1. Salem Slugs
Salem jumps up to the top spot this week as they’ve proved to be the most consistent team in the NL. They have been nearly unbeatable on the road so far this season (17-6). It should be noted that many opposing managers are sitting around after games wondering “Who the hell is Manuel Cortes and where did he come from?” Simply stated, the 25-year-old Cortes has been dominating and is making an argument that he was the best free agent pickup this year as he’s gone 8-1 in his 10 starts.
2. Seattle Spectacular Views
Neil Clyburn seemed to have taken some personal offense to last week’s comment that the best hitter in the league is Gerry Miller of Huntington. Since that comment, Clyburn has batted .433 with 13 homers, 24 RBI’s and 26 runs scored. The Seattle offense as a whole has finally arrived as Miguel James (.349 avg) and Brooks Riley (.325 avg) are giving other teams a reason not to just pitch around Clyburn anymore.
3. Madison Mmmhmmmm!
Madison can no longer be written off as an over-hyped offseason favorite. They boast the league’s best record and have fended off the Views for weeks now. Much of Madison’s success can be attributed to their outstanding bullpen and league best offense. It will be interesting to see if the pen can keep it up while All-Star closer Giomar Barrios heals his injured left shoulder. Second basemen Buddy Rivers doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon as he is still batting only 24 points under .400.
4. Charlotte Knights
Charlotte falls from the top spot to number 4 this week. They’ve cooled off a bit since last week’s rankings and Pepe Benitez seems to be human after all. The pitching staff has underachieved as of late and Charlotte’s main weakness is it’s complete lack of a power bat. Expect fans to push management to go get another bat and the pitching staff will right itself. Charlotte is still a lock to run away with the South as most of the talent within it seems to be on their club.
5. Vancouver Mountain Lions
Vancouver is comfortable in the 5 spot as shown by the 11 out of 14 games they lost after last week’s rankings hit newsstands. Team ace Josh Clancy will return this week and try to stabilize this club. In the meantime, emerging star Sticky Sadler (2.72 ERA, .99 WHIP) is begging his team for some run support so he can improve upon his 4-4 record.
6. Kansas City Bush Leaguers
Kansas City, the league’s best hitting team, has 5 players batting over .300 at this point in the season. Led by Yamid Vega (.328, 15 HR’s, 43 RBI’s) and Alfredo Vasquez (.348, 15 HR’s, 45 RBI’s), the KC lineup is solid from top to bottom and has been the cause of lack of sleep for many pitchers. One pitcher who isn’t losing any sleep over the team’s hitting stats is their own Mac Perry, who might just break the 200 inning mark this year and lead his team to a second consecutive playoff berth.
7. Baltimore Barksdales
It’s hard to talk about the Barksdales without mentioning Toby McPherson, who is an early Cy Young frontrunner. McPherson is doing his best to lead the team past Boston and become the third different team to win the East in three years. He’s been getting most of his support from P.J. Rowan, on pace for 67 home runs and 162 RBI’s. It’s too early to call but Baltimore should be at or near the top of the East the rest of the way as it seems Boston has lost a step.
8. Boston Mets
Did I mention that Boston has lost a step? They might have even lost two steps. Dangling around at .500, here are the Mets at number 8. While they still have no trouble hitting the cover off the ball, the pitching is downright ugly and has cost them many games already. The Boston owner has been actively shopping around for a new arm and fans hope it will happen soon or else it might be too late to turn this season around. Luckily for Bostonians, the Mets find themselves only a game out of first place.
9. Jacksonville Ginormous Hooters
10. Minnesota Lakers
11. San Diego Mad Friars
12. Huntington Hackers
13. Rochester Red Wings
14. Jackson Delta Blues
15. New York Gridlock
16. Tacoma Thunderbirds
