1992 HALFTIME REPORT HALFTIME A.L. ALL-STAR TEAM C-MIKE MCFARLANE, FRA—13-34-.264 1B-FRANK THOMAS, CAR—18-65-.399 2B-ROBERTO ALOMAR, BRK—3-44-.307 3B-GARY SHEFFIELD, LAF—18-73-.319 SS-BARRY LARKIN, CAR—4-28-.332 LF-DAVE WINFIELD, PIT—12-71-.314 CF-BARRY BONDS, BAL—13-55-.322 RF-JOE CARTER, CAR—18-79-.268 SP-JUAN GUZMAN, PIT—11-2, 2.34 CL-DENNIS ECKERSLEY, BSS—1-2, 1.55, 19 Saves AL EAST REPORT NOTHING COULD BE FINER THAN TO BE IN CAROLINA The Lighthouse offense is lighting it up in 92. They’re on pace to score 850 runs are a full 40 runs better than the Redbird on base machine. Frank Thomas is making a run at the Triple Crown and is getting outstanding star support from Kirby Puckett, Barry Larkin, Juan Gonzalez and Joe Carter. Starters Kevin Brown, Bill Wegman and Jose Guzman are pitching well and 4 and 5 guys Jim Abbott and Terry Mulholland are a combined 12-3 thanks to 6+ runs a game support. If they can hold their lead in July they’ll be in good shape for the August/September divisional showdowns. Lafayette is hanging tough at 6 games back tied with Black Swamp for second place. Although Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson are only a combined 15-15, they would have a much better record if they got the same run support as the other starters. They’re getting 3.5 runs a game from the offense while Jackson, Lefferts and Ryan are receiving 4.5+. But then offense is the big question mark here. Gary Sheffield and Wil Clark are having dynamite years but Jay Bell, Mike Devereaux and Mark Whiten are underachieving and need to pick it up in the second half t o help out the pitching staff. They should stay close unless Carolina just up and runs away with it. Black Swamp fans are singing “Where has all the power gone?” as their team struggles to put up runs. Pitching is the name of the game in Black Swamp and it has to be since they have the worst offense in the league scoring only 3.4 runs per game. Although Dave Stewart has struggled some the other starters Bruce Hurst, Julio Valera and Ron Darling are doing just fine. The bullpen is decent and Dennis Eckersley is the stud closer. The problem lies with the offense where most of the starters are underachieving and power is lacking. Still, they’re only 6 back and if the batters can get some footing they may be able to make a second half run. Perennial champ Quigley sits 9 back and have its hands full to try and stake its claim for yet another title. But a 9-18 June plummeted them from first place to a .500 record. You know your offense is sluggish when a part time bonus player (Greg Litton) is leading your team in homers (12). Amongst the regulars, Felix Jose is having a good year but several others are underperforming and will have to step it up to get the Q’s closer to the top. Pitching has always been a Q strong suit but they find themselves in the middle of the pack in team pitching stats and Jose Rijo has been the only consistent starter. Beach City sits 10 back at the break and only John Kruk and Pat Listasch have been offensive stars. Sparkplug Tim Raines has struggled mightily and if he can get on track to match his real life efforts it could provide the boost the Dukes need. Only three teams in the league have given up fewer runs, so their pitching is doing just fine. All five starters, led by Ken Hill at 10-5, have put up good numbers and the worst ERA by a pen regular is 3.76. There are probably too many teams to jump over for the di vision crown but if the offense scores a few more runs and the fine pitching continues, this team will not be a pushover on the schedule. In Dexter it’s all about the pitching or lack thereof. They’ve surrendered a league high 406 runs and even the fourth best offense in terms of runs scored cannot overcome that. The biggest problem has been starter Chris Nabholz who was the best pitcher on paper and is the worst on the field. A second half turnaround could help to put a few more wins on the road. AL WEST REPORT ISLANDERS CRASH THE PARTY The big story out west has been the bursting on the scene of the Pitcairn Islanders. What was supposed to be a Redbird-Bridegroom redux now has a third party trying to cut in. There is one big caveat for the Islanders. Several of their key players sustained a lot of usage in the first half and they’ll need some upgraded performances from their bench players to run the rest of the way with the pack. At this point, though, they stand only 2 back of Baltimore on the strength of starters Jack McDowell and Juan Guzman(a combined 22-4) and closer Steve Olin, who has rung up 16 saves. Baltimore sits atop the division despite some spotty pitching and some horrid turns from a couple of offensive stars. They’re still putting lots of runs on the board thanks to Phillips, Bonds and Henderson and if stars like Fryman, Tettleton, Gwynn, Harnisch and Dibble start performing similar to real life, this team could sprint to the finish line in first. Brooklyn is sitting only four back and like a big cat in tall grass they’re ready to pounce on any weakness shown by the Redbirds or Islanders. They came into the season with strong pitching and weak hitting and it’s run true to form for the season. The only thing I see holding them back is the pitching is underperforming slightly from pre season expectations. If they lower their runs scored against number only slightly they could easily move back to the top of the division. Chicago is not to be forgotten in this race. They sit only five back and their pitching has given up fewer runs than anyone in the league. Starters Appier, Gross, Morgan, Schilling and Bielecki have been sterling and there’s been a good group effort from the bullpen. What’s holding them back is a team batting average of .231 and team OBA of .309. If they can kick those offensive numbers up they’ll stay in the hunt the rest of the way. Frankfort is the mirror image of Brooklyn and Chicago. They can bang the ball(league leading 89 homers) and score runs(third best 349). Fielder, Hollins, C.Davis, Blauser, McFarlane and Curtis are all having fine seasons and have plenty left in the tank for the second half. Pitching is the problem. A 4.62 ERA and 403 runs given up negate the offensive output and put the Dogs at 40-40. Nonetheless, they sit only 6 back with 82 to play and it ain’t over until it’s over. Pandora is right where they should be. Not much was expected prior to the season and they are 18 games under .500 and 15 back. Not all is bleak, however. Swindell, Fernandez and Hershiser have pitched well, if not always with luck, and the bullpen has been solid. Chuck Knoblauch is a star and Eric Davis has shown suprising power. It’s a rebuilding year but don’t be surprised if they play divisional spoiler when playing contenders in September. 1992 NL HALFTIME REPORT HALFTIME NL ALLSTAR TEAM C-DARRIN DAULTON, CLE---11-46-.319 1B-RAFAEL PALMEIRO, AC---16-53-.274 2B-RYNE SANDBERG, WAB---12-45-.324 3B-TERRY PENDLETON, CLE---14-53-.279 SS-MIKE BORDICK, CLE---1-28-.308 LF-SHANE MACK, AC-11-46-.322 CF-KEN GRIFFEY, KAN---14-48-.283 RF-BERNARD GILKEY, FSS---6-38-.335 SP-DOUG DRABEK, KIT---10-2, 2.04 CL-GREG HARRIS, FSS----3-1, 0.82, 30 Saves NL EAST REPORT HEDGEHOGS RUN BUT THEY CANNOT HIDE In Kitsilano starting pitching is the name of the game. Starters have 40 of the 50 Hedgehog wins in the first half. Led by league best no-hitting pitcher Doug Drabek the starting pitching has been sharp and bullpen has just sparkled. The offense is statistically slotted in the top half of league stats and while not a powerhouse they have scored more than enough to match the fine pitching and have more wins than any other team. If Brett Butler gets going and the pitchers maintain their first half success, they should have a fine second half and be very tough to beat. It’s not time to hang the pennant in Kitsilano because Frisco is only 2 back. They’ve done it on the strength of a pitching staff that matches any in the league, having the lowest ERA and given up the fewest runs. Nobody’s taking a star turn but everyone is competently taking care of business and keeping opponents off home plate. The offense is in the middle of runs scored but Mark McGwire, Bernard Gilkey and Edgar Martinez are driving the bus with adequate support from the rest of the cast. Cleveland is lodged only 4 back with the third most wins(46) in the league. Terry Pendleton, Darrin Daulton, Larry Walker and Albert Belle form a very fine offensive corp and Mike Bordick is the first half All-Star at SS. Mel Stottlemyer and Mark Gardner are leading the starting corps and microscopic ERA’s are the norm in the pen. Kitsilano and Frisco can not relax and the August and September division squareoffs will decide this division. In Atlantic City there is good news and bad news. The good news is that they’re #1 in offense in the league. The bad news is that they’re #10 in pitching in the league. More good news is that they’re still in striking distance at only 7 back. Biggio, Palmeiro, Canseco and Mack are the big four leading the offense but they’ll need more support in the second half than they got from their teammates in the first. Niskayuna sits 11 back at the break and has a long climb to get back into the race. The heavy load here is the offense which is 10th in NL runs scored while the pitching is 4th in the league. A team .298 oba will just not produce a lot of runs. Danny Tartabull is having a fine season but has little or no support from either regulars or backups. Most of the pitching staff is doing their parts with solid performances, but poor run support has blighted their won-loss lines. Time to think about next year’s draft? Phoenix is the stepchild of the division, sitting 23 back, with the worst record in either league, and thinking only about the players available in the 93 draft. The pitching staff, which hasn’t done too badly, may be thinking of suing the offense for lack of run support. Most of the batters are barely above the .300 mark in oba, yes oba, not average. Jerry Nielson is the only pitcher who can be slotted in the “just stinks” department. The rest have been good to respectable. Bring on the draft! NL WEST REPORT WABASH RIVERS ONLY TEAM TO CREST ABOVE THE .500 MARK Wabash, at 45-35 would be in fourth place in the NL East, but fortune has slotted them in the West. The offense is just fine, thank you. They’re second in runs scored and first in on base and OPS. Veterans Paul Molitor, Ryne Sandberg and Andy VanSlyke have led the way and are getting good support from several secondary and role players. The pitching is 8th in runs allowed and near the bottom in ERA and WHIP too. They have just not jelled as a unit but may have a little more success in the second half going against a generally weaker National League. The y’ll win the division but need to step up the pitching numbers for the playoffs. Cedar Rapids sits 6 games back and are 11th in runs scored and 4th in runs allowed. Since their batters are not underachieving and the offense should look similar in the second half, I don’t expect them to make a run at the Rivers. The pitching, particularly Clemens and Navarro has been very good. Only Drabek has been better than the Rocket in the first half and Navarro would make an All-Star team easily. Henke, Forster and Plunk have all shone brightly in the pen. Cyclone fans must hope for a Wabash collapse to have any realistic hopes of com peting for the title. East Kenosha sits 9 back, are 8th in runs scored, 6th in runs allowed, and Leopard fans are beginning to miss Roger Clemens. George Bell is having a fine season and youngster Eric Karros is offering hope for the future but Dave Justice and Otis Nixon have disappointed. The pitching isn’t bad but only Lee Smith has turned in a star performance thus far. These Leopards will not cross the Rivers. Red Bluff has had a tough year defending the SPB5 title. They sit 10 back but are doing better than I had picked them at seasons start. They’re seventh in both runs scored and allowed. Bip Roberts, Fred McGriff and Harold Baines are having fine years, but Wade Boggs, Ron Gant and Luis Polonia have disappointed. David Cone and Mike Schooler are having very good years but the rest of the staff has been average. Anything near 75 wins would be a successful season for the Rough Riders. New Jersey sits 14 back and is 18 games under .500. They sit 9th in runs scored and 9th in runs allowed and their lies the tale. Of course, not a lot was expected coming into the season, so they’re basically right where they should be, in striking distance of the number one pick in the draft. Cory Snyder leads the team with 9 homers, Mark Grace and Ray Lankford are having good, albeit, low power years and Cal Ripken is struggling. Mike Mussina and Charles Nagy are having fine years but are only a combined .500. The rest of the staff has been so-so. Wait till next year. What’s the matter with Kansas? In a word-pitching. The Storm have given up 50 more runs than any other NL team and are last or near last in all important pitching measurements. Hard to win games that way and they sit 16 back and is a serious contender for the first draft pick. Jack Morris and Dwight Gooden have done their part but everyone else is not. They are 5th in runs scored and Baerga, Griffey and Deer are having nice years, although Paul Sorrento has been disappointing. On to draft day and next year.