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reds1 · 09-10-2015, 11:28 AM

March 25, 1940

The West is Set: Cambria and Kingston to Battle for Pennant

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The Cambria Cannons have nothing to apologize for. Qualifying for the wild card last year simply because they weren’t quite as awful as they rest of the Western League teams not named Kingston, the Cannons of today are the class the United Leagues, having won 99 games.
Last year at this time, it would have seemed incredible for anyone in the West to supplant the Kingston Pelicans from their roost atop the standings. But Cambria has assembled a tremendous team that finished 14.0 games ahead of the defending champions. Now comes the task of truly usurping the Pelicans, who have won the Western League Pennant and United Cup the past two seasons. The Cannons went 31-16 in February and March; if they can keep up that strong play, the United Leagues may be crowning a new champion in April.

Top Position Player- Season: The drafting of LF Ron Westmacott 2nd overall in the 1937-38 amateur draft proved to be a shrewd move, as he was Cambria’s top position player again this season. The 23-year old went .311/.408/.599, 16 HR, 99 RBI, 115 R, 80 BB, 20 SB, 6.6 WAR. Westmacott is rated #4 overall among position players.

Top Pitcher-Season: Cambria’s pitching was the top-rated staff in the Western League. That said 36-year old SP-RHP Neil Guerin is the well-established ace. And with good reason; he went 20-8, 3.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 7.0 WAR. Guerin is rated #4 overall among pitchers in the ULB.

Top Performance –Position Player: LF Ron Westmacott and 1B Keane Fysh tied for the top game performance for Cambria this season. On February 29 against the Wolseley Unions, Westmacott went 4-5, with 7 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, while Keane went 3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB (Score: 103). The Cannons demolished the Unions 27-2.

Top Performance –Pitcher: On March 23, SP Neil Guerin went 9.0 IP, 1 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K in a game against the Pulberry Trolleys (Score: 88). Cambria won 1-0.

Key Injuries: RP Jason Fortenberry (2-3, 6 SV, 4.03 ERA, 1.52) was diagnosed with a partially torn labrum in a game on January 20. He is gone for the season (7 weeks).

SP Hideki Matsui (10-7, 4.24 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 1.1 WAR) injured himself in a game on February 11. He is gone for the season with shoulder inflammation (3-4 weeks).

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The Kingston Pelicans find themselves in the playoffs for the third straight season, but it’s not quite the same old song. Kingston finished in 2nd place, 14.0 games back of first place; but 14.0 games ahead of 3rd place Fort Richmond. The Pelicans had to contend with a swath of injuries all season long, but still managed to compete. But in February, they stumbled, going just 8-17. That month included being swept in 3 games by both the 1st place Cambria Cannons and the 1st first place Braeland City Monarchs. Kingston rebounded in March, going 16-6 to finish with 85 victories.
Despite the adversities and struggles, the Pelicans are still a dangerous team, finishing at or near the top in a slew of batting and pitching categories.

Top Position Player- Season: Kingston has a lot of worthy candidates, but SS Okura Ito is the best of the best, going .370/.405/.540, 15 HR, 117 RBI, 113 R, 41 BB, 8.0 WAR). Ito is rated #1 in the ULB for position players.

Top Pitcher-Season: SP Brady Murdy is the top pitcher on a very good pitching staff. This season, Murdy went 21-12, 3.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.9 WAR. He is rated #2 among ULB pitchers.

Top Performance –Position Player: 1B Fergus Chitty (.338/.436/.587, 21 HR, 90 RBI, 74 R, 69 BB, 4.2 WAR) was hampered by injuries all season, but he had the top game performance for the team this season. On March 18 against the Hespeler Stars, Chitty went 2-3, with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R 3 BB (Score: 107- 2nd overall).

Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on October 26, SP Brady Murdy went 9.0 IP, 3 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K in a game against the Fort Richmond (Score: 90).

Key Injuries: SP Joey Cumberledge is still out out for at least 3-4 weeks, due to a torn labrum he suffered in Spring Training.

SP Hirotada Fukushima (10-10, 5.25 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 4.7 WAR) suffered a torn flexor tendon on March 1. He is gone for the season and will miss part of next season as well.

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The Fort Richmond Generals were not able to hang with the big boys in the West, but they did finish with 7 more victories than they won last season and moved up from 7th spot to 3rd.
They have some nice young talent starting to blossom in players such as SS Steven Wormleighton (.283/.323/.357, 3 HR, 50 RBI, 91 R, 38 BB, 30 SB, 3.6 WAR - 5th overall pick in 1938-39) and C Danny Trowbridge (2nd overall pick in 1939-40), who won Rookie of the Month honours in February. Also waiting in the wings is SS Jamie Florey, the 8th overall pick in 1938-39 acquired in a trade from the Cobourg Red Stockings in January. Their continued progress will be critical if Fort Richmond hopes to improve their anemic offense and compete for a playoff spot in the coming years.

Top Position Player- Season: Its between Steven Wormleighton and Kade Limeburner, but I’ll going with Limeburner, as he went .274/.404/.476, 19 HR, 95 RBI, 96 R, 123 BB, 4.1 WAR).

Top Pitcher-Season: SP Oscar Burress was the ace for Fort Richmond this season, as he went 19-7, 3.19 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 5.4 WAR.

Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25.

Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on January 6, SP Oscar Burress went 9.0 IP, 2 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K in a game against the Pulberry Trolleys (Score: 86). Fort Richmond won 9-0.

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The Balmoral Giants won one fewer game than they did last season and finished a whopping 30.0 games out of 1st place, but the Giants are not dwelling on that. Instead they are looking to the future when a crop of top-tier prospects finally arrive at the big-league level to make Balmoral a powerhouse. That is the hope anyway, but there’s no disputing the bevy of talent the Giants have drafted and/or acquired through trades that now makes their farm system the deepest in the ULB.
One of those prospects arrived this year, in the form of 22-year old RF Carlton Broadbent (.282/.323/.423, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R, 10 BB, 0.6 WAR – 3rd overall pick in 1938-39), who was acquired from the Braeland City Monarch last May. Broadbent was rated the 2nd overall prospect at the start of the season and represents the beginning of Balmoral’s ascendency to relevance in the Western League.

Top Position Player- Season: He may be just a rookie (and will likely win the Rookie of the Year Award), but SS Francisco Rodríguez was Balmoral’s best player, batting .329/.373/.458, 3 HR, 82 RBI, 91 R, 44 BB, 16 SB, 4.6 WAR, to go along with a solid defensive game at SS (+4.1 ZR).

Top Pitcher-Season: Not a memorable season for Balmoral pitchers, but I’ll go with SP Charlie Crocombe, who went 14-12, 3.86 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.3 WAR.

Top Performance –Position Player: C Maurice Evans (.218/.313/.345, 11 HR,58 RBI, 46 R, 57 BB, 0.2 WAR) went 3-3, with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R 2 BB back on October 21 against the Cambria Cannons (Score: 95).

Top Performance –Pitcher: None made the Top 25.

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The Sherburn Tigers 64-90 record this season belies the fact that their offense was not all that bad, averaging 3rd in the West in a number of categories. But injuries and a struggling pitching staff undid any hope of optimism for the Tigers. In reality, the Tigers need a major infusion of talent if they hope to compete in the coming seasons. Sherburn’s farm system is one of the weakest (13th overall), and they really only have three players of any consequence: C Joe Gault, SS Gary Watkinson and LF Robin Harney.

Top Position Player- Season: 33-year old SS Gary Watkinson had to deal with multiple spells on the DL and he is not quite the player he once was. Still, he is a productive player when healthy and went .322/.428/.431, 2 HR, 51 RBI, 82 R, 81 BB, 11 SB, 4.8 WAR. Watkinson is the rated #7 overall in the ULB.

Top Pitcher-Season: As mentioned earlier, this was not a memorable season for Sherburn pitchers (again). I’ll go with 26-year old SP Steve Greenwell, who went 11-17, 4.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 3.6 WAR.

Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25.

Top Performance –Pitcher: It’s ironic that a lone pitching performance (and none from a position player) made the list. Steve Greenwell went 9.0 IP, 2 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K in a game against the Fort Richmond Generals on January 20 (Score: 85). Sherburn won 5-0.

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The Wolseley Unions gave up the ghost in February and March, winning a grand total of 14 games, against 33 losses. But much like Balmoral, the Unions have fully embraced rebuilding and a number of their top prospects, such as CF Jon Moreau, LF Blake Harmon, SP Aaron Saunderson, RP Steve Patterson and SP Michael Milk received a taste of the major leagues this season. Saunderson performed well (6-2, 1 SV, 2.74 ERA, 1.51 WHIP), as did Michael Milk (4-5, 2 SV, 3.14 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) before he suffered a torn flexor tendon in February that ended his season. On offense, 23-year old rookie LF Nicky Willis gave the Unions further hope, as he went .284/.343/.408, 9 HR, 73 RBI, 62 R, 51 BB, 2.0 WAR.
Wolseley has additional talent in the system that should serve the Unions well in the near future.

Top Position Player- Season: Wolseley’s offense ran out of steam in the last two months of the season and 1B Aaron Flanagan wasn’t immune, but overall he went .279/.369/.527, 30 HR, 119 RBI, 100 R, 83 BB, 4.4 WAR.

Top Pitcher-Season: The 1939-40 season will not go down as one of Wolseley’s better years in pitching. Case in point is 31-year old SP Joe Walrond, who went 5-15, 3.74 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 2.8 WAR on the year. But Walrond led the team in a slew of categories (BABIP, WHIP, Hits per 9 IP, etc.) that gave him the nod.

Top Performance –Position Player: Aaron Flanagan had Wolseley’s top offensive performance, as he went 3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB (Score: 96) in a game against the Cobourg Red Stockings back on November 22.

Top Performance –Pitcher: SP Jim Smyth (13-9, 3.84 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 2.6 WAR) went 9.0 IP, 3 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K in a game against the Balmoral Giants on December 27 (Score: 87).

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In the race to the bottom, the Pulberry Trolleys came up a few games short, but a second overall pick in next season’s amateur draft is assured for the hapless Trolleys, as they lost 28 games in February and March combined. They did finish on a high note of sorts, as March was the only month they finished above .500 this season.
Pulberry does some things right though, as they finished first in stolen bases and defensive efficiency in the West. And in terms of prospects, they are stacked.
In addition to 1B Wenceslas Jasmin (1st overall pick in 1938-39) and CF Brian Ilderton (12th overall pick in 1938-39), they have a Top-10 (organizational ranking) prospect at every position waiting in the wings except at the catcher position.
They also have the top 2B in the ULB in Brian Main (.300/.363/.454, 16 HR, 143 RBI, 85 R, 71 BB, 12 SB, 4.8 WAR) as well as SS Colin Strudwick (.318/.343/.463, 4 HR, 68 RBI, 71 R, 20 BB, 16 SB, 2.9 WAR), a 3rd overall selection in 1937-38. Strudwick also enjoyed a 29-game hitting streak that ended on the next to last game of the season. It was the longest hitting streak of the season.

Oddity: Brian Main finished with 143 RBI this season, the most of any player. But because 94 of them came when he played in the Eastern League with Stratford, and the remaining 49 came after he joined Pulberry in the West, he is absent from the top of either League leaderboard.

Top Position Player- Season: SS Colin Strudwick led the Trolleys in a host of offensive categories this season, but was sub-par on defense (-2.0 ZR). Hence, the accolade goes to CF Rio Gidley (.267/.361/.388, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 64 R, 73 BB, 18 SB, 3.7 WAR), who had a down year compared to last season, but led the team in WAR and was outstanding again in CF (+13.7 ZR).

Top Pitcher-Season: None of these choices are appealing, so I’ll hold my nose and select SP Bailey Keedwell (10-17, 4.92 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 2.3 WAR).

Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25.

Top Performance –Pitcher: None made the Top 25.

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Someday, all this losing is bound to pay off. The Hespeler Stars’ finished dead last in the ULB again and will receive the first overall selection in next season’s amateur draft. If their pick will be anything like this season’s, then the Stars’ future will be bright.
CF Vic Weetman who, as mentioned before, has yet to play a game in the minors, continues to blossom with the big club. In his first partial season, Weetman went .267/.314/.393, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 62 R, 27 BB, 15 SB, 3.1 WAR. March was by far his best month, as he batted .323/.385/.452.

Top Position Player- Season: 24-year old LF Steven Winstanley was Hespeler’s top player, batting .284/.342/.478, 17 HR, 88 RBI, 74 R, 46 BB, 3.9 WAR.

Top Pitcher-Season: He’s not a young one, but 41-year old SP Michael Wilberfoss was the pitching ace for the Stars, as he went 14-17, 3.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5.1 WAR.

Top Performance –Position Player: 25-year old 1B Erwin Deang (.258/.311/.393, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 42 R, 25 BB, -0.3 WAR) enjoyed an outstanding game at the plate against the Sherburn Tigers back on March 15. Deang went 2-3, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB (Score: 102). Hespeler won 11-0.

Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on December 5, SP Brendon De san miguel (4-2, 3.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 1.1 WAR) went 9.0 IP, 1 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K in a game against the Balmoral Giants (Score: 85).

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09-10-2015, 11:28 AM	#141
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	March 25, 1940 The West is Set: Cambria and Kingston to Battle for Pennant -------- The Cambria Cannons have nothing to apologize for. Qualifying for the wild card last year simply because they weren’t quite as awful as they rest of the Western League teams not named Kingston, the Cannons of today are the class the United Leagues, having won 99 games. Last year at this time, it would have seemed incredible for anyone in the West to supplant the Kingston Pelicans from their roost atop the standings. But Cambria has assembled a tremendous team that finished 14.0 games ahead of the defending champions. Now comes the task of truly usurping the Pelicans, who have won the Western League Pennant and United Cup the past two seasons. The Cannons went 31-16 in February and March; if they can keep up that strong play, the United Leagues may be crowning a new champion in April. Top Position Player- Season: The drafting of LF Ron Westmacott 2nd overall in the 1937-38 amateur draft proved to be a shrewd move, as he was Cambria’s top position player again this season. The 23-year old went .311/.408/.599, 16 HR, 99 RBI, 115 R, 80 BB, 20 SB, 6.6 WAR. Westmacott is rated #4 overall among position players. Top Pitcher-Season: Cambria’s pitching was the top-rated staff in the Western League. That said 36-year old SP-RHP Neil Guerin is the well-established ace. And with good reason; he went 20-8, 3.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 7.0 WAR. Guerin is rated #4 overall among pitchers in the ULB. Top Performance –Position Player: LF Ron Westmacott and 1B Keane Fysh tied for the top game performance for Cambria this season. On February 29 against the Wolseley Unions, Westmacott went 4-5, with 7 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, while Keane went 3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB (Score: 103). The Cannons demolished the Unions 27-2. Top Performance –Pitcher: On March 23, SP Neil Guerin went 9.0 IP, 1 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K in a game against the Pulberry Trolleys (Score: 88). Cambria won 1-0. Key Injuries: RP Jason Fortenberry (2-3, 6 SV, 4.03 ERA, 1.52) was diagnosed with a partially torn labrum in a game on January 20. He is gone for the season (7 weeks). SP Hideki Matsui (10-7, 4.24 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 1.1 WAR) injured himself in a game on February 11. He is gone for the season with shoulder inflammation (3-4 weeks). -------- The Kingston Pelicans find themselves in the playoffs for the third straight season, but it’s not quite the same old song. Kingston finished in 2nd place, 14.0 games back of first place; but 14.0 games ahead of 3rd place Fort Richmond. The Pelicans had to contend with a swath of injuries all season long, but still managed to compete. But in February, they stumbled, going just 8-17. That month included being swept in 3 games by both the 1st place Cambria Cannons and the 1st first place Braeland City Monarchs. Kingston rebounded in March, going 16-6 to finish with 85 victories. Despite the adversities and struggles, the Pelicans are still a dangerous team, finishing at or near the top in a slew of batting and pitching categories. Top Position Player- Season: Kingston has a lot of worthy candidates, but SS Okura Ito is the best of the best, going .370/.405/.540, 15 HR, 117 RBI, 113 R, 41 BB, 8.0 WAR). Ito is rated #1 in the ULB for position players. Top Pitcher-Season: SP Brady Murdy is the top pitcher on a very good pitching staff. This season, Murdy went 21-12, 3.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.9 WAR. He is rated #2 among ULB pitchers. Top Performance –Position Player: 1B Fergus Chitty (.338/.436/.587, 21 HR, 90 RBI, 74 R, 69 BB, 4.2 WAR) was hampered by injuries all season, but he had the top game performance for the team this season. On March 18 against the Hespeler Stars, Chitty went 2-3, with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R 3 BB (Score: 107- 2nd overall). Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on October 26, SP Brady Murdy went 9.0 IP, 3 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K in a game against the Fort Richmond (Score: 90). Key Injuries: SP Joey Cumberledge is still out out for at least 3-4 weeks, due to a torn labrum he suffered in Spring Training. SP Hirotada Fukushima (10-10, 5.25 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 4.7 WAR) suffered a torn flexor tendon on March 1. He is gone for the season and will miss part of next season as well. -------- The Fort Richmond Generals were not able to hang with the big boys in the West, but they did finish with 7 more victories than they won last season and moved up from 7th spot to 3rd. They have some nice young talent starting to blossom in players such as SS Steven Wormleighton (.283/.323/.357, 3 HR, 50 RBI, 91 R, 38 BB, 30 SB, 3.6 WAR - 5th overall pick in 1938-39) and C Danny Trowbridge (2nd overall pick in 1939-40), who won Rookie of the Month honours in February. Also waiting in the wings is SS Jamie Florey, the 8th overall pick in 1938-39 acquired in a trade from the Cobourg Red Stockings in January. Their continued progress will be critical if Fort Richmond hopes to improve their anemic offense and compete for a playoff spot in the coming years. Top Position Player- Season: Its between Steven Wormleighton and Kade Limeburner, but I’ll going with Limeburner, as he went .274/.404/.476, 19 HR, 95 RBI, 96 R, 123 BB, 4.1 WAR). Top Pitcher-Season: SP Oscar Burress was the ace for Fort Richmond this season, as he went 19-7, 3.19 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 5.4 WAR. Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25. Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on January 6, SP Oscar Burress went 9.0 IP, 2 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K in a game against the Pulberry Trolleys (Score: 86). Fort Richmond won 9-0. -------- The Balmoral Giants won one fewer game than they did last season and finished a whopping 30.0 games out of 1st place, but the Giants are not dwelling on that. Instead they are looking to the future when a crop of top-tier prospects finally arrive at the big-league level to make Balmoral a powerhouse. That is the hope anyway, but there’s no disputing the bevy of talent the Giants have drafted and/or acquired through trades that now makes their farm system the deepest in the ULB. One of those prospects arrived this year, in the form of 22-year old RF Carlton Broadbent (.282/.323/.423, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R, 10 BB, 0.6 WAR – 3rd overall pick in 1938-39), who was acquired from the Braeland City Monarch last May. Broadbent was rated the 2nd overall prospect at the start of the season and represents the beginning of Balmoral’s ascendency to relevance in the Western League. Top Position Player- Season: He may be just a rookie (and will likely win the Rookie of the Year Award), but SS Francisco Rodríguez was Balmoral’s best player, batting .329/.373/.458, 3 HR, 82 RBI, 91 R, 44 BB, 16 SB, 4.6 WAR, to go along with a solid defensive game at SS (+4.1 ZR). Top Pitcher-Season: Not a memorable season for Balmoral pitchers, but I’ll go with SP Charlie Crocombe, who went 14-12, 3.86 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.3 WAR. Top Performance –Position Player: C Maurice Evans (.218/.313/.345, 11 HR,58 RBI, 46 R, 57 BB, 0.2 WAR) went 3-3, with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R 2 BB back on October 21 against the Cambria Cannons (Score: 95). Top Performance –Pitcher: None made the Top 25. -------- The Sherburn Tigers 64-90 record this season belies the fact that their offense was not all that bad, averaging 3rd in the West in a number of categories. But injuries and a struggling pitching staff undid any hope of optimism for the Tigers. In reality, the Tigers need a major infusion of talent if they hope to compete in the coming seasons. Sherburn’s farm system is one of the weakest (13th overall), and they really only have three players of any consequence: C Joe Gault, SS Gary Watkinson and LF Robin Harney. Top Position Player- Season: 33-year old SS Gary Watkinson had to deal with multiple spells on the DL and he is not quite the player he once was. Still, he is a productive player when healthy and went .322/.428/.431, 2 HR, 51 RBI, 82 R, 81 BB, 11 SB, 4.8 WAR. Watkinson is the rated #7 overall in the ULB. Top Pitcher-Season: As mentioned earlier, this was not a memorable season for Sherburn pitchers (again). I’ll go with 26-year old SP Steve Greenwell, who went 11-17, 4.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 3.6 WAR. Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25. Top Performance –Pitcher: It’s ironic that a lone pitching performance (and none from a position player) made the list. Steve Greenwell went 9.0 IP, 2 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K in a game against the Fort Richmond Generals on January 20 (Score: 85). Sherburn won 5-0. -------- The Wolseley Unions gave up the ghost in February and March, winning a grand total of 14 games, against 33 losses. But much like Balmoral, the Unions have fully embraced rebuilding and a number of their top prospects, such as CF Jon Moreau, LF Blake Harmon, SP Aaron Saunderson, RP Steve Patterson and SP Michael Milk received a taste of the major leagues this season. Saunderson performed well (6-2, 1 SV, 2.74 ERA, 1.51 WHIP), as did Michael Milk (4-5, 2 SV, 3.14 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) before he suffered a torn flexor tendon in February that ended his season. On offense, 23-year old rookie LF Nicky Willis gave the Unions further hope, as he went .284/.343/.408, 9 HR, 73 RBI, 62 R, 51 BB, 2.0 WAR. Wolseley has additional talent in the system that should serve the Unions well in the near future. Top Position Player- Season: Wolseley’s offense ran out of steam in the last two months of the season and 1B Aaron Flanagan wasn’t immune, but overall he went .279/.369/.527, 30 HR, 119 RBI, 100 R, 83 BB, 4.4 WAR. Top Pitcher-Season: The 1939-40 season will not go down as one of Wolseley’s better years in pitching. Case in point is 31-year old SP Joe Walrond, who went 5-15, 3.74 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 2.8 WAR on the year. But Walrond led the team in a slew of categories (BABIP, WHIP, Hits per 9 IP, etc.) that gave him the nod. Top Performance –Position Player: Aaron Flanagan had Wolseley’s top offensive performance, as he went 3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB (Score: 96) in a game against the Cobourg Red Stockings back on November 22. Top Performance –Pitcher: SP Jim Smyth (13-9, 3.84 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 2.6 WAR) went 9.0 IP, 3 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K in a game against the Balmoral Giants on December 27 (Score: 87). -------- In the race to the bottom, the Pulberry Trolleys came up a few games short, but a second overall pick in next season’s amateur draft is assured for the hapless Trolleys, as they lost 28 games in February and March combined. They did finish on a high note of sorts, as March was the only month they finished above .500 this season. Pulberry does some things right though, as they finished first in stolen bases and defensive efficiency in the West. And in terms of prospects, they are stacked. In addition to 1B Wenceslas Jasmin (1st overall pick in 1938-39) and CF Brian Ilderton (12th overall pick in 1938-39), they have a Top-10 (organizational ranking) prospect at every position waiting in the wings except at the catcher position. They also have the top 2B in the ULB in Brian Main (.300/.363/.454, 16 HR, 143 RBI, 85 R, 71 BB, 12 SB, 4.8 WAR) as well as SS Colin Strudwick (.318/.343/.463, 4 HR, 68 RBI, 71 R, 20 BB, 16 SB, 2.9 WAR), a 3rd overall selection in 1937-38. Strudwick also enjoyed a 29-game hitting streak that ended on the next to last game of the season. It was the longest hitting streak of the season. Oddity: Brian Main finished with 143 RBI this season, the most of any player. But because 94 of them came when he played in the Eastern League with Stratford, and the remaining 49 came after he joined Pulberry in the West, he is absent from the top of either League leaderboard. Top Position Player- Season: SS Colin Strudwick led the Trolleys in a host of offensive categories this season, but was sub-par on defense (-2.0 ZR). Hence, the accolade goes to CF Rio Gidley (.267/.361/.388, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 64 R, 73 BB, 18 SB, 3.7 WAR), who had a down year compared to last season, but led the team in WAR and was outstanding again in CF (+13.7 ZR). Top Pitcher-Season: None of these choices are appealing, so I’ll hold my nose and select SP Bailey Keedwell (10-17, 4.92 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 2.3 WAR). Top Performance –Position Player: None made the Top 25. Top Performance –Pitcher: None made the Top 25. -------- Someday, all this losing is bound to pay off. The Hespeler Stars’ finished dead last in the ULB again and will receive the first overall selection in next season’s amateur draft. If their pick will be anything like this season’s, then the Stars’ future will be bright. CF Vic Weetman who, as mentioned before, has yet to play a game in the minors, continues to blossom with the big club. In his first partial season, Weetman went .267/.314/.393, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 62 R, 27 BB, 15 SB, 3.1 WAR. March was by far his best month, as he batted .323/.385/.452. Top Position Player- Season: 24-year old LF Steven Winstanley was Hespeler’s top player, batting .284/.342/.478, 17 HR, 88 RBI, 74 R, 46 BB, 3.9 WAR. Top Pitcher-Season: He’s not a young one, but 41-year old SP Michael Wilberfoss was the pitching ace for the Stars, as he went 14-17, 3.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5.1 WAR. Top Performance –Position Player: 25-year old 1B Erwin Deang (.258/.311/.393, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 42 R, 25 BB, -0.3 WAR) enjoyed an outstanding game at the plate against the Sherburn Tigers back on March 15. Deang went 2-3, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB (Score: 102). Hespeler won 11-0. Top Performance –Pitcher: Back on December 5, SP Brendon De san miguel (4-2, 3.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 1.1 WAR) went 9.0 IP, 1 HA, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K in a game against the Balmoral Giants (Score: 85). -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-03-2017 at 05:07 PM.