Random Facts

Tallest: 6'7"
Samuel Wohlers - big Texan lefty. career stats: 81-69, 3.92 ERA
Alberto Roque - Venezuelan reliever. career stats: 296 games, 4.17 ERA
Lawrence Morris - 12th overall pick in Season 8. only 182 2/3 IP in career

Shortest: 5'5"
Alex Arroyo - big power for little man. 365 career HR. 2x All-Star

Heaviest: 248 lbs. 
Ralph Hall - career stats: 98-105, 45 saves, 4.19 ERA. 1x All-Star

Lightest: 163 lbs.
Kent Walker - rule 5 draft pick. 1-for-16 in career

Oldest: 41
Scott Hoffman - 367 career saves. seven seasons w/ 30+ saves. 4x All-Star

Youngest: 20
Willie Duran - $13.0M Int'l FA from Season 17.

All-Star Game 19

American League 8, National League 7

WP: Ruben Ramirez

LP: Pete Norris

Save: Santos Encarnacion

- Two players hit grand slams (Game MVP Crash Purcell & Reid Kennedy.
- Five others hit home runs (J.D. Aspromonte, Dario Dickens, Rick Wakeland, Hugh McNeil & Hugh McNeil)

Hardball Dynasty's

Darrell Rivera

Home Run Derby Champion

Second All-Decade Team

There's a little under two seasons left in the second decade of the Fingers League. After the first decade we had a position-by-position vote for the All-Decade team. You can view that team lower on the blog. Most of that team are Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers. When Season 20 concludes we will have another ballot put together so everyone can vote.

Here's a quick list of some of the potential candidates. Sorry if I forgot anyone. Please comment in the league chat if I left anyone off. I'd like the list to be as complete as possible when Season 20 ends. Thanks

C - J.D. Shelby, Rick Wakeland, Darrell Rivera

1B - Chuck Moore, J.D. Aspromonte, Juan Henriquez

2B - Louie Ma, Buzz Stewart, Pascual Mesa, Horacio Martin, Alex Rivera

3B - Gary Buckley, Victor Lopez, Russ Bale, Ed Harvey

SS - Hugh McNeil, Jay Worrell, Kennie Duncan

RF - Santos Lopez, Josh Cardona, Taylor Glynn

CF - Vince Moriarty, Ike Riggs, Reid Kennedy, Del Campos

LF - Hipolito Lee, Julian Alcantara

NL SP - Leonardo Walker, Vicente Delgado

AL SP - Brad Tebeau, Boomer Charles

RP - Darwin Ledesma, Gene Greer, Al Duvall, Fausto Lee, Luis Hernandez

Tampa Bay Wins World Series

Tampa Bay Cheetahs win the franchise's 9th Fingers League World Series.

Game 1 @ Tampa Bay

MTY 2 6 0

TBC 3 6 3

Game 2 @ Tampa Bay

MTY 3 11 0

TBC 6  8 0 

Game 3 @ Monterrey

TBC 3 7  1

MTY 4 11 0

Game 4 @ Monterrey

TBC 4 8 0

MTY 2 5 0

Game 5 @ Monterrey

TBC 5 7 0

MTY 8 14 0
Game 6 @ Tampa Bay
MTY 5 11 0
TBC 4 9 2
Game 7 @ Tampa Bay
MTY 2 10 0
TBC 7 12 0

WORLD SERIES MVP

Hardball Dynasty's

Gary Buckley

.346 - 9 for 26 - 7 runs - 5 hr - 9 rbi - hit safely in all seven games.

GAME SEVEN HERO

Hardball Dynasty's

Jack Webber

Webber hits three home runs - two solo shots and an eighth inning, three-run bomb that put the game and series out of reach for the Gringos.

WORLD SERIES 18

Tampa Bay Cheetahs (AL) jmayhew View Hardball Dynasty Profile 109-53

VS.

Monterrey Gringos (NL) taz21 View Hardball Dynasty Profile 102-60

Division Play-in Series

American League

Milwaukee Brewmasters over El Paso Federales, 3 games to 1
Series MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Santiago Pichardo

8 for 17, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 8 rbi, 2 bb - With the Brew Crew down two runs in the top of the ninth inning of Game 3, Pichardo hit a bases loaded double that put Milwaukee up 6-5. The clutch hit swung the series in Milwaukee's favor.

Tucson Saguaros over Wichita Shockers, 3 games to 1
Series MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Nick Ransom

2-0, 1.13 ERA, 16 IP, 8 hits allowed, 2 earned runs, 12 k, .148 OAV - Ransom was the winning pitcher in the first and last games of the series.

National League

Little Rock Stars over Las Vegas River Snakes, 3 games to 1
Series MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Reid Kennedy

7 for 16, 3 runs, 2 doubles, home run, 4 rbi, bb, sb - Scored the eventual game-winning run in the 8th inning of Game 2 that tied the series 1-1. Drove in two runs in the series-clinching victory.

Columbus Wild Laminal, it is over Charleston Men of Risk, 3 games to 1
Series MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Hideo Bong

8 for 17, 7 runs, double, 2 home runs, 6 rbi, 2 bb - Scored game-tying run on Ned Ashburn's walk off home run in Game. It was his two out, RBI double that got Ashburn to the plate. Bong also drove in two runs in the Game 4 clincher.

All-Star Notes

Did anyone notice who is not on the AL All-Star team this season? The great Louie Ma. It is only the 2nd time since Season 9 that he has missed making the AL All-Star team.

Vicente Delgado will be making his 11th trip to the All-Star Game. Santos Lopez is making his 9th. Chuck Moore, Leonardo Walker, Al Duvall - 7th. Russ Bale, Luis Hernandez - 6th.

Three Former All-Star MVPs will be playing. Kennie Duncan Season 17. Chuck Moore Season 16. Alex Rivera Season 12

Five former #1 Overall Draft picks will be playing: Brad Tebeau, Chuck Moore, Roger Haren, Santos Lopez, Leon Padgett

Average Age:
AL pitchers - 28.7
2.5 All-Star appearances per pitcher
NL pitchers - 28.9
3.1 All-Star appearances per pitcher

AL position players - 27
2.9 All-Star appearances per player
NL position players - 27.5
2.4 All-Star appearance per player

There are 12 players on the AL roster and 14 on the NL who are playing in their first All-Star Game. Harry Zoltan is the oldest first timer. He's 32.

     123456789  RHE

AL 000000100  170

NL 00002000x  271

WP: Vicente Delgado

LP: Charlie Strong
MVP: Harry Martinez 1 for 1, rbi double, scored eventual game-winning run
Starting Pitchers: Brad Tebeau AL, Leonardo Walker NL

Mid-Season Report - AL

AL North
MVP: Rafael Silva
Cy Young: Pablo Ordonez
Rising Star:

Hardball Dynasty's

Samuel Davis

AL East
MVP: Archie Miller
Cy Young:

Hardball Dynasty's

Brad Tebeau

Rising Star: Darrell Rivera

AL South
MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Josh Cardona

Cy Young: Ivan Costilla
Rising Star: Banana Nichols

AL West
MVP: Hal Pickering
Cy Young: Charlie Strong
Rising Star:

Hardball Dynasty's

Ernest Richard

Mid-Season Report - NL

NL North
MVP: Jose Crespo
Cy Young:

Hardball Dynasty's

Leon Padgett

Rising Star: Wes Lewis

NL East
MVP: Dario Dickens
Cy Young: Marc White
Rising Star:

Hardball Dynasty's

A.J. Hurst

NL South
MVP: Ike Riggs
Cy Young:

Hardball Dynasty's

Alfredo Castilla

Rising Star: Frank Cho

NL West
MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Ed Harvey

Cy Young: Leonardo Walker
Rising Star: Damon Zerbe

Draft

Here's a little bit of draft history. Only four players drafted in the 18th round or later have played in the big leagues.

Hardball Dynasty's

Carson Weaver

Season: 8
Round: 24
Pick: 767
Owner: reitsmania
Franchise: Jackson
Age: 18
School: Edinburg HS (--)
Location: Edinburg, IL
Signing Bonus: $16,000

52 ML Games; 82 IP; 4-5; 4 saves, 4.94 ERA
 

Hardball Dynasty's

Pedro Perez

Season: 4
Round: 23
Pick: 743
Owner: wihargo
Age: 20
Franchise: Anaheim
School: San Jacinto College-Central (SO)
Signing Bonus: $16,250

358 ML games; 196/939; .209 BA; 29 HR; 127 RBI
 

Hardball Dynasty's

Ariel Perez

Season: 4
Round: 20
Pick: 640
Owner: dwevans24
Franchise: Pawtucket
Age: 22
School: Martin Luther College (SR)
Signing Bonus: $18,000

468 ML games; 459/1751; .262 BA; 112 HR; 304 RBI

Hardball Dynasty's

Kyle George

Season: 2
Round: 18
Pick: 600
Owner: dedelman
Franchise: Trenton
Age: 18
School: Lodi HS (--)
Signing Bonus: $20,000

399 ML games; 393.1 IP; 25-19; 8 saves; 4.69 ERA

Player Awards Predictions

CY YOUNG AWARD

NL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Cliff Dessens

Dessens won 16 games in 26 starts after being traded to Monterrey. Undoubtedly the win total increase with a full season in the National League. The lefty is one of the few pitchers that can throw 240+ innings. That should help bloat his strikeout number.

Don't count out - Leonardo Walker, Vicente Delgado

AL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Boomer Charles

Kind of hard to choose any other American League pitcher. Charles has won three straight Cy Young Awards. He's also won 22 games in each of the last three years. He may go down as the best pitcher of the Fingers League's second decade. He's won 141 games since Season 11.

Don't count out - Rico Macias, Mariano Perez

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

NL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Juan Henriquez

Henriquez is the perfect hitter. His contact, power and splits are grade A. Then you throw in an almost perfect eye. He's a guarantee to hit .300 with 30 home runs, score 100 runs, drive in 100 runs and walk 100 times.

Don't count out - Taylor Glynn, Bruce Drabek

AL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Chuck Moore

Just let us vote Moore into the Hall of Fame right now. The guy is a first ballot lock. He's already won four AL MVP Awards, countless Silver Sluggers and has been selected to a zillion All-Star games. Moore is only 31 years old so his career offensive numbers will continue to swell.

Don't count out - Louie Ma, Kevin Pong

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

NL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Damon Zerbe

Zerbe was the 10th overall pick in Season 14 draft. The 22-year-old rookie hit .262 in 103 big league at bats last season. His contact is projected to be of elite status. His batting eye and splits don't appear to be that far behind.

Don't count out - Roger Haren, Lee Bonham, Harry Navarro

AL:

Hardball Dynasty's

Archie Miller

Archie Miller was drafted 4th overall in Season 13. He has hit 51 home runs in each of his last two minor league seasons. The power this guy has rivals Chuck Moore. He had a .717 career slugging percentage in the minor leagues. Miller will absolutely wreak havoc on left-handed pitching and he should be able to steal some bases too. His speed and power combination is unseen in this world. If he had a brain on the base paths he'd be a 40-40 guy, maybe even 50-50.

Don't count out - Ernest Richard

Hall of Fame Cases

For the first time since the Fingers Hall of Fame was established there is no clear cut inductee. But there are a strong group of players with great accomplishments. We have a two guys with 200+ wins, another two with 500+ home runs and three others with 300+ saves.

Hardball Dynasty's

Quilvio Mesa

Quilvio Mesa didn't accomplish any of that. He finished his career with a stellar record of 188-97. Of the seven pitchers up for nomination with 180+ wins Mesa has the lowest OAV, OBP, SLG, WHIP and ERA.  The kicker for me though was that during the three World Series runs by the Tobacco Beetles Mesa was 8-0 in 14 playoff starts.

Hardball Dynasty's

James Yamaguchi

I believe Yamaguchi is the only Hall of Fame candidate to receive an automatic nomination this season; He won four Fireman of the Year awards (a league record). The four other closers with 200+ saves that are Hall eligible combined to win only three Fireman awards.

Full Disclosure: Yamaguchi was the closer on two of my New Orleans Flashers teams that went to the World Series. He was a combined 13 for 14 in save opportunities during those two playoff runs.

Position Players
I don't think there will be a position player that makes it to the Hall. I'd be surprised if one did. Kyle Lee's stats jump off the page a bit. He finished his career with 300 HR and 300 SB. He also had a couple 30/30 seasons. But he only made 2 all-star games and his four seasons in Seattle kept his offensive numbers from being Hall-worthy.

Season 17 CHAMPS

The Tucson Saguaros have won the Finger League's 17th World Series title! They defeated the Moterrey Gringos 4 games to 1.

The Tucson franchise had 11 straight seasons of playoff baseball and no World Series appearances with mcbain10 at the helm. This season RLeone took over and pulled a Jon Gruden. He took over Tony Dungy's team and led them to an elusive championship. Congratulations!

PLAYOFFS MVP:

Hardball Dynasty's

Santos Lopez

"The So-Cal Kid" crushed playoff opponents on the road to his 4th World Series title. He hit .400 with 8 home runs and 21 RBIs (all career playoff highs) in 50 at bats. His signature moment came in Game 5 of the World Series. With his team down 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th he hit a game-tying, 2-run home run off of former MAPS teammate Carlos Nunez. Tuscon scored in the bottom of the 11th to clinch the series.

FINGERS SEASON 17

My apologies for the such long delay between blog posts. Real life gets complicated sometimes. 

PLAYOFFS

American League
1. Milwaukee Brewmasters 108-54 (REIGNING CHAMPS; 7th straight playoff appearance)
2. Tucson Saguaros 101-61 (12th straight playoff appearance)
3. Boston Brawlers 90-72 (3rd straight playoff apperance)
4. El Paso Federales 86-76 (7th straight playoff appearance)
5. San Juan T.E.M.A.P.S 89-73 (13th playoff appearance in 14 seasons)
6. Portland Fog 88-74 (1st playoff appearnace since Season 7)

National League
1. Monterrey Gringos 100-62 (2nd playoff appearance ever)
2. Trenton Capitols 99-63 (17th straight playoff appearance - League Record)
3. Colorado Springs Rainbow Trout 99-63 (6th playoff appearance in 7 seasons)
4. Rochester Spirit of Ontario 90-72 (2nd straight playoff appearance)
5. Charleston Men of Risk 91-71 (9th playoff appearance in 12 seasons)
6. Mexico City Banditos Yanquis 91-71 (3rd straight playoff appearance)

Good luck to all 12 teams. I'll be praying for a NL team to finally end this awful streak. themehl won the first 3 league titles and the NL has lost every World Series since. :(

YOUR LOUIE MA UPDATE

Louie Ma won his 4th AL Batting Title this past season. He is the only player in Fingers history to win more than three batting titles. Ma also hit his 400th career HR. The numbers he has put up during his 10-year career are as impressive as any player in League history.

Bonk Blake became the 2nd position player to enter the Fingers HOF. Like Ma, he primarily played second base. Blake was voted as the best second baseman in the Fingers Leauge's first decade. So it leads me to the question... Who is better?

HITTING
BLAKE-
2292GP/.324BA/.427OBP/.559SLG/2591H/1642R/438HR/1512RBI/952XBH/1411BB
MA-
1414GP/.333BA/.427OBP/.648SLG/1792H/1142R/402HR/1267RBI/829XBH/848BB

FIELDING @ 2B
BLAKE-
1037GS/.981FLD%/2337PO/3653A/118E/815DP/10+/37-/6.31RF
MA-
1095GS/.981FLD%/2076PO/3261A/103E/698DP/25+/14-/5.18RF