Sim 10B Complete

Sim 10A Complete

Playoff Picture

Heading into Week 10

Power Alley Great Eight

Fishbiscuits and "Mechanics" announce Soria, Powell Deal

First basemen platoon man Boog Powell (.310 / .374 / .464 in 226 AB) heads to the Willets Point "Mechanics".  In return, the Fishbiscuits receive stud relieve Joakim Soria (56 IP, 2.26 ERA, .152 Opp BA)

Standings Summary

National League Week 9

All eyes were pointed East this week as the New Orleans Thrill came out of the season long funk with a 12-2 sim, leapfrogging three teams in the process, and taking the lead in the NL East Wild Card race.  Few pitchers were better than Scott Stratton who went undefeated in 3 starts, pitching two complete games and giving up just 20 hits in 27 innings.  Mike Schmidt teed off with 6 homers and 20 RBI and might be the best third basemen in the game.

After an 8-5 week, the North Podunk Banana Bears, however, still feel they are the team to beat. They maintained a 3 ½ game lead on the division and appear to be in cruise control; Reggie Jackson led the team with 5 home runs while Lefty Gomez maintained a 1.90 ERA in 3 starts (23.2 IP).  Just a game out of the Wild Card, the Haven Tommyknockers made some noise as well, winning 9 of 13 contests.  Their bullpen was top notch, with no member recording an ERA over 3.00.

The rest of the East struggled and are starting to fall out of the playoff hunt.  After starting the week with a 3 ½ game lead in the Wild Card, the Ee-Yah Orators will finish it 3 ½ games out.  The White Rats, a +47 Run Differential team fighting with bad luck all year, are 4 ½  games out while the Saginaw Slammers are all but finished, 8 ½ out of the Wild Card.

The NL West remains an incredibly tight four horse race that is simply too close to call.  The Otherton Fishbiscuits finished last week in first, but are now in third.  John McDonald Fanclub moved from fourth to first and Helena dropped from 3rd to 4th.  The All Stars went 8-7 and maintained the Wild Card lead but just a ½ game.

The best player in the division might have been Cla Meredith, who pitched in 8 games, recorded 7 saves, and didn’t give up a run in over 10 innings for the Fanclub.  While much of the rest of the staff struggled, the offense more than made up for it giving the team a 10-4 record on the week.  Joe Sewell and Brooks Robinson batted close to .400; Rod Carew and Tommy Tucker approached a .400 OBP, and Albert Belle, Carl Yastrzemski, Mickey Mantle, and George Hall combined to hit 10 home runs and a .550 slugging.  The Fanclub's record over the past two weeks is 18-9.

There are several key series during Sim 10:

• Otherton twice travels to John McDonald for a total of 7 games
• Wild Card hopefuls from each league, the All Stars and Tommyknockers, face off in a 3 game set
• New Orleans faces those Tommyknockers twice on road;
• In between of which, they stay home for a 3 game series with Helena.  We’ll learn a lot about the Thrill over these 9 games.

Week 9 Free Agents

• Banana Bears DL Brad Lidge, pick up Daniel Bard 2010
• Chips drop Matt Williams, pick up Ken Caminiti
• Fishbiscuits drop Red Lucas, pick up Ginger Beaumont 1902
• Fishbiscuits drop Dave Concepcion, pick up Simon Nichols 1907
• Hoplites drop Jim Brewer, pick up Hank Thompson
• Hoplites drop Ken Sanders, pick up Teddy Higuera

Power Alley

Week 9

+4: New Orleans Thrill
+3: Sparta Hoplites
+3: DC Chips
+3: Willets Point "Mechanics"

-5: Ee-Yah Orators
-4: St Louis White Rats
-3: Otherton Fishbiscuits
-3: Saginaw Slammers

Players of the Week

The Saginaw Slammers Carlos Delgado is our Sim 9 Player of the Week.  Delgado batted .435 / .525 / .717 with 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 R, and 10 RBI.

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed, as is the case with Free Agent cast of Frank Sullivan.  Jettisoned by the  Spanish Harlem Pinata Beaters (3.90 ERA in 67 IP), the DC Chips recently picked him and this week, it all came together for the right hander.  Sullivan went 2-0 with 1.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP this week.

Trade and Free Agent Deadlines

In seasons past we haven't had a need for a trade deadline.  Given the number of transactions we've seen this season some owners questioned if it would not make sense to have one.  I agree.

• Trade Deadline:  August 31.  That is next Wednesday (May 2) in real life time
• FA Pickup Deadline:  September 15.  A week later, May 7th.
• There is no deadline for injury replacement pickups.  However, if a player is inured in the playoffs he can only be replaced between series.

Sim 9E Complete

Carnie's Trade Pete Alexander to the Fishbiscuits for Joe Wood

Pete Alexander (6-4, 5.05, 119 IP) heads to Otherton for Joe Wood (3-2, 4.58, 39 IP).

RSAA Update

Week 9

Average ERA By Pitcher Type
3.55 - Reliever
4.07 - Starter

Top 10 By Position

Carnies, Hoplites swap Saucier, Greinke

The Bertrand Island Carnies obtain starting pitcher Zach Greinke (6-8, 4.27 ERA) from the Sparta Hoplites for lefty reliever Kevin Saucier (2-1, 3.82 ERA).

Rumor has it that Greinke will replace 'ace' starter Pete Alexander (5.05 ERA) who will summarily executed with a captive bolt pistol by Anton Chigurh.

ATB Value Update

Week 9

Average ATB Value By Position
.334 - 1B
.327 - DH
.320 - CF
.317 - LF
.315 - RF
.306 - 2B
.306 - 3B
.287 - SS
.299 - C

Top 5 By Position

 

Great Feats Update

Totally forgot about these, sorry!  Last update was June 18 so be sure to check here for a complete list, a lot has happened.

• Tris Speaker (GCG) has another 5 hit game
• Richie Asburn (SPB) has a 6-hit day
• Pirate fans rejoice, Andy Van Slyke hit 3 doubles
• Babe Ruth (DCC) and Kevin Mitchell (IBS) each hit 3 HR in the same game
• For the second time this year, the Chips defeat Dogphin29 in a 16+ inning game
• Buck Leonard (JMF)  hits 3 HR and drives in 7
• Randy Johnson (D29) strikes out 16
• Pedro Martinez (EYO) has two starts with a 90+ Game Score

Sim 9D Complete

The Great, The Good, and The Ugly

Week 9

Sim 9C Complete

Standings Charts Update

Week 9

Standings Over The Past...

30 Days

60 Days

Sim 9B Complete

Sim 9A Complete

Files loading, should be done by 9 PM

Power Alley Great Eight

For just the second time this year, the same teams remained in the top-8 from last week.

Power Alley

End of Week 8

+5: St Louis White Rats
+2: Spanish Harlem Pinata Beaters
+2: Downsouth Brews

-3:  Otherton FishBiscuits
-2:  Helena Handbasket
-2:  Saginaw Slammers
-2:  Sparta Hoplites

Week 8 Standings Summary

The most interesting of American League races is proving to be out West, with 5 of the 6 teams clearly in the playoff hunt.   "Interesting" is in the eye of the beholder however, as one can argue the West is the worst division in ATB.  Only one team, the Brighton Shadows, has a record of at least .500 and they accomplished it by the skin of their teeth, winning 8 of 14 this Sim, ending the week at 57-55.

Behind them are the Sparta Hoplites, a team with a +3 Run Differential and sitting a game under .500.  The Shadows, at +35, are clearly the team to beat in the West at this point.  Similarly, with the best of the teams in rest of the division at -30, the Hoplites are clearly the Wild card favorites.

A trio of teams are in the next tier, averaging 7 games under .500 and a -35 run differential - Willets Point, Indiana, and Planet 10.  Finally, Uncle Robbie brings up the rear, 28 games under .500 with a -108 run differential.

While the AL East features a ho-hum Wild Card Race and a non existent Division race, it sports arguably the three best teams in the league.  The Carnies, Gossamers, and Pinata Beaters are 1, 2, and 3 in Wins and Run Differential.  Their well rounded attacks, both with the offense and pitching staff, truly separates these three teams from the rest of the field.  The Carnies are ranked 2nd in both runs scored and runs prevented, the Gossamers 7th and 3rd, and the Pinata Beaters 9th and 6th.  They are the only teams in the Top 10 in both categories.

If the had the luxury of playing in the West, the Chips would be in the Wild Card hunt, but in the East they find themselves 12.5 games back.  Behind them are the World Police and dogphin29, 17 and 20.5 games out of the Wild card respectively.

This Week Around the League

• Tris Speaker (GCG) batted .428 / .463 / .469
• Fred Dunlap (SPB) hit .412 with 7 extra base hits and 15 RBI
• Johnny Mize (BIC) is holding up his end of the platoon bargain, he hit .480 / .519 / 1.120 with a 1.639 OPS against righties
• Jim Thome (d29) teed off belting 5 HR
• Mickey who?  Benny kauff (TWP) batted .412 with 4 2B, 1 3B, and 2 HR
• The Black Sox hit 20 team Home Runs this week; Kevin Mitchell led the way with 8
• Joe Jackson (SH) scored 12 runs and batted .451 with a .548 OBP

• Johnny Podres (DCC) pitched in 29+ innings, giving up just 5 runs (1.53 ERA)
• Danny Darwin (SPB) continues to impress, and threw another great 19 IP this week (1.89 ERA)
• Brett Saberhagen (PRL) went 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 3 starts
• Randy Johnson (d29) struck out 28 in 18 innings
• Clayton Kershaw is the third "Mechanics" pitcher to win the Player of the Week award
• Justin Verlander (BS) went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA; he tossed 2 complete games
• Mel Parnell (URB) remains a bright spot on a struggling team, we won 2 of 3 with a 2.38 ERA

Players of the Week

Babe Ruth cannot be stopped.  For the second week in a row, and for the third time this season, the slugging DC right fielder wins Batter of the Week.  This time he batted .377 / .522 / .868, with a 1.290 OPS, 8 HR, 12 R, 14 RBI.

Pitcher of the Week goes to Clayton Kershaw of the Willets Point "Mechanics".  Kershaw started three games and ended with a line: 1-0, 23 IP, 9 H, 8 BB, 16 K, 0.74 WHIP, 1.01 RCERA, and average almost 8 innings a start.

Transactions

For Upcoming Week 9

• Black Sox - Drop Jerry Koosman, pick up Kirk Gibson 1984
• Pinata Beaters - Drop Teddy Higuera, pick up Mike Mussina
• Banana Bears - Drop Jack Clark, pick up John Reilly 1884
• Mechanics - Drop Jim Hearn, pick up Fritz Peterson 1969*

Missed Player due to claim priority

• Carnies -  Mike Mussina
• Gossamers - Mike Mussina

* Added 4/21, I forgot to include

Sim 8E Complete

Major implications from tonight's play:

• Shadows sweep Hoplites (4 game set in all), move into 1st
• Pinata Beaters sweep Gossamers (4 game set as well) and are just 4 games back now
• John McDonald sweeps Rusty Kuntz, are just 1 game back, and allow the Fishbiscuits to move into 1st.

RSAA Update

Full detail here.

Average ERA by Position
3.55 - Relievers
4.01 - Starters

Top 10 By Position

ATB Value Update

Full detail here

Average by Position
.330 - 1B
.325 - DH
.320 - CF
.316 - LF
.314 - RF
.306 - 3B
.304 - 2B
.300 - C
.287 - SS

Top 5 By Position