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Old 11-19-2018, 03:36 AM   #107
Dukie98
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 902
2026 Mid-Year Review

Here's a quick overview of the major storylines in the league at the 2026 All-Star Break:

Exceeding Expectations: The Philadelphia Hawks rebounded from a disappointing 67-win season in 2025 to end the first half with a 37-37 record, despite missing outfielder Braggo Roth for nearly the entire first half. The Hawks were led offensively by left fielder Hack Miller, who hit .301 with 5 homers, and by rookie third baseman Matt Carpenter who hit .310 with a team-high 44 RBI's. On the mound, veteran southpaw Tom Underwood went 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP, while Tommy Hunter went 9-5 with a 2.43 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. The Milwaukee Raccoons, who had suffered through nine straight losing seasons, ended the first half with a 42-33 record, firmly in the wild card race. Right fielder Ralph Garr led baseball with a .386 average and an incredible 31 doubles, while center fielder Eric Davis hit .314 with 15 homers and 30 steals, scoring 66 runs in 75 games. Second-year righthander Mike Garcia went 7-1 with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. In the Continental League, the Virginia Beach Admirals looked poised to end their three-year playoff drought, going 43-32, and ending the half just two games out of first place. Perennial All-Star third baseman Bill Melton hit .312 with 20 homers and 48 RBI's, while free agent signee Heinie Manush hit .362 with 10 homers, 49 RBI's, and 14 steals. Righthander Joe Benz went 10-5 with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, while defending Cy Young Award winner Joe Gibbon went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 106 strikeouts. The El Paso Armadillos rebounded from a 70-win season to post the league's second-best record, with a 47-28 mark at midseason. First baseman Gil Hodges carried a subpar offense, hitting .315 with 15 homers and 44 RBI's, while Jake Arrieta led the league's best pitching staff, going 11-4 with a 2.30 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, and Jordan Zimmermann went 7-3 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.

Disappointments: Despite signing multiple free agents in the hopes of contending, the Boston Minutemen continued their precipitous decline, posting the worst record in the Frontier League at 24-50, including a dreadful 5-22 mark in May, largely thanks to a league-worst pitching staff. Larry Cheney, who won 37 games in 2023-24 with a combined ERA below 3.00, dropped to a 5-9 record with a 4.42 ERA. Washington castoff Robbie Erlin had a dreadful 1-12 start with a 5.96 ERA and more than twice as many walks as strikeouts. Free agent signee Steve Bilko hit just .189 and slugged a meager .352. The Toronto Predators, a surprise playoff team in 2025, plummeted from 93 wins to a 27-48 record. Their offense -- never a strong-point -- was one-dimensional, ending the half 22nd in the league in runs scored despite finishing second in homers. Shortstop Luke Appling had an awful half, hitting .206 with an abysmal .225 slugging percentage. Tex Carleton, a 17-game winner a year ago, saw his ERA spike by nearly a run and a half, declining to 3-11 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. In the Continental League, the Miami Flamingos expected to return to contention after adding Jim Edmonds to an 84-win team, but they stumbled their way to a 26-49 start. The Flamingos slumped offensively, with Frank Robinson, Josh Harrison, and Rick Peters each losing 50 points off their batting averages, and the pitching staff was one of the worst in baseball. Cy Blanton was perhaps the biggest disappointment, going 2-8 with a ghastly 6.02 ERA, and nominal closer Dan Miceli sported an 8.08 ERA, surrendering 13 homers in 39 embarrassing innings. The Los Angeles Kangaroos, who appeared to return to form with 104 wins the year before, stumbled to a middling 40-35 start, ending the half in third place, 8 games behind division-leading Anaheim. Gary Matthews, Sr. saw a substantial dropoff from his MVP season, seeing his slugging percentage decline by over 100 points as he hit a solid, but hardly spectacular .279 with 14 homers, while center fielder JD Drew declined to a replacement-level player, hitting just .246 with 7 homers and mediocre defense. The bullpen also disappointed, as closer DeWayne Buice saw his ERA more than double to 4.37.

Pilots Flying High Again: The St. Louis Pilots built on a strong 2025 by going 52-23, with five All-Star starters: Gabby Hartnett, DJ LeMahieu, Francisco Lindor, Jack Clark, and John Montefusco. Clark ended the first half leading the Frontier League with 21 homers and was tied for second with 58 RBI's, while Hartnett hit .325 and slugged .613. While Montefusco went just 7-6 despite a 2.43 ERA and 120 strikeouts, Freddie Fitzsimmons went 13-2 with a solid 2.80 ERA.

Clemens' Collapse: Charlotte righthander Roger Clemens, who won 17 games with a 2.69 for the world-champion Aviators last season, got off to a dreadful start, entering Memorial Day with a 1-9 record and bloated ERA over 7. He ended the half with a 3-9 record, a 6.56 ERA, and a hefty 1.58 WHIP, and gave up as many homers (17) as he did in over 200 innings the year before.

Antelopes Run Wild: Expectations were modest for the Anaheim Antelopes after seeing MVP candidate Chet Lemon decamp for New Orleans after the Antelopes missed the playoffs with 87 wins, but they rebounded to take a 48-27 lead into the break, leading the Southwest Division by 7 games. Right fielder Jerry Mumphrey hit .309 with 36 extra-base hits, and left fielder Alex Gordon rebounded from a season-ending knee injury last year to hit .328 with 8 homers. Larry Parrish bopped 16 homers and drove in a team-high 54 RBI's.

Pythons Choking: The Houston Pythons started strong, jumping out to a 12-4 start and ended April playing nearly .600 ball. But they stumbled into the All-Star Break on a 3-23 stretch, bringing their overall record to a disappointing 31-44. Franchise centerfielder Kirby Puckett stumbled through the worst slump of his career, hitting .162 in June to bring his average down to a disappointing .234. Mickey Mantle showed some signs of life offensively after two tremendously disappointing seasons, hitting .280 with 8 homers -- but was reported to have asked for a trade.

Major injuries: Nashville ace Dave Ferriss, coming off the first ERA title of his storied career, tore his meniscus in spring training and missed the entire first half. Denver was doubly bitten by the injury bug: slugging first baseman Phil Clark tore his labrum in spring training, knocking him out for the season, while workhorse Bruce Berenyi missed most of the first half with a hamstring injury and elbow soreness upon his return. Omaha southpaw Jerry Reuss suffered a nerve injury in mid-May, and was expected to be out until Labor Day.

Major milestones: Houston's Mickey Mantle joined Bryce Harper as the lone members of the 500-homer club. Nashville first baseman Greg Luzinski, Jacksonville third baseman Alfonso Soriano, Vancouver third baseman Gary Gaetti, and Phoenix first baseman Carney Lansford each ripped their 300th homers. Kansas City first baseman Todd Helton and Calgary left fielder Jerome Walton each ripped their 2,500th hit. Kansas City's Gary Nolan joined the 250-win club, and seized the all-time lead in victories -- for the time being -- from Los Angeles's Brett Anderson with an 11-win first half. Vancouver's Reb Russell, Charlotte's Larry Jaster, and Las Vegas's Jon Garland each won their 200th game, while Madison Bumgarner -- who was traded from Minneapolis to Jacksonville shortly before the start of the season -- sat on 199 wins.
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