Saturday, June 30, 2018

Season 37 Wrap Up - Jackson Claims the Crown!

Jackson
Jackson Flaxon-Waxon (AL)
merritr
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Jackson is your Season 37 Champion!

With Boston and Little Rock dominating the Regular Season, not many gave much thought to the #3 seed Jackson going into the playoffs; however, anything can happen in the playoffs and you can never count anyone out!   Jackson advanced in the first round of the playoffs against Fargo and then swept the team with the best record in the AL, Little Rock, in the Divisional Round, before topping fellow underdog Salem in the ALCS four games to one.  The had a lot of momentum going to the World Series, but still needed seven games to top the NL's #2 seed, Oklahoma City to take the crown.  The offense was led by Andres Alou who hit .405 with 7 HR in the playoffs and David Martin who hit .365 while crushing 9 HR during the postseason.  Jimmie Hartman anchored the pitching staff getting 8 starts in the playoffs, posting a clutch 2.02 ERA and striking out 38 in 49 IP.  Congrats to Jackson on merritr on their first Cobbfather championship!

See you back soon for blog coverage for Season 38!

Season 37 Award Winners

Here's who captured the individual hardware in Season 37!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Raul Galvez, Boston - .324 AVG 49 HR 150 RBI 18 SB
The big Free Agent acquisition from last season for Boston, Galvez suffered a spring training injury which cost him the first part of the season.  He was back in full force in Season 37, playing all 162 games, leading the AL in RBI, Hits and Slugging, being named all All-Star starter, his 5th All-Star appearance, and winning his 6th Silver Slugger and 1st Gold Glove.  Oh yeah, he also led Boston to it's first #1 overall ranking.  He truly did it all this season.  It should be noted this Galvez's 2nd MVP trophy, also having won in Season 34.

National League - Haywood Swann, Nashville - .325 AVG 45 HR 140 RBI 24 SB
Swann picked up his 2nd consecutive MVP award with another outstanding season.  He also made his 4th All-Star appearance, won his 2nd Silver Slugger Award and led the NL in Average, RBI, OBP, Slugging and OPS.  He missed the Triple Crown by 3 Home Runs.  No doubt Swann is one of the most feared sluggers in all of Cobbfather, and we expect him to keep adding to his trophy collection in future seasons.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Braeden Abercrombie, Little Rock - 24-4 2.17 ERA 199 K
Abercrombie has always been touted as one of the top rated pitchers in Cobbfather; however, he never had that spectacular season to earn him the hardware to back it up, until Season 37.  Abercrombie led the AL in Wins, and tied for the lead in Shutouts.  He also made his 5th All-Star appearance in Season 37.   Finally landing on a loaded team like Little Rock has enabled him to claim his 1st Cy Young Award at age 33, an accomplishment we definitely expected him to achieve.

National League - Sherman Berkman, Portland - 16-8 1.78 ERA 227 K
Berkman won the NL Cy Young, his first, leading the NL in ERA and WHIP, with an outstanding strikeout total to boot.  He also made his first All-Star appearance this season.  The young hard-throwing lefty should have a bright future ahead of him, as his ratings are nearly flawless.  More seasons to come mirroring his Season 37 performance would not be a surprise at all.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Humberto Zurbaran, Fargo - 17-9 3.26 ERA 217 K
The hard throwing righty out of the Dominican burst onto the scene in Season 37, posting excellent numbers for Fargo and claiming the AL Rookie of the Year award.  After spending four season at AAA for Little Rock, he was dealt to Fargo this preseason, as there wasn't a spot for him on the Little Rock roster.  He showed he can hang at the Major League level, despite occasional control issues.

National League - Braulio Pelaez, Tampa Bay - 13-7 3.53 ERA 117 K
An international talent won the NL Rookie of the Year award as well.  Pelaez, a hard throwing lefty out of Venezuela put up some nice numbers in his rookie campaign.  He is also a product of the Little Rock franchise who toiled away for several seasons in AAA, like his AL counterpart.  It took two trades in Season 37, but he finally got his opportunity on a Major League roster and cashed in to take home Rookie of the Year as part of Tampa Bay rotation.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Jace Sale, Boston - 2.43 ERA, 52 SV - 2nd Win
National League - Eduardo Jose, Los Angeles - 3.04 ERA, 50 SV - 1st Win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS
American League
DH
Dorssys Tatis
Colorado Springs
1st
C
Angel Johnson
Jackson
1st
1B
Andres Alou
Jackson
1st
2B
Wladimir Andrus
Cincinnati
1st
3B
Sean Gosling
Charlotte
4th
SS
Tom Cox
Fargo
1st
LF
Ubaldo Alvarez
Little Rock
3rd
CF
Raul Galvez
Boston
6th
RF
Rubby Javier
Boston
2nd

National League
P
Andy Karl
Buffalo
1st
C
Jose Ceda
Memphis
1st
1B
Yoenis Portillo
Buffalo
3rd
2B
Yohan Gomez
Buffalo
4th
3B
Louie Banuelos
Pittsburgh
1st
SS
Yasmany Cubillan
Portland
3rd
LF
Haywood Swann
Nashville
2nd
CF
Larry Brown
Pittsburgh
1st
RF
Lee Schlitter
Portland
2nd

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P Orval Pfeffer Houston 1st
C Sid Marisnick Minnesota 1st
1B Philip Vasquez St. Louis 1st
2B Alberto Crespo St. Louis 1st
3B Pedro Parraz Norfolk 1st
SS Harry Nuno Colorado Springs 1st
LF Jamey Crawford Salt Lake City 1st
CF Raul Galvez Boston 1st
RF Don Piscotty New York 1st

National League
P Red Watten Florida 1st
C Jose Ceda Memphis 1st
1B Don Sparks Oklahoma City 2nd
2B George Dubler Nashville 3rd
3B Louie Banuelos Pittsburgh 2nd
SS J.T. Constanza Santa Fe 5th
LF Marcos Fernandez Kansas City 2nd
CF Jhoulys Pescado Honolulu 3rd
RF Dizzy Hawkins Tampa Bay 3rd

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Season 37 - League Leaders

All-Time Top 5 Performances in Season 37
Quality Starts - Steve Curtis, Oklahoma City - 30 - Tied for 3rd All-Time
Saves - Jace Sale, Boston - 52 - Tied for 4th All-Time

Multiple Category Leaders
Haywood Swann, Nashville - NL - 5 - AVG, RBI, OBP, SLG, OPS
Steve Curtis - Oklahoma City - NL - 3 - Wins, IP, QS
Raul Galvez, Boston - AL - 3 - RBI, Hits, SLG
Chick Munson, Little Rock - AL - 3 - ERA, WHIP, CG
Braeden Abercrombie - Little Rock - AL - 2 - Wins, Shutouts
Ubaldo Alvarez - Little Rock - AL - 2 - HR, Runs
Sherman Berkman - Portland - NL - 2 - ERA, WHIP
Larry Brown - Pittsburgh - NL - 2 - Hits, Runs
Jair James - Oklahoma City - NL - 2 - Strikeouts, Shutouts
Midre Tavarez - Jackson - AL - 2 - CG, Shutouts

Complete League Leaders
Offense
American League
Batting Average Wladimir Andrus Cincinnati .343
Home Runs Ubaldo Alvarez Little Rock 53
RBI Raul Galvez Boston 150
Stolen Bases Rogers Lawrence  Fargo 61
Hits Raul Galvez Boston 208
Runs Ubaldo Alvarez Little Rock 134
OBP Wandy Guillen Salt Lake City .443
SLG Raul Galvez Boston .620
OPS Rubby Javier Boston 1.029
National League
Batting Average Haywood Swann Nashville .325
Home Runs Yohan Mairena Buffalo 48
RBI Haywood Swann Nashville 140
Stolen Bases Carlos Martis Honolulu 65
Hits Larry Brown Pittsburgh 192
Runs Larry Brown Pittsburgh 130
OBP Haywood Swann Nashville .444
SLG Haywood Swann Nashville .612
OPS Haywood Swann Nashville 1.055
Pitching
American League
ERA Chick Munson Little Rock 2.08
Wins Braeden Abercrombie Little Rock 24
Strikeouts Bob Graves Salt Lake City 245
Saves Jace Sale Boston 52
WHIP Chick Munson Little Rock 0.92
Innings Pitched Dizzy Leonard Colorado Springs 253.1
Quality Starts Armando Merced Boston 29
Complete Games Midre Tavarez Jackson 8
Chick Munson Little Rock 8
Shutouts Braeden Abercrombie Little Rock 4
Midre Tavarez Jackson 4
National League
ERA Sherman Berkland Portland 1.78
Wins Andy Karl Buffalo 18
Steve Curtis Oklahoma City 18
Strikeouts Jair James Oklahoma City 240
Saves Eduardo Jose Los Angeles 50
WHIP Sherman Berkland Portland 0.99
Innings Pitched Steve Curtis Oklahoma City 250.2
Quality Starts Steve Curtis Oklahoma City 30
Complete Games Glenn Wilson Honolulu 7
Shutouts Jair James Oklahoma City 4



Sunday, June 17, 2018

Season 37 Final Power Rankings

Biggest Climbers: #7 Buffalo (+9), #11 Los Angeles (+9), #15 Charlotte (+9), #5 Florida (+7)

Biggest Falls:  #23 Memphis (-9), #12 Salem (-8), #18 Cincinnati (-8), #16 Montgomery (-7), #26 Trenton (-5)

Pitching Offense LAST 40
Team  W L PREV Rank Chg Rank Chg W L
1 Boston  104 58 2 5 0 1 0 27 13
2 Little Rock 107 55 1 1 0 2 0 22 18
3 Jackson 98 64 3 4 -1 7 3 23 17
4 Pittsburgh 91 71 6 3 1 14 1 25 15
5 Florida 93 69 12 7 7 19 -2 26 14
6 Oklahoma City 93 69 11 2 0 28 -1 24 16
7 Buffalo  89 73 16 11 1 16 4 25 15
8 Nashville 96 66 5 20 -3 3 0 20 20
9 Tampa Bay 89 73 7 14 -2 11 1 21 19
10 Fargo 89 73 8 9 -2 15 -1 21 19
11 Los Angeles 89 73 20 6 4 22 2 26 14
12 Salem 89 73 4 13 -8 10 -1 19 21
13 Santa Fe 87 75 15 23 -1 4 1 23 17
14 Salt Lake City 91 71 13 26 2 7 -1 23 17
15 Charlotte  85 77 24 18 6 17 1 26 14
16 Montgomery 87 75 9 16 -2 6 2 19 21
17 Milwaukee 87 75 17 19 4 13 -2 22 18
18 Cincinnati 81 81 10 20 1 5 -1 16 24
19 Houston 78 84 22 27 3 9 -2 23 17
20 Norfolk 77 85 19 10 -2 26 3 21 19
21 Portland 77 85 23 8 2 29 -1 22 18
22 Kansas City 80 82 18 14 2 20 5 19 21
23 Memphis 73 89 14 12 -3 25 -2 15 25
24 Colorado Springs 68 94 25 29 -3 17 -1 20 20
25 St. Louis 69 93 30 27 0 21 5 20 20
26 Trenton 73 89 21 22 -4 24 -5 14 26
27 Minnesota 62 100 28 30 1 12 0 15 25
28 New York 63 99 31 16 3 31 1 18 22
29 Honolulu 66 96 29 24 1 30 0 16 24
30 Syracuse 65 97 26 25 -5 27 -5 10 30
31 Helena 58 104 27 31 -2 23 -2 11 29
32 Atlanta  38 124 32 32 0 32 -1 8 32

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Season 37 Power Rankings #3

Biggest Climbers: #14 Memphis (+10), #6 Pittsburgh (+8), #19 Norfolk (+8), #10 Cincinnati (+7), #12 Florida (+7)

Biggest Falls: #20 Los Angeles (-9), #24 Charlotte (-8), #16 Buffalo (-6)

Pitching Offense LAST 41
Team  W L PREV Rank Chg Rank Chg W L
1 Little Rock 85 37 1 1 0 2 1 27 14
2 Boston  77 45 2 5 4 1 0 24 17
3 Jackson 75 47 5 3 1 10 0 27 14
4 Salem 70 52 9 5 9 9 -4 26 15
5 Nashville 76 46 3 17 1 3 -1 26 15
6 Pittsburgh 66 56 14 4 1 15 6 25 16
7 Tampa Bay 68 54 6 12 -6 12 2 22 19
8 Fargo 68 54 4 7 1 14 -3 21 20
9 Montgomery 68 54 8 14 -2 8 5 21 20
10 Cincinnati 65 57 17 21 -1 4 0 25 16
11 Oklahoma City 69 53 7 2 0 27 2 20 21
12 Florida 67 55 19 14 -2 17 9 25 16
13 Salt Lake City 68 54 15 28 1 6 0 21 20
14 Memphis 58 64 24 9 1 23 5 25 16
15 Santa Fe 64 58 13 22 -1 5 2 19 22
16 Buffalo  64 58 10 12 -5 20 -1 19 22
17 Milwaukee 65 57 12 23 -6 11 1 17 24
18 Kansas City 61 61 20 16 0 25 -1 22 19
19 Norfolk 56 66 27 8 6 29 1 23 18
20 Los Angeles 63 59 11 10 -7 24 -6 19 22
21 Trenton 59 63 23 18 4 19 -3 21 20
22 Houston 55 67 21 30 -2 7 1 20 21
23 Portland 55 67 18 10 1 28 -1 18 23
24 Charlotte  59 63 16 24 -5 18 -4 13 28
25 Colorado Springs 48 74 29 26 0 16 4 20 21
26 Syracuse 55 67 22 20 4 22 -5 15 26
27 Helena 47 75 31 29 2 21 1 21 20
28 Minnesota 47 75 26 31 -1 12 -3 16 25
29 Honolulu 50 72 28 25 2 30 -6 15 26
30 St. Louis 49 73 25 27 -2 26 -3 15 26
31 New York 45 77 30 19 4 32 -1 17 24
32 Atlanta  30 92 32 32 0 31 1 11 30