BRASSball League News
May 2004
AL Report
(AL Reporter ñ Robert Smith)
AL Notes
AL EAST Expanded Standings
|
||||||
|
|
W-L |
GB |
HOME |
ROAD |
Vs LH |
1-RUN |
|
Bakersfield Rattlers |
28-28 |
--- |
15-13 |
13-15 |
12-10 |
10-8 |
|
Moline Cutters |
23-33 |
5 |
13-15 |
10-18 |
11-11 |
9-9 |
|
Hessville Everreadys |
18-38 |
10 |
11-17 |
7-21 |
6-16 |
8-6 |
|
Minnesota Mudcats |
15-41 |
13 |
8-20 |
7-21 |
6-16 |
4-17 |
The Rattlers went 14-14
again in May thus increasing their lead in the East to 5 games. AJ Pierzynski
hit a whopping .391 for the month while Andruw Jones supplied the pop with 12
homeruns and 22 rbi. Jeremy Burnitz also contributed to the tune of 7 homeruns
and 23 rbi. The pitching staff was led by pitcher of the month Tim Hudson.
Hudson went 5-1 with a sparkling 2.47 era. Wade Miller also had a good month
going 4-0 with a 3.43 era.
AL BATTING: J. Phillips, MAU .395, Ibanez, PAR
.383, Thome, NWH .380
The Cutters went 13-15 for
the month of May to remain in 2nd place, 5 games behind Bakersfield.
Pedro Feliz had another solid month smacking 10 homeruns while driving in 21.
Despite hitting only .177, Torii Hunter hit 8 homeruns and drove in 19. Ramon
Martinez provided the spark hitting .364 with 11 doubles. The pitching was
solid as both Carlos Zambrano and Mark Prior were 3-0 with low ERaís. Elmer
Dessensí job could be in jeopardy after posting a 1-5 record and a terrible
7.33 era.
AL RBI: Thome, NHW 31, Ibanez, PAR 28, M. Ramirez,
BOS 26, Salmon, PAR 24
The Everreadys continued
to struggle as they again went 9-19 to fall 10 games back. One of the offensive
bright spots for Hessville was the ageless Craig Biggio. Biggio hit .303 with 8
doubles and 2 homeruns. Power continues to be a problem for the Everreadys as
they hit only 19 homeruns for the month. The pitching was pounded to the tune
of a 7.10 era. Everyone chipped in but by far the biggest culprit was Steve
Parris who had a whopping 21.27 era and a 0-4 record. In 22 innings Parris
yielded a mind-boggling 70 hits.
AL OBP: Thome, NWH .473, J. Phillips, MAU .459, Ibanez, PAR .454
The
Mudcats improved on their April record by going 9-19 in May, still good for
last place though. Minnesota had a good offensive month batting .288 as a team
with 37 homeruns. Alex Rodriguez continued to put up solid power numbers
hitting 8 homeruns while driving in 18, but he continues to struggle with his
batting average hitting only .238 for May. Craig Wilson had a big month for the
Mudcats with 8 homeruns, 16 rbi and a .351 batting average in only 57 at bats.
Jeremy Bonderman pitched well for an otherwise underwhelming pitching staff
going 3-0 with a 4.75 era.
AL HITS: Ibanez, PAR 44, R. Martinez, MOL 43, M.
Young, PAR 42, Thome, NWH 41
AL CENTRAL Expanded Standings
|
||||||
|
|
W-L |
GB |
HOME |
ROAD |
Vs LH |
1-RUN |
|
New Hampshire |
33-23 |
--- |
21-7 |
12-16 |
12-9 |
10-12 |
|
Cook County |
27-29 |
6 |
12-16 |
15-13 |
9-13 |
4-6 |
|
Plaza Lions |
23-33 |
10 |
11-17 |
12-16 |
7-12 |
4-7 |
|
Box City Parcelman |
22-34 |
11 |
13-15 |
9-19 |
7-14 |
5-6 |
New Hampshire increased
their lead in the Central division with an impressive 17-11 record in May. Offensively
the Derry Heifers ripped apart the league batting .295 with 40 homeruns and 162
rbi. They were led by the player of the month Jim Thome. Thome hit 10 homeruns
drove in 31 and hit .380. Also contributing was Jose Cruz Jr who hit .327 with
5 homeruns and 20 rbi. The pitching staff held their own as well. Closer
Fransico Rodriguez notched 7 saves to go with a 0.90 era. Middleman Chad
Bradford appeared in a stunning 26 of the Derry Heifers 28 games. Bradford was
4-1 with a 3.94 era.
AL HRíS: A. Jones, BAK 12, M. Ramirez, BOS 11, N.
Johnson, LIO 11
Who said the Maulers were
rebuilding? Cook County went 15-13 for the month to remain in 2nd
place 6 games back. The Maulers were led by rookie of the year candidate Jason
Phillips who hit .395 with 3 homeruns and 16 rbi. Chris Stynes also had a big
month hitting .368 with 11 doubles, 4 homeruns and 17 rbi. The pitching staff
came around for the Maulers in May as the team pitched to a respectable 4.29
era. Jon Garland led the way with a 2-0 record and a 2.09 era.
AL RUNS SCORED: N. Johnson, LIO 26, Thome, NWH 25,
M. Ramirez, BOS 24
The Plaza Lions also
improved on their April record going 13-15. Offensively the Lions were led by
Geoff Jenkins who hit .314 with 8 homeruns and 20 rbi. Nick Johnson continued his
fine season hitting .282 with 11 homeruns and 22 rbi. The Lions pitching staff
got a shot in the arm from rookie Brett Myers. Myers was 3-1 with a 2.09 era.
Ben Sheets contributed a 3-3 record but had a robust 4.81 era.
AL STEALS: Pierre, BUL 18, Podsednik, BUL 10, D.
Roberts, TOL 9, E. Young, MUD 9
The Box City Parcelman
remained in last place in the tough central division despite their 14-14
record. The Parcelman had a big offensive month as a team hitting .299 with 40
homeruns. Box City was led by Raul Ibanezí .383 batting average, 5 homeruns and
28 rbi. Michael Young had another solid month batting .333 with 6 doubles, 4
triples and 3 homeruns. The offense wasnít just led by the younger guys as
veteran Tim Salmon hit .295 with 7 homers and 24 rbi. Pitching continued to be
the problem for Box City as the team era was 7.16. Brett Tomko was lucky to get
some offensive support as he was 4-1 but posted a 4.65 era.
AL WEST Expanded Standings
|
||||||
|
|
W-L |
GB |
HOME |
ROAD |
Vs LH |
1-RUN |
|
Santa Barbara |
33-23 |
--- |
18-10 |
15-13 |
8-6 |
8-12 |
|
Toledo Mudhens |
32-24 |
1 |
19-9 |
13-15 |
8-8 |
5-11 |
|
Boston Rust |
23-33 |
10 |
12-16 |
11-17 |
7-9 |
6-6 |
|
Brooklyn Bulldogs |
19-37 |
14 |
10-18 |
9-19 |
7-9 |
9-11 |
The Outlaws broke free of
their April tie with Toledo to go 15-13 in May, grabbing a slim 1 game lead. Garret
Anderson continued to lead an otherwise disappointing Outlaw offense hitting
.374 with 3 homeruns and 17 rbi. Nomar Garciaparra chipped in with 4 homeruns
and 14 rbi. The Outlaws are in 1st place because of their pitching
staff. The Outlaw staff compiled a mesmerizing team era of 3.04. Leading the
way for the Outlaws was Roy Halladay who went 3-1 with a 2.05 era. Not to be
outdone Bartolo Colon was 4-0 with a 2.17 era.
AL SAVES: Kim, OUT 8, Cordero, NWH 7, Foulke, RAT
6, Guardado, TOL 5
The Mudhens slipped 1 game
back after going 14-14. Toledo had a tough time offensively as the team could
only manage 27 homeruns with a .241 batting average. Bill Mueller was one of
the lone bright spots as he hit .279 with 3 homeruns and 13 rbi. David Ortiz
continued to put up power numbers hitting 5 homers while driving in 16. The
pitching kept the Mudhens afloat in May. The team era was a solid 3.35. Leading
the way was Mike Mussina who contributed a 4-3 record with a 3.05 era while
rookir Ryan Franklin continued to impress with a 4-0 record and 3.27 era.
AL APPS: Bradford, NWH 26, Cordero, NWH 16,
Fuentes, MAU 16
Boston fell 10 games
behind West-leading Santa Barbara in May posting a horrible 7-21 record.
Another weak hitting offensive display in the west as the Rust hit .253 as a
team with only 22 homers. Aubrey Huff had a big month hitting .304 with 5
homers and 20 rbi. Fresh off his player of the month award for April, Manny
Ramirez continued to shine batting .296 with 11 homers and 26 rbi. The Rust
pitching staff fared no better as they were hit with a 7.18 era. Kevin Millwood
was the lone bright spot as he pitched to a 3-3 record and 3.70 era.
AL OPP BA: Zambrano, MOL .159, J. Gonzalez, MAU,
.169, Wood, BUL .170
The Bulldogs continued to
keep the basement warm in the west with a 9-19 month. If you thought the other
western division teams couldnít hit you didnít watch the Bulldogs. Brooklynís
offense was missing in action. The team hit .232 with an abysmal 13 homeruns
and 70 rbi. Rookie Scott Podsednik continued his hot hitting with a .304 average and 10 stolen bases. The
other speedster, Juan Pierre, swiped 18 bases while hitting .282. Pitching
helped Brooklyn get their 9 wins. Rookie Zach Day was solid posting a 2-2
record to go with a 2.92 era. Aprilís pitcher of the month, Kerry Wood received
no support as he was 1-3 with a 3.15 era.
American League Player of the Month: Jim
Thome
American League Pitcher of the Month: Tim
Hudson
NL Report
(NL Reporter ñ Ray Martin)
Another dominant month by
the NL has been realized. The NL
is currently a ridiculous +80 versus the Junior Circuit. In fact, the six best
records in Brass belong to NL teams.
Unfortunately, the inter-league portion is winding down and theses
records will no longer be able to increase versus the weaker AL.
The battle between the NL
best continues to be a good one, as both Corey and Andy continue to win games
at above a .750 clip, Corey at a juggernaut pace of over .800. The NL East is clearly the division of
balance as three teams are separated by less than three games, with only Port
Richey falling out of the fold.
Stanley has forged a solid lead, but not insurmountable, as Bloomington
is still hanging around at .500.
#1 Ocala (45-11)
Predicted/Previous Week (#2/#1)
Ocala remains #1 with a 22-6
month. This team is simply
dominant. A mix of the 3rd
best hitting and 4th best pitching has elevated them clearly to the
top. The hitting did fall off
slightly in May with a team average of .264, but this didnít reflect in a fall
off in their record for the month.
Helton continues to put up MVP type numbers and hit .315 with nine
dingers and 22 RBI for the month.
These efforts were greatly enhance with the pop provided from
Giles(.329, 3, 13), Sheffield( .290, 7, 21), and Boone (.300, 7, 20). On the pitching side an outstanding
2.66 era was forged with the entire staffís input. Cormier continues to get the majority of the save
opportunities (6 of 10 for the month).
Oswalt dominated for the month compiling a 2.19 era in six starts and a 3-0
record. Shields was the biggest
winner for the month, going 5-0 in five starts and pitching two complete games
to go along with a 2.87 era.
Having stretched their lead out to thee games, these fine individual
results will have to continue to stave off the meteoric Metropolis bunch.
#2 Metropolis (42-14)
Predicted/Previous Week (#1/#2)
Another dominant month for
Metropolis, but Ocala remains ahead of them and clearly perched in the one
hole. On the offensive side they
were well served with the nearly twin production of Bonds (.310, 10, 23) and
Sexson (.300, 10, 30). These efforts clearly led a mediocre overall offense for
the month with a .255 composite team average. The pitching accumulated an amazing 2.32 team Era, with two
Cy Young contenders leading the way.
Pedro made six starts, going 4-2, striking out over a guy an inning and
having a ratio of well under a 1.0.
Schmidt went 3-0, with two complete games and a shutout in just five
starts. These efforts were
bolstered by a renaissance by Johnson (5-0 in six starts with 44 Kís). The bullpen stepped up as well, with
Wagner, Dotel and Gagne accumulating six saves in 30 innings while also
managing a ridiculous 47 Kís.
Everything remains in place for this to be the clearly dominant team in
the NL, save those pesky studs from Ocala.
#3 Glen Allen (38-18)
Predicted/Previous Week (#4/#3)
Glen Allen stays the best
amongst the second tier in the NL.
The offense was solid throughout the month, as many players were
utilized likely for future usage purposes. The .291 average demonstrates that the managing of this was
well done. Both Pujols (.348, 9
and 20) and Nixon (.322, 4 and 20) played magnificently in fulltime
action. Once again behind the
scenes this team did extremely well with 111 walks for the month versus just
159 Kís. The pitching was also
solid with a stalwart effort being provided by Zito (5-0 in six starts). The team was 18-5 without the efforts
of Hampton (0-5 for the month).
One ace in place of Hampton and weíd be talking about the big three in
the NL, rather than just the pair.
#4 Stanley (37-19)
Predicted/Previous Week (#3/#4)
Stanley continues to lead
their division and enjoys one of the largest leads in Brass. However, they are seriously in jeopardy
of being tagged the fifth-to-seventh-best team in the NL. The offense was clearly trying to avoid
this fate with a composite .310 average and 57 dingers. The individual efforts were many,
but Lopez (.389, 13 and 39) was
just Ruthian. Koskie, Winn, Alou
and Edmonds combined to hit over .300 with 19 homers and 65 RBI. The pitching remains the difficult part
for this team, as they had a combined, and less than stellar, 4.85 ERA. Only Kevin Brown (2-0 with 3.55 ERA)
pitched well amongst the starters.
Ayala, Hammond and Hasegawa led the pen, but they too fell prey to
giving up the long ball, which greatly masked the offensive production. This team needs a couple of the middle
of the rotation type starters and a dominant bullpen arm to move up from their
current ranking.
#5 Charlevoix (38-18)
Predicted/Previous Week (#11/#8)
Okay, Iím starting to
believe, but Iím not sure how this is happening. Back to back 19-9 records have resulted in the jump to #5
and the highest ranking versus their preseason thought prowess. Offensively, this team remains
outstanding. A .301 average for
the month, while resting some studs (amazing), while also hitting 55 HRís is
simply awesome. The bats were led
by Green (.367, 5, 23) Loretta (.339, 3, 9) and Pena (.317, 8, 24). These overachievers filled in admirably
while Guerrero was rested for a dominant conclusion to the season. The pen with Lidge, Adams and Sparks
again surprised, but is simply too weak to allow for consistent bullpen success
without garnishing another power arm to go along with Lidge. The starters continue to utilize
Vaseline, KY, emory boards and good ole fashion spit to stay in games long
enough for the offense to win the games.
J Glavine and Leiter pitched okay, but
gave up way too many HRís. 21 of
the 37 allowed HRís came from this duo with Lowe included as well. Lowe, along with Suppan represent the
greatest hindrance to further improvement for this team.
#6 Springfield (35-21)
Predicted/Previous Week (#5/#5)
Springfield falls one spot,
but still looks to have the talent to place higher, but not to challenge the
big two. The offensive was solid
with a .289 average and clouting a respectable 37 HRís. The offense was aided from the power of
Blalock (.250, 9, 25). Berroa,
Martinez and Grissom all cleared .300 and were heavily depended upon for
offense. Berroa at .370 and
Martinez with nearly a .500 OB% were the foundation blocks for the team. The starters were solid with all five
being respectable or at least expected to be in the future, in the case of
Mulder. Washburn (4-0 3.33 ERA),
Redman (1-2, 3.58 ERA and 1 CG), Ortiz (2-1, 4.35 ERA and 1CG), Mulder (4-1,
4.65) and Lohse (2-3, 4.46 and 2 CG) are the anchors to an otherwise mediocre
pitching staff. The pen survived
another month with Ryan, Shuey and Remlinger keeping leads and doing well to
provide dependable late inning relief.
Shuey going six for six in save opportunities was surprising and his
being depended upon speaks highly to the need to secure a power arm in the pen
for this season to stay on track.
#7 Gem City (31-25)
Predicted/Previous Week (#9/#7)
Gem City would be a title
contender if only they were in the Al.
As is, they are closest to an 11 game uphill battle for the wildcard.
That being said they had another solid month behind the hitting of Walker .363,
2HR, 18RBI and 12 walks. Also
contributing to the effort were Lofton (.330 and 10 steals) and Spiezio (.298,
20 Runs, 4HRís and 13 RBI). This
solid hitting was greatly enhanced through a 3.76 era, which fell on two
starters (Radke 2-4 3.08 and Ponson 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA) and a solid pen
(Franco 1.69 ERA in 16 innings, Looper 1.29 ERA in 7 innings, Brower 2-1, 2
saves in 19 innings and White with solid production in 13 appearances
encompassing nearly 25 innings).
With little to no hope of a playoff berth in the stacked NL, and stuck
behind Brassís two finest team, Gem City will have a great deal to do with
settling the playoff participants either through dealing losses or through
becoming an active trading partner to those above them with holes.
#8 Bloomington (28-28)
Predicted/Previous Week (#5/#6)
12 more wins and a .500
record allow them to maintain the #8 spot. The bullpen and weak 3-5 in the rotation eliminated another
month with a winning record. The
offense however was up to the task with an accumulated .307 average. Soriano is an MVP candidate with a .402
average, 5HR, 23 RBI, 22 Runs and 11 steals for the month. Rodriguez (.381, 6 HR, 17 RBI and 20
Runs), Conine (.370, 6HR and 24 RBI) and Suzuki (.326, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 20 Runs
and 9 Steals) were all highly productive in the 12 wins. Borowski did his damnedest giving up 0
earned runs in 13+ innings, but Rivera managed to secure three losses to go
with his mere four saves and cinched a losing record for the month. Beckett (3.24 ERA in 25 innings and 3-0
record) and Sabathia (3.67 ERA, 2CG and 3-0 record in 34 innings) were
stalwarts in the rotation. Unlike
higher rated Gem City, Bloomington remains in the divisional race with a worse
record, but a nine game deficit will need to be addressed in the next monthís
play.
#9 North Georgia (22-34)
Predicted/Previous Week (#7/#9)
North Georgia joins Gem City
and the rest of the NL non-contenders in having the pleasure of determining the
playoff berths of others through games played or active trading. May saw not a lot of highlights as the
team combined for a .260 average and a less than stellar 5.04 ERA. Smoltz rebounded from a rough April
with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and 2.31 ERA.
Schoenweis was heavily depended upon for 31 relief innings just to get
through games without greater inflicted damage. T. Lilly, rumored to be on the block, deserved better than
his 1-4 record. David Wells, H.
Ramirez and A. Pettite all were truly forgettable, at least for non-North
Georgia fans. On the offensive
side only Renteria was deserving of praise with a .314 Ave, 20 Runs, 13 RBI and
7 steals. Teixeira was a severe
disappointment with a .213 average and just 3HR and 13 RBI in fulltime action.
#10 Maine (23-33)
Predicted/Previous Week (#8/#10)
No real improvement here,
but no greater decline realized as well.
The team averaged .249 for the month and had an okay ERA of 4.95. The pitching was led steadily by May
(3-3 with a 3.55 ERA),
Hentgen (3-1 with a 3.66 ERA) and Santana (0-4 but a respectable 3.92
ERA). K. Wunsch got an amazing 5
saves with a 0.00 ERA in just seven innings. Carlos Beltran is truly a man amongst boys on this team and
showed it with a .337, 3HR and 14 RBI, this coupled with his 22 runs
represented the offensive highlights for the month
#11 Port Richey (22-34)
Predicted/Previous Week (#12/#11)
Identical 11-17 records
still kept them out of the NL cellar.
With a .299 cumulative average and a 4.22 ERA they certainly couldíve
had a much better month. Mientkiewicz
(.410, 2HR, 18 RBI and 21 RBI) was simply dominant. His efforts and those of Payton (.398, 6HR, 23RBI and 20
Runs) were simply the leaders of a fine effort from nearly all of the Port
Richey hitters. The pitching with
Speier (2 saves in 22 quality innings), DeLosSantos (3.33 in 27 innings despite
18 walks) and Victor Zambrano (3.35 ERA and 3-0) was solid as well. Despite the monthly improvement on
offense and defense, they still need to find a way to win the close games or at
least garnish a little greater luck.
#12 Fleetwood (15-41)
Predicted/Previous Week (#10/#12)
The 6.31 ERA says it
all. Only in competitive softball
would this be good. The offense
clearly led the way in the 9 wins by hitting .274. Abreu and Jimenez led the way by both clearing .300. Fultz and Boehringer were surprisingly
effective in 35 relief innings. J.
Seo went 2-1 in six starts with a 3.41 ERA. After these three the performances for regular pitchers was
truly dismal. This team, like
those immediately above them, is in the enviable position of being able to hold
the keys to the contenderís chances and can clearly make out through astute
trades and salary dumping for future flexibility.
National League Player of the Month: Javy
Lopez
National League Pitcher of the Month: Pedro
Martinez
Statistician Position: Still Open
Dave Little has decided to resign his post as League Statistician, effective immediately or until a viable replacement is found (or he decides he wants to stay longer). If you have interest in this position, let me know. Be sure to elaborate on your experience / abilities. In other words, explain the things that will make you an asset in this position.
Trades
- Cook County trades Carl Everett
to New Hampshire for Bubba Nelson and New Hampshireís 2005 2nd
round draft choice.
- Toledo trades Felix Rodriguez
and Julio Franco to Charlevoix for Charlevoixís 2006 2nd round
draft choice.
Upcoming League Deadlines
June 15
June Home Series Results deadline
Series results for June are due to home opponents, League Statistician and Backup Statistician.
July Trade deadline.
Trades must be reported to the LD by this date to be
effective for July
June 25
July Rotation deadline.
Starting pitcher rotations for July games due to the LD.
July Road Instructions deadline.
Instructions (HAL) for July games are due to road opponents.
League Membership Articles
Jim Clarkís Met Watch is below.
Mets Watch May 2004
Still in
First Place in N. L. East
The Mets remain on top of their division, although they are actually tied with Charlevoix with 38-18 records, which is the third best in all of Brassball. Manager Clark, although please with his teamís present position reiterates an annual message to the team, ìThe season in not the 60 yard dash but rather a marathon. We are about one third of the way to the finish line, so we must continue to play our game, be fundamentally sound cut down on our mistakes and take advantage of what the opponent gives us. We are doing well in all facets of our game, but there is always room for some improvement. We realize that injuries and slumps are something to contend with, so minor changes will be in order. ì
Pitching Coach Jimmy Key like to see the team ERA around the 4.20 mark, but we still give up too many walks. ìMy biggest disappointment so far has been Hampton. Mike was a key acquisition in the off-season and he did not pitch too well last month. (Stats: 0-5 29.1 IP 53 hits and 28 earned runs) I have been please with the work of Jeriome Robertson and his two complete games, which is second on the team to Zito. Next month he will get an additional start from Hampton.î
Claudio Vargas- hyper extended elbow will be on disabled list at least two months, spot in the rotation will be take by Runelvys Hernandez who had been on rehab.
David Segui- knee trouble will be replaced by Ricky Ledee.
Mark McLemore- shoulder trouble has led to poor hitting and defense, replaced by Chris Gomez.
Luis Vizciano-blister mop up role will go to Juan Rincon.
Maintenance Award: Melvin Mora batted .387 in April and again in May.
Most RBI: Dimitri Young 24 for the month.
Improved average: Reed Johnson +51 points.
Player of the month: Albert (I want to go to the All-Star game) Pujols- nine home runs, 20 RBI, 39 hits, 8 doubles, 33 runs.
Plummeted average: Vance Wilson from .400 to .264 & Quinton McCracken .360 to .237
Barry Zito has started the season 10-0. He thanked his teammates for coming
back when he pitched his worst game against Minnesota and they got him off the
hook.
95% The Mets have only been thrown out one time in twenty
attempted stolen bases. Mookie
Wilson had a career known for his base running and was all smiles about the
teams success so far, ìWe are just doing great! We pick our spots and will not run when the game is out
of reach just to pad our stats.
A few guys have the eternal red light, but we have seven guys with
stolen bases. As long as we
finish above 80% Iíll be happy.î