(Sorry for the long lag between posts- not that those of you who have read this thread in the past aren't getting used to that. I've been spending quite a bit more time lately finally getting to know FHM better and so did neglect the WPK for awhile. For anyone who is interested, you can check out reports of my FHM project here:
https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=334174.
It is a save with current real-life NHL teams (sans Seattle as this was started in FHM7) but with completely fictional players and I am GM'ing the Colorado Avalanche, naturally.)
Let's take a look at the WPK standings at the end of May, 1985:
The Chicago Fire and the Houston Cavaliers were expansion mates in 1975, and now, a little over a decade later, they are emerging as the dominant teams in the SJL West. The recently mighty San Antonio Keys are looking beatable as they age and deal with some of their biggest stars being quite injury-prone. As has been true for some time, the Seattle Alligators and Milwaukee Cadets remain weak teams in need of a rebuild.
The Washington Night Train are the behemoth of the SJL in terms of market size, budget, etc. and in the early days of the WPK (1965-1971) they were one of the powerhouses, winning 2 championships in that time. After falling on hard times, with the low point being 1977-1979 when they finished 9th twice and 8th once in a 12-team league, the Night Train have emerged again as one of the best teams in the league. They are running away with the SJL East early on with their main competitors, the Pittsburgh Roadrunners, Jacksonville Wolf Pack, Philadelphia Mud Hens, and Columbus Whalers all sitting somewhere around the .500 mark, and the Boston Berserkers trying to fight their way back to that level.
In the MGL West, the San Francisco Velocity have once again emerged as the best team, finishing the month of May strong and holding a 3 1/2 game lead over your Denver Brewers. The Los Angeles Spinners have shown some signs of being on the rise again after several years of gradual dropping down the standings and the Phoenix Speed Devils are trying to keep their heads above water on the strength of a talented young pitching staff (with the difficult task of playing their home games in the best hitting park in the WPK). The St. Louis Redbirds are just feeling good about at least being a bit better than the not-to-long-ago great Portland Wild Things.
The MGL East looks to be pretty much up for grabs still, with the majority of the teams below .500. Oklahoma City is off to a decent start with Baltimore surprisingly hanging close while teams like Brooklyn and Detroit continue to disappoint. And there isn't much to say about the dreadful Montreal Royals, although they did get a 1-hit gem from 24-year old Rafael Garcia as they beat Denver 1-0 on the final day of the month.
Looking at a handful of the statistical leaders in the WPK, starting with batters:
It is a time of transition in the WPK, with young players like Chicago's Pat Thompson, Los Angeles' first baseman David Tockstein, Houston's exciting 23-year old second baseman Wilfredo Garcia, and San Francisco second baseman Seth Garone, emerging as offensive (and in some cases, defensive) forces. Denver's
Chris Romines, now firmly entrenched as the starting first baseman for the team, also continues to impress at the plate. Washington is led offensively by veteran center fielder Rick Downey, who is on pace for 46 homers and 8.8 WAR.
A look at the top pitchers in the league thus far:
San Francisco's Jon Harrington continues to top the list of best pitchers in the WPK. Oklahoma City is pitching-rich with 24-year old left-hander Matt Greene emerging as one of the top pitchers in the league, joining teammate David Martin and the currently injured (since mid-April) Mike Piles to give the Diamond Kings maybe the strongest top three rotation mates in the game. Rich Freeman, the 24-year left-handed staff ace of Washington is also off to a fantastic start and appears to be on the way to a breakout season.