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luckymann · 01-09-2022, 06:21 AM

We've hit the halfway mark of the 1968 Eclipse League regular season so I thought I should have a look at how each club is situated to this point.

Brooklyn Royal Giants

Solid across the board, at the upper end of most hitting and pitching categories. Starters have been great with a combined ERA well under 3 and all 4 starters under that mark, although the pen has been a bit wobbly. Not much pop in their bats but plenty of average led by Ender Inciarte at 314, which has translated to a +61 run diff and their narrow lead in the group.

Pittsburgh Crawfords

A scrappy bunch that has outperformed their metrics, eking out a 41-40 record on basically a square run diff. Dihigo has finally come good, winning his last 5 starts to sit at 8-12, but is still really struggling at the plate and if he can get this part of his game sorted they'll be a much better side. Rich Coggins has been great, racking up nearly 3 WAR, but they need Sweet Lou Whitaker to rediscover his form after a cold spell.

Newark Eagles

Keeping on coming on after a horror April, and are now just a game under 500 and within striking distance of the RGs. 222 team BA and yet the 4th highest runs scored is a sign they are coming through in the clutch while their rotation - serviceable at best just now - are keeping them in games rather than dominating them. Too much hot-and-cold to this point but if they can find some consistency they'll give it a shake. Vlad jr hitting just 199 is a weak spot.

New York Black Yankees

It has been Edsall Walker rather than CC Sabathia who has been the story here in their pitching ranks, with his 11-5 / 1.61 / 3 WAR performance among the league's best and helping the BYs to the 2nd best starter ERA in the Fleet Conference. Hitting has let them down, especially Hank Thompson who is slashing just 190/306/297 in the 5 slot, and they'll need to fix this if they want to be competitive for the remainder.

Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Little has gone right for the BGs so far, as shown by their gaping -47 run diff. 228 BA (6th), 3.61 ERA (8th) and -28 ZR (last) all telling as well. Doing particularly poorly on the road at 16-29 to boot. Chito Martinez (261/305/458 with 14 HR and 40 RBI) one of their few bright spots. Not a lot of upside in the group they've assembled so they'll need to be proactive in the trade market and upcoming Drafts to get things right.

St. Louis Giants

Impossible to maintain their torrid start, yet the Jints remain dominant. Their hitters hold the top three BAs in the FC right now and there are few meaningful categories in which they aren't at the pointy end. Scott and Judge have been tormenting pitchers from Opening Day, and Mike Taylor has recently heated up as well, winning the June batter award. Jose de Jesus has been a revelation on the pitching front, but all four starters have handy winning records and tidy ERAs and Takatsu is almost a lock with a lead in the 9th, converting 21 of 23 so far. Can't see them missing the playoffs from here despite them being a long way away - just too well-rounded a squad.

Cuban Stars West

The only club with a realistic chance of catching the Giants, but it must concern them how well they've been playing and yet how far behind they find themselves all the same. Southpaw Bryan Clark has led their pitching brilliantly, going 13-7 with a 1.91 ERA, 90 FIP- and nearly 3 WAR. Plenty of big bats in their lineup mean they can beat anyone on their day, with Big Papi and Juan Soto mashing away merrily, although I think they'd be better served with Ortiz at 3 and Soto at 4, rather than the other way round as they currently are. No WCs in this league so if they want to see playoff action they'll have to do it the hard way and make up the 8 games they currently lag.

Birmingham Black Barons

A pretty middling group that has played to its potential so far. 209 BA has cruelled them as they don't have the pitching to defend as few runs as they are scoring. Vicente Romo and Rene Arocha have been called upon from the pen with great regularity (127 IP combined) and have done an excellent job to stop the bleeding. But there are too many holes in the squad for it to be among the contenders for now.

Kansas City Monarchs

A horror 9-17 June has killed off what slim hopes the Mons had to begin with and they are well and truly out of it already. The difference for them as opposed to the BBs is they put their squad together for the long haul and so have plenty of upside from here once pitching talent like Marichal - who has already been superb - and German Marquez and Bill Lindsay comes on. A few more sturdy bats and this side will be in it up to their eyeballs.

Memphis Red Sox

Lord knows where the Sox would be without Billy Sample and his 5+ WAR, as only the Liberty Stars have a worse record and lower run diff in the entire league. Khris Davis has been giving them plenty of pop (14 HR) but has struggled for consistent contact (197 BA), and that's been about it for the Memphis lads to this point. They'll need to utilise their imminent high draft pick wisely because there's not much in the current squad that points to improvement.

Homestead Grays

It has been all about the pitching for the boys from Homestead so far, with no hitter batting over 300 nor any with HR in double digits. Tanaka has been far better than his W/L record suggests, as shown by his stunning 63 FIP-, 11.6 K/BB ratio and 5.5 WAR. He has been given little run support (2.7 / gm) but plenty of pitching support from his rotation partners, all of whom have combined for a WC-best ERA of just 2.68. But, with a leaky pen and this fairly pallid offence of theirs, I don't see the Grays finishing on top here, no matter how good the pitching.

Hilldale Athletics

One of the more talented squads in the EL, the Hilldale Club has struggled to find consistency so far. Pockets of individual brilliance abound across the group. Eric Chavez and Oddibe McDowell have combined for a roughly 300 BA, 30 HR and over 100 RBI. Pablo Lopez has been dominant, going 12-2 with an ERA+ of 160 and more than 3 WAR, with Adrian Hernandez (11-5 / 2.32) not far behind. But they currently sit in the middle of the diddle for most hitting and pitching categories, a sure sign that others aren't quite pulling their weight. A bunch of upside in this group, with Pops Stargell and Chino Smith both seeming set for big things, and I think this group will end up being a race in two between them and the...

Baltimore Elite Giants

A level of malaise has beset this talented group, perhaps as a result of things coming too easily for them in the early stages, with them going a poor 24-29 since May 1. Their pitching has held up but their hitting has been light, with nobody over the 300 BA mark, and their power coming from too few, with George Bell, Ed Charles and Coco Laboy responsible for 26 of their 40 longballs. Pitching has been excellent throughout the group, with Mike Smith's the only ERA over 3 (and, at 3.08, only just) and the pen's well under 2. Limited upside in this current group, so they'll need to try and get some early success as they try and source some longer-term prospects. An improved showing from Elvis Andrus (221/275/324 with 5 HR and 34 RBI) will be key if this is to happen.

New York Lincoln Giants

An ugly old start for the LGs. We know Bernie Williams is a gun, and Raimel Tapia has been excellent in the two slot for them. But their rotation is not great (currently last in ERA in the WC) and their defence is porous to say the least. Worst of all, I just don't see this group getting much better. Plenty of work needed here, plenty of tough times ahead.

Philadelphia Liberty Stars

Worst record in the EL. 20-28 at home so far. Bottom 3 in basically every metric. I don't think any of these facts will surprise, as it is clear this club has taken the long view in its recruitment process and outlook. With Spot Poles, Bobby Bonilla, Bob Watson and George Hendrick all projecting blue sky potential, they should be among the contenders by the turn of the decade. They will, however, need to add some solid pitching along the way to round off the group. In the meantime, don't expect much joy, baseball-wise, in the City of Brotherly Love.

Cuban Stars East

Fairly much dominant so far, with Ruppert Jones (313 / 21 HR / 60 RBI / nearly 7 WAR) and Eddie Miller (16-1 / 2.69) the EL's two standout performers to date. Perhaps apart from their defence, which has been wonky, this group has no weaknesses and plenty of upside with guys like Zambrano, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez nowhere near their peaks just yet. I'll be shocked if they aren't one of the two last standing.

Cleveland Buckeyes

Another team that is more gamer than glamour, the Buckeyes have ridden their somewhat workmanlike pitching and the offence provided by Jon Nunnally and Bobby Abreu to a slightly favourable record that seems a pretty fair reflection of how they have been playing. The biggest issue they face is that, outside of those two, their bats are fairly weak, which means that runs will be hard to come by elsewhere and makes them too reliant on two few. That said, I think this club is only a few astute moves away from being good.

Detroit Motown Stars

Change the names Nunnally and Abreu for (Andre) Thornton and (Xavier) Scruggs and my comments about the Buckeyes could almost be cut and paste for these guys, who just happen to have an identical record to the Cleveland club. Pitching is solid but not spectacular; offence has a couple more cogs such as Tim Anderson and Gerry Davis; prospect larder just as empty for now. Don't be surprised to see these two finish as they are now - with similar records, mid-standings, miles behind the East.

Chicago American Giants

Undoubtedly the disappointment of the league so far. #1 overall pick Jose Abreu has been sensational and their offence, on the whole, better than league average. But only Joe Henderson has delivered on the mound (team FIP and pitching WAR are both near the bottom of the WC) and they find themselves barely above 500 and a fair chunk of games out of the running. They are better than their record suggests, but this season may well already be lost unless they get it together and get a move on.

Indianapolis ABCs

Yet one more club who has opted for the longer-term goals, somewhat perversely I think they'd be relatively happy with being as close to 500 as they are and competing on a regular basis as they have. A heap of upside among this group and I'm sure Indy fans will be licking their communal chops at the thought of guys like Rod Carew, Richard Hidalgo, Mike Brantley, Rube Curry and Hubie Brooks at their peak. They'll get a few more good'uns in the Draft by dint of what will probably finish up as an ugly W/L this first year, so watch out for this group in a few seasons' time.

Just to finish off, here are the team stats so far:

01-09-2022, 06:21 AM	#68
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 12,808	1968 EL Mid-Season Report Card We've hit the halfway mark of the 1968 Eclipse League regular season so I thought I should have a look at how each club is situated to this point. Brooklyn Royal Giants Solid across the board, at the upper end of most hitting and pitching categories. Starters have been great with a combined ERA well under 3 and all 4 starters under that mark, although the pen has been a bit wobbly. Not much pop in their bats but plenty of average led by Ender Inciarte at 314, which has translated to a +61 run diff and their narrow lead in the group. Pittsburgh Crawfords A scrappy bunch that has outperformed their metrics, eking out a 41-40 record on basically a square run diff. Dihigo has finally come good, winning his last 5 starts to sit at 8-12, but is still really struggling at the plate and if he can get this part of his game sorted they'll be a much better side. Rich Coggins has been great, racking up nearly 3 WAR, but they need Sweet Lou Whitaker to rediscover his form after a cold spell. Newark Eagles Keeping on coming on after a horror April, and are now just a game under 500 and within striking distance of the RGs. 222 team BA and yet the 4th highest runs scored is a sign they are coming through in the clutch while their rotation - serviceable at best just now - are keeping them in games rather than dominating them. Too much hot-and-cold to this point but if they can find some consistency they'll give it a shake. Vlad jr hitting just 199 is a weak spot. New York Black Yankees It has been Edsall Walker rather than CC Sabathia who has been the story here in their pitching ranks, with his 11-5 / 1.61 / 3 WAR performance among the league's best and helping the BYs to the 2nd best starter ERA in the Fleet Conference. Hitting has let them down, especially Hank Thompson who is slashing just 190/306/297 in the 5 slot, and they'll need to fix this if they want to be competitive for the remainder. Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Little has gone right for the BGs so far, as shown by their gaping -47 run diff. 228 BA (6th), 3.61 ERA (8th) and -28 ZR (last) all telling as well. Doing particularly poorly on the road at 16-29 to boot. Chito Martinez (261/305/458 with 14 HR and 40 RBI) one of their few bright spots. Not a lot of upside in the group they've assembled so they'll need to be proactive in the trade market and upcoming Drafts to get things right. St. Louis Giants Impossible to maintain their torrid start, yet the Jints remain dominant. Their hitters hold the top three BAs in the FC right now and there are few meaningful categories in which they aren't at the pointy end. Scott and Judge have been tormenting pitchers from Opening Day, and Mike Taylor has recently heated up as well, winning the June batter award. Jose de Jesus has been a revelation on the pitching front, but all four starters have handy winning records and tidy ERAs and Takatsu is almost a lock with a lead in the 9th, converting 21 of 23 so far. Can't see them missing the playoffs from here despite them being a long way away - just too well-rounded a squad. Cuban Stars West The only club with a realistic chance of catching the Giants, but it must concern them how well they've been playing and yet how far behind they find themselves all the same. Southpaw Bryan Clark has led their pitching brilliantly, going 13-7 with a 1.91 ERA, 90 FIP- and nearly 3 WAR. Plenty of big bats in their lineup mean they can beat anyone on their day, with Big Papi and Juan Soto mashing away merrily, although I think they'd be better served with Ortiz at 3 and Soto at 4, rather than the other way round as they currently are. No WCs in this league so if they want to see playoff action they'll have to do it the hard way and make up the 8 games they currently lag. Birmingham Black Barons A pretty middling group that has played to its potential so far. 209 BA has cruelled them as they don't have the pitching to defend as few runs as they are scoring. Vicente Romo and Rene Arocha have been called upon from the pen with great regularity (127 IP combined) and have done an excellent job to stop the bleeding. But there are too many holes in the squad for it to be among the contenders for now. Kansas City Monarchs A horror 9-17 June has killed off what slim hopes the Mons had to begin with and they are well and truly out of it already. The difference for them as opposed to the BBs is they put their squad together for the long haul and so have plenty of upside from here once pitching talent like Marichal - who has already been superb - and German Marquez and Bill Lindsay comes on. A few more sturdy bats and this side will be in it up to their eyeballs. Memphis Red Sox Lord knows where the Sox would be without Billy Sample and his 5+ WAR, as only the Liberty Stars have a worse record and lower run diff in the entire league. Khris Davis has been giving them plenty of pop (14 HR) but has struggled for consistent contact (197 BA), and that's been about it for the Memphis lads to this point. They'll need to utilise their imminent high draft pick wisely because there's not much in the current squad that points to improvement. Homestead Grays It has been all about the pitching for the boys from Homestead so far, with no hitter batting over 300 nor any with HR in double digits. Tanaka has been far better than his W/L record suggests, as shown by his stunning 63 FIP-, 11.6 K/BB ratio and 5.5 WAR. He has been given little run support (2.7 / gm) but plenty of pitching support from his rotation partners, all of whom have combined for a WC-best ERA of just 2.68. But, with a leaky pen and this fairly pallid offence of theirs, I don't see the Grays finishing on top here, no matter how good the pitching. Hilldale Athletics One of the more talented squads in the EL, the Hilldale Club has struggled to find consistency so far. Pockets of individual brilliance abound across the group. Eric Chavez and Oddibe McDowell have combined for a roughly 300 BA, 30 HR and over 100 RBI. Pablo Lopez has been dominant, going 12-2 with an ERA+ of 160 and more than 3 WAR, with Adrian Hernandez (11-5 / 2.32) not far behind. But they currently sit in the middle of the diddle for most hitting and pitching categories, a sure sign that others aren't quite pulling their weight. A bunch of upside in this group, with Pops Stargell and Chino Smith both seeming set for big things, and I think this group will end up being a race in two between them and the... Baltimore Elite Giants A level of malaise has beset this talented group, perhaps as a result of things coming too easily for them in the early stages, with them going a poor 24-29 since May 1. Their pitching has held up but their hitting has been light, with nobody over the 300 BA mark, and their power coming from too few, with George Bell, Ed Charles and Coco Laboy responsible for 26 of their 40 longballs. Pitching has been excellent throughout the group, with Mike Smith's the only ERA over 3 (and, at 3.08, only just) and the pen's well under 2. Limited upside in this current group, so they'll need to try and get some early success as they try and source some longer-term prospects. An improved showing from Elvis Andrus (221/275/324 with 5 HR and 34 RBI) will be key if this is to happen. New York Lincoln Giants An ugly old start for the LGs. We know Bernie Williams is a gun, and Raimel Tapia has been excellent in the two slot for them. But their rotation is not great (currently last in ERA in the WC) and their defence is porous to say the least. Worst of all, I just don't see this group getting much better. Plenty of work needed here, plenty of tough times ahead. Philadelphia Liberty Stars Worst record in the EL. 20-28 at home so far. Bottom 3 in basically every metric. I don't think any of these facts will surprise, as it is clear this club has taken the long view in its recruitment process and outlook. With Spot Poles, Bobby Bonilla, Bob Watson and George Hendrick all projecting blue sky potential, they should be among the contenders by the turn of the decade. They will, however, need to add some solid pitching along the way to round off the group. In the meantime, don't expect much joy, baseball-wise, in the City of Brotherly Love. Cuban Stars East Fairly much dominant so far, with Ruppert Jones (313 / 21 HR / 60 RBI / nearly 7 WAR) and Eddie Miller (16-1 / 2.69) the EL's two standout performers to date. Perhaps apart from their defence, which has been wonky, this group has no weaknesses and plenty of upside with guys like Zambrano, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez nowhere near their peaks just yet. I'll be shocked if they aren't one of the two last standing. Cleveland Buckeyes Another team that is more gamer than glamour, the Buckeyes have ridden their somewhat workmanlike pitching and the offence provided by Jon Nunnally and Bobby Abreu to a slightly favourable record that seems a pretty fair reflection of how they have been playing. The biggest issue they face is that, outside of those two, their bats are fairly weak, which means that runs will be hard to come by elsewhere and makes them too reliant on two few. That said, I think this club is only a few astute moves away from being good. Detroit Motown Stars Change the names Nunnally and Abreu for (Andre) Thornton and (Xavier) Scruggs and my comments about the Buckeyes could almost be cut and paste for these guys, who just happen to have an identical record to the Cleveland club. Pitching is solid but not spectacular; offence has a couple more cogs such as Tim Anderson and Gerry Davis; prospect larder just as empty for now. Don't be surprised to see these two finish as they are now - with similar records, mid-standings, miles behind the East. Chicago American Giants Undoubtedly the disappointment of the league so far. #1 overall pick Jose Abreu has been sensational and their offence, on the whole, better than league average. But only Joe Henderson has delivered on the mound (team FIP and pitching WAR are both near the bottom of the WC) and they find themselves barely above 500 and a fair chunk of games out of the running. They are better than their record suggests, but this season may well already be lost unless they get it together and get a move on. Indianapolis ABCs Yet one more club who has opted for the longer-term goals, somewhat perversely I think they'd be relatively happy with being as close to 500 as they are and competing on a regular basis as they have. A heap of upside among this group and I'm sure Indy fans will be licking their communal chops at the thought of guys like Rod Carew, Richard Hidalgo, Mike Brantley, Rube Curry and Hubie Brooks at their peak. They'll get a few more good'uns in the Draft by dint of what will probably finish up as an ugly W/L this first year, so watch out for this group in a few seasons' time. Just to finish off, here are the team stats so far: __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS PIRATES A'S RED SOX DODGERS CUSTOM SAVES ECLIPSE LEAGUE MOON SHOT LEAGUE EVERYMAN LEAGUE GULF LEAGUE Last edited by luckymann; 01-10-2022 at 02:09 AM.