Saturday, October 31, 2015

Beaver Tales - 2025 At The Break

Beaver fans are pleased that four players have been honored by the ABL as members of the TML All Star team.

Pat Bancroft (DH/RF) has been among TML batting leaders all season and recently registered hit number 2,000 of his career. Baber Davi (1B) has been tearing up the league and recently was named TML Batter of the Month for June. Tanner Johnson (SP) is leading the TML in wins (12) and is sporting a 2.77 ERA in his first full season in the ABL. Carlos Rubio (RP) is enjoying his best season in the ABL as the team's late-inning, left-handed set-up man.

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Other News and Notes:

For the second time in three seasons, Nick Holmes suffered a major injury. This time the injury came midway through the current campaign.

The last time Holmes was sidelined, the team imploded. With the team leading the division at the break with a 58-29 record, the front office team was determined not to let that happen again. Therefore, upon learning that David Lewis was available the organization acted swiftly to secure his services.



Lewis has not played too much this season due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him for six weeks. However, at the time of the exchange he was performing well while on a rehab assignment. Last season, while playing for South Carolina, the 31 year-old outfielder batted .281 with 28 HR, 88 RBI, and a 2.8 WAR in 148 games. Beaver fans are hopeful that Lewis will provide enough punch in the lineup to adequately replace Holmes and enable the Beavers to continue to charge towards a playoff berth.

Go Beavers!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Beaver Tales - 2025 Season Update

With nearly one-third of the season in the books, Beaver fans are encouraged. The team has been playing very well as evidenced by a recent, nine game winning streak that enabled the home town nine to open up a five game lead in the division with a 32-19 record through June 1.

Fans again are flocking to Waterfront Park. Despite a 5.6% increase in the average ticket price, attendance is averaging a near-capacity 51,344 fans per game, a 2.4% increase over 2024. If the trend holds, the increase in revenue will bolster the financial performance and yield a nice profit. Owner William McAllister is delighted with the performance of the organization, both on and off the field.

Spotlight on:

Pat Bancroft (DH/RF) - The 34 year-old veteran is off to what could emerge as the best year of his 11 year career. He leading the ABL in batting with a .407 average, in on-base percentage, and in hits. Speaking of hits, last week he registered career hit number 2,000.


Bancroft has settled into the 2nd spot in the order very nicely. Given that he has bad wheels he is not the prototypical number two hitter, but he is a very savvy baserunner who can occasionally steal a base, this in addition to his ability to set the table for the power hitters. 

Baber Davi (1B) - Throughout his minor and major league career to date, Davi has put up excellent stats. With the Beavers, the 24 year-old, now in his third full season, has proven himself to be an RBI machine batting in the heart of the order. This season he has driven in 50 runs in 51 games, is hitting .384, and has recorded an outstanding 172 wRC+. In addition to his offensive prowess, he has a Gold Glove award to his credit and continues to flash the leather around the first sack.

In May Baber earned TML Batter of the Month honors on the strength of a .410/.433/.675 slash line and 28 RBI in 28 games. His name also appears on many TML batting related leader boards. 

Tanner Johnson (SP) - In his first full season as a member of the starting rotation, the 22 year-old southpaw is living up to the hype. In a month-long span that ended in late May, Tanner reeled off seven straight wins. Currently he sports an 8-2 record and a 2.12 ERA.

Johnson was rewarded for his many, dominating performances during May by being named the TML Pitcher of the Month. The front office team hopes that this is one of many awards the young star will accumulate during his career in the ABL.

Additional players who are exceeding expectations:

Mike Hobbs (C) - The veteran catcher has belted 18 dingers to date to lead the TML. With a .324/.372/.672 slash line and 49 RBI to date, he is well on the way to having a career year. Keep it going, Mike!

Shayne Linnie (SP) - Perhaps the biggest surprise so far this season has been the performance of Linnie. In ten starts he has registered a 5-1 record and a 3.49 ERA. Keep it going, Shayne!

Go Beavers!