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07/04/2061
Montreal went 4-3, but alas the run at the top of the Power Rankings is over...at one week. Back on top is New York, who also went 4-3? Well anyways the winner of the week was Wilmington who went 6-1. After posting losing months in April and May they went a whopping 21-7 last month. Other top weeks were Syracuse who went 5-1, while Baltimore and Phoenix went 5-2.
Power Rankings
1) New York Cyclones (115.2, +)
2) Phoenix Roadrunners (111.8, +)
3) Montreal Exports (111.2, -)
4) Baltimore Bulldogs (109.0, ++)
5) Syracuse Snappers (103.8, ++)
6) Pawtucket Patriots (103.6, +)
7) Wilmington Wildcats (102.4, ++)
8) Washington Bats (102.4, +)
9) Maine Guides (98.4, +)
10) California Kodiaks (96.2, --)
11) Dallas Drillers (92.3, --)
12) Toronto Canadians (88.9, ++)
13) Windy City Blues (87.9, o)
14) New Orleans Voodoo (87.1, --)
15) Seattle Pilots (85.7, --)
16) Denver Bulls (84.7, o)
17) Pittsburgh Millers (82.7, +)
18) Carolina Tobs (79.4, --)
19) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (77.3, +)
20) Los Angeles Dinos (76.0, +)
21) Batavia Muckdogs (72.1, -)
22) Indianapolis Clowns (71.6, -)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (58.6, o)
24) Hartford Whalers (57.1, o)
Performance of the Week
Parker Lee - The 30 year old debuted his new facial hair and turned in the 4th best performance of the season in a 17-4 drubbing of Batavia. In five at bats he had three home runs, drove in six, and scored four times during the onslaught. He's now hitting .292/.396/.638 with a league leading 25 HR and 71 RBI. The 8x All-Star was a second round pick by Washington back in 2048 and has been a cornerstone of their franchise since 2051.
Prospect of the Week
P Raymond 'Fox' McCullough - The 17 year old was the 10th overall pick of this years draft and debuted as the 12th overall prospect in the league. With four pitches, great stamina, and being able to hit 97 mph on the gun, scouts think he's a top of the rotation pitcher. Unfortunately in his fourth game with the Voodoo he tweaked his shoulder, and will be more than likely shut down the rest of the season. He doesn't need surgery though and we expect him to be good to go next season.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We're onto July and All-Star month. Looking back in the month of June we already discussed the big winner, Wilmington. With a 21-7 record they went from fifth place and 14 games back on June 1st, to second place and seven games back on July 1st. They allowed just 79 runs during the month, 20 better than Pawtucket who came in second with 99. Runner-up was California who went 19-9. They are also now in second place in the Bock after having losing months in April and May as well. Finally we had Dallas who went 18-9, their first winning month too. The Drillers are now in third place, just two games back from the Wildcats. On the other side of life Philly went 7-20 as they're neck and neck with Hartford for the first pick of next years draft.
2. Scott McDonald sealed his Import League Batter of the Month (and IL POTW) award on June 30th when he smacked three home runs against Philly. The 23 year old hit .356 with 9 home runs, 22 RBIs and 24 runs scored during the month of June. Drafted 3rd overall in 2055 he only played in 36 games last year, but has started 62 games at third this season for the Roadrunners. On the season he's hitting .296 with 19 HR, 57 RBI, and a 144 OPS+. He's also currently third in the IL All-Star voting at third base. He might not make it this season, but he certainly will down the road.
3. The Import and Domestic league parity is something else as seven teams in the Domestic have between 40 and 46 wins, while four teams in the Import do. Those seven teams in the Domestic are all battling for four Wild Card spots, and they are just seven games apart from top to bottom. In the Import we still have Baltimore and Washington as the Wild Car top dogs, while Cali, Windy City, Seattle, Denver, Carolina, and Batavia are also just seven games apart for the final two spots.
4. In the 'We Like Playing These Guys' edition":
Pittsburgh is 6-0 vs Hartford
NYC is 4-0 vs Cali
Montreal is 4-0 vs Pawtucket
Windy City is 8-1 vs Denver
Wilmington is 8-1 vs SDR
Maine is 8-1 vs Hartford
Seattle is 6-1 vs Philly
Carolina is 6-1 vs Windy City
NYC is 5-1 vs Batavia
5. What's on tap? We're back to interleague and get some good series. Wilmington travels to Washington, Phoenix heads to Maine, and Syracuse heads out to California. The big one though is New York heading to Montreal. Word on the street is that the Cyclones will take the Amtrak there. Both teams are 53-32 and have the best record in their respective leagues. The Cyclones haven't had the bats this season, but their pitching is second overall in runs scored, first overall in HR allowed, and second in walks allowed. Montreal meanwhile is middle of the road pitching, but first in runs scored, OBP, SLG, and OPS. Looks like a fun series.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Losses The Season Before Winning The Pale Ale Pitcher Award (Top 25 Players) |
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