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09/13/2060
Guess who's back...back again...Seattle is back...tell a friend. In the never ending flip-flop this season between Phoenix and Seattle (and sometimes Baltimore) the Pilots are back on top in the Power Rankings with a 5-2 week that featured a huge three game sweep of the Roadrunners. Seattle now has a 2.5 game lead in the Bock with 17 games left to play. The star of the week though was the Denver Bulls. They took two of three from LAD, before sweeping Carolina over a four-game series. Combined with the 0-6 week had by the Washington Bats and Denver now leads the Bats by a single game for the final playoff spot in the Import. Do you believe in miracles! Okay maybe it's not that dramatic, but they do have a 57% chance of making the postseason when they were nearly dead in the water a few short weeks ago. Then there was Maine who went 5-1 as well. They now only trail Syracuse by 3.5 games for the Ale lead, and are 8-2 this month. Goodness what exciting end of season times.
Power Rankings
1) Seattle Pilots (119.7, +)
2) Phoenix Roadrunners (118.4, -)
3) Maine Guides (110.9, +)
4) Baltimore Bulldogs (109.5, -)
5) Syracuse Snappers (104.3, -)
6) Montreal Exports (102.6, +)
7) Toronto Canadians (98.3, ++)
8) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (98.2, -)
9) Los Angeles Dinos (96.7, ++)
10) Dallas Drillers (95.7, -)
11) New York Cyclones (95.6, o)
12) Denver Bulls (94.5, ++)
13) Windy City Blues (89.6, ++)
14) New Orleans Voodoo (89.5, o)
15) Indianapolis Clowns (86.8, +)
16) Wilmington Wildcats (82.5, -)
17) Pawtucket Patriots (82.2, ++)
18) California Kodiaks (75.0, +)
19) Pittsburgh Millers (74.8, --)
20) Washington Bats (74.3, --)
21) Hartford Whalers (70.2, o)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (68.8, +)
23) Batavia Muckdogs (63.3, -)
24) Carolina Tobs (58.8, -)
Performance of the Week
SS Alexander Charter - For the third straight week not a single player cracked the Top Performances of the season once again. In all our time we can't remember a break this long as everyone must have gotten their best games out early in the season. We did pick Charter though for his September 8th performance against Washington. In a 6-5 win he smashed two home runs, drove in three, and scored three times. His last run was in the bottom of the ninth when he scored on a Stefan Jamroz walk-off single. Charter was the first overall pick of the 2054 draft, who at 24 years old still has room to grow. He's struggled this year with a .227 average, but he's hit 18 home runs and drove in 61 while putting up a +7.4 ZR in left field.
Prospect of the Week
P Spencer Maldonado- The 18 year old was a true freshman last season when he went 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA and 188 ERA+. He made the All-Star team and finished second in the Outstanding Pitcher award. In his scouting report it simply states, "Maldonado is an ace" and we agree. He throws four pitches, including a knee buckling curve, has the stamina to complete games, and accordingly to coaches has a high work ethic. He should be eligible for the 2062 draft and we're excited to see where this kid ends up.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Domestic playoffs now looks to be four teams for three spots. With Syracuse, Montreal, and Maine in...Toronto, Dallas, New Orleans, and Santo Domingo are left and a whopping 2.5 games separate them from top to bottom. Wilmington is four back from the postseason, but have an opponents win percentage of .553 (highest in the league) and 10 of 16 on the road. Toronto and Dallas have the highest odds thanks to having nine and ten games at home respectively, while SDR comes in with a tough road (literally) at 37.6%. In the Import it's three teams for one spot, as Denver, Washington, and Windy City do battle. The Blues are now +14 since July, and although they have a 1.4% postseason chance according to our friends at Stats+, never say never to a team that was 28-54 on June 30th.
2. Toronto is 10-1 against Hartford this season, but the biggest surprise is Phoenix absolutely dominating the Washington Bats. The Roadrunners are 10-1 against them this season, and have outscored them by 18 runs. Some other 'we like playing these guys': Baltimore is 9-0 against Carolina, Maine is 9-2 vs New Orleans, NYC is 9-2 against California and 9-3 against Batavia, and Phoenix is 9-3 against LAD and 8-1 against Denver.
3. Speaking of Washington they are now 70-76, and are predicted to finish with 78 wins. Since 1978 the Bats have finished under .500 just...let me triple check that...three times! They went 72-90 in 1980, 65-97 in 1997, and 76-86 in 1999. That's it. Overall this franchise is 2,331 games above .500, has been to the playoffs 68 times, and has won 12 Brewmaster Cups. This season though times are a changing. Known as the premier pitching organization (franchise 3.42 ERA is 1st overall), they are 8th in the Import in ERA, 10th in bullpen ERA, 8th in hits allowed, 8th in runs allowed, and 9th in home runs allowed. Where have you gone Ed 'Dropkick' Carroll, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
4. With 102 home runs, the Blues are last in the Import in home runs, and second to last in the entire league. Ezekiel Wolfson is their only power hitter, as he's smashed 27 out of the park to go along with a .301 average. They did get to add one more to the overall number this last week when 32 year old short stop Phil Phillips hit his first ever home run. Drafted in the 5th round of the 2049 draft by Batavia, he was released the following season. He signed with Maine and was released three weeks later. Then in August of 2050 he signed with Windy City. After spending 10 full season in the minors, and starting this year off in AAA, he was called up for his first major league game on June 21st against Seattle. It took until September 11th against New York, but in the 3rd inning he took Bryce 'Dingus' Leistner deep over the left field wall. Known for his great glove at second base, as he's only hitting .191 on the season, it was a special moment for Phillips and the home crowd of 18k that got to witness it.
5. What's on tap? The Lager division love fest is still in full swing as New Orleans travels to Toronto, Santo Domingo heads to Dallas, and Montreal goes south to Wilmington. With just over two weeks to play we could once again see the entire Domestic League playoff picture shuffle around. Streak wise Maine and Denver have won five straight, Washington has lost six straight, Wellington Wingate (PHI) has a 17 game hitting streak, and Mitch Colwell (MAI) has won nine straight decisions and converted 15 straight saves.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive Seasons Playing The Same Position For The Same Team (Top 25 Players by Seasons, Then Innings) |
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