1- Norfolk Whiskey Jacks (41-13)- Phil Leonard who? What is a Hipolito anyway? In two of the biggest trades in recent SP history, the Jacks sent a combined 4 Cy Youngs and 5 All Stars packing to other teams. Nobody seemed to tell the team that they were supposed to be short on starting pitching. The fans, which seemed to be on the verge of rioting when their pair of Cy Young starters were traded away nearly simultaneously, seemed to have all but forgotten and are routinely selling out Harbor Park. The team is 2nd in the AL in runs scored. Despite losing two of the best pitchers in the league, the pitching staff is ranked 5th in the AL in fewest runs scored. They don't have any household names in the rotation anymore, but every pitcher is performing their role very well. Veteran pitcher, and former All Star, Heath Hewitt, has assumed the mantle of leadership in the pitching staff. He is 4-0 with a 3.99 ERA.
2- Vancouver Tragedy Twins (39-15)- The defending WS Champion, and preseason favorites to repeat, have played as expected. They've been, hands down, the best team so far in the NL. Just like last season, the Twins are the most balance team. They lead the NL in home runs, and rank 3rd in most runs scored. The pitching is also ranked 3rd in fewest runs allowed. Their top two pitchers this season have been the veterans Harold Paquette and Benny Bonilla. They have been one of the best 1-2 pitching tandems so far this season. In their 22 starts, they are a combined 13-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 151 innings.
3- Baltimore Revolution (39-15)- Considering the Revolution's tradition of dominance and string of championships, it was surprising to see that they weren't picked as the favorite in the AL this season. Does this sound familiar? The Revolution lead the AL in runs scored, home runs, stolen bases and fewest runs allowed. It sounds all too familiar. That was the kind of regular season dominance exhibited by this franchise during their run of three straight championships, and run of five AL Pennants in six seasons. It seems as if they only took last season off to catch their breath. All that winning can be exhausting after all. Well they're back now, and are poised for another title run. Aurelio Diaz, now thriving as one of the best defensive LF in the game, is the early season MVP. He's having the best season so far in his HoF career. He is leading the AL in hitting (.367), 2nd in HR (19) and 3rd in RBI (53).
4- Philadelphia Stomp (35-19)- Yes, three of the four top teams in the entire league are in the AL East. This is what the Stomp have had to deal with playing in the shadows of the Baltimore juggernaut and the recently risen baseball royalty in Norfolk. This franchise has quietly had one of the most consistently good teams in recent seasons. This season is no exception. Other than Baltimore, they may actually be the best team in the AL. They are ranked 4th in the AL in runs scored, and boast a stellar pitching staff that ranks 3rd in the AL in fewest runs allowed. The team also has an early MVP candidate in Yannick Broome (.344 AVG, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 12 SB) and an early Cy Young candidate in Quilvio Lee (6-1, 2.45 ERA).
5- Monterrey Gringos (34-20)- Monterrey was one of the early powerhouses in the SPL, making it to the playoffs for the first 9 seasons in the league, including 3 trips to the ALCS. Those teams had the luxury of a lineup powered by 3 HoFers in Kazuhiro Takada, Frank Mays and Terrell Quinn. Since that time though, this franchise has been one of the worst in the league. Nine straight losing seasons, nine straight seasons without a playoff berth caused by chronic mismanagement and shaky ownership. Needless to say, fans in Mexico can get pretty ugly too, and there have been a few 'incidents' at the Estadio Monterrey involving unhappy, unruly fans reacting to their teams on-the-field performance. A new owner took over this season, the third in the last three years. They seem to have righted the ship and are now getting results out of many years of high draft picks. They are certainly the surprise of Season 19, as nobody saw this team coming out of the gates with this kind of success. The team is playing very well, and scoring a lot of runs, ranking 3rd in the AL in runs scored. While the pitching has been suspect, ranking toward the bottom of the AL, fans are still enjoying watching their Gringos win and the fun, high scoring games that are now frequently being played at the Estadio. Ironically, its not one of the highly touted early 1st rounders leading the way for the Gringos, but the unheralded 2nd round draft pick out of the University of the Pacific. Gary Bell, the 27-year old rookie from Ohio, is one of the early favorites for RoY and is leading the Gringo offense, hitting .344 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI.
6- Chicago Gray Stockings (31-23)- After finally winning the franchise's first division title last season, the Gray Sox appear not to want to give it back to their hated foes from Pittsburgh. They've been playing solid, consistent baseball in the early season. They've had a couple of minor injuries, but that hasn't seemed to slow them down. The team is ranked 5th in the NL in fewest runs allowed. That's mostly due to the starting pitching, which has been very good, while the bullpen has struggled. Esteban Hernandez and Carter Maybin have been excellent at the top of the rotation despite a pedestrian combined record of 9-8. In their 22 starts, they've thrown 162 innings with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP of 1.00.
7- Jackson Swamp Hogs (30-24)- In the 19 seasons of the SPL, the Jackson franchise has never made it into the playoffs. In the last decade, they've been buried behind the brutal rivalry of their divisional foes from Pittsburgh and Chicago. If this keeps up, this season could be a historic one. Their success has been due to stellar fielding (2nd in the NL in FLD% and '+' plays) and a solid pitching staff that is ranked 2nd in the NL in fewest runs allowed. Charlie Kiner has really blossomed in his sophomore season. He is only 3-3 in 62 innings, but has an ERA of 2.03 and a WHIP of 0.98.
8- Milwaukee Titans (30-24)- Last season marked the first time in 8 seasons that the Titans didn't win at least 95 games. One of the traditional NL powers, they stumbled to a disappointing 81-81 record that was good enough to win a weak NL North. They entered this season with many question marks. When Hipolito Matos was acquired by division rival Iowa City, many experts thought that would spell the end of the Titans run of dominance in the division. They were even picked to miss the playoffs by the SPL presseason survey. I guess some forgot that this team has won two WS titles for a reason. They are not giving up their position atop the NL so easily. Outside of Vancouver, the Titans have been the best overall team in the NL. They are ranked 5th in the NL in runs scored and 4th in fewest runs allowed. Life long Titan Alberto Lima seems to have taken this season as a personal challenge. He is having the best season of his highly decorated career. He is hitting .324 AVG, 23 HR (which leads the NL) and 52 RBI and is the early favorite to win the NL MVP.
9- Honolulu Rainbow Warriors (30-24)- The defending AL Champs maybe didn't get off to as strong of a start as they'd like, but they are still atop the division and playing good baseball. The team is scoring a lot of runs, 5th in the AL, while their pitching is ranked in the middle of the pack. The Warriors will want to up their winning pace a bit though; both to try and get the bye and keep Scottsdale and Anaheim at bay. Veteran C Sameul Walker has been very productive in the middle of Honolulu's lineup. He is hitting .347 with 12 HR and 37 RBI.
10- San Diego Wiley Coyotes (30-24)- The Coyotes were many peoples' surprise team in the NL. With the best pitcher in the league leading the way, the Wiley Coyotes were expected to give the Twins all they could handle within the division and at least win the Wild Card. So far, they've been pretty good. While the pitching rotation continues to lack any punch after Pepe Sosa, the offense has been truly dynamic. They are 2nd in the NL in runs scored and in SB. This is even more impressive when you consider the pitcher's haven that the team plays in known as Petco Park. Surprisingly, their best hitter so far hasn't been either of their young star outfielders, Darwin Crawford or Jeremi Henry, but their veteran slugging 3B Tim Lowe. He is hitting .289 with 20 HR (2nd in the NL) and 47 RBI.
11- Atlanta Soda Poppers (29-25)- Atlanta was another preseason favorite by many to have a break out season and make the playoffs. They are certainly in the mix early, both for the Wild Card and only 1 game behind their division leader. The pitching has been respectable, with a team ERA of 3.96, good enough for league average in the NL. The offense has been the best so far in the NL, ranking 1st in runs scored and OPS. Third year man Roger Bigbie continues his steady improvement, and appears on the brink of stardom. The slugging backstop should be on his way to his 1st career All Star game, while leading the Soda Poppers offense, hitting .340 with 19 home runs and a NL best 56 RBI.
12- Pittsburgh Polar Bears (29-25)- The most storied and decorated franchise in the NL is definitely close to having this team's window of opportunity close. The pitching rotation especially is built around players in the decline of their careers. This team was hoping for one last chance at playoff glory, and the smart man wouldn't count them out. This team still has all of the pieces to get hot at the right time. Del Chen has become one of the top CF in the NL. He combines gold glove defense in the outfield with top flight leadoff skills. He is hitting .295 with 6 HR, 17 RBI and 13 SB.
13- Kansas City Krazies (29-25)- Kansas City is another one of the teams that has seemed on the verge of breaking through over the last few seasons but couldn't quite put it all together. This season, they might have finally done just that. Despite currently sitting in 4th place at the bottom of a brutal AL East, the Krazies find themselves within striking distance of the Wild Card currently only 6 games back of the final playoff berth. The Krazies have been tough to score on, ranking 4th in the AL in fewest runs allowed. If the offense can pick it up a bit, Kansas City has the potential to make the playoffs. Veteran hurler Marc Allen has been a great signing so far this season. In his 62 innings of work, he is 5-2 with a 2.73 ERA.
14- Minnesota Target (28-26)- The Target currently sit atop what is probably the weakest division in the league. Traditional power St. Louis is in the midst of rebuilding leaving the division up for grabs. Since St. Louis let go of the division, its been between Minnesota (winning one division title) and Scranton (winning two). This season, it appears to be Minnesota's to lose. Davey Quixote, who was given a contract extension this offseason, was supposed to be the cornerstone of the offense. So far this season, he has been very disappointing. He is only hitting .221 with 5 HR and 26 RBI.
15- Richmond Rebellion (28-26)- Richmond is one of only two teams to be unanimously selected to make the playoffs this season (along with the defending champs). They've gotten off to a slower start than they'd like and find themselves in 3rd place behind a surprising Jackson team and the high-scoring Atlanta squad. The NL South, which has been the one of the weakest divisions in the SPL over the last few seasons, looks to have a race which will go down to the final days of the season with 3 solid teams in the mix. Still, the Rebellion are the most talented of the bunch and have a proven track record of success. They're only 3 games out and most would expect them to pull out the division. The Rebellion are scoring plenty of runs, ranking 4th in the NL in runs scored. Harold Lampkin and Ted Westmoreland are providing the power for the team so far. They are hitting a combined .306 with 28 home runs and 92 RBI.
16- Memphis Belles (28-26)
17- Scottsdale Camels (27-27)
18- Columbus Rib-Eyes (26-28)
19- Detroit Immortals (25-29)
20- Cleveland Lake Shores (25-29)
