Season 37 Wrap Up - Jackson Claims the Crown!

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

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

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

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