Finger League Managers

The following is a list of managers and their Fingers League Records:
dedelman: 1346-760
froidl: 1271-835
andrewfrance: 1218-888
themehl: 1213-893
Indy_Indians: 1030-1076
patrick885: 1011-933
qprime: 937-1169
waymac73: 919-1025
wihargo: 910-710
mcbain10: 906-552
bunting10: 881-901
moteydm: 857-925
kern_82: 849-771
jying98: 815-805
johncfremont: 797-823
bux_express: 773-685
drvmu1: 644-652
rawdk27: 445-365
skidmark: 334-476
godsize: 212-274
tdvy: 179-145
tbuddens52: 165-321
grivfmd1: 155-169
neldozer: 81-81
randyrossrac: 78-84
pbodine: 75-87
edw1225: 71-91
jjboogie: 61-101

RETIREMENTS

Hardball Dynasty's

Bo Anderson

164-117 / 4.45 ERA / 2425.2 IP / 1857 K
won 17 or more games in a season four times.
2x NL All-Star; 1x NL Gold Glove

Hardball Dynasty's

Harry Hinch

.263 / 1697 hits / 503 HR / 1335 RBI / 1187 runs
hit 50 or more HRs in a season four times. Nine straight seasons of 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs.
3x AL All-Star, 2x AL Silver Slugger (DH)

Hardball Dynasty's

Richard Satou

.283 / 1614 hits / 353 HR / 1150 RBI / 1033 runs / 182 SB
Nine straight seasons of 30+ HRs. Five seasons with 30+ HRS and 20+ SBs.
2x AL All-Star; 4x AL Silver Slugger (LF)

World Series XIII

WORLD SERIES MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

J.P. Nunez

J.P Nunez - won 2 games, 1.29 era, 15k/4bb

** Game Recaps **

Game One: Charleston 3, Milwaukee 1
WP: Felipe Marquez (1-0)
LP: Antonio Nomura (0-1)
Save: Juan Delgado (1)
HR: None
Player of Game: Zoltan McNeil - 1 for 4, 2 RBIs. With the game tied at 1 in the top of the sixth inning, McNeil drove in two runs with a double down the leftfield line off of Nomura.
NOTE: Juan Delgado notched a record-breaking 9th save of the playoffs.

Game Two: Milwaukee 7, Charleston 4
WP: Patrick Snyder (1-0)
LP: Emmanuel Russell (0-1)
Save: Al Duvall (1)
HR: Charleston - Dario Dickens; Milwaukee - Harry Harris, Braden Kennedy
Player of the Game: Santiago Pichardo - 3 for 4, 3 RBIs. Hit a two-out RBI single off of Russell in the third inning that gave the Brew a lead they never gave up. He later doubled home two more runs.
NOTE: Milwaukee's 1-4 hitters (Harry Harris, Rafael Silva, Braden Kennedy, Jacob Wells) combine to go 7 for 17, 5 runs, 2HRs, 3 RBIs.

Game Three: Milwaukee 4, Charleston 2
WP: J.P. Nunez (1-0)
LP: Ralph Hall (0-1)
Save: Al Duvall (2)
HR: Milwaukee - Everett Dresden
Player of the Game: J.P. Nunez - 6 IP, 7 hits, 1 earned run, 6 K, 1 BB. Nunez got out of jams in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings before surrendering his lone run in the 6th.
NOTE: The biggest spot in the game occured in the bottom of the 8th inning. With Milwuakee leading 3-2, Charleston's Harry Gwynn came to plate as a pinch hitter with two runners on and two outs. Brew setup man Clayton Mills struck Gwynn out looking to end the threat.

Game Four: Charleston 5, Milwaukee 2
WP: Felipe Marquez (2-0)
LP: Al Abreu (0-1)
Save: Juan Delgado (2)
HR: Charleston - Zoltan McNeil; Milwaukee - Rafael Silva
Player of the Game: Micah Worthington - 2 for 3, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs. Worthington hit 2-run doubles in the 1st and 3rd innings.
NOTE: The first team to score has won each of the four games.

Game Five: Milwaukee 2, Charleston 1
WP: Juan Picasso (1-0)
LP: Pedro Sanchez (0-1)
Save: Al Duvall (3)
HR: NONE
Player of the Game: Rafael Silva - 1 for 4, 1 RBI - Drove home the winning run in the top of the ninth inning.
NOTE: After pitching a scoreless 8th inning, Sanchez got into trouble in the ninth. After recording the first out, he gave up a walk and a single. Charleston's Juan Delgado came in to put the fire out but gave up a single to Silva that drove home the winning run.

Game Six: Milwaukee 3, Charleston 1
WP: J.P. Nunez (2-0)
LP: Torey Chantres (0-1)
Save: Al Duvall (4)
HR: Charleston - Howie Gordon; Milwaukee - Rafael Silva (2)
Player of the Game: J.P. Nunez - 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 9 K, 3 BB
NOTE: Silva's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th gives Milwaukee a 3-1 lead and Duvall slams the door 1-2-3 in the 9th.

WORLD SERIES XIII

Milwaukee Brewmasters vs. Charleston Men of Risk

MILWAUKEE BREWMASTERS / Owner: rawdk27
98-64 / won AL North / beat Chicago 3-2 in ALDS / beat Hartford 4-2 in ALCS

rawdk27's franchise is the only the 5th to win the American League pennant. His Brewmasters beat froid's uber-dynasty in six games, ending the 7-time champion's reign.

The Brewmasters have batted a lowly .227 in the postseason. But the offense picked up as the playoffs went on. After scoring only 13 runs in their first six playoff games, the Brew hitters came alive in their last five and dropped 33.

But like they have all season the Milwaukee pitching staff, which boasts seven 10-game winners, carried Milwaukee in the playoffs. Opponents only hit .208 and the staff ERA was 3.21. Surprisingly, if you remove ace pitcher J.P. Nunez's numbers the team ERA drops to 2.36. Nunez is currently set as the Game 3 starter but has started five of the team's 11 playoff games.

DARK HORSE SERIES CHANGER:

Hardball Dynasty's

Patrick Snyder

Snyder is slated to be the Brewmasters Game 2 starter. Durability is the only category holding him back from ace ratings. In a long series Snyder could be ready to start in Game 7. And his numbers prove he'd be hell of a game changer.
Reg Season - 18 starts / 10-4 / 1.84 ERA / .213 OAV / 1.03 WHIP
Post Season - 2 starts / 2-0 / 1.38 ERA / .184 OAV / 0.85 WHIP

CHARLESTON MEN OF RISK / Owner: andrewfrance
91-71 / NL Wild Card / beat Pittsburgh 3-2 in NL Play-in Series / beat Trenton 3-1 in NLDS / beat Salt Lake City 4-3 in NLCS

andrewfrance has led his Men of Risk to their second World Series appearance. They are the sixth NL Wild Card to make the World Series. Only one of those previous five - the Tobacco Beetles in Season 2 - won the World Series.

The thing that jumps off the page about Charleston on their drive to the World Series is the bullpen. Eight bullpen pitchers have combined for some sick postseason numbers. 7-0; 1.60 ERA; 8 saves in 9 chances; 62 IP; 50 hits; 11 earned runs; 39K/14BB.

39-year-old Juan Delgado is an original on this Men of Risk roster. He was on their big league roster in Season 1 and was a beast during Charleston's Season 6 World Series run. Delgado's career had a resurgance this past season when he became the team's closer. He saved 27 games and won seven others.

DARK HORSE SERIES CHANGER:

Hardball Dynasty's

B.J. Owens

Owens will be the backup catcher behind Stewart Hairston for most of this series since Milwaukee's staff is primarily filled with right-handed pitchers. But three of the Brew bullpen - including closer Al Duvall - is left-handed. Owens is a specialist against LHP so he may have some key late game ABs.
Reg. Season vs. LHP - .300/.354/.564; 17 HRs in 227 ABs
Post Season vs. LHP - .400/.429/.600; 1 HR in 20 ABs

PREVIOUS SERIES THIS SEASON
Milwaukee took two of three games in Charleston around Halloween.
Game 1: Milwaukee 8, Charleston 6 - Jacob Wells hits game-winning HR in top of 9th.
Game 2: Charleston 4, Milwaukee 2 - Dario Dickens breaks a 2-2 tie in the 5th with a two-run HR.
Game 3: Milwaukee 4, Charleston 1 - Patrick Snyder pitches six scoreless innings of two-hit ball.

Season 13 Wrap Up

PLAYOFFS
American League
1. Hartford
2. Milwaukee

3. El Paso vs. 6. Chicago -- El Paso won season series 6-4
4. Salem vs. 5. Scottsdale -- Scottsdale won season series 6-4

National League
1. Trenton
2. Sante Fe

3. Salt Lake City vs. 6. New York -- New York won season series 7-3
4. Pittsburgh vs. 5. Charleston --Charleston won season series 6-4

AL MVP
The AL MVP race features the three best hitters in the entire Fingers League. The numbers these players put up season after season are ridiculous. Its virtually impossible to find RL players that even compare.

Chuck Moore - one-time AL MVP. 312 career HRs and only 26 years old. 70+ HRs in back-to-back seasons; 60+ HRs in 4 straight seasons; 200+ hits in back-to-back seasons; and 150+ RBIs in 3 straight seasons; career 9.8 AB/HR.

Horacio Martin - two-time AL Batting Champion. has played exactly 1000 games and has scored 1004 runs. 3 straight seasons of: .340+ avg; 150+ runs; 200+ hits, 50+ SBs.

Louie Ma - two-time AL MVP and two-time AL Batting Champion. hit .340 for the 4th time in 5 seasons; 5 straight seasons of: 35+ HRs; 100 runs; 110 RBIs.

Typical Neifi Martin Update
Came up short of the hits record but tied for second with 228. He took home the NL Batting title. And he'll more than likely take home the NL ROY. Winning the NL MVP Award will be much tougher though.

He's up against two previous NL MVP Award winners, Clarence Black and Taylor Glynn. And no player has ever taken home both the MVP and ROY awards in the same season. Only one pitcher, Leonardo Walker, has taken home the Cy Young and ROY awards in the same season.

Martin did catch a break with Cristobal Johnson not being selected as one of the finalists. Johnson led the NL in HRs and RBIs and he finished 2nd in runs scored.

CARLOS SANCHEZ - 500 CAREER HRs

Carlos Sanchez Santa Fe Scorchers Age: 32 B/T: R/R Born: Chinandega, NI Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Sanchez hit his 500th career home run off of Vancouver's Matty Morgan in the 4th inning of the 9/28 PM1 game. It was a solo shot that just cleared the fence in leftfield.

The 32-year old should be able to pass all-time home run leader Pedro Alvarez, who has 596 HRs, in two to three seasons. It's ashame that an old owner moved him down to the minors in seasons 3 & 4 because he could have more HRs than Alvarez.

Season 13

Can the Milwaukee Brewmasters Win the AL?

Milwaukee Brewmasters (AL) rawdk27 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

As of the 11/20 PM2 cycle the Brewmasters have the best record in the American League. rawdk27 has his squad on pace to increase its win total for the fourth straight season. The defending AL North Champions made it to the ALCS last season but fell to the MAPS dynasty in six games. And more than likely the Brewmasters will have to beat the MAPS to take the pennant this season.

We get a little taste of the matchup with a 3-game set in Hartford starting in the 11/21 AM cycle.

The key to the Brewmasters' success has been pitching. It's been nasty to say the least. They lead the AL in: ERA, Saves, Strikeouts, Hits Allowed, Runs Allowed, Earned Runs Allowed, WHIP and K/9 IP. The bullpen has also allowed the least inherited runners to score. With 40 games still to play the Brew have three pitchers with 10+ wins, and another three pitchers have 8+ wins.

But even with pitching so deep Milwaukee will still have to go into Hartford's bambox and face the League's most punishing lineup come playoff time. So far this season the Brew are 1-6 vs. the MAPS. After winning the season's first matchup they have lost the past six. They have been outscored 48-22 in those seven games. While being swept in three games by the MAPS prior to the All-Star Break the Brew pitching staff was bombed for 31 runs.

An interesting note about the seven games between these two teams is Milwaukee's superstar closer Al Duvall saw action only one time. He picked up the save in a scoreless inning during the first game and never sniffed the mound again. Somehow, someway the Brew has to get the ball to Duvall with a lead.

More Neifi Martin

Neifi Martin continues to chew up National League pitchers. The 22-year old is still hitting over .370 and his recent ten-game stretch, where he went 16-for-46 (.348), actually lowered his season's average. I took a look at the real-life Major Leagues and found that only three players since 1901 have hit over .370 at such a young age. They are: Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson, and Ted Williams.

All-Star Game 13

*** JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - BOON STADIUM - HOME of the BROWNES and the FINGERS LEAGUE'S 13th ALL STAR GAME ***

ALL-STAR GAME
For the second straight season the National League won the Fingers League All-Star Game. The NL outpitched the American League to squeak out a 4-2 victory. Sante Fe Scorchers SS Carlos Sanchez won the game's MVP Award. Sanchez belted two hits, drove in the NL's first two runs and scored the eventual game winning run in the 5th inning.

WP: Boomer Charles (Salt Lake City)
LP: Patrick Snyder (Milwaukee)
Save: Julian Williams (Salt Lake City)
HR: Alberto Granados (Washington)

Game Notes:

Hardball Dynasty's

Bonk Blake

Bonk Blake made his 10th All-Star Game Appearance, a Fingers League record. He entered the game in the 5th inning and flied out to deep LCF in his only at bat. Blake without a doubt is a first ballot Hall of Famer.

The starting pitchers for the game: Charleston's Ralph Hall and Hartford's Tomas Armas. Hall, 29, has already tied his career high in wins with 12. The 33-year-old Armas, who is arguably the best pitcher in league history, has a 14-3 record.

Washington's Hugh McNeil made the game's only two errors. He booted a ground ball in the 5th inning that allowed Carlos Sanchez to move from second base to third. The next batter, Taylor Glynn, drove Sanchez in with a fielder's choice.

HOME RUN DERBY
Winner:

Hardball Dynasty's

Sam Sobkowiak

28 HRs in three rounds. Sobkowiak was trailing Sante Fe's Cristobal Johnson by five HRs going into the final round. But in that final round Sobkowiak blasted 11 out of the park compared to Johnson's four to take the trophy.

**FIRST HALF NEWS**
The BIG story of the first half has to be New York Gothams rookie 1B Neifi Martin. Martin is hitting a major league-best .389. He also leads the major leagues in hits and on base percentage. His 23-game hitting streak is tied for the longest of the season. themehl drafted him 14th overall in season 9.

Hardball Dynasty's

Neifi Martin

Last season Chuck Moore became the 2nd player ever to hit 70 HRs in a season. He finished with 71, six behind record holder Pedro Alvarez. Moore and two others, Spike Cambridge and Cristobal Johnson, are on pace to reach 70 HRs by season's end.

Washington's Hades Simpson and Sam Blackley combined for a no-hitter vs. Houston. Simpson walked a batter with one out in the ninth to lose the perfect game. Blackley entered the ball game and recorded the final two outs.

Hardball Dynasty's

Yuu Komatsu

The Atlants Aces took high school pitcher Yuu Komatsu with the first pick in the draft. He is the 6th straight pitcher to be taken with the first overall pick. Brad Tebeau, the first of those six pitchers to be taken #1 overall, is throwing a Cy Young quality season. After going 25-22 in his first two seasons, Tebeau is 11-3 with 4 complete games.

Spring Training -- Season 13

Welcome New Owners:
edw1225 -- Mexico City Banditos Yanquis -- NL SOUTH
pbodine -- Oakland Bohemians -- NL WEST
neldozer -- Dover Dozers -- AL NORTH
prezuiwf -- Texas Cattle Prods -- AL SOUTH

Movers and Shakers:
Portland Pooholes ---> Pittsburgh Pooholes
Baltimore Blue Crabs ---> New York Gothams
Detroit Motor City Mechanics ---> Milwaukee Brewmasters

Milestones Within Reach:
Donatello Davey is four wins from career win number 200. His Spartan teammate Norberto Almanza is 10 wins away from the same mark. They will be the first two players to reach 200 wins in league history.

Career HR leader Pedro Alvarez is 13 HRs away from 600. But the 38-year old has only hit 31 HRs over the last two seasons. Carlos Sanchez has 458 career HRs. He should hit number 500 this season and at 32 years old he has a great chance to be the eventual career HR leader.

Alex Flores will pitch in his 900th game early in the season. By the end of season 13 he will likely have pitched in 100 more games than any other pitcher in league history.

Who's the Best Overall Player in Fingers League?
According to my ratings only two players have an overall rating of 90 or higher. It's not surprising these players are both 5-tool players who stay healthy and are extremely durable.

Hardball Dynasty's

Rafael Silva

- 27 years old; 5 ML years; drafted 3rd overall in season 5
- 4x Silver Slugger; 4x All-Star
- Career Hitting: .303 avg; 175 HRs; 152 SBs
- Career Fielding: .957 fld%; 158 errors; 19 + plays (SS,3B,CF)

Hardball Dynasty's

Santos Lopez

- 26 years old; 5 ML years; drafted 1st overall in season 5
- 4x Silver Slugger; 4 x All-Star; 1x Gold Glove; Rookie of Year
- Career Hitting: .278 avg; 253 HRs; 103 SBs
- Career Fielding: .985 fld%; 52 errors; 14 + plays (2B,3B,1B,OF)

WORLD SERIES XII

WORLD SERIES MVP

Hardball Dynasty's

Santos Lopez

7 for 19, .368 avg, 5 runs, 7 RBIs, double, triple, 4 HRs, 3 BB, SB

*GAME RECAPS*

Game One: Hartford 5, Trenton 4
WP: Carlos Nunez (1-0)
LP: Lynn Rubel (0-1)
HR: Trenton - Mark Garland, Billy Strickland; Hartford - Brook Diaz, Santiago Santiago, Santos Lopez 2
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Santos Lopez - 2 for 4, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
NOTE: Game One of the Season 11 World Series was also a 5-4 M.A.P.S. win. The M.A.P.S. took the lead for good in the eighth inning of both games.

Game Two: Trenton 11, Hartford 6
WP: Mark Nakamura (1-0)
LP: Rico Macias (0-1)
SV: Lynn Rubel (1)
HR: Trenton - Louis Munoz, Alex Rivera; Hartford - Julian Alcantara, Santos Lopez (3), Matty Ordaz
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alex Rivera - 3 for 6, HR, 4 RBIs, run
NOTE: Trenton's 16 hits were one less than they had the entire World Series 11.

Game Three: Hartford 7, Trenton 4
WP: Tomas Armas (1-0)
LP: Damian Martin (0-1)
SV: Rafael Castro (1)
HR: Trenton - Alex Rivera (2), Billy Strickland (2); Hartford - Carlos Cervantes, Santos Lopez (4)
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tomas Armas - 6 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 1 k, 1bb
NOTE: Santos Lopez is well on his way to World Series MVP. He is 6 for 11 with 4 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in the series.

Game Four: Hartford 7, Trenton 1
WP: Davey Terrero (1-0)
LP: Steven Morgan (0-1)
HR: Trenton - Billy Strickland (2); Hartford - Carlos Cervantes (2)
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Carlos Cervantes - 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBIs, run
NOTE: Down 4-1 in the 6th, Trenton puts men on 1st and 2nd with one out. Alex Rivera hits a single to LCF, but Sammy Mota gets thrown out at the plate by Julian Alcantara. The next batter, Dale Pritchett, strikes out and the M.A.P.S escape the inning.

Game Five: Hartford 4, Trenton 0
WP: Rico Macias (1-1)
LP: Stewart Roberts (0-1)
HR: none
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Julian Alcantara - 3 for 4, run, stolen base
NOTE: In games 3 through 5, Trenton scored 5 runs total and hit only .196 (18 for 92).

World Series XII

Trenton Capitols vs. Hartford M.A.P.S

For the fourth time in Fingers History, including three seasons in a row, the World Series will be decided between the M.A.P.S. and the Capitols. The M.A.P.S have swept Trenton in each of their three World Series meetings.

There is a similiarity to this World Series matchup with a World Series matchup from the 1940s and 50s. Trenton plays the role of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the M.A.P.S are the New York Yankees.

From 1941 to 1953, the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Series five times. It wasn't until 1955 that the Dodgers finally overcame the Yankees. In the 12 seasons of Fingers League, the Capitols have lost four World Series (three to the M.A.P.S.). Will it be 1955 for the Caps?

Season 12 Wrap Up

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Playoff Seeds:
1. Hartford M.A.P.S.
-- 7x AL East Champs
2. Detroit Motor City Mechanics
-- 1x AL North Champs
3. Scottsdale Spartans
-- 7x AL West Champs
4. El Paso Federales
-- 2x AL South Champs
5. Salem TimberJacks
-- 4th playoff berth
6. Chicago Blackhawks
-- 8th playoff berth

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Playoff Seeds:
1. Salt Lake City Condors
-- 6x NL West Champs
2. Treton Capitols
-- 6x NL East Champs
3. Philadelphia Phonetics
-- 2x NL North Champs
4. Sante Fe Scorchers
-- 4x NL South Champs
5. Colorado Springs Rainbow Trout
-- 2nd playoff berth
6. Charleston Men of Risk
-- 8th playoff berth

FINGERS LEAGUE
Comeback Player of the Year

Hardball Dynasty's

James Yamaguchi

James Yamaguchi -- Chicago Gummy Bears
After back-to-back rough seasons Yamaguchi made his 6th All-Star Game and won his 4th Fireman of the Year Award in Season 12. He finished with a 2.06 ERA and saved 46 games in 49 opportunities. He also saved his 300th career game. In seasons 10 & 11, Yamaguchi made 164 appearances and had a combined ERA of 6.24 and only saved 14 games. At age 33 and ratings dropping it was hard to imagine this type of turnaround.

Incredible Achievement

Hardball Dynasty's

Tomas Armas

Tomas Armas -- Hartford M.A.P.S.
Forget that he plays for the M.A.P.S and that they won close to 80% of their games. The fact that Armas didn't lose one game all season is an incredible achievement. He's the first pitcher to ever accomplish it. Only two other pitchers have ever had one-loss seasons (over 15 decisions).

2nd Player to hit 70!

Hardball Dynasty's

Chuck Moore

Chuck Moore -- El Paso Federales
The 25-year-old Moore hit 71 HRs this season. Only the great Pedro Alvarez has ever hit more in one season. After 4 full seasons Moore has already hit 242 career HRs. He has gone over 60 HRs three straight seasons and has a three-year total of 197. Again only Alvarez has hit more in a three-year span (205 HRs).

All-Star Game 12

NATIONAL LEAGUE 12, AMERICAN LEAGUE 11
WP: Kenny Borders
LP: Rico Macias

SV: Alan Snavely

The National League was able to cling onto a 12-11 victory in 12th installment of the Fingers League All-Star Game. The teams combined for 25 hits, 6 HRs, and 20 pitchers used. In total, 327 pitches were thrown and 53 of the 60 All-Stars played.

MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Alex Rivera

Trenton's Alex Rivera hit a two-out grand slam off of Felipe Moreno in the 5th inning which extended the NL's lead to 11-6. Rivera finished the game 2-for-2 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs.

Not the Game's Only Grand Slam: Boise's Juan Henriquez 4th inning pinch hit granny off of Moises Mendoza gave the AL its first and only lead of the ballgame.

Starting Pitchers: This matchup may end up being booked again in Game 1 of the World Series. Both showed up for the All-Star. The first two innings were the only innings of the game that neither team scored.

Hardball Dynasty's

Boomer Charles

12-2, 1.97 ERA

Hardball Dynasty's

Tomas Armas

13-0, 2.95 ERA

The Only Host: Everett Dresden was the only Memphis player to make the NL squad. He batted 8th and started in CF in what was his first all-star appearance. Dresden went 1-for-5 and his RBI single in the 5th tied the game at 6. He later scored on Rivera's grand slam.

Loves the All-Star Game: MuckLucks DH Spike Cambridge hit a 2-run HR in the 6th. He has now hit a HR in each of the last two All-Star Games.

HOME RUN DERBY WINNER

Hardball Dynasty's

Carlos Sanchez

Sanchez hit 29 HRs in route to beating Clarence Black 5-3 in the final round of the HR Derby. Black hit 19 HRs in round 1, but only managed 5 more in the final 2 rounds.

NEW ALL-TIME WINS LEADER

Hardball Dynasty's

Donatello Davey

Scottsdale's Donatello Davey passed Frank Chong to become the winningest pitcher in Fingers league history. The 36-year-old currently stands at 186 wins, 2 more than Chong. Davey's career dramatically improved when mcbain10 took over the Scottsdale franchise in Season 5. He was 52-45 through Season 4, and has a record of 134-65 since.

A compatable pitcher in Real Life would be Jimmy Key. Although Davey is not a lefty, his career numbers so far are similar to Key's.

Jimmy Key 186-117 - 2591.2 IP - 3.51 ERA - 1.23 WHIP - 8.7 H/9 - 2.30 K/BB
Don Davey 186-111 - 2563.0 IP - 3.84 ERA - 1.29 WHIP - 8.7 H/9 - 2.24 K/BB

CAN TOMAS ARMAS GET TO 300 WINS?

Hardball Dynasty's

Tomas Armas

Armas is the next all-time winningest pitcher in Fingers. He's at 161 wins right now (only 32-years-old) and he plays for the MAPS. In two or three seasons he will own that record. But what would it take to get to 300?

At exactly 8.5 years into his career, he's averaging 19 wins per season. At this pace he would hit 300 near the end of Season 19 when he'll be 39 years old.

The biggest factor will be whether he's in a MAPS uniform for a majority of his remaining career. If he is, he has a chance at 300. If not, I think his ceiling is 270 career wins.


# 1 OVERALL DRAFT PICK

Hardball Dynasty's

Leon Padgett

Philadelphia chose Cedar Valley College (TX) righthander Leon Padgett with the first overall pick in the Season 12 draft. Padgett, 19, is a hard thrower that projects to dominate righthanded hitters with one spectacular pitch and a decent second pitch. Stamina and control look good, but durability will be a concern. But leave no doubt that this guy was worthy of the number 1 pick as he was far and away the best pitcher in the draft.

Mr. 4th of July

Hardball Dynasty's

Milt Abbott

Milt Abbott hit 2 extra inning walk-0ff home runs on July 4th vs. Baltimore. With the score tied at 3 in the bottom of the 12th inning of the PM1 game he hit a solo shot to center field off of Santiago Cortez. And in the PM2 game he crushed a three-run homer to left off of Rafael Miranda. That home run broke a 5-5 tie in the 11th.

Abbott, 23, is a former 2nd round draft pick playing in his 2nd big league season. He has hit 16 home runs in 449 career ABs.

Special props to:
-- Trenton's Sammy Mota who hit 3 home runs in the July 4th PM2 game vs. Memphis.
-- Boston's Carlos Izquierdo for pitching a 5-hit complete game shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks.

SPOTLIGHT

Hardball Dynasty's

Boomer Charles

-- 2nd Overall pick in Season 6
-- In the Majors by Season 7
-- 28 wins - 38 losses, 4.69 ERA in first three seasons
-- 41 wins - 14 losses, 3.06 ERA since
-- This season: 6-0 in 6 starts, 1.38 ERA

Most Similar Real Life Player: Kevin Millwood

per 162 game season
Kevin Millwood: 14-11/ 208 IP/ 208 H/ 92 ER
Boomer Charles: 13-10/ 212 IP/ 214 H/ 94 ER

Kevin Millwood: 164 K/ 3.99 ERA/ 1.31 WHIP
Boomer Charles: 159 K/ 4.00 ERA/ 1.29 WHIP

Kevin Millwood: .259 oav/.316 obp/.400 slg/ 2.58 K/BB
Boomer Charles: .257 oav/.312 obp/.405 slg/ 2.64 K/BB

Bonk Blake

Hardball Dynasty's

Bonk Blake

Became the 2nd player in Fingers History to reach 2,000 hits with an RBI single off of Brian Nakano in the 9th inning of the 6/26 AM game.


Comparable Real Life Player: Jimmie Foxx

162 Game Average

Foxx: 569 ab 122 runs 185 hits 37 hr 134 rbi .325/.428/.609
Blake: 576 ab 126 runs 191 hits 37 hr 124 rbi .331/.440/.600

PLAY BALL!

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Memphis @ Atlanta
Charleston @ Baltimore
Vancouver @ Chicago
Iowa City @ Colorado Springs
Sante Fe @ New Orleans
Portland @ Philadelphia
Salt Lake City @ San Diego
Trenton @ St. Louis

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago @ Detroit
Washington @ Hartford
Houston @ Jackson
Las Vegas @ Salem
Boise @ Scottsdale
Cincinnati @ Seattle
Boston @ Syracuse
El Paso @ Tampa Bay

Spring Training - Season 12

Things to Watch in Season 12:

The jump in offensive numbers for the M.A.P.S. after the move from pitcher-friendly N.Y. to extreme hitter-friendly Hartford.

The effect that same move has on the M.A.P.S. All-Star rotation.

Will the motey's money pay off? Portland PooHoles spent. $169.8 million on 4 pitchers in free agency.

Horacio Martin vs. Louie Ma for the AL Batting Title.

The Philadelphia Phonetics young lineup. decks has 5 former 1st rounders (3 of them were Top-5 picks) and a $18.7M International Free Agent.

Bonk Blake's return to themehl's franchise needing only 7 hits for 2,000.

The Spartans trying to win the pennant with the oldest team in the AL (30.6 years).

Highest Player Ratings in Fingers ML

SP: Leonardo Walker and Brad Tebeau - 85
RP: Luis Hernandez - 85
C: Socks Bruske - 78
1B: Chuck Moore - 85
2B: Santos Lopez - 92
SS: Rafael Silva - 93
3B: Santiago Pichardo - 87
LF: Julian Alcantara - 88
CF: Del Campos - 91
LF: Dale Pritchett - 85

SPOTLIGHT

Hardball Dynasty's

Rafael Silva

- highest rated player in Fingers
- 3rd overall pick in Season 5 Amateur Draft
- current contract: 5 yrs/ $52.5M
- lost AL Rookie of the Year to David Calderon
- 3x AL All-Star, 3 x AL Silver Slugger SS
- Career Stats: .307/.367/.556, 133 HRs, 450 runs, 446 RBIs