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Our panel made some predictions at the start of the season. Do they care to revise?



We start in the Australia North Division, where our panellists were unanimous in their pre-season pick. So far, that’s aged well. The Newtown Jets currently hold the best record in baseball, and no one expects that to change anytime soon.



There was near-consensus around the Fitzroy Bohemians in the pre-season, but the Preston Bears have forced people to pay attention. They’ve led the division for most of the season, only relinquishing the top spot to the Bohemians on June 23rd. Are we really supposed to take seven days seriously?

We’ve talked about Fitzroy a lot. With LF Guy Pearce and 1B Chad Kordus, they have two of the most exciting players in the league. Both have been sensational, and Pearce was just named Player of the Month for June.

But the Bears have the best offense in the league -- the only team to have scored over 400 runs. Every hitter on the roster is above 100 wRC+, and sluggers like RF Darrel Walker (172 wRC+) and CF Kelly Seay (171 wRC+) are lethal.

There are obvious question marks, though. Outside of Chance Peterson’s magical 14–1 season (2.03 ERA), the pitching has been shaky. Seay is also currently on the IL, but is expected back in early July. Will he still be the same when he returns?



Bay of Plenty have controlled the NZ North Division for nearly the entire season so far -- but honestly, they’re not that impressive. Their top three of CF Hank Alexander, RF Lucas Kitson, and 2B Dean Goodwin is elite, as is closer Carson Clifford -- but everything outside of that core is shaky.

The Waitakere Spiders are the main alternative -- and the experts will point to their positive run differential (the only one in the division) as a stronger predictor of future performance than actual wins. RF Tim Borton has been putting up great numbers, but who else can step up to support him?

Don’t count out the Waikato Morepork either. They’ve had the best offense in New Zealand so far, but they’re banking on the return of LF Brian Smith from injury. On the pitching side, only one of their starters has an ERA under 4.00 -- and even that sits at 3.89.

Auckland has an MVP candidate in 3B Dan Penn, but not much else around him.

This division may still go to Bay of Plenty by default -- unless someone else figures out how to make a move. There are a lot of teams here that should be taking the trade deadline very seriously.



Consensus has formed around the Manawatu Vikings, and that’s no surprise -- they’ve taken a 5-game lead in the division and boast the best pitching staff in New Zealand.

LF Jeremiah Todd, at age 37, has quietly been putting together a stellar season: .356/.441/.578, with a 173 wRC+, and almost as many triples (7) as home runs (8).

Wellington are still hanging around thanks to their pitching and defense. RF Stu Avon has just returned from injury and should add some much-needed power. Despite missing most of June, he still leads the New Zealand League in home runs -- and trails only Fitzroy’s Guy Pearce by two for the most in all of baseball.