Moves in (and possibly from) Manchester
It was a wild draft this year in Manchester as the Marauder front office was working overtime, not preparing for their selections as much as trading them away. After engineering a swap of their first round pick for four later Minnesota picks, Manchester traded a couple of them and a reserve infielder for big Don Smith, the Panthers’ aging first basemen. Smith has so far settled in nicely with the Marauders, batting .351 with a 990 OPS since arriving and signing a contract extension to boot. Meanwhile, Manchester traded a 2nd and 3rd round pick to Charlotte for Bo Allen, who will settle into the rotation as a #4 starter. Allen, who is known for a cranky, outspoken personality had demanded a trade from the Knights. Upon arriving in Manchester, Allen immediately complained to his new manageme...
Meet Triple B
Photo by Levi Saunders on Unsplash Today we meet the voice of the St. Louis Sultans. The color commentator himself, Buffalo Bill Burgermeister (AKA Triple B). The former clown school graduate and one time wrestling announcer, was hired on by the Sultans to bring some comedy to the franchise. Why you ask? We asked ourselves the same question. So I was sitting at home drinking a Steel Reserve and watching reruns of Mystery Science Theater 3000, when i received a call from my old buddy Kayber. He asked me how i felt about Baseball? I told him it was more boring then a white wall in a hippies house and then he hired me. Bill has no background in baseball. Six years as a professional clown and 12 as a commentator in an Orlando wrestling federation. Burgermeister has no business doing baseball ...
Around the League
Just a quick look around the league over the last week or so in-game time. Draft Surprises A generally computer-run Traverse City team selected high school second baseman Jack Roslovic with the first overall pick, gifting the new Colorado Gold Sox front office the draft’s top prospect in first baseman Joe Castle. Danny Chapman, who hit .426 this past season while winning every major collegiate award, managed to fall all the way to #8 as a run on starting pitchers surprised mock drafters across the country. Erie‘s selection of Clarence Sugarman at number 10 overall was a bit surprising as he hit just .215 with 3 home runs compared to 50 strikeouts and just 6 walks over 2 seasons, but the Seawolves clearly see potential in the draft’s coolest last name. Outfielder Tyrone Ma...
The 2033 CBL Draft Primer
With the league’s annual crapshoot rookie draft taking place in less than 48 hours, it seemed wise to take a slightly deeper look into the incoming draft class and some possible storylines surrounding the 2033 CBL Amateur Draft. Let’s dig in. Draft Order (Top 50): What will happen at the top? Traverse City continues to be relatively unlucky, securing the top pick now in two drafts that seemed weaker than most, at least at the top. Former #1 overall pick Eric Pogue has become a very good player for the Bullet Club, to be sure, but isn’t quite the can’t miss talent that will help bring a franchise back from the bottom of the league. This draft looks to be similar, where there is no real consensus on who should go #1 overall. First baseman Joe Castle is arguably the be...
So Long to the Kat
New Manchester Marauder GM Matt Bowling has had the checkbook out in recent weeks as the club has been in heated contract talks with a number of players. Manchester began by inking Amancio Montarroio to a three-year deal averaging $18 million per season. Amancio also seemed open to returning to his original position of second base as the Marauders look to potentially acquire a slugging corner infielder next year. “I couldn’t even remember where my second baseman’s glove was,” said the new second sacker, “Then I found it in my locker under that huge pile of cash I’ve been keeping there.” Meanwhile “Kitty Kat” Azuma was sent packing, as the team acquired Deron Ross and a minor leaguer in exchange for the Japanese closer. Pressed for the logic behind the trade, Bowling told the press, “...
New General Manager In St. Louis
The St. Louis Sultans today hired a new General Manager Kayber. His background stems from being a GM in another Indy League (to remain nameless), there he he didn’t have much luck trying to turn around an overpriced team. Picking up a lot of rookies and drafting an in house system is the foundation he likes to build upon. Core fundamentals of my teams are built through the drafting process. I like to sign a few pieces to give leadership on the field and off. However I build my organizations around youth and drafting.” Kayber has already made it known then they are going to trade young Deion Sanders in CF. Who knows what else he has in the works. There are quite a number of players on the Sultans that are on their last years of contract. 1B Jose Garcia, injured 3B Corey Seager and LF ...
Big Changes in Manchester
There have been some big changes in Marauder Nation this week as the team hired new GM, Matt Bowling to take over the team. However, fans throughout New Hampshire were incredulous that a GM with so little experience would be hired to take over this big-market ballclub. One fan standing in line outside Bartlett Field before Friday’s game asked, “Bowling? Who has ever heard of this guy? This is baseball, not candlepin and we need someone with experience.” Nevertheless, Bowling shrugged off such criticism, pointing to a fine career as a high school pitcher and mentioning the day he won $300 on Draft Kings. Bowling was quick to shake up the lineup, prevailing on team Manager Billy Traber to install budding prospect Cal Ripken III at shortstop and to move Sergio Ramirez over to second. Fans did...
Dreamers Rocked by Ramsey Exit
California Dreamers fans and staff were left reeling after news was leaked that star DH Andy Ramsey had turned down his option year and was looking to test Free Agency. Ramsey 32, had given assurances to management when he arrived at M&P Park that he would execute the option that would give Dreamers fans another year to see the talented hitter in orange and white. However Ramsey, who is currently on the DL with a hamstring injury, has reportedly decided to test the market. Ramsey arrived as the marquee signing by GM Doyle in November last year in an exchange for top prospect Juan Ibarra. Ramsey hit 27 homers and 80 RBI’s in his debut season and management have now got to decide if he is worth pursuing in the open market where his value will surely soar past his current $17m contr...
CBL History: Don Sanders was acquired for $1
The date was November 1, 2022. 32-year-old outfielder Anthony Gose, coming off an injury-plagued .227/.311/.318 season while playing in just 20 games, informed the Richardson City Blood Raven he would not exercise his opt out clause, meaning his $10.5M salary was officially guaranteed for the 2023 season. It was widely expected, but it was an issue for Richardson City because they were near their budget already. After scouring the league for a trade partner, only one team was willing to acquire Gose, but even that had a catch. The Minneapolis Millers would want two prospects as their price for taking Gose’s final unproductive year of his contract off of Richardson City’s hands. “We zeroed in on Don Sanders almost immediately,” a Millers source tells me. “He wa...
3 For 3 The Lost Magic
After a long time off we are bringing back 3 for 3, a small peak into players of the CBL. 3 For 3 -River “Presto” Fuller- Act 1 – The Star From Alexandria. It was a cool crisp day in April, the stands are half full, local and national media that once dominated the stands are missing. Local star Steve Carlton left for the draft a year before and none of the underclass men were in the national spotlight but that all changed very quickly. River had this rare ability at a young age to lead a team, but not only did he demand it of others he also did it him self. His stat line was impressive, .406 AVG with a .444 OBP and walk as many times as he struck out (9) in 142 plate appearances. He lead the team to a National Federation High School State Championship with a walk off hom...
2032 CBL Mock Draft
With the annual June amateur draft scheduled for this Saturday afternoon (11 AM PST), here’s our best guess at how the first two rounds (42 picks) will unfold. Round One 1. Connecticut Colonials: Piotr Rasputin, Starting Pitcher, Yale University The 6’8, 275 pound Russian senior has had quite a collegiate career. “Colossus” as he’s known to friends and teammates, Rasputin posted a 1.35 ERA in 60 innings as a junior, decided to return for his senior season, and posted a 1.88 ERA in just over 62 innings this season. Scouts feel he’s yet to fully tap into his massive potential, as his strikeout numbers are solid but not quite as dominant as one would expect given his natural ability and sheer size. With a fastball that has touched 96 MPH and four pitches th...
2032 Sim Week 1 Review
2032 Sim Week 1 Review [Author’s Note: I will try to do one of these every Saturday night or Sunday morning for the regular season. It won’t be quite a month every time, so it’s not exactly a monthly review, but close enough.] With the weather finally warming up a bit as we head into May, let’s take a look at some of the interesting parts of April. Kings of the Castle The Philadelphia Liberty and Vancouver Canadians have dominated their respective leagues to this point, with the Liberty posting a ridiculous 20-5 record thus far and the Canadians an even better 21-4. The Liberty have scored 151 runs in those 25 games, an average of more than 6 runs per game. Long-time standout Don Smith continues to rake year after year, and is off to a .329/.468/.740 start with 9 ho...
