Baseball of the Americas

[Dr. K]

I have been working on a promotion relegation league for a while, and I have finally started a save. The association consists of 3 different leagues with 10 teams each:

Premium Baseball of the Americas (PBOTA)
Baseball of the Americas (BOTA)
Sub Baseball of the Americas (SuBOTA)

A couple of quick points about the league
-2 teams are promoted/relegated each year by the final standings
-Top 4 teams in each league have a best of 7 playoffs/championship
-Top 4 teams in each league enter into a single elimination tournament between all three leagues
-Draft occurs with 1 pool for all three leagues, SuBOTA picking first followed by BOTA, then PBOTA

I began the save in the year 2020, simulated 50 years, and then chose a team that I thought would be a good project. I wanted to pick a team in SuBOTA with the hopes of getting them to PBOTA, with some championships along the way. I selected the Minneapolis Huskies.

The team has been in the playoffs 17 times through the leagues 50 year history and boasts 2 PBOTA championships and 4 BOTA championships. However, they have never won the big one, the PBOTA championship. The team won their most recent BOTA championship in 2067 (current day is going into 2071 season) earning themselves a trip to PBOTA along the way. They only lasted 2 years, fell to BOTA and then fell down to SuBOTA. This is their first time in the lower league since 2049. I am looking forward to taking this team out of the depths of the league, with the hope of eventually achieving the PBOTA championship, but we have to get there first...

[Dr. K]

As I was writing up my next post about taking over the Minneapolis Huskies, I notices something really odd. I had a 35 year old player, with around 10 years of service time that was up for arbitration. Upon further investigating, I had a setting where service time in regards to arbitration reset whenever the player changed leagues, which happens when a team gets promoted or relegated.

I determined that this was a big enough deal to start the league over with the correct settings. I am working through the first 30 years, and will then pick a new team to start from the bottom. More to come.

[Dr. K]

Here are the teams in PBOTA, BOTA AND SuBOTA.

[Dr. K]

Dr. K takes over as the GM and Manager of the Leon Bravos.

The team has had a very interesting history as part of the Premiere BOTA for the inaugural season. Much to their delight, the team was able to claim the ultimate goal in their first season, a premiere cup. The following year they made the playoffs again, but lost in the champion ship in 6 games to the Jacksonville Jackals.

From there the team slowly descended bottoming out in 2026 with a 10th place finish in SuBOTA. If there were another league at the bottom, they would have gone there.

They worked their way back to 3 years in the PBOTA from 2033-2035 collecting a SuBOTA cup and a BOTA cup. Since then they have spent time in BOTA and SuBOTA, most recently bottoming out with 2 straight years as the worst team in the league. It's time for a turn around.

[Dr. K]

The team had an interesting year last year, with team batting statistics all over the map from 2nd in batting average to 8th in runs scored and 9th in home runs.

Pitching was a major problem. Last in the league for runs against and bullpen ERA, and basically bottom 2 spots in the league for the rest of the stats. The only saving grace was 4th in Starters ERA.

The defense was 9th in Zone Rating and 4th in errors.

"There is no sense in sugarcoating this. The Leon Bravos are a bad team with a subpar farm system. The fans of the team have stopped paying attention. I am here to turn this team around, to bring them back to their 2020 glory." -GM and Manager, Dr. K

With such a frustrating year, the team has to look forward, especially to their farm system. It currently ranks as the 7th farm system in the league with some promising young talent, but it will certainly need to be bolstered moving forward.

As this is my first Dynasty Report, I am still fiddling with format and what and how I want to write about this team. For now I'll plan on getting through the off season, then writing a type of prospectus on the team as well as the farm system.

[Dr. K]

Mario De Leon is the only player in arbitration for the Bravos. The 35 year old, 6 foot 2 shortstop was a second round pick with the Pittsburgh Rampage and spent several years in their system before being traded to the Leon Bravos. Despite his imposing size, he doesn't have much power, or offensive prowess for that matter. He is a solid defensive shortstop but has been a negative WAR player.

De Leon and his lawyers are asking the team for 3.52 million dollars for the 2051 season.

"We have been in conversation with De Leon and his people regarding his future with the organization. We are exploring all options, and I'm sure we will find a solution." -Dr. K

The team has a great defensive short stop prospect in AAA in Emanuel Harris. His offense is lacking, but he has been able to post a positive WAR. I think it is worth giving him another shot in AAA with the hopes that he can get above the Mendoza line.

The Leon Bravos offer $3 Million to Mario De Leon for the 2051 season
The Bravos win the arbitration

[Dr. K]

1B Danny Angeles
The 36 year old first basemen has had a fantastic career including 2 silver sluggers and a SuBOTA MVP in 2047 where he had 63 Home Runs and 139 RBI. While his age is catching up to him, he still hit 238/349/480 and he hit 35 home runs.

"Mr. Angeles' agent and I spoke this morning and they are searching for a multi-year deal with moderate compensation. We appreciate everything Danny haas done for the Bravos, he will always be loved here in Leon. However, I believe this will be the end of the road for our partnership." -Dr. K

The Leon Bravos do not extend a qualifying offer for pending free agent Danny Angeles


LF Mauricio Barrera
Barrera is a 36 year old journeyman Left Fielder who is still a fantastic defensive left fielder. He has some decent speed, and power, but has a hard time making good contact. He has had some nagging injuries through the last several years.

The Leon Bravos do not extend a qualifying offer for pending free agent Mauricio Barrera


RP Juan Cryz
Yet another 36 year old (whats the deal with all of these?!) He has some very nice scouting reports, but has struggled for the last several years.

The Leon Bravos do not extend a qualifying offer for pending free agent Juan Cryz


RP Malcolm Steedman
The righty RP is only 29 years old and they were quite the workhorse for the Bravos last year with a league leading 78 games played. He has a nice repertoire with 2 above average pitches and 2 below. His splits are pretty severe performing very well against righties but gets destroyed by lefties.

"We are going to let Steedman explore free agency, but we may be in contact with him again."

The Leon Bravos do not extend a qualifying offer for pending free agent Malcolm Steedman

[Dr. K]

As much as I wanted to jump into free agency and get moving towards opening day, I think it’s time I do a deep dive throughout the Bravos as well as the minor leagues. I like categorize all of this by positions, so first up the pitchers.

Pitchers

Starting Rotation

Pedro Rivera
Coming off of a SuBOTA Pitcher of the Year Award, Rivera has been the Bravos shining star amidst a terrible year. He had an incredible year posting a league leading 3.78 ERA (129 ERA+) and also started a league high 34 games. He boasts a devastating cutter, above average circle change and curveball, with a below average changeup. He is under team control for a few years, so he will be someone to build around for the immediate future. Quite a bargain for 1.5 mil.

Eric Williams
The second pitcher left standing after the season (I’ll get to injuries in a second). He has a 5 pitch repertoire with a great sinker. He has had some issues with walks with 7.1/9 vs. his 5.9 K/9. He will likely settle into a long relief/spot starter role, but I don’t want him in the rotation if we can help it.

Ivan Andrade
Now here is the first of the injuries for the starting rotation. 30 year old starter Andrade suffered a Torn UCL in July, and will be out for another 8 months. He has 3 different pitches but will likely have a problem with walks and the longball. Scout doesn’t see him more than an emergency starter.

Jose Ponce
Unfortunately the second of the UCLs… Jose Ponce is a 29 year old starter who tore his UCL 3 days before Andrade. He boasts a 5 pitch mix with his best pitch as an above average forkball. His stock has plummeted and he really needs to improve his stuff and control if he wants to be a pitcher in the bigs.

Leen Luijsterberg
The 28 year old Dutchman tore a rotator cuff back in April, and will be returning to the fray soon. Unfortunately, he also had 2 Tommy John surgeries, so I don’t have great hopes for him being able to return to form.

Luckily, the starting rotation is incredibly cheap right now with the highest salary being Rivera at only 1.5 mil. Unfortunately, I’ll need to get a lot of help in here. Beyond Rivera, it’s a bunch of replacement level guys.

Bullpen Arm

Bill Braddock
The 29 year old southpaw has done well in AAA, but hasn’t had a significant shot at the majors with only 10 games. He has an excellent change up, with some room for growth to the other pitches. He probably deserves some time in the majors in the bullpen with the potential of becoming an emergency starter.

German Flores
The 28 year old Nicaraguan reliever boasts a 4 pitch repertoire including a plus fastball, although it tops out at 92-94 MPH. He has had some up and down years, but I think he can continue in the bullpen

Mike Lindquist
Mike Lindquist is probably the most promising bullpen arm that the Bravos have. He is 27 and has basically a 2 pitch mix, with a horrendous changeup. He has fantastic movement on his slider and fastball.

Jose Ortez
28 year old Jose Ortez has a 3 pitch mix featuring a plus plus curveball and a plus fastball. If his changeup ever develops (it won’t) he could be a devastating reliever. Coming off of 2 fantastic years, he will likely be our middle relief anchor.

kiyoyuki Takasaki
The towering 6 foot 8 pitcher has three plus pitches. Walks and dingers will likely be an issue for Takasaki, but could be a borderline emergency starter. If he could gain some control and up his movement he would be incredible.

Danny Vazques
The old man in the bullpen clocking in at 37 years old with only 2 years of major league service time. Borderline major league bullpen arm, still in arbitration so he is super cheap.

Adam Hunter
The Bravos’ Closer had a rough year with an ERA over 10 and a WHIP over 2. He has a three pitch mix, produces groundballs and can touch 98 mph. He has had a couple of rough years, so I am hoping that he can pull it together moving forward, but he will be on a short leash. He is probably more of a middle relief arm who probably can’t handle the high leverage.

[Dr. K]

Position Players

Catchers

Juan Ochoa
Ochoa is a fantastic young catcher with a bright future. He has fantastic discipline at the plate and is great defensively behind the plate. He has great bat to ball skills and a great eye. He is, however, very slow.

Yasutaka Kawakami
Kawakami is an excellent defensive catcher, but is rather lacking on offense. Everyone in the locker room raves about how great of a personality “Taka” is. He is always helping the younger players, showing them how to be a professional, great presence.

Bryan Albert
Albert was the Bravos backup pitcher for the majority of the 2050 season. He is a marginally better offensive player compared to Taka, mainly with his ability to draw a walk. His framing and game calling is not as strong as Taka however. (he may be a trade candidate because he’s making 1 mil, and I want to give Taka a shot and he is out of minor league options)

Infielders

1B/3BFransisco Diaz
A fantastic corner infielder in terms of defense, but he has really struggled at the plate. I don’t think that he has what it takes to be on the major league roster.

kyutaro Idemoto
DFAd. He’s a bench player who can only play one position poorly.

2B Jeremy Fritton
Perhaps the face of the franchise, the 2nd baseman vet continues to perform even after his 32 birthday. With average offensive production he adds plus defense and some speed. He has an awful contract though. He is making 19 mil for the next 5 seasons (with a vesting option on the last year). Wondering if I can move him or if I’ll eventually have to eat that contract.

2B/3B Angelo Luna
Luna is the succession plan to Fritton, if we can ever get rid of him that is. The big problem is that we have a solid 3rd baseman. He has spent some time as a DH but he really should be in the field.

3b/LF Adam Foster
An interesting bench player with some defensive ability, but he really struggles at the plate. He has some power, but he has a better chance of finding an oasis in a desert than making consistent contact.

3B Danny Valenzuela
Zuela is the real face of the bravos. The star was probably the most egregious MVP snub that I’ve ever seen last season, leading the league with 7 WAR. He is a five star player who can contribute at every phase of the game. Gotta try to keep him, he is going into a contract year.

SS/2B Mario De Leon
De Leon is a utility infield bench type player, without all the experience at the positions. He is below average at the plate, but has some fantastic defensive skills.

Greg Manhart
The final part of the infield trifecta, Manhart is an incredible defensive shortstop with speed and offensive prowess at the plate and an elite defensive swing. He is an incredible player who is also entering a contract year, I hope to be able to keep him around without committing to a long-term deal.

Outfielders

LF Kevin Russo
The Bravos 2048 1st round pick has already made his majors debut, and I’m looking for him to continue to grow. The #18 overall prospect already has some power, but needs to continue to grow with his bat to ball skills and his defense. He could potentially be a Left fielder or possibly a DH.

CF Mikio Nishikawa
Nishi is a fast outfielder that has been the center fielder, but honestly I think he would be better as a right fielder with a canon for an arm. He has some home run power and if he can get on base he is a real threat to steal.

RF/DH Kasper Van Heugten
The 26 year old Dutchman is a promising right fielder with great offensive potential. He has incredible gap power and homerun power. His right field defense could be a bit of a liability, might serve better as a DH

LF Barnabe Caban
Caban is an above average corner outfield defender with a below average bat. I can see him as a utility outfielder, just wish he had better range to cover center field.

RF Bob Kitchens
Kitchens has excellent plate discipline, but basically sucks at everything else. Will try to use him as a trade piece.

[Dr. K]

11/29/2050

The Leon Bravos trade backup catcher Bryana Albert to the Brooklyn Bats for SP Josh Moore (40% retained)
The Bravos bring in a back of the rotation starter for an extra catcher. I’m hoping that Josh moore can hold down the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation for the next 2 years.


12/13/2050

The Bravos sign veteran starter Ubaldo Altabini. The 31 year old righty has a three pitch mix featuring a plus plus change up, a plus curveball, and a poor curve. He had a couple of reliever of the year awards back in 2045 and 2046, I’m hoping he can be an emergency starter, possibly opener? He is already being appreciated as a leader in the locker room

Leon is excited to welcome Taishi Nakanishi, the 27 year old right hander. He has a 4 pitch repertoire featuring a fastball, splitter, sinker, and a changeup. Hoping that he can take care of an end of the rotation starter until we get some pitchers back.

12/28/2050

Bravos waive and DFA Bob Kitchens. I couldn’t get anything significant for him in trades. *he made it through waivers and was sent to AAA

[Dr. K]

Starting Rotation: Rivera, Nakanishi, Williams, Moore, Altabini
Bullpen:Lindquist, Ortez, Hunter (stoppers), Florez, Oreta, Braddock (Middle Relief), Vazques, Luijsterburg (Long Relief

Lineup Vs. Right
Valenzuela 3B
Fritton 2B
Manhart SS
Russo LF
Nishikawa CF
Ochoa C
Diaz 1B
Caban RF
Van Heugten DH

Lineup Vs. Left
Nishikawa CF
Valenzuela 3B
Manhart SS
Ochoa C
Fritton 2B
Diaz 1B
De Leon RF
Caban LF
Luna DH

Bravos @ Puebla Pantera (0-0) 3 game series

They have finished in the bottom 3 of SuBOTA for the last three years, but they have a terrifying lineup

Game 1 - Rivera Vs. Stanford
Win 11-3

What an excellent opening day! Rivera went 6 4 1 1 0 5 in a spectacular start, but the real story was the offense coming alive. There were 4 homers including a Nishikawa grand slam in the top of the 9th and 3 in the second inning.

Game 2 - Nakanishi Vs. Watanabe
Win 12-8

Another great offensive day. Nakanishi struggled and only got through 3.2 giving up 9 hits and 6 runs. I was very impressed by Luijsterburg who came in and went 2.1 innings giving up no hits. There was a bases loaded jam in the 7th, Ortez came in and put out the fire. Venezuela, Caban, and Luna all had 3 hits.

Game 3 - Williams Vs. Justinger
Loss 6-8

Williams had the ugliest no hit 4 innings with 5 walks, he ended up blowing up in the 5th. He ended with an ugly 4.0 2 5 5 7 1. The bullpen each gave up 1 run Braddock, Oreta, Lindquist. Diaz had an error in 8th, lead to the two go ahead runs. The offense was much slower but Valenzuela was 3 for 4 with a run.

Series record:2-1
Season record:2-1


Great opening series with some fantastic offense but some scary truths at starting pitcher, hopefully Williams can pull it together.

[Dr. K]

Montreal Fire (1-2) @ Leon Bravos (2-1) 3 game series

The Montreal Fire were one of the two SuBOTA regulated teams this year. The Bravos haven’t faced them in a long time.

Game 1 Lillard Vs. Moore
Loss 10-3

Rough game for Moore 6 7 5 5 1 3, and the bullpen didnd’t do any better. Offense had a hard time getting anything going.

Game 2 Campanale Vs. Altabani
Loss 2-0

Tough loss in a pitchers duel Altabani was fantastic with a line of 6.2 6 2 2 1 8 striking out the side in the 6th. Once again the offense had a hard time producing only getting 3 hits.

Game 3 Moya Vs. Rivera
Win 3-1

Another fantastic game from Rivera going 6 5 1 1 1 5, the bullpen was fantastic too Hunter (H) and Lindquist (SV). Offensively Valenquela had another multi-hit game.

Series record:1-2
Season record:3-3


Leon bravos (3-3) @ Philadelphia Buzz (3-3) 3 game series

The Buzz are a struggling team, they have been in the lower part of SuBOTA for several years. They are one of the few teams in all of the leagues that haven’t won a championship.

Game 1 Nakanishi Vs. Sarabia
Loss 2-7

Rough loss for the Bravos who got behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback. Nakanishi had a rough outing with a 2.2 7 6 6 1 3, he is sitting at an awful 17.6 ERA. The lineup is struggling, time to look at rearranging the lineups.

Game 2 Williams Vs. Cedillo
Loss 1-12

Another awful loss, Williams might need to be moved out of the rotation with a bad stat line 3.1 6 5 4 2 2. Braddock was left in too long too, 2 6 6 5 2 0. Of course the players that I moved down the lineups had a great game. 7 hits and only 1 run.

Game 3 Moore Vs.Lopez
Win 5-3

A great back and forth game, pitching held up and the offense gave just enough. Nice to get one win in this series, but I’m quite concerned. We might be in for a rough year with a need for tearing down at some point.

Luijsterburg has a sore wrist so he’ll be out for 6 days, to be safe I moved him to the 15 day IL and selected the contract of Denilde Trevino.

Series record:1-2
Season record:4-5

[Dr. K]

Toronto Express (4-5) @ Leon bravos (4-5) 3 game series

The toronto express found themselves at 2nd place in PBOTA just 4 years ago, but they have been on a hard slide ever since and were the second team relegated to SuBOTA

Game 1 Altabani Vs. Kemikoilo
Win 4-3

Great team win, Altabani went 6 innings and Adam Hunter went three innings in relief, the bullpen really needed that rest.

Game 2 Rivera Vs. Muniz
Win 8-7

Another narrow victory! Nearly the whole team got a hit, and we had 4 homeruns (Russo, Nishikawa, Caban, Kawakami). Rivera had a rougher outing than his usual, but it was good enough. Hunter got the Save.

Game 3 Nakanishi Vs. Ivey
Win 5-1

A decisive victory, Nakanishi had a fantastic outing and the offence produced. Fantastic to have a sweep to build some momentum.

Series record:3-0 Sweep!
Season record:7-5

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (7-5) @ Phoenix Firebirds (6-6) 3 game series

The Phoenix Firebirds were a playoff team last year, but got swept by the jacksonville jackals. They are off to a .500 start so far

Game 1 Williams Vs. Rodriguez
Win 4-1

Bravos got a solid win on the backs of two fantastic individual performances. Greg Manhart had a fantastic day going 4 for 4 getting his first RBI this year, which is a surprise for someone hitting .333. The surprise of the day, however, was Eric Williams who actually had a solid game going 5.1 5 1 1 2 4 which dropped his ERA from 11 to 6, a good move in the right direction.

Game 2 Moore Vs. Graber
Loss 2-6

4 game win streak was snapped, but it was nice to have some wins strung together. The Bravos had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. Moore was having a fantastic outing until an error, single, and single had him taken out of the game. Adam Hunter came in and immediately gave up a grand slam. A triple and another error was enough to put a win out of reach.

Game 3 Altabani Vs. Cordova
Win 3-2

A close win to win the series for the Bravos, kept close by solid pitching. Altabani went 6 4 2 2 2 6 and Braddock went 1 with 2 strikeouts and no hits followed by Lindquist who had a 2 inning save with only 1 hit. Ochoa was the star going 3 for 5.

Series record:2-1
Season record:9-6


Leon Bravos (9-6) @ Los Angeles Stars (9-6) 3 game series

Although it is a little early to put any stock into the standings, the Bravos are in a 3 way tie for 2nd, but are 4th with tie breakers. The Los angeles Stars will be one of the most formidable opponents that the braves have faced thus far.

Game 1 Rivera Vs. Small
Win 5-1

Fantastic win for Leon today. The offense spread out the hits pretty evenly. Van Heugten batted in 2 in the top of the first, and that was all that they needed. They added a few insurance runs in the later innings with a homerun from Nishikawa. Rivera is continuing his pitcher of the year campaign with a 8.1 8 1 1 1 7 stat line.

Game 2 Nakanishi Vs. Morales
Loss 6-3

Nakanishi had another rough day at the office, he has only had 1 good game out of 4 starts. Might be time to explore giving someone else a shot at the starting rotation and send him to AAA to settle in. On the offense, Manhart had a 4 for 5 day with 2 RBI.

Game 3 Williams Vs. Dorfmeister
Win 5-4

Multi-hit games from Ochoa, Valenzula and Manhunt helped the Bravos come from behind to win the series against the Stars! Williams had an okay day, but didn’t go late in the game with a 3.1 4 4 1 4 1, but the bullpen didn’t give up a hit for the rest of the game (Oreta & Hunter)

Series record:2-1
Season record:11-7

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (11-7) @ Des Moines Kernels (10-8) 3 game series


Game 1 Moore (1-2, 5.19) Vs. Pearson (0-2, 14.40)
Win 10-2

Pearson has had a rough season, and that continued today. He made a quick exit with a 2 4 7 6 1 1. On the other side, Moore had a fantastic day with a 6 5 1 1 3 6. On the offense every single player got a hit including a homerun from Luna, De Leon and Diaz.


Game 2 Altabani (1-1, 2.98) Vs. Ishihara (1-1, 3.92)
Loss 7-3

The offense only got 5 hits on the day and pitching gave up 15. Altabani had a decent outing albeit a short one. Vasquez came in after Altabani and gave up 3 runs in 1.1 innings.

Game 3 Rivera (3-0, 2.42) Vs. Salazar (0-0, 4.80)
Win 3-1

Rivera continued his excellence with a gem 6.2 6 1 1 1 7, and Hunter finished the game with 2 hits and no runs. The offense was quiet but the game was won with a Russo 3 run homerun in the bottom of the 7th.

Series record:2-1
Season record:13-8

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (13-8) @ San Jose Vipers (10-8) 3 game series

First series against the Vipers who are currently in 8th place in SuBOTA, they have been 6th in the league for the last 2 years. They have several top notch players. The Bravos have won the last 4 series, we’ll see if they can keep it up!

Game 1 Nakanishi (1-2, 9.92) Vs. Velez (0-3, 6.43)
Loss 2-7

Nakanishi continues to struggle, and I think this will be the last straw for him unfortunately, I think this will move him to the bullpen. He didn’t give up homers, but every inning the Vipers just hit him around. He held the Vipers to 1 on the first two frames, but a 4 run bottom of the 3rd got him taken out giving him a 2.2 7 6 5 1 1 statline. The offense was quiet today with only 4 hits.

The Leon Bravos reinstate Leen Luijsterburg from the 15 day IL, in a corresponding move Denilde Trevino is optioned to AAA. Taishi Nakanishi has been moved to the bullpen, I think I’m going to give Bill Braddock a shot in the rotation, which will likely not end well. There is only 1 pitcher in AAA that is interesting in Matt Gonzalez, but he has only had 2 starts, so i’ll let him get some more time in AAA.

Game 2 Williams (1-1, 6.06) Vs. Aaron (1-2, 8.00)
Loss 1-2

The offense continues to sleep, only producing 6 hits, the only runs came from a Nishikawa (5). Williams continues to recover from his abysmal start to the season with a respectable outing. His pitch count was his undoing, finishing with a line of 4.2 3 1 1 5 3 on 91 pitches. Oreta gave up the loss and blown save in the 5th. Hunter and Ortez put up 2 clean frames.

[u]Game 3 Moore (2-2, 4.24) Vs. Griffo (0-1, 4.44)
Win 5-1

Bravos are able to avoid the sweep in game 3 thanks to some offensive production, which we have been missing. Fritton lead the way with a 4 for 5 day with 2 runs and a RBI. Moore had a fantastic day going deep into the game and ending with a 6 4 1 1 1 5 statline, with Hunter and Lindquist putting up 3 clean frames. Really great game all around.

Series record:1-2
Season record:14-10


Leon Bravos (14-10) @ Brooklyn Bats (13-11) 3 game series

Game 1 Braddock (0-0, 9.00) Vs. Yoshida (0-0, 5.01)
Loss 7-1

Ouch. What a sad showing for the entire team. Yoshida held the team to 5 hits en route to his complete game, and nearly a shutout if it wasn’t for Russo’s (5) home run in the bottom of the 8th. For the pitching on the Bravos, Braddock was a disaster, which isn’t that much of a surprise. Something needs to change in my strategy.

Game 2 Rivera (3-0, 2.20) Vs. Blais (3-1, 3.38)
Win 7-2

Nothing like an aces showdown, especially when your team comes out on top! The offense finally showed up with 12 hits and 5 players getting 2 hits each. Rivera continues his pitcher of the year bid with a 7.2 4 2 2 0 5 day on 91 pitches and Lindquist have a clean save (6).

Game 3 Altabani (1-1, 3.52) Vs. Kang (1-2, 6.04)
Win 3-2(10)

The Bravos win their first extra innings game this year with a Barnabe Caban walk off single in the bottom of the 10th. The pitchers duel had both players going into at least the 7th, Altabani continues to dominate with a 7 2 2 2 0 5 line. Great to get another series win!

Series record:2-1
Season record:16-11

*Coming up next, 3 game against the best team in the league, the Puebla Pantera!*

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (16-11) vs. Puebla Pantera (16-11) 3 game series

Two of the three teams tied for the top spot in the league are facing off in Leon. The Bravos have had some of the best pitching in the league and the Pantera have had an explosive offense. These teams met to open the season and the Bravos went 2-1.

Game 1 Williams (1-1, 5.14) vs. Watanabe (0-0, 7.18)
Win 3-0

I have to say I am shocked with how well Williams is recovering from his slow start. Today he went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and no runs. The 4 walks he gave up were a little worrisome, but overall a great day. Hunter locked it down with a 3 inning save with only 2 base runners that got on with a walk and a hit. The offense score all of their runs in the bottom of the first with some fantastic 2-out hitting to get the first two runs, then we were graced with a walk-a-run-home from Watanabe.

Kevin Russo is selected as rookie of the month
I was super happy with Russo winning an award, but I was rather perplexed when I saw his statline. Batting .200 with 6 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 15 Runs this month. I guess I was just surprised by mendoza line batting average.

Game 2 Moore (3-2, 3.68) vs. Justinger (1-3, 9.24)
Win 9-3

The offense came alive in game 2 with 5 players getting multiple hits, for a team total of 12 and they were able to convert them to 9 runs. Russo continuing his hot streak with a 2 for 4 day with 3 RBI and a run. Moore had exactly a quality start with a statline 6 7 3 3 0 4. Nakanishi had their first appearance out of the bullpen and got a hold going 2 3 0 0 2 5. More baserunners than I would like to see in 2 innings but he held them to no runs!


Game 3 Luijsterburg (1-0, 1.17) vs. Robinson (1-0, 5.68)

There was no way Braddock was getting another shot, so I decided to give Luij a shot at a start with a very short leash.

Loss 9-5

An ugly game all around. Offense was dormant until a 5 run bottom of the 7th. But the real travesty was the pitching. I really need to find another solution for our 5th starter, because what we have is not working. Matt Gonzalez in AAA has pitched 4 games and has a 2.45 ERA, it would be nice to bring him up into the bullpen first, but I may need him to start. Despite an ugly game 3, very happy to come away with a series win.

Series record:2-1
Season record:18-12

Next up the last place Montreal Fire

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (18-12) vs. Montreal fire (8-22) 3 game series

The Montreal Fire have had a rough season, but they were able to get 2 wins against the bravo at the beginning of the season.

Game 1 Rivera (4-0, 2.23) vs. Moya (2-3, 5.87)
Win 11-9

Riveras cinderella story had a bit of a reality check today. He gave up 2 home runs and an unfortunate strings of hits. He ended with a 4.1 7 6 6 2 3, luckily we were still able to take a win thanks to the dominant offense, including 3 hit games from Valenzuela and Manhart.

game 2 Altabani (1-1, 3.30) vs. Cassidy (1-4, 5.22)
Loss 3-7

The offense was able to match the Fire hit for hit, totalling 11, but were unable to convert as many runs. Altabani had a rough outing going 4.1 7 6 5 1 3. Valenzuela and caban went 0 fer, and Manhart went 4 for 5 but had nobody on base to hit in!

Game 3 Willams (2-1, 4.00) vs. Marin (1-4, 9.00)
Win 7-2

The Bravos return the favor winning behind the rookie of the month, Kevin Russo and is 3 for 4 day with aa walk, 2 runs, and 4 RBI. Williams had a great game, 5 2 1 1 3 7, very impressed with him so far.

Series record:2-1
Season record:20-13



Leon Bravos (20-13) vs. Philadelphia Buzz (18-15) 3 game series

Game 1 Moore (4-2, 3.82) vs. Lopez (2-2, 4.17)
Win 6-4

The Bravos walk off the Buzz with 2 run homerun from Angelo Luna in the bottom of the 9th! Good game from the team all around.

Jose Ortez tears UCL and will be out for 9 months
Jose Ortez is sent to the 60 day IL, in a corresponding move the Bravos select the contract of Matt Gonzalez.

Game 2 Luijsterburg (1-1, 3.09) vs. Magee (2-1, 4.56)
Win 3-2

The Bravos jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the 2nd, and the Buzz’s 2 runs in the top of the 8th weren’t enough to complete the comeback. Luijsterburg was the star going 5 1 0 0 3 5, and the bullpen backed him up well aside from Flores giving up a 2 run homer.

Game 3 Rivera (4-0, 3.22) vs. Contreras (1-1, 6.27)
Loss 0-3(10)

Wow the Bravos lose their second extra innings game of the year. Rivera wen’t 6 scoreless and Oreta gave up the 3 runs that sealed the deal with a slew of hits in the top of the 10th. The real star of the game was the opposing pitcher Guillermo Contreras who went 8 innings only giving up 3 hits and no runs on 8 strikeouts

Series record:2-1
Season record:22-14



Leon Bravos (22-14) vs. Toronto Express (18-18) 3 game series

Game 1 Altabani (1-2, 4.19) vs. Ivey (3-3, 4.26)
Loss 8-6

Well Altabani got blown up with 8 hits and 7 innings and only getting through 2 innings. The bullpen did well to hold it together, but it wasn’t enough. The back half of the lineup hit well today, but the front end was quiet.

Game 2 Williams (3-1, 3.66) vs. Dippold (3-2, 5.60)
Loss 3-9

Yikes. The Express have the Bravos number. Williams gets blown up to the point where his ERA ballooned to 5.35. Final line of 1.2 9 7 7 1 1.

Game 3 Moore (4-2, 3.92) vs. Rynders (3-1, 4.05)
Win 15-3

This team does not like losing, and I love that about them. They absolutely pounded the express lead by Rookie of the Year candidate Kevin Russo. He went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 4 RBI and hit his 11th homerun on the year, currently on pace for 46.

Series record:1-2
Season record:23-16

[Dr. K]

We are about 25% of the way through the season, and I must say the team has done really well. TThe Bravos are currently sitting in 2nd place in SuBOTA, which gives them a spot in the playoffs and a promotion. For now. Just a few highlights at this point in the season:

Kevin Russo is putting in a serious bid for the Rookie of the Year. He is slashing .244/.392/.555, with 11 homeruns and hitting a 146 OPS+.

Pedro Rivera is second in the league in ERA currently with a 2.84. He has 4 wins and no losses, and has already accumulated 1.4 WAR.

[Dr. K]

Leon Bravos (23-16) vs. Phoenix Firebirds (17-22) 3 game series

Game 1 Luisterburg (2-1, 2.16) vs. Larkman (2-3, 6.03)
Win 12-5

Russo dominated on offense going 2 for 3 with 2 walks. He had 3 runs and 3 RBI. Luijsterburg had a great outing coming in with a 6 4 2 2 2 4 line. He has been a fantastic addition to the rotation, which was much needed.

May 15th, 2050
Kevin Russo wins SuBOTA player of the week award.

Game 2 Rivera (4-0, 2.84) vs. Schneider (5-1, 3.72)
Win 7-1

The offense spread out the hits with 7 players getting hits, including homers by Diaz(7) and Nishikawa(8). Rivera lowered his ERA even further and collected his 5th win with a dominant 6.2 6 1 1 0 8 statline.

Game 3 Altabani (1-3, 5.70) vs. Rodriguez (3-3, 4.43)
Win 3-0

There were brooms in leon as the Bravos complete the sweep. Russo and Diaz had multihit games, but the runs were batted in by Valenzuela and Diaz. The pitching staff only gave up 6 hits en route to a shutout. Altabani to Nakanishi to Hunter.

Series record:3-0
Season record:26-16

Not only has Leijsterburg flourished as a starter, but since being moved to the Bullpen Nakanishi has pitched in 4 games, for 6 innings only surrendering 6 hits and 0 runs. Good move so far!


Leon Bravos (26-16) vs. Los Angeles Stars (22-20) 3 game series

Game 1 Williams (3-2, 5.35) vs. Beard (1-1, 6.50)
Win 7-3

The Bravos extend their win streak to 5! The Dutchman had a fantastic game with a 2 for 2 outting with a walk, 2 runs and an RBI. Williams had a short day but it was good enough, 4 2 1 1 1 5. Vasques and Lindquist closed out the game.

Game 2 Moore (5-2, 3.99) vs. Flores (4-1, 3.43)
Win 7-1

Win streak extends to 6! Multi-hit games for Nishikawa, Valenzuela, and Luna. Russo hit is 13 homer, and it was a 3 run shot. Moore had an absolute gem of a day, probably his best start of the year going 7 2 1 1 1 2, and Lindquist got a 2 inning save(8).

Game 3 Luijsterburg (3-1, 2.38) vs. Small (3-4, 4.42)
Loss 14-9(11)

The streak is ended at 6 with a loss to the stars, and in heartbreaking fashion giving up 5 runs in the top of the 11th. The loss will result in Braddock losing his job, not sure if I’ll DFA him or send him down to AAA, but this is the last straw. He gave up 5, and his era has ballooned to 11.72. Flores also had a rough day giving up 4. Offense was great, including Russo hitting his 14th homer!

Series record:2-1
Season record:28-17


Leon Bravos (28-17) vs. Des Moines Kernals (22-23) 3 game series

Game 1 Rivera (5-0, 2.67) vs. Ishihara (3-2, 3.51)
Loss 3-5(10)

Another extra innings loss, and a bummer that it happened after a great Rivera start. This time Lindquist gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th on a wild pitch. In the 10th he put a man on with a hit by pitch, then Oreta gave up a 2 run homerun to seal the deal.

[u]Game 2 altabani (1-3, 5.01) vs. Rorvig (0-0, 11.25)
Loss 6-4

Once again Braddock loses the game. I am waiting for a scouting report, then I will be trading him away for a bullpen arm. Just a bummer that he was able to lose us another game before I could trade him away.

Game 3 Williams (3-2, 5.02 vs. Wadden (3-4, 6.30)
Win 5-4

The Bravos narrowly avoid an embarrassing sweep to the Kernals. The hitting was fantastic, but Williams struggled only going 3 5 4 3 5 2, but the bullpen pitched 6 shutout innings only giving up 1 hit.

Series record:1-2
Season record:29-19

Bill Braddock is traded to the Tijuan Twisters in exchange for closer Alex Lopez (15% retained)
Excited to bring in a 5 stara closer in Lopez, who is under contract for the next 3 years, and he is pretty expensive making 9 10 and 12 million a year minus 15%.


Leon Bravos (29-19) at San Jose Vipers (22-26) 3 game series

Game 1 Luisterburg (3-1, 2.89) vs. Oates (3-6, 8.53)
Loss 11-5

The offense had a horrible day, and for some reason the pitcher usage was a little off. Luisterburg had a 5 7 5 5 1 4 day, and it got worse from there. Vasques went 1 inning giving up no runs, then Hunter came in giving up 3 in 2 innings, then Nakanishi came in and gave up 3 more in 1 inning of work.

Game 2 Rivera (5-0, 2.70) vs. Fellows (0-2, 8.79)
Win 11-1

The Bravos come back with a vengeance. The offense dominated, especially Danny Valenzuela with a 4 for 5 day with 3 RBI and 2 runs. Russo also hit his 15th homerun. Rivera had another gem of a day with 6 2 0 0 4 4, and Vasques had a 3 inning save.

Game 3 Altabani (1-3, 4.56) vs. Blais 95-4, 4.74)
Win 2-0

The Bravos won a close game with a very interesting top of the 9th.
Valenzuela single
Manhart Flyout
Russo Intentional Walk
Ochoa Strikeout
Van Heugten hit by pitch
Fritton single
Diaz Fly out

Pitchers Altabani, Oreta and Lindquist had shutout days, only surrendering 5 hits.

Series record:2-1
Season record:31-20