2076 Season (July Recap)
We’re on that good stuff now… pure, uncut, Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold. The hangers-on have come out of the woodwork, players like Brisky are starting to make more local media appearances, and, it would seem that whatever it was that held us back in April and May is in the rearview. We are, as it turns out, what they said we were… 17-9 for the month, ranked 1st or 2nd in the National League for most offensive categories, with a +73 rDiff, and starting to make up ground on the Pythagorean. 1B Arnold Webster, 2B Zippo Hollins, and RF Ethan Mullens (more on him in a bit) all made the all-star team, our attendance has shown serious improvement (complete with the periodic A-lister), and the good times are rolling… or, and maybe this is more appropriate, the good times are killing me. This is baseball, after all, and, in baseball, you can’t get the good without paying a toll… in this case, the price was steep and the only currency the baseball gods would accept was our health. Otto went down with a fractured hand on the 2nd, he’ll be back in another week or so, Ethan went down with a fractured wrist, he’ll be back in a month or so, and, recent draft pick, SP Beau Skrivan, went down with a torn UCL and will miss 9 months or more… with every break comes a new challenge and with every new challenge comes another opportunity for Phil Murray to take a good, hard look at my contract. August could be the feel-good story of the summer, or, and this is more likely in my mind, it could be the final nail in the coffin of my big-league general management career… next stop, Bush League.
Leopards Team Leaders:
AVG: CF Ethan Mullens - .297
HR: 1B Arnold Webster - 31
RBI: 1B Arnold Webster – 63
Runs: 1B Arnold Webster – 70
SB: LF Ethan Mullens – 34
BB: 3B/DH Jarel White – 51
SAC FLIES: 3B Pepper Grant – 7
ERA: SP Merl Crawford – 3.36
Wins: SP Julen Morales - 10
SV: RP Ignazio Armendariz – 10
Ks: SP Cole Guzman - 124
Leopards Dubious Distinctions:
BBs: SP Cole Guzman – 51 (4 more than Crawford)
HRA: SP Cole Guzman, SP Julen Morales – 19
Ks: 1B Arnold Webster – 91
League Leaders:
AVG: SS Ray Gerhold, LV - .336
HR: 1B Arnold Webster, LAL - 34
RBI: RF Neil Jahrus, NJ - 94
Runs: LF Aitor Cubas, SEA - 84
SB: LF Robert Gay – 50
BB: LF Aitor Cubas, SEA - 102
SAC FLIES: RF Patrick Adams, SEA – 8
ERA: SP Landon Sampson, PHX – 1.73
Wins: SP Isaiah Zuno, BRK - 14
SV: CL Don Haag, NO – 38
Ks: SP Landon Sampson, PHX – 201
MLB Dubious Distinctions:
BBs: SP Adam Gunter, VAN – 79
HRA: SP Jacoby Kowalczyk, NJ - 27
Ks: 3B Cleveland Hunter, MON – 129
Some Trades: - Friday, July 10th, 2076 - Traded 27-year-old minor league starting pitcher Phillip King to the New Jersey Generals, getting 26-year-old reliever Alvin Leaf and 22-year-old minor league reliever Shoji Shibuya in return.
- Monday, July 20th, 2076 - Traded 25-year-old left fielder Kyle Weaver, 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher Vincent Urquhart and 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher Rad Taylor to the Montreal Alouettes, getting 24-year-old right fielder Mack Ramirez and 22-year-old minor league reliever Orlando Vasquez in return. This was not my finest work… instant regret.
- Sunday, July 26th, 2076 - Traded 23-year-old minor league catcher Dylan Tucker and 23-year-old minor league shortstop Renfrew Chaille to the Austin Grackles, getting 31-year-old minor league reliever Hunter Lamb and 22-year-old minor league second baseman Sam Kilgour in return.
Accomplishments: There was none of note in July…
Milestones:
07/20/2076: Rich Hamilton - 2000 Hits, while playing for New Jersey
07/25/2076: Wil Lewandowski - 1000 Runs Batted In, while playing for Denver