Ullamaliztli Namiqui: April 1944 Report
We're back to month-to-month reviews as I want to keep this thread fresh and engaging, at least for me. So let's review the comings and goings around the league. It's a tight race at the top, as usual in the Ballgame Union. This year, San Luis have taken an early lead, though they are not the best offensive or defensive team. Those honors belong to the Jaguars, who lead most offensive categories so far. The Mexico City club wishes for better luck in tight games, as their 2-3 record in one-run games is inferior to San Luis' 5-3 in the same category. Also tied in second place is the league's best rotation in Aguascalientes. It seems like it took Artemio Holguín 6 years and 4 different teams, but the Tuzos' 4th starter has allowed just one run in 28 innings pitched this year. Tied in third are preseason favorites Tampico and the Howler Monkeys of Mérida. The Aulladores seem to be struggling to find pitching consistency, despite Pablo Hinojosa and Carlos Delgado working wonders at the top of the rotation, and their offense appears to be firing on all cylinders. Still, there's better teams in the race but I'm certain the three-time champions will keep it interesting all the way. Meanwhile, Tampico have been all power, leading the league in homers with Salvadoran outfielder David Ramos slugging it out for the lead with Alberto Campana and Enrique Pérez. In their rotation, Luis Cruz found a way to be even better than last year, while Rich Faircloth maintains his high effectiveness despite some players starting to figure him out already.
At the bottom of the table, Águilas are on pace for the worst ever record. They've only won 4 games: one each against Aguascalientes, León, Jaguares and San Luis. Their pitching has been bad and unlucky, as even their best pitcher in Vinicio Arizpe has a 0-3 record despite a low 2.45 ERA. The pitcher with the highest ERA is yank Ben Lintner at 5.67, but the underlying stats show he's giving up important hits at the worst time, as he's pitched to a 5.67 ERA and -1.4 WPA but also a 2.82 FIP and 0.7 WAR. They're generally just an aging team with players who weren't all that talented. Some hope for the future remains, as 2B José García (17), 3B Pedro Ayala (26), LF Carlos Carrillo (25) and LF Carlos Flores (23) have the potential to make up a young core to potentially build around.
Hitter of the Month
C Victor Albornoz - San Luis
Albornoz hit .397/.487/.632 in 18 games this month, legging out 10 doubles to go along with 2 homers and 19 runs produced. The veteran catcher has hit in 16 straight and is also carrying a 25 game on-base streak which started in July 1943.
Pitcher of the Month
RH Artemio Holguín - Aguascalientes
As mentioned previously, Holguín has allowed just one run in 4 starts, with his pitching line being: 4-0, 0.32 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13 K, 6 BB after 28 innings. The 30 year-old's breakout has been very surprising, as his 3.22 career ERA and 4.16 ERA in 24 starts last year meant very few people expected him to be amongst the league's best in 1944.
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It's been an interesting start to the league. In the next update we'll cover the results of May. Thanks for reading!