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Dukie98 · 08-13-2018, 03:56 AM

A quick overview on the major storylines across the league at the 2018 All Star break:

Exceeding expectations: The Baltimore Robins, after suffering from the offseason departure of 20-game winner Wes Ferrell and slugging right fielder Leon Durham, were expected to begin a long-term rebuild, but they led the Northeast Division for nearly the entire first half, jumping out to a 34-19 start at the end of May with a seven-game lead; after stumbling through June, the Robins remained firmly in the postseason hunt with a 39-35 record, just 3 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Hawks. The Toronto Predators survived a double-whammy to their pitching staff, losing Felix Hernandez in free agency and Lefty Gomez to a labrum injury, but they jumped out to a 46-28 start, and an 8 1/2 game divisional lead. The Denver Spikes rallied from their catastrophic collapse last season to jump out to a 24-6 start, even though Mickey Mantle missed half of April, on their way to a 51-22 first half. In the Continental League, the Atlanta Ducks, after hovering around .500 the past two seasons, jumped out to a 49-26 start, leading the Southeast Division by two games. The Oklahoma City Otters, despite a league-worst 23 homers (as many as Cleveland's Aaron Judge), took a narrow lead in the Texas Division into the All Star Break with a 42-32 record, although it remained to be seen whether they would survive the loss of Esteban Loaiza.

Disappointments: The Cincinnati Spiders appeared primed to build on last year's surprise 89-win playoff run, but they stumbled to a 32-42 start, 14 games behind Toronto, as young first baseman Lou Gehrig, who finally assumed a role in the starting lineup, hit just .223 with a meager .265 slugging percentage. The Chicago Mules' streak of three straight postseason appearances was in jeopardy, as they started just 34-40, 14 1/2 games behind the Kansas City Mad Hatters, as their 18th-ranked offense threatened to squander another brilliant season by their strong starting rotation. In the Continental League, the El Paso Armadillos sputtered to a dreadful 28-47 start, putting them 14 1/2 games out of first place, as their offense ranked dead last in the league in runs, batting average, and on-base percentage, and free agent signees Kerry Wood and Allie Reynolds combined for a 6-15 record. Although the San Diego Zookeepers won 89 and 87 games during the past two seasons, they stumbled into the all-star break with a 34-40 record, 18 1/2 games out of first, as their offense and bullpen ranked among the worst in the league.

Kangaroos continue to dominate: The Los Angeles Kangaroos, with four straight seasons of at least 110 wins, showed no signs of slowing down, taking a league-best 53-22 record into the break. Glenn Davis led the league-best offense by hitting .297 with 20 homers and 75 RBI's - far and away the most in baseball. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos added star pitchers Felix Hernandez and Wes Ferrell to what was already the best pitching staff in the league, as Brett Anderson started 12-0 with a 2.30 ERA.

Major injuries: Toronto ace Lefty Gomez, who finished in fourth place in the 2017 Cy Young Award voting for the Frontier League, suffered a career-ending labrum injury. Although Gomez's career record was a hard-luck 46-47, his sported a stellar career ERA of 2.70 and led the league in strikeouts twice in his three full seasons. Denver rookie first baseman Phil Clark appeared to be the prohibitive favorite for the Rookie of the Year award before rupturing his achilles tendon at the end of May; at the time of his injury, he was second in baseball both in homers (17) and RBI's (44).

08-13-2018, 03:56 AM	#66
Dukie98 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 902	2018 Mid-Year Update A quick overview on the major storylines across the league at the 2018 All Star break: Exceeding expectations: The Baltimore Robins, after suffering from the offseason departure of 20-game winner Wes Ferrell and slugging right fielder Leon Durham, were expected to begin a long-term rebuild, but they led the Northeast Division for nearly the entire first half, jumping out to a 34-19 start at the end of May with a seven-game lead; after stumbling through June, the Robins remained firmly in the postseason hunt with a 39-35 record, just 3 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Hawks. The Toronto Predators survived a double-whammy to their pitching staff, losing Felix Hernandez in free agency and Lefty Gomez to a labrum injury, but they jumped out to a 46-28 start, and an 8 1/2 game divisional lead. The Denver Spikes rallied from their catastrophic collapse last season to jump out to a 24-6 start, even though Mickey Mantle missed half of April, on their way to a 51-22 first half. In the Continental League, the Atlanta Ducks, after hovering around .500 the past two seasons, jumped out to a 49-26 start, leading the Southeast Division by two games. The Oklahoma City Otters, despite a league-worst 23 homers (as many as Cleveland's Aaron Judge), took a narrow lead in the Texas Division into the All Star Break with a 42-32 record, although it remained to be seen whether they would survive the loss of Esteban Loaiza. Disappointments: The Cincinnati Spiders appeared primed to build on last year's surprise 89-win playoff run, but they stumbled to a 32-42 start, 14 games behind Toronto, as young first baseman Lou Gehrig, who finally assumed a role in the starting lineup, hit just .223 with a meager .265 slugging percentage. The Chicago Mules' streak of three straight postseason appearances was in jeopardy, as they started just 34-40, 14 1/2 games behind the Kansas City Mad Hatters, as their 18th-ranked offense threatened to squander another brilliant season by their strong starting rotation. In the Continental League, the El Paso Armadillos sputtered to a dreadful 28-47 start, putting them 14 1/2 games out of first place, as their offense ranked dead last in the league in runs, batting average, and on-base percentage, and free agent signees Kerry Wood and Allie Reynolds combined for a 6-15 record. Although the San Diego Zookeepers won 89 and 87 games during the past two seasons, they stumbled into the all-star break with a 34-40 record, 18 1/2 games out of first, as their offense and bullpen ranked among the worst in the league. Kangaroos continue to dominate: The Los Angeles Kangaroos, with four straight seasons of at least 110 wins, showed no signs of slowing down, taking a league-best 53-22 record into the break. Glenn Davis led the league-best offense by hitting .297 with 20 homers and 75 RBI's - far and away the most in baseball. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos added star pitchers Felix Hernandez and Wes Ferrell to what was already the best pitching staff in the league, as Brett Anderson started 12-0 with a 2.30 ERA. Major injuries: Toronto ace Lefty Gomez, who finished in fourth place in the 2017 Cy Young Award voting for the Frontier League, suffered a career-ending labrum injury. Although Gomez's career record was a hard-luck 46-47, his sported a stellar career ERA of 2.70 and led the league in strikeouts twice in his three full seasons. Denver rookie first baseman Phil Clark appeared to be the prohibitive favorite for the Rookie of the Year award before rupturing his achilles tendon at the end of May; at the time of his injury, he was second in baseball both in homers (17) and RBI's (44).