May saw a number of shake-ups in the standings.
In the East, the Ivy Division saw the New York Kings surge ahead of the Brooklyn Whales to claim a 3 game lead.
In the Liberty Division, the recent playoff success and winning culture of the Philadelphia Brewers fortified them against the upstart New York Bakers, and they now sit atop the Liberty Division with a 4 game lead over the surprise juggernauts in New York.
In the West, the stalwart Chicago Doves, winner of the Great Lakes Division in each of the last two years, is trying to fend off a hot Twin City Empire team that has won 8 of its last 10 games to pull within 1 game of the division lead.
In the Frontier Division, the Cleveland Athletics have continued a dominant season and now stand 11 games ahead of the second place St. Louis Beavers.
State of the Eastern League - 1895 to Present
The story of the Ivy Division in 1897 is Providence reluctantly easing its iron grip on the Division, allowing a shake-up in the standings and hopeful optimism from the other teams.
The Kings of New York have been consistent performers through the first two-and-a-half seasons of the LBL. They are led by pitching ace
Aaron Fusca, who leads the LBL in WAR over its lifetime. Fusca strikes out more batters than he walks, a rarity for an 1890s pitcher, while rarely allowing home runs. They are surging, having gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, to put some distance between themselves and the second place Brooklyn Whales, hoping to reach the postseason for the first time.
The "Royal Fish of Kings County" have gone from poorly constructed laughingstock to unspectacular competence. Playing their games in what essentially amounts to a
vacant lot, the Whales have leaned heavily on defense in their phoenix rise from the bottom of the LBL. Their best player is undoubtedly
Cody Harman, a powerful first baseman and local favorite who has found a second chance in Brooklyn after being released by the Western League's Chicago Doves. Having narrowly missed the postseason in 1896, they are hoping to reverse their fortunes and sneak past New York at the top of the division.
Providence has dominated the Ivy League over its first two seasons, but has fallen off substantially in year three. They have represented the Ivy League in postseason play each of the last two years and taken the fight to the juggernaut Philadelphia Brewers each time, coming up just short of claiming the Eastern pennant each of those two years. They are led by ace
John Griffith, rival to the Kings' Fusca for best pitcher in the LBL. A former pitching triple crown winner, he has scuffled early in 1897 which has allowed the Kings and Whales to supplant them in the standings.
The supernatural squad from Boston has been steadily worse in each of its three years of existence. A travesty on the road, the Banshees have mostly written off 1897 with their record of 21-42. the Banshees nevertheless have a bright future with young Shortstop
Kensington Jones and his all-world defense. Kensington is having another good year in the field with a +12 ZR through 60 games, and a decent year at the dish with a wRC+ of 112.
The Liberty Division has remained consistent through two-and-a-half years. Philadelphia has remained on top -- scuttling early in 1895 before an insane surge at the end of the year to claim the crown and then dominating 1896 -- on their way to victories in each of the first two Legacy Cups. They have a strong challenger this year. So, all eyes will be on Philadelphia to see if they can repeat as champions for a third year in a row.
The Brewers are led by all-world everything
Leo Mckenzie. The star LF has destroyed LBL pitching in his short career, posting wRC+s of 175, 181, and, so far, 179, and outshining his impressive outfield mate
Rusty Hall. The Brewers have dominated through two-and-a-half years and shown no sign of slowing down. The only question at this point is--how do you stop them?
A thrilling 1-2-3 of
Michaels,
Dreher, and
Worster has captured the hearts of Baker fans as the previously moribund franchise finds itself battling to knock off the defending champions atop the Liberty Division. 1897's best team according to run differential, the Bakers will have to hope that their record quickly starts to reflect their dominant run as the season comes to a close.
Consistently mediocre, the Clippers have played well in 1897 and sport the third best record in the Eastern League. Unfortunately, the two teams with better records also play in the Liberty Division. Led by slugger
Phil Winters, Baltimore has consistently fielded a top-flight offensive squad with questionable pitching. The Clippers will likely be looking to firm up their pitching staff in the offseason and try to climb the ranks of a tough division in 1898. For now, rooters can expect the colorful language of manager
Father Tom Carlow to continue to echo out across the water adjacent to their home field.
Michael Monroe's folly, the Rifles, have mostly served to soothe the egos of their major league competitors through two-and-a-half seasons. 1897 has been another characteristic struggle for the LBL's only Southern franchise, but their is hope on the horizon. Ace
Ivy Maw was demonstrating that Mr. Monroe's confidence in giving the unheralded hurler a record contract was not misplaced before injuring his thumb and calling it quits for the season. The big righthander will look to soothe his ailments and pick up where he left off in the 1898 season--and hopefully drag the Rifles from the cellar with his powerful arm.