StLee

2015 Postseason - August 18 August 18 games ADBL Championship Series #4 Sacramento Lions 6 at #2 Columbus Mammoths 7 - Columbus leads 1-0WP - Kevin Chapman, LP - Jay Buente, S - Preston ClaiborneGame MVP - RF Matt Carpenter, Sacramento, 2/3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BBNotes: The Mountain Lions had a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, but saw that lead become a deficit by the sixth inning....Columbus SS Chase D'Arnaud drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning of a sacrifice fly to score DH Jason Repko. Repko singled to lead off the inning, advanced on a wild pitch, followed by Josh Vitters walking, and a ground out to be in scoring position....Carpenter's two-run blast in the top of the eighth tied the score, 6-6....Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision....Mammoths' SP Vin Mazzaro allowed four runs, one earned, on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in seven innings. All four runs he allowed came in the first inning....Sacramento SP Nick Neugebauer allowed five earned runs on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout in 5.1 innings....Repko was the Mammoths' best hitter, going 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs scored (including the game-winner), and two RBI....Mountain Lions' 3B Brandon Laird drove in two runs.

2015 ADBL Playoffs - Semifinals August 16 games #4 Sacramento 7 at #1 El Paso 6 - Sacramento wins 2-1WP - Burke Badenhop, LP - Nathan Adcock, S - Aaron CrowGame MVP - 2B Jorge Cantu, El Paso, 2/4, HR (GS), R, 4 RBISeries MVP - 3B Britt Rush, El Paso, 6/10, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BBNotes: Miners' SS Reid Brignac's error in the ninth (his second of the day) allowed Sacramento 1B Daric Barton to score the game-winning run in the top of the ninth....Cantu's grand slam in the sixth inning tied the game, 6-6....Mountain Lions' CF Corey Hart, who was the batter that drove in the winning run on Brignac's error, finished with a game-high three hits in five at bats with a double, a run, and an RBI....Sacramento SS Tyler Greene finished 2 for 4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two runs batted in....DH Greg Halman and RF Matt Carpenter each had two hits for Sacramento. Carpenter also had a double in his two hits....CF Andrew Hood and 3B Britt Rush each had two hits for El Paso. Hood doubled once....Neither of the starting pitchers factored into the decision....Sacramento SP Luke French allowed two earned runs on five hits with a strikeout in 4 2/3 innings....Miners' SP Zach McAllister gave yo four earned runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three inings....RP Brooks Raley gave up the grand slam to Cantu one inning after pitching the Mountain Lions out of a jam. #6 Jacksonville 1 at #2 Columbus 2 - Columbus wins 2-1WP - Scott Elbert, LP - Jerome Williams, S - Vic BlackGame MVP - SP Sean O'Sullivan, Columbus, 7 IP, 7 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 KSeries MVP - SP Terry Calhoun, Columbus, 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 BB, 9 KNotes: Jacksonville SP Williams went the whole way. In eight innings, he allowed two earned runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts....The Mammoths scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. SS Chase d'Arnaud hit a two-out triple, followed by an RBI single by 2B Terry Gibson....Columbus DH Joey Terdoslavich was the only player on his team with multiple hits. He finished 2 for 3 in the game with a double....Captain's LF Cameron Maybin and 2B Sean Rodriguez each had two hits, also. Both of Maybin's hits were doubles, and he scored the Captains' only run on an O'Sullivan wild pitch in the third inning.

2015 ADBL Playoffs - Semifinals August 15 games #4 Sacramento 5 at #1 El Paso 1 - Series tied 1-1WP - Barry Enright, LP - Howard CantrellGame MVP - SP Barry Enright, Sacramento, 8.2 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 8 KNotes: Enright tried for the complete game but ran out of gas on 115 pitches with two outs in the ninth. Bryan Shaw came on in relief to get the final out....2B Jorge Cantu's solo home run in the fifth inning marked the only damage the Miners could do against Enright....Sacramento 3B Brandon Laird hit two doubles and drove in three runs on a 3 for 4 night in the eight spot. He and 1B Daric Barton were the only two players in the game to get at least two hits....Laird's doubles were the Mountain Lions' only extra-base hits. #6 Jacksonville 1 at #2 Columbus 3 - Series tied 1-1WP - Terry Calhoun, LP - Dave Thompson, S - Preston ClaiborneGame MVP - SP Terry Calhoun, Columbus, 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 BB, 9 KNotes: Columbus scored three runs in the seventh on just one hit. None of the runs scored on that hit. Captains' SP Thompson walked 2B Terry Gibson to lead off the inning. LF Eric Young, Jr., then singled. Thompson then walked 1B Mike Carp and CF Jarrod Dyson to score Gibson and tie the game, 1-1. DH Joey Terdoslavich followed with another walk to give the Mammoths the lead. RF Jason Repko then hit a sacrifice fly for the 3-1 count....Thompson finished by allowing three earned runs on two hits with six walks and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

2015 ADBL Playoffs - Semifinals August 14 games #4 Sacramento Mountain Lions 2 at #1 El Paso Miners 6 - El Paso leads 1-0WP - Zack Grienke, LP - Nick NeugebauerGame MVP - 3B Britt Rush, El Paso - 3/4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBINotes: Rush hit a solo shot in the sixth inning and a three-run shot in the seventh for his RBI. His first home run tied the game, 2-2....Grienke allowed two earned runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in eight innings....Mountain Lions' CF Corey Hart had to leave the game in the second inning after being hit on the hand with a Grienke pitch. Cord Phelps came in to replace him....Sacramento's lone scoring play came on 2B Blake Davis' two-run home run right after the Hart injury. #6 Jacksonville Captains 5 at #2 Columbus Mammoths 3 - Jacksonville leads 1-0WP - Sean Gallagher, LP - Vin Mazzaro, S - Michael KohnGame MVP - RF Tyler Colvin, Jacksonville - 2/4, HR, R, 3 RBINotes: Colvin's three-run home run in the first inning set an early pace for the Captains, allowing them to earn a lead they would never relinquish. Colvin was the only Jacksonville hitter with multiple hits...All eight of the Mammoths' hits were singles....The Captains added extra-base hits from C Kyle Phillips (RBI double in 4th), DH Cole Gillespie (double in 8th), and 1B Chris Marrero (triple in 2nd)....Gallagher earned the victory despite not pitching a great game. In 5.1 innings, he allowed three earned runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts....Columbus SP Mazzaro had an even worse game, though. He gave up five earned runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in just three innings. Three relievers replaced him to allow just four hits and strike out seven in the final six innings. Ken MacFadden struck out four of those batters in three innings pitched.

2015 ADBL Playoffs - August 12 The first season of the ADBL playoffs featured all six teams making it to the postseason. For the ADBL playoffs, the winner is guaranteed to move up to the Omega League in 2015 with an open budget. They can choose to re-sign any of their players and have a competitive budget in free agency. The first round consisted of a play-in game where the #3 vs #6 seed and the #4 vs #5 seed played a single game to determine who would move into the semifinal round. The #3 vs #6 match up was Edmonton hosting Jacksonville. The #4 vs #5 match up was Sacramento hosting Iowa. August 12, 2015 games #6 Jacksonville Captains 2 at #3 Edmonton Freeze 1 - Jacksonville wins 1-0WP - Jerome Williams, LP - Josh Edgin, S - Michael KohnGame MVP - SP Jerome Williams, Jacksonville, 8 IP, 8 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 KNotes: The Captains scored runs in the tops of the eighth and ninth innings to rally ahead of the Freeze....1B Chris Marrero hit a solo home run in the ninth inning off Edmonton reliever Edgin for the game-winning run....Freeze SP Brett Cecil allowed just one earned run on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts in eight innings. #5 Iowa Dusters 2 at #4 Sacramento Mountain Lions 4 - Sacramento wins 1-0WP - Luke French, LP - Jake Arrieta, S - Aaron CrowGame MVP - SP Luke French, Sacramento, 8 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 KNotes: Mountain Lions' SS Tyler Greene's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth proved to be the winning hit....Iowa SS Josh Rodriguez had three hits in the game, including two doubles, but had to leave the game on his final at bat when he came up lame after rounding second following his ninth-inning double....Only one of the four runs Arrieta allowed was earned, thanks to Dusters' errors in both the first and fifth innings.

2015 Final Standings Time flies when you're damn busy! Anyway, I filled out my NCAA Tournament brackets for my office pool today, and it made me want to get back to some tourney action. So, instead of what I should be doing this afternoon (work), I am typing up a dynasty report and simming my multiple CBA tournaments. Final Standings ADBL OL Pennant A franchise's fortunes can change if they sign the right guy in the right situation. The Thoroughbreds seemed to do just that when they inked Albert Pujols to a contract following his two-year sit in. Pujols returned the favor of being signed by winning the Triple Crown, especially appropriate for the team he plays on. Also, a quadruple array of double-digit winners in Louisville's starting rotation helped lead the team to a two-game pull over second place Seattle. GL Pennant Philadelphia and winning has not been synonymous terms. Like Louisville in the Omega League, the Liberty pulled off their first ever banner in the Champions Baseball Association by edging out Portland by a game. Now they will also be moving into unfamiliar territory in 2016 when they move up to the Beta League for the first time. Before that, the 2015 team's success came through a steady balance of scoring runs and not giving up many. Yeow-whye Cheung blasted his way to 40 home runs (2nd in GL) and 108 RBI (1st in GL) to lead the offensive push. Ricky Nolasco provided a solid performance from the pitching rotation, winning 15 games and finishing with a 2.94 ERA. BL Pennant Denver went from pennant winners of the Gamma League last season to winners of the Beta League this season. They built up a really rock-solid ball club that is tough to beat every game, which should make them highly competitive in the Alpha League next season, should they become one of the three teams from the Beta League to advance. Though the Peaks' offense is middle of the pack in the BL, their pitching rotation dominated opponents all season. Four starters finished with at least 11 wins, including ace Francisco Liriano (12-3, 2.53 ERA). The pitching matchups for Denver gives them an advantage in the BL and could lead them far in the Tournament of Champions. AL Pennant San Diego may not have won it all last season, but the Slammers have pushed themselves into the first-ever back-to-back pennants in the Alpha League. With Yasiel Puig's big bat (.344, 25 HR, 83 RBI) and the four-headed monster of Jose Fernandez (12-7, 1.97 ERA), Cole Hamels (15-7, 2.79), Tyler Chatwood (14-4, 2.83), and Hyun-jin Ryu (17-4, 3.18) on the mound, San Diego has been among the most consistent winning franchises.

2015 July Standings and Transactions (AL) I've been stuck on August 1 for damn-near a month in real time. Anyway, I finally have a few minutes while waiting on a document I submitted to be reviewed and returned. So now I'll post what happened in the world of the Alpha League in July. Standings Remember how Virginia Beach was on top of the AL on July 1? Well, a 11-18 July dropped the Neptunes from the top of the standings all the way down to 5th. Now the boys in blue must find a way in their final 19 games to catch up with one of the top four, or they will not be playing for the Diamond Trophy. San Diego keeps doing what they do best: winning. The Slammers creamed their opponents for a 20-9 record in the month, including their current streak of eight straight and 10 of their last 11. They look like the team every other team is going to chase right up until the end of the season. At the bottom of the standings, Los Angeles has already clinched themselves a spot in the Honors Cup tournament, meaning they are 75% likely (actually more, but let's give them even odds in the tournament for now) to be relegated in 2016. Kansas City needs a miracle of events to happen starting now, or they are likely to clinch the 11th seed. Trades The trading deadline was pretty quiet, with the exception of the John Danks for Ryan Zimmerman (with other players involved) Miami-Honolulu trade. Injuries Not that they are a contender to win it all this season, but the Towers' may see the rest of their season and banner chances slip away if Andrew McCutchen is injured beyond just being banged up. Their front office is mum as they await official word on his condition. Stat Leaders Stat leaders as of August 1 because, well, why not?

2015 July Standings (ADBL, OL, GL, and BL) Sorry! I've been away for a while, getting a few things in order before my vacation ends. Couple that with a national holiday (Lunar New Year), and I just didn't give much time to playing OOTP lately. ADBLStandings With just the completion of a series and then one full series left, the ADBL is mostly seeded heading into the complete playoffs. Jacksonville appears to be the only team without a shot of competing for promotion, while El Paso and Columbus seem to be the most balanced teams as far as production is going. Miners' 3B Britt Rush seems to have a stranglehold on the offensive MVP award. The former Northwest Independent League star got his start in the Champions Baseball Association based on his independent league performances. After breaking in to the CBA with the Washington Presidents in 2010 (.299/.383/.430) where he finished second on the team in hits and won the Gamma League Defensive Award at 3B. Unfortunately, things started to fade for him in 2011 after he was traded to the New Mexico Suns in the Alpha League. There he struggled to find his bat (.252/.331/.316). He found some success again in 2013 (.280/.332/.386) with the Virginia Beach Neptunes organization. Unfortunately, he was traded away in 2014 after struggling again and was not signed by a team in the CBA for the 2015 season. With his success in the ADBL, though, he should see time in the CBA next season, with or without an El Paso promotion. OLStandings Louisville is running away with the league now, which almost seem inevitable with a healthy Alberrt Pujols dominating the league. Despite his short retirement, Pujols has busted back into the CBA, and looks to be on his way to a Triple Crown. His .360 average leads by .027 over Indianapolis' Darwin Barney. His 38 home runs are 11 better than Mexico City's Matt Dominguez and Oklahoma City's Morgan Ensberg. And his 104 RBI are 16 better than Ensberg. In fact, Pujols' 308 total bases have already set the league season record with 19 regular season games to play. In other news, the Scorpions and Seattle, which was heavily successful in the Spring Bowl Tournament, are in a tight battle for the right to play for the Bronze Cup. The team that loses out will be considered the favorite in the Omega Cup, though they do not get the guaranteed promotion in 2016. At the bottom of the league, Cleveland is all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason. The Bronx Bombers are also in serious danger of missing out on the postseason in 2015. GLStandings Philadelphia and Portland continue to have a P-P match for the pennant. Orlando and Houston, along with outside contenders in Honolulu, Las Vegas, and Baltimore are all contending for the third playoff spot. Toronto looks to be the hands-on favorite to be stuck in the elimination game of the postseason Gamma Cup. Buffalo or San Antonio should join the Thunderbirds there. BLStandings Denver and New Mexico seem to be the surest things in joining the Alpha League in 2016. Both the Peaks and Suns are tied for first place with New Orleans the only other team still contending for the pennant. After the Gators, the hot Nashville Country and cold Chicago Brats seem to have the inside track towards the chance to win the Gold Cup. At the bottom of the standings, Oakland and San Francisco have struggled mightily this season in the Bay Area. The two rival cities seem sure to continue their on-field rivalry in 2016 in the Gamma League. One interesting statistical race to watch as we come down the stretch in the BL is the home run race. Currently three players--Ike Davis (New Orleans), Prince Fielder (New Mexico), and Javier Ortiz (Chicago)--are tied at 28 homers apiece. However, the Gators' Carlos Quentin and Austin's Miguel Ontiveros are close behind with 27 and 26 dingers, respectively.

2015 Season - June Standings and Transactions There have been a few interesting developments throughout the season. The most surprising of all those is that long-time successful teams like Miami and Los Angeles seem to be plotting for the future, while teams like Brooklyn, Virginia Beach, and Dallas are attempting to make a 2015 championship push, something where future salaries will eventually have to be addressed. Standings ADBL Columbus and El Paso have been trading first place throughout the month. The Mammoths can be considered a bit of a surprise team based on their talent--Sacramento should be the team battling the Miners--and part of that success is thanks to the veteran help of 1B Mike Carp. Though the independent American Developmental Baseball League will have limited budgets in the future, they were given subsidies for veteran signings in Year One, helping to populate the league and offer fans excitement for their teams. In future years, though there may be some veteran subsidies, the league would like to work as a true developmental league, so some "star" power that we're seeing this season will not be as prevalent. OL Pujols is still tearing the league apart for the Thoroughbreds, and the Vancouver pitching staff gives them a legitimate reason to believe they can move up to the Gamma League in 2016. Mexico City doesn't have some of the same star power as those teams, but they have been the best all-around team in the league, and the Scorpions could benefit from other teams' injuries. GL Philadelphia and Portland still lead in what can be considered to be an eight-team race, with the bottom four teams falling further behind in the standings. Baltimore's Chris Davis is a Triple Crown contender, currently fourth in the GL in batting average, while first in homers and RBI. Las Vegas' Jered Weaver and Orlando's Kyle Kendrick still hold a sub-2.00 ERA to help their two teams stay in contention. BL New Mexico just fell out of first place to end the month, but the Suns have been getting considerable production from their top two starters and star 3B Miguel Cabrera and RF Wil Myers. Yovani Gallardo and Gomes Oulman are tied for the lead league with 11 wins apiece. Cabrera and Myers are 1-2 in the RBI leaderboard with 66 and 65, respectively. AL Right now the division race looks to be a five-team race, but do not count out the rising Avengers and last year's Diamond Trophy-winning Cyclones. On the flip side, the bottom five teams will be battling it out to see which three of those go to the Beta League in 2016. AL June Trades Miami has gone fully into rebuilding mode, letting its high-priced free agents go to another team. According to team officials, the cost of re-signing those players would be too costly and their best chance at success in the future was to try to find some top prospects for future seasons. The huge loss, of course, was having to get rid of Mike Trout. Considered to be a top player in all of baseball, having to ride it out with Trout, McCutchenm and two top pitchers in Madison Bumgarner and Matt Harrison was just not financially feasible in the long run. Because of the trades, Miami has had to shuffle its line up a lot. Chris Carter has made a seamless change from the full-time left fielder to first base to replace the loss of Broussard. The Towers have also called up top prospect Leon Landry to be the new full-time center fielder, but he has struggled in his first month, batting .169 with a homer and six RBI. Landry did have a five-hit day, but in all fairness it was in an 18-inning affair where he also was out four times in the same game. For Brooklyn, the acquisition of Trout has already benefited its porous offense. With one of the best starting pitching staffs in the CBA, the Avengers could be a contending team if it could improve its offensive output. Putting Trout in the middle of the lineup to help Alberto Lopez drive in runs will be beneficial. Also, Trout's addition can immediately help a team whose best hitter is only batting in the .280 range. AL Injuries - as of July 1

2015 Season - May Standings and Transactions There have been a number of interesting developments throughout the league. I'll comment on the standings of each league below their posted standings. Also, I added a "Miscellaneous" section for a few interesting tidbits around the league. Standings ADBL Every team but Jacksonville has gained ground on El Paso, which looked like it would run away with the division in the first five weeks of the season. Note: Teams play five games per week (approx. 20 games per month), so the season drags out a little more for this league. OL The Albert Pujols surprise signing in Louisville has really turned things around for the 'Breds. He is contending for a Triple Crown and making a difference in Louisville's first place run. Assuming he stays healthy, the Thoroughbreds should be contending for the title. Mexico City, the newest team in the CBA, most certainly benefited from a change in ownership. Owner Javier Mendoza (no relation to the professional boxer) has spent smartly in his first season as an owner, picking up a lot of cost-efficient free agents who have helped to contribute. One of the surprising sections of the standings is the basement. While Boston owner Ray Moore seems to just use his team to make a boatload of money--the team salary is just over $5 million dollars in a large market--and has no real interest in competing, the Bronx Bombers are not in that same situation. In fact, the Bombers expected to compete for the OL championship and move up to the GL for next season, but bad luck has been their downfall. We'll see if they can move up in the standings as the season moves on and approaches its halfway point. GL While Philadelphia was expected to be a competitor for the GL crown after finishing fourth last season and failing to advance to the BL in the postseason, not many expected 2014 survivor Portland to be anywhere near first place. Instead, the Pioneers are trailblazing their way towards a potential pennant in 2015. Surprising to no one are the financially-strapped Bears and Thunderbirds sitting in last place. Due to financial problems resulting from rising salaries in 2013 and 2014, they had to reduce payroll, hoping to start making a run again in either 2016 or 2017. Both are expected to be among the three teams relegated in 2015, so expect to see both of them stay at the bottom of the standings all season. BL Denver made stars last year, and they are still paying off so much so that the Peaks may run away with the BL just like they did in the GL in 2014. Nashville and New Mexico are right on their heels. The Suns' GM last season put the team in excellent financial position despite leaving to take a job in the commissioner's office. Nashville can be considered the ultimate AL/BL borderline team. The Country doesn't have the budget to compete consistently for the AL title, but they seem to get enough talent to always have a chance to get promoted right after they move down into the BL. With New Orleans in the mix as having an outside shot at the BL pennant, it appears that the 2015 BL race is down to four teams. Teams like Chicago, Washington, Utah, and Austin are definite second-level teams in the league. At the bottom of the BL, Oakland and San Francisco may have seen their Bay Area mediocrity finally blow up. Both teams have struggled to move much of anywhere, with the Gold never leaving the BL, but both teams could be looking at their GL opponents in 2016 if they can't find a way to turn things around. AL Injuries have been detrimental for the Towers, having lost key starters for periods throughout the season. I have a note about them in the "Miscellaneous" section below. They are definitely among the surprises of 2015. San Diego keeps on keeping on. Though Virginia Beach is right there with the Slammers, San Diego has established itself as a dominant force in the league. Only a string of injuries could change that status. Los Angeles is the team hurt most by mediocrity. Because of rising salaries based on hanging around the AL so long, the Actors were limited in free agent signings and may have to sell off a few high-end players to have a chance to compete both on the field and with payroll in 2016. AL May Trades AL Injuries - as of June 1 Miscellaneous Miami (AL) is cash-strapped with a number of its players' contracts coming up at the end of the season. Because of those financial problems and because they are not in the running for the AL title this season (injuries, mostly), the Towers are looking to retool their rosters with young, cheap prospects. That could mean a number of players with expiring contracts could be looking at new teams by July, including SP Matt Harrison ($13.5M), SP Madison Bumgarner ($6.5M) CF Andrew McCutchen ($11.5M), RF Mike Trout ($3.6M with a large arbitration number), and 1B Ben Broussard ($4.88M). The Towers are most certainly not in an envious position financially, and maybe expected to cash in with a championship this season. A few rising stars in lower leagues to keep an eye on (sorry--simulated ahead a bit so I need to delete stats since they would not be accurate to June 1): ADBL: 3B Chris Burt, Edmonton - The former CFLer for the Edmonton Eskimos, Burt has made his three-year transition to baseball, being signed by the Freeze this season. He has had good all-around stats, currently leading his team in homers and RBI, along with playing solid defense at the hot corner. SP Luke French, Sacramento - Not exactly a spring chicken, but the 29-year-old hurler for the Mountain Lions has been keeping his team in contention. He is tied for the team lead in wins and leads his team in ERA. OL: SS Andrelton Simmons, Tampa - He has already hit career marks in home runs and RBI not even halfway through the season. He's also fourth in WAR in the OL. SP Michael Pineda, Vancouver - He isn't coming out of left field, but Pineda has been truly dominant in his fifth CBA season. He is already close to matching his career high in wins, leading all of the OL, and he has only lost once this season. GL: 2B D.J. LeMahieu, Las Vegas - Leads the league in batting average and hits. SP Patrick Corbin, Honolulu - Tied for the lead in wins and fifth in ERA.

2015 Season - April Standings and Transactions With all of the excitement of preseason and postseason tournaments, the regular season seems so anticlimactic! I just hustled through the first month of the season with my eye on a few things that interest me. I won't report on all those things because, well, this dynasty is about the tourneys, yo! Standings ADBL OL GL BL AL AL April Trades AL Injuries - as of May 1

2015 Preseason Previews and Transactions (Feb-Mar) Transactions (AL-focused) in February and March: Brooklyn Deals Avery to New Orleans for Kennedy: The Avengers have reached a deal with New Orleans, sending 25-year-old left fielder Xavier Avery and 20-year-old shortstop Andrés Díaz to the Gators in exchange for 39-year-old second baseman Adam Kennedy. Reports had been hinting at a deal in recent days, but weren't confirmed until this afternoon. In 178 games, Kennedy is a lifetime .281 hitter. He has knocked in 66 runs, scored 69 times, hit 16 home runs, walked 41 times and has an on-base percentage of .336. Flyers, Energy Agree to Swap: Done deal! The Charlotte Flyers have agreed to send 37-year-old right fielder Larry Bigbie and 20-year-old third baseman Kiminobu Aoki to the Pittsburgh Energy for 37-year-old right fielder John Rodriguez. The trade, rumored for days, was completed in the wee hours this morning. Looking at his all-time stats, Bigbie has a career .294 average with 90 hits, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 12 home runs and 36 RBIs to date. He has scored 47 runs, walked 33 times and stolen 1 bases. In 496 career games Rodriguez is hitting at a .302 pace with 465 hits with 96 doubles, 1 triple and 36 homers while scoring 194 runs and racking up 191 RBIs. He logged 170 walks and owns a .379 on-base percentage. Orlando Ships Valencia to Miami: The Orlando Rockets have parted ways with 30-year-old third baseman Danny Valencia and 19-year-old left fielder Michael McGowan in a trade with the Miami Towers for 30-year-old center fielder Alejandro de Aza and $580,000 in cash. The Rockets general manager confirmed the deal in an announcement this morning. In his career Valencia is hitting .268 with 426 hits, 28 home runs, 171 runs scored and 157 RBIs. Dallas, San Francisco Deal Made: Earlier today, officials from the Dallas Tycoons and the San Francisco Gold announced that they had finalized negotiations on a trade between the two teams. The deal will send 31-year-old third baseman Bento Podest to San Francisco in exchange for 26-year-old closer Eduardo Sanchez and 20-year-old shortstop Tokuma Watanabe. In 168 games Podest has a career .286 batting average and a .316 on-base percentage. He has hit 4 home runs with 69 RBIs and 95 runs scored. Cleveland Sluggers, Sting Agree to Trade: In a move that has left many fans wondering, the Cleveland Sluggers have traded 31-year-old right fielder Clete Thomas and 19-year-old right fielder Mark Gates to the Kansas City Sting. In return, the Sluggers receive 30-year-old third baseman Chase Headley.

American Developmental Baseball League I have two problems going on in my dynasty that I would like to start cleaning up. For one, there are too many free agents just sitting around doing nothing each year. I don't even have all of the real players in the dynasty since I noticed way too late to add that some players I wanted to follow did not make the cut. If I had intended things differently at first, I may have solved that problem. As it is, I am not going to add retro players into the dynasty. Hell, I just noticed that Pujols had retired only because no team could afford his asking price. That's why I reversed that decision for the 2015 season. The second problem is that I have a lot of foreigner fictional players coming up through the league who become prominent players, yet very few Americans. In fact, the only one American fictional player I can think of is Axel Darke, and I may have edited him (don't remember) to be American. Therefore, I am setting up what I am calling the American Developmental Baseball League. It will be a league for Americans only under the age of 35, which may be lowered in the future. Also, it can be considered an independent league for franchises looking to enter the Champions Baseball Association in the future, as well as not permanently retiring teams forced to relocate. My rule will be that the top teams are eligible for the CBA's 2016 expansion, unless they were a relocated franchise. So, for the first season of the ADBL, five teams are competing for two (and possibly a third, depending on Pittsburgh's success in 2015) spots in the CBA. The other team in the ADBL for 2016, Edmonton, is not eligible to enter the CBA. The ADBL will expand in future seasons as well. I have a LOT of free agents in my league, including a lot of real players who have not even been on any team's reserve roster in the five years of the league's history. So....presenting the league's teams below as well as preseason predictions. Teams will play 20 five-game series in the regular season. Then, all six teams will enter into a playoff mode for the right to win the ADBL Series. Preseason Predictions

2015 Spring Bowl - All-Tournament Teams

2015 Spring Bowl - Final Saturday, February 21 game Miami, Florida - Mike Trout and Joe Mauer lit up the scoreboard at the top of the Miami lineup as the Towers trounced Dallas, 10-1, to win the 2015 Spring Bowl. The championship match up guaranteed that the Spring Bowl would have its first second-time champion. Miami won the Spring Bowl in 2011, while the Tycoons won it in 2013. Trout was named the game's MVP after he tied an Alpha League tournament record with four runs scored. In the game, he finished 4 of 5 with a double, a home run, four runs scored, and an RBI. Mauer also had a stellar game, finishing 3 of 5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs, and four RBI. In all, the Towers hit five home runs, with 1B Ben Broussard hitting two solo home runs and 3B Brandon Williams adding another solo shot. The Tycoons' lone run came in the fourth inning when 3B Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo home run. He finished a team best 3 for 4 with a home run, a run, and an RBI. 1B Bento Podest also added three hits. Miami's Matt Harrison pitched nearly a complete game before tiring out in the ninth inning after 123 pitches. He allowed one earned run on ten hits with five strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Randor Bierd was able to record the final out. Jordan M. Zimmerman was the losing pitcher. In four innings, he allowed six earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts. Three Dallas relievers pitched the final four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Miami was able to turn a tight 2-1 lead into a blowout. Williams started the inning by homering off Zimmerman. Harrison then helped his cause by hitting a single, followed by a Trout double to move him to third. Mauer then doubled both runners in to make the score 5-1. Zimmerman then gave way to reliever Casimiro Begonha. Following a ground out to advance Mauer, Mauer was able to score on a passed ball for a 6-1 Towers' lead. Broussard then hit his second homer to extend that lead to 7-1 before Begonha was able to escape the inning. Miami did have potential bad news in the game when CF Andrew McCutchen had to come out after the fourth inning due to an undisclosed injury during a defensive play. There was no word from team officials about the nature of the injury. Top Players Final Bracket Banner

2015 Spring Bowl - Losers Bracket Final Friday, February 20 game #9 Kansas City 0 at #6 Dallas 5 - Kansas City eliminatedNotes: Dallas SP Ivan Nova pitched eight innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits and striking out eight, to earn the Player of the Game honors....RF Jason Heyward's solo home run in the second was enough to be the game's winning score....Tycoons' CF Chris B. Young added a two-run home run in the third inning to give Dallas a 4-0 lead at that time. Heyward and Young's homers were the only extra-base hits in the game for Dallas....SS Harvey Shipman singled three times and scored a run for the Tycoons....Kansas City leadoff hitter LF Robbie Grossman had half of the Sting's hits, going 2 for 4 with a double....PH Javier Rodriguez also had a double for the Sting....Drew Pomeranz was the losing pitcher, allowing four earned runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Top Players Winners Bracket

2015 Spring Bowl - Final Four Thursday, February 19 games #9 Kansas City 4 at #5 Virginia Beach 2 - Virginia Beach eliminatedNotes: Sting SP Jose Bernal pitched 6.1 solid innings and 3B Eric Chavez delivered a game-clinching two-run home run in the eighth inning to help secure the victory....Bernal finished up by allowing just one earned run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He then gave way to the bullpen after getting into a seventh-inning jam....The Neptunes' two runs came in the seventh and ninth innings....Chavez had the best all-around hitting day, going 2 of 4 with his homer, a run, and two RBI. CF Jacob Ellsbury also had two hits, going 2 of 3 with a run and a walk....Kansas City's Cape Verdean-born leadoff hitter Balltesar Jabiri only had one hit on the day, a solo home run in the seventh....Virginia Beach C Devin Mesoraco was the only player on his team with two hits. He finished 2 of 4 with a run scored....Neptunes' CF Carlos Gonzalez and 2B Kyle Seager each doubled for the Neptunes' only extra-base hits....Virginia Beach SP Pedro Cortez was the losing pitcher. In six innings, he allowed two earned runs on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Jeff Locke, who came on to pitch the eighth, allowed a hit to Ellsbury and then the homer to Chavez before being pulled....Chris Britton earned the save for the Sting despite not having a sturdy ninth. He allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout....Kansas City is now guaranteed at least third place in the 2015 Spring Bowl. #6 Dallas 1 at #4 Miami 9Notes: The Towers used a huge seventh inning to surge past the Tycoons. Pinch hitter Sho Tsukamoto led off with a single on Dallas starter Jake Peavy. PH Alejando de Aza then singled. RF Mike Trout followed with an RBI double to put Miami up 2-1. C Joe Mauer then hit a two-RBI double to chase Peavy. Dallas then sent in Boone Logan to try to stop the Towers’ surge. After intentionally walking CF Andrew McCutchen, Logan allowed three straight singles to 1B Ben Broussard, 2B Jedd Gyorko, and LF Chris Carter. Gyorko and Carter’s singles were for an RBI each. With the bases loaded, Logan then threw a wild pitch to score Broussard and give Miami a 7-1 lead. SS Clint Barmes then hit a sacrifice fly to center field for the seventh and final run of the inning. Casimiro Begonha then came on in relief to end the inning….Peavy was the losing pitcher, allowing five earned runs on eight hits with five walks and five strikeouts in six complete innings. Logan was credited with allowing three earned runs on three hits and a walk in just one-third of an inning….John Danks got the start for Miami but had to leave in the third inning with a sore ankle. He is expected to be ready for other preseason games if needed. In 2.2 innings, he gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out two. Duane Below was the winning pitcher. After he allowed the tying run in the sixth, he was the pitcher on record during Miami’s big inning. In 1.2 innings, he allowed one earned run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts….Trout earned the Player of the Game award. He was 2 for 3 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI, and two walks….Mauer had the only other Towers’ extra-base hit, his seventh-inning double….SS Harvey Shipman led the Tycoons in hits with three, including a double. He scored Dallas’ only run….LF Yonder Alonso had two doubles for Dallas. Top Players Updated Brackets

2015 Spring Bowl - Seventh Elimination Round Wednesday, February 18 games #10 Los Angeles 5 at #9 Kansas City 6 – Los Angeles eliminatedNotes: Brandon Mauer pitched an outstanding game and the Sting bullpen stamped out an Actor’s ninth-inning onslaught to win it and move on to the final four teams of the 2015 Spring Bowl….Mauer allowed one unearned run on three hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in 7.1 innings. He also was 1 for 3 at the plate with a run scored….Los Angeles was stung by the loss of starting pitcher Zach Wheeler who was forced to leave the game with an undisclosed injury after he completed the second inning. In two innings, he allowed a hit, walked one batter, and struck out two….Wheeler’s replacement, Chris Withrow gave up two earned runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in his only inning of work. He was the losing pitcher since Kansas City never trailed in the game. The Actors used six pitchers in the contest….The Sting’s Aroldis Chapman came on to earn the save after Chris Britton got into a bind, in all giving up four runs in the inning….For the Actors’ ninth, C Victor Martinez led off with a double, followed by Britton walking 3B Mike Gunther. After SS Nicolao Pvoas hit into a 5-4 fielder’s choice, 2B Daniel Descalso singled in Martinez to cut the KC lead to 6-2. PH Mike Zunino then hit an RBI single and every runner advanced on the throw to make it 6-3 with the tying run up to bat. Chapman then came on in relief. After getting CF Tony Morales out, PH Rodrigo Gallegos singled in Descalso and Zunino to cut the lead to one. However, 1B David Cooper hit an easy grounder to 2B Balltesar Jabiri to end the game….LF Robbie Grossman was the only Sting player with multiple hits. He was 2 for 3 with two doubles, three runs scored, and two walks….1B Alex Gordon hit a solo home run in the fifth for the Sting….No LA player had more than one hit. Gallegos’ ninth-inning, two-RBI single helped to lead the Actors in RBI. #5 Virginia Beach 4 at #31 Seattle 3, 13 innings – Seattle eliminatedNotes: The Neptunes rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the ninth inning, using the long ball to knock off the Pilots in 13 innings….C Devin Mesoraco hit the game-tying two-run home run with one out in the top of the ninth. CF Carlos Gonzalez then found his strength in the 13th inning when he hit a leadoff homer on reliever Daniel Schlereth…. Both Mesoraco and Gonzalez led Virginia Beach with two hits apiece….Seattle had four players with multiple hits. 2B S Gennett led the team with three hits. LF Khris Davis had two hits, including a solo home run in the seventh….Seattle pitcher Luis Silva was the game’s most valuable player despite his team’s loss. In eight innings, he allowed one unearned run on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.He was also 1 for 2 at the plate with a double, along with walking once….Virginia Beach SP Joham Cari gave up three earned runs on nine hits with two walks in 6.1 innings without a decision. Taijuan Walker was the winner by pitching 1.2 scoreless innings along with two strikeouts. Top Players Updated Losers Bracket

2015 Spring Bowl - Sixth Elimination Round Tuesday, February 17 games #13 Montreal 3 at #10 Los Angeles 4, 12 innings – Montreal eliminatedNotes: Los Angeles 3B Mike Gunther’s 12th-inning solo shot was good for the walkoff game winner to advance the Actors in the 2015 Spring Bowl. His homer came on a 3-1 Bill Bray fastball that he was able to put into the left field seats….Actors’ RF Mitch Moreland was the top player in the game, going 2 for 5 with a home run (his third of the Spring Bowl), two runs scored, and an RBI….Saints’ CF Drew Stubbs had a miserable game. After he doubled in his first at bat, he proceeded to strike out his next five at bats to tie the Alpha League tournament record for strikeouts in a game….Montreal C Wilson Ramos led the team in hits with three. He finished 3 of 4 with a double, run, RBI, and walk….SS Jorge Rodriguez also had three hits, going 3 of 5 with an RBI….LA pitcher Adam Russell was the winner despite not having a great final two innings. In that time, he allowed three hits, walked a batter, and struck out two….Carlos Cuevas was the starter for the Actors. In 6.2 innings, he allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three walks and eight strikeouts….On the opposite side, the Saints’ SP Francisco Fierro matched up well. He gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts in seven innings. He was not as good at the plate, though, striking out all three times he batted. #7 Nashville 1 at #5 Virginia Beach 3 – Nashville eliminatedNotes: Virginia Beach SP Wietze Weijman mowed down the competition, allowing one earned run on five hits with a walk and a team-record 12 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. That earned him the win and player of the game honors….The Country’s Juan Nicasio suffered the loss by allowing three earned runs on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts in seven innings….The Neptunes’ 2B Kyle Seager was the best offensively, earning a third of his team’s hits. He finished 2 of 4 with a home run, run, and two RBI. His third inning two-run homer proved to be the game winner….Nashville RF Bryce Harper saw his amazing 2015 Spring Bowl run come to an end, despite finding the holes in the opponent’s defense yet again. Though no Country player had an extra-base hit, Harper was 3 of 4 with an RBI to lead the team. In six games in the tournament, Harper finished 10 of 23 (.435) with a double, three home runs, five runs, nine runs batted in, two walks, and six strikeouts. He may very well find himself on the all-tournament team. Top Players Updated Losers Bracket

Spring Bowl - Winners Bracket Final Four Monday, February 16 games #9 Kansas City 2 at #4 Miami 4Notes: Miami SP Madison Bumgarner dominated from the mound and the plate. In eight innings, he allowed just one earned run on four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. He also helped his own cause by going 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI. He had two of the Towers’ three extra-base hits in the game….CF Andrew McCutchen had the other extra-base hit, a solo home run in the sixth inning….Four of the Sting’s five hits were extra-base hits. 1B Alex Gordon led the team in hits with two, both doubles. He also scored a run….C Taylor Teagarden hit a solo home run in the ninth for Kansas City….Sting SP Eichiro Murakami suffered the loss. In 5.1 innings pitched, he allowed three earned runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts….Kansas City LF Robbie Grossman entered the game with an outstanding .688 (11 of 16) batting average. After going hitless on the day, his batting average dropped to .550 in the tournament. Three of his four outs were strikeouts. #31 Seattle 4 at #6 Dallas 5 Notes: With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Dallas PH Michael Saunders singled and then stole second base. Free agent acquisition Bento Podest, leading off and playing 1B in the game, then doubled in Saunders for the walkoff win….The Tycoons’ Jordan M. Zimmerman was named the game’s MVP thanks to a solid pitching effort. In eight innings, he allowed three runs, one earned, on six hits with nine strikeouts. However, Zimmerman did not factor into the decision….The winner of the game was closer Chris Sale, who blew the save in the top of the ninth when he allowed PH Tony Diaz to hit a solo home run to tie the game, 4-4….Scott Diamond was the starter for Seattle. In 8 innings, he allowed four earned runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Reliever Andrew Bailey suffered the loss by giving up the ninth inning run….Ports’ C Jonathan Lucroy was the only player with two hits. He finished 2 of 5 with a run scored….Dallas C Mike Napoli’s eighth inning solo home run seemed to be the game winner at the time, putting the Tycoons up, 4-3. He finished with a game best 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Podest also had two hits….RF Jason Heyward drove in two runs on a single in Dallas’ three-run first inning. Top Players Updated Winners Bracket

No one made a prediction, so I'll give mine. Granted, I have the knowledge of already simming ahead, but I did have a prediction long ago. My thoughts were these: Once Miami came out of its host bracket unscathed, I thought they would win it all. That team is jampacked with talent, and they are tough to beat any given day, especially in a one-game situation. My other pick was made before I even started the tournament. I thought Los Angeles would lose to Nashville in the Nashville bracket, which they didn't, but they did get upset by Seattle. And then I expected them to tear through all the way to the final. So, of the final eight, my pick is Miami over Los Angeles for the Spring Bowl. And now onto my report....

I'm a big-time LSU fan, so of course in real life I'm rooting for Sean Ochinko to become the Jays' catcher of the future. However, I see in your dynasty that Pentecost has found his fifth star. Can you tell me how Ochinko did and where he is now? I'm following along in your dynasty. There hasn't been much action here.

2015 Spring Bowl - The Last Eight The Spring Bowl is down to eight teams, with four of the top eight seeds still alive. Of course that will change to three alive when Nashville and Virginia Beach meet in the next elimination round. Of the eight teams left, who do you think has the best shot? The undefeated: #4 Miami (3-0)Beat #36 Cleveland, 6-4Beat #13 Montreal, 10-3Beat #5 Virginia Beach, 1-0, 10 inn. #6 Dallas (3-0)Beat #38 Orlando, 6-0Beat #22 Houston, 10-1Beat #14 Minneapolis, 5-4 #9 Kansas City (3-0)Beat #41 Baltimore, 7-5Beat #25 Denver, 6-4Beat #16 Oakland, 4-2 #31 Seattle (4-0)Beat #34 Portland, 4-1Beat #2 Cincinnati, 3-2Beat #47 Boston, 5-4Beat #10 Los Angeles, 5-3, 15 inn. Fighting to stay alive: # 5 Virginia Beach (3-1)Beat #37 San Antonio, 8-2Beat #12 New Orleans, 2-1, 11 inn.Lost to #4 Miami, 1-0, 10 inn.Beat #24 Toronto, 10-6 # 7 Nashville (4-1)Beat #26 Washington, 4-3Lost to #10 Los Angeles, 9-1Beat #28 Philadelphia, 7-2Beat #45 Las Vegas, 5-4Beat #16 Oakland, 14-4 #10 Los Angeles (3-1)Beat #23 Buffalo, 11-3Beat #7 Nashville, 9-1Lost to #31 Seattle, 5-3, 15 inn.Beat #25 Denver 12-1 #13 Montreal (4-1)Beat #20 New Mexico, 5-4Lost to #4 Miami, 10-3Beat #34 Portland, 2-1Beat #39 Atlanta, 2-1, 10 inn.Beat #14 Minneapolis, 13-5

2015 Spring Bowl - Fifth Elimination Round Sunday, February 15 games Featured Game#13 Montreal 13 at #14 Minneapolis 5 - Minneapolis eliminatedNotes: This was a rematch of last season's Beta League pennant race, where both teams tied atop the division....The Saints surged ahead from a 5-3 deficit in the sixth to tie the game. They then scored four runs each in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away from their rival....Montreal 1B Kole Calhoun was the MVP, going 2 of 4 with two home runs, two runs, four RBI, and a walk....Four other Saints had multiple hits, including 3B Eric Sogard who went 3 of 5 with a double and three RBI....Eight of the Saints' 14 hits were for extra bases: four doubles and four homers....1B Mark Teixeira had yet another big game for the Blizzard. He was 2 for 4 with two home runs, two runs, four RBI and a walk. His numbers matched Calhoun's, but Calhoun got the nod due to his team's victory....RF Domonic Brown had the other extra base hit for Minneapolis, a double. He finished with a team-leading three hits and two runs scored....Neither starting pitcher pitched well in the no decision. Montreal's Matt Cain allowed five earned runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings. The Neptunes' Alex Cobb gave up five earned runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings....Jeremy Horst was the winning pitcher, his second victory in the Spring Bowl. He gave up two hits, walked a batter, and struck out one in two innings....Ramon S. Ramirez was the losing pitcher, allowing four earned runs on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts in just 2/3 of an inning. He gave up what turned out to be the game-winning RBI single by Montreal 2B Ian Kinsler before SS Jorge Rodriguez hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning....Kinsler was the other Saints player to homer. Other Games#7 Nashville 14 at #16 Oakland 4 - Oakland eliminatedPlayer of the Game: LF Brandon Moss, Nashville, 3/5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBINotes: The Country scored eight runs in the top of the first off Oakland starter Hector Romero....Romero suffered the loss, allowing eight runs, six earned, on four hits with three walks without retiring a single batter....SP Aaron Berg of Nashville had to leave the game in the bottom of the first with a strained triceps, which could linger into the regular season. #24 Toronto 6 at #5 Virginia Beach 10 - Toronto eliminatedPlayer of the Game: LF Preston Wilson, Virginia Beach, 2/4, GS, R, 4 RBINotes: Wilson's grand slam in the third inning put the Neptunes up 4-2 at the time....The Thunderbirds tied the game, 5-5 in the top of the fifth, but Virginia Beach answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good....Toronto RF Brennan Boesch was 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBI....Neither starting pitcher--Yu Darvish (Toronto) or Juan Saenz (Virginia Beach)--had a decision in the game. #25 Denver 1 at #10 Los Angeles 12 - Denver eliminatedPlayer of the Game: SP Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles, 7 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K; 1/3, HR, R, 2 RBINotes: RF Mitch Moreland was 4 for 5, all singles, with two runs and two RBI for the Actors....Jordan Lyles suffered the loss for the Peaks. He allowed four runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout in four innings....The Peaks managed just three singles in the game....Of the Actors' 18 hits, 14 were singles. Top Players Updated Losers Bracket

2015 Spring Bowl - Updated Brackets