Power Pros Forum

I like how the teams with the circle logos are doing better

That's kinda weird. I hadn't even noticed it.

I kinda wish I played in the South though, because it's a much easier division, besides Springfield.

You're doing really well!

2013 UBL AMATEUR DRAFT
The UBL amateur draft was held on June 5th, and even though it is now the end of June and we may be a little late, we will be doing a recap. Each team was looking for prospects to help them down the road. Rochester picked SP Kevin Patterson(20/68) with the first pick. However, we are here to discuss La Crosse's draft picks.

Round 1
Matt Underwood - OF - 22/46 - 18 yrs. old: La Crosse selected outfielder Matt Underwood with the 13th pick of round one, with the hopes that he will one day develop into a leadoff hitter for them. Underwood has above average contact ability, and is a definite stolen base threat. He can play all three outfield positions as well. Underwood's only real weakness is his power. Through 16 games starting in for Elkader in A ball, Underwood is hitting .492(31 hits in 63 AB's) with 3 stolen bases. He's definitely off to a hot start!

Round 2
Gary Ferguson - P - 20/49 - 19 yrs. old: Ferguson was drafted in the second round with hopes that he will one day be a back-end starter or bullpen guy for the big league club. Ferguson has nice stuff, including a good slider, but his fastball is dead straight. His control is another asset, and he rarely walks people. Ferguson has made 3 starts in single A Elkader, and is 1-0 with a 6.48 ERA. He was shelled in his first start, giving up 7 earned runs, but has been better in his last two, giving up 2 ER and 3 ER, respectively.

Round 3
Sherman Hicks - P - 20/40 - 20 yrs. old: Hicks is another guy drafted with hopes that he may help in the bullpen one day. He has good stamina, but doesn't have the stuff it takes to be a starting pitcher. His control is well above average, but his stuff and movement leave something to be desired. Hicks is 1-2 with a 6.61 ERA in 3 starts for Elkader. His last start was impressive though, going 7.1 innings, allowing 2 earned runs with 7 K's in a win versus Shoreview.

Round 4
Kenny Gelder - C - 22/49 - 18 yrs. old: Gelder isn't really a spectacular pick, but he was one of the best available in the 4th round. He has the potential to be an average contact hitter, with average gap pop, but his home run power is incredibly weak. He excels at avoiding K's, even though his eye isn't the greatest. Defensively, Gelder is just average. All in all, there are better options in the Crusaders' farm system to play catcher. Gelder has impressed through 19 games in A ball, though, hitting .328 with 12 RBI already.

After these four, none of La Crosse's next six draft picks really have a chance at breaking into the UBL. Although the Crusaders didn't appear to get the next superstar in the draft, they were able to pick up some solid pieces that could help them out someday.

6/16 LAX 2 @ FSH 8 - Swept by Fishers... Benson went only 3 innings, allowing 3 runs. Dennis Phillips was 2-4 with one RBI, and Barnes was 2-3.
6/17: AUR 5 @ LAX 1 - Saunders fought hard, but ends up with a loss, giving up 2 ER in 6 IP. Jeff Kelley was 2-3, but the offense struggled overall.
6/18: AUR 2 @ LAX 6 - Javier Martinez only allowed 2 hits through 7.1 shutout innings, and struck out 10. Michael Barnes was 3-3, and had 4 RBI. Dennis Phillips was 2-4, with 2 runs.
6/19: FTW 1 @ LAX 11 - Dave Blankenship flashed his potential greatness, getting his first big league win, due to his 7 IP, 1 ER, 8 K performance. Every starter had at least one hit.
6/20: FTW 2 @ LAX 3 - Roy Mack goes 7 IP, giving up just 2 ER, but in a no decision. Josh Howard gets the walk-off RBI on a walk in the 9th. Newton and Barnes both homered.
6/22: LAX 0 @ EAU 1 - La Crosse mustered only 3 hits, and couldn't score. Benson gave up 1 earned in 6.2 innings, yet was still the losing pitcher.
6/23: LAX 2 @ EAU 3 - LAX drew tough pitching matching ups, pitting their 4 & 5 starters vs. Eau Claire's 1 & 2. They held their own, but were swept. Saunders gave up 3 ER in 6.1 IP.
6/24: APL 2 @ LAX 4 - Martinez got the Crusaders back on track, going 6.2 IP, allowing 1 ER, with 10 K's in a W. Barnes was 3-4 with a run. Phillips was 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 R.
6/25: APL 3 @ LAX 4 - Blankenship was solid, giving up 3 ER in 6.1 IP, but in a no decision. Ross Mullins was 2-4 with 2 solo homers.
6/26: LAX 6 @ CNV 5 - Mack went 7 innings and gave up 5 earned, but still got the win. Howard hit a 3 run pinch-hit homer in the 7th to put LAX ahead for good.
6/27: LAX 3 @ CNV 5 - Benson only lasted 3.2 innings, giving up 5 earned. Kelley was 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, R. La Crosse has struggled against Coon Valley so far.
6/28: BLM 1 @ LAX 2 - Saunders was magical again, giving up just 1 run in 5.1 innings, getting his third win. Barnes was 1-2, and had both of LAX's RBI, on a double in the 3rd inning.
6/29: BLM 3 @ LAX 1 - Martinez suffered his first loss of the year, giving up 3 runs in 7.1 innings. The offense was of little help, and only scored on a solo homer by Phillips in the 6th.

La Crosse Crusaders UBL Transactions
June 20th- Signed MR Fred Everett(80/80) to a contract extension, for 4 years and $12.6 million. Everett has a 3-3 record, with a 3.60 ERA and 9 holds so far this year as La Crosse's set up man.

UBL Players of the Month(June 2013)
Hitter- Chris Anderson(Aurora): .319, 9 HR, 19 RBI, 23 R
Pitcher- George Wright(Rochester): 9 saves, 17 IP, 30 K's, 0.00 ERA
Rookie- Ken Padgett(Davenport): .322, 7 HR, 11 RBI, 13 R


The Crusaders have fallen back to 3 games behind first place St. Cloud, but are still within striking distance. La Crosse and the Chargers have begun to run away with the North Division, and it may come down to being a two team race. Appleton and Eau Claire could still come back, but everyone behind them is falling farther and farther behind.

Javier Martinez has been business as usual, and has arguably been the best pitcher in the UBL so far. He leads the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts. Martinez is 9-1 through 12 starts, posting a 1.82 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 89 innings. All 12 of his starts have been Quality Starts. Danny Stritch is just about ready to return off the DL, which will help La Crosse's rotation out. Matt Saunders has been a very impressive 5th starter, compiling a 3-3 record with just a 3.62 ERA in 9 starts. Closer Rusty Daniels is still doing as good as he possibly can, converting 18/18 save opportunities, with a 2.33 ERA.

Cecil Newton has emerged as the best hitter for the Crusaders, hitting .315 with 13 HR and 40 RBI. He leads the team in batting average and runs batted in. Michael Barnes has continued to pull out of his slump, and is now hitting .256 with 14 HR and 36 RBI. He still leads the team in homers. 1B Jeff Kelley has cooled off some, but is still having an impressive year, hitting .290 with 10 HR and 27 RBI thus far. The rest of the team has been doing pretty well too, as the Crusaders are now 3rd in the UBL in runs scored(270), 3rd in team batting average(.256), and 2nd in home runs(74).

Team Stats
Batting Stats
Pitching Stats

Springfield has begun to run away with the South Division, and are definitely the favorites to make it to the Championship Series.

July 1st, 2013 La Crosse has activated SP Danny Stritch(3-3, 4.00 ERA, 31 K, 45 IP, through 8 starts) from the 15 day DL after an abdominal injury. Dave Blankenship(1-1, 7.01 ERA, 21 K, 25.2 IP, through 5 starts), who was called up to replace Stritch when he was injured, was sent back down to AAA Oakville to make room for Stritch on the active roster. Blankenship was scheduled to start the Crusaders' first game back from the All-Star break, but it will instead be Stritch. The All-Star game is today, July 1st, and the team also has tomorrow off before resuming play on July 3rd in a huge series at Springfield.


SP Dave Blankenship has been bouncing back and forth between AAA and the big leagues all year. He's had a few rough starts that inflated his ERA, but has also had some very impressive starts too. Hopefully he continues to improve!

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In today's first ever UBL All-Star game, La Crosse will have 5 players suiting up for the North team, including 3 who are starting!

SP Javier Martinez: 9-1, 1.82 ERA... Martinez is starting the game for the North squad .
CL Rusty Daniels: 18 SV, 2.33 ERA... Daniels leads the UBL in saves.
1B Jeff Kelley: .290/.352/.517, 10 HR, 27 RBI... The trade in which we got Kelley has worked out great for us so far.
3B Michael Barnes: .256/.343/.536, 14 HR, 36 RBI... Barnes is also in the starting lineup, although I'm not sure why with Tim Hudson also on the team.
RF Cecil Newton: .315/.385/.534, 13 HR, 40 RBI... Newton is the 3rd player who is penciled in to start for the North.

Wow, Barnes is putting up Donaldson type numbers, and starting.

Yeah, it's nice to have him pulling out of that awful slump... I have no clue why Tim Hudson didn't start though... Hudson's been the best batter in the league, by far, this year.

Maybe he had a minor injury.

I dunno, it didn't say he had anything. His scouting report says that he's streaky, so I'd imagine it was just a cold streak.

7/1: North 3 @ South 4 - Martinez did not pitch, due to pitching on June 29th. Barnes was 0-3; Newton was 1-3, R; Kelley pinch hit and was 1-1; Daniels threw 1.1 innings, 0 ER, 1 K.
7/3: LAX 0 @ SPR 3 - Shutout by the Heroes' relatively weak pitching. Stritch did rather well in his return, allowing 3 ER in 7 IP but got 0 run support.
7/4: LAX 3 @ SPR 4 - 3 runs on... 17 hits. :/ Swept by Springfield again. Ross Mullins was 3-6 in his return to the top of the order.
7/5: IND 0 @ LAX 5 - Benson was amazing, pitching a 2 hitter with 9 K's in 6 IP. Mullins had 3 hits again, going 3-4, RBI. Barnes was 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R.
7/6: IND 3 @ LAX 7 - Saunders continues to impress, giving up 3 ER in 7 IP in a winning effort. Barnes homered again, and was 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R.
7/7: LAX 2 @ ROC 11 - Martinez gave up just 2 hits, 0 ER, and struck out 11 in 6.2 IP. The problem was that the bullpen gave up 11 runs in the 8th inning.
7/8: LAX 7 @ ROC 0 - Stritch seems better than he was before his DL stint, and gave up 0 ER in 8.1 IP today, with 9 K's. Catcher Jim Thompson was 2-5, with 3 RBI.
7/9: LAX 2 @ DAV 5 - Mack struggled, giving up 5 ER in just 4 IP. Newton was 1-4 and knocked in both runs.
7/10: LAX 1 @ DAV 7 - Benson was back to his old self, giving up 6 ER in 6 IP. Josh Howard was 1-4 and scored the only run.
7/11: WAT 6 @ LAX 2 - Saunders didn't last long, giving up 4 ER in just 3.2 IP, in a losing performance. Cecil Newton was 3-4, however.
7/12: WAT 2 @ LAX 8 - Martinez got his 10th win of the year, giving up 2 ER in 6 IP. Barnes was 1-3, and hit a 3 RBI double with the bases loaded in the 2nd inning.
7/13: LAX 4 @ EVN 15 - Oof... Stritch walked 6 and gave up 4 ER in 4.2 innings. Bullpen gave up a ton of runs, obviously. Mullins was 2-4 with an RBI.
7/14: LAX 8 @ EVN 9 - Mack got shelled again, giving up 7 ER in 4.2 IP. Steve Miller was 2-2 as a pinch hitter, with a HR, 3 RBI, 2 R.


Well, the Crusaders have not been off to a hot start in July, going 4-8 to start the month. They remain in 2nd place in the division, and are in place to grab a wild card spot, which would put them in playoffs. That's about all their hope right now, as they are continuing to slip further behind St. Cloud. We will get a good look at where La Crosse stands in their next series, a 2 game set vs. St. Cloud at home. A sweep would be awesome, but with Matt Saunders starting game 1, things look iffy.

Javier Martinez is now 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA. Rusty Daniels is still stuck at 18 saves. Danny Stritch has brought his ERA down since his return from the DL on July 3rd. He is now 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA. Quite a bit has changed offensively for the Crusaders, but we will save that for our next update, the trade deadline special!


With the top 3 teams in each division qualifying for a playoff spot, Springfield is still in great shape. Evansville might be heating up a little, and have a slight lead in second place. The battle for the 3rd playoff spot is currently a clustered race, as Bloomington, Independence, and Fishers all have a good shot at it.

La Crosse Crusaders Trade Deadline Special
The La Crosse Crusaders were a part of a huge 3 team deal on July 12th. The trade was easily the biggest of the deadline, and will definitely shake things up in the UBL. Obviously this deal was a huge for all teams, but we'll be focusing on the trade from La Crosse's perspective. We're here to break it down for you, so let's get into it without further delay!

La Crosse Crusaders get:
29 year old 1B Steve Ward(80/80) from Rochester
25 year old MR Dave LaBelle(74/74) from Rochester
32 year old LF Danny Sharpe(62/62) from Independence

Rochester Raiders get:
31 year old 1B Jeff Kelley(57/57) from La Crosse
21 year old SP Dave Hartley(20/63) from La Crosse
18 year old CL Cullen Davis(20/71) from La Crosse
26 year old RF Taylor Bright(66/66) from Independence

Independence Chiefs get:
37 year old RF Cecil Newton(80/80) from La Crosse
$3.5 million in cash from La Crosse


La Crosse has the best ranked farm system in the UBL, and was able to trade some of their prospects for big league talent, and maintain the #1 ranking after the trade. 1B Steve Ward was the first pick of the draft, yet Rochester was still looking to trade him for some young prospects and a replacement at first base. La Crosse was able to come up with an offer that pleased them, but they still wanted a little more, which is where the Chiefs came in, looking for a veteran presence to aid their playoff push. The Crusaders had been looking to get rid of RF Cecil Newton, even though he was one of the team's best hitters, due to his age and huge contract.

We'll start off focusing on the gains of La Crosse... Steve Ward is one of the best hitters in the UBL, and will immediately help out La Crosse's offense. He's hitting .319 on the year, and has 18 HR and 49 RBI. Just days after being traded to the Crusaders, Ward signed a 5 year extension worth $105 million. Ward, along with Michael Barnes, will anchor the Crusaders' lineup for the next 5 years at least, if all goes according to plan. Also crossing the Mississippi River from Rochester to La Crosse is 25 year old MR Dave LaBelle. LaBelle is 2-4 with a 2.43 ERA, and 50 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched thus far. As of now, LaBelle is the new 7th inning guy for La Crosse, pitching before Fred Everett, the 8th inning man, and Rusty Daniels, the closer. LaBelle says that he is "very pleased to be pitching for a contender!". The final piece coming to LAX is 32 year old LF Danny Sharpe from Independence. Sharpe is speedy and a good defender, something La Crosse has been lacking. He stepped right into the leadoff role for the Crusaders, and is hitting .229 but has a .360 OBP and 17 steals so far. Sharpe is a wee bit expensive, signed through 2017 and promised $19 million a year, but La Crosse may be able to handle the contract, along with Ward's new deal, now that they've gotten rid of Newton's. GM Kilian Boland said that he is very pleased to have these 3 new members in La Crosse, and he hopes that the new faces will renew the teams focus on capturing a playoff spot.

Rochester also got quite a haul, but had to give up quite a bit too. 1B Jeff Kelley was traded for the second time this year, this time to the Raiders. For his sake, hopefully he'll be able to settle down in Rochester and continue to be productive. Kelley was not at all happy with this trade, but, that's the way it goes. Rochester received a good number of prospects, including #10 overall, SP Dave Hartley from the Crusaders. Hartley was 1-3 with a 4.08 ERA in AAA with La Crosse before being traded. CL Cullen Davis was a highly sought after prospect throughout the season, and Rochester was able to land him in this trade. Davis may have big potential, but he's struggled this year, going 2-8 with a 9.10 ERA as a closer. He's 10/17 in save opportunities. Coming from Independence to the Raiders is a bright RF, 26 year old Taylor Bright. Bright was hitting .295 with 8 HR and 40 RBI for the Chiefs before being traded. He was scouted as more of a power hitter than contact guy, but has proved to be the opposite of that so far. He's still been doing very well though, and will help replace the hole in Rochester's lineup left by Ward leaving.

Independence was willing to take on the huge $26 million dollar contract of 37 year old RF Cecil Newton from La Crosse. Newton is a free agent at the end of the year, and will have to work out a deal with the Chiefs in order to stick there. Even though he has begun to slightly decline, Newton was still phenomenal for the Crusaders before the trade. He's hitting .309 with 13 HR and 42 RBI so far. The Chiefs also received $3.5 million from the Crusaders in order to help cover the cost of Newton's contract.

After the big shakeup, La Crosse's lineup now looks like this:

7/16: STC 4 @ LAX 5 - Benson gave up 4 ER in 7 IP with 7 K's, and got the job done. Mullins was 3-4, RBI, Ward was 2-4, 2 RBI, R.
7/17: STC 3 @ LAX 9 - SWEEEEP! Saunders was the man, giving up 1 ER in 7 IP. Brian Villa was 3-4, RBI, R. Ward was 2-4, 2 RBI, 3 R. Mullins is day-to-day due to hamstring soreness.
7/18: LAX 5 @ JEF 3 - Martinez has been ol' reliable, and gave up 3 ER in 7.1 IP today, earning no decision. Daniels picked up save #20. Ward and Barnes both homered for LAX.
7/19: LAX 5 @ JEF 4 - Stritch struggled through 5 IP, giving up 4 ER and walking 6. Ward was 1-3, and homered again, driving in 3 runs. Phillips was 2-4, RBI, 2 R.
7/20: FSH 3 @ LAX 7 - Mack pitched a quality start and got his 4th win of the year, giving up 3 ER in 7.1 innings. Ward has been on a tear, and was 2-2, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R today.
7/21: FSH 5 @ LAX 7 - Joe Benson's up and down season continues. Today he was up, getting his 5th win, allowing 2 ER in 6 IP. LAX scored all 7 runs in the 5th inning.
7/22: LAX 12 @ AUR 3 - Saunders(21/25 overall, remember) somehow won again, giving up just 1 ER in 6 IP. Ward has been insane, and was 4-5, RBI, 3 R.
7/23: LAX 6 @ AUR 5 - Javier Martinez. 'Nuf said. He is tied for the league lead, now with 11 wins. Gave up 0 ER today. Ward and Barnes both homered too.
7/24: LAX 1 @ FTW 9 - Stritch pitched poorly again... He hasn't been as good as advertised. Gave up 6 runs in 4 innings. The offense was shut down as well, only gathering 4 hits.
7/25: LAX 10 @ FTW 3 - Mack was good, giving up 1 ER in 7 IP, and the offense got back on track. Mullins was 3-4, HR, RBI, 2 R in his return from injury. Ward homered twice again!
7/26: EAU 8 @ LAX 5 - Benson gave up 6 runs in 6.2 innings, in a losing effort. Jose Avila was 3-4, with 2 RBI and a run. Steve Ward is on a 20 game hitting streak.
7/27: EAU 6 @ LAX 3 - Disappointing series. Thought we were getting some momentum going. Saunders gave up 4 earned in 5 innings. Ward has been unbelievable, going 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, R.
7/29: LAX 1 @ APL 9 - What do you do when Martinez gets shelled? He gave up 5 ER and lasted just 2 innings. Ward's hitting streak was snapped too. Just a rotten game all around.
7/30: LAX 7 @ APL 5 - Stritch was able to get us a much-needed W, although he gave up 5 ER in 5 IP. Sharpe was sharp today, going 4-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, and a stolen base.
7/31: CNV 6 @ LAX 7 - Roy Mack pitched a no decision, giving up 4 ER in 6 innings. Rusty Daniels notched his 25th save. Sharpe was 2-3, HR, RBI 2 R.

UBL Players of the Month(July 2013)
Hitter- Steve Ward(La Crosse): .376, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 28 R
Pitcher- Mike Morris(Springfield): 6-0, 1.93 ERA, 40 K, 42 IP
Rookie- Taylor Bright(Rochester): .313, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 14 R


The La Crosse Crusaders went 15-12 in the month of July. It was their worst month so far of the season, but could have been worse if it wasn't for a big trade in the middle of the month. La Crosse has closed the gap between themselves and St.Cloud to 5 games with a month and a half yet to play. The Crusaders are playing much better since the trade deadline, but unfortunately, so are the Chargers. Appleton and Eau Claire are still fighting hard for the 3rd and final playoff spot in the North.

The big ace, Javier Martinez, leads the team is just about every pitching category. Martinez is now 11-2 in 17 starts this year, with a 2.15 ERA and 124 K's in 117 innings. His 0.92 WHIP leads the team as well. #2 guy Danny Stritch has been a slight disappointment, going 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA. Matt Saunders has surprisingly been the second best starting pitcher, and is 6-5 with a 3.79 ERA. His 1.43 WHIP, compared to Stritch's 1.47 WHIP may show that Saunders is bound to regress. Roy Mack hasn't been too special either, compiling a 5-3 record but a 4.66 ERA. Joe Benson has also been unspectacular picking up 5 wins and 7 losses to the tune of a 5.71 ERA. The bullpen has been spotty and inconsistent, with Stu Clark(3-2, 4.84 ERA) and Larry Ewing(4-1, 5.59 ERA) under-performing. The 8th and 9th inning men, Fred Everett(4-3, 2.36 ERA in 45 appearances) and Rusty Daniels(25/25 SV, 2.63 ERA) have both been spectacular, though. New addition Dave LaBelle has struggled in his time with the Crusaders, posting a 6.23 ERA in 9 games. He is still 2-0 though, and hasn't blown a save yet, so that is good. Hopefully he can settle down and pitch like he was for Rochester.

Steve Ward has been amazing since coming to La Crosse, hitting .414 with 11 HR and 35 RBI in just 18 games. Ward had 17 HR and 44 RBI in 65 games with Rochester, so it seems like he is definitely enjoying the change of scenery. Michael Barnes has been driving in runs at a good clip, hitting .238 with 18 HR and 54 RBI. Danny Sharpe seems to be enjoying La Crosse as well, as he is hitting .338 with 4 HR and 14 RBI, plus 7 stolen bases, only being caught once in 18 games. Josh Howard has been struggling, and his average has dipped to .230. The other right fielder, Brian Villa, has been making the most of his opportunities, and is hitting .309 with 13 HR and 42 RBI in his platoon role. The rest of the team has been doing pretty well for the most part, and La Crosse is in the top 5 of most offensive team categories.

Team Stats
Batting Stats
Pitching Stats

The South Division is suddenly a tight race for 1st place, as Evansville has been absolutely on fire. Independence has stepped up into 3rd place, and Fishers and Bloomington are both dropping quickly.

Take them Chargers down!

I'm working on it... We've only got 2 games left against them though, so we'll have to rely on some other teams to beat them. As long as we play decently the rest of the year, we should be able to catch a playoff spot.