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06/19/2056
Interleague week as the Import put a licking on the Domestic once again as Washington, Seattle, and New York all went 5-1. Meanwhile on the other side of life Montreal went 0-6 and Pittsburgh went 1-5. Some team leaders: New Orleans scored 43 runs (MON 10), Seattle hit 13 home runs (MON 1), Pawtucket swiped 9 bases (PAW 2), Dallas only allowed 12 runs (MAI 37), Indy struck out 94 batters (NYC 45), and opponents hit .177 off of Dallas (PHI .307).
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (121.3, ++)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (115.5, o)
3) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (114.3, -)
4) Dallas Drillers (110.8, -)
5) Seattle Pilots (109.6, ++)
6) New Orleans Voodoo (97.2, +)
7) Carolina Tobs (95.7, ++)
8) California Kodiaks (94.6, +)
9) Maine Guides (93.0, --)
10) Wilmington Wildcats (90.4, --)
11) Phoenix Roadrunners (89.6, --)
12) Los Angeles Dinos (89.6, ++)
13) New York Cyclones (89.1, ++)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (87.6, +)
15) Pawtucket Patriots (86.5, ++)
16) Hartford Whalers (86.4, --)
17) Batavia Muckdogs (84.4, +)
18) Windy City Blues (84.1, --)
19) Denver Bulls (83.8, -)
20) Syracuse Snappers (78.6, --)
21) Pittsburgh Millers (75.8, --)
22) Toronto Canadians (68.8, -)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (65.5, -)
24) Montreal Exports (39.0, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Adrian Gramling - We missed it but Gramling put on a show on June 6th against Windy City. Five at bats, five hits, three home runs, five RBIs, and four runs scored. His game score of 111 is the only triple digit score this season to date. The 35 year old is hitting .297/.376/.580 with 15 HRs and 39 RBIs on the season and is on pace for a 4.7 WAR, his highest since 2052.
Prospect of the Week
CF Brian Wheat - The 17 year old #1 overall pick just debuted as the third best prospect in the league, and at the top of the list for batters. The five tool player should get his first at bats this week in the Rookie League as the Niagara Falls Rapids travel for a two-game series at Chesapeake to play the Mallards (HAR). Joining him in the Top Ten are 17 year old are Teddy Burch (MON 1.3) and 17 year old Walter Muller (PHI 1.4). Looks like the BLB has some great future hitters to look forward to.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. With the 2056 draft in the books it's time to look at the Annual Top Systems report. The New York Cyclones are first with 216 points. They boast 10 top 100 prospects, with seven of them falling in the top 50. Just behind NYC is Toronto at 210 points. They have nine of the top 100, with five of them in the top 50. Finally we have Montreal at 164 points. They have seven prospects in the top 100, with three of them in the top 15. On the other end of the spectrum we have Baltimore and Pawtucket who both come in at 0 points. The Bulldogs are 40-24, and Pawtucket has won two titles since 2051, so we don't think their fans are too upset.
2. The Carolina/Indianapolis game from June 14th might hold the record for longest game in history, as it started at 1:05 PM ET, and finished at 10:05 PM ET. After being tied 1-1 at the end of nine, they both scored a run in the 14th to keep it going. Then in the top of the 23rd the Tobs scored five runs off of only two hits (thanks to three bases loaded walks) and seemingly put the game away. Not so fast my friends as the Clowns never say never mantra went to work. After a quick fly out, Luke Heap walked, and Wyatt Tedders then smacked a two-run home run. Tevin Hawkins then struck out on five pitchers and Indy had one out left. Two singles and a double scored another run, and then Morgan Buga hit a two-run triple to tie it as the home crowd of 39,688 (or what was left of them) went crazy. In only his second career game, and after already giving up five runs, Tobs pitcher Dale Charlesworth was seen looking over at the dugout for some sort of help. None was available though and up stepped Damon Squyres. After a swinging strike and two balls, both way out of the zone, Charlesworth finally threw one that catcher Quinn Wicklund couldn't get to and it squirted back behind the plate. Buga sprinted home and slid in, and the game was over on a walk-off wild pitch.
3. We'd like to welcome a few more to the club, or clubs, this week as Tyson Velez reached 2500 hits (53rd all-time), Adrian Gramling reached 1000 EBH (30th all-time), and Andy Phillips reached 2500 strikeouts (49th all-time). Velez signed a huge MLC with Seattle out of Guatemala back in 2038, but was traded to Syracuse a few years later. After playing for the Snappers, Muckdogs, and Whalers, he finally came back 'home' to Seattle after being traded at the end of last season. Gramling was talked about above, but he was a 3rd round pick by Washington in 2038. He's now a 7x All-Star and 2x Designated Driver, while being named MVP of six different playoff series. Finally we have Phillips, who is the only reliever in this club. Drafted 1.1 to be a starter, he started only 22 of the 940 games he's appeared in during his career. That high pick seems to be well worth it though as he's been a 12x All-Star, a 5x Last Call award winner, and quite possible the greatest reliever in the long and storied history of the league.
4. The Ale continues to be a mess as first place Hartford and last place Syracuse are separated by a whopping 3.5 games. Offensively the Millers lead the way with 310 runs (SYR 245) and 84 home runs (SYR 35). Pitching wise opponents are hitting .255 off Hartford (MAI .285), while in the field Syracuse has a +8.72 ZR (MAI -9.59). On the basepaths Indy is the only team with a positive wSB at +0.16, while Maine and Hartford are 22nd and 23rd in the league respectively. What does all this mean? How about we have no idea, and neither do the playoff odds makers either. They currently have Hartford at 82.6%, and Pawtucket at 18.6%, and everyone else somewhere in between. With no teams really separating from the pack maybe a big trade will be what it takes to win the division.
5. What's on tap? This week we get Seattle at California (Cali 12-4 in June as their GM has crawled back inside the luxury box window), LAD at Carolina (which contender is going to break out, and which will disappoint), and Dallas at Wilmington (Drillers winning with pitching and defense these days). Streak wise Seattle has won four in a row, and poor Montreal has lost 11 straight. Player wise Andy Dillon (WAS) has an 18 game hitting streak, and Lucas Shultz (SYR) has a 15 game hitting streak.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Defensive Innings Without Winning The Defense With Integrity (DWI) Award (Top 25 Players) |
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