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.

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Axemen Fall in Follow-up to Championship Season; Miss Playoffs in 2019

Shortstop Trevor Story -- Photo courtesy of jenniferlinneaphotography

With the P-Town Axemen sitting at an identical 63-58 record midway through defending their 2018 championship season, who could blame their fans for wondering whether 2019 might be "deja vu all over again."*

Alas, the Axemen never got it going at the end of their second season in the MM-MDTL, falling off instead of catching fire, and missing the playoffs with their 83-79 finish. Their 20-21 record down the stretch paled in comparison to the 30-11 surge from the year before that propelled them to the top of the Mike McClurg Sr - Mason Dixon Tabletop League.

The difference? Nearly every position player failed to equal their offensive output from the year before, despite some stellar starting pitching.

For example, Joey Votto saw his production plummet from .390 OBA, 113 runs, 100 RBI, 43 doubles and 39 home runs to .348, 57, 59, 32 and 14. Likewise, Marwin Gonzalez went from near-MVP (.338 OBA, 94 runs, 115 RBI, 46 doubles and 35 HR's) to platooning with oft-injured Josh Donaldson, who only got into 66 games, according to the team's 2019 final stats.

Shortstop Trevor Story was one of the few bright spots, leading the team in nearly every offensive category with a .323 OBA, 97 runs, 91 RBI, 46 doubles, 9 triples, 37 home runs and 28 stolen bases. Even Nelson Cruz "slumped," though leading the team with 40 home runs and 92 RBI.

Newcomers Jed Lowrie (a hometown favorite from Salem, Oregon) and mercurial Yasiel Puig were ... let's just say ... less than exceptional after being acquired in the offseason.

On the pitching side, Luis Severino went 19-13 with four shutouts and a 3.09 ERA; Zack Greinke and Gerrit Cole each notched 15 wins. All three compiled more than 200 strikeouts. Greinke led the team with five shutouts and 11 complete games and a team-best 2.90 ERA.

The bullpen once again was anchored by Brad Hand, who went 9-6 with 19 saves. Wily Peralta added 10 saves.

Overall, P-Town's pitchers lowered the team ERA to 3.84 and reduced the number of runs allowed from 708 to 646.

The problem, however, was on the offensive side, where hitters went from batting .238/.321/.468 to .217/.294/.409 and connecting for fewer home runs (291 vs. 236) and nearly 200 fewer runs (847 to 656).

"Needless to say, our offense really let us down this season," Axemen Manager Rob Priewe said. "I think our fans know where we plan to focus during the offseason."

--

*From the popular Yogi Berra quote, "It's deja vu all over again," from The Yogi Book, where he repeatedly recalled seeing back-to-back homers by Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the early 1960s.

-- 66 -- 

Padres Win Title in 2015 Preseason Tourney ... Really!

Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton give Padres fans three reasons to be
 optimistic about the upcoming baseball season in San Diego. 

Fans of the San Diego Padres have a lot to look forward to this summer, if the APBA Baseball Game is any indication.

The Padres triumphed over the likes of the World Champion Giants, the Seattle Mariners and King Felix, and their West Coast brethren the Oakland A's on the way to winning an eight-term tournament using the newly released 2014 season APBA player cards. The Padres rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Felix Hernandez and the M's 6-5 in the championship matchup.

How did this squad, which finished 77-85 last summer, even make it to the final?

This tourney featured teams comprised of their current 40-man roster using the 2014 player cards. So the Padres offense got a considerable boost with the addition of Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Derek Norris and Wil Myers. The improved offense complemented a strong bullpen, featuring three A relievers (Thayer, Quackenbush and Benoit) along with a pair of B starters, Ian Kennedy and Andrew Cashner.

The other teams included in this tournament, formatted along the lines of the double-elimination College World Series, were the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and my favorite team, the Milwaukee Brewers. While a few squads lost players (e.g. Billie Butler from the Royals to the A's, and Pablo Sandoval from the Giants to the Sox), some saw significant additions, such as Nelson Cruz (double 1's) to the Mariners and Jon Lester (AXZ) to the Cubs.

In addition to current rosters, teams also could use their number-one starter in every game. (No need to rest in APBA!) So Madison Bumgarner started every game for the Giants while King Felix got the call for the M's. The designated hitter also was in use.

Not only was this a fun tournament to see how these "new and improved" teams might fare in 2015, but it also was a great way to get acquainted with the newly minted player cards.

San Diego's road to the title included an opening-round 6-4 win over the A's, followed by a 2-1 victory against the Cubs. The Padres defeated the Giants 2-0 on a three-hit shutout by Kennedy and a two-run single by Kemp.

After an opening round win over the Red Sox, 4-3, the Mariners got bounced to the loser's bracket, falling to the Giants 8-6. The M's rebounded with a 5-3 win over the Cubs; then a 7-1 pasting of the A's in the only blowout of the tourney. The Mariners earned a spot in the title game with a 5-3 revenge victory over the Giants.

Based on these tourney results, it's conceivable that all these teams may meet or exceed their records from last summer, though it may be difficult for the Giants to repeat as champions with the loss of "The Panda" and a weak starting rotation after Bumgarner. In fact, it's hard to believe that the Giants would win the title again in an APBA replay of the 2014 season, given the over-abundance of C starters in their rotation!

Here are some of the highlights:

Giants 5, Royals 3:
Angel Pagan smacks a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Giants and Madison Bumgarner the win in the tourney opener.

Mariners 4, Red Sox 3
New right fielder Seth Smith singles in Robinson Cano with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. King Felix goes the distance for the win.

Padres 6, A's 4
Justin Upton leads off the second inning with a solo home run, followed by a two-run homer by Yonder Alonso. The Padres score five runs off A's starter Sonny Gray.

Cubs 5, Brewers 4
Cubs second baseman Arismendy Alcantara hits a three-run seventh-inning home run to lead the Cubs to the win. Jon Lester gets the victory, with help from Hector Rondon.

Red Sox 4, Royals 3
David Ortiz hits a three-run homer, driving in Hanley Ramirez and eliminating the Royals. Rick Porcello, acquired from Detroit, gets the win.

A's 4, Brewers 3
Coco Crisp drives in Sam Fuld with a sac fly in the 12th inning for the win over the Brewers. New A's third baseman Brett Lawrie hits a solo home run. Brewers' new first baseman Adam Lind goes 3-for-5, with three doubles, a run and two RBI.

Giants 8, Mariners 6
Pagan is the hero again for the Giants, driving in two runs in the top of the 12th inning to beat the Mariners. For the game Pagan drives in four runs. Justin Ruggiano, obtained from the Cubs, hits a home run for the M's with two out in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

Padres 2, Cubs 0
Ian Kennedy, Dale Thayer and Joaquin Benoit shut out the Cubs, with the offense coming in the form of two solo home runs, one by Wil Myers and one by Tommy Medica.

A's 3, Red Sox 2
The A's eliminate the Sox on the strength of another home run by Brett Lawrie, this one a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh off Koji Uehara.

Mariners 5, Cubs 3
The M's score two runs on back-to-back-to-back doubles in the 13th inning by Kyle Seager, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz to drop the Cubs out of the tournament. Cruz added a pair of home runs, driving in four runs. Dominic Leone got the win in relief, with a save by Fernando Rodney. Jorge Soler and Mike Olt homered for the Cubs.

Padres 2, Giants 0
Ian Kennedy knocks the Giants into the loser's bracket with a three-hit shutout over Bumgarner. Kemp drives in both runs with a single in the fourth inning.

Mariners 7, A's 1
Felix Hernandez holds the A's to one run on four hits, and is supported by Seth Smith, who smacks of pair of home runs, and a two-run homer by Cano.

Mariners 5, Giants 3
Nelson Cruz comes through again for the M's, driving in the winning runs with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the 10th inning. Hernandez was cruising until the bottom of the ninth, when Brandon Belt led off with a home run, and Brandon Crawford drove in the tying run with a two-out double. Leone got another win in relief.

Padres 6, Mariners 5
Nelson Cruz hit two more home runs for the Mariners, but it wasn't enough as the Padres rallied in the late innings to win the tournament. The M's took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning. Ex-A's catcher Derek Norris drove in the Padres first run with a single in the fifth. He drove in another with a single in the seventh. In between, Justin Upton hit a sixth-inning home run. The Padres took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth on a run-scoring single by Wil Myers. Hernandez took the loss for the M's; Kevin Quackenbush got the win in relief, with another save by Benoit.