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reds1 · 10-28-2015, 08:09 PM

March 31, 1941

Eastern League: Barons Finish on Top; Will Battle Monarchs for Pennant

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The Stratford Barons and Braeland City Monarchs battled it out in the final two months of the season, but the Barons prevailed, winning 34 games to Braeland City’s 33 to finish 2.0 games ahead of the defending Eastern League champions. It will mark the first time the Barons have qualified for the post-season and they do so with the best record in the United Leagues. The Barons’ offense established itself as the best in the land (.290/.358/.437 – 1st/1st/1st) and their pitching was solid (3.48/3.68/2.23– 2nd/3rd/1st). Stratford enters the playoffs as a remarkably balanced team that actually had a better record on the road than at home (48 wins at home; 50 on the road). They are also reasonably healthy, which cannot be said for the Monarchs.

Top Position Player – Season: 28-year old SS Jake Walker was Stratford’s best player over the course of the season, combining top shelf offense and outstanding defense. This season, he batted .335/.453/.507, 6 HR, 62 RBI, 88 R, 107 BB, 7.0 WAR.

Top Pitcher – Season: 32-year old SP Ryan Borden became a legitimate ace this season. He went 23-8, 2.61 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8.4 WAR. Borden is rated the No. 2 pitcher in the United Leagues, behind only Braeland City’s Lenny Freke.

Key Injuries: 1B Don Adkins (.314/.404/.529, 22 HR, 88 RBI, 72 R, 71 BB, 3.2 WAR) suffered a mild calf strain on March 29. He should return in 5 days.

Noteworthy: 28-year old 2B Rhett Curnow (.355/.401/.495, 11 HR, 89 RBI, 93 R, 44 BB, 5.2 WAR) won the Eastern League batting title, adding 206 H, 30-2B, 9-3B in 580 AB.

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The Braeland City Monarchs were not able to hold off the surging Stratford Barons and had to settle for 2nd spot this season. But the defending Eastern League champions have bigger issues to deal with right now. Two key cogs in their offense, C Kane Broom and 2B Adam Ashley, are lost for the season due to injuries. Thus, Braeland City enters the playoffs at a distinct disadvantage and will need to find a way to hang with the Barons’ potent offense. The Monarchs’ offense was not the strongest to begin with. With the loss of arguably their two best offensive players, it will make the challenge even more daunting.

The pitching is Braeland City’s main strength (3.04/3.02/3.28 – 1st/1st/2nd); their offense was average at best (.279/.344/.402 – 4th/5th/6th).

Top Position Player – Season: 27-year old 2B Adam Ashley was Braeland City’s top offensive player this season, batting .320/.365/.452, 6 HR, 79 RBI, 98 R, 46 BB, 19 SB, 5.3 WAR.

Top Pitcher – Season: SP Lenny Freke may be the No. 1 rated pitcher in the United Leagues and the Monarchs’ ace, but 31-year old SP David Cooling was Braeland City’s best pitcher this season. Cooling went 21-6, 2.02 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7.1 WAR.
Freke wasn’t bad either, going 20-12, 2.29 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 8.9 WAR. Cooling’s ERA of 2.02 set a United Leagues record for lowest earned run average in a season.

Key Injuries: Adam Ashley suffered torn quadriceps on March 26 in a game against the Downie Chiefs. He is out for 5 weeks.

Two days later, C Kane Broom (.295/.336/.450, 15 HR, 97 RBI, 76 R, 35 BB, 4.4 WAR) suffered the same injury as Ashley in a game against the Stratford Barons. He is gone for 3 weeks.

Playoff Note: Replacing Adam Ashley and Kane Broom in the lineup for the playoffs will be 24-year old 2B Trevor Bolen (.288/.338/.441, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 54 R, 24 BB, 0.4 WAR) and 34-year old C Rodrigo Pacheco (.317/.333/.451, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R, 3 BB, 0.8 WAR) respectively. Bolen was the 1st overall pick back in 1937/38, but aside from his all-star season in 1938/939, he has not lived up to his initial hype.

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The Wellington Athletics just could not keep up with Stratford and Braeland City this season and find themselves out of the playoffs. In January, they acquired SP Frank Leadbeater from the Downie Chiefs but then lost him a month later to injury. It was that kind of season for Wellington. On the whole though, the Athletics are a good team that should be competitive once again next season. The offense was fairly solid (.283/.349/.405 – 2nd/4th/5th) and the pitching steadily improved throughout the season (3.57/3.51/3.77 – 3rd/2nd/4th).

Top Position Player – Season: 30-year old C Dylan Watkins (.309/.390/.486, 15 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 68 BB, 5.5 WAR) was Wellington’s top player over the course of the season.

Top Pitcher – Season: 31-year old SP Clyde Boney (23-8, 2.21 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 6.8 WAR) is one of the best and was Wellington’s top pitcher this season.

Key Injury: 36-year old SP Frank Leadbeater (12-9, 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 4.9 WAR) fractured his elbow on February 19 in a game against the Balmoral Giants. He is out of commission for at least 6 months.

28-year old RP Jack Steeds (8-7, 8 SV, 3.65 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) strained a hamstring while pitching back in January. He will be out of action for 4 more weeks.

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The Brunswick Legends showed some flashes of excellence this season, but it wasn’t enough to reach the playoffs in Babe Ruth’s first season as manager. The Legends went 19-9 and 18-7 in December and February respectively, but in the other four months, they had difficulty playing .500 ball. It was enough, however, to challenge for third place in the East, but they will need more consistency if they want to be a factor next season. They don’t necessarily have the deepest farm system in the United Leagues, but they do have Top-10 ranked prospects at every position except catcher and starting pitching.

The offense suffered a bit in the final two months (.277/.343/.418 – 5th/6th/3rd), but the pitching staff held steady (3.84/3.84/3.87 – 4th/4th/6th).

Top Position Player – Season: RF Mark Elston (.317/.430/.517, 18 HR, 99 RBI, 82 R, 102 BB, 5.7 WAR) was again the top player for the Legends.

Top Pitcher – Season: Brunswick received a blow with the loss of their ace SP Matthew Monroe back on Opening Day, but they have to feel good about the blossoming of SP Anastasio Rodríguez (21-9, 2.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.1 WAR). The 24-year old Rodríguez was the 4th overall pick back in 1937/38 and is now rated No.3 overall among pitchers in the United Leagues.

Key Injuries: 30-year old LHP Matthew Monroe (1-0, 1.29 ERA) suffered a fractured ulna on Opening Day. He should be able to start throwing in 3-4 weeks.

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The Embro Suns never could build on their quick start and steadily fell back in the standings. The Suns boast some incredible talent on the roster. Three players, 1B Jim Friend, CF Terence Durney and RF Paul Hooks are all rated No. 1 at their respective positions, and the team has a few other players ranked in the top 4. Their window of opportunity has not closed, but they really need to address their lack of depth. They have the lowest ranked farm system and that weakness was exposed when starters started falling to injury.

The offense held steady (.281/.356/.435 – 3rd/2nd/2nd), but their pitching staff needs some infusion of talent (4.38/4.51/3.63 – 6th>/7th/3rd).

Top Position Player – Season: On a team with offensive heavyweights, 26-year old 1B Jim Friend had no trouble holding his own. Friend batted .329/.409/.590, 36 HR, 148 RBI, 120 R, 87 BB, 7.2 WAR. He established season records for home runs and RBI.

Also worthy of mention is RF Paul Hooks (.331/.432/.608, 35 HR, 140 RBI, 88 R, 97 BB, 6.2 WAR), who established a single season batting record for on-base pct. (.608).

Top Pitcher – Season: Embro acutely felt the loss of ace SP Colm Soper. But 26-year old SP Edward Hill responded with his best season, going 20-8, 4.06 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.9 WAR, before he too had his season end due to injury.

Key Injuries: 31-year old SP 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.

SP Edward Hill was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation following a game against the Wellington Athletics back on March 11. He will be laid up for 4 months.

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The Queensland Eagles just weren’t able to get anything going this season and continue to regress after reaching the playoffs in the inaugural season. Certainly, all the injuries didn’t help. But the Eagles find themselves in a difficult spot: their situation is not so hopeless so as to justify a complete rebuild, but their present talent base on the roster is not prodigious enough to really compete in the highly competitive East.Their offense was reasonably productive this season (.274/.353/.413 – 6th/3rd/4th), but they will need to improve their pitching (4.57/4.37/5.95 – 7th/5th/8th).

Top Position Player – Season: 25-year old SS Katsunan Chikafuji has been one of the most consistent players in the United Leagues. He continued his excellent play this season as well, batting [COLOR=black].316/.377/.522, 25 HR, 100 RBI, 117 R, 64 BB, 6.4 WAR.

26-year old rookie 1B Dean Bishop was a nice pickup from the Kingston Pelicans. He went .286/.405/.487, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 69 R, 83 BB, 4.3 WAR, earning three Rookie of the Month honour in all.

Top Pitcher – Season: It was a challenging year for Queensland pitchers. But 33-year old SP Stewart Colcott perhaps fared the best, going 14-13, 4.51 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.5 WAR.

Key Injuries: Perennial all-star SP Max MacColl suffered a broken bone in his elbow back in November. He should begin his throwing program in 5 more weeks.

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1940/41 is the season that the Downie Chiefs realized that they needed to embrace rebuild and look to the future. They did that in a big way, but there is still a long way to go. And things may get worse before they get better. Both the offense (.265/.325/.384 – 7th/7th/8th) and pitching (4.34/4.45/3.83 – 5th/6th/5th) struggled this year, justifying a major makeover.

Top Position Player – Season: The quiet and unassuming 3B Andy Johnson has been a Downie fixture from Day 1 and the 1940/41 season was perhaps his best. Johnson batted .313/.368/.433, 12 HR, 78 RBI, 77 R, 55 BB, 4.8 WAR.

Top Pitcher – Season: SP Frank Leadbeater is gone now, but his work prior to his trade in January still merits consideration. While still with the team, Leadbeater went 10-7, 2.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3.8 WAR.

Key Injury: 45-year old RP Robert Renton (3-0, 4 SV, 1.51 WHIP, -0.8 WAR) suffered a sore shoulder on March 25 while pitching against the Braeland City Monarchs. He will be laid up for 2 months.

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The Cobourg Red Stockings still showed that they had some pride left, as they went 26-26 over the last two months of the season, after failing to win more than nine games in each the previous four months. But as weak as the roster currently sits (1B Stuart Bentham and 3B Matthew Lane are the only players of note); their prospect ranking is another story. The Red Stockings have a Top 10 prospect waiting in the wings at every position, including four No. 1 ranked prospects. Better times may be just around the corner – or at least one can hope.

Top Position Player – Season:Despite the adversities, 31-year old 3B Matthew Lane responded with his best season, batting .270/.369/.487, 24 HR, 92 RBI, 74 R, 84 BB, 4.7 WAR.

Top Pitcher – Season: It was a year to forget for the pitching staff overall, but that’s not to say no one was trying. 30-year old SP George Blankely (8-16, 4.09 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 3.6 WAR) had his moments, such as in March, when he went 3-1, 2.02 ERA, 49.0 IP, 16 K, 16 BB.

29-year old SP Aiden Tassell (8-25, 4.61 ERA, 1.55 ERA, 3.2 WAR), however, was stuck with the dubious distinction of setting the record for most losses in a single season: 25.

Key Injuries: None.

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10-28-2015, 08:09 PM	#179
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	March 31, 1941 Eastern League: Barons Finish on Top; Will Battle Monarchs for Pennant -------- The Stratford Barons and Braeland City Monarchs battled it out in the final two months of the season, but the Barons prevailed, winning 34 games to Braeland City’s 33 to finish 2.0 games ahead of the defending Eastern League champions. It will mark the first time the Barons have qualified for the post-season and they do so with the best record in the United Leagues. The Barons’ offense established itself as the best in the land (.290/.358/.437 – 1st/1st/1st) and their pitching was solid (3.48/3.68/2.23– 2nd/3rd/1st). Stratford enters the playoffs as a remarkably balanced team that actually had a better record on the road than at home (48 wins at home; 50 on the road). They are also reasonably healthy, which cannot be said for the Monarchs. *Top Position Player – Season:* 28-year old SS Jake Walker was Stratford’s best player over the course of the season, combining top shelf offense and outstanding defense. This season, he batted .335/.453/.507, 6 HR, 62 RBI, 88 R, 107 BB, 7.0 WAR. *Top Pitcher – Season:* 32-year old SP Ryan Borden became a legitimate ace this season. He went 23-8, 2.61 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8.4 WAR. Borden is rated the No. 2 pitcher in the United Leagues, behind only Braeland City’s Lenny Freke. *Key Injuries:* 1B Don Adkins (.314/.404/.529, 22 HR, 88 RBI, 72 R, 71 BB, 3.2 WAR) suffered a mild calf strain on March 29. He should return in 5 days. *Noteworthy:* 28-year old 2B Rhett Curnow (.355/.401/.495, 11 HR, 89 RBI, 93 R, 44 BB, 5.2 WAR) won the Eastern League batting title, adding 206 H, 30-2B, 9-3B in 580 AB. -------- The Braeland City Monarchs were not able to hold off the surging Stratford Barons and had to settle for 2nd spot this season. But the defending Eastern League champions have bigger issues to deal with right now. Two key cogs in their offense, C Kane Broom and 2B Adam Ashley, are lost for the season due to injuries. Thus, Braeland City enters the playoffs at a distinct disadvantage and will need to find a way to hang with the Barons’ potent offense. The Monarchs’ offense was not the strongest to begin with. With the loss of arguably their two best offensive players, it will make the challenge even more daunting. The pitching is Braeland City’s main strength (3.04/3.02/3.28 – 1st/1st/2nd); their offense was average at best (.279/.344/.402 – 4th/5th/6th). *Top Position Player – Season:* 27-year old 2B Adam Ashley was Braeland City’s top offensive player this season, batting .320/.365/.452, 6 HR, 79 RBI, 98 R, 46 BB, 19 SB, 5.3 WAR. *Top Pitcher – Season:* SP Lenny Freke may be the No. 1 rated pitcher in the United Leagues and the Monarchs’ ace, but 31-year old SP David Cooling was Braeland City’s best pitcher this season. Cooling went 21-6, 2.02 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7.1 WAR. Freke wasn’t bad either, going 20-12, 2.29 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 8.9 WAR. Cooling’s ERA of 2.02 set a United Leagues record for lowest earned run average in a season. *Key Injuries:* Adam Ashley suffered torn quadriceps on March 26 in a game against the Downie Chiefs. He is out for 5 weeks. Two days later, C Kane Broom (.295/.336/.450, 15 HR, 97 RBI, 76 R, 35 BB, 4.4 WAR) suffered the same injury as Ashley in a game against the Stratford Barons. He is gone for 3 weeks. *Playoff Note:* Replacing Adam Ashley and Kane Broom in the lineup for the playoffs will be 24-year old 2B Trevor Bolen (.288/.338/.441, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 54 R, 24 BB, 0.4 WAR) and 34-year old C Rodrigo Pacheco (.317/.333/.451, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R, 3 BB, 0.8 WAR) respectively. Bolen was the 1st overall pick back in 1937/38, but aside from his all-star season in 1938/939, he has not lived up to his initial hype. -------- The Wellington Athletics just could not keep up with Stratford and Braeland City this season and find themselves out of the playoffs. In January, they acquired SP Frank Leadbeater from the Downie Chiefs but then lost him a month later to injury. It was that kind of season for Wellington. On the whole though, the Athletics are a good team that should be competitive once again next season. The offense was fairly solid (.283/.349/.405 – 2nd/4th/5th) and the pitching steadily improved throughout the season (3.57/3.51/3.77 – 3rd/2nd/4th). *Top Position Player – Season:* 30-year old C Dylan Watkins (.309/.390/.486, 15 HR, 88 RBI, 73 R, 68 BB, 5.5 WAR) was Wellington’s top player over the course of the season. *Top Pitcher – Season:* 31-year old SP Clyde Boney (23-8, 2.21 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 6.8 WAR) is one of the best and was Wellington’s top pitcher this season. *Key Injury:* 36-year old SP Frank Leadbeater (12-9, 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 4.9 WAR) fractured his elbow on February 19 in a game against the Balmoral Giants. He is out of commission for at least 6 months. 28-year old RP Jack Steeds (8-7, 8 SV, 3.65 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) strained a hamstring while pitching back in January. He will be out of action for 4 more weeks. -------- The Brunswick Legends showed some flashes of excellence this season, but it wasn’t enough to reach the playoffs in Babe Ruth’s first season as manager. The Legends went 19-9 and 18-7 in December and February respectively, but in the other four months, they had difficulty playing .500 ball. It was enough, however, to challenge for third place in the East, but they will need more consistency if they want to be a factor next season. They don’t necessarily have the deepest farm system in the United Leagues, but they do have Top-10 ranked prospects at every position except catcher and starting pitching. The offense suffered a bit in the final two months (.277/.343/.418 – 5th/6th/3rd), but the pitching staff held steady (3.84/3.84/3.87 – 4th/4th/6th). *Top Position Player – Season:* RF Mark Elston (.317/.430/.517, 18 HR, 99 RBI, 82 R, 102 BB, 5.7 WAR) was again the top player for the Legends. *Top Pitcher – Season:* Brunswick received a blow with the loss of their ace SP Matthew Monroe back on Opening Day, but they have to feel good about the blossoming of SP Anastasio Rodríguez (21-9, 2.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.1 WAR). The 24-year old Rodríguez was the 4th overall pick back in 1937/38 and is now rated No.3 overall among pitchers in the United Leagues. *Key Injuries:* 30-year old LHP Matthew Monroe (1-0, 1.29 ERA) suffered a fractured ulna on Opening Day. He should be able to start throwing in 3-4 weeks. -------- The Embro Suns never could build on their quick start and steadily fell back in the standings. The Suns boast some incredible talent on the roster. Three players, 1B Jim Friend, CF Terence Durney and RF Paul Hooks are all rated No. 1 at their respective positions, and the team has a few other players ranked in the top 4. Their window of opportunity has not closed, but they really need to address their lack of depth. They have the lowest ranked farm system and that weakness was exposed when starters started falling to injury. The offense held steady (.281/.356/.435 – 3rd/2nd/2nd), but their pitching staff needs some infusion of talent (4.38/4.51/3.63 – 6th>/7th/3rd). *Top Position Player – Season:* On a team with offensive heavyweights, 26-year old 1B Jim Friend had no trouble holding his own. Friend batted .329/.409/.590, 36 HR, 148 RBI, 120 R, 87 BB, 7.2 WAR. He established season records for home runs and RBI. Also worthy of mention is RF Paul Hooks (.331/.432/.608, 35 HR, 140 RBI, 88 R, 97 BB, 6.2 WAR), who established a single season batting record for on-base pct. (.608). *Top Pitcher – Season:* Embro acutely felt the loss of ace SP Colm Soper. But 26-year old SP Edward Hill responded with his best season, going 20-8, 4.06 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.9 WAR, before he too had his season end due to injury. *Key Injuries:* 31-year old SP 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. SP Edward Hill was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation following a game against the Wellington Athletics back on March 11. He will be laid up for 4 months. -------- The Queensland Eagles just weren’t able to get anything going this season and continue to regress after reaching the playoffs in the inaugural season. Certainly, all the injuries didn’t help. But the Eagles find themselves in a difficult spot: their situation is not so hopeless so as to justify a complete rebuild, but their present talent base on the roster is not prodigious enough to really compete in the highly competitive East.Their offense was reasonably productive this season (.274/.353/.413 – 6th/3rd/4th), but they will need to improve their pitching (4.57/4.37/5.95 – 7th/5th/8th). *Top Position Player – Season:* 25-year old SS Katsunan Chikafuji has been one of the most consistent players in the United Leagues. He continued his excellent play this season as well, batting [COLOR=black].316/.377/.522, 25 HR, 100 RBI, 117 R, 64 BB, 6.4 WAR. 26-year old rookie 1B Dean Bishop was a nice pickup from the Kingston Pelicans. He went .286/.405/.487, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 69 R, 83 BB, 4.3 WAR, earning three Rookie of the Month honour in all. *Top Pitcher – Season:* It was a challenging year for Queensland pitchers. But 33-year old SP Stewart Colcott perhaps fared the best, going 14-13, 4.51 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.5 WAR. *Key Injuries:* Perennial all-star SP Max MacColl suffered a broken bone in his elbow back in November. He should begin his throwing program in 5 more weeks. -------- 1940/41 is the season that the Downie Chiefs realized that they needed to embrace rebuild and look to the future. They did that in a big way, but there is still a long way to go. And things may get worse before they get better. Both the offense (.265/.325/.384 – 7th/7th/8th) and pitching (4.34/4.45/3.83 – 5th/6th/5th) struggled this year, justifying a major makeover. *Top Position Player – Season:* The quiet and unassuming 3B Andy Johnson has been a Downie fixture from Day 1 and the 1940/41 season was perhaps his best. Johnson batted .313/.368/.433, 12 HR, 78 RBI, 77 R, 55 BB, 4.8 WAR. Top Pitcher – Season: SP Frank Leadbeater is gone now, but his work prior to his trade in January still merits consideration. While still with the team, Leadbeater went 10-7, 2.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3.8 WAR. *Key Injury:* 45-year old RP Robert Renton (3-0, 4 SV, 1.51 WHIP, -0.8 WAR) suffered a sore shoulder on March 25 while pitching against the Braeland City Monarchs. He will be laid up for 2 months. -------- The Cobourg Red Stockings still showed that they had some pride left, as they went 26-26 over the last two months of the season, after failing to win more than nine games in each the previous four months. But as weak as the roster currently sits (1B Stuart Bentham and 3B Matthew Lane are the only players of note); their prospect ranking is another story. The Red Stockings have a Top 10 prospect waiting in the wings at every position, including four No. 1 ranked prospects. Better times may be just around the corner – or at least one can hope. *Top Position Player – Season:Despite the adversities, 31-year old 3B Matthew Lane responded with his best season, batting .270/.369/.487, 24 HR, 92 RBI, 74 R, 84 BB, 4.7 WAR. Top Pitcher – Season:* It was a year to forget for the pitching staff overall, but that’s not to say no one was trying. 30-year old SP George Blankely (8-16, 4.09 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 3.6 WAR) had his moments, such as in March, when he went 3-1, 2.02 ERA, 49.0 IP, 16 K, 16 BB. 29-year old SP Aiden Tassell (8-25, 4.61 ERA, 1.55 ERA, 3.2 WAR), however, was stuck with the dubious distinction of setting the record for most losses in a single season: 25. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 04-14-2025 at 08:11 PM.