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06/11/2057
The Roadrunners are still en feugo. After taking a week off we come back to find Phoenix building a five game lead in the Bock over Seattle. They swept the hapless Kodiaks (how times have changed), and won three out of four at home against Baltimore. Alas they missed out of the top spot in the PR by 0.6 of a point to the Drillers, who went 5-1. Dallas swept New Orleans, then took two of three against Hartford. Montreal and Washington closed out the 'winners' of the week as they both went 5-2. On the other side of life Maine, Wilmington, LAD, California, and Baltimore all went 2-5.
Power Rankings
1) Dallas Drillers (123.6, o)
2) Phoenix Roadrunners (123.0, +)
3) Montreal Exports (119.0, +)
4) Washington Bats (105.5, ++)
5) Wilmington Wildcats (105.5, -)
6) Baltimore Bulldogs (103.0, --)
7) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (103.0, +)
8) Seattle Pilots (102.5, -)
9) New Orleans Voodoo (101.0, -)
10) Indianapolis Clowns (94.5, -)
11) Carolina Tobs (92.3, +)
12) New York Cyclones (91.1, -)
13) Syracuse Snappers (87.0, o)
14) Denver Bulls (85.1, ++)
15) Pittsburgh Millers (84.4, o)
16) Hartford Whalers (82.4, -)
17) Toronto Canadians (78.1, +)
18) Windy City Blues (77.0, -)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (74.0, +)
20) Los Angeles Dinos (69.4, +)
21) Maine Guides (69.0, --)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (65.5, +)
23) California Kodiaks (64.9, -)
24) Pawtucket Patriots (58.4, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Burgess 'Nuke' Nalivkin - The 32 year old cashed in on his first All-Star season last year with the Canadians, as he signed a 1 year/$13m contract this off-season with the Whalers. On June 22nd against Dallas he's proved his worth as 'Nuke' helped hand the Drillers their only loss of the week. In four at bats he tallied up four hits, three RBIs, one home run, and one walk...while scoring an impressive five times. On the season he's now hitting .298/.369/.492 with 10 HRs and 44 RBIs.
Prospect of the Week
C Andy 'Turk' Christman - The first overall pick of the 2057 draft is now the 1st overall prospect in the league. What can be said about Christmas that hasn't been said. The 17 year old had a phenomenal high school career and we are looking forward to watching his development.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Montreal Exports are back baby. Not only did they get Christman in the draft, and have the ninth best farm system, but they are 44-28 and have the third best record in the league. From 2039 to 2049 the Exports went to the playoffs every single season. In 2044 they won 97 games and brought home the franchises third ever Brewmasters Cup. Then the bottom fell out as they won between 59 and 71 games from 2050 to 2055. Last season they went 48-114, their second lowest win total ever. Now they have a chance to tie last seasons win total, and it's not even July yet. Considering they have the youngest team age in the majors, they might once again go to the playoffs for another decade straight.
2. While Montreal has been soaring, the Voodoo have come back to earth. After being 34-17 at the end of May, they have gone 9-13 in June and find themselves fourth in the Lager. True they are only a game and a half from second place, but they were leading their division up until June 11th. Looking to get things back on track they brought up heralded prospect Marc 'Mole' Dillard, the former 1.1 of the 2052 draft by the Tobs. He throws four pitches, can hit 101 mph on the gun, and scouts think he is a Pale Ale caliber pitcher. In his first start against Maine he went 5.2 innings, allowed four hits, no runs, and struck out seven. He also picked up the first of what New Orleans hopes is many wins for his career.
3. With the addition of Dwan Tamarovsky the Roadrunners now have the highest payroll in the league at a whopping $158,514,700...$8m more than second place Carolina. It appears that after posting their first winning record last season since 2048, Phoenix and their GM are hungry for more postseason treats. It's paid off so far as their 17-6 June has pushed their Bock lead to five games over Seattle. They are first in runs scored, but sixth in runs allowed, and that is where Dwan comes in. The 4x All-Star and 2052 Pale Ale winner was traded by Maine to Pawtucket to Phoenix all within a month. At only 31 years old scouts still believe he's a true number one who can pitch deep into games. Sounds like a match made in baseball heaven.
4. With the rise of one team comes the fall of another. The Pawtucket Patriots are 25-46 and have the worst record in the league. This team went to the playoffs every season from 2045 to 2054, and won the Brewmaster Cup in 2051 and 2054. They averaged almost 98 wins a season during that run, but won just 83 games in 2055 and 78 in 2056. They are on pace to win around 66 games this season as the slide continues. Alas for every team (except Washington) the 'rise and fall' is to be expected. We also know more than a few teams that would trade the 'fall' for two titles in four seasons.
5. What's on tap? How about Washington at Phoenix. So far this season they are tied at two games a piece with the Bats having the run edge 15-14. Are the Roadrunners for real...time to find out. Another good series is Baltimore (42-30) at New York (37-33). The Cyclones are looking to have their first winning season since 2050, as they continue to build on their recent success. In 2055 they won 69 games, and last year they won 75. Can they continue the climb back? Streak wise no team has won or lost more than four games in a row, Stan Sikes (CAL) has hit a home run in five straight games, Vince Cox (WIL) has a 16 game hitting streak, and Reid Rothstein (WAS) has won nine straight decisions.
Stat of the Week
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| Largest Improvement in Team Wins (Top 25 Teams) |
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