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07/15/2058
The Bulldogs and the Wildcats dominated their interleague foes to both boast 6-0 records on the week. The Bulldogs went north and swept both Montreal and Toronto, while Wilmington took care of Batavia and Carolina. LAD and SDR also had great weeks as they went 5-1. The Dinos now have a 5.5 game lead in the Bock, while SDR has the fourth best record in the league, yet is third in the Lager. On the flip side Batavia went 0-6, while Montreal, Denver, Hartford, and Carolina all went 1-5. Some team leaders: SDR scored 43 runs (BAT 10), Phoenix and Wilmington smashed twelve home runs (HAR 1), and Maine hit .330 (BAT .146). On the other side of the plate Wilmington allowed just 14 runs (BAT 60), while Baltimore allowed just one home run (BAT 14). Overall it looks like Batavia had a miserable week, as the poor Muckdogs have now lost 10 straight to fall to 38-55. A promising April and May has lost its way during the dog days of summer. They are young though, with a top three farm system. Better days lie ahead.
Power Rankings
1) New Orleans Voodoo (119.4, o)
2) Wilmington Wildcats (116.8, ++)
3) Los Angeles Dinos (115.8, -)
4) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (111.8, -)
5) Baltimore Bulldogs (110.9, ++)
6) Seattle Pilots (105.8, -)
7) Washington Bats (103.9, -)
8) Phoenix Roadrunners (101.9, -)
9) Dallas Drillers (99.9, o)
10) New York Cyclones (98.1, o)
11) Toronto Canadians (93.9, --)
12) Indianapolis Clowns (90.2, +)
13) California Kodiaks (88.0, -)
14) Maine Guides (88.0, -)
15) Pittsburgh Millers (80.1, ++)
16) Hartford Whalers (77.1, o)
17) Carolina Tobs (76.0, o)
18) Montreal Exports (75.9, --)
19) Syracuse Snappers (75.0, ++)
20) Windy City Blues (73.9, -)
21) Pawtucket Patriots (72.2, +)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (66.3, +)
23) Denver Bulls (62.2, --)
24) Batavia Muckdogs (53.5, --)
Performance of the Week
3B Neall Rabah - The now 33 year old Rabah is having a Triple Crown year and almost single-handedly took down Dallas on July 12. In and 8-6 victory he had five hits, two home runs, drove in six, and scored twice. He singled in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, hit a three-run home run in the 5th, hit a solo-shot in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 8th. Not a bad days work. He currently leads the Import in average (.348), home runs (26) and RBI (67), and has the Bats back on top the Stout once again.
Prospect of the Week
SS Nickolas Keyes - The Kodiaks picked him 12th overall last year and Keyes is in his first full season in the Rookie League. So far in 70 games he's hitting .307/.369/.572 with 16 HR, 53 RBI, 13 SB and a 3.0 WAR. He's also played both short stop and second, where he's put up positive ZR at both spots. Coaches love his intelligence and ability to learn, while scouts think he could be a cornerstone middle infielder on a championship team.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. It's hard to believe that Cory 'Boy Scout' Petit is 31 years old now, but here we are. This past week he went 5 for 5 against Batavia, as he's now hitting .323 on the season. All though he's never lived up to his .394 and 7.0 WAR rookie season, the guy is a lifetime .325 hitter over 886 career games. After an up and down time in New Orleans, he was put on waivers the year after hitting .313 for the Voodoo. Claimed by Wilmington, he's hit .312, .343, and now .323 for the Wildcats in two and a half seasons. It isn't all roses though in Wilmington, as Petit has been mentioned in several trade scenarios over the last calendar year. He keeps sticking around though, and keeps hitting, and we for one are happy to see it.
2. Not only did Rabah win the POTW, his fourth one this season, but he also eclipsed 1500 career hits last week. Another milestone was LAD's first basemen James Munsie reaching 300 home runs on July 8. Drafted 24th overall in the 2043 draft by the Batavia Red Jackets, he helped lead Batavia to the 2050 BLB title when he hit .274 with 21 HR, then .419 with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 11 playoff games. He was then not offered arbitration much to the fans dismay, and became a free agent. He was signed by New York, but after hitting .219 and only playing in 74 games, he was released. Munsie then sat out all of 2052 before being signed by Toronto and traded to Pawtucket in 2053. He got back on track, in the starting lineup, and this time helped Pawtucket win the 2054 Brewmasters Cup when he hit .286 with 4 HR and 13 RBI in the playoffs. He was traded to Seattle in 2056, became a free agent, and got picked up by Los Angeles, where he currently starts at first base. What a career the 35 year old has had, and it doesn't appear over just quite yet.
3. Phoenix is on a mission to not only win games but really put those butts in the seats. Over the past month they signed fan favorite Rick Anderson to a big six year contract extension. Then they traded for Will Harper and Bailey Ray. Both Harper and Ray and extremely popular not only in their former markets, but across the nation. Attendance has skyrocketed, with the last home series against Maine drawing 119,874 fans, or 97.5% to capacity. The Roadrunners had a dream season last year, making it to the Brewmasters Cup. This year they are currently 49-42 and in third place in the Bock. With the fans rocking 'The Birdnest', and some good young talent, it's good to see Phoenix back on the right side of .500.
4. Well it's All-Star week, as the 80th meeting between the Import and Domestic will take place on Friday. With only two days of voting to go, we have a few probably first time all-star appearances. In the Import League: C Jamie Kear (WC), 1B Brad Pendolino (CAL), 2B Rayshaun 'Awesome' Stuart (PHO), SS/CF Rick Anderson (PHO), LF Jim 'Barber' Mjima (NY), CF Devon Cundiff (PHO), and CL Isaac Bates (BAT). In the Domestic League: C Byron Bentley (MAI), 2B Chase 'Havoc' Calhoun (TOR), SS Jarrett Shaneyfelt (MAI), RF Derek Engledow (MON), RF Asher Kappler (SYR), and DH Sean 'Thrillseeker' Brown (MAI). The final tally will be Wednesday, followed by the Home Run Derby on Thursday, and Prospects Game on Friday.
5. What's on tap? We get one series before the All-Star game, and we have a few intriguing match-ups. First up is New Orleans at Wilmington. The Wildcats have won six straight, the Voodoo have a leagues best 60-32 record. Both teams rely heavily on their pitching. Wilmington is 1st overall in the BLB in runs allowed, New Orleans is 3rd. Wilmington is 1st in home runs allowed, New Orleans is 2nd. Offensively the Wildcats are 17th overall in runs scored though, while New Orleans is 8th. Considering Wilmington has the third best record in the league, we suppose it just wouldn't be fair if the defending champions had a top five offense as well. Next up is Carolina at New York. The Tobs are 42-48 and slipping away as their playoff odds are down to 3.7%. This team has the sluggers but they just can't score runs. They are 3rd in the Import in home runs, but 12th in hits and 10th in runs scored. They need a winning series before the break. Meanwhile New York has finally fallen out of first in the Bock. It took the Bats until July, but they now have a one game lead. The Cyclones are good though, and young. They are first in home runs, fifth in runs scored, second in runs allowed, and third in hits allowed. Look for New York to start to pound the nail in the Tobs coffin.
Stat of the Week
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