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12-27-2017, 01:51 PM
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#401 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 362
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Interesting and well-written story reds! I wonder the significance of this as my memory has been waning over the years but pretty cool how you have attached such mystery to a father-son encounter with a legend!
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12-28-2017, 06:28 PM
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#402 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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12-29-2017, 01:11 AM
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#403 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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Quote:
William lost his father when he was 4-years old. At age 11, Ruth became sort of a mentor and father-figure to him. Ruth himself never had a son of his own (not that we know of, anyway  ). Years later, William returned the favor by getting Ruth a manager's job, something he desperately wanted IRL, but was denied. And now with Ruth's death approaching, I felt I had to address it somehow in my dynasty.This is all a conceit on my part, of course. IIRC, it was just me thinking - 'hey, I've placed William in New York in the 1920s, and he's baseball mad - it only makes sense he was a fan of baseball's biggest and most colorful star. I wonder where I can go with that?' The rest is hist, er, fiction. 
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01-06-2018, 02:54 PM
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#404 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 362
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Awesome! Can't wait to read more and to see how the offseason went. Are you going to make a post to let us know who may be potential Hall of Fame inductees?
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01-10-2018, 12:55 AM
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#405 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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Quote:
I definitely have other candidates in mind (3 or 4 of them), but I was debating whether to do a second class this off-season or wait another year. The reason being is that I still had some 'back-story' things I was considering before spring training started and such. But I'll certainly give it some thought!
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01-10-2018, 07:44 PM
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#406 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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1947-48 United Leagues of Braeland Awards
Eastern League  Babe Ruth Award The 24-year old LF Roberto Ríos from Aruba has been a steady outfielder for the Stratford Barons in his first two seasons, but this past year he took it to the next level, winning his first Babe Ruth Award. He led the Eastern League in Runs (123), Walks (137) and WAR (8.2). He finished in the Top 5 in nine other offensive categories. Two Brunswick Legends players finished behind him: 2nd: RF Markus Peyto (.309/.401/.568, 33 HR, 129 RBI, 6.1 WAR) 3rd: 1B Stuart Bentham (.322/.418/.525, 29 HR, 107 RBI, 5.5 WAR) Peyto led the circuit in HR (33), RBI (129), SLG (.568), OPS (.969), wOBA (.422) and ISO (.259). Bentham finished in the Top 5 in 11 offensive categories (Top 2 three times). Previous Winners: 1937-38: Katsunan Chikafuji, Queensland Eagles 1938-39: Paul Hooks, Embro Suns 1939-40: Terence Durney, Embro Suns 1940-41: Jim Friend, Embro Suns 1941-42: Jim Friend, Embro Suns 1942-43: Mark Elston, Brunswick Legends 1943-44: Dean Bishop, Braeland City Monarchs 1944-45: Stuart Bentham, Brunswick Legends 1945-46: Jim Friend, Embro Suns 1946-47: Elijah Sheppard, Queensland Eagles -------- Satchel Paige Award Three southpaws dominated the voting for the top pitcher in the Eastern League this season. Stratford’s LHP Ryan Borden wins his second Satchel Paige Award with perhaps an even better performance than the one that won him the award in 1943-44 (21-9, 2.70 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 130 ERA+). Two previous winners were once again in the running: 2nd: Braeland City's LHP David Cooling (21-7, 2.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 155 ERA+) 3rd: Brunswick's LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (19-10, 3.01 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 134 ERA+) Borden led the League in wins (22), ERA (2.13) and K/BB (2.16). He finished in the Top 5 in 11 other pitching categories (Top 2 seven times). Cooling led in WHIP (1.04) and BB/9 (1.7). He finished in the Top 5 in nine other categories (Top 2 four times). Rodríguez led the East in IP (292.2), K (136), HR/9 (0.2), FIP (2.63) and WAR (9.8). He finished in the Top 5 in six other categories. Previous Winners: 1937-38: Colm Soper, Embro Suns 1938-39: Justin Hayhurst, Stratford Barons 1939-40: Lenny Freke, Braeland City Monarchs 1940-41: David Cooling, Braeland City Monarchs 1941-42: Anastasio Rodríguez, Brunswick Legends 1942-43: Anastasio Rodríguez, Brunswick Legends 1943-44: Ryan Borden, Stratford Barons 1944-45: Matthew Monroe, Brunswick Legends 1945-46: Joel Fearn, Stratford Barons 1946-47: Arthur Bence, Wellington Athletics -------- Rookie of the Year Award 26-year old C Christopher Dainty was drafted by the Kingston Pelicans in the 2nd round back in 1941, traded to the Queensland Eagles in 1942 and then later released outright in 1946. Braeland City signed him as a minor league free agent in 1947 and then installed him as their starting catcher. They were rewarded as Dainty won the Eastern Leagues’ Rookie of the Year. He becomes the third Monarchs rookie to win the award. Here were the runners-up: 2nd: Embro's C Takafumi Ono (.296/.343/.451, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 1.3 WAR) 3rd: Embro’s SS Connor Reddick (.306/.365/.383, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 1.4 WAR) Ono is one of the first free agents from Japan to enter Braeland after the close of hostilities. Previous Winners: 1938-39: Adam Ashley, Braeland City Monarchs 1939-40: Soren Heinke, Wellington Athletics 1940-41: Dean Bishop, Queensland Eagles 1941-42: Harry Chatwin, Brunswick Legends 1942-43: Geoff Lemoine, Stratford Barons 1943-44: Elijah Sheppard, Queensland Eagles 1944-45: Kyle Pryor, Braeland City Monarchs 1945-46: Jilenko Batiles, Cobourg Red Stockings 1946-47: Ron Gavin, Queensland Eagles -------- Western League  Babe Ruth Award No surprise here as Kingston’s C Danny Trowbridge wins his third consecutive Babe Ruth Award. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the 29-year old Trowbridge is that he has been injured only once in his 9-year career – for one week – back in February 1942 when he was still with the Fort Richmond Generals. For the record, it was for a strained oblique. Crazy. Runners-up to Trowbridge were: 2nd: Fort Richmond's CF Dylan Moyne (.312/.371/.508, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 7.4 WAR) 3rd: Wolseley's LF Carlton Hawking (.320/.444/.523, 24 HR, 90 RBI, 4.7 WAR) Trowbridge led the West in AVG (.372), OPB (.463), SLG (.565), OPS (1.028), wOBA (.438) and WAR (8.3). He finished in the Top 5 in five other categories (Top 2 three times). Moyne led in Runs (109), Hits (188) and Total Bases (306). He finished in the Top 5 in six other categories (Top 2 three times). Hawking led in BB (124). He finished in the Top 5 in 11 other categories (Top 2 four times). Previous Winners: 1937-38: Fergus Chitty, Kingston Pelicans 1938-39: Fergus Chitty, Kingston Pelicans 1939-40: Jayden Tennant, Kingston Pelicans 1940-41: Steven Winstanley, Hespeler Stars 1941-42: Jayden Tennant, Kingston Pelicans 1942-43: Ron Westmacott, Cambria Cannons 1943-44: Carlton Broadbent, Balmoral Giants 1944-45: Carlton Broadbent, Balmoral Giants 1945-46: Danny Trowbridge, Kingston Pelicans 1946-47: Danny Trowbridge, Kingston Pelicans -------- Satchel Paige Award Sherburn’s RHP Jesús Chapa wins his second Satchel Paige Award, playing for an offensively challenged team. Here were the runner-ups: 2nd: Wolseley's RHP Kai Tosh (18-12, 3.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 113 ERA+) 3rd: Kingston's LHP Patrick Denman (16-16, 3.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 120 ERA+) Chapa led the Western League in K (146), BB/9 (1.72), K/9 (5.02), K/BB (2.92), FIP (2.88), Shutouts (5) and WAR (7.8). He finished in the Top 5 in three other categories (Top 2 once). Tosh led in Wins (18 – tied with teammate Jeremy Albury). He finished in the Top 5 in five other categories. Denman led in IP (285.0). He finished in the Top 5 in six other categories. Previous Winners: 1937-38: Neil Guerin, Cambria Cannons 1938-39: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans 1939-40: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans 1940-41: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans 1941-42: Francis Slocock, Kingston Pelicans 1942-43: Joey Cumberledge, Kingston Pelicans 1943-44: Francis Slocock, Kingston Pelicans 1944-45: Roberto Taváres, Sherburn Tigers 1945-46: Patrick Denman, Kingston Pelicans 1946-47: Jesús Chapa, Sherburn Tigers -------- Rookie of the Year Award A catcher wins the Rookie of the Year Award for the second consecutive season as Balmoral’s 22-year old Dominic Pipard took the honor. Pipard was a 4th round pick by the Braeland City Monarchs back in 1943-44, before being traded to the Giants in 1945. The runners-up for the Rookie Award were: 2nd: Fort Richmond’s SS Nobuyoshi Yoshida (.276/.332/.435, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 1.9 WAR) 3rd: Hespeler's RHP Paul Woodruff (10-11, 1 SV, 3.26 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 125 ERA+) Previous Winners: 1938-39: Aaron Flanagan, Wolseley Unions 1939-40: Francisco Rodríguez, Balmoral Giants 1940-41: Leon Hankey, Cambria Cannons 1941-42: Brian Pittman, Balmoral Giants 1942-43: Freddie Duran, Kingston Pelicans 1943-44: Rizalino Ringor, Wolseley Unions 1944-45: Hao Wang, Cambria Cannons 1945-46: Ben Currall, Kingston Pelicans 1946-47: Éric Denis, Wolseley Unions -------- Manager of the Year Award  A playoff appearance and a 28-game improvement over last season earned Braeland City’s 50-year old manager Toby Reakes the Eastern League’s Manager of the Year Award. A former right fielder, Reakes spent 5 seasons playing for the Hespeler Stars and Queensland Eagles, retiring after the 1941-42 season. The two-time All-Star then signed on with the Monarchs to be their field manager in 1944. Over four seasons, he has gone 327-290, .530. A bit of controversy tainted the Western League Manager of the Year Award. 45-year old Morrigan O’Lonergan has been the Balmoral Giants’ field manager since their inaugural season. He has led the Giants to two playoff appearances and five above .500 seasons. Balmoral won 10 more games than they did last season that catapulted them from 7th to 3rd place. It was a fine turnaround and O’Lonergan is well-regarded as a manager and well-liked by his players. However, in some circles, the more deserving candidate was Fort Richmond’s Eugene Rogge, who led the Generals to a first-place finish and their first playoff appearance. But despite overseeing a 15-game improvement over last season and winning the United Cup, Rogge and his staff were shown the door two days after the season ended. A curious reward. Oh well, maybe OOTP19 will allow manual voting for some of these awards? Previous Winners: 1937-38: Bradley Balmforth, Wellington Athletics; Rouke Barclay, Sherburn Tigers 1938-39: Vic Windle, Embro Suns; John Permenter, Kingston Pelicans 1939-40: Warren Paulino, Braeland City Monarchs; Eddie Frierson, Cambria Cannons 1940-41: Bill Quinn, Stratford Barons; John Permenter, Kingston Pelicans 1941-42: Babe Ruth, Brunswick Legends; Eddie Frierson, Cambria Cannons 1942-43: Wesley Leseberg, Brunswick Legends; Ben Houchens, Kingston Pelican 1943-44: Bill Quinn, Stratford Barons; Ben Houchens, Kingston Pelicans 1944-45: Wesley Leseberg, Brunswick Legends; Ben Houchens, Kingston Pelicans 1945-46: Bill Quinn, Stratford Barons; Bradley Balmforth, Sherburn Tigers 1946-47: Reid Saxby, Queensland Eagles; Ben Houchens, Kingston Pelicans -------- New Records Set Two new pitching records were set during the 1947-48 season: Wellington Athletics’ rookie SP Matt Price set a new mark for Hits Allowed/9 IP, with 6.665. He surpassed Fort Richmond’s SP Nicky Sherlock, who had just set the previous record just last season (6.778).  For Richmond’s SP Joy-shan Liu also eclipsed his pitching mate this season, when he set a new mark for Opponents AVG, with .2066. Sherlock had set his mark last season with .2114. Interestingly, Matt Price wasn’t far behind Liu this season, with .2085 OAVG. 
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01-13-2018, 11:23 AM
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#407 | |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 362
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Quote:
Awesome award picks, though I feel like Markus Peyto got robbed on that Babe Ruth award. I feel like his stats seem to be slightly better. As for HOF, by all means you can skip a year. HOF discussions are one of my favorite things about baseball. I've been reading Jay Jaffe's newest book on it and JAWS. Maybe when you do the voting next season have a little blurb on all the potential candidates and their JAWS, etc? |
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01-16-2018, 10:33 PM
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#408 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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 Notes on 1947-48 All-Braeland Team Starting Pitcher Some outstanding performances this year by pitchers, but this was a rather easy decision, especially compared to last season. Although looking at the two Satchel Paige winners is a good place to start, the choice was actually between three Eastern League pitchers: Stratford’s Ryan Borden, Braeland City’s David Cooling and Brunswick’s Anastasio Rodríquez. Sheburn’s Jesús Chapa was also thrown into the mix, but in my estimation, Borden is the pick. It’s his second selection to the Team. Here are some of their stats for comparison (league leading stats highlighted in bold): • Borden – 22-7, 2.13 ERA, 35 GS, 279.1 IP, 123 K, 1.07 WHIP, 0.3 HR/9, 1.8 BB/9, 4.0 K/9, .251 BABIP, 188 ERA+, 2.70 FIP, 8.9 WAR. • Cooling – 21-7, 2.62 ERA, 34 GS, 275.1 IP, 110 K, 1.04 WHIP, 0.6 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 3.6 K/9, .235 BABIP, 155 ERA+, 3.03 FIP, 7.6 WAR. • Rodríguez – 19-10, 3.01 ERA, 35 GS, 292.2 IP, 136 K, 1.32 WHIP, 0.2 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, 4.2 K/9, .301 BABIP, 134 ERA+, 2.63 FIP, 9.8 WAR. • Chapa – 14-12, 3.37 ERA, 34 GS, 261.2 IP, 146 K, 1.20 WHIP, 0.6 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, .283 BABIP, 120 ERA+, 2.88 FIP, 7.8 WAR. -------- Catcher As he has for the previous six campaigns, 29-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.372/.463/.565, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 8.3 WAR, 1.001 EFF) makes this selection automatic. But that’s not to say there weren’t other terrific performances by catchers in the ULB: • Stratford's Aaron Skidmore (.303/.442/.459, 17 HR, 84 RBI, 117 BB, 6.6 WAR, 1.001 EFF) • Cambria's Heung-Su Park (.298/.356/.499, 21 HR, 87 RBI, 46 BB, 5.4 WAR, 1.043 EFF) • Fort Richmond’s Louis Wearne (.299/.407/.477, 17 HR, 71 RBI, 78 BB, 5.5 WAR, .921 EFF) -------- First Base Defense is not his strongest suit, but his offense just could not be ignored this time. Brunswick's Stuart Bentham (.322/.418/.525, 29 HR, 107 RBI, 96 BB, 5.5 WAR, .961 EFF) enjoyed one of his best seasons at the plate and earned his second nod to the All-Braeland team. But a couple of other first basemen were also considered: • Kingston's Dean Bishop (.268/.388/.488, 25 HR, 91 RBI, 106 BB, 5.3 WAR, 1.061 EFF) • Embro's Jim Friend (.299/.403/.510, 22 HR, 90 RBI, 85 BB, 4.4 WAR, 1.000 EFF) -------- Second Base Here is a case where I changed my mind after generating the baseball cards for the All-Braeland Team. I had all but selected George Simpson, but in looking at his poor defensive play closer, it gave me pause. Here are the three choices I looked at: • Cobourg’s George Simpson (.352/.386/.480, 9 HR, 76 RBI, 34 BB, 4.2 WAR, .962 EFF) • Downie’s Robin Duerden (.292/.359/.449, 14 HR, 73 RBI, 56 BB, 3.8 WAR, 1.009 EFF) • Wellington’s Ryley McLarnon (.311/.366/.414, 4 HR, 54 RBI, 45 BB, 3.8 WAR, .975 EFF) McLarnon earned the selection last season, but this year, he saw significant playing time at third base as well (645.2 INN at 2B, 489.2 INN at 3B). Also, he simply wasn’t as strong a candidate as the other two. Simpson was clearly the top offensive player at second base, but Duerden wasn’t all that far behind, and I liked his defensive metrics a lot more. He was a candidate last year as well, but this year he spent nearly all his time at second base and benefited from it. As a result, Duerden is my pick this season. As such, he becomes the first Downie Chiefs player to earn a selection to the All-Braeland Team. Now all 16 teams have finally been represented at one time or another. -------- Third Base A new face makes it onto the Team, as Cobourg’s Alexander Tolmie (.305/.373/.473, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 63 BB, 5.9 WAR, 1.024 EFF) made the grade. A couple of other players were considered as well: • Braeland City's Adam Ashley (.303/.384/.400, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 69 BB, 4.0 WAR, 1.017 EFF) • Balmoral's Allen Cattanach (.280/.359/.389, 4 HR, 76 RBI, 69 BB, 3.7 WAR, 1.015 EFF) Ashley’s overall production was down from the past few seasons; as a result, he could not snag a fourth consecutive selection. Cattanach previously made the All-Braeland Team in 1944-45 as a second baseman. But Tolmie was the straightforward choice. -------- Shortstop A lot of good candidates as usual for shortstop. For me, this came down to four choices: • Cobourg's John Medley (.363/.416/.522, 9 HR, 81 RBI, 57 BB, 44 SB, 6.5 WAR, .935 EFF) • Stratford's Jake Walker (.319/.413/.444, 8 HR, 66 RBI, 88 BB, 6.1 WAR, .986 EFF) • Sherburn's Otton Overbeek (.299/.350/.477, 13 HR, 91 RBI, 48 BB, 5.8 WAR, 1.019 EFF) • Pulberry's Roland Binns (.312/.381/.501, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 55 BB, 5.8 WAR, 1.023 EFF) Medley is rated as the No. 1 shortstop in the ULB, while Walker is No. 2 and Binns No. 3. If I were only looking through an offensive lens, Medley would win this. But his defense was just atrocious. If it was closer to league average, it wouldn’t be an issue, but for someone to have played their position like they were lost all season just can’t be ignored. Medley may never become a Top Fielder candidate at shortstop, but he is capable of much better play (in previous seasons, he was league average to just above league average). Thus, I’m going with Roland Binns, for his really nice balance of solid offense and defense. (In a way it’s a shame, since Medley was named after a childhood friend). -------- Leftfield Overall, the candidates for top leftfielder were somewhat underwhelming. These were the three it came down to: • Wolseley’s Carlton Hawking (.320/.444/.523, 24 HR, 90 RBI, 124 BB, 4.7 WAR, .929 EFF) • Kingston's Ricardo Ruíz (.280/.341/.462, 7 HR, 60 RBI, 46 BB, 3.5 WAR, 1.062 EFF) • Brunswick's Ron Westmacott (.285/.390/.506, 15 HR, 59 RBI, 52 BB, 3.1 WAR, .973 EFF) Hawkings’ defense was quite underwhelming, but this time, there really wasn’t a strong enough alternative to overtake him. That said, one of my personal highlights of this past season was seeing Ron Westmacott return to relevance. Here’s hoping the 31-year old veteran has many more productive seasons to come. -------- Centerfield This one was a doozy. No less than five terrific candidates to choose from: • Stratford’s Roberto Ríos (.288/.428/.514, 24 HR, 121 RBI, 137 BB, 8.2 WAR, 1.016 EFF) • Fort Richmond's Dylan Moyne (.312/.371/.508, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 59 BB, 7.4 WAR, 1.044 EFF) • Downie's Alfonso León (.300/.357/.505, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 54 BB, 7.1 WAR, 1.050 EFF) • Wellington's Edgardo Barrón (.301/.342/.455, 13 HR, 71 RBI, 40 BB, 5.4 WAR, 1.033 EFF) • Cobourg’s Raymond Williams (.300/.342/.502, 18 HR, 100 RBI, 41 BB, 5.1 WAR, 1.026 EFF) Ríos, Moyne and León are the heavyweights among this group and are arguably the best position players on their respective club. But I went with Ríos, as his offensive output could not be ignored. And he was no embarrassment in the field either. -------- Rightfield OK, time to wrap this up with a fairly easy one. The same three candidates from last season are under consideration again: • Brunswick’s Marcus Peyto (.309/.401/.568, 33 HR, 129 RBI, 90 BB, 6.1 WAR, .975 EFF) • Queensland's Jilenko Vergara (.295/.377/.482, 18 HR, 72 RBI, 68 BB, 3.9 WAR, .991 EFF) • Pulberry's Jarod Dwyer (.251/.355/.456, 16 HR, 83 RBI, 79 BB, 3.5 WAR, 1.019 EFF) Vergara and Dwyer had down years compared to the season before. But Peyto was sensational in his first year with the Legends. He is the top-rated rightfielder in the United Leagues, and he played like it. He richly deserved his first selection to the All-Braeland team.
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01-20-2018, 11:18 PM
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#409 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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1948 Off-Season The off-season was a busy one for the United Leagues as ten trades of note were consummated, two intriguing free agent signings were made (by the same team) and four clubs saw changes in management. Some of the noteworthy developments are noted below. Management Shakeups April 30 – A Familiar Face Taking Over Managerial Reigns in Queensland One season removed from winning the United Cup, 59-year old Reid Saxby was fired by the Queensland Eagles. He had been Queensland’s field manager since Day 1. Saxby managed the team to an 861-833 (.508) record with two playoff appearances and one championship. But the Eagles fell to seventh place this past season and team officials felt it was time to make a change. On April 30th, Queensland went with a well-known name in the United Leagues, when it hired 57-year old Bill Quinn, the former long-time manager of the Stratford Barons and three-time Manager of the Year winner. Quinn managed the Barons for their first 10 seasons, racking up an 847-694 (.550) record, with three playoff appearances and two United Cups before being dumped after the 1946-47 season. Quinn has an excellent reputation and favors smallball strategies – bunts, stolen bases and hit & runs.  ----------- May 10 – Generals Unceremoniously Dump Manager after United Cup Win Fort Richmond brass raised eyebrows around the League when they decided to cut ties with their long-time manager, 52-year old Eugene Rogge, just two days after winning their first United Cup. Rogge had been the Generals’ field manager since their inaugural season. His tenure up until this past season had been largely unsuccessful (787-907, .465), causing many to wonder why he wasn’t shown the door sooner. But Fort Richmond apparently decided to wait until his current contract was up to part ways – despite his success this past season. Taking his place is 42-year old John Mathis, who has no previous managing experience. Mathis played sparingly for four seasons in the United Leagues, all with the Cambria Cannons, as a utility infielder, winning a United Cup with the team in 1939-40. He retired in 1946 after toiling in the minors for another four seasons. He is considered easygoing who also favors the smallball.  ----------- May 15 – New GM in Charge in Downie After 11 seasons at the helm of the Downie Chiefs, 48-year old Marcello Bonaddio’s contract was not renewed. Despite earning an ‘excellent’ reputation, the Chiefs enjoyed only two winning seasons and no playoff appearances during his tenure as GM. For their second GM in team history, Downie hired 31-year old Raymond Hunt from Australia. Hunt has no previous management experience and is easily the youngest person to be on a management staff in the United Leagues (Sherburn’s 35-year old Scouting Director Bill Gunter is the only other team personnel under 40 in the ULB).  ----------- June 25 – Cambria Cannons Owner Dies, Nephew Assumes Leadership Role Cambria received a shock when long-time Cannons owner 69-year old Joshua Parker died suddenly after a brief illness. Following a board meeting, it was announced that Parker’s 37-year old nephew, Michael Parker, would assume the reins of the team as majority shareholder. Sources close to him suggest that he will be patient in management matters but hands-on in financial areas.  ----------- Trades and Signings May 5: The Balmoral Giants sign free agent 27-year old IF/OF Javier Romero (59/74) to a 1-year contract ($18,400). Knee-jerk reaction: Romero, who hails from Nicaragua, has some rough edges on offense, but should be a capable hitter (50/50-contact; 40/40 HR power; 50/50 eye; 80/80 avoid K’s) with decent power. He is speedy and will be a threat on the basepaths (speed/stealing - 60). In the field, LF and RF are his best positions (60 & 55), but the Giants have installed him at 1B (40). He takes over from 29-year old Damon Purcell, a former 2nd overall pick in 1938-39. Purcell has regressed over the past couple of seasons. In terms of positional strength, Romero is rated 8th overall at 1B; Purcell was rated 14th (out of 16).  ----------- May 19: The Cobourg Red Stockings and Cambria Cannons complete a two-player deal: To Cobourg – 38-year old LHP Max Littler (39/39) To Cambria – 27-year old 3B Douglas Paget (46/53) Knee-jerk reaction: A minor deal that is only worth mentioning as evidence that the Red Stocking’s desperate search for any sort of pitching continues. Littler joins his fourth team in 7 seasons and is simply a mediocre pitcher (66-89, 11 SV, 4.07 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 4.07 FIP lifetime). But the teams he has played with have been mediocre as well. He finished last season as Cambria’s No. 3 starter and was initially installed as Cobourg’s No. 2 – until Cobourg acquired another starter on May 27, bumping Littler to No. 3. Paget is more of a solid depth player than an everyday player. He has a good eye, but lacks power and struggles to make consistent contact. He’s decent at the hot corner with a great arm. Although not fast, he is an outstanding baserunner and can steal a base or two. Although he is slated to be backup to everyday 3B Shelby Cain, he is rated higher than Cain at that position (13th vs. 16th).   ----------- May 27: The Cobourg Red Stockings and Downie Chiefs complete a three-player deal: To Cobourg – 36-year old RHP Chris Sappington (42/42) and 22-year old minor leaguer LHP John Phipps (20/24). To Downie – 25-year old C Jilenko Batiles (45/45) Knee-jerk reaction: Another relatively minor deal to simply document Cobourg’s continued efforts to beef up their rotation. Sappington, Downie’s former No. 2 starter becomes Cobourg’s No. 2 as well, behind 38-year old Lenny Freke. Sappington is a former all-star and top fielder award winner that joins his fourth team in six years. He has sound mechanics but is inconsistent in his control and has a propensity of giving up homers. But he has great stamina (75) and is good at holding runners (70). His best pitch is his fastball (45/45), with a cutter (40/40) and slider (40/40). Phipps is a former 5th rounder and borderline starter stuck in AA. He needs to improve his changeup and control if he wants a chance to move up. Batiles will be an upgrade at the catcher position for Downie, but that is faint praise, as Batilies has yet to find consistency in the ULB after four seasons. He is capable of batting .300 with some power but needs to refine his strike zone judgment. Although he is rated as Downie’s top catcher, for now he is penciled in as Vince Edwards’ backup. In giving up Sappington, it appears the Chiefs may be ready to promote 22-year old LHP Jorge Ortíz (21/78) their top pitching prospect to the rotation – oh, scratch that – the Chiefs traded Ortíz to Wellington later in August. So much for that theory.   ----------- May 27: The Pulberry Trolleys and Hespeler Stars complete a two-player deal: To Pulberry – 28-year old C Gareth Kody (29/40) To Hespeler – 26-year old RHP Alexander Ellacott (41/42) Knee-jerk reaction: In desperate need of a productive catcher, the Trolleys acquire Kody, a former second round pick from 1938-39. But Kody has enjoyed only one great season in his seven years in the ULB: in 1945-46 when he went .340/.353/.498, 16 HR, 78 RBI, 5.0 WAR. Since then though, he has largely been a back-up, averaging just barely over 1.0 WAR. He lost his starting job to 26-year old C Enrique García (2.9 WAR) last season and was thus deemed expendable by the Stars. He is a very good defender (one Top Fielder Award) and while he can make contact (.290 is possible), he has little power and poor plate discipline. Ellacott is an average pitcher who has been hot and cold in his first four full seasons in the ULB:  He is not a strike-out artist, but does have some nice movement (55/55) and is a two-time all-star and won a Top Fielder Award. He moves into the No. 3 slot for Hespeler.   ----------- June 1: The Wolseley Unions and Embro Suns complete a two-player deal: To Wolseley – 35-year old RHP John Palm (76/76) To Embro – 32-year old OF Steven Winstanley (70/70) Knee-jerk reaction: Wolseley’s Achilles heel last season was their bullpen (4.98 ERA), the worst in the Western League. Starting with this deal, they are doing something about it. John Palm has average stuff and control (50/50), but terrific movement (80/80) with two solid pitches: fastball (55/55) and splitter (60/60). He has spent all his 11-seasons with the Suns, compiling a 73-39, 79 SV, 2.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 3.08 FIP record. Most of that was compiled early in his career and he has not been as dominant in recent years. But the Suns haven’t been as good as they have in earlier seasons either. Palm immediately becomes the Unions’ stopper, bumping RHP Luke Woodward to setup man. Embro had the top bullpen in the East last season (3.38 ERA), so perhaps they felt they could afford to part with Palm. They have two exciting pitching prospects who have been invited to spring training: 22-year old RHP Juan Rivas (39/75) and 22-year old LHP Carl McBroom (30/75). Rivas is slotted in as long relief while McBroom is penciled in as their No. 4 starter heading into spring training. But both are future starting material. With Winstanley, the Suns get a 4-time all-star, a 3-time Top Fielder Award winner and a Babe Ruth Award winner. But those accolades all came before he joined Braeland’s war effort in 1943. Although he won a United Cup with the Stratford Barons in 1946-47, he has not been the dominant player he once was since his return. Injuries have had a lot to do with that. With Embro, he will get a chance to play full-time (no. 5 in the lineup). He takes over leftfield from the platoon of Yoshino Ito and Daniel Martin. Neither could crack the lineup full-time last season. Incidentally, Winstanley was also appointed as the team’s captain.   ----------- June 5: The Balmoral Giants sign free agent 28-year old LHP Ricardo Cruz (61/61) to a 1-year contract ($23,600). Knee-jerk reaction: The Giants make their second splash into the free-agent waters, signing Cruz from Guatemala. Cruz has average stuff and control (50/50) with good movement (60/60). He throws six pitches: fastball (45/45), curveball (40/40), slider (45/45), changeup (40/40), splitter (45/45) and forkball (45/45). All eyes will be on him to see how he fares in the ULB. He should get his share of opportunities: Balmoral anointed him as their No. 1 starter.  ----------- July 6: The Wolseley Unions and Cobourg Red Stockings complete a four-player deal: To Wolseley – 28-year old RHP Brent Nix (74/75) To Cobourg – three minor leaguers: • 22-year old C Ty Mack (22/23) • 24-year old C Nathan Montgomerie (23/23) • 22-year old 2B Tony Acosta (21/22) Knee-jerk reaction: Another bold step by Wolseley to beef up their bullpen. Nix, a three-time all-star, has good stuff, movement and control (50-65-55) with a fastball (50/50) and curveball (50/50). A former 14th overall pick back in 1939-40 by the Brunswick Legends, he was sent to Cobourg in 1942 in a trade that involved 1B Stuart Bentham. Lifetime, Nix is 51-41, 69 SV, 3.52 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 3.58 FIP. He becomes Wolseley’s set-up man, bumping RHP Luke Woodward to middle relief. As far as Cobourg, I’m stumped. I have no idea what they are thinking with this move. They need decent pitching but instead, they let one of their good ones go, getting minor leaguers with little chance of making the majors in return. Now, the Red Stockings just have one decent pitcher in their bullpen: 27-year old RHP Ramón Ortíz (65/66), who they initially tried as a starter after acquiring him from Balmoral last year.  ----------- July 13: The Wolseley Unions and Cobourg Red Stockings complete a three-player deal: To Wolseley – 27-year old IF/OF Evan Houk (44/64) To Cobourg – two minor leaguers: • 22-year old CF Elton Challis (22/34) • 23-year old SS Bob Voeller (23/49) Knee-jerk reaction: Houk, a former 8th overall pick by the Cambria Cannons in 1939-40 has not lived up to his high pick. Nevertheless, he is coming off his best season (2.6 WAR). While he is only average at the plate, he is a pretty good defender in the outfield (and 1B) and an outstanding baserunner. While he is rated as Wolseley’s top centerfielder (8th overall), 26-year old CF Glen Trail remains in the starting lineup for now. As for Cobourg, again, who knows. While Voeller is now rated at Coburg’s 4th best prospect, neither him or Challis are anything to get excited about. 26-year old LF Rizal Gorospe (29/31) takes Houk’s place in the lineup. He is a definite downgrade from Houk. The only thing I can see is that Gosospe is considered the team’s captain. So maybe he had a say in things.  ----------- August 5: The Wolseley Unions and Embro Suns complete another two-player deal: To Wolseley – 25-year old C César Morales (31/37) To Embro – 26-year old OF Rizalino Ringor (57/64) Knee-jerk reaction: Wolseley and Embro essentially exchange depth players. Ringor had a tremendous rookie season back in 1943-44 (5.3 WAR), winning Rookie of the Year and Top Fielder Awards, as well as earning his lone all-star selection. However, he has not come close to that level since his return from serving in the Braeland war effort. However, he is still young and the Suns feel he can contribute backing up newly acquired LF Steven Winstanley (70/70) and RF José Maldonado (61/78). He has a decent bat and tremendous speed. Morales was a 11th overall pick back in 1941-42, but he has regressed severely since that time. He will never be known for his bat and is only average defensively. He will serve as back-up to starting C Éric Denis (62/73).   ----------- August 7: The Brunswick Legends and Sherburn Tigers complete a two-player deal: To Brunswick – 27-year old OF Gary Therien (74/77) To Sherburn – 31-year old OF Ron Westmacott (40/40) Knee-jerk reaction: The Ballad of Gary Therien continues to be played as the all-offense, no-defense ballplayer is traded away to yet another team. Therien will be a direct replacement for Westmacott, as he takes over LF for Brunwick. However, according to the rankings, it will be a step back, as Westmacott was rated 5th at LF and Therien is rated 13th. Westmacott moves to Sherburn and will start in RF in place of 28-year old Javier Serrano (23/40), who was coming his best season (2.8 WAR, all-star selection and Top Fielder Award).   ----------- August 15: The Embro Suns and Downie Chiefs complete a two-player deal: To Embro – 25-year old RHP Kent Allomes (49/61) To Downie – 29-year old 3B Elliot Tugby (47/63) Knee-jerk reaction: Not sure what Downie was thinking here, as they give up a decent reliever for a ‘Utility 2’ type player. Tugby is a four-time Top Fielder Award winner with some offensive ability. To me, he deserves much more playing time, as he has proven he can hold his own as an everyday player. But he did have a down year last season. For Embro, they have decided to go with 25-year old Rafael de la Cruz (80/80) full-time at 3B, thus making Tugby expendable. In return, they get a serviceable reliever in Allomes who becomes their top middle reliever.   ----------- August 28: The Downie Chiefs and Wellington Athletics complete a three-player deal: To Downie – 25-year old SS Mac Medley (45/63) To Wellington – 25-year old 2B Douggie Rideout (51/72) and 22-year old LHP Jorge Ortíz (21/78) Knee-jerk reaction: A bit of a coup for Wellington in my estimation, as Mac Medley lost his starting job to former 2nd overall pick 25-year old Zhao-hui Qian (71/78) last season. In return, the Athletics get a competent depth player in Rideout, who has decent offensive and defensive abilities. If he develops further, he may become a starter in his own right. Ortiz is a starter in waiting who has sound mechanics and great movement and control potential. Medley, a former 13th overall pick, has decent offense and defense and will start at SS and lead off for Downie. He takes over from former 1st overall pick 2B/SS 24-year old Manuel Castaneda, who from all appearances, was developing just fine (3.5 WAR last season). Always nice to have solid depth, but to me Downie gave up a little too much for Medley.    ----------- The War Gained chart below reflects the modest moves the teams made. Nothing earth-shattering in terms of gains and losses. What the chart does not track is the moves the Balmoral Giants made in signing two free agents. It will be interesting to see what impact 1B Javier Romero and SP Ricardo Cruz has on the Giants’ fortunes this season. 
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01-23-2018, 11:12 AM
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#410 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 362
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Good to see lot's of moves! Even if some are always head-scratchers but they mimic poorly run organizations haha. Seems like the Wolseley Unions are loading up to make another deep run after the disappointing early exit with some solid trades and pickups. Should be interesting to see how much those Giants improve too. And it's just shocking the manager was let go after winning the United Cup. I have a feeling the Generals are going to rue that decision.
Last two Cup winning manager's unemployed, wow.
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01-26-2018, 07:02 PM
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#411 | |
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Hall Of Famer
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Location: Winnipeg
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August 17, 1948
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 01-26-2018 at 09:05 PM. |
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01-27-2018, 03:11 PM
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#412 | |
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Location: Chicago
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01-28-2018, 01:12 PM
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#413 |
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Location: Winnipeg
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 Opening Day has finally arrived in Braeland! The Coconut Leagues wrapped up and the Opening Day rosters are set. As usual, we’ll look at the final Coconut League standings and projections for each League. Following which will be the various player and team rankings, followed by a slew of career leaderboards in a number of categories. Eastern League Results   The Braeland City Monarchs ruled the roost in the pre-season, winning twice as many games as they lost. However, in the projections, the defending Eastern League Champions are destined for the second division. The Barons once again are predicted to be the team to beat, but the Red Stockings, Chiefs and Suns will not be far behind. Hopefully, that prediction holds up. --------- Western League Results   The Hespeler Stars started the Coconut Leagues 9-0, holding on to finish in top spot. The Cambria Cannons meanwhile, lost their first 10 games before getting in the win column. But both are predicted to remain near the bottom of the standings in the regular season. The Wolseley Unions are predicted to finish in top spot for the second year in a row and with the best record in the ULB. They have finished in second spot the past two seasons. Also interesting is the Balmoral Giants projected to take the wild card. They finished in 3rd place last season with 80 wins. The prognosticators also see free-agent signing SP Ricardo Cruz (62/62) having a terrific first season in the ULB, helping the Giants battle for a playoff spot. Also, its interesting to see that Giants’ 1B Damon Purcell (52/75) is projected to have a career year, even though he has lost his starting spot to free-agent signing Javier Romero (59/74). Purcell is still shown as backing up Romero in the Giants’ lineup. --------- Trades One trade was struck early in Spring Training: August 31: The Downie Chiefs and Queensland Eagles completed a two-player deal: To Downie – 28-year old RHP Joong Ling (56/57) To Queensland – 36-year old SS Ninfa Puzon (42/42) Knee-jerk reaction: A modest upgrade for both teams. Ling is the walking definition of average. He is a borderline starter (stamina – 40) with average stuff and control (40-50) and good movement (60). He was penciled in as a No 5. starter for Queensland, but he has been injury prone, missing months and months of playing time due to injuries over the past few years. Nevertheless, the Chiefs have installed him as their No. 3 starter. Shortstop is not a position of strength for the Eagles. Dermot Akers (23/24) was rated at Queensland’s best option at that position – but only No. 16 overall. The Eagles finished last season with 24-year old Bob Sobel (25/63), a 12th overall pick back in 1944-45 as their everyday starter (.263/.335/.337, 0.5 WAR, 205 AB). To try and address the situation, Queensland acquired veteran Puzon, a one-time all-star and Top Fielder Award winner. Puzon has regressed severely the past few seasons, but the Eagles are hoping he can enjoy a fresh start. This is his second stint with the Eagles – he was acquired from the Cobourg Red Stockings back in 1940, before being sent to Downie a year later. He is rated 14th overall in the ULB at shortstop and will bat in the No. 7 spot.   --------- Uniform Updates Two teams updated their uniforms and logos: the Braeland City Monarchs and Cambria Cannons (with both adding black armbands for Babe Ruth this season).   --------- To round out the snapshot of the United Leagues, here are the top players and pitchers and top 20 prospects as updated on Opening Day. Also included are the latest leaderboards for a slew of offensive and pitching categories.      --------- Leaderboards          ---------    
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01-28-2018, 01:27 PM
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#414 | |
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Location: Winnipeg
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02-03-2018, 04:08 PM
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#415 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
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December 1, 1948
Eastern League: Monarchs Mean Business    --------  Offense: .309/.380/.464 (1st/1st/1st) Pitching: 3.30/3.40/2.70 (1st/1st/1st) Defense: .729 (1st) Chemistry: Ecstatic The United Leagues has seldom seen a performance this dominant. While the Brunwick Legends and Kingston Pelicans have both been powerhouses and enjoyed incredible seasons, the Braeland City Monarchs are taking it to a whole new level. The Monarchs opened the season with a 7-game winning streak, then went on a 14-game tear in the middle of November with all their wins coming on the road – against Western League teams no less. Indeed, the vagaries of the schedule has seen the Monarchs play 35 of their first 53 games on the road – and they are 29-6 thus far away from Kings Park. Now, with the schedule soon to see them play most of their games at home, could a 110-win season be a possibility? One can rightly expect them to cool off at some point, but they are firing on all cylinders right now – from the veterans to the rookies. The offense is averaging 6.5 R/G (Fort Richmond is next with 5.5), and there is a huge gap between them and the rest of the Eastern League. 28-year old LHP Nicholas Grimes (10-1, 2.53 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), a 2nd-round pick back in 1943-44, enjoyed a fine rookie season in 1945-46 (16-8, 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP in 31 starts). But since then, he suffered one injury after another, going just 10-14, 2.68 ERA in 30 starts over the past two seasons. It appears the promise he has showed is now joined with a measure of health, as Grimes is enjoying his best start. If he stays healthy, he is on pace for 29 wins. Player of the Week Awards: November 1 – RF Daniel Tantoco (.600, 6 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R) November 22 – C Christopher Dainty (.529, 9 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI) Noteworthy: October 13 – 23-year old CF Patrick Lidgate (.306/.418/.510, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 37 BB) is having an incredible rookie season. That now includes a 5 for 5 performance against the Queensland Eagles. Although the Monarchs fell 6-5 in 12 innings, Lidgate did his part, singling in the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th innings, as well as hitting an RBI triple in the 8th and drawing a walk in the 10th. October 25 – 22-year old RF Daniel Tantoco (.343/.410/.582, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 9 BB) enjoyed a huge game, smashing 3 HOME RUNS against the Cobourg Red Stockings. His heroics helped defeat the visitors 8-4. All three jacks were against SP Trent Beaton. Tantoco crushed a 3-run home run in the 2nd, hit a 2-run home run in the 4th and finally smacked a solo shot in the 5th. He walked in the 7th. In all, he went 3-3, 6 RBI, 3 R. Tantoco becomes the 6th player in ULB history to hit 3 home runs in a single game.  End of the Line?: 31-year old IF Trevor Bolen was the first overall pick back in the United Leagues first amateur draft. But apart from his wonderful rookie season (.321/.365/.502, 4.2 WAR), Bolen has not lived up to his high selection. On October 13, the Monarchs finally cut ties, waiving then releasing him outright. On November 3, the Downie Chiefs signed him to a minor league contract. He is currently toiling with their AAA club, the Renforth Braves. He is the only United Leagues player to hit for the cycle twice in the same season. He first accomplished it back on December 20, 1938 against the Stratford Barons. Then, just over two weeks later, on January 5, 1939, he did it again against the Brunswick Legends.  Current Injuries: RHP Freddie Trerise – November 24 – elbow tendinitis. Out for: 5 weeks. --------  Offense: .268/.370/.390 (3rd/2nd/5th) Pitching: 3.81/3.71/4.50 (2nd/2nd/6th) Defense: .693 (6th) Chemistry: Happy There is a huge gulf right now between the Braeland City Monarchs and everyone else in the Eastern League. The Stratford Barons are currently holding down the wild card spot, but just barely. The Queensland Eagles and Cobourg Red Stockings are still very much nipping their heels. Two players enjoying outstanding seasons are 29-year C Aaron Skidmore (.361/.531/.625, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 58 BB) and 26-year old 2B Chris Spiller (.373/.418/.515, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 11 BB). Skidmore is on pace for 10.5 WAR and recently usurped Kingston’s C Danny Trowbridge as the Top Player in the ULB. Spiller, a former 3rd round pick back in 1944-45 by Wolseley is on pace for his best season in the United Leagues with 4.3 WAR. He is rated as the 3rd best 2B in the ULB. Player of the Week Awards: November 8 – C Aaron Skidmore (.615, 8 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI) Noteworthy: October 8 – 29-year old 2B Quinlevan Goldfinch (.390/.468/.463, 2-2B, 6 RBI, 6 BB) has played sparingly for the Barons, but he made the most of his start against the Cobourg Red Stockings. Goldfinch went 5 for 6, with 4 singles and a double. Alas, Stratford lost in 10 innings, 10-9. October 31 – 2B Chris Spiller hit for the CYCLE in a 5-2 victory over the Braeland City Monarchs. Spiller flied out in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit a 2-run home run in the 5th, hit an RBI triple in the 7th and finally, doubled in the 9th. He finished the game going 4-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R. It was the 15th cycle in ULB history.  November 1 – LHP Joel Fearn (7-3, 3.18 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) was impressive in a 9-1 victory over the Wellington Athletics, going the distance; scattering 5 hits with 3 strikeouts and just one unearned run. It was also his 200th victory. He is the first pitcher in the United Leagues to reach that milestone. As of December 1, he sits atop the leaderboard with 202.   Current Injuries: LHP Max MacColl – October 29 – radial nerve decompression surgery. Out for: 4 months. --------  Offense: .256/.343/.374 (7th/6th/7th) Pitching: 4.16/4.24/3.79 (3rd/3rd/2nd) Defense: .696 (5th) Chemistry: Happy The Queensland Eagles appear to be bouncing back from their disappointing 1947-48 season, one year removed from their United Cup Championship. But their offense will have to pick things up if they hope to grab a playoff spot. Currently, their run differential is -12. Like the Monarchs, they have played the bulk of their games on the road so far (22-17 away, 5-8 at home) and should benefit from playing most of their games at home in the second half of the season. 29-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (7-3, 3.10 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) is enjoying his best season in years (No. 6 rated SP overall), but the offense will be challenged to pick up the slack now that 28-year old RF Jilenko Vergara (.370/.463/.500, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 11 BB) is out for an extending time due to injury. Player of the Week Awards: November 15 – CF John Peterkin (.542, 13 H, 1 HR, 10 RBI) Current Injuries: RF Jilenko Vergara – October 27 – partially torn labrum. Out for: 2 months. LF Zak Kidd – November 1 – shoulder tendinitis. Out for: 4 more days. --------  Offense: .290/.354/.401 (2nd/4th/3rd) Pitching: 4.42/4.49/4.14 (5th/4th/4th) Defense: .704 (4th) Chemistry: Unhappy The Cobourg Red Stockings are not as dominant on offense as they were last season, but they are still very much a formidable unit thus far. What has helped in stay within reach of the wild card is a modestly improved pitching staff. While its not overly impressive, the Red Stockings are getting help from some expected sources, like No. 1 starter 39-year old RHP Lenny Freke (4-4, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) as well as from some unexpected sources, such as No. 5 starter 34-year old RHP Wayne Smith (5-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). Smith was claimed on waivers by Cobourg from the Wellington Athletics back in January 1948. But the entire pitching staff is going to have pick things up and stay competitive if the Red Stockings are going to have any chance of ending their playoff drought. But like so many other Eastern League clubs, Cobourg will be playing the bulk of the games in the second half at home. Current Injuries: RHP Tom Mayor – October 26 – torn labrum. Out for: 5 months. --------  Offense: .267/.356/.402 (4th/3rd/2nd) Pitching: 4.99/4.81/5.81 (7th/6th/8th) Defense: .680 (7th) Chemistry: Unhappy For the Brunswick Legends, the concern going forward was their offense. However, recent acquisitions have helped the offense stay competitive. But it appears the bottom has fallen out of the pitching staff. The Legends have no one of consequence after ace 32-year old LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (6-5, 3.00 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Gone are likes of Hirotada Fukushima (traded to Hespeler) and Mathew Monroe (traded to Wellington, now 38-year old free agent), who in their prime led the Legends to three United Cup championships. Also alarming is that 28-year old RF Marcus Peyto (.210/.293/.376, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 24 BB, -0.5 WAR) is having his worst season in years. It appears the back injury he suffered in spring training has affected him. Player of the Week Awards: October 18 – SS Jorge Arredondo (.481, 13 H, 1 HR, 12 RBI) October 25 – 1B Stuart Bentham (.438, 14 H, 4 HR, 12 RBI) November 29 – SS Jorge Arredondo (.417, 10 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI) Noteworthy: October 12 – 27-year old SS Jorge Arredondo (.390/.468/.463, 2-2B, 6 RBI, 6 BB) enjoyed a big day at Babe Ruth Park, going 5-5 against the Embro Suns. Arrendondo single in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 2nd, hit a 2-run single in the 3rd, walked in the 5th, hit an RBI single in the 6th and hit a 2-run single in the 7th. The Legends prevailed in a shoot-out, 14-8. Current Injuries: CF Lance Oakley – October 9 – torn anterior cruciate ligament. Out for: 4 months. RF Robin Gare – November 9 – fractured fibula. Out for: 3 months. 2B Matthew Shelley – November 28 – strained back. Out for: DtD; 4 more days. --------  Offense: .257/.329/.383 (6th/7th/6th) Pitching: 4.38/4.51/3.86 (4th/5th/3rd) Defense: .714 (2nd) Chemistry: Unhappy The Downie Chiefs made some curious moves in the off-season and nothing so far has vindicated them. They have been some fine individual performances, but this is still a team unable to put it together, despite the young talent already on the roster. That said, its nice to see 26-year old RHP Kelii Pelanekelina (6-5, 3.47 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) have a bit of a bounce back from the down year he had last season (14-17, 4.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). Noteworthy: October 23 – 24-year old SS Manuel Castaneda (.205/.278/.273, 4-2B, 8 RBI, 9 BB) saw his 21-game hitting streak end when he went 0-3 against the Stratford Barons. October 29 – 22-year old 2B Dominic Dudding (.318/.380/.479, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 19 BB) racked up 5 hits in 5 at-bats against the Queensland Eagles, helping the Chiefs to a 10-3 win. Dudding hit an RBI single in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, hit an RBI single in the 6th and hit an RBI double in the 8th. November 17 – 26-year old 1B Robin Duerdon (.323/.389/.484, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 21 BB) enjoyed a fantastic day against the Pulberry Trolleys, leading the Chiefs to a 12-5 victory. He did so by going 5-5 on the day. Duerdon singled in the 2nd, hit a RBI triple in the 4th, hit a RBI triple in the 5th, hit a single in the 7th, walked in the 8th and then singled in the 9th. Current Injuries: CF Connor Buswell – November 15 – intercostal strain. Out for: 2 weeks. --------  Offense: .258/.352/.391 (5th/5th/4th) Pitching: 5.57/5.86/4.79 (8th/8th/7th) Defense: .661 (8th) Chemistry: Content Things are starting to look very grim for the Embro Suns. Pitching has long been the week point for the club and that hasn’t changed. The staff has been down right awful – again. But now the offense is starting to show signs of slowing down as well. While 34-year old 1B Jim Friend (.281/.365/.452, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 28 BB) continues as a perennial all-star, he is showing signs of slowing down. Other than Friend, only 34-year old CF Terence Durney (.325/.428/.510, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 36 BB) and 33-year old LF Steven Winstanley (.262/.396/.476, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 28 BB) are providing a consistent spark on offense. Player of the Week Awards: October 11 – CF Terence Durney (.429, 12 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R) Current Injuries: LHP Colm Soper – November 24 – herniated disc (back). Out for: 2 weeks. CF Terence Durney – November 30 – sore elbow. Out for: DtD, 3 days. --------  Offense: .249/.309/.344 (8th/8th/8th) Pitching: 4.74/4.88/4.21 (6th/7th/5th) Defense: .708 (3rd) Chemistry: Unhappy The Wellington Athletics hit rock-bottom last season and it appears they will stay there for the foreseeable future. Only 37-year old 3B Ryley McLarnon (.303/.357/.364, 10-2B, 18 RBI, 16 BB) is showing some spark to his game and even he is having a down year compared to the last few seasons. Not much room for optimism in Wellington right now (well, I guess they do have the second-best farm system right now. So, there’s that). Noteworthy: November 17 – 3B Ryley McLarnon went 2-4 in a 6-2 loss to the Cambria Cannons. But play was stopped briefly just enough to acknowledge McLarnon’s recent achievement: he had just become the first player in ULB history to reach 2000 hits.   Current Injuries: RHP Wilfried Schop – November 18 – sore elbow. Out for: Dtd, 2 weeks. RHP Darren Whiteley – November 29 – strained oblique. Out for: Dtd, 4 days. --------  
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 02-03-2018 at 11:46 PM. |
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02-06-2018, 12:01 AM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
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December 1, 1948
Western League: Generals Pulling Away in Early Going    --------  Offense: .292/.362/.451 (1st/1st/1st) Pitching: 2.82/2.63/4.44 (1st/1st/4th) Defense: .730 (1st) Chemistry: Happy The defending United Cup Champions have picked up where they left off from last season. Much like the Braeland City Monarchs in the East, the Fort Richmond Generals are setting the pace, outclassing the rest of the West in almost all statistical categories. The Generals appeared to have suffered a serious blow when No. 2 starter, 24-year old RHP Shinzo Okamoto (2-1, 2.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) seriously fractured his ulna on November 11, effectively ending his season. But Fort Richmond has excellent pitching depth and both 25-year old RHP Nicky Sherlock (8-2, 1.71 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) and 27-year old LHP Mo Goldstraw (6-3, 2.95 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) have done an admirable job picking up the slack. 23-year old rookie LHP Gavin Flatt (3-1, 2.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) has also been terrific since moving into the rotation. The offense has no shortage of stars, but 26-year old CF Dylan Moyne (.349/.403/.585, 8 HR, 48 RBI, 17 BB, 7 SB) is in his prime and playing like it. He is rated 3rd overall among position players in the ULB. Player of the Week Awards: November 8 – C Louis Wearne (.615, 8 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI) Current Injuries: RHP Shinzo Okamoto – November 11 – fractured ulna (arm). Out for: 4-5 months. RHP John Bullivant – November 13 – torn meniscus (knee). Out for: 3 months. 2B Maurice Keyworth – November 19 – plantar fasciitis. Out for: 3 weeks. --------  Offense: .266/.345/.375 (3rd/4th/6th) Pitching: 4.04/3.77/5.10 (4th/2nd/7th) Defense: .699 (6th) Chemistry: Content The Sherburn Tigers came alive in November, moving them up from 6th place into the wild card spot, just a half game up on the Wolseley Unions. Sherburn is dealing with a spate of injuries – some major, some minor – enough that they have had to constantly juggle their lineup and pitching staff. But they are buoyed by some outstanding performances, such as No. 2 starter RHP Roberto Taváres (7-3, 2.77 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), who is off to his best start in four seasons. Pitching behind him in the rotation is 33-year old LHP Daniel Pierson (5-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.28 WHIP). Pierson is enjoying perhaps the best start of his entire 9-year career. But few players have had as much immediate impact as has 22-year old rookie 2B Jack Burt (.335/.409/.472, 14-2B, 17 RBI, 19 BB – 74/80), who is already leading his club in a slew of offensive categories this season. Burt was pencilled in as the No. 3 batter in the lineup and he has risen to the challenge. At the start of the season, he was rated 14th overall among second basemen in the ULB; now just two months in, he is rated 5th overall. Noteworthy: November 17 – The Tigers overpowered the Embro Suns 9-2 at the Paramount and 2B Jack Burt was the star, going 5-5 on the day. Burt hit an RBI triple in the 1st and then singled in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th innings. He was a second overall pick in 1947-48 and is rated 4th overall among prospects. Current Injuries: CF Noah Teale – October 26 – broken hand. Out for: 2 months. RF Ron Westmacott – October 28 – recurring back spasms. Out for: 1 week. RHP Hyuk Kim – November 5 – ruptured tendon (finger). Out for: 3 months. RF Louie Pate – November 26 – sore elbow. Out for: 4 days. CF Javier Serrano – November 28 – bruised thumb. Out for: DtD, 4 days. LHP Phil Wiebe – November 29 – torn elbow ligament. Out for: 6 months. RHP Bartolo Sánchez – November 30 – forearm soreness. Out for: DtD, 1 week. --------  Offense: .281/.357/.394 (2nd/2nd/4th) Pitching: 3.95/3.79/4.80 (2nd/3rd/5th) Defense: .689 (8th) Chemistry: Unhappy The Wolseley Unions are a bit of an enigma right now, as a team that appeared to be on the rise a few seasons ago and destined for great things has regressed and seem content on being merely a good team. They have the talent to be a perennial contender and have made some shrewd moves to beef up their pitching staff, but for whatever reason, the Unions are simply treading water. Perhaps if they get some key players back from injury soon, they may find their groove and give Fort Richmond a run for their money. One player that has blown the doors off so to speak is 24-year old C Éric Denis (.374/.395/.555, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 9 BB), who is on pace for the best season of his 3-year career. He currently leads the team in a slew of offensive categories to go along with his solid defense. Player of the Week Awards: October 11 – 2B Make-Make Kamaka (.545, 12 H, 6 RBI) November 1 – Éric Denis (.500, 14 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R) November 15 – Éric Denis (.435, 10 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R) Noteworthy: October 6 – 25-year old SS Make-Make Kamaka (.298/.365/.425, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 19 BB) went 5-6 against the Kingston Pelicans, helping the Unions to a 15-2 beat down. The Fujian Kamaka grounded out in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, singled in the 6th, hit a 3-run double in the 7th and singled in the 9th. October 29 – Wolseley outscored the Cambria Cannons 13-12 in an 11-inning affair and C Éric Denis was front and center, going 5 for 6 on the day. Denis flied out in the 2nd, hit a solo shot in the 3rd, hit an RBI double in the 5th, doubled in the 7th, hit an RBI single in the 8th and singled in the 10th. November 13 – The Unions overpowered the Embro Suns 23-8. Playing a large part in the 25-hit explosion was newly acquired 27-year old RF Evan Houk (.288/.370/.407, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 16 BB), who went 5 for 6. Houk hit a 2-run single in the 2nd, an RBI single in the 3rd, singled in the 4th, flied out in the 4th, hit a 3-run triple in the 6th and hit an RBI single in the 7th. Key Trade: October 23 with the Stratford Barons To Wolseley – 30-year old RHP Bill Blair (61/61) To Stratford – 25-year old IF/OF Vincent Colón (65/69) Knee-jerk reaction: Two teams look to shore up some weaknesses in the early going. The Unions have had a rash of injuries plague their starting pitchers and looked-for reinforcement. They found a trading partner in the Barons who were willing to part with Bill Blair (6-4, 4.53 ERA, 1.28 WHIP), their former No. 4 starter. His fastball and various off-speed pitches are merely serviceable, but he has very good command. He will most likely occupy the No. 4 spot in the rotation once ace Jeremy Albury returns from injury. Stratford feels that 22-year old RHP Bill Wolf (2-6, 1 SV, 4.56 ERA, 1.43 WHIP – 70/78) is ready to take over Blair’s spot in the rotation. Wolf was a 15th overall pick in 1944-45. In return, the Barons receive Colón (.259/.350/.345, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 18 BB), who takes over from an underperforming Britt Wing (.247/.318/.273, 1-3B, 14 RBI, 8 BB). Colón is a decent spray hitter who has good speed and excellent defense at third base. He will be an upgrade, as he is rated 8th overall at the hot corner (compared to Wing at 15th overall). 26-year old 3B Burt Willey (.255/.349/.327, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 BB – 69/70), who finished 2nd in the Western League Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1946-47, is now being given the chance to prove he can be an everyday starter with Wolseley.   Current Injuries: RHP Jeremy Albury – October 20 – hamstring strain. Out for: 4 days. RF Ramón Tavira – November 20 – fractured hip. Out for: 5-6 months. LHP Gavin Hewat – November 28 – finger blister. Out for: DtD, 1 day. --------  Offense: .262/.342/.409 (4th/5th/2nd) Pitching: 4.43/4.24/5.00 (7th/6th/6th) Defense: .697 (7th) Chemistry: Happy The Cambria Cannons turned a lot of heads in October, pacing the Western League with an impressive 18-8 record. That included one stretch where they went 12-1. Alas, it was too good to last as they came crashing back down to earth in November. Offense has not been the problem. They continue to be one of the top run-producing teams in the West with 5.0 R/G. Unfortunately, they are surrendering 5.0 R/G as well. As such, it’s the offense that is providing the impressive performances. 31-year old RF Nicky Willis (.306/.432/.497, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 39 BB) is enjoying his best season in years, as is 27-year old CF Brian Cosey (.287/.329/.461, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 13 BB). And while 32-year old SS Wensceslas Jasmin (.294/.366/.408, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 23 BB) continues to be his usual solid self, Cambria is getting an additional boost from 25-year old rookie LF Edmond Boswell (.307/.379/.569, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 16 BB). The former 2nd-round pick from 1945-46 is a regular for the first time this year. Player of the Week Awards: October 18 – CF Brian Cosey (.346, 9 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 8 R) November 22 – CF Brian Cosey (.440, 11 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI) Current Injuries: 2B Neil Boyle – October 24 – sprained knee. Out for: 1 more day. RHP Wing-kit Liu – November 20 – oblique strain. Out for: 4 weeks. --------  Offense: .258/.348/.395 (5th/3rd/3rd) Pitching: 4.30/4.58/3.19 (6th/8th/1st) Defense: .713 (3rd) Chemistry: Happy The Kingston Pelicans are a team in transition, as a number of stalwarts are seeing their playing time reduced (such as 34-year old 1B Dean Bishop and 31-year old CF Jamie Couch) to make way for younger players trying to establish themselves full-time. Things appear more promising in the lineup however, than on the pitching staff. Injuries and indifferent performances have sunk the rotation to the bottom in the Western League rankings, something that would have been unheard of just a couple of seasons ago. 28-year old ace RHP Ben Currall (2-2, 3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) missed 3 weeks in October dealing with a dead arm and now up to another two weeks with a sore elbow. 28-year old LHP Patrick Denman (3-7, 5.25 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) is off to the worst start of his career. Even 30-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.331/.451/.573, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 34 BB) is not immune. While still one of the best players in the ULB, his performance thus far is a step below from his sublime performances over the past five seasons. Some of that may be due to having weaker support surrounding him in the lineup as he had in the past. Player of the Week Awards: October 25 – SS Mo Derrick (.700, 7 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R) Noteworthy: November 30 – The Pelicans blanked the Stratford Barons 3-0 at Kingston Park. But the 22,974 fans in attendance saw more than just a home team victory. They witnessed the 6th NO-HITTER in United Leagues history, with 38-year old RHP Joey Cumberledge (5-4, 3.93 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) accomplishing the rare feat. Cumberledge held the Barons hitless with 5 strikeouts and 4 walks on 106 pitches (game score = 88).  Current Injuries: RHP Luis Velásquez – November 3 – shoulder tendinitis. Out for: 5 days. RHP Ben Currall – November 29 – sore elbow. Out for: DtD, 4 days. --------  Offense: .258/.329/.378 (6th/6th/5th) Pitching: 4.01/4.20/3.21 (3rd/5th/2nd) Defense: .716 (2nd) Chemistry: Content The Balmoral Giants made some upgrades to their front-line talent, but they still have a bit more to do for them to make a serious run for a playoff spot. Their lineup is reasonable solid, but they lack quality depth behind it. They have two really nice young starters at the top of the rotation in 28-year old LHP Ricardo Cruz (5-5, 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP – 62/63) and 23-year old RHP Quintiliano Galeo (5-4, 2.85 ERA, 1.47 WHIP – 42/80). But there is a steep drop-off after them. On offense, 30-year old LF Carlton Broadbent (.374/.445/.595, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 24 BB) has started off the season strong. He has struggled, especially on defense, the past two seasons. This year he is much closer to league average, which is saying something. Player of the Week Awards: November 29 – RF Carlton Broadbent (.571, 8 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R) Current Injuries: RHP Paddy Vanderven – November 3 – surgery to remove bone chips (elbow). Out for: 5 months. RHP Max Dunston– November 21 – strained oblique. Out for: DtD, 2 weeks. LHP Cris Herrera – November 27 – oblique strain. Out for: 1 week. SS Francisco Rodríguez – November 29 – back tightness. Out for: 5 days. SS Corey Markham – November 30 – high ankle sprain. Out for: 6 weeks. --------  Offense: .247/.315/.350 (7th/8th/8th) Pitching: 4.26/4.28/4.16 (5th/7th/3rd) Defense: .711 (4th) Chemistry: Content The Hespeler Stars were not going to fool anyone into thinking they could seriously challenge for a spot in the 1st division, but the Stars have some nice pieces, especially in the rotation that should be performing better than they have. While 33-year old ace LHP Hirotada Fukushima (6-3, 3.63 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) is his usual sturdy self and 25-year old LHP Miles van den Bogaert (3-1, 2.72 ERA, 1.21 WHIP – 42/62) has been a pleasant surprise in the No. 5 spot, 24-year old RHP Stephen Tindall (3-5, 4.09 ERA, 1.47 WHIP – 67/77) and 23-year old RHP Paul Woodruff (3-7, 5.65 ERA, 1.61 WHIP – 52/78) have been disappointments so far. The offense has been nothing to write home about either; however, 26-year old C Enrique García (.273/.385/.404, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 29 BB – 71/71) has made some nice strides in his third season in the ULB. He was a 2nd-round pick back in 1944-45. Current Injuries: None. --------  Offense: .244/.322/.368 (8th/7th/7th) Pitching: 4.57/4.19/6.54 (8th/4th/8th) Defense: .709 (5th) Chemistry: Unhappy A cursory review of the lineup for the Pulberry Trolleys would suggest that they should raking with the best of them, but outside of 29-year old RF Jarod Dwyer (.307/.434/.543, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 27 BB) and 27-year old SS Roland Binns (.314/.381/.503, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 17 BB), the lineup is just not cutting it. But help is on the way. The Trolleys boast the strongest farm system in the ULB with No. 2 overall prospect 20-year old OF John Oldknow (59/80) and 6th overall prospect 22-year old Bryan Goetz (63/79) working their way up the system. Hopefully they will soon inject some spark into the Trolleys’ lifeless engine. But what Pulberry really needs is some decent arms. There is a dearth of real pitching talent on the roster and in their farm system. Unless they address that, the Trolleys are going nowhere. Current Injuries: RHP Ben Banwell – November 17 – torn labrum (shoulder). Out for: 3-4 months. LF Jon Pring – November 17 – separated shoulder. Out for: 1 week. CF Tadamichi Matsumoto – November 24 – sprained ankle. Out for: DtD, 2 weeks. --------  
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United Leagues of Braeland |
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02-13-2018, 12:00 AM
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#417 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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 SHERBURN, Dec. 6 – The 12th Annual United Leagues Amateur Draft had the privilege of being the first major event at the new Norfolk Center in downtown Sherburn. General managers, scouts, League officials and reporters converged on the majestic new edifice to conduct and document the proceedings. Also for the first time, the draft was expanded to ten rounds, up from the usual eight. As teams reviewed and finalized their player lists, the topic that dominated the conversation leading up to the actual event was the impressive debuts of two players that were selected 1st and 2nd overall at last year’s draft, namely Braeland City’s OF Patrick Lidgate and Sherburn’s 2B Jack Burt. Hoping that they would enjoy similar immediate success with their choices, the Wellington Athletics selected first overall, followed by the Cambria Cannons. Here is a brief overview of the 16 players taken in the first round: 1st Pick – Wellington Athletics:   OF Matthew Floyd (23/80) – 21-years old; 6’-1”, 195 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws LH. The Athletics select Floyd, who hails from Hespeler. Floyd is projected to be a fearsome hitter, with an ability to put a charge into the ball each time he steps up to the plate. If he works on his strength a little more, he will be a phenomenal contact hitter to go along with his formidable gap power. He is also a well-above average base runner whose best position in the field is in right (50). He will be assigned to Wellington’s AAA farm team, the Evansville Clowns. -------- 2nd Pick – Cambria Cannons:   IF/OF Sam Tite (21/80) – 19-years old; 6’-1”, 170 lbs.; Bats RH/Throws RH. The Cannons go with the 19-year old from Winnipeg, Canada with the second overall pick. Tite has the potential to develop into a big-time hitter with impressive gap power and patience. But while he has some running ability and a decent arm, defense will be a challenge for him. He is off to the AA Vandecar Spurs. -------- 3rd Pick – Hespeler Stars:   LHP Larry Kovnats (34/80) – 22-years old; 6’-1”, 190 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws LH. The first pitcher selected in the draft, Kovnats possesses respectable stuff potential to go along with great movement and good command. However, he will need to improve his changeup if he hopes to become an effective regular starter. He will start working on it with the AA Muir Electrics. -------- 4th Pick – Queensland Eagles   RHP Logan Belsey (35/80) – 23-years old; 5’-11”, 190 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws RH. The second pitcher selected, Belsey is blessed with above-average stuff with great movement and average control. With four solid pitches and terrific stamina, he should develop into a front-line starter. He is assigned to the AA Innerkip Oysters. -------- 5th Pick – Downie Chiefs:   OF Connor Bing (22/77) – 21-years old; 5’-10”, 175 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws RH. Wolseley native Connor Bing projects to be a decent contact hitter with great patience at the plate. He also has some power potential. Not overly blessed with speed, he should still be a decent baserunner and a solid defender with great range in center. He heads to the AA Minto Tribe to begin his career. -------- 6th Pick – Cobourg Red Stockings:   LHP Bill Budd (21/80) – 20-years old; 6’-0”, 185 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws LH. Bill Budd from Rutherglen, Perth has the potential to be another solid young pitcher in the ULB especially if he works on his delivery mechanics. He has great movement and control with three solid pitches. The Red Stockings have assigned him to their AA farm team, the Cardiff Crushers. -------- 7th Pick – Pulberry Trolleys:   IF/OF Makani Kahale (23/76) – 21-years old; 5’-10”, 165 lbs.; Bats RH/Throws RH. The Samoan Kahale projects to be a very versatile fielder, with good defense, especially at 2B, SS and RF. His range and arm are top shelf. He has the speed and instincts to be a very good base stealer. Although not a home run threat, he sees the ball well and capable of avoiding balls and swinging at strikes. He will make his way to the AA Hopetown Islanders. -------- 8th Pick – Sherburn Tigers:   LHP Luke Henty (27/79) – 22-years old; 6’-2”, 200 lbs.; Bats LH/Throws LH. Henty is another pitcher that will need to improve his changeup if wants to be successful as a starter. The Balmoral native has OK stuff with impressive movement and good control. His stamina and ability to hold runners is impressive, but scouts have expressed concern over his ability to remain focused. The Tigers have assigned him to AA Hannon Greyhounds. -------- Here is the rest of the first round, selections 9-16: 9th Pick – Embro Suns: IF/OF Jesús Abreu (21/76) – contact (35/55), gap power (35/60) and eye (40/70). 18-years old; 5’-10”, 160 lbs.; normal hitter; flyball hitter; Bats LH/Throws RH. The Suns select Abreu from Mexico. Abreu will be an above-average contact hitter with a great eye. With a little more patience, he can improve his home-run power stroke (25/45). While he will not be a liability on the basepaths (60-55-65), he will not necessarily shine defensively. While he can play 1B, CF and RF (25), his best defensive position is LF (30). He is off to the AA Lythmore Atoms. -------- 10th Pick – Brunswick Legends: OF Cameron Osmotherley (23/69) – contact (45/55), gap power (50/60) and eye (35/45). 23-years old; 5’-10”, 175 lbs.; pull hitter; flyball hitter; Bats RH/Throws RH. The second Wolseleyan selected in the first round, Osmotherly projects to be a decent contact hitter with some power. However, he will struggle to draw walks. His biggest strengths though, are his incredible base-stealing abilities (75-65-75), his defense and range at all three positions in the outfield (70-70-60) as well as his abilities to lay down a sacrifice bunt (80) and bunt for a hit (70). Brunswick has assigned him to the AA Jarvis Smokers. -------- 11th Pick – Kingston Pelicans: OF George Nipper (22/77) – contact (45/65), gap power (45/60) and eye (35/60). 19-years old; 5’-11”, 170 lbs.; normal hitter; flyball hitter; Bats Switch/Throws RH. The Pelicans select Nipper from Embro. Nipper’s biggest strength is offense. He projects to be a consistent contact hitter with a sweet, fluid swing and a knack for identifying off-speed pitches. With some practice, he could become a respectable home run threat (20/40). While he has some speed (65), baserunning and stealing are not a strength. He will also not be known for his defense, as he is decidedly average at all three outfield positions (35-30-30). He will get his start with the AA Elgin Angels. -------- 12th Pick – Balmoral Giants: IF/OF Roy Belknap (22/68) – contact (40/60), gap power (50/65) and eye (35/45). 22-years old; 5’-11”, 180 lbs.; spray, flyball hitter; Bats RH/Throws RH. The speedy Belknap is an aggressive player with good contact and gap power. While he does not have a good eye, he will be terrific at avoiding strikes (50/80). He will also be a terror on the basepaths (70-80-75). While his defense is OK at SS (35), he will be more in his element in the outfield (60-50-50). He makes his way to the AA Georgetown Goldbugs. -------- 13th Pick – Wolseley Unions: IF/OF Owen Claridge (24/70) – contact (50/60), gap power (45/55) and eye (35/45). 23-years old; 5’-8”, 170 lbs.; pull, flyball hitter; Bats LH/Throws RH. The third player selected in the first round from Wolseley, Claridge projects be a .330 hit who will be great at avoiding strikes (65/80), but with an average eye and little power (25/35). He will be one of the fastest players in the leagues (80) and thus very good at stealing and baserunning (55-65). Claridge will be very versatile in the field and solid defensively. He can play 3B (45) and SS (55), as well as anywhere in the outfield (80-75-65). The hometown boy will start out with the AA Waterloo Whips. -------- 14th Pick – Fort Richmond Generals: RHP Glen Limon (22/75) – stuff (35/45), movement (50/65) and control (35/55); stamina (80). 18-years old; 5’-10”, 160 lbs.; gb/fb neutral; 87-89 Mph velocity; Bats RH Limon is a pitcher hailing from Braeland City who is also one pitch away from being a starter. He has great stamina (80) and great at holding runners (75). He has two good pitches: his fastball (40/50) and curveball (40/55), but has a weak changeup (20/20). While he has merely passable stuff, his movement and command are very good. The Generals have assigned him to their AA farm team, the Marburg Mustangs. -------- 15th Pick – Braeland City Monarchs: IF/OF Aidan Trembath (22/80) – contact (45/65), gap power (40/60) and eye (30/55). 18-years old; 5’-11”, 175 lbs.; normal, flyball hitter; Bats Switch H/Throws LH. Trembath will be most effective for Braeland City at the plate, as the Hespeler native has well-above average contact with some power and a great eye. On the flip side, he is a slow runner and barely average defensively. Right field is his best position (30). He is off to the AA Kingsville Royals. -------- 16th Pick – Stratford Barons: LHP Robin Wadsworth (20/77) – stuff (35/45), movement (50/65) and control (30/55); stamina (50). 20-years old; 5’-11”, 175 lbs.; gb/fb neutral; 87-89 Mph velocity; Bats LH. The last selection in the first round – and fourth player from Wolseley, Wadsworth is a borderline starter that can take the next step if he develops his changeup (30/55). Otherwise he has passable stuff with good movement and decent control, to go along with a fastball (40/50) and slider (40/50). He will work on his development with the AA Brockville Bears. -------- Here are the standings at the end of games played on December 31:  
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02-15-2018, 12:47 PM
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#418 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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January 11, 1949
Single-Minded: Western All-Stars Triumph in Low-Scoring Affair   -------- Brunswick, Perth (BP) – With the United Leagues memorializing the late, great Babe Ruth all season long, it was only appropriate that this year’s 12th Annual All-Star Game was held at Babe Ruth Park in Brunswick. Alas, there were no home runs or towering shots that would have made the Bambino proud this year. Unlike the free-wheeling shoot-out from last season, this year’s All-Star game was a low-scoring affair that saw the Western League All-Stars hang on to defeat their Eastern League counterparts 2-1. It’s the fourth consecutive All-Star game decided by a single run. It’s also the Western League’s second consecutive win in the All-Star game and fourth victory in six years. The East and West are now tied with six wins apiece in the annual matchup. With offense at a premium, it was not surprising that the pitchers shone just as brightly as the batters. Nevertheless, Pulberry Trolley’s 27-year old SS Roland Binns earned Player of the Game honours with two lead-off singles and a couple of runs that represented two of the three runs scored in the entire game. Below is a summary of the notable plays: Top of the 1st: Facing Brunswick Legends’ LHP Anastasio Rodríguez, Roland Binns leads off with a first-pitch single. Next up is Fort Richmond’s CF Dylan Moyne, who smacks a line drive double into left-centerfield on a 2-1 pitch. Binns scores easily on the play without a throw made. Western League 1 – Eastern League 0 Top of the 3rd: With Cobourg Red Stockings’ 39-year old RHP Lenny Freke taking the hill to start the 3rd inning, Roland Binns leads off with another first-pitch single. After advancing to 2B on a Dylan Moyne groundout (U3), Binns comes home to score with two out when Balmoral Giants’ Carlton Broadbent reaches base safely on an error (E9-flyball). Western League 2 – Eastern League 0 Bottom of the 5th: Cobourg’s 2B George Simpson breaks up the Western League’s no-hitter with a two-out single, but the East are unable to capitalize. Western League 2 – Eastern League 0 Bottom of the 7th: The Easterners have their best chance at breaking things open in their favour in the 7th. Stratford Barons’ C Aaron Skidmore draws a full-count walk off of Fort Richmond’s RHP Ch’ang-chieh Li to start the inning. After Skidmore is replaced with PR Scott Weller, PH José Maldonado smashes a full-count double into rightfield, putting runners on second and third. Stratford’s Roberto Ríos then comes through with a single, scoring Weller and getting the East on the board. PH Jorge Arredondo then flies out to leftfield, but Maldonado is cut down by LF Belarmino Barbedo’s throw to home plate after tagging up at 3B. After a pitching change, Downie Chiefs’ Dominic Dudding grounds out to 3B to snuff out the rally. The Easterners go down 1-2-3 in the bottom the 9th, giving the West the victory. FINAL: Western League 2 – Eastern League 1 -------- Here are the complete All-Star rosters:  
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 02-19-2018 at 12:11 AM. |
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02-21-2018, 08:32 PM
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#419 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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February 1, 1949
Eastern League: Hail to the Chiefs?    --------  Offense: .298/.364/.451 (1st/2nd/1st) Pitching: 3.50/3.49/3.51 (1st/1st/2nd) Defense: .714 (2nd) Chemistry: Ecstatic The Braeland City Monarchs finally cooled off in January, as injuries took their toll on the red-hot club. Run production has gone from 6.5 R/G to 5.9 R/G, but the Monarchs are still the top offensive team in the United Leagues (Embro is second with 5.3). One of those injuries was to 23-year old CF Patrick Lidgate (.310/.406/.510, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 38 BB, 4 SB), who broke his finger in a game back on December 13. He was on pace for a Rookie of the Year performance before the injury. He should be back in the lineup sometime in February. 26-year old C Christopher Dainty (.334/.434/.545, 13 HR, 66 RBI, 57 BB) has been just outstanding in his second full season in the ULB. Last year, he was worth 1.9 WAR. This season, he has so far racked up 4.9 WAR and is rated 7th overall among position players. He was drafted in the second round back in 1941-42 by the Kingston Pelicans and then traded to the Queensland Eagles in April 1942. In December 1946, he was released outright by the Eagles and signed by the Monarchs a month later. Since then, he has won the 1947-48 Rookie of the Year Award and picked up his first All-Star selection this season. Somebody in Queensland dropped the ball on this one, that’s for sure. Eight players represented the Monarchs at the All-Star game: SP David Cooling (9th), SP Nicholas Grimes (1st), RP Samuel Hollier (3rd), C Christopher Dainty (1st), 1B Dean Witherden (1st), 3B Adam Ashley (10th), SS Luwen Rodenburg (1st) and RF Jesús Ortega (1st). Player of the Week Awards: December 27 - SS Luwen Rodenburg (.458, 11 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI) January 10 – 2B Dennis Borton (.444, 12 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI) January 17 - SS Luwen Rodenburg (.571, 8 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI) Noteworthy: December 6 – Braeland City’s No. 2 hitter Christopher Dainty had a 20-game hitting streak come to an end at the hands of the Downie Chiefs. The catcher went 0-3 in the club’s 6-3 loss at Kings Park. December 11 – 28-year old LHP Nicholas Grimes (17-6, 2.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) made quick work of the Wellington Athletics, throwing a 1-HITTER in an 8-0 victory. Grimes racked up 8 strikeouts and surrendered only 1 walk in the victory. January 20 – 30-year old SS Dennis Borton (.350/.391/.462, 4 HR, 54 RBI, 21 BB) knows how to hit. A .292 lifetime hitter, Borton went on a 20-game hitting streak until the Stratford Barons put the brakes on it, holding him hitless on 3 at-bats. The Monarchs still prevailed though, 3-2. Current Injuries: CF Patrick Lidgate – December 13 – broken finger. Out for: 11 days. CF Curt Tiffany – January 5 – ruptured tendon (finger). Out for: 2 months. RHP Freddie Trerise – January 8 – elbow tendinitis. Out for: 7-8 weeks. --------  Offense: .263/.371/.382 (5th/1st/6th) Pitching: 3.71/3.57/4.61 (2nd/2nd/5th) Defense: .709 (3rd) Chemistry: Happy The Stratford Barons still hold onto the wild card spot in the East, but lackluster 13-13 records in November and January have prevented them from gaining any ground on the first place Monarchs or created any significant separation between them and the Downie Chiefs. But their offense has remained consistently good thus far (5.2 R/G) while the pitching has improved a little (from 4.5 R/G to 4.3 R/G). They haven’t exactly been road warriors though, going only 32-34 thus far. However, the majority of their remaining games are at home, where the Barons have been much more successful (27-12). Stratford should be in a very good position to hold down the wild card spot from here on out. 29-year C Aaron Skidmore (.315/.488/.546, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 108 BB) has been one of the best players in the United Leagues year-in and year-out for the past 7 seasons, and this year is no different. He is on pace for his best season yet, even if his defense is off from his usual standard (.968 PCT this season vs. .983 PCT lifetime). On the pitching side of things, 38-year old LHP Joel Fearn (14-6, 2.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) is having his best season in three years, leading the East in ERA, WHIP, Opponents OBP (.274) and Opponents SLG (.336). He leads the entire United Leagues in WHIP. Three Barons qualified for the all-star team: SP Joel Fearn (7th), C Aaron Skidmore (8th) and CF Roberto Ríos (3rd). Player of the Week Awards: December 20 – SS Jake Walker (.591, 13 H, 6 RBI, 6 R) January 24 – RF Lyndon Inagaki (.500, 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI) Noteworthy: December 10 – It took 16 innings, but the Queensland Eagles finally prevailed over the Barons, 2-1. But nobody can fault 27-year old RF Lyndon Inagaki (.294/.370/.500, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 27 BB), as he went 5 for 7 on the day. Inagaki singled in the 3rd, flied out in the 5th, doubled in the 7th, singled in the 9th and 11th, grounded out in the 13th and doubled in the 15th. Current Injuries: LHP Max MacColl – October 29 – radial nerve decompression surgery. Out for: 2 months. CF Won-ho Kim – January 4 – shoulder tendinitis. Out for: 6 days. --------  Offense: .269/.348/.403 (3rd/5th/2nd) Pitching: 3.94/3.90/4.14 (3rd/3rd/4th) Defense: .717 (1st) Chemistry: Unhappy On December 1, the Downie Chiefs were 8 games below .500 and 6 games out of the playoffs. It was shaping up to be yet another forgettable season. But just two months later, their outlook has completely changed. In December and January, Downie has gone 34-19, to move 7 games above .500 and just 3 games back of Stratford for the wild card. In fact, since November 1, they have won 47 games, the third most in the ULB, behind only Braeland City (53) and Fort Richmond (52). They are on pace for 82 victories, the third most in team history and would represent just the third time the team finished above .500. While 26-year old RHP Kelii Pelanekelina (13-8, 3.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) is enjoying the best season of his 6-year career (he’s on pace for 19 wins), it’s the improved offense that has really carried the team up the standings, especially the Nos. 3 through 5 hitters. 23-year old CF Alfonzo León (.297/.353/.451, 11 HR, 65 RBI, 40 BB, 5 SB), 23-year old 3B Dominic Dudding (.336/.392/.531, 13 HR, 76 RBI, 37 BB, 5 SB) and 26-year old 2B Robin Duerden (.322/.397/.451, 5 HR, 52 RBI, 36 BB, 5 SB) are three of the top four players on the team – and are all playing like it. Now if only 27-year old RF Nathan Ashman (.269/.340/.368, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 21 BB, 6 SB) could stay healthy for any length of time, the Chiefs could really push the Barons for their first playoff spot. Ashman has missed most of the season with repeated foot/ankle injuries. Five Chiefs were selected as All-Stars: SP Kelii Pelanekelina (1st), 2B Robin Duerden (3rd), 3B Dominic Dudding (2nd), LF Howard Dumbrill (1st) and CF Alfonso León (2nd). Player of the Week Awards: December 6 – C Vinnie Edwards (.583, 7 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI) January 3 – 3B Dominic Dudding (.625, 5 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI) Current Injuries: RF Nathan Ashman – December 31 – fractured ankle. Out for: 8-9 weeks. LHP Jeff Routh – January 5 – hamstring strain. Out for: 2 days. RHP Bernie Knowles – January 9 – strained hamstring. Out for: 8 weeks. --------  Offense: .256/.337/.365 (7th/7th/7th) Pitching: 4.03/4.04/3.99 (4th/4th/3rd) Defense: .708 (4th) Chemistry: Happy The Queensland Eagles have lost ground in the chase for the wild card to Stratford and Downie, but do not appear to be giving up. A dreadful December sunk them to below .500, but a bounce-back in January has restored some hope. A resurgent pitching staff is largely responsible for the optimism, as 29-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (12-9, 3.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) has recovered from a disastrous December (2-4, 6.47 ERA), while 27-year old RHP Okura Suzuki (10-8, 3.35 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) has been their most consistent pitcher this year. Recent 4th overall draft pick, 23-year old RHP Logan Belsey (4-5, 4.50 ERA, 1.74), skipped the minors completely and is getting acclimated to the majors as Queensland’s No. 4 starter. But the offense is going to have to pick things up if they want to seriously contend. The team is averaging only 4.3 R/G, second worst in the East (behind Wellington). Four Eagles qualified for the All-Star game: SP Pi-ao Quian (3rd), SP Aaron Saunderson (5th), SP Okura Suzuki (1st) and RP Leif Bryant (1st). Key Trade: January 31 with the Embro Suns: To Queensland – 39-year old RHP Colm Soper (78/78) To Embro – 23-year old OF Steven Hollett (23/41) Knee-jerk reaction: It was relatively quiet leading up the trade deadline, as just three deals were made. This one saw a future hall of famer traded for a minor leaguer. Colm Soper (1-3, 10 SV, 2.83 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) is an 11-time all-star who won the 1937-38 Satchel Paige Award for best pitcher and then converted to the stopper role very successfully six seasons ago. He is currently tied for second place for career saves with 101. He has decent stuff (50/50) to go along with outstanding movement (75/75) and control (60/60). He becomes Queensland’s new stopper and strengthens their already decent bullpen. It is obvious from this move that the Eagles feel that they are still within reach of the wild card. What is not apparent is what Embro was trying to achieve with this move, as the return for Soper seems a little underwhelming. But its true Soper is near the end of his career and his departure opens a spot for future SP Juan Rivas (48/74), their 23-year old prospect, in the bullpen. The Canadian Hollett has some offensive abilities (potential .290 hitter), but he will be little more than a roster filler.   Current Injuries: None --------  Offense: .264/.352/.391 (4th/4th/4th) Pitching: 4.70/4.52/5.54 (7th/6th/8th) Defense: .683 (7th) Chemistry: Feuding Times are bleak for the Brunswick Legends, as the club is on course for their worst season ever, and would be just the second time in their history they finish below .500 (they went 72-82 in 1937-38). While 32-year old LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (14-9, 2.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) is the only pitcher having a good year, it appears both he and 32-year old RHP Ron Cowen (6-13, 4.85 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) are the prime sources of discontent on the team. Rodríguez is described as ‘disruptive’ and Cowen as ‘selfish’. Just as concerning for the Legends is the downturn in the offense. After winning Player of the Month honours in October, the usually steady 1B Stuart Bentham (.261/.374/.424, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 70 BB) has struggled; the 32-year old has batted only .227/.348/.333 since. Only 27-year old SS Jorge Arrendondo (.331/.401/.521, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 50 BB, 8 SB) can be said to be having a terrific season. 3 Legends were selected to the All-Star game: SP Anastasio Rodríguez (9th), 1B Stuart Bentham (8th) and SS Jorge Arredondo (2nd). Current Injuries: CF Lance Oakley – October 9 – torn anterior cruciate ligament. Out for: 2-3 months. RF Robin Gare – November 9 – fractured fibula. Out for: 4-5 weeks. LF Gary Therien – December 29 – torn labrum (shoulder). Out for: 5 months. RHP Mhelter Pilapil – January 30 – sore shoulder. Out for: DtD, 4 days. --------  Offense: .259/.355/.391 (6th/3rd/5th) Pitching: 5.11/5.18/4.83 (8th/8th/6th) Defense: .672 (8th) Chemistry: Happy The Embro Suns may have had five players named to the All-Star game, but that hardly hides the fact that the Suns are headed for their worst finish in the United Leagues. They are projected to win only 66 games, the first time below 70. Ironically, the Suns’ best player was 34-year old 1B Jim Friend (.286/.401/.458, 12 HR, 67 RBI, 72 BB), the 8-time all-star who didn’t qualify for the mid-season classic this year. Friend slumped in November and December, but came alive in January. Thus far, Friend has earned 3.1 WAR; his next nearest teammate is 29-year old C Scott Weller (.239/.340/.398, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 49 BB) with 1.9. Five Suns were selected as All-Stars: RP Colm Soper (11th), C Scott Weller (3rd), LF Rizalino Ringor (2nd), CF Terence Durney (11th) and José Maldonado (1st). Player of the Week Awards: January 31 – 1B Jim Friend (.538, 7 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R) Current Injuries: LHP Carl McBroom – December 7 – bone chips (elbow). Out for: 7 weeks. LHP Brenden Margerson – December 23 – sore elbow. Out for: 3 days. LF Steven Winstanley – January 4 – sprained ankle. Out for: 2-3 weeks. --------  Offense: .255/.321/.357 (8th/8th/8th) Pitching: 4.69/5.02/3.48 (6th/7th/1st) Defense: .707 (5th) Chemistry: Content The Wellington Athletics have played a little better lately and have escaped the basement for now, but the club is in full-blown rebuild mode. Thus, the Athletics’ focus is on developing their prospects, and in that department they are having their ups and downs. 24-year old CF Edgardo Barrón (.227/.294/.313, 17-2B, 26 RBI, 41 BB, 9 SB), a second-round pick from 1943-44, is having a hugely disappointing year at the plate, after enjoying two impressive seasons. On the positive side of things, 25-year old SS Zhao-hui Qian (.277/.335/.397, 4 HR, 45 RBI, 36 BB, 16 SB) is progressing quite nicely in the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Qian was a 2nd overall pick from 1945-46. Finally, 1st overall pick from this year’s draft, 21-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.358/.438/.709, 12 HR, 27 RBI, 18 BB, 10 SB) is tearing up AA. Scouts are saying that he is potentially ready for the major league level. Two players represented the Athletics at All-Star game: RHP Finley Capstick (1st) and 2B Ryley McLarnon (6th). Current Injuries: RHP Darren Whiteley – January 7 – shoulder inflammation. Out for: 3 months. RHP Bert Morrow – January 22 – herniated disc. Out for: 2 days. --------  Offense: .279/.338/.401 (2nd/6th/3rd) Pitching: 4.50/4.38/5.04 (5th/5th/7th) Defense: .697 (6th) Chemistry: Unhappy The Cobourg Red Stockings have plummeted to the bottom of the standings as their rag-tag pitching staff has simply been unable to hold things together. They have the horses on offense to compete with even more promising position players on the way. But until they get serious about drafting and/or acquiring quality pitching, this team is going nowhere. 39-year old RHP Lenny Freke (10-9, 3.46 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) is doing all he can, and is a genuine ace, but at his age time is running out. The pitching behind him in the rotation is pitiful. The good news is that this year’s 6th overall pick, 20-year old LHP Bill Budd (4-2, 3.36 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) is prospering in AAA. He won a Player of the Week Award in early January. Three of the newer players in the lineup are developing just fine. 23-year old 1B Harry Doxey (.319/.365/.469, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 29 BB), a 6th overall pick from 1946-47 is already rated the 5th best 1B in the ULB in just his first full season. Meanwhile, Cobourg’s top two prospects are currently platooning at leftfield and taking turns leading off. 23-year old OF Randy Spivey (.272/.346/.386, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 24 BB, 10 SB) is leading off against RHP, while 23-year old OF Bill Sharkey (.254/.286/.373, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SB) is leading off against LHP, when he’s not being demoted/recalled every 4th day. Spivey was a second-round pick in 1946-47, while Sharkey was a 12th overall pick in 1947-48. Five Red Stockings qualified for the All-Star game: SP Lenny Freke (6th), 1B Harry Doxey (1st), 2B George Simpson (2nd), SS John Medley (4th) and CF Raymond Williams (2nd). Player of the Week Awards: December 13 – 1B Harry Doxey (.542, 13 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI) Current Injuries: RHP Tom Mayor – October 26 – torn labrum. Out for: 2-3 months. --------  
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United Leagues of Braeland |
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02-27-2018, 08:42 PM
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#420 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,860
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February 1, 1949
Western League: Generals, Unions Riding High    --------  Offense: .285/.357/.428 (1st/1st/1st) Pitching: 3.07/2.89/4.69 (1st/1st/7th) Defense: .733 (Tied for 1st) Chemistry: Ecstatic The Fort Richmond Generals made no moves prior to the trade deadline, but apart from a shaky bullpen, this team is well poised to defend their United Cup championship as they stand right now. Boasting the top offense (5.2 R/G) and pitching/defense (3.8 R/G) in the West, the rest of the League will be hard pressed just to keep up. Their top four starters are scary good, but No. 2 starter, 26-year old RHP Ch’ang-chieh Li (14-5, 2.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 162 ERA+) has simply been superb since his first start of the season and richly deserved Pitcher of the Month honors in December. The same can be said for the lineup. 26-year old CF Dylan Moyne (.351/.414/.575, 17 HR, 85 RBI, 44 BB, 16 SB, 6.5 WAR) is now considered the No. 1 player in the United Leagues and it’s not surprising – he has been getting stronger as the season progressed, if that’s possible. And as noted in the Batting Leaders player board at the end of this post, he leads or is tied for the lead in 5 categories. Could a ‘Quintuple’ Crown be in the making? The Generals have also found a gem in 26-year old 3B Belarmino Barbedo (.308/.415/.506, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 46 BB, 7 SB, 2.2 WAR). Barbedo was a 3rd round draft pick by the Brunswick Legends back in 1944-45, but was released outright a year later. Fort Richmond signed him to a minor league contract the same day. He went on to earn a minor league All-Star selection and won the Heritage Leagues’ Governors Cup with the AA Marburg Mustangs that same season. Since then he has been playing in the major leagues in a utility role, but took over 3B duties this season against RHP. He earned his first all-star selection this year in the ULB. In Brunswick’s defense, Barbedo’s ratings in August 1945 dipped to 22/24; since then, it has risen to an incredible 68/77. Nine Generals were selected to this year’s All-Star game: SP Mo Goldstraw (1st), SP Ch’ang chieh Li (1st), SP Nicky Sherlock (3rd), RP José Rodriguez (1st), C Louis Wearne (2nd), SS Belarmino Barbedo (1st), LF Jake Stunt (1st), CF Dylan Moyne (3rd) and RF Brandon Robinson (1st). Player of the Week Awards: December 6 – CF Dylan Moyne (.632, 12 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R) December 13 – C Louis Wearne (.467, 7 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI) December 27 – RHP Ch’ang-chieh Li (2-0, 18.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 18 K) January 10 – C Louis Wearne (.500, 12 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R) Noteworthy: December 13 – Just two days after Braeland City’s Nicholas Grimes pitched a 1-hitter, 29-year old LHP Joy-Shan Liu (12-4, 3.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) did the same, throwing a 1-HITTER against Sherburn, blanking the Tigers 2-0 on the road at The Paramount. Liu struck out 3 and walked 2 on 90 pitches with 61 thrown for strikes. Liu had a no-hitter going until the bottom of the 7th, when Baden Morrall led off with a single. Current Injuries: RHP Shinzo Okamoto – November 11 – fractured ulna (arm). Out for: 2-3 months. RHP John Bullivant – November 13 – torn meniscus (knee). Out for: 3-4 weeks. --------  Offense: .268/.350/.394 (2nd/2nd/3rd) Pitching: 3.61/3.41/4.76 (2nd/2nd/8th) Defense: .704 (7th) Chemistry: Unhappy Fort Richmond may be the class of the West, but the Wolseley Unions finally served notice that they are prepared to challenge them to a rematch of last season’s Western League Pennant. The Unions came alive in January, helping to create a bit of separation between them and the rest of the League. The Unions and Generals split their first six games of the season but in January, Wolseley took 4 of the next 6. Three of those victories were by scores of 16-0 (2-hitter pitched by Jeremy Albury), 1-0 (14 inning affair with Bill Blair going 10.2 IP) and 15-6. Those last six games were all played in Fort Richmond as well. Getting 25-year old RHP Jeremy Albury (8-3, 3.01 EA, 1.24 WHIP, 139 ERA+) back from injury has certainly helped, but the rotation has been very solid and second only to the first-place Generals. Also helping is the resurgence of 27-year old LF Carlton Hawking (.346/.469/.570, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 78 BB, 3 SB, 4.7 WAR), who came alive in late November and now leads the Western League in OBP, OPS (1.039) and RC/27 Outs (10.44). The only concern right now is their bullpen. Despite the overhaul made in the off-season, their bullpen still ranks last in the West. However, stopper John Palm (2-2, 12 SV, 4.03 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) and set-up man Brent Nix (4-4, 1 SV, 5.35 ERA, 1.84 WHIP) have been playing better as of late. Five players from Wolseley were selected to the All-Star game: SP Hun Park (2nd), SP Kai Tosh (3rd), C Éric Denis (2nd), 3B Wen-huan Liu (4th) and LF Carlton Hawking (4th). Noteworthy: January 30 – 24-year old C Éric Denis (.330/.368/.476, 9 HR, 71 RBI, 21 BB, 3.5 WAR) went 5-5 against the Kingston Pelicans, lifting the Unions to a 7-5 victory. After starting things off with a solo home run in the 2nd, Denis singled in the 3rd & 5th innings, hit an RBI double in the 7th and singled in the 9th. Key Trade: December 11 – The Unions and Kingston Pelicans swapped a couple of players: To Wolseley: 29-year old IF Wen-huan Liu (69/76) To Kingston: 27-year old CF Glen Traill (38/41) Knee-jerk reaction: Two clubs look to shore up some weaknesses by exchanging players. For Kingston, centerfield has been a sore point thus far, with 24-year old OF Mo Spencely (.216/.300/.331, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 19 BB, 4 SB, -0.8 WAR) struggling in his first full season, after being selected 13th overall in 1945-46. He finds himself back in AAA, while Glen Traill (.248/.363/.355, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 58 BB, 6 SB, 0.8 WAR), a former 8th overall pick in 1942-43, gets a fresh start with Kingston. Traill has not really justified his high pick as yet. Taking Liu’s place at 1B will be 34-year old Dean Bishop (.236/.349/.465, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 46 BB, 1.7 WAR), who gets his old job back full-time. For Wolseley, Liu (.279/.383/.425, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 49 BB, 2.5 WAR) takes over 3B from 27-year old Burt Willey (.219/.317/.331, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 34 BB, 2 SB, 0.0 WAR) whose play has been uninspiring. He is now relegated to being a backup infielder, while the Unions promoted this season’s 13th overall draft pick, 23-year old OF Owen Claridge (52/66) to take over CF. Claridge has been impressive in both his AA and AAA stints. Overall, I like the moves that Wolseley made in acquiring Liu and promoting Claridge in their quest for their third consecutive playoff appearance.   Current Injuries: RF Ramón Tavira – November 20 – fractured hip. Out for: 3-4 months. --------  Offense: .256/.343/.393 (5th/4th/4th) Pitching: 4.22/4.19/4.34 (5th/4th/4th) Defense: .704 (6th) Chemistry: Happy The Cambria Cannons recovered somewhat from a disastrous November to sit one game above .500 but this a team that simply does not have the horses to compete with the like of the Generals and Unions. While the pitching has improved a little over the course of the season (4.8 from 5.0 R/G), the offense has slowed down (4.7 from 5.0 R/G). One area that the Cannons need to address is a better distribution of talent. 25-year old OF Edmond Boswell (.266/.340/.464, 11 HR, 31 RBI, 28 BB, 0.3 WAR), Cambria’s promising rookie who is already considered their second-best player, has been relegated to back-up duty to 25-year old LF Ichizo Ando (.269/.340/.507, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 15 BB, 0.9 WAR). Both deserve regular starts, but the outfield is pretty well set, leaving Boswell on the outside looking in. Cambria needs to decide who they will keep and who they will flip so they can upgrade areas where they are truly lacking in talent. Five Cannons headed off to the All-Star game: RP Rizal Doctolero (1st), 1B Juan Sánchez (2nd), 3B Shelby Cain (3rd), SS Wenseslas Jasmin (6th) and RF Nicky Willis (7th). Player of the Week Awards: December 20 – RF Hao Wang (.688, 11 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI) Key Injuries: RHP Wing-kit Liu – January 16 – ruptured bicep tendon. Out for: 5-6 months. --------  Offense: .256/.345/.394 (6th/3rd/2nd) Pitching: 4.10/4.24/3.48 (3rd/5th/2nd) Defense: .717 (2nd) Chemistry: Happy The Kingston Pelicans put up a spirited effort in December, getting to within a game of the wild card, but have fallen back to reality in January. Coupled with Wolseley’s resurgence, it would appear the Pelicans are destined to miss the playoffs for the second straight year and may even suffer their first losing record. They still have some talent on the roster, but this is not the fearsome, dominant team it once was. 30-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.316/.433/.488, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 68 BB, 3 SB, 3.8 WAR) remains an elite player but is having his first down year (for him) in five seasons. With the exception of Trowbridge and 27-year old RF Luca Bewick (.269/.358/.413, 10 HR, 59 RBI, 53 BB, 7 SB, 2.5 WAR), the lineup is rather underwhelming. The pitching has improved over the past two months and 24-year old LHP Dana Listman (8-8, 4.09 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 102 ERA+) has rebounded from a forgetful start (2-6, 6.49 ERA in Oct/Nov), winning Pitcher of the Month honors in January. But overall, the pitching staff has become rather pedestrian, making it hard to keep up with the new heavyweights in the West. Five players represented the Pelicans at the All-Star game: RP Luis Velásquez (6th), C Danny Trowbridge (8th), 1B Dean Bishop (5th), SS Mo Derrick (1st) and RF Luca Bewick (1st). Current Injuries: RHP Ben Currall – December 20 – shoulder inflammation. Out for: 4 months. --------  Offense: .258/.330/.375 (4th/6th/6th) Pitching: 4.24/4.41/3.47 (6th/7th/1st) Defense: .713 (3rd) Chemistry: Content Like Cambria and Kingston, the Balmoral Giants are not a terrible team, but simply do not have the horses to keep up with Fort Richmond and Wolseley. So for the Giants, the focus is more on bringing their younger players along. The team acquired two free agents in the off-season with hopes that they could soon become impact players. No. 1 pitcher 29-year old LHP Ricardo Cruz (7-13, 4.01 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 103 ERA+), started off strong in October (3-1, 1.73 ERA), but has struggled a bit in December and January (2-8, 5.57 ERA). Meanwhile, 27-year old 1B Javier Romero (.263/.329/.418, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 28 BB, 0.6 WAR) has also been hot and cold since he won Rookie of the Month honors in October. But he has shown enough promise that Balmoral would be wise to be patient. There have also been pleasant surprises as well. 28-year old LHP Sam Chapman (6-4, 2.67 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 154 ERA+) kicked around the minors for 8 seasons after being drafted by the Embro Suns in the 4th round back in 1939-40. In April1946, he singed a minor league contract with the Giants and was finally brought up to the majors last season. This year he has been thriving in the No. 4 spot of the rotation. Finally, although he is currently Balmoral’s No. 2 starter, 24-year old RHP Quintilliano Galeo (11-7, 3.01 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 137 ERA+) has been their best pitcher this season. The Giants sent three players to the All-Star game: SP Quintiliano Galeo (1st), 2B Sean Brearton (2nd) and RF Carlton Broadbent (8th). Noteworthy: January 8 – The Cambria Cannons had their hands full in trying to get Carlton Broadbent (.351/.417/.574, 14 HR, 60 RBI, 44 BB, 3.8 WAR) to go down quietly. The 31-year old right fielder was perfect, going 5 for 5 in a 7-6 Balmoral triumph at Cambria’s Alexander Field. Broadbent singled in the 1st, doubled in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, doubled in the 7th and singled in the 8th. Current Injuries: RHP Paddy Vanderven – November 3 – surgery to remove bone chips (elbow). Out for: 3 months. --------  Offense: .262/.339/.376 (3rd/5th/5th) Pitching: 4.10/3.96/4.67 (4th/3rd/6th) Defense: .702 (8th) Chemistry: Unhappy Like Balmoral, the Sherburn Tigers are not awful and have been pretty consistent in the play this season. However, that has not prevented them falling to 6th place in the West, after being in 2nd place on December 1. Injuries have not helped, but the Tigers are struggling to find their roar despite some top-flight talent on their roster. The big story, of course, has been 22-year old rookie 2B Jack Burt (.324/.376/.446, 33-2B, 37 RBI, 29 BB, 4 SB, 2.4 WAR) who appears to have the Western League Rookie of the Year Award all but locked up. He holds the distinction of being Sherburn’s top player and top prospect simultaneously. 28-year old SS Otton Overbeek (.276/.350/.430, 8 HR, 54 RBI, 41 BB, 2 SB, 3.4 WAR) is enjoying another fine season, but this year, it appears he is getting a little better support in the lineup. One player who is not happy, however, is 30-year old C Neil Voigt (.230/.292/.337, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 21 BB, 0.4 WAR), who lost his starting position to 24-year old Quim Cypriano (.261/.320/.418, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 18 BB, 1.1 WAR), who was a 2nd-round pick in 1945-46 and is in his second full season in the ULB. Voigt is angry and apparently disruptive since his demotion, causing some discord in the clubhouse. The All-Star game saw three Tigers selected: SP Jesús Chapa (5th), SP Roberto Taváves (6th) and SS Otton Overbeek (6th). Player of the Week Awards: January 24 – 2B Jack Burt (.452, 14 H, 4 RBI) January 31 – 2B Jack Burt (.500, 13 H, 4 RBI) Key Trade: January 3 – The Tigers and Queensland Eagles made a two-player deal: To Sherburn: 30-year old 1B Héctor Gutiérrez (72/72) To Queensland: 25-year old RHP Bartolo Sánchez (56/71) Knee-jerk reaction: The first of two moves that Queensland looks made to try and beef up its pitching staff. Before acquiring RHP Colm Soper (see Eastern League report earlier), the Eagles add Sánchez (5-1, 3.93 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) to their rotation at the No. 5 spot, replacing 31-year old RHP Francisco López (3-7, 1 SV, 4.19 ERA, 1.76 WHIP), who moves to the bullpen. Taking over 1B full-time from Gutiérrez will be 27-year old Javier Chávez (.308/.357/.497, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, 0.8 WAR), a third-round pick from 1943-44. For Sherburn, Gutiérrez (.297/.451/.464, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 76 BB, 2.8 WAR) represents a major upgrade at 1B and will bat in the No. 4 spot, behind rookie phenom, Jack Burt. To fill the opening in their rotation, the Tigers promoted 22-year old LHP Lucas Nott (1-0, 4.19 ERA, 1.50 WHIP), a second-round pick from 1947-48. Unfortunately, Nott dislocated his shoulder a few weeks later and will miss most of the season. 27-year old LHP Patrick Moggs (0-2, 6.62 ERA, 1.92 WHIP) was promoted from AAA to take his place.   Current Injuries: CF Noah Teale – October 26 – broken hand. Out for: 2 days. RHP Hyuk Kim – November 5 – ruptured tendon (finger). Out for: 4 weeks. LHP Phil Wiebe – November 29 – torn elbow ligament. Out for: 4 months. LHP Lucas Nott – January 20 – dislocated shoulder. Out for: 7 weeks. --------  Offense: .250/.323/.373 (7th/7th/7th) Pitching: 4.63/4.65/4.58 (8th/8th/5th) Defense: .706 (5th) Chemistry: Unhappy There is no use sugar-coating it – the Pulberry Trolleys are a terrible team. Their top-rated player and lead-off hitter, 26-year old LF Joey Maddaford (.174/.293/.258, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 35 BB, 7 SB, 0.4) is playing more like their worst-rated player, which is not exactly a recent development. Their next best-rated player is 31-year old 3B Colin Strudwick (.266/.305/.339, 16-2B, 27 RBI, 22 BB, 4 SB, 0.6 WAR) has not been much better and hasn’t been a consequential player in years. The Trolleys have only one player of any real consequence: 27-year old SS Roland Binns (.326/.381/.560, 12 HR, 64 RBI, 30 BB, 5 SB, 5.1 WAR). Binns has been incredibly consistent at playing at a high level throughout his 6-year career and this season is shaping up to be his best yet, despite the lacklustre support around him. What’s puzzling is that he is currently rated as the No. 6 position player in the entire United Leagues (and No. 2 shortstop overall), and yet his own team doesn’t even rate him in their own top 3! Whose scouting this team – and why? On the pitching side of things, No. 1 starter 32-year old RHP Patrick Tennant (10-8, 3.46 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 118 ERA+) is doing what he can and 30-year old stopper RHP Norberto Ortíz (2-1, 14 SV, 0.87 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 467 ERA+) has suddenly become one of the top relief pitchers in the United Leagues. Three Trolleys were selected to the All-Star game: RP Ah-cy Yao (1st), SS Roland Binns (5th) and RF Jarod Dwyer (3rd). Just over two weeks late, Yao was released outright by the Trolleys. Player of the Week Awards: January 17 – SS Roland Binns (.611, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R) Noteworthy: January 26 – SS Roland Binns displayed his power, speed and patience in a game against the Kingston Pelicans. He hit for the CYCLE, helping the Trolleys to a 12-7 victory. It was the 16th cycle hit in ULB history and the second one this season. Binns flied out in the 1st, hit a two-run triple in the 3rd, walked in the 5th, doubled in the 6th, hit a solo-shot off of SP Luis Veláquez in the 8th and singled in the 9th. In the end, Binns tallied 2 R and 3 RBI. Current Injuries: RHP Ben Banwell – November 17 – torn labrum (shoulder). Out for: 5 weeks. RHP Dorian Geissler – December 17 – surgery to remove bone spur (elbow). Out for: 3 months. --------  Offense: .246/.319/.357 (8th/8th/8th) Pitching: 4.31/4.37/4.00 (7th/6th/3rd) Defense: .708 (4th) Chemistry: Unhappy The Hespeler Stars collapsed in January and perhaps it should not be unexpected – like the Trolleys, the Stars are not very good and need to simply focus on re-building. One promising development was the promotion of 22-year old LHP Larry Kovnats (4-4, 3.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 118 ERA+) to their major league roster. Kovnats was drafted by Hespeler 3rd overall just a few weeks ago and has the potential already to be a front-line ace in the ULB. He currently is pitching in the No. 4 spot. The Stars also have their hopes high on 23-year old rookie 2B Vic Lewis (.302/.362/.523, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 2 SB, 0.7 WAR), who was installed as their starting 2B in January. He did not disappoint. He was a 2nd-round pick back in 1946-47. Two Stars qualified for the All-Star game: SS Thomas Murphy (1st) and LF Bart Warwick (2nd). Player of the Week Awards: January 3 – RF Wayne Savory (1.000, 4 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI in one game) Noteworthy: January 19 – 30-year old 1B Vic Weetman (.266/.307/.368, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 23 BB, 0.3 WAR) was in the zone against the Puberry Trolleys, going 5 for 5 on the day. Weetman singled in the 1st, singled in the 4th, singled in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Lenny Tennison in the 7th and singled in the 9th. Despite his efforts though, the Trolleys still triumphed 7-3. January 30 –2B Vic Lewis is making a good impression in his rookie season. He went on a 20-game hitting streak in January, until the Brunswick Legends held him hitless on the final day of the month. Hespeler prevailed however, 6-3. Lewis, a second-round pick from 1946-47, was rated the No. 13 prospect in the ULB at the start of the regular season. Current Injuries: LHP Hirotada Fukushima – December 14 – torn biceps. Out: 2-3 months. CF Jacob Pate – January 8 – sprained wrist. Out for: DtD; 1-2 weeks. --------  
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