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08/13/2057
We're almost halfway through August and the Freedom are on the rise. After a 9-16 July, Philly had the best record in the league last week as they went 5-1 by sweeping Maine and taking two of three against Toronto. Seven other teams had winning records (DAL, PAW, WAS, BAL, PHO, SDR, IND), while Batavia brought up the rear at 1-5. Some team leaders for the week since everyone played six: Pawtucket scored 41 runs (CAL 15), Indy and Washington hit 10 home runs (SYR 0), Dallas swiped an amazing 19 bases (CAL/TOR 2), Indy allowed just 13 runs (WC 37) and also allowed opponents to hit just .182 (BAT .346).
Power Rankings
1) Dallas Drillers (118.3, +)
2) Washington Bats (115.7, -)
3) Montreal Exports (110.9, +)
4) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (110.8, -)
5) Phoenix Roadrunners (109.3, o)
6) Wilmington Wildcats (104.5, o)
7) Baltimore Bulldogs (103.6, +)
8) Syracuse Snappers (101.9, +)
9) Seattle Pilots (101.6, -)
10) New York Cyclones (96.2, o)
11) New Orleans Voodoo (92.6, o)
12) Carolina Tobs (91.8, o)
13) Indianapolis Clowns (91.8, o)
14) Los Angeles Dinos (82.6, +)
15) Pawtucket Patriots (80.2, ++)
16) Hartford Whalers (79.8, -)
17) California Kodiaks (77.8, o)
18) Philadelphia Freedom (77.6, ++)
19) Toronto Canadians (75.1, --)
20) Pittsburgh Millers (74.8, -)
21) Windy City Blues (69.9, o)
22) Denver Bulls (66.8, +)
23) Maine Guides (65.5, --)
24) Batavia Muckdogs (60.4, -)
Performance of the Week
P Cayden Wittmeyer - The 31 year old is having a career year but on August 9th the rest of the team let him down. In a complete game effort against Santo Domingo he allowed just three hits, one run, walked one, and struck out 12...and took the L as the Pilots lost 1-0. On the season he's now 12-5 with a 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 204 ERA+.
Prospect of the Week
1B LaMark Canete - The Millers aren't doing well this season but their front office is hoping Canete is the next Parker Lee. Drafted 20th overall in 2056 he started the season in the Rookie League for the first week before getting shipped up to Double A. In 92 games there he's hitting .329/.409/.650 with 31 HRs, 74 RBIs, and a 178 OPS+. He was the AA Batter of the Month for June and July and he's currently the 71st overall ranked prospect in the league.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Dallas was the team of July by a long shot as their 19-7 record was four more wins than Montreal, Phoenix, or Seattle. The Roadrunners were runner-up though as they went 15-9, while the Exports and Pilots went 15-10. Phoenix did lead the league in runs scored though at 139, trailed by Dallas at 134 and Montreal at 132. Who knew that scoring a lot of runs was a positive correlation to winning games! Considering the Drillers were also first in runs allowed with 76 it's no surprise they were king of the hill.
2. Martin Hoffman has lost five of his last six decisions, and he's having the worst season of his career, but he's still getting a shout out by the DK. This past week on August 9th against Hartford he went 8.2 innings, allowed one run, and struck out nine. Reliever Eric Hendrix came in to get the final out in the top of the 9th, which was actually Houston Yap getting gunned down trying to score off a Kendal Dowdell single. Then in the bottom of the ninth Val Schmit cranked a solo shot to give the Tobs the walk off, while Hendrix picked up the easy win. Let's get back to Hoffman though. In the top of the second Hoffman got Yap to swing and miss on an 0-2 count, giving Hoffman his second K of the game, and the 3000th of his career. He is the 22nd player in the history of the league to pass 3000 K's, and he's on pace to finish top fifteen all-time by the end of the season.
3. Who is Allan Allen and why does he lead the Domestic in ERA? Well first off he's the son of retired BLB pitcher Alan Allen, a three time All-Star who won a Brew with Washington in 2039. Alan, before joining the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, was living in North Carolina and had a brief relationship with Allan's mother, a freshman at NC State. All though the relationship never worked out, Allan was born in 2032 and named after his father. Alan moved on to the Cape Cod League but was still a huge influence in young Allan's life. Fast forward to 2050 when Allan was picked in the ninth round of the draft by Pawtucket. Always a hard thrower, he bounced between being a reliever and starter, before adding a fastball to his repertoire in 2056. He got called up to the bigs that season, and proceeded to go 1-7 with a 5.17 ERA in 14 starts. This off-season he worked on his control and movement, and was the #2 pitcher when the season started. He now leads the Patriots with 22 starts, an 8-5 record, a 2.58 ERA, and a 156 ERA+.
4. After striking out 15+ batters five times last season, Charlie Spence finally got his first 15 K performance of the season on August 6th against Pittsburgh. It hasn't appeared to matter much as the 27 year old is on pace for 369 K's on the season, which would surpass his single season record of 365 set last year. Still ranked the #1 pitcher in the game by OSA, Spence has had a down year by his standards. In 23 starts he's 9-10 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 117 ERA+. Considering from 2054 to 2056 he was 59-16 with a 2.78 ERA and an unbelievable1,057 strikeouts, maybe he just decided to let everyone else have a chance for a year.
5. What's on tap? What a week for the divisions as Seattle travels to Phoenix (Pilots are 3.5 games out in the Bock), Montreal heads to Dallas (Exports also 3.5 games back), and SDR flies up to Wilmington (Rum Runners lead the Wildcats by 1.5 games for 3rd place). Then we get some great league games as Phoenix heads east to Washington, and Seattle heads to Baltimore. Those teams are 1st and 2nd respectively in the Bock and Stout. Streak wise Pawtucket has won four straight, Batavia has lost four straight, Nathan Bennett (MAI) has a 14 game hitting streak, and 36 year old Reid Rothstein has won every decision this season (12-0).
Stat of the Week
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| BLB Pitchers with 3000 or more Strikeouts (*=Active Player, +=Hall of Famer) |
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