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WBLedger
“The
Name you can trust in the WBL!”
By:
Dave Smith
Hello and welcome to another edition of WBLedger. We
have a packed house today after not being accepted into WBL Weekly, only to be
told later that I was. So here it is, and without further adieu the WBLedger.
Top Ten Prospect (as of
1/21/04)
This week the prospects have had some people taken off the list, and the names you are going to see may surprise you. There is still a lot of talent here. I am going to show you each prospect's strength, weakness, and stats (if possible). So let's get going.
10.) Pat Sullivan
Catcher
Iceland IceCats
+Hitting: How a batter with just an eight in hits is even in the top ten prospects is a wonder to me. He has an eleven in homeruns, a two in doubles, and a one in triples. His hitting just isn't the quality it needs to be to play at the major league level.
+Striking Out: Sullivan is striking out way too much, and that is much due to his strike zone judgment. He swings at the high ones, and lets the strikes go by without a swing.
+Fielding: As a catcher Sullivan has a good range, and a decent fielding percentage. He can field the ball very well, but he needs to work on his catcher's arm before he can become a dominant catcher in the league.
+Sullivan has already had his fair share of at bats in the 2009 season. So far his stats read:
.130 Avg., 1 double, 1 RBI, and 12 K's in 23 at bats
As you can see he doesn't have the best stats in the world. With a little... err a lot of tweaking this player could become good, but it will take a lot of work.
9.) Matt Pueblo
Third Baseman
Dublin Fightin' Irish
+Fielding: Matt Pueblo has a horrendous range at third base, and his fielding percentage is even worse. His fielding better improve soon if he ever wants a shot at the big leagues.
+Striking Out: Pueblo has just a two in avoiding strike outs, showing that he will most likely strike out when he steps to the plate. This is the type of player that pitcher's drool to face. He is just an easy target for even the worst pitchers in the league. That is whenever he makes it to the league.
+ I see no strength's in this player; he is nothing but stink, yet he is on the top ten in prospects. This league is going down, if new players aren't brought in soon. I will take this inconvenient moment to wish luck to all the new recruiters. I speak for all of us, when I say, "Bring in the Good Stuff".
Stats:
+ Matt Pueblo hasn't played an inning in the big leagues yet, and currently sits in the AAA system of the Dublin Fightin Irish. Even though this may be impossible, if this prospect doesn't get his act together, I think I hear AA calling.
8.) Mike Rotch
Pinch Hitter
Frankfurt Force
+ I need to make this comment in this section, because this is the worst prospect to ever make the top ten. Every part of Rotch's game is terrible.
+Hitting: His hitting is terrible. He can hit the ball like most players, and can occasionally catch a hold of one and send it over the wall. Whenever he doesn't get lucky he strikes out, or grounds out. He is one of the worst players I've ever seen.
+Fielding: His fielding is just as bad as his hitting. He doesn't have a very good range at first base, and his fielding percentage is even worse. Let's see if the stats reflect his terrible attributes.
+Once again I see no strength's in this player. He can't hit or field, and he strikes out even more then the players before.
+ Rotch is currently the pinch hitter for the Frankfurt Force. Surprisingly, he is hitting the ball better then a lot of players. His stats are:
.407 Avg., 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 Runs, and 9 Ks in 27 at bats
Just looking at those stats has to make you cringe. His attributes suck, but he hits the ball better then people who have worked and worked and worked to improve.
7.) Mike Smirnoff
First Baseman
Frankfurt Force
+Extra Base hits: With the exception of homeruns, this player has trouble with place hitting, and can't seem to hit many doubles, or triples. This really cuts into his RBI's, and his clutch hitting.
+Avoiding Strikeouts - Finally a prospect who can avoid strikeouts and actually hit the ball somewhere past first base. He does a very nice job not striking out, and finding the right pitch to hit. This will really help him when their are batters in scoring position, and all he has to do is put it in play. Good job to him for being the first prospect I believe is decent.
+Fielding: Yet another first for the prospects so far. Smirnoff can field the ball very well; he has an awesome fielding percentage at first base, but could work on his range a bit.
Stats -
+ He is the starting first baseman for the Force right now, batting 7th. His stats so far are very disappointing compared to Rotch's:
.190 Avg., 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0 K's, in 52 at bats
With some work this player will be a big player in the league. He is just going to be downright awesome, once he gets going and gets things under his belt.
6.) Vin Distasio II
Closing Pitcher
Great Britain Redcoats
Weaknesses -
Doubles: Vin doesn't give up many hits, or homeruns, but the occasional double or triple is very likely against him. A double could be costly in a 2-1 game when they bring him in. He definitely needs to work on that.
Velocity: To have total control of a game you must have a lot of speed, and velocity. Without batters learn you quicker and jump on your pitches a lot easier. With a little work there, he could be a great up-and-comer in the Redcoats organization.
Strength's -
Duration as a Reliever: He can finish the game out when a pitcher needs relief in the 6th or 7th. He just has great duration, and can still be pitching hard after 3 or 4 innings, which is very good for a reliever.
Homeruns: Distasio II rarely ever will slip up and give up a homerun. He just knows where to pitch the ball, and where not to against each batter. When he does give up a homerun, it is more a mental lapse more then a physical problem.
Stats-
Distasio II is currently seeing time for the Redcoats, and doing fairly well. His stats:
2 Wins, 2 Losses, 1 Save, 4.13 ERA, 3 K's.
Distasio is going to be a great pitcher in the near future, if he keeps working like he is now.
5.) Mike Bazinet
Centerfield
South African Lions
Getting Walks: Bazinet really has a problem determining what is a ball and what is a strike and most likely will swing at anything you pitch at him. He ends up striking out more, even though he is good at avoiding strikeouts.
Outfield Arm: Even though he is a good fielder, he doesn't have a good arm to back up his good fielding. When it comes to a close call at the plate, his throw will be a bit off and the runner will be safe. This is something that Mikey better get working on quick.
Fielding: He has a great range, and a great fielding percentage in centerfield. Nothing gets by him, and you don't see him making those stupid errors on pop flies. He is a solid consistent fielder for the Lions.
Bazinet is currently starting in centerfield for the South African Lions and doing fairly well for being just a prospect.
.216 Avg., 1 double, 2 triples, 2 homeruns, 21 RBI's, 6 K’s in 176 at bats
With some more work, the Lions are looking at having a great up-and-comer on their team. He definitely has some skill.
4.) Charlie Pianko
Centerfield
Dublin Fightin' Irish
Avoiding Strikeouts: Pianko is #4? Weird, because he is one of the worst I've seen yet. His avoiding strikeouts are horrendous, and he will be sent back to the bench, at bat after at bat, with the K in his head. His ability just isn't very good at all.
Speed: He is one of the slowest player's in the game as well. If it could be an infield hit, it most likely isn't because he is so slow that they will gun him at first with ease.
Hitting: It's hard to pick out something good about people like this, because really there isn't anything that good about him. His hitting is the max 10, which is good, and I guess strength in his favor?
Stats -
Pianko is Pinch-hitting for the Fightin' Irish right now.
.217 Avg., 1 double, 1 homerun, 4 RBI, 10 K's in 23 at bats.
I usually say with a little work this batter will be great, but he really won't he needs a lot of work, to even be considered good.
3.) Kevin McGlynn
Second Baseman
South African
Lions
Doubles: This player can hit the ball, and hit the long ball, but when it comes to just getting singles, or doubles, it isn't very easy for him. His doubles are decent, but with a little work, he will be a really balanced very good player for the Lions.
Homerun's - For a prospect this player can really send the ball out of the park. He is continually getting better at hitting homeruns too. With even more work he will be an amazing batter and an all around great ballplayer.
Fielding: McGlynn has amazing fielding. He rarely let's anything get by him. He is just an awesome fielder and hitter.
McGlynn is currently playing RF for the South African Lions.
.250 Avg., 6 doubles, 4 triples, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 46 K's in 168 at bats
McGlynn is having a problem striking out, so he needs to work on that also, but that isn't one of his weaknesses.
2.) Enrique Gonzalez
Starting Pitcher
Great Britain Redcoats
Doubles: His ability to shut down homeruns, and hits period is awesome, but he has the tendency to give up doubles, and triples on occassion. Working on that a little, and he would be an all-star pitcher for the Redcoats.
Strikeouts: Enrique is a good pitcher, but his ability to dominate the game with strike out's is limited. He needs to work on his ability to blow it by guys, or sneak it on the corner better to get the K's.
Strength's -
Groundballs: Enrique has an amazing gift of forcing groundballs in key situations. Batters are baffled when they think they got a hold of it, and then they see it dribbling down to Vin Distasio, or Richard Amato.
Homeruns: Enrique already has the gift of not allowing very many homeruns. When he does he knows he made a mistake and takes the blame, but he rarely ever does, so it doesn't matter if he takes the blame.
Enrique has been the closing pitcher thus far for the Redcoats.
2 Wins, 3 Losses, 9 Saves, 5.30 ERA, 2 K's
Gonzalez has a very bright future for him in Great Britain if he keeps working hard like he has been.
1.) Dirk Halladay
Starting Pitcher
Frankfurt Force
Weaknesses -
Velocity: With a player like this it is very hard to find a weakness, but his velocity is at zero, and to dominate a game you MUST have a good velocity to blow it by the batter. He just needs to get it to 10 and then he'll be set because everything else is real good.
Groundballs: He does a fairly good job of limiting batters to hit it off the ground, but he just isn't as good at forcing groundballs as he could be. He is an all around great pitcher I must say though.
Strength's -
Hits in general - His limit to hits, doubles, homeruns, and walks are all very good. He gives up hardly any hits, and can shut down any team in any given game. He just has a God given ability.
Duration as a starter: He can go the whole nine yards if he needs to. His arm seems to never get tired, and he just keeps firing away. In fact, it's almost like he gets better the longer he pitches for. He is just one great pitcher.
Dirk is currently the mop-up reliever for the Force.
3 Wins, 1 Loss, 4 Saves, 2.77 ERA, 4 K's.
Dirk is already a great pitcher, but his team is abusing his talent. If he could get traded and get into a rotation somewhere and be a starter he is going to be great because he has the talent needed.
That’s it for another week of the Prospect Report. Come back next week, to see who moved where, and who is doing what for the Prospects.
Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in
WBL Fantasy Series Two?
We’ll now be taking a look at
who was hot and who was not in the last series of Fantasy WBL.
Shawn Baig:
Shawn went 22-56 (.393) in the last series of Fantasy Baseball. He had 24 runs and drove in 28. He had 72 total bases, or a 1.286 slug percentage. Shawn was a beast and was on fire. He led most of his teams to wins in the batting average, and slugging percentage categories.
ANX:
ANX went 25-60 (.417) and was on fire. He scored 23 runs of his own, while driving in 31 runs. He also had 86 total bases giving him a slug percentage of 1.433. WOW! ANX had an amazing series, and anyone who drafted him in the draft has got to be smiling now.
Joe Slugga:
Slugga wasn’t messing around after his poor start. He took off and was lighting it up. He went 28-60 (.466) with 26 runs of his own, and knocking in 39 RBI. The biggest factor in Slugga’s series is his slugging percentage. He had 98 total bases, accumulating to a 1.633 slug, which is just amazing. If a team with Slugga on lost any of the four hitting categories, they ought to be ashamed.
Ken Griff:
Griff had a stand out series this past series. He hit 18-61 (.295), which isn’t all that great, but he made up for it with his 70 total bases, or 1.148 slug percentage. In the process he drove in 20, and scored 20 of his own.
Dave Smith:
Smith didn’t have a stand out series, but he did have a good batting average, and a good slug percentage. He went 22-59 (.373), which is very good for this underrated superstar. He also drove in 16, while scoring 17 of his own. When it was all said and done, Smith had 60 total bases or a 1.017 slug percentage.
Tony Kobbs:
Kobbs is another player who didn’t have an amazing series, but good enough to be considered hot. Kobbs went 16-58 (.276), which obviously is one of the worst of we’ve seen so far, but he did drive in 17 runs, and scored 15 runs of his own. His main thing was his slug percentage. He had 59 total bases, or a 1.017 slug percentage.
All of these players were hot, but who were the top three. Let’s see:
Top Three Hitters
#3 Shawn Baig - .393, 24, 28, 1.286
#2 ANX - .417, 23, 31, 1.433
AND the best hitting performance of series 2
#1 Joe Slugga - .466, 26, 39, 1.633
These were the top hitters in Fantasy now let’s go take a look at the “Who’s Hot” in Pitchers!
Troy Vaughn:
Troy had a very good series. He had just a 1.96 ERA, with 3 wins, and 11 strikeouts. Those are just plain great stats for a total of like 20 games. Vaughn just tore up the competition.
Kyle Smith:
Smith had an awesome series as well. He ended with a 1.48 ERA, with 2 wins, and 11 strikeouts. Smith has been putting out all season long, and doesn’t seem like he will be stopping any time soon.
Smith N Wesson:
Wesson had what you call a “superb” series. He was unstoppable, and batters just couldn’t seem to figure him out. When the dust all cleared, Wesson had a 1.72 ERA, striking out 22 batters, en route to two wins, and three saves. That’s right he had two wins, AND three saves. That is just amazing for anyone.
Nolan Ryan:
For being just a rookie, Nolan Ryan has been putting up stellar numbers all season long, and this series wasn’t any exception. Ryan came out with three winning decisions with just a 2.12 ERA. In the end he had struck out 9. If Ryan continues this kind of success, then you can only imagine what he’ll be doing in the future.
Max Baez:
Max Baez had one of those series where you say “WOW”, but then wonder about some of his stats. Max came out of this series with a ZERO, yes 0.00 ERA, in 23 innings pitched. He pitched 23 innings, and didn’t allow 1 run. That is the best I’ve seen in awhile from anyone in the WBL. The only thing is, Mr. Baez came out with just one victory, and 11 strikeouts. How that happened, I do not know, but still a stellar series.
Chris Prior:
Prior had a 1.44 ERA, and 2 wins, striking out 20 in this series. It looks like the pitchers outdid the batters in this series.
Justin Hinkley:
Hinkley had an awesome series, just like everyone else. He came out with a 1.93 ERA, and 3 wins. He also struck out 29 batters en route to getting a shout out from us. Good job Hinkley.
Ken Griff Jr.:
Just like he pops, Griff Jr. was hot this week. In 25 innings pitched, he came out with a 2.16 ERA. He also worked his way to 3 wins in the series, striking out 19 batters. Another spectacular performance from a pitcher who shut down teams and earned 2+ wins.
Mike Domas Jr.
Domas Jr. had a good week at the mound this week. He pitched 13 2/3 innings, and came out with a 1.96 ERA, earning himself a win, and 3 saves. Another player who had a win and some saves. He also struck out 3 while earning his win and saves.
Those are all the top pitching performances now let’s go see who got top three:
Top three requirement
- Under a 2.00 ERA
Top Three Pitchers
#3 Max Baez – 0.00 ERA in 23 innings, 1 win
#2 Justin Hinkley – 1.93 ERA, 3 wins, 29 K’s
AND the best pitching performance of series two
#1 Smith N Wesson 1.72 ERA, 2 wins, 3 saves, 22 K’s
Those are the top three pitchers from series 2
Who’s Not?
Tom Kenny:
Kenny has been in a slump ever since the “Nelson” incident. Guess his personal life is interfering with his game. He went 8-54 (.148) scoring just 3 runs, and driving in 0. He hit only singles, as his total bases amounted to just 8 as well, giving him just a 0.148 slug percentage. Gross!
Jon Vish:
Vish went 10-56 (.178) scoring 6 runs, and driving in only 3 runs. He had a total of 16 bases, and a slug percentage of 0.285. No kudos for this outfielder. No kudos at all.
Quentin Vidro:
Vidro had a terrible, terrible series. He hit 8-63 (.127) scoring 6 runs, and driving in 2. Wow! What a performance, ha ha, this is got to be the worst so far. His slugging percentage was even worse. He had a total of 10 bases, and a slug of .159. Ouch you thought the first two were bad, and then you saw this guy.
Gerald Schultz:
This is the first BIG named player to hit the “Who’s Not” charts for this week. Schultz just wasn’t hot; he was like a chunk of ice. He hit the freezing point, and just kept dropping. He hit 7-58 (.120), scoring just 4 lousy runs, and drove in just one more in 5. His slugging percentage was a little bit better, but not much, he had 21 total bases, giving him a slug of 0.362. Keep your head up buddy, we all know you’re better then Vidro, and Vish.
Brooks Simmons:
Brooks hit pretty poorly in series two of WBL fantasy baseball. He hit 8-56 (.143), while scoring 3 and driving in 7. His slugging percentage wasn’t much better either, gaining just 15 total bases, earning a 0.268 slugging percentage. Another, pretty good player having a very bad series going through a span where he just couldn’t seem to hit the ball.
Jonathon James (a.k.a. “Liz”)
James went 6-40 (.150), which I pretty bad. This is kind of cool, the boyfriend and the girlfriend are on the same list “Who’s not”. Sucks for them, but James also scored 1 and drove in 4, while hitting for 6 total bases (all singles). Thus, giving him a 0.150 slug percentage. Smells pretty bad, doesn’t it?
Dice Jackson:
Jackson had a horrendous series, but not quite as bad as some others. Jackson hit 13-57 (.228), which doesn’t seem all that bad, but he only scored 2 runs, and only drove in 1. That’s just sad! He also hit only singles, giving him 13 total bases, and the same slug as his batting average. I think I speak for all of us when I say, “Booo!”
Larry Jones:
Jones wasn’t quite “money” this past series. He hit just 7-59 (.118), driving in 2 and just scoring 2 as well. His slug was even worse as he had just 9 total bases, for a 0.152 slug percentage. If you think you’re bad, watch this guy for a self-esteem boost.
Top Three Worst Hitters
#3 – Quentin Vidro - .127, 6 Runs, 2 RBI, 0.159 Slug
#2 - Gerald Schultz - .120, 4 Runs, 5 RBI, 0.362 Slug
AND the worst hitter in series two
#1 – Larry Jones - .118, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, 0.152 Slug
Better luck next time fellows
Who’s Not?
DeShawn Johnson:
This guy was off the hook this week, yeah that’s it! He actually helped batters become off the hook with his 8.10 ERA. Somehow this fool earned himself a win in the midst of sucking and all. He even struck two batters out. Shame on the two batters who got struck out by this great pitcher.
Justin Lewis:
Lewis is usually a pretty solid, very consistent pitcher. Not this series he wasn’t. His ERA skyrocketed due to a 6.75 ERA just in this series. He didn’t win any games, but he did manage to strike out 24 batters. Even with all of those strikeouts a 6.75 ERA is just bad.
Tidiggity Dawg:
First it was Lewis, and now Dawg? This is another usually great pitcher, who happened to have a terrible series. He ended with an 8.41 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. That is just terrible, it’s terrible beyond words. Dawg unsurprisingly didn’t win any games, but still did manage to strike out 31 batters.
Red Switch:
What this player managed in ONE series is unbelievable. It is the worst thing I have EVER seen in my entire life. In this one series alone, he had a 21.60 ERA. A 21.60 ERA, THAT IS UNREAL! In just 16 2/3 innings, he allowed 40 earned runs. That has got to be a record. Somehow he managed to get a win, strike out two, and get a save. How he won, or saved a game with a 21.60 ERA is beyond my comprehension. This player is colder then cold.
Huben Puten:
Here’s another no name player who had a bad series. Huben had a 20.65 ERA in just 5 2/3 innings. He allowed 13 runs in those innings. That is a crying shame. Anyone who is that bad shouldn’t even be playing in this league because it is not for the weak, but he did manage to strike out one player. That must have crushed that one player’s self-esteem, poor guy.
Those were all the pitchers who sucked this past series. Now let’s get into the fun part.
Top Three Worst Pitchers
#3 – Tidiggity Dawg – 8.41 ERA, 0 Wins
#2 - Huben Puten – 20.65 ERA, allowing 13 runs in 5 2/3 innings
AND the worst pitcher in series two
#1 - Red Switch – 21.60 ERA, allowing 40 runs in 16 2/3 innings, 1 win, 1 save
Who’s Hot?
Owners
These are the first place teams in each of the four leagues
Josh Andrews – Dallas Force:
Record: 12-4
League: One
Key Players:
Hitting: Alex Zito, Vin Distasio, and Shawn Walker
Pitching: Zach Kobbs, Dustin Parmelee, and Justin Hinkley
How they win their games:
The Dallas Force win their games by dominating hitting. They take all four categories in hitting almost every time. Their pitchers win games, and strike a lot of batters out, to take those two categories, and come out with a 6-2 win.
Things they lack:
They lack good solid ERA’s. Their pitchers are good, but they don’t keep their ERA’s low and usually end up losing that game, and they also don’t have a good relief pitcher. If a team can muster up just one save against them, then they get the win in that category. One other thing they lack is a first baseman and an outfielder. Maybe Andrews should look into Free Agents, then again they’re winning, so why bother?
Ballstrom10 - Caracas Cougars
Record: 11-5
League: Two
Key Players:
Hitting: Gerald Schultz, Richard Amato, Jason Rhiner, and Tony Kobbs
Pitching: Dustin Parmelee, Fransisco Rodriguez, Smith N Wesson, and Manny Martinez
How they win:
They win by having a good batting average, ERA, and by striking out batters. A good pitching staff and a pretty stacked line-up is the main key to their success. This past series was a low series, and wasn’t a good example of them at all. They are a lot better, but Schultz and Rhiner both had pretty bad series’. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next week if they keep on their losing ways, or get back to winning.
What they lack:
They lack a good outfield. Their outfielders are all only “so-so” batters, and they can’t have that if they want to win. That is all they really lack, because everyone else on their team is good, especially their entire pitching line-up.
Annapolis Demons – Victor Vargas
Record: 11-5
League: Three
Key Players:
Hitting: J.D. Boom, Vin Distasio, Marc Southworth, and Alex Zito
Pitching: Paul Levesque, Mujuri Shipal, Chris Prior, and Ty Quigly
How they win:
Annapolis wins their games by driving in runs, and scoring runs of their own. Their pitchers also limit runs, and get low ERA, and also strike out batters easier then most. This was a week where they took four and their opponent took four, but they did much better in week one. Their line-up is stacked, and so are their starting pitchers. They shouldn’t lose to many.
What they lack:
They lack a good sufficient bullpen (UP and RP). If they could get someone who can pick up saves, that would help them out a bunch. They also need pitchers who can get the ‘W’ more often if they want to win that one. Like most teams they have one good outfielder, and the rest are pretty poor. They need a good outfield before they can do anything.
Dan Schneier – New Jersey Warriors
Record: 12-4
League: Four
Key Players:
Hitting: Sam Hill, Blake Roberts, Tony Kobbs, Josh Andrews, and Shawn Walker
Pitching: Smith N Wesson, Ken Griff Jr., and Greg Mojonnier
How they win:
This team has great hitting. They knock the lights out of pitcher’s fastballs. The funniest thing is they didn’t even win batting average. Their pitching staff is decent and can get good ERA, and amount of wins, and they have a great closer in Wesson to get saves for their team. Their hitting is definitely their power source though.
What they lack:
They lack one or two good starting pitchers. With one more this team would be set and ready for a title. They also need one more good outfielder. They have a good solid OF in Walker, but after him they stink. This team has what it takes to go though, so we’ll have to see.
How the #1’s rank against each other:
#4 Annapolis Demons
#3 Caracas Cougars
#2 New Jersey Warriors
#1 Dallas Force
Well, that’s it for the WBL Fantasy Section of the WBLedger. We’ll see you all next week when we show who’s hot, who’s not in series four, and see who’s on top in each league. See you then.
Playoff Races Begin to Heat Up
The Redcoats finally find their groove, and the Force have a falling out? Caracas still on top, is Santo Domingo down and out?
Fifty games into the 2009 WBL Season, and already a heated race is developing in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. The East shows a race that includes three teams, The Great Britain Redcoats, Frankfurt Force, and the Seoul Storm. While over in the West there are four teams vying for a bid to the playoffs, Caracas Cougars, Montreal Menace, Santo Domingo Rush, and St. Louis Stallions. Teams like the South African Lions, Antarctica Chill, Iceland IceCats, Cancun RipTide, and Dublin Fightin’ Irish aren’t out yet, but they have a lot of ground to cover in just a small amount of time. Now let’s get started breaking down the playoff situation starting with the East.
As you see above, the Redcoats, Force, and Storm are still in the hunt. As it stands right now the Redcoats (38-12) are in the lead, with the Storm (35-15) trailing by three games. The Force are on the outside looking in at this point, but there is still a lot of ball to be played, and anything could happen.
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The Redcoats started this season out in third place losing tough games to Frankfurt, Seoul, and Iceland in the beginning of the season. Lack of relief pitching was a killer for the Redcoats, and their season started a way it never had before, in 3rd place. As the season continued and things started to settle down, the Redcoats started to make their climb back to the top. After defeating the Storm in a 3-game series, the Redcoats found themselves in second place, only behind last season’s joke team, Frankfurt. With closing pitcher Enrique Gonzalez and Relief Pitcher Vin Distasio II improving daily, the Redcoats began winning more and more. Still in second place, and a BIG three game series coming up against Frankfurt, the Redcoats went out and did what everyone expected them to do. They beat the Force three straight, and took their claim at the top of the East again. Great Britain was once again labeled as the Yankees of the WBL, and the fans hatred was growing more each day.
Seoul and Frankfurt are still neck and neck for the second place, with the Force being one game behind the Storm. In a 2-game series against each other, they split it one game apiece, and the Force stayed behind them for another day. Neither one of these two teams have ever tasted the sweet smell of playoffs, with the Storm being an expansion team, and the Force just plain sucked in the past. Whichever one of these two teams, if not both, make the playoffs it will be a sweet day for that organization and it’s management. Good luck to both teams.
In the West things are quite as clear. Caracas (35-15) leads the pack with Montreal (34-16) just one game back, followed by St. Louis (31-19) four games back, and finally Santo Domingo (27-23) eight games back. Is Santo Domingo really down and out? I don’t think so; Gerald has some tricks up his sleeve, and will do his best to get his team ready and prepared for each and every series from here on out. Look for a Rush momentum swing that might even swing them all the way up to the top. Don’t say I didn’t forewarn the other three teams, because right there it is. So far against the Western Opponents going for a playoff spot, the Rush have competed “so-so”. Against the first place Caracas Cougars, they are 4-8, and looking to defeat them more in the near future. This year has been a treat going against “old time” rival, Montreal; they stand at 6-3 against them so far. Then they go against a much weaker team in St. Louis and stand at just 4-7. The real thing that has hurt the Rush the most is their 5-5 record against non-playoff contender Cancun Riptide.
Montreal is just one game back, and with the exception of last season for a series or two isn’t used to not being #1. After a sweeping the St. Louis Stallions to take over second place, the Menace beat Santo Domingo, but then lost to them the very next night. Things are so close, that all four teams can’t afford to lose any games, especially when it’s against a Western foe. Montreal has had much success against the other three teams so far this season. They are 6-3 against #1 Caracas, 3-6 against the Rush, and 7-4 against the Stallions. If they keep competing like that against the other teams, they are a shoe-in for the playoffs.
The St. Louis Stallions stand in third place, three games behind the Menace for the wild cared, and four back from the Cougars. The Stallions are having a great year against the teams who aren’t very competitive going 9-0 against both the Riptide, and the Chill. Too bad they can’t perform that way against the teams they need to beat if they want to make the playoffs. They are 2-8 against Caracas, 4-7 against Montreal, and 7-4 against Santo Domingo. The Stallions haven’t ever been to the playoffs, and if they want to make it they better start beating the teams like Caracas, and Montreal more often, but still beat the poop teams as well.
The Caracas Cougars, stand in first place, and look to maintain their one game lead over old time Western Hemisphere team, Montreal. In their first year of existence, who would have ever imagined them to be in the lead of the West with just one more day left until the All-Star break. The only questions are, is can they hold off Montreal, and compete at the same level they did in the first half, in the second half? I don’t think they can, because Montreal, Santo Domingo, and St. Louis have more experience, but we’ll have to wait and see, because only time can tell. Their records against the other three teams are above if you just want to scroll up and check it out.
Both in the East and in the West the races are heating up, and only time will tell who’s going to the Big Dance, and who’s mopping the floors of the locker room waiting until next year? Best of luck from all of us here at the WBLedger goes out to all seven teams in the hunt, and good luck to the other 5 who aren’t.
WBLedger’s WH All-Star
Predictions
The All-Star voting has begun
and so we’d just like to show you whom we think is in!
I am just going to run down a list showing whom I think is in and whom I think is the back up.
Western Hemisphere
Catcher:
J.D. Boom
Boom has been putting up great numbers all season long; he deserves to be in
the game. When you do good you deserve to be rewarded and he has definitely
been doing well. Hope the voting system doesn’t screw him over.
Back up:
Sam Hill
This was a hard choice, it was down to Hill or Zito, and I think Hill deserves to be the back up because he is very consistent year in and year out, and might not be having the best season of his career, but he is still helping his team win games, and has them ahead of Zito’s team right.
First Base:
Jason Rhiner
All-Stars are the players who help their team out dramatically, and that’s what Rhiner does. Even if the team around him sucks, he brings them up a level just by playing his heart out. He’s an all star for even trying to help out a team like the Chill.
Back up:
Blake Roberts
Roberts is just an awesome player, but just doesn’t quite have the ability that Rhiner has, so I think he’ll see some playing time as the back up
Second Base:
Shammond Guzman
Guzman is leading his expansion team the top of the West right now, and when you can do that it’s an amazing thing. Guzman performs well day in day out. He is a shoe-in for the spot.
Back Up:
Greg K.
If I must pick one then I guess him. No reason, only because I had to pick one
Shortstop:
Smitty Springfield
Springfield, another Caracas player, has been helping out the expansion Cougars and helping them win games against tough teams like Montreal and St. Louis. When you come to an expansion team and you’re efforts help them win, that’s when you’re an all star.
Back Up:
Aaron Naiditch
Naiditch is an unsung hero. He works very hard, and is playing very well right now. Even if his team blows, he continues to improve and may very well be the back up in this game.
Third Base:
Brooks Simmons
Wow no one in the WH is a great stand out third baseman. This is the only one I see that works to improve and get better, so it goes to him
Emmanuel Toombs
Toombs was good, but then he stopped improving and now he’s just a wash up. His ability is still good enough to earn him the back up spot though.
Outfielders (no back-ups):
Andrew Biggs (LF)
Biggs is a good consistent ballplayer who is willing to improve to help his team. With his talent and heart he deserves to be the Starter at this spot.
Greg Torlone (RF):
Torlone is surprising a lot of people this year with his hitting ability. He hits the ball very well, and is better then a lot of people know. He deserves this spot, but if enough people know about him is the real question.
ANX (CF):
ANX is just an amazing player, he will most likely get the spot because of his name, but really Jermaine Guzman has outplayed him and deserves the spot. I still think that ANX will get this because of his name.
Jermaine Guzman (Back Up CF):
I had to do a back up here because Guzman has been hitting the crap out of the ball this season. He really deserves to start, but with ANX’s name and all, he won’t be able to. Guzman is the best CF in the league this year, if you ask me, but hey who asked me?
Closer:
Mike Domas Jr.
Domas Jr. has been saving games like crazy this season. He is on fire and deserves the start.
Back Up:
Thomas Kenny
Kenny is still a beast for a pitcher, and is a great closer, and is automatic when it comes to closing.
Starting Pitcher:
Jeremy Shirley:
Shirley is still the single most dominant pitcher in the game, he will be the starter because he has worked hard, and deserves it.
Other Pitchers to make it:
Nolan Ryan
Mujuri Shipal
K-Rod
Brian Lawley
Corey Whitney
Those are our picks for the WH, sorry but we don’t have enough time for the EH. We’ll let you know who made the squad and who won in the next edition. See ya then.