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reds1 · 07-02-2016, 01:06 AM

February 1, 1945

Eastern League: Brunswick Setting the Pace

With two months remaining in the regular season, the Brunswick Legends have opened up a comfortable 12 game lead on the second place Embro Suns. So it would appear on the surface that the real race will be for the wild card, as the Suns have surged ahead of the scuffling Queensland Eagles. The race may be joined by the Braeland City Monarchs as well, who have stepped up their play of late, despite the trade of former Babe Ruth Award winner Dean Bishop to Kingston. But the Legends are not quite out of the woods as yet, as they are now forced to deal with a devastating injury to one of their key players. Whether that will be a game changer for Brunswick or whether the other claimants really do mean business remains to be seen as the League enters the final stretch.

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The Brunswick Legends are for real as the team continued their winning ways in December and January. Brunswick racked up 36 victories in that span, more than any other team in the United Leagues. With the exception of stealing bases (27 - 7th in EL), the Legends are excelling in all facets of the game. It would appear that a first place finish in the East is a mere formality. But the club is dealing with some adversity. Most significantly, it has lost the services of its top starting pitcher Anastasio Rodríguez for the balance of the season and playoffs. They are also without their three-time all-star 3B in Derek Sakurai for the next few weeks.
However, the Legends are perhaps the best team right now to weather such a storm. The team fortuitously picked up free agent RHP Hun Park (12-7, 3.44 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) in the off-season, and he appears more than capable of picking up the slack.
They also have 26-year old rookie 3B Dwaine Ainsley (.303/.351/.416) who has stepped in quite nicely since being promoted to the major leagues in late December. The former fourth-rounder from 1937-38 had been kicking around the minor leagues with seven different organizations before Brunswick signed him for a second time back on July 7, after he made his first minor league all-star appearance the season before.

The Legends sent 7 representatives to the All-star game: LHP Hirotada Fukushima (3rd), LHP Mathew Monroe (6th), RHP Hun Park (1st), LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (5th), 1B Stuart Bentham (4th), CF Harry Chatwin (2nd), and RF Mark Elston (6th).

Offense: .269/.344/.374 (2nd/2nd/3rd)
Pitching: 2.79/2.81/2.64 (1st/1st/1st)
Defense: .700 (1st)

Noteworthy Performance: Veteran RF Mark Elston won Player of the Week honours on December 12. For the week, he batted .435 (10 H in 23 AB) with 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R.

Key Injuries: 31-year old 3B Derek Sakurai (.270/.341/.351, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 13 R, 13 BB) was hit by a pitch in a game back on December 3 and broke his hand. He will miss a further 3-4 weeks.

28-year old LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (13-5, 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) suffered a dislocated finger in a game back on January 21. He is gone for the season (5 months).

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The Embro Suns are definitely writing a new script this season as they got hot in December, winning 19 games and overtaking the Queensland Eagles for the wild card. But the remaining two months of the season may provide a cliffhanger, as the Suns announced on January 22 that they have shifted team focus to 'rebuild' from 'neutral'. What that means, if anything, remains to be seen. A better strategy in the short term would be for them to win more games at home. While they are 39-24 on the road, they are just 22-22 at home. With 33 home games still left to play, now would be good time to make Speaker Stadium a tougher place to steal a win for the visitors.
The Suns are certainly benefiting from strong play from the likes of 29-year old RHP Myung-gu Son (14-5, 2.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) and CF Terence Durney. But Embro must be especially pleased with the play of 29-year old 1B Charles Usherwood (.310/.391/.413, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 43 R, 47 BB). The former 2nd-rounder from 1938-39 earned his second all-star selection and is enjoying his best season thus far in the United Leagues – while trying to fill two-time Babe Ruth Award winner Jim Friend's shoes.

Seven Suns were invited to the All-star game: RHP Oscar Burress (7th), RHP Myung-gu Son (3rd), RHP Colm Soper (7th), 1B Charles Usherwood (2nd), SS Gary Watkinson (6th) and CF Terence Durney (8th).

Offense: .278/.351/.362 (1st/1st/5th)
Pitching: 3.59/3.69/2.94 (5th/5th/2nd)
Defense: .699 (4th)

Noteworthy Performance: After enjoying a 20-game hitting streak back in October/November, CF Terence Durney soon embarked on another one. This time, it lasted 24 consecutive games. It ended on December 8, when he went hitless against the Downie Chiefs. However, the Suns still prevailed, 4-3.

Key Injury: 33-year old RHP Pete Allison (6-5, 4.10 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) experienced shoulder inflammation while pitching in a game back on December 28. He will miss 2 more months.

Key Trade: December 4 with the Downie Chiefs

To Embro – 25-year old 3B Elliot Tugby (74/74)
To Downie – three minor league players:
20-year old CF Craig Gardner (23/59)
22-year old 1B Vincent Simmons (29/44)
21-year old 3B Frank Lynch (22/57)

Knee-jerk reaction: Last season, the Suns acquired 27-year old 3B Britt Wing from the Fort Richmond Generals. With this trade, they add another productive infielder in Tugby, who is rated slightly higher than Wing. Tugby is a fairly good hitter, a very steady fielder with good speed, and will provide solid depth as the Suns make a push for the playoffs.
Downie receives some nice players, but none of them project to be quite the player Tugby is. But all three have decent hitting potential and defensive ability. The Chiefs' infield was already getting crowded with both 21-year old Max Westgate (44/76) and Maluhia Mara (57/71) vying for playing time, thus making Tugby expendable.

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The Queensland Eagles are starting to fade from the playoff picture, as they currently sit 3.5 games back of Embro. Pitching would not appear to be the problem, as three of Queensland's top four starters all sport ERAs below 3.00. Only RHP Aaron Saunderson (12-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) is north of 3.00. No, the Eagles could use an alternate lefty in their bullpen, as LHP Roman Davis (3-9, 8.28 ERA, 2.06 WIP; 12th overall pick in 1939-40) is just not getting it done. But he is the only lefty on the entire pitching staff and the team is using him more than the other relievers.
They could also use a couple more players like 28-year old CF Jon Moreau (.337/.372/.532, 7 HR, 62 RBI, 59 R, 21 BB) who is having a career year. Moreau leads the team with 4.2 WAR. LF Aaron Flanagan, C Elijah Harper and SS Dermot Akers are next in line with 1.6.

Queensland sent 7 players to the All-star game: RHP Francisco López (2nd), RHP Aaron Saunderson (3rd), RHP Bradley Paris (3rd), C Elijah Sheppard (2nd), 3B Fernando Gómez (2nd), RF Aaron Flanagan (4th) and CF Jon Moreau (3rd).

Offense: .264/.336/.377 (5th/3rd/1st)
Pitching: 3.34/3.11/5.35(2nd/2nd/8th)
Defense: .692 (7th)

Key Injury: 36-year old 2B Ken Cutler (.254/.314/.295, 12-2B, 30 RBI, 41 R, 28 BB) strained a hamstring in a collision at a base back on January 19. He is expected to miss 4 weeks.

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The Braeland City Monarchs may have signalled a rebuild back in November and demonstrated that with the trade of 1B Dean Bishop in early December (more on that trade in the Kingston profile). But the Monarchs have in fact seen their immediate fortunes improve, going from 12 games below .500 in early November, to just 1 game below .500 at the end of January. Whether that will continue or be enough to make a serious challenge for a playoff spot in the final two months remains to be seen.

Five Monarchs were selected to play in this year’s All-star game: LHP David Cooling (5th), RHP Samuel Hollier (3rd), C Kane Broom (5th), SS Adam Ashley (6th), and LF Phillip Ferguson (1st).

Offense: .268/.330/.375 (3rd/4th/2nd)
Pitching: 3.56/3.51/3.85 (4th/3rd/7th)
Defense: .696 (5th).

Noteworthy Performance: Rookie 1B Kyle Pryor is helping the Monarchs get over the parting of last season's Babe Ruth Award winner 1B Dean Bishop in a hurry. In addition to winning back-to back Rookie of the Month Awards and a Batter of the Month Award, Pryor also won Player of the Week honours on January 15. For the week, he batted .474 (9 H in 19 AB) with 1 HR, 7 RBI. I can't recall another player winning both the Batter and Rookie of the Month Awards in the same month before. Pryor, a former third round pick from 1940-41, is currently rated only No. 17 on Braeland City's prospect list. You just never know sometimes.

Key Injuries: 35-year old SS Finlay Ridd (.250/.345/.327, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 23 R, 32 BB) suffered an intercostal strain on a defensive play back on January 21. He is will out of action for 2 more weeks.

36-year old RF Scott Kessler (.272/.352/.382, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 18 R, 23 BB) strained a hamstring while running the bases in a game on January 24. He will be out at least 8 weeks.

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The Stratford Barons have seen their play improve last month, but like the Braeland City Monarchs, they have a tough haul to try and make it back into contention. And now with the loss of their ace LHP Ryan Borden, that could prove even tougher. But a number of Barons are playing well of late (as detailed below) and the team is enjoying one of Jake Walker's best season since 1941-42. This year, he is batting .325/.418/.463, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 55 R, 66 BB.

Three Barons were selected to the All-star game: LHP Ryan Borden (4th), 2B Jake Walker (6th) and 2B Maurice Keyworth (2nd).

Offense: .267/.330/.363 (4th/5th/4th)
Pitching: 3.50/3.52/3.34 (3rd/4th/4th)
Defense: .695 (6th)

Noteworthy Performances: A number of Barons earned recognition for their play in December and January:
Besides earning Player of the Month honours for December, 32-year old SS Jake Walker won Player of the Week honours on December 11. Walker batted .414 (12 H in 29 AB) with 2 HR, 7 RBI.

RF Lyndon Inagaki went on a bit of a tear. Not only did he win Player of the Week honours on December 25 (.471 with 8 H in 17 AB, 1 HR, 7 RBI), but he also went 5 for 6 in a game against the Queensland Eagles back on January 12. Inagaki hit an RBI single in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, singled in the 7th, doubled as well as hit an RBI single in the 8th. Inagaki scored 2 runs and came into score 3 times himself. The Barons clobbered the Eagles 15-3.

25-year old 2B Maurice Keyworth (.276/.316/.367) won Player of the Week honours on January 8. For the week, he batted .429 (12 H in 28 AB) with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R.

Lastly, RHP Bill Blair earned Player of the Week honours on January 29. Blair went 2-0, 0.50 ERA. He struck out 10 in 18 IP and held opponents to a .164 AVG.

Key Injury: The Barons lost their ace LHP Ryan Borden (8-6, 1.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) when he experienced shoulder inflammation while pitching in a game on December 19. He will be laid up a further 2-3 months.

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The Downie Chiefs cratered in January to finally fall back into irrelevance. They are not the worst team around; the pitching staff has given the team reasonable outings, but with the exception of LF Ricardo Castellanos (.314/.385/.473, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 58 R, 42 BB, 12 SB), no one in the lineup has stepped up on a regular basis. Castellanos leads the position players in WAR (4.3) and it is not even close. 22-year old Robin Duerdon (.265/.299/.360) is next with 1.9.

RF Ricardo Castellanos (3rd) was the Chiefs' lone representative to this year's All-Star Game.

Offense: .262/.313/.353 (6th/7th/7th)
Pitching: 3.79/3.78/3.84 (6th/6th/6th)
Defense: .700 (2nd)

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The Wellington Athletics endured one of the worst months that any team has experienced when they went 5-22 in December (A quick look-back revealed that the Cobourg Red Stockings went 4-23 in December 1940). That the Athletics would be an also-ran this season is no surprise, but the depths of their adversity was still surprising. What was not a surprise though was that stretch of ineptitude cost long-time manager Bradley Balmforth's job, as he was relieved of his duties on December 16. 50-year old rookie manager Tyler Baldry took over two day's later. The change must have done some good, if only temporarily: Wellington enjoyed it's first winning month in January.
Illustrating the turnaround is perhaps 31-year old RHP Darren Whiteley (8-12, 3.79 ERA, 1.54 WHIP). In January, he won his first Pitcher of the Month Award in over two years. But his December was forgetful: 0-5, 6.31 ERA.
On January 21, 32-year old IF Brian Main was traded to the Kingston Pelicans for a couple of nondescript minor league players. In Kingston, Main will largely assume a back-up role, thus the decision to mention this transaction only in passing. Which is a shame in a way, as Main was enjoying a very fine season as a starter with Wellington (.321/.369/.532, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 35 R, 22 BB). But at least he's going to a contender.

Prior to his trade, 2B Brian Main (3rd) was Wellington's only representative to the All-Star Game.

Offense: .256/.313/.349 (7th/7th/5th)
Pitching: 4.17/4.26/3.50 (7th/7th/5th)
Defense: .700 (3rd)

Noteworthy: 3B Ryley McLarnon won Player of the Weeks honours on January 22. For the week, he batted .464 (13 H in 28 AB) with 3 RBI, 6 R.

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The Cobourg Red Stockings continue to plug away, despite enduring a mostly forgetful season. I say mostly forgetful, since if you look hard enough, there are some positives to gleam from the season thus far.
First off, four Red Stockings made the All-Star team, the most since 1939. And all of them are young players qualifying for the first time, boding well for the future. 23-year old 3B Alexander Tolmie (.282/.349/.413, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 41 R, 42 BB), a former 1st overall pick from 1942-43, is playing well in just his first full season in the ULB. He leads the team in WAR (2.7). C Neil Voigt and SS John Medley (last season's first overall pick) are next with 1.9.
This season's fourth overall pick, 21-year old C Jason Lymer, is doing so good in AA that team scouts are saying that he is ready for the major league challenge right now.
In terms of pitching, Cobourg appears to have a keeper in SP Trent Beaton, a former 2nd round pick (17th overall) from last year's draft. Unfortunately, he suffered a season ending injury.
Finally, one of the pitchers Cobourg received in a trade with the Cambria Cannons back in November, 20-year old RHP José Fernández, was promoted to the AAA Oakville Oaks and is performing well. So perhaps he will soon be ready to join the big league team and provide some much needed help.

Heading to this year's All-Star Game for Cobourg were RHP Brent Nix (1st), C Neil Voigt (1st), 2B John Medley (1st) and 3B Alexander Tolmie (1st).

Offense: .261/.306/.357 (7th/8th/6th);
Pitching: 4.18/4.35/3.21 (8th/8th/3rd);
Defense: .685 (8th).

Key Injuries: 26-year old 1B Brad Mitchinson (.290/.346/.430, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 20 R, 17 BB) collided at a base on December 31. The diagnosis is a partially torn labrum and he will miss 2 more months.

22-year old RHP Trent Beaton (4-10, 3.86 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) tore a back muscle while pitching in a game on January 15. He will be out of commission for another 4 months.

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07-02-2016, 01:06 AM	#281
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	February 1, 1945 Eastern League: Brunswick Setting the Pace With two months remaining in the regular season, the Brunswick Legends have opened up a comfortable 12 game lead on the second place Embro Suns. So it would appear on the surface that the real race will be for the wild card, as the Suns have surged ahead of the scuffling Queensland Eagles. The race may be joined by the Braeland City Monarchs as well, who have stepped up their play of late, despite the trade of former Babe Ruth Award winner Dean Bishop to Kingston. But the Legends are not quite out of the woods as yet, as they are now forced to deal with a devastating injury to one of their key players. Whether that will be a game changer for Brunswick or whether the other claimants really do mean business remains to be seen as the League enters the final stretch. -------- The Brunswick Legends are for real as the team continued their winning ways in December and January. Brunswick racked up 36 victories in that span, more than any other team in the United Leagues. With the exception of stealing bases (27 - 7th in EL), the Legends are excelling in all facets of the game. It would appear that a first place finish in the East is a mere formality. But the club is dealing with some adversity. Most significantly, it has lost the services of its top starting pitcher Anastasio Rodríguez for the balance of the season and playoffs. They are also without their three-time all-star 3B in Derek Sakurai for the next few weeks. However, the Legends are perhaps the best team right now to weather such a storm. The team fortuitously picked up free agent RHP Hun Park (12-7, 3.44 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) in the off-season, and he appears more than capable of picking up the slack. They also have 26-year old rookie 3B Dwaine Ainsley (.303/.351/.416) who has stepped in quite nicely since being promoted to the major leagues in late December. The former fourth-rounder from 1937-38 had been kicking around the minor leagues with seven different organizations before Brunswick signed him for a second time back on July 7, after he made his first minor league all-star appearance the season before. The Legends sent 7 representatives to the All-star game: LHP Hirotada Fukushima (3rd), LHP Mathew Monroe (6th), RHP Hun Park (1st), LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (5th), 1B Stuart Bentham (4th), CF Harry Chatwin (2nd), and RF Mark Elston (6th). Offense: .269/.344/.374 (2nd/2nd/3rd) Pitching: 2.79/2.81/2.64 (1st/1st/1st) Defense: .700 (1st) *Noteworthy Performance:* Veteran RF Mark Elston won Player of the Week honours on December 12. For the week, he batted .435 (10 H in 23 AB) with 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R. *Key Injuries:* 31-year old 3B Derek Sakurai (.270/.341/.351, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 13 R, 13 BB) was hit by a pitch in a game back on December 3 and broke his hand. He will miss a further 3-4 weeks. 28-year old LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (13-5, 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) suffered a dislocated finger in a game back on January 21. He is gone for the season (5 months). -------- The Embro Suns are definitely writing a new script this season as they got hot in December, winning 19 games and overtaking the Queensland Eagles for the wild card. But the remaining two months of the season may provide a cliffhanger, as the Suns announced on January 22 that they have shifted team focus to 'rebuild' from 'neutral'. What that means, if anything, remains to be seen. A better strategy in the short term would be for them to win more games at home. While they are 39-24 on the road, they are just 22-22 at home. With 33 home games still left to play, now would be good time to make Speaker Stadium a tougher place to steal a win for the visitors. The Suns are certainly benefiting from strong play from the likes of 29-year old RHP Myung-gu Son (14-5, 2.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) and CF Terence Durney. But Embro must be especially pleased with the play of 29-year old 1B Charles Usherwood (.310/.391/.413, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 43 R, 47 BB). The former 2nd-rounder from 1938-39 earned his second all-star selection and is enjoying his best season thus far in the United Leagues – while trying to fill two-time Babe Ruth Award winner Jim Friend's shoes. Seven Suns were invited to the All-star game: RHP Oscar Burress (7th), RHP Myung-gu Son (3rd), RHP Colm Soper (7th), 1B Charles Usherwood (2nd), SS Gary Watkinson (6th) and CF Terence Durney (8th). Offense: .278/.351/.362 (1st/1st/5th) Pitching: 3.59/3.69/2.94 (5th/5th/2nd) Defense: .699 (4th) *Noteworthy Performance:* After enjoying a 20-game hitting streak back in October/November, CF Terence Durney soon embarked on another one. This time, it lasted 24 consecutive games. It ended on December 8, when he went hitless against the Downie Chiefs. However, the Suns still prevailed, 4-3. *Key Injury:* 33-year old RHP Pete Allison (6-5, 4.10 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) experienced shoulder inflammation while pitching in a game back on December 28. He will miss 2 more months. *Key Trade:* December 4 with the Downie Chiefs To Embro – 25-year old 3B Elliot Tugby (74/74) To Downie – three minor league players: 20-year old CF Craig Gardner (23/59) 22-year old 1B Vincent Simmons (29/44) 21-year old 3B Frank Lynch (22/57) *Knee-jerk reaction:* Last season, the Suns acquired 27-year old 3B Britt Wing from the Fort Richmond Generals. With this trade, they add another productive infielder in Tugby, who is rated slightly higher than Wing. Tugby is a fairly good hitter, a very steady fielder with good speed, and will provide solid depth as the Suns make a push for the playoffs. Downie receives some nice players, but none of them project to be quite the player Tugby is. But all three have decent hitting potential and defensive ability. The Chiefs' infield was already getting crowded with both 21-year old Max Westgate (44/76) and Maluhia Mara (57/71) vying for playing time, thus making Tugby expendable. -------- The Queensland Eagles are starting to fade from the playoff picture, as they currently sit 3.5 games back of Embro. Pitching would not appear to be the problem, as three of Queensland's top four starters all sport ERAs below 3.00. Only RHP Aaron Saunderson (12-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) is north of 3.00. No, the Eagles could use an alternate lefty in their bullpen, as LHP Roman Davis (3-9, 8.28 ERA, 2.06 WIP; 12th overall pick in 1939-40) is just not getting it done. But he is the only lefty on the entire pitching staff and the team is using him more than the other relievers. They could also use a couple more players like 28-year old CF Jon Moreau (.337/.372/.532, 7 HR, 62 RBI, 59 R, 21 BB) who is having a career year. Moreau leads the team with 4.2 WAR. LF Aaron Flanagan, C Elijah Harper and SS Dermot Akers are next in line with 1.6. Queensland sent 7 players to the All-star game: RHP Francisco López (2nd), RHP Aaron Saunderson (3rd), RHP Bradley Paris (3rd), C Elijah Sheppard (2nd), 3B Fernando Gómez (2nd), RF Aaron Flanagan (4th) and CF Jon Moreau (3rd). Offense: .264/.336/.377 (5th/3rd/1st) Pitching: 3.34/3.11/5.35(2nd/2nd/8th) Defense: .692 (7th) *Key Injury:* 36-year old 2B Ken Cutler (.254/.314/.295, 12-2B, 30 RBI, 41 R, 28 BB) strained a hamstring in a collision at a base back on January 19. He is expected to miss 4 weeks. -------- The Braeland City Monarchs may have signalled a rebuild back in November and demonstrated that with the trade of 1B Dean Bishop in early December (more on that trade in the Kingston profile). But the Monarchs have in fact seen their immediate fortunes improve, going from 12 games below .500 in early November, to just 1 game below .500 at the end of January. Whether that will continue or be enough to make a serious challenge for a playoff spot in the final two months remains to be seen. Five Monarchs were selected to play in this year’s All-star game: LHP David Cooling (5th), RHP Samuel Hollier (3rd), C Kane Broom (5th), SS Adam Ashley (6th), and LF Phillip Ferguson (1st). Offense: .268/.330/.375 (3rd/4th/2nd) Pitching: 3.56/3.51/3.85 (4th/3rd/7th) Defense: .696 (5th). *Noteworthy Performance:* Rookie 1B Kyle Pryor is helping the Monarchs get over the parting of last season's Babe Ruth Award winner 1B Dean Bishop in a hurry. In addition to winning back-to back Rookie of the Month Awards and a Batter of the Month Award, Pryor also won Player of the Week honours on January 15. For the week, he batted .474 (9 H in 19 AB) with 1 HR, 7 RBI. I can't recall another player winning both the Batter and Rookie of the Month Awards in the same month before. Pryor, a former third round pick from 1940-41, is currently rated only No. 17 on Braeland City's prospect list. You just never know sometimes. *Key Injuries:* 35-year old SS Finlay Ridd (.250/.345/.327, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 23 R, 32 BB) suffered an intercostal strain on a defensive play back on January 21. He is will out of action for 2 more weeks. 36-year old RF Scott Kessler (.272/.352/.382, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 18 R, 23 BB) strained a hamstring while running the bases in a game on January 24. He will be out at least 8 weeks. -------- The Stratford Barons have seen their play improve last month, but like the Braeland City Monarchs, they have a tough haul to try and make it back into contention. And now with the loss of their ace LHP Ryan Borden, that could prove even tougher. But a number of Barons are playing well of late (as detailed below) and the team is enjoying one of Jake Walker's best season since 1941-42. This year, he is batting .325/.418/.463, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 55 R, 66 BB. Three Barons were selected to the All-star game: LHP Ryan Borden (4th), 2B Jake Walker (6th) and 2B Maurice Keyworth (2nd). Offense: .267/.330/.363 (4th/5th/4th) Pitching: 3.50/3.52/3.34 (3rd/4th/4th) Defense: .695 (6th) *Noteworthy Performances:* A number of Barons earned recognition for their play in December and January: Besides earning Player of the Month honours for December, 32-year old SS Jake Walker won Player of the Week honours on December 11. Walker batted .414 (12 H in 29 AB) with 2 HR, 7 RBI. RF Lyndon Inagaki went on a bit of a tear. Not only did he win Player of the Week honours on December 25 (.471 with 8 H in 17 AB, 1 HR, 7 RBI), but he also went 5 for 6 in a game against the Queensland Eagles back on January 12. Inagaki hit an RBI single in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, singled in the 7th, doubled as well as hit an RBI single in the 8th. Inagaki scored 2 runs and came into score 3 times himself. The Barons clobbered the Eagles 15-3. 25-year old 2B Maurice Keyworth (.276/.316/.367) won Player of the Week honours on January 8. For the week, he batted .429 (12 H in 28 AB) with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R. Lastly, RHP Bill Blair earned Player of the Week honours on January 29. Blair went 2-0, 0.50 ERA. He struck out 10 in 18 IP and held opponents to a .164 AVG. *Key Injury:* The Barons lost their ace LHP Ryan Borden (8-6, 1.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) when he experienced shoulder inflammation while pitching in a game on December 19. He will be laid up a further 2-3 months. -------- The Downie Chiefs cratered in January to finally fall back into irrelevance. They are not the worst team around; the pitching staff has given the team reasonable outings, but with the exception of LF Ricardo Castellanos (.314/.385/.473, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 58 R, 42 BB, 12 SB), no one in the lineup has stepped up on a regular basis. Castellanos leads the position players in WAR (4.3) and it is not even close. 22-year old Robin Duerdon (.265/.299/.360) is next with 1.9. RF Ricardo Castellanos (3rd) was the Chiefs' lone representative to this year's All-Star Game. Offense: .262/.313/.353 (6th/7th/7th) Pitching: 3.79/3.78/3.84 (6th/6th/6th) Defense: .700 (2nd) -------- The Wellington Athletics endured one of the worst months that any team has experienced when they went 5-22 in December (A quick look-back revealed that the Cobourg Red Stockings went 4-23 in December 1940). That the Athletics would be an also-ran this season is no surprise, but the depths of their adversity was still surprising. What was not a surprise though was that stretch of ineptitude cost long-time manager Bradley Balmforth's job, as he was relieved of his duties on December 16. 50-year old rookie manager Tyler Baldry took over two day's later. The change must have done some good, if only temporarily: Wellington enjoyed it's first winning month in January. Illustrating the turnaround is perhaps 31-year old RHP Darren Whiteley (8-12, 3.79 ERA, 1.54 WHIP). In January, he won his first Pitcher of the Month Award in over two years. But his December was forgetful: 0-5, 6.31 ERA. On January 21, 32-year old IF Brian Main was traded to the Kingston Pelicans for a couple of nondescript minor league players. In Kingston, Main will largely assume a back-up role, thus the decision to mention this transaction only in passing. Which is a shame in a way, as Main was enjoying a very fine season as a starter with Wellington (.321/.369/.532, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 35 R, 22 BB). But at least he's going to a contender. Prior to his trade, 2B Brian Main (3rd) was Wellington's only representative to the All-Star Game. Offense: .256/.313/.349 (7th/7th/5th) Pitching: 4.17/4.26/3.50 (7th/7th/5th) Defense: .700 (3rd) *Noteworthy: 3B Ryley McLarnon* won Player of the Weeks honours on January 22. For the week, he batted .464 (13 H in 28 AB) with 3 RBI, 6 R. -------- The Cobourg Red Stockings continue to plug away, despite enduring a mostly forgetful season. I say mostly forgetful, since if you look hard enough, there are some positives to gleam from the season thus far. First off, four Red Stockings made the All-Star team, the most since 1939. And all of them are young players qualifying for the first time, boding well for the future. 23-year old 3B Alexander Tolmie (.282/.349/.413, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 41 R, 42 BB), a former 1st overall pick from 1942-43, is playing well in just his first full season in the ULB. He leads the team in WAR (2.7). C Neil Voigt and SS John Medley (last season's first overall pick) are next with 1.9. This season's fourth overall pick, 21-year old C Jason Lymer, is doing so good in AA that team scouts are saying that he is ready for the major league challenge right now. In terms of pitching, Cobourg appears to have a keeper in SP Trent Beaton, a former 2nd round pick (17th overall) from last year's draft. Unfortunately, he suffered a season ending injury. Finally, one of the pitchers Cobourg received in a trade with the Cambria Cannons back in November, 20-year old RHP José Fernández, was promoted to the AAA Oakville Oaks and is performing well. So perhaps he will soon be ready to join the big league team and provide some much needed help. Heading to this year's All-Star Game for Cobourg were RHP Brent Nix (1st), C Neil Voigt (1st), 2B John Medley (1st) and 3B Alexander Tolmie (1st). Offense: .261/.306/.357 (7th/8th/6th); Pitching: 4.18/4.35/3.21 (8th/8th/3rd); Defense: .685 (8th). *Key Injuries:* 26-year old 1B Brad Mitchinson (.290/.346/.430, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 20 R, 17 BB) collided at a base on December 31. The diagnosis is a partially torn labrum and he will miss 2 more months. 22-year old RHP Trent Beaton (4-10, 3.86 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) tore a back muscle while pitching in a game on January 15. He will be out of commission for another 4 months. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-14-2017 at 07:39 PM.