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