In the Heaters I asked the question, "Can a team without superstars win in this league?" The Gamblers are answering that question with a resounding "Yes". Led by 5 All-Star pitchers, Atlantic City has clawed their way to the top of a very competitive division. Now the team needs one more bat to put it over the top, and GM Roy Shelley has been burning up the phone lines looking to make that deal.

Offense:

Not horrible, but certainly not dominating. With this pitching staff, they are certainly good enough, but in the playoffs, you always want to step it up a notch. Guerrero has been everything you'd want from a superstar, and Klesko has done great before being injured. The power drops of pretty significantly after those two, but what do you expect in the enormous confines of House Always Wins Field? 

Pitching:

Fantastic. Schmidt, Byrd, Leiter, Hudson and Morris are as solid a 1-5 as any team in the league. And when Morris is your worst starter, you're in great shape. "Guillermo Mota just might be the least frightening closer in the league." Time for me to eat those words? His 18 saves leads all and he played in the All Star Game. Shuey, Rhodes, and the just added Piniero make the bullpen just as scary.

Biggest Surprise:

Mota for sure. He's just dominant in the closer role, holding batters to a paltry .278 SLG.

Biggest Disappointment:

Johnny Damon has done nothing, and as such has been relegated to bench warming. 

Man on the Spot Update:

Jason Schmidt hasn't dominated, but ask any GM in the league if he wouldn't want the guy. A little more offensive support and he could have a big second half.

Time to start taking credit where credit is due, I thought this team would be in first, thanks to good starting pitching, and that’s pretty much spot on.  AC resolved the 1B issue in favor of Klesko and have sorted the bullpen out pretty well.  What they haven’t done yet, according to my predictions, is take action on the trade front to solidify the offense.  Rumor is they are working the phone lines on this, but we’ll see.  The division is still theirs to lose.

Offense:

I thought this offense would excel at getting men on base and struggle at driving them in.  I was wrong.  Damon, Mike Young and Renteria have all struggled while Vladdy and Klesko have done a pretty good job as producers in the heart of the order.  In fact, you can make a good case for Vladdy as MVP as he’s really carried the load for this team.  The catching platoon has worked well.  Still, this offense can’t just be “good enough” if AC wants to win a title.  Something has to be done.

Pitching:

To nobody’s surprise, the starting pitching has been phenomenal, helping AC be one of the couple of teams to keep their ERA under 4.00.  There have been some surprises in the bullpen, both good and bad.  Al Leiter has been the staff ace, with, for this league, a remarkable 2.46 ERA.  Paul Byrd has also been terrific.  Morris, Hudson and Schmidt have been fine, though Morris has had a few bad outings.  Guillermo Mota has been the league’s best closer so far, but middle and long relief have been adventures.  You’d like to see AC maybe add an FA arm for the pen down the stretch.

Biggest Surprise:

I’ll say Mota.  Not that he was expected to have a bad year, but he could rack up 35 saves this year, which in this league is astonishing. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Johnny Damon.  He looked like Ty Cobb in spring training but he’s lost a job with lousy play in the real season.  Same really goes for all the table setters in Atlantic City.  Surprising they haven’t looked to add Tom Goodwin or somebody like that out of the FA pool.

Man on the Spot Update:

Ramon Hernandez has kept his job.  Neither he nor Posada has been traded.  Statistically, it’s worked, but in the overall scheme of things, it still seems wasteful for this team to be platooning two hitting catchers while they can’t get league average production out of outfielders and third basemen.

Preseason, I thought that the pitching would be iffy due to inexperience, while I called the offense "the best in the division." I was wrong on both counts. I was also wrong when I thought that the team would hang around in 3rd place all year. The truth of the matter is that this staff is the best in the whole league, and that youth hasn't meant a thing. That said, the offense hasn't been all I made it out to be either, meaning an additional bat could make the difference between winning a division title and sending a gift basket to Atlantic City.

Offense:

Not bad considering Jose Vidro's continuous health problems and a seriously underachieving Sammy Sosa. When healthy, this offense scores just enough. Juan Gone and Griffey do most of the slugging, and the unconventional choice to leadoff with Eric Chavez has worked in the team's favor. Overall, however, the team doesn't score a whole lot, and you'll be lucky to see a 100 RBI guy on this roster. Ortiz and Everett have nice averages, but you would've bet the house that both would have double digit homer totals by now. 

Pitching:

Unbelievable. In fact, with better run support, this entire staff could have been All-Stars. The highest ERA in the rotation is 3.50 (which on some teams would be the lowest), and considering how young the staff is, you have to cringe at how good they can be over the next several years. With a few failed experiments not withstanding, the bullpen is also very good, lead by Steve Karsay's 12 saves and Jason Grimsley's 2.42 ERA. 

Biggest Surprise:

Rich Harden came out of the gates running. I thought he was too inexperienced to win at this rate so early, but I stand corrected.

Biggest Disappointment:

Sammy Sosa just hasn't been himself. A slugging percentage of .406 is simply unacceptable from a slugger, and he'll be lucky to drive in 70 runs. And he plays in a park with the shortest left field in the league. What gives?

Man on the Spot Update:

Rich Harden. In the Heaters I stated, "...a breakout season from the youngster could go a long way towards solidifying this rotation and giving the entire team confidence." Bingo.

I did predict this team would be right on the heels of AC, but I don’t think anybody thought this team’s pitching would come together as fast and as well as it has.  However, to the extent the pitching has exceeded expectations, the offense has failed to live up them.  While it isn’t a total mess, the hitting hasn’t been enough to put this team out in front in the North, which the pitching warrants.  Even more puzzling, GM Gin has been pretty docile on the trade front, not really doing anything to fix the offense or bullpen despite having a pitching staff that has championship written all over it. 

Offense:

If the plan was to have this offense hit a ton of homers over the Monster, it hasn’t worked.  Granted, Griffey, Juan Gone, Ortiz and Sosa haven’t had terrible seasons, but they also aren’t getting any MVP votes at this point.  Likewise, injuries have played a role, but still, you have to think that action has to be taken if some of these guys don’t start producing soon. 

Pitching:

The best in the league, despite being nearly all twentysomethings, a frightening prospect for the rest of the teams in this division.  Beckett and Harden are on the short list for CY and Webb and Nathan would be with any run support.  There have been some workhorse types like Sauerbeck, Grimsley and Wendell carrying the load in the bullpen, but in general, it’s not a happy decision to go to the pen for Bedford.  Again, that could be remedied if the GM has the gumption to do so.

Biggest Surprise:

Joe Nathan didn’t really get a lot of hype on a rotation with Josh Beckett and Brandon Webb, but his O Slg of .347 is astounding.  Too bad he’s still a .500 pitcher thanks to crappy run support. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Of those with 200 At Bats, Sammy Sosa is the worst hitter on the team.  With cheap homers only 315 happy feet away, Bedford fans might be telling him to blow it out his ass rather than blowing kisses.

Man on the Spot Update:

Brandon Webb leads the team in losses and is the easiest Crunch starter to hit, but he’s still kept his ERA at 3.15, so he’s not going to AAA any time soon. 

My preseason prediction that the Phynatics would win the division looked real good until recently, when the team took a header into 3rd place. The team is a little banged up, and if the guys can get a spark in the second half, do not count them out. Only 2.5 games out at this point with a lot of baseball to play, and when Pedro pitches every 5th day, there is always reason to hope. Might want to consider firing the hitting coach, however.

Offense:

No, those aren't the players' weights, those are their batting averages. Sure, Jeter and Walker are doing well, but the rest of the lineup is really struggling, which doesn't help an uneven pitching staff. Green, Jeter and Kendall were All-Stars, mostly because of weak competition at their respective positions. Green is an underrated player, with great HR, RBI and SB numbers. You need better hitting at 1B, 2B and LF to really win in this division, so Etrain better hit those phones. 

Pitching:

Pedro is the man. Duh. So what else you got for me? Astacio? Sweet. He's done better than I thought. Hampton? Woops, what happened there? Dempster? Don't go there girlfriend! Padilla? Good, but limited to 6 starts. Now former closer Kaz Sasaki is starting. Jigga-what? This team needs to figure out just what in the hell is going on here and straighten it out quick! Let's not get into the bullpen. I think that's best for everyone (with apologies to Octavio Dotel).

Biggest Surprise:

I'll go with Astacio, as he has far exceeded my expectations. Maybe he can give Hampton a few tips on his sinker. One more good arm like this goes a long way, especially if it pushes Sasaki back into the pen.

Biggest Disappointment:

Mo Vaughn and Paul Konerko. They tie for worst 1B platoon ever.

Man on the Spot Update:

Ryan Dempster. Yeah, not so good right? Goat of the Year?

I have to apologize for dissing this team.  Barring catastrophe, they aren’t going to finish in last place and they could easily win this division if they put it all together in the second half.  That said, they’re in 3^rd for a reason, and that’s lack of consistency compared to the top 2 teams and I was right as rain about some of these vets being iffy propositions (hello Boone, Durham and Vaughn—I’m talkin’ to you, here).  This is one of those GM dependent situations; if you let guys like Ryan Dempster and Mo Vaughn keep going out there when you could hit the trade wires or get out the checkbook, that’s on you.  It’s clear that Philly has no excuses if they don’t take this race down to the wire.

Offense:

I’ll take the luxury of quoting myself at length from the Heaters:

“It’s really more a matter of wondering which version of several guys shows up this season in Philly—do we get the Larry Walker who hits .300 with 30 homers of the Coors era [OK, yes so far] or the one who hits .250; do we get the Mo Vaughn who belts 40 dingers or the one who spend the season mired in injuries and slumps; do we get the Ray Durham who bats .300 and scores 100 runs or do we get the one who looks like an expensive Pokey Reese?”

Pitching:

Well, the only thing consistent from spring training is that Ryan Dempster sucks ass.  Other than that, we didn’t get a good look at what these guys could do from March.  Pedro, gosh what a shock, has been God.  Astacio, has been much better than expected, while Hampton and Sullivan have not been so hot.  The bullpen has been atrocious and Sasaki has been made a starter, taking one more decent arm out of there.  Again, whether this season goes beyond September may have a lot to do with whether this gets dealt with.

Biggest Surprise:

For me, it’s Astacio.  His spring numbers were worrisome, but he’s settled into being the reliable sidekick to Pedro this team had hoped for. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Mo Vaughn, you big, sorry sack of…

Man on the Spot Update:

Pedro’s on track for the CY and the team is (almost) on track for the playoffs.  That was a better prediction that to put this team in last place.

I said that the superstars would be dragged down by the subpar positions elsewhere. That pretty much says it. The offense has 4 All-Stars, but also has the life-sucking Juan Uribe and Randy Winn. Mark Prior deserves better than to be surrounded with goons. The team went on a tear back in June, but have come back to earth recently. Really, with all the guys still sitting in the free agent pool, there was no excuse for GM Mike McAvoy to take a chance on someone, anyone, to replace some of the losers on this team. Well the free agent pool is getting slashed, and so options are suddenly limited. Sitting on your hands will get you nowhere in this league.

Offense:

Can a player from a 4th place team win the MVP? Manny Ramirez is trying his damndest, recently bypassing Jim Thome for the RBI lead. This guy is on pace for 140+, which is astounding. It helps when other guys are also getting on base a lot, and Maggs, Giambi and Chipper fit that bill. Hudson has done well at 2B, and Victor Martinez has been surprisingly competent for a young catcher. Even Aaron Rowand has chipped in 15 HR. All that said, it's still not enough to overcome a pitching staff that regularly gives up 5 runs a game.

Pitching:

Mark Prior has been everything you'd want from a #1 overall pick. But like Pedro in Philly, he's only one man, and without a staff to complement him, he's on an island. This brings us to Victor Zambrano and Randy Wolf. These are likely the sorriest two excuses for pitchers in the league. So what the hell kind of business do they have combining for 35 starts? Most GM's would've canned them after April, but McAvoy's stubborness (or laziness?) has given opponents a pretty easy win 40% of the time. Coupled with Mussina's underachievment, the pitching staff has been given short shrift all year. The recent changes to Affeldt and Lawrence have been token at best. Something major has to be done. We've seen Rogers, Weaver, Neagle and Ashby come out of the FA pool when problems have happened on other teams, why hasn't Cleveland dipped into the pool?

Biggest Surprise:

Victor Martinez is no one anyone has heard of, and plays a position not usually relied upon for offense. Yet he has done a fine job at the position, even chipping in 5 triples for good measure.

Biggest Disappointment:

Mussina should be better, plain and simple.

Man on the Spot Update:

Juan Uribe has miserably failed to be the go to man at the top of the order. He has some decent running numbers, and a few in the park homers, but overall, a .291 OBP is unacceptable at leadoff.

Cleveland has split the difference of Darin and my predictions so far.  Hit too well to be in last, can’t pitch well enough to join the 3 teams at the top of the division.  Two hot weeks can change things in a hurry in this league and the Dawgs could jump right back into this thing with a hot streak (see Savannah for evidence there).  Given that guys like Kenny Rogers and Andy Ashby have been culled from the scrap heap to help other teams, it’s pretty much inexcusable that some of Cleveland’s pitchers are still on the active roster.  We’ll see in the second half whether this team is serious or content to lose this year and plan for the offseason. 

Offense:

They’ve been healthy and they’ve been brutal.  Manny Ramirez is up there with Bonds and Glaus for MVP honors thus far and Ordonez and Giambi have been nearly as good.  The middle infielders play like, well, middle infielders and there’s not enough speed on this team to suit most GMs, but that’s about all bad you can say.

Pitching:

Putting an asterisk by Mark Prior, they all suck.  They give up 5 runs a game and, yes, that makes it hard to be a .500 team even if you do have Manny Ramirez.  Marquis and Mussina have started to pull it together, but basically, this team has an ace, two fifth starters and bunch of AAA hacks for a staff.  The word of the day here is “Do SOMETHING.”  It’s hard to imagine any move Mike McAvoy would make could make this situation any worse.

Biggest Surprise:

No big ones, the guys who are playing like pros are the ones you’d expect.  I’m a bit surprised Chipper Jones has done as well as he has. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Victor Zambrano or Brian Lawrence?   Hmmm.  Give it to Zambrano since he’s still on the job.  2-9, O Avg .307, yeppers, that’s bad.

Man on the Spot Update:

Uribe sucks about as bad as we both thought he might yet he’s still there.  But, hey, who listens to us anyway?

What an up and down season for the young Sailors. Soriano gest injured early, and the team looked like a lock for 100+ losses. Then suddenly they get hot and close to within 7 games of .500. But recently, the luck has run out, and after some recent drubbings, are back to the basement and 13 games out. Not that anyone expected them to contend this year, but they aren't helping my prediction for 4th place any. Too GM Larsen Cain's credit, he has been the most active GM on the trade market, so we can't say he isn't trying. Wait till next year fans.

Offense:

Cain is trying his best to mold this offense into a consistently producing lineup. When the team was losing, he shed veteran Edgar Martinez for some youth. When they were winning, he added Hidalgo. The injury to Soriano has taken some of the punch out of the lineup all year, coupled with some unexpectedly low production from Miguel Cabrera and John Olerud. The outfield is the best part of this lineup, but the infield is just too young (and hurt) to help this team much this year. 

Pitching:

Consistently mediocre, and it's not all the offense's fault. Ok, Eric Milton has gotten zero run support, and doesn't deserve to be 1-8 (he'd easily be .500 on most other teams). David Wells has been pretty consistent, but is said to be on the block. Surprisingly, Joel Piniero (and his 1.75 ERA) couldn't find a spot on this team and was traded to Atlantic City. Curious move even for a team that isn't contending. Lidle, Perez and Hernandez are wearing out, and their ERA's continue to balloon as the year drags on.

Biggest Surprise:

Orlando Cabrera Has been awesome. Average, good power for a SS, and a league leading 33 steals. Nice work from the team's only All Star.

Biggest Disappointment:

Miguel Cabrera was supposed to be a superstar. He isn't even a super sub at this point.

Man on the Spot Update:

Worrell hasn't been awful, but he hasn't been great either. 11 saves is equal to the likes of Troy Percival, but a 4.50 ERA is bad for a closer.

It’s had to have been an agonizing year for this team’s fans.  First they started off winless and you were ready to write them off.  Then they pulled it together and started to catch up.  Since then, it’s been a different team each week it seems.  For now, the verdict is, this team is still too young, but on any given day, they can play with anybody.  Give this team an offseason with cash to spend and they are likely to make next year interesting. 

Offense:

They’ve really been better than I expected.  Heck, give this team a halfway decent first basemen and a healthy Soriano and this is pretty top shelf stuff.  Richard Hidalgo has won a job for some time to come, it would seem, as he may be the 30 HR guy we said they needed to find.  Remember, a bunch of these guys aren’t old enough to drink, they’re gonna be a pain in the ass in a couple years.

Pitching:

Yeah, this hasn’t really worked out too well.  They are pretty much mediocre, but unlike in, say, Havana, mediocrity won’t win you games here.  You can’t really blame it all on youth either as Wells, Reed, and Milton are no spring chickens.  They can get better and this could be where some serious cash is spent in the offseason, but this ain’t a playoff rotation.  Oh, and the bullpen sucks, too outside of Piniero, who’s on a mission in those middle innings.  And, sadly, after one bad start, Runelvys has left the building.

Biggest Surprise:

Probably Hidalgo.  Yeah, he’s good, but is he THIS good?  We’ll see. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Eric Milton’s ERA isn’t that that shabby at 4.23, but 1-8 is a record that puts you on a suicide watch.  Get the man some runs, Sailors!

Man on the Spot Update:

Quoting myself again: “Halifax really can’t afford to have 1B be a half assed position.”  No they can’t, and that’s what they got.   Or more like three-assed as Olerud, Texeira and Jason Phillips have all been wastes of a good uniform.

10 games ago, we would have said that this division was Havan's to lose as they looked like they were running away with things. But the pitching in Cuba is losing steam and the race has once again tightened up. The offense here is undeniable, but the rotation looks to be filled with #4 starters who are winning only by the grace of 5.5 runs per game from the hitters.

Offense:

Leads the league in average, and will probably lead in runs and RBI. Other teams hit more homers, but no one drives in more runs as consistently as the Diablos. Roberto Alomar has been the best 12th round pick in the league and could garner MVP votes, while the 2-7 hitters have all been solid. Alex Sanchez has replaced Scott Podsednik in CF after the youngster wore down in June, but all in all, the lineup has changed very little since opening day. Look for one of these guys to be traded for pitching by the deadline.

Pitching:

GM Darin Keesing didn't anticipate the offensive potential of The Cigar Box when he built it, and the home/road splits have told the tale. Diablo pitchers have a 5.27 ERA at home but only a 3.99 on the road. Rough. Doesn't matter what these guys' K/BB ratio is or what the OpAvg is, they still seem to give up 4 or 5 runs a start. Thankfully the bullpen has been good, or else this could be a much different season for Havana. Management isn't putting up with it anymore, as A.J. Burnett has been sent to AAA (despite being in the top 10 in K's), Derek Lowe has been pushed to the pen, and there have been open auditions for pitching roles on the team. Solomon Torres and Juan Cruz have sucked, but Andy Ashby was picked off the scrap heap and did well in his first start. Still, something has to be done to shore up this rotation or the playoffs could be a pipe dream.

Biggest Surprise:

Jose Reyes was drafted because he had potential and because he was cheap. Not much was expected from the #8 hitter, but a .302 Avg, 16 steals and 31 RBI is all gravy.

Biggest Disappointment:

A.J. Burnett can't keep the ball in the park, and is now sitting on his hands in Idaho. Might have played himself out of a new contract.

Man on the Spot Update:

I had picked Brian Giles as he was the only lefty power guy in the lineup. He has done nothing but lead the team in HR, RBI and SLG.

Fidel’s beard is safe for now and sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.  Havana has taken advantage of Tennessee’s injury plagued season to pull to the top of the Southern Division, but they can’t just sit around and wait for that team to heal.  This team’s offense has been unreal, but if pitching wins championships, the Diablos are in a world of trouble. 

Offense:

Another nugget of prophecy from yours truly: “This team won’t lead the league in homers, but they’ve got a chance to lead it in batting average.”  Yep, they’ve been hitting close to .300 as a team all year long and that’s why Havana is in first.  There’s plenty of praise to go around, but Robby Alomar gets special attention for leading the league in hitting most of the year, which nobody expected and Jose Reyes hitting .302 is also far beyond Keesing’s wildest hopes.  Only Scott Posednik has had a bad year and he has lost his job to Cliff Floyd, who’s been on a rampage.  It seems like somebody from the OF will get sent packing, though, as Keesing is willing to give up video game like offense numbers for a pitcher that can reliably hold opponents to under 4 runs.

Pitching:

Dios mio!  It’s not like anybody expected these guys to have a bunch of Cy Young candidates, but it’s been a GOOD day when this team keeps opponents under 5 runs.  Kerry Wood has been the “ace” but he wins some ugly games.  The rest of the staff has had a collective ERA around 5.00.  Andy Ashby has been called up from coaching his kid’s Little League team to strap on the cleats and so far he’s been a welcome addition.  The bullpen has been pretty good with Aquilino, Wunsch and Percival having excellent seasons.

Biggest Surprise:

Has to be Alomar.  If he hit .300, you’d think Keesing would be thrilled—a batting title?  Fuhgedaboutit. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Anybody in the starting rotation other than Wood, but Derek Lowe gets special doses of blue language from the GM these days.

Man on the Spot Update:

Frank Thomas was great until the Big Hurt got hurt.  It’s not a season ender, though, so he should be back and doing damage soon.

The Rounders were my preseason pick to win the South, but so far, they just haven't put it all together. Great numbers on paper, but for one reason or another, they've hovered around .500 all year. Could be a situation where one or two good trades will change everything, and between the Thunder's injuries and the Diablos' pitching, there is not reason to believe that Vegas can't pull this thing out in the end. 

Offense:

Pretty impressive. When the centerpiece of the offense (Pujols) has been pedestrian at best it's good to see the rest of the lineup step it up and carry the weight. Adam Everett has filled in for Biggio, and has ended up a much better than expected leadoff man. Tejada and Bagwell have given just what you want, but the big story here is Hideki Matsui. Out of nowhere, this Japanese import has started challenging for the lead in most offensive categories. Tremendous production for only $500,000. Not a ton of production from the catcher spot, but that's acceptable in this league. 

Pitching:

Not as great as we thought they might be, which has been the team's biggest problem. Maddux started out 5-0, but is 4-6 since. Roy Halladay has really had problems winning despite good numbers (a la Mike Mussina), and Jeff Weaver has deteriorated quickly after a good debut. Kyle Lohse has kept this team afloat, however, and was the biggest All Star snub this season. 12-2, .207 OpAvg...tremendous. Good scouting there. The bullpen is above average, and as long as the starters go 7 innings, the team is in pretty good shape.

Biggest Surprise:

Lohse. No one saw that coming.

Biggest Disappointment:

Halladay has either had bad luck or really lacks the will to win.

Man on the Spot Update:

Pujols is still sluggish after a bad spring, but maybe the second half can be a different story. This guy was drafted to be an MVP, not the 5th best hitter in the lineup.

My 82-80 pick for this team isn’t looking so bad, but at this rate, that could be good enough to win this division, not take 3^rd.  They haven’t done things the way you might have expected, but they find a way to win, it seems.  Much like Havana, this team has plenty of offense but needs to find a way to keep the opponents from putting up 6 runs a game if they want to take the title. 

Offense:

About as good as anybody thanks to productive IF hitting, especially Tejada’s 28 HRs/76 RBI, and “Godzilla” Matsui’s rampage of a season.  Looking to replace Matheney at C, who wasn’t really doing that well anyway.  Pujols is starting to come around, which is really rather frightening.  They’ve not been too hurt by Biggio’s injury, though reports are he’s healing well and may be able to return.  Is there a spot for him?

Pitching:

Brown Halladay and Maddux were supposed to be the “aces” but they’ve not quite lived up to billing.  Brown and Maddux are winning games, but it’s not because they are shutting opponents down.  Then there’s Kyle Lohse.  We bow before him.  The bullpen has lost a lot of close games and blown more than a few leads.  The ERAs aren’t so bad, but the W-L is awful for the pen.  Jeff Weaver had a couple of good starts coming off the scrap heap, but since then has set about proving why he wasn’t worth drafting.

Biggest Surprise:

Kyle Lohse.  Fuhgedaboutit.  12 and 2?  Fuhgedaboutit.  If that’s for real, he’s the steal of the draft.

Biggest Disappointment:

Jake Peavey.  A couple of bad starts is all Vegas brass could handle, but he’s got a case that Jeff Weaver ain’t much better.

Man on the Spot Update:

Pujols is on track for about a .280/30/80 season or there abouts.  Not embarrassing, but so are about 40 other guys in this league who didn’t cost a #1 pick to get.

If there was an "Unluckiest Team of the Year" award, the Thunder are run away winners. Never in my 18 seasons of commissionership have I seen a streak of long term injuries to big name players on the same team. And despite losing most of their good players, the team is still just 2 games back! A healthy year would probably have this squad 10 games up and cruising towards the playoffs, but sometimes the breaks don't go your way. We feel your pain Doug!

Offense:

The walking wounded are hitting .280. Unbelievable. Thank You cards can be sent to Giles, Edmonds and Palmeiro, who have been a 3-headed wrecking crew at the top of the order. Michael Barrett hitting .390 as a backup catcher doesn't hurt either. In truth, some of the big names who have gotten hurt weren't really doing that well to begin with. Lopez and Rolen were both hitting around .230, Nomar wasn't producing many runs, and Wilkerson's OBP was under .300. Maybe it's a team of destiny if the backups can win it all. 

Pitching:

It's rough going when your top 2 pitchers are both out at the same time. Zito was a shoe-in All Star but got hurt just a week before the break. Freddy Garcia has been doing his best, but his record has been unlucky for sure. Jason Jennings has been great for a #5 starter, but now looks like he'll need to step up to #3, where the competition is more fierce. Poor Tim Wakefield will never be good in any league we run, will he? LaTroy Hawkins is going to end up with 15-20 decisions as a relief pitcher at this rate....what gives?

Biggest Surprise:

Palmeiro, if only because his OBP and BB totals are so high.

Biggest Disappointment:

Overall, that the team can't stay healthy. It's the one thing you have no control over as a GM.

Man on the Spot Update:

Tim Wakefield has truly proven that "knuckleballers can't win".

Rumors about the Cuban mafia abound as the Thunder look for answers as to why half their team is on the DL.  I stand behind my claim this is the best team in the South, but when you have a guy putting up MVP number who goes down with a BROKEN SKULL, maybe it’s not your year.  Still, if Havana and Vegas don’t put these guys away while they are hurtin’, Tennessee could make them pay at the end of the season, big time. 

Offense:

They’ve found ways to score no matter who they have to trot out there.  Marcus Giles may be the best 2B in the league and Jim Edmonds has been worth every penny spent on him.  We don’t need to talk any more about Rafael Palmiero and his big stick, do we?  Javy Lopez has been a  bit of a bust, but other than that, it’s been a season of might have beens on the offense with Abreu, Rolen and Nomar all up lame.  Fullmer has been injured twice, I think.  Jeez.

Pitching:

Zito and Zambrano were all they were hyped to be, but, this being the Thunder, both are injured as of this report.  The rest of the staff has struggled.  LaTroy Hawkins has more innings and decisions than many starters.  The bullpen is not a playoff caliber outfit if this team can make it there.  Antonio Osuna is just horrid.

Biggest Surprise:

I’d be saying Brad Fullmer if the guy could stay on the field and off the DL. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Probably Javy Lopez.  When the team takes all these injuries your stars have to step up and he ain’t done it.

Man on the Spot Update:

Wakefield’s been hit hard, but with the two best starters out, Doug Maines would have to scrape pretty low to find 3 guys to put in the rotation to knock him out of a job.  My guess is his agent’s phone won’t be ringing off the hook when his contract comes up, though.

After 3 months of competing with Atlanta for the basement of the South, the Sabers have suddenly gotten a burr in their butt and rattled off 11 straight. Does this mean the team is for real? That remains to be seen, but in a division where no one seems to be taking control, why not Savannah? We saw Halifax put on a similar streak, and they fell back to earth, so maybe it's too much to ask to see the Sabers actually catch up, but it's been a good story so far.

Offense:

It's still a team devoid of big superstars, but the team has stayed healthy all year, which has meant good numbers up and down. Not a ton of power or run scoring, however, and with the early struggles of the pitching staff, it was no surprise that the team was struggling. Huff, Hillenbrand, Salmon and Bernie Williams have been what some would call a "scrappy" team, especially recently as they've scraped out wins. A better second half from leadoff hitter Junior Spivey would go far.

Pitching:

Once Rich Vohs finally took Russ Ortiz out of the rotation, things started improving for the Sabers. Ortiz was nearly a guaranteed loss every 5th day. Mulder and Miller, who had underachieved for much of the first half, have both gotten back to .500, and Kelvim Escobar has pitched better than his 6-8 record has shown. Same goes for Byung-Hyun Kim. Gil Meche has done much better than Ortiz, though he still isn't great. Rivera has been as good at closer as you'd expect, but a few fresh faces in the bullpen wouldn't hurt.

Biggest Surprise:

Shea Hillenbrand has hit very well, better than many C in the league. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Just 3 HR for Bernie Williams, despite playing every game this year.

Man on the Spot Update:

Kim has been fantastic, and would likely win 15 games on a team with a better offense.

So far so good with the 4^th place pick.  This isn’t a terrible team, but it’s not a playoff team either.  They played some horrendous ball there for awhile but have spanked people for the last couple weeks.  I don’t bet that that’s gonna last through the second half of the season though.  This team probably has some tough choices coming up at the trade deadline.

Offense:

Just not enough oompf to hang with the big dogs in this division.  Guys like Huff and Hillebrand are having fine years, but when some teams have 4 guys hitting on a 40 HR pace, you need more than good averages to cut it.  It’s never too good when the guy getting the most AB on your team (Spivey) is putting up a .231 avg.  Sean Burroughs is turning out to be a good pick.

Pitching:

Kim, Miller, Mulder and Escobar would all be fine on a team that scored a few more runs.  As is, they all hover around a .500 record.  Russ Ortiz has been ass, though, and he may have his days numbered in this league.  Marte and Mariano Rivera, to no one’s surprise, have shone in the pen while the rest have struggled.  A lot.  Yeah, that means you Gryboski.

Biggest Surprise:

Converted reliever Byung-Hyun Kim has been excellent as a starter and could have a 20 win season in him on a better hitting team.

Biggest Disappointment:

Travis Lee.  A buck ninety-two and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Man on the Spot Update:

Kim’s been excellent, I guess Vohs knew it all along.

Too young? Not enough power? No chemistry? What are the reasons that Atlanta has struggled? Probably all of the above and many more. Some of us saw this coming with some of the draft choices early, but Jim Masters has succeeded in my leagues before, so I think it's too early to question the master plan. That said, someone has to finish last, and without a free agent draft pick to play for anymore, the only consolation prize is a #1 amateur draft pick and $5 million less to spend next year.

Offense:

Somehow this is an entire lineup of 18 HR, 60 RBI players. Sean Casey is the only player hitting above .300, and not a 40 RBI guy to be found. Sure, the team has had some unfortunate injuries to some of the more productive hitters (ie Kearns and Ensberg), but even with those guys in the lineup everyday, would the team be much better? This offseason will be really interesting.

Pitching:

Eep. Take away Kevin Millwood, and this is a truly tragic pitching staff. Good names, bad results. I'm sure that Masters expected much more from Radke, Nomo and Mays (as did we), so it's tough to blame the GM on this staff's shortcomings. That said, it may be time to say Bon Voyage to some of these goons and hold auditions for next year. Rincon and Urbina have been hot in the bullpen, which is little consolation.

Biggest Surprise:

Ty Wiggington, if only because most have never heard of the guy.

Biggest Disappointment:

So many to choose from, but I'll pick Radke. He should have been at least as good as Millwood, but he has sucked to high heaven.

Man on the Spot Update:

Carlos Beltran was bad and then injured. Not what you like to see from the #1 pick for the team.

Tom’s predicted finish:

Midseason projected finish: Last in South, 13 games out, projected 61-101 

Please, hold your applause, you’re all too kind. 

Offense:

I wouldn’t call it unexpected that 16 HRs (from the SS!) leads this team at midseason, but the fact Sean Casey is the only guy hitting .300 and that only Juan Pierre is on track to steal 30 bases or more is not what the plan was.  ATL needs to take a long hard look at this roster and not be afraid to part with guys who they may like or have hopes for but who aren’t cutting it.  I apologize for dissing Ty Wiggington, the boy can play.

Pitching:

Kevin Millwood and Ugueth Urbina deserve to be traded and should be if Masters can get good return on them, let’s make that clear.  Beyond that, this is a sorry situation and AYL better put their offseason cash (whatever’s left after the cap hit) to good use in fixing things here. 

Biggest Surprise:

I expect Darin to say Millwood, so I’ll go with Wiggington.  At a weak position, he’s a 5-tool star in the making.  I was way wrong on him. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Plenty to choose from.  Juan Pierre strikes me as especially tragic.  He’s the embodiment of the quip, “he’d be in the Hall of Fame if you could steal First Base.”  If he hits .300, he’s very useful, hitting .243, he’s an embarrassment.

Man on the Spot Update:

Beltran got injured early and that’s neither his fault nor Jim Masters’.

This has been one of the most mercurial teams in SLB this year. I expected them to flat out dominate the league, with All Star caliber players at almost every position, but the Invaders have been extremely beatable for stretches during the first half. Currently, they are on a hot streak, leading the team in wins on pace for nearly 100 wins for the year. But with 3 other teams nipping at their heels, Ireland will have to keep it in 5th gear the rest of the year to survive the Euro.

Offense:

Ireland is the top run scorer in the division, and it's no surprise. Seven hitters with 10+ homers, most of which look to be good for 30+ for the year. Nice. Preston Wilson, who was snubbed for Vernon Wells as the Opening Day center fielder, but got his just desserts when named to the All Star team. The big surprise may just be Luis Gonzalez, who is hitting a lights out .342 without missing a game all year. Gary Sheffield has nearly as many walks as strikeouts, and Mike Piazza is actually playing well (hallelujah!) You can quibble with Larkin's lack of hitting, but really, this team is damn good. 

Pitching:

The top 4 pitchers are going to win 15-20 games each. Nice. Roger Clemens is the exception, and he sure is making me look bad for handing him the Cy Young in the preseason. Spring Training stats done me wrong. Pretty good bullpen too, particularly Billy Wagner, who is easily the best lefty reliever in all of SLB. 

Biggest Surprise:

Luis Gonzalez' MVP season.

Biggest Disappointment:

Vernon Wells has played his way out of the lineup. 

Man on the Spot Update:

I had picked Sabathia, but all fears of his ability to win have been allayed. 

They’ve kicked it into high gear as of late, but Ireland has been anything but running away with the Euro division.  As of now, this is (barely) the best team in SLB, but the week-to-week donnybrook that has been the standings board in the Euro proves nobody there is afraid of this team.  Barring injury, it’s hard to see this team not making the playoffs, but it looks like a long, hard slog left of the season and nobody is going to hand this team a title. 

Offense:

Pretty much everything that was expected and then some.  May have the best OF in the league and get fine production out of C with Piazza and 2B with Boone, which is key to success in this division.  Todd Helton has been hurt and slumping, but that’s the only unexpected problem  You can bet Blake would be happy to replace Barry Larkin at SS if a better offer came his way…

Pitching:

As they go, so goes the team, and they’ve been up and down all year.  Colon has emerged as the ace and Randy Johnson is starting to hit his stride but El Duque is really erratic and Roger Clemens has been inexplicably mediocre, making Darin’s Cy Young prediction pretty dubious.  The bullpen has been probably more good than bad on the whole, but it’s not the dominant force we thought it might be.  You could argue Ellas’s pen has been better so far in the season.

Biggest Surprise:

Bartolo Colon has outshone the Hall of Fame bound Clemens and Big Unit. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Gotta be Helton.  Without Bonds as a consensus pick for MVP, Helton would have been 2^nd or 3^rd on most lists.  He’s been nothing of the sort.

Man on the Spot Update:

Piazza’s been fine.  Drat.

You look at the team BA and ERA numbers, and you don't see a 52-36 team. But somehow this team has won when it has mattered most, and has been right at the top of the division all year. Some fantastic middle of the order hitting and great luck with injuries has helped, and with one more pitcher in the rotation, the Evzones could finally win that title that has eluded Tom Hey all these years.

Offense:

They may strike out a lot, and Bonds may be the only .300 hitter in the lineup, but everyone has power and everyone drives in runs. Even Kenny Lofton has 11 HR. Hey set out to build a team around his ballpark, and it's clear that he has done the best job at it (his team is 36-12 in the Malakadome). Quality left-handed power has taken advantage of the short porch in right, with Thome and Bonds flip-flopping for the RBI lead much of the year. Thome looked like the hands down MVP for much of the first half, but now Bonds has hit his stride, so look for a great race down the stretch. Mike Rivera will likely win ROTY due to lack of competition, but even that was in question when he started 0 for 30 or so.

Pitching:

"Good enough" as they say. Schilling has finally started to pitch like a team ace, but Roy Oswalt has not lived up to his #1 pick status. Surprise, surprise, Woody Williams has 2 wins on both of them. Jamie Moyer has fallen from grace and has been relegated to long relief (and the trade block), while Kenny Rogers has done great off the scrap heap (before injuring himself). Great bullpen play, with Eddie Yarnall a surprise at closer (though a few rough outings last week have pushed his ERA pretty high).

Biggest Surprise:

Kit Pellow has 20 HR? Wow. Shouldn't be a surprise, though, as Hey has always had a soft spot in his heart for this guy for one reason or another.

Biggest Disappointment:

Corey Patterson has flat out stunk, and is now injured. This guys was a perennial MVP in SimBL, but can't hit his own weight here.

Man on the Spot Update:

Stairs has hit about what I expected, but his power has kept him in the lineup. You'll put up with a ton of K's and a low average if he gives you 40 HR.

Ellas was in first until the last series and as of now, they’d be easily in the playoffs.  They’ve been willing to troll the FA pool to fix holes and have started to win at a pretty good clip as of late, putting a 10 game streak together.  A couple of injuries have hit lately, making for some tough decisions (including forgoing next years 3^rd round ammy pick to sign Miguel Batista), but Ellas will start thinking about the post season and what to do there soon if they can stay on a winning track.  This is not a team that wants to make a 1^st round playoff exit. 

Offense:

Ellas’ strategy of tailoring the team to the park has worked splendidly as the pull hitters like Thome and Bonds have put up some gaudy numbers and the Evzones have a 36-12 home record at the Malakadome.  Rivera, Pellow and Stairs have more or less done as expected in hitting for low average but good power.  Stairs has been consigned to platooning as of late, though.  The only guy dragging the team down has been Jeff Kent who’s finally picking it up after hitting just above .200 most of the season.  Evzones have gotten unexpected contributions off the bench, which may bode well for the postseason. 

Pitching:

Ellas has been nervous all season long about their pitching.  Schilling and Williams have settled into reliable starters but Oswalt, Lyon and Moyer have all struggled.  Moyer was replaced by Kenny Rogers, who was impressive but paid the price for joining the season late with a 40 year-old’s body and blew his arm out.  Miguel Batista has been called to serve.  The middle relief has been quite good with Ben Weber, Mike Myers, Erasmo and Brenden Donnnelly all doing nice work holding leads.  The move to make Ed Yarnall closer has raised a lot of eyebrows, but Milt Pappas seems to like Yarnall’s ability to work everyday with better endurance than the usual closer.

Biggest Surprise:

Given that he went undrafted, Ed Yarnall’s rise to closer is pretty meteoric.  

Biggest Disappointment:

Roy Oswalt has not convinced Tom Hey he was worth the 6^th pick in the draft.

Man on the Spot Update:

Lofton got injured but he still may score 100 runs.  Given the struggles many team have had finding a lead off hitter, he seems to have done as much as you could ask of him.

Don't be fooled. Michael Taylor teams are never mediocre for long. We were lured into the trap in SimBL, and were beat down in the end. 2004 is just a warm-up for what will likely be a long run of competitive baseball from the Pimpernels. The offense has been pretty good so far, but with this pitching staff, a run at the wildcard seems unlikely. But never underestimate Taylor's trading skills...

Offense:

Constant tinkering with the lineup has finally resulted in the best 1-8 on the field. Troy Glaus in an MVP candidate, but may end up second best on his own team with the way Geoff Jenkins is playing right now. Richie Sexson has found his way out of the free agent pool and into the starting lineup, rewarding the team with 21 HR in 68 games. You can always count on Taylor's teams having speed, and that holds true this year, as Paris leads the league in steals. Catcher has been a huge problem, and is likely to be addressed in the offseason.

Pitching:

Not as good as we thought they could be. The good news is that Dontrelle Willis' bad spring was a mirage, but the bad news is that Javier Vazquez's struggles haven't gone away. The 4th and 5th starter roles have been a merry-go-round, and everyone has fallen off without success. Jon Lieber's surprise season has kept the Pimpernels in it so far, but something needs to be done fast if Paris hopes to compete this season. The bullpen is really bad.

Biggest Surprise:

Sexson, who wasn't even drafted in the initial draft. His power isn't a surprise, but his .338 average sure is.

Biggest Disappointment:

Vazquez looked like a potential ace, but has been quite bad.

Man on the Spot Update:

Brian Roberts has lost the leadoff role, but has still been a very good hitter at 2B.

They’re spunky aren’t they?  Before Ellas and Ireland got hot the last week, Paris was right there with them.  Taylor has sorted out some problems in the pitching rotation and some underperforming hitters (Derrek Lee) finally got their butts in gear and all of a sudden this team has a chance.  Something went wrong when Paris got swept by the Evzones, but the way teams have been streaking around in the Euro division, Paris is far from out of this thing. 

Offense:

We underestimated these guys.  Jenkins and Glaus can bang with anybody and you add the speed on this team in and they are not an offense to be trifled with.  J-Roll is tearing it up on the bases and Derek Lee must have been on fire this last month as he’s come out of nowhere (and possibly a trip to AAA) to hit .323.  Richie Sexson is just unfair as a pinch hitter.  Erstad and Lieberthal have been disappointing, especially Lieberthal who gives Taylor that seemingly ever present problem of a weak hitting catcher.

Pitching:

Spring training did this team wrong in attempting to sort out the pitching assignments.  Dontrelle Willis was (mistakenly) stuck in long relief and Kirk Rueter was (mistakenly) taken to be the ace of the staff.  It’s been sorted out, but maybe too late given the competitiveness of the division.  Javier Vasquez isn’t proving he was worth a 2^nd round pick.  The less said about the bullpen the better.

Biggest Surprise:

Troy Glaus.  Yeah, you figured he’s good, but .332 with potentially 60 HRs and 150 RBI?  Not me expecting that. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Several are deserving, actually.  I’ll say Rueter, though.  He looked like the magic bullet in spring training, but he’s a dud.

Man on the Spot Update:

Raul Mondesi has been Raul Mondesi.  You get whatcha pay for.

I expected a winning record from this team, but at this rate, that would require all 4 teams to have winning records in this division. The Knights have been a disappointment for sure, but aren't far away from being a great team. A few key injuries haven't helped, and a few good moves could resurrect this team back to division title hopes. Easily the best last-place team in the league.

Offense:

Good in some spots, bad in others. The loss of Lance Berkman was a big blow to this team, as now the pressure is all on A-Rod and Delgado. J.D. Drew was an iffy All Star choice, but maybe he was there to carry the torch for Berkman. Rocco Baldelli had a rough first half, but looks like he has started to pick it up recently. Hart and House have been really rough, so it might be worth trying other options at those positions. 

Pitching:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Pettitte, Ponson and Santana have been good, though Ponson has lost about 6 straight after a 7-0 start. Penny has been bad since his injury, and Brett Myers is tiring out. Livan Hernandez has been the ugly, and deserves to never pitch another inning all year. There have been some brutal numbers put up by some of the relief pitching, though the team is 5-0 in extra innings and 13-8 in one-run games.  

Biggest Surprise:

Brad Lidge has been fantastic in the closer role since taking over from Franco.

Biggest Disappointment:

Brad Penny seems to be out of shape and off his game after sitting with a long injury.

Man on the Spot Update:

The Eckstein/Hart second base platoon has been as bad as bad can be. Too bad.

London actually led this division at a couple points in the season but Berkman’s injury and crappy fourth and fifth starters have spiraled them to the cellar in the Euro.  I predict that’s where they’ll stay, too.  Paris has been making improvements while London has been stalling out.  Course, I wouldn’t put any money on that prediction.  I feel safer saying the playoffs seem a very dim hope for this team at this point in the game.

Offense:

They just haven’t lived up to billing and they’ve got some guys who flat out can’t hit.  It doesn’t help that their best hitter, Berkman went down with an injury, but that doesn’t excuse mediocre performance by Baldelli, Drew, Tatis and a couple others with less hype on them.  A-Rod’s done his share, but it may be worth shopping him around at the trade deadline if all hope is lost for this season.  J.D. Drew in no way deserves to be in the All Star game.

Pitching:

Not without its bright spots.  Sidney Ponson looked like an early season CY candidate but has cooled off.  Pettitte and Johan Santana have been good all year long.   Anybody else who’s gotten a start for this team has stunk it up, though and there’s no 3 man rotation for the regular season.  Brad Lidge got  a trip to the All Star game, but other than that the bullpen has been sub-par.

Biggest Surprise:

I’ll still say Ponson, but he’s coming back to Earth hard.

Biggest Disappointment:

Rocco.  Kid couldn’t get a homer in a Little League park.  It appears he was overrated considerably.

Man on the Spot Update:

I think Lidge took over the closer’s job, so the prediction is safe, but John Franco isn’t a total bust.