Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Season 35 Wrap Up - Montgomery Takes the Crown!

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Montgomery Takes the Season 35 Title in a Thriller!

The Season 35 World Series couldn't have been any closer, as the top two teams in the Final Power Rankings, Houston and Montgomery battled it out.  It all came down to Game 7 in Houston and nine innings weren't enough to determine the Season 35 Cobbfather champion.  After a scoreless 10th inning, a 2-out single in the top of the 11th, followed by a steal and an errant throw that got the runner to 3rd, it was up to star slugger Jamie Lo who had been struggling at the plate in the postseason, but on this occasion he came through, knocking in the go-ahead run from 3rd with 2 outs to take the lead.  In this back-and-forth game, nothing was a given with Houston up at the plate in the bottom of the 11th, but Montgomery closer Davey Torrealba managed to close it out, completing a perfect postseason out of the bullpen for him and bringing the championship back to Montgomery for the team, their 2nd title in five seasons.  What an ending and what a series!  It's unfortunate either team had to lose, it was a great performance by both teams. 

Thanks everyone for playing in Season 35, hope to see you all back next season!

Monday, October 23, 2017

Season 35 Award Winners

The hardware has been handed out for Season 35, so let's see who took home this season's awards!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Sean Gosling, Charlotte - .282 AVG 52 HR 136 RBI 21 SB
The Season 33 Rookie of the Year has stepped up his game another notch to take home an MVP trophy in a landslide win.  Gosling pretty much did it all for Charlotte this season, leading the AL in Home Runs, RBI, and Slugging, being named an All-Star starter and winning both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove. You pretty much can't do more than that in a season.  This is Gosling's first MVP win, and we expect the 25 year-old superstar to be in contention for many more.

National League - Edinson Hernandez, Montgomery - .317 AVG 31 HR 110 RBI 48 SB
The 28 year-old right fielder for Montgomery finally broke through in Season 35 to take home his first MVP trophy.  With many impressive seasons under his belt, this was perhaps his best season, leading the NL in Hits and Runs.  Surprisingly, he was passed over for the All-Star team, which speaks to the depth of talent in the NL, but in the end won the MVP by a significant margin.  The all-around five-tool star should certain be in contention to add to his award collection going forward.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Jimmie Hartman, Jackson - 22-4 3.08 ERA 167 K
The AL Wins leader ended up taking home the Cy Young Award as well, capping off a phenomenal season for the 25 year-old stud righty out of Jackson.  He also led the AL in Innings Pitched and Quality Starts and made his 2nd All-Star team in Season 35.  With a near flawless make-up, the former #8 pick in the Season 31 draft should continue to post impressive numbers for the foreseeable future.

National League - Monte Daley, Sioux Falls - 20-8 2.27 ERA 174 K
When you lead the league in Wins, ERA, Quality Starts and Innings Pitched, it's a good bet the Cy Young will be coming your way as well, and that's what happened for the 28 year-old Sioux Falls lefty. The former #1 overall pick in Season 27 finally made good on his potential in Season 35 en route to being named the NL's best pitcher.  On top of winning his 1st Cy Young Award, Daley also made his 1st All-Star team in Season 35.  With Sioux Falls looking strong, expect more awards to come for their top starter.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Charlie Lyons, Boston - .310 AVG 29 HR 82 RBI
The 22 year-old DH for Boston had a most successful rookie campaign, capping it off with a Rookie of the Year trophy.  Lyons has elite contact and an elite batting eye, which propelled him to the league lead in both OBP and OPS this past season.  Lyons was the 6th overall pick in the Season 31 draft and helped lead Boston to their first division title in 13 seasons.  He appears to be a big part of the future in Boston going forward.

National League - Sherman Berkman, Portland - 11-5 2.54 ERA 158 K
It was a tight race for NL Rookie of the Year, but the 23 year-old lefty out of Portland, who dazzled in 24 starts this past seasons, came out on top.  Berkman adjusted well after only a short stint in the minors, as he was the #2 overall pick in the Season 34 draft.  Already sporting very impressive ratings across the board, the ceiling is extremely high for Berkman, who should have some development left to go.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Jace Sale, Boston - 3.59 ERA, 48 SV, 1st Win
National League - Al Balentien, Monterrey, 2.28 ERA, 46 SV, 2nd Win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS
American League
DH
Robert Hamilton
Houston
2nd
C
Rob Gagne
Atlanta
1st
1B
Albert Cruz
Milwaukee
12th
2B
Wandy Guillen
Cheyenne
3rd
3B
Sean Gosling
Charlotte
2nd
SS
Rymer Mota
Colorado Springs
1st
LF
Wiki Unamuno
Houston
6th
CF
Norman Berry
Little Rock
1st
RF
Francis King
Salem
5th

National League
P Gregor Lopez Buffalo 1st
C Derrick Frank Dover 3rd
1B Benny Romano Monterrey 1st
2B Yohan Gomez Buffalo 3rd
3B Cesar Ozuna Monterrey 1st
SS Junior Wilson Monterrey 1st
LF Haywood Swann Nashville 1st
CF Kirt Raggio Sioux Falls 4th
RF Yoenis Portillo Buffalo 2nd

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P
Braeden Abercrombie
Albuquerque
2nd
C
Christopher Martin
Milwaukee
2nd
1B
Crash Cepeda
Albuquerque
2nd
2B
Hipolito Villar
Jackson
1st
3B
Sean Gosling
Charlotte
1st
SS
Ugueth Perez
Fargo
3rd
LF
Yusmeiro Seguignol
Jackson
1st
CF
Jon Curtis
Detroit
2nd
RF
Patrick Browne
Little Rock
3rd

National League
P Raul Delgado Kansas City 2nd
C Jumbo Zambrano Philadelphia 1st
1B Albert Pineda Florida 3rd
2B Ernie McEnerney Baltimore 1st
3B Enrique Renteria Richmond 1st
SS Brian Haynes Kansas City 1st
LF Everth Sosa Boise 1st
CF J.T. Constanza Minnesota 4th
RF Dizzy Hawkins Dover 2nd

Friday, October 20, 2017

Season 35 League Leaders

Here's the recap of this past season's League Leaders!

All-Time Top 5 Performances in Season 35
Shutouts - Midre Tavarez, Fargo - 4 - Tied for 5th All-Time

Multiple Category Leaders
Monte Daley, Sioux Falls - NL - 4 - ERA, Wins, IP, QS
Sean Gosling, Charlotte - AL - 3 - HR, RBI, SLG
Jimmie Hartman, Jackson - AL - 3 - Wins, IP, QS
Charlie Lyons, Boston - AL - 2 - OBP, OPS
Mitchell Sweeney, Philadelphia - NL - 2 - HR, RBI
Edinson Hernandez, Montgomery - NL - 2 - Hits, Runs
Chick Munson, Fargo - AL - 2 - Strikeouts, WHIP
Midre Tavarez, Fargo - AL - 2 - CG, Shutouts
Gregor Lopez, Buffalo - NL - 2 - Strikeouts, Shutouts
Randall Washington, Florida - NL - 2 - CG, Shutouts
Thomas Lyon, Philadelphia - NL - 2 - CG, Shutouts

Complete League Leaders
Offense
American League
Batting Average Ron Corino Salem .325
Home Runs Sean Gosling Charlotte 52
RBI Sean Gosling Charlotte 136
Stolen Bases Dennis Brock Charlotte 94
Hits Luis Valverde Boston 190
Runs Wandy Guillen Cheyenne 120
OBP Charlie Lyons Boston .425
SLG Sean Gosling Charlotte .579
OPS Charlie Lyons Boston .963
National League
Batting Average Junior Wilson Monterrey .333
Home Runs Mitchell Sweeney Philadelphia 49
RBI Mitchell Sweeney Philadelphia 139
Stolen Bases Damon Mackowiak Monterrey 67
Hits Edinson Hernandez Montgomery 208
Runs Edinson Hernandez Montgomery 145
OBP Yoenis Portillo Buffalo .421
SLG Kirt Raggio Sioux Falls .603
OPS Haywood Swann Nashville 1.013
Pitching
American League
ERA Armando Merced Houston 2.63
Wins Jimmie Hartman Jackson 22
Strikeouts Chick Munson Fargo 224
Saves Jace Sale Boston 48
WHIP Chick Munson Fargo 1.02
Innings Pitched Jimmie Hartman Jackson 254.0
Quality Starts Jimmie Hartman Jackson 24
Complete Games Midre Tavarez Fargo 9
Shutouts Midre Tavarez Fargo 4
National League
ERA Monte Daley Sioux Falls 2.27
Wins Monte Daley Sioux Falls 20
Strikeouts Gregor Lopez Buffalo 200
Saves Al Balentien Monterrey 46
WHIP A.J. Gil Sioux Falls 0.99
Innings Pitched Monte Daley Sioux Falls 229.2
Quality Starts Monte Daley Sioux Falls 28
Complete Games Randall Washington Florida 4
Kris Saarloos Dover 4
Thomas Lyon Philadelphia 4
Shutouts Randall Washington Florida 2
Thomas Lyon Philadelphia 2
Gregor Lopez Buffalo 2

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Season 35 Final Power Rankings

The regular season is over and the playoffs are barely under way, so let's see where everyone finished in the final power rankings of Season 35!  At the top, finishing where they started in the preseason rankings, is Houston.  There were three different #1's between their stays at the top, but they do finish where they started.  Up 4 spots to #2 is Montgomery.  They had an impressive stretch run, led by improved pitching.  Rounding out the top 5 is Sioux Falls, Monterrey and previous #1 Jackson.  Now for the biggest climbers and biggest falls since the last rankings!

Biggest Climbers: #18 Dover (+7), #2 Montgomery (+4), #10 Boston (+4), #12 Baltimore (+4), #15 Norfolk (+4), #16 Cheyenne (+4), #20 Portland (+4), #22 Milwaukee (+4), #23 Colorado Springs (+4)

Biggest Falls: #27 Richmond (-9), #24 Albuquerque (-7), #19 Detroit (-6), #17 Philadelphia (-5), #5 Jackson (-4)

Here are the complete rankings, good luck to the playoff teams!

Pitching Offense LAST 40
Team  W L PREV Rank Chg Rank Chg W L
1 Houston 106 56 2 2 0 8 3 29 11
2 Montgomery 96 66 6 4 4 3 0 27 13
3 Sioux Falls 102 60 3 1 0 18 1 25 15
4 Monterrey 101 61 5 12 4 1 0 23 17
5 Jackson 99 63 1 5 1 7 -3 21 19
6 Florida 98 64 9 6 0 17 3 25 15
7 Fargo 95 67 4 9 -6 5 4 21 19
8 Buffalo  94 68 7 3 1 14 3 21 19
9 Salem 92 70 8 8 2 13 -3 23 17
10 Boston  91 71 14 18 4 4 0 24 16
11 Little Rock 91 71 11 22 4 2 0 24 16
12 Baltimore 88 74 16 11 1 12 5 25 15
13 Kansas City 88 74 10 7 -2 18 -3 23 17
14 Nashville 88 74 15 20 2 6 2 24 16
15 Norfolk 82 80 19 17 0 22 3 25 15
16 Cheyenne 84 78 20 13 6 20 -4 23 17
17 Philadelphia 86 76 12 20 -2 15 -3 18 22
18 Dover 76 86 25 14 1 21 2 21 19
19 Detroit 80 82 13 22 0 10 -3 16 24
20 Portland 79 83 24 10 3 28 1 20 20
21 Los Angeles 75 87 21 16 -2 24 2 19 21
22 Milwaukee 69 93 26 24 -4 11 2 18 22
23 Colorado Springs 72 90 27 28 -1 16 4 19 21
24 Albuquerque 71 91 17 29 -4 9 -3 14 26
25 Charlotte  77 85 22 27 3 23 -9 17 23
26 St. Louis 75 87 23 15 -4 29 -2 14 26
27 Richmond 73 89 18 19 -10 27 -7 11 29
28 Boise 59 103 29 25 -4 30 0 17 23
29 Atlanta  58 104 28 26 3 25 -1 15 25
30 New York 48 114 32 31 1 32 0 17 23
31 Minnesota 50 112 30 31 0 26 2 8 32
32 Oklahoma City 49 113 31 30 -2 31 0 13 27