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07/30/2057
Like the cream, Syracuse rose to the top last week as they went 6-1 by sweeping Hartford and taking three of four against Santo Domingo. The Snappers now have a 7.5 game lead in the Ale, which is ironic because at 55-46 they wouldn't be leading any other division. In fact they would be in sixth place in the Lager! But that is neither here nor there as sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and they are lucky to be in the 'Aweful Ale'. The runner-up was Seattle who went 5-2. The Pilots have now closed the gap in the Bock to 2.5 games as the Roadrunners try and hold on. On the other side of life Baltimore and Windy City went 1-5. The Bulldogs are still heavily favored to make the playoffs (99%), but management and the fans were hoping for their first division title since 2043.
Power Rankings
1) Dallas Drillers (118.6, o)
2) Phoenix Roadrunners (111.8, +)
3) Wilmington Wildcats (111.0, ++)
4) Montreal Exports (109.5, -)
5) Seattle Pilots (108.1, +)
6) Washington Bats (107.4, ++)
7) Syracuse Snappers (105.0, ++)
8) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (102.4, --)
9) New Orleans Voodoo (100.0, --)
10) Carolina Tobs (99.8, +)
11) New York Cyclones (99.2, o)
12) Baltimore Bulldogs (93.2, --)
13) Toronto Canadians (88.5, +)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (83.6, +)
15) Hartford Whalers (79.8, ++)
16) Denver Bulls (78.2, --)
17) Pittsburgh Millers (76.4, --)
18) California Kodiaks (75.5, +)
19) Los Angeles Dinos (74.6, ++)
20) Pawtucket Patriots (74.5, -)
21) Batavia Muckdogs (72.1, o)
22) Windy City Blues (66.9, --)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (64.7, +)
24) Maine Guides (63.6, -)
Performance of the Week
P Chase Vaughan - Another strikeout artist with the Tobs as Vaughan had 15 and 18 strikeout games last season, and got close once again on July 28th against Windy City. Over 8.0 innings he allowed just three hits, no runs, no walks, and struck out 14 as Carolina won 3-0. Vaughan was a 5th round pick in 2047 and is in his fifth full season as a Tob. This year he's 9-8 with a 3.66 ERA and 110 ERA+ in 21 starts.
Prospect of the Week
C Jeremie Holzschuh - He's still wearing his Single A Vicksburg Dirtbags uniform in the program, but Holzschuh got called up to AA Tuscaloosa a few weeks back. So far in 15 games the 21 year old is hitting .364/.403/.545 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs and was just selected to the Future Game. Not bad for a guy who was drafted in the 9th round, 213th overall, by New Orleans in the 2053 draft. Scouts love his eye and ability not to strike out, and coaches love his work ethic and adaptability at learning new skills...sounds like a steal to us.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Hats off to Reid Rothstein for collecting his 200th career win, and Dane Jennings for getting his 2500th career hit. Rothstein, the 19th overall pick by Washington in 2041, is the 40th player in the history of the league to reach 200 wins. He's a 9x All-Star, 2x Pale Ale winner, and has helped Washington capture four BLB titles. Jennings, the 15th pick by Dallas in 2040, is the 55th player in league history to reach 2500 hits. He's an 8x All-Star, 8x DWI winner, 6x Designated Driver, and 3x Stout Slugger. Congrats to both legends and future BLB Hall of Fame members.
2. The average Zone Rating (without pitchers) for the league is +7.08 thanks to our friends at Stats+. The difference between first and last though happens to be a whopping 81.39 points. Of course LAD takes the top spot again, as they sit at +41.13. Last place still belongs to Batavia who comes in at -40.26. Their infield of Moussa Evans (-8.1), Devon King (-7.3), and Gage Hay (-6.8) make pitchers cringe, while outfielder Carl Brinkley (-8.0) makes them pray no one hits it to right field. The Freedom come in just above Batavia with a -38.70 ZR thanks in part to centerfielder Brooks Fox. He started 83 games there this season and has amassed a -16.5 ZR just by himself. Only four teams in the league have a worse total zone rating.
3. Who's the top fielder in the league this year, how about none other than 37 year old Caron Wilson of the Kodiaks. His +20.9 ZR at short stop is more than six points higher than second place, shortstop Julian Crews of Wilmington. Wilson was drafted in the 8th round of the 2037 draft by Philadelphia, but released in 2042. He was signed by California a month later and made his major league debut in 2044. Since then he has started 1,555 games and amassed nine Defense w/ Integrity awards. He's also third all-time in zone rating at 326.2, only coming in behind Rex Knight (335.8) and Steve Suarez (396.7). The Kodiaks are rebuilding, and trading away assets, but Wilson is not on the block. It appears he will finish out his career fielding ground balls at In-N-Out Field.
4. There are currently six teams in the Domestic with a greater than 91% chance of making the playoffs, and there are six teams in the Import with a greater than 91% chance of making the playoffs. What does this mean other than any late season drama coming down the stretch might just be for seeding amongst the dominant twelve. Currently Dallas, Washington, Phoenix, and Seattle are in the 100% club, while Baltimore, Wilmington, Montreal and Santo Domingo are in the 99% club. The remaining four are New York at 98%, and New Orleans, Carolina and Syracuse at 91%.
5. What's on tap? This week we get some power match-ups in the Lager as Santo Doming (58-43) travels to New Orleans (55-45), and Wilmington (60-40) heads on up to Montreal (62-39). We also get to see if the Cyclones can keep it going as they host both the first place Bats and the first place Roadrunners. New York is looking to have their first winning season since 2050, when they also last made the playoffs. Streak wise Toronto and Carolina have won four straight, Hartley Muro (SDR) has a 13 game hitting streak, and Reid Rothstein hasn't lost in 19 straight starts.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 20 HR Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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