Tag: Rimouski Fighting Moose

2018 LLCS Preview: Minneapolis Ravens vs Montreal Metros

(Game date: Sep. 15, 2018) — The Lake League Championship Series is set to go after a decisive Elimination Round series sweep was executed by the Montreal Metros, dispatching the East Division champion Rimouski Fighting Moose in 3 games, and the dominant Minneapolis Ravens dismantled the Boston Brawlers in 4.

Ravens’ Gabel Reyes was named Elimination Round MVP in the series against Boston

The Ravens unleashed a torrent of home runs in their set with Boston, with at least one in every game, but with three players going long in a game twice during the series. Center fielder Gabel Reyes tallied up 3 in total, scoring 7 runs and driving in 7 more on his way to a first career playoff MVP honor. Continue reading “2018 LLCS Preview: Minneapolis Ravens vs Montreal Metros” →

2018 Series Preview: Rimouski Fighting Moose vs Montreal Metros

(Game date: Sep. 8, 2018) —

The Bull League’s two teams from la belle province will face off in what promises to be a vicious battle for the right to advance to the Lake League Championship Series. The Montreal Metros and the Rimouski Fighting Moose faced each other in the LLCS in 2017, with the Metros claiming victory in a 3-2 series win.

But that was then. This year, the Fighting Moose are a much stronger team, having bankrupted their future to secure the big-name talent needed to pursue a postseason victory, under the guiding hand of former GM Bob Weinberg. Continue reading “2018 Series Preview: Rimouski Fighting Moose vs Montreal Metros” →

Nevada Retakes Lead in Week #15

The red-hot Nevada Speeders are back on top of the Weekly Team Power Rankings for Week #15, as the season quickly approaches its final days. Rimouski fell to 3rd in the rankings, as the Minneapolis Ravens also benefited from a 3-1 series against the Oxen, and 2-1 series over the Louisville Sluggers.

Rotation ace Ricky Rodriguez picked up loss number 4, and his record fell to 14-4 on the season, the only mark marring an otherwise glowing week for the Ravens. The Speeders were nearly flawless, however, dropping just one game to California on Tuesday, and then sweeping Miami in four, to finish the week 6-1. The loss to the tidals was the second of that series, which began on Sunday, thus the 6-1 record doesn’t include both losses in that series split. Continue reading “Nevada Retakes Lead in Week #15” →

Rimouski, St. Pete’s Surge to Top

Week 14 has come to a close in the Bull League, and the Rimouski Fighting Moose are on top of the weekly team power rankings. But, the St. Petersburg Admirals are close behind, as both teams surged ahead to 1st and 2nd and the Nevada Speeders fell to 4th. The Minneapolis Ravens stood pat at 3rd again this week.

The home stretch has arrived and less than 3 weeks remain on the regular season schedule, meaning teams like the Chicago Pit Bulls (25-57), who have been realistically out of the race for some time, will soon become mathematically eliminated, and the field of contenders will narrow.

The Detroit Motorheads, Louisville Sluggers and Norfolk Sharks are among the other teams who have extremely long odds at a wild card.

The Fighting Moose are 50-32, with the third-best record in baseball, but had a stellar week, going 4-1. On Monday, they dropped game 3 of a 4-game set with the Pit Bulls, then won game 4 to split the series 2-2. After a travel day, they swept provincial rivals, the Montreal Metros in the Battle of Quebec, to go 6-4 on the season against them. They play the Metros one last time in their final series of the season.

However, the injuries are beginning to stack up for the Fighting Moose, who have the highest payroll in baseball this year. Big swinging Alan Isimo is hampered by an undisclosed day-to-day injury suffered last week in the Metros series.  Three top starting pitchers are all out, including William Febres, Mo-ruo Chen, and Andy Boyles, adding up to nearly $30 million in annual salary out of the rotation and on the DL.  Three-time MVP Dao-zi Ling is also out with a fractured ankle and will not return unless the team makes the playoffs. Closer Marc Garland has been out with an elbow ligament tear since April and will not return until 2019.

Catchers Catch POTW NODS

Top BL catchers Earl MacPherson and Les Groves have been named Players of the Week for week #14. Groves, the Louisville top draft pick from 2017 was an impressive .588 at the plate, with 3 homers and 7 RBIs as the Sluggers stacked up runs against the New York Dragons last week.

Meanwhile, Norfolk Sharks catcher MacPherson batted .565 with five homers, 16 RBIs, in just 5 games over the week, including a 3-for-4 performance against the Admirals in which he homered twice and drove in 6 runs.

Several “Whales” Nearing Free Agency

The end of the 2018 season is looking like it will turn into a big-dollar free agent feeding frenzy, as some of the league’s top players look like they will walk away from their teams after the last playoff pitch is thrown.

The list of players who are eligible for free agency and have yet to sign extensions with their clubs is stacked with talent. While some, like Francisco Erazo of Miami, may hang up their cleats and retire. Others, like Rimouski’s Kyle Cahill, undoubtedly have all-star years and maybe player awards to look forward to in coming years. Continue reading “Several “Whales” Nearing Free Agency” →

Top 5: “Five-Tools” Players

The holy grail of player scouting and development is for a team to find a player that has to so-called “five tools” – that is, they can hit, hit for power, run, throw and field.

Many players have one, two, or three of these tools and can sometimes make passable use of the other tools to a lesser degree. Where they lack some of those five tools, teams can often make adjustments and use roster management to make up for the deficiency. Continue reading “Top 5: “Five-Tools” Players” →