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05/03/2060
We're onto May, and the Seattle Pilots are the new #1 in the Power Rankings. After going 6-0 with sweeps of Windy City and Philly, the Pilots now boast a leagues best 21-5 record. The other top dog was Pittsburgh, who went 6-0 as well. With a 14-11 record they still find themselves fourth in the Ale, but at least it's a start. Throw in LAD, who went 6-1, and we had some happy fanbases around the league. On the flip side Philly and Montreal went 1-5, while California went 0-6. It's shocking what's happening to the Kodiaks, but we'll get into that later.
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (157.4, +)
2) New York Cyclones (146.0, -)
3) Hartford Whalers (142.3, -)
4) Los Angeles Dinos (127.0, +)
5) Phoenix Roadrunners (115.8, +)
6) Pittsburgh Millers (113.8, ++)
7) Baltimore Bulldogs (113.8, +)
8) Syracuse Snappers (112.8, o)
9) Pawtucket Patriots (109.0, --)
10) New Orleans Voodoo (106.7, --)
11) Indianapolis Clowns (99.9, -)
12) Carolina Tobs (98.6, -)
13) Dallas Drillers (83.1, o)
14) Denver Bulls (76.2, -)
15) Maine Guides (73.3, o)
16) Washington Bats (72.3, +)
17) Toronto Canadians (71.2, -)
18) Wilmington Wildcats (71.0, +)
19) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (64.3, o)
20) Montreal Exports (62.0, --)
21) Philadelphia Freedom (47.6, o)
22) Batavia Muckdogs (43.5, o)
23) Windy City Blues (40.7, o)
24) California Kodiaks (0.6, o)
Performance of the Week
P Manuel 'Cracker' Zaragoza - With the number one pitching performance of the season, Zaragoza dominated the Millers on May 1st...and picked up a no decision? Over nine innings he allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, and struck out eight. Unfortunately Toronto failed to score as well, and when Byron Carlton smashed a solo shot in the bottom of the 12th the Canadians took the loss. Poor Zaragoza is now 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA on the season.
Prospect of the Week
CF Alex Cain - The reported #1 pick of the upcoming 2060 draft is a 20 year old who went to the CCBL All-Star game four times and just helped the Red Sox win the 2060 Cape Cup. Scouts think he's an everyday center fielder who can make an impact on a top tier team, and we agree. The kid can mash the ball (for contact or power), can steal bases (96 in 196 games) and can play centerfield (+11.1 ZR over his Cape career). Looks like an absolute stud to us.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. April is over. The clear winner was Seattle who went 20-5 and allowed a league low 58 total runs. Second place for runs allowed was New Orleans with 77! Next up was New York who went 19-6, then we had Hartford at 18-7, and finally LAD at 17-8. League leader wise New York scored 137 runs (CAL 68), Philly smashed 34 home runs, Toronto swiped 47 bases (HAR 8), and Baltimore hit .291 (CAL .223). On the pitching side Seattle allowed 58 runs (WAS 136), while opponents hit just .214 off the Pilots (PHI .300).
2. We can't remember the last time a team started out as bad as California. They are 3-22, have lost 11 straight, and have a power ranking of 0.6...yes 0.6. Considering 23rd place Windy City is at 40.7, that gap is just absolute YIKES with a capital Y, and I, and K, and E, and S. We've said it before, but this team went to the playoffs every season from 2035-2055 and then again in 2058. In the league they are last in runs scored, and second in runs allowed. Their R/D of -66 is 19 worse than 23rd place Batavia, and they are 1-15 on the road. It's almost comical at this point, and not in the funny sense, but in the absurd. We'd like to say it could always be worse, but could it? The only silver lining is that there is only one direction to go...up. If the team stays together we're pretty sure a rebound is in order. They are too good to be this bad. If they blow it up for pennies on the dollar though it might be years before they can compete again.
3. It's not just California that is struggling. Wilmington won 94 games last season and are 10-15, Montreal won 90 games and are 10-15, and Washington won 91 games and are 11-16. Meanwhile Pawtucket won 65 games and are 15-10, Hartford won 76 games and are 20-7, and LAD won 78 games and are 18-9. A once infamous supplement supplier stated "water finds its level...unless it's juiced." Things are definitely far from over, but what a wild start we've had.
4. The Bats are struggling, but Hayden Jones sure isn't. The 23 year old was a second round pick in 2057 and made his debut last season, where he hit .294/.358/.537 with 24 HR and 66 RBI in 94 games and was third in the New Brew vote. This year he's hitting .411/.433/.732 with 10 HR and 25 RBI in just 27 games. He leads the league in average, home runs, and RBI's. He was also just voted the Player of the Week and the April Player of the Month. His only knock is that since 2055 he's been on the injury report 17 times. Fourteen of them have been day-to-day, but the Bats would like to toughen him up a little. As of now though he's on pace for 60 home runs and 150 RBI's, is a fan favorite, and the future of the franchise.
5. What's on tap? Every team in the Ale is on a winning streak, every team in the Lager is on a losing streak. This week we get to see Toronto face Pawtucket, New Orleans play Pittsburgh, and Montreal host Syracuse to see if the trend continues. Over in the Import the Roadrunners travel to hot red Seattle. Phoenix is no joke on the road though, as they have a 12-4 record away from the Birdnest. Streak wise Pittsburgh has won seven straight, Cali has lost 11 straight, and Hayden Jones has a 17 game hitting streak.
Stat of the Week
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| Highest Percentage of Hits As Home Runs (Top 25 Players, Minimum 200 career hits) |
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