National League East
The NL East is a pretty competitive division year in and year out. They have had their fair share of wild card berths with 10 of them over the 19 seasons of Pine Tar. Right now they have a good race going at the top of the division as 5 games separate Jacksonville and Philadelphia. Philly is also just 3 games out of a crowded wild card race.
Jacksonville is the team on top of the East heading down the stretch. They will try to make it 5 straight division titles and 13th in franchise history. They've never won 5 in a row before though and this would be a big accomplishment for them. Offensively they have scored the third most runs in the NL with a team built on power. MVP candidate, Andre Fleming, is putting up huge numbers this season. He has 32 homers, 100 RBI, 90 runs, a .345 batting average, .415 OBP, and .594 Slg. Around him the team brings more power from Tony Olmeda(21 hr), Teddy Lemon(22hr), Brian Langford(26hr), Nick Cooper(23hr), and Allen Gruber(28hr). That is a powerful lineup and could help this team make a deep post season run. The pitching has been middle of the league this season. The top 3 in the rotation have been good. Magglio Figureoa(13-9, 3.76), Gerardo Morales(9-8, 3.73), and Max Mateo(9-8, 3.74), all have good ERA's, but the best record belongs to Andres Park(13-7, 4.75). Park's ERA is high, but he finds ways to win. Throw in the addition of Bryant Clayton(3-0, .39) in a trade from Chicago and the rotation looks even better. The bullpen has been solid. They are led by closer Sherman Stevens who has 34 saves in 38 tries and a 3.67 ERA. The pitching staff may be middle of the league, but they have the players to be in the upper half of the league. Jacksonville will be tough to knock from the top of the division and will also be a tough out in the post season.
Philadelphia missed the post season last season after getting a wild card in season 17, but are right back in the mix this season. Right now the are only 5 games out in the division and 3 out of the wild card and could make a run at either one. Offensively they have put up the fifth most runs in the NL this season. They have a good mix of hitting, power and speed on the team. They have Dicky Bartee(.341, .400), Lonny Infate(.335, .412), and Cam Stubbs(.307, .367), with real good averages and OBP's. Then they have Infante(28 hr), Tomas Acosta(24hr), Nate Carter(20hr), and Mandy Whitfield(45 hr), bringing the power. Whitfield has also stolen 39 bases this season and Stubbs has 14, then throw in Carmen Delahanty with 18. Lonny Infante is putting up MVP type numbers and really if Whitfield had a higher average, he would probably run away with the award. Overall, this is a scary offense that can do just about anything asked of it. The pitching rotation hasn't been impressive though. Fred Cooper(12-6, 3.67), and Benji Crespo(9-8, 3.74) have been the only 2 that have consistently got the job done. The bullpen has a few pitchers they can rely on. Osvaldo Tatis(3.06), Matthew Weathers(1.45), Albert Beltran(3.30), Taylor Flier(3.20) and Thumper Young(3.66) have all been shutting down opponents this season. The weakness of this team is the starting rotation, but the offense and the bullpen are doing their part. This team could make a run and get into the post season, but they need the starting pitchers to pick it up some.
Kansas City is on the outside looking in again this season for the 9th straight time. The winning percentage is up, but not enough to get into the post season. The offense this season has been led by Ichiro Pong, 29 hr, 95 RBI, 91 runs, .303 average, .377 OBP, and .527 slg, as he continues to put up Hall of Fame type numbers. He's only 33, so he has some seasons left on him, but his career is definitely on the back 9. The pitching for the team is led by Bobby McCarthy(14-9, 3.62).
Cincinnati was on a roll of 90 win seasons from seasons 13-16, but that seems so long ago now. This looks like it will be a third straight losing season for the franchise. Offensively they have a rookie of the year candidate in Rick Marshall, 15 hr, 62 rbi, 70 runs, .303 average and .374 OBP. Fergie Hill is putting up some really good numbers with 43 hr, 100 rbi, 95 runs and a .261 average. The pitching staff has done nothing of note.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Season 19 Update-NL North
National League North
There isn't much of a race going on in this division, but they do have the chance of sending 2 teams to the post season. They also have a chance at a team getting the 1st pick in next seasons draft.
In Trenton the team is lighting up opponents this season. They've scored the most runs in the NL and have given up the third fewest runs. They should have the division locked up to make it 3 out of the past 4 division titles belonging to them. The offense has been great this season. Odd thing about that is that this team isn't hitting many homers. The team has 134 all season and the team leader, Cozy Corbin, has just 23. Trenton is purely built to get on base and swipe a bag. Art Nelson has 74 steals and four others have more than 30. Offensively the team MVP has to be Rich Pierce who is hitting .324, with an OBP of .424. He also has scored 108 runs, hit 18 homers, drove in 92 runs while only striking out 55 times. The pitching has been likewise great for this team. The rotation features Tony Fernandez(16-4, 2.67), Rudy Parker(15-5, 2.63), Al Rosario(14-6, 3.93), and Dean Harvey(11-9, 3.97). All of those guys are having amazing seasons. In the bullpen Aaron Moorhouse has 34 saves in 35 chances with a 3.54 ERA. David Ortiz has been the work horse out of the pen though, with 125 innings in 70 games with an outstanding 1.87 ERA and .87 WHIP. This team is going to be tough to beat in the post season, as they have been tough to beat all season.
Coming off of the teams first division title and post season appearance last season, Iowa City is putting together another good season. The are in the wild card race and right now a few games out. The offense has really been this teams weakness this season. There are only 3 teams worse than them at scoring runs and the teams .257 batting average is a big part of that. Joseph Bang is getting it done though, batting a .329 on the season with a .387 OBP. Spike Maxwell looks like the teams offensive MVP with 40 homers, 97 RBI, 69 runs, and a .267 average. The pitching is by far this teams strength. They have given up the second fewest runs in the league and only allow opponents to hit .237 against them. Rookie Sticky Farquhar is having a really good start to his career with a 14-6 record and 2.90 ERA. The rest of the rotation has been solid, but they aren't putting up numbers like Sticky. The bullpen has been phenomenal. 3 pitchers with sub 3.00 ERA's and another with a 3.06. Luis Perez leads the group with a 1.26 ERA and 12 saves in 13 chances. Brendan Taylor has the 3.06 ERA and 16 saves in 20 chances. The bullpen could keep this team in the race down the stretch, but the offense isn't helping.
Detroit hasn't had a very good season, but it looks like they'll improve upon last season's record. The offense has been solid and youngsters Houston Graves(17 homers, 95 runs, 35 steals, .282 average) and Ricky Masterson(26 homers, 82 runs, 109 RBI, 13 steals, and .276 average) are players to build around. The pitching hasn't been very good, but another young player, Carlos Flores, has done solid in the closer role saving 26 games in 31 tries with a 3.14 ERA.
Fargo has continued it's rebuild this season and actually look like they will finish worse than last season as they challenge for the top pick in the draft next season. The offense has been the worst in the NL this season, but Ron Hudek has put up solid number despite the help around him. He's hitting .299, has an OBP of .363, has 20 homers, 71 RBI and 58 runs scored. Outside of Orlando Nieves(12-13, 4.03) the rotation has been pretty bad. The bullpen though, has actually been quite solid. Heath Spivey(2.66), Ted Haynes(2.63), Scot Millwood(3.57), and Kevin Beck(3.63) have put up respectable to good ERA's this season and have far exceeded what could be expected of them.
There isn't much of a race going on in this division, but they do have the chance of sending 2 teams to the post season. They also have a chance at a team getting the 1st pick in next seasons draft.
In Trenton the team is lighting up opponents this season. They've scored the most runs in the NL and have given up the third fewest runs. They should have the division locked up to make it 3 out of the past 4 division titles belonging to them. The offense has been great this season. Odd thing about that is that this team isn't hitting many homers. The team has 134 all season and the team leader, Cozy Corbin, has just 23. Trenton is purely built to get on base and swipe a bag. Art Nelson has 74 steals and four others have more than 30. Offensively the team MVP has to be Rich Pierce who is hitting .324, with an OBP of .424. He also has scored 108 runs, hit 18 homers, drove in 92 runs while only striking out 55 times. The pitching has been likewise great for this team. The rotation features Tony Fernandez(16-4, 2.67), Rudy Parker(15-5, 2.63), Al Rosario(14-6, 3.93), and Dean Harvey(11-9, 3.97). All of those guys are having amazing seasons. In the bullpen Aaron Moorhouse has 34 saves in 35 chances with a 3.54 ERA. David Ortiz has been the work horse out of the pen though, with 125 innings in 70 games with an outstanding 1.87 ERA and .87 WHIP. This team is going to be tough to beat in the post season, as they have been tough to beat all season.
Coming off of the teams first division title and post season appearance last season, Iowa City is putting together another good season. The are in the wild card race and right now a few games out. The offense has really been this teams weakness this season. There are only 3 teams worse than them at scoring runs and the teams .257 batting average is a big part of that. Joseph Bang is getting it done though, batting a .329 on the season with a .387 OBP. Spike Maxwell looks like the teams offensive MVP with 40 homers, 97 RBI, 69 runs, and a .267 average. The pitching is by far this teams strength. They have given up the second fewest runs in the league and only allow opponents to hit .237 against them. Rookie Sticky Farquhar is having a really good start to his career with a 14-6 record and 2.90 ERA. The rest of the rotation has been solid, but they aren't putting up numbers like Sticky. The bullpen has been phenomenal. 3 pitchers with sub 3.00 ERA's and another with a 3.06. Luis Perez leads the group with a 1.26 ERA and 12 saves in 13 chances. Brendan Taylor has the 3.06 ERA and 16 saves in 20 chances. The bullpen could keep this team in the race down the stretch, but the offense isn't helping.
Detroit hasn't had a very good season, but it looks like they'll improve upon last season's record. The offense has been solid and youngsters Houston Graves(17 homers, 95 runs, 35 steals, .282 average) and Ricky Masterson(26 homers, 82 runs, 109 RBI, 13 steals, and .276 average) are players to build around. The pitching hasn't been very good, but another young player, Carlos Flores, has done solid in the closer role saving 26 games in 31 tries with a 3.14 ERA.
Fargo has continued it's rebuild this season and actually look like they will finish worse than last season as they challenge for the top pick in the draft next season. The offense has been the worst in the NL this season, but Ron Hudek has put up solid number despite the help around him. He's hitting .299, has an OBP of .363, has 20 homers, 71 RBI and 58 runs scored. Outside of Orlando Nieves(12-13, 4.03) the rotation has been pretty bad. The bullpen though, has actually been quite solid. Heath Spivey(2.66), Ted Haynes(2.63), Scot Millwood(3.57), and Kevin Beck(3.63) have put up respectable to good ERA's this season and have far exceeded what could be expected of them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Season 19 Update-AL West
American League West
With 28 games remaining, it's looking like St Louis has this division in control. The division hasn't taken a wild card spot since they took both of them way back in season 1. It doesn't look like that will be changing this season.
St Louis sure looks like they will make it 3 straight division titles in the West. They haven't been dominant this season and look like they will finish with a worse record than last season, but the division hasn't been very good. Offensively they are one of the worst teams in the AL with a .248 team average and .317 OBP. MVP candidate, Lou Jefferies is having a pretty good season with 21 homers, 90 runs, 84 RBI, 31 steals, .295 average, and .364 OBP. It's been a breakout year for him, but the rest of the team isn't pitching in much. Neil Roberts has 29 homers and 97 RBI, with a respectable .271 average, but the next biggest hitter is Everth Carreras who has 34 homers and 96 RBI, but a lowly .215 batting average. The offense will limit this teams ability to make a post season run. The pitching rotation is strong at the top, but quickly falls off after the top 2 of William Jung(10-8, 3.73), and Jim Kelly(12-8, 3.01). The bullpen is pretty solid and closer Omar Sanchez has 34 saves in 38 tries, but his 5.21 ERA is an area of concern. Lonny Sojo with 97.1 innings and a 3.51 ERA, and Zeus Parnell with 95.2 innings and 3.57 ERA, have given this team a lot of good innings out of the bullpen. The pitching is solid but not great. Of all the playoff teams this is the team that will have to have things go right for them to make a deep post season run. They've been less impressive than the others, but all it takes in the post season is a little luck and things to start falling right for them.
Anaheim put up a fight this season, but they look like they'll fall short again this season. The team has a .506 expected win percentage, but have only played .455 ball. Things haven't gone their way. They've got some good seasons offensively from Miguel Flores, Alex Romero and Zeke Decker, but the offense has let them down for the most part this season. The pitching staff has been solid and reliever Bert Jordan has saved 31 of 35 games with a 2.84 ERA. I doubt they have what it takes to get back in the race this late in the season.
Salem is headed for a third straight 3rd place finish in the division. Offensively the team squeezed one more good season out of Rob Lee as he's hit 29 homers, 81 RBI, had a .313 average and .371 OBP. Really, they've had the best offense in the division. The pitching was this teams undoing and I can't find one player that had a season worth mentioning.
Vancouver has been eliminated for quite some time and have had a terrible season altogether. A big bright spot for the team though is MVP candidate Henry Siddall with 25 homers, 88 RBI, 75 runs, a .328 average, .433 OBP, and .588 Slg. The offense really hasn't been too bad this season. The pitching in Vancouver has been awful. Here's hoping that the team can find some help in the form of arms next season.
With 28 games remaining, it's looking like St Louis has this division in control. The division hasn't taken a wild card spot since they took both of them way back in season 1. It doesn't look like that will be changing this season.
St Louis sure looks like they will make it 3 straight division titles in the West. They haven't been dominant this season and look like they will finish with a worse record than last season, but the division hasn't been very good. Offensively they are one of the worst teams in the AL with a .248 team average and .317 OBP. MVP candidate, Lou Jefferies is having a pretty good season with 21 homers, 90 runs, 84 RBI, 31 steals, .295 average, and .364 OBP. It's been a breakout year for him, but the rest of the team isn't pitching in much. Neil Roberts has 29 homers and 97 RBI, with a respectable .271 average, but the next biggest hitter is Everth Carreras who has 34 homers and 96 RBI, but a lowly .215 batting average. The offense will limit this teams ability to make a post season run. The pitching rotation is strong at the top, but quickly falls off after the top 2 of William Jung(10-8, 3.73), and Jim Kelly(12-8, 3.01). The bullpen is pretty solid and closer Omar Sanchez has 34 saves in 38 tries, but his 5.21 ERA is an area of concern. Lonny Sojo with 97.1 innings and a 3.51 ERA, and Zeus Parnell with 95.2 innings and 3.57 ERA, have given this team a lot of good innings out of the bullpen. The pitching is solid but not great. Of all the playoff teams this is the team that will have to have things go right for them to make a deep post season run. They've been less impressive than the others, but all it takes in the post season is a little luck and things to start falling right for them.
Anaheim put up a fight this season, but they look like they'll fall short again this season. The team has a .506 expected win percentage, but have only played .455 ball. Things haven't gone their way. They've got some good seasons offensively from Miguel Flores, Alex Romero and Zeke Decker, but the offense has let them down for the most part this season. The pitching staff has been solid and reliever Bert Jordan has saved 31 of 35 games with a 2.84 ERA. I doubt they have what it takes to get back in the race this late in the season.
Salem is headed for a third straight 3rd place finish in the division. Offensively the team squeezed one more good season out of Rob Lee as he's hit 29 homers, 81 RBI, had a .313 average and .371 OBP. Really, they've had the best offense in the division. The pitching was this teams undoing and I can't find one player that had a season worth mentioning.
Vancouver has been eliminated for quite some time and have had a terrible season altogether. A big bright spot for the team though is MVP candidate Henry Siddall with 25 homers, 88 RBI, 75 runs, a .328 average, .433 OBP, and .588 Slg. The offense really hasn't been too bad this season. The pitching in Vancouver has been awful. Here's hoping that the team can find some help in the form of arms next season.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Season 19 Update-AL South
American League South
The AL south seems much more competitive this season, but Nashville still has a good lead heading down the stretch. The division could possibly get a wild card team in for the first time since season 9 though.
Nashville appears to be on pace for another 100+ win season and they have a good handle on the division lead. If this holds up then they will have an eighth straight division title. Offensively this team has jumped to the front of the league in runs scored and as a team the are hitting .284. The leader of this offense is "should be" MVP candidate Heinie Rice who is hitting .298 with 45 homers, 127 RBI's, 86 runs scored, and a .600 Slg. He has plenty of help around him in the lineup though with 300+ hitters Brian Sveum and Pedro Gomez. Juan Latos sits at .299 right now as well. That's just the top guys. Chris Young, Tino House, Wilfredo Aquino and Gustavo Medrano are also having pretty good seasons. This is one of the best offenses in Pine Tar. The pitching can't be overlooked either. They have given up the fewest runs in the AL. The rotation features Dan Siebert(11-7, 2.62), Jeremi Rice(12-7, 3.29), and Alex Martis(12-8, 3.26) as the top 3 guys. Douglas Jennings(12-3, 3.66) and Del McNeil(14-5, 4.00) aren't to be overlooked either. If there is one weakness for this team though, it is the bullpen. Archie Goldman has saves 17 of 20 games, but he seems to be aging fast and his 4.85 ERA isn't very good. Luckily for this team the rotation doesn't rely too much on the bullpen. Nashville is still my pick to win the AL crown this season.
What a season Tampa Bay is having. Trying to end a 7 season playoff drought, the team is in top contention for a wild card spot. If the season ended now they would be in. With 30 games left, they've already matched last seasons 75 victories and are looking for the teams first winning season since season 15. Offensively this team is led by a couple very good hitters in Alberto Machado and Christian Lee. Both are putting up phenomenal numbers this season. Rookie Victor Alexander is having a pretty good season as well. The pitching has been solid. In the rotation Claude Collins is finally having the kind of season expected out of him with a 13-6 record and 2.67 ERA. Jimmy Washington(10-10, 3.76) is having a solid season. The rest of the rotation is solid, but not getting this team what they'd like. The bullpen has been scary. Outside of Ezdra Johnson and his 3.67 ERA, the rest of the bullpen have ERA's close to 5. Frank Murphy has saved 26 of 32 games despite his 5.44 ERA though. This team has a chance to make the post season, but the pitching staff needs to produce better.
While San Juan is not eliminated yet, they are heading down that road. It's looking like they will make it 18 out of 19 seasons sitting home for the playoffs. If there is one thing this team can take from this season it is that Alexander Williamson is having another fine season hitting .305, with 33 homers, 106 RBI, 92 runs and .374 OBP. Starting pitcher Diego Valbuena is also having a good season with a 14-8 record and 3.58 ERA. Maybe next season this team can take the next step with these guys and compete.
New Orleans looks like they've been eliminated since the beginning of the season. Just kidding, but they do look like they are taking a step backward this season. I'm kind of surprised this team hasn't moved forward yet. With a player like Sam Slotnick to build around I would expect more. He's making a case for a second MVP even though he's on a last place team, with 44 homers, 115 RBI, 88 runs, 18 steals, .270 average and .561 Slg. If anything else, I'd think a player like that would bring in a haul in a trade for the future.
The AL south seems much more competitive this season, but Nashville still has a good lead heading down the stretch. The division could possibly get a wild card team in for the first time since season 9 though.
Nashville appears to be on pace for another 100+ win season and they have a good handle on the division lead. If this holds up then they will have an eighth straight division title. Offensively this team has jumped to the front of the league in runs scored and as a team the are hitting .284. The leader of this offense is "should be" MVP candidate Heinie Rice who is hitting .298 with 45 homers, 127 RBI's, 86 runs scored, and a .600 Slg. He has plenty of help around him in the lineup though with 300+ hitters Brian Sveum and Pedro Gomez. Juan Latos sits at .299 right now as well. That's just the top guys. Chris Young, Tino House, Wilfredo Aquino and Gustavo Medrano are also having pretty good seasons. This is one of the best offenses in Pine Tar. The pitching can't be overlooked either. They have given up the fewest runs in the AL. The rotation features Dan Siebert(11-7, 2.62), Jeremi Rice(12-7, 3.29), and Alex Martis(12-8, 3.26) as the top 3 guys. Douglas Jennings(12-3, 3.66) and Del McNeil(14-5, 4.00) aren't to be overlooked either. If there is one weakness for this team though, it is the bullpen. Archie Goldman has saves 17 of 20 games, but he seems to be aging fast and his 4.85 ERA isn't very good. Luckily for this team the rotation doesn't rely too much on the bullpen. Nashville is still my pick to win the AL crown this season.
What a season Tampa Bay is having. Trying to end a 7 season playoff drought, the team is in top contention for a wild card spot. If the season ended now they would be in. With 30 games left, they've already matched last seasons 75 victories and are looking for the teams first winning season since season 15. Offensively this team is led by a couple very good hitters in Alberto Machado and Christian Lee. Both are putting up phenomenal numbers this season. Rookie Victor Alexander is having a pretty good season as well. The pitching has been solid. In the rotation Claude Collins is finally having the kind of season expected out of him with a 13-6 record and 2.67 ERA. Jimmy Washington(10-10, 3.76) is having a solid season. The rest of the rotation is solid, but not getting this team what they'd like. The bullpen has been scary. Outside of Ezdra Johnson and his 3.67 ERA, the rest of the bullpen have ERA's close to 5. Frank Murphy has saved 26 of 32 games despite his 5.44 ERA though. This team has a chance to make the post season, but the pitching staff needs to produce better.
While San Juan is not eliminated yet, they are heading down that road. It's looking like they will make it 18 out of 19 seasons sitting home for the playoffs. If there is one thing this team can take from this season it is that Alexander Williamson is having another fine season hitting .305, with 33 homers, 106 RBI, 92 runs and .374 OBP. Starting pitcher Diego Valbuena is also having a good season with a 14-8 record and 3.58 ERA. Maybe next season this team can take the next step with these guys and compete.
New Orleans looks like they've been eliminated since the beginning of the season. Just kidding, but they do look like they are taking a step backward this season. I'm kind of surprised this team hasn't moved forward yet. With a player like Sam Slotnick to build around I would expect more. He's making a case for a second MVP even though he's on a last place team, with 44 homers, 115 RBI, 88 runs, 18 steals, .270 average and .561 Slg. If anything else, I'd think a player like that would bring in a haul in a trade for the future.
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