Minutemen Take Down Axemen in Game 7 Playoff Classic

Just when it seemed the Axemen were set to advance to the next round of the 2021 MDTL Playoffs, Culpeper got a two-out double by Cesar Hernandez to keep them alive in the top of the 10th. Next up, late-inning defensive sub Byron Buxton to face P-Town closer Brad Hand.

Byron Buxton

With Hernandez taking his lead against the P-Town left-hander, Buxton deposited Hand's next pitch over the outfield fence, giving the Minutemen a 6-4 lead in Game 7 of the back-and-forth classic that the Axemen had looked to wrap up just an inning before.

Alas, James Hoyt closed out the Axemen after Trevor Story reached on an error, a fielder's choice and a double-play grounder by Eric Hosmer. The win sent Culpeper onto the next round, where they will face the County Road Rebels.

The late-inning triumph gave Culpeper a 4-3 series victory, and concluded P-Town's season. A familiar late-season surge had propelled P-Town to a 95-67 record and the top spot in the Frey Division of the Mason-Dixon Tabletop League, now in its 49th season. 

Anthony Rendon

As Axemen fans silently exited P-Town Stadium, GM/Manager Rob Priewe could utter but a single word to sum up the series versus Culpeper, "Wow." 

(Click here for complete P-Town stats.)

With the squads trading off series victories, the difference proved to be Culpeper's 21-14 edge in home runs, including dingers from Buxton, Mitch Moreland, Anthony Rendon and Anthony Santander in Game 7. 

Here's Culpeper Manager Mike McClurg Jr.'s fine summary of the series:

Game 1

                 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 8 | 11 | 0 |

P-Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 4 | 4 | 0 |

WP: Lamet LP: Plesac

HR: CM - Walsh, Betts, Moreland, Santander  PT - None

Culpeper gets 3 runs in 2nd inning on Betts 3R HR.  CM adds another run in 3rd when Dalbec doubles to score Locastro, Culpeper takes a commanding 6-0 lead in 4th on back-to-back HR's by Santander and Walsh. CM goes up 8-0 in 6th with a Moreland 2R HR.

PT finally gets on the scoreboard with 4 runs in the 7th, McNiel has an RBI double and Grisham a bases-loaded double.

Game 2

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |   |  | 1 | 4 | 0 |

P-Town | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |   |  | 6 | 6 | 0 |

WP: Cole LP: Kim

HR: CM - Buxton  PT - Grisham, Moncada

PT gets 2 runs in first when Hosmer hits a 2R double, scoring Verdugo and McNiel.  PT gets 2 more in 2nd on a Moncada 2R HR. 

Culpeper finally gets a run in 7th to make it 4-1 on Buxton HR.  PT jumps back on CM for 2 runs in bottom of inning

with a solo HR by Grisham and an RBI double by Story.

Game 3

                | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

P-Town | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 4 | 8 | 0 |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |  |  | 10 | 11 | 0 |

WP: Sanchez LP: Bundy

HR: PT - Story 2, Upton  CM - Walsh, Dalbec, Castro, Betts, Rendon, Buxton

PT gets 2 runs in first inning for 2nd game in a row on Story's 2R HR.  CM gets 3 in 2nd with a Rendon 3R HR. 

PT ties game in 3rd on Story's 2nd HR in the game.  Castro makes it 4-3 with a solo shot in 4th.

Culpeper blows open game in the 5th with 4 runs on Walsh solo HR, Dalbec solo HR, and a 2R HR by Betts.  Culpeper cruises to a 10-4 win.

Game 4

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | R | H | E |

P-Town | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 0 |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 |

WP: Pressley Save: A.J. Cole LP: Urias

HR: PT - Story, McNiel, Stassi, Grisham  CM - Walsh, Hernandez, Suarez

Marathon  game going 16 innings.  P-Town scores in the 1st inning for 3rd game in a row with 4 runs powered by Stassi 3R HR.  Culpeper cuts it to 4-3 with 3 in the 2nd on a 2R HR by Hernandez and a solo shot by Suarez. 

McNiel hits a solo HR in 3rd to make it 5-3.  PT gets a unearned run in 5th on a steal of 3rd and a throwing error by Perez.  Walsh hits a solo HR in bottom of inning to make it 6-4. 

Pitchers hold both teams scoreless for next 3 innings.  Culpeper rallies to tie game in 9th on an RBI double by Rendon and then Walsh singles him home. 

Game goes scoreless until 14th, when Cronenworth hits a solo HR but Culpeper ties game in bottom of inning on a Walsh RBI double. 

PT blows open game in the 16th inning for the win with 4 runs powered by 2R HR's by Grisham and Story.

Game 5

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

P-Town        | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 1 | 2 | 0 |

Culpeper      | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 5 | 6 | 0 |

WP: Kim LP: Cole

HR: PT - None  CM - Santander, Rendon, Rosario

Culpeper finally holds PT scoreless in 1st inning and gets a run in bottom of inning on Santander solo HR.  CM goes up 3-0 in 3rd on Rosario 2R HR. 

PT gets on scoreboard in 4th when McNiel doubles in Verdugo. 

CM gets 2 insurance runs in 7th on Rendon's 2R HR. 

Kim gets CGW for Minutemen, allowing only 2 hits.

Game 6

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |  

Culpeper     | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 0 | 4 | 0 |

P-Town        | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |  |  | 5 | 8 | 0 |  

WP: Bundy LP: Sanchez

HR: CM - None  PT - Cooper 2

P-Town scores in 1st inning for the 4th game in the series on Cooper's 2R HR.  Verdugo doubles in Moncada in 3rd to make it 3-0.  PT adds 2 insurance runs in 8th on Cooper's second 2 run HR of the game. 

Bundy cruises to complete game shutout for the Axemen. 

Series is now tied 3 games each.

Game 7

                 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |  | 6 | 7 | 0 |

P-Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |  | 4 | 8 | 0 |

WP: Hoyt LP: Hand

HR: CM - Santander, Rendon, Moreland, Buxton  PT - Cronenworth, Cooper

Game is a pitchers' duel between Plesac and Lamet until Culpeper gets back-to-back Home Runs by Santander and Rendon in 6th. 

PT is held scoreless for 7 innings but rallies for a 3-2 lead in the 8th. Cooper starts the rally with a pinch-hit 2-run HR and Hosmer singles in Grisham who was on second base with a double. 

The 9th inning starts quietly for Culpeper with Plesac quickly retiring the first 2 batters in the inning.  Betts then hits a single and then Moreland hits a 2-run HR to put Culpeper up 4-3.  Cronenworth quickly ties game on back-to-back dice rolls of 11 and the Axemen crowd erupts after having their hearts ripped out in top of inning. Verdugo then hits a double but is stranded at second base when Grisham grounds out to end the inning and send game to extra innings.

Hand strikes out Suarez to start the 10th, then Hernandez hits a double and then Buxton, who had entered game in the 9th for defense, hits a 2-run HR to put Minutemen up 6-4. 

Story leads off bottom of inning, reaching base on a Correa error but after a fielder's choice by McNiel, Hosmer hits into a game-ending double play and Culpeper wins the series.  Hoyt gets the win.

 

Buxton and Rendon are co-MVPs for the Minutemen.

Buxton -- AB 20 H 6 R 4 RBI 5 HR 3 ... Series-winning home run

Rendon -- AB 21 H 8 R 5 RBI 8 HR 3

--

Note: Word leaked during the series that several P-Town players might be traded after the season, which definitely may have impacted performances by McNiel, Hosmer and Gurriel ...

Update: Indeed, within hours of the series end, McNiel, Hosmer, Gurriel, Kiermaier and several others were dealt as P-Town quickly began retooling for 2022 ...

rp

-- 66 --

Loggers 2021: Ugh! Better Luck Next Year ...

Given how many of its star players had "off" years, it shouldn't have been surprising that the P-Town Loggers slumped to such a sad finish of its 2021 season in the Sunrise Baseball Association. 

Loggers MVP Bryce Harper.

Nevertheless, who could have predicted the team would lose 12 of its final 13 games and once again miss the playoffs. The Loggers finished 74-88, putting them in fifth place in their division, 31 games behind Jerry Conca's Yankees squad, which would go on to win this year's SBA Championship. (Congrats to Jerry on his first SBA title!)

Although this year's edition of the Loggers scored a few more runs (771 vs. 757) than in 2020 they allowed way more (820 vs. 703)! Yikes! And that pretty much sums up this dismal season, though things were looking pretty good at midseason at 50-48.

So not everyone sucked ... 

Bryce Harper (.246/.346/.504) led the offense, scoring 104 runs, driving in 130, smashing 40 HR's and stealing 21 bases. It helped that he walked a team-high 92 times. 

Leadoff guy Brandon Nimmo scored 115 runs and hit a whopping 30 home runs. His .356 OBP was driven by 88 walks and 27 HBP's. 

Starling Marte (.269/.329/.408) also contributed mightily in the two hole: 113 runs, 45 doubles, 28 stolen bases. 

Chris Taylor just missed the century mark in RBI, driving in 99, scoring 77 runs and hitting 25 home runs, though he also lead the team in whiffs with 175 and errors with 37, mainly at second base, where he is rated a 7. 

In part-time duty, Edwin Rios contributed 27 HR's, 38 doubles and 70 RBI. 

On the flip side, the Loggers suffered from down years by its perennial MVP Nolan Arenado (.209/.246/.372), whose pandemic slump resulted in only 20 HR's and 64 RBI. Likewise, shortstop Brandon Crawford could manage only a .195 batting average, though he did hit 29 dingers.

The pitching is where things really went off the rails, with Gerrit Cole (BXZ) avoiding losing 20 games, barely, finishing 10-19 with a 5.55 ERA! (He had gone 19-10 the year before ...)

Antonio Senzatela (BRZ) led the starters with a 12-15 record, 3.56 ERA and 10 complete games and 5 shutouts. Other starters were: Zach Eflin (7-12, 5.08); Lance McCullers (8-11, 5.34); rookie Triston McKenzie (8-6, 5.14); and Drew Smyly (5-6, 4.04). 

Fan fave Josh Hader.

The bullpen was equally below par, though Yimi Garcia (A&BX) led the team with 25 saves and a 2.23 ERA. Grant Dayton (AY) contributed a 9-7 record, 4 saves and an ERA of 4.50. Sadly, the team's most popular player, Josh Hader (CXYW), only pitched 23 innings with an 8.87 ERA. Ouch!

The team ERA was 4.66, compared to 3.91 the year before. (Click here for all team stats.)

As noted, the team hit about the same as the year before ... .230/.305/.426 compared to .228/.303/.435, though home runs were down to 230 from 255 in 2020. 

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season, though there is definitely hope for the year ahead with strong bounce-back years for Arenado, Crawford and Hader. Harper, of course, earned the NL MVP and we're looking forward to rolling for his 1-1-0-0-0-10 APBA card. 

(BREAKING NEWS: Next year's offense will have some more pop with the addition of Polar Bear Pete Alonso and his 1-1-0-0 card, though the Loggers waved goodbye to Starling Marte, who along with Arenado, Cole and Crawford have been the foundation of the Loggers lineup all these years.) 

Who knows? Maybe get a few better arms in the draft to go with all those home runs and things are already looking up for 2022. (rp)

-- 66 --

Loggers finish even; come up short in SBA playoffs race

The P-Town Loggers limped to season's end with a disappointing 1-5 homestand vs. Mike MacNeill's Myrtle Beach Bombers, wrapping up their season with an 81-81 record.

The 2020 season split left the Loggers needing a miracle to return to the playoffs in the Sunrise Baseball Association. And it didn't happen. They finished five games behind Rick Burton's Gamblers and six behind Pete Oddo's New York Doubledowns. 

The Loggers' lack of luck was best shown by outscoring their opponents 757-703, which according to Bill James' "Pythagorean Win Expectation" formula translates to a record of 87-75 (.537 expected win percentage), which would have qualified P-Town for this year's postseason.

While the Loggers may have come up short as a team, individual players again exceeded expectations, especially third baseman Nolan Arenado, rightfielder Bryce Harper, first baseman Eric Thames, starter Gerrit Cole and closer Josh Hader. 

Team MVP Arenado slugged 52 home runs, scored 116 runs and drove in 121; Harper followed with 39/109/88; and Thames contributed 36/93/106. 

Rookie second baseman Keston Hiura torched opponents for 20 homers, 55 runs and 50 RBI in half a season. Steady leadoff man Starling Marte contributed 23 HR's, 86 runs and 51 RBI, while leading the Loggers in stolen bases with 22.

As a team, P-Town set a franchise record with 255 home runs, and as a team batted .228, with an on-base percentage of .303 and .428 slugging percentage. (Click here to see season stats.)

On the bump, Gerrit Cole went 19-10, coming up just short of becoming P-Town's first 20-game winner. He set a new team record with a stunning 429 K's in 281 innings. He compiled 23 complete games and an ERA of 3.19. The rest of the Loggers rotation included James Paxton (10-15); Tanner Roark (11-9); Wade Miley (11-16); Adam Plutko (8-7) and Adrian Houser (6-6).

In the bullpen, closer Josh Hader led the team with a 2.84 ERA and 23 saves. He ended with a 5-8 win-loss record. The relief corps was rounded out by Matt Barnes, Tyler Clippard, Hector Rondon and Tommy Kahnle. 

  

Loggers Looking for Second-half Surge in Sunrise Baseball Association

Nolan Arendo

The P-Town Loggers of the SBA are looking for a return to the playoffs this season but it's going to take more than splitting their remaining schedule.

The Loggers sit at 46-46 as they enter the second half of the season in the Sunrise Baseball Association, several games out of the final playoff spot. While the Loggers are stronger this year than their recent past, they're going to have to step it up if they hope to play extra games this season.

"I've been waiting all season for this team to get on a roll," said P-Town Manager/GM Rob Priewe. "Not sure we can wait a lot longer..."

Gerrit Cole

Since arriving in P-Town five years ago, the Loggers as always are led by Nolan Arenado, who's having another stellar season. The all-star thirdbaseman leads the team in runs with 65, RBI with 66 and home runs with 31. He's backed up by the Loggers' power-hitting firstbaseman Eric Thames, who has 62 runs, a matching 66 RBI and 25 HR's. Bryce Harper has been setting the table for his fellow sluggers, scoring 59, driving in 52 and clubbing 22 homers. The top of the Loggers lineup is rounded out by Starling Marte and Keston Hiura.

On the mound, the Loggers are anchored by Gerrit Cole, whose record stands at 12-8. He's struck out a whopping 309 batters already in 188 innings! James Paxton and Wade Miley each have eight wins. The bullpen is highlighted by Josh Hader, who has figured in nine decisions with a 3-6 record and 12 saves. (Click here for team stats.)

The Loggers will begin their stretch run later this week versus the defending SBA champions, the Babylon Tight Lines, managed by Rob Jordan. Babylon stands at 34-41 heading into the matchup.

P-Town sputtered on their way to wrapping up last year, finishing with a record of 78-84. The only good part about that finish, it gave them the third spot in the league draft, which they turned into Harper and Hiura. Onward!

-- 66 --

Axemen 2020 Update: "Timber!" Returns to MM-MDTL

Nelson Cruz

Timber! Boom! The Axemen bats are back in 2020!

Three months into the season and the P-Town Axemen are back in first place, atop the Howard Frey Division of the Mike McClurg Sr. - Mason Dixon Tabletop League.

With a record of 36-25, the Axemen are doing it with their bats, already booming 131 home runs in their first 61 games.

"I knew we needed some fresh lumber this season," said P-Town Skipper Rob Priewe, now in his third year. "I just hope they can maintain this pace through the rest of the season."

Nelson "Boomstick" Cruz is leading the way with 19 round-trippers, followed by Trevor Story (17), Yoan Moncada (14), Yasiel Puig (12) and Gary Sanchez and Hunter Pence (11 each). With the power resurgence, the Axemen are averaging nearly six runs per game, a two-run improvement over the year before. (Click for stats.)

Gerrit Cole

On the mount, Gerrit Cole is off to a 10-1 start to lead the staff. Newcomer Spencer Turnbull is 7-4 and Zack Greinke stands at 6-5. In the pen, Aaron Bummer has taken over the closer role, going 4-2 with eight saves.

Although the team ERA has ticked up to 4.49, it's still early, Priewe said, and the offense has given the pitching staff some breathing room.

While some of the offensive mainstays are familiar -- Story, Cruz, Puig, Sanchez -- the retooled lineup  includes Moncada getting his shot at third, along with Jeff McNeil at second and Eric Hosmer at first (acquired during the offseason for Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto). The outfield got a boost in the draft with the addition of Pence, Mike Tauchman and Alex Verdugo.

While some of the pitchers are still finding their stride, Priewe has no complaints about the offensive firepower demonstrated so far.

"We'll need all the runs we can get this year in a very competitive league," he said.

-- 66 -- 

P-Town Axemen Win 2018 MM-MDTL Title to Cap Off Inaugural Season

After 10th-inning home runs by Joey Votto and Steven Souza, P-Town closer Brad Hand shut the door on the Culpepper Minutemen, striking out Jordan Zimmerman to preserve an 8-5 victory as the Axemen took the 2018 MM-MDTL World Series Championship in their first season in the league.

The championship victory capped off an improbable playoff run for league-newcomer P-Town, which rolled to the title after knocking off three of the top teams in the league after nabbing one of the last playoff berths with their second-place finish in the Central Division.

Axemen Skipper Rob Priewe

"Wow!" was all P-Town Manager Rob Priewe could muster after winning the title in his first year in the league, which has been going strong for more than four decades.

Along with some incredible late-season luck, Priewe credited his predecessor Terry Evans with acquiring the core of the team, including Votto, Trevor Story, Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson, along with pitchers Zack Greinke, Sonny Gray and Brad Hand.

Two-thirds of the way through the season, however, it didn't look like the Axemen would even qualify for the playoffs. Entering September, P-Town sat with a record of 63-58, barely above break even. But with a 30-11 finish, the Axemen entered the postseason on a roll.

In the first round, they knocked off favored DevLan four games to two, taking the first three games, before closing out Game 6 5-2 behind a three-run eighth-inning home run by Cruz.

In the next round, P-Town's pitchers held the heavy hitting Walthall Warriors bats in check, taking the series 4-1. As seemed typical in the season's closing weeks, they punched out Walthall with a 10th-inning walkoff single by seldom-used infielder Yoan Moncada, who had entered the game as a pinch runner the inning before.

The win sent the Axemen onto the title matchup with league powerhose Culpepper.

After dropping Game 1, the Axemen rebounded with a 10-8 win in Game 2. They followed that with a 3-2 walkoff win in Game 3 on a double by Marwin Gonzalez to drive in Souza, who had walked with two out. James Paxton shut out the Axemen 6-0 in Game 4, tallying 13 strikeouts in a complete game.

P-Town took yet another extra-innings walk-off win in Game 5, this time backup catcher Christian Vazquez  scoring on a two-out single by Justin Upton in the bottom of the 11th. Upton finished the game going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double, two runs and five RBI. Jackie Bradley Jr. had kept the Axemen in the game with a game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth. Trevor Rosenthal held the Minutemen in check, striking out the last five batters he faced.

The deciding Game 6 was another classic comeback for P-Town as Culpepper banged four home runs to take a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning. Story then cut the deficit to one with a two-run homer; followed by Donaldson's pinch-hit home run in the seventh. With Hand on his way to shutting down the Minutemen over the last three innings, Votto gave the Axemen all they would need with a solo home run in the 10th, followed by Souza's two-run insurance shot. (A special shout-out to fellow manager Wayne Humphreys who rolled for the Axemen as Priewe managed by phone from the opposite coast!)

Looking at P-Town's season stats, it may not have been a shock that they prevailed in the playoffs. The Axemen brought the lumber, clubbing 291 home runs during the regular season, with seven members of their starting lineup hitting 30 or more home runs. They scored 847 runs during the 93-69 season.

As for pitching, Gray led the staff with a record of 17-5, followed by Gerrit Cole's 16 wins. The other starters -- Greinke, Luis Severino and Ivan Nova -- each tallied 13 wins. In the bullpen, Hand set the pace with 23 saves and a 1.72 ERA.

Votto's .390 on-base average and 39 home runs lead the offense, along with his 113 runs and 100 RBI. Gonzalez drove in 115 runs, batting .285 and scoring 94 runs; Cruz hit 34 dingers and drove in 103 runs; Upton scored 109 runs batting leadoff ... while striking out a whopping 206 times!

As noted, Evans' County Road team set P-Town up for success in 2018, along with a few key draft additions, including Moncada (53k), Vazquez (21k), defensive standout Yolmer Sanchez (2k) and Severino (150k)!

Priewe felt extremely fortunate in his first year in the league, setting a high bar for success that he hopes he can match again someday ...

-- 66 -- 

P-Town Axemen Ready for Foray into Mike McClurg-Mason Dixon Tabletop League

First baseman Joey Votto is expected to anchor a powerful P-Town Axemen
lineup that will take the field during the 46th year of the Mike McClurg-Mason
Dixon Tabletop League.

The P-Town Axemen -- loaded with a high-powered collection of returning players, including Joey Votto, Justin Upton and Zach Greinke -- are gearing up for their manager's first year in the Mike McClurg-Mason Dixon Tabletop League, which has been rolling since 1973.

"It's a great honor to be invited into the MM-MDTL," said Axemen GM and Manager Rob Priewe.

The Axemen are comprised of the roster that formerly competed as the County Road Rebels, under the direction of Terry Evans of Tishomingo, Mississippi. During 24 seasons in the MM-MDTL, Evans compiled a record of 2157-1731, including five championships. Whoa!

Easing the transition will be a roster bursting with talent, both in the field and on the mound.

"I can't thank Terry enough for the team he has handed off to me," Priewe said. "I can only hope to have the kind of success that Terry's squads have enjoyed over the years."

At present, the Axemen depth chart looks like this:

Catcher - Gary Sanchez
First base - Joey Votto
Second base - Marwin Gonzalez, Logan Forsythe
Shortstop - Trevor Story, Adrelton Simmons
Third base - Josh Donaldson
Outfield - Justin Upton, Jackie Bradley Jr., Steven Souza, Kevin Kiermaier 
Designated hitter - Nelson Cruz

Gerrit Cole

Starting pitchers - Gerrit Cole, Zach Greinke, Sonny Gray, Ivan Nova, Kevin Gausman, Joe Ross, Steven Matz, Brandon Finnegan

Relief pitchers - Brad Hand, Kyle Barraclough, Trevor Rosenthal, Hector Rondon

The MM-MDTL Draft/World Series is set for Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. 

The MM-MDTL is a 20-team APBA baseball game league, which uses the basic game with modifications and a 25-player roster.

-rp-

Loggers Struggle to Stay Even in Sunrise Baseball Association

Nolan Arenado once again led the Loggers offense with 33 home runs and 115 RBI
 during the 2017 season of the Sunrise Baseball Association.
Photo credit: MLB.com

A year after playing in the SBA World Series, the P-Town Loggers struggled in year two to stay at or above .500, eventually falling to fifth-place with a 79-83 record.

The Loggers finished 14 games behind the Eastern Division-winning Reno Gamblers (93-69), managed by my brother, Phil Priewe, also in his second year in the Sunrise Baseball Association. Ultimately, the Tidewater Skippers led by Pat Lowery took home this year's SBA Championship.

While improving in most hitting categories, especially batting average and on-base percentage, the Loggers had a significant drop-off in home runs, along with a decline in pitching from the year before, when they came within two games of winning it all in the 12-team APBA dice baseball game league.

Leadoff hitter Brandon Crawford set a new
team record, scoring 99 runs in 2017.
Photo credit: Rawlings

Similar to the year before, the Loggers' offense centered around third-baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Brandon Crawford. Batting lead-off, Crawford set new team records for hits (177), runs (99) and triples (15). Arenado set a new team record with 115 RBI, to go along with 33 home runs and 79 runs. However, he batted only .225, and his home runs were down from 51 the year before.

The most frequently used Loggers lineup looked like this:

1. Brandon Crawford, SS, .266, 18 HR's, 99 runs, 45 doubles
2. Starling Marte, LF, .293, 11 HR's, 79 runs, 55 stolen bases
3. Dustin Pedroia, 2B, .277, 13 HR's, 79 RBI
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B, .225, 33 HR's, 115 RBI
5. Yangervis Solarte, 1B, .269, 10 HR's, 45 RBI
6. Sean Rodriquez, RF, .204, 25 HR's, 66 RBI
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, .214, 4 HR's, 38 runs
8. Jason Castro, C, .215, 12 HR's, 39 RBI

Marte set team records for batting average and stolen bases, while Pedroia set a new team record for on-base percentage at .337.

Overall, the team raised its batting average to .234 and on-base percentage to .294. However, slugging fell to .387, while home runs dropped to 164 -- a tally the Loggers don't want to repeat in 2018.

The Loggers' pitching also declined from the previous year.

Kendall Graveman led the Loggers with
12 wins in 31 starts. Photo credit: Topps

Newcomer Kendall Graveman led the team in wins with 12, followed by Collin McHugh (10), Steven Wright (9), and Gerrit Cole (8) and Marco Estrada (8), who was acquired mid-season in hopes of helping push the Axemen to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Wright set a new team high for losses with 13. James Paxton went 6-8 and Lance McCullers posted a record of 4-8.

The bullpen continued to be one of the Loggers' strengths, led by Blake Treinen's team-high 20 saves in 57 games, a new team record. Paced by Treinen (3-3) and his 2.15 ERA, the relievers compiled a combined 2.76 ERA. Hansel Robles went 3-4 in 61 innings, followed by Tyler Clippard's 3-3 record and 3 saves in 54 innings. Mark Rzepczynski was 6-7 with 4 saves in 48 innings.

Hitters' higher batting averages and on-base percentage were aided slightly by a new league rule resulting in a single on a bases empty 65-35 dice roll, which league members instituted in part to combat the league's abundance of A- and B-grade pitchers. (The league voted to discontinue the 35-65 rule for 2018 ... Bummer!)

Two-thirds of the way through the 2017 season the Loggers stood at 57-57, with some hope of making the playoffs. However, P-Town went 6-12 versus their arch rivals the Gamblers and never fully recovered.

Onward to 2018!

--

Click here to see the full 2017 P-Town Loggers stats. 

-rp-

Bouton, "Ball Four" Inspire 1969 Seattle Pilots APBA Replay

Took the opportunity this past summer to re-read "Ball Four," Jim Bouton's classic tell-all baseball book focusing primarily on his exploits with the 1969 Seattle Pilots.

I have to admit a morbid curiosity for the one-year wonders of that Seattle squad, who would go on to ditch the Emerald City and become my favorite team -- the Milwaukee Brewers -- the next season.

Throughout the book, Bouton complains about his lack of playing time, both as a starter and reliever, despite his growing proficiency in tossing the knuckleball and what little toll it took on his ancient arm.

So that got me to thinking ... What if the Pilots had listened to Bouton and used him more often on the mound? Would it have significantly improved the outcome for a team that finished last in the new AL West Division with a record of 64-98? Spoiler alert: The answer is ... no.

Through the magic of the APBA Baseball Game, I took it upon myself to answer that age-old question posed by Bouton, who is convinced he could have made a difference had he been given the chance.

Before embarking on this expedition, let me note that this would be my first one-team season replay using a losing team. Like many other APBA replay enthusiasts out there, I don't see any fun in the prospects of replaying a season for a team that wasn't finding any joy in real life. Previously, I relished replaying winning seasons for the 2008 Brewers as well as the 1969 Cubs.

In addition to eliminating any limits on using Bouton, I wondered what would have happened had the Pilots not traded rookie of the year Lou Piniella to the Royals before the start of the season. So, Piniella became the Pilots left fielder and away we went ...   

One of the great things about APBA's reprinted 1969 card set is that it includes every player who took the mound or batted at least once, making it possible for me to use the actual lineups of the Pilots' opponents. With few exceptions, including Bouton's added starts, I used the Pilots' actual pitching rotation, then managed the rest of the squad as I saw fit. I limited all other players to 110 percent of their actual at-bats and innings pitched. I also worked in the team's other transactions, so there was somewhat of a revolving door in the personnel I could use throughout the season.

So, how did it turn out? First of all, it was a joy playing this team, partly because it was such an interesting collection of players, from base-stealing maven Tommy Harper and Tommy Davis to Mr. Versatility Diego Segui, who was equally good as a starter or ace reliever. Besides, 1969 was a great year for the AL, with the seemingly unbeatable Baltimore Orioles and the heavy-hitting Minnesota Twins, making it just plain cool to replay.

Predictably, I didn't fare much better than ill-fated Pilots manager Joe Schultz. I guided them to a 68-94 record, which just goes to show that expanding the role of your knuckleballer and adding one potent bat in the three hole does not a contender make. Nice try, however.

Bouton (rated a DX starter and a C* reliever) got 9 more starts and 62 more innings for the Pilots, which resulted in a 6-8 record, better than his 2-1 in actuality. He matched his save total: 1. (Note: Toward the end of August, I granted Bouton's trade to the Astros, bringing to the Pilots Dooley Womack, who piled up some decent stats in 27 games out of the bullpen.)

Piniella also exceeded expectations. Sweet Lou batted .306/.352/.437 in 142 games, scoring 71 runs and leading the team in runs batted in with 89. He hit 30 doubles, along with 10 triples and 7 home runs.

What this team lacked in power, it more than made up with speed, swiping 194 bases, compared to only 122 homers. The speed brigade was led by Harper, who stole 95 bases, which helped him score a team-high 105 runs. First baseman Don Mincher lead the team in home runs with 26.

Overall, the team batting average (.242), slugging percentage (.354), ERA (4.33) and other stats pretty closely matched the real-life Seattle stats for the year, just another testimonial to the accuracy of the APBA game.

In addition to Segui, who went 8-10 with 5 saves; Bob Locker lead the team with an 11-6 record and 8 saves. Gene Brabender was the hard-luck hurler, going 4-14 in 29 starts and 192 innings.

Despite the disappointing, yet predictable, win-loss record, this was still among my most satisfying APBA projects. It reinforced the fun that can be had when you tweak reality by playing "what if ..."

I think Jim Bouton would be OK with the outcome.

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Note: Click here for the complete replay stats.

Note II: Here's a great link to a new post by baseball historian John Thorn, "Jim Bouton: An Improvisational Life."

Timber! Loggers Chop Down Competition in First Season in Sunrise Baseball Association

Update: The Loggers finished the 2016 season strong, compiling a 98-64 record, good for second in the Western Division of the Sunrise Baseball Association. Ultimately, the Loggers fell in six games to the Lions in the SBA World Series.

Except for falling a couple games short of a championship, the Loggers couldn't have performed much better in their inaugural season in the SBA.

Click here to check out the Loggers' final stats.

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Led by Nolan Arenado, Lucas Duda and Gerrit Cole, the P-Town Loggers have rebounded from a slow start to challenge for the playoffs in their first season in the Sunrise Baseball Association.

As the league approaches the midway point of the 2016 season, the Loggers stand at 42-30, good enough for second place in the SBA's six-team Western Division.

Sunrise is a 12-team APBA Baseball Game league that's been around for more than two decades. This year, members are spread across the United States, with most of the managers on the East Coast. (This is my first year in the league, along with my brother, Phillip Priewe, who is managing the Carson City Gamblers.)

The league uses the advanced version of APBA's basic game, with some modifications. Pitchers bat, and players are limited to their actual number of games, starts or relief innings. Games are played in person or via telephone or Skype. Teams play a 162-game season.

After 72 games, the Loggers are led by third baseman Nolan Arenado (.269/.294/.638), who's belted 25 home runs, driving in 53 and scoring 40. He's also stroked 28 doubles.

At first base, Lucas Duda supplanted Adrian Gonzalez early in the season, sparking a series of Loggers victories. Duda (.229/.327/.559) has 13 home runs, 33 RBI and 26 runs scored in the cleanup spot.

The Loggers' lineup is comprised of:

C- Travis d'Arnaud (.229/.284/.534) 11 HR's, 28 RBI
1B - Lucas Duda (.229/.327/.559) 13 HR's, 33 RBI
2B - Matt Duffy (.259/.305/.427) 22 runs, 18 RBI
SS - Brandon Crawford (.215/.300/.411) 29 runs, 23 RBI
3B - Nolan Arenado (.269/.294/.638) 25 HR's, 53 RBI
LF - Andre Ethier (.225/.299/.360) 26 runs, 17 RBI
CF - Gregor Blanco (.238/.303/.308) 27 runs, 11 stolen bases
RF - Starling Marte (.213/.269/.333) 21 runs, 14 stolen bases

Also logging playing time have been outfielder Trayce Thompson, Adrian Gonzalez, and second baseman Dustin Pedroia. (Click to view complete Loggers stats.)

On the pitching side, a trio of starters have anchored the Loggers rotation: Gerrit Cole (8-6, 2.64), Collin McHugh (7-3, 3.91) and Edinson Volquez (7-5, 3.71). Out of the bullpen, Hector Rondon has 15 saves, and is backed by Mark Lowe (4-1, 0.92) and Tyler Clippard (3-1, 3.45).

The staff has combined for 19 complete games -- 10 by Cole -- and four shutouts. It has a combined ERA of 3.10.

In a league dominated by A and B pitchers, batting averages are well below average. The Loggers are hitting .217 as a team, with a .278 OBA and slugging percentage of .396. They have smacked 80 home runs.

It's been fun so far. Most of the guys in the league have multiple SBA seasons to their credit, and all of them simply enjoy playing the game, regardless of the score. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season!

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All-time Great Cheeseheads Roll to 108 Wins!

Led by hall-of-famers Al Simmons and Burleigh Grimes, a squad of ballplayers born in Wisconsin showed they could go toe-to-toe with any APBA foe.

This group of cheeseheads racked up 108 wins against competition that included a slew of World Series champions, division winners and other assorted all-time great ballclubs scattered among my APBA Baseball Game card collection.

In putting together this 25-man crew, the main criteria was that each member must have been born in Wisconsin. And I found plenty of talent to fill the roster, including a bevy of hall-of-fame players, namely Simmons and Grimes, along with fellow pitchers Kid Nichols and Addie Joss. The rest of the lineup boasted plenty of all-stars.

At the end of the 162-game season, the Wisconsin greats compiled a 108-54 record. Simmons led the way, batting .335 with 40 home runs and 148 RBI; "Happy" Felsch of the infamous Black Sox hit .320, scoring 100 runs and driving in 96; Fred Merkle lead the team in runs with 117 and stolen bases with 59.

On the mound, Grimes led the squad with a 23-8 record. He pitched 273 innings in 34 starts, striking out 233. As for the rest of the hall-of-fame trio, Nichols went 18-7, leading the team in strikeouts with 241 in 285 innings and 36 starts; Joss put up a 19-11 record, setting down 224 batters in 262 innings over 35 starts.

Combining 20 starts and 25 relief appearances, Dick Bosman went 19-5, with a 2.10 ERA. Also anchoring the bullpen were Bob Wickman (17 saves) and Pat Neshek, who tallied 8 wins and 8 saves in 48 games.

The staff compiled a 2.95 team ERA in its 108 victories, which included 20 shutouts (6 by Joss!) and 66 complete games.  Nichols, Grimes and Joss each went the distance 19 times.

At the plate, the team batted .264, with a .322 on-base percentage and .452 slugging percentage. They went yard 177 times (Simmons, 40; Ken Keltner, 32; and Andy Pafko, 31). They had almost as many triples (96) as stolen bases (100)! They outscored their opponents 867 to 511.

Like most of my projects, batting averages were down overall (Simmons batted .381 and Kuenn hit .353 in real life those years!). Most of this was due to the higher level of competition and the plethora of A starters and relievers. I also have a tendency to use too many B relievers, even in mop-up duty, when that assignment more often fell to C's and D's.

This project comes on the heels of a season with the all-time great Seattle Mariners, who went 128-34. Unlike that squad, which primarily matched up against the M's 2014 regular season schedule, this bunch took on more top-notch opponents, along with squads from APBA's Baseball All-Time Set 2.

Those Mariners got the better of the cheeseheads, winning three of four games; the '69 World Series Mets and Orioles each won two of three. Against a variety of Cubs teams, including the '69 crew and the 2008 unit, the Wisconsinites went 7-9.

They had better luck versus other NL Central Division foes, including sweeping the World Series-winning '79 Pirates. They went 5-1 against the Big Red Machine of '75 and '76. Nichols tossed a no-hitter against the '75 Reds.

The team was assembled from the listings on Baseball Reference and the APBA cards in my collection, especially players from BATS. Merkle came from some generous folks on the APBA Facebook page, who were kind enough to post his 1911 card. Cards for Andy Pafko, Brad Radke and Wickman were created using Steve's APBA Card Computer. Thanks, man.

Here was the primary starting lineup:

1. Happy Felsch ('20) CF -- .320/.358/.529 (100 runs, 96 RBI, 37 doubles, 17 triples, 15 HRs)
2. Fred Merkle ('11) 1B -- .294/.339/465 (117 runs, 16 triples, 59 SBs)
3. Harvey Kuenn ('59) SS -- .299/.350/.460 (91 runs, 87 RBI, 48 doubles)
4. Al Simmons ('30) LF -- .335/.377/.686 (148 RBI, 43 doubles, 16 triples, 40 HRs)
5. Andy Pafko ('50) RF -- .218/.308/.465 (94 RBI, 31 HRs)
6. Ken Keltner ('48) 3B -- .222/.328/.454 (85 runs, 88 RBI, 32 HRs)
7. Damian Miller ('02) C -- .188/.258/.366 (10 HRs, 36 RBI) and Don Pavletich ('69) C -- .263/.343/.500 (10 HRs, 41 RBI)
8. Jim Gantner ('83) 2B -- .236/.285/.344 (66 runs, 61 RBI)

A strong bench included the likes of Joe Randa ('99), Tom Poquette ('76), Tony Kubek ('57) and my personal favorite, Milwaukee's own Bob Uecker ('65).

For all the stats, click here.

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Junior, King Felix and the Big Unit Lead M's to Big Finish

Give Felix Hernandez some run support and he can win a few games -- 27 to be exact!

And let Ken Griffey Jr. play a 162-game schedule in his prime and he can set a new single-season home run record -- 74!

Back him with the Mariners' all-time best lineup and Randy Johnson can post a new career high in wins with 25!

Led by Hernandez, Griffey and Johnson, the all-time Mariners compiled a 128-34 record against the team's 2014 schedule, with a few more interleague games thrown into the mix. The initial motivation behind this "what if" APBA baseball game replay project was to see how many games King Felix could win if he was backed by the best Mariners team ever. He didn't disappoint.

King Felix ('14) piled up a 27-2 record with a 1.64 ERA and 276 K's in 31 starts. He completed 12 games, including 9 shutouts. It helps to have a great defense behind you as well.

Griffey ('94) was the squad's offensive MVP, compiling a .291/.364/.747 slash line to go with his 74 home runs, 139 runs and 155 RBI, showing what might have been during the strike-shortened 1994 season.

Johnson ('95) combined with Hernandez to provide a potent 1-2 pitching punch -- posting a 25-3 record with an ERA of 2.41 and 271 strikeouts in 32 starts. He completed 6 games, with 4 shutouts.

The rest of the M's powerful lineup featured:

• Designated hitter Edgar Martinez ('95) -- .306/.441/.573 with 106 runs, 97 RBI, 56 doubles and 27 home runs.
• Leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki ('04) -- .326/.354/.425 with 215 hits, 107 runs and 43 stolen bases.
• Second baseman Robinson Cano ('13) -- .317/.374/.560 with 114 runs, 113 RBI 54 doubles and 28 home runs.
• Third baseman Adrian Beltre ('04) -- .271/.336/.569 with 42 home runs and 101 RBI.
• Outfielder Jay Buhner ('96) -- .219/.291/.523 with 37 home runs and 101 RBI.
• Shortstop Omar Vizquel ('92) -- .296/.331/.372 with 68 runs and 41 stolen bases.
• First baseman Alvin Davis ('87) -- .274/.352/.524 with 27 home runs and 93 RBI.
• Catcher Dan Wilson ('96) -- .212/.259/.341 with 13 homers and 68 RBI.

As a team the Mariners batted .274/.339/.493 with 273 home runs. The M's averaged nearly 6 runs per game.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff held opponents to half that, posting a 2.74 ERA. Other starters included Hisashi Iwakuma ('13) at 18-5, Jamie Moyer ('03) at 15-5 and Mark Langston ('87) at 12-2.

The bullpen was led by J.J. Putz ('07) at 5-3 with 32 saves; Jeff Nelson ('95) at 6-5 with 5 saves; and Mike Schooler ('90) at 6-0 with 4 saves. 

For complete season stats, click here. 

This replay had it all: Lots of offense, great pitching and plenty of clutch hitting and defense. And it showed that even the most powerful teams still have off days from time to time ...

Nevertheless, they had a pair of ridiculous win streaks -- 15 games in April and 19 in a row in July/August.

This was a treat, from start to finish. And makes me wonder "what if" for my next project ...

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King Felix Dominates with Perfect Game in 2014 Mariners Replay

It was like deja vu all over again ... as Felix Hernandez threw his second perfect game in three years at Safeco Field.

This time, King Felix dominated the Astros in an 11-0 victory on May 23, 2014 during an APBA baseball game replay of the Mariners' 2014 season. (In real life, Hernandez tossed his perfect game Aug. 15, 2012 in a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.)

Against the Astros, Hernandez finished with 15 strikeouts, including shortstop Jonathan Villar for the final out of the game. Catcher Jason Castro and designated hitter Matt Dominquez each struck out in all three at-bats versus The King.

The Mariners' offense was led by third baseman Adrian Beltre, who went 5-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and five RBI. Ichiro Suzuki added three hits, scoring a pair of runs, hitting two doubles and stealing a base. In all, the Mariners pounded Houston's pitchers for 14 hits.

Compiling double digit hits is practically a given every game for this Mariners lineup, which is comprised of the team's all-time greatest players, from Ken Griffey Jr. in center field to Edgar Martinez at DH. Second baseman Robinson Cano opened the scoring in this game with a two-run home run in the first inning. First baseman Alvin Davis broke the game open in the fifth inning with a two-run double that extended the M's lead to 7-0.

The victory, the team's 11th in a row, moved the Mariners' win-loss record to 41-6 on the season, as they continue to crush their opponents almost every outing. And just a month earlier, Randy Johnson hurled a no-hitter against the Marlins in Miami. So their pitching has been OK, too.

For me, this was the second time I had experienced King Felix tossing a perfect game, though I must say the "actual" game against the Rays was a tad more dramatic! My wife and I had the good fortune to be in Seattle back in August 2012 and just happened to stop by for the afternoon game before heading back to our home in Oregon.

And back in the day in what very well may have been my first MLB game, I witnessed Steve Busby's second no-hitter. I was one of 9,019 fans at old Milwaukee County Stadium on June 19, 1974 who saw Busby and the Royals defeat my beloved Brew Crew 2-0.

As an 11-year-old grade schooler I remember leaving the stadium disappointed that the Brewers had lost ... again. (They went 76-86 that year, though they had the beginnings of their Bambi's Bombers days with the arrival of Robin Yount, Don Money and Gorman Thomas ...)

I recall my dad responding with something like ... "The Brewers may have lost, but you got to see some baseball history tonight ..." (About five years earlier, he had had the good fortune to be at Wrigley Field for Ken Holtzman's first no-hitter, a 3-0 win over the Braves on Aug. 19, 1969.)

The way things are going in this Mariners replay, I have a feeling that Felix just might get that elusive first 20-win season ... Now that would be some history!

(Note: As of this blog post, the Mariners have gone on to build a 69-16 record and Felix stands at 16-0! For the complete stats, click here.)

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