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04/26/2060
The BLB world is in chaos. Up is down, down is up, cats and dogs are living together. Okay maybe not that extreme but after three weeks the division leaders are Hartford, New Orleans, New York and Seattle. Not a lot of surprise with the later two, but the first two won 76 and 72 games last season. Then we have last years division winners, Pittsburgh and Wilmington, who are both in last place in the Ale and Lager. Finally we have perennial playoff team California, who is dead last with a 3-16 record. Well maybe it is pretty extreme. As far as this past week it was New York who once again had the happy unicorn. The Cyclones went 7-0 and boast a leagues best 17-3 record. We're in April and they already have a five game division lead. Hartford also had a nice week as they went 6-1 to keep the Ale lead. On the flip side the Kodiaks went 1-6, while Philly went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) New York Cyclones (168.0, +)
2) Hartford Whalers (142.0, +)
3) Seattle Pilots (137.0, -)
4) Pawtucket Patriots (130.2, +)
5) Los Angeles Dinos (116.0, ++)
6) Phoenix Roadrunners (114.0, ++)
7) New Orleans Voodoo (111.0, ++)
8) Syracuse Snappers (109.0, --)
9) Baltimore Bulldogs (108.0, --)
10) Indianapolis Clowns (87.0, --)
11) Carolina Tobs (85.3, +)
12) Denver Bulls (85.3, ++)
13) Dallas Drillers (84.0, ++)
14) Montreal Exports (82.3, --)
15) Maine Guides (79.0, +)
16) Toronto Canadians (75.0, ++)
17) Pittsburgh Millers (74.8, -)
18) Washington Bats (74.0, --)
19) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (72.0, --)
20) Wilmington Wildcats (65.3, +)
21) Philadelphia Freedom (60.3, --)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (43.0, +)
23) Windy City Blues (39.0, -)
24) California Kodiaks (15.4, -)
Performance of the Week
P Rice Cochell - The 25 year old was a round two pick by the Rum Runners back in 2052, and looks like he could be a steal. He throws five top flight pitches, can reach 101 mph on the gun, and has a career record of 42-25. This past week against New Orleans he went 8.1 innings, allowed three hits, no runs, one walk, and struck out 10 as SDR won 4-2. The only knock on him is his stamina is low and he's usually good for just five to six innings. He's now 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA and 96 ERA+ on the season.
Prospect of the Week
C Paul Finlayson - The first pick in the second round of the 2058 draft by Batavia is just 19 years old but putting on a Rookie League show. In 11 games he's smashed seven home runs and driven in 18, while putting up a .318 average. The 6'6 slugger hails from Crystal Springs, MS and is somehow the 95th overall prospect in the league. We expect that number shall climb.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Awesome Ale is back baby! After suffering with four or even five teams having losing records over the past years, there now is 15-5 Hartford, 13-6 Pawtucket, 12-8 Syracuse, and even 10-10 Indy. Now it appears the Lager is on the slide since it's a zero sum league for the most part. Over there only New Orleans has a winning record. They deserve it though since they are first in the Domestic in hits allowed, second in runs allowed, and third in runs scored. It's the year of the Voodoo.
2. Maine reliever Ellery Skaleski is on quite the winning streak. Last season the 35 year old reliever started zero games for the Guides, and ended up going 17-4 with a 4.11 ERA. This season he's put up an even worse ERA (5.40)...and yet he's 5-0 and leads the league in wins. In those wins he's allowed seven runs, and has been credited with a league leading four 'meltdowns'. Last season he was second in the league with 13 'meltdowns'. We think it's time for Ellery to head out to Vegas.
3. Parker Lee smashed three home runs against Maine two weeks ago, has six on the season, and is on pace for 49 for the year. If he reaches the 40's, it would be his fifth straight season with 40 or more home runs, and the seventh such season of his career. Since he came into the league in 2051, not a single player has smashed more out of the park than Lee. At 29 years old he now has 361 career home runs, which means he's barely halfway to Robert Jessee's career number of 697. Jessee was so good, that even if Lee hits 49 this season, he'd still have to hit at least 40 home runs a season for the next seven years just to tie it.
4. Is Syracuse second basemen Ben Piche the next great base thief? The 22 year old swiped 54 in his rookie season last year, while only being thrown out eight times. This season he's on another tear as he's 18 for 18 while belting a .360 average. He probably won't keep that average up (all though he is a contact hitter that doesn't strike out much), but it's still impressive non the less. Originally drafted in the second round by Pawtucke in 2055, he was traded to the Snappers in the Audrey Albano deal in 2058. He's also put up a 1.1 ZR at second in 19 games so far. Looks like Syracuse has that position locked down for the next decade or so.
5. What's on tap? This week we get a big Ale match-up between Syracuse and Pawtucket. The Patriots at 13-6 have been one of the surprises of the early year, after winning just 68 games last season. All though their batting is suffering, they are first in starters ERA, first in overall ERA, and first in home runs allowed.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Wins While Pitching For A Losing Team (Top 25 Players) |
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