Maple is heading to the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season. Maple also clinched the Billy Martin division in the TML for the 2nd consecutive season. We felt Jersey was the up and coming team this year especially after their strong finish last year but, we are proud of our team on how they battled and got better each and every month. Currently we 14-8 in the month and have 3 home games vs. Jersey and one road game vs. SF left in the regular season.
Whos Hot entering the playoffs? Robert Martinez is 13-2 with a 1.62 ERA in his past 19 GS. He also is the only other 20 Game winner in the TML behind some guy named Gould for Vegas. Vic Jennings acquired from Las Vegas at the trade deadline is on fire batting .500 with 2 homers in his last six games. Then we have our powerful DH Eric McSwan who had one of the greatest individual sim performances in ABL history by hitting 5 homers in his last 5 games. Cale Hines 3B also has been steady all season long and is hitting .500 over the past 8 games. RP Villa, Wilson, Wilder, Costello and Coleman are all on fire entering the playoffs.
From a team perspective Maple is #1 in HRs in the TML and #1 in Runs allowed. Power and Pitching will have to carry this team if they are to have a shot at the ABL World Series in Year II.
Down on the farm; Astoria collapsed with an 0-7 sim to fall 4.5 games back and all but eliminate them frmo AAA playoff contention. Sandy Springs sits at 110 wins and is one of the most dominant AA teams in the league. In Single A we are hoping for Kingwood to hit .500 or better in the final sim. Currently 79-80 with 3 games left. Knights need a 3-0 or 2-1 sim to do it! A great turn around by the Knights after a miserable Year 1.
Baseball America has improved Maple up to 14th overall in the Top Minor League Systems Standings. 3B Dave Guenette in Single A is starting to hit the ball well for Kingwood, Dave Picot has some some flashes of brilliance in Single for Kingwood and finally our R1 pick last year Joshua Goldberg continues to climb up the charts now sitting at 86th overall. Two sims ago he entered the top 100 at 98th overall. When I asked my son what he thought about this he just "shaked his head"....
HOME OF THE 10TH MAN
HOME OF THE 10TH MAN
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Season II - August Report - Maple playing their best baseball now...
The Maple Mauraders continued their great July result (15-11) by doing even better in August (17-9) with two games remaining vs. Las Vegas. Maple has extended their lead in the TML Billy Martin Division by 13 games and unless they completely collapse they are a shoe in to win their 2nd consecutive division title. Maple is winning the close games this year going an impressive 11-5 in extra inning frames and 24-19 in one run games. Maple has to be one of the surprises so far this season especially considering Ray Lester SP, Dave Kruse SP and Millard Marshall CL haven't seen the field.
Maple has used the long ball to help their turn around (Ranked 3rd in the TML). The strength of the team reamins in the pitching staff (Ranking 1st in ERA, Runs Allowed, Strikeouts in the TML). Maple also has 12 more home games down the stretch than road games. The trade deadline acquisition of Vic Jennings is also serving benefits.
Vic Jennings is hitting .296, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 Runs and 10 Base on Balls in 98 ABs so far since joining the Mauraders.
Down on the farm, Maple's organization has made strides at each level this year. Astoria is battling for a division title in AAA ball (75-58, 2.5 games back). In AA ball, Sandy Springs has been dominant this season (88-45). The nicest surprise has been Kingwood in A ball; despite being under .500 at 64-69 and 27.5 games back in the division they are showing signs of life and the player morale is improving!
The prospect watch has a new entry. The son of the owner Joshua Goldberg has made the top 100 in Baseball America's top prospects. Drafted in Round 1 last year, Joshua started off pretty hot in A ball but, did not fare so well in his brief promotion to AA ball. Recently demoted Joshua Goldberg is now pitching his best baseball with Kingwood. Right now the experts have him penciled in as the #98 ranked prospect. We expect his stock to rise in the coming sims!
Maple has used the long ball to help their turn around (Ranked 3rd in the TML). The strength of the team reamins in the pitching staff (Ranking 1st in ERA, Runs Allowed, Strikeouts in the TML). Maple also has 12 more home games down the stretch than road games. The trade deadline acquisition of Vic Jennings is also serving benefits.
Vic Jennings is hitting .296, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 Runs and 10 Base on Balls in 98 ABs so far since joining the Mauraders.
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| I'm glad to be back in the World Series hunt! |
Down on the farm, Maple's organization has made strides at each level this year. Astoria is battling for a division title in AAA ball (75-58, 2.5 games back). In AA ball, Sandy Springs has been dominant this season (88-45). The nicest surprise has been Kingwood in A ball; despite being under .500 at 64-69 and 27.5 games back in the division they are showing signs of life and the player morale is improving!
The prospect watch has a new entry. The son of the owner Joshua Goldberg has made the top 100 in Baseball America's top prospects. Drafted in Round 1 last year, Joshua started off pretty hot in A ball but, did not fare so well in his brief promotion to AA ball. Recently demoted Joshua Goldberg is now pitching his best baseball with Kingwood. Right now the experts have him penciled in as the #98 ranked prospect. We expect his stock to rise in the coming sims!
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| 11-9, 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 167 Ks in 151 IP |
Friday, October 26, 2012
Season II - Month 4 - Maple turns it around in July!
Maple got hot before the trade deadline going 15-11 to open up a 6.0 game lead over Jersey in the TML - Billy Martin Division. In order to send a message to their fans, the Marauders made a trade with Las Vegas acquiring a bat in 1B Vic Jennings (Allstar) and a relief pitcher in Michael Coleman. Both are expected to be in the lineup for the sim opener in August. So far Maple has over achieved on the mound as they continue to lead the TML in ERA and RA. So management decided to get the team a boost in the lineup by adding the power hitting 1B Jennings.
Roberto Martinez was one of the reasons the Marauders turn things around in July. He was named TML pitcher of the month for July. He posted a 4-1 record with a 1.02 ERA.
Meanwhile on the farm, Triple A OF Chris Stephens won batter of the month honours. He batted .319 with 9 homers, 22 rbi and 27 runs scored. The OF has been a back and forth call up due to injuries on the Maple team. The OF is loaded in Maple so it will be interesting to see if Stephens stays or goes next season. Another hot player who won player of the week honours was called up to Maple during the last sim of the month - Anastasio Rincon 1B/3B. Rincon had been batting .347 with 21 homers and 69 RBI for Astoria. It will be interesting to see how much play time he gets at 1B now since the arrival of Vic Jennings.
In Double A, OF Hidekazu Matsuura won the player of the week honours the last week in July. he hit .450 with 3 homers and 13 RBI. Matsuura wasn't the starting OF when the season began but, he has solidified himself as the starter the past few weeks.
In Single A, SP Joshua Goldberg; son of the commish received a promotion to AA ball in the last sim of the month. In his very first start in Double A, he got the victory pitching 5.2 innings giving up 9 hits and 7 runs in a 12-8 victory over CIN. Not a great start to his Double A career but, as he said after the game all that counts are team wins!
Roberto Martinez was one of the reasons the Marauders turn things around in July. He was named TML pitcher of the month for July. He posted a 4-1 record with a 1.02 ERA.
Meanwhile on the farm, Triple A OF Chris Stephens won batter of the month honours. He batted .319 with 9 homers, 22 rbi and 27 runs scored. The OF has been a back and forth call up due to injuries on the Maple team. The OF is loaded in Maple so it will be interesting to see if Stephens stays or goes next season. Another hot player who won player of the week honours was called up to Maple during the last sim of the month - Anastasio Rincon 1B/3B. Rincon had been batting .347 with 21 homers and 69 RBI for Astoria. It will be interesting to see how much play time he gets at 1B now since the arrival of Vic Jennings.
In Double A, OF Hidekazu Matsuura won the player of the week honours the last week in July. he hit .450 with 3 homers and 13 RBI. Matsuura wasn't the starting OF when the season began but, he has solidified himself as the starter the past few weeks.
In Single A, SP Joshua Goldberg; son of the commish received a promotion to AA ball in the last sim of the month. In his very first start in Double A, he got the victory pitching 5.2 innings giving up 9 hits and 7 runs in a 12-8 victory over CIN. Not a great start to his Double A career but, as he said after the game all that counts are team wins!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Season II - Month 3 - Maple below .500 in June...
Maple entered June in 1st place and leave June in 1st place, 1 game ahead of Jersey despite a 13-14 W/L record that has the Marauders at 43-39 W/L overall.
We are hoping that the June result isn't a sign of things to come as the pitching staff which has been torn apart by injuries is starting to show some signs of weakness. Maple sits in 2nd in ERA, 2nd in bullpen ERA, 1st in RA, 2nd in Ks which by most is a big suprise even playing in a big stadium. Of their 82 games only 35 of them have been at home so far.
Meanwhile the bats have been average so far but, this years big difference is the power. Maple sits 8th in Bavg., 8th in OBPct., 6th in SLGPct., but, 1st in HRs with 105. Another good aspect of the Marauders game is their defense which sits in 5th.
The above rankings are based against teams in the TML.
The minor league system sits in 16th place with two surprises in the top 100 list including Dave Guenette, 3B and David Picot, RF who are both having horrible seasons in Single A Kingwood.
Meanwhile, Maple took hit in the Top 20 list as Frank Powers, OF dropped out eventhough he is hitting .302 bavg, .370 obpct., with a .497 slugging pct. including 19 homers and 47 rbi. and our best player Roberto Martinez, SP has really struggled statistically this year despite his W/L record of 9-5. His 3.80 ERA is higher than expected and has given up 128 HA in 106.2 IP while striking out 86 and walking 26 with a below average whip of 1.44.
On a positive note, each of the minor league systems have improved. In Triple AAA, Astoria is in 2nd place 2.5 games back eventhough they are struggling through a 1-9 W/L stretch. Look for Anastasio Rincon 3B to get a shot at a late season call up to play for Maple. In Double AA, Sandy Springs is in 1st place. Look for Kevin McConnell 1B and Ramon Villa OF to get a call up to Triple AAA soon. Finally in Single A, Kingwood is actually playing competitive baseball despite being 24.5 games back. Joshua Goldberg, R1 pick in this years draft is having a stellar year sitting at 6-7 W/L with a stingy whip 1.10 and a 3.17 ERA in 99.1 IP while fanning 103 batters.
Should be a very exciting finish in the Billy Martin TML division. It would not surprise us to see this division race settled in the very late sim of the season just like last year.
We are hoping that the June result isn't a sign of things to come as the pitching staff which has been torn apart by injuries is starting to show some signs of weakness. Maple sits in 2nd in ERA, 2nd in bullpen ERA, 1st in RA, 2nd in Ks which by most is a big suprise even playing in a big stadium. Of their 82 games only 35 of them have been at home so far.
Meanwhile the bats have been average so far but, this years big difference is the power. Maple sits 8th in Bavg., 8th in OBPct., 6th in SLGPct., but, 1st in HRs with 105. Another good aspect of the Marauders game is their defense which sits in 5th.
The above rankings are based against teams in the TML.
The minor league system sits in 16th place with two surprises in the top 100 list including Dave Guenette, 3B and David Picot, RF who are both having horrible seasons in Single A Kingwood.
Meanwhile, Maple took hit in the Top 20 list as Frank Powers, OF dropped out eventhough he is hitting .302 bavg, .370 obpct., with a .497 slugging pct. including 19 homers and 47 rbi. and our best player Roberto Martinez, SP has really struggled statistically this year despite his W/L record of 9-5. His 3.80 ERA is higher than expected and has given up 128 HA in 106.2 IP while striking out 86 and walking 26 with a below average whip of 1.44.
On a positive note, each of the minor league systems have improved. In Triple AAA, Astoria is in 2nd place 2.5 games back eventhough they are struggling through a 1-9 W/L stretch. Look for Anastasio Rincon 3B to get a shot at a late season call up to play for Maple. In Double AA, Sandy Springs is in 1st place. Look for Kevin McConnell 1B and Ramon Villa OF to get a call up to Triple AAA soon. Finally in Single A, Kingwood is actually playing competitive baseball despite being 24.5 games back. Joshua Goldberg, R1 pick in this years draft is having a stellar year sitting at 6-7 W/L with a stingy whip 1.10 and a 3.17 ERA in 99.1 IP while fanning 103 batters.
Should be a very exciting finish in the Billy Martin TML division. It would not surprise us to see this division race settled in the very late sim of the season just like last year.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Season II - Month #2 - Maple continues to battle for 1st place!
Maple entered the 2nd month of play with a 16-12 W/L record. The experts had written off the Marauders after losing 60% of their SP rotation and their allstar CL. However; Pat Sellers, SP was scheduled to return at the end of the May. GM Goldberg was asked if Sellers would see time in a rehab stint in Triple A. He replied, "No we need arms in Maple right now"! In his first start in the ABL this year, Sellers pitched effectively earning the Win after going 5 IP, giving up 3 hits and 2 ER, walking 1 and striking out 2 in a 9-2 win over South Carolina! With one sim left this month, Maple stands at 12-12 W/L record in May and 28-24 W/L overall in 2nd place 1 game back of Jersey for the Billy Martin Division in the TML. The two hot streaking players this month have been on the mound, SP Roberto Martinez their staff ACE and fill-in CL Brandon Wilson. Martinez is 4-0 is his last 4 starts with a 1.63 ERA while Wilson has 3 Saves, 1.13 ERA in his last 13 games. The bats cooled off a bit in May, however; allstar game hero RF Frank Powers gained his stride hitting, .322 avg, .400 obpct, .538 slugpct with 14 HRs and 33 RBI.
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| Powers says, "I'm seeing beach balls"! |
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| SP Martinez is one of the best in the ABL! |
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| I'm glad for the CL opportunity! |
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Season II - Opening Month Review - Maple
Maple and Jersey appear to be the early odds on picks to win the Thurman Munson League Billy Martin division in the ABL. After 1 month a play both teams stand above .500 at a 17-15 W/L record.
Maple has been led by DH Eric "Stroking" McSwan.
Maple was hit hard with off-season injuries that put SP Dave Krause, SP Ray Lester, SP Pat Sellers and CL Millard Marshall on the 60 day DL.
The 2nd month of play has the Marauders smack in the middle of divisional play with an opening series vs. Jersey followed by rival San Francisco.
Maple has been led by DH Eric "Stroking" McSwan.
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 23 | 85 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 16 | 19 | .282 | .392 | .588 | 0 |
The 2nd month of play has the Marauders smack in the middle of divisional play with an opening series vs. Jersey followed by rival San Francisco.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Maple Marauders Inaugural Season in Review
4,166,615 fans which ranked 7th in the ABL saw some exciting baseball this year
in Maple.
Maple was more than 10+ games back at several different points in the regular season but, they never gave up and ended up catching San Francisco to win the Billy Martin Division by 2 games in the Thurman Munson League. Going 7-13 vs. SF did not help.
Maple overcame a slow start that was bombarded by injuries to their strongest offensive position entering the season; their OF. However; once everyone was back and healthy things start to get rolling in fine fashion. The last few weeks of the season though the team struggled and despite not playing their best baseball were able to over take SF who crumbled down the stretch.
Maple then went in to the post season matched up against favourite Boston. Maple played Boston very tough and lost in 7 games after having the series lead 3-2. Maple just couldn't get the key win in Boston in either Game 6 or Game 7. Despite losing out, we were happy with the way the overall season went on many accounts.
Great Performances:Frank Powers OF - Allstar - no big surprise here; 23 HRs, .367 BAVG
Don Strickland 1B - surprise here & his injury at the end of the year hurt, .332 BAVG, 20 HRs
Eric McSwan OF/DH - steady performance all season long. .299 BAVG, 34 HRs
Pat Sellers SP - steady performance all season long; 18 Wins
Roberto Martinez SP - Allstar - staff ACE pitched like one; 17 Wins, 2.37 ERA; 0.98 WHIP
Millard Marshall CL - Allstar - was one of the best in the ABL all year; 38 SAVES, 0.87 WHIP
Disappointments:
Anthony Shelton OF - missing 3/4 of the season due to injury; 14 HRs
Dave Krause SP - only winning 10 games
Top Prospect:
Ernie McCoy INF - he appears to be ready for Triple A, won't hit for power but, has decent contact and amazing speed (30 SBs).
Around the Minors:
Astoria, Sandy Springs and Kingwood all had disappointing seasons with only Astoria finishing above .500. Kingwood had several high level prospects but, never got going all year.
Financials:
Maple has approx $8M for free agents and approx $6M for extensions going into the offseason.
Maple was more than 10+ games back at several different points in the regular season but, they never gave up and ended up catching San Francisco to win the Billy Martin Division by 2 games in the Thurman Munson League. Going 7-13 vs. SF did not help.
Maple overcame a slow start that was bombarded by injuries to their strongest offensive position entering the season; their OF. However; once everyone was back and healthy things start to get rolling in fine fashion. The last few weeks of the season though the team struggled and despite not playing their best baseball were able to over take SF who crumbled down the stretch.
Maple then went in to the post season matched up against favourite Boston. Maple played Boston very tough and lost in 7 games after having the series lead 3-2. Maple just couldn't get the key win in Boston in either Game 6 or Game 7. Despite losing out, we were happy with the way the overall season went on many accounts.
Great Performances:Frank Powers OF - Allstar - no big surprise here; 23 HRs, .367 BAVG
Don Strickland 1B - surprise here & his injury at the end of the year hurt, .332 BAVG, 20 HRs
Eric McSwan OF/DH - steady performance all season long. .299 BAVG, 34 HRs
Pat Sellers SP - steady performance all season long; 18 Wins
Roberto Martinez SP - Allstar - staff ACE pitched like one; 17 Wins, 2.37 ERA; 0.98 WHIP
Millard Marshall CL - Allstar - was one of the best in the ABL all year; 38 SAVES, 0.87 WHIP
Disappointments:
Anthony Shelton OF - missing 3/4 of the season due to injury; 14 HRs
Dave Krause SP - only winning 10 games
Top Prospect:
Ernie McCoy INF - he appears to be ready for Triple A, won't hit for power but, has decent contact and amazing speed (30 SBs).
Around the Minors:
Astoria, Sandy Springs and Kingwood all had disappointing seasons with only Astoria finishing above .500. Kingwood had several high level prospects but, never got going all year.
Financials:
Maple has approx $8M for free agents and approx $6M for extensions going into the offseason.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Quietly surprising the experts...
When you sit in varous club houses and in the stands of various ABL ball parks you are sure not to hear his name. However; quietly Don Strickland 1B of the Maple Marauders is putting together a fine season! Finally the experts in the ABL took notice by awarding him with the TML POW honors on July 30th. This Round 18 pick is also a very sure handed first baseman and likely a gold glove candidate. Some of his accomplishments this year include;
| Saturday, August 25th, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Don Strickland hits 2 home runs against the Cabo San Lucas Toreros, going 4-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Maple makes some noise at the trade deadline...
Michael Anderson was claimed off waivers from SoCal. Anderson will add much needed OF depth to an existing OF that has been plaqued by injuries. Michael will play full time vs. LHP and will be on the bench as the 4th OF vs. RHP.
Derek Beimer was acquired in a trade with Minnesota. Beimer will add some hitting punch to a linup that has been struggling to score runs. Derek acquisition goes against Maple's typical player strategy in terms of the importance of defense, however; based on what was reasonably available at the trade deadline the organization felt it should make the move. Derek will be the starting SS and likely will be on the pine in the late innings if Maple is holding on to a lead.
Brad Austin MR was acquired from EUR in a last minute deadline deal trade. Brad will add excellent depth to a pen that has been one of the best in the ABL this year. You can never have enough quality arms at the ABL level.
Meet your Maple Marauder Allstars!
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| It was a great feeling getting the winning RBI for the TML! |
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| I was very happy with my performance! |
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| I had my good stuff tonight! |
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Double 7 in a big slump!
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| My confidence is hurting... |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 70 | 268 | 54 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 15 | 73 | .201 | .264 | .313 | 9 |
Single A Knights starting to turn things around...
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| 4 wins in a row! |
Manager Joe O'Neil said, "early in the season we went with our youngster hoping they would lead the way but, as the season went on we realized they were not ready to make it full-time so we adjusted our lineups accordingly and lately platooning players has really helped us improve!"
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| I just wanted a chance to play! |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 20 | 51 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | .353 | .431 | .471 | 0 |
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Ed Nash "mashing" in Single A Ball...
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| We will get it together! |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 18 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | .286 | .419 | .371 | 0 |
Bobby Hall R77 draft pick, 5 game hitting streak...
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| Baseball is a game of streaks! |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 45 | 170 | 41 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 9 | 31 | .241 | .297 | .371 | 8 |
Hammond for Astoria remains HOT!
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| I'm seeing the ball good! |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 45 | 176 | 52 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 34 | 8 | 39 | .295 | .330 | .472 | 0 |
Backup OF trying to stick with the Big Club
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| I'm fortunate for this chance! |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 13 | 43 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 | .372 | .438 | .651 | 1 |
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Double 7 - Shifted to CF...
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| I'll bounce back! |
His YTD stats show below:
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 39 | 144 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 8 | 28 | .243 | .299 | .382 | 6 |
Going.. Going... Going... Gone to the cubed!
Hammond Bashes 3 HR for Astoria
Saturday, May 26th, 2012: Bigger paychecks might be in the offing, if Greg Hammond continues to hit like he did today against the Reformers. The Astoria catcher crushed three into the stands at Wittenburg Field in a remarkable performance, propelling the Argonauts to a 15-4 win over Springfield. He tagged 4 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 7 runs and scored 3 times. Speaking to writers after the game, he said, "It was just one of those days when you got something to hit and did something with it." The Springfield skipper agreed with him. "We made three mistakes and he made us pay each time." Greg Hammond doubled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off Joaquín Nájera in the 4th, flied out in the 5th, hit a two-run home run off Jesús Galló in the 8th and hit a three-run home run off Len Wallace in the 8th.
So far this season Hammond has gotten 45 hits in 159 at-bats for a .283 batting average with 6 home runs. His stats include 30 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He has played in 39 games.
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| I changed my BAT! |
Saturday, May 26th, 2012: Bigger paychecks might be in the offing, if Greg Hammond continues to hit like he did today against the Reformers. The Astoria catcher crushed three into the stands at Wittenburg Field in a remarkable performance, propelling the Argonauts to a 15-4 win over Springfield. He tagged 4 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 7 runs and scored 3 times. Speaking to writers after the game, he said, "It was just one of those days when you got something to hit and did something with it." The Springfield skipper agreed with him. "We made three mistakes and he made us pay each time." Greg Hammond doubled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off Joaquín Nájera in the 4th, flied out in the 5th, hit a two-run home run off Jesús Galló in the 8th and hit a three-run home run off Len Wallace in the 8th.
So far this season Hammond has gotten 45 hits in 159 at-bats for a .283 batting average with 6 home runs. His stats include 30 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He has played in 39 games.
Team Doctor please report to the OF!
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| I need a DOC! |
Friday, May 25th, 2012: It was announced today in Maple that Marauders center fielder Anthony Lewis will be on the mend for 3-4 weeks because of a strained back muscle he sustained in a recent game against the South Carolina Bombers. Lewis was injured making a defensive play. So far this year Lewis is batting .275 with 11 home runs. 2/3rds of the Maple starting OF are now on the DL. The strength of the club is their OF and to lose two big guns it hurts. Luckily the Pitching in Maple has been top notch so far this year!
Maple Powers its way back to the top!
TML's Top Player, Powers of Maple
Monday, May 28th, 2012: At the age of 27, Frank Powers might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Maple right fielder put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .444 batting average. For his efforts Powers collected the Thurman Munson League Player of the Week Award. He racked up 12 hits in 27 at-bats, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs last week in 7 games. This season Powers is swinging the bat at a .355 rate with 70 hits in 197 at-bats. To date he has hit 11 home runs, scored 37 runs and driven in 27.
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| I'm hot right now! |
Monday, May 28th, 2012: At the age of 27, Frank Powers might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Maple right fielder put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .444 batting average. For his efforts Powers collected the Thurman Munson League Player of the Week Award. He racked up 12 hits in 27 at-bats, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs last week in 7 games. This season Powers is swinging the bat at a .355 rate with 70 hits in 197 at-bats. To date he has hit 11 home runs, scored 37 runs and driven in 27.
Monday, May 28, 2012
R77 - Bobby Hall Watch...
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| I'm happy to be back in the lineup! Bobby Hall returned to action this week and had 2 multi-hit games
and went 6 for 20, 3 rbi, 3 runs scored.
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| Date | Vs. | Result | AB | R | H | BI | HR | BB | K | SB |
| 05/13/2012 | MAD | Win, 17-1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 05/12/2012 | MAD | Loss, 2-8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 05/11/2012 | MAD | Loss, 2-8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 05/10/2012 | LAK | Loss, 1-4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 05/09/2012 | LAK | Win, 7-6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
I would rather have the "WIN"....
Stephens Cracks 5 Hits
Sunday, May 13th, 2012: Who needs batting practice? Chris Stephens of Astoria apparently doesn't as he peppered Reno with a 5-hit outburst in today's game. He got the hits, but lost the game. The Raiders pulled out a 4-3 win.
He told the press after the game, "And I didn't even take BP today. I think I have been taking too many swings before game and decided to take a day off. This was really something... a 5 for 8 day... will my name be in the record books now?"
One of his teammates hollered out, "No, only if your team wins the game!"
Chris Stephens grounded out in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Derrick Scott in the 5th, flied out in the 7th, singled in the 9th, struck out in the 11th, doubled in the 14th and singled in the 15th.
This season Stephens is batting .338 with 49 hits and 10 home runs. He has scored 33 times and has 28 RBI.
His YTD stats are shown below:
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| I'm hoping to make it to the ABL soon! |
Sunday, May 13th, 2012: Who needs batting practice? Chris Stephens of Astoria apparently doesn't as he peppered Reno with a 5-hit outburst in today's game. He got the hits, but lost the game. The Raiders pulled out a 4-3 win.
He told the press after the game, "And I didn't even take BP today. I think I have been taking too many swings before game and decided to take a day off. This was really something... a 5 for 8 day... will my name be in the record books now?"
One of his teammates hollered out, "No, only if your team wins the game!"
Chris Stephens grounded out in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Derrick Scott in the 5th, flied out in the 7th, singled in the 9th, struck out in the 11th, doubled in the 14th and singled in the 15th.
This season Stephens is batting .338 with 49 hits and 10 home runs. He has scored 33 times and has 28 RBI.
His YTD stats are shown below:
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 36 | 145 | 49 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 28 | 21 | 34 | .338 | .429 | .586 | 6 |
Sunday, May 27, 2012
R77 Draft Pick - Bobby Hall - He is back!
Bobby Hall returned back to the starting lineup and had a great day.| Date | Vs. | Result | AB | R | H | BI | HR | BB | K | SB |
| 05/06/2012 | @ JAC | Loss, 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 21 | 77 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 5 | 17 | .286 | .341 | .468 | 3 |
Tour De France - Not Really but..
Torres Hits for Cycle Against Joplin
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012: Argonauts shortstop Armando Torres made big news today in the Astoria 10-4 victory over Joplin. He was 4-for-5 at the plate and hit for the cycle.
Armando Torres hit a two-run single in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, flied out in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Mike Hartman in the 7th and tripled in the 8th.
This season Torres has hit at a .353 clip with 7 RBIs, 1 home runs and 5 runs scored. He has played in 9 games.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Frank Powers Maple
Frank Powers has led Maple to a 15-10 record after 4 weeks in the ABL. The loss of R2 pick Anthony Shelton was viewed at the time as possibly a season blow to Maple and their championship dreams. However Mr. Powers has been consistent from the opener on to help lessen the loss of Shelton. YTD stats below:
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 25 | 101 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 11 | .327 | .420 | .525 | 4 |
What does $19,302,000 buy you?
4-21 (.160) Record; Last 10: 1-9; Runs:48, Runs Against:126
R77 Draft Pick Watch - Down Goes Hall = Down Goes the Spartans
Bobby Hall the early star of the Sandy Springs Spartans was injured after making a diving catch in the OF in the 2nd game of the Week #4 Sim. The Spartans without him in the lineup went on to lose 5 games in a row! Hall said, "I heard something pop". Hall is scheduled to miss Week #5 to rest up and hopefully the injury won't be extended past then. The manager said, "When you lose your catalyst like this it is hard but, we need other youngster to step up now"!. His YTD stats are below:| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 20 | 73 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 5 | 16 | .274 | .333 | .466 | 3 |
Not to be confused with the "American Gigolo"
His first name is Julian but, he is not to be confused with Richard Gere at all. Both use their bats in a different way. Julian Hutchinson has been the best batter so far for Astoria in AAA ball. The Argonauts are hot on a six game winning streak and during that time Julian has 11 hits in 26 ABs with 7 rbi. His YTD stats are below: | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 24 | 98 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 20 | .347 | .400 | .500 | 0 |
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
R77 Draft Pick - Bobby Hall Update
Bobby Hall continued his hot ways in Sim #3 with another 3 rbi and 5 more hits and bumping up his stolen base total to 3 from 0. The decent #s continue for this R77 pick in the ABL inaugural draft. We'll continue to keep an eye on him as the season progresses.| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 18 | 67 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 5 | 15 | .284 | .347 | .478 | 3 |
TML Record Set in Sim #3 by Morgan....
Unlikely Player Gets 5 Hits for Maple! Tuesday, April 17th, 2012: Jeff Morgan really did a number on the Bombers in the Maple 11-5 victory. Not just anyone can get 5 hits in 6 at-bats. But Jeff Morgan did just that today for the Marauders and gave his batting average a healthy boost and sparked his club in the win."I felt real good in the batter's box today. I had confidence in my swing and knew that it was there and that I could get the job done," the 28-year-old second baseman said after his record-setting performance.
Jeff Morgan doubled in the 2nd, doubled in the 3rd, singled in the 4th, struck out in the 6th, singled in the 7th and singled in the 9th.
This season Morgan is swinging the bat at a .339 rate with 19 hits in 56 at-bats. To date he has hit no home runs, scored 6 runs and driven in 6.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
In HALL we TRUST! R77 pick remains hot!
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 12 | 47 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 8 | .298 | .340 | .511 | 0 |
Triple AAA games not safe anymore?!
Leave your valuables in your game ladies and gentlemen because when these two men are in the starting lineup they have been known to be thiefs! OK now, settle down we are talking the base paths here! Frank Foster has 8 stolen bases so far meanwhile Tom Hunter who was the last player cut off the 25 man roster in Maple has 7 steals. Together they are creating all kinds of issues for opposing starting pitchers as Astoria remains the only farm club in the Maple Organization appeared poised to make a post season bid this year in the ABL.| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 12 | 41 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | .341 | .413 | .512 | 8 |
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 12 | 45 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 12 | .333 | .426 | .511 | 7 |
Anthony Lewis ruins Boston Tea Party!
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 13 | 51 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 19 | .373 | .439 | .627 | 1 |
Sunday, May 20, 2012
R1 pick is off to a great start!
| Maple | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA | |
| R. Martínez W (1-1) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 113 | 2.81 |
Round 77 pick has a big week!
Bobby Hall, OF for the Sandy Spring Spartans had a huge first week in the ABL minors. See his statistics below: An amazing 15 runs driven in after only 6 games!| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | |
| 6 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 2 | .318 | .400 | .727 | 0 |
Frank Powers reaches ABL milestone!
The line score is shown below. That crushing double was the first ever hit in ABL history and a milestone that Frank Powers will never forget. Fernandez hung a breaking pitch over the plate and Powers just drove it into the alley. Despite the game being played in Jacksonville, all the faithful stood up and gave him a standing ovation.| Top of the 1st - Maple Marauders batting - Pitching for Jacksonville Jacks : RHP Juan Fernández | |
| Pitching: RHP Juan Fernández | |
| Batting: LHB Frank Powers | 0-0: Ball 1-0: DOUBLE (Line Drive, 78M) |
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Maple selects in Round 3...
The #10 pick in Round 3 was Anthony Lewis from San Marcos, TX-USA. "Another talented ball player and hard worker was added to our team", GM Goldberg replied at the press conference. It is clear to the fans of Maple that the team is building around ball players in their mid to late 20's in order to build a long term dynasty and strong chemistry in the club house. Lewis is not your typical CF'er, in that he doesn't have great running speed, however; he has great range and can hit for power and average.
"Wow I love our new ballpark!"
Maple selects in Round 2...
Maple stepped up to the microphone in Round 2 and with the #15 selection called out, "We select LF Anthony Shelton". The power hitting OF will anchor the middle of the lineup for the Marauders. Shelton has a been a leader at every level of baseball. He is very smart and a hard worker. Shelton is penciled in to be the everyday LF right now but, could see some work at DH. The media asked Shelton after the draft if he was ready to ink a long term deal with Maple and he said, "I'm excited to be here and I'm very interested to not draw out this process".
"Lets Play Ball!"
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Maple selects in Round 1...
The Maple Marauders selected their first overall player in franchise history with the #10 overall pick in the ABL inaugural draft.
Roberto Martinez, SP, southpaw, born in Puerto Rico, will anchor the starting rotation this season. He is 27 years old, has a great work ethic and is highly intelligent. He will be a great fit for Maple's balllpark. Roberto features 3 good pitches and a nice 4th splitter pitch. He is a ground ball pitcher and has an excellent pick off move. He is known for holding runners tight to their base when they are lucky enough to get on versus him. The contract negotations will be underway after the draft is over to sign him to a long term deal. His agent has leaked out to the media that he is looking for a $5M per year deal.
"I'm happy to play in Canada!"
Roberto Martinez, SP, southpaw, born in Puerto Rico, will anchor the starting rotation this season. He is 27 years old, has a great work ethic and is highly intelligent. He will be a great fit for Maple's balllpark. Roberto features 3 good pitches and a nice 4th splitter pitch. He is a ground ball pitcher and has an excellent pick off move. He is known for holding runners tight to their base when they are lucky enough to get on versus him. The contract negotations will be underway after the draft is over to sign him to a long term deal. His agent has leaked out to the media that he is looking for a $5M per year deal.
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