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reds1 · 05-17-2016, 12:30 AM

March 29, 1944

Eastern League: Barons, Legends to Battle for Pennant

After a two-year absence, the Stratford Barons are returning to the playoffs. The Barons finished the season with a comfortable 9-game lead over their nearest rival, the Brunswick Legends. As for the Legends, they managed to return to defend their title as United Cup Champions. Brunswick has won the crown the past two seasons and once again find themselves as the wild card team. But this is not the once dominant franchise from the past few seasons, as they had to fend off both the Braeland City Monarchs and the Queensland Eagles for the final playoff spot in the East.

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The Stratford Barons took over first place in the Eastern League back in November and never looked back. While the rest of the league was in flux, the Barons remained the standard bearer and was simply dominant on both sides of the ball. After winning the United Cup in 1940-41, the Barons missed the playoffs and the chance to defend their title in 1941-42 by a single game. Last season they fell to 6th place with a 76-78 record. At the time I felt that their window of opportunity was not quite closed, despite their struggles. This season they managed to put it all back together and take advantage of the struggle of others.

Offense: .275/.346/.375 (1st/1st/1st);
Pitching: 2.85/2.78/3.41 (1st/1st/5th – ERA/Starter’s ERA/Bullpen ERA);
Defense: .694 (5th).

Top Position Player – Season: No shortage of top performances to choose from, but I’m going to go with 24-year old 2B Maurice Keyworth (.289/.337/.367, 3 HR, 50 RBI, 72 R, 42 BB, 26 SB, 4.4 WAR). The former 2nd round pick from 1940-41 is in his second year in the ULB and led his team in hits (172), total bases (219), singles (136), stolen bases and WAR. He was outstanding on defense as well (.990 PCT, 5.75 RNG, +14.2 ZR, 1.060 EFF).

Top Pitcher – Season: Another difficult choice. I’ll go with another 24-year old in RHP Donn Griffin (15-6, 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 2.88 FIP) who won Pitcher of the Month honours in February. Griffin has emerged as a premier pitcher also in his second season. Griffin led his team in ERA, winning pct. (.714), K/9 IP (4.4), H/9 IP (7.1), Opponents AVG (.213), Opponents OPB (.267) Opponents SLG (.287), Opponents OPS (.555) and BABIP (.235). Whew.

Key Injuries: Stratford’s only injury heading into the playoffs is to little used LF Ben Watson (.248/.302/.357, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 46 R, 29 BB, 7 SB, 0.4 WAR) who strained his oblique back on March 19 on a defensive play. He is out for 2 more weeks.

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The Brunswick Legends' resurgence from December to the end of February (where they went 50-28) propelled the defending champs back into the playoffs and another chance to defend their title. But the Legends are not the dominant team they once were and recent injuries could impact their chances at returning to the United Cup for the third year in a row. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this outfit, it’s that they should never be counted out. They know how to win the big games. But this season, they won’t have the Embro Suns to beat up in the Eastern Pennant series. They will be facing the Stratford Barons, who know what it takes to win it all as well.

Offense: .267/.338/.366 (3rd/3rd/3rd);
Pitching: 3.14/3.04/4.02 (3rd/3rd/8th);
Defense: .693 (6th).

Top Position Player – Season: There was no standout performance like there was last season when RF Mark Elston finished with 7.2 WAR, winning the Babe Ruth Award as well as the Triple Crown. But 30-year old SS Matthew Shelley (.298/.363/.407, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 69 R, 55 BB, 3.9 WAR) was a steady presence all season and enjoyed his best year since 1939-40.

Top Pitcher – Season: The rotation was steady all season and was led by 27-year old ace LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (20-10, 2.39 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.84 FIP). Rodríguez led his club in a slew of pitching categories, including complete games (23) and ERA.

Noteworthy: C Maurice Evans (.257/.342/.363, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 52 R, 63 BB, 3.3 WAR) drove in 7 runs in a game against the Queensland Eagles back on March 8. Evan went 3-4, with 1-2B, 1-3B, 1 R and tied the team’s regular season record. The Legends won the game 12-7.

Key Injuries: 1B Stuart Bentham (.290/.386/.463, 19 HR, 60 RBI, 73 R, 80 BB, 3.3 WAR) strained an oblique in a collision at a base back on March 24. He should be back in 1-2 weeks.

LF Terry Aspden (.278/.367/.425, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 86 R, 77 BB, 9 SB, 3.5 WAR) bruised his knee on a defensive play back on March 26. He could be back in another 6 days.

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The Braeland City Monarchs put up a game fight, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The Monarchs bounced back from a sub-.500 season in 1942-43. But despite sterling offensive performances and a steady pitching staff, the club is once again on the outside looking in. Like Stratford though, this is a team that does not need to blow things up. With a strong core and a strong farm system (rated 3rd overall), the Monarchs can look to a bright future that should be arriving sooner rather than later.

Offense: .271/.339/.370 (2nd/2nd/2nd);
Pitching: 3.31/3.40/2.45 (4th/4th/1st);
Defense: .704 (2nd).

Top Position Player – Season: Although he faded in the final two months of the season, 29-year old 1B Dean Bishop (.295/.403/.475, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 79 R, 103 BB, 5.9 WAR) was Braeland City’s top offensive player. It was easily Bishop’s best season at the plate. He was also no slouch with the glove (.900 PCT, 10.35 RNG, +8.2 ZR, 1.063).

Top Pitcher – Season: Perhaps if the starting rotation got off to a stronger start to the season, the Monarchs may be the ones squaring off with the Barons instead of Brunswick. The rough start is well illustrated by 34-year old LHP David Cooling (21-11, 2.90 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.00 FIP). In October and November, his ERA was 7.31 and 4.69 respectively in 12 starts (5-7 over that span). After that, his monthly ERA was 1.33, 1.66, 1.33 and 1.88 (16-4 over the final four months). Cooling wasn’t alone in having a slow start, but he was Braeland City’s best pitcher this year.

Key Injuries: None.

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The Queensland Eagles were unable to keep up with Barons and Legends of this world, but their 81 victories marks the first time since their inaugural season that they surpassed the 80-win mark and their second consecutive winning season. But whether they have the talent to take the next step and challenge for a playoff spot remains to be seen. They will have to get a little better production from their offense if they want to have any chance. While it wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t quite enough to put them in the upper echelon of the Eastern League. If they can get production out of their up-and-coming prospects like they did from rookie C Elijah Sheppard, then the Eagles will be a team to watch.

Offense: .263/.324/.356 (5th/5th/4th);
Pitching: 3.04/2.96/3.79 (2nd/2nd/7th);
Defense: .698 (4th).

Top Position Player – Season: 25-year old rookie C Elijah Sheppard (.284/.335/.436, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 64 R, 39 BB, 4.6 WAR) blew down the doors in the East, winning 4 out of 6 Rookie of the Month Awards. Although he slowed down a little in December and January, Sheppard bounced back to finish the season strong. The 2nd round pick from 1939-40 is rated the ULB’s No. 6 catcher and he is just getting started.

Top Pitcher – Season: 27-year old RHP Pi-ao Quian (15-15, 2.54 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.79 FIP) didn’t always get the best run support, but the former 1st rounder from 1939-40 had by far his best season. Perhaps he could improve a little on his walk/strikeout ratio (107 BB, 108 K).

Key Injuries: 23-year old SS Dermott Akers (.264/.343/.376, 5 HR, 62 RBI, 81 R, 69 BB, 2.4 WAR) suffered a torn meniscus (knee) in a collision at a base back on March 22. He is out 8 weeks.

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The Embro Suns just could not get back on track and will have some soul-searching to do this off-season. After back-to-back first place finishes the past two seasons where they averaged 102 victories, the Suns fell 10 games below .500. The main culprit was their pitching; in fact, if not for the trade that brought RHP Oscar Burress aboard back in November, this team would probably have finished a lot further down in the standings. While the offense does not get completely off the hook, the rest of the rotation behind Burress did not exactly distinguish themselves. No doubt Embro will look long and hard at their pitching core and see what upgrades they can make.

Offense: .265/.335/.353 (4th/4th/5th);
Pitching: 3.71/3.76/3.29 (7th/7th/4th);
Defense: .692 (7th).

Top Position Player – Season: 29-year old 1B Jim Friend (.307/.388/.453, 14 HR, 102 RBI, 83 R, 83 BB, 5.2 WAR) had another solid season, both at the plate and defensively (.992 PCT, 9.90 RNG, +3.1 ZR, 1.020 EFF).
37-year old SS Gary Watkinson had another fine season at the plate (.311/.426/.373, 3 HR, 62 RBI, 100 R, 111 BB, 4.8 WAR) and won Batter of the Month honours in February. But he was a liability in the field (.963 PCT, 4.85 RNG, -12.0 ZR, .964 EFF). Defense has never been his strong suit, but he has really regressed. In fact, he no longer has a rating at SS (just a ‘20’ at 3B).
Embro should really look at moving rookie 2B José Sánchez (.288/.341/.350, 13-2B, 27 RBI, 44 R, 25 BB, 16 SB, 1.9 WAR) to shortstop (‘60’ rating) next season.

Top Pitcher – Season: It was a miserable season for the pitching staff, and it could have been much worse without 30-year RHP Oscar Burress (20-10, 2.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 2.74 FIP) coming over from Fort Richmond in a trade and establishing himself as the undisputed ace. Embro now just needs to upgrade the support behind him.

Key Injuries: 31-year old RHP Chris Sappington (6-6, 4.01 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) tore his shoulder joint while pitching in a game back on December 18. He is gone 1-2 weeks.

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For the first time since their inaugural season, the Cobourg Red Stockings managed to avoid finishing in the basement in the Eastern League. Some of that may be due to the regression of other teams, but Red Stockings have made some progress, if even modestly. Baby steps are the order of the day for Cobourg, especially with their young roster and deep farm system that leads the entire ULB.

Offense: .262/.314/.349 (6th/7th/6th);
Pitching: 3.68/3.76/3.12 (6th/5th/3rd);
Defense: .690 (8th).

Top Position Player – Season: 25-year old C Neil Voigt (.300/.343/.424, 12 HR, 71 RBI, 48 R, 34 BB, 4.7 WAR) finished the year off strong and enjoyed the best season of his young career by far (2.7 WAR last season).

Top Pitcher – Season: 26-year old RHP Ramón Ramírez (11-9, 3.19 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 3.56 FIP) may have found his spot on a pitching staff. After toiling in the bullpen last season and seeing all of 35.1 innings, Ramírez pitched a career high of 177.2 innings this year and rewarded Cobourg with his best performance to date. While he doesn't have the stuff to be an ace, the former 2nd round pick from 1937-38 appears to be a mainstay as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.

Key Injuries: None.

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The Wellington Athletics took a nosedive in the final two months of the season to finish a whopping 24 games below .500. It's the first time the Athletics finished below .500 in their seven year history. Despite the recent sell-off of veteran players, Wellington appears ill-prepared to deal with their recent reversal of fortune that actually has been ongoing for the past few seasons. Ever since they won 93 games back in 1939-40, they have steadily regressed with little or no significant activity to right the ship. Now, it appears lean times are here to stay for awhile until Wellington gets a solid game plan together.

Offense: .256/.321/.332 (7th/6th/7th);
Pitching: 3.65/3.79/2.69 (5th/8th/2nd);
Defense: .699 (3rd).

Top Position Player – Season: The offense was underwhelming overall for the Athletics. But 32-year old 3B Ryley McLarnon (.265/.299/.369, 3 HR, 67 RBI, 55 R, 27 BB, 14 SB, 3.2 WAR) provided respectable production from the hot corner and was outstanding on defense (9.60 PCT, 3.20 RNG, +13.2 ZR, 1.047 EFF).

Top Pitcher – Season: He may not be the dominant pitcher he once was, but 34-year old LHP Clyde Boney (18-10, 3.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 3.09 FIP) is still a front-line starter and finished off strong, going 8-1, 2.74 ERA in February/March while the team as a whole went 18-31 over that span.

Key Injuries: None.

Key Trade: March 24 with the Cambria Cannons.

To Cambria – 32-year old 1B Keane Fysh (43/43 – .316/.381/.378, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 62 R, 58 BB, 2.7 WAR) and 22-year old minor league RHP Arthur Collier (35/77).
To Wellington – 30-year old 1B Rubén Sánchez (68/68 – .266/.309/.405, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 40 R, 19 BB, 2.2 WAR).

Knee-jerk reaction: OK, so Sánchez is two years younger than Fysh, but I don't think this qualifies as 'getting younger'. Fysh may have won the Eastern League batting title this season, but the 5-time all-star's best days are clearly behind him. Cambria recognizes this and has placed him on their bench. So why they gave up Sánchez, a player with more upside to get him escapes me. If it was to acquire young reliever Collier, then that too makes little sense. Good young relievers are not exactly a scarce commodity.
As for Wellington, they get the better player in the deal in my opinion (he figures to be their No. 4 hitter in the lineup), but Sánchez doesn't seem like a good fit for a team that needs a major young talent infusion pronto.

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The Downie Chiefs actually won five more games than they did last season and nine more than two seasons ago. Still, it represents their third consecutive season with 90 or more losses. Like the Cobourg Red Stockings, the Chiefs are slowly introducing prospects into the 25-man roster, but Downie has not been blessed with the quality of prospects that Cobourg has and their farm system is still lagging behind most teams in the United Leagues. However, that should change if Downie continues to occupy the Eastern League cellar over the next several seasons.

Offense: .249/.304/.324 (8th/8th/8th);
Pitching: 3.72/3.76/3.51 (8th/6th/6th);
Defense: .704 (1st).

Top Position Player – Season: 24-year old RF Ricardo Castellanos (.297/.347/.425, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 65 R, 40 BB, 11 SB, 5.3 WAR) had a terrific season and was sensational on defense (.990 PCT, 2.44 RNG, +15.1 ZR, 1.115 EFF). Not far behind was 25-year old 3B Elliot Tugby (.271/.352/.343, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 62 R, 64 BB, 20 SB, 4.7 WAR) whose defense was simply jaw-dropping (.963 PCT, 3.05 RNG, +21.1 ZR, 1.074 EFF). These are two players that any team would love to have.

Top Pitcher – Season: Definitely not a stellar season for the pitching staff. I'll hold my nose and pick 32-year old RHP Reece Abberley (11-21, 3.51 ERA, 4.09 FIP). His loss total is more indicative of the poor run support than to his abilities as a starter. But the Chiefs are desperately in need of some quality pitchers, no doubt about that.

Key Injuries: None.

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05-17-2016, 12:30 AM	#258
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,926	March 29, 1944 Eastern League: Barons, Legends to Battle for Pennant After a two-year absence, the Stratford Barons are returning to the playoffs. The Barons finished the season with a comfortable 9-game lead over their nearest rival, the Brunswick Legends. As for the Legends, they managed to return to defend their title as United Cup Champions. Brunswick has won the crown the past two seasons and once again find themselves as the wild card team. But this is not the once dominant franchise from the past few seasons, as they had to fend off both the Braeland City Monarchs and the Queensland Eagles for the final playoff spot in the East. -------- The Stratford Barons took over first place in the Eastern League back in November and never looked back. While the rest of the league was in flux, the Barons remained the standard bearer and was simply dominant on both sides of the ball. After winning the United Cup in 1940-41, the Barons missed the playoffs and the chance to defend their title in 1941-42 by a single game. Last season they fell to 6th place with a 76-78 record. At the time I felt that their window of opportunity was not quite closed, despite their struggles. This season they managed to put it all back together and take advantage of the struggle of others. Offense: .275/.346/.375 (1st/1st/1st); Pitching: 2.85/2.78/3.41 (1st/1st/5th – ERA/Starter’s ERA/Bullpen ERA); Defense: .694 (5th). *Top Position Player – Season:* No shortage of top performances to choose from, but I’m going to go with 24-year old 2B Maurice Keyworth (.289/.337/.367, 3 HR, 50 RBI, 72 R, 42 BB, 26 SB, 4.4 WAR). The former 2nd round pick from 1940-41 is in his second year in the ULB and led his team in hits (172), total bases (219), singles (136), stolen bases and WAR. He was outstanding on defense as well (.990 PCT, 5.75 RNG, +14.2 ZR, 1.060 EFF). *Top Pitcher – Season:* Another difficult choice. I’ll go with another 24-year old in RHP Donn Griffin (15-6, 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 2.88 FIP) who won Pitcher of the Month honours in February. Griffin has emerged as a premier pitcher also in his second season. Griffin led his team in ERA, winning pct. (.714), K/9 IP (4.4), H/9 IP (7.1), Opponents AVG (.213), Opponents OPB (.267) Opponents SLG (.287), Opponents OPS (.555) and BABIP (.235). Whew. *Key Injuries: Stratford’s only injury heading into the playoffs is to little used LF Ben Watson (.248/.302/.357, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 46 R, 29 BB, 7 SB, 0.4 WAR) who strained his oblique back on March 19 on a defensive play. He is out for 2 more weeks. -------- The Brunswick Legends' resurgence from December to the end of February (where they went 50-28) propelled the defending champs back into the playoffs and another chance to defend their title. But the Legends are not the dominant team they once were and recent injuries could impact their chances at returning to the United Cup for the third year in a row. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this outfit, it’s that they should never be counted out. They know how to win the big games. But this season, they won’t have the Embro Suns to beat up in the Eastern Pennant series. They will be facing the Stratford Barons, who know what it takes to win it all as well. Offense: .267/.338/.366 (3rd/3rd/3rd); Pitching: 3.14/3.04/4.02 (3rd/3rd/8th); Defense: .693 (6th). Top Position Player – Season:* There was no standout performance like there was last season when RF Mark Elston finished with 7.2 WAR, winning the Babe Ruth Award as well as the Triple Crown. But 30-year old SS Matthew Shelley (.298/.363/.407, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 69 R, 55 BB, 3.9 WAR) was a steady presence all season and enjoyed his best year since 1939-40. *Top Pitcher – Season:* The rotation was steady all season and was led by 27-year old ace LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (20-10, 2.39 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.84 FIP). Rodríguez led his club in a slew of pitching categories, including complete games (23) and ERA. *Noteworthy:* C Maurice Evans (.257/.342/.363, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 52 R, 63 BB, 3.3 WAR) drove in 7 runs in a game against the Queensland Eagles back on March 8. Evan went 3-4, with 1-2B, 1-3B, 1 R and tied the team’s regular season record. The Legends won the game 12-7. *Key Injuries:* 1B Stuart Bentham (.290/.386/.463, 19 HR, 60 RBI, 73 R, 80 BB, 3.3 WAR) strained an oblique in a collision at a base back on March 24. He should be back in 1-2 weeks. LF Terry Aspden (.278/.367/.425, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 86 R, 77 BB, 9 SB, 3.5 WAR) bruised his knee on a defensive play back on March 26. He could be back in another 6 days. -------- The Braeland City Monarchs put up a game fight, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The Monarchs bounced back from a sub-.500 season in 1942-43. But despite sterling offensive performances and a steady pitching staff, the club is once again on the outside looking in. Like Stratford though, this is a team that does not need to blow things up. With a strong core and a strong farm system (rated 3rd overall), the Monarchs can look to a bright future that should be arriving sooner rather than later. Offense: .271/.339/.370 (2nd/2nd/2nd); Pitching: 3.31/3.40/2.45 (4th/4th/1st); Defense: .704 (2nd). *Top Position Player – Season:* Although he faded in the final two months of the season, 29-year old 1B Dean Bishop (.295/.403/.475, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 79 R, 103 BB, 5.9 WAR) was Braeland City’s top offensive player. It was easily Bishop’s best season at the plate. He was also no slouch with the glove (.900 PCT, 10.35 RNG, +8.2 ZR, 1.063). *Top Pitcher – Season:* Perhaps if the starting rotation got off to a stronger start to the season, the Monarchs may be the ones squaring off with the Barons instead of Brunswick. The rough start is well illustrated by 34-year old LHP David Cooling (21-11, 2.90 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.00 FIP). In October and November, his ERA was 7.31 and 4.69 respectively in 12 starts (5-7 over that span). After that, his monthly ERA was 1.33, 1.66, 1.33 and 1.88 (16-4 over the final four months). Cooling wasn’t alone in having a slow start, but he was Braeland City’s best pitcher this year. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- The Queensland Eagles were unable to keep up with Barons and Legends of this world, but their 81 victories marks the first time since their inaugural season that they surpassed the 80-win mark and their second consecutive winning season. But whether they have the talent to take the next step and challenge for a playoff spot remains to be seen. They will have to get a little better production from their offense if they want to have any chance. While it wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t quite enough to put them in the upper echelon of the Eastern League. If they can get production out of their up-and-coming prospects like they did from rookie C Elijah Sheppard, then the Eagles will be a team to watch. Offense: .263/.324/.356 (5th/5th/4th); Pitching: 3.04/2.96/3.79 (2nd/2nd/7th); Defense: .698 (4th). *Top Position Player – Season:* 25-year old rookie C Elijah Sheppard (.284/.335/.436, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 64 R, 39 BB, 4.6 WAR) blew down the doors in the East, winning 4 out of 6 Rookie of the Month Awards. Although he slowed down a little in December and January, Sheppard bounced back to finish the season strong. The 2nd round pick from 1939-40 is rated the ULB’s No. 6 catcher and he is just getting started. *Top Pitcher – Season:* 27-year old RHP Pi-ao Quian (15-15, 2.54 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.79 FIP) didn’t always get the best run support, but the former 1st rounder from 1939-40 had by far his best season. Perhaps he could improve a little on his walk/strikeout ratio (107 BB, 108 K). *Key Injuries:* 23-year old SS Dermott Akers (.264/.343/.376, 5 HR, 62 RBI, 81 R, 69 BB, 2.4 WAR) suffered a torn meniscus (knee) in a collision at a base back on March 22. He is out 8 weeks. -------- The Embro Suns just could not get back on track and will have some soul-searching to do this off-season. After back-to-back first place finishes the past two seasons where they averaged 102 victories, the Suns fell 10 games below .500. The main culprit was their pitching; in fact, if not for the trade that brought RHP Oscar Burress aboard back in November, this team would probably have finished a lot further down in the standings. While the offense does not get completely off the hook, the rest of the rotation behind Burress did not exactly distinguish themselves. No doubt Embro will look long and hard at their pitching core and see what upgrades they can make. Offense: .265/.335/.353 (4th/4th/5th); Pitching: 3.71/3.76/3.29 (7th/7th/4th); Defense: .692 (7th). *Top Position Player – Season: 29-year old 1B Jim Friend (.307/.388/.453, 14 HR, 102 RBI, 83 R, 83 BB, 5.2 WAR) had another solid season, both at the plate and defensively (.992 PCT, 9.90 RNG, +3.1 ZR, 1.020 EFF). 37-year old SS Gary Watkinson had another fine season at the plate (.311/.426/.373, 3 HR, 62 RBI, 100 R, 111 BB, 4.8 WAR) and won Batter of the Month honours in February. But he was a liability in the field (.963 PCT, 4.85 RNG, -12.0 ZR, .964 EFF). Defense has never been his strong suit, but he has really regressed. In fact, he no longer has a rating at SS (just a ‘20’ at 3B). Embro should really look at moving rookie 2B José Sánchez (.288/.341/.350, 13-2B, 27 RBI, 44 R, 25 BB, 16 SB, 1.9 WAR) to shortstop (‘60’ rating) next season. Top Pitcher – Season:* It was a miserable season for the pitching staff, and it could have been much worse without 30-year RHP Oscar Burress (20-10, 2.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 2.74 FIP) coming over from Fort Richmond in a trade and establishing himself as the undisputed ace. Embro now just needs to upgrade the support behind him. *Key Injuries:* 31-year old RHP Chris Sappington (6-6, 4.01 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) tore his shoulder joint while pitching in a game back on December 18. He is gone 1-2 weeks. -------- For the first time since their inaugural season, the Cobourg Red Stockings managed to avoid finishing in the basement in the Eastern League. Some of that may be due to the regression of other teams, but Red Stockings have made some progress, if even modestly. Baby steps are the order of the day for Cobourg, especially with their young roster and deep farm system that leads the entire ULB. Offense: .262/.314/.349 (6th/7th/6th); Pitching: 3.68/3.76/3.12 (6th/5th/3rd); Defense: .690 (8th). *Top Position Player – Season:* 25-year old C Neil Voigt (.300/.343/.424, 12 HR, 71 RBI, 48 R, 34 BB, 4.7 WAR) finished the year off strong and enjoyed the best season of his young career by far (2.7 WAR last season). *Top Pitcher – Season:* 26-year old RHP Ramón Ramírez (11-9, 3.19 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 3.56 FIP) may have found his spot on a pitching staff. After toiling in the bullpen last season and seeing all of 35.1 innings, Ramírez pitched a career high of 177.2 innings this year and rewarded Cobourg with his best performance to date. While he doesn't have the stuff to be an ace, the former 2nd round pick from 1937-38 appears to be a mainstay as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- The Wellington Athletics took a nosedive in the final two months of the season to finish a whopping 24 games below .500. It's the first time the Athletics finished below .500 in their seven year history. Despite the recent sell-off of veteran players, Wellington appears ill-prepared to deal with their recent reversal of fortune that actually has been ongoing for the past few seasons. Ever since they won 93 games back in 1939-40, they have steadily regressed with little or no significant activity to right the ship. Now, it appears lean times are here to stay for awhile until Wellington gets a solid game plan together. Offense: .256/.321/.332 (7th/6th/7th); Pitching: 3.65/3.79/2.69 (5th/8th/2nd); Defense: .699 (3rd). *Top Position Player – Season:* The offense was underwhelming overall for the Athletics. But 32-year old 3B Ryley McLarnon (.265/.299/.369, 3 HR, 67 RBI, 55 R, 27 BB, 14 SB, 3.2 WAR) provided respectable production from the hot corner and was outstanding on defense (9.60 PCT, 3.20 RNG, +13.2 ZR, 1.047 EFF). *Top Pitcher – Season:* He may not be the dominant pitcher he once was, but 34-year old LHP Clyde Boney (18-10, 3.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 3.09 FIP) is still a front-line starter and finished off strong, going 8-1, 2.74 ERA in February/March while the team as a whole went 18-31 over that span. *Key Injuries: None. Key Trade:* March 24 with the Cambria Cannons. To Cambria – 32-year old 1B Keane Fysh (43/43 – .316/.381/.378, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 62 R, 58 BB, 2.7 WAR) and 22-year old minor league RHP Arthur Collier (35/77). To Wellington – 30-year old 1B Rubén Sánchez (68/68 – .266/.309/.405, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 40 R, 19 BB, 2.2 WAR). *Knee-jerk reaction:* OK, so Sánchez is two years younger than Fysh, but I don't think this qualifies as 'getting younger'. Fysh may have won the Eastern League batting title this season, but the 5-time all-star's best days are clearly behind him. Cambria recognizes this and has placed him on their bench. So why they gave up Sánchez, a player with more upside to get him escapes me. If it was to acquire young reliever Collier, then that too makes little sense. Good young relievers are not exactly a scarce commodity. As for Wellington, they get the better player in the deal in my opinion (he figures to be their No. 4 hitter in the lineup), but Sánchez doesn't seem like a good fit for a team that needs a major young talent infusion pronto. -------- The Downie Chiefs actually won five more games than they did last season and nine more than two seasons ago. Still, it represents their third consecutive season with 90 or more losses. Like the Cobourg Red Stockings, the Chiefs are slowly introducing prospects into the 25-man roster, but Downie has not been blessed with the quality of prospects that Cobourg has and their farm system is still lagging behind most teams in the United Leagues. However, that should change if Downie continues to occupy the Eastern League cellar over the next several seasons. Offense: .249/.304/.324 (8th/8th/8th); Pitching: 3.72/3.76/3.51 (8th/6th/6th); Defense: .704 (1st). *Top Position Player – Season:* 24-year old RF Ricardo Castellanos (.297/.347/.425, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 65 R, 40 BB, 11 SB, 5.3 WAR) had a terrific season and was sensational on defense (.990 PCT, 2.44 RNG, +15.1 ZR, 1.115 EFF). Not far behind was 25-year old 3B Elliot Tugby (.271/.352/.343, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 62 R, 64 BB, 20 SB, 4.7 WAR) whose defense was simply jaw-dropping (.963 PCT, 3.05 RNG, +21.1 ZR, 1.074 EFF). These are two players that any team would love to have. *Top Pitcher – Season:* Definitely not a stellar season for the pitching staff. I'll hold my nose and pick 32-year old RHP Reece Abberley (11-21, 3.51 ERA, 4.09 FIP). His loss total is more indicative of the poor run support than to his abilities as a starter. But the Chiefs are desperately in need of some quality pitchers, no doubt about that. *Key Injuries:* None. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-09-2017 at 01:13 AM.