The 2073 Daily Keg - Week 2

April 24, 2073

Santo Domingo and Hartford both had the best week in the league, each going 5-1. For Santo Domingo it extended an already dominant start to 11-2 and the best record in baseball, while Hartford's surge pulled the Whalers from 2-5 all the way up to a share of second in the Ale at 7-6.

On the other end, Carolina, New York, and California all went 1-5, with Carolina taking the hardest fall, dropping from a respectable 3-4 to 4-9 and now sitting at the bottom of the Stout.

The league's Player of the Week honors went to Indianapolis first baseman Bailey Gray in the Domestic, who hit .542 with 8 RBI, and Seattle catcher Justice Siemion in the Import, who hit .458 with 3 homers and 12 RBI. Elsewhere, Santo Domingo got another shot in the arm from Dontaveon White's cycle against Washington.

1) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (159.3, o)
2) Baltimore Bulldogs (129.6, o)
3) Phoenix Roadrunners (114.7, ++)
4) New Orleans Voodoo (113.7, ++)
5) Pittsburgh Millers (109.7, ++)
6) Washington Bats (107.9, -)
7) Denver Bulls (102.9, -)
8) Hartford Whalers (100.8, ++)
9) Montreal Exports (100.8, ++)
10) Philadelphia Freedom (100.8, ++)
11) Pawtucket Patriots (98.8, ++)
12) Batavia Muckdogs (97.8, -)
13) Dallas Drillers (95.8, --)
14) Toronto Canadians (90.0, ++)
15) Maine Guides (85.2, ++)
16) Seattle Sasquatch (85.2, ++)
17) Los Angeles Sharks (82.2, --)
18) Wilmington Wildcats (79.2, --)
19) Indianapolis Clowns (72.1, --)
20) California Kodiaks (68.3, --)
21) Syracuse Snappers (51.4, +)
22) Carolina Tobs (46.4, --)
23) Windy City Blues (35.6, +)
24) New York Cyclones (33.6, --)

Performance of the Week

P Seth Summitt, NO - Summitt delivered his best start of the season on April 20th, holding California to just 2 hits over 7.2 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts and only 1 walk in a 4-0 New Orleans win. The 22-year-old right-hander improved to 2-0 on the year, and the outing dropped his ERA to 2.25 through three starts, backing it up with a dominant final line that included a Game Score of 81 and Player of the Game honors. It's the kind of start that's kept New Orleans in the thick of the Lager race, and it continued a strong stretch for a Voodoo rotation that's now gotten a shutdown effort from its ace two starts running.

Prospect of the Week

2B Gavin 'Buckeye' Hamilton, SYR - Syracuse's top pick from last year's draft, second baseman Gavin "Buckeye" Hamilton, is off to a strong start at Triple-A New York, hitting .300 with a .440 on-base percentage, 2 home runs and 5 RBI through his first six games. The 21-year-old, taken third overall out of Baylor in 2072, has climbed steadily up the prospect rankings since turning pro, and now sits at #2 in the league behind only Braedin Kim. His power and gap-to-gap approach have translated quickly to the upper minors, and with Syracuse's big-league club still finding its footing at 4-9, Hamilton's development could be one of the more important storylines for the Snappers this season.

Five Things We Think We Think

1. Santo Domingo's 11-2 start is about as loud a contradiction of a preseason projection as you'll find. The Rum Runners were ranked 23rd out of 24 teams in this offseason's positional power rankings, a roster the preview flagged as thin everywhere outside of Micah Lumsden and Troy Yordan, with the pitching staff singled out as the most pressing need. Instead, Santo Domingo owns the best record in baseball, and the numbers back it up beyond just a hot streak: David Hankins is hitting .375 with 5 home runs, Lucas Slater is at .378 with 7 homers and 13 RBI, and the Rum Runners' +35 run differential leads the league. It's the rare case where a team ranked in the bottom two on paper is playing like the best team in baseball through the season's first stretch.

2. In the all SDR edition, Dontaveon “Fireworks” White lived up to the nickname on April 22nd, hitting for the cycle in a 7-6 win over Washington at The Capitol. The 21-year-old left fielder went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored, opening with an RBI triple in the first, taking Donte’ Escarcega deep for a solo shot in the third, adding a single in the fifth, and capping it with an RBI double in the seventh. It earned him Player of the Game honors and pushed his season line to .333 with 2 home runs, part of a hot stretch that’s seen him hit .550 over his last five games as Santo Domingo keeps rolling.

3. Tempers boiled over in the seventh inning of Batavia’s 7-2 win over Pittsburgh on April 21st. E.J. Scott hit Liam Kelley with an 0-2 pitch, and Kelley charged the mound as both benches emptied. Punches were thrown before teammates pulled the two apart, with plenty of shoving and shouting on the fringes as the scrum broke up. Both were ejected, and the league followed with suspensions, four games for Kelley, eight for Scott. Scott still finished 6 innings with 6 strikeouts for the win, and Greg Helm delivered the knockout blow two innings later, a bases-clearing double that capped a 4-RBI day.

4. Braxton Kanai put on a show at The Birdnest on April 22nd, going 3-for-4 with 3 home runs, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored in Phoenix's 7-1 win over Toronto. The first baseman took Holden Ritchey deep in the fourth and again in the sixth, then added a third off Peter Hendrick in the eighth to tie the franchise's regular season record for home runs in a game. Andy Phillips Jr. backed him up on the mound, going 8.1 innings for his third straight win to open the season, and the outburst pushed Kanai's line to .375 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI, with a four-homer week that's made him one of the hottest hitters in the league.

5. What’s on tap?

• Hartford Whalers (7-6, On Road: 5-1) at Pawtucket Patriots (7-6, At Home: 4-2) -- April 24.

  Two teams tied for second in the Ale meet with Hartford riding a 4-game winning streak into Pawtucket. The Patriots’ bullpen is a real soft spot right now, Nathan Boudreaux and Bryce Leistner have combined for a pair of ERAs north of 9.00 over their last several outings, a vulnerability Hartford’s hot streak could look to exploit late.

• Carolina Tobs (4-9, On Road: 2-4) at Baltimore Bulldogs (9-4, At Home: 4-2) -- April 24.

  Carolina brings a 5-game losing streak into a matchup with the league’s hottest team in Baltimore, though Rob Ahlbrecht has been one of the few bright spots for the Tobs, hitting .438 with 9 stolen bases over his last two weeks. He’ll have his hands full against Cole Good, who’s off to a 2-0 start with a 2.92 ERA for the Bulldogs.

• New Orleans Voodoo (8-5, On Road: 2-1) at Montreal Exports (7-6, At Home: 3-3) -- April 24, 3-game series.

  Just one game separates these two Lager contenders, and the pitching matchup couldn’t be more lopsided on paper. Seth Summitt has been nearly untouchable for New Orleans, a 0.64 ERA and 14 strikeouts over his last two starts, while Montreal’s Andre Guse has been one of the league’s coldest arms at 14.81 ERA. Montreal will lean on Harrison Holly’s hot bat, .415 with 6 home runs over his last two weeks, to make up the difference.

• Philadelphia Freedom (7-6, On Road: 3-3) at Phoenix Roadrunners (8-5, At Home: 2-1) -- April 27.

  This one has two of the league's hottest names on opposite sides of the ball. York Goldschmidt has been nearly unstoppable for Philadelphia, hitting .514 with 3 home runs over his last two weeks, while Phoenix counters with Andy Phillips Jr., who's been one of the league's best arms at a 1.25 ERA with 20 strikeouts across his last three starts. Phoenix also enters with the better record and sits atop the Bock.