2055 Off-season and Award Winners
We did sign our 2 arbitration players before their cases went in front of the arbitrator. Both OF Samuel Amsden and RP Larry Stott will be making $2.25 for the upcoming season.
We also learned of a major setback in the return timeline of one of our key players. Not the news we were looking for.
OF/DH Aranda Return Delayed
Chicago Architects right fielder José Aranda informed reporters that he will be missing additional time because of a setback in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. "It's a bit frustrating, sure," Aranda admitted. "I want to be out on the field. At the same time, I don't want to make things worse and miss even more time because I'm pushing it too hard." Architects doctors told BNN Aranda would not return for 5 months.
In his career, Aranda is batting .286 with a total of 268 home runs.
Several Big Name Free Agents Sign Late Deals to Remain with the Current Teams before Filing Deadline.
Detroit’s Stan Gillis, 30, signed a 6-year/$127.5 million extension, about $21 million per season.
Owen Sound’s Josselin Leroy, 36, signed for 5 years/$65 million or $13 million per season.
Toronto extended trade acquisitions
Carlos Figueroa and
Casey Cowley. Figueroa for 6 years/$89.7 million ($60.9 guaranteed) and Cowley for 6 years/$38.6 million ($26.4 million guaranteed).
MVP Winner becomes Free Agent
Former Hamilton Mountie OF
Robert "Rodeo" Leroy wins Superior Player of the Year just before hitting free agency. I bet his agent is happy.
2055 GLBL Year-End Awards
First up: GM of the Year. Eight different GMs received a vote, which is pretty incredible. The
Duluth GM wins: not only did he take his team to the playoffs, he also took his team from 67 wins last year to 83 wins this year. That 16-win improvement was the best in baseball.
It was close after Duluth GM, but two other GMs who took their teams to the playoffs place second and third, DD Martin Chicago and GM of the Hamilton Mounties. To give you an idea of how close the voting was, Thunder Bay GM and Toledo’s GM both received first place votes but finished fourth and fifth respectively.
(GM’s were not allowed to vote for themselves)
Reliever of the year
In USA, Duluth’s Hervé Smart wins it. He pitched in half his team’s games, saved 26 of them, and had a 2.45 ERA (201 ERA+). Traverse City’s John Hall finished second. Duluth’s José Árias edges out Chicago’s Pat Wright for third.
In Canada, Thunder Bay’s Roberto Terraza takes first. He pitched in 83 games and threw a full 113 innings out of the pen, posting a 2.55 ERA (196 ERA+) with 130 strikeouts against 18 walks. Just a dominant arm. Two Owen Sound relievers place second and third: Kyle Potter and Ed Jenkins.
Rookie of the year
Detroit’s Mal Johnston wins the USA Award. The 21-year-old first baseman led the league with 32 home runs. He batted .304/.383/.550 (138 OPS+) and drove in 98 runs. It wasn’t a great year for Detroit, but Johnston was a brilliant bright spot. Three Duluth players finish second through fourth: Bill Whalley, Jorge Rangel, and Pedro Saldaña.
Windsor sweeps the podium in Canada! Tatsukichi Fujimoto, Mark Easson, and Kawanari Ohayashi take gold, silver, and bronze. Fujimoto went 11-7 with a 3.01 ERA (158 ERA+), striking out 182 while walking just 26. He actually led Canada in pitching WAR (5.6).
Fans of both Duluth and Windsor should be very excited about their futures with this dominant performance.
Pitcher of the Year
There was only one vote in which a player was a unanimous first-place selection, and that vote is the USA Pitcher of the Year. Toledo’s Nick Keddy wins the Pitching Triple Crown and Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. As impressive as last year was, this season was better. He went 17-4 with a 2.54 ERA (180 ERA+) and 250 strikeouts. Detroit’s Bill Clary finishes second. Duluth’s Tim Gross finishes third.
In Canada, Toronto’s Motoyuki Inoue beats Hamilton’s Gabriel Rodríguez and Rookie of the Year winner Tatukichi Fujimoto. Inoue went 17-7 with a league-leading 2.75 ERA (169 ERA+) and 236 strikeouts.
GLBL MVP
It was a split vote in the USA, but Earl Foote beats out Reagan Osborn to win his third straight Award. Foote led the league with a .355 batting average. He hit 21 home runs, drove in 100 runs, scored 99 times, and stole 20 bases. He led the league in WAR for the third straight season. Duluth’s Carlos Sanchez placed third.
In Canada, four different players received first place votes. Hamilton’s Rodeo Leroy beats Toronto’s Peyton Coffman and Thunder Bay’s Jamal Amador to win it. (Windsor’s Craig Hargrove receives three first-place votes but finishes fourth.) Rodeo Leroy hit .332/.400/.573 (146 OPS+) with 26 home runs, 37 doubles, 88 RBIs, and 86 runs scored. He led the league with 5.0 WAR.
Flashing Leather Award (Gold Glove)
The Flashing Leather Award winners don't get the recognition of the home run hitters, but they are very much appreciated by managers, their teammates and by the fans, who know the value of defensive excellence. Great defense makes a difference in baseball. This year's top glovemen in the Canadian are:
Pitcher
Sean Moore (Hamilton Mounties)
Catcher
Fred Norris (Hamilton Mounties)
First Baseman
Gerald Powers (Thunder Bay Caribou)
Second Baseman
Xing-fu Sen (Toledo Neptunes)
Third Baseman
P.J. Harper (Hamilton Mounties)
Shortstop
R.C. Burt (Hamilton Mounties)
Left Fielder
Robert Leroy (Hamilton Mounties)
Center Fielder
David Williams (Windsor Vigilantes)
Right Fielder
Emerson Coleman (Thunder Bay Caribou)
Great glovemen can range far and wide to make a backhand stop or an over-the-shoulder catch -- and the best usually make it look easy. Today the winners of the USA Flashing Leather Award for 2055 were announced. These awards for defensive excellence go to:
Pitcher
William Charles (Traverse City Bears)
Catcher
Dai-lin Tah (Detroit Thunderbirds)
First Baseman
Reagan Osborn (Chicago Architects)
Second Baseman
Trace Brunel (Detroit Thunderbirds)
Third Baseman
Thomas Arnaud (Chicago Architects)
Shortstop
Pedro Farrulla (Chicago Architects)
Left Fielder
Barney Tomiak (Traverse City Bears)
Center Fielder
Logan Herring (Milwaukee Eagles)
Right Fielder
Mark Laursen (Duluth Sea Gulls)
Lake Erie Bat Award
The best offensive performer at each position will now have a fancy trophy to show off their accomplishments.
The Canadian Lake Erie Bat Award winners for 2055 were announced today:
Catcher
Prímio Lebrim (Owen Sound Waveriders)
.295/.365/.532, 380 AB, 22 HR, 2 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
First Baseman
Craig Hargrove (Windsor Vigilantes)
.322/.391/.590, 546 AB, 35 HR, 1 SB, 119 RBI, 3.3 WAR
Second Baseman
Li-ping Chin (Hamilton Mounties)
.317/.369/.538, 533 AB, 26 HR, 14 SB, 105 R, 131 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
Third Baseman
Chris Allen (Windsor Vigilantes)
.256/.323/.428, 481 AB, 18 HR, 13 SB, 86 wRC+, 0.8 WAR
Shortstop
Michael Jackson (Thunder Bay Caribou)
.320/.367/.527, 512 AB, 20 HR, 123 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
Left Fielder
Jamal Amador (Thunder Bay Caribou)
.335/.410/.601, 519 AB, 33 HR, 113 R, 147 wRC+, 4.7 WAR
Center Fielder
Robinson González (Thunder Bay Caribou)
.336/.384/.593, 548 AB, 34 HR, 106 R, 145 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
Right Fielder
Wyatt McBryde (Kingston Comets)
.342/.367/.529, 552 AB, 12 HR, 13 SB, 130 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
Designated Hitter
Glen Dickie (Hamilton Mounties)
.333/.423/.581, 451 AB, 26 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
The USA Lake Erie Bat Award for 2055 has been given to the following players:
Catcher
Joe Hunt (Duluth Sea Gulls)
.277/.345/.492, 368 AB, 22 HR, 110 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
First Baseman
Reagan Osborn (Chicago Architects)
.330/.438/.610, 461 AB, 30 HR, 38 SB, 108 R, 160 wRC+, 5.7 WAR
Second Baseman
Bill Whalley (Duluth Sea Gulls)
.287/.328/.447, 369 AB, 12 HR, 7 SB, 95 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
Third Baseman
Thomas Arnaud (Chicago Architects)
.315/.372/.545, 426 AB, 23 HR, 130 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
Shortstop
Kennelly Mulford (Milwaukee Eagles)
.283/.336/.467, 321 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 107 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
Left Fielder
Carlos Sánchez (Duluth Sea Gulls)
.336/.374/.577, 551 AB, 29 HR, 21 SB, 102 RBI, 4.3 WAR
Center Fielder
Stephen Rice (Toledo Neptunes)
.292/.384/.468, 408 AB, 16 HR, 46 SB, 125 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
Right Fielder
Earl Foote (Traverse City Bears)
.355/.446/.593, 487 AB, 21 HR, 20 SB, 169 wRC+, 7.0 WAR
Designated Hitter
Jerry Wickett (Duluth Sea Gulls)
.295/.374/.505, 410 AB, 21 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
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The league fast forwards from the Arbitration Hearings to February 1st to speed up the off-season. We are now in full blown Free Agency.
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