End of the year stats fiesta!

Mike Trout taking home almost all the hardware this year!

With an exciting post-season underway (and GREAT write-ups by Steve and Scott!), I don't want people to miss out on the final regular season stats. 

There are a lot of updates and links you can use to kill a fair amount of time.  Take some time to review your team yearbook for a crazy amount of detailed statistical information on your season, links are listed on the right side of this page.

Final votes are in, and the big winners are  Mike Trout (MVP), Dallas Keuchel (Cy Young), and Andy Willnus (Manager of the Year...every year!). 

Click here to go to final Award Voting

For those who don't often look at it in the lengthy list of links on the right side of this page, the Record Book is a fun thing to check out, especially at the end of the year.

Click here to go to final Record Book


The Friendship League Encyclopedia encompasses the past eight seasons of the league, the "modern era" if you will.  Want to know which two players are tied for most homers over the last eight years?  Who has logged the most innings, or gained the most W's?  An amazing array of league and team stats for the eight-year period are available here...

Click here to access League Encyclopedia


Also wanted to share some of my favorite statistical oddities from the season.  Steve had  sent out an earlier note about the unorthodox but effective use of Jose Bautista (and his .211 batting average) as his leadoff hitter.  Power-hitting, bat flipping Joey Bats led the entire league in walks and runs scored, and finished near the top in OBP.  The Bearded One had a combined on-base plus slugging of .730 in the 3 spot in the lineup, .676 hitting second, and an astounding .920 as the leadoff batter!

One of the great things about baseball is that there are so many different ways to win.  Maine tied with Boston for most wins in the league, despite an 11th best in the league .236 team batting average.  Mount Pleasant tied for the wild-card despite a 2nd worst in the league team ERA of 4.47.

 Two new entries in the all-time league records were made this season, both are updated in the League History section in the links on the right hand side.  Free swinging Chris Davis set a new all-time mark for K's in a season, whiffing 127 times!  The Toronto Thunder's pitching staff enters the all-time record books by posting the 2nd highest team strikeouts ever, with 703 (only behind last year's edition of the Thunder, who had 747). 

Just one more win from the underachieving
Edinson Volquez would have helped
Mount Pleasant avoid their ill-fated playoff
 game against Minnesota

Edinson Volquez was a 2nd round pick for Mount Pleasant this year, and was expected to be a strong starting pitcher for the Train Wreck.  Volquez was 13-9 with a tidy 3.55 ERA in real life, but floundered in the Mountain Town, putting up an ugly 5-11 record with a 6.24 ERA for the Train Wreck.

Speaking of high ERAs, I am not sure ANY pitcher in league history with 96 innings or more ended our season with an ERA higher than the 8.29 that Las Vegas' Colby Lewis put up this year.  Shockingly, Lewis had a 6-6 won-loss record, despite that massive ERA. 

The Record Book showed some outstanding performances this year.  Three batters had three HRs in a single game this year.  Manny Machado, Jose Abreu, and Chris Davis all achieved the HR hat trick.  There were three pitchers to toss one-hitters this year - Danny Salazar, Felix Hernandez, and Scott Kazmir all came within one batter of a no-no this year.    Minnesota Men's manly man Jose Abreu drive in 9 runs in one game this year! 

Lake Erie hurler Hisashi Iwakuma had a forgettable outing early in the season, giving up 6 home runs to Toronto in just 3 and 2/3 innings. 

Mount Pleasant hit more home runs than anyone this year, with 119.  Lake Erie hit the least, with just 4 dingers.

Dr. James Andrews filed a group lawsuit against Kansas City Butchers owner/GM/manager Pat Carr for burning out his starters in a way not seen since Billy Martin blew out the Oakland A's starting rotation in the late 1980's.  Kansas City had 33 complete games from their starters this season!  Next highest was Boston with just 11.  It wasn't that KC's starters were any good (starters were a combined ERA of 4.16, relievers were at 2.84), just that limited reliever innings forced the KC starters to be hung out to dry numerous times, finishing games come hell or high water!  We will try to draft more than the minimum amount of innings next year to get some much needed flexibility!

Best of luck to Scott and Steve in the World Series, let us know when and where you will play it.  Hopefully Detroit News columnist and radio host Wojo will make a return appearance to help crown the champion!  

Men - Bobcats - Epic

This one will go down as the greatest computer baseball series my computer has ever processed.

Game 1
The Bobcats came out with focus and determination.  Manager Andy Willnus proclaimed 2016 the year of the Bobcat and that was made clear on the field in Boston.  Minnesota's Felix Hernandez was not even warmed up when Boston put three quick runs on the board.  Home runs by Betts, Ortiz and Gutierez powered the 'Cats to a 7-1 victory.  Dallas Keuchel looked strong giving up one run over 7 and 1/3 innings.

Game 2
It was a masterful pitcher's duel between H. Santiago of the Men and C. Wilson of the Bobcats.  The two starters combing to throw 14 innings, yielding just four hits and one run between the two of them.  Boston's E. Escobar blasted solo shot in the bottom of the fifth to account for the only run of the game going into the ninth inning.  With R. Madson on the mound in the top of the ninth and down by a run, it looked like we were going back to Minne with Boston up 2-0.....but......Madson melted down.  One manufactured run in the 9th, five more runs to start the 10th and we are going back to the Mennen Dome tied at 1-1.

Game 3
One game playoff hero Jake Odorizzi gets the call for Minnesota, but no magic this time.  It was Phil Hughes who had the right stuff.  He went 6 2/3 giving up just four hits and one run.  Givens, Stroman and Madson close out the game yielding just a couple of hits.  Boston closes the door and the Men fans go home deflated - 3-1 victory for Boston.

Game 4
This is where the series turned into something special.  Felix Hernandez continued his first inning blues by giving up another three runs to start this game.  Three hits and three runs to start the game, but Boston ended the game with only five hits.  This one was going to have some twists and turns.  M. Mahtook took his hero turn, tying the game on a three run HR in the bottom of the third.  Keuchel and Hernandez were masterful the rest of the way.  Fast forward to the top of the ninth...with two outs L. Cain blasts a double into the gap.  F. Gutierrez is trying to leg it out from first to home (1-13).  Play at the plate......McCann blocks the plate and tags out Gutierrez (13).  The Mennen Dome is in a frenzy.  Now on to the bottom of the ninth - two outs.  Abreu on first, M. Cabrera at the plate.  Boom - double in the gap.  Abreu is coming around third (deja vu, 1-13).  Play at the plate..........SAFE!!!  Men win!  Series tied 2-2.

Game 5
13,000 strong gathered at the dome for this pivotal game (wait, what?).  Manager Mallon wasn't aware that pitcher H. Santiago ate some bad squid the night before and spent his day praying to the porcelain God.  Ervin Santana, who spent a long night at a local casino, got the surprise start for Minnesota. Santana, while hungover, was strong over five innings.  Josh Donaldson blasted two HR's in this game.  Men relievers Sipp, Hendriks, Wilson and W. Davis combined for four innings, giving up zero hits.  Men win 5-2 and are now up 3-2 in the series.

Game 6
H. Santiago vs. C. Wilson for this one.  Men come out of the gate and put together a flurry of hits to take a 1-0 lead in the first.  Men go up 2-0 in the eighth when M. Cabrera blasts a double, driving in J. Donaldson.  Boston is down to six outs to go in the season and face the daunting task of W. Davis on the hill.  Somehow, they manage to claw a run out that inning to bring us to a 2-1 game.  Still 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, Tony Sipp trots out for the Men.  D. Ortiz is able to force a walk with one out.  E. Escobar gets out, so now it is down to two outs.  Manager Willnus, showing why he's manager of the year...every year decides to pinch hit for B. Holt with T. Shaw.  One pitch away from the World Series, Sipp rares back and pitches to Shaw.......Crack!  Two-run walk-off moonshot.  Boston wins 3-2 and we are going to game 7.

Game 7
Before we get to this game, let me note the toll taken on the teams injury wise.  Melky Cabrera was hurt in game 5; Franklin Gutierrez, D. Gregorius and Torii Hunter all went down in game 6.  Now in game 7 Victor Martinez goes down in the first inning, Gutierrez re-aggravates the groin in the fourth inning.  Toughest injury of all, Men all world pitcher F. Hernandez is drilled by a line shot in the 2nd inning.  The Men will try to win game #7 using a bullpen session.  The Men came out with their bats on fire in this one.  Four runs in the first three innings, they were feeling good about themselves.  David Ortiz continued to power Boston with his never say die attitude - blasting a HR in the bottom of the ninth.  The Men extended their lead to 6-1 with some clutch hitting, bunting and base running.  One to the bottom of the ninth.  Two quick walks were granted by C. Allen.  The beantown fans are going nuts, they haven't given up!  In the end, they did not have enough.  C. Allen calmed down and handled Boston.  The series is over!  Men are going to Maine to defend their title after a draining fortnight with the Bobcats.

Loggers - Bandits Playoff Series

While the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs were both looking to end long championship droughts, they have nothing on the Friendship Leagues Maine Loggers and Wichita Bandits.  The Loggers have just one championship in history, back in 1994, when PJ was still in pull-ups.  Wichita has never had a sniff of a title in Randy's tenure, trotting out the familiar slogan "The Bandits will be back!", year after year.  One of these teams would get a chance to end their frustrations......

Game 1 -- The Maine Loggers have survived on pitching and power all year long.  Why change the script for the playoffs? .  Maine Ace Sonny Gray would oppose Bandit Kyle Gibson, which seemed like a mismatch on paper, but that's why they play the games!  The Loggers pounded Gibson early and often, chasing him after 4 1/3 innings.  The Loggers build a comfortable 9-2 lead by the sixth inning behind FIVE homers -- two by Jose "Joey Bats" Bautista, the teams' unconventional leadoff man.  That lead allowed Manager Steve Willnus to remove Gray, saving him for later in the series.  The bullpen performed, and the Loggers started with a 9-4 win. 

Game 2 -- The home Loggers trotted out lefty Jose Quintana with the expectation that the bullpen would be busy.  The Bandits feature a righty heavy lineup with some thunder.  But Bandit manager Randy Jones was the one forced to reach for his bullpen, as Jeff Samardija coughed up five runs in the second, and then had the wheels come off in the fourth, when the Loggers plated five more for an insurmountable 10-0 lead.  JD Martinez blasted a key 3-run shot in that fourth inning, and the Loggers totaled 15 hits for the game.  Quintana went the distance, and breezed home with a 13-5 victory, and a 2-0 Maine series lead. 

Game 3 -- On to Wichita they went.  Maine trotted out Michael Pineda, who had looked like a piñata all year, sporting a 1-6 record, and dragging Maine's league leading team ERA down with his 4.93 number.  Danny Salazar toed the rubber for Wichita and hung a bunch of zeroes up, leading Bandit fans to wonder why he wasn't out there for Game 1 or 2.   Pineda hung tough for 7 1/3 innings, but the Loggers could generate no offense, going down 4-2. 

Game 4 -- With prospect of the Bandits tying the series, and the season potentially hanging in the balance, Manager Steve Willnus turned to his ace again, and Sonny Gray delivered, shutting down the Bandits to just one run on six hits.  Bandit Kyle Gibson fared better this time around, holding the Loggers down, but not out.  Again, it was the homerun power of Maine that did the trick.  Solo shots from Mitch Moreland, Russell Martin and Anthony Gose (Scooby Voice: "GOOOOOOSSSSEEEE????!!!!"), were all the Loggers needed.  Gray went the distance for his second win of the series, and the Loggers were one win away from only their second world series in 22 years. 

Game 5 -- A rematch between Quintana and Samardzija would be decided by the defenses behind them.  Ryan Raburn booted a flyball in right, and Alex Rodriguez was out of his element at first base, booting two balls that helped to extend Maine innings.  The Bandits raced to a 3-0 lead, but were then handcuffed by Quintana, and four relievers.  Joey Bats blasted another homer, and Zobrilla had a huge 3-run shot in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach.  The Bandits loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to score, and lost 8-3. 

The Maine Loggers, with just one World Series appearance (2009) in a generation, and only one title in history, advance on.  MVP of the series is Joey Bats himself, with 3 HR, 8 runs scored, and just excitement from the lead off spot. 
Write up from Boston - Minnesota to follow? 

King Odor(izzi)?

The Minnesota Men shocked the world when Jake Odorizzi was announced as starter for the one game tie-breaker against the Mt. Pleasant Train Wreck.  All-World David Price expectedly toe'd the slab for MtP.  Mikie Mahtook, who just found out hours ago he'd be playing for the Detroit Tigers in 2017, stepped up in the 2nd inning and slammed a dinger for the Men....Katie bar the door....the 2015 Champs were out for blood.  Multiple hits the rest of inning two gave the Men a 4-0 lead.  Jake O, O no you di'n't izzi gave the Wreck no room to breath.  No runs, 8 K's and 3 hits over 6 2/3 were all MtP could muster.  Speaking of mustard (word stretch), the men cut some in the ninth as they added three more insurance runs.  Final score, 7-0.  The Men are back in the postseason and three cities are shaking in their boots.  On to Beantown!!!

Time to lawyer up, Fred!

First Mount Pleasant invaded the Mammoth's monopoly in our fair state, and now the local United Shore Professional Baseball League has announced its new team for this upcoming season.  Look familiar?

I highly encourage a league visit or two to this league in Utica this year, it really is a beautiful stadium and a fun time for all.  Fred and family can load up on the Mammoth merchandise now as well  :-)

Click here for full story on the new Mammoths team

It's Raining Men

The Minnesota Men just posted their third series sweep in a row (9 game winning streak) to charge into a one game lead for the wildcard spot.  Heart of a champion.  Wojo would be proud.

New record?

The Toronto Thunder in the last game of the season series against Lake Erie managed to come out firing in the first inning. They hit back to back to back to back homers against Iwakuma. Gardner, Beltre, Cruz and Miller accomplished the feat. Miller hit a second home run later in the game and Teixeira also added one as well.