Tweet
10/01/2063
It's finally here, the final week of the 2063 BLB regular season. After six months the postseason is upon us once again. The winner once again last week was California, who went 5-1 to keep their hopes of catching Washington for the best record in the league alive. Throw in New Orleans, Seattle, Windy City, Toronto, and Washington who all went 5-2, and there was much rejoicing. The Bats, Voodoo, and Blues are all postseason bound, while Toronto is on the cusp. On the other side of life Phoenix, Maine, and Baltimore went 1-6. The Bulldogs, Guides and Roadrunners will all miss the playoffs for the second straight year. Considering the three of them have combined for 15 Brewmaster Cups, you have to take the ups with the downs we suppose.
Power Rankings
.
| Rank | Team | Points | Record | PCT | AVG | ERA | Pyt.Rec | Diff |
| 1 | California | 124 | 104-55 | 0.654 | 0.268 | 3.12 | 105-54 | -1 |
| 2 | Washington | 122 | 107-52 | 0.673 | 0.267 | 2.93 | 110-49 | -3 |
| 3 | Denver | 118 | 100-59 | 0.629 | 0.275 | 3.25 | 99-60 | 1 |
| 4 | Windy City | 116 | 97-62 | 0.61 | 0.266 | 3.29 | 99-60 | -2 |
| 5 | Wilmington | 112 | 98-61 | 0.616 | 0.269 | 3.47 | 95-64 | 3 |
| 6 | Montreal | 99 | 86-73 | 0.541 | 0.287 | 3.85 | 90-69 | -4 |
| 7 | Indianapolis | 97 | 83-76 | 0.522 | 0.261 | 4.31 | 78-81 | 5 |
| 8 | Toronto | 97 | 80-79 | 0.503 | 0.294 | 4.53 | 79-80 | 1 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 95 | 85-74 | 0.535 | 0.263 | 3.56 | 86-73 | -1 |
| 10 | New York | 95 | 84-75 | 0.528 | 0.265 | 3.93 | 83-76 | 1 |
| 11 | New Orleans | 95 | 81-78 | 0.509 | 0.271 | 3.87 | 79-80 | 2 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | 94 | 82-77 | 0.516 | 0.266 | 3.72 | 82-77 | 0 |
| 13 | Carolina | 93 | 82-77 | 0.516 | 0.253 | 4.24 | 77-82 | 5 |
| 14 | Santo Domingo | 91 | 76-83 | 0.478 | 0.261 | 4.35 | 77-82 | -1 |
| 15 | Seattle | 88 | 73-86 | 0.459 | 0.246 | 3.91 | 77-82 | -4 |
| 16 | Hartford | 83 | 77-82 | 0.484 | 0.267 | 4.2 | 78-81 | -1 |
| 17 | Pawtucket | 83 | 76-83 | 0.478 | 0.264 | 4.17 | 77-82 | -1 |
| 18 | Baltimore | 79 | 72-87 | 0.453 | 0.263 | 4.3 | 76-83 | -4 |
| 19 | Philadelphia | 72 | 66-93 | 0.415 | 0.251 | 4.19 | 67-92 | -1 |
| 20 | Maine | 71 | 70-89 | 0.44 | 0.267 | 4.05 | 74-85 | -4 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 70 | 63-96 | 0.396 | 0.264 | 4.69 | 66-93 | -3 |
| 22 | Batavia | 66 | 65-94 | 0.409 | 0.248 | 4.43 | 61-98 | 4 |
| 23 | Dallas | 63 | 60-99 | 0.377 | 0.257 | 4.67 | 60-99 | 0 |
| 24 | Phoenix | 36 | 41-118 | 0.258 | 0.245 | 5.87 | 45-114 | -4 |
Performance of the Week
CF Alex Cain - Can someone with a 5.2 WAR be having a down year? We suppose when you put up a 7.2 and 7.6 WAR the last two seasons you can. Cain though had a great September where he hit .284 with 9 HR and 19 RBI as last years Stout Slugger runner-up is getting hot at the right time. This past week against Philly he really turned it up with a five hit and five RBI game as the Bulls won easily 10-0. On the season Cain is hitting .261 with 27 HR, 85 RBI, 40 SB, and a 119 OPS+ while putting up a +4.1 ZR in centerfield. We're pretty sure 23 other teams would love to have Cain and that sort of 'down' year.
Prospect of the Week
2B Mervin Teremesha - The 22 year old was discovered out of Swaziland by California scouts back in 2056, and was part of the trade that made Caroline legend Charlie Spence now California legend Charlie Spence. He's currently ranked the 15th overall prospect in the league, and scouts believe he can be a productive regular on a contending team. He can hit for average and power, while also being able to play any position in the infield.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The playoffs are almost set as the Domestic comes down to Toronto and Hartford for the final Wild Card, while the Import features Los Angeles, New York and Carolina fighting for two spots. In the DL it appears the Canadians have the slight edge, as their playoff odds are favored 98.6% to 1.4% over the Whalers. Toronto is +7 since August 1st, while Hartford went 10-18 in September to not only fall out of first in the Ale, but more than likely the playoffs. Toronto just needs to win one game against New Orleans, who already locked up a playoff spot of their own. They can also get some help from Syracuse which just needs to beat the Whalers once. Meanwhile in the IL its the Dinos and Cyclones with a 99.3% and 96.7% chance, while the Tobs get the remainder 4%. Carolina trails NY by two games and LAD by one game, and has all three games on the road. It's against Philly though, so at least they have a chance. New York and LAD both have three at home though against Batavia and WC respectively, so it's not going to be easy for the Tobs.
2. The month of September belonged to the Millers who went a leagues best 20-9 and clinched a playoff birth in the process. Pittsburgh outfielder Issac Pack captured the Batter of the Month after hitting .402/.468/.753 with 8 HR and 25 RBI, while pitcher Justice Michael went 6-0 with a 2.23 ERA. Following them were both California and Washington who each went 19-9. These two teams are in a battle for HFA throughout the playoffs and it appears the Bats have won out. They currently have 107 wins to California's measly 104 wins. Next up was Denver who went 18-9 as they now sit at 100 wins. Finally we have those aforementioned Tobs who went 18-9 to keep that Import Wild Card race interesting. Stat wise Indy scored 145 runs (LAD 83), Indy hit 41 home runs (LAD/SYR 18), Toronto swiped 72 bases (WIL 8), Washington allowed just 70 runs (PHO 166), and opponents hit an unreal .197 off Denver pitchers (PHO .309).
3. It shows up in the September stats above for stolen bases, but Toronto now has a league leading 321 on the season, while Wilmington has a league low 94. The Canadians have a 74.1% success rate, while the Wildcats come in at 71.8%. If you look at the standings, Toronto is 80-79 while Wilmington is 98-61, but Toronto has a +11.35 wSB which is third overall in the league. With the Canadians having a -9 run differential on the season, those 11 extra runs probably won them a few extra games, which is why they are almost certain to be postseason bound. With the Wildcats at a +146 RD it didn't matter so much to them. In the end it worked out for both of them.
4. With the season coming to a close it was the Indy Clowns who take home the "Fill it Up" attendance award this year. With an average attendance of 41,481 they crammed The Big Top to 98.8% of its capacity, over 2.5% more than second place Washington. Everyone loves a good Clown show! The Bats did win in the overall, as their 3,505,112 fans were tops in the league. Indy is currently second, but they are certain to get passed by Denver who only trails by 26,912 with three home games left to go. The Bulls should finish somewhere around 3.45m fans this season, which is a long shot from 2059 when they went 60-102 and had just over two million show up. Everyone loves a winner.
5. What's on tap? The Ale will be decided as Pittsburgh travels to Maine while Indy travels to Pawtucket. The final Wild Card spot in the DL will be decided as Toronto hosts New Orleans and Hartford hosts Syracuse. Finally the final two Import Wild Card spots will be decided as Carolina heads to Philly, New York hosts Batavia, and Los Angeles awaits the Blues. Sounds like a lot of deciding to us for the final three games of the regular season.
Player Streaks
.
| Eli Tracy (MON) has a 14 game hitting streak |
| Guy Hunnicutt (PHI) has converted 24 straight save opportunities |
| Dawson Hupp (NYC) has converted 22 straight save opportunities |
| Charlie Spence (CAL) has won 14 straight decisions |
| Douglas Okeyo (CHI) has won 9 straight decisions |
| B.B. Trynkov (CAL) has won 9 straight decisions |
| Max Burns (PHO) has lost 9 straight decisions |
| Murray Webb (PHO) has lost 9 straight decisions |
| Charlie Spence (CAL) hasn't lost in 19 straight starts |
| Chase Vaughan (CAR) hasn't lost in 15 straight starts |
Weekly Milestones
.
LF Isaac Pack (PIT), 30 yo, reached 1000 hits
1B Dwight Bell (PHO), 35 yo, reached 1500 hits
LF Donald Dworkin (BAT), 26 yo, reached 1000 hits
C David Mitchell (SEA), 28 yo, reached 1000 hits
2B Dorsey Cahue (WIL), 27 yo, reached 1000 hits
1B Vincent Manning (MON), 25 yo, reached 250 hits
LF Evan Yanko (WIL), 26 yo, reached 100 home runs
C Andy Christman (MON), 24 yo, reached 250 RBIs
LF Vinnie Ballew (PHO), 25 yo, reached 250 RBIs
1B Dez Swanson (NO), 39 yo, reached 800 extra base hits
2B Owen Keimig (BAL), 27 yo, reached 300 extra base hits
CF Alex Cain (DEN), 23 yo, reached 200 extra base hits
CF Spencer DeSimone (SDR), 29 yo, reached 200 extra base hits
P Jaden Ezell (WAS), 33 yo, reached 200 saves
P Shane Hellman (CHI), 29 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P J.R. Mauger (DAL), 33 yo, reached 500 strikeouts
P Jesse Bednarz (DAL), 30 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
P Sutton Briggs (BAT), 31 yo, reached 250 strikeouts
.
Stat of the Week
.
| Most Seasons Appeared In Since Last Home Run (Top 25 Players, Active Players Only) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|