SOUTHERN BASEBALL DIGEST Blisterin Billy Hamilton Back on July 8 baseball Twitter was buzzing over Billy Hamilton scoring a run while stealing second base. That sounds outrageous, but if you know a little bit about Billy Hamilton you re more likely to say Sounds about right. Billy s feats of speed sound like Chuck Norris jokes. -Tagged up and scored on a pop up caught by an infielder. -Was looked back at 3rd by a pitcher, ran anyway when the pitcher threw to first, made it home safely. -Scored from 3rd base when the catcher threw a dropped third strike to first base. In this Issue 1 Feature Story: Blisterin Billy Hamilton 2-4 MLB Roundup 4-6 Minor League Roundup 7-8 Touching Base and Acknowledgements -Out-sprinted a teammate despite running backward. The best article I ve read on Billy Hamilton was written by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (Read the article by clicking here). Hamilton was still in the minor leagues at the time. In addition to the feats of speed included above, Passan revealed Hamilton s secret weapon: Mountain Dew. I had hoped to find baseball fan accounts of incredible Hamilton moments, but fell short. Yet, my research also found an article from 2016 comparing Hamilton s speed to Usain Bolt. It seems like a stretch until you read the article and realize Hamilton s a little slower than Bolt but Bolt runs on a special running surface and Hamilton runs on grass in cleats and a baseball uniform. A head-to-head matchup might be a closer race than you d think. One thing is certain: the Mississippi native is one of the fastest to ever play the game. Enjoy watching him you never know what feat of speed he ll pull off next. Southern Baseball Digest 1
MLB Roundup National League The Atlanta Braves (52-42) continue to struggle a bit, but are just 1/2 game behind Philadelphia. The Washington Nationals embody mediocrity at 45-45 and 5-5 over their past 10 games. The Miami Marlins (41-57) used a 4-2 week to sneak ahead of the Mets in win percentage and get out of the NL East cellar. The St. Louis Cardinals (48-46) are still 7.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. The Cincinnati Reds (43-53) have won six of 10 but are still at the bottom. EAST DIVISION WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Philadelphia Phillies 53 42 0 Atlanta Braves 52 42 0.5 Washington Nationals 48 48 5.5 Miami Marlins 41 57 13.5 New York Mets 39 55 13.5 CENTRAL WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Chicago Cubs 55 38 0 Milwaukee Brewers 55 43 2 St. Louis Cardinals 48 46 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 48 49 8.5 Cincinnati Reds 43 53 13 WEST DIVISION WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Los Angeles Dodgers 53 43 0 Arizona Diamondbacks 53 44 0.5 Colorado Rockies 51 45 2 San Francisco Giants 50 48 4 San Diego Padres 40 59 14.5 Southern Baseball Digest 2
American League The Tampa Bay Rays (49-47) are trying to stay on the right side of.500 in a brutal AL East. Boston is 9-1 in their past 10 games and are now 18 games ahead of the Rays. The Cleveland Indians (52-43) lead the AL Central by 7.5 (two fewer than last week). The Kansas City Royals (27-68) ended their losing skid but are 25 games behind. The Houston Astros (64-35) were 3-4 in the week and have opened up a 5 game division lead over Seattle in the AL West. Full American League division standings are below. (Source: MLB.com) EAST DIVISION WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Boston Red Sox 68 30 0 New York Yankees 62 33 4.5 Tampa Bay Rays 49 47 18 Toronto Blue Jays 43 52 23.5 Baltimore Orioles 28 69 39.5 CENTRAL DIVISION WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Cleveland Indians 52 43 0 Minnesota Twins 44 50 7.5 Detroit Tigers 41 57 12.5 Chicago White Sox 33 62 19 Kansas City Royals 27 68 25 Southern Baseball Digest 3
WEST DIVISION WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Houston Astros 64 35 0 Seattle Mariners 58 39 5 Oakland Athletics 55 42 8 Los Angeles Angels 49 48 14 Texas Rangers 41 56 22 Minor League Roundup Appalachian League (Rookie): The Bluefield Blue Jays (18-8) have a slim lead over the surging Princeton Rays (17-9) in the East division. The Elizabethan Twins (16-8) have taken over 1st in the West, followed by the Kingsport Mets (13-11). Gulf Coast League (Rookie): Every team in the GCL has GCL in front of their names, and are named after their MLB counterparts. The GCL Cardinals (16-7) lead the East, GCL Phillies East (13-8) lead the Northeast, GCL Tigers West top the Northwest (14-7). The GCL Twins and GCL Red Sox are tied (13-9) in the South. South Atlantic League (Class A): The Delmarva Shorebirds have won seven of 10. The Lakewood Blue Claws are on a four-game winning streak while the Greensboro Grasshoppers and West Virginia Power are both just 4-6 in their past 10 games. The Greenville Drive are the hottest team in the league right now; 9-1 in their past 10 games and riding a seven-game winning streak. Carolina League (A-Advanced): Lynchburg Hillcats and Salem Red Sox are tied (14 10) in the Northern Division. Winston-Salem Dash (16-8) lead Southern Division by 1/2 game over Buies Creek Astros (16-9). Florida State League (A-Advanced): The Dunedin Blue Jays (17-7) now lead the North division by two games over Lakeland Flying Tigers (14-8). The Charlotte Stone Crabs (13-11) lead the South by two games over the Bradenton Marauders (11-13). You can see full Florida State League standings on Page Six. Southern League (AA): The Tennessee Smokies (14-10) lead the North by 1/2 game over the Montgomery Biscuits (13-10). The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (16-8) lead the South, 3.5 ahead of the Biloxi Shuckers (12-11). Southern League standings are on Page Five. Southern Baseball Digest 4
Texas League (AA): The Arkansas Travelers (13-8) are 3.5 behind the Tulsa Drillers (17-5) in the North. The Springfield Cardinals (6-17) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (4-17) linger far behind. International League (AAA): The Durham Bulls (53-39) lead the South with the Norfolk Tides (47-44) now 5.5 games behind. The Toledo Mud Hens (51-41) and Indianapolis Indians (50-41) are still neck-and-neck in the West. Southern Teams in non-southern leagues: The Richmond Flying Squirrels are 45-46 (Eastern League). The Bowling Green Hot Rods are 16-8 in the Midwest League. Southern League (AA) Standings NORTH WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Tennessee Smokies 14 10 0 Montgomery Biscuits 13 10 0.5 Birmingham Barons 13 11 1 Jackson Generals 10 13 3.5 Chattanooga Lookouts 6 17 7.5 SOUTH WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Pensacola Blue Wahoos 16 8 0 Biloxi Shuckers 12 11 3.5 Mississippi Braves 12 12 4 Mobile Bay Bears 11 11 4 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 10 14 6 Southern Baseball Digest 5
Florida State League (A-Advanced) Standings NORTH WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Dunedin Blue Jays 17 7 0 Lakeland Flying Tigers 14 8 2 Daytona Tortugas 13 11 4 Clearwater Threshers 12 11 4.5 Tampa Tarpons 12 11 4.5 Florida Fire Frogs 12 12 5 SOUTH WINS LOSSES GAMES BEHIND Charlotte Stone Crabs 13 11 0 Bradenton Marauders 11 13 2 St. Lucie Mets 10 13 2.5 Fort Myers Miracle 10 14 3 Palm Beach Cardinals 10 14 3 Jupiter Hammerheads 7 16 5.5 Southern Baseball Digest 6
Touching Base By John Allan Chief Editor There s a scene in Cars 2 where a rickety Lightning McQueen fan nearly faints when Lightning knows his name. He only knows it because it s on the car s license plate. As I work to spread awareness of Southern Baseball Digest, one thing I attempt is to interact with Twitter accounts for minor league teams. Every time one so much as likes a tweet I feel kind of like that car a nobody who s thrilled to be acknowledged by a professional. In just two weeks of existence, the following Minor League teams have acknowledged Southern Baseball Digest s existence by way of liking Southern Baseball Digest tweets: Daytona Tortugas Pensacola Blue Wahoos Kannapolis Intimidators Mississippi Braves Now we wait and see what team will be next Last week s cover story was about Tidewater Summer League. They completed another season Tuesday with the Outer Banks Daredevils capturing the Postove Cup. I was also able to get a copy of Southern Baseball Digest to the attention of the league through their Facebook presence. Whoever mans the account was kind enough to say thank you very much, and a very nice read MLB has reached the All-Star Break and the Red Sox, Astros, and Yankees continue to be the top three teams. But it might surprise you to learn that after Boston (9-1 in their past 10 games) the teams on the best roll right now are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. Southern Baseball Digest 7
Both the teams are 8-2 over a 10 game stretch. The Pirates have the longest active win streak in the league (six games) followed by the Rockies (five). If they can carry that momentum into the second half the playoffs at least a Wild Card aren t out of reach. The Pirates are nine games behind the Cubs, but the Rockies are just 2 back in the NL West. In terms of W-L records it appears the best divisions in baseball are the American League West only the Texas Rangers have a losing record and the National League West. Every team in the NL West is above.500 except San Diego (40-59). That s going to do it for Issue #3. Remember, you can help spread word about Southern Baseball Digest and show your support through our social media outlets. Search Southern Baseball Digest on Facebook. The Twitter handle is @SBbDigest Our URL is http://southernbaseballdigest.com/ Thanks, John P.S.: There won t be as much game action this week with the All-Star Break. Next Monday s feature story will take a look at the defending champion Houston Astros as they try to contend for a World Series repeat this year. Acknowledgements League standings were obtained from MLB.com and MiLB.com respectively. They are current at time of publication. Any mistakes may be brought to my attention by emailing me. I strive for accuracy and will make any needed corrections brought to my attention. Southern Baseball Digest P.O. Box 905 Clinton, MS 39060 Southern Baseball Digest 8