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Old 09-21-2019, 02:25 AM   #13
Dukie98
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 902
2043 Mid-Year Review

Here are some of the major storylines across the league at the 2043 All-Star break:

Exceeding Expectations: The Baltimore Robins had not cleared .500 in 5 years, including three straight seasons below 70 wins, but they entered the All-Star break with a 39-35 record, just 1 1/2 games out of first place and firmly in the wild card race. Center fielder Cesar Cedeno starred, hitting .315 and slugging .568, with 19 homers, 53 RBI's, 56 runs scored, and 35 steals. Right fielder Monte Irvin had a breakout sophomore campaign, hitting .357 and slugging .707, with 13 homers and 36 RBI's in just 41 games. Baltimore's pitching staff ranked fourth in the Frontier League in runs allowed, led by Jim Maloney, who went just 6-6 despite a 2.12 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and an incredible 140 strikeouts in 102 innings. Righthander Ernie McAnally posted a 7-3 mark with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The Omaha Falcons missed the playoffs last year by losing a one-game playoff, but after a 46-28 first half, they made it highly unlikely that they would suffer a similar fate. Left fielder Trey Mancini starred, hitting .362 and slugging .660, with 25 homers, 71 RBI's, and 70 runs scored. Right fielder Jim Wynn hit .314 and slugged .616, belting 20 homers and driving in 60 runs of his own. Righthander Tom Brewer had a successful comeback after missing all of 2042 with an elbow injury, posting a 9-3 mark with a 2.08 ERA, allowing just 2 homers in 95 innings. Veteran Jeff Tesreau sported a 9-2 mark with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Omaha excelled despite losing Clayton Kershaw to a torn rotator cuff.

In the Continental League, the Miami Flamingos flipped the switch after a disappointing 69-win season last year, going 38-36. First baseman Frank Catalanotto had a breakout half, hitting .346 with 25 doubles, and drove in 47 runs. Center fielder Edd Roush hit .319 with 21 doubles, 5 homers, and scored 44 runs. On the mound, Carl Druhot went 10-5 with a 3.62 ERA, while Weldon Henley posted an 8-4 mark with a 4.02 ERA. The San Diego Zookeepers looked to snap a six-season postseason drought, going 39-34 after losing 90 games last year. Left fielder Kevin McReynolds starred, hitting .321, while pounding 16 homers and driving in 54 runs. Catcher Rick Ferrell hit .349 with a tremendous .456 on-base percentage. Southpaw Denny LeMaster yielded a 2.96 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, but notched just a 7-5 record. Righthander Tommy Greene notched a 9-4 mark with a 3.69 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts.

Disappointments: The Philadelphia Hawks remained firmly in wild-card contention into late September last year, winning 85 games despite a late-season swoon. The Hawks suffered the hangover effects of last year's collapse, going just 28-46 in the first half. Philadelphia's offense ranked second-to-last in the Frontier League. Free agent signee Kelly Johnson missed the entire first half with a torn finger tendon. Center fielder Johnny Frederick lost 63 points off his batting average and over 150 points in slugging percentage, as he hit just .240 with 6 homers and 24 RBI's after last season's 107-RBI campaign. Third baseman Red Smith suffered a power outage, dropping off from 32 homers and 121 RBI's in 2042 to 8 homers and 34 RBI's at the 2043 break. On the mound, righthander Ralph Birkofer, who went 14-6 with a 3.22 ERA last year, was inexplicably moved into middle relief, where he pitched 14 ineffective innings before going down with a strained elbow. Perhaps no team dropped off as quickly as the Milwaukee Raccoons, who won 94 games last year on their way to the League Championship Series -- but this year, they posted a 28-45 first half record. Milwaukee ranked dead last in nearly every offensive category except homers -- where they ranked third-from last. Perennial MVP candidate Larry Walker was decidedly mortal, hitting just .277 with 12 homers and 46 RBI's -- a decline of over 100 points of batting average and over 140 points of slugging percentage. First baseman Rico Brogna saw a precipitous decline -- after hitting .291 with 34 homers and 119 RBI's last year, he stumbled to a .192 mark with just 4 homers and 23 RBI's and an unfathomably bad .224 on-base percentage. Left fielder Don Baylor dropped off from 34 homers last season to just 9 longballs. Southpaw Dave Fleming saw his ERA rise by nearly a run as he stumbled to a 5-8 record.

In the Continental League, the Anaheim Antelopes streak of seven straight playoff appearances was certain to end, as they stumbled to a 29-45 start. While Anaheim's offense ranked among baseball's elite last year, they declined to a middle-of-the-pack showing. Star center fielder Dale Murphy hit just .268 with 11 homers and 39 RBI's -- his OPS dropped by over 250 points. DH Bob Bescher, who hit .318 with a .452 on-base percentage last year, hit just .233 with a .375 on-base percentage. On the mound, longtime ace Frank Tanana stumbled to a 3-7 start, posting a bloated 4.84 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Anaheim was also plagued by the worst defense in the Continental League. After winning 90 games last season, the Nashville Blues were a popular choice to snap a 13-season postseason drought. But the Blues continued to struggle offensively, ranking just 22nd in runs scored, and their pitching dropped off from elite to merely solid. Catcher Cliff Johnson, who hit 75 homers over the past two seasons while hitting over .270, hit just .182 and slugged .290, with only 5 homers and 19 RBI's. Southpaw Herb Score continued his gradual decline, going just 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA, while fifth starter Whitney Wilshere was awful, sporting a 1-7 mark with an 8.38 ERA and a 1.99 WHIP.

Aces High: Days apart in April, San Antonio's Greg Maddux and Oklahoma City's Tom Glavine each threw no-hitters. Perhaps it would not be the only time that they would be united in history... Eleven days after Maddux's no-no, Albuquerque's Chan Ho Park hurled a no-hitter of his own.

He's the Mann: London Werewolves right fielder Harry Heilmann had a strong 2042, hitting .344 with 32 homers and 100 RBI's, but nothing in his past prepared the Werewolves' fans for his offensive assault. Heilmann flirted with the mythical .400 mark, taking a .396 average into the break, while leading baseball with 26 homers and an .804 slugging percentage.

MASH: Virginia Beach: The Virginia Beach Admirals posted a 47-25 record in the first half, despite losing an incredible seven pitchers to major injuries -- including most of their starting rotation. Chris Carpenter, who finished fifth in the Cy Young voting last year, tore his UCL on Opening Day. Al Blanche went down with a torn UCL in late April, and Joe Magrane strained his forearm in June and was not expected to return until August. Rene Arocha was still recovering from a rotator cuff injury suffered last September. Spring training saw relievers Pete Burnside go down with a torn rotator cuff and Mark Thurmond with a torn labrum, and Joel Finch underwent surgery for bone chips in June. Remarkably, despite these major injuries, the Admirals entered the break ranked second in the Continental League in runs allowed.

Major injuries: In perhaps the most significant mid-season injury in league history, three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw of the Omaha Falcons tore his rotator cuff at the start of June and immediately announced his retirement. London ace Jose Rijo, one of the biggest signings in free agency, suffered a season-ending UCL tear in spring training. Birmingham righthander Jack McDowell - who had already missed the entire 2041 season - tore his UCL in spring training and was sidelined for the year. Cleveland ace Jose DeLeon was sidelined with bone spurs in early June, and would likely miss the balance of the season. Chicago center fielder Cameron Maybin, a three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time stolen base champ, was sidelined with a strained hamstring for two months. Jacksonville left fielder Beals Becker, the 2040 MVP, was having another elite season before fracturing his kneecap in mid-June, ending his season. Oklahoma City center fielder Lenny Dykstra tore a finger tendon and suffered multiple setbacks, effectively ruining his season.

Major milestones: New Orleans left fielder Tommie Davis and Buffalo second sacker John Knight each rapped their 3,000th hit. Charlotte shortstop Dick Groat smacked his 2500th career hit. Los Angeles DH Johnny Mize drilled his 500th career homer. Las Vegas right fielder Willie Horton, El Paso third baseman Leo Gomez, Hartford first baseman Justin Bour each joined the 400 homer club. On the mound, Buffalo righthander Don Wilson notched his 200th career victory and 3000th career strikeout, and Phoenix closer Taijuan Walker earned his 300th save. Nashville righthander Mark Prior also whiffed his 3,000th batter. Looking ahead, San Diego right fielder Goose Goslin was likely to join the 3000-hit club by mid-July, and Detroit third baseman Nolan Arenado, if he stayed healthy, would reach that milestone by year's end. El Paso DH Rougned Odor was likely to enter the exclusive 700-homer club by August. Charlotte DH Sherry Magee, the all-time RBI king, was about a month away from becoming the first player in league history to drive in 2,500 runs, while Philadelphia first baseman Frank Thomas was days away from driving in his 2000th run.

Last edited by Dukie98; 09-29-2019 at 10:37 PM.
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