[reds1]

March 26, 1957

Western League: Pulberry, Sherburn Playoff Bound for Second Straight Year







--------



The Pulberry Trolleys locked up their fourth straight playoff appearance on March 2, after winning their 8th consecutive game. They secured their 4th-straight first-place finish in the West exactly two weeks later on the 16th. Despite a number of position players regressing from the career years they enjoyed last season, this is still a remarkably balanced club and is arguably the class of the United Leagues. Although their recent first-place finishes have started to take a toll on the depth of their farm system, they have a promising outfielder in 21-year old Joe Riding (42/62), a former 11th overall pick from 1953-54 on the major league roster. An outstanding defender who can play anywhere in the outfield, he is currently playing backup to CF Cooper Tyson. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he takes over right field from 32-year old Ellis Dibble (.261/.328/.428, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 56 BB, 106 OPS+, 112 wRC+, 0.8 WAR) full-time one day soon.

Pulberry’s playoff rotation was revealed by 51-year old manager Ryo Ichikawa:

• 21-year old Bart Ohara (20-8, 2.40 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.55 FIP, 160 ERA+)
• 29-year old Taylor Folkard (14-9, 3.48 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 3.16 FIP, 111 ERA+)
• 36-year old Robin Medellin (17-7, 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.56 FIP, 114 ERA+)
• 32-year old Quintiliano Galeo (13-8, 3.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.48 FIP, 108 ERA+)

Bullpen standouts:

• 27-year old stopper LHP Dermott Rathbone (10-5, 20 SV, 3.28 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 3.15 FIP, 117 ERA+)
• 35-year old MR RHP Alexander Ellacott (4-5, 1 SV, 3.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 3.25 FIP, 113 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 28-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.349/.454/.686, 38 HR, 122 RBI, 99 BB, 10 SB, 209 OPS+, 217 wRC+, 11.0 WAR). Thirkettle won his second consecutive WL Batting Title
• 30-year old CF Cooper Tyson (.319/.401/.514, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 74 BB, 16 SB, 150 OPS+, 159 wRC+, 9.1 WAR)

Player of the Week Awards:

February 11 – SS Sean Abercrombie (.391, 9 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
March 4 – RF Ellis Dibble (.423, 11 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R)
March 18 – LF Aidan Thirkettle (.429, 9 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI)

New Season Records Set:

Slugging Pct: .6860, Aidan Thirkettle
On-Base plus Slugging Pct: 1.1402, Aidan Thirkettle

First Round Draft Pick Update:

16th overall – IF/OF Tim Scott (33/55). Scott spent most of time in centerfield and while he was solid in the field and was a base-stealing machine, he was still finding his way at the plate in Double-A. In 81 starts, he batted .198/.277/.327, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 28 BB, 76 SO, 29 SB, -0.4 in 257 AB.

--------



The Sherburn Tigers qualified for the playoffs with six games remaining the season. Its their fourth playoff appearance in team history and it’s the first time they have qualified in back-to-back seasons. Like the Trolleys, they are a remarkably balanced team but strangely, they were unable to translate that into a consistent, dominant performance on the field. In the final two months, they barely played .500 ball. That may be due to the general youth of the club. It will be interesting to see if they can make it all click in the near future.

43-year old manager Jamie Blair announced the following rotation for the playoffs:

• 33-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (22-8, 2.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 2.74 FIP, 134 ERA+)
• 31-year old RHP Keiran Bunce (14-11, 3.66 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.31 FIP, 108 ERA+)
• 24-year old LHP Kozue Saito (16-10, 3.37 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 3.74 FIP, 117 ERA+)
• 30-year old RHP Ben Buschlen (12-13, 4.60 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 3.49 FIP, 86 ERA+)

Bullpen standouts:

• 36-year old LR RHP Cris Herrera (9-8, 23 SV, 2.89 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 3.43 FIP, 137 ERA+)
• 32-year old MR RHP Paul Woodruff (6-8, 2 SV, 3.81 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 3.87 FIP, 104 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 25-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.288/.401/.518, 22 HR, 118 RBI, 104 BB, 9 SB, 143 OPS+, 156 wRC+, 6.7 WAR)
• 26-year old LF Ross Shewman (.271/.388/.507, 27 HR, 93 RBI, 98 BB, 137 OPS+, 152 wRC+, 6.1 WAR)
• 27-year old 3B Adrian Flynn (.304/.360/.510, 20 HR, 93 RBI, 44 BB, 130 OPS+, 138 wRC+, 4.5 WAR)

Player of the Week Awards:

February 25 – RHP Jesús Chapa (2-0, 0.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, .145 OppAVG, 6 K)
March 11 – CF Leon Albrecht (.500, 12 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

Noteworthy:

March 10 – In the same game that Cambria’s RF Sam Tite broke the old mark for most home runs in a season, CF Leon Albrecht went 5 for 5 in the Tigers’ 9-7 triumph over the Cannons. The 25-year old sophomore hit four singles and a double, while scoring 1 RBI and 3 R.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

13th overall – OF Christie Eldred (31/56). Playing primarily in centerfield, Eldred displayed impressive power and defense in Double-A. He hit .241/.292/.472, 18 HR, 33 RBI, 22 BB, 93 SO, 13 SB, 1.0 WAR in 81 GS, 320 AB.

--------



The Balmoral Giants were scuffling along for most of the season but finished hot in March. That allowed them to reach .500 and avoid their second-consecutive losing season. But it’s been 13 years since their last playoff appearance and there is still a lot of work to be done. Having the top farm system in the United Leagues will certainly help turn things around one day and they do have a few young promising players already on the major league roster. 23-year old C Ellis Ford (.246/.469/.566, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 50 BB, 180 OPS+, 194 wRC+, 2.6 WAR – 61/61) is already viewed as the Giants’ best catcher even though he is still playing back-up. And Balmoral has two young future starters: 23-year old RHP Bart Minto (40/44) who won two Rookie of the Month honors this season and 22-year old RHP Clive Kerwin (4-10, 4 SV, 4.02 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 4.02 FIP, 97 ERA+ - 45/60).

Rotation standouts:

• 31-year old RHP Wayne Nesling (13-11, 3.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 3.62 FIP, 105 ERA+)
• 30-year old RHP Harry Dinsmore (17-13, 3.85 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 3.95 FIP, 101 ERA+)

Bullpen standouts:

• 23-year old rookie stopper RHP Bart Minto (11-7, 20 SV, 3.96 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 3.59 FIP, 98 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 29-year old rookie LF Juan Gonzáles (.302/.372/.566, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 29 BB, 5 SB, 151 OPS+, 162 wRC+, 2.2 WAR)
• 23-year old sophomore CF Quido De Jesús (.296/.345/.404, 10 HR, 55 RBI, 43 BB, 6 SB, 103 OPS+, 110 wRC+, 3.4 WAR)
• 29-year old 3B Makani Kahale (.280/.396/.396, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 49 BB, 6 SB, 101 OPS+, 109 wRC+, 3.4 WAR)

Noteworthy:

March 13 – The Giants opened their final home stretch of the season by taking 2 of 3 from the visiting Pulberry Trolleys. In the rubber match, CF Quido De Jesús made his presence felt, going 5 for 5 at the plate as the Giants won, 7-1. Balmoral’s lead-off hitter hit four singles and a double, scoring 1 R.

March 22 –RHP Bart Minto put an exclamation mark on his final start of the season, blanking the Fort Richmond Generals, 5-0 on one hit. The rookie went all 9.0 IP with 2 BB, 6 K, 119 PI, GS: 89. The lone hit was a one-out single by Fort Richmond’s LF Ed Ellsworth in the top of the 3rd inning.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

6th overall – RHP Ashley Tazewell (29/63). The 21-year old starter was outstanding in Double-A. He went 12-1, 1.77 ERA, 16 GS, 127.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, .297 BABIP, 2.50 FIP, 246 ERA+, winning two Pitcher of the Month honors. He was then promoted to Triple-A and saw four starts, going 3-1, 3.14 ERA, 28.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, .209 BABIP, 3.16 FIP, 96 ERA+ while picking up another Pitcher of the Month award.

--------



The Hespeler Stars were a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this season, playing brilliantly one month, then downright horrible the next. The bottom line, however, is that they finished below .500 for the 14th straight season and remain the last team in the United Leagues still to yet qualify for the playoffs. They’re starting to see some highly prized prospects reaching the major league roster, such as C Aidan Bennie (59/69) who debuted last season and now RHP Eduardo Rodríguez (43/54) and 20-year old LHP Nico van der Ham (40/79). But even with the third-best farm system in the United Leagues, it still seems that they are still years away from finally putting together a solid team. ‘Maybe next year next will be different’ remains the recuring theme for this star-crossed club.

Rotation standouts:

• 23-year old rookie RHP Eduardo Rodríguez (13-5, 3 SV, 3.05 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.42 FIP, 130 ERA+)
• 37-year old LHP Patrick Denman (14-13, 3.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 3.23 FIP, 109 ERA+)

Bullpen standouts:

• None

Position Player standouts:

• 24-year old sophomore C Aidan Bennie (.288/.337/.481, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 23 BB, 115 OPS+, 127 wRC+, 3.4 WAR)
• 29-year old RF John Anthony (.275/.355/.475, 20 HR, 78 RBI, 64 BB, 8 SB, 119 OPS+, 133 wRC+, 2.6 WAR), although he slumped badly in February (.210/.253/.296) and March (.180/.271/.311)

Player of the Week Awards:

February 4 – RF John Anthony (.440, 11 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R)

Noteworthy:

March 7 –C Aidan Bennie perhaps gave a glimpse of what is in store for the former #1 rated prospect, as he completed the 33rd Cycle in United Leagues history and 5th of the season – and he completed it in dramatic fashion. Facing the visiting Wolseley Unions, Bennie doubled in the 1st, flied out in the 2nd, tripled in the 5th and singled in the 7th. But entering the bottom of 9th, the Unions still held on to a 6-5 lead. Enter Bennie. After 33-year old SS Zhao-hui Qian (.267/.326/.375, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 49 BB, 2.8 WAR) reached based on an error with nobody out, Bennie connected on an 0-1 pitch from RHP Robert Metcalfe and slammed a walk-off 2-run home run 345 ft. into the leftfield bleachers to complete the cycle and help the Stars pull off a 3-game sweep of the Unions.



First Round Draft Pick Update:

5th overall – 2B Hidekazu Kudo (27/68). The 20-year old from Japan had a bit of a rough start in his first season in Double-A. He hit .225/.254/.475, 13 HR, 34 RBI, 9 BB, 102 SO, 7 SB, -0.3 WAR in 68 GS, 236 AB, while looking shaky in the field .976 PCT, 3.22 RNG, -7.7 ZR, .890 EFF).

--------



Any hope the Wolseley Unions had of reaching .500 this season was shot down by a 4-16 stretch in February, followed by a 7-game losing streak in early March. That losing streak culminated in the Unions being officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth year in a row. Wolseley clearly is in rebuilding mode. The pitching appears to show more promise in the short term than the lineup, however. While RHP Theo Morse (51/80) is the most highly touted, they also have 24-year old RHP Yasuo Yamauchi (47/59) and 25-year old RHP Robert Metcalfe (55/60), who is currently the team’s stopper. But the Unions do not have any impact position players that are ready to make the jump to the major leagues other than CF Jonathan Higgins (61/66), who suffered a season-ending injury back in January. Wolseley does have the No. 1 prospect in 22-year old IF/OF Jack Jarrom (42/80) but he is still in Double-A, and they will need more like him and soon to really jumpstart a sluggish offense.

Rotation standouts:

• 31-year old RHP Robert Garza (10-16, 3.34 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.06 FIP, 118 ERA+)
• 21-year old sophomore RHP Theo Morse (16-13, 3.39 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3.92 FIP, 117 ERA+)

Bullpen standouts:

• None

Position Player standouts:

• 35-year old LF Carlton Hawking (.296/.410/.471, 18 HR, 79 RBI, 100 BB, 135 OPS+, 150 wRC+, 3.0 WAR)
• 22-year old rookie CF Jonathan Higgins (.310/.365/.498, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 25 BB, 9 SB, 129 OPS+, 140 wRC+, 2.8 WAR)

Noteworthy:

February 20 – The Unions may have lost to the visiting Downie Chiefs, 3-0 but the player of the game was Wolseley’s RHP Theo Morse. The Pulberry-native set a new Western League record for strikeouts in a game with 16. That ties him with Queensland’s 31-year old RHP Logan Belsey, who struck out 16 batters on March 3, 1955, also against the Downie Chiefs. Despite being tagged with the loss, Morse went 9.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 16 K, 128 PI, GS: 81. He struck out 3 batters three times and two other batters twice. Downie scored all of their runs in the top of the 4th, when Morse ran into some problems. Besides surrendering two singles and double, he also hit a batter, gave up a walk and committed a wild pitch.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

1st overall – IF/OF Jack Jarrom (42/80). Jarrom showed why he was picked first overall as he enjoyed a fine season in Double-A. Playing primarily at second base, he hit .258/.327/.566, 22 HR, 54 RBI, 27 BB, 120 SO, 14 SB, 2.4 WAR in 83 GS, 318 AB. He picked up two Player of the Week awards as well.

--------



The Cambria Cannons suffered their first losing season in 5 years and were officially eliminated from contention with 3 weeks left in the season. The only genuine highlight was Sam Tite’s (80/80) tremendous season, as he set a new season record for home runs (in a tie with Wellington’s Matthew Floyd) and led the entire United Leagues in RBI (8 more than Pulberry’s Aidan Thirkettle). This team still has a very respectable lineup, but it is woeful defensively and the pitching staff is the worst in the United Leagues, giving up 5.1 R/G while scoring 4.6 (third in the West). The Cannons have the second-deepest farm system, but it is short on real pitching prospects. Until those shortcomings are addressed, this team is destined to endure further trying seasons.

Rotation standouts:

• None

Bullpen standouts:

• 31-year old MR LHP Jarod Faulkner (4-2, 4 SV, 3.43 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 113 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 27-year old RF Sam Tite (.310/.423/.658, 49 HR, 130 RBI, 99 BB, 192 OPS+, 202 wRC+, 8.6 WAR)
• 25-year old SS Doug Martin (.299/.355/.462, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 50 BB, 20 SB, 122 OPS+, 128 wRC+, 2.7 WAR)
• 26-year old LF Calvin Hanbridge (.262/.382/.418, 14 HR, 65 RBI, 96 BB, 13 SB, 119 OPS+, 130 wRC+, 2.9 WAR)

Player of the Week Awards:

February 18 – RF Sam Tite (.429, 9 H, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R)

New Season Records Set:

Home Runs: 49, Sam Tite (tie)

Noteworthy:

March 2 – The Cannons started off the month strong, sweeping all three games against the visiting Wolseley Unions. Game 2 was highlighted with a terrific performance by their lead off hitter, SS Doug Martin who went 5 for 5. Martin hit 4 singles and a double while collecting 2 RBI in the 6-1 victory.

March 10 – Although Wellington’s Matthew Floyd was the first player to reach the 49 home run mark, it was actually RF Sam Tite who was the first to tie the old mark and break it. On March 5, Tite hit a solo shot in Cambria’s 8-1 loss to Pulberry to tie Cobourg’s Raymond Williams’ mark of 45, set back in 1953-54. Five days later, Tite broke the record when he hit not one, but two home runs in the Cannons’ 9-7 loss to the Sherburn Tigers. The Canadian hit a lead off solo shot off RHP Jesús Chapa in the top of the 2nd inning to open the scoring. He also hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 6th in addition to a 2-run double in the 8th, all against Chapa. In all, Tite went 3 for 5 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

12th overall – OF Danilo Barretto (30/56). The 22-year old Filipino enjoyed a fine season in Double-A. Besides playing solid defense in centerfield, he hit .250/.298/.422, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 20 BB, 99 SO, 13 SB, 0.5 WAR in 78 GS, 323 AB.

--------



The Kingston Pelicans cratered in the last two months, winning only 18 games over that period and were eliminated from the playoffs on March 4 for the fifth straight season. They are in full rebuild on both sides of the ball, but the pitching rebuild seems to be lagging. Their only young, promising pitcher is 20-year old RHP Ernesto Luna (48/62) who they acquired in a trade from the Pulberry Trolleys last year. He was promoted to the major league club late in the season. They have a few more pieces in the lineup, particularly 1B Ira Bannatyne (57/57), C Ronald Armstrong (58/58) and especially 23-year old CF Dan Hesketh (.262/.337/.386, 6 HR, 61 RBI, 55 BB, 8 SB, 3.5 WAR – 65/71), Kingston’s 1st overall pick from last season. But with the exception of 20-year old C Dermott Biddulph (38/55), the majority of their prospects are still in Double-A, requiring further patience.

Rotation standouts:

• None

Bullpen standouts:

• 27-year old stopper RHP Lester Beddoes (6-9, 20 SV, 2.53 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 3.74 FIP, 156 ERA+)
• 23-year old rookie RHP Jacob Jones (3-3, 1 SV, 1.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 2.71 FIP, 218 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 26-year old C Ronald Armstrong (.257/.342/.480, 27 HR, 91 RBI, 63 BB, 118 OPS+, 131 wRC+, 5.0 WAR)
• 24-year old 1B Ira Bannatyne (.300/.371/.490, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 49 BB, 129 OPS+, 140 wRC+, 2.8 WAR)

First Round Draft Pick Update:

4th overall – IF/OF Puck Zwager (20/64). It was evident this season that the 17-year old from Curacao will need further seasoning in Double-A. In 67 GS he hit .153/.207/.256, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, 89 SO, -1.8 WAR, 203 AB while playing entirely in leftfield.

--------



The Fort Richmond Generals endured their 2nd-worst season ever, narrowing avoiding a 100-loss season, despite collapsing in the final two months. After winning the United Cup just three seasons ago, on March 1st they became the second team in the United Leagues to be eliminated from the playoffs. There is very little to write home about. This is a lacklustre team with no mass influx of young talent on the horizon. It appears the Generals rebuild will be a long one.

Rotation standouts:

• None

Bullpen standouts:

• 24-year old stopper LHP John Witheycombe (3-6, 12 SV, 2.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 2.59 FIP, 182 ERA+)
• 38-year old RHP Roberto Taváres (2-2, 2.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 3.19 FIP, 172 ERA+)

Position Player standouts:

• 29-year old CF Greg Cusack (.279/.345/.389, 7 HR, 49 RBI, 62 BB, 15 SB, 103 OPS+, 108 wRC+, 4.5 WAR)
• 32-year old RF Brandon Robinson (.310/.364/.433, 10 HR, 63 RBI, 41 BB, 119 OPS+, 126 wRC+, 1.4 WAR)

Noteworthy:

February 19 – The Generals picked up a rare series win when they took 2 of 3 from the visiting Stratford Barons. The second game saw a big performance from 24-year old rookie 1B Takuji Kanno (.284/.363/.438, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 41 BB, 1.2 WAR – 48/55) who went 5 for 5. The former 10th overall pick from 1953-54 hit 3 singles and two doubles, collecting 2 RBI and 1 R, helping Fort Richmond to a 4-2 win.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

2nd overall – RHP Kenete Yuri (45/74). The 23-year old American Samoan played his first season entirely in Triple-A and was impressive. He went 8-4, 2.28 ERA, 20 GS, 142.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, .325 BABIP, 2.03 FIP, 130 ERA+ while helping the Marleton Scouts win their first Kings Cup in franchise history.

--------