Post All-Star Musing, Part III

AL South:

1.  Monks


Donmossi has turned this franchise into a bunch of world beaters.  S32 saw them win 65 games...the 4th consecutive < 70 win season.  Since then?  95 wins is the worst they've done.  This season they're actually on pace to pull off 117 wins.  So how do they do it?  Well, they can hit.  A team OPS of .869 is nothing to sneeze at.  Didi Franco   leads the attack with 38 HR's & 102 RBI already.   Pitching?  Yep, they can do that too.  Team WHIP of 1.21 & ERA of 3.65.  The freakish Javier Villa
leads the way with a 16-2 record, a WHIP of .99, & an ERA of 2.93.  Did I mention he's only 26?

2.  Jack
They're playing pretty good ball, just a bit under .500.  Right now they're just 5 out of the 2cd wildcard, so they've got a big decision coming up.  Go for the playoffs or maybe bring some new talent in for next season.  They can hit, with a team BA of .288 & a team OPS just under .800.  They rely on balance for the offense as they remind me a bit of a collection of Mark Grace types with the bat.  The exception would be C Francis Jordan, who can mash, but due to his low durability rating, can only play part time.  Despite that, Jordan is having a career year.  Pitching is what's holding them back as their staff is middling at best at the moment. 

3.  Stunners
Austin is also hanging around with 49 wins right now.  The Stunners struggle a bit on offense, but power threat Angel Nunez  is having an outstanding season.  The catcher is closing in on 30 HR's & 100 RBI, while sporting an OPS of just under 1.000 so  far.  I think they've pitched better than the #'s indicate, but if their staff has one key issue it's this:  they give up a lot of HR's.  142 in 921.2 IP so far.  They're on pace to give up 221 as a team while hitting 137.  Despite that, they do boast some really nice pitchers, especially Louie Gandarilla and  young Wayne Wallace.  Wallace is really a great arm to build around. 

4.  Sometimes
Well, it's shaping up like another tough season for the Sometimes, but they do continue to pile up talent.  They've got 10 players 25 or younger on their active roster, if I counted right.  They're kind of an average offense, just doing a bit of everything well, but nothing great.  Pitching is really struggling, with an ERA > 5 and a WHIP topping 1.5.  They also give up a lot of HR's.  Closer Pat Chong  really illustrates that.  He's got a WHIP of 1.22 and 20 saves, but he's given up 7 HR's in 24.2 IP to lead to a 6.20 ERA.  He's an All-Star closer when he keeps the ball in the yard. 

Coming soon...the AL West, then onto the NL.