Top of the Pops:
Green Bay Packers (51-30, .630 1st AL East): Equal parts guile and cunning, the Packers have somehow amassed the best record in the AL (and league) despite fielding the #6 ranked offense. They find themselves with a 15-8 record in 1-run games despite having a bullpen with the 9th ranked ERA in the AL – something’s got to give. Their top-rated offensive player is 27-year old SS Jackson Walsh with his .363/.423/.564 slash and 169 OPS+ - Walsh leads the AL in Average, WAR, Hits, Doubles, and OBP – Green Bay has him locked down through 2078.
Seattle Sounders (51-31, .622, 1st AL West): With the top-rated pitching staff in the AL and it’s 4th rated offense, the Sounders are a near lock to make some serious noise in the playoffs. They’ve repped the AL in each of the last two seasons and won it all in 2073. 27-year old Ace, Bradley Hughes, is having one of his best seasons so far – 12-2 with a 2.90 FIP and 3.7 WAR so far and with an 11.5 K/9, he has a penchant for flummoxing opposing batters. On offense, RF Patrick Adams is leading the club in all of the categories that matter – the 26-year old Florida native and former Ridgemont Community College Tasty Wave has hit 20 home runs and has amassed a 3.8 WAR. His contract expires after this season, and he’s set himself up nicely to get paid some adult money real soon.
New York Jets (49-32, .605, 2 GB, 2nd AL East): An offensive juggernaut whose pitching sometimes hold them back, the Jets get on base, score runs in bunches and hit balls out of the park. 34-year old elder statesman, 2B Rich Hamilton, still has his speed – the superstar is more than pulling his weight and has amassed a 2.8 WAR so far. The 5-time Boyce Rigg award winner from Zanesville OH may not bring home a 6th this year – but with an outside chance at winning a title – that is probably the furthest thing from his mind. At 36.5M per year, Hamilton is the 5th highest paid player in the league and is locked up until 2076.
Bottom of the Barrell:
Toronto Reds BC (30-53, .361, 22 GB, 6th AL East): The Reds pair a ho-hum offense with a pitching staff that would have a hard time getting college players out. None of their starters has a winning record so far, and three of their guys are flexing an ERA of 5.50 or higher – that’s not how you baseball, guys. Somehow, despite their complete ineptitude on the field, Toronto enjoys good loyalty from their fans and interest is high. Even with their low payroll (9th in the AL), they aren’t getting much in the way of ROI and it’s difficult to find anything in the AAA program that is giving fans a reason to stay interested – let’s just say that at 13th, the cupboards in Buffalo are bare.
Players of the Month:
RF Josh Wigsten (GSW, 30, 31st Overall pick in 2066 out of Illinois): .424, 2 HR, 19 RBI, and 13 Runs in June… .306, 8 HR, 40 RBI and 38 runs on the year. He won a Silver Slugger in 2070.
CL Cristian Cassiano (DAL, 28, 101st Overall pick in 2068 out of Troy): 14 appearances with 7 saves, 3 wins and 15 K’s in June. 14 saves and a 1.34 ERA so far this year.
Note: Former Phoenix Sun, SP Isaiah Zuno (who I traded for the Michael Brisk in 2074) was traded to the Brooklyn Citizens by the Portland Timbers. The Timbers get a good RP prospect in the deal and Brooklyn gets some typical Zuno… 8-8, 3.88 ERA, 109 K’s… and one of the best mustaches in the game.