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05/30/2061
The Drillers have won eight straight as they put together a 6-0 week with clean sweeps of Seattle and Windy City, all while outscoring their opponents by 19 runs. To be fair four of the wins were by one run, and three of those were in extras, but they won the other two by 15 runs. The other top week was New York. The Cyclones went 5-1, have tied Baltimore for the Stout lead, and now sit at top of the Power Rankings. On the other side of the pillow Windy City went 0-6 while Philly went 1-5. That's a hard week for Blues fans, as they've lost seven straight, but we still think that team has a chance to be really good in a few seasons. Hopefully the wait will be worth it.
Power Rankings
1) New York Cyclones (125.3, ++)
2) Montreal Exports (118.1, o)
3) Baltimore Bulldogs (117.3, -)
4) Dallas Drillers (110.3, ++)
5) Syracuse Snappers (110.1, ++)
6) Washington Bats (107.1, --)
7) Phoenix Roadrunners (106.0, -)
8) Pawtucket Patriots (102.5, -)
9) Maine Guides (95.2, -)
10) Denver Bulls (91.0, +)
11) New Orleans Voodoo (89.6, ++)
12) California Kodiaks (89.1, ++)
13) Wilmington Wildcats (87.1, ++)
14) Seattle Pilots (86.7, --)
15) Pittsburgh Millers (84.8, --)
16) Indianapolis Clowns (83.1, ++)
17) Toronto Canadians (80.3, --)
18) Batavia Muckdogs (79.8, ++)
19) Hartford Whalers (74.5, ++)
20) Carolina Tobs (71.9, -)
21) Los Angeles Dinos (67.0, -)
22) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (65.0, -)
23) Windy City Blues (64.5, --)
24) Philadelphia Freedom (59.2, o)
Performance of the Week
P Jeremy Jackson - No-hitters are rare in the BLB as batters seem to have the upper hand these days. We had the first one of the season though, and second one since 2058, on June 7th as Jackson befuddled the Blues. Over the course of the game he faced 30 batters, struck out nine and walked two as Montreal won 5-0. After the game Jackson said, "This is something special. I knew from the fifth inning that I had a no-hitter working. I tried to get it out of my mind, but you just can't. They have too many scoreboards in the park. They're everywhere you look." On the season Jackson is now 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA and 116 ERA+. Originally a 10th round pick by Washington, he played for the Bats for six seasons before being traded to Montreal after the 2059 season.
Prospect of the Week
P Trevor 'Grandpa' Caldwell - Drafted in 2058 with the 6th overall pick, Caldwell is about to turn 21 in just two months. Scouts think he could be a top of the rotation pitcher as he can hit 98 mph on the gun, throws five pitches, and has the stamina to finish out games. This is his fourth season in the Rookie League, where he's started 73 games and is 27-15 with a 2.62 ERA and 189 ERA+. Looks like he'll be moving up the minors shortly.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. June 7th was a fun day in the BLB. Not only did Jackson throw his no-hitter, but Roadrunner Rick Anderson recorded his 2000th career hit and Seattle first basemen Beau Pruett went for the cycle. Anderson was drafted by Dallas in the first round of the 2044 draft, but traded to Phoenix in the huge Derek Bell deal of 2046. He's now on his 13th season with the Roadrunners where he's become a 2x All-Star and 5x Designated Driver at shortstop. He also has 863 career stolen bases, second all-time in BLB history. Pruett meanwhile was the second overall pick of the 2048 draft by Santo Domingo. He played there for five seasons before signing a five year deal with Seattle in 2058. Pruett has been to six All-Star games and is on pace to post a 5.4 WAR season for the Pilots, which would be a career high.
2. Reports out of Carolina state that 6x All-Star Charlie Spence may be on the block. The 10th overall pick of the 2047 draft in in his 10th season with the Tobs, where he's lifetime 137-95 with a 3.39 ERA and 116 ERA+. He's struggled the past two season though. In 2060 he was 9-15 with a 3.95 ERA and 96 ERA+, while this season he's 5-7 with a 4.14 ERA and 96 ERA+. From 2054 to now though he's been the absolute strikeout king. His lowest amount during those seasons was 322, and from 2054 to present day there are only four pitchers with more than 2000 strikeouts, and only one with more than 2500 K's. Spence is the one as he's had 2,548 during that time. He also still holds the BLB single season record when he chalked up 365 K's in 2056.
3. The batting average leader of the league is Pawtucket second basemen Keith Friday, who's hitting .365. Drafted 21st overall in 2057 out of high school, he's just 21 but already playing in his third season with the Patriots. So far he's hit .308, .328, and now .365. Who does he remind us of, how about Batavia Hall of Fame second basemen Helespôntico Jarava. Jarava had the amazing ability to put the bat on the ball, and very rarely strikeout. That's a good pretty combination that allowed him to have a lifetime average of .302 where he tallied up 2,230 hits and only 392 strikeouts. Friday meanwhile has those same traits, but still needs a time to mature. The good news is that scouts think he will. In his first two season he struck out 144 and 146 times, while this season he's on pace for 132. Jarava never struck out more than 51 times in a single season, but he also came into the league when he was 24. Give Friday three more years and we should see those strikeout numbers plummet.
4. There are seven teams in the league with a 95% or higher playoff probability percentage (PPP). There are zero teams with a 0% PPP. Even Santo Domingo at 26-39 has a 1.4% chance according to the odds makers. That means that everyone seemingly has a chance to make the postseason. With nine teams between 25% and 75% it could mean two things. One, we'll have a few buyers and sellers as the season approaches the halfway mark. Or two, everyone will hold onto their precious jewels in hopes they get hot and lead them to postseason glory. Only time will tell.
5. What's on tap? We get the battle of the 'mids' as Pittsburgh travels to Maine and California goes north to Seattle. The Pilots and Guides are currently in if the playoffs started today (we know...they don't), while Pittsburgh and California are both a game out. We also get a big boy match-up as Montreal heads to Dallas. The Exports are the best team in the league and are favorites to repeat as champions. Featuring a high powered offense that is first in the Domestic in average, OBP, SLG, runs scored, and extra base hits they are hard to beat. The Drillers have won eight straight, but also post the ninth best starters ERA (4.66). It could be a long series if they don't get some good outings on the mound. Streakwise Dallas has won eight straight , New York has won five straight, Windy City has lost seven straight, and Emmanuel Thorn (SEA) has a 17 game hitting streak.
Stat of the Week
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