Division 1
Brooklyn stayed on top this week, going 4-2 behind a strong Dane Best, who has had a down year after his fantastic 2038. Carson Prince, meanwhile, is making a run at a home run title: he’s a little off pace for Pedro Quiroz’s NABF mark of 62, but Francisco Carreno’s 2011 D1 record of 54 is very much within reach for the Brooklyn star. The Giants are just two games back, but the concerns about the Giants offense are growing - they’re still 4th overall in runs, but the big bats have not produced, with Mike Burcham, Idar Olsen, Charlie Kelley, and Roberto Estrada all producing under league average at the plate. The pitching has held - especially a lockdown bullpen led by Bob Paul - but this team needs to start hitting if they want to repeat at the top of the East. Increasingly, this is a two team race as Chicago has faded to six games back, tied with Toronto at 27-31. Philadelphia is a game behind them, in an interesting spot with two top players in SP Pedro Luna and CF Mike Mitchell, but not much else; Tampa, meanwhile, is last, nine games back. T.J. Carcone is now just one triple away from the all-time NABF record with 190.
Los Angeles continues to cement their status as the team to beat in D1. They are first in runs scored and runs allowed, with an offense chock full of young talent and a pitching staff that, while somewhat cobbled together, has produced under the leadership of pitching coach and former Angel Salvatore Mendoza. 3B Ryan Haymes and Brian Weisman are 1-2 in the batting title race right now at .360 and .252, and Weisman is not only the favorite for Rookie of the Year but also a legitimate MVP candidate. This team is for real. Nevertheless, they’re far from a sure thing with both the Sun Kings and Industriales only two games back. El Paso fans would disagree with the view that Weisman is MVP-bound, but this time they’re not talking Brian Castrovinci: Joe Rison is having the dream season that his boosters have long believed he could have. Nine weeks into 2039, Rison is on pace for 9.5 WAR, hitting .340/435/.608 with four homers and 23 doubles, currently on pace to tie the NABF/D1 all time mark set by Jesse Hewitt back in 2011. Rison has also stolen 23 bases. He’s a big part of why El Paso is just two games back, tied with Monterrey. The Industriales have been sliding, and were 2-4 this week despite a fantastic outing by Raul Ordono. After Monterrey, there’s a steep drop down to fourth place Tijuana, 10 games back at 27-31 but coming off a 4-2 week that pushed them up the standings and further from last place. Seattle (24-34, 13 GB) and Denver (22-36, 15 GB) are the main contestants for that spot now, with relegation on the line for Denver.
Player of the Week: Brian Weisman, CF, LAA: .524/.565/.952, 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI
Top Hitters:
Lane Borowski, LF, TIJ: .526/.571/.947, 2 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI
Dane Best, RF, BRO: 455/.536/.955, 3 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI
Jon Moore, RF, PHA, .467/.619/.667, 3 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Jayden Jarrett, SP, TIJ: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.54 FIP, 11 K
Pedro Luna, SP, PHA: 8 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.20 FIP, 11 K
Raul Ordono, SP, MRY: 1-0, 8 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.83 FIP, 7 K
League News- Jim Robins and the Monterrey Industriales agreed today on a 5 year extension worth $52.5 million. Robins, who came up with Monterrey in 2030, is an outstanding defensive 3B and four-time All-Star who is having a career year after a couple of down seasons. Robins has always come with question marks about his preparation, and att 33 a five year extension is risky, but Industriales leadership says they’re confident in Robins’ ability to maintain his value over the life of the deal.
- As we get closer to trade deadline season, rumors are starting to swirl. Among those that hit this week was the Tarpons willingness to deal journeyman reliever Chris Padilla, who has struggled somewhat this year but who has a track record of success.
- And then there are the actual trades: Monterrey and Philadelphia swapped relief arms today, with Monterrey shoring up their pen with Marc Helmuth, a 32 year old righthander who is coming back from a torn flexor. Helmuth just finished a tune-up stint at AAA before getting dealt in exchange for relief prospects Edwin Morales and Alex Salazar, and a 3rd round draft pick. Morales has some promise for Philly as they rebuild.
- The All-Star voting update is ready, and there’s no huge surprise as to the identities of the current top vote-getters: in the East, Carson Prince is already approaching a million votes, easily outpacing the field, while in the West last year’s MVP Brian Castrovinci is in the lead with room to spare over Seattle’s exciting young catcher Roger Alvarado.
Division 2
Boston expanded its D2 East lead this week, pulling two games up on Detroit with a 4-2 run despite dropping two of three to the Stars. Rick Wilde is turning into a star before our eyes, now hitting .335/.407/.578 with ten homers from the catching position, and joining Rogelio Ventura as Boston’s surprise stars this season. If you’re looking for how Boston will improve at the deadline, look no further than a rotation that has succeeded only through run support thus far; a step up there could help Boston put some distance behind them in the conference. Detroit has the opposite problem: they have some of the best pitching in the game with Zack Root, Chris Morris, and the surprising John Budgell in the rotation and Pat Pipkin holding down the Division’s best pen. But they’ve struggled to score runs, and could really use an upgrade at 1B where Michael Peterson has been a black hole. Losing Aaron Felton has also hurt, but the aging RF could return any day now from a lingering back strain. Montreal and Baltimore are just three back and shouldn’t be counted out, though they’ve struggled to separate themselves thus far, while Ottawa should be a far better team than their record. That leaves New Orleans, who were carried this week by an absolute explosion from Player of the Week Robert Zermeno, but have little else to lean on.
In the West, we’re coming perilously close to a done deal as Houston has pulled away. The Buffaloes stampeded to a 6-0 week, and have now won seven in a row to open an eight game lead on second place Vancouver. SP Curt Loy was exceptional this week with two wins, and Bill Tucker, Tony Adams, Doug Frey and Justice Slaton keep hitting at the front of D2’s best offense. Vancouver isn’t having a bad season by any stretch at 32-26, but it will take a lot to put them back into it. The huge year many expected from Leo Rodriguez hasn’t materialized, and Sonny Scoggins has cooled off, but the Mounties still have the best run prevention unit in the Division and could make noise. Everyone else in the Conference is below .500, and below even on their run differential. Sacramento has had some strong individual performances this year but the whole hasn’t been greater than the sum of its parts. Kansas City has one of D2’s best pitchers in Rhett Frew, but little else. San Diego has some solid arms and the second fewest runs allowed in the Division, but they’re dead last in runs scored, with just 200 over 58 games - an average of 3.44 per game. And Ft. Worth still sits in last, with unrealized promise aplenty.
Player of the Week: Robert Zermeno, 1B, NOL: .476/.478/.1.333, 6 HR, 10 R, 8 RBI, 407 wRC+
Top Hitters:
David Caputo, 1B SDP: .438/.571/.875, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Andy Phillips, SS, DET: .429/.600/.786, 3 2B, 6 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Won-il Cho, 1B, KCM: .429/.520/.952, 3 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Curt Loy, SP, HOU: 1-0, 15.2 IP, 1.72 ERA, 1.51 FIP, 25 K
Jaiden Paniagua, SP, OTT: 1-0, 15 IP, 0.60 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 8 K
Josh Argo, SP, SAC: 1-0, 8 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.61 FIP, 6 K
League News- Fred Levang has done a lot in his 16 years in the NABF, but he’s about to do something new: retire. The twelve-time All-Star with San Francisco, Phoenix, and now San Diego has announced 2039 will be his final season. The 1B will retire with something north of the 256 homers, 900 RBI, and 1,158 runs he has already notched, and the memory of that long-awaited championship, which he won with Phoenix last season. The retirement makes the 38 year old Levang eligible for Hall of Fame consideration three years from now following Cycle 12, but it will be a steep climb for the often good but rarely great ballplayer.
- All-Star Voting Update: The D2 All-Star Game arrives in a month, and we’ve gotten our first good look at the voting. In the East, the leading vote-getter is Boston LF Rogelio Ventura, in the middle of a career campaign. In the West, Hector Razo, Ft. Worth’s ace who threw a no-hitter earlier in the season, has collected the most votes.
Division 3
Nashville has D3’s best run differential and record at 37-21, and continues to score runs with a well-rounded offensive attack. Future Hall of Famers Mel Irving and Ivan Castillo are both drinking from the fountain of youth this year, with their best seasons in recent memory, while Bobby Cook and Tristan Burns supply the power. The rotation lacks a true ace, but Andres Orozco has been close, and John Giordano may be pitching over his head but the result is still fewer runs. Columbus remains in second by five games, in need of pitching if they want to make a run at Nashville. Columbus is still in danger of relegation if they slip further down the standings, so the motivation is there for GM Josh Bavone. Atlanta is a game back of Columbus at 31-27, with a strong rotation and Division-best bullpen, but after Sam Stanton Atlanta lacks offensive threats. After Atlanta, everyone’s underwater. Miami is 28-30 despite the Division’s best rotation, and Cleveland has sunk to 27-31, 10 games back after losing their last six. Memphis has actually been improving, and has won seven of their last ten to pull within 12, and at -4 run differential are playing better than their record.
The Saints suffered a tough week at 2-4, dropping two three-game series to Austin and Miami, including nearly being no-hit by Paul Herrin on Thursday and then being four-hit by Paul Lako and closer Pedro Llopiz on Saturday. Despite that, they cling to the narrowest of leads, though their closest competitor has changed. Calgary is for real, with D3’s best offense despite any real stars - just a bunch of solid hitters hitting, solidly. They have a significant problem in their pitching, with a D3 worst staff that they need to address before the trade deadline if they want to hang at the top of the Conference. If they slip, Austin is there to take advantage; the Pioneers have a lot of good pieces that they haven’t quite fit together, including Player of the Week Danny Loaiza and a solid starting staff. San Francisco shares Austin’s 28-30 record with Jason Riddle making a strong bid for Pitcher of the Year, though hometown hero prospect Jared Kraft has struggled in his introduction to NABF play. Salt Lake is in fifth, just four games back, while Portland sits in last with a 24-34 record.
Player of the Week: Danny Loaiza, RF, AUS: .556/.609/1.000, 1 HR, 3 2B, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB
Top Hitters:
Matt Showalter, 1B, ATL: .438/.550/.875, 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI
Ivan Castillo, SS, NSH: .429/.478/.762, 2 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI
Ricky Ponce, RF, CMB: .263/.333/.947, 4 HR, 6 R, 4 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Paul Herrin, SP, MIA: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.90 FIP, 11 K, 1 HA
Ted Dodds, SP, ATL: 1-0, 8 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.01 FIP, 8 K
Ron Ibach, SP, MEM: 1-0, 7 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.30 FIP, 9 K
League News- Paul Herrin took a no-hitter into the ninth against St. Paul Thursday, and settled for a complete-game one hitter as Miami won 2-0. Herrin looked like Herrin tonight, striking out 11 and walking one while facing one over the minimum - a truly dominant night by arguably the game’s best pitcher.
- Future Hall of Fame Sounds SS Ivan Castillo collected five hits in a ballgame for the first time in his storied career, singling four times before drilling the game-winning homer in a 6-5, 11 inning Nashville victory over the cross-state rival Blues in Memphis. Castillo is having an excellent season, playing his usual Gold Glove quality defense while hitting .271/.344/.487 with nine home runs.
- All-Star Update: Atlanta’s Sam Stanton leads D3 balloting at the end of Week 9, with over 800,000 votes at DH, over 100,000 more than runner up Ricky Ponce of Columbus. In the West, popular San Francisco starting pitcher Jason Riddle leads the way with nearly 500,000 votes, just over Salt Lake 1B Ralph Keough’s total.
Division 4
The D4 East leading Crawfords skidded a bit this week, going 2-4 and losing two of three to both the Browns and Senators. Pittsburgh’s only real weakness this season has been its bullpen - a possible reason why the club is playing four games under their expected record, and a stronger pen might have helped them win a couple of this week’s losses. Look for them to target bullpen arms on the trade market in the coming weeks. The Indianapolis Clowns gained a game this week by breaking even, with Nate Mefford pitching a gem against Phoenix Thursday; Mefford has shown his age a bit this season, but getting him on track would be huge for Indy’s chances, especially as Aaron Cottrell also rights the ship. Charlotte lurks three games back, with their powerful lineup, but the pitching continues to struggle mightily. 29-29 Cincinnati rounds out the East’s real contenders, while Havana (26-32, seven games back) and Washington (24-34, nine games back) take up the rear.
San Antonio is pulling away from the field in the West, after a 4-3 week. The Missions are now six games up on Las Vegas, and 11 games up on third place St. Louis and Albuquerque. They remain a well balanced team, though with a significant power shortage - only 34 homers on the year, good for a tie for last in the Division. And despite allowing fewer runs so far than all but one other D4 team, advanced metrics show warning signs - the team’s 4.04 FIP and 6.7 Pitching WAR are both 8th in the Division, and the staff is ninth in strikeouts. So it’s certainly possible that this Conference race will tighten. Las Vegas, however, seems less and less like the team that will make a run: since their early season dominance, they’ve sunk steadily, and are 3-7 over their past ten games including a 2-4 week. Both Albuquerque and St. Louis have negative run differentials as well, with major holes: Albuquerque can hit, but their pitching is in tough shape, while St. Louis is getting on base at a decent clip but has had difficulty converting those baserunners into runs. With Phoenix now in last place, the best bet for a challenge may actually be Milwaukee, though they are already 12 games back: the Brewers are the only other D4 West team that has scored more than they’ve allowed, thanks to a strong pitching staff that includes emerging ace Ben Eliopolous and crafty veteran Hector Inoa behind Pete Morin. If Milwaukee can add or improve a bat, they could make noise.
Player of the Week: Robert Tanski, LF, IND: .478/.538/.826, 2 HR, 6 R, 2 RBI
Top Hitters:
Kevin Zecca, 1B, WAS: .318/.400/.909, 3 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI
Elijah Richardson, 3B, LVG: .444/.524/.778, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI
John Davis, 3B, MIL: .333/.391/.810, 2 HR, 2 2B, 5 R, 5 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Karunamaya Nema, SP, PIT: 2-0, 16.2 IP, 2.16 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 18 K
Ben Eliopolous, SP, MIL: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.98 FIP, 12 K, 5 HA
Nate Mefford, SP, IND: 1-0, 8.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.52 FIP, 12 K
League News- After six seasons in Montreal, the Expos cut ties with reliever Cody Carrone in late May. But the Crawfords must have seen something in the veteran, who agreed Tuesday to a two year, $4.64 million contract to help shore up Pittsburgh’s bullpen. The Crawfords have the best starting crew in the Division, but things have gotten hairy in the late innings, prompting the signing. This follows a trend of low-million dollar two year deals for cast-off relievers, and we’ll see if that strategy bears fruit for teams that have followed it.
- Chris Voorhees’ $1.4 million/year deal with Milwaukee wasn’t going to expire until after 2040, but the Brewers saw a chance to cut ties as it became clear that their season wasn’t headed toward the Championship, and sent him to Monterrey Sunday for 1B prospect Marty Luttrell. Milwaukee-area fans are underwhelmed at the return, but rumor has it that Voorhees requested a trade and the Brewers did what they could.
- Charlotte’s Jason McCollum, who won the MVP last year, is the top vote-getter among D4 East All-Star candidates so far, with just under 700,000. McCollum is not having the same kind of year he did last year, but remains a popular and productive player. In the West, Phoenix’s 2B Matt Armstrong leads the way; Armstrong has an OPS of just under .900 for the fifth place Firebirds so far.