May, 2017
Chapter
Two Recap
Players of the Chapter
While the Bear Country Jamboree haven't
exactly "thrown in the towel", they're waving it in the air like Rocky
Balboa at the end of the last Apollo Creed fight. Whatever
disappointment Jamboree fans may feel at this point, it isn't due to the
lack of effort from Daniel Murphy. He led the Ozzie League in batting
average (.406), slugging (.755), and runs created (34.3) in Chapter Two,
and posted an OBP or .429. He is our OL Hitter of the Chapter.
Akron's David Ortiz may have retired
from baseball, but he's still active in the BDBL. Big Papi hit an
incredible .417/.473/.904 (yes, that slugging percentage is accurate) in
Chapter Two, leading the EL in all three triple-slash categories. He
also led the EL in hits, runs scored, RBI's, home runs, doubles, and
runs created. Basically, he led the league in just about everything. Not
bad for an old retired ballplayer.
It was the "Trade Heard 'Round the
World." On Thanksgiving Day, 2014, no one was more thankful on that day
than Jeff Paulson. Fresh off of a mediocre 82-78 season, the Undertakers
were poised to dominate in 2015. Their starting rotation was already the
best in the league when they made that deal announced on Thanksgiving,
which added Cy Young ace Chris Sale to the already-bloated rotation.
It's no coincidence that Los Altos would go on to win the next two BDBL
championships. Sale has continued to dominate for Los Altos in 2017. He
went a perfect 6-0 in Chapter Two, with a 1.86 ERA, and an opponents
average of .220/.270/.312.
The St. Louis Apostles won 23 games in
Chapter Two in no small part thanks to the effort of Rich Hill. Our EL
Pitcher of the Chapter posted a 1.99 ERA in Chapter Two, and led the
league in all three triple-slash categories: .157/.216/.222.
Top Stories of the
Chapter
Story #1: Here Come the Apostles
The 2016 season is apparently playing
out again in 2017. Last year, the Apostles got off to a slow start,
while the Niagara Locks forged ahead into first place. Then, the two
teams flip-flopped in Chapter Two. The same pattern has played out this
season, as the Locks went just 12-16 in Chapter Two, while St. Louis led
the BDBL with 23 wins.
The Apostles now hold a NINE-GAME lead
in a division race that appears to be over already. St. Louis scored
more runs than every other EL team last chapter except for Charlotte,
and they allowed fewer runs than any EL team. Meanwhile, Niagara saw
their pitching staff crumble in Chapter Two. They allowed a 4.64 team
ERA, allowed more hits (270) than innings pitched (258), and coughed up
38 home runs to opposing batters.
It appears that Niagara's biggest issue
is the back of their starting rotation. Ivan Nova and Archie Bradley
started fourteen games combined last chapter, and allowed a whopping 56
earned runs in 76 innings -- a 6.63 ERA.
So, now the question is: what will Mike
Ranney do from here? Given that the chapter's trading deadline passed
without a move being made tells me that he's giving it one more chapter
to shake out. If Niagara doesn't gain any ground over the next six
weeks, then we can expect Ranney to place Alex Fernandez and Johnny
Cueto on the block. If either of those two pitchers ends up in the hands
of any of the current division leaders, then we may as well award the
trophy to that team now.
Story #2: Great Scott!
Don't look now, but the Great Lakes
Sphinx are doing it again. Every year, it seems as though they squeeze
the maximum value possible out of the least amount of talent. This year
is no exception. The Sphinx managed to win 20 games in Chapter Two
despite the fact that they are the only division-leading team in the
BDBL that has been outscored by their opponents this season. They are
out-winning the Pythagorean formula by six wins thanks to their
mind-numbing 13-2 record (yes, 13-2) in one-run games.
Obviously, it is incredibly unlikely
that they will be able to sustain this pace. Still, with a move here and
there, they could maintain their lead (currently two games over the
Kansas Law Dogs) and take advantage of their early-season luck. A great
way to do that would be to find some way to boot Blazers castaway
Hisashi Iwakuma (6.63 ERA in 58+ IP) or Martin Perez (6.35 ERA in 56+
IP) out of the rotation. If the Sphinx could add an ace like, say, Alex
Fernandez or Johnny Cueto, that would certainly go a long way toward
ensuring a spot in the Tournament of Randomness.
Story #3: Sleeping On Charlotte
Did we all miss something about the
Charlotte Mustangs this year? Apparently so. Out of thirteen votes in
our pre-season polling, not one person voted for Charlotte to win this
division. I personally predicted a third-place finish on this page. Yes,
just one year after losing 104 games, the Mustangs sport the best record
in the Hrbek Division, hold a five-game lead over the second-place Akron
Ryche, and have outscored their opponents by more runs than any other
team in the EL.
Last chapter, I posited that
Charlotte's unexpected rise to the top of the division was a fluke that
would correct itself in Chapter Two. To some extent, I was right, as the
Mustangs went just 14-14 on the chapter. But in addition to evaluating
Charlotte's strengths we also have to consider the weakness of the other
teams in that division.
The Chicago Black Sox are the only
other team in the division that outscored their opponents in Chapter
Two. In fact, they outscored their opponents by more than twice as many
runs as Charlotte -- and yet they finished the Chapter just 12-16. With
his team now trailing by six games, GM John Gill has already issued his
annual white flag selling post. He's yet to make a move, however, so he
has another chapter to change his mind (which he often does!)
Akron also went 12-16 last chapter, and
allowed more runs than every other EL team except the Kansas Law Dogs.
Can we expect D.J. "Stand Pat" Shepard to make a bold move to bolster
his team down the stretch? If he did, it would be a first in his 19-year
BDBL career.
Then there are the Cleveland Rocks,
winners of just eleven games last chapter. They are now eight games out
of the division race despite owning the best team ERA in the Eck League.
Their problem (as it seems every year) is offense. Only the lowly South
Carolina Sea Cats have scored fewer runs than Cleveland this season.
Even if Cleveland adds a power bat to their lineup, it probably wouldn't
be enough to make them competitive.
The Mustangs may not have the best team
on paper in this division, but they could very well back their way into
a division title.
Story #4: Break Up the Outlaws
This is supposed to be a rebuilding
year in Flagstaff, and yet the Outlaws managed to win 18 games in
Chapter Two, launching them one game ahead of the Bear Country Jamboree
into second place in the division, and closing the gap in the OL wild
card race to just six games. They are now six games above .500 despite
having been outscored by three runs this season.
Their 10-2 record in one-run games is a
major reason for their success to this point, and a major reason for
that is the performance of the Flagstaff bullpen. In particular, Shawn
Kelley (0.81 ERA in 22+ IP, with only 11 baserunners allowed) and Tony
Watson (1.14 ERA in 23+ IP, with 18 baserunners allowed) have been
absolutely filthy.
Flagstaff's main competition in the
division, Bear Country, spent the past few weeks exchanging some of
their best players for slightly worse players in an exercise that is
neither "throwing in the towel" or "trying your hardest." It reminds me
of the old Sharky strategy of "compete while rebuilding", which never
seemed to pay dividends.
In any event, Nelson Cruz is now
getting sized for a championship ring, and Ryan Dull and Adam Warren are
trying to get used to the smell of Nestle Field. As much as those moves
weaken Bear Country's odds of making the playoffs, they bolster
Flagstaff's odds of maintaining their momentum. Whether or not either
team can catch the stumbling, perennially-disappointing Cowtippers is a
matter for the Baseball Gods to decide.
Story #5: The Behemoths of the Ozzie
Last year, when the Undertakers won an
absolutely-ridiculous 128 games, we all figured (i.e. hoped) that we'd
never witness something so absurd ever again. Well, don't look now, but
the New Milford Blazers are only three wins off of that pace. After two
chapters of play, the Blazers are sporting a nifty record of 42-14 -- a
.750 winning percentage. They posted a 2.50 team ERA last chapter, and
sit at 2.62 for the season. Think about that.
Meanwhile, the Undertakers' record is a
meager 40-16, but they've outscored their opponents by a whopping 115
runs already. Last year at this time, en route to an all-time BDBL
record for runs differential, the Undertakers had outscored their
opponents by 127 runs.
The more things change in the BDBL, the
more they stay the same. |