St. Lucia Association of Baseball – the Soufrière Brutes

[pauwoo]

St. Lucia Association of Baseball – the Soufrière Brutes
The St. Lucia Association of Baseball (SLAB) is an independent baseball league that operates in the Caribbean on the island nation of St. Lucia. Its inaugural season will be contested in 2021 and consist of twelve teams split into two divisions of 6. The league plays a 96-game schedule (60 games in division, 36 games against the other division) that culminates with the 7-game Island Series contested between each division winner to crown a SLAB champion. Foreign players on each club’s active roster are limited to 4 (2 each for Pitchers & Hitters, respectively) and enter the league as Amateur Free Agents each season. The international pool is primarily limited to Aruba, Curacao, Grenada, Martinique, Trinidad & Tobago, and Micronesia with ~4% of random origin.

Each club has one development club housed in the Lucian Developmental Baseball League.

Some other key settings...
Right to refuse minor league assignment – Disabled
Rule 5 Draft – Disabled
Draft Pick Trading – Enabled
Soft Cap (% of Average Payroll) – 120%
Tax above Soft Cap (%) – 75%
Contract Years Maximum – 5 Years
Foreign Player Contract Years Maximum – 3 Years
Scouting Accuracy - Normal
Rating Scale – 20 to 80
Coaching System – Enabled

• Hiring Coaches from Other Teams – Disabled
• Base Coaches – Disabled

Owner Goals – Disabled
Storylines – Enabled
Injuries – Enabled, Normal (OOTP Classic)

• Delayed Diagnosis – Disabled

Suspensions – Enabled
Batter, Pitcher Aging Speed - .850
Batter, Pitcher Development Speed – 1.250
Trading Difficulty – 9/10
Trading Preference – 8/10
Player Evaluation AI Settings – 45/40/10/5
Designated Hitter - Enabled
We’re using 1986 as the Stats Output Base

For our purposes here, I’ll be Captaining the Soufrière Brutes and, with any luck, leading them on a prolonged run of sustained success. More on them in a bit…

[pauwoo]

The Club: As has been established, I’ll take on the role of General Manager/El Capitan/Grand Poobah of the Soufrière Brutes. The inaugural outfit looks to be built on a solid-hitting, power-starved offense that we’ve paired with an impressive pitching staff that may well be the best in the league. We look good on paper, have the pieces necessary to make some noise, and should, with any luck, find ourselves in a position to win it all once this thing is all said and done. A quick run through the lineup and staff…

The Lineup:

1. SS Edgar Bernard (29) – Batting in the leadoff spot we have a guy with plus speed and excellent defensive skills who can put the bat on the ball a little bit and who seems to have an above average eye at the plate. He handles lefties a lot better than he does righties but gives us enough of what we need in the field to get himself penciled in as our everyday guy at short. Has all the power of a 10-year-old and won’t put many balls over the fence but gets on base, wrecks the basepaths once on them, and can turn two like nobody’s business.
2. DH Oscar Day (37) – A once competent second baseman whose dodgy knees and advanced age have made him a liability in the field, Oscar can still put the bat on the ball and is nearly impossible to strike out. Here we want to milk the last ounce of baseball he has left out of him while avoiding any conflict his oversized ego may cause in the clubhouse. He’ll give us enough offensively to put up with quite a bit – though his clear lack of leadership abilities and knack for causing a stir amongst some of his teammates will be under lots of scrutiny as we attempt to fulfill our championship potential this season.
3. 1B Luke Saunders (27) – Just a good ol’ boy, indeed… Luke has some pop and will drive in plenty of runs but sometimes struggles with contact and is known to swing big, miss big when he tries to do too much at the plate. He’s a serviceable first baseman – he won’t give you anything fancy but doesn’t make enough mistakes to cost you too much. Just a low-key type who likes to hit TRUCKS and stay out of the limelight. An unlikely combo given that chicks dig the longball…
4. CF Chris Routledge (27) – A hard-charging, fan-favorite who understands the value of hard work and who isn’t afraid to get his kit dirty, Routledge is a fine fielder, with great range and a great arm who hits for power when he makes contact. He also has a knack for getting on base, and, once there, is known to terrorize opposing defenses with his base running acumen, speed, and stealing ability. This guy is fun personified, worth the price of admission alone.
5. RF Damyean Power (25) – A good fielder, okay hitter, so-so base runner who works hard, is smart, and knows a thing or two about leadership in the clubhouse. A real lunch pail type who looks to seize opportunities as they come and who will never come up short for lack of trying.
6. LF Mo Crellin (27) – A great contact hitter who doesn’t strikeout much, Mo can get it done when he wants to but dogs it too often to ever reach his full potential. He can be a little slow to pick up information, is well-suited for the beach bum island life he’ll have plenty of money to enjoy once his playing days are behind him, and can be hard to motivate – but, he is serviceable in Left and at Third, and has a knack for putting balls into the gap.
7. C Carl McGovern (25) – Born and raised in Soufrière, Mcgovern puts in long hours to hone his craft. He struggles to make contact, has little power to speak of, and has a suspect eye at the plate – but that’s not really what we pay him for. He’s on another level when it comes to his ability as a backstop, might be the best pitch framer in SLAB, and routinely guns down would be thieves.
   [*]2B Fabrice Strowbridge (26) – Undisciplined and power-starved at the plate, Strowbridge has a knack for hitting doubles and putting the ball in play but can’t draw a walk or put one into the bleachers to save his life. He’s great in the field, so-so on the bases, and is known to prioritize money over winning. He can’t lead, isn’t loyal, and is only motivated during contract years – he’ll do for now but isn’t our long-term solution at Second.
8. 3B Harrison Rawlings (26) – A wizard in the field and liability at the plate – the only thing wispier than Rawlings beard is his swing. Harrison would be better suited as a utility guy off the bench, but we’re thin on capable defender in the infield, and barring some luck in trade, may end up trotting him out there on a daily basis.

The Starters:

1. SP Gael Barnett (28) – A power pitcher that brings that smoke, Barnett’s Fastball-Changeup-Splitter arsenal is enough to give most lineups fits. He pairs pinpoint control with tip-top movement and is capable of eating a lot of innings for us as our ace.
2. SP Harvey Nguyen (34) – Harvey has four above-average pitches and good control. The stamina is suspect though and he’s known as a greedy SOB that would happily leave our outfit behind for any club willing to pay him even a dollar over what we are getting him for. He’s a finesse guy who makes his living on the corners, when he has it, he’s tough to hit… when he doesn’t, well, that’s something else entirely
3. SP Vernon Crawshaw (24) – A man of the people. That’s how I’d describe this kid. He’s always willing to make time for our fans, has great stuff that he struggles to control, and is adept at coming in heavy on his pitches to keep balls in the park. What he lacks in velocity, he makes up for with craftiness – he’s a hard one to figure on the mound and the life of the party off it.
4. SP Lance Bolton (25) – A low-key, introverted type of kid who is less comfortable around people than he is doing his thing on the mound. He has pretty good stuff, but the movement isn’t there and, as a result, he’s as likely to fan a guy as he is to give up a homer. Has a good make-up and is a quality human being – we like having him around – but will need to perform this season if he wants to make a long-term living as a Brute.
5. SP Elliot Kidd (26) – A soft-tosser with okay stuff and suspect stamina, Davis is a hard-worker who has made the most of his talent so far. We don’t see much more room for development, so, what you see is what you get with Max. But, with that being said, we like what we see well enough and have high hopes that he’ll be able to fill the 5th slot admirably for us this season.

TL;DR: We’re a’ight.

[BirdWatcher]

Routledge should be exciting to watch.

Can't be sure which member of the Brutes will emerge as my favorite but at this point I'm leaning towards Power or Crawshaw.

Looking forward to future reports.

[pauwoo]

Praslin Skyhawks (0-0, .000) @ Soufrière Brutes (0-0, .000)
We’ll open the 2021 campaign against a probable mid-table club in the Praslin Skyhawks – they’re built to float… good enough to keep the riffraff at bay but not skilled enough as a unit to make any real noise. Offensively they’re led by the consensus #1 3B in the league in 34-year-old Cedric Poole who, while still serviceable in the field, brings most of his value from the batter’s box. He’s something of a renaissance man who’s able to apply a supreme focus on the game when he’s playing it while maintaining several irons in the fire off it. They also boast a pitching staff led by SP Jon ‘Hook’ Wain, who, at 27-years-old, is widely considered one of the top three starters in the league. The problem in Praslin isn’t their top shelf talent – any club in the Association would love to have one or both of these guys – it’s that when you start digging into the rest of the roster, you’ll find that their pantry is mostly void of the basics needed to whip up something tasty with a lot of empty calorie snacks taking up valuable shelf space instead.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP G. Barnett (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP J. Wain (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP H. Nguyen (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP B. Martin (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP V. Crawshaw (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP B. Savage (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

May 10th, 2021
Wain blanks Brutes, Praslin spoils Soufrière’s home opener
Praslin 4 @ Soufrière 0
WP: Jon Wain (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Gael Barnett (0-1, 6.75)

• PRA: Jon Wain (SP) – 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, W
• PRA: Darren Price (CF) – 1 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, R

May 11th, 2021
Nguyen twirls masterpiece, Soufrière exacts small measure of revenge
Praslin 0 @ Soufrière 4
WP: Harvey Nguyen (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Brandon Martin (0-1, 3.86)

• SOU: Harvey Nguyen (SP) – 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W
• SOU: Damyean Power (RF) – 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

May 12th, 2021
7-run bottom of the 8th seals it for the Brutes
Praslin 1 @ Soufrière 9
WP: Rob Thurston (1-0, 1.50)
LP: Bradley Savage (0-1, 3.86)

• SOU: Vernon Crawshaw (SP) – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
• SOU: Mo Crellin (C) – 2 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

A series victory, at home, to kick off the 2021 campaign? Sold. Vieux Fort’s Jamie Briggs is the early HR leader – with each of those TRUCKS coming in the second game of the season… No team managed to navigate the first set of the season unscathed, with 5 clubs (Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Canaries, Vieux Fort, and Bongalo) each falling short on their sweep bids during the final game of their respective series… Gros Islet’s SP Frank Denis will be out for the season after tearing his rotator cuff… at 36-years-old, seeing him take the mound in SLAB next season seems like a long-shot.

Soufrière Brutes (2-1, .666) @ Micoud Vipers (1-2, .333)
On paper, the Micoud Vipers, look to be one of SLAB’s bottom feeders – the pieces they do have (Ronald Johnston comes to mind, more on him in a bit) don’t seem to fit with the aftermarket parts they’ve used to put their roster together. The pitching looks rough, without a top 10 rated guy on the staff, while the offense looks pedestrian outside of the heart of their order. 34-year-old LF Ronald Johnson, a power hitter with a great eye, leads the offense, and is backed up by 29-year-old CF Chris Johnson, who’s a tip-top contact guy that defend well. Outside of that, Micoud doesn’t look to have much in the way of performance parts – they’re pretty much just a stock Honda Accord with some nifty ground fx installed to trick people into thinking that they might have something fancy under the hood.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP E. Kidd (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP M. Cros (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP L. Bolton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP A. Wiseman (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP G. Barnett (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs RHP D. Bardrick (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

May 13th, 2021
Micoud offense sputters, Soufrière looks like well-oiled machine
Soufrière 6 @ Micoud 0
WP: Elliot Kidd (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Doug Lallement (0-1, 5.06)

• SOU: Luke Saunders (1B) – 3 for 5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
• SOU: Edgar Bernard (SS) – 1 for 3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB

May 14th, 2021
Oscar Day hits GRAND SLAM, Soufrière wins with ease
Soufrière 6 @ Micoud 1
WP: Lance Bolton (1-0, 1.23)
LP: Aiden Wiseman (0-1, 6.43)

• SOU: Oscar Day (2B) – 1 for 4, HR, 4 RBI, R
• SOU: Lance Bolton (SP) – 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W

May 15th, 2021
Micoud staves off embarrassment in winning effort to avoid sweep at home
Soufrière 2 @ Micoud 3
WP: Marcus Denton (1-1, 2.08)
LP: Harold Holden (0-1, 0.00)

• SOU: Gael Barnett (SP) – 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• MIC: Marvin Bromley (SS) – 1 for 3, HR, 3 RBI, R

Our second series win in a row installs us at the top of the pops with the Bongalo Terrapins there to keep us company… in the Northern Division, the Anse-la-Raye Clippers stand alone at the top with the same 4-2 record as us and the Terps…. LF Jason Fahy, of the Castries Black Cats, has pulled even with Vieux Forts’s Jamie Briggs at 3 HRs each… we’re leading the league with a +17 RDiff – when we win, we win big – followed by the Clippers at +14 so far… CF Alistair Harlow won the PoTW award – he went 12 for 23 with a TRUCK and 7 RBI…the 1st weekly power ranking is out – we’re ranked 3rd (that’s boo-chit, mang) behind Anse-la-Raye and Bongalo (who’ve dropped two straight)… meanwhile, the two clubs we’ve played thus far are anchored to the bottom of the rankings at 11th (Micoud) & 12th (Praslin), respectively… so, I guess, it’s a strength of schedule thing.

Record: 4-2, .666, t-1st Southern Division
Standings, Clubhouse, Batting & Pitching registers attached...

[BirdWatcher]

Damyean Power (to the People) off to a great start.

This makes me happy.

[pauwoo]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Damyean Power (to the People) off to a great start.

This makes me happy.

Me too!

[pauwoo]

Soufrière Brutes (4-2, .666, 1st South) @ Gros Islet Rays (2-4, .333, 6th North)
Gros Islet has sputtered a bit off the line – mostly due to an offense in desperate need of fuel, ranked 12th in AVG, OBP, OPS, and wOBA, where their best hitter, 2B Antoine Bruneau, has a .280/.40/.292 slash so far. Their staff, however, has been quite good so far, coming in much hotter than advertised, and are running near the top of the pack, ranked 2nd in Starters ERA and FIP, and 6th in Bullpen ERA. This isn’t a club that has high expectations this season – they have a good core, are capable of giving anyone fits, but need to shore up some of their depth issues if they are to make a run at the Island Series. Blessed with fervent fan support, a large market, and good loyalty, Gros Islet is a club that will likely stay busy on the trade market during the season to strengthen their anemic development system and will likely throw some cash around during the offseason to keep their supporters fat & happy.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP H. Nguyen (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP T. Dodds (0-1, 2.00 ERA)
RHP V. Crawshaw (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP K. Smith (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP E. Kidd (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP D. Smith (0-1, 7.50 ERA)

May 17th, 2021
Brutes brutalized by Yeomans GRAND SLAM in loss to the Rays
Soufrière 5 @ Gros Islet 7
WP: Graeme Victor (1-1, 5.68)
LP: Rob Thurston (1-1, 3.00)

• SOU: Edgar Bernard (SS) – 3 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
• GI: Lyndon Yeomans (SS) – 1 for 3, HR, 4 RBI, R

May 18th, 2021
Smith hurls clean sheet against Brutes, Crawshaw uneven in loss
Soufrière 0 @ Gros Islet 4
WP: Dwaine Smith (1-1, 3.00)
LP: Vernon Crawshaw (0-1, 3.75)

• GI: Dwaine Smith (SP) – 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, W
• GI: Hughie Chellun (1B) – 2 for 4, 2B RBI, R

May 19th, 2021
Soufrière swept out of Gros Islet, walked off in extras
Soufrière 3 @ Gros Islet 5
WP: Franck Salomon (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Dermot Griffiths (0-1, 0.00)

• SOU: Mo Crellin (C) – 3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
• SOU: Elliot Kidd (SP) – 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Oof. Swept out of Gros Islet by a poor club… using what I put up on the chalkboard prior to starting this set, I think that it is safe to say it went nothing like we drew it up…we drop into a 4-way tie for 2nd with, well, everyone, while the Laborie Corsairs find themselves a scant 1 game up on the division. Meanwhile, in the North, Bisee swept Bongalo at home to pull into a two-way tie with Anse-la-Raye for the top spot in their division… the Hammerheads’ Clyde Anderson sent his 4th ball over the fence during a loss to Laborie – he now leads that category while his Canaries-based ballclub finds itself at the bottom of the table in the Northern Division… Also, because I’m a glutton for punishment, I suppose, I should note that your Brutes have now dropped 4 straight contests. That’s not good.

Soufrière Brutes (4-5, .444, t-2nd South) @ Castries Black Cats (4-5, t-6th North)
At 4-5 so far this year, the Black Cats have struggled out the gate and have come in as advertised given that the baseball punditry figured them for cellar dwellers in the North. They are in 6th place in the Northern Division, 2.0 games behind the leader, and have their pitching to thank for it – 11th in runs allowed, 10th ranked Starters ERA, with a defense that ranks 9th in ZR and 7th in efficiency. They’re coming off a series loss to Micoud where they looked a bit shopworn already and seem primed for a club like ours who is looking to get back on track.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP G. Barnett (0-1, 3.55 ERA) vs LHP L. McCarthy (1-1, 4.85 ERA)
RHP L. Bolton (1-0, 1.23 ERA) vs RHP C. Price (0-1, 4.76 ERA)
RHP H. Nguyen (1-0, 1.93 ERA) vs RHP C. Verdier (1-1, 2.84 ERA)

May 20th, 2021
Soufrière wins in extras despite two costly fielding flubs
Soufrière 5 @ Castries 4
WP: Rob Thurston (2-1, 2.38)
LP: Michael Dean (0-1, 1.80)

• SOU: Gael Barnett (SP) – 6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• SOU: Damyean Power (RF) – 2 for 5, HR, 3 RBI, R

May 21st, 2021
Soufrière’s late rally falls short in Castries
Soufrière 4 @ Castries 5
WP: Cameron Price (1-1, 3.29)
LP: Rob Thurston (2-2, 3.65)

• CAS: Cameron Price (SP) – 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W
• CAS: John Barlow (CF) – 2 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB

May 22nd, 2021
Castries claws back to .500 at Soufrière’s expense
Soufrière 1 @ Castries 2
WP: Clyde Wiggins (1-0, 3.00)
LP: Harvey Nguyen (1-1, 1.74)

• SOU: Harvey Nguyen (SP) – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• CAS: Jude Beasley (RF) – 1 for 3, HR, RBI, R

A tough 1-5 week for the Brutes on the road with 3 more @ Bongalo on the docket… not ideal. Sitting in 4th now in the South, loser of 2-straight, but with plenty of time to turn things around… the key is positivity. Right? I think that’s right… not 100%. Bongalo and Vieux Fort each secured sweeps in their last sets and find themselves battling it out at the top of our division, while the Bisee Mad Dogs have reeled off 6-straight in B2B sweeps, taking a 1-game lead over Ande-la-Raye into next week. 3B Andre Curley, of the Bisee Mad Dogs, is our latest HR leader putting 4 of his 5 dingers on the board over the last week…

Record: 5-7, .416, 4th South

[pauwoo]

Soufrière Brutes (5-7, .416, 4th South) @ Bongalo Terrapins (7-5, .583, t-1st South)
The Terrapins came into this season with expectation – not especially high expectations, but expectations nonetheless… they, according to the preseason prognosticators were the best of a pedestrian bunch after us in the South. The type of club that, with a lucky bounce here and a good hop there, could find themselves in a position to buck expectations and accomplish something truly special. And, so far, they have been using their luck up at a rate that doesn’t seem sustainable – a -14 RDiff, running +3 against the Pyt, and owners of a 5-0 record in 1-run games… something has to give with these guys because, simply put, they’re not as good as their ho-hum 7-5 record suggests.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP V. Crawshaw (0-1, 3.75 ERA) vs RHP J. Handley (1-1, 3.18 ERA)
RHP E. Kidd (1-0, 1.38 ERA) vs LHP P. Gomes (0-1, 3.94 ERA)
RHP G. Barnett (0-1, 2.37 ERA) vs RHP C. Chevrier (2-0, 1.07 ERA)

May 24th, 2021
Soufrière’s Crawshaw leaves early with injury, Brutes hang on for the victory.
Soufrière 6 @ Bongalo 4
WP: Ashley Allen (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Jordan Handley (1-2, 4.32)
• SOU: Carl McGovern (C) – 3 for 4, 2 RBI, R
• SOU: Fabrice Strowbridge (2B) – 3 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

A real gut punch here… Crawshaw will be out for the 4 months with a torn triceps. Brutal. RP Alexander Gautier’s been called up from the Grand Anse Rice Rats, taking a slot in the pen, while Max Davis has been moved into the #5 slot for now.

May 25th, 2021
Chevrier renders Brutes offense useless, Terps win with ease
Soufrière 0 @ Bongalo 5
WP: Christian Chevrier (3-0, 0.79)
LP: Gael Barnett (0-2, 3.51)
• BON: Christian Chevrier (SP) – 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W
• BON: Michael Smythe (3B) – 2 for 4, RBI, R

May 26th, 2021
Brutes stave off late rally, earn series win on the road
Soufrière 4 @ Bongalo 3
WP: Elliot Kidd (2-0, 1.86)
LP: Patrick Gomes (0-2, 4.24)
• SOU: Elliot Kidd (SP) – 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W
• SOU: Harrison Rawlings (3B) – 1 for 2, RBI, R, BB

A hard-earned series win – likely made it harder on ourselves then it needed to be – where we did what we were supposed to, nothing more, maybe less… 1 game off .500, 1 game off the pace set by Bongalo and Vieux Fort… no change in the homerun race, but our own Oscar Day has moved up to 3rd on the RBI leaderboard with 12 so far… Anse-la-Raye has reclaimed the top spot in the North after winning 5 straight while Bisee stumbled a bit against the Micoud Hammerheads, dropping 2 of 3 against them in their most recent set…

Vieux Fort Saviors (8-7, .533, t-1st South) @ Soufrière Brutes (7-8, .467, t-2nd South)
Widely considered to be the worst team in the South, the Saviors have been anything but to start the season, showing themselves to be a steady swimmer capable of treading water with the best of them. Throughout this early run, their offense has been amazing – 1st in swiped bags, runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and HRs – with Alistair Harlow’s .455 average and 8 swiped bags setting the tone. The pitching, unfortunately, has been the other side of that same coin – they rank 11th in runs against, Starters ERA, and FIP… so, as soon as their bats cool off (it’ll happen, you’ll see…), we fully expect them to sink like a rock. The question here is whether our 4th ranked staff will be the unit to douse their early flame or will we fan that blaze for them during their visit to Soufrière?

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP H. Nguyen (1-1, 1.74 ERA) vs LHP C. Alonso (2-1, 8.00 ERA)
RHP L. Bolton (1-0, 2.51 ERA) vs RHP N. Brown (1-1, 6.28 ERA)
LHP M. Davis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP C. Kavanagh (1-2, 2.11 ERA)

May 27th, 2021
Nguyen hurls Brutes back to .500 at home
Soufrière 7 vs. Vieux Fort 2
WP: Harvey Nguyen (2-1, 1.91)
LP: Christophe Alonso (2-2, 8.59)
• SOU: Harvey Nguyen (SP) – 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W
• SOU: Chris Routledge (CF) – 1 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, R

May 28th, 2021
Bolten spins masterpiece, Brutes piece up Saviors in Soufrière
Soufrière 9 vs. Vieux Fort 0
WP: Lance Bolton (2-0, 1.61)
LP: Neil Brown (1-2, 7.58)
• SOU: Lance Bolton (SP) – 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W
• SOU: Fabrice Strowbridge (2B) – 2 for 3, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB
• SOU: Carl McGovern (C) – 1 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, R

May 29th, 2021
Late, 8th inning run secures first sweep of the season for Soufrière
Soufrière 2 vs. Vieux Fort 1
WP: Dermot Griffiths (1-1, 0.00)
LP: Cedric Kavanagh (1-3, 2.15)
• SOU: Max Davis (SP) – 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
• SOU: Cedric Kavanagh (SP) – 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

Finally playing with some verve, winners of four straight, and in our rightful place atop the Southern Division table… that the Laborie Corsairs are sharing that spot with us currently is no bother, that we’d manage to summit this early season hill is reward enough in and of itself… 3 batters sit tied atop the HR rankings with 5 dingers each – not a lot of power so far and we’re already 18 games in… Castries, like us, finds themselves in the midst of 4-game winning streak, the Dennery Dukes and Laborie each swept their last set, and the once formidable Vieux Fort Saviors have lost 4 in a row, while the Bisee Mad Dogs have dropped 5 in a row after a 10-3 start to the season…

Record: 10-8, .556, t-1st South

[pauwoo]

Laborie Corsairs (10-8, .556, t-1st South) @ Soufrière Brutes (10-8, .556, t-1st South)
So far in 2021, the Corsairs ply their trade by wrecking the basepaths (they rank 3rd in base running), putting runs on the board at an impressive clip (4th in runs scored), and using these skills to outrun what can only be described as a pedestrian pitching staff (9th in Starters ERA, 7th in FIP). They’ll enter this set, in our park, coming off a sweep over the Praslin Skyhawks at home, their first of the year, after taking the Skyhawks behind the woodshed and running their RDiff up to +13 in the process. This is a club that, if you believe the preseason predictions, isn’t held in the highest of regard – but, and this is important – games aren’t won on paper, and, so far, these guys are keeping our pace and doing their level best to stake an early season claim as one of the best in the show. Here we find ourselves with the enviable opportunity of shutting down an upstart club, putting Baby back into the corner no matter what Swayze says, and reasserting ourselves as the BMOC who’s just decking fools on his way to the Homecoming Court.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP G. Barnett (0-2, 3.51 ERA) vs RHP R. Boyer (1-3, 4.66 ERA)
RHP E. Kidd (2-0, 1.86 ERA) vs RHP L. Chadwick (0-1, 5.59 ERA)
RHP H. Nguyen (2-1, 1.91 ERA) vs RHP C. Leroy (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

The top 3 players on their team are:


May 31st, 2021
Romain tosses gem, Brutes fall to the Corsairs at home
Soufrière 3 vs. Laborie 4
WP: Romain Boyer (2-3, 4.38)
LP: Rob Thurston (2-3, 4.50)

• LAB: Romain Boyer (SP) – 3 for 4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R
• LAB: Bill Walters (CF) – 3 for 4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R

June 1st, 2021
Mark Taylor trucks 5th homer, Laborie smashes the Brutes in Soufrière
Soufrière 4 vs. Laborie 8
WP: Lenny Chadwick (1-1, 5.20)
LP: Harvey Nguyen (2-2, 1.62)

• LAB: Mark Taylor (1B) – 3 for 5, HR, RBI, 2 R
• LAB: Anthony Frasier (DH) – 2 for 3, RBI, 2 R, BB

June 2nd, 2021
Soufrière suffers indignity of home sweep, Laborie is the toast of the town
Soufrière 4 vs. Laborie 9
WP: Oliver Mason (3-2, 4.66)
LP: Elliot Kidd (2-1, 2.84)

• LAB: Mark Taylor (1B) – 3 for 5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
• LAB: Anthony Frasier (DH) – 2 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Swept, at home, in front of our wives, children, girlfriends, and mistresses – not a good look for a club with designs on earning a trip to the Island Series and winning the ultimate prize. Factor in that our RDiff has dropped from +21 to +11, that we’re -2 against the Pythagorean, and boast a pathetic 5-4 record at home and what you get is a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, we find ourselves mid-table in the South, as a sub-.500 club, with nearly a quarter of this inaugural season already in the books – if we’re going to make a move, it seems like now would be the time to do it.

Canaries Hammerheads (10-11, .476, 4th North) @ Soufrière Brutes (10-11, .476, 3rd South)
With a -16 RDiff, +2 diff against the Pyt, and a poor 4-5 record on the road, the Hammerheads from Canaries look something like what I’d expect the doctor to order… famous last words there as we have found a way to play well below preseason expectation and seem to specialize in making ho-hum clubs look like finely tuned machines here of late. Canaries arrives in town as losers of their last two sets – one contested at home against Anse-la-Raye and the other on the road against the Black Cats of Castries – and, like we thought Laborie did before them, should represent an opportunity to get off the schneid and back up where we belong. Should being the operative word here of course… ours is a malaise that is as all encompassing as it is foreboding.

Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP L. Bolton (2-0, 1.61 ERA) vs RHP B. Jones (0-1, 2.59 ERA)
LHP M. Davis (0-0, 0.84 ERA) vs LHP S. Goodson (2-1, 4.00 ERA)
RHP G. Barnett (0-2, 3.73 ERA) vs RHP D. Carty (1-3, 4.05 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:


June 3rd, 2021
Brutes bash back to .500 with win over Hammerheads
Soufrière 9 vs. Canaries 5
WP: Dermot Griffiths (2-1, 0.96)
LP: Chris Grimsey (1-2, 6.57)

• SOU: Chris Routledge (CF) – 1 for 3, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
• SOU: Harrison Rawlings (3B) – 2 for 3, 2 RBI, R, BB

June 4th, 2021
Brutes make it two in a row, bridle Hammerheads, 4-2
Soufrière 4 vs. Canaries 2
WP: Max Davis (1-0, 1.53)
LP: Spencer Goodson (2-2, 4.44)

• SOU: Max Davis (SP) – 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W
• SOU: Carl McGovern (C) – 1 for 2, 2 RBI, R

June 5h, 2021
Carty outduels Barnett, shut out Brutes to avoid road sweep
Soufrière 0 vs. Canaries 1
WP: Daryl Carty (2-3, 3.19)
LP: Gael Barnett (0-3, 3.12)

• SOU: Gael Barnett (SP) – 9.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
• CAN: Daryl Carty (SP) – 9.0 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W

A series win is always a welcome result, a 2-4 stretch at home for the week, however, not so much… North Division leader, Anse-La-Raye, improved to 18-6 on the year after a rip-roaring 5-1 week. They currently lead the league in OPS, Batting WAR, Runs Against, and jersey sales. Mark Taylor, of the Laborie Corsairs, leads the league in jacks with 7 so far – followed closely by Praslin’s Eric Barbot and Bisee’s Andre Curley who each have 6… Chris Johnson, of the last place Micoud Vipers leads the league in WAR at 2.2 and unhappiness with his current situation…

Record: 12-12, .500, 3rd South
Up Next: We’ll hit the road to face Bisee for three before returning home to welcome the Micoud Vipers to town for a 3-game set that I’ve earmarked as the cure for all that ails us…

[koohead]

Just here to say that I had my honeymoon in St. Lucia...absolutely loved it there. Pretty cool to see some familiar locations in your league!

[darkcloud4579]

Cool idea to base a league in the Caribbean, will be following closely!

[cawinegarden]

Any further updates? This is getting really interesting....Thx!