[abell1198]

The 1980's teams performed below average, which I found a bit surprising considering it was the beginning of the steroid era. Half of the American League teams finished with a winning record, while only two National League teams managed to do the same.

The American League 1980's Division is led by the 1988 Oakland A's at 19-9. The A's are 1st in the AL in HR (41), Slugging Pct. (.465) and runs scored (174). C Terry Steinbach (.359 avg.) leads a lineup with five .300 hitters. RF Jose Canseco is hitting .311, with 15 home runs and 24 RBI. Canseco is 2nd in the AL for homers. SP Dave Stewart (4-0, 2.89 ERA) and SP Storm Davis (5-1, 2.45 ERA) lead the pitching staff. The A's hit their stride with a nine game winning streak in the middle of April, which saw them sweep the 1927 New York Yankees, the 1940 Detroit Tigers and the 1978 Yankees.

Two teams are tied for second place in the division at 17-11, 2 GB. The first team is the 1981 New York Yankees. The Yankees are tied for 9th in the AL in home runs with 34. RF Reggie Jackson (.327 avg) is the best hitter in the lineup and one of four .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen, led by Rich "Goose" Gossage (1-0, 2.38 ERA, 8 SV) has been very good. The second team is the 1986 Boston Red Sox. 3B Wade Boggs (.337) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. CF Dave Henderson made news when he hit for the cycle on April 2 in a 10-3 win over the 2009 Yankees. SP Roger Clemens leads the starting pitchers at 4-2, 3.10 ERA. CL Calvin Schiraldi (1-0, 0.69 ERA, 8 SV) has been dominant from the bullpen.

In fourth place are the division favorites, the 1989 Oakland A's, who come in at 16-12, 3 GB. LF Luis Polonia (.330 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. The starting pitching has been average so far, but the bullpen is ranked 7th in the AL with a 2.30 ERA. CL Dennis Eckersley (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SV) has been lights out. The A's were the victim of a no-hitter against the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

The 1984 Detroit Tigers are in fifth place at 15-13, 4 GB. CF Chet Lemon (.328 avg) is the only .300 hitter in the lineup and is 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. The starting pitching has been good enough, but the bullpen ranks 6th in the AL with a 2.27 ERA. The Tigers started the season 2-7 before winning seven in a row, including a sweep of the 1952 Yankees.

The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers are one of two teams tied for sixth place in the division at 10-18, 9 GB. 2B Jim Ganter is the leading hitter with a .360 batting average and the lineup consists of two more .300 hitters. The starting pitching has been poor and the bullpen average so far. The second team in sixth are the 1980 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.384 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the Royals lineup, but their starting pitching is virtually non-existent, although the bullpen has been decent. Brett is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. LF Willie Wilson is 5th in the AL with 45 hits and his 5 triples has him tied for 1st in the AL.

Two teams find themselves tied for eighth place at 9-19, 10 GB. The first team is the 1985 Kansas City Royals. 3B George Brett (.324 avg) is the only .300 hitter in a lineup which boasts three hitters under .200. The hitting has been so bad, the Royals are 101st in average (.236), 104th in runs scored (95) and 105th in OBP (.294). SP Bret Saberhagen is proof of the lack of hitting, as he is 0-4 with a 2.63 ERA. The starting pitching has been decent, but the bullpen has been terrible. The Royals started out 2-10, won 5 of their next 6, then lost eight in a row before winning their last game of the month. The second team is the 1983 Baltimore Orioles. LF John Lowenstein is the only .300 hitter at .306. The Orioles are below average in nearly every hitting and pitching category.

In last place are the 1987 Minnesota Twins at 8-20, 11 GB. The Twins have no .300 hitters and their starting pitching is last (108th) in ERA at 8.06. The bullpen isn't much better, ranking 99th with a 6.34 ERA, although CL Juan Berenguer (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is doing his best. The Twins have won only one series and have been swept four times.

The National League 1980's Division is led by the favorites, the 1986 New York Mets at 18-10. The Mets started their season 6-1 and haven't slowed down. 1B Keith Hernandez (.350 avg) is the best of four .300 hitters. SP Sid Fernandez (4-0, 2.92 ERA) and SP Ron Darling (4-0, 1.57 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff ranked 11th in the AL with a 2.97 ERA. The Mets bullpen is their weakness, however.

In second place is the only other team in this division with a winning record: the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers at 16-12, 2 GB. 1B Pedro Guerrero (.327 avg) and 2B Steve Sax (.308 avg) lead the team in hitting. The starting pitchers are ranked #3 in the NL with a 2.71 ERA, led by SP Orel Hershiser. Hershiser is 4-1 with a 1.15 ERA, placing him tied for 3rd in the NL for ERA. CL Jay Howell (2-1, 1.83 ERA, 10 SV) leads a very good bullpen. Howell is tied for 4th in the NL for saves. The Dodgers started their season well, but have lost their last three series.

Tied for third place are three teams. The first are the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals at 13-15, 5 GB. SS Ozzie Smith (.327 avg) is the only .300 hitter. SP Joaquin Andujar leads the pitching staff at 4-1, 2.47 ERA. The second team is the 1989 San Francisco Giants. C Terry Kennedy is the team's only .300 hitter at .303. LF Kevin Mitchell is 2nd in the NL for home runs with 12. Starting pitching for the Giants has been average, but the bullpen is ranked #5 in the NL with a 2.19 ERA. The third team is the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Lonnie Smith (.328 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the Phillies lineup. SS Larry Bowa is tied for 4th in the NL with four triples. The starting pitching for the Phillies has been poor and the bullpen average. The Phillies started out 2-5 while being swept by the 1910 Chicago Cubs.

Two teams are tied for sixth place at 12-16, 6 GB. The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals are the first of the two. 2B Tom Herr (.355 avg) is one of three .300 hitters. SP John Tudor (3-2, 1.16 ERA, 2 CG, 2 SHO) leads a solid pitching staff. The Cardinals are tied for third in stolen bases with 44. The redbirds started their season 8-2, but two 6 game losing streaks have set them back in the standings. The second team is the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. RF Pedro Guerrero (.363 avg) is one of two .300 hitters. SP Fernando Valenzuela (3-1, 3.45 ERA) is doing his part, but the starting staff is ranked 100th in ERA, while the bullpen is ranked 95th. The Dodgers have been streaky, starting out 1-6, then alternating winning and losing streaks throughout the month.

The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in eighth place at 11-17, 7 GB. CF Willie McGee leads the lineup with a .316 batting average, while two others are hitting .300 or better. The pitching staff as a whole has been bad, with the exception of SP Bob Forsch (4-2, 3.24 ERA). The Cardinals started 5-2, but have been struggling to win since that first week, being swept by the 2006 Cardinals and 1915 Phillies.

In ninth place are the 1984 San Diego Padres at 10-18, 8 GB. C Terry Kennedy is the leading hitter with a .300 batting average. 2B Alan Wiggins is tied for 4th in the NL with 13 stolen bases. SP Mark Thurmond (4-1, 3.19 ERA) and SP Eric Show (4-2, 2.49 ERA) are the only highlights of the starting pitching staff. The bullpen has performed well.

In last place are the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies at 8-20, 10 GB. The Phillies are batting .223, ranking them at 106th in the NL. C Bo Diaz (.309 avg) is the only .300 hitter. The starting pitchers have been average and the bullpen very good, but the team is currently suffering an eight game losing streak.