COBRA: Consolidated Organisation of Baseball and Railways of Amelia: A History

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April 24, 1921
Polar Bear catcher Cary Tait is going to relive the moment for a long time to come.

It was the bottom of the 9th, and the game was tied up. Turtle SS Scott Welch was on second, and C Valentin Folgan was on first. Up to hit was 3B Nathan Harrod. Back in the top of the 9th, a 400ft home run from 1B Richard Maxwell was all that kept the Polar Bears in the hunt.

Polar Bear Pitcher Karson McBride sent his pitch and Welch made his run to steal third. Tait, grabbed the pitch and tried to cut Welch off but the ball went over the head of the third basemen. After a moment on the ground, Welch figured out what was happening and dashed home for a walk-off throwing error.





April 27, 1921
Polar Bear pitcher Tony Coles has set a new record for strikeouts in a single game with 18 in his side's 6-3 win over the Dustland Sharks.



April 28, 1921
The Sharks-Bear series took another twist and turn today as suspensions were laid down for Dustland's Jaxon Darnall and Northland's Jon after they incited a bench-clearing brawl. Jackson, hit by a pitch advanced to the mound and chaos ensued.



This is where the standings sit at the end of April.



The Dustland Sharks have established a big lead in the West. Over in the East, the Spice District Roosters and Sugar Factory Elephants are tied with a decent lead over the rest. The Dolphins had a nice start, 14-8 at one point but now sit at 14-17.

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A year ago today Carson Mixon was given the news that he would require surgery for the bone chips in his elbow. He would never play university ball again and wouldn't be able to throw a baseball until after the draft. Mixon was worried that teams wouldn't be interested, that'll he be an afterthought.

But the Amelia City Metros clocked his talent and they were so keen on him that they used their #2 pick on him. As soon as he recovered they threw him straight into the main team for the tail-end of 1920. This year, they've upgraded him to the role of Stopper and threw the young guy the ball in the most critical situations the team found itself in.

It hasn't all been roses and sunshine -- 7 of the 20 hits he's allowed were home runs -- but he's risen to the occasion.

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Richard Maxwell has always been a big home run hitter -- he hit 47 last year after all -- but he has been overshadowed by the achievements of his teammate Jon Jackson so the 6'3" 235lb First Baseman can often get overlooked.

But Maxwell has come into 1921 with some new tricks in his arsenal. Not only is he smashing the ball into the stands but he's finding some new places to hit the ball when it stays in the field. After only hitting 12 doubles in 1920 he's already got 8 of them this year.

But it's the home runs that make Maxwell sparkle. His most memorable game of April came up against the Saffron Turtles when Maxwell smashed two 2-run home runs in the 7th and 9th to help insure a dominant 8-3 win for the Polar Bears.

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One of the reasons that the Dustland Sharks are 23-8 so far comes from the #3 guy in their rotation. Peyton Kramer has shown the uncanny ability to get hitters to consistently hit to straight to fielders. Over and over again, usable hits are proving rare.

He's proven himself so consistent you could set your watch to him (but don't, because that'll be weird). He finishes off each game somewhere between 119 and 123 pitches and somewhere between 0 and 1 earned runs and with a rather precise 27 outs.

The only aberration has come against the Metros when he gave up four earned runs (plus the only home run of the month) but no worries. He and the Sharks still got the win.

Can he keep this up or is he just proving himself lucky?

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May 3, 1921
Unicorn Point 1B Logan Tirico is fuming after a umpire's call in in the bottom of the 15th that he never got his foot on the bag to force the out.

He told the Amelia Daily Times that the call was "turtle-s***", with two outs on the board a 16th inning should have been forced but instead the winning run came home.



Tiricio has been suspended one game for his comments.

May 8, 1921
Pour one out for the Crimson Forest High School Lions. They will not be defending their title this season after an 8-4 loss to Southern Salt Quarter Academy rules them out of the final. As the season heads into its final weekend of games next week, there's still a three team battle for the two final spots.

Still in the driving seat for a title defense is Northlands College of Technology in the University League. The Wildcats are 21-9 and guaranteed a spot. Big noise to Wildcat Kevin Stump, the senior has hit for .300/.393/.746 with 17 home runs over 30 games a big improvement over last year. He's got some speed and defensive instincts too, the scouts should be very excited.

6 games to go over two weekends. It'll be a tense battle between Amelia University and Saffron School of Magic for the second final spot.

May 11, 1921
Hadestown 2B Noah Means was named the best defender out of any position last season but today he proved that he can summon the god of offense as well to make it rain home runs. Up against the Spice District Roosters, he bashed three home runs into the home crowd as they cruised to a 8-1 victory.



And the Penguins and Turtles went to extra innings in a game that didn't see anyone cross home plate until the 11th. The Penguins will be ruing their lost chances, in the top of the 9th they loaded the bases with no outs but Turtle stopper Adam Scoles turned up the heat and struck the next three out. When the Penguins finally got a run on the board thanks to a C Russell Kohler double. The Turtles struck back with a 2-run home run from LF Spike Evener to walk it off.



May 12, 1921
The Roosters struck back after their 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Noah Means and the Broncos with Max Steel dealing out 17 strikeouts en-route to a 5-2 Rooster win.



May 14, 1921
The Whiskeytown Ducks came back from 8-2 down against Unicorn Point to force extra innings. As Duck fans contemplated heading on home in the bottom of the 6th, the Whiskeytown hitters woke up. 1B Rich Hornberger and 3B Kody Lyabah hit back-to-back home runs to start the inning off and then a single, double, and a single got another runner home. Finally to cap it off, C Joel de Vries sent an absolute monster of a home run -- 486 feet -- out of the park for a 3-run home run to tie the game up.

The Ducks will have further chances to finish the Unicorns off as they loaded players into scoring position in the 8th and 9th but couldn't pull the trigger.

Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, with a runner on second pinch hitter Jim Julian sent a line drive out to Center Field, the runner made a dash for home and the CF sent the ball down to the catcher. The ball and the runner seemed to make it at the same time. We waited a beat for the umpire, and then he makes his signal.

SAFE.



May 15, 1921
The High School league came to a close over the weekend. The Hadestown Magic Academy had already secured their spot in the final as they came into the Sunday but still wanted to put up wins against the Southern Salt Quarter Academy who were still gunning for a playoff spot of their own. The SSQA Was competing with Dustland Boy's High School, who were one game ahead and had the bottom of the table Port Magnolia High School to dispatch.

Sundays are doubleheaders for the high schoolers. Southern Salt Quarter Academy LF Dallas Holt came in big for his side, hitting two home runs to give his team a 7-5 win over Hadestown Magic Academy in the first game. The news started to trickle in that Port Magnolia High School had won their first game.

That meant Southern Salt Quarter Academy controlled their destiny. A win would guarantee at minimum a tie breaker game. Dallas Nolt will hit another home run in game two but the hit that got everyone talking was Nolt's double in the top of the 9th that would bring home two of his teammates for the lead... and the win. They would need to wait to hear the results of the other game and find out if they were in the final or would need to play a tiebreaker.

Dustland Boy's High School at that moment were in the process of scoring 14 runs in the 7th and 8th innings for a 15-7 win. It was going to be a tiebreaker.



Over in the University League, we are primed for an interesting series next weekend to close out the regular season. If Saffron School of Magic can sweep Amelia University then they can book a rematch with Northlands College of Technology in the University final.

Finally, here's where the pros sit at the end of May 15. The Roosters have now put on a big lead over the Elephants and the Amelia City Metros are in the midst of an 8 game winning streak!

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May 16, 1921
Southern Salt Quarter Academy went into the 9th 13-6 down against Dustland Boy's and tried to muster up the runs but fell short. In the end, they recorded a 13-10 loss. Dustland Boy's will go up against Hadestown Magic Academy for the title in a best-of-three series with games on this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (19th to 21st). It's school holidays right now so baseball is the only thing these teams will be doing.



May 18, 1921
The Amelia City Metros have just won 10 in a row but they had to work hard for the 10th. A 2B Doug Dale 2-run home run in the 8th proving the difference between them and the Falcons.

The Metros are now just 1.5 games out of the wildcard spot.



May 20, 1921
The Dustland Boy's High School Dragons are your high school champions for 1921!

The Dragons came in strong in game one, with 14 hits propelling them a 6-3 win over the Hadestown Magic Academy Owls. They set the tone early on in game two with two home runs contributing five runs. The Owls fought back but it wouldn't be enough and they'll fall short of forcing a game three.



Meanwhile, in the pros the Falcons and Sharks delivered a crazy game. In the top of the 2nd, the Falcons piled on 6 runs which was punctuated by a grand slam from 3B Tommy Glass. Down 6-1, the Sharks calmly chipped away at the lead, picking up solitary runs in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th until finally in the bottom of the 9th. Catcher Kian Lehn diving in for the game-tying run, narrowly beating the throw from the CF and also surviving a rundown in the previous at-bat between 2nd and 3rd.

The Falcons will go on to score their first run of the game since the 2nd with a 2B Judah Watson home run out to right field to retake the lead in extras. But the Sharks stay calm, they load the bases and LF Christopher Larson draws the walk to tie the game.

THEN THERE'S A WALK-OFF BALK. HELL YEAH.





May 21, 1921
The task for Saffron School of Magic was a tough one but pretty clear. They had three games against Amelia University and they had to sweep if they wanted to take part in the University final.

They lost the first game so we don't have to worry about that. So the final is now set. Amelia University will take on the defending champion Northlands College of Technology in a best-of-three. They'll play the games Wednesday to Friday next week. (25th to 27th). Expect some fireworks from Northlands hitters C Daniel Irvine, 3B Maddox Riker, and CF Kevin Stump. Amelia University have got pitching triple crown winner John Townsend on their side. Pity he can't pitch every game.

The final standings.



This is where the standings are sitting at the 22nd of May for our pros. The Roosters and Sharks maintain their lead in their respective divisions.

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May 23, 1921
This game took on a bizarre energy in the 9th. The Metros were up 7-3 over the Ducks heading in and continued to pile on for a 11-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th. Then it all want downhill: a single, another single, a walk, a single (score is now 11-4), another walk (11-5), a strikeout, a single (11-6), a pitcher change followed by a sac fly (11-7), a hit by pitch, a single (11-8), and a bases clearing double (11-all), they could have it kept it going had the last guy not tried to stretch it into a triple.

We then shift into the top of the 10th and the new Ducks pitcher pitches a hit-by-pitch and wild pitch infested innings for the Metros to grab 2 runs and the eventual win. The Duck hitters wouldn't have been too impressed.

Rookie of the Month, Carson Mixon has been moved out of the stopper role and into the starting rotation. This was his first start for Metros, and it seems that pitching into the 9th was just a step too far for him.



The Elephants thought they'd done enough in the top of the 10th when 1B Vladik Zavalin slammed a 3-run home run in to the Port Magnolia crowd but two back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the 10th kept the game alive for the Dolphins. The Elephants will get runners into scoring position in the 11th but weren't able to seal the deal. When the game shifts to the bottom of the 11th, Dolphins LF Kevin Bowman draws a walk and then steals second, a wild pitch gets him to third and then he can just canter in home when RF Gavin Fuller hits a single.

Fun fact, fresh off celebrating his walk-off heroics, Fuller comes into work the next day to find that he's been demoted to the minors.



Final game I wanted to feature from today.

Falcon CF Christian Tiggs is the hero of Crimson Forest when he hits a 3-run home run in the top of the 9th to give them a 3-1 lead over the Unicorns. Another notable factoid from the game is that the Falcons ended the hit streak of LF Danny Walsh, who was on 22. One short of the record.



May 24, 1921
The Sharks continued their winning ways. They needed just one run for a walk-off victory against the Broncos in the 10th but 3B Carl McNutt decided that 4 would be better as he hit a grand slam walk-off home run.

Show off.



May 26, 1921
The Northlands College of Technology Wildcats defend their university title as they sweep the Amelia University Cougars with ease in their final with scores of 7-3 and 10-4.

May 30, 1921
Salt Quarter SP Shawn Marsh has pitched his second no-hitter!

This was such a good no-hitter that Marsh carried the PERFECT GAME into the 9th inning. Unfortunately he walked CF Michael Ridge in the 9th but got the next guy to ground out into a double play.

Marsh was super efficient and 106 pitches makes it the quickest no-hitter in COBRA's short history. He picked up a lot of K's (12) but only went to a full count 4 times.

Also, fun fact: the Salt Quarter Penguins have been involved in every single no-hitter in history. Jaxon Darnall and the Dustland Sharks no-hit them for the very first one and then a Penguin pitcher (Marsh, James Cantley, and then Marsh again) has pitched each one since then.

Something in the air in the Salt Quarter?





Not too much has changed in the standings since our last look as we reach the end of June.

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Carson Mixon picks up his second straight Rookie of the Month award with his month of transition from the Stopper role to a spot in the rotation.

His first start started well but he got clobbered in the 9th though the Metros still claimed the win thanks to a big lead. He'll go on to give up a lot of hits in his next two starts but his command was tight and he managed to restrict runners coming home to pick up the wins for the Metros.

We'll see if he's kept in the rotation. It's likely not his natural spot with a limited pitch arsenal at his disposal. Fred Alltop is due back from injury soon so Mixon might find himself back in the bullpen.

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The month of May was bookended by two Grandslams for Zavalin. One against his former team -- the Whiskeytown Ducks -- at the start of the month and the other against the Hadestown Broncos with his side down 4-0 in the 5th. A game they would go on to win.

Zavalin put up an excellent season last year and he's currently tracking to improve on that with more home runs and less strikeouts. With the Sugar Factory Elephants he also has a good chance at seeing some playoff action this year.

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Logan Phillips is our first ever left-handed pitcher to take out this award! Phillips is a lone bright spark of the Whiskeytown Ducks at the moment but he went on a dominant streak throughout May which a featured a complete game shutout and a near-complete game shutout where the opposition's only run came via a fielding error.

It's a free agent year for the Southpaw and the 27 year old should command a good contract.

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June 3, 1921
Award announcements have started to trickle out for the just completed high school and university leagues and our unanimous High School pitcher of the year is Sophomore R.J. Blomgren from Crimson Forest High School





Blomgren built on top of his impressive freshman season by trimming the walk rates, striking slightly more out, and annihilating his home run rate. His biggest game of the year came when he pitched 8.2 shutout innings against Port Magnolia High School, racking up 16 K's in the process and allowing just 5 hits and 2 walks.

It wasn't all sunshine though, the final game of the season was marred by injury but you can be confident that Blomgren will be back strong next year.

June 4, 1921
And our High School MVP is Sophomore LF Abel Davisson of the Dustland Boy's High School Dragons. He had to fight off a strong MVP campaign from Hadestown Magic Academy C Rickey Klein to do it though.





Davisson may not have topped any of the traditional stats like batting average, home runs, or RBIs but he had one huge trick up his sleeve and pitchers HATED him for it. He sure knew how to draw a walk.

He drew about 50% more walks than the next best hitter on the list which also translated to an OBP about .045 better than the next person on the list.

And it's not like he was slacking on the rest. A .438 batting average was good enough for second and while 6 home runs put him well below average, he did make up for it with 21 doubles that were well above the rest of his field. With two years of high school to go, Davisson will be keen to get another couple of championship trophies sorted before he leaves... a couple extra MVP awards will be nice too.

June 9, 1921
We move to the University Awards now, and Junior Ben Thornton of Northlands College of Technology is the pitcher of the year.

He beat out Amelia University's John Townsend who put up incredible strikeout numbers. His total of 111 completing dwarfing the next best of 64 or Thornton's 59.





Thornton completely reworked his approach on the mound over the winter and the result was to to nearly halve his ERA from 1920 from 5.34 to 2.74. A quality defense behind him also helped. He's elected not to enter the draft this year and will make a push for the Wildcats to complete the three-peat!

June 10, 1921
...and the university league MVP goes to Northlands College of Technology Senior CF Kevin Stump. His main competition was his teammate and batting champion C Daniel Irvine (.429 batting average). Both have declared for next month's draft.





Stump took a huge leap this season with an explosion of power and was certainly a key member of this dominant Wildcats side.He made a big statement early in the season against Amelia University with a three home run haul. That game saw him match his home run total from 1920 with the season barely a third done. It's going to be exciting to see what he can do at the pro level!

Heading back to the COBRA, the Crimson Forest Falcons have been dealt two major blows today. It was confirmed that both SS Gaby Williams and 3B Tommy Glass would miss the rest of the season.

Williams, 24, ruptured his Achilles tendon. He's hit .243/.311/.505 this season with 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases. As of today, he was leading the stolen bases chart and was on track for a 30/30 season.

Glass, 38, suffered a setback with a torn thumb ligament that'll require surgery. He'd been hitting .326/.378/.521 this season and was a member of the championship winning Spice District Roosters last season. He's signed with the Falcons until 1923, though the last year has a vesting option.

And, reigning pitcher of the month Logan Phillips took a no-hitter into the 8th against the Salt Quarter Penguins. No worries, still got a complete game shutout though.



This is where the standings sit at the end of June 10.

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June 18, 1921
As we approach the All-Star break, the Roosters and Elephants played a game that kept everyone guessing right to the end with Elephant 1B Vladik Zavalin proving some critical hits at the right time.

The two teams went into the 9th tied at 3-all -- a Vladik Zavalin run tying the game up in the 8th -- but the Roosters started to apply the pressure with three runs to go up to 6-3 when the game switched around to the bottom of the 9th. The Elephants had their answer though, they picked up a run in the inning before Zavalin came in with two outs and runners on 1st and 3rd. He hit the first pitch foul, and then watched the next go inside for a ball. Then hit the ball in a sweet spot between CF and RF to get the two runners home and Zavalin himself to 3rd -- his second triple of the season -- the other hitters couldn't get him home so the game went to extras.

The 10th passed without incident but LF Odin Bendig hit a 2-run dinger out to left field to put the pressure back on the Elephants but the will go toe-for-toe. Vladik Zavalin again playing his part with a double and eventually getting home to tie the game up after a hit and two walks from his fellow Elephants.

The Roosters will be easily dismissed in the top of the 12th and guess who's up to smack the winning home run with two outs on the board for the Elephants? Vladik Zavalin.

In the end Zavalin is 5-7 with singles in the 1st and 8th, a double in the 11th, a triple in the 9th, and the home run in the 12th. Ladies and gentlemen, COBRA has it's first cycle.



June 19, 1921
Naturally, the day after Zavalin completes the cycle he is named the most popular vote getter for the All-Star vote. Here's the top 25.



And the two teams.





New all-stars in the East are: SP Tony Coles (NOR), SP Rory Miller (NOR), 2B Alex Barath (NOR), 2B Glenn Reinhard (SF), 3B Jaden Tenneh (SF), 3B Gavin Utter (SD), SS Gaby Williams (CF), LF Zach Hauptmann (SF), and CF Augie Hanson (CF).

New all-stars in the West are: SP Fred Kimmerly (SQ), SP Peyton Kramer (DUS), SP Denny Wiesner (AC), CL Camden Combs (DUS), 1B Zeke Reynolds (SAF), 3B Emmett Miles (SAF), LF Spike Evener (SAF), and CF Sid van Kranenburg (DUS).

The Sugar Factory Elephants send the most reps to the game with 7!

Sugar Factory Elephants: 7
Dustland Sharks: 6
Northlands Polar Bears: 6
Salt Quarter Penguins: 5
Saffron Turtles: 4
Spice District Roosters: 4
Amelia City Metropolitans: 3
Crimson Forest Falcons: 2
Hadestown Broncos: 2
Port Magnolia Dolphins: 2
Unicorn Point Athletic Club: 2
Whiskeytown Ducks: 2

June 20, 1921
The Home Run Challenge is won by Roman Karabanov, who had to take on teammate Odin Bendig in the final.



June 21, 1921
The East Division All-Stars completely destroy the West Division, game MVP goes to Vladilk Zavalin who played the entire game and got two home runs including a grand slam in the 8th to finish the scoring.



Here's where the standings sit at the All-Star break. The Sharks and Roosters both have opened up significant leads in their divisions. The Saffron Turtles have also started to open up a fair bit of daylight between them and the pack in the wildcard race with the Polar Bears and Elephants currently fighting it out for the final spot.

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June 24, 1921
As we take a moment during the All-Star break, let's take a look at some of the players projected to break the marks set in 1920.

1B Vladik Zavalin (SF) is on track to break records for most home runs, RBIs and total bases in a season.

The Home Run record is held by RF Jon Jackson (NOR) with 51. Zavalin has 29 and is currently projected to get 54.

The RBI record is held by LF Odin Bendig (SD) with 131. Zavalin has 75 and is currently projected to get 138.

The Total Bases record is held by R Jon Jackson (NOR) with 361. Zavalin has 196 and is currently projected to get 363.

Over in the pitching categories, Max Steel (SD) is hoping to break his own records for wins and strikeouts. The record for wins is 26, he's got 17 and projected for 31. The record for strikeouts is 413, he's got 226 and projected for 417. Elijah Shumate (NOR) is also projected for 406 strikeouts.

Thad Pardue (WHI) is the only projected candidate for the 20/20 club. He's already got the stolen bases (21, projected for 39) -- it's the home runs that'll be the challenge. He's got 11 so far, and projected for 20.

I was watching a youtube video on Adam Dunn and they claimed the existence of a 40/100/150 club for three true outcome hitters. That's 40 home runs, 100 walks, and 150 strikeouts in a season. Googling it makes it sound like it's something they made up in the video but for the sake of interest. LF Odin Bendig achieved the mark in 1920 but looks likely to fall short in 1921 (not striking out enough!). No one else is really worth considering.

June 26, 1921
This bottom of the table clash produced a fair bit of drama as the Unicorns walked the Dolphins off in the 10th. The Dolphins were hoping to end the game in the 9th but -- with the Dolphins up by 3 -- a passed ball by Great Glove winning Catcher Jaxen Crouch let one run in and then a double by 3B Dennis Sullenger got the runs needed to tie the game up.

When the game shifted to the bottom of the 10th, a LF Danny Walsh line drive finishes the Dolphins off.



June 29, 1921
Northlands RF Jon Jackson may have been a bit quieter this year in the home run stakes than last but he made a little statement against current home run leader Vladik Zavalin and his Sugar Factory Elephants when he sent 3 home runs into the crowd.



Jackson is still a bit off the pace: he's got 21 while Zavalin is at 31.

Here's the standings at the end of June. Main update is the surge of the Salt Quarter Penguins who have put themselves in the wildcard picture.

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Hart Keast was a 15th overall pick in the draft last year and is now starting to find his feet in COBRA. His ERA has progressively dropped as the months progress: 5.54 in April, 3.00 in May, and now 2.19 in June. He'll be producing a negative ERA in no time!

Scouts expect him to develop some of the best command of his pitches in the league. Once he does, he'll be a tricky one to score runs off.

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A cold May has put Jon Jackson far out of the lead in the home run race but the man still knows how to put the ball into the crowd. He was back to his best during June and featured in some iconic home run moments such as against the Hadestown Broncos.

Jackson had already gotten one home run that game but in the top of the 8th, with a runner on base, he smashed another to grab the lead and ultimately the win. There was also of course his three home run haul mere days ago against the Sugar Factory Elephants.

It's no coincidence too, that Jackson's heat-up coincides with the Polar Bears starting to make a move towards a wildcard position.

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Logan Phillips takes out his second pitcher of the month award in a row as he proves himself again, one of the few bright sparks for the Whiskeytown Ducks.

The numbers suggest a regression from his numbers in May but that's more a reflection on how good May was more than anything. June did give us one of Phillips' best games ever however. A one-hitter against the Salt Quarter Penguins was Phillips at his best.

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July 1, 1921
July kicked off with the two divisional leaders facing off and the matchup was everything fans could hope for.

The Roosters would jump out to a big 5-0 lead, mainly thanks to a 3-run home run from 2B Curtis Ripley in the bottom of the 4th but the Sharks started to put it all together in the nick of the time at the top of the 9th. They put two runs on the board before 2B Justin Seehusen hit a grand slam to put the Sharks up 7-6.

It was looking good for the Sharks in the bottom of the 9th when they got the two big hitters: RF Roman Karabanov and LF Odin Bendig out but two back-to-back home runs from 3B Gavin Utter and 1B Neil Spurrier gave the Roosters the walk-off win.



And, it seemed like this Falcons-Penguins game was just going through the motions. The Penguins were up 5-0 going into the 8th and the Falcons had barely made a dent into the pitching of Jared Way but suddenly they just exploded in the 8th and picked up 10 runs. The home crowd could do nothing but look on in mystification at the collapse of their side.



July 5, 1921
It's draft day so let's have a look at some of the potential future stars of COBRA.

With the #1 pick, the Crimson Forest Falcons pick CF Kevin Stump from the Northlands College of Technology





We featured Stump not too long ago as the MVP in the just completed university season. Stump, a member of the 27-9 Wildcats stunned the competition with a huge increase in power.

The Falcons now have an interesting logjam coming up in their outfield. After using their #1 pick last year on a Centre Fielder. They have a pretty good young outfield right now so it remains to be seen where exactly Stump slots in.

With the #2 Pick, the Hadestown Broncos pick 2B T.J. Thompson from the Northlands College of Technology





Thompson has a lot to offer both offensively and defensively -- and he proved it for the Wildcats winning both the Platinum Stick and Great Glove award for Second Base this season. He projects out to offer a lot of power and speed so will definitely be an exciting guy to watch.

With the #3 pick, the Port Magnolia Dolphins pick C Daniel Irvine from the Northlands College of Technology





Scouts have been excited about Daniel Irvine for a while. Most catchers in COBRA offer either high offense or high defense but Irvine is here to offer the best of both worlds. While he doesn't hit for much power, he's going to get that ball in play a lot. He also offers a lot of leadership which was obvious as he led the Wildcats to two titles.

He's got a nice stack of awards as well with a Playoff MVP from 1920 and two Platinum Sticks as well. He also finished runner-up in the MVP voting to Kevin Stump this season.

With the #4 pick, the Unicorn Point Athletic Club pick CF Chase Lambert from Port Magnolia High School





Our first high school pick of the draft is a promising youngster but a pick that divides fans. Obviously talented, but personality issues might stand in the way of Lambert reaching his potential. Fans also worry that his senior year at high school didn't really come close to his junior year (where he finished third in MVP voting and got a Great Glove and Platinum Stick).

Nevertheless, the Unicorns were keen on him and made him a $15,400 signing bonus on the spot which he accepted. Critics aside, that's the biggest signing bonus in history.

With the #5 pick, the Amelia City Metropolitans pick SS Isaiah Gaab





Our final pick that we're featuring is Isaiah Gaab. Gaab didn't go to one of the big baseball schools of Amelia but his talent was obvious to any that saw him and it clearly didn't hold him back. He's projecting out to a similar hitting profile to Daniel Irvine and should develop out to a handy defensive player in Second or Shortstop.

Here's the full results of the first round. Rules around free agency granted some teams extra picks which is why 16 picks were made. Not a single pitcher was selected in the first round but they were very popular in the second.

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July 5, 1921
With the draft on, the Dustland Sharks and Unicorn Point Athletic Club found some time to get a deal done to send 39 year old 1B Nathan Crews back to his old team.

The Dustland Sharks are supposedly getting serious at this run at the title and believe that Crews can contribute. He played for the Sharks in 1920 -- even making the All-Star team for them -- but elected to sign a 2 year deal with the Unicorns in free agency.

He played Shortstop last season but the Unicorns asked him to convert to First Base and it looks like he'll play in that position for the Sharks.

He's been hitting .318/.376/.444 for the Unicorns this season for a 125 OPS+.



July 13, 1921
The Dustland Sharks continue their aggressive acquisition of talent by trading away three prospects to the Whiskeytown Ducks for 31 year old 3B Kody Lyabah. Lyabah is a big home run hitter with 33 to his name already this season. He offers some decent defense at 3rd or 1st as well. Currently hitting .221/.319/.592 for the Ducks for a 131 OPS+.

Rumours are that the Sharks intend to bench 35 year old 2-time All-Star Carl McNutt to make room for Lybah.



July 16, 1921
Northlands 3B Oscar Newsome nearly cost them the match with a fielding error in the top of the 17th that allowed a run but made up for it with a walk off grand slam when the game switched to the bottom of the 17th.



Here's where the standings sit at the end of the July 17. The Amelia City Metros are in the midst of a 8 game winning streak to keep their playoff hopes alive!

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July 22, 1921
Unicorn Point is way out of the playoff race but it's still disappointing to hear that 3B Dennis Sullenger will miss 6 weeks due to a fractured thumb. The two time All-Star was hitting .273/.353/.446 for an 119 OPS+.

Sullenger missed most of last season due to injury.



July 26, 1921
The Amelia City Metropolitans are 5 games out of the wildcard spot but they've made their playoff intentions clear with a trade for Hadestown Southpaw Dalton Deschenes in order to bolster their rotation. Deschenes, obviously talented but perceived as unmotivated is one of the hardest throwers out there and his Sinker/Slider/Changeup is highly effective at racking up strikeouts and suppressing home runs. He does have a problem with walks though. He will be installed at the top of the rotation.

The Metros sent 3 prospects to the Broncos, and got one back along with Deschenes himself.

Deschenes hits the free agency market next season so anything less than a playoff spot will be a disappointment for the Metros.



July 29, 1921
Unicorn Point Pitcher Tijs Oudenkerk is capable of fantastic baseball but also some downright terrible baseball.

He was the first to pitch a 17 K game -- a mark that has been tied but not topped and today he becomes the latest to record a no-hitter. The Unicorn hitters did little to help him out, a SS Giannis Salpingidis inside the park home run the only difference between the two teams in runs. The tight scoreline left the crowd so tense that you could hear the sound of a balloon floating in the wind.





Here are the standings at the end of July. The end of the regular season is rapidly approaching Only 5 weeks to go at this point. The Roosters and Sharks have a strong grip on their divisions so the real battle is going to be for the wildcard spots with four teams in the mix (Saffron, Northlands, Sugar Factory, and Amelia City with possibly Salt Quarter if they make a big run for it).

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Hart Keast comes up with the Rookie of the Month honours for the second month in a row. It was a fine month of work for the rookie but the lack of save opportunities is certainly a sign that not all is well at the 48-63 Unicorn Point Athletic Club.

Keast's focus this month was on command. Over 18.2 innings he only gave up 3 walks while issuing 18 strikeouts. His main weakness came down to the dingers, he gave up 5 earned runs over July and all but one of them was a result of a home run.