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05/08/2062
The Cyclones continue to be the king of the BLB as they push their record to 28-10 with a 4-2 week. The Bats started out the season 16-3, and suddenly find themselves already four games back in the Stout. The top weeks though belonged to the 'Awesome Ale' as Pawtucket and Maine both went 5-1. The Guides got back to .500, while the defending champs are 23-15 and have built a four game lead in the division. The not so top weeks were had by Baltimore, Dallas, and Hartford who all went 1-5.
Power Rankings
1) New York Cyclones (136.6, +)
2) Montreal Exports (133.5, -)
3) Pawtucket Patriots (119.9, ++)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (116.8, +)
5) Washington Bats (112.7, -)
6) Phoenix Roadrunners (102.5, +)
7) California Kodiaks (102.5, +)
8) Windy City Blues (95.5, --)
9) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (95.3, ++)
10) Maine Guides (94.0, ++)
11) Toronto Canadians (91.0, +)
12) Carolina Tobs (88.5, ++)
13) Dallas Drillers (85.7, --)
14) Los Angeles Dinos (84.7, +)
15) Syracuse Snappers (82.0, +)
16) Wilmington Wildcats (81.7, --)
17) Baltimore Bulldogs (75.5, --)
18) Denver Bulls (72.3, ++)
19) Batavia Muckdogs (71.8, --)
20) Philadelphia Freedom (68.2, -)
21) Indianapolis Clowns (68.1, -)
22) Pittsburgh Millers (64.5, -)
23) Hartford Whalers (63.8, --)
24) Seattle Pilots (55.4, o)
Performance of the Week
P Levi Brown - Bad, bad, Levi Brown, he's the baddest man in the whole damn town...at least for one night. On May 19th against the Whalers he harpooned them with a complete game shut-out where he allowed only four hits, walked none, and struck out 10. The 30 year old is the ace of the Denver staff, so after a rough start to the season hopefully this will be what he needs to get going. In eight starts he's now 2-4 with a 4.32 ERA and 89 ERA+, which are the worst numbers in his career. The rebound starts now.
Prospect of the Week
P Conner Scott - The 23 year old was an undrafted free agent out of the CCBL, where he won two Cape Cups, who was then scooped up by Batavia in 2059. He's now the ninth overall prospect in the league, but still playing in AA where he's completely demolishing the competition. In six starts he's 6-0 with a 1.94 ERA and 210 ERA. We think it's time for the young(er) man to move on up, maybe all the way to the BLB. He throws a devastating slider, a great fastball, and can hit 98 mph on the radar gun.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Windy City finally brought up Nigel Torres, and he didn't get a hit in three games. Like we've been saying, he just needs a little more time in AAA! In reality a few organizations might bounce this kid around and hurt his confidence, but Torres is ready so we hope the Blues don't. In those three games he had 15 plate appearances, and walked five times. So when you're batting .000 and still getting on base at a .333 clip, just imagine what this kid will do when he gets comfortable in the majors. He was a fourth round pick in 2057, and we think this 6'7 first basemen who hails from Cuba is going to be a beast.
2. Montreal is going to go on a playoff appearance run that should last quite some time. After bottoming out in 2056 with a 48-114 record (54 games out of first), they've gone to the playoffs four of the last five years and won the 2060 Brew. They also have the two top players in the league in center fielder Teddy Burch and catcher Andy Christman. Burch is the elder of the two, at 23 years old, while Christman won't turn 23 until August. Burch is currently on pace to hit .340 with 28 HR, 109 RBI, and post a +5.0 ZR in center. Christman is on pace to hit .306 with 32 HR, 89 RBI and put up a 5.0 WAR. Throw in 25 year old Henry 'The Artist' Miller, and 24 year old Eli Tracy, and the rest of the Lager has to be shaking their heads.
3. In the storied and long history of the BLB, only 25 players have hit more than 50 home runs in a single season. Rodrick Madhubuti has to be the most surprising. In 2055 for Pawtucket he hit .230/.352/.574 with 50 HR and 101 RBI. Over the next few seasons he hit 34, 24, and then 33 home runs...all while batting .188, .182, and then .191. He lost favor with the Patriots, and bounced around to Indy and now Wilmington. So far in 21 games this season he's had 47 at bats, where he's recorded just six hits and struck out an amazing 30 times. Originally a scouting discovery by Syracuse out of the Ivory Coast back in 2043, he's now 34 years old and still has the power to absolutely crank the ball out of the park. Sadly he just can't hit a curveball, and can't help himself when it comes to striking out.
4. Looking at our old friend zone rating, Windy City now leads the league at +15.25, following by Wilmington at +13.09, and then LAD at +10.98. The Blues are the only team in the league that has a positive ZR at every single position, and currently post a combined +8.84 ZR in the outfield. How happy are their pitchers? On the flip side Philly is at -19.15, Batavia is at -16.41, and Dallas is -12.72. How sad are their pitchers? Maybe they should try playing with the glove on the other hand.
5. What's on tap? This week we have been blessed by the BLB gods as it's a battle of the first place teams. In the Domestic we get to see a four game series between Pawtucket and Montreal, and in the Import we get to see a four game series between Phoenix and New York. It doesn't get much better than that. Streak wise Kyle Bruns for Denver has a 16 game hitting streak, while Burgess 'Nuke' Nalivkin of Pawtucket has driven in a run in six straight games.
Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive 11 W Seasons To Start A Career (Top 25 Players) |
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