Major Oregon Baseball League (MOBL)

[GamerGramp]

So, I'm new to OOTP and sports managers in general. I just picked up OOTP 15 at the beginning of this year's (2014) World Series. (How about that Mad Bum?) I've tinkered with the game quite a bit in the last few weeks and started reading some of the Dynasty Reports and decided to do an off-line report for myself.

I like it! Writing the reports helps me with immersion. I think I have a better feel for the players now.

Alright, you say, enough with the preamble. Get on with it. What about the league?

Glad you asked. I started a fictional league, the Major Oregon Baseball League (MOBL), in 1964. Why '64? Dunno. Why not? (No, I wasn't born in '64. I have no particular attachment to that year.) I set it up as an 18-team league with 3 divisions (Northern, Central, and Southern) of 6 teams each. The top 2 teams in each Division get into the playoffs along with 2 Wildcards, to give me 8 teams for the post season. Seeding is based on win%, rather than position at the end of the regular season.

First round is best-of-5, while the second and final round are both best-of-7.

I ran through the 1964 season just trying to get a feel for the game, ended up squeaking into the playoffs on a sudden death win to become the 8^th seed. Surprisingly, my team managed to win the first round (3 games to 2). We were swept out of the second round.

After that, I started a couple other leagues with different settings, fiddled with the player editor, tried managing a minor league team (ouch, what a pain!), and generally familiarized myself with OOTP. (I learned quite a bit more about baseball in general, as well. So time well spent, IMO.)

Now I'm back to the original game. I stumbled through the off-season (I really don't know how to manage trades and signings well) and into Spring Training, mostly keeping the original team intact (we had the #1 or #2 starting rotation, all young). And as I mentioned above, I started writing a 'dynasty report' just for myself.

I'm not going to keep it to myself, though. It helps me understand my team and I rather enjoy putting it together.

So, without further ado, I shall present the Major Oregon Baseball League (MOBL).

(And if any of you have questions, please ask.)

[GamerGramp]

Before getting started, I should probably introduce the teams.

In the Northern Division we have these six teams;
Astoria Sirens
Portland Mavericks
Tilamook Brigands
Salem Capitals (I am GM for this organization)
Pendleton Cowboys
Oregon City Green Sox

In the Central Division;
Eugene Ents
Corvallis Beavers
Prineville Wildcats
Newport Pirates (defending champions)
Florence Nightingales
Bend Silver Hawks

And in the Southern Division;
Ashland Tempest
Medford Raiders
Coos Bay Blue Waves
Roseburg Timbers
Kalamath Falls Osprey
Grants Pass Black Foxes

With only one season in the bag, there really isn't much to say about the teams from a historical standpoint (other than the Pirates won the first championship). Each team has three minor league affiliates, one at each level from A to AAA (no Rookie or Short Season A).

I'm starting this report a couple of weeks into the '65 season. Still April, but Spring Training is over, I made the roster changes (and discovered that I have zip in organizational depth). We got out of Spring Training, thankfully, with only one minor injury to our All-Star catcher, Jack Johnston. He'll miss the first three days of the season.

Otherwise, the team was ready to go, so we thought.

[GamerGramp]

Here's the team as it stands 24 games into the season. (Oh, I use the default 20 point rating scale.)

Starting Rotation

SP Greg 'Octopus' McGee (28 years old, RHP, Stuff 20 / Movement 17 / Control 11)
Pitches: Cutter 16 / Slider 17 / Changeup 16 / Splitter 11 (No Fastball!)
Rated #1 overall in the MOBL.
(Don't ask about the nickname. I don't want to know, and neither do you!)
Last season he posted a 14-9 record with a 2.27 ERA (1.08 WHIP, 2.25 FIP), 229 K's in 234.1 IP. Allowed only 5 HR all season.

SP Herb Faulkner (29 years old, RHP, Stuff 17 / Movement 13 / Control 15)
Pitches: Fastball 15 (94-96) / Slider 15 / Changeup 2 (!!) / Forkball 15
Posted a 15-16 record in 1964, with 244 K's in 270.1 IP (2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3.07 FIP).

SP Sam Mitchell (25 years old, RHP, Stuff 13 / Movement 13 / Control 19)
Pitches: Fastball 10 (89-91 Mph) / Slider 11 / Changeup 12 / Forkball 12
Owns the best record (1964) among my starters, at 21-8. (3.10 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 3.42 FIP)

SP Lucas Browning (31 years old, RHP, Stuff 9 / Movement 15 / Control 13)
Pitches: Fastball 10 (89-91 Mph) / Slider 6 / Changeup 11
Last year: 17-9, 3.24 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.56 FIP)

SP Antonio Figueroa (38 years old, RHP, Stuff 9 / Movement 11 / Control 14)
Pitches: Fastball 7 (86-88 Mph) / Slider 8 / Changeup 8
Last year: 13-12, 3.94 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3.97 FIP

Bullpen

CL Arthur Rutherford (24 years old, RHP, Stuff 20 / Movement 9 / Control 9)
Pitches: Fastball 13 (90-92 Mph) / Curveball 8 / Slider 15
Arthur started 1964 on my sh**-list. By the end, he was arguably the best guy in the pen.
He had a 6-6 record with a 3.34 ERA (1.16 WHIP, 3.17 FIP)

SU Roberto Sanchez (30 years old, RHP, Stuff 20 / Movement 10 / Control 7)
Pitches: Fastball 10 (90-92 Mph) / Slider 17 / Changeup 6
Sanchez was our closer through most of last year. By the end of the season I moved him around a bit.
Last year: 5-1 with 19 SV's, a 2.66 ERA and a 10.9 K/9 ratio! (1.38 WHIP, 4.11 FIP)

MR Jon Robinson (28 years old, RHP, Stuff 18 / Movement 5 / Control 10)
Pitches: Fastball 11 (89-91 Mph) / Curveball 13 / Changeup 4
Acquired in a trade with the Bend Silver Hawks during the off-season. Posted 7 Wins and 16 Losses, with a 5.68 ERA on a bad team. (1.58 WHIP, 5.25 FIP)

MR Tom Barber (27 years old, RHP, Stuff 15 / Movement 9 / Control 8)
Pitches: Fastball 9 (89-91 Mph) / Changeup 12 / Splitter 10 / Forkball 7
Last year: 1-2, 3.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 4.76 FIP

MR Eric Gable (24 years old, LHP, Stuff 10 / Movement 9 / Control 9)
Pitches: Fastball 11 (97-99 Mph) / Curveball 5 / Slider 6 / Changeup 1 (I don't even know why...)
AAA last year. Won a spot in our bullpen entirely because he's a lefty with amazing heat.

MR Albert Moore (19 years old, RHP, Stuff 7(14)/ Movement 5(9)/ Control 1(5))
Pitches: Fastball 6(8) (87-89 Mph) / Curveball 3(9) / Changeup 3(9) / Splitter 7(10)
Moore hurled in AA last year. The only reason he was in Spring Training this year was because I placed him on the 40-man roster at the end of last season to protect him from the “Rule-5” draft. That, and I have no freaking depth. He impressed me well enough to stick around for a bit, though he was terrible in his last two appearances at the end of Spring Training.

MR Brenton Skinner (33 years old, RHP, Stuff 12 / Movement 12 / Control 11)
[Currently on the DL. Read on to find out more.]
Pitches: Cutter 10 / Curveball 9 / Changeup 9 (Another guy without a fastball in the repertoire.)
Mediocre last year, with a 3-4 record with a 4.78 ERA (1.31 WHIP, 3.69 FIP)

[GamerGramp]

Catchers

C Jack Johnston (28, bats R)
(.314/.413/.525; OPS .937, 28 HR, 92 RBI)
Very good at the plate, not so good behind the plate. A passable defender at best, but that bat...

C Phil Nunn (28, bats S)
(.289/.351/.380; OPS .731)
Only 134 PA last year. Compared to Johnston, Nunn is an offensive liability. But he's a switch-hitter and a genius behind the plate.

Infielders

Here is where the lack of depth really hurts. I just don't have enough quality guys to go around.

UI Ronald Kirk (37, bats R)
(.291/.337/.436; OPS .774, 30 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 88 RBI)
You'll note his position is UI (Utility Infielder). This guy plays all three bases extremely well (17/18/19), and can even sub at SS (12). Offensively he's nothing to sneeze at either. His only downside is age.

UI Andy Moore (29, bats R)
(.218/.284/.307; OPS .635)
Another utility guy (20/18/20/15). Acquired as a Free Agent in the off-season. No power to speak of, but he had a very good Spring Training (.277; .333 OBP).

3B Desi Atwater (23, bats R)
(.275/.328/.358; OPS .685)
Rates a 20/20 at 3B! (I certainly have no shortage of guys who can play 3B.) Contact hitter with decent Gap Power. Doesn't strike out much.

SS Dave Carr (29, bats L)
(.237/.291/.340; OPS .630)
Middle Infielder (2B 19/ SS 16). Makes contact. Low strike-out total (about 13%). Curretnly (24 games in) on the DL. He'll be back in the lineup by the end of April.

2B John Snyder (28, bats L)
(.275/.326/.366; OPS .692)
Acquired in a trade mid-way through last season for an extra OF (Pat Murphy). Murphy has played in 12 total games since that trade. Plays 2B(18), SS(15), and LF(14).

1B Gary Fowler (29, bats L)
Played in AAA last year. And honestly? He's not ready for the Bigs. But I need warm bodies.

SS Harvey Curry (26, bats L)
Stop-gap. Here while Carr is out. Doesn't so much swing a bat, as he swings a wet noodle.

[GamerGramp]

Outfielders
This part is a mess, too.

RF Hector Aguilar (31, bats R)
(.280/.370/.405; OPS .775)
Leadoff hitter. Walks more than most (10%), strikes out less than most (15%). And he's fast. A better-than-average base stealer. Showing some improvement at the plate this year, despite his age.

LF Paul Sexton (28, bats R)
(.316/.357/.516; OPS .873, 44 K's in 546 PA)
Solid, both at the plate, and in LF.

CF Pat Merrill (28, bats R)
(.218/.293/.317; OPS .610)
Something of an offensive liability, but beggars can't be choosers. (Remember the comment about the OF I traded last year? Yeah, this guy is better.)

LF Angel Clement (29, bats R)
(.215/.273/.318; OPS .591)
A cheap Free Agent acquired in the off-season to provide some semblance of depth. Surprisingly, he's not doing terrible this season. Seems to do better off the bench.

UO Pablo Vargas (27, bats L)
(.325/.370/.470; OPS .840)
Acquired in a trade last season for a AA prospect (now acting as a bench warmer in the Bigs). Supposedly has power, though I haven't seen it. Still, a quality defensive outfielder at all three positions.

There you have it. That's the travesty that I call a team.

Next up... Opening Day!

[GamerGramp]

Thursday, April 1^st – Saturday, April 3^rd

@ Roseburg Timbers (0-0)

ROS 2, SAL 1; Greg McGee, 8.2 IP, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.08 ERA
Seven innings of shutout baseball to start the season! Yet, despite having 11 hits, the guys just couldn't put it together. McGee even went 2-for-3 at the plate.

ROS 6, SAL 5; Bob Grable (ROS), 8.0 IP, 1 BB, 7 K, 1.13 ERA
This was a drubbing, even though it doesn't look it. The Timbers had a 6-0 lead heading into the ninth. My guys managed to put up 5 runs in the 9^th, but that was too little, too late.

ROS 3, SAL 0; Desi Atwater, 0-for-4, 4 LOB
Sigh. Shutout. Sam Mitchell pitched all 8 innings for us, giving up a solo HR in the 7^th. Roseburg added two insurance runs in the 8^th.

The wrong end of a three-game sweep is no way to start the season. Our pitching has been there, but the bats seem a bit... soggy.

[GamerGramp]

Sunday, April 4^th – Tuesday, April 6^th

vs. Coos Bay Blue Waves (0-3) [Look! We're not the only team swept in the opening series. Yay?]

CB 8, SAL 5; Hector Aguilar, 4-for-5, 3 Doubles (MOBL record), 3 RBI, 0 K; Eric Gable, 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 ER, BS
We took an early 3-0 lead, but a 6-run 8^th by the Blue Waves sealed our fate. C Jack Johnston returned to the lineup for this game.

CB 5, SAL 4 (10)
Argh. Coos Bay lit up my starter (Figueroa) for 11 hits, including a 3-run homer to knock him out of the game. This was a team effort; only 4 hits.

SAL 3, CB 2; Greg McGee, 7.1 IP, 3 BB, 7 K; Arthur Rutherford, 1.2 IP, 1 K, 0.00 ERA
We won! How about that?

Nearly swept again. Not a great start.

[pauwoo]

Nice work! I've been working on an all Washington league myself.

Subscribed.

[GamerGramp]

Thanks for the support, pauwoo.

Having lived most of my life in western Oregon and SW Washington, I'm obviously more familiar with the geography here. And the hunger for good baseball in Oregon is amazing...

Grr. Stupid MLB.

[GamerGramp]

Wednesday, April 7^th – Friday, April 9^th

vs. Bend Silver Hawks (2-4)

SAL 5, BND 3; Herb Faulkner, 8.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR; A. Rutherford, 0.2 IP, 0 H, SV(2)
Ten runners LOB. We're hitting. We're just not putting it all together. SS Dave Carr was injured while running the bases.

SAL 5, BND 0; Sam Mitchell, 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (1.59 ERA)
Complete game shutout for young (25) Sam Mitchell. This performance earned him the #1 Player of the Day award from BNN.

BND 2, SAL 1; Dan Carter (BND), 8.0 IP, 0 BB, 5 K; Paul Sexton, 1-for-1, 0 BB, 2 SB!!
Good pitching, great defense. Our boys turned 3 double plays today! They just couldn't hit the ball.
MR Brenton Skinner was injured while pitching.

SS Dave Carr was diagnosed with a strained oblique. He will miss 2-3 weeks.

We're finally winning some games. Against a bottom-feeder, yes. But a W is a W. We get 'em where we can.

[GamerGramp]

Saturday, April 10^th – Monday, April 12^th

@ Prineville Wildcats (5-4)

PRI 5, SAL 2; Antonio Figueroa, 7.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
We managed just 2 runs on 9 hits. The Wildcats managed 3 doubles, 2 triples and a home run.

PRI 7, SAL 6; Jon Robinson, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (0.00 ERA)
Our starting ace got hammered for 6 runs in the 2^nd inning. A 5-run rally in the 5^th made it close, but neither team scored again and the Wildcats held on for the win. Despite the loss, Jon Robinson earned Player of the Game honors in relief for McGee.
Brenton Skinner (5.0 IP, 3 BB, 3 K, 3.60 ERA, 3.20 FIP) was diagnosed with a ruptured finger tendon and will miss 3-4 months.

PRI 6, SAL 0; Jon Robinson, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K (0.00 ERA)
Dark spot: Shutout. Again. (Second time in only 12 games.)
Bright spot: Jon Robinson, in back-to-back relief appearances, once again shuts the opposing hot bats down.

Injuries are taking a toll, even though we only have 2 guys on the DL. I have virtually no organizational depth (likely because I really don't know what I'm doing). This will be tough.

After 12 games, we're 3-9, but 0-for-6 on the road. After a day off, we get the next 9 games are at home.

[GamerGramp]

Wednesday, April 14^th – Friday, April 16^th

vs. Florence Nightingales (3-9; identical records)

SAL 5, FLO 4 (10); Sam Mitchell, 7.0 IP, 1 R (un-earned), 1 BB, 8 K (1.13 ERA)
Sam Mitchell was hot. Roberto Sanchez was hotter (1.0 IP, 3 K). Arthur Rutherford... not quite so hot (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, BS). Here's the kicker... Florence had NO EARNED RUNS for the entire game! Our boys in the field combined for 4 errors leading to 4 runs. Also, Rutherford hit the game-winning RBI in the 10^th to get the win. Wild game. (Oh, and Sam earned a PotD award.)

SAL 2, FLO 0; Lucas Browning (PotD), 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (1.23 ERA)
An RBI triple from Paul Sexton, followed by and RBI single from Desi Atwater in the first inning provided the only scoring in the game.

FLO 1, SAL 0; Greg McGee, 8.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R (un-earned), 2 BB, 13 K (NOT a club record!)
Classic... pitchers... duel. The only run came at the top of the 9^th inning. A leadoff error put the winning run on first. A single, a fielder's choice groundball (no play on the lead runner) and another single was all she wrote. Greg McGee was absolutely stellar in the loss. (2.83 ERA)

Despite both teams essentially being bottom-feeders at this point, they played some exciting baseball! We are now 5-10 (5-4 at home).

[GamerGramp]

Saturday, April 17^th – Monday, April 19^th

vs. Grants Pass Black Foxes (10-5)

GP 5, SAL 4 (13); Herb Faulkner; 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K (Had 8 games with 10+ K's last year.)
Roberto Sanchez came in to pitch the 9^th and proceeded to shut down the Black Fox offense for three innings, giving up only 1 hit and earning Player of the Game honors. Jon Robinson stepped up in the 12^th, but gave up the game-winning, walk-off, solo home run to LF Tim Hicks (.314, 46 HR, 146 RBI last season) in the bottom of the 13^th inning.

SAL 3, GP 0; Antonio Figueroa (PotD/PotG), 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
None of our boys had more than 1 hit today, but they put it together for the win.

SAL 7, GP 0; Sam Mitchell (PotD/PotG), 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (with a 0.82 ERA in 33 IP)
Back-to-back shutouts! SS Andy Moore and C Jack Johnston each hit a HR.

A very surprising three games against one of the better teams in the league (2^nd place in the Southern Division). We're now 7-5 at home, 7-11 overall.

[GamerGramp]

Tuesday, April 20^th – Thursday, April 22^nd

vs. Corvallis Beavers (8-10)

SAL 8, COR 6; Desi Atwater, 2-for-4, Triple, 5 RBI
This game wasn't as close as it looks. Eric Gable fell apart on the mound, surrendering 4 runs in 0.2 IP. Arthur Rutherford stepped in for the SV(4), sitting them down in order. Desi Atwater hit a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the 7^th.

SAL 6, COR 5; Roberto Sanchez; 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 K (8.0 IP, 3 BB, 12 K, 0.00 ERA)
Sanchez shut down the Beavers in the top of the 9^th. A 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9^th won the game, capped off by a pinch-hit, walk-off RBI double from Paul Sexton. Great defensive plays on both sides kept the game from ever getting out of hand.

COR 4, SAL 2; 2B Ronald Kirk, 3-for-5, Double, HR, RBI
McGee did not look sharp in his 6.2 innings of work (4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). Sanchez continues to dominate in the Setup role, however (1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K).

And thus ends out 9-game home-stand. We now have a respectable 9-6 record at home. Now, time to repair that abysmal away record...

[GamerGramp]

Friday, April 23^rd – Sunday, April 25^th

@Ashland Tempest (9-12)

SAL 7, ASH 1; Andy Moore, 2-for-5, Double, Triple, 2 RBI; Antonio Figueroa, 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Ashland's only run came off a solo homer in the first inning. Figueroa was rewarded with a Player of the Day nod.

SAL 8, ASH 4; Ronald Kirk, 2-for-4, 2 Doubles, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Kirk hit a 2 RBI double and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to give us a comfortable lead.

SAL 16, ASH 4; Andy Moore, 2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1K
Yes, 16 to 4. A grand-slam in the first by Andy Moore set the tone for the rest of the game. Ashland players suffered 3 injuries, as well. That might have had something to do with the final score, too.

This is the first time this season we have been on the right side of a sweep. And not only that, but it was on the road! Considering both teams went in with the same record, this is a very positive step in the right direction. The Capitals are now 12-12, tied for 3^rd place in the Northern Division.

2B Frank Douglas (Eagle Point, AAA) suffered a broken knee-cap (!) on Saturday. He'll miss the rest of the season. He was batting .211 with a .687 OPS.

SS Dave Carr comes of the DL on our off day and will be available for our upcoming series vs. 14-10 Pendleton Cowboys. I only had 24 guys on the active roster, so I don't have to make any room.

I recently got confirmation that my waiver claim on MR Dave Daniels was executed successfully. Daniels was waived by defending champion Newport. I picked Daniels up just so that I'd have some depth at the AAA level, where he's been lights-out (12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 24 games). He's not ready for the big time (4.26 ERA in 6.1 IP at the top level), but he gives me some breathing room down at AAA Eagle Point.

I also received a personal message from SP Lucas Browning on our off day. It seems that he's concerned that his contract with the team expires at the end of this season and he'd like to keep playing for us. So far this season in his 5 starts, he is 3-0 with a very impressive 1.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, but only a 3.79 FIP (decidedly average). I appreciate the heads up, Mr. Browning, but let's see where we stand at the All-Star break. Maybe those gaudy numbers will come back down to earth and we can work out a more realistic contract then.

[GamerGramp]

Tuesday, April 27^th – Thursday, April 29^th

vs. Pendleton Cowboys (14-10; 2^nd in Northern Division)

SAL 3, PEN 1; Dave Carr, 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K. First game back from the DL. No rust here.
SP Greg McGee went 8 innings for us today, giving up only one run. This is perhaps his best start of the season. He's still not as dominant as he was last season, but at least he's showing signs of life.

PEN 7, SAL 3; 3B Jose Mercado (PEN), 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K
Four homers in this game. Unfortunately, only one for our boys (Kirk) and it was a solo shot.

PEN 8, SAL 5; LF Paul Sexton, 2-for-4, Double, HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K

The Cowboys have some big bats in their lineup, and they all came to play in Salem. The team ERA took a beating.

Our scouting director, Dan Reed, recently returned from a trip to Puerto Rico. (I hate you, Dan.) He brings news of a pitching prospect, Carlos Sandoval. He's only 17 now, but Dan says he can see this kid making to the top some day. We'll see.

[GamerGramp]

As April comes to a close, so too does the first month of the season.

Our offense is, well, “struggling” is mild way to put it. We rank in the bottom half of the league in every stat except Bases on Balls and Strikeouts. I need to go shopping. The problem is I don't have much to entice the other teams to deal.

On the other hand, Ronald Kirk is absolutely killing it this last month. Not enough to win any awards for player of the month... but he's been putting up some very impressive numbers, regardless.

Pitching is another matter entirely. We rank in the top 6 in every category but one: the bullpen. The bullpen scares me. Here we're ranked 10^th overall (out of 18 teams, remember). Still, there is plenty of work to do. But again, I don't have any chips to deal, so I feel kind of stuck.

One interesting note about the league, here. The Capitals have no lefty starters. But that doesn't seem to be unusual. We're 11-15 vs. right-handed SP, and 2-0 vs. lefties. In 28 games, we've only faced 2 left-handed starters.

[GamerGramp]

1B/UI Ronald Kirk

[GamerGramp]

Friday, April 30^th – Sunday, May 2^nd

@Portland Timbers (12-15; 5^th in Northern Division)

POR 4, SAL 1; Jon Robinson, 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Not much to say here. The bats wilted and the pitching was not sharp.

SAL 5, POR 1; Antonio Figueroa, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K; Hector Aguilar, 4-for-5
Our bats were hot today, and so was the pitching. Between Figueroa and Robinson, the Mavericks managed just 4 hits.

POR 2, SAL 1; Greg McGee; 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 10 K
Once again the bats go silent, and we're unable to capitalize on McGee's pitching. Aguilar (lead off) went 2-for-4, but the guys behind him hit into 3 double plays today. (On a side note, McGee is the current career leader in FIP, with 2.26.)

A very disappointing trip to Portland. Our road woes continue to plague us.

[GamerGramp]

Around the League

Ronald Kirk was excellent in April, but not good enough for Player of the Month honors. That went to...

MOBL Honors Kugler, #1 Batter in April
Lee Kugler battered Major Oregon Baseball League pitchers all April and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month award.

“I've been around the league long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency,” the 28-year-old Kugler told reporters. “I put in alot of work, even on the days I might not take the field, and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did last month.”

In 28 games, Kugler hit .337 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and scored 23 runs.

This guy is the real deal. A natural lefty. Not the best defender out there in LF, but not exactly a liability, either.

Down at AA Oakridge, our very own Luis Sanchez took home the AA Pitcher of the Month honors. He posted a 0.91 ERA in 4 starts, earning a 3-0 record. He held opposing hitters to just .175 BA.

The Oakridge Vandals are also #1 in the power rankings at the AA level.

Here's another scary hitter in the MOBL...

Star of the Week awarded to Victor Martinez (Aside: Yeah, I know. Detroit Tigers. I know, I know.)

So far in his young career, Victor Martinez has kept a low profile, but after his performance at the plate last week, he attracted the notice of the rest of the Major Oregon Baseball League in a big way as he was named the Player of the Week today for his efforts.

The 23-year-old Prineville Wildcats shortstop hit at a torrid .519 clip as he collected 14 hits in 27 at-bats, no home runs, 7 RBIs and 4 runs scored.

This year Martinez is hitting .331 with 3 home runs and 23 RBIs to his credit. He has gotten on base at a .390 clip and scored 13 runs