Despite having an entire week postponed due to rain, the 2024 FMBA season is off to a great start. We’re seeing lots of competitive games, several new faces in the league, and even a few fans attending games! You love to see it. With the good comes the bad: one sour note that continues to creep up is waiver infractions – there have been three this year, one of which affected a game result. Teams – let’s clean this up so we can keep the focus on the field!

A key statistic jumping out early is an increase in home runs not seen since the COVID-shortened 2021 season where there were 0.9HR/game. In 2023 those numbers were down to 0.54HR/game, but in May we saw that number spike back to 0.85HR/game. Maybe performance enhancement testing could be a topic for the 2025 league meetings? 🤔😂

Speaking of performance, the league is introducing something new in 2024: the “Studs” of the Month. Each month we’ll highlight the top 3 hitters and pitchers. To paraphrase the late great St. Louis Cardinal & Cincinnati Red prospect “Macho Man” Randy Savage, these players are “the cream who have risen to the top“. 

Michael Goldade is off to a hot start for the Wolfpack. Through May he leads the FMBA in total runs despite playing in only 3 games! He contributed in seemingly every offensive category, and his metrics (1.848OPS!) are off the charts. His highlight game was going 3-4 with 1 HR, 3R & 3 RBI in a win over the Giants.

It might be his rookie FMBA season but Graham Fader of the Guns is playing like a seasoned vet in leading the FMBA in total bases and RBIs in only 4 games played. He has hit an extra base hit in all four of those games, while stealing a bag in three of them. His signature outing was a game winning walk-off 2RBI 2B in a comeback over the Cardinals.

You could make a case for several White Sox hitters this month, but Mitch Chicoine (the all-time FMBA leader in plate appearances) gets the final nod, having hit safely in all 7 games he’s played while filling out all categories of the stat sheet. This was highlighted by a 2 hit, 3RBI performance in a victory over the Guns.

A second generation FMBA player, Cal Tecklenburg has been phenomenal thus far having yet to allow an earned run in three starts spanning 15 innings. This included an Opening Day CG 13K shutout of the four-time defending champ Diamondbacks. Even more impressive is his 2BB / 27K splits, keeping free passes to a minimum. He has certainly helped the Dukes jump out to a 4-0, 1st place start.

Taylor Kipnes had a May to remember logging 14.2 IP, coming away with 2 CG wins and a save in the span of 7 days while keeping a tidy 1.97ERA for the second place White Sox. His highlight outing was opening the season with a crisp 89 pitch CG shutout of the Cardinals. (And off the field, he just celebrated the birth of his second child! Congrats Taylor!)

Last but certainly not least is longtime Giant Steven Latos who has been in top form early. He ran into some tough luck late in his opening start vs the Wolfpack, but bounced back with a league high 15Ks in a CG W over the Longhorns. His 14K / 7IP splits are what you might call “video game good”.

Congrats to all the May “Studs”, can’t wait to see who makes June’s list.