2015 CFOD Playoff Race Mid-Season Review IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE HELD TODAY - Mantle Division - Mechan Syndicate (62-24) Koufax Division - Pig's Eye Pirates (57-28) Ruth Division - California Coneheads (48-38) Young Division - Park City Climbers (54-32) MK Conference Wildcard - Springfield 'Topes (50-35) RY Conference Wildcard - Seattle Moshers (51-34) #1 League Wildcard - Minneapolis Malice (50-36) #2 League Wildcard - Angry Candy (49-39) IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT: San Francisco Organization (46-39, 1 1/2 games behind) Cincinnati Rock (46-42, 3 games behind) Rocklin Thunder (43-41, 4 games behind) Brookfield Brouhaha (43-41, 4 games behind) Topeka MooseDogs (44-43, 4 1/2 games behind) Somerville Sluggers (44-44, 5 games behind) San Diego Termites (43-45, 6 games behind) Paxtang Pitbulls (40-45, 7 1/2 games behind) *************************************** Mantle Division - 1st - Mechan Syndicate (62-24) - The Syndicate are firing on all cylinders, posting the league's best record at the break. George Springer is hitting .306 with 14 home runs, 52 runs scored and 43 RBI, Pedro Alvarez has 16 home runs and 48 RBI, and Mookie Betts is hitting .272 with 10 homers and 57 runs scored. Buster Posey has 45 RBI, Adam Eaton has a .365 on base average and 50 runs scored, and Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .314 with 13 home runs, 49 runs scored and 42 RBI. Zack Greinke is 10-6 with a 2.66 ERA, David Price is 10-2 with a 3.05 ERA, and Dallas Keuchel is 11-3 with a 3.79 ERA. Garrett Richards is 9-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Closer Brad Ziegler has 24 saves, tops in the league, along with a 2.66 ERA. 2nd - Springfield 'Topes (50-35, 11 1/2 games behind) - The 'Topes have been enjoying a strong season in the shadow of the Syndicate, positioning themselves for a wildcard spot. Matt Duffy is hitting .319 with 56 runs scored, Mitch Moreland has 14 home runs and 59 RBI, while Brock Holt is hitting .305 with 45 runs scored and 45 RBI. Stephen Vogt has 14 home runs and 50 RBI at the break. Ben Revere has 46 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. Mark Buehrle is enjoying a throwback season, going 9-3 with a 3.03 ERA. John Lackey has won 8 games with a 3.07 ERA, and Andrew Heaney is 7-4 with a 3.22 ERA. Will Harris has saved 11 games with a 2.89 ERA. 3rd - Angry Candy (49-39, 14 games behind) - Last year's champs are in position to defend their crown, holding onto a league wildcard spot at the break. Adam Lind is slugging .441 with 44 runs scored, and Andre Ethier is hitting .272 with 41 RBI. Shortstop Brandon Crawford has 10 home runs, 39 runs scored and 41 RBI. Jordan Zimmerman is 7-3 with a 3.35 ERA, and Carlos Carrasco has won 5 games with a 2.92 ERA. Closer Brandon Maurer has saved 12 games with a 2.39 ERA. 4th - San Francisco Organization (46-39, 15 1/2 games behind) - Once vying for the division lead with the Syndicate, the Organization have hit a slump and are currently on the outside looking in. Nori Aoki is hitting .278 with 41 runs scored and 21 stolen bases, and Justin Upton is hitting .271 with 41 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Adrian Gonzalez has hit 10 home runs with 48 RBI. Corey Kluber is 9-5 with a 3.18 ERA, and J.A. Happ is 9-4 with a 3.27 ERA. Santiago Casilla has 10 saves and Fernando Rodriguez has saved 14 games. BETTER LUCK NEXT SEASON - Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia, Arlington Arthropods *************************************** Koufax Division - 1st - Pig's Eye Pirates (57-28) - The Pirates lead the Mantle division on the strength of their pitching, which at a team ERA of 2.89 is league best. Jaime Garcia is 10-3 with a 1.78 ERA, Adam Warren is 9-4 with a 2.92 ERA and Jacob deGrom is 7-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Trevor Rosenthal has saved 13 games and won 6 more with a 3.20 ERA. Jose Altuve is hitting .323 with 9 home runs, 49 runs scored, 56 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Evan Longoria is hitting .283 with 17 home runs, 43 runs scored and 53 RBI. Christian Yelich is hitting .278 with 45 runs scored. Anthony Rizzo has 13 home runs, 50 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. 2nd - Minneapolis Malice (50-36, 7 1/2 games behind) - Heating up in recent weeks, the Malice have surged to a league wildcard position. Jose Bautista has bat flipped his way to 25 home runs, 56 runs scored and 65 RBI, while Joey Votto sports a .449 on base average, 13 home runs and 58 runs scored. Jason Kipnis is hitting .316 with 58 runs scored, and Randal Grichuk is hitting .300 with 13 home runs, 39 runs scored and 42 RBI. Carlos Rodon is 7-1 with a 2.83 ERA, Jon Lester is 8-3 with a 3.06 ERA and CJ Wilson is 7-1 with a 3.44 ERA. Closer David Robertson has 14 saves with a 1.24 ERA. 3rd - Cincinnati Rock (46-42, 12 1/2 games behind) - Despite making several in-season moves, the Rock will need to have a strong 2nd half if they are to be playoff bound. Logan Forsythe is hitting .306 with 50 runs scored, and recent acquisition Michael Brantley is hitting .336 with 18 runs scored and 20 RBI in 37 games. Gerrit Cole is 9-5 with a 1.93 ERA, Carlos Martinez is 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA and Johnny Cueto has won 10 games. Closer duties have been split, with no one reliever notching more than 6 at the break. 4th - Somerville Sluggers (44-44, 14 1/2 games behind) - If the Sluggers want to make the playoffs some moves will need to be necessary. AJ Pollock has been stellar, hitting .301 with 68 runs scored and 31 stolen bases. Manny Machado is hitting .293 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI, while Brian Dozier has hit 15 home runs with 51 RBI, and Mark Teixeira has 19 home runs with 49 runs scored and 43 RBI. Where things have been difficult is in the pitching. The Sluggers have a staff ERA of 4.30. Edinson Volquez has won 7 games, and Jeff Locke is 8-5 with a 3.87 ERA. Mark Lowe has saved 11 games with a 1.23 ERA, and Robbie Ross has saved 12. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR - Walcott Walruses, Lakeview Zeros *************************************** Ruth Division - 1st - California Coneheads (48-38) - The Coneheads are in familiar territory, leading the Ruth division at the all-star break and have scored the most runs in the league with 455. Paul Goldschmidt has been stellar, hitting .303 with 23 home runs, 71 runs scored and 62 RBI. David Peralta is hitting .312 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI, while DJ LeMahieu is hitting .297 with 47 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Joc Pederson has a .367 on base average, 15 home runs and 47 runs scored, while Kyle Schwarber is slugging .544 with 13 home runs. Danny Valencia is slugging .508 with 14 home runs. Yovani Gallardo has won 8 games with a 3.39 ERA, and Bartolo Colon 6 games. Closer Tony Watson has saved 15 games with a 1.07 ERA. 2nd - Topeka MooseDogs (44-43, 4 1/2 games behind) - The MooseDogs have been lighting some major fireworks behind Edwin Encarnacion. The first baseman has 31 home runs, 53 runs scored and 83 RBI at the break. Eric Hosmer is hitting .289 with 50 runs scored, and Adrian Beltre is hitting .336 with 41 runs scored. Shin Soo Choo has a .375 on base average with 50 runs scored. Clayton Kershaw has won 7 games with a 3.25 ERA, Jeff Samardzija has won 8 and Kyle Gibson has won 9 games at the break. 42 year old LaTroy Hawkins gets better with age, saving 13 games with a 2.45 ERA. 3rd - San Diego Termites (43-45, 6 games behind) - Last year's conference champs, the Termites are currently in the hunt for a playoff spot. Josh Donaldson has 19 home runs and 56 RBI, while Josh Reddick is hitting .307 with 44 runs scored. Francisco Cervelli is hitting .296 with 38 runs scored. Lance Lynn is 8-4 with a 3.15 ERA, but the rest of the full time starters have ERAs over 4.70. Closer Joaquin Benoit has been stellar, saving 19 games with 1.43 ERA. 4th - Paxtang Pitbulls (40-45, 7 1/2 games behind) - The door to the playoffs is rapidly closing for the Pitbulls this year. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .332 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI, and Andrew McCutchen is hitting .311 with 19 home runs and 67 RBI. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .295 with 53 runs scored, and Ben Zobrist has a .340 on base average with 46 runs scored. The pitching is where Paxtang has struggled, posting a team ERA of 4.19. Jason Hammel has won 10 games but with a 4.99 ERA. Closer Mychal Givens has been a bright spot, saving 12 games with a microscopic 0.27 ERA. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR - Miami Mangos, Pismo Beach Drunken Clams *************************************** Young Division - 1st - Park City Climbers (54-32) - A deep draft and developing players have placed the Climbers as the worst-to-first story of 2015. Rookie Kris Bryant has 13 home runs, 50 runs scored, 48 RBI and 13 stolen bases, while Charlie Blackmon has 54 runs scored and 31 stolen bases. Mike Moustakas is hitting .306 with 41 runs scored and 57 RBI, and Yoenis Cespedes has 13 home runs and 48 RBI. Mike Leake has a 10-4 record with a 3.55 ERA, and Jesse Hahn has a 6-3 record with a 2.21 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon has saved 15 games with a 2.27 ERA, and Roberto Osuna has saved 8 games with a 1.31 ERA. Overall the team ERA is 3.12, 3rd best in the league. 2nd - Seattle Moshers (51-34, 2 1/2 games behind) - What a difference a good defense can make! The Moshers are tied for the best fielding percentage team in the league, and Nolan Arenado, Alcides Escobar, Dee Gordon and Salvador Perez form an iron curtain in the infield. Arenado is hitting .296 with 21 home runs, 54 runs scored and 54 RBI. Gordon is hitting .313 with 46 runs scored and 53 stolen bases, while Mark Trumbo has 17 home runs with 46 RBI. The team ERA of 3.03 is 2nd best in the league. Trevor Bauer is 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA, James Shields has won 8 games and closer Mark Melancon has saved 18 games with a 2.08 ERA. 3rd - Rocklin Thunder (43-41, 10 games behind) - The Thunder are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, and much of that is thanks to the dynamic duo of David Ortiz (.304 average, 24 home runs, 68 RBI) and Bryce Harper (.291 average, 25 home runs, 80 runs scored, 51 RBI). Carlos Beltran is defying father time, hitting .286 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI, and Luis Valbuena has 16 home runs with 45 RBI. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud is hitting .312 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. Yordano Ventura is 6-4 with a 2.91 ERA, Chris Sale is 7-3 with a 2.86 ERA and Noah Syndergaard is 8-3 with a 2.96 ERA. Closing duties have been spread around, with no reliever notching more than 6 saves. 4th - Brookfield Brouhaha (43-41, 10 games behind) - The Brouhaha had an early season surge before settling down to earth. Chris Davis has hit 23 home runs with 53 runs scored and 56 RBI, while Abraham Almonte is slugging .509 with 35 runs scored. Tom Koehler is 9-5 despite posting a 4.03 ERA, and Kyle Hendricks has won 5 games with a 2.99 ERA. Closer Steven Wright has saved 14 games with a 2.18 ERA. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR - Tualatin Pioneers, San Francisco Piazza's