[rockford]

Standings after nine seasons of play. (Pennants and championships in parentheses.)


GB

--- 1944 Cardinals .537 (4-2)
7 1913 Giants .532 (3-2)
11 1998 Braves .529 (1-1)
23 1999 Astros .520 (1-0)
24 1993 Phillies .519 (1-1)
26 1988 Mets .518 (3-3)
38 2001 Mariners .509 (2-0)
38 2011 Rangers .509
40 1955 Dodgers .508
44 1952 Yankees .505 (1-0)
57 1988 Twins .496 (1-0)
58 1967 Cardinals .495
61 1958 Yankees .493 (1-0)
99 1998 Yankees .465
122 1960 Yankees .449
165 1977 Yankees .418

Mort Cooper won his second and third Pitcher of the Year awards (24-9, 2.75 ERA and 22-9, 2.70 ERA) as the 1944 Cardinals surged to a seven-game lead atop Pool 6 with one season to go. Walker Cooper (.330, 34 HR) added an MVP. Over the last three seasons, the Cards jumped from seventh place with a.514 win percentage to first place at .537.

The 1913 Giants cling to second place with a very respectable .532 win percentage despite zero attention-getting individual performances.

Greg Maddux (23-16, 3.37 ERA) got his second POTY for the 1998 Braves, who hung on to third place, 11 games behind the leader.

The top three teams are joined by three others who have nearly guaranteed themselves a spot in the Semifinals – the 1988 Mets, the 1993 Phillies and the 1999 Astros. Jeff Bagwell (.286, 34 HR) got his second MVP, and Carl Everett was an MVP runner-up for the Astros. Shane Reynolds (19-13, 3.41 ERA) won a POTY for the ‘Stros, while teammates Billy Wagner and Mike Hampton finished second and third in the voting the same season. David Cone was a POTY runner-up for the Mets. Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk finished third and fourth in MVP voting one season for the Phils.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Four more teams are close to being “comfortably” above .500, which would lock down the last four remaining slots in the Semis. Barring disaster, the 1952 Yankees, 1955 Dodgers, 2001 Mariners and 2011 Rangers are in. Bret Boone (.340, 39 HR) got an MVP for the Mariners. Mike Napoli got his fourth MVP for the Rangers.

If all 10 teams currently over .500 maintain that status, all will qualify, and the 48-team Semifinal will be filled by teams with winning records. There are 38 teams that have already completed pool play with win percentages of .503 and above.

But it may not be quite that simple. Three more teams are within striking distance of .500 – the 1958 Yankees, 1967 Cardinals and 1988 Twins.

The Twins, of course, are the only wildcard team to make the tournament. Frank Viola strung together three straight POTY awards (22-11, 2.91 ERA and 22-11, 3.48 ERA in two of the last three seasons), and Kirby Puckett (.370, 25 HR) picked up an MVP as the Twins won their first pennant. Seeming out of contention three seasons ago, they need 83 wins in the final season to finish at .500 and have a chance at advancing. But they've only accomplished that twice in nine seasons.

Despite Bob Gibson winning three POTY awards in the first nine seasons, the ’67 Cards have faded badly the last two campaigns and will need a 94-win final season to hit .500. That would leave the war-era Cards of Stan Musial as the only representatives of the franchise in the Semis.