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03-27-2007, 03:32 PM
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#61 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Near the Great Wall. On the GOOD side.
Posts: 3,763
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This is cool. I live somewhere in the middle between Ann Arbor and Detroit and I have a local league that I'm working on - The Great Lakes Baseball League. I started it in 6.5 then moved it to 2006 (where it kinda crapped out) but I'm in the process of getting it going into 2007.
Good read!
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03-27-2007, 04:03 PM
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#62 |
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Minors (Single A)
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 76
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I just came across this and am enjoying it. Any plans to move it to the 2007 version?
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04-01-2007, 01:40 PM
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#63 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Game 4
The Kalamazoo fans enter the ballpark for tonight’s Game 4 on edge, knowing they have the Pilots on the ropes right now, but leery of going for the knockout punch and missing. They send journeyman LHP Colin Weakley to the mound with the hopes that he can provide what they thought he was capable of when they traded for him – a reliable # 3 starter. He’s had a very strong year with this team playing behind him. He goes against Game 1 winner, RHP Kristopher MacKail, who was dominant in that game. “I’m not going to go out there and try and repeat what I did in game one. I’m just going to try to do what it takes to help my team win the game,” a testy MacKail said pre-game. After an easy 1st inning for both pitchers, the Bells get something cooking in the bottom of the 2nd. Back-to-back hits by 3B Stan McQuistan and CF Manny Maldonado start the inning off right as there are men at 1st and 3rd with nobody out. MacKail, though, digs deep and strikes RF Sawyl Mitchum out as Maldonado is attempting to steal 2nd. I say attempting because Jose Rayo guns him down as the moods for both teams change with one pitch…until 2B Pedro Mateo knocks McQuistan in with a single up the middle. “That was about as clutch as it gets in baseball,” Bells manager Wilson Labato said. 1-0 Bells after two innings. After three innings of play, one thing is clear. The Bells have taken a very different approach to facing MacKail tonight than from game 1. They are being patient and taking what he is giving them and spraying balls all over the field. MacKail and the Pilots are clearly frustrated and playing some sloppy defense at times. This leads to two more Bells runs as they now lead 3-0 going into the 4th. Meanwhile, Colin Weakley has been phenomenal thus far. If it weren’t for a couple of walks to Pilots’ 2B Damaso Sanabnia, he would have a perfect game through 4. As the game wears on, the Bells fans begin to sense that this series is pretty much over. The Bells offense is getting guys on base and putting them across the plate at times, while Dayton can’t get a hit nor take advantage of the bases on balls they are getting. In the end, it means the Bells are one game away from being repeat Gehringer-Sisler Cup champions as they win tonight 4-0. Colin Weakly pitches 8 1/3 innings, giving up only one hit. “He had good movement and mixed his pitches well,” a sullen and quiet Marron Jones said at his locker after the game. “This organization really believed in me when they acquired me from Mackinac, where I admittedly struggled after coming in from  Leads the best of 7 series 3-1
Last edited by woodfeld; 04-01-2007 at 01:50 PM. |
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04-01-2007, 01:48 PM
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#64 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Thanks for everyone's interest in the MOBL, it's what really keeps me going with the updates. As long as I know people are reading, I'll keep it going....
Sven-As of right now, there won't be any expansion teams...but that could change in the future, we'll see. But I have to admit, if there would be a city in the ML South that would get a team, Flint would be top choice. Ignatius J-Right now, I'm sticking with 2006 due to the fact that I'm trying to save some money for my yearly baseball road trip, so I won't be getting OOTP 2007 for a little while yet. |
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04-06-2007, 10:44 PM
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#65 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Game 5
Bells fans have had it good, that’s for sure. They’ve witnessed a Cup championship team in their first season, and now enter the ballpark for tonight’s Game 5 fully expecting to witness the second Cup-clinching game in the second season of play in the MOBL. Did I mention that the majority of the Bells best offensive players are in their mid-20’s? Meanwhile, the Pilots are looking for any kind of spark to turn this series around and get it back to their raucous fanbase for another game. “We just have to do the little things right, focus on playing our game. The rest will take care of itself,” captain Greg Bleasdale, who has not looked very MOB-like in this series, said. Things don’t get much better for as If the first inning is any indication, the Pilots have given up and are throwing in the towel. They go down weakly in the top of the 1st, and then uninspired and sometimes sloppy defensive play leads to 3 Bells runs off a rattled Anker Woodruff. It all started when C Benjamin Landers hits a 2-run double that 3B Marron Jones could have gotten to, or at least knock it down. “We really didn’t look ready to start this game. We certainly got a nice wake-up call in that 1st inning though,” manager Joseph Parker said. If the Pilots had truly indeed “woken up”, they showed they could take advantage of an uncharacteristically inconsistent Rickey Benson. They loaded the bases twice with nobody out, thanks to some walks and patient hitting. They score two runs, but let Benson off the hook the 2nd time the bases were loaded with nobody out by not getting anyone else over the plate. “I really tried to just focus in on the batter at hand, not get caught up in the situation. Thankfully, it worked,” Benson said. After that rough first inning, the story of the game has been the play of After trading runs, the Bells fans all stand up and cheer as they watch their team march onto the field, leading 7-3, and only three outs away from a 2nd consecutive Gehringer-Sisler Cup. “Our fans are so great, I couldn’t think of a better home field advantage than playing here,” SS Telo Welter said. After Dayton 2B Damaso Sanabnia pops up a 1-2 pitch and watches Kalamazoo 1B Florinio Hernando settle under it, those fans are given a real reason to be loud and obnoxious as their Bells are the 1941 Gehringer-Sisler Cup winners!! “To be sitting in last place in our division at mid-season and now to be sitting here drinking champagne is one amazing feeling. Our boys never gave up and are being given one heck of a reward for that,” manager Wilson Labato said during the postgame celebration. “What a season! I can’t even begin to tell you the internal makeup this team has. We struggled at times, but we battled through that. This team is like family to me,” Game 5 winner Rickey Benson said after spraying some champagne on his fellow teammates. In a dejected MVP – Weakley pitched a gem in a crucial Game 4, adding onto his magnificent game in the League Championship Series, in which he went 8.2 innings without giving up an earned run. Unsung Hero – What goes somewhat unnoticed in this series was the crucial hit by Mateo in Game 4 in which Dayton was looking for any momentum and they got it with a strike‘em out, throw‘em out, but Mateo comes up and gets a key hit to key the Bells victory. Goat – It’s hard to give this distinction to what looks like a fantastic young closer, but Iveson did give up a monstrous 3-run homer to pinch hitter Miguel Bermejo that completely changed this series. LVP (Least Valuable Player) – After a fantastic League Championship Series, Jones barely showed up for this series. Looking lost at the plate, he also struggled in the field at times during the series. Congratulations to the Kalamazoo Bells, winner of the 1941 Gehringer-Sisler Cup and back-to-back championships!  Last edited by woodfeld; 04-06-2007 at 10:46 PM. |
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04-06-2007, 11:22 PM
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#66 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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November 15, 1941
Ohio League Silver Sluggers C – Calvin Faithorne – Youngstown Black Irons - .280 Avg, .343 OBP, 46 HR, 102 RBI, 96 Runs (2nd Silver Slugger) 1B – Martin Cook – Youngstown Black Irons - .326 Avg, .352 OBP, 43 HR, 109 RBI, 42 2B’s, 5 3B’s, 94 Runs (2nd Silver Slugger) 2B – Harden Evans – Toledo Admirals - .302, .422 OBP, 23 HR, 106 RBI, 35 2B’s, 93 Runs SS – Tony ‘Ducky’ Tiner – Toledo Admirals - .316 Avg, .425 OBP, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 32 2B’s, 127 Runs (2nd Silver Slugger) 3B – Paul ‘Horse’ Jenkins – Canton Terriers - .280 Avg, .337 OBP, 26 HR, 60 RBI, 26 2B’s, 80 Runs OF – Greg Bleasdale – Dayton Pilots - .316 Avg, .439 OBP, 38 HR, 91 RBI, 35 2B’s, 8 3B’s, 135 Runs, 26 SB’s OF – Syman Shores – Canton Terriers - .331 Avg, .399 OBP, 32 HR, 97 RBI, 51 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 123 Runs, 57 SB’s (2nd Silver Slugger) OF – Bob Harvey – Toledo Admirals - .330 Avg, .441 OBP, 41 HR, 100 RBI, 21 2B’s, 132 Runs, 9 SB’s (2nd Silver Slugger) Gold Gloves P – Anker Woodruff – Dayton Pilots C – Jose Rayo – Dayton Pilots 1B – Joseph Currey – Columbus Archers 2B – Sean Pellow – Columbus Archers SS – Tony ‘Ducky’ Tiner – Toledo Admirals 3B – Jim Trent – Columbus Archers LF – Peter Northcutt – Canton Terriers CF – Toshiyuki Ishimura – Youngstown Black Irons RF – Syman Shores – Canton Terriers (2nd Gold Glove) Most Outstanding Pitcher – LHP Ray Campbell – Canton Terriers – 22-1, 2.50 ERA, 192 K’s, 248.1 IP (2nd MOP) Most Outstanding Batter – CF Greg Bleasdale – Dayton Pilots - .316 Avg, .439 OBP, 38 HR, 91 RBI’s, 135 Runs Rookie of the Year – LF Anderson Juarez – Chillicothe Indians - .250 Avg, .332 OBP, 31 HR, 83 RBI, 75 Runs, 29 2B’s Michigan League Silver Sluggers C – Benjamin Landers – Kalamazoo Bells - .321 Avg, .401 OBP, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 31 2B’s, 85 Runs 1B – Jhon Sarceda – Traverse City Cherries - .311 Avg, .364 OBP, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 42 2B’s, 97 Runs 2B – John Watson – Iron Mountain Miners - .293 Avg, .405 OBP, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 22 2B’s, 114 Runs (2nd Silver Slugger) SS – Mike ‘Patches’ Helmick – Mackinac Trolleys - .318 Avg, .422 OBP, 17 HR, 79 RBI, 41 2B’s, 9 3B’s, 93 Runs, 11 SB’s 3B – Stan McQuistan – Kalamazoo Bells - .300 Avg, .331 OBP, 22 HR, 83 RBI, 34 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 88 Runs OF – Kev Taylor – Grand Rapids Blue Lakers - .270 Avg, .355 OBP, 45 HR, 103 RBI, 25 2B’s, 5 3B’s, 110 Runs, 20 SB’s (2nd Silver Slugger) OF – Jacob Davis – Ann Arbor Democrats - .303 Avg, .366 OBP, 23 HR, 72 RBI, 31 2B’s, 6 3B’s, 101 Runs, 6 SB’s OF – Jon Koepke – Mackinac Trolleys - .282 Avg, .357 OBP, 28 HR, 84 RBI, 37 2B’s, 93 Runs, 8 SB’s Gold Gloves P – George Price – Ann Arbor Democrats (2nd Gold Glove) C – Benjamin Landers – Kalamazoo Bells (2nd Gold Glove) 1B – Florinio ‘Tag’ Hernando – Kalamazoo Bells (2nd Gold Glove) 2B – Juan Ramos – Lansing Capitals (2nd Gold Glove) SS – Pablo ‘Lunatic’ Fula – Ann Arbor Democrats 3B – Aurelio Venelez – Lansing Capitals LF – Kev Taylor – Grand Rapids Blue Lakers (2nd Gold Glove) CF – Harry St. John – Ann Arbor Democrats RF – Isaiah Stroud – Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers (2nd Gold Glove) Most Outstanding Pitcher – RHP Rickey ‘Moby Dick’ Benson – Kalamazoo Bells – 22-7, 2.52 ERA, 288 K’s, 1.05 WHIP, 256.2 IP (2nd MOP) Most Outstanding Batter – 2B John Watson – Iron Mountain Miners - .293 Avg, .405 OBP, 41 HR, 106 RBI Rookie of the Year – 1B Jeff Hafer – Grand Rapids Blue Lakers - .241 Avg, .301 OBP, 19 HR, 58 RBI Last edited by woodfeld; 04-10-2007 at 10:01 AM. |
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04-19-2007, 12:19 AM
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#67 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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 1942 Season Preview Michigan League North Division  Predicted finish in division – 2nd Minor League system ranking – 11th (out of 16) The Miners bring back the reigning ML MOB this year for a change. 2B John Watson looks to replicate the kind of season he had last year, but with an added caveat. “I want to win the Cup so bad. We have what it takes on this team to get to that point, we just have to go out and execute,” he said in spring training. They get a healthy CF Cullan McHugo back, after he played in only 57 games last year and that will give this team a boost as he should provide a spark both defensively and at the top of this powerful lineup. The biggest question for this lineup is if this will be the year RF Nathan Willman busts out and hits the 35-40 home runs he’s capable of. Meanwhile, the pitching staff looks to be good, but not great. RHP Carlton Wunderlich could be a MOP finalist, while RHP Amor ‘Taco’ Rainez and RHP Edgar Guzman provide solid support. The bullpen is a different story, as this is the Miners one major weakness. They will need to address this weakness if they have hopes of winning it all, adding a strong left-handed pitcher would be a huge addition to his team, as they don’t have any decent lefties. Best Hitter – 2B John Watson (15 Contact, 8 Gap, 14 Power, 17 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Carlton Wunderlich (12 Stuff, 14 Movement, 12 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA 3B Clement Magennis, 21 Years Old. Potential – (7 Contact, 13 Gap, 13 Power, 9 Eye, 5 Avoiding K’s) This powerful Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Soham van Tessel – The righthander has seen nothing but AAA batters and hasn’t quite progressed like the Miners have hoped. He has been switched to middle relief to try and crack the lineup, which is entirely possible with how shaky the Miner bullpen is.  Mackinac Trolleys Predicted finish in division – 1st Minor League system ranking – 2nd (out of 16) The third time is the charm right? For the third consecutive year, the Trolleys look like the top team in the ML North on paper, but will they finally be able to put it all together and be the contender many see them as. There doesn’t appear to be an easy out in the entire lineup as they have guys that can get on base consistently (SS Mike ‘Patches’ Helmick, LF Donovan Beller) and guys that can knock them in (CF Jon Koepke, newly acquired RF Vasco Ayala). They added Ayala, a powerful young left hander, in a deal from Best Hitter – CF Jon Koepke (16 Contact, 17 Gap, 14 Power, 12 Eye, 12 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Timothy Hart (15 Stuff, 12 Movement, 18 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA RHP David Massiter, 20 Years Old. Potential – (7 Stuff, 8 Movement, 19 Control) Massiter, the Trolleys 1st round pick in 1940, has progressed rather nicely and looked absolutely fantastic in his brief appearance in AAA Cheboygan last year. He will, clearly, never be a guy that will overpower you, but will look to nibble on the corners and pitch consistently. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RF Tyrone Porch – Porch was dealt to  Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers Predicted finish in division – 3rd Minor League system ranking – 8th (out of 16) The defending ML North champs will field another good team, but will it be good enough to repeat? Their offense is lead by the amazing duo of MOB-candidates LF Vernon ‘Clueless’ Best Hitter – LF Vernon ‘Clueless’ Best Pitcher – RHP Seth ‘Hack’ Gabriel (16 Stuff, 12 Movement, 18 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – Short Season SS Todd Walker, 18 Years Old. Potential – (15 Contact, 12 Gap, 9 Power, 19 Eye, 12 Avoiding K’s) Walker looks to be a potential top of the order hitter here and the White Lakers will be sure to bring this young stud along slowly. He’s kind of an aloof player, but always plays hard and can play the shortstop position very well for someone his age. Look for Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – LHP Sivan ‘Gunner’ O’Shea – O’Shea currently sits as the #3 starter in the rotation, although he looks like he still has some developing to do to hit his full (and high) potential. The White Lakers hope his experience from starting 20 games in the past two seasons for them will help him assimilate himself as their #3 guy quicker.  Predicted finish in division – 4th Minor League system ranking – 3rd (out of 16) I can most assuredly say, for the third straight year, the Cherries will finish in dead last in the ML North. But, this will be the most competitive team they’ve fielded yet and could surprise some with a halfway decent record this year. They have some young offensive prospects that will be able to lift the spirits of Cherries fans in RF Bob Dingwall and RF Howard Cole. That’s right, they play the same position unfortunately. But don’t be surprised to see Dingwall (the most promising young player Best Hitter – CF Dave Batt (16 Contact, 8 Gap, 17 Power, 8 Eye, 18 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP Clark Josephson (12 Stuff, 8 Movement, 16 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – A LHP Pancho Vargas, 19 Years Old. Potential – (11 Stuff, 15 Movement, 11 Control) Vargas has developed quite nicely thus far since being picked 2nd overall in the 1940 MOBL Draft. He dominated in what little action he saw in A Cadillac last year, but still spent the majority of his season in Short Season ball. The Cherries eagerly await their first ever draft pick to arrive and be a stable force in their rotation. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – 1B Miguel Bonola – Bonola still awaits his first taste of MOBL baseball as he has spent his entire career in the minors. He struggled a bit in 1940, but played very well in AAA last year and with the injury to Jhon Sarceda, Bonola could get the call-up to start the year. Still only 23 years old, Bonola projects to be a very solid, dependable player in the future. |
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04-20-2007, 10:53 AM
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#68 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Michigan League
South Division This is arguably the tightest division in the entire MOBL this season. I can see any of the 4 teams winning the division title and I can see any of them finishing in last.  Ann Arbor Democrats Predicted finish in division – 2nd Minor League system ranking – 15th (out of 16) The best bet to knock the Bells off their perch as the elite team in the Michigan League is this Democrats team. When you think about the Dems, you immediately think of their impressive pitching staff; from the starters to the closer, this is as good of a pitching staff as you will find. And it all starts with 1941 MOP runner-up LHP John ‘Cobra’ Durham, who is looking to get come out of the shadow of Kalamazoo RHP Rickey Benson. “How John didn’t win the MOP award last year is a mystery to me,” Ann Arbor GM Damon Gotting said. He is flanked by “sidekick” RHP George Price and young phenom LHP Roberto ‘The Scorpion’ Serrano. With an excellent rotation, the bullpen may not be needed much this year, but in case it is, they are more than capable. Closer RHP John ‘Slush’ Gladstone, LHP Vernon Carpenter, and RHP Mark Seager headline an excellent pen. The offense certainly looks capable too and is only getting better. LF Jacob Davis is quickly becoming a superstar, and will aided by CF Harry St. John and 1B Tejano Bemaez (who has been nothing short of spectacular since coming over from rival Kalamazoo). They traded away last year’s starting third baseman Ezequiel Cortes to give Augustin Gowdy the starting job he’s craved. Now it’s time to see if he’s as good as scouts say he is. They caught a tough break when RF Pancho Niera went down in spring training and will miss the entire season after missing almost all of last season. Best Hitter – LF Jacob Davis (16 Contact, 15 Gap, 13 Power, 14 Eye, 10 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP John ‘Cobra’ Durham (14 Stuff, 19 Movement, 13 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA SS Floyd Gustin, 24 Years Old. Potential – (15 Contact, 10 Gap, 11 Power, 4 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) The Dems look like they have a solid bench player in Gustin. He’s a glue guy that is a born leader and extremely loyal to the team and makes good contact with the bat. He should be ready for big league action next season. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – LHP Miguel Vasquez – After a productive season in AAA last season, Vasquez was a September call-up and pitched brilliantly in relief (0.63 WHIP, 0.00 ERA in 6.1 IP). Should anyone in the Dems rotation get hurt, Vasquez should be the first called up and could be a future staff ace.  Grand Rapids Blue Lakers Predicted finish in division – 3rd Minor League system ranking – 4th (out of 16) Led by basher LF Kev Taylor, the Blue Lakers boast what looks like the best offense in the entire Michigan League. They have some young players coming into their own and everyone in the Grand Rapids region is ecstatic to hear about how well CF Edgardo Grateda is developing. He’s a natural right fielder but they have a gaping hole at center right now, so Grateda will have to do. But his offensive prowess will more than make up for any defensive deficiencies he may have. “They won’t be able to pitch around Kev with Edgardo there. This guy is launching tape measure shots in practice man, simply incredible power and ability,” RF Jamie Moreno said to a throng of reporters early in spring training. They are also excited about the development of 5-tool SS Phil High and sweet swinging 3B Zach von Bohlen. That brings us to the pitching staff, which doesn’t look too good at the moment. It’s a serviceable staff, but it’s a staff that won’t win you championships. RHP Antonio Curione and RHP Jonathan Emmons are #3 starters on most staffs but are counted on to be #1 and #2 guys for the Blue Lakers. If they can swing a deal to pick up a stud frontline starter, this is probably the team to beat in the ML. Best Hitter – LF Kev Taylor (14 Contact, 14 Gap, 20 Power, 13 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – Closer RHP Richard Keys (10 Stuff, 14 Movement, 14 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – A 3B Ron Ewing, 19 Years Old. Potential – (10 Contact, 9 Gap, 19 Power, 12 Eye, 10 Avoiding K’s) This powerful, young and brash third baseman was selected in the 1st round last year by the Blue Lakers and is looking to make a quick progression to an MOBL roster after playing well in Short Season action last year. He is stout defensively and plays a smart game, but has clashed with teammates in the past because of his selfishness. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Nathan Boaden – Released by Grand Rapids during the 1940 season, Boaden was picked up by Columbus where he has spent his time in their AAA affiliate. He looks to be nothing more than an emergency call-up at this point or he could be switched to middle relief. He saw some action in middle relief for the Archers here and there the past two seasons. Kalamazoo Bells Predicted finish in division – 1st Minor League system ranking – 14th (out of 16) The only winners of the Gehringer-Sisler Cup return another potent team that saw them lose nobody and only develop their young players even further. In a surprising move though, the team did not renew the contract of manager Wilson Labato, who has gone on to become bench coach for last year’s OL Champs, Dayton. That is about the only thing that has changed for the Bells. They boast the best rotation in the ML and possibly MOBL and that powerful lineup that many underestimate. “That rotation simply filthy…no easy day for the offense when you go against the Bells,” a rival ML GM said. They are blessed with such good starters that they’ve relegated young RHP Jose Guatarrez to a middle relief role, when he would start for every other team in the league. “Everyone raves about [Rickey] Benson and rightfully so, but I think with the way [Willard] Nasmyth finished last year, he’s in for quite the season and is a sleeper for MOP,” that same GM said. In addition to Benson and Nasmyth, the Bells can rely on a healthy RHP Jake Thomas, a young and improving LHP Elian Abilez, and last year’s postseason hero, LHP Colin Weakley. The offense will be led by power hitting SS Telo Welter and C Benjamin Landers, who spent the offseason working hard on his game and has come to spring training looking like an MOB favorite. 3B Stan McQuistan will look to improve on his impressive 1941 season and should be the best third baseman in the ML this year. Unfortunately for the Bells, LF Miguel Bermejo’s skills continue to deteriorate after a poor year last year. They are vulnerable, but they are still the champs until someone knocks them off their pedestal. Best Hitter – C Benjamin Landers (20 Contact, 16 Gap, 12 Power, 17 Eye, 13 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Rickey ‘Moby Dick’ Benson (19 Stuff, 16 Movement, 13 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – A SS Zeke Wheeler, 22 Years Old. Potential – (12 Contact, 7 Gap, 1 Power, 16 Eye, 10 Avoiding K’s) While Wheeler looks like he could be a serviceable bench player in the MOBL (especially defensively), the Bells’ cupboard looks a bit bare if Wheeler is the top prospect out there. A future defensive replacement and pinch hitter, Wheeler won’t be on a MOBL roster for a while yet. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Jose Guatarrez – Like I said above, Guatarrez has been moved to the bullpen because there is no space in the rotation that he was a part of all season last year. He is still a good looking starter though and will end up starting again soon enough. He was very successful last year (9-10, 3.21 ERA, 112 K’s in 173.2 IP) and has a bright future.  Lansing Capitals Predicted finish in division – 4th Minor League system ranking – 10th (out of 16) The talk going into spring training for this Capitals team was centered on their collapse in the 2nd half of the season. They completely fell apart for some reason and ended up in dead last and below .500 when they were capable of so much more. “I don’t know if I can explain it…even at this point,” manager Bobby Jedburgh said. “All I know is last season is over and everyone is back to 0-0 this season, so we have a nice fresh start.” A fresh start indeed was in order for many players as Lansing made plenty of deals in the offseason. The biggest was probably the acquisition of RHP Mario Corcoro from Columbus for a somewhat promising first baseman, Kevin Shockey. Corcoro is 37 years old now and his best days are behind him, but it’s a nice pickup for this Caps team. They also sent All Star 2B Juan Ramos to Zanesville in order to make room for top prospect 2B Jose Rivas. Rivas looks to be the real deal and Ramos is 34 years old, it was a smart move by this Lansing club. This offense will be lead once again by the tremendous RF Edward ‘Barbwire’ Chisholm, who is also getting up there in age but doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. The pitching staff looks to be in good hands with Corcoro, MOP candidate LHP Joe O’Crouley and RHP Alvar ‘Roach’ Sanchez. They also have an excellent bullpen, led by closer RHP Stephen ‘Music’ Buchan. So why the 4th place finish? Because somebody has to finish in last and this offense is in need of some help and the starting pitching doesn’t have a true #1 ace that I can see, although O’Crouley is close. It wouldn’t surprise me though to see Lansing celebrating a division title at the end of the year. Best Hitter – RF Edward ‘Barbwire’ Chisholm (14 Contact, 19 Gap, 18 Power, 12 Eye, 13 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP Joe O’Crouley (9 Stuff, 16 Movement, 16 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – A 2B Clancy Samuels, 24 Years Old. Potential – (18 Contact, 7 Gap, 8 Power, 15 Eye, 20 Avoiding K’s) The organization has switched Samuels to 2B to get him some more infield position experience I’m assuming, since he’s a much better third baseman. It looks as though he’ll never be the true superstar some thought he would be, but should be an excellent leadoff hitter in the future. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – 2B Ben Cerillo – Cerillo hasn’t gotten his chance in the MOBL, but has seen a little bit of action. He played very well in AAA Saginaw last year and should probably benefit from seeing some spot starts and coming off the bench in Lansing though, as opposed to spending another season in AAA. |
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04-26-2007, 11:03 PM
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#69 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Ohio League
East Division  Predicted finish in division – 4th Minor League system ranking – 12th (out of 16) After a moderate improvement from 1940 to 1941, the Red Irons may find themselves back where they started. They have some good young players though, but they need them to really develop quickly into the top flight players they can become. The pitching staff looks like it has the makings of being a good staff in the future. RHP Kevin Hanlon and RHP Felix Best Hitter – SS Alfonso ‘Million Dollar’ Palacios (13 Contact, 19 Gap, 10 Power, 14 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Kevin Hanlon (12 Stuff, 12 Movement, 12 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – Short Season RF Jose Rodriguez, 20 Years Old. Potential – (14 Contact, 10 Gap, 13 Power, 14 Eye, 5 Avoiding K’s) Rodriguez was the first ever draft pick in the entire MOBL and has been slowly developing in the low minors. In all honesty, he has nothing more to learn from playing in Short Season ball though and needs to be playing in A Lorain this year. Some scouts still view him as an amazing talent, especially in the area of getting on base, but others just see him as good, solid hitter. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – LHP Randal Rowand – Like I said above, Rowand is finally getting his chance as the 5th man in the Red Iron rotation. He’s put up some decent numbers in AAA and should be given this chance based on that, but probably won’t amount to much more than a #4 or #5 starter in the MOBL.  Predicted finish in division – 2nd Minor League system ranking – 16th (out of 16) It was really a tough decision to say that the Terriers wouldn’t repeat as OL East division champs, but I see some holes that can be exposed by other teams this year. No doubt, they have the top pitching staff in the entire MOBL and will win plenty of games just on their own ability. Two-time MOP LHP Ray Campbell might have lost a tiny step, but LHP Howard ‘Merlin’ West (who looks like the most probable candidate to win the MOP this year) and RHP Josh MacCord both look capable of winning 25 games this year. A healthy LHP Tommy Lafferty and a very much improved RHP Amauris Alberro (who would be a solid #2 starter on most other teams) will lead this Terriers team to many victories this year. “You’re going to have to grind it out every at bat when you face these guys, but it can be done. They can be beaten 2-1, 3-2, but we’ll see if it happens,” a OL GM said. This brings us to the offense, which has two MOB front runners in LF Peter Northcutt and RF Syman Shores, but will need more help from the rest of the lineup. They have the power hitting 2B Barrie Burgoyne, who can’t hit for average and strikes out way too much, and 3B Paul ‘Horse’ Jenkins, but have gaping holes at 1B and CF. But most teams would pinch themselves just to have two guys like Northcutt and Shores on their team, so it’s possible those two could carry the offense all year to another division title. Best Hitter – LF Peter Northcutt (18 Contact, 20 Gap, 13 Power, 15 Eye, 14 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP Howard ‘Merlin’ West (17 Stuff, 20 Movement, 14 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA CF Cory Rick, 22 Years Old. Potential – (10 Contact, 11 Gap, 11 Power, 11 Eye, 5 Avoiding K’s) Rick played rather well last year in AAA when he wasn’t out of the lineup due to injury. The Terriers have asked him to try and learn CF to fill their gaping need at the position and Rick jumped at any opportunity to get himself onto a MOBL roster. He could end up being a good reserve outfielder if he can’t hack it at the CF position. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – LF Barden Arbuthnott – Arbuthnott finally got his first taste of MOBL action as a reserve outfielder with last year’s OL East division champions. He certainly struggled at times, but looks to be a good bench player and fill in should somebody get injured. He’s able to get on base pretty well and as long as he does that, he’ll stick with the big club.  Predicted finish in division – 1st Minor League system ranking – 5th (out of 16) This Best Hitter – C Calvin Faithorne (13 Contact, 11 Gap, 20 Power, 12 Eye, 7 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Bo 'Digger' Schumaker (20 Stuff, 20 Movement, 19 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA LHP Anthony Boyd, 23 Years Old. Potential – (9 Stuff, 14 Movement, 14 Control) Boyd has made a nice ascent to AAA and could make a nice addition to the excellent young staff the Black Irons are currently gaining. He’s the leader in the clubhouse that sets the example for all those around him and will make a fine addition to this staff whenever he joins. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Enrico Sanatillan – Sanatillan is quickly becoming the staff ace for this team. He played well last year (13-14, 3.86 ERA) and displayed the power arm (236 K’s in 237.2 IP) everyone saw on him in the minors. He gives up too many home runs (47 last year), but this team can handle that as they have an offense that can hit plenty of home runs.  Predicted finish in division – 3rd Minor League system ranking – 6th (out of 16) After a tumultuous and awful season, the Engineers needed to make some changes to please their fans. I just don’t think anyone really expected THIS much of an overhaul. They brought in an excellent veteran pitcher in RHP Rafael Garza from Best Hitter – 1B Jesus Badilla (16 Contact, 16 Gap, 18 Power, 11 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Ronald Norfleet (14 Stuff, 17 Movement, 15 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – Short Season 3B Alexander Grove, 18 Years Old. Potential – (15 Contact, 15 Gap, 10 Power, 12 Eye, 10 Avoiding K’s) Last year’s first round pick for the Engineers had a rough time adjusting to professional ball in Short Season Cambridge last year. But he is still only 18 years old and has plenty of room to grow into the superstar scouts saw leading up to the draft. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – LHP Dick Jackson – Last edited by woodfeld; 04-26-2007 at 11:21 PM. |
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04-27-2007, 12:17 PM
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#70 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,145
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It's good to see this dynasty back, woodfeld. I think this might be the Trolleys' year...
__________________
My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league |
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04-27-2007, 03:30 PM
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#71 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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I'm always happy to be posting updates Big Six. Although I'm kind of preoccupied with the Sabres' run to the Cup right now and my finals in a couple weeks, so the updates will be sporadic, but fear not!
Mackinac really has all the pieces in place for a run this year...but I've said that the past couple years, so who knows? They are missing that one dominant player from their team that every elite MOBL team has, but I think Timothy Hart could be that one dominant player and dominate for a long time. And Seppings ability is off the charts for a catcher, Benjamin Landers better look out.... |
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05-03-2007, 12:13 AM
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#72 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Ohio League West Division  Chillicothe Indians Predicted finish in division – 4th Minor League system ranking – 7th (out of 16) The Indians made the biggest splash during the offseason in picking up the best 2B in the entire MOBL, Harden Evans, from division foe Toledo in return for sending 37-year old veteran RHP Hector Aguirre to the Admirals. Evans instantly becomes the force you have to respect in this lineup and takes the pressure off superstar in the making, LF Anderson Juarez. “I don’t think Harden really got the respect he deserves hitting in that lineup. He was just one of many greats there, but the now he gets a chance to prove he is the ‘one’ in Best Hitter – 2B Harden Evans (15 Contact, 19 Gap, 14 Power, 16 Eye, 15 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP Myles ‘Tired’ Shaffer (20 Stuff, 19 Movement, 11 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA SS Antonio Amparan, 23 Years Old. Potential – (13 Contact, 18 Gap, 3 Power, 9 Eye, 17 Avoiding K’s) One of the more talked about prospects is this young switch-hitter, who is making a large jump from A ball to AAA ball. Some scouts say he has more potential than any other prospect out there, the only weak spot being his power ability. He will be watched closely all year by the Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Rudy Hatton – Hatton didn’t have the greatest rookie season last year (4-10, 4.63 ERA), but he didn’t exactly have the worst season either. He is capable of being the Indians ace and if they have any hope of winning the division, they need him to be that ace.  Predicted finish in division – 3rd Minor League system ranking – 1st (out of 16) The Archers had another good season, but once again folded in the latter stages of it. They have the deepest prospect base in the MOBL and some of those guys will be getting their chance to show what they’re made of this year. 3B Dave Waterman has been just waiting for his chance and the Columbus front office is extremely excited to see him full time this year after trading 3B Jim Trent. Waterman has been one of the top prospects in the MOBL for a while now and should make a nice addition to this lineup with his powerful bat and excellent eye. They picked up a good looking player in LF Bip Stuck in that Jim Trent trade. Stuck will be battling with another fantastic young prospect in LF Humberto Hernandiz, but both could be starting as the season progresses. Mainstays CF Jake ‘Jitters’ Richards, 1B Joseph Currey and 2B Sean Pellow make this a formidable lineup. “It’s a great lineup, mixed with some younger and veteran guys, but they don’t have any great contact hitters. I’m waiting to see if that hurts them this year,” one OL scout said. The pitching staff is lead by ace RHP Tony ‘Wall’ Navarro, who has put up two strong seasons but hasn’t been dominating at all yet. The Archers hope that changes as becomes the stable veteran of this staff. The conversion of LHP Roberto Pagan to a starter was a complete success (14-5, 2.75 ERA in 1941) and he will be the best #2 starter in the MOBL. RHP Rich Nichols and LHP Cole Brunson are also very good pitchers that will make this a strong staff. Strangely, top prospect RHP Bill ‘Lumberjack’ Herr is still in AAA to start the year, but Archers fans can expect to see him in uniform soon enough. The bullpen is lead by the always strong and consistent RHP John Goforth. If they can finally close a season strong, we could be looking at the OL West champs. Best Hitter – CF Jake ‘Jitters’ Richards (12 Contact, 17 Gap, 16 Power, 9 Eye, 14 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Tony ‘Wall’ Navarro (15 Stuff, 11 Movement, 16 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – AAA RHP Bill ‘Lumberjack’ Herr, 22 Years Old. Potential – (9 Stuff, 13 Movement, 17 Control) Herr had a great year last year for the AAA Champions (15-4, 4.21 ERA) and finds himself back there to start this season. “I thought I pitched pretty well in camp, but they’ve got a lot of good guys there. I’ll just go back to Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RHP Pooky ‘Cash’ Wainwright – The diminutive pitcher from  Predicted finish in division – 2nd Minor League system ranking – 9th (out of 16) The defending OL champs return a tremendously talented team for the 1942 season. Some of their stars though are getting up there in age (LF Greg Bleasdale, 2B Damaso Sanabnia, LHP Sergio Rodriguez), so there is a bit of urgency on this team to win now. Luckily they return last year’s MOB in LF Greg Bleasdale, who at 38 years old still finds himself as one of the most feared players in the league. “Greg is in such good shape, I’m not surprised he’s able to stay at this level with the kind of offseason workout he has,” manager Joseph Parker said. He moved to LF to give his body an easier position and to also give talented CF Jesus Heras a chance to play every day. This lineup is sprinkled with great contact hitters (Bleasdale, Sanabnia, SS Loxley Birtles) and a few of them have some power to boot (Bleasdale, 1B Dookie Trout, 3B Marron Jones). The strength of this team though was it’s pitching staff last year. They return that same staff, but it doesn’t appear to be quite as good this time around. LHP Sergio Rodriguez looks like he might have lost a step, ditto for RHP Anker Woodruff. LHP Gurkan Tiffany and RHP Kristopher ‘Gimmick’ MacKail will be the strong anchors for this staff though. After one awful outing in the playoffs last year, RHP Joey Iveson is being moved to a setup role and one has to wonder what this will do to this young reliever’s psyche. The Pilots have replaced him with a very impressive 22-year old Nebraskan, RHP Mark Matthews. This is a move that could pay huge dividends for the Pilots as Matthews looks to be the real deal, or this could backfire horribly with the delicate nature of this situation. Either way, the Pilots will be a major force to reckon with in the OL West this year. Best Hitter – LF Greg Bleasdale (14 Contact, 14 Gap, 15 Power, 19 Eye, 11 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – LHP Gurkan Tiffany (20 Stuff, 18 Movement, 8 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – Short Season SS Felix Perez, 19 Years Old. Potential – (14 Contact, 17 Gap, 14 Power, 16 Eye, 16 Avoiding K’s) The Pilots have extremely high hopes for this young Texan. Head Scout Craig Hook thinks he will become a superstar in every sense of the word, but others are a bit more skeptical and think he’ll just be a good contact hitter with speed. He struggled mightily in the minors last year so they expect him to bounce back strong this year. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – 1B Kuniaki Matsuoka – The 26-year old Japanese-American got a bit of playing time for Dayton this past year (17 games), but did not perform well at all. He has played well in AAA though and looks to be a pretty good bench player that can start here and there. I’m a bit surprised he’s still in AAA, but he should still get a chance to play on an MOBL roster somewhere this year.  Predicted finish in division – 1st Minor League system ranking – 13th (out of 16) Everyone knows the story for the tremendously talented team in Best Hitter – CF Bob Harvey (18 Contact, 16 Gap, 16 Power, 16 Eye, 16 Avoiding K’s) Best Pitcher – RHP Hector Aguirre (13 Stuff, 14 Movement, 13 Control) Best Prospect not in the majors – A 1B Chris Cox, 20 Years Old. Potential – (17 Contact, 16 Gap, 3 Power, 14 Eye, 7 Avoiding K’s) Cox is beginning to develop and show signs he could be a very strong and productive player in the future. Some scouts are even beginning to see some power ability, which was the biggest question mark for this large but powerless man. Don’t expect Cox to replace incumbent 1B John Slipper for another couple years though. Turn back the clock – 1940 Top Prospect Update – RF Howard Cole – The Admirals had no place to put this talented outfielder, so they finally shipped him to a place where he could get a chance. He dominated in two seasons of AAA ball and could be a future All Star playing for the Cherries this season. The Admirals picked up an excellent reliever in RHP Bob Fitter in return. |
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05-11-2007, 01:51 PM
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#73 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Happy Birthday to Charlie Gehringer!!! The man whose name (along with George Sisler) represents the championship trophy for the MOBL was born 104 years ago today.
My finals are over with, so an update is coming soon enough (most likely this weekend). Still preoccupied with the Sabres though....LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!! |
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05-13-2007, 09:29 PM
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#74 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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 Code:
Michigan League Standings North Team W L PCT GB Mackinac Trolleys 13 10 .565 - Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers 12 11 .522 1.0 Iron Mountain Miners 11 13 .458 2.5 Traverse City Cherries 7 18 .280 7.0 South Team W L PCT GB Kalamazoo Bells 15 8 .652 - Ann Arbor Democrats 14 9 .609 1.0 Lansing Capitals 12 12 .500 3.5 Grand Rapids Blue Lakers 10 13 .435 5.0 Ohio League Standings East Team W L PCT GB Canton Terriers 17 6 .739 - Zanesville Engineers 13 11 .542 4.5 Youngstown Black Irons 9 14 .391 8.0 Akron Red Irons 9 16 .360 9.0 West Team W L PCT GB Dayton Pilots 12 12 .500 - Columbus Archers 12 12 .500 - Chillicothe Indians 11 12 .478 .5 Toledo Admirals 11 12 .478 .5 The beginning of the 3rd season in the MOBL began with some small surprises, but mostly same old same old. The biggest surprise at this point has to be the resurgence of the OL East…or is it the downturn of the OL West? In the first two seasons, the OL West has dominated the OL East, but right now, the best team in the OL West is only playing .500 baseball. Meanwhile, there are some surprising names on the statistical leader boards. In the ML, Mackinac 2B Tom Berry has been phenomenal thus far (.362, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 12 Doubles), while Kalamazoo RHP Rickey Benson has stumbled a bit out of the gates for someone of his caliber (2-2, 3.38 ERA, 29 K’s in 34.2 IP). In the OL, nothing has been more surprising than the play of Chillicothe RHP Rudy Hatton (2-0, 0.39 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, 23 IP). “ So all it takes is for me to underestimate a good team for them to come storming out of the gates? The Canton Terriers, April’s Ohio League Team of the Month, have proven to everyone in the OL they are not to be forgotten. As is usually the case with this team, they’ve been lead by their stellar pitching staff. LHP Howard ‘Merlin’ West (4-1, 1.66 ERA), RHP Josh MacCord (3-0, 1.14 ERA), and LHP Ray Campbell (4-1, 2.54 ERA) have been simply incredible and could prove that The calendar flipping to 1942 didn’t make much of a difference in the Michigan League. The Kalamazoo Bells, April’s Michigan League Team of the Month, still appear to be an unstoppable force. Surprisingly enough, it’s been the offense and the bullpen that’s lead this team for the most part. At the top of the list for April’s surprises has been the resurgence of LF Miguel Bermejo (.329, 6 HR, 14 RBI’s). “Miguel has been our MVP thus far. You all counted him out after last year, but everyone in this room knew he’d bounce back,” C Benjamin Landers (.348, 3 HR, 12 RBI’s) said to a roomful of reporters. 3B Stan McQuistan (.329, 5 HR, 24 RBI’s) continues to develop into a future MOB and if things weren’t looking good enough, they added the Gold Glove defense and leadership of RF Isaiah Stroud (.292, 2 HR, 10 RBI’s, 15 Runs in 20 games with the Bells). The bullpen leads the league with a 1.92 ERA and has been the bridge the Bells have needed from their stellar pitching rotation. That pitching rotation hasn’t really played up to their ability yet either, which should scare plenty of ML teams out there. RHP Rickey Benson (2-2, 3.38 ERA) doesn’t look like his dominant self, but the maturation of LHP Willard Nasmyth (3-0, 2.38 ERA) into a MOP pitcher continues. “It’s almost as if the torch of dominant ace is being passed from Benson to Nasmyth before our very eyes,” a Kalamazoo newspaper said. Michigan League Batter of the Month - RF Nathan Willman, Iron Mountain Miners - .351, 5 HR, 15 RBI's, 15 Runs Michigan League Pitcher of the Month - RHP Carlton Wunderlich, Iron Mountain Miners - 4-1, 1.79 ERA, 35 K's, 40.1 IP Ohio League Batter of the Month - RF Juan Satelo, Toledo Admirals - .404, .448 OBP, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 15 Runs Ohio League Pitcher of the Month - LHP Howard 'Merlin' West, Canton Terriers - 4-1, 1.66 ERA, 47 K's, 38 IP (4th POM of his career) Last edited by woodfeld; 05-14-2007 at 10:50 AM. |
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05-20-2007, 12:09 PM
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#75 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Code:
Michigan League Standings North Team W L PCT GB Mackinac Trolleys 26 25 .510 - Iron Mountain Miners 25 26 .490 1.0 Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers 25 26 .490 1.0 Traverse City Cherries 20 32 .385 6.5 South Team W L PCT GB Kalamazoo Bells 30 21 .588 - Ann Arbor Democrats 26 24 .520 3.5 Grand Rapids Blue Lakers 26 25 .510 4.0 Lansing Capitals 25 24 .510 4.0 Ohio League Standings East Team W L PCT GB Canton Terriers 32 19 .627 - Zanesville Engineers 22 29 .431 10.0 Akron Red Irons 18 34 .346 14.5 Youngstown Black Irons 17 34 .333 15.0 West Team W L PCT GB Dayton Pilots 34 17 .667 - Chillicothe Indians 30 21 .588 4.0 Columbus Archers 25 24 .510 8.0 Toledo Admirals 25 25 .500 8.5 June 1, 1942 After two months of the season, 3 of the 4 division races are very tight, but the top teams in each division should be familiar to those that follow the MOBL. What I’ve clearly learned this season is that you should never underestimate a dominant pitching staff over the long haul. Canton has proven that their staff is simply one of a kind and will continue to dominate the OL East, even if they are proven to be a bit of playoff frauds. LHP Howard West (7-1, 1.74 ERA) and RHP Josh MacCord (8-0, 1.60 ERA) are the top reason why the Terriers lead the OL in nearly every pitching statistic. The rest of the staff all have an ERA below 4.00 and a winning record. The bullpen still has some holes though as closer RHP Dan MacCall (11 Saves, 4.74 ERA) hasn’t exactly been lights out this year. They surprisingly traded one of their top young talents in super sub RF Barden Arbuthnott to Mackinac for a bench player in 1B Bill McKinnon and this is with RF Syman Shores back on the DL. Easily, the most disappointing team at this point in the season is the team with the worst record in the entire MOBL, the Youngstown Black Irons. “What a complete disappointment that team has been. They should look at the team that’s in 1st place [Canton] as how you go about building a division champ,” one OL scout harshly said. True to his word, the Black Irons pitching staff has been simply pitiful, ranking dead last in most pitching categories in the OL. What’s really strange is that this staff has some good talent in LHP Scott Moroney (3-1, 4.26 ERA), RHP Enrico Sanatillan (3-4, 4.57 ERA) and LHP Ivar Calthorpe (2-4, 6.71 ERA). Closer RHP Bo Schumaker has not lived up to his billing as the pitch-for-pitch best pitcher in the league (7 Saves, 7.84 ERA). They made a very surprising move in trading for disgruntled RF Bob Dingwall from Traverse City after he had lost his starting job to RF Howard Cole (.248, 7 HR, 19 RBI’s). Offense hasn’t been the problem for this team and they traded a pretty decent starter in RHP Manny Tanuz (2-6, 4.65 ERA) to get Dingwall. While Dingwall looks to be an amazing talent, he has struggled in what action he has seen (.231, 0 HR, 6 RBI’s). Meanwhile, over in the Michigan League, the Grand Rapids Blue Lakers put in a solid month of May, going 17-12, and are named the ML Team of the Month. As is normally the case, this team put together a solid run due to that powerful lineup. Lead by home run king LF Kev Taylor (.258, 16 HR, 36 RBI’s), the Blue Lakers lead the ML with 57 team home runs. SS Phil High (.278, 9 HR, 25 RBI’s), 3B Zach von Bohlen (.266, 4 HR, 26 RBI’s) and CF Edgardo Grateda (.246, 6 HR, 25 RBI’s) aren’t far behind and together they are the collective heart that makes this team go. “That lineup is so dangerous because so many guys can hit it deep with relative ease. If they could learn to manufacture some more runs, they’d be an unstoppable force,” a TV analyst claimed. The wild card with this mostly young team is the pitching staff. They are the difference between what is a good team and what could be a great team. RHP Lawrence Duncan (3-1, 2.03 ERA) has come out of nowhere to provide this staff with a spark, while RHP Fernando Garcia (4-5, 3.67 ERA) and LHP Alton Smith (3-3, 3.57 ERA) have provided a consistently good effort. They are 1-4 against The defending OL champs, Michigan League Batter of the Month - RF Vernon 'Clueless' Wareham, Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers - .310, 8 HR, 21 RBI's, 19 Runs, 8 Doubles (3rd BOM of his career) Michigan League Pitcher of the Month - LHP Joe O'Crouley, Lansing Capitals - 4-1, 1.57 ERA, 26 K's, 46 IP Ohio League Batter of the Month - SS Tony 'Ducky' Tiner, Toledo Admirals - .340, 9 HR, 24 RBI's, 22 Runs (2nd BOM of his career) Ohio League Pitcher of the Month - RHP Josh MacCord, Canton Terriers - 5-0, 1.96 ERA, 44 K's, 41.1 IP (2nd POM of his career) |
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05-27-2007, 02:29 PM
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#76 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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The middle of June brings temps in the 90’s and the annual draft to the MOBL. This year appears to be a pretty strong draft year with a consensus top pick that scouts have been drooling about. 1. Zanesville Engineers – SS Craig ‘Champagne’ Brockington, 18 years old – Scouts have been talking about this young infielder (plays 1B like a Gold Glover and can play 3B as well as he can play SS) for the past year. “He’s got everything you could possibly want in a baseball player except for speed. This is a potential multiple MOB-winning player and we couldn’t be more excited,” 1940 1st round pick – RHP Dan Lang – Now with AAA Newark, Lang (4-7, 6.08 ERA) will probably be a member of the Engineer staff next season. Most scouts agree that he’ll be a good pitcher in the MOBL, although most do not see him being anything more than a #3 in the rotation. 2. 1940 1st round pick – LHP Pancho Vargas – Rated as the top pitching prospect in the MOBL, Vargas (6-7, 3.87 ERA) is currently in A Cadillac, but could see some AA action later this season. Still young at 19 years old, he looks to be #2 guy in the rotation for sure, but could be a #1 if he really develops well. 3. Akron Red Irons – RHP Larry Hartwig, 23 years old – The hands down best looking pitcher coming into the draft was this big (6’6” 215 lbs.) righty from 1940 1st round pick – RF Jose Rodriguez – Still stuck in Short Season Oberlin, Rodriguez really needs to be playing every day at a higher level. He still looks like he could be a 5-tool superstar, or at least a poor man’s 5-tool superstar. 4. 1940 1st round pick – SS Antonio Amparan – Playing very well at AAA Lancaster, Amparan (.260, 5 HR, 24 RBI) is progressing exactly how the Indians’ front office thought he would. The Indians are in dire need of a leadoff type player and that’s exactly what Amparan will bring as he has very little homerun power. We could possibly see him called up soon as the Indians chase an OL West crown. 5. Youngstown Black Irons – 3B Joseph Harrison, 18 years old – The MOBL is going to have a number of excellent third basemen very soon, as the number of top players drafted into the league the past two years is staggering. 1940 1st round pick – LHP Anthony Boyd – Boyd (3-9, 3.86 ERA) has shown excellent ability in AAA Warren and has certainly excited all the Black Iron faithful that have seen a pitching staff in shambles this year. He’ll probably need this full year in 6. 1940 1st round pick – 2B Clancy Samuels – One of the best looking prospects in many scouts’ eyes has not developed much since being drafted. He is 25 years old and is still only in A Mount Pleasant. Samuels (.252, 4 HR, 18 RBI) is still seen as having tremendous potential, but hasn’t been able to put it all together. 7. Iron Mountain Miners – RF Edward Haye, 22 years old – Another player built in the same mold as Hagin, this sweet swinging lefty from Kansas has excellent power, runs very well and can play RF extremely well. He’s a step behind Hagin in all of those categories, but has better contact hitting skills. “A rivalry is born. Hagin and Haye both look similar and should enjoy similar careers….MOB potential for both,” an OL scout said. 1940 1st round pick – RHP Bobby Lewis – Now 25 years old, Lewis has seen some action in A, but is back in Short Season ball and looks like nothing more than a career minor leaguer. Maybe he can turn himself into a serviceable middle reliever, but things aren’t looking promising for a MOBL career. 8. Mackinac Trolleys – LHP Nick Knowis, 18 years old – Another big pitcher (6’6”, 215 lbs), Knowis is a Californian known for his intangibles. Most scouts don’t see his ability as anything more than a #4 or #5 starter, but he has the innate ability to prove people wrong his entire life. He pitched brilliantly in his first start in Short Season Charlevoix as the Trolleys hope he continues to prove doubters wrong. 1940 1st round pick – RHP David Massiter – The young (20 years old) Texan got the call from the big league club after dominating AAA (7-3, 3.12 ERA) and is holding his own thus far (2-2, 5.46 ERA). Known as a guy that nibbles the corners that just doesn’t walk batters, he is still developing his stuff as he could be a solid #2 starter if things go well. |
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05-27-2007, 05:43 PM
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#77 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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9. Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers – LF Albert Witmer, 23 years old – Witmer is your prototypical leadoff hitter with excellent ability to play CF. You’d have to think that he will be playing CF as it his best position and strong ability at CF isn’t found all that often. A speedster on the basepaths, Witmer makes great contact and will hit plenty of doubles and triples, but could stand to walk more often to be a top leadoff man. 1940 1st round pick – LF Ben Myers – One of the top prospects in the game, Myers (.317, 8 HR, 36 RBI) is putting up an MOB year this season in AAA Escanaba. A five-tool player that is especially good at getting on base (career .429 OBP in the minors), the White Lakers have a superstar ready to play….it’s just too bad they have no room for him with the big club. 10. Grand Rapids Blue Lakers – 1B Ed Pacheco, 21 years old – The switch hitting Tennessee native looks to be an even better leadoff hitter than Witmer, but center fielders are a little tougher to find so Pacheco goes one pick later. He plays tremendous defense at first and should be one of the top OBP guys in the league in his prime. He is a terror on the basepaths as well and is a natural born leader to boot. “I think Pacheco was my favorite player in this draft. He plays the game the right way and Blue Laker fans will love him,” Lakers’ GM Alex Davis said. 1940 1st round pick – RHP Anthony Lewington – Lewington, 21 years old, looks to be a real good MOBL pitcher (very strong in Movement) whenever he makes it to the show. He is pitching his first full season this year with A Grand Haven (4-8, 6.11 ERA) and is probably still another year or two away from making the Lakers. 11. Ann Arbor Democrats – 1B Cyrill Strathbogie, 20 years old – The Dems begin a string of decent prospects as the top 10 players chosen seem to be a step above the next 6 picks in the 1st round. This young Philadelphian has a good contact swing, but not much power, no speed and is pretty poor defensively. He has some excellent intangibles though and could be a very solid player eventually. 1940 1st round pick – CF Anthony Beresford – After dominating in Short Season ball last year (.353 Avg, .432 OBP), Beresford finds himself back there this year, which is very strange. He looks like an excellent doubles hitter with great speed, but has plenty of weak points as well. At 25 years old, Beresford should be playing in A Ypsilanti or AA Jackson at this point. 12. Canton Terriers – LF Girard Gardner, 20 years old – Canton head scout Leif Cuff simply loves Gardner’s ability and thinks he could really develop into a 5-tool player. “We know the power ability is there and his speed and defense are top notch, but some are really questioning his ability to make contact,” one OL scout said. Gardner will have an excellent slugging percentage, but there are worries about his batting average and on base percentage. He will be brought along slowly, but make no doubt, he is a very intriguing player to watch for in the future. 1940 1st round pick – RHP Mike Rogers – 13. Columbus Archers – LF Gene Caldicott, 20 years old – Much like two years ago when the Archers selected CF Jesus Rosalda, the Columbus head scout thinks they’ve just picked the best player in the entire draft late in the 1st round. The Archers appeared to be pretty accurate with Rosalda (more on him below), and the Archers sure hope Caldicott develops into the superstar hitter scout Marvin Jennings thinks he’ll become. He is slow and pretty poor defensively, but 1940 1st round pick – CF Jesus Rosalda – After completely dominating in AAA Lima last year (.275, 32 HR, 90 RBI), Rosalda is getting his chance this year on a MOBL roster. He was performing pretty well (.240, 2 HR, 12 RBI) but was sent back down to AAA Lima and inexplicably was put on waivers, where the Bells quickly scooped him up to replace the recently traded Sawyl Mitchum. Rosalda looks to be an excellent talent with pretty good speed and will be an excellent addition to an already potent Bells lineup. 14. 1940 1st round pick – 1B Chris Cox – The Admiral front office is getting more and more excited about this young Nebraskan as he is developing rather well in A Findlay (.300, 6 HR, 26 RBI). They have to be extremely excited about those 6 HR’s as the one question mark with Cox has been his power ability, but that looks to be turning around. An excellent fielder as well, Cox will be a nice replacement for John Slipper in the next few years. 15. Dayton Pilots – 3B Logan Cain, 19 years old – Cain looks to be a good contact doubles hitter, but you’d like to see a bit more from him for him to have an everyday roster spot in the MOBL. Competent defensively, but a bit slow, Cain will take a few years to really develop and 1940 1st round pick – 3B Tom Pennyroyal – The 24-year old from 16. 1940 1st round pick – RHP Raibeart Jackson – |
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05-28-2007, 11:54 AM
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#78 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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Code:
Michigan League Standings North Team W L PCT GB Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers 41 37 .526 - Mackinac Trolleys 40 39 .506 1.5 Iron Mountain Miners 37 41 .474 4.0 Traverse City Cherries 29 50 .367 12.5 South Team W L PCT GB Kalamazoo Bells 48 30 .615 - Ann Arbor Democrats 43 34 .558 4.5 Lansing Capitals 38 38 .500 9.0 Grand Rapids Blue Lakers 36 43 .456 12.5 Ohio League Standings East Team W L PCT GB Canton Terriers 46 33 .582 - Zanesville Engineers 36 42 .462 9.5 Akron Red Irons 31 48 .392 15.0 Youngstown Black Irons 28 50 .359 17.5 West Team W L PCT GB Dayton Pilots 55 23 .705 - Chillicothe Indians 44 35 .557 11.5 Columbus Archers 36 40 .474 18.0 Toledo Admirals 36 41 .468 18.5 As we reach the halfway point of the 1942 season in the MOBL, we’ve got some tight races for the Michigan League divisional crowns. In the Ohio League, it looks more and more like we’ll have repeat division champs. The month of June also brought a flurry of interesting trades. The first, as mentioned earlier, was the surprising trade of CF Sawyl Mitchum from Kalamazoo to Sault Ste. Marie (the White Lakers now have both of the Bells’ CF’ers from last year) for former Lakers’ closer LHP Robin Diggins. I’m not sure why the Bells decided to make this trade as they didn’t have a very capable CF ready to step in and take Mitchum’s place. That’s not even mentioning the fact that the bullpen has performed decently well this year and didn’t need him all that much. Diggins has not performed all that well for the Bells (1-2, 6.14 ERA in 13 games), while Mitchum has helped lead the White Lakers into first place (.308, .363 OBP, 13 SB in 26 games). Kalamazoo fans have to be asking if there is a 30-day trial period with trades. They luckily picked up super prospect CF Jesus Rosalda off waivers though; otherwise they could have been in big trouble as The Dayton Pilots look like an unstoppable force right now after going 21-6 in June and being named the OL Team of the Month for the second month in a row. As one would expect, the pitching is the reason the Pilots are dominating the Ohio League this year. #5 starter Melvin Feeley (4-3, 5.80 ERA) has been pretty terrible as well so it just goes to show how well the top 4 in the rotation are performing. LHP Gurkan Tiffany was simply incredible in June, going 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA and striking out 37 batters in 37.1 innings pitched. “Last year, he was incredible (19-3, 1.92 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) and should have won the MOP, but this year he’s picked it up to another level (9-1, 1.55 ERA, 0.91 WHIP),” manager Joseph Parker said. Meanwhile, LHP Sergio Rodriguez (13-2, 2.20 ERA), RHP Anker Woodruff (12-3, 3.13 ERA) and RHP Kristopher MacKail (7-4, 3.60 ERA) have been the thorn in every OL batters’ side this season. 1B Dookie Trout continues to put up consistently strong numbers (.293, 17 HR, 57 RBI) and is leading a pretty potent offense. “After taking a lot of heat from you guys for his play in last year’s playoffs, he’s really bounced back and shown that was just a fluke,” Parker said. As good as As is accustomed in the Michigan League, the Kalamazoo Bells win the Michigan League Team of the Month by going 18-9 in the month. The Bells are now being lead by their incredible offense after being lead by their stellar (still is) pitching staff for the past two seasons. The offense leads almost every offensive category in the ML and C Benjamin Landers is a big reason why. Leading the entire MOBL with a .369 batting average (closest competitor is batting .333), Landers has been dominant in a pitching dominant league. “He’s been the MOB so far this year in the ML. I know he may not have the HR and RBI (7 HR, 30 RBI) numbers, but he’s been such a great leader and is a big reason why our pitching staff is as good as it is,” Bells GM Manuel Ramirez said. Speaking of Ramirez, he’s been known to make some questionable trades, but the trading of a fan favorite like Mitchum was widely criticized in Michigan League Batter of the Month - RF Vernon 'Clueless' Wareham, Sault Ste. Marie White Lakers - .344, .442 OBP, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 15 Runs, 6 Doubles (4th BOM of his career) Michigan League Pitcher of the Month - RHP Rickey 'Moby Dick' Benson, Kalamazoo Bells - 6-0, 1.65 ERA, 51 K's, 0.98 WHIP, 43.2 IP (5th POM of his career) Ohio League Batter of the Month - SS Tony 'Ducky' Tiner, Toledo Admirals - .391, .573 OBP, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 22 Runs, 8 Doubles (3rd BOM of his career) Ohio League Pitcher of the Month - LHP Gurkan Tiffany, Dayton Pilots - 5-0, 0.96 ERA, 37 K's, 0.80 WHIP, 37.1 IP |
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05-30-2007, 10:20 AM
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#79 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,145
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The Michigan North division is certainly up for grabs! If the Trolleys will put together a winning streak, they could take control of the race.
How are Hart and Koepke doing so far? Thanks for a great read, woodfeld. 
__________________
My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league |
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05-30-2007, 03:49 PM
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#80 |
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Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 198
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It is indeed up for grabs, but I think you'll like what you see from the July month end update
 Timothy Hart has been fantastic thus far. I'm at work so I don't have the numbers in front of me, but he has been the anchor of that Trolley team. I'm pretty sure his ERA is just below 2.00, while posting a record around 11-3 with a large amount of K's. He is in the top three for MOP as of right now. If he can help push this Trolley team into the playoffs, he might just win it. As I said in the June update, Jon Koepke was dealt to Grand Rapids and has been amazing since joining the Blue Lakers. His right handed bat fits in well with all those lefties in that lineup. Meanwhile, Phil High has been his usual self since joining Mackinac, his defense was certainly well received. |
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