[Dagrims]

June 2001 Update
Toronto has laid claim to the LPL's best record at 50-32, a five game cushion over Trenton in the Buffoon League East. Vancouver has won 12 straight in the West but still trails Denver (47-35) by five games. Cleveland (47-35) has a two game edge over Philadelphia in the Chump League North, while in the South all six teams are separated by seven games with St. Louis (45-37) leading by three over Atlanta and Memphis.

Thomas Kopf still leads the majors in homeruns (29), RBI (63) and runs scored (64), but Cleveland's Joseph Thom is right behind him at 28, 62 and 64 respectively. Thom also has taken the overall lead in OPS at 1.177. John Mohler is first in wins with 12, while Edward Rolle has the best ERA at 1.70 and Ali Naccarato has racked up 186 strikeouts already. Best headline so far? "Season Ending Injury Strikes Louisville's Colon". That's gotta hurt. Warner Hartley (.338/22/56) is still prospect #1 for the league, but he gets way too much press so let's have a midseason progress report on each of the Last Picks. Each player has ratings changes listed first - all but one player (Hayes) had talent ratings remain unchanged from the beginning of the season.

Eric Andrews C -1/-2/+6/-2/0 - His power increase sounds impressive until it's recalled that it was a 3 at season's start. He's hitting .351 in AA with a .419 OBP and more walks than strikeouts. Andrews also has 30 doubles.

Steve Bartman RP +3/+3/+4 - Steve woke up on June 28th to the telephone ringing. It was his agent. "Alou there, how ya doin? Remember how happy you were that your favorite team drafted you? Well, you've been traded. To the Red Sox." Bartman felt like reaching out and grabbing his agent through the phone line, but he would have just dropped him anyway. He was dealt along with two other relievers for a major league starting CF with a .582 OPS. Bartman is having a great year in AA, with a 1.98 ERA in 36 innings. He's struck out 39 and has 11 saves.

Jerry Bond SP no change - 7-6 in 16 starts, Bond has struck out 116 in 114 innings and got promoted to AAA where he's made one start, winning it. He had three shutouts in AA ball and a 3.79 ERA.

Garth Brooks RP 0/-3/-3 - His ratings are not going in the desired direction, but he is 5-0 with two saves in AA ball, with a 2.16 ERA in 25 relief innings.

Chris Chatham C 0/0/-3/-1/0 - Chatham is having a very nondescript AA campaign, hitting .211 with a dismal .614 OBP.

Marcus Chiang RF -2/-4/-4/-3/-1 - 29 years old and his ratings are dropping, and they weren't high to start with. In 60 AAA games since being promoted, Chiang is hitting .250 with a .361 SLP.

Jeremy Cobb SP no change - 6-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 18 starts at A ball. He's struck out 113 against 39 walks in 126 IP.

Patrick Garde RP 0/-1/+2 - 26 innings pitched, 3.42 ERA, seven saves in AA ball. He's walked 16 which is a bit alarming.

Brett Hayes SP 0/+2/0 talent rating in control now 7 (+1) - His control rating is already second highest at 58 (to Thidedeaux's 62), and with the talent bump it should increase. He's walked just 27 in 110 IP while striking out 117 and has a 7-5 record with a 2.45 ERA in 15 AA starts. He's 25, so his ratings still have room to grow. Or fall.

Randall Hoffinpenis SP no change - He was 4-5 in 10 starts with a 4.54 ERA in AA ball, so the club rewarded him by promoting him. In six AAA starts he's 1-3 with a 5.08 ERA, allowing 77 baserunners in just 39 IP. He's Hoffintrouble getting anyone out.

Ken Jennings RP no change - What is "little-used", Alex? Jennings has just four appearances since being signed as a minor-league free agent by Jacksonville. He's allowed just 11 baserunners in 10 innings, so it's unusual that his AAA manager hasn't used him more.

Pete Kahle C 0/0/0/-2/+2 - His eye rating fell while his avoid Ks rating improved, which seems odd. But Kahle isn't like the other Last Picks. No, he's still the only one with major league experience. His average actually fell in June and is now at .111 in 54 AB. His OPS is .380. No, not his slugging. That's his combined OBP and SLP. With runners in scoring position he is 0-15. He has as many HBP as extra base hits (3). Shall I continue?

Alan Liao C no change - His ratings are still dismal, but he's also just 16. His OPS keeps improving and is now at .628. He has a 10:1 K:BB ratio, however, with 78 Ks in 82 games.

Chuck Mathews RP +2/0/0 - He hasn't been used much at A ball, appearing in just 12 games with a 5.17 ERA in 16 IP. Sometimes you can look at the statistics for a long time and still think of nothing else to say.

Tim Moungey LF 0/0/+6/0/+3 - The Octopus got a power boost, and he's hit nine homers in 81 games. Not great, but the power rating is still just 24. In AA ball, he has a .731 OPS.

Joe Neldrett LF +2/+4/+3/0/+5 - Ratings up, which is a good sign, but stats still stink. In 81 games at A ball he's hitting .220, with 68 strikeouts and just 20 walks. He does have 39 RBI with 10 homers so the power threat is there.

Will Netsky CF +4/+15/+3/0/+7 - A huge jump in his gap rating is definitely a factor in his great half season. He's slugging .531 with an OPS of .884 at A level, with 28 doubles and 12 HR. He's scored 47 and driven in the same amount. Expect a promotion to AA shortly.

Pelvis Resley RP -1/0/0 - 31 AA appearances, most of them good. He's got five saves and has struck out 29 in 27 IP, with a 2.63 ERA.

Jake Scott RP 0/-3/+2 - Scott has put together some good outings for the AAA squad, going 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 21 innings. He's walked just two batters among 17 Ks.

Boudreaux Thidedeaux RP +4/+3/0 - Easily the worst stats of any Last Pick reliever. He's allowed 35 baserunners in 23 IP with a 7.04 ERA. New Orleans released him on June 21, so he took his wonderfully Cajun name to Trenton, where he was immediately beat up repeatedly and jammed into a trash can headfirst. Alan Liao helped him out, but managed a quick (and undetected) sucker punch while doing so. Welcome to Jersey.

Scott Thompson 3B -2/+2/0/+1/+1 - Thompson's compiled a solid first half for the AA team, reaching base at a .374 clip. He also has 26 extra base hits.

Jeff Watson RP +2/-3/0 - A durable MR, Watson has tossed 39 innings in just 17 appearances and has a 2.79 ERA to show for it, in AAA ball. He's allowed 45 baserunners, and it wouldn't be a stretch to see him called up by year-end.

Brian Williams RF no change - With 11 SB he leads the Last Picks in that category. He's walked a pitiful 10 times in 72 starts at A ball. He has 63 hits, but also 63 strikeouts.

Reggie Wright SP no change - Performing well in A ball, Reggie appears to have the Wright stuff, at least through one half of the season. He's 8-5 in 17 starts, with a 3.02 ERA. He's allowed 150 baserunners in 125 innings.

What will the second half bring? The forecast calls for a couple more Last Pick promotions to the majors, with a chance for very scattered hits by Pete Kahle.