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04/17/2062
And we're back. After a long, cold, desolate, lonely winter...the BLB is back for season number eighty-four. Amazing isn't it when you think about it? It was also an amazing first week, at least for a few teams. Each division had a team start out hot as Maine, Montreal, Washington, and Windy City all went 6-1. On the flip side Pittsburgh went 1-6, Dallas went 0-7, Philly went 0-7, and California went 1-5. Some team leaders: Toronto hit .316, Batavia and Montreal hit 11 home runs, Baltimore swiped 19 bases, Phoenix scored 50 runs, Pawtucket allowed just 13 runs, and opponents hit .170 off Windy City pitchers.
Power Rankings
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Montreal Exports (165.3, ++)
2) Windy City Blues (165.3, ++)
3) Maine Guides (164.3, ++)
4) Washington Bats (164.3, ++)
5) Pawtucket Patriots (159.0, ++)
6) New York Cyclones (158.0, ++)
7) New Orleans Voodoo (135.6, ++)
8) Toronto Canadians (130.6, ++)
9) Los Angeles Dinos (106.9, o)
10) Phoenix Roadrunners (105.9, ++)
11) Hartford Whalers (102.9, --)
12) Baltimore Bulldogs (100.9, --)
13) Carolina Tobs (78.1, --)
14) Syracuse Snappers (77.1, ++)
15) Wilmington Wildcats (77.1, ++)
16) Batavia Muckdogs (74.1, --)
17) Denver Bulls (74.1, --)
18) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (54.0, o)
19) Seattle Pilots (44.4, o)
20) California Kodiaks (21.0, --)
21) Indianapolis Clowns (15.7, --)
22) Pittsburgh Millers (14.7, --)
23) Dallas Drillers (-14.0, --)
24) Philadelphia Freedom (-14.0, --)
Performance of the Week
3B Wade 'Bulldozer' Cummins - We're rooting for this kid as he's already in his sixth BLB season and is just 23 years old. Last season he hit .243 and put up a 1.7 WAR after hitting just .196 with a -2.7 WAR the year before. Many gave up on him, but he still has the tools to turn it around. He showed those tools by already putting up the top hitting performance of the year against Phoenix just two days ago. In four at bats he had three hits, two home runs, and drove in five. Unfortunately Batavia got blown out 11-6 after the Roadrunners put up five in the sixth to take an 11-1 lead. Cummins is hitting .267 with 3 HR and 8 RBI and the Muckdogs are hoping for big things.
Prospect of the Week
CF Garon Norgrove - He entered the league this off-season from South Africa, and the Bats quickly reached into their deep pockets to sign him to a 5 year/$120,001,000 deal. He debuted as the 35th overall prospect in the league, and quickly showed why. In his first week in the BLB he hit .350/.448/.880 with 4 HR, 9 RBI, and 2 SB while putting up a +.02 ZR in center field. Scouts think he's a regular on a contending team, but it appears he might be more than that. Looks like those Bats hit pay dirt once again.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Dwan Tamarovsky is 35 years old and still going strong. The 35 year old started his career in the Freedom organization back in 2042, was traded to LAD, and helped the Dinos win back to back titles in 2048 and 2049. Since then he's played for Seattle, Maine, Pawtucket, Phoenix, Denver, and now Phoenix again. This past week he collected his 3000th BLB strikeout, and became the 29th player in the history of the league to reach that milestone. Originally from Lithuanian, the 6'4 hurler has been named to four All-Star teams and won the 2052 Pale Ale.
2. An all-time record that many thought would not be broken is on the ropes, as Richie 'Powder' van Luik's 935 career stolen bases could and should be snapped this season. Julian 'Skeeter' Ludin, now of Carolina fame, has 898 career stolen bases, and is on pace to swipe 89 more this season. Meanwhile Rick Anderson of the Roadrunners is at 901, and also projected to steal 89 more bases this season. The biggest drama surrounding the record might be who breaks it first. Anderson is 34, Ludin is 36, and together they have combined for nine All-Star appearances and 11 Designated Drivers.
3. Hartford DH Justin Rice hit .148 this past week, but he did smack his first BLB home run. On April 12th against Pittsburgh, Rice hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give Hartford a 4-2 lead. The Whalers went on to win 6-3, and the 22 year old son of BLB Hall of Fame member J.D. 'Hurricane' Rice now just has 608 home runs to go to tie his old man. Scouts think he's a reliable hitter with plus power potential, and coaches love his work ethic. Drafted in the second round of the 2057 draft we're excited to see what he turns into. The pressure will be immense as the comparisons will never stop, but he has the tools and pedigree to be a good player for the Whalers.
4. It was not a good week for the Drillers. In their 0-7 start they were outscored by 28 runs as their pitchers gave up 86 hits and opponents hit .344 off them. Dallas didn't have it's first lead until game five against Maine, when they took a 4-3 lead in the fourth. Maine scored three in the sixth though on a Jarrett Shaneyfelt home run and that was it. In the following game the Drillers did lead 1-0 after the bottom of the first, but Maine scored twice in the bottom half of the inning and went on to win 8-2. Dallas has the second highest payroll in the league at $147m, so it has to get better right? Sadly their projected balance is -$27m, so then again maybe it doesn't.
5. What's on tap? Week two means we have some fun interleague match-ups as the schedule makers somehow predicted the future. We get to see the 6-1 Guides travel to the 6-1 Bats, and the 6-1 Blues travel to the 6-1 Exports. We also get to see the 5-1 Cyclones travel to the 5-1 Patriots. The only thing that would have made the week complete would have been seeing the 0-7 Drillers face off with the 0-7 Freedom!
Stat of the Week
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| Lowest Percentage of Home Runs Among 2000 Hit Men (Top 25 Players) |
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