Team Trends - s07w03
You know what this league is lacking? Evaluation metrics. And in this article, I will fix that by ranking teams season thus far and calling them out for their trends.
Big Sky Snow Geese (5-7)
The offense is terrible. Jose Siri and his 1.073 OPS can only carry a team so far. Logan Webb is slugging 300 points higher than the beloved LuBob (.625 vs .321). Even though the pitching has been giving up a few long balls, they're carrying the offense to at least keep them within striking distance of .500
Off Rank: 15th
Def Rank: 14th
Pit Rank: 6th
Overall: 13th (slightly over achieving)
Chicago Cyclones (8-4)
After losing their opening series to the Wu Xia, Chicago has gone 7-1 riding the hot bat of Vla- I mean Rafael Ortega! Nobody even know what this guy looks like, but he's slashing .405 / .488 / .676 and leads the team in every relevant rate stat. The bullpen has been great, but the rotation has looked shaky with Morton, Urias, and Gallen, and Javier all having an ERA over 5.00. Manoah just misses the shit list thanks to escaping some dangerous jams.
Off Rank: 4th
Def Rank: 4th
Pit Rank: 6th
Overall: 3th (slightly over achieving)
Columbus Macho Men (3-9)
Columbus had the distinction of being one of four teams to start the season 0-4. Some have turned a corner. The Macho Men have lied down. Nothing about this team is terrible, but nothing is particularly good, either. Rogers is suffering from a Cy Young hangover and the bullpen has been just shy of hot garbage. There is a bright light in Ranger Suarez, at least, with his 0.95 WHIP and 0.61 ERA.
Off Rank: 12th
Def Rank: 11th
Pit Rank: 10th
Overall: 11th (under achieving)
Dallas Drillers (7-5)
The Drillers started off the season with a four-game sweep giving fans their first taste of success after three seasons of mediocrity. And then they dropped five of their next 8, dropping into a wildcard spot. Offense was the only bright spot on this team early - now it's the Wander Franco show. Abysmal defense and mediocre pitching earn this Dallas squad the Most Overachieving title through three weeks.
Off Rank: 8th
Def Rank: 16th
Pit Rank: 12th
Overall: 13th (most over achieving)
Denver Zephyr (7-5)
The reigning champs enter week 4 tied for a division lead with one of the worst teams in the league. This is one of the most talented rosters and they seem content to squander every opportunity possible and turn on cruise control. Looking at their division, they probably still finish with a six game lead. Bauer is off to a Cy Young start (0.69 WHIP, 2.25 ERA), but the offense seems content to let him suffer as he owns a 1-1 record.
Off Rank: 5th
Def Rank: 6th
Pit Rank: 2nd
Overall: 1th (under achieving)
Hamburg Honeybees (5-7)
They say pitching and defense wins championships. While the gloves seem to be loosening up, they Honeybees have looked more like locusts on the field. The staff is led by bona fide ace, Sammy Long (1-0, 1.26 ERA), with some guy named after a Chuck Norris show pitching alright, too.
Off Rank: 10th
Def Rank: 7th
Pit Rank: 3rd
Overall: 6th (under achieving)
Kampala Shoebill Storks (6-6)
Jonathan India is leading this team in about every rate stat. That should tell you the state of this offense. The rotation is headlined by a washed up Sandy Alcantara (0-3, 6.88 ERA), and Cy Young hopeful, Kodi Whitley, is out here trying to make us remember his name. We are all waiting for this team to snap off another double-digit losing streak so we can talk about someone else.
Off Rank: 13th
Def Rank: 13th
Pit Rank: 8th
Overall: 11th (over achieving)
Milwaukee Bovines (7-5)
The Bovines set out this season with a chance to be the first team to lose three World Series. The rotation is doing exactly what you expect when Brandon Woodruff is SP4, but the famous Bovine defense has been tipped, the dong-focused offense has been more bust than boom, and the bullpen is a dumpster fire.
Off Rank: 7th
Def Rank: 5th
Pit Rank: 7th
Overall: 6th (slightly over achieving)
Nashville Gators (9-3)
With one of the best starts in SBa history, the Nashville Gators began the march to their seventh consecutive playoff appearance. The tag-team center field duo of Buxton and Bader is off to a hot start. If Nashville can maintain production out of that spot, they might just make it out of the first playoff round.
Off Rank: 3rd
Def Rank: 8th
Pit Rank: 4th
Overall: 2nd (slightly over achieving)
Prince Edward Island Mussels (6-6)
The freshly rebranded Mussels entered the league with a sense of hope and excitement. And then the season started. Kevin Gausman can only win so many games on his own. The offense is floundering despite a decent start by corner infielders, Longoria and Alonso. If the bats can wake up, the defense buckles down, and the pitching shows up this team might be a contender.
Off Rank: 16th
Def Rank: 12th
Pit Rank: 13th
Overall: 16th (over achieving)
Philadelphia Phantoms (3-9)
Zero wins. Eight losses. Not the fresh start Philadelphia fans were hoping for when the new-look team took the field. Bruce is off to the best start of his career with a 0.946 OPS with Machado right behind at 0.939. While management blames a Newman-sized hole in the lineup - offense isn't what has held this team back. Since trading away Jacob deGrom this pitching staff has an ERA of 5.96 and gives up two home runs per game.
Off Rank: 6th
Def Rank: 10th
Pit Rank: 16th
Overall: 10th (under achieving)
Shanghai Wu Xia (6-6)
Off to one of their best starts in team history, this .500 club hangs its hat on...passable defense? It surely isn't the .649 team OPS or the 4.83 ERA. Our hats are off to Salvador Perez who will surely win another Gold Glove as the team around him fights to finish at .500.
Off Rank: 14th
Def Rank: 9th
Pit Rank: 15th
Overall: 15th (over achieving)
Tokyo Kaiju (5-7)
The Monster Offense is back with a vengeance. With the exception of franchise superstar, Juan Soto, the Kaiju offense is mashing and playing gold glove-caliber defense. Then the pitching staff got involved. The team ERA is north of 5.50 with Taijuan Walker being the lone bright spot in the rotation. They need to right the ship quickly as they enter week 4 with a 7-game losing streak.
Off Rank: 1st
Def Rank: 1st
Pit Rank: 12th
Overall: 4th (most under achieving)
Vatican Angels (8-4)
The Angels are playing Bovine baseball but they're actually doing it well. The pitching staff is the best in the league despite Chris Sale's existence. Team defense has been solid and the offense is getting by. If this team could hit, they might just give fans hope of a playoff run.
Off Rank: 11th
Def Rank: 3rd
Pit Rank: 1st
Overall: 4th (slightly over achieving)
Waikiki Whale Sharks (6-6)
Known as defensive wizards in this league, the Whale Sharks are winning with great D and explosive offense. They're losing with an abysmal pitching staff led by bullpen studs such as Noe Ramirez and Jordan Sheffield. Whalepogs in chat as we all celebrate the Waikiki mediocrity.
Off Rank: 2nd
Def Rank: 2nd
Pit Rank: 15th
Overall: 8th (on par)
West Virginia Black Bears (5-7)
The perennial division champs got stomped in week 1 by the rival quadrupedes and at 0-5 had their worst start in team history. The supposed defensive upgrades of the draft were laughed away as Trea Turner single handedly tanks the team defensive metrics. Their first pick in the draft, supposed ace Tanner Houck, has an ERA over 6 and hasn't looked good once this season. The league watches with bated breath as the Black Bears wallow in the bottom half of the league.
Off Rank: 9th
Def Rank: 15th
Pit Rank: 9th
Overall: 9th (slightly under achieving)