Thursday, June 12, 2014

Season 23 Wrap Up - Dover completes the three-peat

Dover
Dover Diamond Dogs (NL)
wylie715
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Dover takes it all once again in Season 23!

Dover is your Season 23 Cobbfather champion, becoming the first team in World history to win three consecutive titles.  Three other teams had won back-to-back titles, but none could complete the three-peat until now.  It wasn't an easy road for Dover to the World Series, as they fell behind Pittsburgh 2-1 in the Divsional Series and were down 2-0 to Florida in the NLCS.   Once they got to the main event, they breezed through, sweeping Charlotte 4-0 to take the crown.  Charlotte was coming off an incredibly tough battle with #1 Atlanta in the ALCS, squeezing out a close 4-3 win.  They just did not have much left after that, but it was a great season for them nonetheless, as the franchise was making its first postseason appearance since Season 14. 

An interesting element to the Dover story is, of course, that they switched owners in the offseason when jiml60 retired.  wylie715 stepped in, and kept the success going, despite losing a key free agent or two in the offseason.  This happened to be wylie's first HBD title, so a hearty congrats to him indeed. 

Thanks to all for making Season 23 a great one, don't forget to renew your teams, and we'll be back soon for Season 24 after a hopefully quick rollover!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Season 23 Award Winners

With the World Series going on, it also means Awards time, so let's look at who took home the hardware in Season 23!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Albert Cruz, Pawtucket - .322 AVG 51 HR 139 RBI
Cruz won the AL MVP in a blowout, with a tremendous season that saw him league the lead in Slugging and OPS, while finishing top 3 in the triple crown categories.  This is his 2nd consecutive MVP award, a very impressive feat for the 23 year old.  No player in Cobbfather history has won 3 MVP awards, much less three in a row, so it looks like Cruz could be the first on both counts. 

National League - Willie Cerda, Little Rock - .323 AVG 61 HR 138 RBI
Cerda won his first MVP with a dominant season where he led the NL in Home Runs, Runs, Slugging and OPS.  Cerda keeps the streak alive, becoming the 17th different NL MVP in the past 17 seasons.  Given what an incredible bat Cerda has, and the fact that he is only 25 years old, that streak could be ending very soon.    

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Ron Gross, Pawtucket - 18-3 2.68 ERA 171 K
Gross took the Cy Young award in a year there wasn't a dominant AL pitcher, but several very good ones, making  Pawtucket the home of both the MVP and Cy Young winner.  Gross's 18-3 record and very good ERA is what likely stood out to voters.   This was his first Cy Young win. 

National League - Don Monahan, Dover - 20-2 2.07 ERA 241 K
Unlike the AL, the NL did have a dominant pitcher, making the Cy Young voting a no-brainer.  On top of winning the pitching triple crown, Monahan also led the league in Innings Pitched and Quality Starts.  Monahan has compiled a ridiculous 93-13 record in 4 and a half seasons with Dover.  This is his 2nd Cy Young win, also taking the award in Season 20.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Gregory Evans, Trenton - 13-9 2.50 ERA 134 K
Evans impressed with a stellar rookie campaign for Trenton to take home the AL Rookie of the Year award.  Evans looks legit, and should be a future contender for the Cy Young award.  He won't strike out a ton of guys, but has a very crafty arsenal that should make him elite for seasons to come. 

National League - Lefty Leverton, Buffalo - 17-7 3.02 ERA 171 K
Leverton was a workhorse for Buffalo, posting great stats in route to capturing the NL Rookie of the Year title.  Leverton should be able to throw a ton of quality innings for many seasons to come.  He might not quite be elite, but he will be a solid workhorse and a valuable asset to any rotation.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Gus Masaoka, Atlanta - 3.20 ERA 48 SV, 1st win
National League - Will Ogden, Dover - 3.10 ERA 45 SV, 1st win

Silver Slugger Awards
American League
DH Crash Meacham Atlanta 2nd
C Michael Minor Pawtucket 1st
1B Albert Cruz Pawtucket 2nd
2B Philip Vasquez San Francisco 1st
3B Brooks Gose Trenton 2nd
SS James Dillard Charlotte 2nd
LF Neifi Gandarillas Louisville 1st
CF Joshua Hendrick San Juan 1st
RF Vladimir Troncoso San Juan 1st

National League
P Daniel Haselman Little Rock 1st
C Santiago Arroyo Buffalo 1st
1B Greg Riley Texas 2nd
2B Steve Hansell Florida 1st
3B Dustan Jackson Houston 4th
SS Gail Roberts Texas 1st
LF Willie Cerda Little Rock 1st
CF Gary Harvey Florida 1st
RF Carlos Trevino Little Rock 2nd

Gold Glove Awards
American League
P Kyle Gibson Pawtucket 1st
C Bob Tucker New York 2nd
1B Jose Tavarez Albuquerque 1st
2B Joe Foster San Juan 3rd
3B Benjamin Delcarmen Rochester 5th
SS Hector Charles Rochester 1st
LF Tomas Sanches Colorado Springs 1st
CF Ariel Espinoza Charlotte 2nd
RF Wilfredo Chavez Trenton 2nd

National League 
P Bryant Landrum Florida 1st
C Napoleon Mullin Florida 1st
1B Javier Perez Buffalo 1st
2B Ching-Lung Suzuki Austin 1st
3B Felipe Olivares Salt Lake City 2nd
SS Esteban James Pittsburgh 10th
LF Harry Amarista Austin 1st
CF Eli Espinosa Texas 2nd
RF Ryan Martin Seattle 1st

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Season 23 League Leaders

With the regular season complete for Season 23, let's take a look at those who achieved league leader status this season!

OFFENSE
American League
In the AL, three players led multiple categories. Eugene Brantley of Tampa Bay took home the batting title (.325) and led the league in hits (195).  Boston's Kendry Lunar took home the Home Run (54) and RBI (139) titles. Albert Cruz of Pawtucket finished tops in Slugging (.655) and OPS (1.072).  He also had near misses finishing 3rd in batting average and 2nd in Home Runs and RBI, making him a leading contender for MVP.  Here are your AL Offensive League Leaders!

Batting Average Eugene Brantley Tampa Bay .325
Home Runs Kendry Lunar Boston 54
RBI Kendry Lunar Boston 144
Stolen Bases Jose Tavarez Albuquerque 85
Hits Eugene Brantley Tampa Bay 195
Runs Vern Connelly Louisville 147
OBP Joey Ryan Louisville .419
SLG Albert Cruz Pawtucket .655
OPS Albert Cruz Pawtucket 1.072

National League
Two players dominated the NL offensive categories this season.  Greg Riley of Texas led the NL in Batting Average (.345), RBI (144) and Hits (217).  He just missed the triple crown coming in 2nd in Home Runs with 57.  The player who finished first in Home Runs (62) was Willie Cerda of Little Rock who also led the NL in Runs (123), Slugging (.709) and OPS (1.106).  His OPS mark was the 5th highest in Cobbfather history.  Needless to say, it's probably between these two guys for MVP.  Here are the rest of the NL Offensive Leaders

Batting Average Greg Riley Texas .345
Home Runs Willie Cerda Little Rock 62
RBI Greg Riley Texas 144
Stolen Bases Yoshinori Ni Texas 65
Hits Greg Riley Texas 217
Runs Willie Cerda Little Rock 123
OBP Javier Perez Buffalo .416
SLG Willie Cerda Little Rock .709
OPS Willie Cerda Little Rock 1.106

PITCHING
American League
The only multiple category leader in AL pitching was Charlotte's Terry Cameron who led the AL in Innings Pitched (239), Quality Starts (26) and Complete Games (5). Francisco Aramboles of Atlanta gets a mention for tying the 3rd highest strikeout total in Cobbfather history with 246.  Here are the rest of the pitching leaders in the AL.

ERA Dioner Ontiveros Charlotte 2.30
Wins Alex Satou Pawtucket 18

Ron Gross Pawtucket 18

Thomas Hutchinson Atlanta 18
Strikeouts Francisco Aramboles Atlanta 246
Saves Gus Masaoka Atlanta 48
WHIP Gregory Evans Trenton 1.02
Innings Pitched Terry Cameron Charlotte 239.0
Quality Starts Terry Cameron Charlotte 26
Complete Games Terry Cameron Charlotte 5
Shutouts 4 Tied
2

National League
For Season 23, this section belongs to Don Monahan of Dover.  He won the pitching triple crown in the NL by leading the league in ERA (2.07), Wins (20), and Strikeouts (241).  He also led the NL in Innings Pitched (247.1) and set a new all-time Cobbfather record for Quality Starts with 31.  I think this guy may deserve some consideration for the Cy Young Award.  Here is the full list of NL Pitching leaders.

ERA Don Monahan Dover 2.07
Wins Don Monahan Dover 20
Strikeouts Don Monahan Dover 241
Saves Will Ogden Dover 45
WHIP Felipe Chantres Florida 1.00
Innings Pitched Don Monahan Dover 247.1
Quality Starts Don Monahan Dover 31
Complete Games 4 Tied
5
Shutouts Matt Stokes Ottawa 3

Congratulations to all that made the League Leaders list this season!