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.
Monday, July 27, 2009
News & Notes - April 2021 Wrap-Up
Let's see how April treated the league....
- Halifax has the best record in the league, but is playing WAY over their heads in terms of luck. Their record stands at 18-9, but their run differential is just +7. Kiko Brezovan is showing impressive power (10 HR), but the next highest total is just 4. Scott Kazmir has been the only truly effective starter, but the bullpen is 8-1.
- After a slow start, Ireland has surged to the best record in the WL. The young offense hasn't missed a beat, with five starters batting well above .300. The pitching has been rock solid as well.
- After a "down" year in 2020, Atlanta's Darren Lemming is back to form, posting a .391/.481/.782 line is his first 110 plate appearances. He's complemented in the outfield by Elliot Hayes, who has shown some unexpected power. Homer Bailey is still stuck at 1-0, despite posting quality starts in 4 of his first 5 appearances.
- Also stuck at 1-0 is Baltimore's Zach Putnam, despite his 1.64 ERA at 5/5 QS.
- Cleveland's Jock Johnson continues to wreak havoc, posting a .500 OBP and 1.350 OPS.
- Kyoto is tied with Atlanta for most HR in the league, lead by Mule (10), Daughtery (9) and Ford (8).
- Osaka has had to weather a pile of injuries, including ace CC Sabathia and three different middle infielders. The team has kept it's head above water, however, thanks to their offense and rookie Michael Casper.
- Jeff Niemann (SJ), who is the career leader in walks, has issued just 3 free passes in 29 innings so far this season.
- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .242, 1, 5, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .248, 2, 15, Chico Corona (OSKA) .309, 1, 7, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .298, 2, 7, Ray Rice (SAV) .380, 2, 13, Mook Jockster (TAI) .298, 6, 18.
- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 1-2, 3.60, Len Bartson (CLE) 2-3, 4.98, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 2-1, 4.67, Michael Casper (OSKA) 3-1, 2.57, Go Matsumota (PHI) 2-2, 5.86, Holden Whitley (SAV) 1-3, 4.11
- Halifax has the best record in the league, but is playing WAY over their heads in terms of luck. Their record stands at 18-9, but their run differential is just +7. Kiko Brezovan is showing impressive power (10 HR), but the next highest total is just 4. Scott Kazmir has been the only truly effective starter, but the bullpen is 8-1.
- After a slow start, Ireland has surged to the best record in the WL. The young offense hasn't missed a beat, with five starters batting well above .300. The pitching has been rock solid as well.
- After a "down" year in 2020, Atlanta's Darren Lemming is back to form, posting a .391/.481/.782 line is his first 110 plate appearances. He's complemented in the outfield by Elliot Hayes, who has shown some unexpected power. Homer Bailey is still stuck at 1-0, despite posting quality starts in 4 of his first 5 appearances.
- Also stuck at 1-0 is Baltimore's Zach Putnam, despite his 1.64 ERA at 5/5 QS.
- Cleveland's Jock Johnson continues to wreak havoc, posting a .500 OBP and 1.350 OPS.
- Kyoto is tied with Atlanta for most HR in the league, lead by Mule (10), Daughtery (9) and Ford (8).
- Osaka has had to weather a pile of injuries, including ace CC Sabathia and three different middle infielders. The team has kept it's head above water, however, thanks to their offense and rookie Michael Casper.
- Jeff Niemann (SJ), who is the career leader in walks, has issued just 3 free passes in 29 innings so far this season.
- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .242, 1, 5, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .248, 2, 15, Chico Corona (OSKA) .309, 1, 7, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .298, 2, 7, Ray Rice (SAV) .380, 2, 13, Mook Jockster (TAI) .298, 6, 18.
- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 1-2, 3.60, Len Bartson (CLE) 2-3, 4.98, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 2-1, 4.67, Michael Casper (OSKA) 3-1, 2.57, Go Matsumota (PHI) 2-2, 5.86, Holden Whitley (SAV) 1-3, 4.11
Thursday, July 23, 2009
News & Notes - April 15, 2021
Week 2....
- Parity reigns supreme in the early going, as every team has won and lost at least 5 games (the exception being Halifax, who is 9-4).
- Homer Bailey is off to his usual brilliant start (1.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 3 starts), but he's just 1-0 thanks to some shoddy bullpen work. Relief pitching looks to be an issue for just about everyone in the league this season.
- Is Baltimore's Cole DeVries hiding an injury? He has been absolutely destroyed in his first 3 starts, compiling just 14 total innings while giving up 7 HR and 32 total baserunners.
- You can't stop Jock Johnson....you can only hope to contain him. Cleveland's young first baseman isn't exactly having a sophomore slump; how's a .523/.596/.955/1.551 line sound for the first 50ish plate appearances?
- Halifax's Yadel Marti is the latest pitch count victim, throwing 5 innings of perfect ball before being yanked.
- Kyoto (somehow) leads the league both in runs scored and team ERA. Please, please, PLEASE don't remind Charlie Gibson (2-0, 1.00) that he's Charlie Gibson (20-21, 5.46 career).
- Scotland's Neil Walker hit 4 HR in one game (Sunday). He had only hit 1 long ball in his first 13 games.
- Parity reigns supreme in the early going, as every team has won and lost at least 5 games (the exception being Halifax, who is 9-4).
- Homer Bailey is off to his usual brilliant start (1.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 3 starts), but he's just 1-0 thanks to some shoddy bullpen work. Relief pitching looks to be an issue for just about everyone in the league this season.
- Is Baltimore's Cole DeVries hiding an injury? He has been absolutely destroyed in his first 3 starts, compiling just 14 total innings while giving up 7 HR and 32 total baserunners.
- You can't stop Jock Johnson....you can only hope to contain him. Cleveland's young first baseman isn't exactly having a sophomore slump; how's a .523/.596/.955/1.551 line sound for the first 50ish plate appearances?
- Halifax's Yadel Marti is the latest pitch count victim, throwing 5 innings of perfect ball before being yanked.
- Kyoto (somehow) leads the league both in runs scored and team ERA. Please, please, PLEASE don't remind Charlie Gibson (2-0, 1.00) that he's Charlie Gibson (20-21, 5.46 career).
- Scotland's Neil Walker hit 4 HR in one game (Sunday). He had only hit 1 long ball in his first 13 games.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
News & Notes - April 8, 2021
Opening Week is behind us in the 2021 season. Let's seen what's shaking...
- Osaka has jumped out to a 5-1 record thanks to a team offense that is hitting .323 and has scored 44 runs (that's just under 7.5 runs/game). The pitching staff has a respectable 4.90 ERA early, but the Ronin's plan is to beat other teams senseless.
- Also 5-1 are the Sailors, though their success has come from the mound. The team has a 2.88 ERA early while the offense is more or less middle-of-the-pack.
- Kyoto has already had it's share of bad luck record-wise. The Bushido are #2 in runs scored and #3 in team ERA, but are just 4-3.
- So, is everyone on a pitch count early? First, Halifax's Bill Carroll is pulled after 6 innings of no-hit ball (the team gave up just 1 hit in the 2-0 victory), and then Cleveland's Mark McCormick was pulled after 7 innings of a PERFECT GAME.
- Osaka rookie SS Chico Corona seems to think he's the new Rickey Henderson, as he's swiped 10 bases in his first 6 games.
- Bad news in the first week for Cleveland; first, they learned that All-Star outfielder Tex Austin (who missed most of last season with a herniated disc) has had a set back and won't be ready until after the All Star Break. Then his replacement (Lum Blomberg) injured himself on Opening Day.
- Taipei starter Rudy Ruettiger not only gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in 5 innings this week, but he also wants to show you how to generate wealth.
- Osaka has jumped out to a 5-1 record thanks to a team offense that is hitting .323 and has scored 44 runs (that's just under 7.5 runs/game). The pitching staff has a respectable 4.90 ERA early, but the Ronin's plan is to beat other teams senseless.
- Also 5-1 are the Sailors, though their success has come from the mound. The team has a 2.88 ERA early while the offense is more or less middle-of-the-pack.
- Kyoto has already had it's share of bad luck record-wise. The Bushido are #2 in runs scored and #3 in team ERA, but are just 4-3.
- So, is everyone on a pitch count early? First, Halifax's Bill Carroll is pulled after 6 innings of no-hit ball (the team gave up just 1 hit in the 2-0 victory), and then Cleveland's Mark McCormick was pulled after 7 innings of a PERFECT GAME.
- Osaka rookie SS Chico Corona seems to think he's the new Rickey Henderson, as he's swiped 10 bases in his first 6 games.
- Bad news in the first week for Cleveland; first, they learned that All-Star outfielder Tex Austin (who missed most of last season with a herniated disc) has had a set back and won't be ready until after the All Star Break. Then his replacement (Lum Blomberg) injured himself on Opening Day.
- Taipei starter Rudy Ruettiger not only gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in 5 innings this week, but he also wants to show you how to generate wealth.
Monday, May 18, 2009
News & Notes - September 28, 2020
Just one week left....
- Four of the six playoff spots have been clinched, with only the South Division champ and AL Wildcard up for grabs. Halifax and Chiang-Mai clinched their division this week, while both Ireland and Scotland clinched playoff spots. Atlanta holds a seemingly safe 4.5 game lead with 6 games to go, while Cleveland is up 2.5 over Savannah for the WC spot.
- Osaka is 17 HR shy of the all time team record with 6 games to go. The Ronin have 5 of the top 7 in HR's this year.
- Of the 5 Osaka batters with 40 or more HR, only 2 have 100+ RBI (though the other 3 should get there by season's end).
- 23 batters have 100 or more RBI right now, 5 of which are rookies.
- RHOY is wide open right now, with literally a dozen good candidates for the award. Probably the best hitting rookie class in SLB history.
- RPOY is another story, with most rookie hurlers having rough years. The decision will likely come between a starter (Taipei's Myers) and a closer (Ireland's Sasaki).
- Cy Young seems like a foregone conclusion, as Atlanta's Homer Bailey is 19-1, 2.21, and most of his stats are off the charts.
- MVP is also wide open. Could be the closest vote in years.
- Four of the six playoff spots have been clinched, with only the South Division champ and AL Wildcard up for grabs. Halifax and Chiang-Mai clinched their division this week, while both Ireland and Scotland clinched playoff spots. Atlanta holds a seemingly safe 4.5 game lead with 6 games to go, while Cleveland is up 2.5 over Savannah for the WC spot.
- Osaka is 17 HR shy of the all time team record with 6 games to go. The Ronin have 5 of the top 7 in HR's this year.
- Of the 5 Osaka batters with 40 or more HR, only 2 have 100+ RBI (though the other 3 should get there by season's end).
- 23 batters have 100 or more RBI right now, 5 of which are rookies.
- RHOY is wide open right now, with literally a dozen good candidates for the award. Probably the best hitting rookie class in SLB history.
- RPOY is another story, with most rookie hurlers having rough years. The decision will likely come between a starter (Taipei's Myers) and a closer (Ireland's Sasaki).
- Cy Young seems like a foregone conclusion, as Atlanta's Homer Bailey is 19-1, 2.21, and most of his stats are off the charts.
- MVP is also wide open. Could be the closest vote in years.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
News & Notes - September 11, 2020
Getting close to the end here....
- Despite a pile of injuries, Halifax continues to hold a double digit lead in the North (and the best overall record in the league).
- After months in the last place, Atlanta has put on a successful surge and has passed everyone into first place in the south (albeit by a slim, 2.5 game lead on Savannah).
- The battle for the Euro rages on between Scotland and Ireland, with Ireland holding the narrow lead at the moment. Both teams are all but guaranteed playoff spots, but the winner of the division will get the all important first round bye.
- Chiang Mai seems to have seized control of the Far East. They've won 5 in a row and hold a 5.5 game lead over Kyoto. If they can play well in their remaining head-to-head games with the Bushido, they should be locked in for the playoffs.
- The Cleveland Dawgs hold a game and a half lead in the American Wildcard race. The Dawg offense has been explosive this past week; they scored 38 runs in a 3 game series with Philly, then averaged 8 runs per game against Baltimore. Despite the rush of offense, Cleveland is still just 6th in the league in runs.
- Taipei has played well the last 3 weeks to pull ahead of the floundering Ronin. The Tai Fong's young pitching looks solid heading into 2021.
- Out of nowhere, CHNG's Thurman Murman has stormed to the league RBI lead with 129. Second year Scotland OF Sakamoto is 2nd, despite starting the year on the bench.
- 2B Cap Jackson has nearly lapped the field in the stolen base department; he has 107, compared to Warren McFadden, who is second with 56.
- SS Diego Clemente may break the 9 year old walks record set by A-Rod in 2011 (83).
- 3B Chest Rockwell joined the 500 HR club.
- Despite a pile of injuries, Halifax continues to hold a double digit lead in the North (and the best overall record in the league).
- After months in the last place, Atlanta has put on a successful surge and has passed everyone into first place in the south (albeit by a slim, 2.5 game lead on Savannah).
- The battle for the Euro rages on between Scotland and Ireland, with Ireland holding the narrow lead at the moment. Both teams are all but guaranteed playoff spots, but the winner of the division will get the all important first round bye.
- Chiang Mai seems to have seized control of the Far East. They've won 5 in a row and hold a 5.5 game lead over Kyoto. If they can play well in their remaining head-to-head games with the Bushido, they should be locked in for the playoffs.
- The Cleveland Dawgs hold a game and a half lead in the American Wildcard race. The Dawg offense has been explosive this past week; they scored 38 runs in a 3 game series with Philly, then averaged 8 runs per game against Baltimore. Despite the rush of offense, Cleveland is still just 6th in the league in runs.
- Taipei has played well the last 3 weeks to pull ahead of the floundering Ronin. The Tai Fong's young pitching looks solid heading into 2021.
- Out of nowhere, CHNG's Thurman Murman has stormed to the league RBI lead with 129. Second year Scotland OF Sakamoto is 2nd, despite starting the year on the bench.
- 2B Cap Jackson has nearly lapped the field in the stolen base department; he has 107, compared to Warren McFadden, who is second with 56.
- SS Diego Clemente may break the 9 year old walks record set by A-Rod in 2011 (83).
- 3B Chest Rockwell joined the 500 HR club.
Monday, May 4, 2009
News & Notes - August 21, 2020
It's been a few weeks.....let's see what's shaking....
- Trade deadline came and went without much fanfare. Halifax made the only move of any significance, snagging SP Yadel Marti from Bedford.
- Despite losing 6 of their last 10, the Atlanta Flyers sit in first place in the South. Every team has a shot at this division, as last place Savannah is just 2 games out (and getting healthy).
- A resurgent Cleveland is back in the wildcard position, holding a 2 game advantage over San Juan. Should the Dawgs have made a move at the deadline to secure their position?
- Across the pond, Scotland and Ireland continue to fight it out in the Euro, though the Rebels have held first place for several weeks. Several of Ireland's hitters are candidates for ROY this year.
- In the Far East, the Kwaan and Bushido have both won 7 of their last 10, and just 1.5 games separate them for the division lead. Neither is above .500 yet.
- Kyoto rookie 2B Luke Daughetry saw an offensive explosion in July and August, and is now 2nd in the league in HR (39) and fourth in RBI (100). Other rookies of note are Ireland's Chmolak (7th in batting average), Paris' Peltz (second in SLG), Ireland's Pointer (first in doubles), and Ireland's Sasaki (first in saves, OpAvg, OpSLG and H/9).
- Prince Fielder (OSKA) now has 50 HR, 11 more than anyone else in the league. Bedford has 137 HR as a team.
- Chiang-Mai has 274 stolen bases, 92 more than London, who has the 2nd most at 182.
- Offense has been the story this year, as 9 of the 16 teams have ERA's over 5.00. Scouts are hoping the talented crop of collegiate pitchers will tip the balance over the next few years.
- Former (or current) Osaka Ronin hitters are the next three in line for 500 career HR. Chest Rockwell is at 498, Dave Peppers at 494, and Tony Montana at 489.
- Trade deadline came and went without much fanfare. Halifax made the only move of any significance, snagging SP Yadel Marti from Bedford.
- Despite losing 6 of their last 10, the Atlanta Flyers sit in first place in the South. Every team has a shot at this division, as last place Savannah is just 2 games out (and getting healthy).
- A resurgent Cleveland is back in the wildcard position, holding a 2 game advantage over San Juan. Should the Dawgs have made a move at the deadline to secure their position?
- Across the pond, Scotland and Ireland continue to fight it out in the Euro, though the Rebels have held first place for several weeks. Several of Ireland's hitters are candidates for ROY this year.
- In the Far East, the Kwaan and Bushido have both won 7 of their last 10, and just 1.5 games separate them for the division lead. Neither is above .500 yet.
- Kyoto rookie 2B Luke Daughetry saw an offensive explosion in July and August, and is now 2nd in the league in HR (39) and fourth in RBI (100). Other rookies of note are Ireland's Chmolak (7th in batting average), Paris' Peltz (second in SLG), Ireland's Pointer (first in doubles), and Ireland's Sasaki (first in saves, OpAvg, OpSLG and H/9).
- Prince Fielder (OSKA) now has 50 HR, 11 more than anyone else in the league. Bedford has 137 HR as a team.
- Chiang-Mai has 274 stolen bases, 92 more than London, who has the 2nd most at 182.
- Offense has been the story this year, as 9 of the 16 teams have ERA's over 5.00. Scouts are hoping the talented crop of collegiate pitchers will tip the balance over the next few years.
- Former (or current) Osaka Ronin hitters are the next three in line for 500 career HR. Chest Rockwell is at 498, Dave Peppers at 494, and Tony Montana at 489.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
News & Notes - July 23, 2020
Just over a week before we reach the trade deadline. Who's in it?
- The first wildcard standings went up today, and the difference between the two leagues is night and day. In the AL, every team in the league is within 6 games of the wildcard leading Dawgs, while in the WL, Ireland has a 9 1/2 game lead on 2nd place Kyoto.
- Likewise, the North Division is the only one where the first place team (Halifax) has a substantial lead (13 games). Every other division leader has just a 1/2 game lead on the 2nd place team.
- After being riddled with major injuries earlier in the year, the Savannah Sabers are just a couple of weeks from being full strength again. The Sabers are just 3 games out of first place, and should be getting Boog Johnson, Dontrelle Willis and Miggy Cabrera back over the next two weeks.
- When was the last time Darren Lemming wasn't in the top 10 in SLG in late July? By any other player's standards, Lemming's .328, 21, 72 line would be outstanding, but the future Hall of Famer is usually more dominant.
- Kyoto is 3rd in the league in home runs (167), but just 11th in total runs scored (476).
- Osaka is still in 1st place in the Far East, despite their starting rotation being a combined 3 games under .500.
- 2020's rookie class has hit 366 HR's so far this year.
- Dennis Dennis Jr. has joined the 700 doubles club. He sits at 701, which is 6th all time.
- Brett Myers (SJ) is 2nd among active pitchers in both K's (2814) and BB's (809).
-
- The first wildcard standings went up today, and the difference between the two leagues is night and day. In the AL, every team in the league is within 6 games of the wildcard leading Dawgs, while in the WL, Ireland has a 9 1/2 game lead on 2nd place Kyoto.
- Likewise, the North Division is the only one where the first place team (Halifax) has a substantial lead (13 games). Every other division leader has just a 1/2 game lead on the 2nd place team.
- After being riddled with major injuries earlier in the year, the Savannah Sabers are just a couple of weeks from being full strength again. The Sabers are just 3 games out of first place, and should be getting Boog Johnson, Dontrelle Willis and Miggy Cabrera back over the next two weeks.
- When was the last time Darren Lemming wasn't in the top 10 in SLG in late July? By any other player's standards, Lemming's .328, 21, 72 line would be outstanding, but the future Hall of Famer is usually more dominant.
- Kyoto is 3rd in the league in home runs (167), but just 11th in total runs scored (476).
- Osaka is still in 1st place in the Far East, despite their starting rotation being a combined 3 games under .500.
- 2020's rookie class has hit 366 HR's so far this year.
- Dennis Dennis Jr. has joined the 700 doubles club. He sits at 701, which is 6th all time.
- Brett Myers (SJ) is 2nd among active pitchers in both K's (2814) and BB's (809).
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009
News & Notes - July 9, 2020
Nearing the All-Star Break. How are things shaping up?
- Halifax continues to maintain its comfortable lead, but the rest of the American League is separated by just 9 games. Bedford's hot June (16-10) has them just 1.5 games out of the wildcard spot. The entire South Division is within 1.5 games of each other, and it looks like Atlanta could leap from last to first in one weekend.
- Atlanta's Homer Bailey had a no-hitter against San Juan through 8 1/3 innings, but couldn't complete the game due to a strained triceps muscle. Sports radio callers are calling him "soft" for taking himself out of the game, but how quickly they forget his 11-1, 2.48 mark this season.
- Ireland just can't shake Scotland, as their lead in the Euro stays at 1 game for the umpteenth week in a row. The Invader offense is covering for some deficiencies in the pitching (namely a lack of reliable 5th starter and some brutal middle relief). Can they shore up some of these issues on the trade market?
- Osaka's Prince Fielder has had a bit of a power outage recently, and teammate Ben Parker has almost caught up. Fielder leads the league with 35 round trippers, while Parker is at 32. Both have 78 RBI.
- Speaking of Osaka, they're back to .500. Golf clap.
- With Rookie League in full swing, I thought we'd look at how many rookies are in each organization in SLB. The results may surprise you:
- Halifax continues to maintain its comfortable lead, but the rest of the American League is separated by just 9 games. Bedford's hot June (16-10) has them just 1.5 games out of the wildcard spot. The entire South Division is within 1.5 games of each other, and it looks like Atlanta could leap from last to first in one weekend.
- Atlanta's Homer Bailey had a no-hitter against San Juan through 8 1/3 innings, but couldn't complete the game due to a strained triceps muscle. Sports radio callers are calling him "soft" for taking himself out of the game, but how quickly they forget his 11-1, 2.48 mark this season.
- Ireland just can't shake Scotland, as their lead in the Euro stays at 1 game for the umpteenth week in a row. The Invader offense is covering for some deficiencies in the pitching (namely a lack of reliable 5th starter and some brutal middle relief). Can they shore up some of these issues on the trade market?
- Osaka's Prince Fielder has had a bit of a power outage recently, and teammate Ben Parker has almost caught up. Fielder leads the league with 35 round trippers, while Parker is at 32. Both have 78 RBI.
- Speaking of Osaka, they're back to .500. Golf clap.
- With Rookie League in full swing, I thought we'd look at how many rookies are in each organization in SLB. The results may surprise you:
- BED - 24
- IRE - 23
- ATL - 22
- SAV - 21
- TAI - 21
- LON - 19
- BAL - 18
- PAR - 18
- PHI - 17
- SJ - 16
- CLE - 16
- HAL - 15
- OSKA - 12
- CHNG -9
- SCOT - 9
- KYO - 7
Thursday, April 9, 2009
News & Notes - June 29, 2020
Nearly 1/2 way through the season, and the Amateur Draft behind us. Lets' see what's shaking...
- The hottest two teams in the league are Bedford and Ireland. The Crunch have won 7 straight (and 8 of 10) to move to a game under .500 and 4 games behind the wildcard leading Dawgs. Ireland has won 5 straight (including a sweep of Kyoto) and hold a one game lead in the Euro.
- Scotland has kept up with Ireland in the Euro division race, but was dealt a serious blow this weekend when staff ace Felix Hernandez was lost for the season. "King" Felix was having arguably his best season since entering the league via the Supplemental Expansion Draft, going 9-2, 3.19 with 101 K's in 101 IP before bicep issues shut down his season.
Lefty Carlos Hernandez should be available in about a week for the Rebels, but expect them to look for starting pitching help before July's trade deadline.
- Chiang-Mai passed both Osaka and Kyoto this weekend in the "tallest midget" race in the Far East. All four teams in the division are at least 3 games under .500. The Kwaan swept Osaka, who has lost 6 straight, while Kyoto lost 3 in a row to Ireland.
- Atlanta ace Homer Bailey is doing his best Steve Carlton impersonation, racking up wins on a last place team. Bailey is 10-1 for the last place Flyers, accounting for nearly 1/3 of the teams' 36 victories.
- 37 pitchers were taken in this year's Amateur Draft, compared to just 9 position players. San Juan was the only team that did not select a pitcher this year.
- Ft. Wayne's Chris Lambert finished his fairytale season by setting the AAA record with 15 victories.
- The hottest two teams in the league are Bedford and Ireland. The Crunch have won 7 straight (and 8 of 10) to move to a game under .500 and 4 games behind the wildcard leading Dawgs. Ireland has won 5 straight (including a sweep of Kyoto) and hold a one game lead in the Euro.
- Scotland has kept up with Ireland in the Euro division race, but was dealt a serious blow this weekend when staff ace Felix Hernandez was lost for the season. "King" Felix was having arguably his best season since entering the league via the Supplemental Expansion Draft, going 9-2, 3.19 with 101 K's in 101 IP before bicep issues shut down his season.
Lefty Carlos Hernandez should be available in about a week for the Rebels, but expect them to look for starting pitching help before July's trade deadline.
- Chiang-Mai passed both Osaka and Kyoto this weekend in the "tallest midget" race in the Far East. All four teams in the division are at least 3 games under .500. The Kwaan swept Osaka, who has lost 6 straight, while Kyoto lost 3 in a row to Ireland.
- Atlanta ace Homer Bailey is doing his best Steve Carlton impersonation, racking up wins on a last place team. Bailey is 10-1 for the last place Flyers, accounting for nearly 1/3 of the teams' 36 victories.
- 37 pitchers were taken in this year's Amateur Draft, compared to just 9 position players. San Juan was the only team that did not select a pitcher this year.
- Ft. Wayne's Chris Lambert finished his fairytale season by setting the AAA record with 15 victories.
Monday, March 30, 2009
News & Notes - June 15, 2020
- The Philly Fever released a statement this week essentially throwing in the towel on the 2020 season. Expect to see some Fever players on the move after the Amateur Draft.
- Savannah keeps their tenuous grip on first place despite having to put Dontrelle Willis and Boog Johnson on the DL this week. They joing C Neal Schallock and 3B Miguel Cabrera on the shelf.
- San Juan is right there in the South, but had to put Buzz Bliss on the DL with an inflamed ACL. He's out for the year.
- The Far East continues to flip-flop between Oska and Kyoto, with the Ronin on top this week. Chiang-Mai is closing the gap.
- Atlanta is still in last place, but is just 5 games out in a division full of injuries. When do they make their move?
- Cleveland rookie Mike Wolmers has finally hit the wall; He has lost 3 of his last 4 decisions, and seen his ERA balloon from 1.20 to 4.40.
- Kyoto rookie Luke Daughetry was dropped from 2nd to 7th in the batting order this week. "He's shown good power for us, but he has lost all of the patience he showed in Spring Training," said hitting coach Ichiro. "We can't have a player with a .276 OBP that high in the order." Daughetry's team-leading 11 GIDP's also contributed to the move.
- Taipei lost rookie Derek Ballinger this week, but got Chris Fetter back. Unfortunately for the last place Tai Fong, this seems to be a downgrade.
- And finally, what about the feel good story of 12 year SLB veteran Chris Lambert? The highly touted first round draft pick (2008) never panned out at the major league level; his best season was 2013, when he went 13-10, 4.21 while being traded from Cleveland to Scotland, and again to Kyoto. His career numbers in the majors: 42-70, 5.40 ERA.
But the 33 year old Lambert is having the time of his life in Ft. Wayne this year, posting a 13-1 record with a 2.23 ERA for the Harry Baals. "The pressure is totally off here," said Lambert after his last victory. "The team is loose, we're 2 games out of first, and I'm having a blast." It remains to be seen if he can help the Ronin down the stretch, but for now, he's finally enjoying baseball.
- Savannah keeps their tenuous grip on first place despite having to put Dontrelle Willis and Boog Johnson on the DL this week. They joing C Neal Schallock and 3B Miguel Cabrera on the shelf.
- San Juan is right there in the South, but had to put Buzz Bliss on the DL with an inflamed ACL. He's out for the year.
- The Far East continues to flip-flop between Oska and Kyoto, with the Ronin on top this week. Chiang-Mai is closing the gap.
- Atlanta is still in last place, but is just 5 games out in a division full of injuries. When do they make their move?
- Cleveland rookie Mike Wolmers has finally hit the wall; He has lost 3 of his last 4 decisions, and seen his ERA balloon from 1.20 to 4.40.
- Kyoto rookie Luke Daughetry was dropped from 2nd to 7th in the batting order this week. "He's shown good power for us, but he has lost all of the patience he showed in Spring Training," said hitting coach Ichiro. "We can't have a player with a .276 OBP that high in the order." Daughetry's team-leading 11 GIDP's also contributed to the move.
- Taipei lost rookie Derek Ballinger this week, but got Chris Fetter back. Unfortunately for the last place Tai Fong, this seems to be a downgrade.
- And finally, what about the feel good story of 12 year SLB veteran Chris Lambert? The highly touted first round draft pick (2008) never panned out at the major league level; his best season was 2013, when he went 13-10, 4.21 while being traded from Cleveland to Scotland, and again to Kyoto. His career numbers in the majors: 42-70, 5.40 ERA.
But the 33 year old Lambert is having the time of his life in Ft. Wayne this year, posting a 13-1 record with a 2.23 ERA for the Harry Baals. "The pressure is totally off here," said Lambert after his last victory. "The team is loose, we're 2 games out of first, and I'm having a blast." It remains to be seen if he can help the Ronin down the stretch, but for now, he's finally enjoying baseball.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
News & Notes - June 8, 2020
- Amateur Draft should be arriving soon, probably June 17 of the schedule.
- Pythagorean records are amiss again. Bedford, who is nearly even in run differential, is 6 games under, while Kyoto, who is -18 in run diff., is .500.
- Scotland's hot/cold/hot streak is still going strong, as the Rebels have won 6 straight to pass Ireland for first place in the Euro. Ireland has lost 4 straight.
- League pitching continues to improve, as just 3 teams have team ERA's over 5.00. In April, over half of the teams were in the 5.00 range.
- Osaka's Prince Fielder has 30 home runs in 239 At-Bats (1 per 7.9 AB's). That's 30 HR in just 74 hits, meaning just 44 balls have landed safely in fair territory this year. He currently has a 9 HR lead over teammate Ben Parker, and is threatening to lap the field by season's end.
- Someone take the aluminum bat away from Len Thymne.
- 2019's #1 overall draft pick (SP Michael Casper) is just doing okay in his first season in Ft. Wayne. His control has been as good as advertised (just 13 BB's compared to 105 K's in 92 IP), but he's giving up a lot of hits, many of which are leaving the park. He'll be an interesting guy to keep an eye on.
- Quebec's Rick Clay has more triples (25) than doubles (17).
- Pythagorean records are amiss again. Bedford, who is nearly even in run differential, is 6 games under, while Kyoto, who is -18 in run diff., is .500.
- Scotland's hot/cold/hot streak is still going strong, as the Rebels have won 6 straight to pass Ireland for first place in the Euro. Ireland has lost 4 straight.
- League pitching continues to improve, as just 3 teams have team ERA's over 5.00. In April, over half of the teams were in the 5.00 range.
- Osaka's Prince Fielder has 30 home runs in 239 At-Bats (1 per 7.9 AB's). That's 30 HR in just 74 hits, meaning just 44 balls have landed safely in fair territory this year. He currently has a 9 HR lead over teammate Ben Parker, and is threatening to lap the field by season's end.
- Someone take the aluminum bat away from Len Thymne.
- 2019's #1 overall draft pick (SP Michael Casper) is just doing okay in his first season in Ft. Wayne. His control has been as good as advertised (just 13 BB's compared to 105 K's in 92 IP), but he's giving up a lot of hits, many of which are leaving the park. He'll be an interesting guy to keep an eye on.
- Quebec's Rick Clay has more triples (25) than doubles (17).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
News & Notes - June 1, 2020
- Scotland went from the hottest team in the league to the coldest. Not long after their 10 game win streak, the Rebels rattled off an 8 game losing streak. Losing Daniel Callahan for the year (PCL) won't help right the ship.
- Halifax has shaken off its slow start, and has now padded their lead over Cleveland to 4 games. The Sailors have a ton of injuries, but the pitching has really carried them through the past few weeks.
- Bedford has played much better in the past couple of weeks, thanks to a revived offense and some good starting pitching. They're making Atlanta regret releasing Al Krieger, as the former Flyer is 2-0 with the Crunch and has lowered his ERA to 4.26. Unfortunately, staff ace Ted Striker (7-3, 3.62) is out 2-3 months with a tricep tendon injury.
- Also staging a comeback of sorts is Chiang Mai, who has won 7 of their last 10 games and stands just 2.5 games out of first in the Far East. With Kyoto and Osaka treading water, now is the time for the Kwaan to make their move. Though their starting pitching has been spotty, Chiang Mai has sported one of the better bullpens in the league. Joe Belinda hitting over .400 doesn't hurt either.
- Slowest team in the league? Kyoto by a landslide. The entire team has just 2 triples and 18 stolen bases.
- Here's a stat you don't see every year: Osaka has more HR (119) than doubles (102).
- Halifax has shaken off its slow start, and has now padded their lead over Cleveland to 4 games. The Sailors have a ton of injuries, but the pitching has really carried them through the past few weeks.
- Bedford has played much better in the past couple of weeks, thanks to a revived offense and some good starting pitching. They're making Atlanta regret releasing Al Krieger, as the former Flyer is 2-0 with the Crunch and has lowered his ERA to 4.26. Unfortunately, staff ace Ted Striker (7-3, 3.62) is out 2-3 months with a tricep tendon injury.
- Also staging a comeback of sorts is Chiang Mai, who has won 7 of their last 10 games and stands just 2.5 games out of first in the Far East. With Kyoto and Osaka treading water, now is the time for the Kwaan to make their move. Though their starting pitching has been spotty, Chiang Mai has sported one of the better bullpens in the league. Joe Belinda hitting over .400 doesn't hurt either.
- Slowest team in the league? Kyoto by a landslide. The entire team has just 2 triples and 18 stolen bases.
- Here's a stat you don't see every year: Osaka has more HR (119) than doubles (102).
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
News & Notes - May 25, 2020
- Kyoto stopped it's slump with a 3 game sweep in Cleveland. The Bushido also handed rookie phenom Mike Wolmers his first loss; the Dawg hurler got thumped for 13 hits and 11 runs in 7 innings. Kyoto is back in a percentage point tie with Osaka for first in the Far East.
- Taipei, on the other hand, continues to plummet, having lost 7 in a row and 9 of their last 10 to fall 15 under .500 and 8 out of the division lead. Injuries and terrible pen work have contributed to the streak.
- Scotland and Ireland continue to duke it out in the Euro Division. The Rebels are still in first place, but by just one game over the Invaders, who have won 8 of 10. If Ireland can nail down a 5th starter, they may be the team to beat (but thus far, Escobar, Stryker and Phillips have failed to hold onto the role).
- Is this the best year ever for rookie hitters? Three rookies are in the top 10 in hitting (Bedford's Don Erickson tops the list, with Ireland's Chmolak and San Juan's Proly in the list), while Proly and Kyoto's Luke Daughetry are in the top 10 in RBI.
- Halifax has suddenly turned into an offensive juggernaut, and no pitcher on the staff has benefited from it more than lefty Michael Tentilucci. He's 6-0 despite an ERA that only just dipped below 5.00, while allowing a .315 OpAvg and a fat WHIP.
- Miguel Caberera's injury last week may have cost him some career milestones this year. The 36 year old third baseman is 104 hits shy of 3000, 14 doubles short of 900, 93 runs short of 1500, and 5 RBI shy of 1500.
- Dontrelle Willis is 2 wins shy of 200.
- How bad is London's AAA team? The Queens pitching staff has 4 of the top 10 leaders in losses, as Mewes and Boswell have 8 losses each, and Amin and Hankins have 7. The team is 10-39 on the year.
- Taipei, on the other hand, continues to plummet, having lost 7 in a row and 9 of their last 10 to fall 15 under .500 and 8 out of the division lead. Injuries and terrible pen work have contributed to the streak.
- Scotland and Ireland continue to duke it out in the Euro Division. The Rebels are still in first place, but by just one game over the Invaders, who have won 8 of 10. If Ireland can nail down a 5th starter, they may be the team to beat (but thus far, Escobar, Stryker and Phillips have failed to hold onto the role).
- Is this the best year ever for rookie hitters? Three rookies are in the top 10 in hitting (Bedford's Don Erickson tops the list, with Ireland's Chmolak and San Juan's Proly in the list), while Proly and Kyoto's Luke Daughetry are in the top 10 in RBI.
- Halifax has suddenly turned into an offensive juggernaut, and no pitcher on the staff has benefited from it more than lefty Michael Tentilucci. He's 6-0 despite an ERA that only just dipped below 5.00, while allowing a .315 OpAvg and a fat WHIP.
- Miguel Caberera's injury last week may have cost him some career milestones this year. The 36 year old third baseman is 104 hits shy of 3000, 14 doubles short of 900, 93 runs short of 1500, and 5 RBI shy of 1500.
- Dontrelle Willis is 2 wins shy of 200.
- How bad is London's AAA team? The Queens pitching staff has 4 of the top 10 leaders in losses, as Mewes and Boswell have 8 losses each, and Amin and Hankins have 7. The team is 10-39 on the year.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
News & Notes - May 18, 2020
Better late than never....
- Scotland had a 10 game winning streak snapped on Sunday when they lost to Homer Bailey and Atlanta. The Rebels' 15-4 home record is the best in the league.
- Savannah has slumped to 3rd place in the South, and will be without All-Star Miguel Cabrera for the next 3-4 months.
- It's a rough year for last season's division champs. With the exception of Halifax, all other 2019 champs are in last place.
- Kyoto has cooled off, losing 7 of its last 10 games, but remains in first thanks to all of the other Far East teams' losing records.
- Chiang Mai has just 28 HR in 41 games. Their team SLG is .404, worst in the league.
- Jake Peavy for Comeback Player of the Year? After a disastrous year in Kyoto, he was traded to Baltimore and then signed by Paris in the off-season. Peavy is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in a stadium notorious for high offense.
- Osaka has 5 players with 10 or more home runs. There are 7 teams that don't have any double-digit home run players.
- Rick Clay (AAA Quebec) has 39 extra-base hits compared to just 28 singles.
- Scotland had a 10 game winning streak snapped on Sunday when they lost to Homer Bailey and Atlanta. The Rebels' 15-4 home record is the best in the league.
- Savannah has slumped to 3rd place in the South, and will be without All-Star Miguel Cabrera for the next 3-4 months.
- It's a rough year for last season's division champs. With the exception of Halifax, all other 2019 champs are in last place.
- Kyoto has cooled off, losing 7 of its last 10 games, but remains in first thanks to all of the other Far East teams' losing records.
- Chiang Mai has just 28 HR in 41 games. Their team SLG is .404, worst in the league.
- Jake Peavy for Comeback Player of the Year? After a disastrous year in Kyoto, he was traded to Baltimore and then signed by Paris in the off-season. Peavy is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in a stadium notorious for high offense.
- Osaka has 5 players with 10 or more home runs. There are 7 teams that don't have any double-digit home run players.
- Rick Clay (AAA Quebec) has 39 extra-base hits compared to just 28 singles.
Friday, March 20, 2009
News & Notes - May 11, 2020
Off we go....
- Promising Ireland pitching prospect Armando Escobar couldn't get it going in his rookie campaign, and was sent back to Australia after a 1-2, 8.59 start. Escobar was 17-7 in two AAA seasons, and won the Top Pitching Prospect award in 2019. Escobar was replaced in the rotation by Jerry Stryker, who was 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA in 7 starts for the Beerbellies.
- Three different teams attempted to sign Al Krieger, who was released by Atlanta last week. Bedford succeeded, and Krieger has appeared twice out of the pen for AAA Detroit.
- Despite a slew of injuries, Halifax has worked their way into a first place tie with Cleveland in the North. The Sailors are hitting like crazy, leading the league with a .301 team average and 214 runs.
- Speaking of Halifax, did you know that 2B Josh Barfield has 409 career HR and nearly 600 career doubles?
- The pitching has improved as the weather has warmed, with 11 of the 16 teams in the league now sporting a team ERA under 5.00.
- But whose team is worst in the league in pitching? Atlanta.
- Why did no one want Dennis Dennis Jr. last year? He's been resurgent in Cleveland, with a 1.077 OPS and team leading 12 homers.
- Paris' Stu Watwood is batting over .400 after 33 games.
- San Juan has shot past Savannah to take first place in the South. Rookie Charlie Proly is still raking, which is good news for Senadores fans, but bad news for.....
-.....prospect Len Thymne, who, despite hitting .383/.491/.850 for AAA Caracas, is stuck behind Proly on the depth chart. Thymne is averaging a home run every 7.8 at-bats, and an extra base hit every 4.75 at-bats.
- NCAA stats and rosters will be posted this weekend. Stay tuned.
- Promising Ireland pitching prospect Armando Escobar couldn't get it going in his rookie campaign, and was sent back to Australia after a 1-2, 8.59 start. Escobar was 17-7 in two AAA seasons, and won the Top Pitching Prospect award in 2019. Escobar was replaced in the rotation by Jerry Stryker, who was 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA in 7 starts for the Beerbellies.
- Three different teams attempted to sign Al Krieger, who was released by Atlanta last week. Bedford succeeded, and Krieger has appeared twice out of the pen for AAA Detroit.
- Despite a slew of injuries, Halifax has worked their way into a first place tie with Cleveland in the North. The Sailors are hitting like crazy, leading the league with a .301 team average and 214 runs.
- Speaking of Halifax, did you know that 2B Josh Barfield has 409 career HR and nearly 600 career doubles?
- The pitching has improved as the weather has warmed, with 11 of the 16 teams in the league now sporting a team ERA under 5.00.
- But whose team is worst in the league in pitching? Atlanta.
- Why did no one want Dennis Dennis Jr. last year? He's been resurgent in Cleveland, with a 1.077 OPS and team leading 12 homers.
- Paris' Stu Watwood is batting over .400 after 33 games.
- San Juan has shot past Savannah to take first place in the South. Rookie Charlie Proly is still raking, which is good news for Senadores fans, but bad news for.....
-.....prospect Len Thymne, who, despite hitting .383/.491/.850 for AAA Caracas, is stuck behind Proly on the depth chart. Thymne is averaging a home run every 7.8 at-bats, and an extra base hit every 4.75 at-bats.
- NCAA stats and rosters will be posted this weekend. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
News & Notes - May 3, 2020
Around the league....
- Panic in Atlanta? After a 9-15 start, the Flyers front office made an unusually large number of roster moves in hopes of shaking the team out of its funk. Rookie starter Al Krieger (1-3) was released, with Fred Bordick getting the call up to fill his rotation spot. Con Brack, who was lost in the Rule 5 draft a few seasons back, was resigned to Charleston, as were longtime Bedford farmhands Bill Claire and Frank Dean. Bordick won his major league debut, allowing 3 ER in 7 1/3 IP despite walking 5.
- Chiang Mai got some much needed help on offense this week, as Trevor Bayne and Joe Belinda rejoined the lineup. Belinda went 5 for 11 with a HR and Bayne went 2 for 12 with a stolen base in the weekend series against Halifax. The Kwaan won 1 of the 3 contests.
- Cleveland and Scotland completed the first trade of the 2020 regular season, swapping a total of 6 pitchers in the deal. Scotland acquired starter Mike Miller, who is 0-2, 5.23 after signing a 3 year, $18 million deal with the Dawgs this winter, as well as relievers Mark Romanczuk and Brandon Durden. In exchange, Cleveland landed starter Ron Mexico, reliever Rudolph Quinonez, and prospect Hank Cole.
- Taipei holds onto 2nd place in the Far East, despite a lineup that won't hit and three rookies in the starting rotation. The Tai Fong are hitting just .240 as a team, with Hickey and Hildenbrand unable to find their groove. Derek Ballinger, the rookie filling in for the injured Chris Fetter, was blasted in his major league debut, but had a nice outing his 2nd time out.
- What happened to Scott Davis? The Baltimore hurler had a great minor league career, and put up a solid rookie season in 2019. Now he's 0-3 with an 11.72 ERA, giving up 40 hits and 9 walks in 25 IP. EDIT: Apparently the Panthers are fed up with Davis, and he has been moved to long relief. Jacob Voorhees was called up to take his rotation spot.
- The success of rookie Don Erickson (1B, BED) has spelled the end for Basil Elton-John, who was demoted to Detroit on Sunday. Basil never lived up to the hype (or the legacy of his father, Nigel, who hit 497 HR for the now defunct Simulated Baseball Association [SimBA]).
- London's Diego Clemente hasn't shown much power this season, but he has 20 walks (compared to 18 strikeouts), for a .397 OBP.
- Early front runners for ROY awards look to be RF Charlie Proly (SJ), who is hitting .358/.419/.600 with 5 HR and 25 RBI, and SP Mike Wolmers (CLE), who is 4-0, 1.24 with 27 K's and a sub-1.00 WHIP.
- Panic in Atlanta? After a 9-15 start, the Flyers front office made an unusually large number of roster moves in hopes of shaking the team out of its funk. Rookie starter Al Krieger (1-3) was released, with Fred Bordick getting the call up to fill his rotation spot. Con Brack, who was lost in the Rule 5 draft a few seasons back, was resigned to Charleston, as were longtime Bedford farmhands Bill Claire and Frank Dean. Bordick won his major league debut, allowing 3 ER in 7 1/3 IP despite walking 5.
- Chiang Mai got some much needed help on offense this week, as Trevor Bayne and Joe Belinda rejoined the lineup. Belinda went 5 for 11 with a HR and Bayne went 2 for 12 with a stolen base in the weekend series against Halifax. The Kwaan won 1 of the 3 contests.
- Cleveland and Scotland completed the first trade of the 2020 regular season, swapping a total of 6 pitchers in the deal. Scotland acquired starter Mike Miller, who is 0-2, 5.23 after signing a 3 year, $18 million deal with the Dawgs this winter, as well as relievers Mark Romanczuk and Brandon Durden. In exchange, Cleveland landed starter Ron Mexico, reliever Rudolph Quinonez, and prospect Hank Cole.
- Taipei holds onto 2nd place in the Far East, despite a lineup that won't hit and three rookies in the starting rotation. The Tai Fong are hitting just .240 as a team, with Hickey and Hildenbrand unable to find their groove. Derek Ballinger, the rookie filling in for the injured Chris Fetter, was blasted in his major league debut, but had a nice outing his 2nd time out.
- What happened to Scott Davis? The Baltimore hurler had a great minor league career, and put up a solid rookie season in 2019. Now he's 0-3 with an 11.72 ERA, giving up 40 hits and 9 walks in 25 IP. EDIT: Apparently the Panthers are fed up with Davis, and he has been moved to long relief. Jacob Voorhees was called up to take his rotation spot.
- The success of rookie Don Erickson (1B, BED) has spelled the end for Basil Elton-John, who was demoted to Detroit on Sunday. Basil never lived up to the hype (or the legacy of his father, Nigel, who hit 497 HR for the now defunct Simulated Baseball Association [SimBA]).
- London's Diego Clemente hasn't shown much power this season, but he has 20 walks (compared to 18 strikeouts), for a .397 OBP.
- Early front runners for ROY awards look to be RF Charlie Proly (SJ), who is hitting .358/.419/.600 with 5 HR and 25 RBI, and SP Mike Wolmers (CLE), who is 4-0, 1.24 with 27 K's and a sub-1.00 WHIP.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
News & Notes - April 27, 2020
Around the league this week...
- Darren Lemming finally hit a homer this week....
- ...but Atlanta is in last place in the South (and is tied for worst record in the league) due mostly to the failures of the starting rotation. Bailey has been his usually dominant self, but Krieger, Plantier and Delmas have been beaten around early on.
- Baltimore has roared to an 11-8 record despite it's three young starters having rough starts. Cepeda (5.96), Putnam (8.44) and Davis (11.74) are 3-6 combined, but the team has been bailed out by Romero and DeVries (plus some lights out bullpen work).
- The surprise team of the season so far remains Cleveland, who has cut their team ERA nearly in half from a year ago. Rookie Mark Wolmers continues to dazzle, starting his career 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Wolmers has a first round pick of Baltimore in 2019, but traded to Cleveland for Ricardo Romero. Free Agent Mark McCormick has also dominated (2-0, 1.13)
- We knew losing Prior, Verlander and Santana would hurt, but who expected Halifax's team ERA to bloom to 5.21? 2019 holdovers Kazmir, Miller and Graves have been rocked.
- Yes, Ireland has had as many as 6 rookies in their starting lineup, and they've taken the good (Chmolak, Cartee) with the bad (Miskik, Izumigawa) so far. Still, the team is over .500, thanks to Verlander picking up the pace and a revived bullpen (lead by rookie starter-turned-closer Yoshi Sasaki).
- Someone test Augustine Ortiz's urine, STAT.
- Osaka continues to be Bizarro World for pitchers; Sabathia's ERA is 6.00, while Greinke's is 1.93.
- Paris' William Bray (0-3, 10.65) is the early favorite for Goat of the Year.
- Ireland isn't the only team with a lot of rookie hitters; Savannah holds first place in the South thanks to the early contributions of guys like Giggie, Szucs and Hudnal.
- It's been a very different start for Taipei's two rookie starters; Mark Myers has hit the ground running, going 2-1, 2.86 early, while Rudy Ruettiger is getting destroyed (1-2, 12.00).
- Can we just give the Hitting Prospect of the Year award to San Juan's Len Thymne now? All he's done so far is hit .432/.563/.919 with 9 doubles, 9 HR, 29 RBI, and 21 walks in his first 85 PA's. That's Barry Bonds type numbers.
-
- Darren Lemming finally hit a homer this week....
- ...but Atlanta is in last place in the South (and is tied for worst record in the league) due mostly to the failures of the starting rotation. Bailey has been his usually dominant self, but Krieger, Plantier and Delmas have been beaten around early on.
- Baltimore has roared to an 11-8 record despite it's three young starters having rough starts. Cepeda (5.96), Putnam (8.44) and Davis (11.74) are 3-6 combined, but the team has been bailed out by Romero and DeVries (plus some lights out bullpen work).
- The surprise team of the season so far remains Cleveland, who has cut their team ERA nearly in half from a year ago. Rookie Mark Wolmers continues to dazzle, starting his career 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Wolmers has a first round pick of Baltimore in 2019, but traded to Cleveland for Ricardo Romero. Free Agent Mark McCormick has also dominated (2-0, 1.13)
- We knew losing Prior, Verlander and Santana would hurt, but who expected Halifax's team ERA to bloom to 5.21? 2019 holdovers Kazmir, Miller and Graves have been rocked.
- Yes, Ireland has had as many as 6 rookies in their starting lineup, and they've taken the good (Chmolak, Cartee) with the bad (Miskik, Izumigawa) so far. Still, the team is over .500, thanks to Verlander picking up the pace and a revived bullpen (lead by rookie starter-turned-closer Yoshi Sasaki).
- Someone test Augustine Ortiz's urine, STAT.
- Osaka continues to be Bizarro World for pitchers; Sabathia's ERA is 6.00, while Greinke's is 1.93.
- Paris' William Bray (0-3, 10.65) is the early favorite for Goat of the Year.
- Ireland isn't the only team with a lot of rookie hitters; Savannah holds first place in the South thanks to the early contributions of guys like Giggie, Szucs and Hudnal.
- It's been a very different start for Taipei's two rookie starters; Mark Myers has hit the ground running, going 2-1, 2.86 early, while Rudy Ruettiger is getting destroyed (1-2, 12.00).
- Can we just give the Hitting Prospect of the Year award to San Juan's Len Thymne now? All he's done so far is hit .432/.563/.919 with 9 doubles, 9 HR, 29 RBI, and 21 walks in his first 85 PA's. That's Barry Bonds type numbers.
-
Friday, March 13, 2009
News & Notes - April 20, 2020
Around the league....
- Atlanta superstar Darren Lemming has been held without a home run for the first 2 weeks of the season. Is he hiding an injury? Lemming also has 15 K's compared to just 1 walk.
- Cleveland's SP Mark McCormick has helped the Dawgs surprising start. He's 2-0, 1.06 in his first 3 starts (after going 11-9, 3.44 in Savannah last season).
- The Bedford Crunch have not recorded a single save so far this season.
- There's a power outage in Bedford, Chiang-Mai and London. The teams have hit 9, 8, and 7 home runs respectively. By comparison, Osaka has hit 34.
- On the other hand, there has been some early pitching misery for 50% of the league. 8 of the 16 teams in SLB have a team ERA above 5.00.
- Osaka's Jack Schalk has 9 HR, but only 11 RBI.
- Miguel Cabrera (SAV), Prince Fielder (OSKA), and Hank Blalock (BAL) have joined the 500 HR club.
- CC Sabathia (OSKA) is now the all time leader in K's (3252).
- Atlanta superstar Darren Lemming has been held without a home run for the first 2 weeks of the season. Is he hiding an injury? Lemming also has 15 K's compared to just 1 walk.
- Cleveland's SP Mark McCormick has helped the Dawgs surprising start. He's 2-0, 1.06 in his first 3 starts (after going 11-9, 3.44 in Savannah last season).
- The Bedford Crunch have not recorded a single save so far this season.
- There's a power outage in Bedford, Chiang-Mai and London. The teams have hit 9, 8, and 7 home runs respectively. By comparison, Osaka has hit 34.
- On the other hand, there has been some early pitching misery for 50% of the league. 8 of the 16 teams in SLB have a team ERA above 5.00.
- Osaka's Jack Schalk has 9 HR, but only 11 RBI.
- Miguel Cabrera (SAV), Prince Fielder (OSKA), and Hank Blalock (BAL) have joined the 500 HR club.
- CC Sabathia (OSKA) is now the all time leader in K's (3252).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
News & Notes - April 13, 2020
Let's see what's happening in the first week of the 2020 season:
- Kyoto has brought the bats AND the pitching, scoring 42 runs in the first 7 games while the starting rotation has posted 7 quality starts. Les Beltre is 0-1 despite a 0.00 ERA (think unearned runs).
- The London vs. Chiang-Mai series was an injury fest, with five players knocked out between the two teams.
- Speaking of injuries, Halifax center fielder Gary Hamm fractured a bone in his neck sliding head first into 2nd base and is effectively out for the year.
- Have we ever seen a worse start for a pitching staff than this season's Osaka staff? They've given up 26 long balls in 66 IP, and the staff WHIP is nearly 2.00. Unbelievable.
- Halifax ace Scott Kazmir has been rocked in his first 2 outings, putting up a 9.00 ERA while surrendering 18 hits (3 HR) in 10 IP.
- After a promising September (and Spring Training), Ireland's rookie hitters are off to a slow start. The team is 4-3, but could be the break out team of the year if the hitting gets going.
- Rough week for Taipei newcomer Alex Hildenbrand. The former Dawg is just 2 for 25, both singles, for an 0.80/.148/.080 line in the first week.
- Kyoto has brought the bats AND the pitching, scoring 42 runs in the first 7 games while the starting rotation has posted 7 quality starts. Les Beltre is 0-1 despite a 0.00 ERA (think unearned runs).
- The London vs. Chiang-Mai series was an injury fest, with five players knocked out between the two teams.
- Speaking of injuries, Halifax center fielder Gary Hamm fractured a bone in his neck sliding head first into 2nd base and is effectively out for the year.
- Have we ever seen a worse start for a pitching staff than this season's Osaka staff? They've given up 26 long balls in 66 IP, and the staff WHIP is nearly 2.00. Unbelievable.
- Halifax ace Scott Kazmir has been rocked in his first 2 outings, putting up a 9.00 ERA while surrendering 18 hits (3 HR) in 10 IP.
- After a promising September (and Spring Training), Ireland's rookie hitters are off to a slow start. The team is 4-3, but could be the break out team of the year if the hitting gets going.
- Rough week for Taipei newcomer Alex Hildenbrand. The former Dawg is just 2 for 25, both singles, for an 0.80/.148/.080 line in the first week.
Monday, January 26, 2009
SLB All-Pro team 2019
Catcher
Tony Montana, Kyoto — .273/.315/.563 47 HR, 94 RBI
When did Kyoto turn into Osaka II? Three Bushido bruisers bashed more than 40 home runs, including Montana who spanked 47 out of the park. There is a dearth of decent-hitting catchers in the SLB, but Montana was the best of the bunch in 2019.
First Base
Hee Seop Choi, Paris — .335/.389/.684 58 HR, 152 RBI, 217 hits
Choi has long been one of the most feared, if not most underrated, players in the SLB and he put together a career year in 2019.
Second base
James Ewing, Atlanta — .316/.362/.580 35 HR, 113 RBI, 135 R, 51 SB
It was a strong year at the top for second basemen, and in the end Ewing’s combination of power and speed held of Stu Watwood of Paris and Cap Jackson of Chiang-Mai.
Shortstop
Kiko Brezovan, Halifax — .326/.360/.592 33 HR, 106 RBI, 113 R, 40 SB
The league’s best team had the league’s best shortstop in 2019. Brezovan broke out in a big way, and became the Sailor’s go-to-guy on offense.
Third base
Miguel Cabrera, Savannah — .303/.358/.578 43 HR, 112 RBI, 89 R
After a down year in 2018, Cabrera bounced back but also got stiff competition from Osaka rookie Ben Parker. In the end, Cabrera’s overall effort outweighed Parker’s “Osaka-effect” as the league’s best third baseman.
Left field
Matt Musser, San Juan — .340/.369/.626 31 HR, 23 3B, 110 RBI, 118 R, 232 H, 78 SB
San Juan may not have had the season we’ve all come to expect from them, but Musser didn’t disappoint. He had 232 hits — 110 of which went for extra bases. And when he found himself on first base, he just stole second anyway. He can do it all.
Center field
Darren Lemming, Atlanta — .352/.404/.710 48 HR, 19 3B, 150 RBI, 140 R, 40 SB
This was the most hotly-contested race, as it came down to Lemming and Philadelphia’s Jay Bruce. In the end, their production was basically equal, only Bruce had an extra 51 at bats, giving him essentially 11 extra games to reach his totals. As for Lemming, it’s just more of the same. Tons of hits, tons of power, tons of stolen bases and gold-glove defense. What more can you say?
Right field
Tex Austin, Cleveland — .333/.369/.657 51 HR, 138 RBI, 215 H
Austin flat out mashed the ball in 2019, ripping off 51 home runs and finishing third in the league in slugging percentage.
Starting Pitcher
Justin Verlander, Halifax — 20-4, 1.95 ERA, 201 Ks, 23 BBs
All Verlander did in 2019 was lead the SLB in wins and ERA and help Halifax to the league’s best record. What more could you ask for?
Homer Bailey, Atlanta — 20-3, 2.46 ERA, 229 Ks, 31 BBs
Once again, Bailey was his usual self. He piled up Ks and wins like a packrat and helped mitigate just how bad the rest of his rotation-mates were in 2019.
C.C. Sabathia, Osaka — 18-9, 3.30 ERA, 222 Ks, 37 BBs
It a shock to see Osaka dole out the cash for a pitcher in the offseason, but it paid off. Sure, other pitchers might have had slightly better ERAs, but none of them did it in Osaka. Sabathia’s season was a minor miracle.
Relief pitcher
Cliff Gatsby, Baltimore — 3-1, 2.61 ERA, 35 Ks, .174 opp avg.
Baltimore won a franchise-record 88 games in 2019, and Gatsby’s lockdown pitching at the end of games was a huge reason why.
Tony Montana, Kyoto — .273/.315/.563 47 HR, 94 RBI
When did Kyoto turn into Osaka II? Three Bushido bruisers bashed more than 40 home runs, including Montana who spanked 47 out of the park. There is a dearth of decent-hitting catchers in the SLB, but Montana was the best of the bunch in 2019.
First Base
Hee Seop Choi, Paris — .335/.389/.684 58 HR, 152 RBI, 217 hits
Choi has long been one of the most feared, if not most underrated, players in the SLB and he put together a career year in 2019.
Second base
James Ewing, Atlanta — .316/.362/.580 35 HR, 113 RBI, 135 R, 51 SB
It was a strong year at the top for second basemen, and in the end Ewing’s combination of power and speed held of Stu Watwood of Paris and Cap Jackson of Chiang-Mai.
Shortstop
Kiko Brezovan, Halifax — .326/.360/.592 33 HR, 106 RBI, 113 R, 40 SB
The league’s best team had the league’s best shortstop in 2019. Brezovan broke out in a big way, and became the Sailor’s go-to-guy on offense.
Third base
Miguel Cabrera, Savannah — .303/.358/.578 43 HR, 112 RBI, 89 R
After a down year in 2018, Cabrera bounced back but also got stiff competition from Osaka rookie Ben Parker. In the end, Cabrera’s overall effort outweighed Parker’s “Osaka-effect” as the league’s best third baseman.
Left field
Matt Musser, San Juan — .340/.369/.626 31 HR, 23 3B, 110 RBI, 118 R, 232 H, 78 SB
San Juan may not have had the season we’ve all come to expect from them, but Musser didn’t disappoint. He had 232 hits — 110 of which went for extra bases. And when he found himself on first base, he just stole second anyway. He can do it all.
Center field
Darren Lemming, Atlanta — .352/.404/.710 48 HR, 19 3B, 150 RBI, 140 R, 40 SB
This was the most hotly-contested race, as it came down to Lemming and Philadelphia’s Jay Bruce. In the end, their production was basically equal, only Bruce had an extra 51 at bats, giving him essentially 11 extra games to reach his totals. As for Lemming, it’s just more of the same. Tons of hits, tons of power, tons of stolen bases and gold-glove defense. What more can you say?
Right field
Tex Austin, Cleveland — .333/.369/.657 51 HR, 138 RBI, 215 H
Austin flat out mashed the ball in 2019, ripping off 51 home runs and finishing third in the league in slugging percentage.
Starting Pitcher
Justin Verlander, Halifax — 20-4, 1.95 ERA, 201 Ks, 23 BBs
All Verlander did in 2019 was lead the SLB in wins and ERA and help Halifax to the league’s best record. What more could you ask for?
Homer Bailey, Atlanta — 20-3, 2.46 ERA, 229 Ks, 31 BBs
Once again, Bailey was his usual self. He piled up Ks and wins like a packrat and helped mitigate just how bad the rest of his rotation-mates were in 2019.
C.C. Sabathia, Osaka — 18-9, 3.30 ERA, 222 Ks, 37 BBs
It a shock to see Osaka dole out the cash for a pitcher in the offseason, but it paid off. Sure, other pitchers might have had slightly better ERAs, but none of them did it in Osaka. Sabathia’s season was a minor miracle.
Relief pitcher
Cliff Gatsby, Baltimore — 3-1, 2.61 ERA, 35 Ks, .174 opp avg.
Baltimore won a franchise-record 88 games in 2019, and Gatsby’s lockdown pitching at the end of games was a huge reason why.
Monday, January 19, 2009
News & Notes - September 20, 2019
Just a week and a half left, so let's see where we stand:
- Halifax has the division and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs locked up.
- Atlanta and Baltimore both clinched playoff spots this series, but the division has not yet been decided. Atlanta's magic # is 6, and they play Baltimore in 6 of the final 9 games.
- Nothing clinched in the World League yet. London's recent hot streak has put them 2.5 up on Scotland with 9 to play. Scotland and London do not play again this year.
- In the Far East, Taipei is 6.5 up on Osaka, but some tepid September play has delayed the Tai Fong clinching their second straight division title. Scotland leads the Wild Card by three games over Osaka.
- Congratulations to Paris' Hee-Seop Choi, who is the first player in SLB history to hit 500 career home runs. Hank Blalock looked like the man to do it, but he's had a power outage recently, while the red hot Choi zoomed by to grab the honor. Choi leads the league in HR this season as well (52).
- Choi is also the first hitter to reach 1500 RBI.
- Halifax's Johan Santana joined the 200 win club this week. Only Prior (240), Sabathia (224) and Williams (208) have more career victories.
- Cap Jackson has broken his own Stolen Base record with 111 swipes on the year to date. Gregory Burns is on pace to break his record for strikeouts.
- Who is going to win the RHOY award? It's anyone's guess, as the league has seen it's best rookie class in history. Some candidates to consider:
- In an exciting battle for 3rd place, KYO and CHNG play 6 more times down the stretch. Who can avoid the cap hit? The league is eagerly anticipating this thrilling race.
- Halifax has the division and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs locked up.
- Atlanta and Baltimore both clinched playoff spots this series, but the division has not yet been decided. Atlanta's magic # is 6, and they play Baltimore in 6 of the final 9 games.
- Nothing clinched in the World League yet. London's recent hot streak has put them 2.5 up on Scotland with 9 to play. Scotland and London do not play again this year.
- In the Far East, Taipei is 6.5 up on Osaka, but some tepid September play has delayed the Tai Fong clinching their second straight division title. Scotland leads the Wild Card by three games over Osaka.
- Congratulations to Paris' Hee-Seop Choi, who is the first player in SLB history to hit 500 career home runs. Hank Blalock looked like the man to do it, but he's had a power outage recently, while the red hot Choi zoomed by to grab the honor. Choi leads the league in HR this season as well (52).
- Choi is also the first hitter to reach 1500 RBI.
- Halifax's Johan Santana joined the 200 win club this week. Only Prior (240), Sabathia (224) and Williams (208) have more career victories.
- Cap Jackson has broken his own Stolen Base record with 111 swipes on the year to date. Gregory Burns is on pace to break his record for strikeouts.
- Who is going to win the RHOY award? It's anyone's guess, as the league has seen it's best rookie class in history. Some candidates to consider:
- Morton Henrikksen (ATL) - .311, 42 HR, 119 RBI
- Matthew Hamman (CLE) - .311, 33 HR, 80 RBI
- Stan Ford (KYO) - .275, 34 HR, 77 RBI
- Ben Parker (OSKA) - .299, 39 HR, 109 RBI
- Truck Chakales (OSKA) - .309, 37 HR, 83 RBI
- Shuhei Iwata (TAI) - .303, 26 HR, 89 RBI
- In an exciting battle for 3rd place, KYO and CHNG play 6 more times down the stretch. Who can avoid the cap hit? The league is eagerly anticipating this thrilling race.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
News and Notes
September 2, 2019
- The deadline has passed and we're into September callups.
- The Kyoto Bushido, currently in last place in the Far East, are taking a cue from OSA - a horrible record despite having three 40-HR hitters in their lineup (A Mule, M Hamilton and T Montana).
- HAL clinched a post-season berth with just three 30-HR hitters (S Archibald, K Brezovan and A Mertes).
- IRE, headed for their 3rd straight last-place finish in the Euro, are currently working on a major roster shakeup as they start September. After adding OF D Dennis on waivers last week, Invader GM Tony Blake is dealing with SLB head office to process unconditional releases on 10 players. "We're going young", said Blake. "What else do we have to lose? Even our self-respect vanished just after spring training."
- If BAL can hold off PHI for 25 more games (a 4.5 game lead in the WC), it will be the Panthers first post-season appearance since ..... (searching the archives) .... their inaugural season in 2004. They were then known as Atlantic City under GM R Shelley. 2004 was also their last season with a winning record.
- For the mathmatically challenged, that's 14 seasons between winning records for the Panthers.
- This year's Smoke and Mirrors award goes to: SCO. The Rebels are tied for 1st in the Euro despite being outscored by 44 runs, 627-671.
- The 20 Million Dollar Player (D Lemming of ATL)is handling the pressure of the big contract just fine. A 1.133 OPS with 43 HR and 29 SB and an error-free CF.
- CLE has a 5.94 team ERA with SP M Miller leading(?) the rotation at 5.18. Rookie RP J Green is the only Dawgs pitcher under 5 at 4.91.
- The deadline has passed and we're into September callups.
- The Kyoto Bushido, currently in last place in the Far East, are taking a cue from OSA - a horrible record despite having three 40-HR hitters in their lineup (A Mule, M Hamilton and T Montana).
- HAL clinched a post-season berth with just three 30-HR hitters (S Archibald, K Brezovan and A Mertes).
- IRE, headed for their 3rd straight last-place finish in the Euro, are currently working on a major roster shakeup as they start September. After adding OF D Dennis on waivers last week, Invader GM Tony Blake is dealing with SLB head office to process unconditional releases on 10 players. "We're going young", said Blake. "What else do we have to lose? Even our self-respect vanished just after spring training."
- If BAL can hold off PHI for 25 more games (a 4.5 game lead in the WC), it will be the Panthers first post-season appearance since ..... (searching the archives) .... their inaugural season in 2004. They were then known as Atlantic City under GM R Shelley. 2004 was also their last season with a winning record.
- For the mathmatically challenged, that's 14 seasons between winning records for the Panthers.
- This year's Smoke and Mirrors award goes to: SCO. The Rebels are tied for 1st in the Euro despite being outscored by 44 runs, 627-671.
- The 20 Million Dollar Player (D Lemming of ATL)is handling the pressure of the big contract just fine. A 1.133 OPS with 43 HR and 29 SB and an error-free CF.
- CLE has a 5.94 team ERA with SP M Miller leading(?) the rotation at 5.18. Rookie RP J Green is the only Dawgs pitcher under 5 at 4.91.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
2020 Free Agent List
An incomplete list of Free Agents for the 2020 off season:
Starting Pitchers
Jeremy Affeldt
Homer Bailey +++
Jim Bauers
Josh Beckett
William Bray
Andrew Brown
Larry Brush
Brett Caldwell
Hank Daniels
Jason Davis
Sean Doolittle
Zach Greinke
Angel Guzman
Felix Hernandez
Luke Hochevar
Scott Kazmir
Byung Hyun Kim
Hong Chi Kuo
Rich Mangan
Mark McCormick
Mike Miller
Jake Peavy
Oliver Perez
Paul Phillips
Mark Prior ++++
Jon Rauch
Eric Ridener
Tim Spooneybarger
Justin Verlander
Carlos Zambrano
Relief Pitchers
Andy Abraham
Dick Briscoe
Chad Cordero
Cliff Gatsby
Craig Hansen
Brock Landers
Pedro Liriano
JJ Putz
Huston Street
Michiyo Towaki
Kyle Winters
Catchers
Jeffrey Clement
Earl Hickey
Bill Hitchcock
Kenji Johjima
Brian McCann
Brandon Snyder
First Basemen
Daniel Callahan
Ryan Howard
Boog Johnson
Dick Hare
Brad Miller
Justin Morneau
Ken Ryu
Second Basemen
Hubie Bluege
Marcus Giles
Tomas Hernandez
Paul Matthew
Third Basemen
Joshua Bell
Hank Blalock
Youliesky Gourriel
Edwin Jacobo
Bradley McCann
Jared Sandberg
Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstops
Jose Castillo
Dustin Kelly
Floyd Larkin
Whammy May
Kippy Sunderstrom
Garner Wetzel
Left Fielders
Eric Dalton
Alex Hilldenbrand
Todd Linden
Allen Martinez
Lastings Milledge
Antonio Mule
Laynce Nix
Jim Russell
Buck Swope
Center Fielders
Buzz Bliss
Peter Bourjos
Milton Bradley
Charles Carter
Bob Corcoran
Hunter Dravinger
Joseph Dyches
Darin Ford
Todric Johnson
Andruw Jones
Chris Kolkhorst
Right Fielders
Joe Belinda
Elmer Davie
Will Hunting
Craig Johnson
Brandon Leahy
Delmon Young
Starting Pitchers
Jeremy Affeldt
Homer Bailey +++
Jim Bauers
Josh Beckett
William Bray
Andrew Brown
Larry Brush
Brett Caldwell
Hank Daniels
Jason Davis
Sean Doolittle
Zach Greinke
Angel Guzman
Felix Hernandez
Luke Hochevar
Scott Kazmir
Byung Hyun Kim
Hong Chi Kuo
Rich Mangan
Mark McCormick
Mike Miller
Jake Peavy
Oliver Perez
Paul Phillips
Mark Prior ++++
Jon Rauch
Eric Ridener
Tim Spooneybarger
Justin Verlander
Carlos Zambrano
Relief Pitchers
Andy Abraham
Dick Briscoe
Chad Cordero
Cliff Gatsby
Craig Hansen
Brock Landers
Pedro Liriano
JJ Putz
Huston Street
Michiyo Towaki
Kyle Winters
Catchers
Jeffrey Clement
Earl Hickey
Bill Hitchcock
Kenji Johjima
Brian McCann
Brandon Snyder
First Basemen
Daniel Callahan
Ryan Howard
Boog Johnson
Dick Hare
Brad Miller
Justin Morneau
Ken Ryu
Second Basemen
Hubie Bluege
Marcus Giles
Tomas Hernandez
Paul Matthew
Third Basemen
Joshua Bell
Hank Blalock
Youliesky Gourriel
Edwin Jacobo
Bradley McCann
Jared Sandberg
Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstops
Jose Castillo
Dustin Kelly
Floyd Larkin
Whammy May
Kippy Sunderstrom
Garner Wetzel
Left Fielders
Eric Dalton
Alex Hilldenbrand
Todd Linden
Allen Martinez
Lastings Milledge
Antonio Mule
Laynce Nix
Jim Russell
Buck Swope
Center Fielders
Buzz Bliss
Peter Bourjos
Milton Bradley
Charles Carter
Bob Corcoran
Hunter Dravinger
Joseph Dyches
Darin Ford
Todric Johnson
Andruw Jones
Chris Kolkhorst
Right Fielders
Joe Belinda
Elmer Davie
Will Hunting
Craig Johnson
Brandon Leahy
Delmon Young
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