News and Notes: Thursday, August 24, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- PAR outscored SJ 22-4 in a three game sweep in Puerto Rico. The slumping Senadores are 3-7 in their last 10 but still have a comfortable 8 game lead in the South. Ace right-hander J Niemann took another drubbing, giving up 5 ER while lasting just 3 innings in game 3. Niemann's ERA (4.20) is now above his career ERA mark of 4.09.
- PHI and CLE continue their battle to give the Fever the cap hit in the North. The Fever dropped 3 to LON while the Dawgs lost all 3 to SCO to remain a half game back of PHI. CLE's salary cap is 60M (meaning the franchise can't go any lower) while PHI's is 76M.
- ATL got the gift of TAI (aka Washington Generals) visiting this week, and the 3 game sweep puts them just a game back of third place BAL in the South. ATL's salary cap is 80.5M, the Panthers are at the minimum.
- OSA travelled to New York to face BED and dropped all three games. 2-8 in their last 10, the Ronin now have just a 1 game lead on the suddenly surging KYO squad. Of course, surging in the Far Least division means a 5-5 record in their last 10. The Bushido lost their second best slugger, 1B M Hamilton, for up to 2 weeks.
- HAL is looking for some good news, finally, on the injury front. With LHP A Miller, CF C Gillespie and SS K Brezovan all suffering debilitating long-term injuries this season, it looks like the rookie shortstop might make it back on the field by the end of the season. Brezovan, who hit .355 in the first 32 games, has shown a great work ethic in his daily rehab.
- SCO has fallen to 3 back in the wildcard chase, with the once cellar-dwelling London Knights now in second place in the Euro. SCO leads SLB with 104 GIDP's, featuring 1B H Sanchez with a whopping 24 GIDP's so far this season.
- PAR hosts KYO in a 4 game set this week. Scheduled to see their ERA's balloon for the Bushido are R Hernandez, J Auerbach, R Oswalt and J Peavy.

News & Notes - August 14, 2017

- Paris CF Ryne Robinson is in prime position to be the league's first ever Triple Crown winner. He leads in batting average by 8 points (over SJ catcher Brian McCann) and is just 2 HR and 1 RBI in back of the league leader (teammate Adam Dunn). Will Pimps' management bench Dunn in September to give Robinson the crown?
- The laughable Far East Division has created the most exciting race. Though every team is still under .500, division leader Osaka has won 8 of 10 and still lost two games to the red hot
Bushido, winners of 10 straight. Kyoto won just 6 games in the entire month of May (and weren't too hot in June or July either), but have woken up to the tune of an 11-1 record midway through August. Manager Bobby Valentine credits the team getting healthy along with the resurgent pitching of Jake Peavy for the turn around.
- Paris, Halifax and San Juan continue to breath rarified air in SLB this year. The three division leaders all sport 72 or more wins, while no other team in the league has more than 62. All three also boast double digit leads in their respective divisions. Paris is in the best shape, with zero competition for the first-round bye in the WL Playoffs, while Halifax and San Juan will be battling for that much needed October rest all the way down the stretch.
- Bedford, who leads the AL WC race, lost two players in one game. 3B Ken Woodward and RF Milton Bradley left the game with very different injuries; Woodward has an inflamed abdomen while Bradley has a broken foot.
- Paris is on pace to score 1002 runs, just 16 shy of their own record. Their current run total (733) is 122 higher than second place San Juan.
- Halifax, on the other hand, sports a 3.45 ERA, which is 3 points lower than the league record of 3.48, set by Savannah in 2015. That mark may rise, however, as the team has lost Andrew Miller to injury and has inserted El Ron Ubardo (and his 5.47 ERA) in his place.
- Taipei is on pace for their worst season ever. Their current .319 winning % would shatter their franchise worst .356 season (2016)

News and Notes: Friday, August 4, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- There wasn't much trade activity in the league during the days leading up to the deadline as several teams still believe they're in contention for a wildcard spot, if not a division title. RP Huston Street was shipped out of Kyoto to Scotland, where the Rebels lead the World wildcard chase. 3B Miguel Cabrera left Philly to go to his original team, Halifax, who lead the North by 9.5 games. The Sailors also sprung for disappointing pitcher Elron Ubardo from Baltimore to give them some depth in their rotation. Osaka, now a half game back in the Far East and 7.5 back in the wildcard, picked up RP's Brock Landers and Robert Rohrbaugh. Baltimore continued to pick up prospects and draft picks with their second trade, shipping RP Erasmo Ramirez to Euro division leader Paris.
- OSA did themselves no favours this week, dropping 2 games to SCO and managing a split in their 2 games with PAR. The Ronin bullpen threw 19 IP, giving up 13 R in 4 games. The Ronin are hoping for a sweep in their next series, 3 games v IRE.
- SJ, idle at the deadline and content with their roster, has a huge 13 game lead over second place SAV. The Senadores did drop 2 of 4 to HAL and BED this week, with staff ace (and former Sailor) J Niemann taking a pounding in game 2 v HAL, giving up 13 hits and 10 ER in 6.2 IP.
- Remember when ATL used to be good? The Flyers are now the 3rd worst team in SLB. "We're not as bad as our record," said Manager Tony LaRussa. "We've had some horrible luck and I've done a poor job ... in letting my coaches make some decisions. We'll be back next year for sure. We're hoping Zito comes back next season as well to provide some veteran leadership."
- BAL has won 4 straight, defeating division rival ATL and then PHI for another 2 wins. "We've got the Sabers in our sights and a second place finish would be a huge morale boost to these young guys", said 40 year-old RF V Guerrero. "And we're not losing too many guys this winter so I like our chances for next year too."
- Various media reports out of New York have hinted at an unhappy clubhouse in Bedford. After leading the North for most of the season, the Crunch have fallen back but still lead the wildcard chase. "They can't blame it on injuries", said a division rival scout. "So they're pointing the finger at one another and it isn't pretty. But when you keep Milton Bradley on your team like they have, you're asking for trouble."
- IRE has won 7 straight and is now tied for last in the Euro basement with LON. Over the cap of 64M, the Invaders can't afford another cap hit with a last place finish. 1B B Johnson, hitting .315 with an .881 OPS so far this season, will likely not make in back on the field until next spring. He ruptured his achilles tendon getting out of the batters box in the top of the 1st v PAR on Monday.

Mid Season - Far East Division

Well, who saw this coming? Osaka leads the Far Least by a game and a half? With a losing record? Kyoto is closer to last than first? It's been a wacky half-season so far on the other side of the world.
The Tai Fong are in familiar territory, holding onto their precious spot in the basement. That .310 winning percentage looks especially horrid this year - Tennessee's .228 in 2011 must be some kind of mark GM Dylan Goforth is aiming for - and we've seen Taipei's expansion plan take them from .406, .438, .413 to .356 last season. Memo to Goforth: You're doing this wrong! Start going with your second instinct. I guess the lone bright spot - and I do mean lone - would be ..... Ron Mexico pitching decently with a 3.44 ERA. Sure he's 5-8 but his ERA's two runs better than the rest of the staff. And he'll walk after this season so Taipei can then rush LHP Rudy Ruettiger to the Show. Things are going swell.
Is Kyoto the most underperforming team in SLB? What a train wreck of a season. The Bushido have scored the second fewest runs in SLB (yep, Taipei is the worst. Go ahead and check) thanks to some horrendous performances by veterans BB BooYa (.248) and Chase Utley (.232) but they share the responsiblity for this debacle with everyone but Antonio Mule. The strategy of "we don't hit for power but at least we're slow" doesn't seem to be paying off for GM Darin Keesing. Let's see how much of his roster he blows up before the deadline.
GM Ben Royer thought he'd be contending this season and Chiang-Mai is only 1.5 games out. But that sub .500 record has a stench to it as well. The days of the Kwaan scoring runs in bunches are over and the bullpen can't hold onto leads - 4 relievers have ERA's greater than 6.13. Look at those guys if you dare. You're not going to win with that 'pen. But Cap Jackson has returned from his life-threatening neck injury to finally live up to his promise, hitting .304 with 60 SB. Nice, that didn't take long. Just another season and a half before he's up for free agency after a lot of on-the-job-training in Thailand.
Osaka finds themselves in first after weather some big-time injuries and can still put up a lot of crooked numbers. Reuben Brown is hitting .297 with 8 HR in 29 games and may have time to join Chest Rockwell, Dave Peppers, John Thomas and Tony Montana in the Ronin 30 HR club. Yup, that pitching staff is getting lit up but doing just enough. With the second most runs scored on offense and the second worst ERA, watch for the Ronin club to petition the commissioner to allow a keg placed out at second base for home games.
There you have it. Quite a down year for this division but with a few surprises. How does OSA's Tim Spooneybarger manage a sub 4.00 ERA for another season? Johan Santana can't do that in Osaka. Did TAI's 1B Dan Posedel completely forget how to hit? Lifetime he's .281. This season .213 (and batting in the second spot.) The surprise out of Chiang-Mai has already been mentioned (Cap Jackson). Biggest disappoinment in SLB? Kyoto's entire roster. Maybe that's a little harsh, there might be 4 players ....
Mid Season picks: Cy Young - Homer Bailey, Atlanta. MVP - Ryne Robinson, Paris. Rookie Hitter of the Year - Kiki Brezovan, Halifax. Rookie Pitcher of the Year - Chaz Roe, Cleveland.

Mid Season - North Division

Halifax, Bedford, Philly and Cleveland. In that order. Yeah, sounds about right.
The Sailors are playing well despite the loss of Kiko Brezovan - still out for over two more months with a ruptured disc in his back - and a host of other players. The offense, led by a rejuvenated D2J, is hitting well enough and the pitching, top to bottom, has been fantastic. Horacio Ramirez leads the staff with 11 wins despite the worst ERA in the rotation (3.97). Justin Verlander is just 8-5 but has a terrific 2.51 ERA and has struck out 133 batters.

Bedford's hitting has been probably a little better than expected - Todric Johnson has been ridiculous. 17 home runs, 17 triples, a 1.001 OPS and 28 steals? Damn. - and Milton Bradley, Paddy Farr and Josh Barfield have contributed. The pitching staff has been a relative disappointment, in comparison. Ted Striker (3.29 ERA) has been great, but Scott Kazmir (4.39 ERA, but team-best 126 strikeouts) has struggled at times.

Andy Hunter, wherefore art thou? The Philly outfielder hit .318 with 41 HRs a year ago, and while the power is still there (18 homers), the average is not (.214). Miguel Cabrera isn't hitting as well as he did a year ago, though a lot of that probably has to do with the struggles around him. Jay Bruce is still a stud, his .337 average is good for third in the league. Outside of Rich Harden (2.93 ERA), the pitching staff has hit the skids. Three starters have given up over 20 HRs, led (???) by Neal Cotts with 24.

In Cleveland, Tex Austin and Drew Stubbs were supposed to team up with Alex Hildebrand to lead the Dawgs back to the post-season. Not so fast, my friend. Both have struggled with the bat - Tex is hitting .274 and has picked it up as of late, but Stubbs .776 OPS is not what was expected - and the pair has struggled with injuries, neither appearing in 50 games, yet. But hey, Hildebrand is hitting! The pitching, as expected, has been forgettable, though the Dawgs are getting another nice season out of Daniel Pursel (9-8, 3.81 ERA).

Biggest Surprise: Todric Johnson was a second round pick by the Crunch way back in 2013, and boy is that one paying off. The speedy outfielder struggled against lefties his first two years in the league, hitting .196 and .169 against them his first two years. He hit .358 (!) against them a year ago and while no one expected him to keep it up in 2017, he's doing it again. He's going to top his 2016 numbers in basically every category and that deep 2013 draft keeps paying off.

Biggest Disappointment: Andy Hunter's struggles have already been talked about a bit, but seriously, what the hell is going on? He mashed last year and the year before that, but it's like he slipped out of the gate at the beginning of the season and just can't right the ship. Frustrating for a Philly team that is fighting for a first place division finish.

Division MVP: Todric Johnson, without a doubt.

Division Cy Young: Justin Verlander.

Mid Season - Euro Division

The Euro Division is neck and neck with the North in the race for the strongest division in the league. Paris and Scotland would be in the playoffs if they started today, while London and Ireland are just under .500. Paris has been strong from the start, with Scotland hot on their heels. London has only recently climbed out of the cellar, but still must make a quick decision over the next 2 weeks about their chances. Ireland continues to groom the young hitters, but the big bucks invested into a few select players has hurt their depth.

Paris is giving us a blast from the past, pouring on the offense to the tune of 5.9 runs/game. To absolutely no one's surprise, Adam Dunn (age 36) is having a monster year, while Ryne Robinson is challenging for league MVP honors with his .708 SLG. Six players (!!!) are slugging above .500. Scotland has (at least for this season) solved the offense problems, getting huge years out of Bristow, Johjima and Darin Ford. London is playing catch up, with Jim Russell leading an offense that is finally turning it on. Diego Clemente is having a tough year, barely OPSing over .800. Ireland is getting good years from rookie Al Murphy and vet CC Sabathia, but a short bullpen is killing the club.

Biggest Surprise: Darin Ford with a .600 SLG? FTH?

Biggest Disappointment: Oh look, Jered Weaver sucks....again. 6.51 ERA...wow.

Division MVP: Ryne Robinson (PAR) is probably league MVP for me right now.

Mid Season - South Division

The South Division is a bit turned on its head this season, with last year's division champs (ATL) falling the basement and every other team slotting up a spot. San Juan has been amazing, hitting the All Star Break with the best record in the league. Savannah has done extremely well considering they can't keep either Choi or Pujols off the DL. Baltimore has been, well, Baltimore, and Atlanta's bullpen has really cost them in the standings.

The Senadores' lineups is almost entirely homegrown, with 6 of the 8 position players drafted by GM Bill Gluvna. Coupled with some unexpected pitching lines from the likes of Niemann and Meche and you have the makings of a division champ. Can the pitching hold up in the post season? Savannah has battled through health issues and an off year by Phillip Humber, but are still just 6.5 games back and lead the wildcard race. Baltimore has gotten good play from rookies Vanderwal and Atwood and some nice "last hurrah's" from the ancient Guerrero and McPherson. The starting pitching has been decent (though have given up a lot of hits) but the bullpen has been brutal. Atlanta has typically brilliant seasons from Bailey and Lemming, plus great years from Ewing, Morneau and Brady, but have also had health issues. Their runs scored/allowed are just one run apart, meaning they should be at least 5 games better in the standings.

Biggest Surprise: I'll go with Jeff Niemann from San Juan. He's cut a full run off of his ERA and represented the Sendores in the All Star Game. He's a big reason they are out fron right now.

Biggest Disappointment: El Ron Ubardo has regressed to a 5.00 ERA pitcher for Baltimore, a team that just can't seem to build on anything year to year.

Division MVP: Brian McCann (SJ). Floyd Larkin is the star on this team, but a near 1.000 OPS from your catcher? Wow.