2011 CDBL Playoff Race Mid-Season Review IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE HELD TODAY - Aaron Division - Arkham Investigators (56-29) Paige Division - DBL Fishbiscuits (54-31) Gehrig Division - Concord Minutemen (51-33) Tiant Division - Boston Bulldogs (50-35) MK Conference Wildcard - Brookeville Bandits (53-31) RY Conference Wildcard - Carlsbad Surfers (50-33) #1 League Wildcard - Albuquerque Maul (51-34) #2 League Wildcard - Elk Grove Trout (48-36) IN THE WILDCARD PLAYOFF HUNT: Point Lomas Friars (47-39) - 2 games behind league WC Alphaville Caution (46-39) 2 1/2 games behind league WC Montreal Voltigeurs (44-40) - 4 games behind league WC Manhatten Beach Mashers (45-42) - 4 1/2 games behind league WC Springfield Isotopes (43-42) 5 1/2 games behind league WC Georgia Pines (42-42) - 6 games behind league WC ************************************************************************************************************** Aaron Division - 1st - Arkham Investigators (56-29) - The Investigators posted the best record at the all-star break. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .325 with 13 home runs, 50 runs scored and 41 RBI, while Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .295 with 16 home runs, 48 runs scored and 39 RBI. Yadier Molina is hitting .269 with 38 RBI. Arkham's 3.31 team ERA is best in the conference. Brandon McCarthy is 12-2 with a 2.41 ERA, and Dan Haren is 10-5 with a 3.65 ERA. Jhoulys Chacin has a 2.38 ERA and a 8-4 record. Closer Joaquin Benoit has saved 20 games with a 1.71 ERA. Arkham is firing on all cylinders and have opportunities to get even better via a few trades. 2nd - Elk Grove Trout (48-36, 7 1/2 games behind Arkham) - Matt Kemp has entered the MVP conversation, hitting .353 with 22 home runs, 62 runs scored and 69 RBI at the break. Eric Hosmer is hitting .318 with 48 RBI, and Ryan Braun is hitting .313 with 19 home runs and 64 runs scored. Brandon Phillips has added a .294 average with 44 runs scored. Doug Fister is 9-4 with a 3.15 ERA, and Brett Myers is 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA. Closer Edward Mujica has 22 saves with a 2.79 ERA. While it may be difficult to catch Arkham for the Aaron division title, Elk Grove is currently the #2 league wildcard. 3rd - Point Lomas Friars (47-39, 9 1/2 games behind Arkham) - After a poor start which saw them be one of the last teams to record their first win, the Friars have come back into contention. Albert Pujols is hitting .301 with 24 home runs, 49 runs scored and 59 RBI, while Evan Longoria has 21 home runs and 47 RBI. Point Lomas made a trade a the all-star break for Jhonny Peralta, who is hitting .287 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. Vance Worley is 7-1 with a 3.02 ERA, and Michael Pineda is 7-5 with a 4.25 ERA. Closer Scott Downs has 9 saves with a 1.07 ERA. While they are currently out of the playoffs, they are entering the 2nd half with a lot of forward momentum. 4th - Montreal Voltigeurs (44-40, 11 1/2 games behind Arkham) - BJ Upton has been an RBI machine, hitting .262 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI. Hunter Pence is hitting .374 with 70 runs scored and 65 RBI, while Chase Headley is hitting .302 with 68 runs scored. Montreal's 419 runs scored is best in the conference. Mike Leake is 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA, and John Danks is 7-7 with a 3.85 ERA. Closer Chris Perez is 4-2 with 14 saves and a 3.62 ERA. The Voltigeurs made need to make a trade or two in order to see the post-season. 5th - Manhatten Beach Mashers (45-42, 12 games behind Arkham) - The Mashers were in playoff position before a major skid before the all-star break dropped them back. Mike Morse is hitting .270 with 26 home runs, 65 runs scored and 63 RBI, while Dan Uggla has 20 home runs, 44 runs scored and 48 RBI. CC Sabathia is 9-5 with a 3.49 ER, and closer Ryan Madson has saved 16 games with a 1.42 ERA. Just as a major losing streak dropped them back, a big winning streak could bring them back into playoff contention. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR - Dallas SuperSquad ************************************************************************************************************** Paige Division - 1st - DBL Fishbiscuits (54-31) - DBL is poised to make some noise in the post-season. Robinson Cano is hitting .319 with 18 home runs, 62 runs scored and 51 RBI. Jose Bautista has bat-flipped his way to a .291 average with 19 home runs, 60 runs scored and 49 RBI. Matt Holliday is hitting .300 with 15 home runs, 62 runs scored and 49 RBI, and Prince Fielder has slugged 24 home runs with 48 runs scored and 45 RBI. Matt Cain is 15-1 with a 2.29 ERA, and Chris Carpenter is 11-3 with a 2.65 ERA. Gio Gonzalez has gone 8-1 thanks to some strong run support. Heath Bell notched 10 saves with a 1.80 ERA before the team traded for Mariano Rivera, who has 14 saves with the team and a 1.52 ERA. 2nd - Brookeville Bandits (53-31, 1/2 game behind DBL) - Hot on the trail of the Fishbiscuits are the Bandits, who are just 1/2 game behind. Adrian Beltre is hitting .271 with 20 home runs, 54 runs scored and 53 RBI, and Casey Kotchman is hitting .327 with 40 runs scored. Matt Harrison is 6-3 with a 3.69 ERA, and Daniel Hudson has won 8 games. Closer Sean Marshall has saved 16 games and won another 6, but it sporting a middling 4.29 ERA. Brookeville may look to the trade market to keep competitive for the Paige division title. 3rd - Springfield Isotopes (43-42, 11 games behind DBL) - With no management, the Isotopes are looking like they'll cruise to a .500 record. Shane Victorino is hitting .290 with 20 stolen bases and 68 RBI, and Dustin Pedroia is hitting .313 with 47 runs scored and 49 RBI. Nelson Cruz has added 12 home runs and 52 RBI, while Derrek Lee has 13 home runs and 44 RBI. Zachary Britton is 8-2 with a 3.13 ERA, and close Kenley Jansen has 12 saved, a 5-0 record and a 1.36 ERA. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR - White Rock Phantoms, Tualatin Thunder, Madison Muckrakers ************************************************************************************************************** Gehrig Division - 1st - Concord Minutemen (51-33) - A surge near the all-star break saw the Minutemen post the best record in the conference. Paul Konerko is hitting .327 with 18 home runs, 46 runs scored and 65 RBI, and Lance Berkman is hitting .338 with 19 home runs, 57 runs scored and 60 RBI. Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .287 with 14 home runs, 54 runs scored and 54 RBI, and Mike Napoli is hitting .313 with 18 home runs, 53 runs scored and 52 RBI. Josh Beckett is 7-3 with a 4.25 ERA, and Derek Holland is 8-4 with a 4.47 ERA. Reliever Francisco Cordero has saved 16 games but with a rather high 5.27 ERA. Craig Kimbrel has fared much better in the closer role, saving 9 games with a 2.27 ERA. A few more pitching arms would strengthen Concord's grip on the division. 2nd - Carlsbad Surfers (50-33, 1/2 game behind Concord) - Justin Upton has been stellar, hitting .296 with 20 home runs, 62 runs scored and 62 RBI. Mark Reynolds has smacked 19 home runs with 51 RBI, and Joey Votto is hitting .301 with 16 home runs, 53 runs scored and 46 RBI. Andrew McCutchen has 13 home runs and 45 RBI, while Jacoby Ellsbury has swiped 20 bases and scored 59 runs. David Price is 7-6 with a 2.95 ERA. Closer Fernando Salas has saved 9 games with a 1.93 ERA. Carlsbad's 3.27 team ERA is 2nd best in the major leagues. The Surfers are currently post-season bound, occupying the GT Conference Wildcard. 3rd - Albuquerque Maul (51-34, 1/2 game behind Concord) - Freddie Freeman is having a stellar first full year, hitting .356 with 18 home runs, 50 runs scored and 53 RBI. Jose Reyes is hitting .356 with 17 stolen bases and 56 runs scored, and Mark Trumbo has smacked 15 home runs with 62 RBI. Emilio Bonifacio is hitting .320 with 19 stolen bases and 47 runs scored. Dexter Fowler has scored 64 runs, and mid-season acquisition Alex Rodriguez is hitting a combined .335 with 44 runs scored and 42 RBI. Kyle Lohse is 10-3 with a 4.21 ERA, and Paul Maholm is 7-1 with a 2.29 ERA. Closer Joel Hanrahan has saved 20 games with a 1.83 ERA. The Maul are still a threat to win the division and presently occupy a wildcard spot. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Anchorage Gold Diggers, Topeka Stingers, Hong Kong Cavaliers ************************************************************************************************************** Tiant Division - 1st - Boston Bulldogs (50-35) - With 459 runs scored Boston has the highest powered offense in the league, and their +116 run margin is league best. JJ Hardy is hitting .274 with 21 home runs, 56 runs scored and 58 RBI, and Giancarlo Stanton has 15 home runs, 52 runs scored and 57 RBI. David Ortiz is hitting .314 with 15 home runs, 52 runs scored and 50 RBI. Miguel Montero is hitting .310 with 41 RBI. James Shields is 11-2 with a 2.99 ERA, and Carlos Villanueva is 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA. Former closer Rafael Betancourt struggled, notching 11 saves but with a 4.80 ERA. John Axford was brought on via trade and saved 3 games in 3 appearances, but has an uncharacteristic 5.40 ERA. If they can figure out their late inning struggles the Bulldogs could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. 2nd - Alphaville Caution (46-39, 4 games behind Boston) - The offense is pretting anemic, hitting .242/.307/.351 as a team. Cameron Maybin has 27 stolen bases and 44 runs scored, and Garret Jones has 44 RBI. The Caution are staying in contention thanks to their pitching, which has a league best 3.08 team ERA. Bruce Chen is 8-4 with a 2.55 ERA, and Freddy Garcia is 7-6 with a 3.07 ERA. Closer Mark Melancon has saved 11 games with a 2.76 ERA. A couple of high impact hitters could goose Alphaville's chances for a playoff spot. 3rd - Georgia Pines (42-42, 7 1/2 games behind Boston) - Pablo Sandoval is having a fine season, hitting .296 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI. Mike Carp is hitting .284 with 47 RBI, and Asdrubal Cabrera has scored 48 runs. Cole Hamels is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA, and Justin Verlander is 7-5 with a 2.67 ERA. Mike Adams has 15 saves, but a 4.50 ERA. A few key trades could see their post-season hopes improve in the 2nd half. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Dedham Destroyers, Half Moon Bay Dragons, Milwaukee Pilots