The North Carolina Baseball League (NCBL)

[VARoadstter]

This Week in Baseball -

Headlines:

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of This Week in Baseball. It has been two weeks since the last update due to the special draft coverage. In the last two weeks, some interesting things have occurred. In the Piedmont Silver Division, what once looked like a comfortable lead for Winston-Salem has become quite close as Durham continues to surge ahead to tie the Twins in the win column (3 behind in the loss column).

The Week in Review:

Signings:

The amateur draft was the focus of all signings this week. No additional players were signed.

Injuries:

MR Emerson Collins, Jacksonville - out 1-2 weeks with a finger blister

MR Paul Turner, Asheville - out 7-8 months with a torn flexor tendon

CL John LePage, Gastonia - out 2 weeks with a strained rotator cuff

3B Dana Harris, Jacksonville - out 2-3 weeks with back spasms

SP Chris Reynolds, Jacksonville - out 4 months with a strained elbow

MR Ryan Hopkins, Jacksonville - out 3 weeks with a right biceps strain

SP Jason Marcus, Rocky Mount - out 2 weeks with a torn left thumb ligament

MR Kieth Murray, Charlotte - Retired at age 36 due to recurring injury after a torn UCL in his throwing elbow (final record - 43-33 with 72 saves and a 4.09 ERA)

Game of the Week:

6/11/2100 - Concord 8, Greensboro 9

Concord jumped all over starter Cedric Barnes early, chasing him after retiring only 5 hitters. In the second inning they tagged him for 5 hits and a walk while scoring 6 to take a commanding lead. Concord scratched out a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-1 after 2 innings. The Greensboro bullpen did a good job keeping Concord off the scoreboard while the team tried to rally - plating 3 in the 3rd and 2 in the fourth to tie the game at 6-6. With both bullpens keeping the other from scoring in the fifth, Concord woke up again to push two across and take an 8-6 lead on 3 hits against Greensboro reliever Tim Taylor. Greensboro rallied once again to get within one in the bottom of the inning. New pitcher Stu Nichols kept Concord off the board until he was pulled in the 9th. In the meantime, the Gladiators took the lead in the bottom of the 7th with 2 runs on 2 hits. Setup man Ryan Cates came in to finish the job, retired the Concord hitters in order in the ninth to pick up his 2nd save of the year.


Players of the Week:

There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask Dean Horton, the Asheville catcher, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Appalachian Player of the Week honors.

Horton piled up 10 hits in 18 at-bats, 4 home runs and 11 RBIs while hitting .556.

In 58 games this season Horton is batting .328 with 61 hits and 7 home runs. He has scored 33 runs and driven in 32.

-----------------------------------------------------

Bob Cook demonstrated his potential to be a star in the game last week and today he took home the Piedmont Player of the Week Award.

The High Point right fielder wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers last week, pounding them for a .440 average (11-25) with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs on his way to claiming the honor.

This season Cook is hitting .358 with 18 home runs.

Down on the Farm:

It's too early to really know how the new draftees are doing but over the next few months some are likely to emerge. That being said, let's take a look at what is happening in the minors:

AAA Monroe (Charlotte) 1B Bob Johnstone doesn't get a lot of publicity, but the 25 year old slugger is likely to be promoted at any time and projects to be a very productive major leaguer. On the season Johnstone has compiled a .290 BA with 21 HR and 56 RBI in 241 AB. He could end up with 40 HR at this pace and challenge for the league MVP.

AAA Matthews (High Point) SP Ryan Martin leads AAA with 10 wins. In 14 starts, Martin has a 10-4 record and a 3.31 ERA. At age 27, his chances of a long career in the majors seem remote but Martin will certainly prove to be an asset in High Point or some other team in the near future.

Weekly Power Rankings:

Rank Last Week	Team	Points	Tendency	Record	PCT	AVG	ERA	Pyt.Rec	Diff
1st (1st)	High Point	124	o	45-23	.662	.292	3.90	46-22	-1
2nd (4th)	Durham	113	+	41-30	.577	.289	4.21	39-32	2
3rd (3rd)	Fayetteville	108	o	40-28	.588	.268	3.81	40-28	0
4th (2nd)	Winston-Salem	108	-	41-27	.603	.279	4.27	39-29	2
5th (5th)	Cary	104	o	37-32	.536	.254	4.12	35-34	2
6th (6th)	Greensboro	97	o	38-31	.551	.269	3.94	39-30	-1
7th (7th)	Rocky Mount	88	o	34-35	.493	.263	3.95	32-37	2
8th (8th)	Chapel Hill	86	o	32-37	.464	.268	5.42	29-40	3
9th (9th)	Asheville	85	o	32-36	.471	.260	4.54	32-36	0
10th (15th)	Greenville	82	++	30-38	.441	.246	4.26	33-35	-3
11th (11th)	Wilmington	82	o	34-35	.493	.257	4.12	35-34	-1
12th (13th)	Gastonia	80	+	30-38	.441	.250	5.14	29-39	1
13th (12th)	Raleigh	77	-	32-36	.471	.271	4.43	32-36	0
14th (10th)	Jacksonville	73	--	30-39	.435	.279	5.29	31-38	-1
15th (14th)	Charlotte	68	-	27-41	.397	.245	5.10	30-38	-3
16th (16th)	Concord	64	o	27-44	.380	.255	4.91	28-43	-1

Looking Forward to Next Week:

The all-star game is approaching and the ballots are coming in. We'll take a look at the pitching around the league and predict who will be part of the festivities in July.

[LeeDorm8185]

FYI, the nickname for Rose High School is the Rampants, not the Ramparts.

Former Rose High and NC State grad here.

Interesting idea for a dynasty though. Gives me something to think about for down the road aways, after I've gotten more used to playing OOTP.

Wouldn't it be great if we could get a real-life major league team in NC?

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by LeeDorm8185

FYI, the nickname for Rose High School is the Rampants, not the Ramparts.

Former Rose High and NC State grad here.

Interesting idea for a dynasty though. Gives me something to think about for down the road aways, after I've gotten more used to playing OOTP.

Wouldn't it be great if we could get a real-life major league team in NC?

As a native North Carolinian, I concur -- we need an MLB team in the Tar Heel state ... Although I don't know how well we'd support it ... But, Lee, there's a possible dynasty idea for you (hint, hint) ...

[William Foster]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

As a native North Carolinian, I concur -- we need an MLB team in the Tar Heel state ... Although I don't know how well we'd support it ... But, Lee, there's a possible dynasty idea for you (hint, hint) ...

A team in Charlotte is an idea thats been thrown around a lot but the idea was nixed recently due to the financial crisis. How well do they support the Bobcats? That is likely to be the determining factor in the long run when attracting an owner for relocation or the MLB for expansion.

[LeeDorm8185]

Originally Posted by William Foster

A team in Charlotte is an idea thats been thrown around a lot but the idea was nixed recently due to the financial crisis. How well do they support the Bobcats? That is likely to be the determining factor in the long run when attracting an owner for relocation or the MLB for expansion.

Well, I hope it isn't based on the Bobcats since they are so poorly run to start with. The NHL Hurricanes might be a better example; they started off slow but have been building interest over several years, and their attendance/fan base is solid. To tell you the truth, I'd much rather have a MLB team in the Raleigh area, since that's where I live. I'd buy season tickets if we did. I think Raleigh would be a great location since MLB would fit into a gap where there is a lull in the college sports here, and it is within a fairly easy drive of Charlotte, Greensboro, etc. but also for places in eastern NC like Greenville which is growing rapidly and where youth baseball is very strong.

However, I know that's probably a pipe dream, as there are some politically connected people here with vested interests in the status quo (such as Jim Goodmon, who owns the biggest TV station in the area AND just happens to own the AAA Durham Bulls) and might actually fight against bringing a MLB team here or would push it towards Charlotte.

[LeeDorm8185]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

Lee, there's a possible dynasty idea for you (hint, hint) ...

I will probably experiment with that at some point, but I'm still very new to OOTP so I have a lot to learn first. Plus I have a tendency to start a game, tinker with it for a while and then want to try something different, so I dunno that I have the sticktoitiveness (lol) that is needed for a dynasty.