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reds1 · 12-01-2016, 01:11 AM

December 1, 1945

Western League: A ‘Currall’ For What Ails You

Oh, hey! Looks who’s in first place in the West! And dominating! Over the past couple of seasons, the Kingston Pelicans seemed to start off slowly, allowing other teams to vie for a playoff spot, only to surge ahead in the second half and capture either first or second place in the standings. Well it appears Kingston has given up all pretense of that cat-and-mouse game this season and gone straight for the jugular. Their offense and pitching are firing on all cylinders. They have reached double digits in runs scored in a game 11 times and their run differential is a whopping +150. The next best run differential in the West is +3, held by the Sherburn Tigers – the only other team in the positive. In the Eastern League, the Queensland Eagles lead with a +39. So yeah, Kingston is pretty good this year. That wasn’t entirely unexpected. They are strong at every position and are deep.

But what was unexpected was the sheer dominance of one of their rookie starters, 25-year old RHP Ben Currall (10-1, 1.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). The 11th overall pick from 1942-43 first reached the majors late in the 1943-44 season, but pitched only 12.2 innings total prior to this season. The No. 3 starter has simply dominated the United Leagues and is already rated Kingston’s top pitcher. While I have seen a position player simultaneously capture both Batter of the Month and Rookie of the Month, I have never witnessed a player completely dominate two months in a row. Score another one for the Pelicans’ scouting staff.

The acquisition of 27-year old C Neil Voigt by Sherburn from the Cobourg Red Stockings back in June is paying HUGE dividends for the Tigers. Of the ten noteworthy news items recorded by OOTP for Sherburn, Voigt is responsible seven of them. Only Kingston’s Danny Trowbridge eclipses him in performance thus far by catchers in the ULB, based on WAR (3.7 vs. 2.7).

There is concern in Cambria as the Cannons are struggling, as is their top player. 28-year old RF Ron Westmacott, who won the Babe Ruth Award just two seasons ago and is a 5-time all-star is struggling big time. He should be entering his prime; however, he is batting only .202/.340/.379, 4 HR, 13 RBI, -0.2 WAR and is reduced to being the 4th outfielder. Although ostensibly rated as Cambria's top player, he is not listed as the Cannons' top outfielder in the position overview. Strange.

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Offense: .305/.386/.456 (1st/1st/1st)
Pitching: 3.20/3.03/4.19 (1st/1st/4th) (ERA/Starter’s ERA/Bullpen ERA)
Defense: .698 (2nd – tied with Sherburn)

Top Player:

Yikes – how do you pick between 25-year old RHP Ben Currall, who is on pace to win 28 games, or 27-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.386/.456/.652, 14 HR, 42 RBI, 3.7 WAR) who is on pace for 10.2 WAR, or 30-year old Katsunan Chikafuji (.381/.429/.597, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 3.8 WAR) who is on pace for 10.4 WAR? You can't. They belong in a higher league.

Player of the Week Awards:

October 8 – SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.469, 15 H, 2 HR, 14 RBI)
October 15 – C Danny Trowbridge (.652, 15 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R)
November 5– SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.462, 12 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
November 26 – C Danny Trowbridge (.409, 9 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R)

Noteworthy:

SP Ben Currall pitched three shutouts:

October 20 – 114 PI, 4 hits, 0 K, 1 BB against the Cambria Cannons (5-0 W)
November 4 – 134 PI, 6 hits, 6 K, 5 BB against the Sherburn Tigers (4-0 W)
November 9 – 112 PI, 7 hits, 5 K, 1 BB against the Wolseley Unions (11-0 W)

Key Injuries: None

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Offense: .260/.338/.373 (6th/6th/7th)
Pitching: 3.63/3.58/4.03 (2nd/2nd/2nd)
Defense: .698 (2nd – tied with Kingston)

Top Player:

Easy choice here. 27-year old C Neil Voigt (.358/.391/.584, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 2.7 WAR) has been just outstanding in his first year with Sherburn. I shudder to think what their offense would be like without him (shudder).

Player of the Week Awards:

October 29 – C Neil Voigt (.520, 13 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R)
November 12 – 2B Jim List (.448, 13 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

Noteworthy:

November 7 – C Neil Voigt goes 0-4 against the Wolseley Unions, ending his hitting streak at 20.

Injuries:

27-year old SS Jim List – oblique strain – 2 more weeks
25-year old RHP Cris Herrera – herniated disc (back) – 5 more days
20-year old RHP Alfonso Roberto – partially torn labrum – 3 more months

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Offense: .255/.325/.362 (8th/8th/8th)
Pitching: 4.02/3.82/5.29 (3rd/3rd/8th)
Defense: .709 (1st)

Top Player:

No obvious choice here, but I've been impressed with 32-year old RHP Noah Marfell (5-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.27 WHIP). He is on pace for 15 victories, which would be his best mark by far. The only season he finished with a winning mark was last year, when he went 5-3, 4.04 ERA in 9 starts. He's already reached that record in 9 starts in the first two months.

Noteworthy:

October 30 – 35-year old RF Román Ferreira (.304/.375/.383, 5-2B, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 0.8 WAR) went 5-5 against the Sherburn Tigers – all singles, with 1 R. Fort Richmond prevailed 3-0. They also won the first game of the double-header, 3-2.

Key Injuries: None

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Offense: .272/.348/.402 (5th/3rd/5th)
Pitching: 4.49/4.45/4.71 (5th/5th/6th)
Defense: .684 (6th)

Top Player:

They traded for him in July and the Cannons are feeling no buyer's remorse, as 28-year old C Heung-su Park (.319/.393/.535, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 2.3 WAR) leads the team offensively. He has yet to make an all-star team, which I find sorta puzzling. He should make it this season.

Injuries:

26-year old LF Leif Bryant – torn meniscus (knee) – 6 more weeks

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Offense: .276/.327/.409 (3rd/7th/3rd)
Pitching: 4.77/4.97/4.07 (8th/8th/3rd)
Defense: .666 (8th)

Top Player:

For Hespeler, I'm going with 27-year old LHP Carlton Sherrell (7-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP). He is off to his best start in his career and is on pace for 20 victories. He has won 16 games in a season twice.

Injuries: None

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Offense: .277/.348/.417 (2nd/2nd/2nd)
Pitching: 4.45/4.41/4.68 (4th/4th/5th)
Defense: .691 (4th)

Top Player:

No real standouts, but 33-year old 3B Terry Maxwell (.333/.416/.508, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 2.6 WAR) is enjoying his best season in years. He's on pace for 7.2 WAR. His previous best was 5.3 back in 1941-42.

Noteworthy:

October 24 – 25-year old LF Bruno Lapthorne (.304/.375/.383, 5-2B, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 0.8 WAR) went 5-5 against the Hespeler Stars – 4 singles, 1HR, 3 RBI, 3 R. Pulberry won 11-7.

Injury:

29-year old SS Jamie Florey – torn labrum (shoulder) – out for 4 months.

--------

Offense: .275/.342/.405 (4th/5th/4th)
Pitching: 4.63/4.50/5.24 (6th/6th/7th)
Defense: .689 (5th)

Player of the Week Awards:

October 22 – RF Carlton Broadbent (.417, 10 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
November 19 – RF Carlton Broadbent (.435, 10 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R)

Top Player:

As good as he's been, 27-year old RF Carlton Broadbent (.370/.447/.668, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 2.9 WAR) is even better this year, as he is on pace for 8.4 WAR. Last season when he won his second consecutive Babe Ruth Award, he finished with 6.9.

Injury:

26-year old CF Damon Purcell – torn meniscus (knee) – 5-6 more weeks

--------

Offense: .256/.343/.380 (7th/4th/6th)
Pitching: 4.71/4.87/4.03 (7th/7th/1st)
Defense: .683 (7th)

Top Player:

27-year old CF Zak Kidd (.280/.349/.517, 16 HR, 41 RBI, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR) is off to his best start ever in the ULB. In 1940-41, he finished with 5.7 WAR; he is on pace for 6.3.

Injuries:

35-year old RHP Douggie Taylor – torn rotator cuff – 2-3 more months
30-year old 2B Oscar Agnolutto – hip strain – 2 more weeks

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12-01-2016, 01:11 AM	#303
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	December 1, 1945 Western League: A ‘Currall’ For What Ails You Oh, hey! Looks who’s in first place in the West! And dominating! Over the past couple of seasons, the Kingston Pelicans seemed to start off slowly, allowing other teams to vie for a playoff spot, only to surge ahead in the second half and capture either first or second place in the standings. Well it appears Kingston has given up all pretense of that cat-and-mouse game this season and gone straight for the jugular. Their offense and pitching are firing on all cylinders. They have reached double digits in runs scored in a game 11 times and their run differential is a whopping +150. The next best run differential in the West is +3, held by the Sherburn Tigers – the only other team in the positive. In the Eastern League, the Queensland Eagles lead with a +39. So yeah, Kingston is pretty good this year. That wasn’t entirely unexpected. They are strong at every position and are deep. But what was unexpected was the sheer dominance of one of their rookie starters, 25-year old RHP Ben Currall (10-1, 1.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). The 11th overall pick from 1942-43 first reached the majors late in the 1943-44 season, but pitched only 12.2 innings total prior to this season. The No. 3 starter has simply dominated the United Leagues and is already rated Kingston’s top pitcher. While I have seen a position player simultaneously capture both Batter of the Month and Rookie of the Month, I have never witnessed a player completely dominate two months in a row. Score another one for the Pelicans’ scouting staff. The acquisition of 27-year old C Neil Voigt by Sherburn from the Cobourg Red Stockings back in June is paying HUGE dividends for the Tigers. Of the ten noteworthy news items recorded by OOTP for Sherburn, Voigt is responsible seven of them. Only Kingston’s Danny Trowbridge eclipses him in performance thus far by catchers in the ULB, based on WAR (3.7 vs. 2.7). There is concern in Cambria as the Cannons are struggling, as is their top player. 28-year old RF Ron Westmacott, who won the Babe Ruth Award just two seasons ago and is a 5-time all-star is struggling big time. He should be entering his prime; however, he is batting only .202/.340/.379, 4 HR, 13 RBI, -0.2 WAR and is reduced to being the 4th outfielder. Although ostensibly rated as Cambria's top player, he is not listed as the Cannons' top outfielder in the position overview. Strange. -------- Offense: .305/.386/.456 (1st/1st/1st) Pitching: 3.20/3.03/4.19 (1st/1st/4th) (ERA/Starter’s ERA/Bullpen ERA) Defense: .698 (2nd – tied with Sherburn) *Top Player:* Yikes – how do you pick between 25-year old RHP Ben Currall, who is on pace to win 28 games, or 27-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.386/.456/.652, 14 HR, 42 RBI, 3.7 WAR) who is on pace for 10.2 WAR, or 30-year old Katsunan Chikafuji (.381/.429/.597, 10 HR, 53 RBI, 3.8 WAR) who is on pace for 10.4 WAR? You can't. They belong in a higher league. *Player of the Week Awards:* October 8 – SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.469, 15 H, 2 HR, 14 RBI) October 15 – C Danny Trowbridge (.652, 15 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R) November 5– SS Katsunan Chikafuji (.462, 12 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI) November 26 – C Danny Trowbridge (.409, 9 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R) *Noteworthy:* SP Ben Currall pitched three shutouts: October 20 – 114 PI, 4 hits, 0 K, 1 BB against the Cambria Cannons (5-0 W) November 4 – 134 PI, 6 hits, 6 K, 5 BB against the Sherburn Tigers (4-0 W) November 9 – 112 PI, 7 hits, 5 K, 1 BB against the Wolseley Unions (11-0 W) *Key Injuries:* None -------- Offense: .260/.338/.373 (6th/6th/7th) Pitching: 3.63/3.58/4.03 (2nd/2nd/2nd) Defense: .698 (2nd – tied with Kingston) *Top Player:* Easy choice here. 27-year old C Neil Voigt (.358/.391/.584, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 2.7 WAR) has been just outstanding in his first year with Sherburn. I shudder to think what their offense would be like without him (shudder). *Player of the Week Awards:* October 29 – C Neil Voigt (.520, 13 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R) November 12 – 2B Jim List (.448, 13 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI) *Noteworthy:* November 7 – C Neil Voigt goes 0-4 against the Wolseley Unions, ending his hitting streak at 20. *Injuries:* 27-year old SS Jim List – oblique strain – 2 more weeks 25-year old RHP Cris Herrera – herniated disc (back) – 5 more days 20-year old RHP Alfonso Roberto – partially torn labrum – 3 more months -------- Offense: .255/.325/.362 (8th/8th/8th) Pitching: 4.02/3.82/5.29 (3rd/3rd/8th) Defense: .709 (1st) *Top Player:* No obvious choice here, but I've been impressed with 32-year old RHP Noah Marfell (5-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.27 WHIP). He is on pace for 15 victories, which would be his best mark by far. The only season he finished with a winning mark was last year, when he went 5-3, 4.04 ERA in 9 starts. He's already reached that record in 9 starts in the first two months. *Noteworthy:* October 30 – 35-year old RF Román Ferreira (.304/.375/.383, 5-2B, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 0.8 WAR) went 5-5 against the Sherburn Tigers – all singles, with 1 R. Fort Richmond prevailed 3-0. They also won the first game of the double-header, 3-2. *Key Injuries:* None -------- Offense: .272/.348/.402 (5th/3rd/5th) Pitching: 4.49/4.45/4.71 (5th/5th/6th) Defense: .684 (6th) *Top Player:* They traded for him in July and the Cannons are feeling no buyer's remorse, as 28-year old C Heung-su Park (.319/.393/.535, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 2.3 WAR) leads the team offensively. He has yet to make an all-star team, which I find sorta puzzling. He should make it this season. *Injuries:* 26-year old LF Leif Bryant – torn meniscus (knee) – 6 more weeks -------- Offense: .276/.327/.409 (3rd/7th/3rd) Pitching: 4.77/4.97/4.07 (8th/8th/3rd) Defense: .666 (8th) *Top Player:* For Hespeler, I'm going with 27-year old LHP Carlton Sherrell (7-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP). He is off to his best start in his career and is on pace for 20 victories. He has won 16 games in a season twice. *Injuries:* None -------- Offense: .277/.348/.417 (2nd/2nd/2nd) Pitching: 4.45/4.41/4.68 (4th/4th/5th) Defense: .691 (4th) *Top Player:* No real standouts, but 33-year old 3B Terry Maxwell (.333/.416/.508, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 2.6 WAR) is enjoying his best season in years. He's on pace for 7.2 WAR. His previous best was 5.3 back in 1941-42. *Noteworthy:* October 24 – 25-year old LF Bruno Lapthorne (.304/.375/.383, 5-2B, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 0.8 WAR) went 5-5 against the Hespeler Stars – 4 singles, 1HR, 3 RBI, 3 R. Pulberry won 11-7. *Injury:* 29-year old SS Jamie Florey – torn labrum (shoulder) – out for 4 months. -------- Offense: .275/.342/.405 (4th/5th/4th) Pitching: 4.63/4.50/5.24 (6th/6th/7th) Defense: .689 (5th) *Player of the Week Awards:* October 22 – RF Carlton Broadbent (.417, 10 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI) November 19 – RF Carlton Broadbent (.435, 10 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R) *Top Player:* As good as he's been, 27-year old RF Carlton Broadbent (.370/.447/.668, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 2.9 WAR) is even better this year, as he is on pace for 8.4 WAR. Last season when he won his second consecutive Babe Ruth Award, he finished with 6.9. *Injury:* 26-year old CF Damon Purcell – torn meniscus (knee) – 5-6 more weeks -------- Offense: .256/.343/.380 (7th/4th/6th) Pitching: 4.71/4.87/4.03 (7th/7th/1st) Defense: .683 (7th) *Top Player:* 27-year old CF Zak Kidd (.280/.349/.517, 16 HR, 41 RBI, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR) is off to his best start ever in the ULB. In 1940-41, he finished with 5.7 WAR; he is on pace for 6.3. *Injuries:* 35-year old RHP Douggie Taylor – torn rotator cuff – 2-3 more months 30-year old 2B Oscar Agnolutto – hip strain – 2 more weeks -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-15-2017 at 02:40 PM.