Midseason Reports 2019

NORTH DIVISION

It's already a run away for SLB's best team, Halifax. The good news for Philly is that they're right in the thick of the AL Wildcard race. The bad news for Bedford and Cleveland is that they're about 1000 games out of first place and have no chance to do anything....unless the race for 3rd does something for you. So yeah, this thing is pretty much done.

Halifax has a ridiculous 3.40 team ERA, which is on pace to break the league record. There are three legit Cy Young contenders in the rotation, with Justin Verlander (11-1, 1.52) the favorite to win. The bullpen is bad outside of Gudex, but that hasn't seemed to be a problem so far. The offense is entirely mediocre, but they don't need to do much to win on most days. Philly has a better offense and a worse pitching staff, but stay competitive and are not far behind in the WC race. Evan Longoria is having a career year, while Jay Bruce continues to dominate. Will Hunting was out for a month, hampering the lineup. Bedford is bad on nearly every level, yet remain out of the basement. They're last in team average and runs and have the second worst team ERA. Cleveland has THE worst team ERA, which has been enough to keep them in last place. Some of the hitting has been great as a young nucleus (Austin, Hamman, Hillenbrand) continues to produce in the middle of the order. The pitching is off the charts bad, however, as the youth lag behind the hitters in adapting to the major league game.


SOUTH DIVISION

Not quite as big a blow out as the North, but Atlanta has a comfortable double digit lead in the division. The rest of the South is bunched up, all fighting for the Wild Card (or staying out of last, which aren't too far apart at this point). The offense is great, as Darren Lemming flirts with another Triple Crown and James Ewing puts up some crazy power numbers. The pitching is really hit or miss, with Homer Bailey (12-1, 1.97) a strong contender for Cy Young on the plus side, and Tucker and Krieger (both with ERA's north of 6.00) on the negative. The Flyers have a great bullpen - a rarity in this league. Just 6 games separate the WC leader from last place. Savannah had a great June and have taken the lead, riding the hot hitting of Cabrera/Leahy and the dominant starting rotation, headlined by Humber and Willis. Baltimore continues to build on their farm system, with hitters like Atwood and Vanderwal taking up the reins from Pujols, McPherson and Guerrero. Rookie Mike Wells has been a big surprise offensively. Putnam, Cepeda and DeVries have been good but inconsistent, and the bullpen is pretty spotty. San Juan is still in the hunt, but has suffered from low morale after team leader Floyd Larkin went down early in the year. Swirling rumors about Dennis Dennis Jr.'s future with the team have also served to destabilize a normally dominant lineup. The rotation is solid, with rookie Anthony Rodriguez putting up pretty good numbers.


EURO DIVISION

After London lead for most of the year, Scotland has "lucked" their way into first place at the break. The Rebels have scored just 3 more runs than they have allowed, but have managed to go 10 over .500 to this point. Will their record skew back to the numbers? The team lacks any one player that makes you say "Wow", though Matisse and King Felix have been good. London continues to hit the crap out of the ball, with all 8 regular hitters in double digits in HR and 6 slugging over .500. Free agent pickup Michael Pelfrey is putting up a career year (10-1, 3.07) while Bray and Gaudin continue to pitch well. Paris has disappointed thus far, though injuries to Jerome Williams and Ryne Robinson have taken a pair of All-Star players out of action. The team hits home runs, but outside of MVP candidate Choi, none seem to drive in many runs outside of the long ball. Dennis Tankersly is getting shelled in Paris, and the bullpen is an eyesore. Ireland was looking better there for awhile, but they've recently slumped back to 11 under .500. The starting rotation is really good, but the bullpen is atrocious and there isn't enough thump in the lineup.


FAR EAST DIVISION

For the 87th straight season, this division sucks. Taipei and Osaka are tied for first with .500 records, and a week ago all four teams were under the break even point. Despite all the talent in the division, every team has glaring issues. Osaka's offense is great (shocked?), but it's rookie Ben Parker leading the way. The Ronin have three rookies putting up great numbers, including Rule 5 pick Truck Chakeles. Parker, just one year out college, could be the first player to win ROY and MVP in the same season. While Osaka's pitching is still pretty bad, they have seen positive results from free agent signings Sabathia and Mahara. Taipei is lead by 35 year old Jose Reyes (WUT?) who somehow leads the team in HR and SLG. This is a pretty light hitting team overall, though there are some big bats waiting in AAA. Higuera and Fetter continue to impress, while FA addition Ubardo has lived up to his contract. Mid-season acquisition Scott Kazmir has done everything but win since coming from Bedford. Kyoto has been victim to horrible luck....again. They are +9 in run differential but sit at 9 games under .500. The Bushido seem to excel at winning in blowouts, but their piss poor pen has lost them a league leading 20 one-run games. Rookie Stan Ford leads the league with 30 HR, but he's not in the top 15 in RBI. Drew Stubbs has filled in very well for the injured Cray Boggs, making for an overcrowded OF. Outside of Jake Peavy, the rotation has been very good, but oh that bullpen. Chiang Mai has a good offense but abysmal pitching. Their best starter (Degerman) is hurt, while most of the pen are giving up runs in bunches.


MIDSEASON AWARDS

MVP: Darren Lemming
Cy Young: Justin Verlander
RHOY: Ben Parker
RPOY: Rene Delmas

MIDSEASON PREDICTIONS

NORTH: Halifax
SOUTH: Atlanta
EURO: London
FAR EAST: Osaka
WILDCARDS: Savannah, Scotland
WORLD SERIES: Atlanta over London

Darin's Far East preview

What happened last year: Major Upgrade: a team with a winning record won the division. That said, the division was completely lame; Taipei outplayed their numbers and everyone else underperformed terribly. Lot's of offense, little pitching. Taipei got some surprising starting pitching (including Roy Higuera and RPOY Chris Fetter) to go with their young hitting. The Tai Fong were just happy to make the playoffs for the first time ever, gracefully bowing out to the far superior Paris team in the WLDS. Kyoto had the best pitching in the division, especially after landing lefty ace CC Sabathia from Ireland in July. It wasn't enough, as the Bushido blew their chance in a weak division. Chiang Mai went trade happy in July, adding Ben Sheets, Daniel Pursel and Chest Rockwell; the team went into an immediate tailspin and finished 9 back. Osaka....woof. Offense was great (Brown and Fielder were crazy good) but the pitching was almost historically bad. The "allow 8 runs but score 10" gameplan proved faulty, and the Ronin finished in dead last.

What happened in the offseason: Taipei took their first division title seriously, adding free agents El Ron Ubardo to the rotation and retaining Maple and Posedel for reasonable contracts. Kyoto lost Gudex and Sabathia to free agency and got outbid on pretty much every pitcher they negotiated with. GM Darin Keesing had to go the trade route, trading 3B prospect Shuhei Iwata to Taipei for a trio of arms, and sending Ed See to Paris for Les Beltre and Youliesky Gourriel. Chiang Mai kept Cap Jackson, and then added some minor parts like Adam Wainwright and Carl Crawford. Osaka had a ton of money to spend, and after failing to land Darren Lemming, spread the cash around to free agents like CC Sabathia, Tosekawa Mahara and their RFA's (Brown/Peppers).

What will happen this year: The top teams didn't get better, so expect another division winner with 80-86 wins. Is Taipei for real, or will they regress to rebuilding status? If the starting pitching holds up, the Tai Fong should be right in the thick of things. Kyoto always looks good on paper, but will they ever live up to their potential? Rookie Stan Ford steps in to the clean up spot in the order, giving the team 4 or 5 legit 30 HR guys. The young bullpen could be their undoing. Chiang Mai has arguably the best offense top to bottom, but the pitching took a hit. It's Krueger, Degerman, then three days of praying. Osaka will put up runs as always, but will the big ticket free agent pitchers get the team back on top? Sabathia and Mahara are a good start, but when your 3-5 are Ojeda, Lambert and Gibson, you're pretty well effed.

Division's 5 best pitchers: 1. Jordan Auerbach (KYO), 2. C.C. Sabathia (OSKA), 3. Jake Peavy (KYO), 4. Chris Fetter (TAI), 5. Eddie Krueger (CHNG)

Division's 5 best batters: 1. LF Rueben Brown (OSKA), 2. 1B Dave Peppers (OSKA), 3. LF Antonio Mule (KYO), 4. RF Joe Belinda (CHNG), 5. CF Tom Maple (TAI)

Division's 5 best prospects: 1. RF Stan Ford (KYO), 2. 3B Ben Parker (OSKA) 3. 3B Shuhei Iwata (TAI), 4. P Derrek Ballinger (TAI), 5. CF Dreshon Murray (CHNG)

Predicted Order of Finish: 1. Kyoto, 2. Taipei, 3. Chiang Mai, 4. Osaka

Darin's Euro preview

What happened last year: London cruised to 102 wins and the Euro Division crown, but lost the WLCS to Paris. The Pimpernels won 90 games of their own, easily taking the WL Wildcard and pushing Halifax to seven games in the World Series. Scotland showed flashes of brilliance, but ended with a losing record, while Ireland looked completely overmatched all season. The London offense was amazing, with seven regulars hitting over .300. Delmon Young had a career year, smacking 46 HR and driving in 139 runs. Warren McFadden won the Euro MVP with his 91 XBH and 71 steals, and Russell, Clemente and McNulty were all outstanding. Solid starting pitching and a great bullpen gave London their best team in franchise history. For Paris, Choi and Dunn lead the way for an offense that scored less than a typical Pimpernel lineup. Williams and Pavano were good in the rotation, but the rest of the staff was pretty rough. Pretty good power in Scotland's lineup, but the team had trouble putting together big innings. Ireland was young and bad, again, with the super expensive pitchers unable to do enough.

What happened in the offseason: London lost their best two starters to free agency (Volstad to Ireland, Mahara to Osaka), but added Michael Pelfrey and Dante Inferno. Paris added Dennis Tankersly, Theodore Unger and Kendry Morales via free agency, and then acquired 3B Ed See from Kyoto (for Youliesky Gourriel and Les Beltre). Ireland beefed up their rotation, adding Kevin Thompson and Chris Volstad while retaining Bobby Brownlie. Scotland did little more than retain their restricted free agents

What will happen this year: London's offense returns fully intact and should put up huge numbers once again. The question for the Knights will be pitching, with a rotation full of #3 starters. The bullpen should be pretty good. Their main competition will once again be Paris, who has a ton of depth in pitching and the potential for a dynamic offense. Kendry Morales will hit 50 HR...you heard it here first. Scotland might be decent, but they just aren't built to compete with the big boys in the division. Wily Mo Pena is the cleanup hitter. Yikes. Ireland might be interesting if the young hitting ever develops. There are a ton of high draft picks here, but not enough have stepped up as offensive superstars. At least the starting pitching will be better.

Division's 5 best pitchers: 1. Jerome Williams (PAR), 2. Josh Beckett (IRE), 3. Chris Volstad (IRE), 4. Bobbie Brownlie (IRE), 5. Horacio Ramirez (PAR)

Division's 5 best batters: 1. SS Diego Clemente (LON), 2. CF Warren McFadden (LON), 3. CF Ryne Robinson (PAR), 4. LF Jim Russell (LON), 5. RF Pablo Matisse (SCOT)

Division's 5 best prospects: 1. SP Yoshi Sasaki (IRE), 2. C Jack Berry (IRE), 3. 2B Augustine Ortiz (LON), 4. RP Mike Hatcher (SCOT), 5. SS Alex Escavedo (SCOT)

Order of Finish: 1. London, 2. Paris, 3. Scotland, 4. Ireland