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09/23/2058
Washington, Dallas, and California all go 5-1 to punch their postseason tickets. Well the Bats and Drillers decided long ago to head to the postseason, but the Kodiaks now have a 99.7% chance. This team was 7-15 at the end of the April, yet here they are eight games over .500 and second in the Bock. Other top week were Montreal, Maine, and Baltimore who all went 5-2. The Guides are now a single game behind Pittsburgh for the Ale crown. As stated many times to date, the only team getting in from the 'Awesome Ale' will be the division winner, so good luck to both teams down the stretch. On the other side of life Hartford went 0-6, while Windy City went 1-6, and New Orleans and Seattle went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (123.9, o)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (116.8, o)
3) Wilmington Wildcats (110.9, o)
4) Dallas Drillers (110.8, +)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (110.6, -)
6) Los Angeles Dinos (104.0, +)
7) California Kodiaks (99.7, ++)
8) New York Cyclones (99.1, +)
9) Toronto Canadians (94.6, -)
10) Montreal Exports (92.8, ++)
11) Maine Guides (91.8, o)
12) New Orleans Voodoo (90.0, --)
13) Pittsburgh Millers (88.0, o)
14) Philadelphia Freedom (83.3, ++)
15) Pawtucket Patriots (82.6, ++)
16) Carolina Tobs (82.3, +)
17) Phoenix Roadrunners (81.9, -)
18) Indianapolis Clowns (81.3, --)
19) Seattle Pilots (81.2, --)
20) Syracuse Snappers (78.5, -)
21) Hartford Whalers (66.6, --)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (62.9, +)
23) Windy City Blues (60.1, -)
24) Denver Bulls (59.3, -)
Performance of the Week
1B Stuart Beale - We didn't have anyone break into the Top Performances of the season last week, but the week before Beale came in hot to take the sixth spot for hitters. On September 14th against Montreal he sizzled the Exports with two home runs, six runs batted in, and three runs scored as Pawtucket won a barn burner 13-11. The almost career long Driller signed with Pawtucket in May, and is hitting .260 with 12 HR and 31 RBI on the season in just 74 games.
Prospect of the Week
LF Danrad Orozco - The 18 year old was a second round pick last season and tore up the Rookie League this year. Over 118 games he hit .259 with 30 HR while driving in 106 runs. Originally from Venezuela he was a 2x HS All-Star while taking home the Platinum Stick for center field in 2056. Scouts think he can be a cornerstone at center thanks to his speed and range. The fact that he can absolutely smash the ball is just another plus.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We missed some milestones last week as Melchior Werth collected his 2500th career hit, and Neall Rabah and Amric Robinson both crushed their 300th career home runs. Werth is the old man of the group at 38 years old after being the sixth overall player taken in the 2037 draft. He's a 6x All-Star and 2x Stout Slugger and a lifetime .282/.347/.506 hitter. Meanwhile Rabah is a young 33, as he's showing no signs of slowing down. This year he's hitting .318 with 41 HR and 113 RBI, and was named to his seventh All-Star team. He's also second in the Import in average, home runs, and runs batted in. Meanwhile Robinson is 32 and was a first round pick by Seattle back in 2043. He's been to four All-Star games and is a lifetime .270/.351/.492 hitter.
2. Chase 'Havoc' Calhoun is still leading the league in average (.369) and stolen bases (102), and still has a shot (albeit a long one) to break the single season stolen base record. 'Havoc' has lived up to his nickname on the basepaths, and is on pace for 108 steals on the season. This would be still be seven short of the record held by Elias 'Clapper' Owen, which was set in 2052, but don't count the rookie out. The Canadians play Dallas, Pawtucket, and Wilmington to close out the season. The Wildcats and Drillers are 17th and 18th in RTO%, coming in at 24.5% and 24.3% respectively. Now that we got the long shot out of the way, let’s talk about the short shot. Calhoun currently has 21 triples on the season. The record is 22, held by Pawtucket's Dennis Daley (2055) and Denver's Ricky 'Heartthrob' Figueroa (2029). Calhoun is on pace to at least tie the record, and has already raked up four triples in the month of September.
3. One record that came and went and got no fanfare was Aubrey 'Gypsy' Albano setting the career doubles record. He started out the season with 733, and was in second place behind Harry 'Missing Link' Keppel, who had 755 over his illustrious career. In June the record was set against LAD when he smacked two doubles in a 3-2 loss to the Dinos while playing for Syracuse. Never one much for fanfare, Albano soldiered on and now is up to 774 career doubles. Still a threat behind the plate at 37 years old, Albano is third only to Hector Chavez (.345), and Jaime Rush (.337) with a lifetime .336 average. Since we all know the story of Chavez we'll just say he's a point off being the greatest contact hitter in the history of the league.
4. It's been funny for a while, but now that it might actually happen it's become ludicrous. Montreal is in sixth place in the Lager with a 75-77 record. Pittsburgh is in first place in the Ale with a 76-76 record. The Exports could, and should just for kicks, finish with a better record than the Ale division winner. In the history of the league we can't remember, nor locate, another time when all six teams from one division had a better record than all six teams from the other division in the same league. It's just preposterous to even consider. If it happens we might just petition the league to let the entire Lager in while the Ale sits at home.
5. What's on tap? Once again it's a battle of the Lager as the teams jockey for the division and wildcard spots. Starting off the week hot we get to see New Orleans at Wilmington, and Toronto at Dallas. The Voodoo have a 6-3 advantage this year over the Wildcats, while the Canadians have a 5-4 series lead over the Drillers. Streak wise those Drillers have won five straight and Philly has won four straight, while Hartford has lost six straight, New Orleans has lost five straight, and Seattle has lost four straight.
Stat of the Week
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| Most 200 Strikeout Seasons (Top 25 Players) |
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