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ArquimedezPozo · 10-03-2023, 06:16 PM

Both Conferences in D1 end April with a clear leader, and then a big mess.

In the East, the New York Giants leapt out to an 8-2 start powered by an offense that has scored 14 runs even with superstar 2B Andrew Fitts on the IL. 1B Luis Nazario, who turned some heads in a strong rookie campaign last season in which he knocked 30 homers with an OPS around .850, has been the best hitter in D1 in the early going, with a 195 wRC+ and a 45 homer pace. The next two D1 hitters, in terms of wRC+? They're both Giants: future Hall of Fame catcher Matt Wood is just behind Nazario, and RF Jose Cruz is just behind Wood. Defending D1 Pitcher of the Year Willie Rodriguez has started well, though the ERA doesn’t quite reflect his 1.74 FIP. Jon Sayre has been exceptional as the team’s second ace, and new acquisition John McNayr has pitched well in his starts as well, giving the Giants the second best team FIP in D1.

Beyond the Giants, all five Eastern Conference clubs are bunched within a win of each other. The Tampa Tarpons are in second at 11-10, which former Rookie of the Year catcher Bill Wheeler out to a hot start, helping Tampa to a second-best 99 runs as a team. Chicago, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia are all tied at 10-11 behind the Tarpons. In Brooklyn, defending MVP Carson Prince has gotten off to a slow start, hitting just .276/.375/.382 in the early going, while Brooklyn’s pitching staff has been hit or miss, with 2038 Pitcher of the Year Matt O’Brien struggling early and aging, long-time ace Jason Blanche in the bullpen following his season-ending injury in 2039. Chicago has been kept afloat by great pitching, but they just lost Corey Spry for at least the bulk of the season, requiring surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. Philadelphia has gotten an exceptional month from their two aces in Pedro Luna and new acquisition Josh Argo, but little in the way of offense so far. A half game back of those three, and in last place, is Boston, back in D1 but still waiting for things to click on both sides of the ball.

In the Western Conference, Seattle has come back from a disappointing 2039 to take an early lead. Seattle played well under expectations in part due to an early power outage, but their big bats have produced better to this point, with free agent signing Marcos Diaz providing a big spark. Seattle is 14-7, and while that may be a bit over their heads, they’ll take it.

Objects in their rearview mirror are getting closer though: El Paso started off with an abysmal 2-7 record in their first two weeks of play, but have gone 9-3 since as Brian Castrovinci has provided pop: now in his third full season, the 2038 D1 MVP is hitting .319/.440/.493 with three homers and a 182 wRC+, good for the Division top 5. El Paso has kept runs off the board at an impressive rate as well, with the Division’s second best team ERA. Beyond El Paso, three teams are gathered at 10-11. Monterrey, coming off a Conference title, has scored a lot of runs, but has been even worse at preventing them as a largely cobbled together rotation hasn’t kept up with the powerhouse teams they’ve faced. Young phenom 2B David McConnell, whose development prompted the trade of franchise mainstay Chase Maze, is on the shelf for three more weeks with a fractured wrist, but free agent acquisition Benni Phillips has been rejuvenated early on, hitting .351/.437/.473 while wearing Industriales Orange. The Angels added a bona fide ace in Paul Herrin in the offseason, and he’s been outstanding, but the biggest story is the ace they realized they already had, as veteran lefthander Doug Kluz has been lights out in his four starts thus far. The Tijuana Potros busted out of the gate with four straight wins to open the season, but have come back to earth despite leading D1 in homers. And taking up the rear thus far are the newly promoted Vancouver Mounties, who have Leo Rodriguez’s big bat (a D1-best 8 homers) but not much else thus far.

D1 Batter of the Month: Luis Nazario, 1B, New York Giants - .329/.382/.622, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 195 wRC+
D1 Pitcher of the Month: Toshiyo Nimiya, SP, Seattle Steelheads - 5-0, 1.82 ERA, 31 K in 39.2 IP
D1 Rookie of the Month: Billy Beckemeyer, RP, Philadelphia Athletics - 1-0, 2 Saves, 7 K, 0.94 WHIP

10-03-2023, 06:16 PM	#7
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 228	April Recap - Division 1 Both Conferences in D1 end April with a clear leader, and then a big mess. In the East, the New York Giants leapt out to an 8-2 start powered by an offense that has scored 14 runs even with superstar 2B Andrew Fitts on the IL. 1B Luis Nazario, who turned some heads in a strong rookie campaign last season in which he knocked 30 homers with an OPS around .850, has been the best hitter in D1 in the early going, with a 195 wRC+ and a 45 homer pace. The next two D1 hitters, in terms of wRC+? They're both Giants: future Hall of Fame catcher Matt Wood is just behind Nazario, and RF Jose Cruz is just behind Wood. Defending D1 Pitcher of the Year Willie Rodriguez has started well, though the ERA doesn’t quite reflect his 1.74 FIP. Jon Sayre has been exceptional as the team’s second ace, and new acquisition John McNayr has pitched well in his starts as well, giving the Giants the second best team FIP in D1. Beyond the Giants, all five Eastern Conference clubs are bunched within a win of each other. The Tampa Tarpons are in second at 11-10, which former Rookie of the Year catcher Bill Wheeler out to a hot start, helping Tampa to a second-best 99 runs as a team. Chicago, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia are all tied at 10-11 behind the Tarpons. In Brooklyn, defending MVP Carson Prince has gotten off to a slow start, hitting just .276/.375/.382 in the early going, while Brooklyn’s pitching staff has been hit or miss, with 2038 Pitcher of the Year Matt O’Brien struggling early and aging, long-time ace Jason Blanche in the bullpen following his season-ending injury in 2039. Chicago has been kept afloat by great pitching, but they just lost Corey Spry for at least the bulk of the season, requiring surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. Philadelphia has gotten an exceptional month from their two aces in Pedro Luna and new acquisition Josh Argo, but little in the way of offense so far. A half game back of those three, and in last place, is Boston, back in D1 but still waiting for things to click on both sides of the ball. In the Western Conference, Seattle has come back from a disappointing 2039 to take an early lead. Seattle played well under expectations in part due to an early power outage, but their big bats have produced better to this point, with free agent signing Marcos Diaz providing a big spark. Seattle is 14-7, and while that may be a bit over their heads, they’ll take it. Objects in their rearview mirror are getting closer though: El Paso started off with an abysmal 2-7 record in their first two weeks of play, but have gone 9-3 since as Brian Castrovinci has provided pop: now in his third full season, the 2038 D1 MVP is hitting .319/.440/.493 with three homers and a 182 wRC+, good for the Division top 5. El Paso has kept runs off the board at an impressive rate as well, with the Division’s second best team ERA. Beyond El Paso, three teams are gathered at 10-11. Monterrey, coming off a Conference title, has scored a lot of runs, but has been even worse at preventing them as a largely cobbled together rotation hasn’t kept up with the powerhouse teams they’ve faced. Young phenom 2B David McConnell, whose development prompted the trade of franchise mainstay Chase Maze, is on the shelf for three more weeks with a fractured wrist, but free agent acquisition Benni Phillips has been rejuvenated early on, hitting .351/.437/.473 while wearing Industriales Orange. The Angels added a bona fide ace in Paul Herrin in the offseason, and he’s been outstanding, but the biggest story is the ace they realized they already had, as veteran lefthander Doug Kluz has been lights out in his four starts thus far. The Tijuana Potros busted out of the gate with four straight wins to open the season, but have come back to earth despite leading D1 in homers. And taking up the rear thus far are the newly promoted Vancouver Mounties, who have Leo Rodriguez’s big bat (a D1-best 8 homers) but not much else thus far. D1 Batter of the Month: Luis Nazario, 1B, New York Giants - .329/.382/.622, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 195 wRC+ D1 Pitcher of the Month: Toshiyo Nimiya, SP, Seattle Steelheads - 5-0, 1.82 ERA, 31 K in 39.2 IP D1 Rookie of the Month: Billy Beckemeyer, RP, Philadelphia Athletics - 1-0, 2 Saves, 7 K, 0.94 WHIP Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 10-03-2023 at 08:29 PM.