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06/02/2064
Wait...what? Hold on a second...okay we're back. Had to dig up another logo for the Power Rankings. For the first time since the end of opening week the Washington Bats are not #1 in the program and #1 in our hearts. Welcome to the top Windy City, who went 5-2 and closed out the week with a four game sweep of the mighty Bats. To be fair to Washington three of those losses were by one run, but the other was 12-1 shellacking on Friday night. The best two weeks though belonged to Indy and Cali who each went 5-1. The Clowns have built a 5.5 game lead in the Ale, while California has slowly backed away from trading every single person on the roster until at least next week. On the flip side Philly went 0-6 to now lose 11 straight, while Maine went 1-5. We keep waiting for the Freedom to take off, but it appears it might be another season or two.
Power Rankings
1) Windy City Blues (127.7, +)
2) Wilmington Wildcats (125.2, o)
3) Washington Bats (123.6, -)
4) Los Angeles Dinos (120.3, o)
5) California Kodiaks (107.9, ++)
6) Indianapolis Clowns (106.9, o)
7) Montreal Exports (101.4, +)
8) New Orleans Voodoo (99.4, -)
9) Carolina Tobs (98.4, --)
10) Dallas Drillers (92.4, o)
11) Baltimore Bulldogs (90.8, -)
12) New York Cyclones (84.2, ++)
13) Syracuse Snappers (82.8, +)
14) Batavia Muckdogs (82.6, o)
15) Denver Bulls (82.5, +)
16) Pittsburgh Millers (82.2, o)
17) Hartford Whalers (80.5, --)
18) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (79.6, ++)
19) Toronto Canadians (78.1, -)
20) Pawtucket Patriots (77.5, --)
21) Maine Guides (72.6, -)
22) Seattle Pilots (66.3, o)
23) Phoenix Roadrunners (52.9, +)
24) Philadelphia Freedom (29.9, -)
Performance of the Week
LF Isaac Pack - The "Packman" hit three home runs on May 31st against Montreal and it took all three to hold off the Exports 12-9. The reigning Stout Slugger is now hitting .265/.386/.536 with 9 HR and 28 RBI while also swiping 21 bases.
Prospect of the Week
P Deondre 'Poison' Ivy - The 15th pick of the 2060 draft is back in the Rookie League after going 13-3 with a 3.59 ERA last season in A ball. We're not sure why the demotion, but he's 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA in seven starts this season. He can hit 96 mph on the gun, and has the potential to have the type of control where he can paint the edges of the strike zone and frustrate batters. Hopefully he gets a chance back in A or AA very soon.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The Blues are #1 in the Power Rankings thanks to their huge May. Over the month Windy City led all with a 22-7 record while posting a league low 2.54 ERA. Right behind them were the Indy Clown who went 21-8, while Wilmington went 20-10. On the other side Philly went 8-22 while Seattle went 10-19. League leader wise the Exports scored 166 runs (MAI 96), New Orleans hit 51 home runs while Montreal hit 50 (SYR 19), Carolina stole 58 bases (DEN 18), and Windy City allowed just 81 runs (PHI 177). Did we mention Montreal is now third overall in the league in home runs?
2. Nineteen of the twenty-four teams in the league have between 20 and 30 wins, with only four above and two below, and half the league has between 22 and 28 wins. All though it's only June, in the Domestic Wild Card race there are just seven games separating top to bottom, and last place Toronto is only 2.5 games back from a playoff spot. The Import is a little more skewed thanks to Philly and Phoenix, but everyone else has a legitimate shot at the playoffs. What this means for the trade market is anyone's guess though. Do teams with a chance hold on to players a little longer, or do some see the writing on the wall and start selling? With over 100 games left to go if you can read anything written on the wall please let us know so we can place a few bets.
3. The injury bug struck this past week in Hartford as Levi Lane strained his hamstring running the bases against Dallas. The 22 year old slugger has been on fire lately, hitting seven home runs in the last 11 games, and helped give the Whalers a winning record in May. Drafted second overall in 2062, Lane who was the New Brew and an All-Star last year, was hitting .329, and was on pace to smash 40 HR and drive in 100 runs. Looks like Frank 'Slugger' Memmi (12 HR) will have even more of a role as he will team with Blake Bateman (11 HR) to try and keep the teams playoff hopes alive.
4. The resurgence of Brian Wheat continues. When he debuted in the BLB in 2059 he was just 19 years old, and still made his first All-Star game. He then proceeded to win the Stout Slugger in 2060 and 2061 by posting an 8.6 and 8.4 WAR respectively. Since then he's "only" posted a 4.1, 5.7, and 5.0 WAR and critics around the league wondered what happened, even though he was an All-Star all three of those seasons as well. Well this year he's now hitting .356 with 16 HR, 36 RBI and a 194 OPS+, and is on pace for a 10.4 WAR. One thing he's been just average at is his defense, where he's posted a -0.5 ZR in 45 games at center. For a player with a lifetime +50.5 ZR in center we expect that to turn around though. With Toronto struggling on offense this season (In Domestic: 11th in AVG, 12th in OBP, 8th in runs scored), they'll take all the Wheat they can get.
5. What's on tap? The series of the week goes to California traveling to Los Angeles. The Dinos were 19-10 in May and leapt ahead of the Kodiaks who struggled at 15-14. California does get Greg Thomas back though, which will be huge boost to their offense after he shakes off the rust. LAD is known for pitching and defense, where they are 1st in runs allowed in the Import and fifth overall in total zone rating. This season though they added offense, where they are first in the IL in average, slugging, OBS, and extra base hits. Sounds like a winning formula to us. Some other fun series are Wilmington at Dallas, Pawtucket at Indy, and Denver at Windy City.
Player Streaks
| Levi Lane (HAR) has a 12 game hitting streak |
| Evan Olsen (CAR) scored in 7 straight games |
| Levi Backman (BAL) has converted 11 straight save opportunities |
SS Chase Chamberlain (PIT), 21 yo, hit his first home run
2B Owen Dooley (SDR), 35 yo, reached 1500 hits
SS Nickolas Keyes (CAL), 24 yo, reached 500 hits
RF Jaylin Godsey (CAL), 25 yo, reached 250 hits
LF Devyn Glover (MON), 21 yo, reached 100 hits
C Paul Finlayson (BAT), 23 yo, reached 100 hits
CF Jesse Dissen (CHI), 27 yo, reached 100 hits
1B Evan Garrettson (NYC), 23 yo, hit his first home run
2B Walter Forman (PHO), 24 yo, hit his first home run
CF Marco Rosso (CAR), 23 yo, hit his first home run
SS Mitchell Shook (PHO), 22 yo, hit his first home run
1B Rob Detling (LAD), 31 yo, reached 600 extra base hits
P Saxby Lucas (LAD), 31 yo, reached 1000 strikeouts
P Duncan Mulifi (HAR), 31 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P Devantae Kim (MON), 29 yo, reached 750 strikeouts
P Benedict Zacarias (CAL), 28 yo, reached 500 strikeouts
Who's Hot
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| Most Teams Played For (Top 25 Players) |
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