Post by St. Louis Sting on Jul 18, 2015 13:36:29 GMT -5
1. Maine Marauders - This should come as a surprise to no one. The preseason favorite currently holds a comfortable lead atop the standings and continues to make moves to improve the team. It will be difficult for anyone to keep the Marauders from the championship barring a late season/playoff collapse.
2. St. Louis Sting - At the start of the season it seemed as though the Sting's staff would be their downfall. However, the Sting exit the All-Star break with the 3rd lowest ERA in the league. Injuries to Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gordon will surely hurt the offensive firepower, but the Sting have enough weapons to maintain the spot atop the West standings for the remained of the season.
3. Syracuse Warriors - It took a while, but when the Warriors started making moves to clear some cap space and add some flexibility they began shooting up the standings. They currently sit in 4th place, but have gone an astounding 28-12-2 over the last 3 weeks and seem to be making a charge. This team will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
4. Norwich Nemesis - The Nemesis dropped Week 14 to the Marauders (not surprising), but otherwise have been a difficult draw the entire season. Currently sitting in 3rd, the Nemesis have a tough squad but currently have depth questions on offense. They currently hold only 1 active offensive bench player, which could spell trouble in the coming weeks.
5. Dallas Desperados - It was difficult to choose between the Desperados and our next team, but actually having a respectable pitching staff gives Dallas the edge. The offensive side doesn't look as good as it did before the season but it is solid enough to get the job done, and the Dallas pitching staff will continue to win the pitching categories in most weeks.
6. Chicago Fire - Chicago's offense is dominant. They are at or near the top in every offensive category, yet they currently sit in 6th place. That is due to an anemic pitching staff that continually puts the Fire at a disadvantage week in and week out. A trade for some pitching would vastly improve Chicago's chances of victory and could move them up a spot or two in these rankings.
7. Pensacola Pelicans - Once again, this spot was a toss-up between this team and the next. The edge goes to Pelicans, though, due to the fact that they currently have a relatively healthy squad. The emergence of Moustakas and Bogaerts has made this a powerful offensive team, and Scherzer and Felix have done a wonderful job leading this pitching staff. The Pelicans could be the late mover of the league, and it wouldn't surprise me to see this team move up into the 5th spot by the time the regular season comes to a close.
8. Buffalo Wings - As I said in my outlook, the Wings were going to have to remain healthy to have a chance. For a while they had done just that and have held a playoff spot down the entire year. A key injury to Freddie Freeman has slowed the team down considerably, and injuries to other role players have only been further knocks.
9. Connecticut Huskies - It seems the Huskies traded one Marlins superstar for another. As soon as Jose Fernandez was back and ready to go they lost Giancarlo Stanton. I like what this team is capable of doing in the 2nd half of the season and expect them to make the back end of the playoffs, with maybe an upset in store in Round 1.
10. - New Jersey Haze - It is clear that the Haze are sticking to their plan to conserve cap space for other sports. The Haze currently sit in 11th place with no real hope of making the playoffs and very few star players to work around.
11. Clayhounds Dawgs - The Dawgs are showing their age in the form of injuries and declining performance. Their playoff chances are looking bleak and the team shows no sign of a drastic turnaround in the 2nd half.
12. Montana Grizzlies - The Grizzlies are hopelessly in last place for this year, but have done remarkably in improving the team since undergoing a managerial change midseason. The future is now brighter than it ever was before and the Grizzlies will likely continue to make moves to further improve.
2. St. Louis Sting - At the start of the season it seemed as though the Sting's staff would be their downfall. However, the Sting exit the All-Star break with the 3rd lowest ERA in the league. Injuries to Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gordon will surely hurt the offensive firepower, but the Sting have enough weapons to maintain the spot atop the West standings for the remained of the season.
3. Syracuse Warriors - It took a while, but when the Warriors started making moves to clear some cap space and add some flexibility they began shooting up the standings. They currently sit in 4th place, but have gone an astounding 28-12-2 over the last 3 weeks and seem to be making a charge. This team will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
4. Norwich Nemesis - The Nemesis dropped Week 14 to the Marauders (not surprising), but otherwise have been a difficult draw the entire season. Currently sitting in 3rd, the Nemesis have a tough squad but currently have depth questions on offense. They currently hold only 1 active offensive bench player, which could spell trouble in the coming weeks.
5. Dallas Desperados - It was difficult to choose between the Desperados and our next team, but actually having a respectable pitching staff gives Dallas the edge. The offensive side doesn't look as good as it did before the season but it is solid enough to get the job done, and the Dallas pitching staff will continue to win the pitching categories in most weeks.
6. Chicago Fire - Chicago's offense is dominant. They are at or near the top in every offensive category, yet they currently sit in 6th place. That is due to an anemic pitching staff that continually puts the Fire at a disadvantage week in and week out. A trade for some pitching would vastly improve Chicago's chances of victory and could move them up a spot or two in these rankings.
7. Pensacola Pelicans - Once again, this spot was a toss-up between this team and the next. The edge goes to Pelicans, though, due to the fact that they currently have a relatively healthy squad. The emergence of Moustakas and Bogaerts has made this a powerful offensive team, and Scherzer and Felix have done a wonderful job leading this pitching staff. The Pelicans could be the late mover of the league, and it wouldn't surprise me to see this team move up into the 5th spot by the time the regular season comes to a close.
8. Buffalo Wings - As I said in my outlook, the Wings were going to have to remain healthy to have a chance. For a while they had done just that and have held a playoff spot down the entire year. A key injury to Freddie Freeman has slowed the team down considerably, and injuries to other role players have only been further knocks.
9. Connecticut Huskies - It seems the Huskies traded one Marlins superstar for another. As soon as Jose Fernandez was back and ready to go they lost Giancarlo Stanton. I like what this team is capable of doing in the 2nd half of the season and expect them to make the back end of the playoffs, with maybe an upset in store in Round 1.
10. - New Jersey Haze - It is clear that the Haze are sticking to their plan to conserve cap space for other sports. The Haze currently sit in 11th place with no real hope of making the playoffs and very few star players to work around.
11. Clayhounds Dawgs - The Dawgs are showing their age in the form of injuries and declining performance. Their playoff chances are looking bleak and the team shows no sign of a drastic turnaround in the 2nd half.
12. Montana Grizzlies - The Grizzlies are hopelessly in last place for this year, but have done remarkably in improving the team since undergoing a managerial change midseason. The future is now brighter than it ever was before and the Grizzlies will likely continue to make moves to further improve.