1- Monterrey Gringos (43-18)- In addition to the league's best record, they also have the league's best offensive tandem in Marvin Shannon (.313 AVG, 22 HR, 68 RBI, 20 SB) and Geoff Bowles (.343 AVG, 17 HR, 53 RBI).
2- Cleveland Lake Shores (42-19)- The Lake Shores are the biggest surprise in the league this seasons. Currently on pace for a 111 win season. That would be 30 more wins than last season and the best record in franchise history. The numbers say they are are over achieving though, including a league best 16-5 in one run games. Time will tell if the Lake Shores remain hot or regress to the mean.
3- Milwaukee Boys of Summer (42-20)- The NL's highest scoring offense and an above average pitching staff make the Boys a legit contender.Young Tommy Berg has been the best starting pitcher in the NL so far this season. In his 11 starts, he is 8-0 with a 1.95 ERA.
4- Washington Generals (39-22)- The Generals have been the NL's most well rounded team in Season 27. They are ranked 2nd in both runs scored and team ERA. In his first full season, Junior Nunez is showing flashes of superstardom, hitting .301, with 13 HR and 53 RBI. He is an adventure with the glove at SS though.
5- Salem Blues (39-23)- As with the last two times, davidjay takes over Salem and good things happen. This season's very surprising turnaoround is on pace to being the best season in franchise history since the first time they were the Blues, during the Golden Age of Kelly Nelson, Eugenio Estrella and Victor Delgado.
6- Kansas City T-Bones (39-23)- Currently has three legit MVP candidates: Junior Chang (.321 AVG, 16 HR, 80 RBI, 17 SB), AJ Cone (.335 AVG, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 29 SB) and Kolten O'Donnell (.322 AVG, 21 HR, 76 RBI).
7- Philadelphia Stomp (39-23)- The Stomp find themselves in a dogfight in the, once again, very deep AL East. They still boast the deepest starting rotation in the league, and probably boast the AL's best starting pitcher in Quilvio Lee. The team is currently ranked 6th in the AL in runs scored and 5th in team ERA.
8- Scranton Wild (37-24)- The Scranton Wild are another of the AL's pleasant surprises. Losing their division by 23 games last season, certainly nobody foresaw this team giving the Redbirds a run for the division. They are doing it with their pitching almost exclusively. The offense is average, as is the fielding, while the team is 4th in the AL in team ERA. Rookie sensation Rich Miclat has really turned this team around. He is an early AL Cy Young candidate. In his 13 starts, he is 11-1 with a 2.74 ERA.
9- Vancouver Tragedy Twins (36-25)- Keep an eye on the Twins, as they might be underachieving right now. They lead the NL in team ERA and are 4th in runs scored and home runs. Thats with highly touted youngster Andrew Carpenter currently under-performing. He is only hitting .254 and his power numbers are way down compared to last season's production.
10- Little Rock Mockingbirds (35-27)- The reigning champs are either in a bit of a championship hangover, or are simply on cruise control. Both the offense and pitching are only slightly above average this season, far from the lofty expectations this team has set for itself over the last few seasons. The offense, in particular, is a bit worrisome. Last season, the Mockingbirds averaged over 5 runs per game. So far this season, they are at 4.1 runs per game.
11- St. Louis Redbirds (34-27)- The Redbirds are shocked to find themselves currently in 2nd place in a division that they seem to win handily every season. This is another team, like Vancouver, that is flying under the radar. The Redbirds currently lead the AL in team ERA and are 5th in runs scored. Phil Leonard is the early leader in the Cy Young race, on pace to win his 4th such award, with a 13-1 record and a 1.47 ERA.
12- Los Angeles White Sox (34-27)- The once proud LA franchise seems to finally have it going, after only making the playoffs once in the last twelve seasons. Pitching is the strength of this squad. All five starting pitchers have a .500 or better record and a sub-4.00 ERA.
13- Norforlk Whiskey Jacks (34-28)- The Jacks are still going strong, but Father Time is catching up with this squad. The team only has two players less than 30 years old on the ML roster. Last season was the first time in 11 seasons the team failed to make the playoffs. They hope to turn it back around in Season 27 but they play in the toughest division in the AL, so it won't be easy.
14- San Diego Wiley Coyotes (33-28)- A team playing in Petco, with a pitching staff led by 'ol Pepe should be one of the top pitching teams in the NL. And the Coyotes are. They have the fewest runs allowed this season, and the 3rd lowest team ERA. Unheralded rookie SP Jim Freeman (6-3, 3.30 ERA) and veteran journeyman SP Sammy Fernandez (5-3, 2.84 ERA) are both giving the rotation the depth it needs. If those two can keep it up throughout the season, the Coyotes could be dangerous.
15- Atlanta Soda Poppers (32-30)
16- Baltimore Revolution (32-30)
17- Anaheim Peppers (32-30)
18- Honolulu Ohana (31-31)
19- Richmond Rebellion (31-31)
20- Tampa Bay Bandits (30-32)
