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#841 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,901
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![]() ![]() Babe Ruth Award For Matthew Floyd, all his perseverance has paid off. Since the 1951-52 season, Wellington’s 30-year old leftfielder has fallen short of the Eastern League’s top hitter’s prize. He has finished 4th in the voting twice, third once and was runner-up last season. Add in a frustrating 1953-54 season that was cut short due to a broken elbow and you can understand the need for perseverance. But Floyd was finally rewarded for an outstanding performance this past season, earning his first Babe Ruth Award. He picked up 12 of 16 first place votes. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Matthew Floyd (.334/.413/.585, 25-2B, 37 HR, 102 RBI, 73 BB, 12 SB, 176 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.5 RC/27, 8.2 WAR) 2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old LF Rod Dennis (.326/.410/.594, 32-2B, 35 HR, 107 RBI, 76 BB, 176 OPS+, 185 wRC+, 9.3 RC/27, 5.8 WAR) 3rd: 32-year old CF Raymond Williams (.327/.406/.589, 27-2B, 33 HR, 95 RBI, 72 BB, 8 SB, 168 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.6 RC/27, 7.5 WAR). Williams (330) now sits just 3 home runs behind the all-time career leader Stuart Bentham (333). Floyd led the Eastern League in HR (37), WAR (8.2), Hits (189), Runs (120), Total Bases (331) and OPS+ (176). He finished second in another 6 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 1 category (highlighted in bold). Dennis led the circuit in RBI (107), SLG (.594), OPS (1.004), EBH (69-tied), ISO (.268), WPA (6.43) and wOBA (.439). He finished second in another 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. Williams finished first in EBH (69 – tied with Rod Dennis) and RC/27 (9.6). He finished second in another 4 categories and in the Top 5 in 9 others. Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- Satchel Paige Award Like Matthew Floyd, Stiofan Micklethwait has been a perennial candidate for a top prize, in this case, as the top pitcher in the Eastern League. Since the 1953-54 season, he as finished 4th, 3rd (twice) and 2nd for the Satchel Paige Award. When he received the second-most votes in 1955-56, he finished right behind his teammate, Logan Belsey. Last year, Micklethwait endured what was an off-season for him and finished 7th in the voting. But this year he came roaring back and enjoyed perhaps the greatest season ever by a pitcher in the United Leagues. He set a new single season record in ERA (1.839; surpassing Arthur Bence’s 1946-47 mark of 1.929) and from what I can tell, set a new high water mark in ERA+ with 205 for pitchers who pitched a minimum of 200 IP in a season. That surpasses David Cooling’s performance in 1940-41, when he set the previous record of 200 ERA+. That performance earned him his first Satchel Paige Award, where he picked up all 16 first-place votes. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (25-6, 1.84 ERA, 279.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, .246 BABIP, 2.37 FIP, 9.7 WAR, 205 ERA+) 2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old RHP Logan Belsey (18-12, 2.51 ERA, 286.1 IP, 1.06 WHIP, .286 BABIP, 2.11 FIP, 11.3 WAR, 150 ERA+) 3rd: Cobourg’s 24-year old RHP Albert Johnson (21-10, 2.60 ERA, 280.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, .266 BABIP, 3.22 FIP, 6.2 WAR, 148 ERA+) Micklethwait led the East in ERA (1.84), W (25), CG (24 – tied), BB/9 (1.9), WHIP (0.99), ERA+ (205), rWAR (11.7), OAVG (.211) WINP (.806), QS (28). He finished second in 6 other categories and in the Top 5 in a further 1. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold). Belsey led the Eastern League in WAR (11.3), CG (24 – tied with Micklethwait), SHO (7), K (266), K/BB (4.2), K/9 (8.4), FIP (2.11). He finished second in 5 other categories and in the Top 5 in 3 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold). Belsey set new single season marks in K (266, surpassing his own mark of 231 set last season), K/9 (8.36; surpassing Larry Kovnats 1955-56 mark of 7.66) and Pitching WAR (11.29; surpassing Neil Guerin’s 1937-38 mark of 10.09). Johnson finished second in two categories and in the Top 5 in 8 others. Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- Rookie of the Year Award An impressive inaugural campaign by 23-year old RF Kosaku Fukushima (.281/.330/.431, 32-2B, 8-3B, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 30 BB, 8 SB, 108 OPS+, 117 wRC+, 1.9 WAR) won him top rookie honours in the East this season. The 14th-overall draft pick from 1956-57 entered this season rated No. 26th among all prospects and becomes the third Rookie of the Year honoree for the Stratford Barons. Following him in the voting were: 2nd: Brunswick’s 21-year old LHP Randy Goodwin (8-7, 2 SV, 3.12 ERA, 144.0 IP, 1.25 WHIP, .267 BABIP, 3.67 FIP, 1.8 WAR, 123 ERA+) 3rd: Braeland City’s 24-year old C Ronald Kingsley (.259/.339/.351, 20-2B, 1-3B, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 48 BB, 88 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR) Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- ![]() Babe Ruth Award In 1952-53, Sam Tite made his first appearance in the Western League Babe Ruth Award voting tally, where he earned a solitary vote and finished 15th overall. But with the exception of the 1955-56 season that was plagued by injuries, he has never finished lower than 3rd. Last year, he finished behind only Aidan Thirkettle, who won his fourth consecutive Award. But this year the voters reversed the order and rewarded the 28-year old Canadian with his first Babe Ruth Award. Tite was simply outstanding, setting new single season records in SLG (.7045; surpassing Aidan Thirkettle’s mark of .6860 set last season) and HR (59; surpassing 49 set by himself and Matthew Floyd last season). Tite led the West (and the entire United Leagues for that matter) in 12 categories: HR (59), RBI (144), SLG (.704), OPS (1.128), WAR (10.3), TB (379), EBH (84), ISO (.377), OPS+ (208), WPA (8.80), wOBA (.488) and RC/27 Outs (11.3). He finished second in 4 other categories and in the Top 5 in 2 others. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Cambria’s 28-year old RF Sam Tite (.327/.423/.704, 24-2B, 59 HR, 144 RBI, 87 BB, 7 SB, 208 OPS+, 219 wRC+, 11.3 RC/27, 10.3 WAR) 2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.310/.424/.667, 27-2B, 6-3B, 47 HR, 130 RBI, 93 BB, 9 SB, 200 OPS+, 207 wRC+, 11.0 RC/27, 9.9 WAR) 3rd: Sherburn’s 26-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.309/.413/.538, 25-2B, 14-3B, 25 HR, 96 RBI, 99 BB, 156 OPS+, 171 wRC+, 8.3 RC/27, 7.8 WAR) Thirkettle led the West in OBP (.424) and tied with Leon Albrecht in Runs (117). He finished second in 12 categories and in the Top 5 in 1 other (AVG). Albrecht led the West in Runs (117 – tied with Aidan Thirkettle), Triples (14) and BB (99). He finished in the Top 5 in a whopping 17 categories. He led the entire United Leagues in 2 categories (highlighted in bold). Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- Satchel Paige Award It was another dominant season on the mound for the Trolley’s ace. 22-year old LHP Bart Ohara (24-5, 2.35 ERA, 294.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, .253 BABIP, 2.45 FIP, 160 ERA+, 9.8 WAR), the top-ranked pitcher in the ULB, won his second consecutive WL Satchel Paige Award. He swept all first-place votes for the second straight season as well. If anything, Ohara was even more dominant this season. He led the West in 17 categories: ERA (2.35), Wins (24), WAR (9.8), IP (294.2), CG (22), SHO (8), K (244.0), K/BB (3.9), K/9 IP (7.5), WHIP (0.98), FIP (2.45), ERA+ (160), rWAR (10.6), BABIP (.244), Opp AVG (.211), WINP (.828) and QS (25 – tied). He led the entire United Leagues in 5 categories (highlighted in bold). He finished in the Top 5 in 2 other pitching categories. Finishing behind Ohara in voting for the second consecutive year were: 2nd: Sherburn’s 34-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (20-10, 3.01 ERA, 272.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, .259 BABIP, 3.00 FIP, 128 ERA+, 6.9 WAR) 3rd: Pulberry’s 37-year old RHP Robin Medellin (20-10, 2.80 ERA, 254.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, .244 BABIP, 3.47 FIP, 134 ERA+, 4.4 WAR) Chapa finished second in 5 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 10. Medellin led the West in BABIP (.244). He finished second in 3 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 4 categories. Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- Rookie of the Year Award RHP Kenete Yuri (13-12, 2.72 ERA, 241.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .276 BABIP, 3.14 FIP, 138 ERA+, 5.3 WAR), who was drafted second overall by the Fort Richmond Generals in 1956-57 and was rated the No. 1 prospect, did not disappoint when he was promoted to the majors this season. Building on his impressive Triple-A season last year where he led the Generals’ top farm club, the Marleton Scouts, to a Kings Cup championship, the 24-year old American Samoan was promoted to the majors in mid-October and quickly entrenched himself as Fort Richmond’s ace. He went on to win a Rookie of the Month honour and two Pitcher of the Month honours this season. He now adds a Rookie of the Year Award to his mantlepiece. Finishing behind Yuri were: 2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old 2B Yoshimi Sekozawa (.263/.355/.391, 11-2B, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 45 BB, 109 OPS+, 119 wRC+, 2.8 WAR) 3rd: Cambria’s 25-year old C Mick Clark (.285/.339/.360, 17-2B, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 36 BB, 94 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR) Voting Results: ![]() Previous Winners: ![]() -------- Manager of the Year Award ![]() After 17 years serving as a bench coach for four different clubs, Daryl Rowde (96-58, .623) finally got his chance at helming a major league club in the United Leagues. All that experience paid off as the 56-year old rookie led the Queensland Eagles to first place and their first Eastern League Pennant in 11 years. The Eagles improved by 10 games over last season where they finished 5th and 10.5 games back of first. Their 96 victories are the most in a season in team history and marks the first time they reached the 90-win mark. He is locked up for the next two seasons and is reportedly well liked in the clubhouse. It was business as usual for the Pulberry Trolleys as they won their third consecutive United Cup and reached the 100 win mark for the first time in team history. The talent and depth found on this squad is no secret, but neither is their manager, 52-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1198-962, .554) who wins his fourth consecutive Manager of the Year Award. That surpasses the three in a row Ben Houchens won with the Kingston Pelicans from 1942 to 1944. Ichikawa now sits just one back of Houchens for the most Manager of the Year Awards, who has won five overall. And it appears he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Immediately following the conclusion of the season, the 52-year old Japanese native was awarded with a new 5-year contract that nearly doubles his previous salary and makes him the highest paid manager in the United Leagues ($41,000 – Stratford’s Xavier Ahernfeld is next at $34,000). No surprise, considering the success he has brought to Pulberry and the fact that he is beloved by the players (i.e. none of the players have a ‘poor relationship’ with him). Previous Winners: ![]()
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#842 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,901
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 04-08-2025 at 12:31 AM. Reason: Updated tables |
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#843 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,901
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![]() Notes on 1957-58 All-Braeland Team Starting Pitcher The United Leagues saw some outstanding pitching performances this season led by the three highest-rated pitchers in the ULB today: Bart Ohara, Logan Belsey and Stiofan Micklethwait. Obviously, this was between the two Babe Ruth Award winners this year in Ohara and Micklethwait. Neither would be a wrong choice, but for me this was an easy choice despite the stiff competition. That’s because 30-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait enjoyed one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in the United Leagues and that is saying something. The former 9th overall pick from 1946-47 lead the Eastern League in 10 pitching categories and the entire ULB in six. He also set a new mark in lowest ERA in a season with 1.839. Here are the three pitchers that I felt were the worthiest of consideration this season (league leading stats highlighted in bold – typical):
-------- Catcher Like the pitcher’s evaluations, this came down to the three top-ranked catchers in the Leagues today. 26-year old Aidan Bennie is currently rated No. 1 and 7th overall among all position players. The ranking is well-earned. Selected second overall by the Hespeler Stars in 1954-55, Bennie was soon ranked No. 1 among all prospects. When he was promoted to the majors last season, he quickly established himself and even Hit for the Cycle. Inexplicably, he failed to earn a single vote for Rookie of the Year last season. He has yet to earn a trip the All-Star Game as well, although an injury just before this year’s Game was the culprit. He was running second in the voting among catchers in the Western League up until he went down to a bad back. But he finishes first in my voting for the All-Braeland Team this year. Last year he won a Ball Hawk Award and this year he won the Western League Batting Title. He is an outstanding all-around catcher who should be in the discussion for top catcher for the foreseeable future. He is just the third player from the Hespeler Stars to make the Team. Here are the three catchers that were under consideration:
-------- First Base It was another lackluster year for first baseman in the United Leagues. But Embro’s 25-year old Damien Whetter enjoyed an impressive sophomore season and earned his first selection to the All-Star Game. Like Aidan Bennie, Whetter also Hit for the Cycle last year in his rookie campaign. Installed as the Cannons’ No. 3 hitter this year, the 13th overall pick from 1951-52 has the bat to be an offensive force in the ULB and challenge for further selections the All-Braeland Team. Here are the three players I ultimately considered:
-------- Second Base In last season’s selection for second base, I mentioned that Queensland’s Dennis Purcell could challenge for a spot on the All-Braeland Team if he built upon his sophomore season. Mission accomplished. The 25-year old Canadian enjoyed a terrific season at the plate and has entrenched himself as the top second baseman (and 5th overall position player) in the United Leagues. The two-time All-Star led the entire United Leagues in AVG and OBP. The Barons’ Matthew Channing made a compelling case as well as the top second baseman in the ULB; in fact, he led the entire United Leagues in doubles. But ultimately, I leaned towards Purcell’s offensive output this year as giving him the edge. Here were the Top 3 choices:
-------- Third Base Similar to the first basemen, no third basemen in the United Leagues currently crack the Top 20 among position players. It ultimately came down to the top three rated players at the hot corner and this season, I ranked them 3-2-1. Queensland’s 28-year old Apia Yarrah was a workhorse this season, leading the East in plate appearances (663) and hits (189 – tied with Wellington’s Matthew Floyd). The former 1st overall pick from 1951-52 came over from the Hespeler Stars in a lop-sided trade back in 1955. The third-ranked third baseman beat out perennial contenders Moromao Nakagawa’s and Adrian Flynn in my mind and earned his first selection to the All-Braeland Team. Here are the three that stood out for me this year:
-------- Shortstop The top three choices last year for shortstop were under consideration again. But this time, I went with the 26-year old Callum Spalton of Stratford, the No. 1 rated shortstop in the United Leagues. Spalton is one of the best defensive infielders in the League, as demonstrated by his winning a second consecutive Ball Hawk Award this year. But it was impressive play at the plate to go along with his outstanding defense that propelled him onto the All-Braeland Team. After suffering a serious knee injury in December 1955, Spalton bounced back last season and this year, he took the next step at the plate. If he can stay healthy, the 8th-rated position player has the chance to become the preeminent shortstop in the ULB for years to come. Here are the three shortstops that were considered this year:
-------- Left Field While he may have finally won his first Babe Ruth Award, that was not enough for Matthew Floyd to earn his second selection to the All-Braeland Team and first since 1952-53. The simple reason is that the leftfield position remains occupied by the No. 1 player in the United Leagues, 29-year old Aidan Thirkettle. While Thirkettle did not win a Babe Ruth Award this year, that’s only because of the Ruthian performance of Sam Tite of Cambria. But Thirkettle still had an amazing season in his own right, finishing behind Tite in 12 offensive categories and leading the West outright in OBP. Ironically, Thirkettle’s performance this season may have been a slight step behind his performance last season (similar to Floyd in that regard), but both enjoyed career years. Floyd is currently rated No. 3 overall among all position players. Here are my top three left fielders this season: • Pulberry's Aidan Thirkettle – .310/.424/.667, 156 H, 27-2B, 47 HR, 130 RBI, 93 BB, 1.091 OPS, 200 OPS+, 207 wRC+, 9.9 WAR, 1.024 EFF. • Wellington’s 30-year old Matthew Floyd – .334/.413/.585, 189 H, 25-2B, 37 HR, 102 RBI, 73 BB, .998 OPS, 176 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 8.2 WAR, .990 EFF. • Queensland’s 32-year old Rod Dennis – .326/.410/.594, 172 H, 32-2B, 35 HR, 107 RBI, 76 BB, 1.004 OPS, 176 OPS+, 185 wRC+, 5.8 WAR, .931 EFF. -------- Center Field My top three picks for center fielder this year just so happened to match their player rankings at season’s end. While Raymond Williams and Cooper Tyson are not new to this ritual, Sherburn’s 26-year old Leon Albrecht is. Albrecht, the former No. 1 pick from 1954-55, enjoyed a terrific sophomore season and finished third in the WL Babe Ruth Award voting. The former No. 1-ranked prospect figures to become a contender in the ensuing years with his solid bat and defense. This year, I placed him second, behind only Cobourg’s Raymond Williams, who earns his 6th career selection. At age 32, Williams has not lost a step and remains the top centerfielder and 4th overall position player in the United Leagues. But Albrecht is not far behind (6th overall). These were the top three centerfielders this season in my opinion:
-------- Right Field Last year, I declared that Cambria’s Sam Tite’s performance in 1956-57 was perhaps the greatest ever for a right fielder in the United Leagues. Just one season later, I have to revise that. The 28-year old Canadian produced one of the greatest offensive seasons ever in the ULB this season. Tite dominated the United Leagues this year, leading the entire leagues in 12 offensive categories and set new season records in SLG and HR. This was the easiest category to pick the player this year and quite frankly, as fine as Wan-hua Gu and Aidan Trembath both were, it was not even close.
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#844 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,901
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![]() Carlton Broadbent Elected to Hall of Fame Balmoral, Oxford, June 2 (BP) – The Baseball Reporters Association of Braeland (BRAB) announced today that one new member was added to the Braeland Baseball Hall of Fame, and it was a hometown hero. OF Carlton Broadbent officially becomes the 17th member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the fifth outfielder to be elected. After garnering 66.6% of the vote in both 1956 and 1957, he succeeded in surpassing the 75% threshold this year with 80.1%. Broadbent, who played all of his 14 seasons with the Balmoral Giants, primarily played in rightfield. But it was his bat that made him one of the most formidable players in the United Leagues in his prime. The 9-time all-star won two Babe Ruth Awards as his League’s most outstanding hitter and was rated the No. 1 position player in the entire United Leagues two years in a row (1943 and 1944). He becomes the first player whose primary team was the Balmoral Giants to be elected to the Hall of Fame. ![]() Teams: Balmoral Giants Notable Achievements: Player of the Week: 12 Batter of the Month: 7 Babe Ruth Awards: 2 (1943-44, 1944-45) Triple Crown: 1 (1944-45) Batting Title: 1 (1944-45) All-Star Selections: 9 All-Braeland Teams: 3 Hall of Fame Metrics: JAWS: 43.2 (average HOF SS – 34) Black Ink: 68 (average HOF – 33) Gray Ink: 226 (average HOF – 150) HOF Standards: 50 (average HOF – 46) HOF Monitor: 193 (average HOF – 148) Induction Pct: 80.1; third year ![]() -------- ![]()
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