2055-5

[Knucklehead254]

MOUNTIES LOOK TO CONTINUE SOLID START TO SEASON AGAINST TWO DIVISION RIVALS June 9th, 2023
Your Vancouver Mounties have had a lot of ups and downs the first two months of the season, and this next week of baseball will undoubtedly shape where the team goes for the season. With a record of 33-28, good enough for 2nd place in the Pacific Division, the Mounties still have their work cut out for them in an ultra competitive league. First they will look to sweep the current series against Chicago, before travelling to Long Beach to play the 4th place Surfers, who are currently 30-32. They then fly through the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii to take on the Tropics in an important four game series. The Tropics hold 3rd place in the division with a record of 32-30, 1 and a half games back from the Mounties. With these games holding significance for the the club, Manager Aurélien Guérin expects nothing less from the players.

"While it's still early in the season, these type of games are must-win," says Guérin, "they (Hawaii and Long Beach) are going to be a tough matchup cause they are looking at this the same way we are, we cannot let an opportunity to create distance slip away."


The Mounties are also just 2 games back of the division leader Mad Popes, who have a record of 35-26. The Mounties are looking to win the division for just the third time in 24 years.

FRICK LEAGUE PACIFIC DIVSION STANDINGS
W L W% GB RS RA RD

Sacramento
35-26 .574 - 277 225 52

Vancouver
33-28 .541 2 254 236 18

Hawaii
32-30 .516 3½ 271 267 4

Long Beach
30-32 .484 5½ 301 279 22

San Fernando
27-35 .435 8½ 307 347 -40

Portland
26-35 .426 9 235 262 -27

Seattle
25-36 .410 10 328 336 -8

Valencia
25-37 .403 10½ 252 305 -53

LATE FREE AGENT ACQUISTION PUTTING UP ALL-STAR NUMBERS
When the Mounties went into free-agency during the off-season, fans were hoping for a huge splash. Instead they watched number 2 pitcher Mahad Einan leave for the Edmonton Jackrabbits and saw the team swing and miss on a few of their targets. Their most notable (and really only) signing was for CF Ramón Moreno, a quick and solid defensive player. However near the beginning of the season they took a meeting with 2B Mahine Karetu, formerly of New Orleans. Feeling like they still needed another bat to their line-up, Wharram offered him a one year deal. It took nearly two weeks afterwards, but Karetu agreed and joined the team. He's been lights out ever since, in 42 games he currently has a .326 AVG, a team leading 11 HRs, as well as 32 RBIs and .898 OPS. While All-Star worthy numbers, since he came in two weeks into the season some feel as though he shouldn't be voted into the All-Star game.

FROST HEATS UP AS HE LOOKS FOR A POTENTIAL SEVENTH ALL-STAR NOD
When Tony Frost last made the All-Star game five years ago, he was seen as a franchise center-piece for the Nashville Bluebirds, as that was his sixth All-Star appearance at the age of just 29. He would then go on to lead them to the Championship that year. However after that year he slowly began to regress, never reaching above 2.5 WAR in each of his next four seasons. After being traded to Vancouver in the offseason (see the trade details here), he started the new season off slowly, struggling to keep above a .200 AVG through the first two weeks, and many fans feared it was the beginning of the end of Frost's career. However, he has since managed to put together a very impressive 2 months for the Mounties. He currently leads all Frick League third basemen in Batting Average (.300), Hits (70), On Base % (.374) and WAR (2.6). His current 2.6 WAR is already higher than each of his last four full seasons. Although it is still somewhat early in the season, it looks as though Frost may have finally shaken off the rust.

[Jwalk100]

Thumbs up for the post. Personal big thumbs down for calling the Tropics the 'Alohas'.

[Dington]

Thumbs up for the post. Personal big thumbs down for calling the Tropics the 'Alohas'.

It's not even the 'hello' Aloha. It's 'goodbye.' As in, "the Aloha pitcher delivers the pitch and ALOHAAAAA! That ball is outta here!"

[Knucklehead254]

Thumbs up for the post. Personal big thumbs down for calling the Tropics the 'Alohas'.

Oh geez how did I not notice that. What happens when I write an article at 4am!