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05/06/2058
Maine with the unicorn* of the week after they swept Pittsburgh and Santo Domingo to go 6-0 and move from last to third in the Ale. We gave them an asterisk because the true 'unicorn' is 7-0, and Maine has won seven straight, albeit over two weeks. The Guides scored the most runs last week (37), and allowed the least runs (17), and when you do that you're more than likely going to have a top week. Meanwhile the defending champion Wildcats went 6-1, while New Orleans went 5-2 to round out the top three. On the other end Indy went 1-6, while Pittsburgh and Santo Domingo went 1-5. The Clowns are still above .500, while the Millers and Rum Runners are last in their division.
Power Rankings
1) New York Cyclones (134.6, o)
2) Washington Bats (125.0, +)
3) New Orleans Voodoo (123.0, +)
4) Hartford Whalers (116.3, +)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (104.8, +)
6) Batavia Muckdogs (101.0, ++)
7) Toronto Canadians (100.8, +)
8) Carolina Tobs (98.8, -)
9) Phoenix Roadrunners (98.6, ++)
10) Dallas Drillers (95.0, ++)
11) Wilmington Wildcats (92.7, ++)
12) Montreal Exports (91.0, ++)
13) Maine Guides (90.2, ++)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (90.0, --)
15) Los Angeles Dinos (85.4, --)
16) Seattle Pilots (83.7, o)
17) Philadelphia Freedom (80.2, +)
18) Pawtucket Patriots (76.2, --)
19) Syracuse Snappers (70.2, -)
20) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (69.2, --)
21) Pittsburgh Millers (66.2, --)
22) California Kodiaks (61.0, o)
23) Denver Bulls (59.3, --)
24) Windy City Blues (43.5, o)
Performance of the Week
P Rick 'Barracuda' Robertson - The 25 year old finally got in the win column this season against Indy on May 4th. In a complete game shutout he allowed just three hits, walked one, and struck out 10. Wilmington won 7-0, and 'Barracuda' is now 1-4 with a 3.40 ERA. His season ERA+ of 117 is just shy of his 119 career average, so maybe the offense will start showing up for him again. So far in five seasons in the bigs he's 63-47 and has never had a losing season.
Prospect of the Week
LF Walter Muller - The dead serious Muller was the fourth overall pick of the 2056 draft by the Freedom, and is currently the 9th rated prospect in all the land. At just 19 years old he's already in A ball, where in 16 games he's hitting .311 with 8 HR and 19 RBI. He's good at either corner outfield spot, he can run the bases with speed, and coaches love his work ethic. Scouts think he will be an everyday outfielder who can make an impact on even a top-tier team.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The first month is over and the winner winner chicken dinner award goes to New York. The Cyclones went 19-6 in the month of April with a +36 run differential. Right behind them were their Stout friends the Bats, who went 17-9. All though there are rumors of Washington's impending demise, it doesn't look like it's going to be this season. Next up was Indy at 16-10, while Toronto went 15-10. Some team leaders: Washington scored 143 runs (PAW 81), Carolina hit 44 home runs (DEN 9), and Toronto swiped 52 bases (BAT 11). On the pitching side Syracuse allowed just 82 runs (WC/DEN 132), while Wilmington gave up just 14 home runs (MON 35).
2. The Domestic League ROTM goes to Chase...er...Darren Lane. The 23 year old Indy first basemen shocked most everyone when he was selected over Toronto's Chase Calhoun this past week. Did we also mention he was voted the Batter of the Month as well! Not to be too critical though since Lane did smack .316 with 9 HR and 25 RBI. The second round pick in 2055 played 12 games last season for the Clowns, after hitting 26 HR in AAA up to that point. Calhoun was no slouch either though after hitting .352 with 4 HR, 12 RBI and 20 SB. Maybe it's just hard for voters when Toronto has five rookies contributing to their success. Between Calhoun, 3B Olin 'Chief' Keele, SS Keon Pryor, CF Brian Wheat, and RF Kelvin Kenney this team is ridiculously young and talented. Toronto better start printing money now to get ready for arbitration.
3. The so called 'feeder' leagues are nearly done with the postseason as the the first championship trophy goes to the Bourne Braves. They defeated the Brewster Whitecaps two games to one, after scoring a whopping 31 runs over those three games. In the NCAA the College World Series is tied at one apiece between Syracuse and North Carolina, with the final game tomorrow. Both these teams are from the ACC as Clemson won the conference with a 25-23 record, while UNC just barely got in at 24-24. The Texas Longhorns had the best record this season at 32-16, but lost in the Regionals to the upstart Tar Heels. Meanwhile over at the high school level Puyallup swept Jefferson City to take their second title in three seasons. Led by sophomore sensation Alec Boersen, a potential 2060 top ten pick, they went 8-2 during the playoffs after going 22-18 during the regular season.
4. The Hall of Fame committee is about to open up the 2058 BLB voting. From last years ballot we will once again see Tom Stark, Marco Taylor, and LDD. Joining them this season will be Cordarius Gomez, Elmer Caceres, Richie van Luik, and Pat Nunes. That's a lot of combined awards and All-Star games. Now it's time to see who gets enshrined in BLB immortality.
5. What's on tap? A fun week as we get to see Carolina at Baltimore (both 15-11), New Orleans travel to Toronto (NO 18-9 vs the all-rookie team), Batavia heading to Washington (are the 13-11 Muckdogs real), and Dallas against Montreal (both 13-13 in the Ludicrous Lager). Streak wise Maine has won seven straight, the Clowns have lost six straight, and Sean Brown (MAI) has a 15 game hitting streak.
Stat of the Week
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