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06/11/2057
The Roadrunners are en fuego as they go 5-2 and sit atop the Power Rankings for the first time in a long time. Phoenix is now 37-22 and has a four game lead in the Bock. Joining them at 5-2 are the Pilots (the team four games back in the Bock) and Syracuse, who now leads the 'Awful Ale' by 1.5 games. The winners this past week though were Wilmington, Dallas, and Denver who all went 6-1. The Wildcats and Drillers still trail the Voodoo in the Lager, even though they are a ridiculous 17 and 13 games over .500 respectfully. On the other side of life Philly, Montreal, and Batavia all went 1-6.
Power Rankings
1) Phoenix Roadrunners (121.9, o)
2) Dallas Drillers (120.8, ++)
3) Wilmington Wildcats (118.9, +)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (116.0, -)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (105.8, o)
6) Washington Bats (104.7, o)
7) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (102.7, +)
8) Seattle Pilots (101.7, ++)
9) Montreal Exports (100.7, --)
10) New York Cyclones (99.2, ++)
11) Syracuse Snappers (97.6, o)
12) Carolina Tobs (95.2, --)
13) Hartford Whalers (89.0, --)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (84.4, +)
15) Denver Bulls (84.3, ++)
16) Windy City Blues (83.4, o)
17) Los Angeles Dinos (79.0, --)
18) Pittsburgh Millers (76.0, -)
19) California Kodiaks (68.5, -)
20) Toronto Canadians (64.5, -)
21) Maine Guides (64.1, +)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (61.0, -)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (60.1, -)
24) Pawtucket Patriots (57.1, o)
Performance of the Week
P Oliver Lanham - The Bulldogs are the best late drafting team in the league as Gibbs was a 8th round pick in 2045 out of Shawnee HS (if this looks familiar it's because we used the same opening line the last two DK's). This is his fifth year as a starter and on June 4th against Batavia he struck out 15 batters for the second time this season, this time in only 7.1 innings. He also gave up just one hit and no runs as Baltimore won easily 8-0. Sadly his next start on June 9th didn't go so well as he allowed seven runs on five hits over just 1.2 innings. He's now 4-2 with a 4.88 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Prospect of the Week
LF Walter Muller - The 18 year old was the fourth overall pick in last years draft by Philly and scouts think he's going to be an on base/home run machine. So far this season in just 46 games in the Rookie League he's hitting .265/.457/.561 with 13 HRs and 38 RBIs. He can also play either corner outfield spot at a high level, as he's posted a +5.3 ZR in 84 games in right field.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The winner of May was your New Orleans Voodoo, as their 20-10 record propelled them into the top spot in the Lager. Close behind were Syracuse and Phoenix, who each went 19-10, while Washington, Wilmington, and Montreal went 18-11. Meanwhile poor Pawtucket went 9-20, Pittsburgh went 10-20, and Toronto went 9-19. Some team leaders: Syracuse scored 154 runs (MAI 97), Carolina smacked 52 home runs (MAI 14), Dallas swiped 50 bases (WIL/PAW 9), and Washington put up an .824 OPS (TOR .646). On the other side New Orleans only allowed 92 runs (PIT 158), while opponents hit .233 against LAD (NYC .293).
2. On June 4th, Clowns star Julian Irwin smacked his 400th career home run, making him the 65th player in the history of the league to do so. The 8th round pick of the 2040 draft by Batavia turned into a 7x All-Star, and won the Stout Slugger in 2049 (BAT) and 2055 (CAL). He was traded to Indy in August of 2056, collected his 1000th RBI a few weeks later, won the Batter of the Month for September, and then was named the Brewmasters MVP as he helped lead Indy to the title in November. At 34 years old he's hitting .245/.355/.490 with 13 HRs and 40 RBIs this season.
3. The Bulldogs have four pitchers this season who have made the Top Performances list. Stephen Gibbs checks in at two, Kelvin Ellis at four, Oliver Lanham at six, and Jannero Peter at fifteen and twenty-one. We've talked about it in the DK several times but those guys were drafted in the fourth round, seventh round, eighth round, and seventh round respectively. The last pitcher in their rotation is Riley Hein, who at least was picked in the third round. So far this season he's 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 129 ERA+ in 11 starts. What's ironic is that Baltimore doesn't lead the Import in any pitching categories, as they are third in runs allowed and hits allowed. Meanwhile they are first in OBP, and second in runs scored, hits, and OBS. This team is stacked.
4. The Lager is just out of control right now. New Orleans has the most wins in the league, Wilmington is second, Dallas is fourth, Montreal is tied at sixth, and Santo Domingo is eighth. Poor Toronto is 22-35 and has to be looking around asking "are you kidding me?" All five of those teams have more wins than Syracuse, who is first in the Ale. Seven teams in the entire BLB have a winning record away from home, and the Voodoo, Wildcats, Drillers, and Exports are four of them. We're going to go out on a limb and predict that someone from the Lager represents the Domestic in the Brew this season.
5. What's on tap? We're back to some interleague fun this week as we get to see Syracuse travel to Phoenix (can the Awful Ale compete with the red hot birds?), New Orleans head to Baltimore (Voodoo 2nd in runs scored, but 7th in hits and 4th in runs scored), and Dallas fly out to Washington (Drillers a scorching 8-1 in June). Streak wise no teams currently have four or more wins or losses in a row. With Aubrey 'Gypsy' Albano's hit streak ending at 25 games over a week ago, Baltimore's James 'Handyman' Hylton now leads the league with a hit in 14 straight games. The 22 year old was actually a first round pick by Baltimore in 2052, and his .399 average leads the entire BLB.
Stat of the Week
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| More Strikeouts Than Hits Allowed (Top 25 Players) |
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