S3 Recap

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Winner Winner....Chicken Dinner 

Is a Dynasty in the mist of being formed? That's TWO World Series rings in 3 years, let's hold that though until we see what St Louis does next year. 

Playoff Hitting Stats: .260 avg, .708 ops, 12 HR, 79 RBI, 79 R, 35 SB
Playoff Pitching Stats: 11-5, 4/8 saves, 147 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 2.33 ERA, 55 bb, 118 k. 
Outstanding Position Player: Koji Katou (RF) - .323 avg, 1.024 ops, 20 H, 9 R, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB
Outstanding Pitcher: Derrek Cone (SP) - 2.33 era, .188 oav, 0.91 whip, 37 k, 10 bb, 3-1, 0/0 sv in 6 appearances totaling 38.2 innings. 

Congrats again and let's get ready for the start of Season 4! 

Major League

All-Star Weekend

The National League took an early lead and didn't look back over the American League in a high scoring outing, 14-10
All Star Game Player of Game - 2B Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) drove in 4 runs
Home Run Derby Champ - Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 10-11-8
Longest HR - 526' - Ellis Curtis (Colorado Springs)
Futures Game Player of the Game: Jesus Palmeiro (Charlotte)

American League 

Division Titles
AL North: Syracuse Firebirds (3 straight)
AL East: Boston 'Act As If' Afflects (3 straight)
AL South: New Orleans Voodoo (3 straight)
AL West:  Salt Lake City Trappers (3 straight)
Wildcards: Fargo Mud Dogs & Texas Toast

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 229
Average: Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - .345
Home Runs: Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 54
Runs: Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 154
Runs Batted In: Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 156
Stolen Bases: Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 68
Longest Hit Streak: Sammy Little (Baltimore) - 26

Pitching
Wins: Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 26
Quality Starts: Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 27
Saves: Jose Rios (Texas) - 40
ERA: Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 2.46
Strikeout: Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 234
OAV: Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - .185
WHIP: Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 0.97

Fielding
Plus Plays: Avisail Nunez (Montgomery) - 30
CS%: Anthony Parkers (Arizona) - 39%
C ERA: Matty Lopez (Motgomery) - 3.62

Awards
MVP: 

  1. Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 17 votes
  2. Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 7 votes
  3. Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 5 votes
  4. Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 2 votes
  5. Randy Uribe (Fargo) - 1 vote

Cy Young: 

  1. Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 14 votes
  2. Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 11 votes
  3. Ned Gaillard (Augusta) - 4 votes
  4. Everth Urena (Fargo) - 2 votes
  5. Kury Spivey (Boston) - 1 vote
Rookie of the Year: 
  1. Rickie Quinn (New Orleans) - 14 votes
  2. Henderson May (Los Angeles) - 9 votes
  3. Steve Holt (Salt Lake City) - 5 votes
  4. Chance Bierbrodt (Philadelphia) - 3 votes
  5. Dolf Hillenbrand (Philadelphia) - 1 vote

Fireman of the Year: Jose Rios (Texas)

National League

Division Titles
NL North: Trenton Thunderbolts (3 straight)
NL East: St Louis Archers (3 straight)
NL South: San Antonio Yo-Yo Bros Yo
NL West: Fresno Romans (2nd straight)
Wildcards: Tucson Road Runners & Indianapolis Speedsters

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 211
Average: Matthew Corey (Tucson) - .335
Home Runs: Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 55
Runs: Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 146
Runs Batted In: Koji Katou (St Louis) - 147
Stolen Bases: Vladimir Daniels (Tucson) - 107
Longest Hit Streak: Sammy Kelly (Trenton) - 21

Pitching
Wins: Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) & Andrelton Adkinson (Trenton) - 21
Quality Starts: Derrek Cone (St Louis) - 29
Saves: Matt Rhodes (Helena) - 42
ERA: George Avery (Colorado Springs) - 2.16
Strikeout: Harry DaSilva (Buffalo) - 251
OAV: Bernard Moran (Chicago) - .191
WHIP: Derrek Cone (St Louis) & Bernard Moran (Chicago) & George Avery (Colorado Springs) - 1.01

Fielding
Plus Plays: Jorge Alberto (Mexico City) - 29

Awards
MVP:

  1. Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 18 votes (ROOKIE)
  2. Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 6 votes
  3. Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 4 votes
  4. Len Priest (St Louis) - 3 votes
  5. Rajai Johnstone (Buffalo) - 1 vote
Cy Young:
  1. Andrelton Adkinson (Trenton) - 14 votes
  2. Magglio Mieses (Trenton) - 11 votes
  3. Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) - 4 votes
  4. Allen Maysonet (Tucson) - 2 votes
  5. Vic Mesa (Tucson) - 1 vote
Rookie of the Year:
  1. Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 21 votes (MVP)
  2. Evan Goldberg (Cincinnati) - 5 votes
  3. Vladimir Daniels (Tucson) - 3 votes
  4. Jumbo Nakano (Rochester) - 2 votes
  5. Dorian Barker (Tucson) - 1 vote
Fireman of the Year: Matt Rhodes (Helena)

Minor League

AAA: 
NL #4 Buffalo over AL #4 Bostom, 4-2
Best Record: Cincinnati - 94-50
Worst Record: St Louis - 26-118

AA: 
AL #2 Texas over NL #4 Trenton over , 4-3
Best Record: Cincinnati - 99-45
Worst Record: Rochester - 39-105

A+: 
NL #1 Indianapolis over AL #2 Boston, 4-1
Best Record: Indianapolis - 96-48
Worst Record: Colorado Springs - 44-100

A-: 
NL #3 Chicago over AL #5 Syracuse, 4-3
Best Record: Charlotte - 103-41
Worst Record: Arizona - 25-119

Rookie: 
AL #2 Louisville over NL #6 Mexico City, 4-0
Best Record: New York - 58-18
Worst Record: Philadelphia - 15-61
Labels:

S3 Awards Log

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Award History
(* indicates Hall of Famer member) - running list of award winners

Franchise Titles

  • 2 Titles
    • St Louis (S1, S3)
  • 1 Title
    • Syracuse (S2)

World Series

S3: #1 NL St Louis v #2 AL New Orleans; 4-2
S2: #2 NL Trenton v #2 AL Syracuse; 1-4
S1: #2 NL St Louis v #5 AL Texas; 4-3

League Championships
  • 2 Championships
    • St Louis (NL - S1, S3)
  • 1 Championship
    • Texas (AL - S1)
    • Trenton (NL - S2)
    • Syracuse (AL - S2)
    • New Orleans (AL - S3)

Division Titles
  • 3 Titles
    • Boston (S1, S2, S3)
    • New Orleans (S1, S2, S3)
    • Salt Lake City (S1, S2, S3)
    • St Louis (S1, S2, S3)
    • Syracuse (S1, S2, S3)
    • Trenton (S1, S2, S3)
  • 2 Titles
    • Fresno (S2, S3)
  • 1 Titles
    • Charlotte (S1)
    • Mexico City (S2)
    • San Antonio (S3)
    • Scottsdale (S1)

Wildcards
  • 3 Wildcard
    • Texas (S1, S2, S3)
    • Indianapolis (S1, S2, S3)
  • 2 Wildcard
    • Buffalo (S1, S2)
  • 1 Wildcard
    • Fargo (S3)
    • Montgomery (S2)
    • Tacoma (S1)
    • Tucson (S3)

Rare Games
Running list of the rare games and seasons they were accomplished in, most recent will be at the top of the list. We've included their Game Score for pitchers and ESPN Rating.

Career Leaders
Bold player indicates active players, we'll track actives until they retire to see how close they get to the overall leaders. At some point these players will be limited to those who have 8+ years experience. Asterisk indicates HoF members. 

Coming in the next season or two. 
Labels:

S3 Best Players

 Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

S3 Top Players

Since we often reference a player's fantasy points on the blog, let's take a quick second to explain them. It's simple really, 1 point for every base, run batted in, run, walk, and each stolen base. A player gets minus 1 point for every strike out and minus a half point for each caught stealing. On the pitching side, we use a point for every inning pitched, plus 2 points for every strike out, plus 3 points for a win, and plus 4.5 for every save. The goal was to put points into things that are more controllable to the pitcher - how long they last in a game and how many strike outs they achieve but still wanted to award the W/L/SV categories as well. The pitchers have a lot more chances to lose points, but again tried to keep them based on things that are more directly tied to the pitcher's control, minus 0.4 for each walk or earned run, minus 0.75 for each home run given up and every walk. They also get minus 2 for every Loss and blown save. This system was tweaked from Yahoo's Fantasy Baseball settings. 

We'll group players by position with their Fantasy Points, perhaps one year we'll add in the stats like extra base hits (xBH), Weighted Runs Above Average (wRAA), weighted On-Base Average (wOBA), weighted runs created plus (wRC+), weighted stolen bases (wSB). For pitchers we could do Adjusted ERA (100 is league average), etc. But for now it's just the Fantasy Points. Bold names indicate Silver Slugger. Underlined names indicate Gold Glove Winners.  

Top 20 Position Players

  1. 1B Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 756
  2. 1B Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 737
  3. 1B Randy Uribe (Fargo) - 650
  4. RF Koji Katou (St Louis) - 636
  5. 1B Rajai Johnstone (Buffalo) - 631
  6. DH Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 626
  7. RF Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 625
  8. 1B Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 623
  9. DH Rubi Veras (Syracuse) - 614
  10. LF Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 600
  11. 2B Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) - 581
  12. RF Ubaldo Johnson (Fresno) - 576
  13. 2B Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 573
  14. SS Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 562
  15. CF Billy Ray Sowders (Trenton) - 560
  16. 1B Len Priest (St Louis) - 553
  17. RF Timothy Adams (Texas) - 553
  18. CF Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 544
  19. 1B Jason Bako (Trenton) - 536
  20. 3B Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 529

Bottom 10 Position Payers

Requires a minimum of 300 At-Bats; this is generally full of Shortstops. 
  1. CF Ed Ward (Helena) - 83
  2. 3B Lyle Grove (Rochester) - 105
  3. SS Jeff Webber (Los Angeles) - 108
  4. SS Wilfredo Polanco (Montgomery) - 115
  5. C Aaron Cepicky (Vancouver) - 174
  6. SS Dennis Nomo (San Antonio) - 176
  7. 1B Guy Syndergaard (Tacoma) - 181
    1. Also the only guy with a negative fielding WAR on the list. 
  8. C Matty Lopez (Montgomery) - 189
  9. 3B Greg Lavarnway (Helena) - 198
  10. 2B Brendan Brooks (Arizona) - 205

Top 10 Catchers

  1. Ellis Curtis (Colorado Springs) - 524
  2. Shin-Soo Ishii (Texas) - 509
  3. Benny Lee (Tucson) - 450
  4. Tyler Stull (San Antonio) - 443
  5. Dan Key (New Orleans) - 419
  6. Brad Randolph (Baltimore) - 398
  7. Lyle Lush (Los Angeles) - 389
  8. Sammy Kelly (Trenton) - 374
  9. Julio Rodriguez (Indianapolis) - 364
  10. Shooter Brewer (New York) - 352

Top 10 First Basemen

  1. Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 756
  2. Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 737
  3. Randy Uribe (Fargo) - 650
  4. Rajai Johnstone (San Antonio) - 631
  5. Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 623
  6. Len Priest (St Louis) - 553
  7. Jason Bako (Trenton) - 536
  8. Cedrick Harper (Boston) - 486
  9. Matt Roberts (Baltimore) - 483
  10. Dustan Nevin (Durham) - 481

Top 10 Second Basemen

  1. Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) - 581
  2. Adrian Sexson (Fargo) - 573
  3. Jarrod Baldoquin (Tacoma) - 456
  4. Chadd Burgess (New Orleans) - 432
  5. Mark Harper (Tucson) - 427
  6. DT Franco (San Antonio) - 425
  7. Harry Ugueto (Durham) - 403
  8. Deven Sanchez (Mexico City) - 390
  9. Pascual Pescado (Boston) - 381
  10. Glenn Green (St Louis) - 374

Top 10 Shortstop

  1. Arquimedes Villanueva (Chicago) - 562
  2. Joe Winston (Baltimore) - 507
  3. David Horton (Tacoma) - 422
  4. Steve Ricarrdi (Mexico City) - 368
  5. Sticky Cole (Indianapolis) - 360
  6. Keith Sowders (Fargo) - 350
  7. Adrian Ross (Buffalo) - 348
  8. Ron House (St Louis) - 328
  9. Allie McBride (Durham) - 315
  10. RJ Santiago (Helena) - 276

Top 10 Third Basemen

  1. Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 529
  2. Jim Smith (Boston) - 502
  3. Tyreace Moore (Syracuse) - 487
  4. Vladimir Daniels (Tucson) - 482
  5. Taijuan Fick (Chicago) - 469
  6. Vern Ashley (Arizona) - 424
  7. Alex Ortiz (New York) - 423
  8. Jesus Alvarez (Los Angeles) - 421
  9. JP Cabellero (Fargo) - 391
  10. Alex Gonzales (Charlotte) - 390

Top 10 Left Fielders

  1. Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 600
  2. Edgmer Pena (New Orleans) - 524
  3. Mickey Villegas (Los Angeles) - 520
  4. Nate Hackman (Syracuse) - 518
  5. RA Trahan (Trenton) - 505
  6. Bump Newsome (Nashville) - 483
  7. Brian Field (Indianapolis) - 478
  8. Anthony Luke (Arizona) - 427
  9. Tim Olsen (Fargo) - 417
  10. Chance Bierbrodt (Montgomery) - 416

Top 10 Center Fielders

  1. Billy Ray Sowders (Trenton) - 560
  2. Juan Mota (Tacoma) - 544
  3. Henderson May (Los Angeles) - 487
  4. Mateo Lopez (Philadelphia) - 424
  5. Wilfredo Melendez (Texas) - 405
  6. Jumbo Nakano (Rochester) - 385
  7. Arodys Esposito (Buffalo) - 354
  8. Wayne Wolf (Syracuse) - 337
  9. Sammy Little (Baltimore) - 332
  10. Steve Holt (Salt Lake City) - 332

Top 10 Right Fielders

  1. Koji Katou (St Louis) - 636
  2. Deven Bickerton (Tacoma) - 625
  3. Ubaldo Johnson (Fresno) - 576
  4. Timothy Adams (Texas) - 553
  5. Chris Gutierrez (Durham) - 445
  6. JJ Marshall (New Orleans) - 443
  7. Radley Frazier (San Antonio) - 441
  8. Terry Cloud (Cincinnati) - 419
  9. Horace Krizan (Fargo) - 418
  10. Timothy Larkin (Tucson) - 416


Top 15 Starting Pitchers

  1. Vladimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 829
  2. Harry DaSilva (Buffalo) - 823
  3. Rolando Candelaria (San Antonio) - 794
  4. Ned Gaillard (Syracuse) - 745
  5. Donte Person (Carlotte) - 740
  6. Allen Maysonet (Tucson) - 738
  7. Derrek Cone (St Louis) - 734
  8. Alex Price (Arizona) - 676
  9. Louie Vizquel (Salt Lake City) - 668
  10. Tony Sheehan (Trenton) - 664
  11. Rando Rincon (Salt Lake City) - 655
  12. Adam Loup (Chicago) - 647
  13. Bernard Moran (Chicago) - 643
  14. Magglio Mieses (Trenton) - 640
  15. Jonathon Houston (Fresno) - 638

Top 10 Relief Pitchers
Requires less than 5 starts

  1. Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 681
  2. Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) - 650
  3. Vic Mesa (Tucson) - 588
  4. Kurt Spivey (Boston) - 585
  5. Bono Grant (Chicago) - 520
  6. Simon Sherman (Indianapolis) - 500
  7. Jacob Sipp (Indianapolis) - 465
  8. Cy Ingram (Indianapolis) - 464
  9. David Gonzales (St Louis) - 454
  10. Bingo Pryce (Boston) - 453

Bottom 10 Pitchers

Requires a minimum of 50 IP
  1. Ernest Gaston (Arizona) - 66
  2. Jonathan Bay (Charlotte) - 103
  3. James Cormier (Syracuse) - 104
  4. Ray McPherson (Indianapolis) - 109
  5. Ryota Yamada (Texas) - 110
  6. Kike Marquez (Tucson) - 112
  7. Marvin Craddock (Louisville) - 114
  8. Junior Belliard (Philadelphia) - 114
  9. Arnold Kelly (Texas) - 115
  10. Douglas Taylor (Tucson) - 118
Labels:

S3 Record Books

Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Record Books

  • 20 2B - 20 HR -20 SB Club
    • This is typically 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs but that's so rare in HBD that we'll change it slightly.
    • Vern Ashley (Arizona) - 38-25-21
    • Anthony Luke (Arizona) - 35-21-36
    • Dixon Perez (Arizona) - 27-40-21
    • Matt Roberts (Baltimore) - 21-36-21
    • Cedrick Harper (Boston) - 41-22-35
    • Jim Smith (Boston) - 38-26-30
    • Taijuan Fick (Chicago) - 38-25-40
    • Harry Ugueto (Durham) - 40-20-25
    • Brian Field (Indianapolis) - 29-28-32
    • Jeff Gray (Indianapolis) - 30-25-49
    • Deven Sanchez (Mexico City) - 32-20-27
    • Harry Feliz (San Antonio) - 53-27-50
    • DT Franco (San Antonio) - 38-24-24
    • Nate Hackman (Syracuse) - 33-32-28
    • Billy Ray Sowders (Trenton) - 35-43-22
    • Mark Harper (Tucson) - 21-25-26
    • Timothy Larkin (Tucson) - 30-23-21
  • 30 HR - 30 SB Club
    • Koji Katou (St Louis) - 52-32
    • Rubi Veras (Syracuse) - 38-41
    • Jason Bako (Trenton) - 30-47
    • RA Trahan (Trenton) - 31-30
    • Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 54-32
  • 40 HR - 40 SB Club
    • Andy Barker (Syracuse) - 48-50
  • 50 HR Club
    • Liam Steinbach (Fresno) - 55
    • Matthew Corey (Tucson) - 54
    • Benito Gonzales (Montgomery) - 54
    • Koji Katou (St Louis) - 52
    • Jarrod Baldoquin (Tacoma) - 50
  • 60 HR Club
    • None
  • 20 W Club
    • Laynce Johnson (Boston) - 26
    • Ned Gaillard (Syracuse) - 23
    • Andrelton Adkinson (Trenton) - 21
    • Lyle Merrick (Indianapolis) - 21
  • 200 K Club
    • Harry DaSilva (Buffalo) - 251
    • Vldaimir Ordonez (Baltimore) - 234
    • Rolando Candelaria (San Antonio) - 230
    • Donte Person (Charlotte) - 222
    • Allen Maysonet (Tucson) - 212
    • Ned Gaillard (Syracuse) - 210
    • Adam Loup (Chicago) - 207
    • Alex Price (Arizona) - 206
    • Louie Vizquel (Salt Lake City) - 204
  • 40 SV Club
    • Matt Rhodes (Helena) - 42
    • Jose Rios (Texas) - 40
    • Steven Knecht (Chicago) - 40
  • 25 Plus Plays Club
    • Avisail Nunez (Montgomery) - 30
    • Jorge Alberto (Mexico City) - 29
    • Bill Gonzales (New Orleans) - 26
    • John Lansing (Chicago) - 26
Looking at the single season records, here is anybody who placed within the top 5 of a category. 
  • HITTING
    • At-Bat - Joe Gibson - Helena - 686 - 3rd
    • At-Bat - David Feldman - New York - 684 - 4th TIED
    • At-Bat - Tim Russell - Durham - 684 - 4th TIED
    • Caught Stealing - DT Franco - San Antonio - 20 - 2nd TIED
    • Doubles - Harry Feliz - San Antonio - 53 - 3rd
    • Grounded Into Double Plays - Ivan Gonzalez - Rochester - 45 - 2nd
    • Grounded Into Double Plays - David Rodriguez - Nashville - 43 - 3rd
    • Grounded Into Double Plays - Aaron Cepicky - Vancouver - 40 - 4th TIED
    • Grounded Into Double Plays - Santiago Tapies - Salt Lake City - 40 - 4th TIED
    • Hit By Pitch - Bump Newsome - Nashville - 49 - 4th TIED 
    • Hits - Adrian Sexson - Fargo - 229 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Hits - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 211 - 5th TIED
    • Hit Streak - Sammy Little - Baltimore - 26 - 3rd TIED
    • Home Runs - Liam Steinbach - Fresno - 55 - 5th
    • Infield Hits - Keith Sowdrds - Fargo - 60 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Infield Hits - Tim Russell - Durham - 53 - 2nd
    • Infield Hits - Avisail Nunez - Montgomery - 51 - 3rd
    • Intentional Walks - Rajai Johnstone - Buffalo - 42 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Intentional Walks - Jeff Gray - Indianapolis - 24 - 3rd
    • Iso Power - Matthew Corey - Tucson - .349 - 3rd
    • Number of Pitches Seen - Tex Baxter - Philadelphia - 2,927 - 1st NEW RECORD 
    • Number of Pitches Seen - Steve Holt - Salt Lake City - 2,824 - 3rd
    • Number of Pitches Seen Per Plate Appearance - John Hearn - New Orleans - 3.99 - 2nd
    • Number of Pitches Seen Per Plate Appearance - Len Priest - St Louis - 3.98 - 3rd
    • On-Base Percentage - John Hearn - New Orleans - .437 - 3rd
    • On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 1.101 - 2nd
    • Pitch Hit - Miguel Villafuerte - Indianapolis - 25 - 2nd TIED
    • Pitch Hit - Socrates Blackwell - Helena - 25 - 2nd TIED
    • Pitch Hit - Tim Steinbach - Scottsdale - 24 - 4th TIED 
    • Plate Appearances - Harry Feliz - San Antonio - 764 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Plate Appearances - Tex Baxter - Philadelphia - 762 - 2nd
    • Plate Appearances - Tim Russell - Durham - 756 - 3rd
    • Plate Appearances - Adrian Sexson - Fargo - 755 - 4th
    • Runs - Andy Barker - Syracuse - 154 - 2nd TIED
    • Runs - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 146 - 5th
    • Runs Batted In - Benito Gonzales - Montgomery - 156 - 2nd
    • Runs Batted In - Randy Uribe - Fargo - 147 - 5th
    • Runs Created - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 187.27 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Runs Created per 27 Outs - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 11.16 - 3rd
    • Sacrifice Flies - Benito Gonzales - Montgomery - 11 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Sacrifice Hits - Cameron Knotts - Charlotte - 37 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Sacrifice Hits - Jerome Freeman - New Orleans - 18 - 4th TIED
    • Sacrifice Hits - Grayson Ryan - Louisville - 18 - 4th TIED
    • Secondary Average - Andy Barker - Syracuse - .560 - 4th
    • Slugging Percentage - Matthew Corey - Tucson - .684 - 2nd
    • Stolen Bases - Vladimir Daniels - Tucson - 107 - 1st TIED
    • Stolen Bases - Len Priest - St Louis - 86 - 4th
    • Strike Outs (Most) - Wayne Wolf - Syracuse - 196 - 3rd
    • Triples - Louie Jungmann - Indianapolis - 12 - 1st TIED
    • Walks - Len Priest - St Louis - 128 - 2nd
    • Walks - Andy Barker - Syracuse - 122 - 4th TIED
  • PITCHING
    • Batters Faced - Alex Price - Arizona - 1,249 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Batters Faced - Allen Maysonet - Tucson - 1,053 - 5th
    • HBP - Clete Carter - Baltimore - 18 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • HBP - Alex Price - Arizona - 16 - 3rd TIED
    • OAV - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - .185 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • OAV - Bernard Moran - Chicago - .191 - 2nd
    • OAV - George Avery - Colorado Springs - .199 - 4th
    • OAV - Rolando Candelaria - San Antonio - .200 - 5th
    • OAV (worst) - Clayton Ryal - Durham - .347 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • OAV (worst) - Philip Magee - Arizona - .334 - 2nd TIED
    • ERA - George Avery - Colorado Springs - 2.16 - 2nd
    • ERA (worst) - Clayton Ryal - Durham - 7.47 - 2nd
    • ERA (worst) - Philip Magee - Arizona - 6.81 - 3rd
    • ERA (worst) - Michael Iwamura - Helena - 6.80 - 4th
    • Earned Runs - Philip Magee - Arizona - 160 - 2nd
    • Earned Runs - Alex Price - Arizona - 152 - 3rd
    • Games - Vic Mesa - Tucson - 110 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Games - Josias Tatis - Helena - 99 - 4th
    • Games - Peter Kwon - New Orleans - 94 - 5th
    • Game Started - Mac Griffin - Boston - 54 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Games Started - Allen Maysonet - 42 - 5th TIED
    • GB:FB Ratio - Clete Carter - Baltimore - 2.99 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Hits Allowed - Alex Price - Arizona - 327 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Hits Allowed - Philip Magee - Arizona - 303 - 3rd
    • HR Allowed - Alex Price - Arizona - 51 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • HR Allowed - Lawrence Wolcott - Baltimore - 42 - 5th TIED
    • IP - Alex Price - Arizona - 280.1 - 3rd
    • IP - Allen Maysonet - Tucson - 254.1 - 5th
    • Number of Pitches - Alex Price - Arizona - 4,428 - 2nd
    • OBP - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - .254 - 2nd
    • OBP - Bernard Moran - .256 - 3rd
    • OBP (worst) - Spark Perez - Baltimore - .390 - 3rd TIED
    • Quality Starts - Derek Cone - St Louis - 29 - 1st TIED
    • Saves - Matt Rhodes - Helena - 42 - 3rd TIED
    • Saves - Steve Knecht - Chicago - 40 - 5th TIED
    • Shutouts - Rolando Candelaria - San Antonio - 4 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Shutouts - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - 4 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Shutouts - Everth Urena - Fargo - 3 - 3rd TIED
    • SLG Percent - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - .278 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • SLG Percent - Bernard Moran - Chicago - .280 - 2nd
    • SLG Percent - George Avery - Colorado Springs - .281 - 3rd
    • SLG Percent (worst) - Clayton Ryal - Durham - .574 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • SLG Percent (worst) - Lawrence Wolcott - Baltimore - .547 - 2nd
    • SLG Percent (worst) - Luigi Lugo - New York - .545 - 3rd TIED
    • K/9 - Harry DaSilva - Buffalo - 9.57 - 2nd
    • K/BB - Louie Vizquel - Salt Lake City - 4.43 - 5th
    • Strikeouts - Harry DaSilva - Buffalo - 251 - 2nd
    • Strikeouts - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - 234 - 4th
    • Strikeouts - Rolando Candelaria - San Antonio - 230 - 5th
    • Walks - Santos Beltran - Los Angeles - 119 - 5th
    • WHIP - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - 0.97 - 4th
    • WHIP (worst) - Spark Perez - Baltimore - 1.83 - 3rd
    • WHIP (worst) - Clayton Ryal - Durham - 1.80 - 5th
    • Wins - Laynce Johnson - Boston - 26 - 1st TIED
  • FIELDING
    • Bad Plays (1B) - Will Strickland - Cincinnati - 10 - 2nd TIED
    • Bad Plays (1B) - David Rodriguez - Nashville - 10 - 2nd TIED
    • Double Plays (1B) - Charles Tuivailala - Los Angeles - 137 - 4th TIED
    • Double Plays (1B) - Danny Tulowitzki - Vancouver - 137 - 4th TIED
    • Good Plays (1B) - Jorge Alberto - Mexico City - 29 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Good Plays (1B) - John Lansing - Chicago - 26 - 2nd
    • Putots (1B) - Liam Steinbach - Fresno - 1527 - 3rd
    • Range Factor (1B) - Matthew Corey - Tucson - 11.02 - 4th TIED
    • Range Factor (1B - worst) - Cedrick Harper - Boston - 8.81 - 3rd
    • Range Factor (1B - worst) - Garaboz Margot - Charlotte - 8.93 - 4th
    • Assists (2B) - Mark Harper - Tucson - 446 - 4th
    • Bad Plays (2B) - Harry Ugueto - Durham - 28 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Bad Plays (2B) - Darron Keller - Louisville - 17 - 3rd
    • Double Plays (2B) - Jarrod Baldoquin - Tacoma - 114 - 4th
    • Good Plays (2B) - Avisail Nunez - Montgomery - 30 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Putouts (2B) - Harry Ugueto - Durham - 366 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Putouts (2B) - Jeff Gray - New Orleans - 346 - 2nd TIED
    • Putouts (2B) - Joe Gibson - Helena - 337 - 4th
    • Range Factor (2B - worst) - Paul Buck - Arizona - 3.77 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Range Factor (2B - worst) - Deven Sanchez - Mexico City - 4.03 - 2nd
    • Range Factor (2B - worst) - Brendan Brooks - Arizona - 4.15 - 3rd
    • Range Factor (2B - worst) - Juan Dominguez - Buffalo - 4.20 - 4th
    • Assists (3B) - Alex Ortiz - New York - 393 - 4th
    • Assists (3B) - Earl Connelly - Durham - 392 - 5th
    • Bad Plays (3B) - Juan Carlos Nunez - Fresno - 12 - 2nd
    • Bad Plays (3B) - Jesus Alvarez - Los Angeles - 11 - 3rd TIED
    • Double Plays (3B) - Chan Wang - Vancouver - 39 - 1st TIED
    • Double Plays (3B) - Bill Gonzales - New Orleans - 36 - 4th TIED
    • Errors (3B) - Louis Cook - Philadelphia - 32 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Good Plays (3B) - Bill Gonzales - New Orleans - 26 - 2nd
    • Good Plays (3B) - Jim Smith - Boston - 22 - 4th
    • Putouts (3B) - Earl Connelly - Durham - 176 - 2nd
    • Putouts (3B) - Vern Ashley - Arizona - 169 - 3rd
    • Putouts (3B) - Alex Ortiz - New York - 167 - 5th
    • Assists (CF) - Hiram Nina - Fresno - 10 - 2nd TIED
    • Assists (CF) - Wilfredo Melendez - Texas - 9 - 4th TIED
    • Bad Plays (CF) - Ed Gennett - Indianapolis - 13 - 2nd TIED
    • Bad Plays (CF) - Stew Bland - Arizona - 12 - 4th TIED
    • Bad Plays (CF) - Wilfredo Melendez - Texas - 12 - 4th TIED
    • Double Plays (CF) - Douglas Altherr - Vancouver - 3 - 2nd TIED
    • Double Plays (CF) - Hiram Nina - Fresno - 3 - 2nd TIED
    • Errors (CF) - Henderson May - Los Angeles - 16 - 2nd
    • Errors (CF) - Stew Bland - Arizona - 13 - 3rd TIED
    • Errors (CF) - Ed Ward - Helena - 13 - 3rd TIED
    • Putouts (CF) - Stew Bland - Arizona - 415 - 2nd
    • Putouts (CF) - Steve Holt - Salt Lake City - 400 - 3rd
    • Putouts (CF) - Ed Ward - Helena - 393 - 4th
    • Assists (LF) - Tim Olsen - Fargo - 8 - 1st TIED
    • Assists (LF) - Edgmer Pena - New Orleans - 7 - 3rd TIED
    • Bad Plays (LF) - Nap McAnaney - Durham - 15 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Putouts (LF) - Anthony Luke - Arizona - 335 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Assists (RF) - Timothy Morris - Helena - 11 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Bad Plays (RF) - Vince Curtis - Los Angeles - 16 - 4th
    • Bad Plays (RF) - Ubaldo Johnson - Fresno - 15 - 5th
    • Errors (RF) - Rey Cookson - Colorado Springs - 15 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Errors (RF) - Pete Baxter - Charlotte - 7 - 2nd
    • Good Plays (RF) - Louie Jungman - Indianapolis - 15 - 1st NEW RECORD TIED
    • Good Plays (RF) - Chris Gutierrez - Durham - 15 - 1st NEW RECORD TIED
    • Good Plays (RF) - Mike Esquerra - Philadelphia - 11 - 3rd
    • Putouts (RF) - Stolmy Machado - Vancouver - 259 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Putouts (RF) - Mike Esquerra - Philadelphia - 232 - 3rd
    • Putouts (RF) - Timothy Adams - Texas - 222 - 5th
    • Range Factor (RF) - Mike Esquerra - Philadelphia - 1.74 - 3rd
    • Assists (SS) - Grayson Ryan - Louisville - 594 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Assists (SS) - RJ Santiago - Helena - 570 - 3rd
    • Assists (SS) - Omar Rodriguez - Texas - 568 - 5th
    • Double Plays (SS) - Elrod Matthews - Scottsdale - 115 - 3rd TIED
    • Double Plays (SS) - David Horton - Tacoma - 113 - 5th
    • Errors (SS) - JB Morgan - Charlotte - 46 - 3rd
    • Errors (SS) - Donne Magnuson - Vancouver - 45 - 4th
    • Putouts (SS) - Elrod Matthews - Scottsdale - 297 - 5th
    • Ranger Factor (SS) - Grayson Ryan - Louisville - 5.81 - 5th
    • Range Factor (SS - worst) - Chris Strittmatter - Nashville - 4.42 - 2nd
    • Range Factor (SS - worst) - George Parker - Philadelphia - 4.56 - 5th
    • Assists (P) - Douglas Tomlinson - Buffalo - 19 - 2nd TIED
    • Assists (P) - Kike Rodriguez - Mexico City - 19 - 2nd TIED
    • Double Plays (P) - Andrelton Adkinson - Texas - 4 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Errors (P) - Ned Mercedes - Vancouver - 7 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Good Plays (P) - Andrelton Adkinson - Texas - 7 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Putouts (P) - Vladimir Ordonez - Baltimore - 14 - 2nd TIED
    • Bad Plays (C) - Julio Rodriguez - Indianapolis - 1 - 1st NEW RECORD TIED
    • Bad Plays (C) - Brad Randolph - Baltimore - 1 - 1st NEW RECORD TIED
    • cERA (worst) - Gregorio Sosa - Durham - 6.19 - 4th
    • Passed Balls - Tuffy Bauer - Mexico City - 24 - 2nd
    • Passed Balls - Darryl Sadler - Helena - 16 - 3rd TIED
    • Pickoffs - Tyler Stull - San Antonio - 4 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Runners CS - BJ Turner - Nashville - 59 - 2nd TIED
    • Runners CS - Ellis Curtis - Colorado Springs - 57 - 4th
    • Runners CS - Tyler Stull - San Antonio - 56 - 5th
    • Stolen Base Attempts Against - Elis Curtis - Colorado Springs - 220 - 1st NEW RECORD
    • Stolen Base Attempts Against - Benny Lee - Tucson - 189 - 3rd
    • Stolen Base Attempts Against - Aaron Cepicky - Vancouver - 177 - 4th
Moving on to team records. Going forward next year, bold teams are records from this season. 
  • Most Hitting Stats
    • Hits - 1687 - S1 New Orleans
      • Fewest: 1323 - S3 Cincinnati
    • Doubles - 307 - S2 New Orleans
      • Fewest: 138 - S3 Scottsdale
    • Triples - 50 - S2 Arizona
      • Fewest: 9 - S3 Vancouver
    • Home Runs - 309 - S1 Texas
      • Fewest: 129 - S3 Rochester
    • Runs - 1020 - S2 Boston
      • Fewest: 572 - S3 Scottsdale
    • RBI - 1000 - S2 Boston
      • Fewest: 557 - S3 Scottsdale
    • BB - 686 - S1 Syracuse
      • Fewest: 380 - S3 Scottsdale
    • K (least) - 959 - S3 Nashville
    • K (most) - 1317 - Helena
    • SB - 381 - S1 St Louis
      • Fewest: 0 - S2 Charlotte
    • CS (least) - 0 - S2 Charlotte
    • CS (most) - 106 - S2 St Louis
    • AVG - .291 - S3 New Orleans
      • Lowest: .238 - Cincinnati
    • OBP - .363 - S3 New Orleans
      • Lowest: .295 - S3 Scottsdale
    •  SLG - .499 - S2 Boston
      • Lowest: .345 - S3 Scottsdale
    • OPS - .853 - S1 Texas / S2 Boston
      • Lowest: .640 - S3 Scottsdale
  • Most Pitching Stats
    • Complete Games - 20 - S2 Buffalo
    • Shutouts - 5 - S2 Buffalo
    • Wins - 119 - S2 Boston
      • Fewest: 56 - S1 Los Angeles
    • Saves - 60 - S2 St Louis
      • Fewest: 26 - S2 Vancouver
    • Innings Pitched - 1481 - S3 Fargo
    • Hits - 1206 - S1 St Louis
      • Highest: 1840 - S3 Durham
    • Runs - 505 - S1 Trenton
      • Highest: 1036 - S3 Durham
    • Home Runs - 145 - S1 Buffalo
      • Highest: 273 - S1 Los Angeles
    • Walks - 390 - S3 Salt Lake City
      • Highest - 711 - S1 Nashville
    • Strikeouts - 1240 - S1 Buffalo
      • Fewest: 945 - S2 Los Angeles
    • OAV - .222 - S2 Trenton
      • Highest: .306 - S3 Durham
    • WHIP - 1.10 - S2 Trenton
      • Highest: 1.67 - S2 Durham
    • ERA - 2.85 - S1 Trenton
      • Highest: 5.91 - S3 Durham
  • Fielding Stats
    • Assists - 1845 - S1 Tucson
      • Fewest: 1432 - S3 Boston
    • Errors - 55 - S2 Boston
      • Most: 138 - S1 Arizona
    • Double Plays: 485 - S1 New York
      • Fewest: 282 - S2 Charlotte
  • Fantasy Points
    • Hitting - 4485 - S3 Syracuse
      • Fewest: 2342 - S3 Scottsdale
    • Pitching - 3176 - S1 Trenton
      • Fewest: 1746 - Los Angeles
    • Combined - 7191 - S3 Syracuse
      • Fewest: 4557 - Nashville
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S3 Updated Power Rankings

 Richard Castle - contributing reporter





"Another quarter of the season gone, and here we are again—like a detective returning to the crime scene, only this time the body count is measured in shattered dreams and blown saves. The standings board looks less like a leaderboard and more like the plot outline of one of my thrillers: heroes rising, villains crumbling, and a few wildcard suspects lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce."

"Some teams have rewritten their fates with plot twists worthy of a bestseller, while others are still stuck in the rough draft stage—clunky, messy, and destined for the bargain bin. But that’s the beauty of baseball, isn’t it? Every game, every inning, every swing is a new page in the story, and with the final act just around the corner, the drama is about to hit overdrive."
  • Best Record
    • St Louis Archers
  • 2nd Best
    • Trenton Thunderbolts
  • 3rd Best
    • Syracuse Firebirds
  • 4th Best
    • Fargo Mud Dogs
  • 5th Best
    • New Orleans Voodoo

The top four? Still the same cast of characters it’s been all season. Their only crime: being infuriatingly good at baseball. And now St. Louis, riding a monster win streak that feels less like momentum and more like divine intervention, has muscled its way into the top spot. Boston, after briefly wandering in the wilderness of mediocrity, claws its way back into the top five—because apparently, redemption arcs aren’t just for novel heroes. New Orleans deserves a standing ovation too, vaulting from No. 15 all the way to No. 6 like they found a cheat code.

But of course, not everyone gets the happy ending. Texas tumbles from 5 to 13, and Indianapolis stumbles from 8 to 15, proving that gravity never takes a day off. At the other end of the rankings, Nashville finally escapes the basement, scaling up to 26 like a scrappy underdog who refuses to die in Chapter One. Arizona, however, decided to drop the ball—literally—falling from 18 to 28 after a strong half-season. And then there’s Scottsdale, the commissioner’s own team, clinging to the dreaded final spot at No. 32. Talk about irony: the author of the rules now trapped in his own cautionary tale. Even I couldn’t have scripted it better.



But for now, let's talk about expected wins - or, in other words, how teams SHOULD be playing. Are some squads punching above their weight class? Are others underperforming like a blockbuster flop? Time to separate reality from illusion. 


.720 - Syracuse Firebirds (AL-N Champ)
.701 - St. Louis Archers (NL-E Champ)
.668 - Trenton Thunderbolts (NL-N Champ)
.646 - Fargo Mud Dogs (AL Wildcard 1)
.611 - Boston 'Act As If' Afflects (AL-E Champ)
.587 - New Orleans Voodoo (AL-S Champ)
.575 - San Antonio Yo-Yo Bros Yo (NL-S Champ)
.570 - Montgomery Fightins (AL Wildcard 2)
.552 - Chicago Northsiders (NL Wildcard 1)
.551 - Fresno Romans (NL-W Champ)
.546 - Tucson Road Runners
.545 - Buffalo Bomb Squad
.540 - Indianapolis Speedsters (NL Wildcard 2)
.530 - Mexico City Luchadors 
.530 - Texas Toast 
.526 - Tacoma Armada 
.491 - Salt Lake City Trappers (AL-W Champ)
.472 - Philadelphia Hooligans
.449 - Baltimore IronBirds
.448 - Rochester Mighty Flour Mills
.443 - New York Pizza Rats
.435 - Charlotte Intimidators 
.422 - Cincinnati Redlegs
.418 - Helena Highlanders
.414 - Vancouver Blue Heron 
.392 - Nashville Hot
.385 - Los Angeles Labradors
.383 - Arizona Canyon Kings 
.379 - Durham Corgis
.376 - Louisville Bourbon Chasers
.372 - Colorado Springs Ranchers
.335 - Scottsdale Sazeracs 


The dreaded list
 
Team                            On Pace Wins    Expect Win %
Everybody is above the threshold currently, though Scottsdale's expected win % is one to watch. 


And so, another chapter of Hardball Stitches comes to a close—complete with plot twists, surprise heroes, and a few villains who forgot their lines. The top looks untouchable, the middle’s a knife fight in a dark alley, and the bottom… well, let’s just say some teams are auditioning for the tragic ending rather than the happy one. But that’s the beauty of baseball: one hot streak, one miracle rally, and suddenly the whole narrative shifts. With the season barreling toward its final act, the question isn’t just who will win—it’s who will survive the chaos long enough to make the ending unforgettable. And trust me, I know a thing or two about endings.
Labels:

Emperor of Hardball Stitches

 Gabrielle O. Alvarez-Tillman - contributing reporter


In Fresno, they call him The Emperor. In Tucson, he’s The False King, ever since Matthew Corey stepped onto the scene and made the earth move under their feet. But Steinbach’s track record is no one-hit wonder. Hardball Stitches’ first-ever NL Rookie of the Year didn’t stop there — he took home an MVP, a Silver Slugger, and an All-Star nod. Then, instead of resting, he came right back for an encore: another MVP, another Silver Slugger, another All-Star. Year after year, he’s proving he was born to be wild.

Now 27, Steinbach’s not exactly living on a prayer — but the shine isn’t as blinding as it once was. He’s on pace for a third straight 50+ home run season, though the .300 average and 200-hit milestones may slip away like sand through the hourglass. His batting average and OPS have dipped for a third straight year. Is this just a landslide where pitchers finally figured him out? Or is Fresno failing to give him enough help so he doesn’t have to carry that weight all by himself?

Enter Matthew Corey — the rookie who’s lighting up the sky like a rocket man. At just 21, he’s leading the NL in homers, average, and RBIs. That’s not just hot — that’s firework-hot. He’s also flashing the leather at a higher level than Steinbach, making him look like the total package. But the season is long, and it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. Can Corey keep it going, or will the dog days of summer turn his rhythm into nothing but a fading echo?

In the standings, Steinbach and Fresno have a 10-game cushion, sitting pretty with the wind at their back. Corey’s Road Runners? Stuck behind the 8 ball in the Wild Card chase, chasing cars they might not catch. If things don’t break their way, Corey may end up watching Steinbach from home, humming along to every rose has its thorn. But if he keeps swinging like this, maybe the kid really is ready to step into the spotlight — because when the lights go down in the city, only the true stars keep shining.

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