NL SOUTH TOP 10 PLAYERS IN THE MINORS

 NL SOUTH TOP 10 PLAYERS IN THE MINORS

(This season's draft not included)

   Team      POS  AGE LVL PLYR

1.Louisville SP        21  AAA Geronimo Estrada 

2.Charlotte 2B       23 AA  Bengie Romano

3.Houston SP        20  AA  Louie Dorsey

4.Jackson DH       21  HiA  Vic Romero

5.Charlotte 1B        21 AAA Hipolito Arrendondo

6.Louisville RP        22 AAA  Pat Chen   

7.Louisville 1B        20  HiA  Pedro Martinez 

8.Houston RP         23  AA  Corey Moran

9.Houston  1B        19  LoA  Erubrial Pascal

10.Jackson   LF        21  AA  Gene Barfield

Around the League-NL East

From the desk of our NL East reporter csudak:

The NL East is still anyone's ball game, with only 6 games separating first and last.

Washington is still holding strong in 1st, after finishing last season in last place. Vector21 has done a great job turning this team around. The key to their success if is a solid offense, with just enough pitching.

Philadelphia is in 2nd, but only 2 games back after a 3 game win streak. It will be interesting to see if they can hold onto the 2nd position, with 9 straight games coming up against teams over .500.

Jacksonville is keeping pace at 4 games back and doing it with solid pitching. The Juice need to get some more people on base to have a chance at moving up the ladder and contending with Washington and Philly

While only 6 games back, Cincy just doesn't have the bats to compete with the top of the division. With no everyday players batting over .300, you wonder if a move is in order. On the bright side of things is 13 of the next 19 are against sub .500 teams, so if there was ever a chance to make a move, now is the time.

Around the League-AL East

Here is what's going on in the AL East by tk21775

AL East looks like they could have 3 teams make the playoffs this season the way they've started out of the gates. Boston is currently in 1st with a 35-20 record where Diego Valbuena is still earning his paycheck with a 9-1 record (Tied for 1st in ML in wins) and is currently 4th in era. Rochester is right behind with a 32-23 record, a team that has Tony Caballero hitting balls into the seats quite often as he's tied for 1st in home runs. Durham finds itself in 3rd place but with a 31-24 record! They've got the bats going as Fred Inge is 7th in batting avg. in the majors and Hector Janssen is 10th in home runs. Pittsburgh rounds out the division with a 21-34 record, currently tied for 3rd in team defense but putting up a 3-11 record in 1 run games. I have to think with a strong defense they could start winning of a few of those close ones soon.

Around the League-AL South

Here is the latest update from RXW1

After 56 games not much has changed in the AL South since the last report. Unlike the last couple of seasons this year is about parity within the division. 6 games separate top from bottom with the top three teams are separated by 2 games. 

Tampa Bay (31-24) has won 10 of their last 12 behind their offense. Victor Alexandar (.308 16HR 35 RBI) leads an offense that is #4 in Team Batting , #1 in HR’s, #3 in Runs scored. Season11 #1 Overall Pick Claude Collins threw his first career no hitter for Tampa Bay.

San Juan (29-26) currently sits 2 games out of first following a pair of 3 game win streaks. Houston Graves (.333 8 HR 36 RBI) leads the #1 Batting Avg & #1 OBS offense. Stretch Campbell’s 12 Saves leads the Hermanos’ pitching staff.

New Orleans (29-26) has spent time on top of the division but has struggled lately. The team has been on autopilot since 1/13 so we are all hoping all is well with owner larryvegas. Henry Siddall (.340 8 HR 32 RBI) leads a Nighthawks offense which is #14 Runs Scored #4 in Doubles. Everth Benitez (9-1 2.43 ERA) leads the pitching staff.

Nashville (25-30) continues to struggle with consistency so far this season. The Nalas had 6 game losing streak followed by a 10 game winning streak pulling them up as high as 2nd place. Owner bnags has threatened a fire sale if things don’t turnaround – we’re not counting the Nalas out by a long shot. They currently have lost 10 of 12 and are sitting 6 games behind. Heine Rice (.318 22 HR 54 RBI) leads an offense that #13 in BA #15 in Runs Scored. Apollo Fletcher ‘s 13 saves leads the pitching staff.

Around the League-AL North

AL North report: Week 2 1/8/PM2-1/18/PM by skuff730

The Dover Dinklebergs(28-20) sit atop the AL North with a 4 game winning streak. They have been on fire as of late with a team average of .282 and .354 OBP, second in the AL. Armando Mota continues to pound away at the plate with 21 homers, 55 RBI, and a 9 game hit streak. Dover's pitching rotation has been solid as well with Karim Ontiveros(6-2) leading the charge on the mound. Ontiveros has lead the Dinkleber starting rotation this year with a 3.11 ERA and 1 shutout. Dover will look to improve their 10-12 home record when the host New Orleans.

It has been an up and down season so far for the Scranton Associates(28-21). After a terrible 0-6 road trip, the Associates have gone 11-6. They are currently on a two game losing streak, but only a half game behind first place Dover. It is still early in the season and still time for Dover to get back atop the division. Collectively the team is batting at a .286 clip, second in the majors. Tino House has been driving in the runs with a team high 48 RBI and 15 homers. the Associates will need stronger play from ace Cyrus Torres if they want to retake the division lead. He has gone 2-3 in his last six starts.

The Syracuse Sodbusters have gone 13-9 since their last major losing streak. They are currently eight games out of first and remain firmly in third place. Red Smith continues to lead the team in RBI's. The pitching has not been impressive, but they have managed to win games when they needed to. Their next 7 games will be against Durham(28-21) who have outscored the Sodbusters 21-15 in their last series.

The New York Damage Controllers(17-32) have continued their poor play throughout the season. They have loss 7 of their last 10 games. Pitching has been the problem for the Damage Controllers with a team ERA of 5.37. Offensively, C/DH Greg Singleton leads the team in HR(16) and RBI(45). New York will host the Boston Pilgrims(31-18) next.

UP NEXT:
Dover vs New Orleans(26-22); Scranton at Nashville(24-25); Syracuse vs Durham(28-21); NY vs Boston(31-18)

AL North Player of the Week: Armando Mota(Dover)
AL North Pitcher of the Week: Karim Ontiveros(Dover)

Around the League-NL West

Reporting on the NL West is toe64.

Twenty games later and the NL West has changed - very little. The favorite, Seattle, has taken 1st Place by 2 games over the lackluster Night Watchmen who will need more than a night at the museum to come back to life. The Prairie Dogs remain hidden in their burrows and trail by 8 games while the Komodo Dragons are their own worst predator trailing by 9.

Seattle is 24-16 (another solid 12-8 since our last report) and continue to be driven forward by one of the best pitching rotations in the league (12-4, ERA 2.48, SO 99, during this 20 game stretch). C Fausto Gandarilla (11 game hitting streak, 17 more RBIs, 3 more HRs) and LF Miguel Mesa (10 more RBIs, 5 more HRs) continue to tear it up at the plate.

Colorado Springs is 22-18 but went a sub-par 9-11 being outscored by opponents 99 -78. Poor pitching, especially from the bullpen, and some minor injuries to key position players - RF Pedro Reyes and CF King Ashburn - were the major contributors. A ML promotion of SP prospect Caleb Einertson has helped but too early to tell if it will be enough.

Oklahoma City went 9-11 (16-24) and Albuquerque went 8-12 (15-25) while slightly improved over the prior 20 games, still lost ground. The Prairie Dogs are once again on a 4 game winning streak and continue to be led by the bat of 3B John Satou, now with help from CF Carlos Zorilla. Efforts to bring the Prairie Dogs out of their endless network of tunnels include recent promotions of P Tim Duncan, P Edgardo Bonilla, and 3B Buddy Sewell. The Komodo Dragons continue to rely on the bat of C Jorge Renteria and welcome the return of SS Kennie McCracken from the DL. They also look to the future with recently signed International Prospect CF Jorge Lopez.

Little known fact: At the time of this writing, the current 8 game winning streak by the Houston Roughnecks is courtesy of the NL West including a 4 game sweep over Seattle, a 3 game sweep of Colorado Springs, and taking the first game of the series from Albuquerque. "Dear Bagwelllbuff, HBD gift cards make excellent Thank You gifts. Sincerely, the NL West"

ATL-NL South ep.2

Around the League

NL South(As reported by Arfy)

The National League South has been tearing it up this week winning 26 of  it's last 32 combined games.

Charlotte is still in first(tied) at 23-16.  They have won 6 of their last 8 games.  Their hitting has been 'off the hook'.  They lead the NL in practically every team batting stat including Batting Average and Runs scored.  LF Rico Tatis leads the league in runs scored(37) and RBI(41).  He is also hitting .319 and hit 15 hr's.  3B Duke Henderson is also second in the NL in Pinch Hits.

Tied with Charlotte is the Houston Roughnecks.at 23-16.  They have won 7 straight games including sweeping former NL champion Seattle.  Houston seems to have one of the best defensive teams in the league.  They lead the NL in Plus plays and Fielding percentage.  Catcher Vic Diaz is leading the league with a .381 average.

In third place is the Jackson Juggernauts at 22-17 and only 1 game out of first.  They have won 6 of their last 8 games.  While Jackson isn't leading the league in anything, they are still playing very solid ball all around.  Anchored by closer Stevie Murray who is 7 of 7 in save opportunities this season.

Bringing up the rear is Louisville at 21-18 and only 2 games out of first.  They have won 7 of their last 9 games as well.  They have also played playoff contending Trenton and Iowa City over that stretch.  Lousivlle is getting it done on the mound.  They are first in Team ERA, third in Quality Starts, and 2nd in Inherited runners scored.  Which is pretty impressive considering they play in more of  a hitters park They are being led by 24 year old Phenom pitcher Clay Vernon, who is 5-1 with a 2.97.  Also note that RF Omar Carrasco is leading the NL in home runs with 18.

UPCOMING SERIES TO WATCH:
Jackson vs.

1/19 PM

@Seattle Strikers (23-16)

1/19 PM2

@Seattle Strikers

1/20 AM

@Seattle Strikers

1/20 PM

Seattle Strikers

1/20 PM2

Seattle Strikers

1/21 AM

Seattle Strikers

1/21 PM

Seattle Strikers

Season 22 Pitcher Highlights 1Q

Legend
	Cyrus Torres is a no doubt Hall of Famer and has been one of the leagues top arms for well over ten seasons. He is a home grown player who has spent his entire career with one team. During that span Torres has won 3 Cy Youngs,  1 World Series title, and 252 wins. In his 13 season career he has never missed an All-Star game. This guy is the definition of a "Innings Eater". He has pitched 3109 innings so far in 13 full seasons. That's an average of 240 innings a season. Torres is off to a slow start in season 22 but there's still a lot of  games left to be played.
Cyrus Torres

Hired Gun
	Journey Man pitcher, Diego Valbuena is arguably the top pitcher in the league. After nine seasons in the Majors he has put up phenomenal numbers. 132 career wins, 3213 innings, 244 OAV and a 3.74 ERA. All of this while playing in for four different teams in four very different   ballparks. He has pitched for Boston and San Juan which are more hitter friendly then most. Then he moved to Seattle's monster stadium which isn't homer friendly but can still make a good pitcher look average. Valbuena received his first max contract this season and based on the past he's worth every penny.
Diego Valbuena

Franchise Player
	John Rucker was traded to the Seattle Strikers just before the start of season 19. Since then he has been a perfect fit and lead one of the best rotations Pine Tar has ever seen. Rucker has piled up 51 wins and pitched over 200 innings each season since the trade. Before being traded his career high was 15 wins and 192 innings pitched. Rucker has excelled since joining the Strikers and is a true franchise player.
John Rucker

Above the Numbers
	One of the big surprises this season is the success of the Vancouver Canucks. This team is off to a hot start with a record of 23-16. Some of that success is because of Bill Crabtree. Looking at his ratings alone he is a four or five starter at best. Season 21 was by far the best season for Crabtree. He posted a 14-10 record with a 3.23 ERA with 183 innings pitched, solid but nothing special. So far this seaon he is 4-0 with a 2.26 ERA with 55 innings pitched. This could be a career year for Crabtree if he continues to perform on a high level.
Bill Crabtree

Phenom Watch
	Strikeout artist, Sticky Farquhar is a great young arm in the league. At the young age of 24, Farquhar has already played three full seasons and struck out 492 batters. A 200+ inning a season pitcher, this guy has the potential to be a sure Hall of Famer. If he stays healthy we might compare him to Cyrus Torres as one of Pine Tar's all time greats.
Sticky Farquhar

Around the League-AL West

With about a quarter of the season in the books the AL West has 2 teams at the top that have controlled the division for most of the season to this point and then 2 at the bottom that have been just barely hanging around.

At this time Vancouver is leading the way in the West with a 23-15 record for a 2 game lead. They haven't won the division since season 14 and haven't had a winning record since then either. The team has been on fire as they are 12-1 in their last 13 games.  They are led by Daryl McEnerney, who is having a monster start to the season with 14 homers, 37 RBI, 7 steals, a .331 batting average and .682 Slugging. Mendy Lee is hitting a whopping .360 and a .418 obp and should be a top rookie of the year candidate. The pitching staff is lead by Brad Porter who is 5-0 in 8 starts with a 2.19 ERA. Bill Crabtree is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA in 7 starts. The team should be tested in their next few series with 4 against Rochester, 3 against San Juan and 3 against Tampa Bay coming up and all on the road.

The Boise Girls stand in second place. This team has not had a winning season since season 17 and are looking at ending that this season if they can hold the pattern. They've been pretty consistent this season, but have won 7 of their last 9 games and seem to be heating up. The team is being led offensively by Houston Baptist with 14 homers, 33 RBI, and a .270 batting average. Jarrett Knight is off to a good start this season hitting 10 homers with 22 RBI, 25 runs scored, and a .276 average. The pitching staff is led by Paxton Weiland who is 2-2 with 3.19 ERA. Esteban Cantu has 8 saves in 10 tries with a 3.32 ERA. Diego Benitez has been pretty good out of the pen with 30 1/3 innings pitched with a 2.08 ERA. Boise has a tough stretch of games coming up as well with New Orleans for 4, Dover, Durham and San Juan for 3 each, but they are all at home and should give them a slight edge.

St Louis has won 4 of the past 5 division titles, but have struggled out of the gate this season and stand 7 games out of first. They've been struggling a bit offensively, but Neil Roberts hasn't let it affect him at all. He's hitting a .308 with 7 homers, 27 RBI, and 16 doubles. Rookie O.T. Harper has struggled to get started, but he should be able to turn it around and have a solid season. Pitching is the strength of this team and Sean Shipley has been a big part of that. He is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 8 starts so far. Rock Randall is a great pitcher, but he has struggled to get started this season and stands at 2-2 with a 4.96 ERA. He should be much better than this and will likely turn it around. Phillip Crawford has shut teams down in the closer role with 10 saves in 11 tries and a 2.89 ERA. Things don't get easier over the next few series for this team. They have Dover coming in for 4, followed by series at Boston and Dover for 3 each. Then they follow that with 7 against Tampa Bay.

Los Angeles isn't off to a very good start this season and find themselves 10 games out. The offense has scored the 4th fewest runs in the AL and the pitching staff has given up the most runs. The offense has some solo standouts led by Bip Rodgers with 8 homers, 29 RBI and a .272 average. Bret Richardson has 5 homers with 19 RBI and a .294 average. Rickie Lawrence has also got it done with a .327 average and 18 RBI. They have guys getting it done on offense, but they just can't put it together. The pitching rotation hasn't had anybody standout, but they have a couple guys in the bullpen that have been dealing. Babe LaRocca has a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings and Andres Jacquez has a 1.93 ERA in 28 innings. The Regulators have series coming up at San Juan for 4, at Tampa Bay for 3 and back home against San Juan for 3.

Around the League-AL East

AL EAST

With his report on the AL East is tk21775.

Strong start by 3 of the teams in the AL East to start the season, seeing Boston and Rochester tied for 1st at 14-8 with Durham a game behind at 13-9. Pittsburgh lags behind as they lost their last 4.

Boston features the top starting pitcher in all of major league baseball in Diego Valbuena who currently sits at 5-1 with a 2.03 era. His max contract looks to be worth every penny right now for GM kjmulli.

Rochester is keeping strides with Boston with Benji Fernandez who is 6th in era right now at 1.67 although I'd be very suprised to see Mr. Fernandez continuing his domiance as the season goes on.

Durham features one of the best hitters in baseball right now with Kazuhiro Kuroda who is 4th in batting average. Word on the street is that this kid is being shopped by the GM in exchange for a prospect.

Pittsburgh is falling far behind the other three teams in the division but DH Ron Hudek is doing everything he can, already belting out 7 home runs and 21 rbi's in his last 22 games, along with a .384 avg.

Around the League-NL West & AL North

NL WEST

Reporting on the NL West is toe64.

Currently in first are the up-start CSP Night Watchmen who have neither had a winning record nor a playoff birth since lucky Season 13. However, a quick start at 13-7 primarily due to some solid hitting from RF Pedro Reyes (.363 AVE, 6 HR, 23 RBI) and timely starting pitching from some left handers, SP2 Bill Kydd and SP4 Ismael Diaz. Both have already tossed complete game 3-hit shutouts. Time will tell whether Colorado Springs will have the staying power to remain on top at season end.

A strong start (12-8) for the reigning World Series Champion and perennial NL West favorite, Seattle Strikers should be no surprise to anyone. John Rucker (3-0, 1.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) is bringing the heat as he takes on the role of SP1 while C Fausto Gandarilla (.366 AVE, 4 HR, 16 RBI) and LF Miguel Mesa (.363 AVE, 6 HR, 16 RBI) are getting it done early and often from the plate. They have won every series but two – a split with 1st Place NL South Charlotte, and a series loss to division rival Colorado Springs. Seattle appears intent on a repeat.

Oklahoma City and Albuquerque are currently tied for third with records of 7-13 and are 6 games back. The OK Prairie Dogs are on a 4 game win streak driven by timely hitting from 3B John Satou who has batted .428 (6 for 14) with 3 HR and 5 RBI during that stretch. The ALB Komodo Dragons rushed out to a 5-3 record including a 5-game win streak. This has been given back, and then some, going 2-10 over their next 12 games. A bright spot in their lineup has been veteran C Jorge Renteria (.410 AVE, 5 HR, 20 RBI) who is currently on a 12 game hitting streak.



AL NORTH

Reporting on the AL North is skuff730.

The Scranton Associates dominated the AL North last season with another 100+ win season and a division title. After week 1, Scranton sits atop again by 4 games. They started the campaign strong, posting an 8-2 division record and 14-6 overall. 5 time all star Peter Cheng has been solid at bat for them leading the majors in hits to go along with 8 homers, 21 RBI and a .452 BA. Last seasons CY Young winner, Cyrus Torres, has been leading the charge off the mound with a 4-0 record and 4.50 ERA. We will see if they can continue their winning ways and AL North dominance.

The Dover Dinklebergs, a wild card team last season, sit even 10-10. After a strong 8-3 start they fell off with a 2-7 record since with 2 losses to Syracuse and a home sweep by Boston. Dover will rely on big bat Armando Mota to get them turned around with his league leading 12 HR's. They will be looking to gain some momentum this week against AL champs Nashville(9-11).

After a third change of ownership and another team move, the Syracuse Sobdbusters started the season with 8 losses in a row. They since have won 4 of 5. They are currently leading the division in runs allowed and will hopefully be able to shore up the defense in the coming weeks to stay out of the division basement. 5 time all star, Red Smith, leads the Sod Busters in RBI and is currently on a 9 game hit streak.

Last seasons AL North bottom feeder, New York Damage Controllers, got off to a 4-0 start before lossing 13 of their last 15. They must improve on all facets of the game in order to get out of the basement this season. They will travel to Pittsburgh for a 4 game series and then head back home to host LA Regulators. They are  riding a 5 game losing streak right now.

ATL- NL South by Arfy

Around the League

NL South (As reported by Arfy)

The NL South is traditionally one of the toughest divisions in all of Pine Tar.  This year only separated by 3.5 games form first to last so far.

Charlotte is 12-8.  They had a 5 game winning streak mixed in there and have been scoring lots of runs(2nd in NL).  36 year old starting pitcher Woody Sheridan is also off to a 2-0,  1.29 ERA start in 4 games.

Louisville is 2nd at 10-9.  Their pitching staff is off to a great start(13 QS in 19 games, T-1st NL), but as usual their hitting has not been impressive enough to get more wins.

Houston is 3rd at 9-11.   Led by newcoming coach Bagwellbluff.  Make sure to say hi to Tim, as he is quite a nice guy.   They had a 6 game losing streak so far.   They have been lacking in run support(13th in NL).  Also SP Carlos Nieto has given up 10 hr already in 4 games.

Jackson is at the rear at 8-11.  They have been lacking in several categories so far this season, run support (14th in NL) and IRS(inherited runners scored, 5th highest in NL).  3B Jeff Moore is off to another great start hitting .386.  Look for Jackson to turn it around soon.

UPCOMING SERIES to watch-
Louisville home vs. 

1/10 AM	Seattle Strikers (12-8)
1/10 PM	Seattle Strikers
1/10 PM2	Seattle Strikers

Also,
Charlotte

1/9 AM	@Trenton Thunders (11-9)
1/9 PM	@Trenton Thunders
1/9 PM2	@Trenton Thunders

Around the League

NL North

Out of the NL North Stabuckdc will be reporting on the happenings this season. The first reports from his desk are as follows:

It's been an up and down first week:
-Fargo started out strong with un-supportable pitching and strong hitting.
-Iowa City floundered out of the gate, but after winning 100 games last year it didn't take long for the Hawkeyes to get back on top of the division.
-Trenton started slow and has responded to the challenge laid down by Fargo and Iowa City.
-Montreal stopped to eat grass when the bell was rung and continues to graze. So far it looks like a three horse race in the division.

More reports hopefully soon to follow.

NL East

Reporting in on the NL East is csudak.

The NL East was very tight throughout season 21, and is already a dog fight early on in season 22, with all four teams within 2.5 games of first. 

Out to a surprising first place position is Washington, and they are doing it with offense, as they rank 3rd in the NL in runs scored.

Just 1.5 games back is Philadelphia doing it with solid defense and just enough offense, including a big powerful start from Nate Carter who already has 6 homeruns.

Jacksonville is sitting at .500 and 2 games back, and you have to wonder where they would be with a solid back end to the bullpen. Sherman Stevens got off to a horrendous start, with 4 blown saves in his first 5 opportunities. With 3 straight converted, things might be turning around.

Pulling up the rear, but only 2.5 games back is Cincinnati, who has a solid defense ranking 2nd in the NL in fielding %, but just cannot put more than 2 wins in a row together.

It's still early in the NL East, and at this point everything is wide open.

AL South

Season 22 in the AL South is all about parity after the 1st week of the season. Only 2 games separate 1st from 4th. The rest of the division is enjoying seeing 10 time defending champion Nashville at the bottom of the standings but we all know that won't last. New Orleans leads the division by winning 6 of 8 to start the season but Tampa Bay & San Juan have been heating up with both of their offenses in the Top 5 in the league.

Key Stat of Week 1: Despite being 8-9. Nashville is 6-0 in one runs games to start the year.

RXW1