The Shoeless Joe League, East Division
the Pittsburgh Roadrunners: 74-55, 1st place, +1, RS: 1st, RA: 12th
Best position player: Matt Van der Heyden, RF, 26- .372/.491/.626, 10.1 WAR.
Best pitcher: Eric Johnson, RHP, 33- 16-5, 3.68, 1.20 WHIP, 2.6 WAR.
On the rise: Nick Johnson, 1B, 25- .386/.450/.472, 6.4 WAR.
In decline: Bill Lechner, 1B, 33- .207/.258/.276, 0.0 WAR (career .285/.326/.417, 25.1 WAR, 4 WAR 162-game average player).
Key September call-up: Toby Noguchi, 1B, 23- plus plus power tool- 48 home runs this season at AA, 199 in his minor league career already. Pretty much a 1-tool guy but it is an elite one.
Out of commission: Felix Lopez, CF, 37- .375/.409/.452, 4.4 WAR. Severe hip strain, out another 4 weeks.
Pennant race summary: Matt Van der Heyden is more than just the best position player for the Roadrunners- he is the best position player in the WPK period. And rookie Nick Johnson is on his way to winning the batting title and is pretty much a lock for SJL Rookie of the Year (he is also a fan favorite and a decent defensive first baseman). Pittsburgh is a speedy team that isn't all that defensively talented with a deep but unspectacular rotation and a mediocre bullpen. This is a very competitive division with four teams still very much in contention. If Pittsburgh is going to win it they will likely need their offense to just keep crushing opponents. Being without the services of veteran future first ballot Hall of Famer Felix Lopez, who was having a great season, hurts.
the Washington Night Train: 73-56, 2nd place, +2, RS: 3rd, RA: 4th
Best position player: Luis Gonzales, 1B, 33- .312/.367/.504, 3.7 WAR.
Best pitcher: Art Ferrante, RHP, 31- 15-11, 3.29, 1.22 WHIP, 4.2 WAR (Wrecked!)
On the rise: Ki-Moon Kym, 2B, 24- .364/.440/.534, 1.7 WAR in 134 PA.
In decline: Josh Connelly, 3B, 32- .207/.278/.336, 0.2 WAR (3.0 WAR career 162-game average.)
Key September call-up: Matt Wright, RF, 23- 7.9 WAR between AA and AAA this season, good hit tool, smart, speedy.
Out of commission: Rick Downey, CF, 23- .271/.342/.526, 3.5 WAR (strained triceps, 24 days left on IL) and Nick Haran, RF, 38- .264/.398/.521, 3.6 WAR (fractured hand, 9 days left on injury time).
Pennant race summary: Washington wasn't expected to contend this year coming off consecutive 9th place finishes. And while nothing really stands out about this club they also have done most everything pretty well. They don't field well however with a team ZR of -25.9, which probably hasn't helped a starting rotation of proven veterans arms. The bullpen is very good, led by closer Jeff Chaffee. They are currently without two of their best power hitting outfielders though both are expected back before the end of the regular season. Of the three teams at the top of the standings in this division, Washington is given the least chance of winning (25.4% chance) but they have bucked conventional wisdom thus far, so who's to say they won't continue that trend?
the Philadelphia Mud Hens: 74-57, 3rd place, -1, RS: 4th, RA: 3rd.
Best position player: Xiao-mei Mah, 2B, 33- .342/.415/.508, 5.4 WAR.
Best pitcher: Rino Aguillon, RHP, 30- 14-9, 2.94, 1.16 WHIP, 5.3 WAR (fragile).
On the rise: Curt Mickelson, LF, 26- .286/.338/.470, 3.6 WAR, and Ron Carmouche, RP/SP, 22- 3-4, 17 svs, 2.50, 1.22 WHIP, 1.0 WAR (fragile but great potential)
In decline: Ryan Rodgers, RF, 41- .254/.380/.285, 0.5 WAR over 361 PA (hey, the former Brewer is Hall of Fame bound, but he is 41 years old after all.)
Key September call-up: Paul Lewis, 1B, 23- 6.8 WAR at AAA with 38 homers, can also play left field.
Out of commission: Tristan Russell, LHP, 29- 11-5, 3.46, 1.40 WHIP, 1.7 WAR (shoulder inflammation, out 4-5 months.)
Pennant race summary: I've been saying it for a few years now- this team is going to contend eventually, but they better do it while their ultra-talented Taiwanese second sacker Mah, who is fragile, is still playing at a high level. Since joining the WPK as an international free agent prior to the 1975 season Mah has been a perennial MVP candidate and has a WPK career slash line of .337/.422/.503 and just under 40 WAR and the question is just whether he will accumulate enough quality and healthy seasons to make the WPK Hall of Fame or not. It will be a shame if he doesn't, as he is HOF material. Philly is calculated as having a 32% chance of winning the division (Pittsburgh is most likely at just under 40%). I'd like to see Mah get his shot at a ring before it is too late. (I should have added that he is a highly respected teammate, with smarts, a great work ethic, and flexible, team-first attitude.)
the Columbus Whalers: 71-59, 4th place, -5, RS: 5th, RA: 2nd
Best position player: John Kantlehner, RF, 31- .362/.422/.514, 5.8 WAR.
Best pitcher: Luis Ramirez, LHP, 28- 17-8, 2.82, 1.13 WHIP, 6.3 WAR (winner of last 2 SJL Pitcher of the Year awards and a main contender again this season).
On the rise: Bill Thompson, RHP, 24- 11-8, 2.97, 1.17 WHIP, 5.3 WAR.
In decline: Cody Barnhart, LHP, 31- 7-4, 3.75, 1.24 WHIP, 1.7 WAR (still not a bad pitcher, but fragile and aging and headed towards a career cliff potentially).
Key September call-up: None (nobody significant).
Out of commission: Kevin DeRouen, RHP, 24- has been out all season after elbow ligament reconstruction surgery, still needs 3-4 more months of recovery. Was 20-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 1979.
Pennant race summary: The Columbus Whalers pitching staff is still quite good, it just isn't up to the dominant standards it has set over the years. Even their 27-year old team captain and normally light's out closer Jamar Clay, who set a WPK record for saves with 51 last season, is having a disappointing 1980 (7-7, 19 saves, 3.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). Their offense isn't bad, with veteran right fielder John Kantlehner, who has mostly flown under the radar in spite of 4 straight seasons with WAR's of 3.8 to 5.5 (1979), having a career year at age 31. This is a good team. But not a great one anymore, at least not at the moment. And likely an also-ran in the pennant race.
the Jacksonville Wolf Pack: 64-65, 5th place, +4, RS: 8th, RA: 7th.
Best position player: Eric Allman, C, 26- .365/.409/.504, 3.2 WAR in 269 plate appearances (and team Captain!).
Best pitcher: Joe Cassidy, RHP, 28- 10-8, 4.37, 1.38 WHIP, 2.1 WAR (seriously, this is their best pitcher in 1980- crazy, I know.)
On the rise: Mike Florack, CF, 24- .321/.391/.513, 2.7 WAR in 257 PA. 5-tool skills and the #48 top prospect in the WPK.
In decline: Juan Maldonado, LHP, 30- 4-13, 3.92, 1.28 WHIP, 1.7 WAR. I feel bad picking on Maldonado here as the 2-time 20- game winner hasn't really pitched that bad but he is fragile and now on the wrong side of 30 (in baseball terms
) and has been trending in the wrong direction the past few seasons.
Key September call-up: Waylon Park, CF, 29- 3.2 WAR at AAA this season, career minor leaguer but plus defense and speed and big league capable as a role player. Plus, I just really like the name (perfect grind it out name combining Country music great Waylon Jennings and trailer park imagery. He's kind of got the face for it too- though he needs to grow a beard.)
Out of commission: Bruce Heath, SS, 29- .282/.311/.409, 2.4 WAR (herniated disc,back- out 3-4 more weeks), and Randy Cali, LHP, 34- 12-5, 4.04, 1.28 WHIP, 1.4 WAR (torn rotator cuff- expected to be out at least 14 months), and Jose Becerra, RHP, 25- 7-13, 4.45, 1.19 WHIP, 1.1 WAR (shoulder inflammation, 4-5 months recovery time)- had 4.9 WAR season in 1979.
Pennant race summary: Jacksonville got off to an unexpectedly strong start this season but it was inevitable that they would eventually tumble down the standings and they have, though they still are only 1 game below .500 and some of their struggles can be chalked up to a number of serious injuries to key players. Still, they have over-achieved any way you cut it and with the 20th ranked farm system better days may still be in the distance some ways ahead. They have played solid defense (+20.6 WAR, 2nd best in SJL)- that might be the nicest thing that can be said about them.
the Boston Berserkers: 52-73, 6th place, 0, RS: 9th, RA: 11th
Best position player: Chase DiMascio, CF, 30- 311/.369/.520, 3.9 WAR.
Best pitcher: Lancarote Serr, LHP, 30- 7-6, 3.29, 1.25 WHIP, 3.3 WAR (started season with Columbus, but 2.9 of his WAR comes while pitching for Boston).
On the rise: Kyle Adams, 1B, 23- .306/.341/.507, 2.1 WAR in 405 PA. Along with Pittsburgh's Nick Johnson, this kid is at the top of a crop of fine young first basemen and like Johnson will almost surely contend for batting titles and league MVP awards for many years into the future. Incredible hit tool package with plus plus contact and home run power still developing. Slow but not a bad defender at first either. (Could probably even play an acceptable third base if he got some experience there.)
In decline: Cody Kane, LF, 34- .259/.305/.430, 0.5 WAR in 377 PA. Great leader- team captain- and possible Hall of Famer but fragile and at this stage of his career a poor fielder and has been pushed out of a starting role by 22-year old rookie 2-way player Jason Walkinshaw. Justin Vargas has also had a disappointing season (.289/.351/.462, 2.4 WAR) but he's 32 and durable and still appears to have strong tools so we are going to call it too early to declare it a career in decline.
Key September call-up: Mario Fernandez, CF, 23- Gold Glove caliber defender, elite speed, average hit tool (and some indications that he could become a disruptive force in the clubhouse)- put up 2.9 WAR at AA this season.
Out of commission: None (well, DiMascio is day-to-day with a sore elbow for an expected 6 more days, but that's it.)
Pennant race summary: One would expect a team with at least a few potential future Hall of Fame players (Vargas is likely a lock, Kane a bit less so), the best defensive catcher in the game (Elvis Iniguez), and one of the most promising young hitters in Adams (not to mention 6-time All-Star third baseman Kasey O'Neil, still a very solid player at 32 and considered an Iron Man) would be a bit better than this. Granted, right now they can lay claim to the title of best last place team (barely ahead of the Detroit Falcons of the MGL East). But that isn't much to brag about. A pitching staff that is almost the worst in the league and a porous defense (-27.7 team ZR) doesn't help, of course. They have the 7th best rated farm system but they also have key players who aren't getting any younger. The future is cloudy for the Berserkers. It's hard to tell right now when the sun might emerge again.
Next up: the MGL East