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07/01/2058
Montreal and Wilmington continue the hot run of the Lager as they lead the league with 5-1 weeks. The Exports are now at 40-36...and in last place in the division. Meanwhile Wilmington is 46-33, and in second place. The other top week was Seattle who went 5-2 to climb within 3.5 games of the Dinos. On the flip side Batavia went 1-6 as a once promising start to the season was derailed by a 10-18 June. Drillers outfielder John McIntyre won POTW in the Domestic after he posted a .429 batting average with 4 HR and 8 RBI. Meanwhile California rookie Hayden Cornett took the Import POTW after hitting .545 with 5 HR and 8 RBI.
Power Rankings
1) New Orleans Voodoo (121.8, o)
2) Wilmington Wildcats (112.8, ++)
3) Los Angeles Dinos (108.2, -)
4) Washington Bats (107.8, -)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (104.5, ++)
6) Montreal Exports (103.7, ++)
7) New York Cyclones (102.2, -)
8) Seattle Pilots (101.0, o)
9) Toronto Canadians (100.2, --)
10) Dallas Drillers (98.2, --)
11) Baltimore Bulldogs (97.9, +)
12) Phoenix Roadrunners (91.6, +)
13) Carolina Tobs (89.8, +)
14) California Kodiaks (88.6, +)
15) Hartford Whalers (84.4, +)
16) Maine Guides (83.2, --)
17) Indianapolis Clowns (82.2, +)
18) Denver Bulls (75.5, ++)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (73.0, --)
20) Pittsburgh Millers (72.8, -)
21) Windy City Blues (72.1, -)
22) Syracuse Snappers (65.1, o)
23) Pawtucket Patriots (61.9, -)
24) Philadelphia Freedom (60.6, o)
Performance of the Week
LF Houston Yap - We missed it last week but on June 22 against Toronto, Yap smashed three home runs, drove in five, and scored four times as Hartford outlasted the Canadians 11-7. His game score of 115 was good enough for second place on the season, trailing only Sayon 'The Brick' Castillo's 117. The 25 year old is putting together a Stout Slugger campaign as he's hitting .294 with 26 HR, 59 RBI and a 161 OPS+.
Prospect of the Week
P Trevor 'Grandpa' Caldwell - We're surprised 'Grandpa' isn't pitching in the majors yet, but then again he is only 17 years old. The Canadians though have shown no qualms about throwing their young guys into the fire but we expect to the see Caldwell in the minors for at least a few more seasons. Picked 6th overall this year out of Puyallup HS, he's the 37th overall prospect in the league. During his time in high school he was selected to two All-Star games and helped Puyallup win the HS Championship in 2056 and 2058. He throws five solid pitches, can hit 97 mph on the gun, and scouts love his work ethic.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The month of June is over, and none too soon for a few franchises. First off the Pawtucket Patriots. After going to the playoffs for a decade straight, and winning titles in 2051 and 2054, the Patriots have fallen on hard times. They went 8-20 last month and have the second worse record in the league. Next up is the team with the worst record in the league, the Freedom. They went 9-19 as they allowed 166 runs, nearly double of what Wilmington allowed. On the other side of life New Orleans went 20-8 and now have an impressive seven game lead in the Lager. Runner-up was LAD who went 19-9, while Seattle went 18-10. Some team leaders: Maine scored 151 runs (DEN 88), NY smashed 38 home runs (DEN 11), Toronto swiped 47 bases (NY 10), Wilmington allowed 84 runs (PHI 166), and opponents hit .222 against Seattle (PHI .305).
2. Just when we thought the race for .400 was over, Chase 'Havoc' Calhoun hit .524 last week to up his average to .397 on the season. He also swiped five bases giving him 55 on the season. Calhoun is still on place to challenge the single season steal record, as his projected total of 114 would fall one short of Elias 'Clapper' Owen. Owen set the mark of 115 in 2052, but hasn't gotten above 100 since. Many still think (the DK included) that he can challenge Richie van Luik's career record of 935, as Owen currently sits at 608. That's good enough for 15th all-time already, but at 28 years old he needs to keep up the pace. Back to Calhoun though. With his speed and ability to get on base he could be the one to not only challenge the all-time record, but shatter it. 'Powder' never once got above 96 stolen bases in a single season, but he averaged 67 a year.
3. Calhoun has the New Brew locked up in the Domestic, and maybe even the Stout Slugger. He does after all lead all rookies in average, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS, R, 2B, 3B, TB, and SB. He also has a ridiculous 6.2 WAR, which is over 2.5 higher than second place in the entire league. In the Import though we at least have a race going. Phoenix centerfielder Devon Cundiff leads all rookies with a .314 average, and is also first in RBI, SLG, OPS and stolen bases. Philly rookie centerfielder Rob 'Hit Squad' Morris is hitting .253 with 12 HR, 37 RBI, and 18 SB, but he's also posted a +6.5 ZR in center. His 2.8 WAR is tops for Import rookies. Then there is 19 year old Batavia outfielder Wade 'Bulldozer' Cummins, who has smashed a rookie leading 15 home runs. He is the third youngest player in the league, but is playing out of position. He's a true corner outfielder, and his -4.0 ZR in only 22 games at center is hurting his chances. Finally there is 23 year old Trent West, who seemed to come out of nowhere for the Tobs. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2052 draft, he's now full-time in the BLB. This season he's hitting .287 with 13 HR, 30 RBI, and a 1.6 WAR.
4. Bad, bad, Levi Brown has been a bright spot for a down Bulls season. The 27 year old is 8-5 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 130 ERA+. His 157 K's also lead the league. He's on pace to post 326 strikeouts, which would beat out his total from last season of 322. Drafted 84th overall in 2049, he's turned into a true ace, and has never posted a losing season for Denver. What's crazy about the strikeout record is that Brown would still be 39 K's short of Charlie Spence's record that he set two seasons ago. Spence has been struggling this season. His 95 ERA+ is the first time he's been under 100 and the lowest since his rookie season.
5. What's on tap? LAD travels to Seattle this week in the battle for the Bock. The Dinos are 5-1 against he Pilots this season, but have only outscored them by six total runs. Four of the six games were 1-run, the other two were 2-run. Another good series is Montreal at Toronto. The Canadians would be first in the Ale, and second in the Bock, yet they are 9.5 games back in the Lager and in fourth place. Montreal meanwhile is last at 40-36, but would be first in the Ale as well. The Exports are having a rough time on the mound (12th in opponents average, 11th in runs allowed), but their offense is keeping them in it. They are second in slugging, third in hits, and fourth in runs scored.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Different Positions Played In A Single Season (Top 25 Players) |
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