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reds1 · 06-12-2015, 09:24 PM

December 31, 1937

Eastern League: Eagles Increase Lead; Wild Card Chase Tightens

The Queensland Eagles continued to roll over the opposition in the Eastern League with an impressive 17-9 record in December. The Eagles have been simply dominant on offense, leading all categories except base on balls (2nd), strikeouts (6th) and stolen bases (7th).
The lineup is strong and steady, but two players have monopolized the Eagles’ leader board; LF Jonathan Mabty (.403/.483/.584, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 60 R and 48 BB) and 2B Katsunan Chikafuji (.387/.425/.634, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 72 R, 27 BB). Chikafuji, in fact, won his 2nd consecutive Hitter of the Month Award in December.
The Eagles are not quite as dominant on the pitching side of things as they are on offense, but they have enough to hold their own. LHP Max MacColl (10-7, 3.26), RHP Darren Stewart (11-5, 3.68) and RHP Roger Young (7-2 4.04) are the leaders in the rotation, while RHP Shaun Alford (1-2, 5 SV, 2.49) is their main guy out of the bullpen.

Key Injuries: RHP Stewart Colcott (76/76, 2-1, 4.24) is still out for 3 more months with shoulder inflammation. RHP Julius Hunt is out for 2 months with a torn meniscus (knee).

Performance Highlight: En route to earning Hitter of the Month honours in December, 2B Katsunan Chikafuji went 5 for 5 on December 15 in a game against the visiting Wolseley Unions, in an interleague matchup. Chikafuji singled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off of Joe Walrond in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, doubled in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 9th. Despite his heroics, the Eagles lost the game, 7-5.

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Despite the loss of their top pitcher, the Cobourg Red Stockings continue to hold their own in the chase for the Eastern League wild card. In fact, they finished the month one game up on the Embro Suns and Stratford Barons. Their offense continues to be second only to Queensland.
SS Damien Davis (.322/.387/.429, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 48 R, 31BB), 2B Wayne Balmer (.341/.374/.443, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 44 R, 19BB) and 3B Yoshifumi Tamura (.336/.419/.479, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 47 R, 42 BB) are the offensive stalwarts. However, the offense suffered a blow with the loss of 3B Kenneth Logan (.325/.374/.512, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 49 R, 22 BB) to injury. Again, the Red Stockings face a challenge in the coming weeks of how to compensate for his bat.

Key Injuries: Joel Fearn is gone for 10-11 months, due to a torn rotator cuff. C Dave Wilson (.294/.395/.390, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 15 R, 24 BB) fractured his finger in November; He is expected back in 3 weeks. 3B Kenneth Logan suffered a quadriceps strain; he is out for 4 weeks.

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The Embro Suns went 13-13 in December and as a result fell back one game behind the Red Stockings of the wild card.
Alejandro Valdéz (.353/.390/.499, 53 RBI, 57 R, 20 BB, 10 SB), who has shifted over to 2B from the outfield, and RF Paul Hooks (.338/.431/.539, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 45 R, 44 BB) are the offensive leaders.
RHP Colm Soper (11-6, 2.77) is the class of the rotation, with an ERA greater than 1.5 runs better than the next best starter. RHP John Palm (4-1, 11 SV, 2.03) in relief, is the only other pitcher performing well. Otherwise, the staff is rather anemic, ranking next to last in a number of categories.

Key Injuries: The good news is that 1B Anthony Stavely (.322/.438/.541, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 22 R, 30 BB) is expected back in 6 days after suffering a torn meniscus (knee) last month.

Performance Highlight: Alejandro Valdés enjoyed another 5 hit game, this time against the Downie Chiefs back on December 26. All in all, Valdés went 5 for 6. He grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit a two-run triple in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 5th, singled in the 6th, singled in the 9th and walked in the 9th. When everything was said and done, Valdés helped the Suns defeat the Chiefs 18-10.

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The Stratford Barons went 14-12 in December, just as they did in November. Fittingly, the Barons remain one game back of the wild card. The Barons continue their consistency on offense, ranking 3rd in a majority of categories. Their rotation ERA and overall ERA continue to be strong, ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively. The bullpen however, is rated next to last in ERA.
RF Bryan Livesley (.360/.426/.545, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 58 R, 36 BB) leads the Barons in a slew of offensive categories, while LF Eric Anderson (.289/.377/.449, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 50 R, 37 BB) leads the offense in WAR (2.9). Lending support has been 2B Pat Copeman (.310/.339/.410, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 48 R, 16 BB) and C Gavin Hurley (.305/.344/.461, 8 HR, 48 RBI, 37 R, 16 BB).
The pitching staff however, is in a bit of a crises, as LHP Justin Hayhurst (7-8, 3.88), and LHP Ryan Borden (7-7, 4.49) have seen their performance suffer over the past month. Compounding matters, RHP Pete Malcolm (9-2, 3.37) is gone for two months due to injury. Only LHP Kazuhiko Chikafuji (7-7, 3.29) has maintained his performance. After pitching out of the bullpen last month, AAA call-up RHP Garth Marks (1-2, 4.25) has moved to the rotation as the fifth starter.

Key Injuries: RHP Ricardo Díaz (1-2, 5.80, 4 SV- torn labrum) is still out for another 7 months. RHP Pete Malcolm suffered a herniated disk. He is out for two months. Utility outfielder Ramón Lugo (23/23) has been nursing a sore shoulder since December 10th. He is expected back in a week.

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As cold as the Wellington Athletics were in November (9-17), they tied the Queensland Eagles as the hottest team in all of the United Leagues in December, going 17-9. That moved them 3 games above .500 and just 2.5 games back of the wild card. The Athletics have been a middle of the road performer on offense, rated 4th in a slew of categories over the first three months of the season. On pitching and defense, they’ve been slightly below average: 6th in overall ERA (4.38) and starters’ ERA (4.36); 4th in bullpen ERA (4.45).
2B Ryley McLarnon (.318/.355/.426, 1 HR, 46 RBI, 54 R, 21 BB, 16 SB), CF Bob Boynton (.303/.399/.461, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 60 R, 47 BB, 20 SB), LF Quentin Stubber (.263/.387/.512, 13 HR, 39 RBI, 46 R, 43 BB, 13 SB) and C Dylan Watkins (.308/.367/.468, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 42 R, 24 BB) have led the team offensively. Quentin Stubber was injured however, but it isn’t expected to be for an extended period. 1B Byron Tope (.317/.377/.475, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 22 R, 15BB) has moved into the starting lineup as a result.
RHP Michael Hanley (9-6, 3.25) has nicely stepped up as the No. 2 starter in support of ace LHP Clyde Boney (12-4, 3.09) and earned Pitcher of the Month honours in December. If only the Athletics could get similar support from any of their Nos. 3-5 starters. As in November, RHP Bryan Newitt (3-3, 3.51, 10 SV) is the only relief pitcher having any measure of success.

Key Injuries: Relief pitcher Larry Goble (1-4, 2 SV 4.46), has been out with shoulder soreness since December 18th. He should be back in a few days. Quentin Stubber strained a rib cage muscle on December 28th. He should be back by mid-January.

Performance Highlight: Ryley McLarnon went 5 for 7 on December 16th, as the Athletics trounced the Braeland City Monarchs 23-3. McLarnon grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 2nd, hit a three-run triple in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, tripled in the 7th, singled in the 8th and hit a two-run single in the 9th.

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The Downie Chiefs regressed in December, going 11-15. They are 1 game above .500 and have fallen 3.5 games back of Cobourg for the wild card. The offense has been abysmal, rated dead last in the Eastern League in a slew of categories and no better than 5th in two: home runs (55) and strikeouts (289). Pitching and defense, on the other hand, have been outstanding, ranking 1st in eight of eleven categories.
OF Lenny Wyatt (.312/.370/.470, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 24 R, 17 BB) and 3B Andy Johnson (.304/.372/.417, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 33 R, 25 BB) continue to be the two main producers for the Chiefs. However, RF Sid Mass (.295/.411/.473, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 22 R, 28 BB) and especially OF John Dugan (.254/.332/.425, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 36 R, 27 BB) picked up their game in December. If the trend continues, the Chiefs may halt their slide and get back into the wild card chase.
The starting rotation is in good hands thus far, as RHP Frank Leadbeater (10-6, 2.85), LHP Robert Renton (9-7, 3.27) and RHP Bradley Paris (10-6, 2.40) give the Chiefs a chance to win on most nights. RHP In-sin Ahn (5-4, 5 SV, 4.16) has moved from the bullpen into the rotation as the No. 5 starter. In the bullpen, RHP Manny Páez (1-0, 3.52) has shown some promise in limited action, while RHP Hidetada Kobayashi (2-7, 4SV, 5.11) has struggled, after a strong month of November.

Key Injuries: None.

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The Brunswick Legends enjoyed their first winning month, going 15-13 in December. But they currently sit 15 games back of 1st place and 8.5 games out of the wild card. Their offense has improved somewhat over the past four weeks, but it still ranks 6th to 8th in offensive stats. Their pitching staff still appears to be a work in progress, ranking 5th in ERA (4.22), 3rd in starters’ ERA (3.95) but dead last in bullpen ERA (5.91).
OF Jamie Thurgood (.284/.385/.448, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 40 R, 37 BB) has been rock steady, but a couple of his teammates may finally be joining him. OF Mark Elston (.231/.391/.383, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 45 R, 73 BB), after an excruciatingly slow start, finally showed signs of life in December (.299/.444/.433). 1B Phillip Attwood (.306/.330/.443, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 27 R, 7 BB), who has been up and down month by month, was up again in December.
The starting rotation continues to be led by three pitchers: LHP Matthew Monroe (5-5, 2.84), RHP Tong-yeop Lee (9-7, 3.40), and star-crossed RHP Roger Battle (2-8, 3.57). If RHP Song-saeng Lee (7-8, 4.87) can find his groove, the Legends’ fortunes in the standings might improve.

Key Injuries: None.

Performance Highlight: On December 14th, the Brunswick Legends outlasted the Braeland City Monarchs 9-8 and Jamie Thurgood made the difference, as he went 5 for 5 on the day. Thurgood started off with a solo shot in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 5th, singled in the 7th and hit a an RBI double in the 9th.

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If the other seven teams have room for optimism or at least have a silver lining to hold on to, the Braeland City Monarchs are utterly devoid of such hope in the 1937 season. Winners of eight games in each of October and November, the Monarchs did one ‘better’, going 7-20 in December. They have fallen 27.5 games back of 1st place and 21 games out of the wild card spot. 3B Louie Hetherington (.405/.470/.559, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 51 R, 40 BB) is a bonafide star and C Julian Curnow (.284/.318/.392, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 42 R, 14 BB) continues to provide able support. CF Scott Kessler (.318/.387/.482, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 20 R, 20 BB) returned from injury and could give the offense a lift. RF Dwayne Hollinshead (.339/.420/.485, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 23 R, 23 BB) has been effective when used, which has been mostly against righties. Meanwhile, 1st overall draft pick 2B Trevor Bolen (.316/.350/.421, 6 H, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB) has gotten his feet wet in a limited role, starting almost exclusively against southpaws thus far.
The pitching staff fell into a free fall in December. The Monarchs best pitcher, RHP Lenny Freke (4-14, 4.70) sports the best WHIP (1.48) and WAR (3.6) on the club. The rest is not a pretty sight. If there’s one silver lining, it’s that the Monarchs may be the recipient of further first-round picks in the year(s) to come.

Key Injuries: 39-year old relief pitcher RHP Hyo-cheong Yu (0-1, 2.22, 7 SV) is out for another 6 months. RHP Nathaniel Martin (3-9, 5.55) suffered shoulder tendinitis back on December 12th. He should return in 6 days.

Performance Highlight: In one of the Monarchs rare wins in December, Braeland City’s rookie Trevor Bolen went 5 for 5 against the Wellington Athletics back on December 24th. Bolen singled in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, and singled in the 7th. Braeland City won the game 9-8.

06-12-2015, 09:24 PM	#72
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,899	December 31, 1937 Eastern League: Eagles Increase Lead; Wild Card Chase Tightens The Queensland Eagles continued to roll over the opposition in the Eastern League with an impressive 17-9 record in December. The Eagles have been simply dominant on offense, leading all categories except base on balls (2nd), strikeouts (6th) and stolen bases (7th). The lineup is strong and steady, but two players have monopolized the Eagles’ leader board; LF Jonathan Mabty (.403/.483/.584, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 60 R and 48 BB) and 2B Katsunan Chikafuji (.387/.425/.634, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 72 R, 27 BB). Chikafuji, in fact, won his 2nd consecutive Hitter of the Month Award in December. The Eagles are not quite as dominant on the pitching side of things as they are on offense, but they have enough to hold their own. LHP Max MacColl (10-7, 3.26), RHP Darren Stewart (11-5, 3.68) and RHP Roger Young (7-2 4.04) are the leaders in the rotation, while RHP Shaun Alford (1-2, 5 SV, 2.49) is their main guy out of the bullpen. Key Injuries: RHP Stewart Colcott (76/76, 2-1, 4.24) is still out for 3 more months with shoulder inflammation. RHP Julius Hunt is out for 2 months with a torn meniscus (knee). Performance Highlight: En route to earning Hitter of the Month honours in December, 2B Katsunan Chikafuji went 5 for 5 on December 15 in a game against the visiting Wolseley Unions, in an interleague matchup. Chikafuji singled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off of Joe Walrond in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, doubled in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 9th. Despite his heroics, the Eagles lost the game, 7-5. --------- Despite the loss of their top pitcher, the Cobourg Red Stockings continue to hold their own in the chase for the Eastern League wild card. In fact, they finished the month one game up on the Embro Suns and Stratford Barons. Their offense continues to be second only to Queensland. SS Damien Davis (.322/.387/.429, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 48 R, 31BB), 2B Wayne Balmer (.341/.374/.443, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 44 R, 19BB) and 3B Yoshifumi Tamura (.336/.419/.479, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 47 R, 42 BB) are the offensive stalwarts. However, the offense suffered a blow with the loss of 3B Kenneth Logan (.325/.374/.512, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 49 R, 22 BB) to injury. Again, the Red Stockings face a challenge in the coming weeks of how to compensate for his bat. Key Injuries: Joel Fearn is gone for 10-11 months, due to a torn rotator cuff. C Dave Wilson (.294/.395/.390, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 15 R, 24 BB) fractured his finger in November; He is expected back in 3 weeks. 3B Kenneth Logan suffered a quadriceps strain; he is out for 4 weeks. --------- The Embro Suns went 13-13 in December and as a result fell back one game behind the Red Stockings of the wild card. Alejandro Valdéz (.353/.390/.499, 53 RBI, 57 R, 20 BB, 10 SB), who has shifted over to 2B from the outfield, and RF Paul Hooks (.338/.431/.539, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 45 R, 44 BB) are the offensive leaders. RHP Colm Soper (11-6, 2.77) is the class of the rotation, with an ERA greater than 1.5 runs better than the next best starter. RHP John Palm (4-1, 11 SV, 2.03) in relief, is the only other pitcher performing well. Otherwise, the staff is rather anemic, ranking next to last in a number of categories. Key Injuries: The good news is that 1B Anthony Stavely (.322/.438/.541, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 22 R, 30 BB) is expected back in 6 days after suffering a torn meniscus (knee) last month. Performance Highlight: Alejandro Valdés enjoyed another 5 hit game, this time against the Downie Chiefs back on December 26. All in all, Valdés went 5 for 6. He grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit a two-run triple in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 5th, singled in the 6th, singled in the 9th and walked in the 9th. When everything was said and done, Valdés helped the Suns defeat the Chiefs 18-10. --------- The Stratford Barons went 14-12 in December, just as they did in November. Fittingly, the Barons remain one game back of the wild card. The Barons continue their consistency on offense, ranking 3rd in a majority of categories. Their rotation ERA and overall ERA continue to be strong, ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively. The bullpen however, is rated next to last in ERA. RF Bryan Livesley (.360/.426/.545, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 58 R, 36 BB) leads the Barons in a slew of offensive categories, while LF Eric Anderson (.289/.377/.449, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 50 R, 37 BB) leads the offense in WAR (2.9). Lending support has been 2B Pat Copeman (.310/.339/.410, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 48 R, 16 BB) and C Gavin Hurley (.305/.344/.461, 8 HR, 48 RBI, 37 R, 16 BB). The pitching staff however, is in a bit of a crises, as LHP Justin Hayhurst (7-8, 3.88), and LHP Ryan Borden (7-7, 4.49) have seen their performance suffer over the past month. Compounding matters, RHP Pete Malcolm (9-2, 3.37) is gone for two months due to injury. Only LHP Kazuhiko Chikafuji (7-7, 3.29) has maintained his performance. After pitching out of the bullpen last month, AAA call-up RHP Garth Marks (1-2, 4.25) has moved to the rotation as the fifth starter. Key Injuries: RHP Ricardo Díaz (1-2, 5.80, 4 SV- torn labrum) is still out for another 7 months. RHP Pete Malcolm suffered a herniated disk. He is out for two months. Utility outfielder Ramón Lugo (23/23) has been nursing a sore shoulder since December 10th. He is expected back in a week. --------- As cold as the Wellington Athletics were in November (9-17), they tied the Queensland Eagles as the hottest team in all of the United Leagues in December, going 17-9. That moved them 3 games above .500 and just 2.5 games back of the wild card. The Athletics have been a middle of the road performer on offense, rated 4th in a slew of categories over the first three months of the season. On pitching and defense, they’ve been slightly below average: 6th in overall ERA (4.38) and starters’ ERA (4.36); 4th in bullpen ERA (4.45). 2B Ryley McLarnon (.318/.355/.426, 1 HR, 46 RBI, 54 R, 21 BB, 16 SB), CF Bob Boynton (.303/.399/.461, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 60 R, 47 BB, 20 SB), LF Quentin Stubber (.263/.387/.512, 13 HR, 39 RBI, 46 R, 43 BB, 13 SB) and C Dylan Watkins (.308/.367/.468, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 42 R, 24 BB) have led the team offensively. Quentin Stubber was injured however, but it isn’t expected to be for an extended period. 1B Byron Tope (.317/.377/.475, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 22 R, 15BB) has moved into the starting lineup as a result. RHP Michael Hanley (9-6, 3.25) has nicely stepped up as the No. 2 starter in support of ace LHP Clyde Boney (12-4, 3.09) and earned Pitcher of the Month honours in December. If only the Athletics could get similar support from any of their Nos. 3-5 starters. As in November, RHP Bryan Newitt (3-3, 3.51, 10 SV) is the only relief pitcher having any measure of success. Key Injuries: Relief pitcher Larry Goble (1-4, 2 SV 4.46), has been out with shoulder soreness since December 18th. He should be back in a few days. Quentin Stubber strained a rib cage muscle on December 28th. He should be back by mid-January. Performance Highlight: Ryley McLarnon went 5 for 7 on December 16th, as the Athletics trounced the Braeland City Monarchs 23-3. McLarnon grounded out in the 1st, singled in the 2nd, hit a three-run triple in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, tripled in the 7th, singled in the 8th and hit a two-run single in the 9th. --------- The Downie Chiefs regressed in December, going 11-15. They are 1 game above .500 and have fallen 3.5 games back of Cobourg for the wild card. The offense has been abysmal, rated dead last in the Eastern League in a slew of categories and no better than 5th in two: home runs (55) and strikeouts (289). Pitching and defense, on the other hand, have been outstanding, ranking 1st in eight of eleven categories. OF Lenny Wyatt (.312/.370/.470, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 24 R, 17 BB) and 3B Andy Johnson (.304/.372/.417, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 33 R, 25 BB) continue to be the two main producers for the Chiefs. However, RF Sid Mass (.295/.411/.473, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 22 R, 28 BB) and especially OF John Dugan (.254/.332/.425, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 36 R, 27 BB) picked up their game in December. If the trend continues, the Chiefs may halt their slide and get back into the wild card chase. The starting rotation is in good hands thus far, as RHP Frank Leadbeater (10-6, 2.85), LHP Robert Renton (9-7, 3.27) and RHP Bradley Paris (10-6, 2.40) give the Chiefs a chance to win on most nights. RHP In-sin Ahn (5-4, 5 SV, 4.16) has moved from the bullpen into the rotation as the No. 5 starter. In the bullpen, RHP Manny Páez (1-0, 3.52) has shown some promise in limited action, while RHP Hidetada Kobayashi (2-7, 4SV, 5.11) has struggled, after a strong month of November. Key Injuries: None. --------- The Brunswick Legends enjoyed their first winning month, going 15-13 in December. But they currently sit 15 games back of 1st place and 8.5 games out of the wild card. Their offense has improved somewhat over the past four weeks, but it still ranks 6th to 8th in offensive stats. Their pitching staff still appears to be a work in progress, ranking 5th in ERA (4.22), 3rd in starters’ ERA (3.95) but dead last in bullpen ERA (5.91). OF Jamie Thurgood (.284/.385/.448, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 40 R, 37 BB) has been rock steady, but a couple of his teammates may finally be joining him. OF Mark Elston (.231/.391/.383, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 45 R, 73 BB), after an excruciatingly slow start, finally showed signs of life in December (.299/.444/.433). 1B Phillip Attwood (.306/.330/.443, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 27 R, 7 BB), who has been up and down month by month, was up again in December. The starting rotation continues to be led by three pitchers: LHP Matthew Monroe (5-5, 2.84), RHP Tong-yeop Lee (9-7, 3.40), and star-crossed RHP Roger Battle (2-8, 3.57). If RHP Song-saeng Lee (7-8, 4.87) can find his groove, the Legends’ fortunes in the standings might improve. Key Injuries: None. Performance Highlight: On December 14th, the Brunswick Legends outlasted the Braeland City Monarchs 9-8 and Jamie Thurgood made the difference, as he went 5 for 5 on the day. Thurgood started off with a solo shot in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 5th, singled in the 7th and hit a an RBI double in the 9th. --------- If the other seven teams have room for optimism or at least have a silver lining to hold on to, the Braeland City Monarchs are utterly devoid of such hope in the 1937 season. Winners of eight games in each of October and November, the Monarchs did one ‘better’, going 7-20 in December. They have fallen 27.5 games back of 1st place and 21 games out of the wild card spot. 3B Louie Hetherington (.405/.470/.559, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 51 R, 40 BB) is a bonafide star and C Julian Curnow (.284/.318/.392, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 42 R, 14 BB) continues to provide able support. CF Scott Kessler (.318/.387/.482, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 20 R, 20 BB) returned from injury and could give the offense a lift. RF Dwayne Hollinshead (.339/.420/.485, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 23 R, 23 BB) has been effective when used, which has been mostly against righties. Meanwhile, 1st overall draft pick 2B Trevor Bolen (.316/.350/.421, 6 H, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB) has gotten his feet wet in a limited role, starting almost exclusively against southpaws thus far. The pitching staff fell into a free fall in December. The Monarchs best pitcher, RHP Lenny Freke (4-14, 4.70) sports the best WHIP (1.48) and WAR (3.6) on the club. The rest is not a pretty sight. If there’s one silver lining, it’s that the Monarchs may be the recipient of further first-round picks in the year(s) to come. Key Injuries: 39-year old relief pitcher RHP Hyo-cheong Yu (0-1, 2.22, 7 SV) is out for another 6 months. RHP Nathaniel Martin (3-9, 5.55) suffered shoulder tendinitis back on December 12th. He should return in 6 days. Performance Highlight: In one of the Monarchs rare wins in December, Braeland City’s rookie Trevor Bolen went 5 for 5 against the Wellington Athletics back on December 24th. Bolen singled in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, and singled in the 7th. Braeland City won the game 9-8. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-01-2017 at 11:55 AM.