AL South 1/4 Pole Report

AL SOUTH



Florida Fire Sailfish- currently atop this division by 5 games with a 24-20 record, but on a 7 game losing streak. Playing great on the road(12-4) but not so well at home(12-16). Despite recent problems, the Fish are still playing better than RS/RA would indicate(.545 act-.513 exp). They are very close to the league avg in almost every offensive category. Same with the pitching. Their 4.78 ERA is 6th in the league. OAV, OBP, WHIP, Hits allowed, & OSLG are all very close to league avgs. Their a 6-1 record in 1-run games has helped. DH Lance Kelleher(.333 BA), C Eric Murphy(.329 BA, .665 SLG, 1.067 OPS), & RF Miguel Palacios(.324, .627 SLG, 1.049 OPS) lead the offense. Rookie RP Diego Garza(4-1, 3 Svs, 2.31 ERA), Esteban Lee(5-3) and Victor Colome(6-2, 3.59) anchor the staff. With no player on the ML roster over the age of 28, league commish jmercer has a team that will compete for years, but may not have enough to be a true force this season.



New Orleans Freebeads- after finishing tied for the division title in season 11, joshoakley's squad is off to a very disappointing start this year. They sit at 6 games under .500(19-25), 5 games behind the Sailfish. They are under .500 both at home and on the road. They are playing even worse than expectations(.470 exp-.432 act). A horrendous 6.05 ERA is the worst in the league as is the OSLG(.512). They have given up the most HRs(80) & 5th most runs. Offense is erratic. Has scored 4th most runs(261), but has 4th least hits. Right near league avgs in BA, OBP, SLG, & OPS. Young power-hitting C Hector Gonzales(.305, 13 HR, 40 RBI) leads the 'O'. Veteran SP Julio Cedeno off to a slow start(2-4, 9.59 ERA). 2 elbow surguries may be catching up with him. Pete Gardner(4-1, .242 OAV) can't do it alone, as every other starter is below .500. So far, MIs Mark Jones & Jumbo Neruda have not been justifying their big salaries.



Louisville Sluggers- davidbutler's efforts to improve this team have so far been unrewarded. Currently tied for 3rd with Monterrey at 15-29 and 9 games back. Losing at similar rate both at home and on the road. Slightly below EXP(.341 act-.373 exp). Last in BA(.263), OBP(.326), & Hits. 2nd to last in RS, SLG, & OPS. Also well below league avgs in almost all pitching categories. Signed veteran RF Dennys Clifton to a reasonable 2 year deal and returns have been favorable so far(.319 BA), and LF Cristobal Castillo is putting up some nice numbers(.314, .596 SLG, 14 HR, 32 RBI). Signed aging SP Harry Seneca to a 3 year deal and he has been a disappointment so far(1-5, 5.70 ERA). With no player on the team with an overall rating over 75, this team still has a way to go before it becomes a contender.

Monterrey Cheeseheads- vector21 took over this team in season 10 and has posted identical 61-101 records in his 1st 2 seasons. Off to a slow 15-29 start in season 12. Playing below it's .416 exp at an actual pct of .341. In bottom 3 of many pitching categories. Surprising offense is 5th in BA(.285) & 6th in hits, 5th in SLG & HRs. But the 'O' is still somehow 12th in RS. Signed some mid level FA pitchers that have so far been disappointing(Donatello Poole, Matty Martinez, Buddy Henley, Fritz Starr). CF Juan Santana has posted decent stats(.299, 11 HR, .605 SLG, .941 OPS), as has rising star Ernest Payton(.285, 11 HR, .895 OPS). It has not been enough to lift this team out of its current doldrums, however. With 11 players on the ML roster over 30 years old and no player with an Overall better than 78, this team may be in need of a major overhaul.