Tweet
08/21/2056
Goodness...we go away one week and come back and the BLB world is flipped upside down. Okay maybe not upside down since SDR and Washington are still 1-2, but where the heck have the Roadrunners come from. They went a perfect 7-0, and have now won 13 straight games. Oh yeah, they also took over the Bock lead! More on those pesky Roadrunners later though. Another top week was Carolina who went 6-0, and only had to go to extra innings once. They are now 13 games over .500 for the season, and yet still 13 games behind the Bats. Meanwhile Wilmington went 6-1 to get back into the playoff race, while Dallas, Washington, Indy, Seattle and Santo Domingo all went 5-2.
Power Rankings
1) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (125.5, o)
2) Washington Bats (124.5, o)
3) Phoenix Roadrunners (123.5, o)
4) Carolina Tobs (111.7, ++)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (109.5, -)
6) Dallas Drillers (102.5, o)
7) Los Angeles Dinos (100.1, ++)
8) Seattle Pilots (100.0, +)
9) Pittsburgh Millers (98.5, --)
10) Indianapolis Clowns (97.7, ++)
11) Wilmington Wildcats (97.3, ++)
12) New Orleans Voodoo (89.5, o)
13) Batavia Muckdogs (84.9, --)
14) Syracuse Snappers (83.5, o)
15) Pawtucket Patriots (83.3, ++)
16) Hartford Whalers (78.2, --)
17) Denver Bulls (77.5, --)
18) Toronto Canadians (77.0, +)
19) New York Cyclones (75.8, ++)
20) Windy City Blues (75.3, --)
21) California Kodiaks (75.0, --)
22) Maine Guides (73.0, -)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (54.5, o)
24) Montreal Exports (49.5, o)
Performance of the Week
RF Val Schmit - The 24 year old is the second part of the 'Dynamic Duo' in Carolina with Evan Turner, but he's no Robin. This past week on August 14th against Baltimore he smacked five hits, one home run, drove in four, and scored three times as Carolina won 12-4. On the season he's hitting .280 with 28 HRs and 79 RBIs while putting up a 154 OPS+.
Prospect of the Week
LF Tris Chikumbu - Originally signed by Washington out of Zimbabwe, he was traded to Los Angeles in 2054. He's now the 47th overall prospect in the league and is hitting .319/.383/.648 with 32 HRs and 90 RBIs in 100 Rookie League games. At 21 years old, Chikumba could be in the BLB as early as 2057 where he's projected to be "an elite big league outfielder."
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Phoenix finished the month of July by going 2-5. On July 30th their record at the time was 50-50 and they were out of the playoffs. Since then the Roadrunners have gone 18-3 (16-3 in August) and they have currently won 13 straight. It's also the first time they have been first in the Bock since we can remember. This team hasn't gone to the playoffs since 2048, which was the last time they had a winning season. The last time they won the division was 2043 when they won 103 games. That was the year Derek Bell went 17-2 with a 1.41 ERA and won his second out of three straight Pale Ale's. Looks like the good times are back for Roadrunner fans around the world.
2. Bailey Feder of Washington is still on pace for 61 saves, which would break the single season record held by Marco Rosaro of 57 that he set in 2023. Feder also got save 250 this week (as well as 251 and 252) to make him the 74th player in the history of the league to reach 250 saves. Should we just induct him into the Hall of Fame now? This season he's 2-4 with 45 saves, a 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 154 ERA+. He was a 7th round pick by the Bats back in 2043, and made his BLB debut in 2049. Somehow he's only been an All-Star three times (and not this season), but his three championship rings make up for the slight.
3. Speaking of Hall of Fame, welcome Jacob Stokes and Erik Foley, as both were inducted this past week. Stokes played from 2023 to 2037 with Davenport, Denver, Washington, Seattle, Baltimore and Pawtucket. He was a 5x All-Star and had 3 top three finishes in Pale Ale voting. He was an absolute strikeout machine, and in the 10 seasons from 2026 to 2035 he finished first in K's nine times, and second the tenth. Not to be outdone, from 2024 to 2035 he finishes first every single season in K/9. There are only 14 pitchers in the history of the league with more strikeouts than Stokes. Twelve of them are in the Hall of Fame, and the other two are probable future HoF Cordarius Gomez, and Pancho 'Juice' Herrera. Foley meanwhile only played in the BLB for one team his entire career, the New Orleans Voodoo, and what a career it was. The second round pick from 2029 by Phoenix was traded to NO in 2033 and turned into an 8x All-Star, won the 2040 Pale Ale, and helped lead New Orleans to the 2045 Brewmasters Cup. In the history of the league there are 35 pitchers with 201 career wins or more, and he is one of them.
4. Indy might have gotten a steal this past week when they signed Elias 'Clapper' Owen to a six year extension for $24,000,000. No that's total, not yearly. Known to have little personality, 'Clapper' is also known for living a frugal life and not needing much to get by. Good for Indy, bad for teams possibly looking at the 26 year old come free agency time. The single season stolen base record holder (115 in 2052), is a lifetime .305/.347/.411 hitter with 211 doubles, 264 RBI's, and 495 stolen bases in six seasons. He's also a solid corner outfielder that has put up a +9.0 ZR in 926 games playing left and right as well. Did we mention he's also durable? So far in his career he's never missed a game. The only time he ever even popped up on an injury list was when he was day-to-day with the flu in 2052. Sounds like Indy got a great deal.
5. What's on tap? This week we get to see Phoenix at Cali (Roadrunners 5-1 vs Kodiaks this season), Hartford at Indy (top four teams in the Ale separated by four total games), and LAD at Washington (Bats are 40-15 at home, LAD 26-30 on the road). Streak wise Phoenix has won 13 straight, Carolina has won six straight, Indy has won five straight, and Wilmington and Baltimore have won four straight. Damon Casebier (SDR) has hit safely in 20 straight games, Charlie Spence (CAR) has won 10 straight decisions, Tom Lemings (SDR) has won 9 straight decisions, and Andy Phillips (BAL) and Bobby Ferguson (SDR) have converted 13 straight save opportunities.
Stat of the Week
.
| Most Seasons Below .400 Winning Percentage |
| |