Santa Clarita Valley Journal
Vicente Lamb, Stars Reporter
August 25, 2055
SACRAMENTO – It's taken quite a while, but the Valencia Stars offense has awoken. In the month of August, the Stars have six hitters posting a wRC+ greater than 125. Outfielder Ulvi Basgil (191 wRC+ in 95 plate appearances) has been a steady presence for most of the season, but seems to have found another gear lately, with a pair of two home run games this month.
Third baseman Daniel Pepper (187 wRC+ in 91 plate appearances) has shut out distractions and dropped the hammer. He leads the team with 9 home runs so far in the month of August, and is hitting as well as ever.
Outfielder Zhi-jun Xin (156 wRC+ in 67 plate appearances) continues to be a revelation. He hardly ever walks, but so long as Frick League pitchers continue to fail to find significant holes in his swing, it looks like he will continue to produce. For a prospect who was not supposed to have much power at all, his .531 slugging percentage suggests the BBA scouts may have whiffed again.
This strong August performance has brought the Stars back to within single digits of a wild card spot.
Perennial Stars wet blanket Sacramento has put a stop to all that good feeling, as they are wont to do, winning the first two games of the current series (1-0 and 7-4), upping their head to head series record to a preposterous 10-0 against Valencia. Nevertheless, the club has a September with just five road games (against Seattle and Hawaii), and a possible flirtation with relevance to look forward to.
