Kyoto Bushido
Kyoto got off to their annual hot start, but they've managed to maintain first place a lot longer that in previous seasons. Still, the team has been struggling, going from the best record in the WL in June to a slim 2.5 game lead over Taipei for the division lead. The offense is rock solid, 2nd in the league in HR and in the top half in most other categories. There's an outside chance the team finished with four 30+ HR players. The pitching staff is anchored by Jordan Auerbach, but many of the complimentary parts were pulled off the scrap heap, and though they showed some surprising numbers early, their true colors are coming through. The notable exception is Charlie Gibson, who at 6-2, 3.49 has managed to make up for the disappointing rookie season for Tomakazu Kaise.
Taipei Tai Fong
It's been an up and down season for Dylan Goforth's team, with injuries being the main culprit for the inconsistent play. The team is leading the wild card race and is competing for the division, but no single player really stands out when you look over the stat sheet. Some of the starting pitching (Fetter, Myers, Ruettiger) has been good, and the bullpen has been better than most, but no one on this staff will be competing for any awards. Likewise, the offense has no real holes, but no superstars either. Rookie Mook Jockster leads the team in HR and is second in RBI, proving to be a nice compliment to the other young hitters on the team (Kakazu, Iwata). The question moving forward is whether this team has any hope of taking down the Knights in the WLCS....
Chiang-Mai Kwaan
After a terrible start, Kwaan GM Ben Royer decided to put his entire team on the trading block. He unloaded proven commodities like Trevor Bayne, Eddie Degerman and Delmon Young for prospects, and then the funniest thing happened; the team started winning. Now the team sits a game over .500 and 2 games out of the wild card. Did the team turn it around because of the trades or despite them? We'll never know, but what we can be certain of is that Thurman Murman has been an absolute beast this season. The top half of the batting order have all been exceptional, in fact, and the team has crept up to 8th in runs scored. The pitching has been the problem with nine different players getting starts. Chiang-Mai was one of a handful of teams who quickly promoted nearly all of their 2021 draft class in hopes of creating a spark. Blake Korg (2-0, 2.75) has been the most successful of those call-ups.
Osaka Ronin
When you play in a band box, you live and die by the home run. Osaka has always hit a ton, but they also give up a ton. At 7 games under .500 at home, it's safe to say that the team isn't ideally built for Domo-Kun Field. The usual suspects are pounding out the long balls (Brown, Peppers, Parker), but not even career win leader CC Sabathia can conquer the dimensions of SLB's version of Coors Field. Ricardo Romero and rookie Michael Casper have managed to do alright, but the pen is a nightmare. If there's one GM who is counting the days until the reboot, it's Tom Hey....
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
2021 Mid-Season Reports - Euro
London Knights
Hot, hot, hot. This team is smoking right now and look completely unstoppable. They've scored the most runs in SLB and are second in team ERA, and they've only looked really good in the past 3 weeks or so. They've screamed past Kyoto for best record in the WL thanks to the ridiculous numbers posted by Diego Clemente, Holden McNeil and Warren McFadden. Six of the lineup's regular batters are hitting over .300, and the team just runs and runs, leading the league in triples and stolen bases. The pitching staff has been extremely healthy, with just five starters getting starts (18 each, as it turns out), and the bullpen has been among the best in the league. No one in the Euro is catching this team.
Scotland Rebels
The Rebels are tied for the fewest runs scored in the league but are in second place. Normally you'd say, "hey, nice work", but in the Euro, second place means you're 18 games back and 14 under .500. Takuya Sakamoto and Darin Ford are the only hitters to really show up this season, while a whopping 20 different pitchers have toed the rubber so far. Some of the starting staff have actually been pretty decent, with a surprisingly good year from perennial punching bag Larry Brush. It's not enough to offset "King" Felix's 1-8 record or a bullpen full of 5.00-9.00 ERA's. OUCH.
Ireland Invaders
The Invaders were the big story all last season, with a lineup full of rookie sluggers dominating the league and breaking records. So what happens when the entire lineup has a sophomore slump? You're seeing it. 2020 league MVP (and RHOY) Kainalu Chmolak "leads" the offense with his 16 HR and 49 RBI, but is batting just .250. Complete power outages for Collett, Izumigawa and Murphy. The four main members of the pitching rotation have been good enough but have suffered from brutal run support, and none of the young farm hands have stepped up to stop the bleeding in the bullpen.
Paris Pimpernels
The winningest team in SLB history is on the brink of finishing in last place for two seasons in a row, a feat that was unthinkable not long ago. Gone is the lineup full of Hall of Famers, gone is a pitching rotation anchored by Jerome Williams. What we're left with are some pretty good hitters surrounded by chaff, and a pitching staff that can't get anyone out. The team has skewed towards heavy hitting, and the Pimps' haven't been able to keep up. There are some decent looking young hitters (Mike Cooley, etc.), but will they be enough to turn this team around for the final season in 2022?
Hot, hot, hot. This team is smoking right now and look completely unstoppable. They've scored the most runs in SLB and are second in team ERA, and they've only looked really good in the past 3 weeks or so. They've screamed past Kyoto for best record in the WL thanks to the ridiculous numbers posted by Diego Clemente, Holden McNeil and Warren McFadden. Six of the lineup's regular batters are hitting over .300, and the team just runs and runs, leading the league in triples and stolen bases. The pitching staff has been extremely healthy, with just five starters getting starts (18 each, as it turns out), and the bullpen has been among the best in the league. No one in the Euro is catching this team.
Scotland Rebels
The Rebels are tied for the fewest runs scored in the league but are in second place. Normally you'd say, "hey, nice work", but in the Euro, second place means you're 18 games back and 14 under .500. Takuya Sakamoto and Darin Ford are the only hitters to really show up this season, while a whopping 20 different pitchers have toed the rubber so far. Some of the starting staff have actually been pretty decent, with a surprisingly good year from perennial punching bag Larry Brush. It's not enough to offset "King" Felix's 1-8 record or a bullpen full of 5.00-9.00 ERA's. OUCH.
Ireland Invaders
The Invaders were the big story all last season, with a lineup full of rookie sluggers dominating the league and breaking records. So what happens when the entire lineup has a sophomore slump? You're seeing it. 2020 league MVP (and RHOY) Kainalu Chmolak "leads" the offense with his 16 HR and 49 RBI, but is batting just .250. Complete power outages for Collett, Izumigawa and Murphy. The four main members of the pitching rotation have been good enough but have suffered from brutal run support, and none of the young farm hands have stepped up to stop the bleeding in the bullpen.
Paris Pimpernels
The winningest team in SLB history is on the brink of finishing in last place for two seasons in a row, a feat that was unthinkable not long ago. Gone is the lineup full of Hall of Famers, gone is a pitching rotation anchored by Jerome Williams. What we're left with are some pretty good hitters surrounded by chaff, and a pitching staff that can't get anyone out. The team has skewed towards heavy hitting, and the Pimps' haven't been able to keep up. There are some decent looking young hitters (Mike Cooley, etc.), but will they be enough to turn this team around for the final season in 2022?
2021 Mid-Season Reports - South
Atlanta Flyers
The defending SLB champs started off a bit slow, but have started to pull away from a mostly mediocre South Division. GM Jim Masters, who has probably triggered fewer trades than anyone in SLB, took advantage of Chiang-Mai's early season fire sale to land Trevor Bayne, who leads the team in batting and steals. Darren Lemming is having a solid season, and CF Eliot Hayes has come out of nowhere with some ridiculous numbers. Homer Bailey's ERA is over a full run above his career numbers, but the dude just wins (10-1). Eddie Degerman (another part of that trade) has been very good, and Rene Delmas has suddenly stepped up as a front of the rotation starter. The bullpen is a hot mess....
Savannah Sabers
The Sabers have had some hot streaks (they held first place for awhile), but injuries and some untimely losing streaks have sunk them to .500. Some of the best hitters (Johnson, Szucs) can't stay off the DL, and long time staff ace Phillip Humber hasn't been the dominator the team has needed to stop long losing streaks. Overall, the offense has been pretty solid, with contributions from some no-name types like Wally Scott and Conor Hudnall. The problem lies in the pitching, particularly a bullpen that has lost 18 games. Humber has been okay, but rookie Holden Whitley has struggled while Don Allison has been just okay.
San Juan Senadores
The Senadores went from contending for a division title to fighting to stay out of the cellar in a pretty short amount of time. There have been a few injuries, but the truth is that the offense just hasn't played up to it's potential. The lackluster hitting has been exposed further by a pretty terrible pitching staff. The only bright spots have been journeyman veteran Jeff Niemann and rookie reliever JR Boyle. Just about everyone else has been a gigantic pile of FAIL.
Baltimore Panthers
What, you actually thought they'd be perennial playoff contenders after one good season (2019)? That season seemed to prove the saying "a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut," as the Baltimore slumped to last place in 2020 and is right there again this year. There are still good players here, mostly home grown (Putnam, Cepeda, Jackson), but GM Jose Guttierez has failed to build upon the foundation of youth. The pitching is brutal, and no one on the offense projects to more than 80ish RBI. Diego Clemente already has nearly 100. Oh the irony.
The defending SLB champs started off a bit slow, but have started to pull away from a mostly mediocre South Division. GM Jim Masters, who has probably triggered fewer trades than anyone in SLB, took advantage of Chiang-Mai's early season fire sale to land Trevor Bayne, who leads the team in batting and steals. Darren Lemming is having a solid season, and CF Eliot Hayes has come out of nowhere with some ridiculous numbers. Homer Bailey's ERA is over a full run above his career numbers, but the dude just wins (10-1). Eddie Degerman (another part of that trade) has been very good, and Rene Delmas has suddenly stepped up as a front of the rotation starter. The bullpen is a hot mess....
Savannah Sabers
The Sabers have had some hot streaks (they held first place for awhile), but injuries and some untimely losing streaks have sunk them to .500. Some of the best hitters (Johnson, Szucs) can't stay off the DL, and long time staff ace Phillip Humber hasn't been the dominator the team has needed to stop long losing streaks. Overall, the offense has been pretty solid, with contributions from some no-name types like Wally Scott and Conor Hudnall. The problem lies in the pitching, particularly a bullpen that has lost 18 games. Humber has been okay, but rookie Holden Whitley has struggled while Don Allison has been just okay.
San Juan Senadores
The Senadores went from contending for a division title to fighting to stay out of the cellar in a pretty short amount of time. There have been a few injuries, but the truth is that the offense just hasn't played up to it's potential. The lackluster hitting has been exposed further by a pretty terrible pitching staff. The only bright spots have been journeyman veteran Jeff Niemann and rookie reliever JR Boyle. Just about everyone else has been a gigantic pile of FAIL.
Baltimore Panthers
What, you actually thought they'd be perennial playoff contenders after one good season (2019)? That season seemed to prove the saying "a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut," as the Baltimore slumped to last place in 2020 and is right there again this year. There are still good players here, mostly home grown (Putnam, Cepeda, Jackson), but GM Jose Guttierez has failed to build upon the foundation of youth. The pitching is brutal, and no one on the offense projects to more than 80ish RBI. Diego Clemente already has nearly 100. Oh the irony.
2021 Mid-Season Reports - North
Halifax Sailors
The Sailors boast the best record in the league and a comfortable 8 game lead in the North Division. The normal formula of good pitching coupled with a solid lineup has put Halifax in line for its 5th straight division title. The team lost Rand McPherson and Andrew Miller in the off-season, but have gotten great contributions from Randall Graves (11-4) and "good enough" pitching from Brazelton and Carroll. The offense is lead by the bats of Archibald and Brezovan, but there has been production from every spot in the lineup this year. It's a team lacking stand out stars, but the team concept has made the Sailors the favorite out of the AL.
Cleveland Dawgs
Despite trailing Halifax by 8 games, the Dawgs lead the wild card race and have a real shot at their 2nd straight post-season appearance. It's a team of thumpers, with 7 players with 10+ homers. This is probably one of the best offensive infields in SLB, combining for 72 HR and 224 RBI. The biggest surprise is Matt Bush, a former #1 overall draftee who has never lived to his potential. Now, at age 31, he's finally showing the production the old Las Vegas Rounders thought they'd be getting 13 seasons ago. The starting rotation is pretty unremarkable here, but the bullpen has done surprisingly well.
Philly Fever
It's been a nice bounce-back season for the Fever, who finished 2020 with the worst record in SLB. Now they're just 1.5 games out of the wild card spot, thanks to an offense that ranks 4th in runs and 2nd in HR in SLB. Jay Bruce is having an MVP caliber season, with over 1/2 of his 140 hits going for extra bases (holy moley). Rookie catcher Calver Alkoa is slugging .764 with double digit HR's, but he can't stay healthy. On the pitching side, former Sailor hurler Rand McPherson is 9-1, 2.76 and squarely in the middle of the Cy Young race. The rest of the staff is not so hot, as the Fever rank 3rd worst in team ERA. Can they acquire another arm or two to push for the playoffs come October?
Bedford Crunch
It's the team that can't hit. Never has. Doesn't matter what stadium you put them in or what players you add to the lineup, but this team seems destined to not hit and not score runs. So it goes in 2021, as the Crunch rank dead last in team batting and are tied with Scotland for the fewest runs. The power has been decent, but team leader Alexander Avila has just 42 RBI to go with his 23 homers. Seems nearly impossible. Luke Hochevar has been good on the mound, as has youngster Si Miller (who leads the team with 9 wins), but too many other members of the staff have been bad.
The Sailors boast the best record in the league and a comfortable 8 game lead in the North Division. The normal formula of good pitching coupled with a solid lineup has put Halifax in line for its 5th straight division title. The team lost Rand McPherson and Andrew Miller in the off-season, but have gotten great contributions from Randall Graves (11-4) and "good enough" pitching from Brazelton and Carroll. The offense is lead by the bats of Archibald and Brezovan, but there has been production from every spot in the lineup this year. It's a team lacking stand out stars, but the team concept has made the Sailors the favorite out of the AL.
Cleveland Dawgs
Despite trailing Halifax by 8 games, the Dawgs lead the wild card race and have a real shot at their 2nd straight post-season appearance. It's a team of thumpers, with 7 players with 10+ homers. This is probably one of the best offensive infields in SLB, combining for 72 HR and 224 RBI. The biggest surprise is Matt Bush, a former #1 overall draftee who has never lived to his potential. Now, at age 31, he's finally showing the production the old Las Vegas Rounders thought they'd be getting 13 seasons ago. The starting rotation is pretty unremarkable here, but the bullpen has done surprisingly well.
Philly Fever
It's been a nice bounce-back season for the Fever, who finished 2020 with the worst record in SLB. Now they're just 1.5 games out of the wild card spot, thanks to an offense that ranks 4th in runs and 2nd in HR in SLB. Jay Bruce is having an MVP caliber season, with over 1/2 of his 140 hits going for extra bases (holy moley). Rookie catcher Calver Alkoa is slugging .764 with double digit HR's, but he can't stay healthy. On the pitching side, former Sailor hurler Rand McPherson is 9-1, 2.76 and squarely in the middle of the Cy Young race. The rest of the staff is not so hot, as the Fever rank 3rd worst in team ERA. Can they acquire another arm or two to push for the playoffs come October?
Bedford Crunch
It's the team that can't hit. Never has. Doesn't matter what stadium you put them in or what players you add to the lineup, but this team seems destined to not hit and not score runs. So it goes in 2021, as the Crunch rank dead last in team batting and are tied with Scotland for the fewest runs. The power has been decent, but team leader Alexander Avila has just 42 RBI to go with his 23 homers. Seems nearly impossible. Luke Hochevar has been good on the mound, as has youngster Si Miller (who leads the team with 9 wins), but too many other members of the staff have been bad.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
2021 SLB Amateur Draft Order
We hit the NCAA Draft in today's sim, so without further ado, here is the 2021 SLB Amateur Draft Order.
As a reminder, 1st round lists are due by 9am EDT Tuesday.
1. Philly
2. Bedford
3. Paris
4. Osaka
5. Taipei
6. Kyoto
7. Baltimore
8. London
9. San Juan
10. Savannah
11. Chiang-Mai
12. Cleveland
13. Atlanta
14. Scotland
15. Halifax
16. Ireland
As you can tell, things held pretty much to form. Congratulations (I guess?) to Philly for snagging the final No. 1 pick in SLB history.
As a reminder, 1st round lists are due by 9am EDT Tuesday.
1. Philly
2. Bedford
3. Paris
4. Osaka
5. Taipei
6. Kyoto
7. Baltimore
8. London
9. San Juan
10. Savannah
11. Chiang-Mai
12. Cleveland
13. Atlanta
14. Scotland
15. Halifax
16. Ireland
As you can tell, things held pretty much to form. Congratulations (I guess?) to Philly for snagging the final No. 1 pick in SLB history.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
News & Notes - May 2021 Wrap-Up
Just like that, 2 months in the books.
- Halifax continues to have the best record in SLB, but is fighting off a resurgent Philly Fever team (whose 33-19 record is second best in the league). The power still isn't there for the Sailors, as team leader Brezovan (12 HR) hit just two long balls this month.
- Ireland was best in the WL a month ago, but has slumped to a 26-30 mark, trailing London by 4 games.
- Kyoto is now tops in the WL, and might have the best record in SLB if not for their 1-5 record head-to-head with Halifax. Luke Daughtery and Antonio Mule are #1 and #2 in the league in HR, and five players have 30 or more RBI. Jordan Auerbach (7-1, 2.40) is making a bid for Cy Young, and the bullpen has miraculously kept itself together.
- It's a dog fight in the South, where Savannah and Atlanta are neck and neck for the division lead. Both are fighting through injuries (Lemming, Brown for Atlanta, Johnson for Savannah).
- 11 teams have a team ERA under 5.00 right now, which is a positive trend over last season.
- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .244, 5, 18, Simon Shelley (BED) .251, 11, 28, Nikco Clevenger (BED) .291, 7, 20, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .303, 8, 33, Calver Alkoa (PHI) .346, 12, 28, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .296, 9, 20, Ray Rice (SAV), .336, 4, 25, Mook Jockster (TAI) .276, 8, 27.
- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 4-4, 3.17, Chuck Johnson (CHNG) 2-1, 2.48, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 4-2, 4.26, Michael Casper (OSKA) 6-2, 3.38, Grady Laro (PAR) 2-4, 3.82, Holden Whitley (SAV) 3-4, 3.05.
- Halifax continues to have the best record in SLB, but is fighting off a resurgent Philly Fever team (whose 33-19 record is second best in the league). The power still isn't there for the Sailors, as team leader Brezovan (12 HR) hit just two long balls this month.
- Ireland was best in the WL a month ago, but has slumped to a 26-30 mark, trailing London by 4 games.
- Kyoto is now tops in the WL, and might have the best record in SLB if not for their 1-5 record head-to-head with Halifax. Luke Daughtery and Antonio Mule are #1 and #2 in the league in HR, and five players have 30 or more RBI. Jordan Auerbach (7-1, 2.40) is making a bid for Cy Young, and the bullpen has miraculously kept itself together.
- It's a dog fight in the South, where Savannah and Atlanta are neck and neck for the division lead. Both are fighting through injuries (Lemming, Brown for Atlanta, Johnson for Savannah).
- 11 teams have a team ERA under 5.00 right now, which is a positive trend over last season.
- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .244, 5, 18, Simon Shelley (BED) .251, 11, 28, Nikco Clevenger (BED) .291, 7, 20, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .303, 8, 33, Calver Alkoa (PHI) .346, 12, 28, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .296, 9, 20, Ray Rice (SAV), .336, 4, 25, Mook Jockster (TAI) .276, 8, 27.
- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 4-4, 3.17, Chuck Johnson (CHNG) 2-1, 2.48, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 4-2, 4.26, Michael Casper (OSKA) 6-2, 3.38, Grady Laro (PAR) 2-4, 3.82, Holden Whitley (SAV) 3-4, 3.05.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
News & Notes - May 14, 2021
Some interesting stuff going on....
- London is the hottest team in the league, winning 10 straight to take a 4 game lead in the Euro Division. The Knights were 5 games under .500 when they started the streak, but now stand at 21-16. There are still huge concerns in the rotations, where Matsuzaka, Pursel and Miller have all been hit hard. London has outscored their opponents 88-38 over the streak.
- Other teams on hot streaks are Philly and Savannah, who've both won 8 of their past 10 games. Philly has passed Cleveland for 2nd place in the North, and Savannah is a game up on Atlanta for the South Division lead.
- On the flip side, Paris is in a death spiral. The Pimps have lost 15 straight to fall to 11-27 (10 1/2 games out of first). They've been outscored 125-67. Paris has a league worst 6.29 team ERA and has given up 72 HR. Team GM Michael Taylor is trying to shuffle things up, sending former MVP Ryne Robinson to AAA and replacing 60% of his rotation (Davis, Laro and Pawelek in, Bray, Kuo and Broadway out).
- Also in a major slump is Ireland, who just broke an 11 game losing streak. The Invaders are still in second place (4 games out), but need to right the ship, and fast.
- Cleveland is the first team to take advantage of Chiang-Mai's advertised fire sale, acquiring RF Delmon Young and pitchers Art Taylor and Curt Wilson from the Kwaan for rookie P Ruben Aderholt and young hitters Matthew Hamman and Dante Bichette, Jr. The Dawgs have rebuilt an outfield that lost Tex Austin and Lum Blomberg early in the season.
- SS Jose Reyes (CHNG) broke the 3000 hit plateau recently, and Miguel Cabrera (PAR) is just 5 hits from the mark.
- RF Will Hunting (PHI) hit his 800th double recently.
- London is the hottest team in the league, winning 10 straight to take a 4 game lead in the Euro Division. The Knights were 5 games under .500 when they started the streak, but now stand at 21-16. There are still huge concerns in the rotations, where Matsuzaka, Pursel and Miller have all been hit hard. London has outscored their opponents 88-38 over the streak.
- Other teams on hot streaks are Philly and Savannah, who've both won 8 of their past 10 games. Philly has passed Cleveland for 2nd place in the North, and Savannah is a game up on Atlanta for the South Division lead.
- On the flip side, Paris is in a death spiral. The Pimps have lost 15 straight to fall to 11-27 (10 1/2 games out of first). They've been outscored 125-67. Paris has a league worst 6.29 team ERA and has given up 72 HR. Team GM Michael Taylor is trying to shuffle things up, sending former MVP Ryne Robinson to AAA and replacing 60% of his rotation (Davis, Laro and Pawelek in, Bray, Kuo and Broadway out).
- Also in a major slump is Ireland, who just broke an 11 game losing streak. The Invaders are still in second place (4 games out), but need to right the ship, and fast.
- Cleveland is the first team to take advantage of Chiang-Mai's advertised fire sale, acquiring RF Delmon Young and pitchers Art Taylor and Curt Wilson from the Kwaan for rookie P Ruben Aderholt and young hitters Matthew Hamman and Dante Bichette, Jr. The Dawgs have rebuilt an outfield that lost Tex Austin and Lum Blomberg early in the season.
- SS Jose Reyes (CHNG) broke the 3000 hit plateau recently, and Miguel Cabrera (PAR) is just 5 hits from the mark.
- RF Will Hunting (PHI) hit his 800th double recently.
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