Division 1
Brooklyn’s Carson Prince continued his rampage this week, smashing four homers and putting up a .517 OBP for his second straight Player of the Week award as the Dodgers won five of seven to move into first place in the D1 East. Keith Capwell, who came to Brooklyn in an offseason trade with Cleveland, has emerged as a steadying rotation arm behind ace Jason Blanche, while young CF Adam Slagle is developing into a star, hitting .311/.359/.557 with six homers so far. New York is a game back at 17-16, though their offensive numbers are slipping as Matt Wood, Mike Burcham, and Andrew Fitts have all struggled out of the gate. 3B Charlie Kelley has emerged as a run producer to complement Alex Parga and Roberto Estrada, but New York is also dealing with a rotation that has struggled behind co-aces Willie Rodriguez and Jon Sayre. Chicago and Toronto now sit two games back, while Tampa has gone into free fall, and is now a game back of Philadelphia in last place.
The West still belongs to Monterrey, which continues to be stingy with their pitching, though Carlos Mendez finally allowed a run - his first of the season - in a save against Toronto on Sunday. Chase Maze showed signs of life this week, which would be huge for the Industriales, and David McConnell has emerged as an exciting young player. At 20-13, Los Angeles is still very much a threat in the West, with Ryan Haymes batting a robust .404 with a .670 slugging early on. Jon Segura had a monster week with five homers as LA went 4-3. El Paso, at 18-15, is the only other West team with a winning record, but after a strong start Brian Castrovinci and Joe Rison have both been slumping. Getting David Matthews back after a couple weeks on the sidelines was big, however, and will help a rotation that hasn’t found its groove. Seattle continues to struggle to recapture its dynamic offense from 2038, though the rotation has been excellent. They’re tied with Denver at 15-18; while the Bears have been scoring a lot of runs, their pitching staff is in shambles. Tijuana once again takes up the rear, and may be looking at its first relegation.
Player of the Week: Carson Prince, 1B, BRO: .481/.517/.963, 4 HR, 6 RBI - second consecutive win
Top Hitters:
Jon Segura, RF, LAA: .409/.458/.1.182, 5 HR, 14 RBI
Jim Yoder, 1B, TOR: .346/.357/.885, 3 HR, 7 R, 7 RBI
Chase Maze, 2B, MRY: .316/.409/.737, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Pedro Luna, SP, PHA: 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.52 FIP, 10 K, 6 HA, 1 W
Jayden Jarrett, SP, TIJ: 9 IP, 1.00 ERA, 0.30 FIP, 14 K, 1 W
Doug Kluz, SP, LAA: 18 IP, 1.00 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 15 K, 2 W
League News- The Athletics suffered another setback this week, as it was announced that promising 1B J.P. Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his PCL in Monday’s game against while sliding into home to score the game’s first run.
- Industriales 2B David McConnell had a 5-5 day on Wednesday, 5/11, with a homer and a double in a 7-6 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto. McConnell, 22, is having a breakout season in the early months, hitting .320/.351/.484 for Monterrey.
- Tampa fans are reacting with confusion at the news of the team’s signing of RP Victor Martinez to a two year, $9.4 mil deal despite Martinez having missed the last two full seasons to injury. Martinez, who came up with Tampa before being released by the team on waivers and claimed by Houston, has had consecutive Tommy John surgeries after suffering an injury in Spring Training before the 2037 season.
Division 2
The Boston Bees were 3-4 and the Baltimore Terrapins were 4-3, with the end result of a two-way tie for first in the D2 East at 19-14 apiece. Baltimore’s early rotation struggles are perhaps starting to stabilize; after some adjustment Cory Spry has been strong recently, while Eric Cool has made a nice transition from the pen, and Randy Putnam has been outstanding despite a 4-4 record. Baltimore’s offense remains strong despite a deep slump for Omar Juarez, last season’s MVP. Boston is in nearly the same boat: a powerhouse offense that leads D2 in Batting WAR, but a weaker pitching staff. The bullpen has been great after recent adjustments, though, with closer Tim Potter one of the best in the game right now. Three teams sit at 16-17, three games back from the leaders. Ottawa has been surprisingly strong this season and has a +15 run differential with a top 3 offense led by DH Brian Pressley and 2B Omar Arredondo. Ottawa’s bullpen has also performed well early, but the rotation has been a disappointment and could use an upgrade. New Orleans has a top 5 offense but much of that can be attributed to Carlos Ybarra’s early season explosion; Kyle Hickenbottom has nearly matched his power with 12 homers of his own, but Robert Zermeno hasn’t heated up yet. New Orleans will also need some bullpen stability. Montreal is the third club three games back, and has struggled offensively; the pitching has been solid but the club could really use Bubba Fread, who is on a rehab assignment in the minors as he prepares to make his season debut. That leaves us with Detroit, at 15-18 but with a 4-3 week that suggests they may be turning things around a bit.
The Buffaloes stay on top in the west, and have now significantly increased that lead after a 6-1 week that included two wins apiece against Baltimore, Boston, and San Diego. While their pitching staff is aging and has significant holes, there’s no denying this squad can hit, with a dynamic young lineup centered on 1B Doug Frey, DH Bill Tucker, and C Justice Slaton. Houston is the only team in the west with a positive run differential; the next three teams, all tied at 16-17, have some work to do. San Diego has the best pitching in the Division with Brice Asmus pitching like an ace and Max Cartmill having the season of his life, plus good campaigns from young starters Alex Ojinaga and Aaron Meadows. But the hitting is another story, as San Diego has socred only 105 runs this season, the fewest of any D2 club. Sacramento is in a similar boat, as Yusuke Kondo and Josh Argo have led the way in the rotation with newly-acquired closer Xavier Mayes approaching lights-out status at the back end, but with little offensive contribution from their big bats so far. Vancouver is in this group too, but the Mounties just dropped four straight to Ft. Worth and Baltimore after pulling into second in the Conference at the start of the week; they’ve had some standout pitching performances, but the offense hasn’t arrived yet. That’s especially true of Leo Rodriguez, who has hit only three homers this season - fewer by five than his total in last season’s Championship Series. Ft. Worth was 4-3 this week, but an even better sign for them is the hot hitting of Jesse Moeller, who took a while to get off the ground but who hit .391 with a .609 SLG this week. Kansas City continues to flounder in last place, and seems destined for a relegation.
Player of the Week: Bill Tucker, RF, HOU: .481/.517/.963, 4 HR, 9 R, 9 RBI - 3 HR game, 5/14
Top Hitters:
Devon Johnson, 3B, BAL: .412/.517/.963, 2 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI
Leo Rodriguez, 3B, VAN: .429/.448/.607, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Jesse Moeller, CF, FTW: .391/.417/.609, 1 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Brice Asmus, SP, SDP: 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.82 FIP, 12 K, 5 HA, 1 W
Cory Spry, SP, BAL: 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.16 FIP, 9 K, 6 HA, 1 W
Rhett Frew, SP, KCM: 17 IP, 1.59 ERA, 1.16 FIP, 23 K, 2 W
League News- Ottawa and Ramon Cortez couldn’t get anything done this offseason, but to Champs fans’ delight the club has announced it has reached an agreement on a four year deal that will keep Cortez in Canada’s capital until 2043. Cortez, a native of Reynosa, Mexico, has been a fan favorite and rotation mainstay for the entire decade.
- Houston LF Pedro Salazar is out for the season after rupturing his achilles tendon stopping short while rounding second after a double in Houston’s 8-6 win over Boston Wednesday. The 27 year old has been injury prone over his promising young career.
Division 3
After jumping out to a solid conference lead last week, Nashville skidded, going 2-5 including a sweep at the hands of Austin. Andres Orozco was outstanding in his two starts, but the rest of the rotation struggled to the point that even huge weeks by Tristan Burns, Bobby Cook, and Miguel Navarro couldn’t win ballgames. The Sounds still lead the conference by two games, but a surprisingly strong Columbus squad is closing the gap, with young starters Yong-jun Jang, Myles Roberts, and Marlon Anderson playing a big role. Miami (16-17) was 3-4 this week but offseason pickup Kyle DuBell hit well with two doubles and two triples as he comes back from injury, while Paul Herrin won his start, giving him two strong outings in a row. Cleveland and Memphis have expected 16-17 records, but have both fallen short, with Cleveland at 15-18 and Memphis six games back and in last at 13-12.
In the West, Austin and St. Paul have raced to 21-12 records after a 4-3 week for the Pioneers and a 6-1 run for the Saints. Player of the Week Jonathan Becker led the way for Austin. Becker seemingly couldn’t miss the ball - a .645 OBP with 4 homers in just 31 plate appearances. Those 4 homers gave him 10 for the season despite a career-high of 12, but his power has increased the last couple of years. Still, it’s unlikely that at 33 Becker is experiencing a massive evolution as a hitter. For St. Paul, Tony Cruz had a strong week but the big news was Jerry Dudek’s season debut, coming back to throw a complete game on just 110 pitches while striking out 8 in a 6-1 win over Portland. Calgary continued to hover around .500 with a 4-3 week, while the Gulls are a game below even at 17-16. The Beavers have sunk into last place, 3-7 over their last te to drop below San Francisco at the bottom of the Conference.
Player of the Week: Jonathan Becker, 3B, AUS: .577/.645/.1.115, 4 HR, 9 RBI
Top Hitters:
Justin McCann, 2B, CLE: .440/.500/.880, 3 HR, 8 RBI
Mike Brown, RF, MEM: .409/.435/.909: 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R
Gabe Perkins, RF, POR: .444/.500/.833, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Andres Orozco, SP, NSH: 14 IP, 0.64 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 15 K, 1 W
Eric Lohuis, SP, POR: 13.2 IP, 0.66 ERA, 1.90 FIP, 17 K, 2 W
Jason Riddle, SP, SFS 15.1 IP, 1.17 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 16 K, 1 W
League News- Jonathan Becker continues to light D3 on fire: the Week 5 D3 Player of the Week was 5-5 Thursday night with a double and a homer that was the game winner against the first place Sounds.
Division 4
Pittsburgh is back on top in the D4 East, after a blistering 5-2 week. The Crawfords come into Monday on a 4 game win streak, having outscored opponents 39-16 over seven games. C Ghi-cheng Miao in particular is giving the club excellent returns on an offseason investment: the Sanchung, Taiwan native is hitting .300/.376/.633 in his first taste of D4 action, with 8 homers. Joel Ortiz is now 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA, and Karunamaya Nema has done well in his last four starts after a tough start to the year. Charlotte, meanwhile, is headed in the other direction: the Hornets have lost their last 5 straight to fall a game back. Havana, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati are bunched together at two games back, though watch Cincinnati, which is currently playing three games below their expected record - 1B Jim Zaro hit .600 to win the Player of the Week award. And then there’s Washington, in dead last and 44 runs under even, at 15-18. They’re lucky to be only three games back right now.
In the West, the 51s still cling to the lead but their time may be coming to an end in that spot as they’ve lost four straight. Matthew Smith was great during a bad stretch for Vegas, but he was essentially alone in that. San Antonio, meanwhile, has risen to meet them, now just a game back after a 5-2 week. Albuquerque, too, was 5-2 and has won four straight, as LF DJ Moskowitz hit .500 for the week as he continues his amazing run. Moskowitz is currently hitting .423. There’s a big drop between 19-14 Albuquerque and the rest of the conference, as Milwaukee is 14-19 and eight games back, a game ahead of the floundering Browns and Firebirds.
Player of the Week: Jim Zaro, 1B, CIN: .600/.600/.950, 1 HR, 9 RBI
Top Hitters:
Ricky Lopez, 2B, PIT: .389/.500/.1.278, 3 HR, 3 3B, 7 RBI, 7 R
Matthew Smith, 1B, LVG: .381/.519/.762, 2 HR, 6 R
Tim Baker, 1B, MIL: .455/.538/.682, 5 2B, 5 RBI, 5 R
Top Pitchers:
Kerry Chumley, SP, PHX: 17 IP, 0.53 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 14 K, 2 W
Joel Ortiz, SP, PIT: 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.99 FIP, 11 K, 1 W
Mario Caudillo, SP, SAM: 1.12 ERA, 0.81 ERA, 12, W
League News- The Phoenix Firebirds are giving 1B Tony Guerrero another shot. The injury-riddled Guerrero hasn’t topped 400 PAs since 2035, as he’s battled both knee and shoulder injuries; he is on the IL now and not likely to return until late in the season. But the Firebirds gave him $1.3 mil regardless; if they are able to right the ship and make a run (a tall order, ten games back), Guerrero could prove a valuable bat off the bench or at DH for a stretch run.
- The Havana Sugar Kings will have to find a replacement for SP Francisco Rosado, who was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff after leaving Monday’s game in the third inning. Rosado has struggled this year, with a 5.88 ERA, and will be out until at least early 2040.
- Five-time All-Star Tigers 1B Sergio Lopez has announced he will retire at the end of 2039, at age 38. Lopez has played for seven NABF teams in D3 and D4 in his career, and is most connected with the Calgary Outlaws, with whom he spent the first seven seasons of his fifteen year career.
- Firebirds coaches can’t stop raving about the progress SS Alfredo Vega has made defensively, after the SS put on a defensive display against Washington Sunday. Vega, 27, has struggled offensively this season, but has become a strong defensive SS after hours of work with Bench Coach Justin Bunker.