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06/27/2061
Windy City is back...well at least back to just two games under. 500. After a 6-1 week that featured taking three of four from Washington and sweeping LAD they are just one game out of the Import Wild Card race. Another top week was their playoff competition the Kodiaks. California went 5-1 thanks to a sweep of Philly to get two games over .500. Word is their GM is back inside of his suite at In-N-Out Field after sitting on the balcony rail last series. Finally we had Carolina who went 5-2 after Charlie Spence was traded away. The 'dead-cat bounce' continues to be alive and well in the BLB. On the other side of life Indy went 1-6 while Philly went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) Montreal Exports (114.1, ++)
2) New York Cyclones (112.1, -)
3) Phoenix Roadrunners (105.1, o)
4) California Kodiaks (104.3, ++)
5) New Orleans Voodoo (103.9, --)
6) Dallas Drillers (101.1, ++)
7) Pawtucket Patriots (100.5, ++)
8) Baltimore Bulldogs (99.2, -)
9) Washington Bats (98.2, -)
10) Maine Guides (97.9, +)
11) Wilmington Wildcats (97.3, --)
12) Seattle Pilots (93.0, o)
13) Windy City Blues (92.7, ++)
14) Syracuse Snappers (91.8, --)
15) Carolina Tobs (87.8, +)
16) Denver Bulls (87.6, o)
17) Toronto Canadians (87.6, -)
18) Pittsburgh Millers (84.4, +)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (76.5, o)
20) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (75.9, ++)
21) Indianapolis Clowns (71.8, --)
22) Los Angeles Dinos (66.2, o)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (59.9, -)
24) Hartford Whalers (51.8, o)
Performance of the Week
Cayden Wittmeyer - There were five pitches last week who made the Top 25 pitching performances of the season list, but none was as good as Wittmeyer. That's because on June 23rd against Batavia he turned in the best performance of the season against Batavia. In a complete game shut-out he allowed just three hits, no walks, and struck out an amazing 17 batters. There are only five pitchers in the history of the Import League who have had more, and he tied the Seattle record of 17 held by Dave Teel, who did it back in 2026. On the season Wittmeyer is now 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 14 starts.
Prospect of the Week
1B Greg Thomas - The 5th overall pick of this years draft made his debut as the sixth overall prospect in the league. The 6'6 slugger is just 20 years old, and in four years in the CCBL he smashed 64 home runs, drove in 158 runs, and hit .340. After the draft he went to the Rookie League where he got three hits in four at bats, and he was promptly sent to Cali's A ball team, the Moose Jaw Moose. So far in five games there he's hitting .381 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. Looks like another Parker Lee to us.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. With Carolina selling Spence, it looks like an Import race for the final two Wild Card spots between California, Seattle, Windy City, and Denver, with the Tobs and Muckdogs as dark horses. Seattle has their 12 year playoff streak going, California is looking to go for the third straight year, while Windy City and Denver are on the up and up. Right now the Stats+ odds makers favorite the Pilots (65%) and Kodiaks (60%), but we have a long way to go. PYT wise the Pilots and Bulls are at -3, California is at -2, and Windy City is at +5. Meanwhile poor LAD is at 30-48 with a -7 PYT. Looks like the Blues are getting all the breaks for now.
2. Congrats to Julian Irwin who surpassed 1000 extra-base hits this past week. In the history of the league he's the 35th such player to do so. Irwin has tallied up 537 home runs, 431 doubles, and 33 triples. Drafted in the 8th round of the 2040 draft by Batavia he's turned into one of the greatest late round finds ever. The now 38 year old broke into the league at the age of 23, has been named to eight All-Star games, won five Designated Drivers, took home two Stout Sluggers, and has won championships with Batavia, Washington, and Indianapolis. For the last title he was traded from California to Indy after 96 games. During the next 43 with the Clowns he hit .335/.429/.641 with 13 HR and 35 RBI. In the 16 playoff games he hit .241/.392/.690 with 7 HR and 26 RBI. During his illustrious career he's played for Batavia, Washington, California, Indy, Dallas, Maine, and now New Orleans.
3. Defense still wins championships (well along with pitching we suppose). The top three teams in Zone Rating are Montreal (+20.26), Wilmington (+19.87), and Phoenix (+19.13). They all have winning records. On the other end of the spectrum is Hartford (-23.29), Philly (-22.23), and Batavia (-19.87). They all have losing records. Error wise Baltimore has committed only 27 (CAR 57), while Wilmington has thrown out 43.7% of runners. California meanwhile is at 14.2%, a number we can't recall ever seeing. Rookie Shelton 'Thumper' Gallegos, drafted 1.16 in 2059, has had 54 runners attempt to steal a base on him. He's thrown out six, and to be honest two of them tripped. Meanwhile Wildcat rookie Chandler Frazee, drafted 1.16 in 2058, is the best defensive catcher in the league. With a cannon for an arm, and an innate ability to play the position, he's gunned down 26 out of 50 attempted runners.
4. We talked about Charlie Spence earlier, but it appears he's doing the opposite of most California trades. Usually a Kodiak departs California, and goes on to an illustrious revival. Spence meanwhile was 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA and 92 ERA+ in 14 starts this season for Carolina. So far in California he's 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA and 635 ERA+. In 14.1 innings he allowed seven hits, one run, five walks, and stuck out 24 batters. He's lowered his ERA over half a point and he's now on pace for 374 strikeouts, which would smash his previous high (and single season record) of 365.
5. What's on tap? How about Seattle who has to travel to California, then gets to fly home to face Baltimore. The Kodiaks and Pilots are only a game apart as they sit third and fourth in the Wild Card standings. Both teams have turned it around in June as Seattle is 14-9 while California is 17-7. The Kodiaks then get to fly off to Washington for a big four-game series. Another Import battle is Windy City at Denver. The Blues have beaten up on the Bulls this season, as they hold a 5-1 advantage. Windy City trails Seattle by a game, and Denver trails Windy City by half a game. After all those series we're looking forward to the updated Stats+ playoff odds numbers next week as we head into July.
Stat of the Week
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| All Players with 40 HR / 40 SB Seasons (*=Active Player, +=Hall of Famer, with SB>=39) |
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