Major League East 2013

New York:  The Cobra once again have the best record in the league (57-28), good for a 10-game lead in the division.  The record is no fluke as they are scoring the most runs per game, have the 2^nd best team ERA in the league, and also have the #1 rated defense.  In the offseason, New York made a big move by trading for SS Luciano Cedeno and moving Brett Solo to 3B.    The results have been positive with Cedeno anchoring the team’s defense and also managing to hit .333-.375-.512.  Chad White is having a career year, hitting .326-22-66 and a .645 Slugging Percentage.  Marcus Redmon has been a nice find at catcher with 10 HR and a .460 Slugging Percentage in 176 at bats.  On the mound, Pedro Lewis is again one of the leagues top pitchers.  Pedro is 9-4 2.48 with 105 K’s in 98 IP.  Roscoe Savage has missed some time to injury but is 7-1 2.88 in 65 IP.  Jonathan Papelbrad is 2^nd in the league with 28 saves. 

Florida:  The Penguins are finally back in contention with a 46-37 record.  Conn the Barbarian might be the leagues most exciting player, and certainly is the top fantasy player in the game.  Conn is filling up the stat sheets with a .308-.395-.633 line, including 33 2B, 3 3B, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 40 BB, and 15 SB.  Casey Lebron is having a breakout season at first base, hitting .315-.397-.563, and Bud McNamara continues to hit with a solid .308 average.  Gromit Peveto has not looked major league ready, hitting only .193 with 6 HR and 72 K’s in 243 at bats.  George White continues to pitch as a front line starter with an 8-5 record, 2.73 ERA, and 106 K’s in 112 IP. 

Philadelphia:  The Gray’s headed into the all-star break in a funk, slipping to a 41-40 record.  Hank Crowell has not been living up to his contract, struggling with a .269 average and only 10 HR.  Willie Rivera seems to have found the fountain of youth, hitting .289 with 12 HR and a .508 SLG.  Matt Bulger has had a horrible year behind the plate, hitting only .245.  The combination of Domingo Chavez, Chris Gruber, and Jake Riggs have not been able to make up for the missing production from Paul White, who left via free agency last year.  Hank Jenks is having a fine season as the closer, with 24 saves and a 2.64 ERA.

Toronto:  The Seagulls have outscored their opponents slightly on the season, but are in last place with a 41-44 record.  Their offense has disappointed, including Jack Collins who has struggled to a .269-351-.491 line.  Stephen Hamburg is putting it all together this year, with a 10-2 record, 2.39 ERA, and 123 K’s in 105 IP.  

Major League Central 2013

Denver:  The Rabbits are running away with the Central Division, with a 52-31 record and 12 game division lead.  Marc Crawford is having an MVP season, hitting .319-.409-.692, along with a league leading 24 HR and 68 RBI.  Alex Maldonado has 16 HR and a .551 SLG, and Stan Marsh is hitting .310-.386-.550.  Leopold “Butters” Stotch is proving that last season was not a fluke, hitting .325-.397-507.  On the mound, Ruben Ramirez leads the league with an 11-2 record.  He also has a 2.75 ERA in 104 IP.  Clint Meyers is having a great year with an 8-3 record and 2.51 ERA in 107 IP.  Troy Lewis is proving he was worth the money, with a 1.72 ERA and 23 saves.

Alaska:  The Snow Sox can’t seem to get on the right side of .500, struggling to a 40-43 record.  The team’s defense has been great (#2 in the league with a .982 fielding percentage), but the offense continues to struggle scoring runs.  If management decides to break up this team, many other teams will be interested in the top line talent level that the Snow Sox have.  On the mound, Brandon Bailey is looking like he is the next big thing; with a 6-1 record, and 1.50 ERA in an injury plagued 67 IP.  CC Salbacca is having a remarkable all around season.  On the mound, Salbacca is 5-3 3.49 with 95 K’s in 87 IP.  At the plate, Salbacca also has homered 3 times in 28 at bats for a .679 SLG.

Green Day:  The Dukes are only 39-48, and are at least one more year away from contention.  Jek Lewis is having a Ricky Henderson-like power/speed season with 15 HR and 30 SB.  The left side of the infield looks to be set for a while with Michael Rondon hitting .276-.373-.457 and Squirrel Nutkin Jr. hitting .249-.336-.424. 

St. Louis:  The Robins are 38-50, but feel that they have the nucleus to contend in the next season or two.  Robert the Bruce is a great OF, hitting .280-.374-.526 with 14 HR and a strong throwing arm in RF.  Derek Tufnel has been injured for parts of the season, but when healthy, may be the best hitter in the league.  Tufnel is hitting .350-.471-568.  Youngster Bryce Parkman is hitting a solid .244-.337-.413 at the ripe old age of 20.  On the mound, Bryan Hastings has been awesome, with a 8-3 record, 2.40 ERA, and only 79 hits allowed in 112 IP along with 108 K’s. 

Detroit:  The Devils are struggling with a 35-49 record.  The offense has been atrocious, as several current (former?) top prospects are struggling.  Jeremy Ryan was supposed to be the next big thing in the outfield, but has been overmatched by major league pitching, hitting only .190.  Jorge Allen, who was so good as a rookie last year, is hitting only .251-.297-.358.  

Major League West 2013

Portland:  The Decepticons have had a solid first half of the season, going 52-36, good for a 4 game lead over the Shockers.  On offense, Zandar Dukakis is finally living up to his potential, hitting .313-.397-.527 with 11 HR and 51 RBI.  DJ Werden has found the fountain of youth this year, and is clearly drinking whatever Raul Ibanez is drinking, hitting .284-.380-.589 with 18 HR and 61 RBI in 236 at bats.  The pitching staff has been excellent this season.  Roger Lewis, Justin Zoolander, and Bill Drummond may be the best 1-2-3 combo in the league.  Roger is 9-2 with a 2.94 ERA and 132 K’s in 113 IP.  Zoolander is 6-4 2.41 with 124 K’s in 115 IP, and Bill Drummond is 6-6 3.35 with 115 K’s in 99 IP.  In the bullpen, Jake Richardson and Kevin Ribaudo have formed the best 1-2 punch in the league.  Richardson has a 1.44 ERA and 24 saves (only 1 blown save), while Ribaudo is 6-2 2.22 with 47 K’s in 44 IP.

Los Angeles:  The Shockers have had some injury problems in the first half, but still managed a 45-37 record.  Kobe Jones is having a great year at Shortstop, hitting .294-.338-.532 with 12 HR and 52 RBI.  Gabe Kotter has been a great 4^th OF, hitting .268-.354-.528 in 127 at bats.  The pitching staff has been erratic.  Big free agent acquisition Suzuke Mazdahonda has had stretches of dominance and poor performances with a 5-6 3.62 ERA and 122 K’s in 112 IP.  Brett Edwards is having a great season, with an 8-0 record, 2.51 ERA, and 106 K’s in 111 IP. 

Hollywood:  The B’s were not expected to contend this year, and have overachieved to have a 41-46 record.  Miguel Tejawa and Elvis Dixon have struggled this year, and Dixon could be trade bait.  Keith Cerrano, a cheap free agent acquisition, is having a nice season with 13 HR and a .460 SLG.  Young ace RD Phillips is 10-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 85 IP.  Javier Cavazos has been a fine closer, with a league leading 29 saves and 2.45 ERA in 33 IP. 

Bay Area:  The Bandits have struggled to a disappointing 39-46 record in the first half.  After a slow start, Miguel Cruz is starting to mash again with a line of .294-.373-.570 and 19 HR.  Ryan Harris is slightly underperforming, going .296-.353-.457.

Hawaii:  The Hounddogs are proving that it is optional to field a major league caliber team and still play in the Major Leagues.  The Dogs are playing like dogs; last in the league with a .212 batting average and 4.90 team ERA.  Kana Wake, the GM, may need to consider trading himself to a contender for draft picks.  Then again, Wake is hitting only .216-.287-.311, so his value is plummeting by the second.  Yoda Skywalker is the only above average player on the roster.  Yoda is hitting .261-.348-.502.  Doug Lefevre is having an Anthony Young season, going 0-11 5.10 ERA in 95 IP.