The (Improved) Finger Lakes League

[Big Six]

June 20, 1906

WEST          W   L    PCT  GB
Canandaigua   42  31  .575  --
Geneva        40  33  .548   2
Corning       34  39  .466   8
Batavia       33  40  .452   9

EAST          W   L    PCT  GB
Auburn        42  31  .575  --
Ithaca        41  32  .562   1
Elmira        36  37  .493   6
Oswego        24  49  .329  18

At the All-Star break, both divisions have dandy pennant races in full swing. The teams that appeared in the first Championship Series are at the top of the standings once again, but they're both being closely challenged by exciting new rivals.

Nobody should be surprised by the fact that Armando Ramirez (11-3, 1.67, 132 K in 145 IP) is off to another great start, and he's a big reason why the Canandaigua Cats are in first place. The Wonder Boy is getting plenty of mound help from Daryl Riggs (126 K in 109 IP), young Gene Stephens (6-3, 2.80) and new arrival Matt Carter, who was acquired from Batavia in January and has nine wins.

Several Canandaigua batsmen are off to great starts. 1B Terrence Barnett (.372-5-35, .455 OBP) is contending for another batting title. IF Oliverio Ambrogiani (.290-2-28, 60 BB) has an OBP of .430. Rookie LF Wally Blue (.325-8-43) and CF Ramon Ramirez (.313, 43 R) are also hitting above .300, and SS Francisco Vigueras has mashed 14 homers already.

Despite a roster that lacks Canandaigua's star power, the Geneva Green Sox are breathing down the Cats' necks. Enrique Medina, who spent part of the 1905 season at Class AAA and the rest working with some success out of the Geneva bullpen, has emerged as the ace of the Green Sox staff so far this year. He leads all FLL pitchers with 13 wins and has a fine 2.27 ERA. CF Gabriel Vazquez (.287-12-48), leads the Geneva attack in his first year as a regular. 2B Rob Heard's average is down (.284), but he's cracked 11 homers.

Among the other stars of the West Division are Batavia's slugging first baseman, Hector Duran (.382-16-48, .500 OBP, .669 SLG) ; Corning LF Stu Fields (.328-6-30); and Glassmakers lefty Chris Ratzlaff (9-5, 2.76).

East Division pacesetter Auburn is once again depending on the all-around excellence of 2B Miguel Chavez (.357-14-46) and the steady performance of SS Ron Harris (.298-5-34). The A's boast the league's most productive offense, leading the circuit in runs scored and home runs. Gary Nelson (9-1, 3.40) and closer Carlos Gamez (1.08, 19 saves) are the most distinguished members of an otherwise middle-of-the-road mound staff.

The Ithaca Olympics are surprising some experts with their early-season success. CF Frank Clark (.336-11-51) and 1B Adam Turner have stepped up their offensive contributions, covering for SS Cipriano Torres (.254), who has struggled through an injury-plagued first half. Dusty Johnson and Tony Goodwin each have nine wins for the Olympics, and relief ace William Blair has saved 20 Olympics victories.

LF Julio Bruno, 3B Geoffrey Marks, and RF Rich Everett are once again keying the Elmira attack, while 2B Jose Soriano (.313-1-29) and LF Justin Lang (.281-2-26) are doing their best to keep Oswego respectable.

Today at Elmira's Eldridge Park, the following lineups will take the field for the All-Star game:

EAST DIVISION
Julio Bruno, Elmira, CF
Justin Lang, Oswego, LF
Miguel Chavez, Auburn, 2B
Rich Everett, Elmira, RF
Geoffrey Marks, Elmira, 3B
Ron Harris, Auburn, SS
Adam Turner, Ithaca, 1B
Stephen Beddall, Ithaca, C
Gary Nelson, Auburn, P

WEST DIVISION
Milo Deal, Corning, CF
Francisco Vigueras, Canandaigua, SS
Hector Duran, Canandaigua, 1B
Rob Heard, Geneva,2B
Dean Miller, Batavia, 3B
Gabriel Vazquez, Geneva, LF
Wally Blue, Canandaigua, RF
Andres Velasco, Canandaigua, C
Armando Ramirez, Canandaigua, P

[ryanivr]

Glad to see Ithica just one game out. Come on boys!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by ryanivr

Glad to see Ithica just one game out. Come on boys!

The Olympics are certainly hanging tough right now, but according to Pythagoras, they've been a little bit lucky so far. They've scored 316 runs, which places them fourth among the FLL's eight teams, and they've allowed 303, also fourth. Their actual record (41-32) is three games better than their Pythagorean prediction (38-33).

Auburn, on the other hand, has been a bit unlucky, with a Pythagorean prediction that's two games better than their actual performance so far.

Both Ithaca and Auburn have struggled a little in June; they each have 8-9 records so far this month.

Here's the latest set of power rankings:

TEAM          PR
Canandaigua  112
Auburn       107
Geneva       100
Ithaca        95
Elmira        86
Corning       81
Batavia       80
Oswego        60

On paper, Auburn seems to be the better team, but baseball isn't played on paper. It looks like the East Division is in for a great finish.

[Dr. Wu]

Originally Posted by Big Six

On paper, Auburn seems to be the better team, but baseball isn't played on paper.

Quite right. It's played on silicon!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Dr. Wu

Quite right. It's played on silicon!

Well said, Dr. Wu.

I'll have an update ready to go here pretty soon.

[Big Six]

November 1, 1906

WEST         W   L    PCT  GB
Batavia      83  71  .539  --
Canandaigua  81  73  .526   2
Corning      81  73  .526   2
Geneva       79  75  .513   4

WEST         W   L    PCT  GB
Auburn      85  69   .552  --
Elmira      77  77   .500   8
Ithaca      69  85   .448  16
Oswego      61  93   .396  24

You could have forgiven Batavia Blue Jays fans if they'd started to lose interest in the baseball season back in June. Their team was languishing in last place, nine games off the lead, and bore every mark of a mediocre club.

Then, as the calendar turned to July, the Blue Jays caught fire. That surge, combined with an August fade by the Canandaigua Cats, enabled the Jays to battle back into the pennant race. Batavia took the lead for the first time in early September, and from that point forward, they battled Canandaigua tooth-and-claw for the title.

As luck would have it, Batavia hosted Canandaigua in the final series of the season. The Blue Jays held a one-game lead as the three-game set began, and the clubs split the first two. Canandaigua could force a playoff with a win in the finale, but Batavia's Dylan Russell pitched a beautiful game and the Jays clinched the pennant with a 4-2 victory.

Russell (20-12, 3.89, 145 K) was certainly a key to the Blue Jays' success, and so were closer Andres Miranda (32 saves, 3.10), 2B Dean Miller (.284-11-86) and C Jack Davis (.268-9-6). The Jays' biggest hero was, however, 1B Hector Duran, the league's Outstanding Batter.

Duran, dubbed "El Bateador" by his adoring fans, hit .357/.479/.624, with 27 home runs and 96 RBI. Duran, Miller, and Davis all demonstrated incredible strike zone judgment; they drew 115, 100, and 117 walks respectively, and all posted OBPs over .400.

Canandaigua's pitching staff, which had been so solid during the first half of the season, lost its magic after the All-Star Break. Armando Ramirez (20-9, 1.92, 260 K) was spectacular and won another Outstanding Pitcher Award, but the rest of the rotation slipped badly. Ramirez was denied the pitchers' Triple Crown by teammate Darryl Riggs, who whiffed 274 batters--but Riggs (12-16, 3.88) was otherwise fairly undistinguished.

The Cats got fine seasons from 1B Terrence Barnett (.344-9-67, 203 H) and LF Wally Blue (.339-15-81), the league's Rookie of the Year. 2B Oliverio Ambrogiani walked 117 times and posted an OBP of .414, but otherwise failed to match his excellent 1905 season.

Corning sneaked into a second-place tie, with a potent attack that featured five men hitting over .300. The mid-season addition of C Curt Roberts, who hit .315-4-48 after his promotion from Penn Yan (AAA) gave the Glassmakers a big lift. LHP Jose Rivera went 12-2 after the All-Star break and finished with a 20-10, 3.48 season, while lefty Chris Ratzlaff (18-11, 3.27, 143 K) continued to establish himself as one of the league's best starters.

Despite a dandy season from RHP Enrique Medina (22-10, 2.94, 226 K) and a fence-busting lineup that boasted three men with more than 20 homers (2B Rob Heard, 27; CF Gabriel Vazquez, 24; 1B Brian Stevenson, 22), the Geneva Green Sox slid to the West Division basement. The fact that the Sox finished with a winning record testifies to the strength and balance of the West Division.

In the East, Auburn pulled away from the field and won the division with ease. The league's most productive offense was led by incomparable 2B Miguel Chavez (.347-42-128, 201 H, 124 R, 45 SB). C Tom Smith slammed 23 homers, and 1B Mike Holmes hit .298 with 16 HR.

Young RHP Daniel Moon (20-8, 3.15, 175 K) emerged as the staff's ace, and the A's struck gold when they shifted closer Carlos Gamez to the rotation. In 47 games, including 21 starts, Gamez went 9-10 with 19 saves, a 2.03 ERA, and 149 K in 155 IP.

Elmira played steady, .500 baseball, which was good enough for second place in the East. RF Rich Everett (.271-28-137) won the RBI title, frequently driving in LF Julio Bruno (.296, .455 OBP, 138 BB) and 3B Geoffrey Marks (.347-14-93, .433 OBP).

Ithaca couldn't maintain the winning pace they set during the first months of the season, and a wretched 5-24 record in August sealed their fate. A season-ending injury to CF Frank Clark (.308-15-69), who fractured his jaw on August 4, certainly didn't help things. 1B Adam Turner (.297-20-82) and RHP Dusty Johnson (14-14, 3.59, 144 K) also had good seasons for the Olympics.

Oswego won eight more games than they did in 1905, but that still wasn't enough to propel them out of last place. Foxes fans appreciated the efforts of RHP Jeffrey Hennessey (17-16), 2B Jose Soriano (.316-8-65), LF Justin Lang (.301-10-66) and SS Greg Carruthers (.281-11-70)

The Championship Series was every bit as exciting as the 1905 classic had been. The Batavia Blue Jays completed their splendid summer by coming back from a 3-2 deficit to win the Series in seven games.

[Big Six]

1906 Miscellanea

The town of LeRoy is the birthplace of Jell-O, and for that reason the local AAA team is known as the Jell-Os. It's also the home of the 1906 AAA champions. The Batavia affiliate defeated the Cortland Cougars, 3-1, to capture the championship series.

The Jell-Os, like many AAA champion squads, were filled with veterans. RHP Jose DeCastillo (15-10, 2.89) was the only true prospect that stood out for LeRoy this year.

The Trumansburg Terriers boasted the best record in AA this season, and completed their fine season with a 3-1 victory over the Lyons Lancers in the playoffs. The Terriers were led by 21-year-old LHP Franklin Gladden (14-6, 1.61), the league's Oustanding Pitcher. Gladden doesn't throw hard, but he keeps hitters off balance with a variety of breaking pitches, and has superb control.

Lyons LF John Harrison won the AA Outstanding Hitter award. Formerly a star at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, the 20-year-old Geneva prospect hit .416-5-47 in 116 games. Harrison doesn't have much power, but he nevertheless seems to have a future in the game.

Montour Falls fans had plenty to cheer about in 1906, as their Pioneers swept the Newark Reds to win the Class A championship. 1B Ken "Kitten" Richardson, one of the game's brightest prospects, won the Outstanding Hitter Award and appears on his way to stardom. Richardson, who was drafted #2 overall in the 1905 draft by Elmira, hit .336/.410/.413, with 5 homers and 49 RBI, and drew 56 walks.

Geneva took RHP Frank Vance fifth overall in '05, and he began his pro career by winning the Class A Outstanding Pitcher Award in his first full season. Vance went 12-10, 1.96 for the runner-up Lyons Lancers.

Here are the top ten prospects in the league, according to Baseball America. (Note: I've edited this list to remove Greg Carruthers and Jack Davis, who are already FLL All-Stars.)

PLAYER                          TEAM         POS  AGE  DRAFT      AMATEUR TEAM
 1.  Ken "Kitten" Richardson    Geneva       1B    21  1905, #2   Syracuse
 2.  Mark McGinnis              Corning      RHP   20  1906, r6   Auburn HS
 3.  Roger Bowers               Corning      SS    23  1905, #3   St. John Fisher
 4.  Will Kelley                Canandaigua  LF    20  1906, #8   McQuaid Jesuit HS
 5.  Dorian Pruitt              Corning      2B    23  1906, r2   Buffalo
 6.  Matt "Bulldog" Boggs       Ithaca,      3B    20  1906, #4   Batavia HS
 7.  Joe Hicks                  Batavia      RF    19  1906, r2   Fairport HS
 8.  Larry Walters              Canandaigua  2B    19  1906, r3   Christian Brothers Academy
 9.  Jose "El Gato" Gonzales    Oswego       RHP   23  1906, #1   Keuka
10.  Ken Clark,                 Corning      RHP   23  1906, #2   Syracuse

# = draft position in first round of June draft
r = round selected in June draft

Collegiate Champion: Canisius (defeated Ithaca in playoffs)
Outstanding Batter: Stanley Martin, Keuka
Outstanding Pitcher: Zhen-bang Chow, Canisius

High School Champion: Leroy High School (defeated Christian Brothers Academy in playoffs)
Outstanding Batter: Vic Gale, Auburn High School
Outstanding Pitcher: Fernando Diaz, Christian Brothers Academy

• Canisius successfully defended its 1905 collegiate championship.
• Stanley Martin and Fernando Diaz won their respective awards for the second straight year.
• Martin was chosen by Batavia in the first round of the June 1906 amateur draft, and despite a .193 average for Class A Avon, remains a top prospect.
• Diaz, who turned 17 on October 8, 1906, has scouts salivating.

[Afino]

As a Fisher grad, I'm proud to see they're churning out talent

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Afino

As a Fisher grad, I'm proud to see they're churning out talent

Hey, Afino:

Here are three more Fisher players we might want to keep an eye on:

• LF Luis Zuniga, 21, is considered the best pro prospect on the current Cardinals roster. His calling card is immense power, and he should also develop a sharp batting eye.
  
• 3B Chip Mayell, 20, projects as a high-average hitter with good on-base skills. He's only average defensively, or he might be rated higher than Zuniga.
  
• RF Ty "Beagle" Frye, 20, has absolutely no power and can't yet tell a ball from a strike, but he's still considered a player with a future. He's a long shot, but the scouts like him.

I don't think any of them are nearly as good as Roger Bowers, who hit .401 at Class A Painted Post and got promoted all the way up to Corning, where he hit .291 in 18 games. Bowers will be starting somewhere for the Glassmakers in '07; either he or Dorian Pruitt will play short and the other will be at second.

[Whitesox]

I love Fictional leagues. I have been rooting for Oswego since the begining, and am hoping to see them pull out of last place.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Whitesox

I love Fictional leagues. I have been rooting for Oswego since the begining, and am hoping to see them pull out of last place.

There's hope ahead for the Foxes. Their farm system ranks third among the eight FLL teams, and includes a mixture of hitters and pitchers of promise.

Jose "El Gato" Gonzales, who had a great collegiate career at Keuka and was the #1 overall pick in the 1906 draft, looks like a future ace. If he reaches his potential, he will be every bit as good as Armando Ramirez...if not better. "El Gato" will probably begin the 1907 at AA, but the Foxes won't hesitate to promote him if he shows any signs of being ready.

[davwms]

Just came across this... being from Central New York myself, Im interested in seeing how this league has been progressing? Anything still going on with it? Just curious... :-)

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by davwms

Just came across this... being from Central New York myself, Im interested in seeing how this league has been progressing? Anything still going on with it? Just curious... :-)

I haven't forgotten completely about this league, but I haven't done much with it in a while. I have another dynasty going that I've been attached to, but seeing this one bumped back to the top of the list reminds me that I've really enjoyed this one, too. It's a completely fictional league experience, which can be a lot of fun.

I think I'll see if I can keep two dynasties going strong here. Thanks for the bump, davwms.

[Big Six]

Yes, I realize I'm bumping my own thread. I've had a few requests, both on the boards and via private messages, to get the Finger Lakes League up and running again. By the end of the week I ought to have time to do just that. I always enjoyed this league; I simply got too busy to spend much time with it.

I hope any of you who followed the Finger Lakes League back in the day will rejoin me as I continue its story.

[Big Six]

June 20, 1907

WEST          W   L    PCT  GB
Corning       40  33  .548  --
Canandaigua   37  36  .507   3
Geneva        36  37  .493   4
Batavia       34  39  .466   6

EAST          W   L    PCT  GB
Auburn        42  31  .575  --
Elmira        37  36  .507   5
Ithaca        37  36  .507   5
Oswego        29  44  .397  13

As the 1907 season reaches its halfway point, seven of the eight teams in the Finger Lakes League are still very much in contention for division championships. Although the Corning Glassmakers and Auburn Athletics hold secure leads right now, they haven't been able to pull away from their closest contenders.

The Glassmakers will be looking over their shoulders for the next five weeks or so, while lefthander Chris Ratzlaff recovers from a biceps strain. Ratzlaff was pitching better than any man in the league, with a remarkable 13-1 record and a 1.71 ERA. Esteban Martinez (9-6, 3.15) will have to assume the role of staff ace while Ratzlaff mends, and undoubtedly the Glassmakers will rely more heavily on All-Star closer Ryan "Locomotive" Fisher. Corning's rather ordinary offense is led by C Curt Roberts (.332) and veteran LF Stu Fields (.339-9-41).

Well-known stars are leading the Canandaigua Cats once again. Armando Ramirez is, as usual, enjoying a great season (12-4, 2.31, 101 K), but the rest of the Cats' pitching staff is proving to be vulnerable this season. Oliviero Ambrogiani (.344) and Terrence Barnett (.322) are hitting well, but that's not surprising in either case.

Geneva, like Corning, will have to make do without a star player for several weeks. CF Gabriel Vazquez broke his nose on June 16, and he's expected to miss up to four weeks. Vazquez has 12 homers and 42 RBI.

The Batavia Blue Jays surged from last place to first during the second half of the 1906 season, and if they're going to win another Championship Series, they'll have to repeat last season's feat. 1B Hector Duran (.366-18-51, .475 OBP) is once again the main man for the Jays' formidable offense, but the Jays will need to get better work from their mound staff in order to contend for a championship.

Auburn fans are cheering the exploits of the Athletics' crack double play combination: 2B Miguel Chavez (.355-16-55) and SS Ron Harris (.374/.508/.540). Harris leads the league in batting average and OBP. All four members of the Aubun rotation have won at least eight games, and Carlos Gamez has returned to the bullpen to rack up 21 saves.

Elmira slugger Ron Everett (.315-24-87) has the league records for home runs and RBI in a single season in his sights. Rockin' Ron is on pace to club 51 homers and drive in 187 runs. Both totals would easily surpass the existing FLL standards: Chavez' 42 home runs and Everett's own mark of 137 RBI.

Looking for some help for ace Dusty Johnson (9-4, 2.30) Ithaca traded two prospects to Canandaigua for hard-throwing Darryl Riggs. The power lefthander is 1-3 in five starts since joining the Olympics on May 26, but he's struck out 42 batters in 37 innings. Perhaps Riggs' performance on April 16, when he struck out 15 Olympics to tie a league record, influenced Ithaca's decision to acquire him.

Hapless Oswego is getting decent production from SS Greg Carruthers (.292-7-32) and RF Rich Ervin (14 HR, 49 RBI), but their awful pitching staff is dragging them like an anchor to the bottom of the standings once again. Could Jose "El Gato" Gonzales (12-4, 2.69 at AA Baldwinsville), last year's #1 overall draft pick, be on his way to Oswego soon?

Today's All-Star Game will be played at Canandaigua's scenic Lakeside Park. Here are the starting lineups for each team:

EAST DIVISION
Jack Davis (BAT), C
Chris Madden (BAT), RF
Hector Duran (BAT), 1B
Rob Heard (GEN), 2B
Ryan Tracy (BAT), LF
Dean Miller (BAT), 3B
Francisco Vigueras (CAN), SS
Wally Blue (CAN), CF
Armando Ramirez (CAN), P

WEST DIVISION
Julio Bruno (ELM), LF
Ron Harris (AUB), SS
Geoffrey Marks (ELM), 3B
Miguel Chavez (AUB), 2B
Ron Everett (ELM), RF
Jesus Tamayo (AUB), CF
Mike Holmes (AUB), 1B
Victor Martinez (OSW), C
Gary Nelson (AUB), P

[Afino]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Yes, I realize I'm bumping my own thread. I've had a few requests, both on the boards and via private messages, to get the Finger Lakes League up and running again. By the end of the week I ought to have time to do just that. I always enjoyed this league; I simply got too busy to spend much time with it.

I hope any of you who followed the Finger Lakes League back in the day will rejoin me as I continue its story.

I'm here! Thanks!

[Big Six]

Now that my semester is over, the grades are in, and the holidays are well underway, I should have some time for my OOTP dynasties, including this one.

I've played to the end of the '07 season, so I should be able to update soon.

"What Might Have Been" will be up and running again, too. Sorry for the endless delays!