1 (2)- Baltimore Revolution (106-44)- The reigning champs seem to have held off this season's challenge from Norfolk and resumed their place atop the AL East. Bruce Donovan is the front runner to the 3rd MVP Award of his career, hitting .322 with 48 home runs and 146 RBI.
2 (1)- Pittsburgh Polar Bears (104-46)- As has been the custom the Polar Bears will finish with the best record in the NL and a bye into the NLDS. While their lineup is loaded, and the highest scoring team in the NL, their duo of Kelvim Whang and Ramon Yamamoto (both up for the NL Cy Young Award) have been dominant. They have combined to throw 412 innings with a 34-14 record and an ERA of 2.84.
3 (3)- Norfolk Whiskey Jacks (98-52)- The Jacks organization has settled down nicely since the early season ownership issues. While they won't be retaining their divisional crown, they will be over the 100 win mark for the second consecutive season and will certainly be a contender in the upcoming playoffs. David Brito is having the best season of his career, hitting .312 with 35 home runs and 106 RBI. He is one of the AL MVP candidates as well.
4 (7)- Milwaukee Titans (92-58)- The Titans have been one of the best teams in the league since the All Star break, going 40-19 in that time. If they hold their position, they will claim the #2 seed in the NL and a bye to the NLDS. Titans closer Ken Wall is having a truly historic season. He has appeared in 45 games, and pitched 41 innings. He has only allowed 1 run so far, and has converted 44 of 45 save chances. He is a virtual lock to win this season's NL Fireman of the Year award.
5 (11)- Anaheim Hitmen (90-60)- The Hitmen are poised to take advantage of the fact that the two top AL teams happen to play in the same division. Barring a total collapse, they should be the AL's #2 seed and a bye into the ALDS. This season's Hitmen have built their success on a balanced team approach. The Hitmen have no MVP candidates or Cy Young candidates. But the team is ranked 5th in offense and 4th in pitching.
6 (9)- Cleveland Lake Shores (88-62)- The Lake Shores have had a steady successful season. For the first time since coming to Cleveland, they have supplanted their rivals from Chicago to assume 2nd place in the NL East and are currently a comfortable 9 games ahead of the Gray Sox. Randall Bryant had the breakout season of his young career. He hit .303 with 34 home runs and 101 RBI to go with a league high 70 stolen bases. He is also one of the favorites to win the NL MVP.
7 (4)- Richmond Rebellion (87-63)- The Rebellion have bounced back from a very disappointing Season 16. In fact, they will finish with the franchise's best regular season record in 14 seasons and the best since the move to Virginia. Otis Beimel has had a very good sophomore season. He is 14-9 with a 3.24 ERA in 175 innings.
8 (5)- Philadelphia Stomp (87-63)- While the Stomp have been scuffling lately, losing their last 6 games, they are still on pace to earn a Wild Card berth for the 3rd straight season. While the Stomp starting rotation tends to steal much of the headlines, Jim Andrews have really made himself at home. In his first full season in the City of Brotherly Love, he is hitting .313 with 42 home runs and 107 RBI.
9 (8)- Vancouver Tragedy Twins (86-64)- Consider the Sharks officially dethroned in the NL West. The new kings are ruling from the Canadian Northwest. The Twins will win their third consecutive division title with little resistance. The Twins are now hoping to make their big break this season. They made it to the NLCS two seasons ago and feel that the offseason's max signing, Harold Paquette, will lead them to the World Series. Paquette has been very good this season, going 15-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 195 innings.
10 (12)- Honolulu Rainbow Warriors (84-66)- For the past 3 seasons, the Warriors have been a very solid team averaging almost 90 wins per season. They're on pace to finish with 90+ wins once again this season. Despite this success, they have only been to the postseason once during that time. While its possible they may be able to run down the Stomp and sneak in this season, (especially with the Stomp on a losing streak) it will be pretty tough to make up a 3 game deficit with only 12 games left. If the Warriors don't make the playoffs, the largest culprit will be the bullpen. The Rainbow Warriors regular rotation has an ERA of 3.50. The bullpen and spot starters have an ERA of 5.28.
11 (6)- New Orleans Jazz (83-67)- With the division long since comfortably in hand, the Jazz have been on cruise control for a while. The Jazz have been a perennial playoff team in the AL, winning 6 of the last 7 AL South titles. But the franchise's success hasn't been translated into the postseason as the team has yet to play in the ALCS. Time will tell if this season's squad will be able to break thru. If they do, it will be with pitching and defense. The Jazz are ranked 5th in the AL in pitching and 4th in fewest errors.
12 (10)- Scranton Wild (80-70)- The Wild will win the division nobody seemed to want last year, and in the process will have the franchise's best record since the team relocated to Pennsylvania. It will be a tough road for the Wild though to match up with the AL heavyweights in the postseason. Despite this season's success, Victor Rodriguez was definitely a disappointment in his first full season with the Wild. He is 9-10 with a 4.97 ERA.
13 (15)- Scottsdale Camels (80-70)- The Camels struggled to be consistent through most of this season, and turned it on to make a late season charge at the Wild Card. It'll probably be too little, too late. Veteran Boots Knotts had a bit of a late career renaissance out in the desert. He hit .283 with 33 home runs and 93 RBI.
14 (14)- Chicago Gray Stockings (79-71)- Season 17's greatest enigma has been the Chicago Gray Stockings. The core of this team has been to the NLCS for three straight seasons, and went on to win the NL Pennant in two of those seasons. During the offseason, management added to the roster, upgrading the pitching, lineup and the bench. The team responded with what will likely be the team's worst regular season (including a 12-game losing streak) since the move to Chicago, 9 seasons ago. Despite the inconsistency of the Gray Sox, the veteran laden squad is not a team their NL counterparts would want to see in the postseason. The question remains though: which squad will show up in the postseason dance? The one that lost 12 straight and had the worst season in recent franchise history? Or the one that won back-to-back NL Pennants?
15 (18)- Atlanta Soda Poppers (75-75)- The postseason picture in the NL has seemed to be set since about midway through the season. Then Chicago lost 12 games in a row, and recently Atlanta won 9 of 10. While it is still a long shot for the Soda Poppers to make it into the playoffs, its been 5 seasons since this franchise finished at .500 and even had a sniff of the Wild Card this late into the season. Fans are excited at their teams recent stellar play and hope abounds for a historic finish to the season to run down the Gray Sox.
16 (-)- Iowa City Badgers (70-80)
17 (-)- Kansas City Krazies (69-81)
18 (19)- Los Angeles Sharks (69-81)
19 (16)- San Diego Wiley Coyotes (68-82)
20 (20)- Trenton Jersey Trash (67-83)
Bounced Out:
St. Louis Redbirds (13)
Memphis Belles (17)
