VOLUME:XLIV ... August 1, 2018
LATEST NEWS
We've hit the 2/3rds mark and our mid season mini trade window. Couple of teams quite active including one front runner Ottawa. All of the deals are posted on the trade page. I had a good time this month playing two of my series on-line that also brought hours of conversation with them. No other news to report but I will make a comment.
One of the most damaging items to ANY league, including this one, is slow and late play. Sometimes there are circumstances that explain the late reporting. Health or family issues are understandable. In the past months, on the deadline, I've needed to remind some that I don't have their results despite an existing web page that clearly shows the result hasn't been received/posted. When I'm reminding the same people each month, what I see is someone telling me the RCMBA is at the bottom of your to do list or you are really don't think it's important to follow our schedule. If every month the games are squeezed into the last moments before a deadline why aren't they NEVER squeezed into say the 10th of a month? I don't get that. When I have several managers expressing dismay about who they are scheduled against that month because they know results won't be received until the exact deadline give or take a day, that bothers me and it should bother you. No need for "Mea culpa" statements. Just venting
DIVISION RACES
Harwell Div: Albuquerque holding onto a four game lead. The Horsemen were a bland 7-6 at home last month but had a very good 10-4 month on the road. Ottawa didn't make up a single game last month posting a 10-3 home but falling to 7-7 on the road. Armada, still third, ran off a 10-3 home month along with a 9-5 on the road to gain a couple games on Ottawa & Albuquerque. They're 11 out of first. Western NY took over fourth with behind their 9-4 month at home but were 4-10 on the road. The Falcons took over 4th because Cinci could only win 11 games last month to fall 8 back of WNY and 25 out of first..... In series play Albuquerque is 8-4-0 at home8-3-1 road. The Fat Cats are 9-2-1 home/8-3-1 road. Armada has a 9-2-1 home record with 5-5-2 road mark. WNY is 8-2-2 at home and 3-8-1 on the road. Cinci checks in 7-4-1 home/3-7-2 away.
Caray Div: Syracuse has doubled their lead to 16 games. The Blues were a stellar 12-2 at home last month but stumbled on the road with 5-8 month. Kentucky, has a shaky grip on second after their 5-9 home/4-9 away month. In third 5 back of the Bourbons we have a tie. Laurel Highlands was 6-8 home/6-7 away last month which is 21 back of first. Havre de Grace is tied with the Mustangs. The Bucs were 6-8 after the WNY sweep at home but a depressing 3-10 away. Just two games back of those two is Bennett Run. The Boilermakers were 5-9 at home and 3-10 away in July..... Series play shows Syracuse 8-2-2 at home while 4-5-3 traveling. Kentucky is 6-4-2 at home coupled with a shocking 0-11-1 with suitcases. Laurel Highlands 3-7-2 at home/3-8-1 road. The Bucs are 6-6-0 home but a dismal 2-10-0 on the road. Ben Run has a 3-8-1 at home series play and 2-10-0 on road.
Allen Div: Knob Noster now in front by two. The Knuckleheads just 5-4 at home last month with a solid 7-2 away mark. Homestead match the blah home record of 5-4 but that same 5-4 away put them in 2nd place. Burnsville still lurking behind those two, six games out of first. The Blaze were 5-4 at home along with 4-5 away record. Miami Beach is fourth now 9 games behind Burnsville after their 2-7 home record and an almost as bad 3-6 away. At the bottom Etiwanda. The Anteaters were 4-5 at home and 3-6 away.... In series matches Knob Noster is 7-4-1 at home and away. Homestead is 5-5-2 home and a nice 8-2-2 away. Burnsville is 7-2-2 at home/4-6-2 on the road. Miami Beach has a 4-6-2 home and away series record. Etiwanda is 5-7-0 home/4-8-0 away
Wildcard: Ottawa is the top wildcard team with a six game lead on Homestead and seven games on Armada the #6 seed right now. Burnsville is only three back of Armada with Western NY six back. The rest of the chase goes into double digits out of the sixth slot after that.
TEAM STATS
Only Albuquerque and Armada are hitting over 250. Western NY has got their average over 200 now but a ways back of Cinci who is 14th best at hitting. .. The On Base column Albuquerque on top with by a little bit over Syracuse and Knob Noster. All but WNY are in the 290's... In team OPS it's Albuquerque on top with Syracuse & Ottawa in the 800's. Western NY, Etiwanda and Havre de Grace still under 700. Etiwanda at the bottom of the list but now over 100... Albuquerque is also the best we have in extra base hits, putting runners on base, the only team with 1000 hits, 1900 total bases and runs scored... Ottawa is the best of four teams with +200 homers. Hard to believe it's not Albuquerque... Homestead & Burnsville still having triple shortage... Burnsville now has run wild up to 11 steals on the year. Syracuse, Homestead and Havre de Grace whiff totals over 1000. Miami Beach the only team with less than 300 walks. Feel very excited when your guys turn a double play on Western NY. Burnsville and Armada don't bobble many balls... On the mound we have five teams with ERA's in the 3's and Burnsville is a step above the others. Laurel Highlands is the worst of four teams with ERA's in the 5's... Havre de Grace doesn't have many pitching highlights except for a league best shutout mark... Lots of homers happen to Mustangs hurlers. Not so much with Ciders... Burnsville the best strike throwers we have. Not only do they not give out walks but they collect lots of k's... You can see all the team stats right under the player lists on the STAT page. Do your team numbers match what I have posted as the official numbers?
PLAYER STATS
Giancarlo Stanton (Syr) continues his fine season. He's the best of two with +1000 OPS, the only one with +100 RBI, leading the homer chase, extra base hits and one of four hitting over 300... Jose Altuve (Ken) is our leading hitter with almost a 350 average. Eric Hosmer (Arm) and Jose Ramirez (Kno) also over 300... Eric Hosmer (Arm) has the most hits with Altuve chasing him. Jose Ramirez (Kno) the most doubles and Nolan Arenado (Alb) is right behind him. Chris Taylor (Ben) remains well out in front and on top of the triples list... Not to be confused with Chris is Michael Taylor (Ott) who is closing in on 200 whiffs... Joey Votto (Ott) & Chris Carpenter (Cin) are having a pretty good fight for the walk title. There's some pretty notable names on the Worst Batting Average List. Todd Frazier (Hav) the worst of the worst..... On the hill Jake Arrieta (Bur) still the best ERA and Stephen Strasburg (Hom) still dogging him. We have six guys with -3.00 ERA's and one with a +7.00 ERA. That would be Ivan Nova (Hav)... Jimmy Nelson (Ott), Justin Verlander (WNY) and Robbie Ray (Ken) with 13 wins. Twelve others with two of that group. Chris Archer (LHi) is the only one with 14 loses... Max Scherzer (Bur) now over 200 k's along with a league bests in k/9 and k/bb rates... Stephen Strasburg (Hom) the best of all in WHIP and H/9.... Find out more on the STATS page.
THEN THERE'S THIS
The very best hitter around? That's Jarrod Dyson (Kno) along with Jorge Alfaro (Syr) at 375. Dyson in 8 at bats, Alfaro in 88. Worst hitter is still Roughned Odor (Hav) who is now 0 for 5... LoCain (Arm) is now at 11 caught stealing in 36 tries. Billy Hamilton (Ken) is perfect at 51-51... Tyler Flowers (Bur) still at 19 HBP. Nick Castellano (Bur) never hit in 388pa... Eddy Encarnacion (Ben) & Josh Reddick (Ken) have 6 sac flies... Jose Abreu (Kno) has hit into 17 GiDP's. Never happened to Byron Buxton (LHi) after 314 AB's... Jorge Polanco (LHi) has botched his way to a league leading 30 errors... Josh Hader (Syr) has a 0.00 ERA in 20.3ip. Tyler Glasnow (LHi) is 9.99 after 48.7 innings... Cole Hamels (Alb) has a 6-0 WL record. Jared Hughes (Hav) is 0-5... Brandon Kintzler (Bur) has been in 58 games. At zero games are 25 players... Jose Berrios (Bur) has 8 complete games... Justin Verlander (WNY) has 4 shutouts... Three guys have given up 32 homers... Jose Urena (Mia) has walked 71 in 135.3 innings. Aaron Loup (WNY) hasn't walked anyone in 8ip.
... IMPORTANT DATES ...
- October 1st - Playoffs
THE SHOW
Boy that was a lot of trading going on in MLB for the July deadline. Forty all together. One trade that didn't happen is Adam Jones going from Baltimore to Philadelphia. Jones has 10-and-5 rights (10 years of MLB service time, including five years with one club) which means he would have to waive his no-trade clause to be moved and he rightfully refused to.
“When players walked out years ago and walked the picket lines and all that stuff, they did all that for reasons right now,” Jones said after the O's 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. “I earned this, and it’s my decision, thank you. Here’s the thing about society. Everyone thinks they know what’s best for the next person. If someone wants to pay all my bills, trust me, they can tell me what to so. Until then, shut the hell up. A hundred percent. I made the decision. It’s my decision. It’s my life. There’s the thing. I’m not going around telling other people and dictating other people’s lives. Why do they do that with us? So, no one’s going to tell me what to do. I earned every single bit of it. People before me fought vigorously to get rights like this, and I can invoke them. But it’s my decision. I appreciate everybody with their two cents. I didn’t ask for it. But I greatly appreciate everybody with how they think Adam Jones should do his career. Thank you, for wasting your own personal time”.