whoa...we missed the start of the 78th season in the BLB! That was a heck of a nap. Well we are back, and better (maybe) than ever. As of now Washington is still on top in the ELO rankings as you have to beat the champ to be the champ. In the Power Rankings though the Hartford Whalers have come out en fuego and are tops in the land. Their 10-3 record is the best in the league, as they went 4-2 this past week in interleague play. The top weeks though belonged to those aforementioned Bats who went 5-1, and the Drillers who went 5-1 as well. On the flip side Maine went 0-6 while New York went 1-5.
ELO Rankings
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| 1 | Washington | IL | 8-5 | 1565.7 | 5.5 | 1566.8 | ||||
| 2 | Seattle | IL | 8-5 | 1539.5 | -1.7 | 1546.1 | ||||
| 3 | Dallas | DL | 9-4 | 1533.3 | 8.9 | 1544.9 | ||||
| 4 | Hartford | DL | 10-3 | 1511.1 | 7.6 | 1536.9 | ||||
| 5 | Baltimore | IL | 9-4 | 1517.6 | 3.0 | 1535.0 | ||||
| 6 | Santo Domingo | DL | 7-6 | 1528.0 | -0.5 | 1520.2 | ||||
| 7 | Los Angeles | IL | 5-8 | 1535.0 | -9.9 | 1518.7 | ||||
| 8 | New Orleans | DL | 6-7 | 1525.5 | -3.3 | 1515.1 | ||||
| 9 | Syracuse | DL | 6-6 | 1520.4 | -5.2 | 1513.8 | ||||
| 10 | California | IL | 6-7 | 1510.0 | 8.5 | 1510.2 | ||||
| 11 | Carolina | IL | 8-5 | 1500.0 | 10.0 | 1508.9 | ||||
| 12 | Indianapolis | DL | 7-6 | 1495.4 | 0.1 | 1499.7 | ||||
| 13 | Pawtucket | DL | 6-7 | 1503.7 | -4.0 | 1498.8 | ||||
| 14 | Wilmington | DL | 7-6 | 1496.7 | -0.3 | 1498.3 | ||||
| 15 | Maine | DL | 5-8 | 1504.3 | -16.1 | 1494.4 | ||||
| 16 | Windy City | IL | 4-9 | 1505.6 | -3.1 | 1492.7 | ||||
| 17 | Denver | IL | 6-7 | 1484.3 | 2.2 | 1486.5 | ||||
| 18 | Pittsburgh | DL | 5-8 | 1492.3 | -9.7 | 1484.4 | ||||
| 19 | Phoenix | IL | 6-6 | 1468.0 | 4.7 | 1475.6 | ||||
| 20 | Philadelphia | IL | 6-7 | 1461.9 | -3.2 | 1463.3 | ||||
| 21 | New York | IL | 4-9 | 1473.9 | -6.3 | 1461.8 | ||||
| 22 | Batavia | IL | 7-5 | 1447.4 | 7.0 | 1457.4 | ||||
| 23 | Montreal | DL | 4-9 | 1451.3 | -0.3 | 1439.5 | ||||
| 24 | Toronto | DL | 5-7 | 1429.1 | 6.2 | 1430.9 |
Performance of the Week
C Andy Hugo - On April 22nd he was one of several Bulls that helped take the poor Voodoo pitchers to the wood shed. In five at bats he racked up four hits, two home runs, drove in five, and scored three times in a 13-6 victory. The 31 year old played for Denver in 2053 and 2054 before signing with Baltimore last season. In a 100 games there he hit .214 with 17 HRs and 44 RBIs, but became a free agent after the season. He's now back with the Bulls where over 11 games he's leading the league with a .474 average while hitting 4 HRs and knocking in 10 runs.
Prospect of the Week
P Joe Ferebee - The Guides might have had a rough week after being swept by Baltimore and Washington, but they do have the top prospect in the league in Ferebee. Drafted in the 4th round of the 2049 draft, he went from being a reliever to a starter last season in AAA, and it appears that's where he'll stay. He can throw 101mph and he has four pitchers which includes a devastating fastball. As of now his stamina isn't great, but someday soon Maine should be able to get a solid five to six innings out of him once every five days or so.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We talked about Hugo but boy did Denver pour it onto New Orleans this past week. All though they did lose one game of the series, they won the first game 22-4, and the final game 13-6. In the opener it started out 2-2 in the first inning, before the Bulls scored six in the 5th, six in the 7th, and eight in the 8th. Two longtime Canadians had big days as Amonte Raper and Eddie Hardin both had five RBI's, but Raper was the only one to hit a home run. The rest of the runs came off 23 hits as Denver only scored two unearned runs on the day. In the final game Denver won easily after building an 11-1 lead by the end of the fourth. This time they hammered five home runs on 18 hits as the above mentioned Hugo was the player of the game.
2. Well Charlie Spence is back at it as the 26 year rung up 15 against Windy City on April 15th. Last season he reached 15 or more strikeouts three times, including setting the all-time record with 21 against the poor Blues. The single season leader in K's could legitimately challenge that record once against this year. So far in three starts he's 2-0 with a 1.90 ERA, 35 K's, 5 BBs and a 213 ERA+. He's arguably the best pitcher in the league, and this should be the year he leads Carolina back to the playoffs, and could be his first Pale Ale season as well. Drafted 10th overall in 2047, Spence is now in his fifth season and looking to go to his third straight All-Star game. Did we also mention he signed an extremely team friendly contract yesterday that will pay him $74.6m over five years. He could be, and should be, a Tob for life.
3. Have Batavia and Phoenix started to turn the corner? Last season they were both at the bottom of their respective divisions. The Muckdogs went 53-109, while the Roadrunners went 68-94. They both have a top ten farm system though, and two weeks into the season Phoenix is 6-6 while Batavia is 7-5. Yes we know it's very early, and they both could nosedive down the road, but at least it's a little something for their fans to get excited about. Another team possibly on the rise are the Freedom. Last year they finished strong and finished the season 64-98. In 2054 they won only 52 games and hopefully for the organization that was rock bottom. After having little to nothing in the prospect department due to their previous management, their system is now ranked 10th and is led by pitchers Seth 'Slick' Faber (6th) and Tucker Key (17th).
4. We missed the coverage of the World Baseball Classic this past spring, but we'd like to give a late congrats to Europe. The tourney is now played every four years, and this was Europe's first time taking home the WBC cup. After going 9-6, they faced a tough Latin American team in the first round of the playoffs. In a game three tiebreaker, a Jesse Baker (DEN) single in the bottom of the 8th brought home Romanian slugger Reginald Botoman (PHO) to give Europe the 3-2 lead. Irishmen Clete Doyle (PIT) then slammed the door and off they went to face the powerhouse USA team. During the season team USA went 12-3 and swept Asia in the first round.
In the first game team USA easily won 3-0 as Levi Brown (DEN) out dueled Dwan Tamarovsky (MAI). In game two it appeared all but over after Evan Turner (CAR) smoked a pitch off Doyle in the top of the ninth to give the USA a 3-2 lead. Bailey Fedor (WAS) then came in and struck out JaQawn Schiegl (SDR) to start off the inning. Traevis 'High Roller' van Dijk was able to get a full-count single off an infield hit to give Europe some hope though. Amani 'Speedy' Hansen then came up to bat. In his only at bat of the game, and his only hit of the entire tournament, he crushed the ball 391 feet and over the outfield wall, which gave Europe the walk off victory.
In the deciding game it was a back and forth affair between starters Elivs Wright (PHO) and Cayden Wittmeyer (SEA) that was tied 2-2 going into the 7th inning. Europe was able to add a run in that inning thanks to a Schiegl solo shot, and then once again the 8th when Botoman hit another. Both came off of Baltimore pitcher Stephen Gibbs, who was making his first WBC appearance. Team USA was able to respond in the bottom of the 8th when a Val Schmit (CAR) single brought home Colby 'Mirror' Hullinger (SEA). Doyle though was able to get Gage Hay (PHO) to strike out with runners on second and third to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 9th it all came down to Doyle once again. After getting Adrien Burshteyn (DAL) to strike out, he allowed a single to Rick Anderson (PHO). Up to bat came none other than Julian Irwin (CAL), the 2055 Stout Slugger. Could he be the hero and propel team USA to their third straight WBC title? Sadly for Irwin he could not. After taking a ball, he hit a weak ground ball up the middle which was fielder by Doyle, and Anderson was thrown out at second. In a lineup that would rival any murderers row, and up to their final out, up stepped Julian 'Skeeter' Ludin (WAS). Ludin, the 2054 Stout Slugger winner, took the first pitch for a strike. On the second offering from Doyle he swung, made solid contact, and shot a liner towards van Dijk at second. The two-time DUI winner, and three-time BLB champion easily fielded it, tossed it to Schiegl at short and the huge upset had come to fruition. As team Europe rushed the field, the stunned USA team could only shake their heads as they watched the celebration.
5. What's on tap? After starting out the season 2-7, the Kodiaks have won four straight and travel to Phoenix this week. Last season Cali went 7-5 against the Roadrunners while outscoring them 66-53. This year though the Kodiaks have struggled mightily at the plate. They are 10th in average, 11th in OBP, and 12th in slugging percentage. They are also last in the Import in home runs. Is this a power outage that the front office and their fans should be worried about? Cali has gone to the playoffs for 21 straight seasons, the longest in the league. They better get their act together behind the plate if they want to see 22. Another fun match-up is Batavia at Baltimore. The Bulldogs are 6-0 this season at home, with an OPS of .789 at Hurricane Rice Arena, while posting a .574 OPS on the road. Batavia meanwhile is first in slugging, first in home runs, and first in walks. Can the all impressive Baltimore staff slow down the 'Muckdog Machine'!
Stat of the Week
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| Most All-Stars Drafted By Franchise |
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2056 DK Season Predictions
(once again the DK takes no responsibility for trades/injuries/OOTPR and should be used for entertainment value only)
Ale
x Hartford
z Pawtucket
Syracuse
Maine
Indianapolis
Pittsburgh
Lager
x Santo Domingo
z Dallas
z Wilmington
z Toronto
New Orleans
Montreal
Stout
x Baltimore
z Washington
z Carolina
New York
Philadelphia
Batavia
Bock
x Seattle
z Los Angeles
z California
Denver
Windy City
Phoenix
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Wild Card
Pawtucket over Toronto
Dallas over Wilmigton
Washington over California
Carolina over Los Angeles
Divisional Series
Santo Domingo over Pawtucket
Dallas over Hartford
Baltimore over Carolina
Seattle over Washington
League Championship
Santo Domingo over Dallas
Seattle over Baltimore
Brewmasters
Santo Domingo over Seattle 4-2
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Stout Slugger
Sage Emerson - Hartford
Colby Hullinger - Seattle
Pale Ale
Dwan Tamarovsky - Maine
Charlie Spence - Carolina
Refreshing New Brew
David Mitchell - Toronto
Evan Baker - Washington