Neat Stuff, Post-Sim Thread: 2030, Season 24

[Borealis]

A 5-2 week that included the Evil Evas and Neo-Tokyo - That has to qualify as a Neat Week, especially since we weren't blown out of the water by Shin Seiki - even took a game, even after trying to give it away, then sweeping the Akira. Add in a 3 or 4 series against the Shisa, and the 2030 Borealis are doing better against their Japanese rivals than the past couple of seasons!! Amongst the individual Neat and Not So's...

- Paul Carlisle breaking a finger and missing 6-7 weeks. With Harry Hutchins out for another 3 weeks, this is a blow for Aurora. Definitely Not So Neat...
- Roy Duke. Last year, the Rule 5 pick out of West Virginia, hit .223 as the Borealis insisted on meeting the Rule 5 rules and kept him on the roster for the year. Thus far, Duke has repaid that faith, hitting .341 this year, with 10 SB, after a 10-22 week. He's not going to confuse folks for 'Big Whiskey' but thus far, he's helping make a difference - Neat!
- Manny Castro's rollercoaster career continues, this time on the upswing. A 9-24 week leaves him at .336. That's Neat for sure... Whats both Not So Neat and Perplexing: In his rookie campaign he stole 23 bases in 23 attempts. In the past 3+ years, combined: only 21 out of 24 - Why have Aurora's managers turned away from such an asset??
- Not So Neat should be Ricardo Zamora's nickname. There must be something in the thin Colorado air that is not agreeing with Zamora. After a 1-20 week, he's hitting .163 and if not for the injuries to Carlisle and Hutchins, he'd be off to Thornton - again...
- Picking up the slack is Howard Joyce. The add-on in the 'Fudd' trade that brought Henry Cluett and Pedro Morales (and that's another Not So moment), Joyce had a Not So week (.231) but is having a Neat-O season at .328...
- Paul Carlisle wasn't the only Not So Neat of the week, Pedro Morales developed a nerve issue in his elbow that will end his year. Since coming from Toyama he was 6-1, 1.60 (MOK), 11-4, 2.18 (SLRC) and 4-1, 1.55 (GAT) the past two seasons (41 GS). This year he started hot, but has dropped of late - maybe a precursor of the injury... Did I say Not So Neat??
- Starters JT, Bartolo and Richard Neeley (32.2 IP, 35 K, 4 BB, 2 HR and 5 R) were a combined Very Neat... 'Chief' Nieves was Not So Neat with 9 H, 5 R under 5 IP...

[Wind Dancers]

With the work I did on the feeder leagues prior to this season, I've grown a bit attached to those leagues in general. And as of last night, all 4 feeder leagues have wrapped up with the draft quickly approaching.

ICOL: In dominant fashion, the Keio University Unicorns swept the Ciufuegos Peloteros the win their 3rd championship in 3 years. The Unicorns won the PL Supreme Division by just 1 game and was forced into a game 7 during the conference championship. The Unicorns were led by star 1B Manny Lara who hit .307 during the season with 32 RBIs and was dominant in the playoffs. Lara was an all-star, won the conference championship MVP, and won the International Championship MVP in what is his senior season. Keio has been a major contender in the ICOL for the past 3 seasons and have a solid core of juniors that will need to step up in Lara's absence next year.

USCOL: In what has been a surprise to many, the UConn Klondikes has plowed through the USCOL playoffs losing just 4 games on their way to a 4-1 victory over Ohio State. The Klondikes have only won their conference once in their entire history, yet have won two championships both as a wild card team. This trophy will be their first since way back in 2012 and despite the roller coaster that has been the last 5 years. Since 2026, the Klondikes have finished: 3rd, 9th, 2nd, 8th, 2nd will the final season now ending with a championship win. UConn was led by seniors 2B Dale "Hamburger" Spencer and SP Richard Lindsay, both draft eligible. Despite losing those two in the draft, UConn has Lewis Bedser and Jacob Gil entering their junior years next season and both have the potential to be core players.

IHS: The IHS had plenty of shakeups in the offseason with the addition of multiple new schools. But it was an old stalwart who returned to form that took home the title this season. Osaka Toin HS made every single playoff back when the high school leagues were split. But up until this year, they had been absent since their championship win in 2025. After 4 horrid seasons, the Eijisu Masters snuck into the playoffs finishing 2nd in the Nihon Division. After beating Strathcona and Nassau, Osaka Toin won in game 7 against newbies Gonaives HS, the heavy favorite, to win the championship. Junior SP Yvon Fortier pitched two solid games leading him to be voted Championship MVP. LEad by mostly underclassmen, Osaka Toin will be back next year with much of their core to defend their title.

USHS: Losing just 3 games in the playoffs, Sarasota HS took home the trophy after beating division rivals West Lauderdale 4-2 in the finals. Ironically, West Lauderdale won the division by 1.5 games while Sarasota had to play a tiebreaker to finish 2nd. This win was Sarasota's first championship and their first playoff appearance since 2025. Another team with a young core, they won't be losing their top talent in the draft this year.

[Borealis]

Despite a rough three-game week v. The Evil Evas (we did manage a win on the road), there were definitely some Neat things, post draft:

- Rookie Stewart 'Litterbug' Arundale continues to provide great offense at the top of the order - hitting .329, with a .392 OBP. Originally slated for DH, he quickly was put out in RF (with the currently injured Paul Carlisle moved to DH) and he has 1 E, 9 A in 44 games in right...
- OF Ricardo Zamora, who struggled over the previous two seasons at the PEBA level - has been en fuego since being called up with the Carlisle and Hutchins injuries. He's hitting .285 with 10 HR in his 45 games - two of those homers this week v. SS and May 12 he was hitting .163 with a .501 OPS - now it's .895...
- Harry Hutchins is back on the field for Aurora, after a 5 week hand injury. he hit .444 in 6 rehab games, and now Aurora has a bit of a log-jam in the outfield. With the above Arundale, Zamora and Hutchins (he was hitting .440 when he got hurt on 4/28), Nick Heath is hitting .304 (11 HR), Howard Joyce is at .389, and Carlisle - who has two more weeks on the DL, was hitting .322...

Not so Neat?
- Bartolo Esquivel, was at 5.2 IP against Shin Seiki, with a 1-hitter in hand, when his elbow flared up. He's listed day-to-day for a couple of days, but Aurora will skip a start and give him about 10-days instead...

Down on the Farm:
- Henry Cluett continues to impress, and his first half 2.20 ERA, 83 K, 12 BB and just 6 HR in 98 IP have him named to the Pacific League All-Star Game. As a reward, he'll be allowed to pitch in the game, and will then be promoted to Thornton. Since throwing his first pitch for Toyama's Short A club, Henry has a career ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 0.96 over 633 IP. With his 23rd birthday a few months away, Cluett is primed to provide Aurora with some quality years ahead.
- Two young relievers at Mokule'ia, who had amazing seasons in 2029, are back on it and looking at a promotion soon to SLRC - CL Washichi Yamada, 46th overall in last years draft has 8 appearances and 7 saves - plus a 0.00 ERA. Last year, post-draft, he had 15 saves in 33 games, with a 0.96 ERA. Yellel Twia, and international free agent out of South Africa, has made 5 appearances, and in 7.1 IP, has allowed no runs and struck out 10. Last year he posted a 0.45 ERA over 40 IP, with 51 K.

[Borealis]

In a week in which the gap in the Desert Hills remained the same - Neat! a rough series with Yuma and losing John Turner gave the week an over all UGH, Not So Neat...

The end result of the injury to Turner has been a line of promotions throughout the system:
- John Gillard (10-20 for the pathetic FasTrax, with a 2.46 ERA the past two years with Thornton) get's the call-up to fill the vacancy...
- Armando Batista, the 23-year old (33rd overall in 2028), has had 47 starts at Gatineau, with a 11-18 mark and 3.49 ERA, moves up to Thornton to join his former-Gatineau rotation mate, Henry Cluett. After 43 starts at Gatineau, Cluett has made three starts at AAA and is 2-1, with a 2.45 ERA...
- Humberto Hernandez, a 2028 5th rounder, has been a pleasant surprise. Finishing 2028 with a 6-5 mark and 2.89 ERA in 15 GS, he was 11-7 at SLRC with a 2.30 last year. This year he's 8-2, with a 1.52 ERA in 14 starts for the Blancos Rapidos. Now he's in the rotation for Gatineau...
- Takeichi Kozawa moves up from the Oceanic to fill-in at A Ball. Drafted in the 8th round in 2029, in 24 starts at Mokule'ia, he was 10-5, with a 1.50 ERA...
- Lastly, Moving back-up to the Short A roster (after being dropped to Montserrat) is Lawrence 'Science' Hall, the 14th round pick from last year, most notable for throwing a no-hitter in his pro debut against the Mahi-Mahi. Hall's selection to be promoted was more about other arms continuing to play at Rookie Ball, and not so much about his 6-5 record and 4.01 ERA...

The Borealis outfield, which has offensively carried the team thus far, has started to show some cracks. Harry Hutchins, who already has spent 5 weeks on the DL with a broken hand, 3.5 weeks later, he's having ab issues and will miss the upcoming series with Reno and the start of the Yuma series which leads to the All-Star Break. Fun Fact: Hutchins has been held hitless in only 2 of his 39 games this season... Ricardo Zamora, who has had a solid return to the ML roster (.267, 10 HR, 28 RBI in 57 games), missed a week of games as he sat out, and now the training staff are unclear when he'll return to action, and so he's been placed on the DL, which allows rehabbing Paul Carlisle to return to Aurora. Having broken a finger in a base running collision, Carlisle has missed 8 weeks - that's more than he's missed combined, dating back to 2017 - the year he was drafted! In 31 games, Paul was hitting .322, with 2 HY and 21 RBI in 32 games...

[Denny]

Apropos of nothing, it is nice to see Armando Gandarilla finally performing up to his ratings. There is a good chance 'Gorilla' will even become an All-Star! Very happy for the former Codger farmhand.

[KenH]

Neat:
Long time Thoroughbred Jaime Espinoza is looking to make a late-career return to PEBA relevancy at Chesapeake. He had 2 (!!) grand slams in one game vs the Raleigh El Dorados. That's one way to get someone's attention! The Oysters are a GBA best 60-29.
One big part of the team's success is the great play of 2028 1st round pick Mike Thompson, who is looking ready to go. With the continuing struggles of Donald Allen, Thompson is making his way up to the show after the break to see if he can have success at the highest level. We've been very excited about how fast he's advanced. Yosuke Morimoto and Roberto Ortega are waiting in the wings, but Danny Burke and Dave Crocker have been pretty productive and have staved off the ever-encroaching march of youthful Florida players on their designated positions.

Not so neat: my team just can't hit and now we can't pitch either. Things look bleak! Maybe an injection of youth will help.

[Evas]

Apropos of nothing, it is nice to see Armando Gandarilla finally performing up to his ratings. There is a good chance 'Gorilla' will even become an All-Star! Very happy for the former Codger farmhand.

Happy he is working out, after falling on his face in SS. A little worrying that it is happening in Toyama though. He Gorilla had so much talent, his lack of production was kind of maddening.

[Denny]

Apropos of nothing, it is nice to see Armando Gandarilla finally performing up to his ratings. There is a good chance 'Gorilla' will even become an All-Star! Very happy for the former Codger farmhand.

Happy he is working out, after falling on his face in SS. A little worrying that it is happening in Toyama though. He Gorilla had so much talent, his lack of production was kind of maddening.

Yep, he always underachieved in the Palm Springs minors as well. I'm actually surprised that he put it all together this late in his career.

[Zephyrs]

So it is July 22nd and the Zephyrs are just 6 games out of a Wild Card spot. Attendance is up 53% from last year. We are 2nd in runs scored and the team chemistry is "Ecstatic!" It would be nice to be better than 10th in runs scored and SP ERA. Still, this has been a good season so far.

[Arroyos]

So it is July 22nd and the Zephyrs are just 6 games out of a Wild Card spot. Attendance is up 53% from last year. We are 2nd in runs scored and the team chemistry is "Ecstatic!" It would be nice to be better than 10th in runs scored and SP ERA. Still, this has been a good season so far.

You've worked wonders in Reno, Scott. Want to move south to Yuma and help us out?

[Alleghenies]

So it is July 22nd and the Zephyrs are just 6 games out of a Wild Card spot. Attendance is up 53% from last year. We are 2nd in runs scored and the team chemistry is "Ecstatic!" It would be nice to be better than 10th in runs scored and SP ERA. Still, this has been a good season so far.

You've worked wonders in Reno, Scott. Want to move south to Yuma and help us out?

Bob, I helped get your attendance up and I'd help with winning for you, if you weren't so content on losing. Shoot me a DM anytime if you want my help.

[Lions]

Rule 5 pick Randy Laing is the first Badger to win SL Player of the Week since Jaime Espinoza won it in August of 2028. He's been forced to play first base with Ron Myers hurt, and is currently tied for the team lead with 10 home runs after hitting 4 in the past 7 days. He's got one in each of the last 3 games, all against Duluth. One small bright spot in what has otherwise been a miserable year.

[Zephyrs]

The Zephyrs offense continues to impress this season. An interesting fact is that both Rowan Stuart and Steve Boyer were acquired in the same deal that sent he mighty Christian Webb to the Evas. I would have to say that deal worked out well for the Zephyrs.

[Borealis]

Not So Neat, Not So Neat, Not So Neat - that was Dave Parkinson's first start for Aurora in their attempts to fill the vacant spots left by injuries to John Turner (for the season) and 'Tugboat' (another 2 weeks). Single, Single, Walk to the first three Fargo hitters - then after managing to get the next two batters out, it was a 2-run single and Fargo was off and running. Parkinson's fine line was: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, BB and no K - his shortest outing, most runs (both tied) and only strikeout-less outing on the season. Let's see if he does any better with his next start, against the hot Warriors and Steve "Steve 'Steve Hott' Hott" Hott... Neat? Not...

Also Not Neat was roaring back from a 7-0 deficit in that game with Fargo, only to tie the game with a 7-run, 7th - and then watch the 'pen - most notably Bob Erickson, blow up in the bottom of the inning, with Fargo posting a 6-spot. Erickson gave up 3-hits, 2 BB, and 5-runs, without getting an out - Not Neat at all...

The Borealis managed to win the series finale against Fargo - and take the 4-game series, 3-1, then head off to Duluth to be swept by the Warriors - once again, struggling to get any hits. Over the 5-game week, Aurora pitching gave up hits at a .339 rate, and surrendered 14 HR, while hitting .283 (mostly thanks to the high scoring Fargo series) and just 4 HR - ugh!

Heath (7-16, but 4 of those hits came in one game), Carlisle (6-15, 2 HR) and Arundale (7-18) were the big bats; Frazier (1-16), Torres (2-13) and Hutchins (4-18) were the small bats... Pitching was ugly, but at least RP He Ling, acquired from Kalamazoo, had two shut-out innings, with just a hit allowed...

What's on Tap:
For a struggling team, nothing like The Evil Evas coming to The Front Range for a week ending 4-game set...

[Evas]

The Zephyrs offense continues to impress this season. An interesting fact is that both Rowan Stuart and Steve Boyer were acquired in the same deal that sent he mighty Christian Webb to the Evas. I would have to say that deal worked out well for the Zephyrs.

Things worked out well from the SS side too. Webb was a key contributor for 4 seasons including a 6.8 WAR 2026 in which he was an All-star and Platinum Stick, and the 2027 PEBA championship team. All told, he contributed 18 WAR over those 4 seasons.

He was later flipped for SP Declan Littleworth who has been a steady force in the middle of the rotation, accumulating 7+ WAR over the past two seasons and being a big part of the 2030 title.

Trades are good!