1- Norfolk Whiskey Jacks (29-10)- The Jacks are winning by excelling in all facets of the game. They rank 2nd in the AL in most runs scored, 1st in lowest team ERA, 1st in fewest errors, and 1st in CS%. Basically, they're really tough to score on, and they score alot of runs. Thats a recipe for success. Most impressive of all is their 1-2 pitching tandem of Matos and Leonard. So far this season, they're a combined 13-0 with a 2.83 ERA in 120 innings.
2- Baltimore Revolution (27-12)- The defending champs are in fine form. They've picked up right where they left off last season, dominating games with the leagues most dynamic offense. The Revolution's potent combination of power and speed currently lead the AL in runs scored, home runs, OPS and stolen bases. 3B Alex Chen is the hottest hitter in the league right now, in the midst of a 21-game hitting streak.
3- New Orleans Jazz (27-12)- Maybe the biggest surprise so far in the AL, is the red-hot start of the team from the Big Easy. The Jazz pitching staff has been stellar so far this season, ranking 3rd in the AL in team ERA. SP Fernando Dominguez in particular has been everything the team could hope for so far. He is 5-0 with an ERA of 2.21 in his 8 starts.
4- Cleveland Lake Shores (25-14)- For the first time in recent memory, the Pittsburgh Polar Bears find themselves looking up at another team in NL East. The Lake Shores have been a solid, all-around team this season. The defense has been spectacular though. They rank 2nd in the NL in fewest errors and first in '+/-' play ratio with 17 '+' and 0 '-' plays. This team just doesn't make bad plays in the field and is constantly highlighting Sportcenter's Web Gems. On the mound, SP Yorvit Izquierdo has been a very pleasant surprise going 7-0 in his 7 starts with an ERA of 1.42, good for 2nd in NL.
5- Salem Mighty Duck (24-15)- Salem fans are finally excited to watch their home team again after a few disappointing seasons. The Ducks are the hottest team in the SPL, currently on a 7-game winning streak. The stars on the roster have been performing as expected, but its been the contributions of the role players that have really made the Ducks a winning club so far this season. Veteran 1B/DH Jesse Miller (.328 AVG, 9 HR, 32 RBI) and COF Benito Rivera (.364 AVG, 9 HR, 27 RBI) have both been offensive forces in the season's early goings. Lefty SP Willis Bottenfield is putting together another solid season and the team's second most seasoned starter, going 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 42 innings. Watch out for Salem if those players continue to produce at such a high level.
6- Memphis Belles (24-15)- The new owners in Memphis have seemingly managed to pull of a very difficult task this offseason: offload salary and improve the team on the field. To say the team's success is built on speed, pitching and defense would be an understatement. The Belle's offense is anemic, ranking dead last in the NL in runs scored an OBP. They rely heavily upon the stolen base, ranking 1st in that department with 49 steals while only getting caught 11 times. The team more than makes up for their run scoring woes though in other areas. The defense is ranked 4th in fewest errors, 2nd in '+/-' play ratio with 17 '+' plays to only 3 '-' plays and 2nd in CS% (throwing out 35% of stolen base attempts). The pitching ranks 2nd in team ERA and 1st in fewest runs allowed.
7- Los Angeles Sharks (23-16)- "We may be old, but we're not dead yet," would be an excellent motto for this season's Sharks squad. After their disappointing 3rd place finish last season, and listening to the media debate whether is would be Vancouver or San Diego winning the NL West for the entire offseason, the Sharks seemed rejuvenated; and find themselves in a three-way tie for 1st place in their division. And, as usual, its been the pitching and defense leading the way. The Sharks lead the NL in lowest team ERA and are tied for highest '+/-' play ratio with a league high 24 '+' plays to only 7 '-' plays. Paquette and Hernandez have led the way, combining for 13 quality starts (in 18 games started) with an 8-3 record and a 2.25 ERA in 115 innings.
8- San Diego Wiley Coyotes (23-16)- The Coyotes find themselves in the tightest division race so far this season. The team's rookie COF duo of Darwin Crawford (.268 AVG, 12 HR, 31 RBI) and Jeremi Henry (.237 AVG, 11 HR, 24 RBI) have been a bit underwhelming so far. Both players have shown flashes (especially Crawford) but have been wildly inconsistent. The Coyotes will need them to be more consistently productive to stay in the NL West race. SP Pepe Sosa, on the other hand, has been as good as advertised... and more. In his 10 starts, he is 7-2 with a 1.41 ERA. He currently leads the NL in GS, innings pitched, ERA, strikeouts and wins.
9- Pittsburgh Polar Bears (23-16)- Not quite the start that the Pittsburgh faithful are used to, but the Bears are in fine shape. The offense has been pedestrian so far, ranked right in the middle of the NL in runs scored. A number of veteran players are under-performing, namely 3B Carson Prince (.231 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI), SS Stewart Corbin (.220 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI) and 2B Kiki Alvarez (.248 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI). Once those key players turn it around, the offense should be just fine and turn around with them. The pitching (as usual) has been stellar, with a team ERA of 3.57. The Big 3 of Armas, Yamamoto and Brownson have combined to go 11-6 in 163 innings with an ERA of 2.48.
10- Vancouver Tragedy Twins (23-16)- The Twins are trying to prove that last season's #2 seed was no fluke. They are off to a pretty strong start. While the offense has been inconsistent so far, the Twins have proven to be very difficult to score runs against. They are 2nd in the NL in team ERA and rank 1st in CS%, throwing out an incredible 50% of stolen base attempts against them. Starting C Juan Posada (and his cannon arm) have got to be the early front runner to win his 4th Gold Glove in the past 5 seasons. He has given his pitching staff a great boost, throwing out 15 of 28 stolen base attempts made against him. While the starters have been good, the bullpen has been great. In 104 innings so far, the bullpen has an ERA of 2.58.
11- Jacksonville Barracudas (22-17)- While the 'Cudas are off to a very solid start, their record is a bit misleading about how well the team is playing. They have a good record, despite allowing more runs so far this season than the team has scored. The pitching and defense are both ranked in the middle of the NL pack, but the offense is 2nd worst in runs scored. If Jacksonville wants to stay in the hunt with Cleveland and Pittsburgh in the NL East, they are going to need to get more offensive production from somewhere in the lineup.
12- St. Louis Redbirds (22-17)- Despite their huge offseason losses, the Redbirds are once again comfortably leading their division by a 5-game margin, even though they have lost 7 of their last 10. Normally a franchise that is built around pitching, this season's Redbirds squad has been powered at the plate. The team is ranked 4th in runs scored and 2nd in home runs. The defense has to be a big concern in St. Louis though. They have more errors than any other team in the AL, and have the 2nd worst '+/-' play ratio as well, with only 6 '+' plays compared to a league high 18 '-' plays.
13- Iowa City Badgers (19-20)- The Badgers are solid at everything, and spectacular at nothing. The team is ranked in the middle of the NL in fielding, pitching and OPS. Surprisingly, they are also ranked 2nd in the NL in runs scored, showing that the team has been very good at getting timely hitting this season. It will be very interesting to see what this team does the rest of the season. Former Redbird, and 6-time All Star offseason signing LF Johnny Radinsky (.320 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI) has proven to be a great pickup. SP Tony Sosa has really embraced the role of staff ace since coming from Baltimore. So far this season, he is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA in his 47 innings.
14- Honolulu Rainbow Warriors (19-20)- Despite getting off to a slower start than they'd like, the Warriors are sitting in 2nd place in the normally brutal AL West. This is largely because division rivals Scottsdale and Anaheim have gotten off to similarly sluggish starts. Still, the division is very tight with Salem only having a 6 game lead on the 4th place Hitmen and Camels. As has been their calling card in recent seasons, the Rainbow Warriors continue to be among the most spectacular fielding teams in the league. They are 3rd in the AL in fewest errors and 3rd in '+' plays with 21, while only committing 8 '-' plays. The $80M Man, CF Hector Brown (.275 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 15 SB, 4 CS) has been good so far, but not great; performing at slightly below his career norms.
15- Scottsdale Camels (18-21)
16- Anaheim Hitmen (18-21)
17- Atlanta Soda Poppers (18-21)
18- Philadelphia Stomp (18-21)
19- Milwaukee Titans (18-21)
20- Helena Bighorns (18-21)
