OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 04-29-2017, 06:10 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, May 1, 2054

TIGHT TUSSLE IN RU SOUTH
The Ruthlandian South doesn't appear to have any Pro Cup contenders, but they do have a tight pennant race after one month of action... the St. John Crusaders (14-10) are the top team so far with a 2-game edge over last year's division champ Waleska (12-12) and Valka (12-12)... in fourth place is Belair Beach (11-13), trailing by 3 games... in the preseason forecast the Waleska Westerners were made a slight favorite over the Valka Blackhawks, St. John Crusaders and Belair Beach Sunbirds... basically the baseball experts said it was a 4-team toss-up... any one of them could win the pennant.

St. John (14-10) has moved to the top of the standings by virtue of its .305 team batting average, best in the Ruthlandian Union by far... and second in the IPA, beaten only by the Turon Typhoons (.306 BA)... however, all is not good for manager Nicky Farrugia... his pitching is borderline terrible (4.44 ERA-26th)... the Crusader attack was greatly enhanced by the addition of talented CF Freddie Woodruff (.353 BA/2 HR/12 RBI/19 R) to the lineup... they picked him up in a trade with Fort Benton for pitcher Zeke Yoder (2-2/3.04)... they also got pitcher Perry Blystone (2-2/6.00), but he has not been effective thus far... he has to do well for it to be a good trade... heading up the St. John attack are a slew of solid hitters like LF Sherrill Westerfield (.412), RF Cris Hershey (.373), SS Charley Farley (.310) and 2B Herbie Gruen (.307)... the Crusaders do have a fine, 21-year-old southpaw Whitlow Cornwell, who is going great guns with a 4-0 record and a 1.53 ERA... St. John was a distant third in '53 with a 79-75 mark... it will be tough to sustain their attack for the entire season... not likely... might be a wise move to trade a bat or two for a starting pitcher.

Skipper Roy Hobbs is having a slow go this year... his Waleska Westerners (12-12) have been slow out of the gate in April... he still has good, young starters in Trey Earnest (4-1/3.31), Lou Carlson (1-1/1.77), Vince Gibson (3-2/3.86) and Kenny Foster (2-4/4.93)... pitching is always his strength... it has won him the RU South flag for the last three seasons... Waleska is badly in need of bullpen help... 4.81 ERA will just not cut the mustard... Hobbs' bats are not doing the job, either... the longball is drastically missing... ranking last in the entire IPA with only 8 homers for the month... his only decent contributors are RF Zip McHan (.358), CF Allie Connors (.325), 3B Hershel Briggs (.297) and 2B Richie Fry (.296).

The Valka Blackhawks (12-12) have Hall of Fame pitcher Arno Vainmaa (316-252/2.73 ERA) in charge... the Blackhawks are just average offensively (.272 BA) and mediocre on the hill (4.38 ERA)... his staff is led by a quality veteran Arvi Tamm (4-1/3.74)... his starting rotation is young and has potential... at age 20 Eerik Jogi (1-1/3.00) is a comer... Vainmaa has some capable hitters in RF Mel Shadwell (.360 BA/6 HR/17 RBI/16 R), 3B Corey Belk (.337/1/10/8) and 2B Olev Tarvas (.326/2/11/16/4 SB).

Belair Beach (11-13) finished fourth last year (75-79/14 GB) and made the first division for the first time in four years... the Sunbirds were seventh four straight seasons under manager Bob Meusel... his club has trouble scoring runs (25th), but has a fine pitching corps (3.30 ERA-10th), anchored by Kevin Tolbert (2-2/2.20) and Glen Long (3-3/3.07)... Jeffrey Verblen (2-2/3.94) and Zak Culberson (2-3/3.92) fill out the starting rotation... Meusel also has a quality bullpen with Tom Cook (1-0/2.60/3 saves/13 G) and Kyle Gibson (0-1/1.80/1 save/6 G)... the Sunbirds' best offensive performers are CF Corky Goodnight (.333 BA/2 HR/14 RBI/11 R/3 SB), SS Alvaro Abreu (.329/0/11/9), 1B Rusty Van Slyke (.294/3/9/12) and fine defensive Gold Glove catcher Johnny Samarin (.277/4/13/11)... Belair Beach acquired Samarin from Marston in a swap for pitcher Tommy Hester (4-2/5.27).

The fifth place San Dimas Rancheros (10-14) haven't made the postseason since 2041, haven't ever won a Pro Cup and are not likely to do it this year or anytime soon... they may be a little better this season... last year they were a miserable 59-95 and in the cellar of the RU South... Shannon White is the manager, but doesn't have a lot of talent to work with... the Rancheros are just a second-division also-ran... Tyler Tydings (2-2/4.17) is the best starter... veteran closer Kenny Robinson (2-2/0.92/1 save/11 G) is a stud in the bullpen... they are the best of a poor staff... the offense is anemic (.254 BA) with just one fairly decent hitter: LF Manuel Madura (.311 BA/1 HR/12 RBI/12 R/4 SB).

For the last five years the Crystal Lake Skippers (9-15) have been a losing ballclub... they haven't won a pennant since 2044, but they do have two Pro Cup trophies (2020 and 2022)... the Skippers are off to a bad start this year already 5 games out of first and sixth in the standings... ex-pitching great Duncan Welch is running the team... he did well in the first few seasons, but is now adrift in mediocrity with not a lot to boast about... his best pitcher is 35-year-old closer Josh Crosby (3-0/1.25/2 saves/13 G)... his top hitters are 3B Jasper Shackelford (.397 BA/1 HR/8 RBI/7 R), LF Alex Mundy (.348/5/17/13), C Del Peevy (.337/3/13/12) and RF Kunitaro Sakata (.300/2/8/8)... gonna be another long and lackluster season for Crystal Lakers.

What has happened to the Grand City Cybercats (7-17)?... last year they were second with an 85-69 record and challenged Waleska for the division title, losing out by 5 games... and the C'Cats were in the running the year before with a third place finish at 81-73 (9 GB)... manager Duncan Welch's pitching has simply gone bye bye... last year the staff posted a fine 3.44 ERA... this year it has skied to a 4.90 ERA... Frank Long (4-2/3.49) and George Marz (2-2/4.09) are the only effective starters... the bats are just average... but Grand City did make a good trade to get slugging 1B Vince Kinston (.277 BA/5 HR/13 RBI/10 R) from Arroyo Grande... they gave up two young pitchers, Roy Tuthill (1-2/3.00) and Rusty Stephens (1-2/3.80)... the Cybercats are led at the plate by Kinston, 2B Laney Carrigan (.355/1/4/7), CF Rocky Valverdi (.303/1/7/11/3 SB) and LF Dave Durocher (.275/4/16/9).

The last place Claxton Diamonds (7-17) haven't had a winning season since 2049 (88-66)... came in sixth the last two years with 70-84 and 67-87 records... last RU South title came in 2049... still waiting for the club's first Pro Cup... manager Jojo DeLucca has horrendous pitching (5.12 ERA), but he has good hitting (.269/7th) and good power (23 HR/7th)... 2B DeLucca (.264 BA/3 HR/17 RBI/12 R) is still a good ballplayer at 39... he is also the playing manager... helping out at the plate are CF Duke Rafferty (.358/4/10/10), RF Konrad Neumann (.277/2/15/12/4 SB) and LF Scoops Dunn (.333/2/7/9)...and 24-year-old OF Whiz Bright (.378/3/10/9) is getting a shot in a platoon situation against right-handers... on the mound Alvaro Spinosa (2-2/3.98) and Claus Antoon (2-3/4.18) are Claxton's only quality starters... the outlook for the Diamonds is not shining... bottom of the RU South likely.

04-29-2017, 06:10 PM	#5497
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,926	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Friday, May 1, 2054 TIGHT TUSSLE IN RU SOUTH The Ruthlandian South doesn't appear to have any Pro Cup contenders, but they do have a tight pennant race after one month of action... the St. John Crusaders (14-10) are the top team so far with a 2-game edge over last year's division champ Waleska (12-12) and Valka (12-12)... in fourth place is Belair Beach (11-13), trailing by 3 games... in the preseason forecast the Waleska Westerners were made a slight favorite over the Valka Blackhawks, St. John Crusaders and Belair Beach Sunbirds... basically the baseball experts said it was a 4-team toss-up... any one of them could win the pennant. St. John (14-10) has moved to the top of the standings by virtue of its .305 team batting average, best in the Ruthlandian Union by far... and second in the IPA, beaten only by the Turon Typhoons (.306 BA)... however, all is not good for manager Nicky Farrugia... his pitching is borderline terrible (4.44 ERA-26th)... the Crusader attack was greatly enhanced by the addition of talented CF Freddie Woodruff (.353 BA/2 HR/12 RBI/19 R) to the lineup... they picked him up in a trade with Fort Benton for pitcher Zeke Yoder (2-2/3.04)... they also got pitcher Perry Blystone (2-2/6.00), but he has not been effective thus far... he has to do well for it to be a good trade... heading up the St. John attack are a slew of solid hitters like LF Sherrill Westerfield (.412), RF Cris Hershey (.373), SS Charley Farley (.310) and 2B Herbie Gruen (.307)... the Crusaders do have a fine, 21-year-old southpaw Whitlow Cornwell, who is going great guns with a 4-0 record and a 1.53 ERA... St. John was a distant third in '53 with a 79-75 mark... it will be tough to sustain their attack for the entire season... not likely... might be a wise move to trade a bat or two for a starting pitcher. Skipper Roy Hobbs is having a slow go this year... his Waleska Westerners (12-12) have been slow out of the gate in April... he still has good, young starters in Trey Earnest (4-1/3.31), Lou Carlson (1-1/1.77), Vince Gibson (3-2/3.86) and Kenny Foster (2-4/4.93)... pitching is always his strength... it has won him the RU South flag for the last three seasons... Waleska is badly in need of bullpen help... 4.81 ERA will just not cut the mustard... Hobbs' bats are not doing the job, either... the longball is drastically missing... ranking last in the entire IPA with only 8 homers for the month... his only decent contributors are RF Zip McHan (.358), CF Allie Connors (.325), 3B Hershel Briggs (.297) and 2B Richie Fry (.296). The Valka Blackhawks (12-12) have Hall of Fame pitcher Arno Vainmaa (316-252/2.73 ERA) in charge... the Blackhawks are just average offensively (.272 BA) and mediocre on the hill (4.38 ERA)... his staff is led by a quality veteran Arvi Tamm (4-1/3.74)... his starting rotation is young and has potential... at age 20 Eerik Jogi (1-1/3.00) is a comer... Vainmaa has some capable hitters in RF Mel Shadwell (.360 BA/6 HR/17 RBI/16 R), 3B Corey Belk (.337/1/10/8) and 2B Olev Tarvas (.326/2/11/16/4 SB). Belair Beach (11-13) finished fourth last year (75-79/14 GB) and made the first division for the first time in four years... the Sunbirds were seventh four straight seasons under manager Bob Meusel... his club has trouble scoring runs (25th), but has a fine pitching corps (3.30 ERA-10th), anchored by Kevin Tolbert (2-2/2.20) and Glen Long (3-3/3.07)... Jeffrey Verblen (2-2/3.94) and Zak Culberson (2-3/3.92) fill out the starting rotation... Meusel also has a quality bullpen with Tom Cook (1-0/2.60/3 saves/13 G) and Kyle Gibson (0-1/1.80/1 save/6 G)... the Sunbirds' best offensive performers are CF Corky Goodnight (.333 BA/2 HR/14 RBI/11 R/3 SB), SS Alvaro Abreu (.329/0/11/9), 1B Rusty Van Slyke (.294/3/9/12) and fine defensive Gold Glove catcher Johnny Samarin (.277/4/13/11)... Belair Beach acquired Samarin from Marston in a swap for pitcher Tommy Hester (4-2/5.27). The fifth place San Dimas Rancheros (10-14) haven't made the postseason since 2041, haven't ever won a Pro Cup and are not likely to do it this year or anytime soon... they may be a little better this season... last year they were a miserable 59-95 and in the cellar of the RU South... Shannon White is the manager, but doesn't have a lot of talent to work with... the Rancheros are just a second-division also-ran... Tyler Tydings (2-2/4.17) is the best starter... veteran closer Kenny Robinson (2-2/0.92/1 save/11 G) is a stud in the bullpen... they are the best of a poor staff... the offense is anemic (.254 BA) with just one fairly decent hitter: LF Manuel Madura (.311 BA/1 HR/12 RBI/12 R/4 SB). For the last five years the Crystal Lake Skippers (9-15) have been a losing ballclub... they haven't won a pennant since 2044, but they do have two Pro Cup trophies (2020 and 2022)... the Skippers are off to a bad start this year already 5 games out of first and sixth in the standings... ex-pitching great Duncan Welch is running the team... he did well in the first few seasons, but is now adrift in mediocrity with not a lot to boast about... his best pitcher is 35-year-old closer Josh Crosby (3-0/1.25/2 saves/13 G)... his top hitters are 3B Jasper Shackelford (.397 BA/1 HR/8 RBI/7 R), LF Alex Mundy (.348/5/17/13), C Del Peevy (.337/3/13/12) and RF Kunitaro Sakata (.300/2/8/8)... gonna be another long and lackluster season for Crystal Lakers. What has happened to the Grand City Cybercats (7-17)?... last year they were second with an 85-69 record and challenged Waleska for the division title, losing out by 5 games... and the C'Cats were in the running the year before with a third place finish at 81-73 (9 GB)... manager Duncan Welch's pitching has simply gone bye bye... last year the staff posted a fine 3.44 ERA... this year it has skied to a 4.90 ERA... Frank Long (4-2/3.49) and George Marz (2-2/4.09) are the only effective starters... the bats are just average... but Grand City did make a good trade to get slugging 1B Vince Kinston (.277 BA/5 HR/13 RBI/10 R) from Arroyo Grande... they gave up two young pitchers, Roy Tuthill (1-2/3.00) and Rusty Stephens (1-2/3.80)... the Cybercats are led at the plate by Kinston, 2B Laney Carrigan (.355/1/4/7), CF Rocky Valverdi (.303/1/7/11/3 SB) and LF Dave Durocher (.275/4/16/9). The last place Claxton Diamonds (7-17) haven't had a winning season since 2049 (88-66)... came in sixth the last two years with 70-84 and 67-87 records... last RU South title came in 2049... still waiting for the club's first Pro Cup... manager Jojo DeLucca has horrendous pitching (5.12 ERA), but he has good hitting (.269/7th) and good power (23 HR/7th)... 2B DeLucca (.264 BA/3 HR/17 RBI/12 R) is still a good ballplayer at 39... he is also the playing manager... helping out at the plate are CF Duke Rafferty (.358/4/10/10), RF Konrad Neumann (.277/2/15/12/4 SB) and LF Scoops Dunn (.333/2/7/9)...and 24-year-old OF Whiz Bright (.378/3/10/9) is getting a shot in a platoon situation against right-handers... on the mound Alvaro Spinosa (2-2/3.98) and Claus Antoon (2-3/4.18) are Claxton's only quality starters... the outlook for the Diamonds is not shining... bottom of the RU South likely. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-30-2017 at 07:14 PM.