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05/02/2061
Now there's a face the league hasn't seen at the top of the Power Rankings in a while. The Pawtucket Patriots went 6-0 with sweeps of Indy and Dallas, have won 10 straight, and now have the best record in the league at 20-5. Who saw this coming? Well obviously the DK did, that's why in our preseason predictions we had Pawtucket...let us check our notes...finishing third in the Ale and missing the playoffs. Well there's still time for that we suppose. We kid Patriot fans, please don't send anymore hate mail. Other top weeks were Baltimore and Maine who each went 6-1. The Guides find themselves only five games under .500 now, while Baltimore has once again risen to the top of the Stout throne. On the other side of life Seattle went 0-6. More on the Pilots later though.
Power Rankings
1) Pawtucket Patriots (164.0, +)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (136.7, +)
3) Washington Bats (124.0, +)
4) Phoenix Roadrunners (122.7, --)
5) Syracuse Snappers (120.2, o)
6) New York Cyclones (111.0, +)
7) Denver Bulls (100.0, +)
8) Montreal Exports (98.8, -)
9) Batavia Muckdogs (89.4, ++)
10) Toronto Canadians (88.3, -)
11) Carolina Tobs (86.1, -)
12) Los Angeles Dinos (85.4, +)
13) Indianapolis Clowns (83.7, o)
14) Maine Guides (82.3, ++)
15) New Orleans Voodoo (82.1, ++)
16) Windy City Blues (78.1, -)
17) Pittsburgh Millers (75.2, --)
18) Philadelphia Freedom (73.2, +)
19) Dallas Drillers (68.2, --)
20) Wilmington Wildcats (65.0, --)
21) California Kodiaks (59.8, -)
22) Hartford Whalers (59.4, -)
23) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (53.0, o)
24) Seattle Pilots (49.3, --)
Performance of the Week
Harry Fischer - When the stat line came in over the news that Fischer put up a 110 game score against Dallas, we all thought "spectacular", then we all asked "who's Harry Fischer?" Well let us tell you. Drafted in the ninth round of the 2049 draft, Harry is now 29 years old and playing in his second season in the majors. Last year he logged 17 games, and this season he's up to 14. Previous to April 25th he was hitting .200 with no home runs and two runs batted in. Then April 25th came. In four at bats he smashed three home runs and drove in seven as the Rum Runners needed extra innings to prevail 8-7. He's currently only starting against LHP in the DH role, but maybe this past week will generate a little more action for him.
Prospect of the Week
1B Greg Thomas - The 20 year old might be the best first basemen in the draft. Not only do scouts think his ability to put the bat on the ball, then drive said ball over the fence is top of the line, but his defensive ability at first base is at a DWI level. Oh you don't need a DWI level first basemen, well Greg can also play either corner outfield spot as well. He can even play centerfield if needed in emergency situations. At 6'6 he hails from Wanchese, NC, was a 3x CCBL All-Star, and hit .340/.417/.692 in 184 games for the Anglers.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Where have you gone Seattle Pilots, our nation turns its worried eyes to you...woo, woo, woo. Why are we worried? Well because this team has gone to the playoffs for 12 straight seasons, won 104 games last season, and now have lost seven straight, sit at 9-17, and are 9.5 games behind Phoenix. Last season their pitching staff was third overall with a 3.45 ERA, and second overall with an opponents average of .243. This year their 4.47 ERA is in the bottom third of the league, and they've allowed 36 home runs which is worst in the Import. The good news is that they already have a leagues worst -3 PYT as they are 3-8 in one-run games. Well we suppose it's only good news if that number improves. Better good news is that they are only 16% of the way through the season.
2. When Pawtucket selected third basemen Isaac Murphy in the 8th round of the 2057 draft they knew they found a diamond in the rough. Well maybe not but they sure got one. To be honest Murphy had some great NCAA numbers at Rice. Over four seasons he hit .307/.392/.554 while going to the 2057 All-Star game and winning the best hitter award at third. After all that he was drafted 177th overall. Murphy was then named a 2058 Bush League All-Star, a 2060 Horizon League All-Star, and was also selected to the Futures team. He then made the team this year as Pawtuckets opening day starting third basemen. Instead of struggling he was just named the Batter of the Month and Rookie of the Month after hitting .364 with 7 HR and 24 RBI. He's a natural first basemen, but for now they are going to keep him at third and see how it works out. With a bat like that it appears to be working out just fine.
3. Two big milestones happened this past week as 40 year old Reid Rothstein reached 3500 strikeouts, and 34 year old Theodore Blume reached 3000 strikeouts. Blume is the 27th player in the history of the league to reach 3000, while Rothstein is in much rarer air. Only Dave Teel (3507), Johnny McDade (3570), and D.J. 'The Brick' Engstrom (3597) have more. At his current pace, Rothstein is set to get around 110 more K's this season, which when we do the math would make him the all-time leader in strikeouts. Drafted 19th overall by the Bats in 2041 he's played his entire career in Washington. During that times he's been named to nine All-Star teams, won two Pale Ales, and has helped Washington win four Brewmasters. This season he's currently 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA, his lowest since 2051 when he won his second Pale Ale.
4. With the 2061 BLB draft right around that corner that can only mean that it's playoff season in the lower levels. At the high school level the Jackson Polar Bears and playing the Harvard-Westlake Wildcats in the championship series which starts today. For the NCAA the Rice Owls just swept the Texas Longhorns to make the College World Series, as they await the winner between Pacific and Florida State. FSU was a leagues best 30-18 on the season and are led by freshman outfielder Corvin Bartlett. Finally in the Cape Cod League they have already crowned a champion. The Orleans Firebirds took down the Harwich Mariners as potential upcoming first round pick Toby Foster was named MVP of the series. The 4x CCBL All-Star was the 2060 Outstanding Hitter and is the front runner to win it again after hitting .320 with 20 HR, 52 RBI, and 25 SB during the regular season.
5. What's on tap? How about a little 1v2 action. First up we get to see a tale as old as time as Washington travels to Baltimore for a three-game series. It will be their first meeting of the season as the Bulldogs only lead the Bats by a single game in the Stout. Then we get to see Pawtucket head over to Syracuse. The Snappers have the second most wins in the Domestic and are rolling once again. Last season they won 93 games, but they are hoping Asher Kapler gets back on track. Last season he finished second in the Stout Slugger race after putting up an 8.4 WAR. This season he's hitting .256 with 3 HR and is on pace for a 2.3 WAR. Streak wise Pawtucket has won 10 straight, Seattle has lost seven straight, and Roadrunner reliever Blake 'Downtown' Galik hasn't lost a game since 2057.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Strikeouts by Age (Earliest Occurrence Shown) |
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