The Great Home Run Race of 2045
Feb 5, 2018 23:02:10 GMT -5
NickP_Marlins GM, Texas Rangers, and 10 more like this
Post by Ryan_NatsGM on Feb 5, 2018 23:02:10 GMT -5
The home run has long been the most celebrated act in baseball. It's easy to see why; it's the most game changing play in the sport and it's most violent. A ball thrown as hard as possible past the batter, clubbed even harder in the opposite direction beyond all opposition. Yes, chicks dig the long ball, and let's just say there aren't many lonely ballplayers in the PBL this year.
The home run rate has gone through the roof in 2045. While teams have been averaging right around 1.0 HR a game since the start of the 2038 season, it's spiked to almost 1.3 a game this year. Purists may claim this is an abomination. That the new commissioner, tired of watching deep fly balls die in the marine layer over San Diego, juiced the balls for his first full campaign in charge. Sure, the new balls move a bit more out of the pitchers hand and create more strikeouts, but when contact is made they tend to stay in motion for quite a while.
Regardless of how we got here though, Millard Nosworthy's single season HR record of 65 is in significant jeopardy at the all-star break. It's not a lone wolf chasing him down either. Eight players are currently projected to top the 60 HR barrier, and while it's unlikely they all reach that plateau, 60 HRs is something that's only been done five times since the PBL came into existence. Let's look at who (if anyone) will become the new HR champion.
The Current Leader
Chris Allen - CF - Washington - 41 HRs as of July 17th.
Near and dear to my heart, Allen's had the potential to be an elite power hitter since he was drafted 2nd overall in 2040. Heretofore though he's been inconsistent at the plate, showing flashes of brilliance and prolonged periods of being just OK. He's put it together at age 23 though, and is consistently destroying RHP this year. He took the lead in this race by a decent margin coming out of the all-star break with three HRs in a four game set against Carolina, and is currently on pace for 71 bombs.
The Prodigy
Duane Hansen - CF - Colorado - 36 HRs
Considered by some to be the greatest prospect in PBL history (a claim I'm not qualified to judge), Minooka Mike has all the tools to be the best hitter in the PBL, and is on pace to have his most productive season to date as he begins to enter his prime. He's probably the closest thing we'll ever see to Babe Ruth considering he was at one time a pretty good pitching prospect, but the decision to focus on offense has paid off for Colorado. Did I mention he plays 81 games a year in Colorado? That can't hurt in a home run race.
The Reigning MVP
Guilhem Ciaravella - SS - Minnesota - 36 HRs
Despite his talent, Hansen didn't lead the league in HRs last year, or win the AL MVP. Those honors went to Ciaravella, who went from a nondescript rookie campaign in 2043 to the best player in the league in 2044. It seems he's gotten even better in 2045, which may be one for the record books. In addition to being a prodigious power hitter, Guilhem also plays pretty good defense, posses above average wheels, and is only 25, which has to make Minnesota excited for their future.
The People's Choice
Pierre Boucher - 1B - Pittsburgh - 36 HRs
Pittsburgh has struggled this year by their lofty standards, but it's not Bullet Ben's fault. Still popular with the fans despite playing for the PBL's version of the Patriots, Boucher is on pace to win his first (and probably not last) MVP award. He's known as more of an all-around hitter than a pure power guy, having never topped 40 HRs in a year previously, but he's so damn good at every aspect of hitting that he's hanging with the big dogs this season.
The Fly
Jose Vera - 1B/DH - Cincinnati - 37 HRs
It's not a coincidence that Vera is named after a horror movie character. He's notoriously difficult to deal with. He's also notoriously difficult for opposing pitchers to keep in the park. As discussed earlier this year, he's the youngest player ever to hit 200 HRs, and currently sits at 222 a few weeks before his 25th birthday. Surprisingly, he too has never hit more than 40 in a year, he just got a head start by hitting 19 at age 18, 23 at age 19, and 34 or more every season since. Now he's kicking it into overdrive.
The Unheralded Rookie
Antonio Lopez - 1B - San Diego - 35 HRs
There's nothing wrong with Antonio Lopez, but I don't think anyone expected this kind of rookie campaign out of him. He's a big reason why the Padres are unexpectedly leading the NL West. I'm also not sure what the PBL rookie HR record is, but I'd imagine it's about to fall here in a couple of months. The rest of his batting numbers are a little under what the other players on this list are putting up, so he's a good candidate for regression, but you never know. He and the Padres continue to surprise this year.
The Wily Old Vet
Jose Rivera - DH - Cleveland - 35 HRs
Everyone else on the list so far is under 30, which probably means if the HR record doesn't fall this year, it will soon. Rivera is 37, but he still knows how to swing the stick. Most of his prodigious power is still with him, and at his current rate he'll hit the 500 HR milestone at the end of the year. The PBL Hall of Fame is a weird place, but I'd think getting to 500 and/or setting the single season record would make him a stone cold lock. In his prime he had back-to-back seasons of 55+ HRs, which has only been accomplished by him, An-yi Yuen (out of the what-could've-been files), and...
The King
Millard Nosworthy - 1B - Boston - 37 HRs
To be the best, you have to beat the best, and Nosworthy isn't about to give up his crown without a fight. Like Rivera, he's on the doorstep of 500 HRs, and his stretch from 2038-2042 where he hit 56, 57, 62, 52, and 65 remains unmatched in PBL history. Since then he's had season of 42, 46, and 37 so far this year, so it's not like he's fallen off that much. His power is still there, he just misses the ball a little more than he used to (on pace for 247 Ks). We're not looking for the strikeout king though. Nosworthy wants to keep his HR crown, and you have to respect the old man for taking matters into his own hands to protect his title against the encroachment of the next generation.
The home run rate has gone through the roof in 2045. While teams have been averaging right around 1.0 HR a game since the start of the 2038 season, it's spiked to almost 1.3 a game this year. Purists may claim this is an abomination. That the new commissioner, tired of watching deep fly balls die in the marine layer over San Diego, juiced the balls for his first full campaign in charge. Sure, the new balls move a bit more out of the pitchers hand and create more strikeouts, but when contact is made they tend to stay in motion for quite a while.
Regardless of how we got here though, Millard Nosworthy's single season HR record of 65 is in significant jeopardy at the all-star break. It's not a lone wolf chasing him down either. Eight players are currently projected to top the 60 HR barrier, and while it's unlikely they all reach that plateau, 60 HRs is something that's only been done five times since the PBL came into existence. Let's look at who (if anyone) will become the new HR champion.
The Current Leader
Chris Allen - CF - Washington - 41 HRs as of July 17th.
Near and dear to my heart, Allen's had the potential to be an elite power hitter since he was drafted 2nd overall in 2040. Heretofore though he's been inconsistent at the plate, showing flashes of brilliance and prolonged periods of being just OK. He's put it together at age 23 though, and is consistently destroying RHP this year. He took the lead in this race by a decent margin coming out of the all-star break with three HRs in a four game set against Carolina, and is currently on pace for 71 bombs.
The Prodigy
Duane Hansen - CF - Colorado - 36 HRs
Considered by some to be the greatest prospect in PBL history (a claim I'm not qualified to judge), Minooka Mike has all the tools to be the best hitter in the PBL, and is on pace to have his most productive season to date as he begins to enter his prime. He's probably the closest thing we'll ever see to Babe Ruth considering he was at one time a pretty good pitching prospect, but the decision to focus on offense has paid off for Colorado. Did I mention he plays 81 games a year in Colorado? That can't hurt in a home run race.
The Reigning MVP
Guilhem Ciaravella - SS - Minnesota - 36 HRs
Despite his talent, Hansen didn't lead the league in HRs last year, or win the AL MVP. Those honors went to Ciaravella, who went from a nondescript rookie campaign in 2043 to the best player in the league in 2044. It seems he's gotten even better in 2045, which may be one for the record books. In addition to being a prodigious power hitter, Guilhem also plays pretty good defense, posses above average wheels, and is only 25, which has to make Minnesota excited for their future.
The People's Choice
Pierre Boucher - 1B - Pittsburgh - 36 HRs
Pittsburgh has struggled this year by their lofty standards, but it's not Bullet Ben's fault. Still popular with the fans despite playing for the PBL's version of the Patriots, Boucher is on pace to win his first (and probably not last) MVP award. He's known as more of an all-around hitter than a pure power guy, having never topped 40 HRs in a year previously, but he's so damn good at every aspect of hitting that he's hanging with the big dogs this season.
The Fly
Jose Vera - 1B/DH - Cincinnati - 37 HRs
It's not a coincidence that Vera is named after a horror movie character. He's notoriously difficult to deal with. He's also notoriously difficult for opposing pitchers to keep in the park. As discussed earlier this year, he's the youngest player ever to hit 200 HRs, and currently sits at 222 a few weeks before his 25th birthday. Surprisingly, he too has never hit more than 40 in a year, he just got a head start by hitting 19 at age 18, 23 at age 19, and 34 or more every season since. Now he's kicking it into overdrive.
The Unheralded Rookie
Antonio Lopez - 1B - San Diego - 35 HRs
There's nothing wrong with Antonio Lopez, but I don't think anyone expected this kind of rookie campaign out of him. He's a big reason why the Padres are unexpectedly leading the NL West. I'm also not sure what the PBL rookie HR record is, but I'd imagine it's about to fall here in a couple of months. The rest of his batting numbers are a little under what the other players on this list are putting up, so he's a good candidate for regression, but you never know. He and the Padres continue to surprise this year.
The Wily Old Vet
Jose Rivera - DH - Cleveland - 35 HRs
Everyone else on the list so far is under 30, which probably means if the HR record doesn't fall this year, it will soon. Rivera is 37, but he still knows how to swing the stick. Most of his prodigious power is still with him, and at his current rate he'll hit the 500 HR milestone at the end of the year. The PBL Hall of Fame is a weird place, but I'd think getting to 500 and/or setting the single season record would make him a stone cold lock. In his prime he had back-to-back seasons of 55+ HRs, which has only been accomplished by him, An-yi Yuen (out of the what-could've-been files), and...
The King
Millard Nosworthy - 1B - Boston - 37 HRs
To be the best, you have to beat the best, and Nosworthy isn't about to give up his crown without a fight. Like Rivera, he's on the doorstep of 500 HRs, and his stretch from 2038-2042 where he hit 56, 57, 62, 52, and 65 remains unmatched in PBL history. Since then he's had season of 42, 46, and 37 so far this year, so it's not like he's fallen off that much. His power is still there, he just misses the ball a little more than he used to (on pace for 247 Ks). We're not looking for the strikeout king though. Nosworthy wants to keep his HR crown, and you have to respect the old man for taking matters into his own hands to protect his title against the encroachment of the next generation.