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reds1 · 10-24-2015, 11:29 PM

February 1, 1941

Eastern League: Barons Making Their Move

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All of a sudden, the Braeland City Monarchs have company. The Monarchs had another fine month in January, going 16-11, but find themselves hanging on to first place in the East by just a few percentage points. They have a couple of games in hand on their challengers, the Stratford Barons. But unless the Barons cool off, the Monarchs will have to seriously step it up if they want to maintain their hold on top spot in the East for the second year in a row.
The pitching continues to be top-notch as they rank first in a slew of categories (2.90/2.90/2.99 – 1st/1st/2nd), but their offense continues to be below average (.274/.338/.394 – 5th/6th/6th). The Monarchs did not make a substantial deal to upgrade their offense before the trade deadline, perhaps hoping that regulars, such as 3B Louie Heatherington, returning from injury will suffice. We’ll see the wisdom of that course as we head into the final two months of the season.

Five Monarchs were selected to the All-Star Game: SP Leo Bonfield (1st selection), SP David Cooling (2nd), SP Lenny Freke (3rd), RP Samuel Hollier (1st) and C Kane Broom (3rd).

Top Position Player: While most of Braeland City’s starters had a rather lacklustre month, SS Adam Ashley (.301/.352/.418, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 64 R, 34 BB, 12 SB) excelled, batting .330/.374/.443, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 19 R, 7 BB).

Top Pitcher: Some very nice performances to choose from, but I have to go with ace SP Lenny Freke (11-9, 2.45 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) who went 3-2, 1.53 ERA, 53.0 IP, 31 K, 9 BB. He pitched a 3-hit shutout and a 4-hit shutout during the course of January.

Key Injuries: None.

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The hottest team in the United Leagues since November 1 has not been the Kingston Pelicans. That honour goes to the Stratford Barons who have gone 53-26 in that span (Kingston has gone 52-26). Their 20 victories in January have catapulted them into a two-way tie with Braeland City, although the Monarchs have a couple of games in hand.

The Barons’ offense has really stepped it up (.296/.364/.445 – 1st/1st/1st), as has their pitching (3.48/3.68/2.23 – 2nd/2nd/1st). Stratford is doing everything well at the moment. But will it be enough to finally launch them into the post-season? The Barons have gotten hot before, only to see them wilt in the last few weeks of the season and come up short. But this team looks really solid.

Six players were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Ryan Borden (1st), RP Larry Parrish (3rd), 1B Don Adkins (3rd), 2B Rhett Curnow (2nd), SS Jake Walker (2nd) and CF Kade Limeburner (3rd).

Top Position Player: Wow. I mean, wow. When you have a starting lineup with players batting .333, .340, .360 and .366, and they still don’t get the nod for top player of the month, you know the offense is firing on all cylinders. But batting 9th in the lineup is 1B Don Adkins (.320/.409/.529, 14 HR, 60 RBI, 50 R, 47 BB) who went .379/.465/.632, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 15 R, 13 BB. His efforts earned him a Player of the Week Award during the month.

Top Pitcher: I’ll go with LHP Ryan Borden (14-6, 2.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) again, although this was not an easy choice either. Stratford’s ace was even better in January, going 5-0, 1.31 ERA, 48.0 IP, 24 K, 12 BB.

But 36-year old Kazuhiko Chikafuji (12-4, 3.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) was outstanding as well. The No. 3 starter went 5-0, 2.16 ERA, 41.2 IP, 16 K, 8 BB

Key Injuries: None.

With their fortunes starting to slide, the Wellington Athletics responding in January with their best month yet, going 15-10. But with no signs of either Braeland City or Stratford slowing down, it may be too much to overcome for the Athletics in their efforts to return to the post-season. That hasn’t stopped Wellington from trying, as they made a couple of interesting trades before the deadline to address their weaknesses.

The offense has remained steady (.287/.350/.414 – 2nd/4th/3rd), but their pitching has made some significant improvements (3.78/3.76/3.83 – 3rd/3rd/4th), giving hope to the Athletics’ chances.

Four players were selected to the All-Star squad: SP Clyde Boney (4th), C Dylan Watkins (4th), 3B Ryley McLarnon (3rd) and LF Bob Boynton (4th).

Top Position Player: 28-year old 2B Brian Main (.299/.363/.476, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 43 R, 31 BB) finally stayed healthy and had a great month, batting .349/.389/.482, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 12 R, 6 BB.

Top Pitcher: 23-year old RHP Kelvin Hutchinson (6-4, 2.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP), a 7th overall pick back in 1937-38 who is pitching out of the bullpen, had an outstanding month, and richly deserved his first Pitcher of the Month Award.

Key Injury: 28-year old RP Jack Steeds (8-7, 8 SV, 3.65 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) strained a hamstring while pitching against the Braeland City Monarchs back on January 19. He will be out of action for 2-3 months.

Key Trade: On January 25, Wellington acquired 36-year old SP Frank Leadbeater (75/75 – 11-8, 2.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) from the Downie Chiefs. In return, the Chiefs received four minor leaguers:

21-year old SS Junji Seki (22/58 – 4th round pick from 1939-40); 19-year old RF Octavio Leon (20/25 – 4th round pick from 1940-41); 20-year old CF Edgardo Alomar (22/23); 24-year old LF Jonathan Coxall (22/23).

Knee-jerk reaction: A really, really sweet deal for the Athletics, as they now have the No. 8 overall pitcher to lead their rotation. He joins Colm Soper, who is rated No. 10 overall. In return, Downie receives four minor leaguers who are unlikely to make much of an impact. Seki has perhaps the best chance, as he has very good contact and great speed. He can play 2B/3B/SS and RF and not embarrass himself. But a rather light haul for a perennial all-star pitcher in my opinion.[/COLOR]

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Their 18-7 October seems like a distant memory now, as the Embro Suns continue to be left behind in the Eastern League standings. They could only muster a 13-13 record on the month. Their offense has started to slip (.280/.352/.438 – 4th/3rd/2nd) and the pitching has not improved (4.50/4.76/3.30 – 6th/7th/3rd). Injuries have certainly had an impact. But if the starting lineup can somehow get all healthy for the final stretch, then perhaps they can rebound. But it’s looking more and more like a tall order.

Five Suns were selected to the All-Star roster: RP Nick Staples (1st), 1B Jim Friend (2nd), SS Gary Watkinson (4th), LF Terence Durney (4th) and RF Paul Hooks (3rd).

Top Position Player: 26-year old 1B Jim Friend (.331/.406/.589, 22 HR, 98 RBI, 80 R, 55 BB) rebounded from down month, to bat .352/.408/.574, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 20 R, 11 BB in January. Friend is the top-rated 1B in the United Leagues.

Top Pitcher:The rotation simply hasn’t been carrying its weight this season. But 5th starter, RHP Owen Smith (3-2, 5.66 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) had a decent month. He went 2-1, 2.96 ERA, 27.1 IP, 14 K, 10 BB. The 30-year old has spent most of his career in the minors, save for one game with Embro back in 1937, where he pitched for 3.1 innings, giving up 3 H, 1 ER and 2 BB.

Key Injuries: 31-year old RHP Colm Soper (5-1, 3.68 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He suffered a setback and will miss 3 more months.

LF Terence Durney (.325/.405/.511, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 76 R, 48 BB) was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis after a game on January 12. He is out for another week, if he doesn’t suffer another setback.

Key Trade: On January 30, Embro acquired 27-year old 3B Yoshifumi Tamura (65/66 – .244/.313/.355, 5 HR, 43 RBI, 38 R, 33 BB) from the Cobourg Red Stockings. In return, the Red Stockings received three minor leaguers:

22-year old SP Armando Ramirez (23/53 – 3rd round pick from 1939-40);
19-year old SS Rizal Gorospe (20/40 – 2nd round pick from 1940-41);
21-year old SS Masato Narita (22/29).

Knee-jerk reaction: Overall, a minor deal for both parties. Tamura, who played RF with Cobourg, will take over 3B from Mason Damerell (.227/.282/.316) who hasn’t done much to justify a starting job. Tamura will not hit for high average or win any defensive awards, but has excellent power and decent plate discipline.
Cobourg receives three pretty average players in return. Ramirez may get a chance to be a No. 4 or 5 starter one day, as his stuff and repertoire is respectable but nothing special.

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The Brunswick Legends could not keep up the momentum they generated in December and fell to a 12-12 record in January. That included a 3-8 stretch to end the month. Part of that was due to the pitching staff taking a step back. While the offense held steady (.281/.346/.411 – 3rd/5th/5th), the pitching staff regressed a little (3.96/3.97/3.89 – 4th/4th/5th). Not a big difference, mind you, but in the competitive East, it saw them fall from 2.5 games back of the wild card to 9.0 games back in the span of a month. Another factor is that the Legends simply don’t have as strong a starting lineup as other teams do.

Five Legends made the All-Star team: SP Hirotada Fukushima (2nd), SP Anastasio Rodriguez (1st), 2B Vince Bailey (1st), RF Rovilson Valdevieso (3rd) and RF Mark Elston (3rd).

Top Position Player: OF Rovilson Valdevieso (.302/.341/.488, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 56 R, 27 BB, 12 SB) was the top legend in January, batting .293/.320/.543, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 11 R, 5 BB.

Top Pitcher: While the rest of the rotation had a down month in January, LHP Hirotada Fukushima (12-4, 2.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) held his own, going 3-2, 2.23 ERA, 44.1 IP, 21 K, 14 BB in December.

Key Injuries: 30-year old LHP Matthew Monroe (1-0, 1.29 ERA) suffered a fractured ulna on Opening Day and will miss the entire regular season.

RF Mark Elston (.316/.437/.509, 12 HR, 73 RBI, 59 R, 76 BB) injured his wrist in a game against the Cambria Cannons on January 26. He remains out of action for 1-2 weeks.

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The Queensland Eagles cooled off in January to fall 11 games back of the league leaders. The Eagles continue to be stymied by a rash of injuries. Their offense remains competitive (.273/.354/.412 – 6th/2nd/4th), but their pitching continues to struggle (4.70/4.40/6.73 – 7th/5th/8th).

Five Eagles were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Bradley Paris (2nd), C Dave Wilson (2nd), 3B Kian Meadmore (4th), SS Katsunan Chikafuji (4th) and LF Terry Aspden (2nd).

Top Position Player: SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.317/.380/.541, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 86 R, 45 BB) had a sensational January and the 25-year old richly deserved the 5th Batter of the Month Award of his career.

Top Pitcher: 31-year old SP Darren Stewart (8-3, 2.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) had a fine January. The Eagles ace went 5-1, 2.44, 59.0 IP, 11 K, 22 BB.

Key Injuries: Perennial all-star SP Max MacColl suffered a broken bone in his elbow back on November 19. He is lost for the season (3 months).

SS Ken Cutler (.425/.439/.650, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB) remains out for 4 weeks. Back on October 10, Cutler suffered bone chips in his elbow.

CF Ben Watson (.253/.323/.381, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 47 R, 33 BB) suffered a partially torn labrum on January 23 in a game against the Embro Suns. He is out 6 weeks.

CF Doug Winslade (.274/.337/.358, 4-2B, 12 RBI, 13 R, 9 BB) suffered a strained oblique in a game back on January 17. He should be back in a few days.

LF Terry Aspden (.288/.385/.512, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 64 R, 59 BB) strained a rib cage muscle in a game against the Brunswick Legends back on January 22. He is out a further 3 weeks.

Key Trade: On January 10, Queensland acquired 31-year old SP Bradley Paris (53/53 – 9-6, 3.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) from the Downie Chiefs, along with 23-year old minor league SS Maluhia Mara (29/50). In return, the Chiefs received 28-year old SS Ninfa Puzon (57/63 - .288/.374/.415, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 19 R, 17 BB).

Knee-jerk reaction: With the loss of ace SP MacColl, Queensland lands a pitcher who will be their No. 3 starter. Paris, once a 20-game winner in 1937, has not approached that level since, but he is still very capable. They also receive a former second rounder in Mara who projects to be a fine utility IF with average batting skills. In return, the Chiefs receive a journeyman SS. Downie is Ninfa’s fourth team in three seasons. He was little used in Queensland, but will be Downie’s cleanup hitter. Personally, I view Puzon as underrated and should benefit from starting regularly in Downie. Paris recently earned his second trip to the all-star game, but he is starting to regress, if slowly. I don’t think he will be much of a difference maker in Queensland.

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The Downie Chiefs went into selling mode BIG time in January, selling off three of their starting pitchers in Frank Leadbeater (Wellington), Bradley Paris (Queensland) and Nick Paddock (Cambria). The first two trades have already been discussed; the Paddock trade will be touched on when we look at Cambria. They also made a trade with Hespeler, which will be discussed later as well. Suffice to say, the Chiefs received some nice future pieces and have finally started that long-delayed rebuilding process that I’ve been anticipating since last season. They just do not have the horses to compete for a playoff spot, so it’s nice to see them finally begin to address that.

SP Frank Leadbeater (4th) was Downie’s lone representative at this month’s all-star game, shortly before he was traded to Wellington.

Top Position Player: RF Aaron Flanagan (.312/.385/.538, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 47 R, 28 BB) is the man. He continued his outstanding play despite the distractions in January, batting .352/.418/.648, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 16 R, 6 BB. He would have been a worthy candidate for Player of the Month.

Top Pitcher: The three top pitchers in the rotation are gone now, and the ones that remain are quite woeful, to say the least. So I’ll go with a bullpen guy. 23-year old RHP Carl Luscombe (2-4, 9 SV, 2.60 ERA, 1.52 WHIP), a former first rounder in 1939, went 1-2, 3 SV, 2.49 ERA, 21.2 IP, 11 K, 16 BB in January.

Key Injury: None.

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9, 7, 4, 5. That is the win total for the Cobourg Red Stockings in each of the first four months of the 1940/41 season. In all my years of playing around with this league in one form or another, from OOTP8 onward, I can’t recall a stretch of ineptitude like this. And it’s really depressing. They made a couple of trades in January, including a major one with Cambria that saw RF Clint Jones head to the Western League. That trade will be discussed in the Cambria section later. For Cobourg though, it’s all about the future. They have a couple of nice pieces in the lineup and bullpen right now, but otherwise this is a weak team that just got weaker, if that were possible.

Despite the team’s struggles, the Red Stockings actually had three players make the all-star team: 1B Clint Jones (2nd), 2B Matthew Lane (3rd Â– who won MVP honours at this year’s game) and LF Stuart Bentham (1st).

Top Position Player:25-year old LF Toin Tsuji (.274/.312/.447, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 24 R, 11 BB) had been a career minor leaguer until he signed a minor league contract last season with Cobourg. Given the opportunity to play in the majors for the first time this season, Tsuji has gotten better with each passing month. In January, he batted .296/.321/.593, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, 3 BB; winning Rookie of the Month honours in the process.

Top Pitcher: SP Jeff Hetzel (3-8, 5.26 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) had the best month out of all the pitchers on staff. In January, he went 0-2, 3.48 ERA, 31.0 IP, 13 K, 9 BB.

Key Injuries: None.

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10-24-2015, 11:29 PM	#177
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	February 1, 1941 Eastern League: Barons Making Their Move -------- All of a sudden, the Braeland City Monarchs have company. The Monarchs had another fine month in January, going 16-11, but find themselves hanging on to first place in the East by just a few percentage points. They have a couple of games in hand on their challengers, the Stratford Barons. But unless the Barons cool off, the Monarchs will have to seriously step it up if they want to maintain their hold on top spot in the East for the second year in a row. The pitching continues to be top-notch as they rank first in a slew of categories (2.90/2.90/2.99 – 1st/1st/2nd), but their offense continues to be below average (.274/.338/.394 – 5th/6th/6th). The Monarchs did not make a substantial deal to upgrade their offense before the trade deadline, perhaps hoping that regulars, such as 3B Louie Heatherington, returning from injury will suffice. We’ll see the wisdom of that course as we head into the final two months of the season. Five Monarchs were selected to the All-Star Game: SP Leo Bonfield (1st selection), SP David Cooling (2nd), SP Lenny Freke (3rd), RP Samuel Hollier (1st) and C Kane Broom (3rd). *Top Position Player:* While most of Braeland City’s starters had a rather lacklustre month, SS Adam Ashley (.301/.352/.418, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 64 R, 34 BB, 12 SB) excelled, batting .330/.374/.443, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 19 R, 7 BB). *Top Pitcher:* Some very nice performances to choose from, but I have to go with ace SP Lenny Freke (11-9, 2.45 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) who went 3-2, 1.53 ERA, 53.0 IP, 31 K, 9 BB. He pitched a 3-hit shutout and a 4-hit shutout during the course of January. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- The hottest team in the United Leagues since November 1 has not been the Kingston Pelicans. That honour goes to the Stratford Barons who have gone 53-26 in that span (Kingston has gone 52-26). Their 20 victories in January have catapulted them into a two-way tie with Braeland City, although the Monarchs have a couple of games in hand. The Barons’ offense has really stepped it up (.296/.364/.445 – 1st/1st/1st), as has their pitching (3.48/3.68/2.23 – 2nd/2nd/1st). Stratford is doing everything well at the moment. But will it be enough to finally launch them into the post-season? The Barons have gotten hot before, only to see them wilt in the last few weeks of the season and come up short. But this team looks really solid. Six players were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Ryan Borden (1st), RP Larry Parrish (3rd), 1B Don Adkins (3rd), 2B Rhett Curnow (2nd), SS Jake Walker (2nd) and CF Kade Limeburner (3rd). *Top Position Player:* Wow. I mean, wow. When you have a starting lineup with players batting .333, .340, .360 and .366, and they still don’t get the nod for top player of the month, you know the offense is firing on all cylinders. But batting 9th in the lineup is 1B Don Adkins (.320/.409/.529, 14 HR, 60 RBI, 50 R, 47 BB) who went .379/.465/.632, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 15 R, 13 BB. His efforts earned him a Player of the Week Award during the month. *Top Pitcher:* I’ll go with LHP Ryan Borden (14-6, 2.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) again, although this was not an easy choice either. Stratford’s ace was even better in January, going 5-0, 1.31 ERA, 48.0 IP, 24 K, 12 BB. But 36-year old Kazuhiko Chikafuji (12-4, 3.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) was outstanding as well. The No. 3 starter went 5-0, 2.16 ERA, 41.2 IP, 16 K, 8 BB *Key Injuries:* None. With their fortunes starting to slide, the Wellington Athletics responding in January with their best month yet, going 15-10. But with no signs of either Braeland City or Stratford slowing down, it may be too much to overcome for the Athletics in their efforts to return to the post-season. That hasn’t stopped Wellington from trying, as they made a couple of interesting trades before the deadline to address their weaknesses. The offense has remained steady (.287/.350/.414 – 2nd/4th/3rd), but their pitching has made some significant improvements (3.78/3.76/3.83 – 3rd/3rd/4th), giving hope to the Athletics’ chances. Four players were selected to the All-Star squad: SP Clyde Boney (4th), C Dylan Watkins (4th), 3B Ryley McLarnon (3rd) and LF Bob Boynton (4th). *Top Position Player:* 28-year old 2B Brian Main (.299/.363/.476, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 43 R, 31 BB) finally stayed healthy and had a great month, batting .349/.389/.482, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 12 R, 6 BB. *Top Pitcher:* 23-year old RHP Kelvin Hutchinson (6-4, 2.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP), a 7th overall pick back in 1937-38 who is pitching out of the bullpen, had an outstanding month, and richly deserved his first Pitcher of the Month Award. *Key Injury:* 28-year old RP Jack Steeds (8-7, 8 SV, 3.65 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) strained a hamstring while pitching against the Braeland City Monarchs back on January 19. He will be out of action for 2-3 months. *Key Trade:* On January 25, Wellington acquired 36-year old SP Frank Leadbeater (75/75 – 11-8, 2.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) from the Downie Chiefs. In return, the Chiefs received four minor leaguers: 21-year old SS Junji Seki (22/58 – 4th round pick from 1939-40); 19-year old RF Octavio Leon (20/25 – 4th round pick from 1940-41); 20-year old CF Edgardo Alomar (22/23); 24-year old LF Jonathan Coxall (22/23). *Knee-jerk reaction:* A really, really sweet deal for the Athletics, as they now have the No. 8 overall pitcher to lead their rotation. He joins Colm Soper, who is rated No. 10 overall. In return, Downie receives four minor leaguers who are unlikely to make much of an impact. Seki has perhaps the best chance, as he has very good contact and great speed. He can play 2B/3B/SS and RF and not embarrass himself. But a rather light haul for a perennial all-star pitcher in my opinion.[/COLOR] -------- Their 18-7 October seems like a distant memory now, as the Embro Suns continue to be left behind in the Eastern League standings. They could only muster a 13-13 record on the month. Their offense has started to slip (.280/.352/.438 – 4th/3rd/2nd) and the pitching has not improved (4.50/4.76/3.30 – 6th/7th/3rd). Injuries have certainly had an impact. But if the starting lineup can somehow get all healthy for the final stretch, then perhaps they can rebound. But it’s looking more and more like a tall order. Five Suns were selected to the All-Star roster: RP Nick Staples (1st), 1B Jim Friend (2nd), SS Gary Watkinson (4th), LF Terence Durney (4th) and RF Paul Hooks (3rd). *Top Position Player:* 26-year old 1B Jim Friend (.331/.406/.589, 22 HR, 98 RBI, 80 R, 55 BB) rebounded from down month, to bat .352/.408/.574, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 20 R, 11 BB in January. Friend is the top-rated 1B in the United Leagues. *Top Pitcher:The rotation simply hasn’t been carrying its weight this season. But 5th starter, RHP Owen Smith (3-2, 5.66 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) had a decent month. He went 2-1, 2.96 ERA, 27.1 IP, 14 K, 10 BB. The 30-year old has spent most of his career in the minors, save for one game with Embro back in 1937, where he pitched for 3.1 innings, giving up 3 H, 1 ER and 2 BB. Key Injuries:* 31-year old RHP Colm Soper (5-1, 3.68 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He suffered a setback and will miss 3 more months. LF Terence Durney (.325/.405/.511, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 76 R, 48 BB) was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis after a game on January 12. He is out for another week, if he doesn’t suffer another setback. *Key Trade:* On January 30, Embro acquired 27-year old 3B Yoshifumi Tamura (65/66 – .244/.313/.355, 5 HR, 43 RBI, 38 R, 33 BB) from the Cobourg Red Stockings. In return, the Red Stockings received three minor leaguers: 22-year old SP Armando Ramirez (23/53 – 3rd round pick from 1939-40); 19-year old SS Rizal Gorospe (20/40 – 2nd round pick from 1940-41); 21-year old SS Masato Narita (22/29). *Knee-jerk reaction:* Overall, a minor deal for both parties. Tamura, who played RF with Cobourg, will take over 3B from Mason Damerell (.227/.282/.316) who hasn’t done much to justify a starting job. Tamura will not hit for high average or win any defensive awards, but has excellent power and decent plate discipline. Cobourg receives three pretty average players in return. Ramirez may get a chance to be a No. 4 or 5 starter one day, as his stuff and repertoire is respectable but nothing special. -------- The Brunswick Legends could not keep up the momentum they generated in December and fell to a 12-12 record in January. That included a 3-8 stretch to end the month. Part of that was due to the pitching staff taking a step back. While the offense held steady (.281/.346/.411 – 3rd/5th/5th), the pitching staff regressed a little (3.96/3.97/3.89 – 4th/4th/5th). Not a big difference, mind you, but in the competitive East, it saw them fall from 2.5 games back of the wild card to 9.0 games back in the span of a month. Another factor is that the Legends simply don’t have as strong a starting lineup as other teams do. Five Legends made the All-Star team: SP Hirotada Fukushima (2nd), SP Anastasio Rodriguez (1st), 2B Vince Bailey (1st), RF Rovilson Valdevieso (3rd) and RF Mark Elston (3rd). *Top Position Player:* OF Rovilson Valdevieso (.302/.341/.488, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 56 R, 27 BB, 12 SB) was the top legend in January, batting .293/.320/.543, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 11 R, 5 BB. *Top Pitcher:* While the rest of the rotation had a down month in January, LHP Hirotada Fukushima (12-4, 2.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) held his own, going 3-2, 2.23 ERA, 44.1 IP, 21 K, 14 BB in December. *Key Injuries:* 30-year old LHP Matthew Monroe (1-0, 1.29 ERA) suffered a fractured ulna on Opening Day and will miss the entire regular season. RF Mark Elston (.316/.437/.509, 12 HR, 73 RBI, 59 R, 76 BB) injured his wrist in a game against the Cambria Cannons on January 26. He remains out of action for 1-2 weeks. -------- The Queensland Eagles cooled off in January to fall 11 games back of the league leaders. The Eagles continue to be stymied by a rash of injuries. Their offense remains competitive (.273/.354/.412 – 6th/2nd/4th), but their pitching continues to struggle (4.70/4.40/6.73 – 7th/5th/8th). Five Eagles were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Bradley Paris (2nd), C Dave Wilson (2nd), 3B Kian Meadmore (4th), SS Katsunan Chikafuji (4th) and LF Terry Aspden (2nd). *Top Position Player:* SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.317/.380/.541, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 86 R, 45 BB) had a sensational January and the 25-year old richly deserved the 5th Batter of the Month Award of his career. *Top Pitcher:* 31-year old SP Darren Stewart (8-3, 2.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) had a fine January. The Eagles ace went 5-1, 2.44, 59.0 IP, 11 K, 22 BB. *Key Injuries:* Perennial all-star SP Max MacColl suffered a broken bone in his elbow back on November 19. He is lost for the season (3 months). SS Ken Cutler (.425/.439/.650, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB) remains out for 4 weeks. Back on October 10, Cutler suffered bone chips in his elbow. CF Ben Watson (.253/.323/.381, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 47 R, 33 BB) suffered a partially torn labrum on January 23 in a game against the Embro Suns. He is out 6 weeks. CF Doug Winslade (.274/.337/.358, 4-2B, 12 RBI, 13 R, 9 BB) suffered a strained oblique in a game back on January 17. He should be back in a few days. LF Terry Aspden (.288/.385/.512, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 64 R, 59 BB) strained a rib cage muscle in a game against the Brunswick Legends back on January 22. He is out a further 3 weeks. *Key Trade:* On January 10, Queensland acquired 31-year old SP Bradley Paris (53/53 – 9-6, 3.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) from the Downie Chiefs, along with 23-year old minor league SS Maluhia Mara (29/50). In return, the Chiefs received 28-year old SS Ninfa Puzon (57/63 - .288/.374/.415, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 19 R, 17 BB). *Knee-jerk reaction:* With the loss of ace SP MacColl, Queensland lands a pitcher who will be their No. 3 starter. Paris, once a 20-game winner in 1937, has not approached that level since, but he is still very capable. They also receive a former second rounder in Mara who projects to be a fine utility IF with average batting skills. In return, the Chiefs receive a journeyman SS. Downie is Ninfa’s fourth team in three seasons. He was little used in Queensland, but will be Downie’s cleanup hitter. Personally, I view Puzon as underrated and should benefit from starting regularly in Downie. Paris recently earned his second trip to the all-star game, but he is starting to regress, if slowly. I don’t think he will be much of a difference maker in Queensland. -------- The Downie Chiefs went into selling mode BIG time in January, selling off three of their starting pitchers in Frank Leadbeater (Wellington), Bradley Paris (Queensland) and Nick Paddock (Cambria). The first two trades have already been discussed; the Paddock trade will be touched on when we look at Cambria. They also made a trade with Hespeler, which will be discussed later as well. Suffice to say, the Chiefs received some nice future pieces and have finally started that long-delayed rebuilding process that I’ve been anticipating since last season. They just do not have the horses to compete for a playoff spot, so it’s nice to see them finally begin to address that. SP Frank Leadbeater (4th) was Downie’s lone representative at this month’s all-star game, shortly before he was traded to Wellington. *Top Position Player:* RF Aaron Flanagan (.312/.385/.538, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 47 R, 28 BB) is the man. He continued his outstanding play despite the distractions in January, batting .352/.418/.648, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 16 R, 6 BB. He would have been a worthy candidate for Player of the Month. Top Pitcher: The three top pitchers in the rotation are gone now, and the ones that remain are quite woeful, to say the least. So I’ll go with a bullpen guy. 23-year old RHP Carl Luscombe (2-4, 9 SV, 2.60 ERA, 1.52 WHIP), a former first rounder in 1939, went 1-2, 3 SV, 2.49 ERA, 21.2 IP, 11 K, 16 BB in January. *Key Injury:* None. -------- 9, 7, 4, 5. That is the win total for the Cobourg Red Stockings in each of the first four months of the 1940/41 season. In all my years of playing around with this league in one form or another, from OOTP8 onward, I can’t recall a stretch of ineptitude like this. And it’s really depressing. They made a couple of trades in January, including a major one with Cambria that saw RF Clint Jones head to the Western League. That trade will be discussed in the Cambria section later. For Cobourg though, it’s all about the future. They have a couple of nice pieces in the lineup and bullpen right now, but otherwise this is a weak team that just got weaker, if that were possible. Despite the team’s struggles, the Red Stockings actually had three players make the all-star team: 1B Clint Jones (2nd), 2B Matthew Lane (3rd Â– who won MVP honours at this year’s game) and LF Stuart Bentham (1st). *Top Position Player:25-year old LF Toin Tsuji (.274/.312/.447, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 24 R, 11 BB) had been a career minor leaguer until he signed a minor league contract last season with Cobourg. Given the opportunity to play in the majors for the first time this season, Tsuji has gotten better with each passing month. In January, he batted .296/.321/.593, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, 3 BB; winning Rookie of the Month honours in the process. Top Pitcher:* SP Jeff Hetzel (3-8, 5.26 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) had the best month out of all the pitchers on staff. In January, he went 0-2, 3.48 ERA, 31.0 IP, 13 K, 9 BB. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 04-14-2025 at 07:34 PM.