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

Eugene Church · 10-27-2018, 08:07 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 16, 2058

SKIPPERS SAIL AWAY WITH RU SOUTH FLAG
It was just a 2-team affair in the Ruthlandian South Division this season... Crystal Lake and St. John went toe-to-toe most of the year, swapping out the top spot several times... the Crusaders were the top team until July... then the Skippers took command and sailed away with the division flag in the last six weeks of the season... the Skips (89-65) whipped the Crusaders (84-70) by 5 games.

1st Place: CRYSTAL LAKE SKIPPERS (89-65)
Preseason Rating: 2nd Place
Last Year: 2nd Place (86-68) (1 GB)
Two Years Ago: 5th Place (78-76) (8 GB)
Outlook: Last year Red Bluff won the Pro Cup with a good attack and so-so pitching... Elnora made the Pro Cup Finals with the same formula... could be the Skippers could make a little noise in the postseason playoffs... Crystal Lake has fair pitching, but a strong offense... this is the 11th postseason appearance by Crystal Lake, the last time they made the Pro Cup playoffs was in 2044... the Skippers play in one of the weakest divisions in the IPA... only 2 teams had winning records this year... Crystal Lake will be seeking their third Pro Cup trophy... they won the IPA crown in 2020 and 2022.

Famed IPA HOF hurler Duncan Welch runs the Skippers... Welch has lackluster pitching, but good enough to get by... Crystal Lake thrives on its abundant offense... top contributors: RF Mel Brouwer (.343/29 HR/94 RBI/114 R/18 SB), LF Zippy Coburn (.320/27/103/91/7 SB), 3B Jasper Shackleford (.315/28/91/100), CF Speedy McCormick (.305/25/61/111/17 SB) and 2B Gib Conlan (.288/26/110/85/1 SB)... on the hill Merle Pitts (23-6/2.35) is his only standout starter... Robin Norborne (21-11/4.32) is occasionally a good starter... he's lucky the Skippers score so many runs... not a lot in the bullpen, either... closer Yuri Kirchoff (4-4/3.31 ERA/29 saves/49 G) is just adequate.

2nd Place: St. John Crusaders (84-70) (5 GB)
Preseason Rating: 3rd Place
Last Year: 1st Place (87-67)
Two Years Ago: 2nd Place (81-73) (5 GB)
Outlook: solid club, well-balanced... should be a contender for a few years.

Manager Nicky Farrugia has a good nucleus of players: a good rotation featuring Tom Smithson (23-10/3.18), Deke Eubanks (17-12/3.16), Teddy Howell (16-13/3.41) and Gibby Pritchell (11-12/3.64)... Smoke Early (4-1/0.26 ERA/18 saves/29 G) stood out as the closer... top bats are CF Freddie Woodruff (.314/11 HR/71 RBI/104 R/18 SB), C Tuffy Palmieri (.311/12/80/75), 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.297/19/79/79/2 SB) and 2B Michael Cheeks (.333/10/51/60/8 SB).

3rd Place: Grand City Cybercats (77-77) (12 GB)
Preseason Rating: 1st Place
Last Year: 5th Place (74-80) (13 GB)
Two Years Ago: 3rd Place (81-73) (5 GB)
Outlook: won the pennant in '55... picked to do it again this year... just fairly good on the hill and a little above average at the plate... fair power... not quite as good as Crystal Lake and St. John.

Thomas Hall is the GM and manager... he has a good group of starters with Fred Barrow (18-12/2.84), Gil Lloyd (17-11/3.05), Brodie Ezzell (16-16/3.76) and Zac Borden (10-14/3.65)... and a good closer in Steve Shirley (4-6/2.87 ERA/27 saves/48 G)... best run producers are slugger Vince Kinston (.337/23 HR/81 RBI/73 R), rookie RF Zippy Balencia (.273/16/80/80/26 SB), LF Dave Durocher (.254/15/83/69/11 SB) CF Rocky Valverdi (.285/16/49/70/35 SB).

4th Place: Belair Beach Sunbirds (73-81) (16 GB)
Preseason Rating: 4th Place
Last Year: 7th Place (67-87) (20 GB)
Two Years Ago: 6th Place (76-78) (10 GB)
Outlook: in his second season manager Jason Butler just has an average ballclub... lucky to make the first division this year... his offense is solid, needs a couple of starters on the hill to compete for the pennant.

Just an average mound corps with Jeffrey Verblen (18-16/3.35) and Chris Malbrough (13-13/3.08) the most reliable starters with some help from rookie Gaylen Aycock (11-14/3.92) and Jeff Chojnacki (12-9/4.61)... Glen Christ (3-2/1.98 ERA/17 saves/40 G) is a fine closer... mainstays at the plate are CF Curtis Cochran (.340 BA/9 HR/64 RBI/89 R/29 SB), rookie RF Alfie Elborne (.288/25/61/115/15 SB), rookie 3B Deron Nelson (.284/13/70 /66/5 SB), SS Rusty Van Slyke (.274/22/92/70/1 SB) and 1B Dylan Lanier (.286/27/91/67)

5th Place: Waleska Westerners (71-83) (18 GB)
Preseason Rating: 7th Place
Last Year: 3rd Place (80-74) (7 GB)
Two Years Ago: 1st Place (86-68)
Outlook: Since winning the RU South flag in '56, manager Roy Hobbs has seen his Westerners slip back into mediocrity... the offense is second rate... the pitching is fair.

For the most part club leaders at the plate only have modest numbers except for CF Boomer Barnes (.285 BA/22 HR/70 RBI/93 R/6 SB)... 3B Johnny Dillinger (.259/21/78/63) and LF Bitsy Boccabella (.273/24/71/76/6 SB) also contribute... just an average bunch of starters with Cal Tilton (13-15/3.41), Bret Shockley (10-16/3.94) and Ethan Addy (10-19/3.63)... young Kieran Roy (10-2/3.55) moved into the rotation in August and did well... Hobbs has some rebuilding to do in Waleska.

6th Place: Valka Blackhawks (69-85) (20 GB)
Preseason Rating: 5th Place
Last Year: 6th Place (62-92) (25 GB)
Two Years Ago: 4th Place (80-74) (6 GB)
Outlook: manager Arno Vainmaa won the division crown in '54, slipped to 3rd in '55, but has not been a factor in the pennant race the last two seasons... lackluster offense with average power... and just average on the mound.

Short on scoring runs, the main producers are C Freddie Civik (.308 BA/11 HR/62 RBI/69 R/4 SB), 1B Taavi Soosaar (.293/20/76/52), rookie CF Jonas Kahn (.263/23/69/77/2 SB), rookie RF Doyle Gambrell (.251/22/49/71/23 SB), 2B Olev Tarvas (.287/4 HR/57/81/15 SB) and LF Mel Shadwell (.281/11/62/55)... the staff is just so-so, but Aavo Keskkula (14-9/3.10) is a solid starter and rookie Vidrik Valdma (16-15/3.69) led the Ruthlandian Union with 215 strikeouts... Norbert Borden (12-13/3.70) and Clark Harrington (9-16/4.13) complete the starting rotation... another rookie hurler Carlos Santa Ana (5-2/1.61) made 9 very impressive starts late in the season and looks like an excellent addition to the staff... and the Blackhawks' bullpen is just plain bad.

7th Place: San Dimas Rancheros (63-91) (26 GB)
Preseason Rating: 8th Place
Last Year: 6th Place (71-83) (16 GB)
Two Years Ago: 7th Place (73-81) (13 GB)
Outlook: skipper Leonard Purkey took charge of the Rancheros in '57, but hasn't made any progress...San Dimas is near the bottom in hitting and pitching... for the fifth consecutive season they are also near the bottom of the RU South standings... the last winning season was 2050... the last pennant came in 2041... the Rancheros have only been in the postseason playoffs on 4 occasions... and have never won the Pro Cup.

Hernando Almora (12-19/3.50) and rookie Diego Rivera (11-8/3.59) are the biggest winners and most reliable starters for San Dimas... the bullpen has no one who is effective... and no one in the batting order is very productive... 3B Juan Ortiz (.285 BA/15 HR/61 RBI/77 R) and RF Gilberto Gallardo (.270/19/60/71) are the only batters over the .270 mark... but they do have several that can go deep occasionally: rookie LF Jedd Bolden (.246/22/62/75/21 SB), rookie CF Jon Brock (.241/22/66/56/7 SB) and SS Emiliano Martinez (.234/21/75/68/2 SB), but none of them hit very much for average.

8th Place: Claxton Diamonds (63-91) (26 GB)
Preseason Rating: 6th Place
Last Year: 4th Place (75-79) (12 GB)
Two Years Ago: 8th Place (68-86) (18 GB)
Outlook: manager Abe Shiffman became the head man in Claxton in '57, made a little progress rising up into the 4th spot in the standings, but slipped back into the RU South basement this year with the team's worst record since 2026 when they were 58-96... the Diamonds have made the playoffs 14 times in their history... the last time was in 2049... Claxton has never won the Pro Cup.

Shiffman has terrible pitching and only average offense... all his starters have a 5.00 and higher ERA... Toni Albrecht (14-21/5.11) and Matt Goodrum (12-18/5.26) are the best he has... the only good pitcher is in the bullpen, where closer Mark Meisner (5-3/2.16 ERA/23 saves/37 G) is a darn good one... however, the Diamonds do have some talented hitters, especially 3B Fred Hahn (.319 BA/27 HR/100 RBI/94 R)... Hahn gets a little help from LF Bobby Bright (.278/33/87/84/2 SB) and C Jeff Stubbs (.293/11/75/66).

2058 Ruthlandian South Division Final Standings

10-27-2018, 08:07 PM	#6024
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,890	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 16, 2058 SKIPPERS SAIL AWAY WITH RU SOUTH FLAG It was just a 2-team affair in the Ruthlandian South Division this season... Crystal Lake and St. John went toe-to-toe most of the year, swapping out the top spot several times... the Crusaders were the top team until July... then the Skippers took command and sailed away with the division flag in the last six weeks of the season... the Skips (89-65) whipped the Crusaders (84-70) by 5 games. 1st Place: CRYSTAL LAKE SKIPPERS (89-65) Preseason Rating: 2nd Place Last Year: 2nd Place (86-68) (1 GB) Two Years Ago: 5th Place (78-76) (8 GB) Outlook: Last year Red Bluff won the Pro Cup with a good attack and so-so pitching... Elnora made the Pro Cup Finals with the same formula... could be the Skippers could make a little noise in the postseason playoffs... Crystal Lake has fair pitching, but a strong offense... this is the 11th postseason appearance by Crystal Lake, the last time they made the Pro Cup playoffs was in 2044... the Skippers play in one of the weakest divisions in the IPA... only 2 teams had winning records this year... Crystal Lake will be seeking their third Pro Cup trophy... they won the IPA crown in 2020 and 2022. Famed IPA HOF hurler Duncan Welch runs the Skippers... Welch has lackluster pitching, but good enough to get by... Crystal Lake thrives on its abundant offense... top contributors: RF Mel Brouwer (.343/29 HR/94 RBI/114 R/18 SB), LF Zippy Coburn (.320/27/103/91/7 SB), 3B Jasper Shackleford (.315/28/91/100), CF Speedy McCormick (.305/25/61/111/17 SB) and 2B Gib Conlan (.288/26/110/85/1 SB)... on the hill Merle Pitts (23-6/2.35) is his only standout starter... Robin Norborne (21-11/4.32) is occasionally a good starter... he's lucky the Skippers score so many runs... not a lot in the bullpen, either... closer Yuri Kirchoff (4-4/3.31 ERA/29 saves/49 G) is just adequate. 2nd Place: St. John Crusaders (84-70) (5 GB) Preseason Rating: 3rd Place Last Year: 1st Place (87-67) Two Years Ago: 2nd Place (81-73) (5 GB) Outlook: solid club, well-balanced... should be a contender for a few years. Manager Nicky Farrugia has a good nucleus of players: a good rotation featuring Tom Smithson (23-10/3.18), Deke Eubanks (17-12/3.16), Teddy Howell (16-13/3.41) and Gibby Pritchell (11-12/3.64)... Smoke Early (4-1/0.26 ERA/18 saves/29 G) stood out as the closer... top bats are CF Freddie Woodruff (.314/11 HR/71 RBI/104 R/18 SB), C Tuffy Palmieri (.311/12/80/75), 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.297/19/79/79/2 SB) and 2B Michael Cheeks (.333/10/51/60/8 SB). 3rd Place: Grand City Cybercats (77-77) (12 GB) Preseason Rating: 1st Place Last Year: 5th Place (74-80) (13 GB) Two Years Ago: 3rd Place (81-73) (5 GB) Outlook: won the pennant in '55... picked to do it again this year... just fairly good on the hill and a little above average at the plate... fair power... not quite as good as Crystal Lake and St. John. Thomas Hall is the GM and manager... he has a good group of starters with Fred Barrow (18-12/2.84), Gil Lloyd (17-11/3.05), Brodie Ezzell (16-16/3.76) and Zac Borden (10-14/3.65)... and a good closer in Steve Shirley (4-6/2.87 ERA/27 saves/48 G)... best run producers are slugger Vince Kinston (.337/23 HR/81 RBI/73 R), rookie RF Zippy Balencia (.273/16/80/80/26 SB), LF Dave Durocher (.254/15/83/69/11 SB) CF Rocky Valverdi (.285/16/49/70/35 SB). 4th Place: Belair Beach Sunbirds (73-81) (16 GB) Preseason Rating: 4th Place Last Year: 7th Place (67-87) (20 GB) Two Years Ago: 6th Place (76-78) (10 GB) Outlook: in his second season manager Jason Butler just has an average ballclub... lucky to make the first division this year... his offense is solid, needs a couple of starters on the hill to compete for the pennant. Just an average mound corps with Jeffrey Verblen (18-16/3.35) and Chris Malbrough (13-13/3.08) the most reliable starters with some help from rookie Gaylen Aycock (11-14/3.92) and Jeff Chojnacki (12-9/4.61)... Glen Christ (3-2/1.98 ERA/17 saves/40 G) is a fine closer... mainstays at the plate are CF Curtis Cochran (.340 BA/9 HR/64 RBI/89 R/29 SB), rookie RF Alfie Elborne (.288/25/61/115/15 SB), rookie 3B Deron Nelson (.284/13/70 /66/5 SB), SS Rusty Van Slyke (.274/22/92/70/1 SB) and 1B Dylan Lanier (.286/27/91/67) 5th Place: Waleska Westerners (71-83) (18 GB) Preseason Rating: 7th Place Last Year: 3rd Place (80-74) (7 GB) Two Years Ago: 1st Place (86-68) Outlook: Since winning the RU South flag in '56, manager Roy Hobbs has seen his Westerners slip back into mediocrity... the offense is second rate... the pitching is fair. For the most part club leaders at the plate only have modest numbers except for CF Boomer Barnes (.285 BA/22 HR/70 RBI/93 R/6 SB)... 3B Johnny Dillinger (.259/21/78/63) and LF Bitsy Boccabella (.273/24/71/76/6 SB) also contribute... just an average bunch of starters with Cal Tilton (13-15/3.41), Bret Shockley (10-16/3.94) and Ethan Addy (10-19/3.63)... young Kieran Roy (10-2/3.55) moved into the rotation in August and did well... Hobbs has some rebuilding to do in Waleska. 6th Place: Valka Blackhawks (69-85) (20 GB) Preseason Rating: 5th Place Last Year: 6th Place (62-92) (25 GB) Two Years Ago: 4th Place (80-74) (6 GB) Outlook: manager Arno Vainmaa won the division crown in '54, slipped to 3rd in '55, but has not been a factor in the pennant race the last two seasons... lackluster offense with average power... and just average on the mound. Short on scoring runs, the main producers are C Freddie Civik (.308 BA/11 HR/62 RBI/69 R/4 SB), 1B Taavi Soosaar (.293/20/76/52), rookie CF Jonas Kahn (.263/23/69/77/2 SB), rookie RF Doyle Gambrell (.251/22/49/71/23 SB), 2B Olev Tarvas (.287/4 HR/57/81/15 SB) and LF Mel Shadwell (.281/11/62/55)... the staff is just so-so, but Aavo Keskkula (14-9/3.10) is a solid starter and rookie Vidrik Valdma (16-15/3.69) led the Ruthlandian Union with 215 strikeouts... Norbert Borden (12-13/3.70) and Clark Harrington (9-16/4.13) complete the starting rotation... another rookie hurler Carlos Santa Ana (5-2/1.61) made 9 very impressive starts late in the season and looks like an excellent addition to the staff... and the Blackhawks' bullpen is just plain bad. 7th Place: San Dimas Rancheros (63-91) (26 GB) Preseason Rating: 8th Place Last Year: 6th Place (71-83) (16 GB) Two Years Ago: 7th Place (73-81) (13 GB) Outlook: skipper Leonard Purkey took charge of the Rancheros in '57, but hasn't made any progress...San Dimas is near the bottom in hitting and pitching... for the fifth consecutive season they are also near the bottom of the RU South standings... the last winning season was 2050... the last pennant came in 2041... the Rancheros have only been in the postseason playoffs on 4 occasions... and have never won the Pro Cup. Hernando Almora (12-19/3.50) and rookie Diego Rivera (11-8/3.59) are the biggest winners and most reliable starters for San Dimas... the bullpen has no one who is effective... and no one in the batting order is very productive... 3B Juan Ortiz (.285 BA/15 HR/61 RBI/77 R) and RF Gilberto Gallardo (.270/19/60/71) are the only batters over the .270 mark... but they do have several that can go deep occasionally: rookie LF Jedd Bolden (.246/22/62/75/21 SB), rookie CF Jon Brock (.241/22/66/56/7 SB) and SS Emiliano Martinez (.234/21/75/68/2 SB), but none of them hit very much for average. 8th Place: Claxton Diamonds (63-91) (26 GB) Preseason Rating: 6th Place Last Year: 4th Place (75-79) (12 GB) Two Years Ago: 8th Place (68-86) (18 GB) Outlook: manager Abe Shiffman became the head man in Claxton in '57, made a little progress rising up into the 4th spot in the standings, but slipped back into the RU South basement this year with the team's worst record since 2026 when they were 58-96... the Diamonds have made the playoffs 14 times in their history... the last time was in 2049... Claxton has never won the Pro Cup. Shiffman has terrible pitching and only average offense... all his starters have a 5.00 and higher ERA... Toni Albrecht (14-21/5.11) and Matt Goodrum (12-18/5.26) are the best he has... the only good pitcher is in the bullpen, where closer Mark Meisner (5-3/2.16 ERA/23 saves/37 G) is a darn good one... however, the Diamonds do have some talented hitters, especially 3B Fred Hahn (.319 BA/27 HR/100 RBI/94 R)... Hahn gets a little help from LF Bobby Bright (.278/33/87/84/2 SB) and C Jeff Stubbs (.293/11/75/66). 2058 Ruthlandian South Division Final Standings Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-01-2018 at 11:11 PM.