[Dukie98]

Here are the major storylines across the league at the 2035 All-Star break:

Exceeding Expectations: The Chicago Mules, coming off a 79-win season, unexpectedly took a 12-game Great Plains Division lead into the All-Star Break, as they went 48-27 -- made all the more surprising by an 0-6 start. The Mules rode a 22-2 streak (including a 12-game winning streak) through late April into mid-May. Veteran first baseman Vic Saier led the way, ripping 20 homers and driving in 55 runs. Catcher Fran Healy had a breakout season, hitting .349 at the break with 20 doubles, 6 homers, and 42 RBIs, while right fielder Augie Bergamo hit .350 with 25 doubles, 6 homers, 44 RBI's, and 53 runs scored. The Mules' pitching ranked second in the league, as ace Bob Moose went 10-2 with a 2.79 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts, while closer Roy Parmelee led a deep bullpen with 17 saves and a 1.21 ERA, while allowing just 14 hits in 37 innings. The Vancouver Viceroys looked poised to end a five-year postseason drought by going 49-26, led by free agent signee Rougned Odor, who had 22 homers and 54 RBI's in just 36 games before going down with a hamstring tear. Shortstop Aledmys Diaz hit .327 with 10 round-trippers and 44 RBI's, while center fielder Andrew McCutchen hit at a .298 clip with 15 homers, 39 RBI's, 53 runs scored, and 20 steals. Journeyman John Urrea jumped out to a 10-0 start with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, while southpaw Dennys Reyes went 6-3 while posting a 2.51 ERA. In the Continental League, the New York Emperors posted a 39-35 mark, threatening to end a streak of 8 years below .500 and 17 years without a playoff appearance. The Emperors were in first place for most of the season before limping into the break by dropping 9 of their last 12 games. Second-year third baseman David Wright starred, hitting .348 and slugging .631 while blasting 20 homers and 69 RBI's, while swiping 11 bags. All-Star centerfielder Johnny Mostil hit .319 with a .421 on-base percentage with 23 doubles, 13 homers, and 71 RBI's. The Emperors' pitching staff, however, was held together by duct tape, as rookie junkballer Paul Splittorff led the way with a 7-5 record and a 3.81 ERA. Closer Ed Connolly notched 15 saves with a 1.62 ERA. The Miami Flamingos, coming off back-to-back 80-win seasons, looked to snap a 15-year postseason drought, as they went 46-27. Miami was led offensively by right fielder Frank Robinson, who hit .295 and slugged .594 with 23 longballs and 67 RBI's, and second baseman Jose Vidro, who hit .328 with 25 doubles, 17 homers and 65 RBI's. Righthander Aaron Sele led a solid, if unspectacular, staff with a 7-5 record and a 3.41 ERA.

Disappointments: The Baltimore Robins, who won 90 games last year and made the playoffs in three of the prior four seasons, were in danger of missing the postseason after sputtering to a 35-39 record, including a 13-23 start. Offensively, the Robins struggled to fill the hole at third base created by the departure of free agent Edgardo Alfonzo, as replacement Bill Tuttle hit just .232 with 6 homers and 27 RBI's- losing nearly 150 points in slugging percentage from his strong 2034 with Cleveland. Perennial all-star catcher Gary Sanchez showed signs of slowing down, hitting just .262 with 35 RBI's, despite 14 homers. On the mound, Randy Johnson was decidedly mortal, going 6-5 with a 3.66 ERA before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Baltimore's bullpen was an unmitigated disaster, ranking 22nd in the league, as closer Brad Boxberger slumped to a 4.55 ERA, and saved just 8 games. The Cleveland Rocks, the feel-good story of 2034 with a triumphant return to the postseason with 93 wins, slumped badly, going 28-44 and ending the first half in last place. The Rocks' season was doomed from the start, as center fielder Pete Reiser, who finished 4th in the MVP voting last season, tore a knee ligament in spring training and was sidelined for the season. Sluggers Rafael Palmeiro and Don Mattingly both disappointed, with Palmeiro on track for a career-worst .266 batting average and .492 slugging percentage- 99 points below his career average, while Mattingly was on track for his worst season since his 2029 rookie campaign, hitting just .277 and slugging a pedestrian .454. Cleveland's pitching was disastrous, ranking 23rd in the Frontier League. Free agent signee Bob Osborn, who posted a career 2.98 ERA over 18 seasons, went just 1-3 with a 8.15 ERA and suffered a season-ending triceps tear. Other than Jake Peavy (who missed a month with injuries), the other four Rocks pitchers with the most innings pitched had ERA's ranging from 6.70 to 7.89. In the Continental League, the Charlotte Aviators, who returned to prominence with 90 wins last year, stumbled to a 35-38 start. Left fielder Ken Singleton, coming off a 25-homer, 101-RBI season the year before, tore his Achilles tendon in early April and missed nearly the entire first half. Longtime slugging catcher Gus Triandos passed the torch to Jim Pagliaroni, who popped just 4 homers and drove in only 20 runs despite playing regularly. On the mound, second-year hurler Mickey Haefner dropped off from his 21-win debut to a 5-7 record and a 4.85 ERA. Righthander Junior Guerra went 6-8 with a disappointing 5.55 ERA. Although the El Paso Armadillos won 95 games last year, and made the playoffs 7 times in the prior 9 seasons, they entered the break in last place in the Texas Division with a 30-45 record. Free agent signee Mark Grace was tremendously disappointing, hitting just .234 with 6 homers and 30 RBI's, losing nearly 120 points in slugging percentage from his career mark with Milwaukee. Veteran sluggers Lou Gehrig and Jack Clark appeared to be running on fumes, as Gehrig hit .245 with just 7 homers and 25 RBI's, while Clark hit .207 and slugged .401, with 11 homers and 34 RBI's. On the mound, Mike Bruhert, a surprise 18-game winner last season, tumbled to a 4-8 mark with a 7.55 ERA, while free agent signee Angel Miranda went just 2-7 with a 6.11 ERA.

Superstar shuffle: Five-time MVP third baseman Frank Baker departed the World Champion Albuquerque Conquistadors for their division rivals, the Los Angeles Kangaroos. Albuquerque didn't skip a beat, signing Manny Machado from the New Orleans Crawfish. Los Angeles did not content themselves with importing just one star third baseman -- they also signed Edgardo Alfonzo from Baltimore, but after a slow start, traded him to London shortly before the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Baker had a disappointing start, entering the break with a .290 average and .470 slugging percentage -- both which would be career lows. Machado, however, had an MVP-caliber first half, hitting .361 and slugging .718 with 21 homers for Albuquerque.

Oklahoma Not OK: Perhaps no team in league history was hit as hard in free agency as the Oklahoma City Otters, who won 92 games and made the playoffs for the first time in 12 years last season. The Otters lost left fielder Bob Bescher, who posted a .432 on-base percentage while leading the league in runs scored, walks, and steals; center fielder Hank Lieber, who popped 34 homers and drove in 139 runs, 20-game winner Frank Smith, and two more starting pitchers. Meanwhile, the Otters were thoroughly lacking pitching depth, as Scott Aldred and John Patterson combined for a 1-20 record with ERA's of 8.59 and 10.69, respectively. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Otters stumbled to a 32-43 first-half record.

Northwest is Best: At the break, all six teams in the Northwest Division were above .500. Vancouver and Seattle were both over .600, while Calgary and Denver would have made the playoffs if the season ended at the break, with Portland and San Francisco each within two games of a wild-card spot. If this trend continued, the Northwest would be the first division in league history with all six teams over .500

Major injuries: Cleveland center fielder Pete Reiser tore a knee ligament in spring training and was knocked out of commission for the entire season. Baltimore southpaw Randy Johnson tore his meniscus in June, causing him to miss the rest of the year. Baltimore second baseman Kelly Johnson, having a breakthrough season, tore his MCL, ending his season prematurely. Charlotte left fielder Ken Singleton tore his Achilles tendon during the first week of the season, but he was expected to return by mid-July. Detroit righthander Mike Garcia suffered from bone chips in his elbow, and was sidelined through Labor Day. San Antonio shortstop Glenn Wright suffered a back injury in spring training and missed the first two months of the season.

Major milestones: The 3,000 hit club saw its membership swell, as within a three-week stretch, Buffalo shortstop Jean Segura, Dallas left fielder Mike Menosky, Phoenix right fielder Cliff Heathcote, and London shortstop Al Bridwell each notched this milestone. Phoenix second sacker Jose Altuve ripped his 2,500th hit. Chicago center fielder Gorman Thomas pounded his 500th homer. San Antonio righthander Don Drysdale won his 250th game, while teammate Freddie Fitzsimmons and Jacksonville's Jose Guzman each joined the 200-win club. Guzman was poised to notch his 3,000th strikeout by the end of July. El Paso DH Lou Gehrig and San Antonio left fielder Heinie Manush were likely to top 3,000 hits. Anaheim left fielder Gary Matthews was on track to hit his 500th homer by August. Detroit southpaw Bob Shirley, with a strong second half, would hit 300 wins in September.