It's another typical season for the Sailors. Good enough hitting coupled with a pitching staff that takes full advantage of the "arctic factor". While the team isn't as dominant with the bats, they do the small things well, playing great at home and holding a winning record against the division. Some questionable trades made many wonder what direction the team was going in, but despite the experts' opinions of Cain's moves, the team sits in first place and is among the hottest in SLB. They just can't seem to do wrong! 

Offense:

The trade that sent Choi to Savannah has taken the run production down a notch, but they still put forth a solid team effort, spreading the scoring around and providing few "easy outs." It's time for Prince Fielder to step it up now that the full time first base position has been handed to him, and though he doesn't match Choi's level of production, he does lead the team in HR and RBI. Delmon Young has shown a nice improvement in OPS, while role players like Barfield and Gibbons continue to contribute. Cain would have liked to get more out of Tejada at SS, and Andruw Jones is having a tough year with the average, but overall, the team gets it done. Ivan Rodriguez an All Star? Must be a weak year for backstops. 

Pitching:

Though the staff has a great ERA as a whole, Halifax has yet to find that magic combination of starters to get consistent wins. Bedford has been able to keep up because guys like Wainwright and Garland have gotten way too many starts, and Carl Pavano, who came in to replace Roy Halladay in the big Savannah trade, has gone just 4-8. Eric Ridener hasn't gotten much of a chance despite a 3.48 ERA...why not? Octavio Dotel is the latest in the "closer as starter" experiments, and after a disastrous debut, has posted 2 quality starts and remains undefeated at 6-0. Matt Morris has been unhittable, and with a few more decisions would be right in the thick of the Cy Young race, and Bartolo Colon has finally found a team he cares enough about to actually win. The bullpen is spotty, with Gagne dominating in the 9th, but a lot of high ERA's in middle relief. Not too many losses from the pen, however, so no harm, no foul, right? 

Biggest Surprise:

Well clearly it has to be Dotel's success as a starter. This type of experiment doesn't work most of the time (**cough**LaTroy Hawkins**cough**)

Biggest Disappointment:

Eric Ridener's lack of starts. He may be doing well in a setup role, but he has to be better than Jon Garland! 

Man on the Spot Update:

Adam Wainwright has been a disaster (3-8, 6.10). Thankfully he has been moved to long relief, as he was long overdue. Just 5 QS in 14 starts.

This team is doing pretty much what we expected: winning, but not blowing anybody out of it.  They are probably going to finish somewhere between 90-95 wins, which means they are going to have to be better than Bedford for the rest of the way out to get a spot in the playoffs.  Trading Choi away makes some wonder if they haven’t already started the rebuilding process, but for now, they can give it their best shot and hope to have plenty of cash on hand for whatever the plans are come off season time.

Offense:

You’re tempted to say it’s “bad” given the lack of .300 hitters and Prince Fielder being the only real threat to have a 40 HR season, but they do enough to win, don’t they?  The biggest positive surprise has been TJ Mackey putting up a .320 average and giving them an IF with a  bright future along with Josh Barfield, who is back to driving in runs.  Miguel Tejada has been contributing nicely, on pace for 25-30 HR and 100 RBI, but he’s a FA, which means trouble for a team that has already bid goodbye to Choi and Miguel Cabrera.  A lot of PT from Garrett Anderson and Cristian Guzman has done them no favors.

Pitching:

You have to start by noting that Matt Morris, 7-2 1.76 has been all but untouchable.  He and Colon , who with a team high 10 wins still might make me the prophet and win the Cy Young, are carrying the load.  The rest of the SP have been pretty much average at best and Pavano, 4-8 4.63 and Wainwright with his 6.10 ERA have been downright shitty.  The bullpen, led by Dotel until he was asked to start has saved the team from the worst of the 3-5 starters.  That is, the bullpen except for Braden Looper who is having a horrible season.

Biggest Surprise:

TJ Mackey, who the Sailors would be happy to have hit .280 let alone .320.

Biggest Disappointment:

Either Pavano or Looper, but probably Pavano who really should be a solid #3 starter and is one of the few players who end up having a higher ERA in Halifax then his career ERA.

Man on the Spot Update:

Bedford has taken the momentum from their 2008 playoff appearance and converted it into more wins in 2009. But they are winning in a different way, relying more heavily on great pitching while scoring fewer runs. The offense has picked it up more recently, but overall home runs are down and some big injuries have forced some role players into full time positions for long stretches. Luckily for GM Richard Gin, the pitching staff has been nails all year and will keep this team in it right till the end.

Offense:

Scoring is way down compared to a year ago. David Ortiz had a terrible start, dropping to 8th in the order while batting less than his (considerable) weight. He has battled back to .273 and leads the team with 15 homers. That should indicate just how little power the team has displayed this year, as 80 team dingers is second to last in the league. The team makes up for it by being in the Top 5 in the league in team doubles and triples, preferring to play small ball and string hits together to score. The team has pretty decent speed, with Cintron, Pena and Bradley all posting double digit steal totals. Overall, the team needs much better production from Chavez, Vidro and Hernandez to really have a chance to win it all this year.

Pitching:

Awesome. If the team can score 4 runs, you're going to win as a starter. Roy Oswalt is the front runner for Cy Young, posting a tremendous 12-3, 1.93 first half. Joe Nathan is glad to be in Brooklyn, going 10-3, 2.18 for the only team he has ever had success with. The rest of the rotation is decent, but not great. Lohse has 8 wins, Perez keeps you in games. William Bray is the only starter with an ERA over 4.00, and he's 2-8. Shows how low scoring Bedford games usually are. The bullpen is fantastic, easily the best in the league. Luis Vizcaino already has 20 saves, while Ben Weber has a sparkling 1.66 ERA. Nick Neugebauer isn't good, but he's in long relief, so he gets a pass. 

Biggest Surprise:

After a breakout year offensively, the deadball era seems to have returned to Brooklyn.

Biggest Disappointment:

Eric Chavez is scuffling compared to his career numbers.

Man on the Spot Update:

Oliver Perez was a surprise auction find, but is just 4-6. His ERA has been good, so he could easily finish up at .500 or higher.

Bedford got off to a very bad start and for a while it looked like there was no way this year was the one they’d catch Halifax .  But, somewhere in the last month, they got it going and now are just a game out of first.  It’s no shock that it’s pitching that’s doing it for Bedford and Chavez and Ortiz doing most of the RBI work.  They could sure use another banger in the offense and probably should find another starter so Bray can work out his troubles in the minors.  Could they be in for a pick up of one of Ellas’ starters?  You’d have to think Pedro would be a different guy pitching in the NEFAC. 

Offense:

Not overwhelming, but why would it be?  They’ve gotten more than they could ask for from Alex Cintron, who I predict will tank it in the 2^nd half.  But that’s OK since Vidro is due for a spurt of production.  Chavez, Ramon Hernandez and Ichiro are all having down years, so it’s a wonder this team is where it is.  Ortiz is finally showing some power, so that’s been welcome.  Short verstion: they all need to step it up if they want to finally overtake Halifax .

Pitching:

Generally good but a lot of that is due to the super years from Oswalt and Joe “Thank God I’m home” Nathan who both have 15 QS in 18 games.  Ben Weber is an ageless wonder in the pen joined by Luis Vizcaino who is hittable this year but still doing very well. Oliver Perez isn’t winning that many games but he’s turning in solid starts.  Lohse is his usual quiet winning self.  They do need to find another answer at the 3^rd starter spot where William Bray is not working out.

Biggest Surprise:

Cintron, if only for the fact if you’d told me they’d have to start him, I’d have thought they’d be in trouble.

Biggest Disappointment:

Either Vidro, for having a down year or Trot Nixon for being the player we always thought he was.

Man on the Spot Update:

The Phynatics are a team still trying to find their identity. Most critics felt that last year's team was too light in the hitting department, but now, despite some upgrades, the team still fails to get above .500. If it isn't one thing it's another, it seems, but Philly is just 6 under and could put together a couple of strong weeks and get back into the race. GM Brian B has made some great additions via the trade, and should continue to work the trade wires to see what he can pull off this year. It's a tough position to be in this close to the deadline, as the team is built around veterans, and it doesn't seem worth blowing the whole thing up just yet. The next couple of weeks will make a big impact on whether the team is a buyer or seller at the deadline.

Offense:

Definitely improved over last year, thanks to the additions of Huff, Wilson and Blalock. Josh Phelps is no longer the star attraction in this lineup, which is definitely a good thing, and overall run production is way up from last year. There are some bargaining chips here, as the team seems to have too many third basemen (Rolen, Blalock) and outfielders (Huff, Wilson, Phelps, Green, Beltran, Ford). Someone ought to be shipped off to fill other holes. There were a surprising amount of All Stars from this offense, but that is probably a result of Philly representing the team opposite the Euro division. Paris had 5 better hitters who were snubbed this year.

Pitching:

While the offense improved, the pitching has declined, which is the major reason for the team's struggles. Kerry Wood (my bad pick for Cy Young) leads the team with a 9-4 record, but the rest of the starters aren't doing so hot. Zito made the All Star team at just 7-7, while Mulder (3-8) and Garcia (6-7) are both struggling with ERA's in the 5.00+ range. The bullpen is okay, though there are way too many losses there. Last year's Rolaids winner Shingo Takatsu doesn't seem to be fooling anyone anymore, losing 7 in relief with a 4.74 ERA. Jake Westbrook adds 5 more losses. Brad Lidge has been lights out when he is actually handed a lead. 

Biggest Surprise:

That Joe Mays is outpitching Mulder and Garcia to this point.

Biggest Disappointment:

The aforementioned Mulder and Garcia. What a mess.

Man on the Spot Update:

Shawn Green hit cleanup on opening day, but has since been limited to just 181 at-bats, hitting a single homerun. 

This team reminds me a lot of Ellas.  They look great on paper, but when they take the field, it’s usually a different story.  Thanks to Cleveland ’s fire sale, they seem likely to stay out of last, but closing an 8 game gap with the top teams in the North is a tall order.  Add to that some looming FA issues and you get the sense it might be time for Philly to take a dive and trade off the elderly and salaried to free up serious cash for the off season.

Offense:

If you’d have told me at the start of the season that perennial disappointments Rafael Furcal and Carlos Beltran would be hitting over .300, I’d have suspected this team would be in contention.  But then again, Shawn Green only has one HR and Scott Rolen has become about the 10^th best 3B in the league.  Their best player is probably Preston Wilson, but his trade value might be too high to keep him on, especially since Beltran could cover CF for them.

Pitching:

Honestly, since they won the World Series, this team has never been able to get the pitching thing right again.  And it’s not that you can blame the management.  Who knows what Barry Zito you’re going to get any given year?  Freddy Garcia sucks again, go figure.  Mark Mulder has 4 great pitches and can’t buy an out.  Shingo Takatsu?  Are there evil doubles of this guy?  Hard to find the answers.  Good things this year are solid starts from Kerry Wood (hello Free Agency, I guess he CAN pitch) and Brad Lidge who is a man among boys in the bullpen.

Biggest Surprise:

Brian B finally got Carlos Beltran to hit—.301 no less.

Biggest Disappointment:

How about “Man on the Spot” Mark Mulder?  I’ll say I called that one pretty well.  Rolen and Takatsu give plenty of competition.

Man on the Spot Update:

The Dawgs wowed baseball fans with the staggering number of player moves they made this off season, but who knew they would continue the trend throughout the first half of the season? I guess you do what you have to when you're under such extreme financial constraints, but who guessed Cleveland would make 14 trades before the All Star Game? Well, one hopes that GM Mike McAvoy knows what he's doing, playing it cheap this year in hopes of clearing cap space for a big spending spree in the next auction. The luxury tax hit will come off the books, but at this rate, half of that will get negated by another last place finish. Too bad, because if the Dawgs could manage to bypass Philly this year, they would get even more money to play with next year.

Offense:

Pretty good team batting average, but not many runs. Bad luck? Bad chemistry? Who knows, but the only All Star on this team was Justin Morneau, and he was added by the commissioner after the voters didn't elect anyone. Some of the young hitters have shown flashes of ability, particularly Tony Montana behind the dish and Jack Schalk in center. Expect to see more rookies get some AB's come September and wait till next year.

Pitching:

A big mess, clearly. Most of these guys ought to be pitching in Akron, not Cleveland. You're not going to win a ton of games when you have Sean Burnett, Jordan Jackman and Phillip Shirek all pitching for the major league team. That isn't to say that they won't be good in the future, but the lack of veterans on this staff means there are a lot of guys learning on the job here. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Sowers are considered old timers on this staff for chrissakes. I guess the best way to see what you've got and what you need is to just throw them out there and see what you get.

Biggest Surprise:

The continuous trading. There was a point when the team was ahead of Philly in the standings, but after awhile, there were diminishing returns on all these moves. Too much looking ahead to next year?

Biggest Disappointment:

Magglio Ordonez really doesn't do well anywhere, does he? 

Man on the Spot Update:

Justin Morneau has been fine, though he hasn't been seen on many league leader boards. Eric Valent is no longer with the team.

Making more deals than Monte Hall, the Dawgs have shuffled and sold their way into mediocrity.  Granted, they’ve cut the payroll down to where they should be able to get whoever they want in the off season (yeah, we mean you Sabathia) and they are unapologetically going young, but can you build around Sowers and Verlander?  They both have had up and down careers.  The bullpen is full of guys with 5.00+ ERAs and there is a bunch of AAA level talent swinging the bats.  If it works, good on Mike McAvoy for having the guts to rip the team apart and start over, but if not, this is unnecessarily ugly even for a rebuilding team.

Offense:

Call it .250 Hitters Anonymous.  When the “big bats” are Morneau and Maggs, it’s kinda gruesome.  But on the other hand, Schalk , Montana and Jim Karsay all pretty good guys to start building around at those tough up the middle spots.  But, you’d better hope the checkbook comes out in the off season.  What did they 86 Tike Redman for?  That dude was burning up the basepaths!

Pitching:

Sophomore slump for Verlander has really put a chill on the idea this team would have a rotation for the future to be proud of.  Sowers is back to an above average pitcher now that he’s returned from Ellas, but that came at the cost of the Dawgs only veteran star, Mike Hampton.  Plus Eric Ridener, who showed some real promise, was dealt away.  They need an “ace” bad, either one to step up or one they can buy.  There’s not much good to say about the bullpen outside of closer Pedro Liriano who is not seeing much action these days.

Biggest Surprise:

All the trading.  Nobody gets unpacked in Cleveland .  Restovich individually proved he was more than just “Pimp Juiced.”™

Biggest Disappointment:

Verlander at 3-9, though that record isn’t all his fault.  At least Sowers’ year gives some hope that it is all just the mysteriously real “Sophomore Slump.”

Man on the Spot Update:

Here we are at the All Star Break, and Havana is in first place. Not because they are repeating their dominant performance from a year ago, but because it happens to be their turn in the weekly rotation of South Division teams vying for the top. As it stands, this team will be lucky to win the division much less repeat as World Series Champions, due mostly to a much maligned pitching staff. The Diablos would be in 3rd place in either of the other two divisions, showing just how weak Havana (and the entire South Division) is. Still, someone has to win it, and there is plenty of post season experience on this roster. And don't we have a history of the worst playoff team winning the whole shebang here in SLB? 

Offense:

The daily lineup is the strong suit of this year's Diablo team, thanks mostly to the off season additions of All Stars Nomar Garciaparra and Bobby Abreu. Esteban German has been the spark at the top, as shown by the team scuffling in the 4 weeks he was out of the lineup. Jason Lane is having another outstanding year (after losing his job to Travis Hafner in Spring Training....oops). Luckily, both players can play in the same lineups, as Jeremy Reed has had a terrible time and looks to be anchored to the Diablo bench. It's a rough go at the catcher spot, as neither Varitek nor Martinez have distinguished themselves with the bat. Besides German's stint on the DL, the lineup has stayed pretty healthy so far, meaning the bench (while good) hasn't seen much action.

Pitching:

Problematic to say the least. Bobby Brownlie has followed up his near-Cy Young season with a paltry 6-6, 4.18 first half. Johan Santana has been the most consistent pitcher from last year's staff, and Danny Haren has kept this team's head above water, going 8-3 despite a few weeks on the DL. Newcomers Odalis Perez and Javier Vazquez have sucked donkey dong (to put it mildly), going 1-9, 5.37 and 6-9, 6.02 respectively while giving up a combined 49 HR in just over 200 IP. Vazquez lost his job to Jason Davis, a reclamation project from London who has faired admirably with a 5-3 mark. The completely revamped bullpen has had its ups and downs. Brock Landers, the lone holdover from '08, leads the pen with a 1.30 ERA, and closer Danys Baez has been worth every cent, saving 12 games while posting a 1.96 ERA. Both deserved the All Star nod over LaTroy Hawkins, but you know how loyal those voters are to the established stars. Francisco Cordero has been a bust.

Biggest Surprise:

Danny Haren was terrible in his first tour of duty with Havana, but has been the best off season pitching signing to date.

Biggest Disappointment:

Javier Vazquez had some great years in Halifax, but the fly balls he gives up travel a lot farther in the heat of Cuba.

Man on the Spot Update:

Danny Haren has been the model of consistency, going 8-3, 3.04 in the first half.

Our predictions for this team were pretty spot on.  First place by default really.  If anybody else in the South could get their shit together, the Diablos would be in trouble, but since 87 or 88 wins might take this thing, Havana is more than capable of winning another division title.  But then again, the only new pitcher that was working out, Danny Haren is down so Jason Davis has to step it up.  Did you read that?  “Jason Davis has to step it up.”  Yeah, so this might not be their year.  But somebody in this division has to want it enough to make the moves, it might be Keesing.

Offense:

On offense, this may be a better year than the Diablos expected.  Great years are being had by Bobby Abreu and a resurgent Jason Lane .  Even better, Darin Erstad is defying my all knowing prediction he would have a crappy year.  Only C and RF, where Jeremy Reed seems about to lose his job to Chipper Jones are big problems.  Do they hope Varitek is “due” or look to go get a C from another team?

Pitching:

This is where there have been some real problems.  The league has watched the tapes on Bobby Browlie and he’s not likely to win 20 games again—more like he’ll be lucky to finish .500 or better.  Javier Vasquez has been a major bust here and Keesing can’t pay somebody to take him off their hands. Johan Santana is still rolling along and all kidding aside, Jason Davis is proving he can be a useful arm outside of the London Black Hole.  Bullpen has been awesome with both Brock Landers and Danys Baez shutting people out if it goes to the 8^th with a lead.

Biggest Surprise:

Jason Lane, .341/25/57, is back…

Biggest Disappointment:

…which means Jeremy Reed, .191 BA, sucks now.  Can’t these two ever get back their rookie mojo?

Man on the Spot Update:

The Thunder continue to defy the odds year after year, fielding a team with glaring holes and inconsistent play yet always managing to compete in the division. It hasn't been a terribly active year for GM Ben Royer, whose had his thunder stolen (every pun intended) by McAvoy on this year's trade market. The laissez-faire attitude towards the team may be its undoing, as a lack of attention has been paid to injury problems and lineup flaws. But hey, if Royer doesn't care about his team, why should we?

Offense:

Always a strong point in Knoxville, and this year is no exception. Pujols and Rodriguez both were voted to the All Star team, and either could be in MVP contention at year's end. A-Rod started slowly, but is back up to his MVP form of a year ago, threatening to pull off another 40/40 year at the very least. Miguel Cabrera has been good, but has hardly been worth the huge amount of cash given to him this off season. After several seasons and a bunch of teams, Scot Podsednik has found a place where he can be a consistent threat. It's a good think too, as Carl Crawford has a long term injury that takes his 100 SB potential out of the leadoff position for most of the year. 

Pitching:

You're never impressed by Tennessee pitching in Spring Training, but they always manage to do well. This year, however, there aren't a lot of guys getting by on run support alone. Four starters have 7 wins, lead by Jake Peavy (7-1), whose season was cut short by a bad elbow. Cory Lidle has pitched in his absence, and has yet to throw a quality start. Wouldn't David Bush (5-1) be a better option? Probably, but Royer has yet to acknowledge Peavy's injury at all, so the players are probably drawing straws to see who plays at this point. Overall, the pen is bad, and its 18 losses have held the team back.

Biggest Surprise:

Podsednik was terribly inconsistent most of his career, but has really flourished in Knoxville. 

Biggest Disappointment:

Jason Jennings has a great 3.49 ERA but is just 3-9. Seems the offense is taking the day off when he starts.

Man on the Spot Update:

Peavy was great, and would have been an All Star had he stayed healthy. We questioned whether he was a one-year wonder in this year's Heaters, but he has really blossomed into a solid starter.

By hook or by crook, Tennessee always seems to have a crack at making the playoffs.  They’ll have to win the South to do it this year as the WC looks to go to Ireland , but they certainly could pull it off.  They lack the kind of ace starter that could carry them to a division title or start in a 3 man rotation in the post season.  They really need to make a deal to get that and maybe a reliable pen arm or two.  Would they deal A-Rod or Pujols to get it?  Time to find out how bad they want it isn’t it? 

Offense:

Basically the #2 offense in the league behind Paris (OK Ellas has 1 more run but, eeh).  And they oughtta be, right?  A-Rod is coming off his monster MVP year with, you guessed it, another monster MVP year.  If Rockwell comes back down a bit that is.  Pujols and Josh Hamilton are both looking at 40 HR/110 RBI years and the biggest surprise has been Scott Podsednik becoming, arguably, the best leadoff man in the game.  You could wish for a better catcher than Joe Mauer, but who doesn’t have that problem?  Would get a big boost if Carl Crawford comes back healthy.  But, basically this is an overkill offense in search of a pitching staff to go with it.

Pitching:

Jeff Weaver leads in innings, that should say a lot, right?  The biggest news is the rough year for Jason Jennings who is 3-9 despite a respectable 3.49 ERA.  The only really reliable starter they’ve had is Peavy and he’s down.  What to do?  I think this team needs to put together a deal and soon if they don’t want to finish another year in second.  Some teams are clearly becoming “sellers” but will Tennessee meet their asking price?

Biggest Surprise:

Jake Peavy still has to get it for his  7-1 start, even though his injury is going to cloud his chances for any awards.

Biggest Disappointment:

Carl Crawford.  .214 and injuries don’t make a $9mil salary easy to justify.

Man on the Spot Update:

Well lookey here! We don't usually see the Sabers with a record this good until the end of the year (when its too late). But some savvy player movement coupled with the emergence of Phillip Humber has propelled Savannah into contention. They've been streaky, but have scored some big sweeps against division foes (I can attest to a four-game spanking at their hands a week back) so their division record is second only to Tennessee. Are there more moves on the horizon, or is GM Rich Vohs content to ride this team as far as they'll take him?

Offense:

Usually the weak spot of this team, and while they aren't blowing anyone away, they are improved. Landing Hee-Seop Choi was a major boon for the franchise, but the team has to live without his .353/.386/.754 play for another 6-8 weeks. Luckily, he hasn't been a one-man show for the Sabers, as Lance Berkman and Mike Young (both All Stars) have added a great deal to this lineup. Adam Dunn has also played more consistently that in past years, giving this team a variety of weapons up and down the lineup. Team speed is still a big weakness here (leadoff man Mark Kotsay has just 2 steals), so perhaps that should be addressed as we approach the trade deadline. 

Pitching:

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you your Rookie Pitcher of the Year and Cy Young winner of the future Phillip Humber. Savannah's #1 prospect has taken the league by storm so far, posting a league leading 12 wins while throwing quality starts in 13 of his 17 outings. Roy Halladay (the other part of the Choi deal) has also been impressive, joining Humber on the All Star team with a 10-4 record of his own. The rest of the rotation has its problems, particularly Kaz Ishii; he should have lost his spot in the rotation weeks ago. Unfortunately, there isn't a great deal of depth on this staff, so options are limited for the rotation. The back end of the bullpen has been very consistent, especially a resurgent Billy Koch. There is plenty to improve, however, and Vohs should explore all opportunities.

Biggest Surprise:

We knew Humber was good, but this good?

Biggest Disappointment:

Grady Sizemore looked like a nice pickup, but he has been relegated to bench duty and has pretty pedestrian numbers thus far.

Man on the Spot Update:

Adam Dunn has stepped it up, blasting 16 homers and posting a .580 SLG%.

Because of Atlanta ’s brief run at the top and Havana ’s recent return to form, you might not have noticed that Savannah is only a game out of first place.  In fact, they have been there most of the year.  Is this team for real?  I think so; they made a smart move to pick up Hee Seop Choi and one more move to land a starter or maybe two middling SP to get Carpenter and Ishii out of the rotation and there’s no reason the Sabers can’t compete with Havana and Tennessee all year long.  It might be a matter of pride, too.  The other Georgia embarrassment, Atlanta, is already in self-destruct mode so Savannah has a chance to be the first team to give the long suffering Georgians a team to get behind, but they get the same challenge: are you willing to move the players to play for the big time stakes?

Offense:

With the addition of Choi to give Berkman some protection, this is an offense that can hold its own with anybody, at least at the top of the order.  Berkman’s year is MVP worthy if a couple of the top guys have any injuries.  The biggest overachiever has been Mike Young who nobody imagined would be a .330 hitter.  Jason Kendall continues to be a frustrating player, but if he gets it going, the Sabers could really pound on some people. RF of Nady and/or Sizemore hasn’t been league average good so maybe a OF trade would be a good move for Vohs to swing along with adding a #3 starter.

Pitching:

It’s pretty unbalanced.    Humber and Halladay have been great, Schmidt and Buehrle just OK and the rest awful.  Koch and Cordero are holding together a sub par pen.  You have to plan on Schmidt improving but that means you need, at minimum 2 more SPs to come from the farm or a trade. 

Biggest Surprise:

Phillip Humber, much like his offensive counterpart, Chest Rockwell, is on pace to win both ROY and Cy Young.  Living up to the hype?  And then some, baby.

Biggest Disappointment:

Jason Schmidt’s 9 QS in 18 starts is not what you’ve come to expect from him.  If he’s pulling his load, this team is in first.

Man on the Spot Update:

Losing has become the status quo in London, where the payroll stays low and the team stays bad. Is it time to consider a new ballpark? Seems like there are some pretty good hitters on this team every year, but they can never hit well or score any runs. The pitching is predictably bad; if Kyle Newby is your ace, you know how this story ends. Scouting has to be called into question here at some point, as London has picked as high as Atlanta in several drafts, but hasn't produced nearly as strong a farm system. Is there anything to be done to put the team far enough ahead of Scotland to stave off another finish in the cellar? 

Offense:

Maybe park factor isn't the problem. This team just can't hit. They are actually hitting 10 points higher at home than on the road, but that basically means crappy and slightly less crappy. Blame the London fog? Perfectly good sluggers like Teixeira, Giles and Kearns struggle mightily on this team, and when the rest of the team is full of bench quality players, there are huge problems. Mike Rivera has finally kept himself off the DL, but hasn't shown much for it. Injuries have been a problem, and GM Sean O'Hallaran failing to address those injuries is an even bigger one. There was a point where there were only 8 healthy hitters on the 25 man roster! Not cool man, not cool. 

Pitching:

There have been some very good pitching performances on this team the year. Kyle Newby hasn't been one of them. I was secretly rooting for him to not win a game all year, but he managed a few victories in late June and early July to dash my dreams. Clement, Myers and Wolf have all been great, which is shocking considering those guys have such horrible track records. The last pitching slot has been a revolving door of failure, as Carlos Hernandez, Paul Davis, Adam Eaton and Eric Milton have combined for 10-19 record. Even K-Rod can't pitch here. Time to finally trade Jason Isringhausen for a top prospect? 

Biggest Surprise:

Clement, Wolf and Myers are a combined 143-189 in their careers, but are 16-12 in 2009.

Biggest Disappointment:

Mark Teixeira's SLG is under .400. 

Man on the Spot Update:

Yeah, Newby. Think he'll be back in the minors after his Rule V status expires? Yeah, me too.

Do the Knights suck again?  Is the pope Catholic?  I don’t know what to say other than this is a team that really is about AAA level.  The only offensive player I’d even trade for is Aaron Rowand and that’s mostly due to his cheap contract.  Isringhausen is a good RP, but do they want to trade their last legit All-Star (Brett Myers is not legit, sorry)?  Tough call, but there’s just not much else they can do.  Morales, Broadway and Buckner could all be coming soon, so maybe the best plan of action is no action.

Offense:

Just frickin’ shameful.  A .238 team average is a disgrace even for London .  12 HRs leads the team, so maybe 25 for the year?  Oof.  I’d say who is the exception, but, uh, there isn’t one.  They all pretty much suck.  Yeah, Rowand is having a decent year, but decent is the key word there, not great by any means.  A lot of these dudes are way overpaid, too, like Giles and Teixeira.  If it were me, I’d start firing people and let the rookies take the field.  At least you’d have cash to blow in the off season.

Pitching:

Hey, Randy Wolf is having a good year—clap louder, damnit!  And, yeah, Brett Myers is an All-Star.   I could live with Matt Clement’s numbers if I were Tony Blake.  It’s a start, right.  Man, does anybody know what happened to K-Rod?  His career is about on ice by now isn’t it?  Trade him to Scotland or Bedford , see if he can still get anybody out.

Biggest Surprise:

Matt Clement, who has had a chance to suck on many teams is having a good year ERA wise, though the team isn’t scoring him much in the way of support.

Biggest Disappointment:

Maybe Eaton or Carlos Hernandez since London thought they could land a scrap heap gem and both are showing why nobody else wanted them  If you go by expectations, Teixeira is a bust with his .226 average.

Man on the Spot Update: