AL SOUTH SNAPSHOT

AL SOUTH

LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS-davidbutler9 took over this team 5 years ago and it was in terrible shape. david had a plan and he has shown constant improvement. Now all his work appears to be paying off. His Sluggers are now a legitimate contender. Louisville currently sits atop the division with a 35-23 record. Much of that success is due to a stellar 17-8 home record. Swung a few trades that will help. SP Emil Pena(4-2, 3.09 ERA), All Star 3B Mark Jones(12 HR, .274 BA), former MVP LF Billy Ledee(.282, 11 HR), RF Bey Morris(11 HR) have all been a plus. 3 time All Star RF Ivan Gonzalez(27 SBs) is hitting .371. Aurelio Zorrilla(.317, 11 HR) is handling DH duties. 1B/2B Virgil Rodriguez(17 HR, .311) is a 5 time All Star. SPs Brandon Dale(8-3, 3.42 ERA) leads the pitching staff. Vin Guevara(9 Svs, .246 OAvg) is handling closer duties. david has his club in the top 5 in offense, pitching, and fielding. That will be good enough to be a solid contender for the division title and who knows how much more.

FLORIDA FIRE SAILFISH- jmercer77 won 90 games last season and looks to be on a similar pace this year. The Fish are currently 32-26 and 3 games back. The offense and pitching rank about the middle of the pack, but the fielding is a little sub par. Invested a lot of money in the FA market in the hopes of pushing the club to the next level. Signed 3 time AS and former ROY Luis Guillen(.319, 10 HR) to a LT contract and so far he hasn't disappointed. Also signed CF Toby Douglas(.293, 9 SB), who has won Gold Gloves at 3 different positions. So far in this young season, he already has 13+ plays in CF. Also signed LF Darron Pierce(.323, 11 HR). Traded for defensive C Trenidad Carrasquel platoon vs LHP. RF Miguel Palacios(14 HR, .306) has won 2 MVPs, ROY, 6 Silver Sluggers, and has made 6 AS teams. He's a sure-fire HOFer. DH Lance Kelleher(.297, 8 HR) and 2B David Olivo(.290, 11 HR) are solid contributors. Every SP is at .500 or better, led by Al Iglesias 6 wins. RP Greg Shelley is 7-1. Closer Diego Garza(16 Svs) was last year's Fireman of the Year. This core group should keep the Saifish in contention all season.

MONTERREY CHEESEHEADS- currently treading water at 29-29, 6 games behind. Leads the league in Runs and is 2nd in BA, but that is offset by a 5.76 team ERA. Tough to have to outslug other teams all the time. No major trades but vector21 was pretty active in the FA market. Unfortunately, the only one to have a positive impact so far is former Gold Glove C Aaron Bradshaw(.317, 6 HR). Rookie DH Vin Escobar(20 HR, .332, 1.023 OPS) has been stellar so far. SS Dolf Titan(.317, 17 HR), 1B Glen Sheets(16 HR), LF Ernest Payton(22 HR), and IF/OF Gary Hardy(15 HR) have all helped make this the most potent offense in the league. On the flip side, no SP has a winning record. RPs D'Angelo Figureoa(6 Svs, 2.11 ERA) and Felipe Vincente(1.83 ERA) have been bright spots on a disappointing pitching staff. Unless that turns around the Cheeseheads may find themselves continuing to have a mediocre season.

NEW ORLEANS FREEBEADS- last year's division champs are coming off a 92 win season. This year is a different story, as joshoakley's club is currently bringing up the rear, 11 games back with a 24-35 record. And with good reason, since both the offense and the pitching are near the bottom of the league. A .263 team BA and a league worst .397 SLG combined with a 5.86 team ERA is a far cry from the success of last year. josh stood pat and made no trades or Rule 5 pickups, and only one middling FA signing. It hasn't been all bad. DH Fred Wells is hitting .348 with 15 HRs. Reliable 2-time AS C Hector Gonzales is hitting .317 with 11 dingers. CF Red Sellers has 23 SBs. No SP has a winning record. The 5 main SPs are 14-23. As a matter of fact, the only pitcher with a winning record is RP Delino Castillo(4-2), but he sports a 9.82 ERA. It's a strange quirk of HBD where a team that wins a division one year can come back with virtually the same crew and finish last. I know. I'm currently doing the same thing in another league. But josh is an experienced owner and I'm sure he'll find a way to turn this thing around.