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07/16/2063
A little interleague lovefest happened this past week, with the defending champion Denver Bulls coming out on top. They swept Syracuse, then took two of three from Pawtucket as their 5-1 record pushed them to 57-34 on the season and only two games back from California. Seven other teams went 4-2, while the rest were .500 or worse. Three of those worse were Dallas, Syracuse, and Philly who all went 1-5. Alas it does not matter though as each of those teams are last in their division. There's always next year though! Some team leaders: Washington scored 44 runs (PAW 15), Carolina smacked 11 home runs (WC 1), Hartford allowed just 14 runs (DAL 39), and Washington struck out 81 opposing batters (PHI/PHO 46).
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (123.0, o)
2) California Kodiaks (122.7, o)
3) Denver Bulls (117.7, o)
4) Windy City Blues (115.5, o)
5) Wilmington Wildcats (111.7, o)
6) Pittsburgh Millers (100.1, ++)
7) New York Cyclones (99.9, +)
8) Los Angeles Dinos (98.1, -)
9) Indianapolis Clowns (94.0, +)
10) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (93.0, ++)
11) New Orleans Voodoo (93.0, +)
12) Toronto Canadians (92.0, ++)
13) Montreal Exports (90.9, --)
14) Carolina Tobs (89.0, -)
15) Baltimore Bulldogs (88.1, +)
16) Maine Guides (87.1, -)
17) Pawtucket Patriots (86.0, --)
18) Hartford Whalers (85.0, +)
19) Seattle Pilots (70.2, +)
20) Batavia Muckdogs (69.5, -)
21) Syracuse Snappers (65.2, +)
22) Dallas Drillers (64.2, -)
23) Philadelphia Freedom (56.3, o)
24) Phoenix Roadrunners (46.5, o)
Performance of the Week
1B Colton Coffin - Drafted in the first round of the 2052 draft, he hit .306 with 38 HR in 2060 for the Millers and was the next big thing. Thirty-two games into a horrendous 2061 season he was shipped to Denver, where he lasted all of 16 games there. He went to free agency and LAD took a chance, where in 2062 he hit .266 with 31 home runs. This season he's hitting .286 and is on pace for 38 home runs. He kept the hot bat going on July 5th against Indy he hit two home runs, drove in five, and scored three times in a 13-8 victory. He was a 2060 DL All-Star, and might be a 2063 IL All-Star. Everyone loves a good redemption story.
Prospect of the Week
3B Vince 'Mungo' Tanner - The fourth overall pick of this years draft is the fourth overall prospect in the league. So far in 24 A ball games he's hitting .310/.412/.701 with 10 HR and 21 RBI. Scouts think if he reaches his power potential he's a multiple All-Star selection, and we agree. During his four year stint with the Bourne Braves in the CCBL he was a 4x All-Star, won the 2063 Outstanding Hitter Award, and took home three Platinum Stick's. 'Mungo' is a masher.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. It's All-Star week in the BLB as the mid-season classic will be simulated July 20th. Due to travel issues, budget constraints, and past epidemics...the game is now just 'played' on OOTP '63, the latest installment of the heralded franchise. The votes are still counted, bonuses handed up, and festivities up the game have continued on though. Speaking of votes this year in the IL, Cali's Spencer Stephens leads all, while in the DL it's Montreal's Andy 'Turk' Christman. Stephens is just 24 and has a 4.2 WAR, while Christman is 23 and has recorded a 3.9 WAR to date. Looks like the BLB is in good hands.
2. It's time for this edition of "we like playing this team": Wilmington is 8-0 vs Syracuse, Batavia is 8-0 when playing Phoenix, Montreal is 7-0 against Syracuse, Denver is 6-1 vs Baltimore, Wilmington is 6-1 against Maine, Washington is 6-1 facing Phoenix, and Pawtucket is 6-1 vs Santo Domingo. When it comes to "we like playing at home": Washington is 36-9, Wilmington is 38-15, and Denver is 35-14.
3. Levi Brown has made 19 starts this season, and has only one quality start. His QS% of .053 is last in the BLB. The last five seasons he was 21/33, 21/31, 23/32, 22/33, and 23/34. To be 1/19 is just shocking. The 31 year old is now 4-5 with a 4.15 ERA, the first time in his career he's been over a 4.00 ERA. His ERA+ of 98 is also the first time he's been under 100. Maybe the 4x All-Star is just tired. Since he came into the league in 2054, he's fifth overall with 2,032 innings pitched. Considering he's third in WAR, and seventh in wins, we'll give him a break. Also Denver is 23 games over .500, so it hasn't hurt them too much. At some point he's going to turn it on, and when it happens we could see the Bulls go shooting past the Kodiaks for the division lead.
4. Blues first basemen Nigel Torres is on pace for 33 home runs, and could probably hit 45 or more if he wasn't so darn patient at the plate. He leads the league with a walk percentage of 20.4, he leads the league in walks with 66, and he leads the league with pitches per plate appearance at 4.80. The 23 year old is only in his second season and is just a pain for pitchers to get out. He's only hitting .261, but his .415 OBP is tied for second in the BLB. In his rookie year he hit just .234, so the fact that he's almost 30 points higher already is just scary. By next season he could be a .300/.425/.550 hitter...and then keep doing that for the next decade.
5. What's on tap? Besides the All-Star game, Home Run Derby, and Prospects Game, we get some fun match-ups to close out the first half of the season. The biggest has to be Denver at Los Angeles, with the Bulls sweeping LAD the first time they met. The Dinos are a respectable 48-41 though, and are led by a pitching staff that is 4th in the IL in hits and runs allowed, with a bullpen that is ranked second. Unfortunately they have four players on the "Who's Not" list. The champion Bulls meanwhile have five players on the "Who's Hot" list, while they are first in hits allowed and second in runs allowed. They are also first in hits and batting average. Some other good series are New Orleans at SDR, and Montreal and Toronto. Streak wise Philly has lost five straight, Webb Martinez (DEN) has won 13 straight decisions, Jarrett Shaneyfelt (MAI) has an 18 game hitting streak, and Jakob Hilliard hasn't lost in 13 straight starts.
Weekly Milestones
P Kurtis McClellan (PIT), 29 yo, reached 1000 strikeouts
2B Chase Calhoun (TOR), 26 yo, reached 1000 hits
2B Braxton Price (SDR), 23 yo, reached 250 hits
CF Johnathan Weeks (NO), 23 yo, reached 250 hits
3B Abraham Koziarz (PHI), 22 yo, reached 100 hits
C Garett Thomas (NO), 22 yo, reached 100 hits
CF Horace York (BAT), 24 yo, hit his first home run
3B Devan Clark (SYR), 25 yo, reached 250 RBIs
RF Tom Holderness (IND), 31 yo, reached 500 extra base hits
SS Harrison Jordan (PHO), 24 yo, reached 200 extra base hits
P Ian Cooley (MAI), 31 yo, reached 75 wins
P Chase Vaughan (CAR), 33 yo, reached 2500 strikeouts (63 players have reached this milestone)
P Zane Hastings (TOR), 30 yo, reached 2000 strikeouts
P Trejean Rüstü (PAW), 33 yo, reached 1000 strikeouts
P Rodell Jiu (SEA), 31 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P Donovan Hicks (IND), 30 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
Who's Hot / Who's Not
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Stat of the Week
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| Most Consecutive All-Star Appearances (Top 25 Players) |
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