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06/10/2058
The Voodoo extend their Power Rankings lead with a 6-1 week. After taking two of three from upstart Toronto, they hosted Pawtucket and swept the Patriots over four games while outscoring them 22-5. The best of the rest were Seattle, Santo Domingo, and LAD. They all went 5-2 as the Dinos are now tied for first in the Bock, Seattle is a game back from them, and the Rum Runners are second in the Lager. And just remember that second in the Lager would be good enough for a six game lead in the Ale. On the other side of life Pawtucket went 1-6 while Montreal went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) New Orleans Voodoo (134.0, o)
2) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (111.8, +)
3) New York Cyclones (109.7, -)
4) Baltimore Bulldogs (106.7, ++)
5) Wilmington Wildcats (105.0, -)
6) Washington Bats (103.8, +)
7) Dallas Drillers (103.7, ++)
8) Phoenix Roadrunners (103.6, -)
9) Seattle Pilots (99.6, ++)
10) Los Angeles Dinos (98.6, ++)
11) Toronto Canadians (97.6, --)
12) California Kodiaks (93.0, --)
13) Carolina Tobs (90.1, +)
14) Maine Guides (88.9, +)
15) Indianapolis Clowns (82.0, +)
16) Montreal Exports (80.4, --)
17) Batavia Muckdogs (79.0, -)
18) Hartford Whalers (77.4, +)
19) Pittsburgh Millers (76.2, ++)
20) Syracuse Snappers (75.5, -)
21) Denver Bulls (69.2, -)
22) Windy City Blues (57.8, +)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (57.1, o)
24) Pawtucket Patriots (54.1, --)
Performance of the Week
P Oscar Dudzik - The 25 year old known as 'Mutton Chops' around the locker room beat up on the Roadrunners during their June 7th game. Over eight innings he allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, all while striking out 14. New York got the 3-0 win and Oscar is now 7-4 with a 2.96 ERA this season. Not bad for a former ninth round pick who's now in his second year in the league. Sounds like a true diamond in the rough, as we're actually surprised Baltimore didn't draft him instead.
Prospect of the Week
CF Ezekiel Wolfson - Signed out of Estonia in 2053, Wolfson is already 22 but still playing in A ball due to him being a little behind development wise. Apparently Estonia isn't the hotbed of baseball like we all think it is. Regardless he shows great potential as both a power hitter, and outfielder, and he's currently the 43rd overall prospect in the league. This season in 45 games he's hitting .342 with 8 HR, 30 RBI, and 24 SB. He's mostly playing right field, but with some more PT he might be a decent centerfielder as well. Scouts and coaches love his work ethic, and think he could be a 30/30 player down the road.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Julian Irwin is on his firth BLB team, but at the age of 35 is still playing better than 25 year old Julian Irwin. This past week he hit .522, while crushing 8 home runs and driving in 16 runs. He had multiple home run games on June 3rd, June 5th, June 8th, and June 9th. Irwin is on pace for 49 home runs and 126 RBIs, all while posting a 136 OPS+. When he was 25 he posted a 124 OPS+ while hitting 36 home runs. The 7x All-Star, and 2x Stout Slugger helped bring championship to Washington ('52) and Indy ('56). Maybe this is the year he puts the Drillers over the hump?
2. Montreal is now 28-29, and in last place in the Lager. They still have a better record than Indy and Maine, who are tied for the Ale lead. All six teams in the 'Awful Ale' are only 6.5 games apart though, so at least it's interesting. Right now the odds-makers and playoff odds have Maine with a 43% to take home the division title, with Indy second at 36%. Obviously there is a lot of baseball lef thought. Throw in the fact that every single team has a negative PYT and maybe some luck will finally bounce the Ale's way.
3. Speaking of the Ale, at least they stopped rookie sensations Chase 'Havoc' Calhoun's hitting streak. On June 9th he went 0-3 against Maine, which stopped his streak at 23 games. During that time his average went from .373 to a league leading .415. He now has a 55 point lead in batting average over second place in the majors, and a 66 point lead in the Domestic. It's a little early to be talking about hitting .400, but we'll do it anyways. If he hits .391 the rest of the way he would be the third person in the history of the league to do so. The last time it happened was in 2039, when teammates Richie 'Powder' van Luik and Johnny Thompson hit .402 and .401 respectively. Not bad for a 21 year old rookie.
4. In other 'what ifs' there is Santo Domingo outfielder Ronald Anderson. Drafted second overall in 2051, he never quite lived up to those expectations. Zero All-Star appearances, zero times hitting .300, but he has turned into a leader and consistent player for the Rum Runners. This season he's on pace to hit 36 home runs, while stealing 47 bases. Do we have another member of the famed 40/40 club? For Anderson both those numbers would be career highs, but there is a shot. So far in the 79 seasons that the BLB has been around, just four players have been welcomed into the club. Zeke Lebron ('51, '52), Colby Hullinger ('45, '47), Stuart Beale ('47), and Ryan Hubbard ('42). It's always been at the top of the DK watch list, and we'll be pulling for Anderson.
5. What's on tap? How about some hot interleague action as the Import looks forward to playing the Ale, and not so much forward to playing the Lager. The match-up of the week we are looking forward to has to be Toronto at New York. The Canadians are 32-27 (which sadly is good enough for 5th in the Lager) and feature a lineup that has six rookies in it. The last time they made the playoffs was 2051 yet here they are, they youngest and most exciting team in the league. Meanwhile New York is 36-22 and leads the Stout. This team went from 69 wins in 2055, to 75 in 2056, to 82 and a playoff birth last season. They are now on pace to win around 94 games. It's an exciting time for both these franchises and their fan bases, and this could be a potential Brewmasters Cup series down the road.
Stat of the Week
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