2020 CFOD Playoff Race Mid-Season Review IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE HELD TODAY - Mantle Division - Mechan Syndicate (49-37) Koufax Division - Cincinnati Rock (60-28) Ruth Division - Dallas SuperSquad (53-32) Young Division - San Francisco Piazza's (50-36) MK Conference Wildcard - Walcott Walruses (56-32) RY Conference Wildcard - Park City Climbers (50-36) #1 League Wildcard - Chandler Killers (50-36) #2 League Wildcard - Somerville Sluggers (51-37) IN THE WILDCARD PLAYOFF HUNT: Lakeview Zeros (51-37) - 0 games back (but losing tiebreaker to SOM) Olympia Rainiers (49-36) - 1/2 game back San Francisco Organization (48-37) - 1 1/2 games back (1/2 game behind MEC in Mantle) Slam Diego Termites (49-39) - 2 games back Topeka MooseDogs (48-39) - 2 1/2 games back Seattle Moshers (44-41) - 5 1/2 games back Brookfield Brouhaha (4-41) - 6 games back Miami Mangos (43-42) - 6 1/2 games back *************************************** Mantle Division - 1st - Mechan Syndicate (49-37) - The Syndicate currently lead the Mantle division, thanks to the play of franchise outfielder Mookie Betts (.323 average, 24 home runs, 51 runs scored and 73 RBI). Betts is joined by Brandon Lowe, enjoying a breakout season, hitting .321 with 31 home runs, 84 runs scored and 81 RBI. Randal Grichuk has added 18 home runs and 48 RBI, while DJ Stewart has 15 home runs and 63 runs scored with a .390 on base average. Tyler Anderson has gone 9-1 with a 3.47 ERA, while Corbin Burnes is 8-3 with a 2.57 ERA. Closer Chad Green has saved 16 games. With just a 1/2 game lead over the Organization, the Syndicate may need to grab another hitter or pitcher to maintain their lead. 2nd - San Francisco Organization (48-37, 1/2 game behind) - San Fran's double play combo of Jose Iglesias and Wilmer Flores is getting it done. Iglesias is hitting .363 with 55 runs scored and 53 RBI, while Flores has 20 home runs, 57 runs scored and 66 RBI. Jason Heyward is having a resurgence, sporting an .398 on base average with 48 runs scored. Shane Bieber has been an ace, going 9-5 with a 2.31 ERA. Rich Hill is 8-3 with a 3.24 ERA, and Brady Singer has won 8 games. Closer duties have been split between Genesis Cabrera (10 saves, 1.13 ERA) and Daniel Bard (2.90 ERA, 14 saves). Being just 1/2 game behind the Syndicate, it may come down to who can make the better deals down the stretch. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Arlington Arthropods, Lubbock Flatlanders, Angry Candy, Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia *************************************** Koufax Division - 1st - Cincinnati Rock (60-28) - Winning streaks of 18 games and their current 8 game streak have put the Rock up on top with the best record in the majors. Jared Walsh has hit .335 with 23 home runs, 42 runs scored and 69 RBI. Kyle Tucker has hit .285 with 17 home runs, 55 runs scored, 69 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Jeff McNeil is hitting .294 with 62 runs scored, and Alec Bohm is hitting .321 with 45 runs scored. Zach Plesac is 12-3 with a 3.02 ERA, Brandon Woodruff is 11-5 with a 3.17 ERA, Marco Gonzalez is 11-4 with a 3.29 ERA, while their "ace" Gerrit Cole is 9-4 with a 3.49 ERA. Joely Rodriguez went 4-1 with 14 saves and a 1.83 ERA before burning out before the all-star break. The team's 3.35 ERA is best in the MK conference. The playoffs are a sure thing, but is an additional hitter in the team's plans for a deep run in the playoffs? 2nd - Walcott Walruses (56-32, 4 games behind) - Trevor Story has been having a banner year, hitting .289 with 13 triples, 19 stolen bases, 15 home runs and 73 runs scored. Ian Happ has a .392 on base average with 19 home runs, 64 runs scored and 51 RBI. George Springer has hit 20 home runs with 64 runs scored and 65 RBI, while last year's MVP Cody Bellinger has 13 home runs, 44 runs scored and 48 RBI. Aaron Nola is 10-6 with a 3.24 ERA, and Sonny Gray is 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA. Closer Chris Martin has saved 18 games, won another 6 with a 1.03 ERA. Walcott has the league's 2nd best record, it is just their unfortunate luck to be in the same division with the league's top record. 3rd - Chandler Killers (50-36, 9 games behind) - Rookie Ke'Bryan Hayes had a standout first half, hitting .386 with 14 home runs, 56 runs scored and 80 RBI before burning out. DJ LeMahieu has gone .325 with 14 home runs, 68 runs scored and 60 RBI, while Jon Berti has a .398 on base average and 51 runs scored with 21 stolen bases. Aaron Hicks has a .396 on base average with 67 runs scored, and Joey Votto has beat back father time, notching a .383 on base average with 52 runs scored and 57 RBI. Chandler's 515 runs scored is best in the league. Blake Snell has won 8 games, albeit with a 5.24 ERA and lots of run support. Devin Williams has been fantastic in the closer role, saving 13 games with a miniscule 0.44 ERA. Currently holding onto a playoff spot, the Killers might need to trade for a pitcher or two to secure their spot in the post- season. 4th - Somerville Sluggers (51-37, 9 games behind) - Teoscar Hernandez has burst onto the scene, smashing 36 home runs with 62 runs scored and 82 RBI at the break. Dominic Smith is hitting .320 with 20 home runs, 62 runs scored and 67 RBI. Franchise infielder Manny Machado is hitting .296 with 15 home runs, 67 runs scored and 52 RBI, while rookie phenom Kyle Lewis is hitting .288 with 18 home runs and 62 runs scored. The middle fielders, catcher Christian Vazquez, shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Trent Grisham all sport .600 OPS lines, so an upgrade at one or more of those positions could solidify their league wildcard spot. Ian Anderson went 10-5 with a 2.90 ERA before burning out. Closer duties have been spread out so far, with no reliever notching more than 7 saves. Some upgrades to pitching may be in order if they want to stave off the ... 5th - Lakeview Zeros (51-37, 9 games behind) - Currently out of the playoffs by a tiebreaker, a consistent 2nd half may put them into the playoffs. Freddie Freeman is flirting with MVP honors, hitting .393 with 26 home runs, 66 runs scored and 54 RBI. Trea Turner has hit .298 with 59 runs scored, 52 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Jackie Bradley Jr. has a .352 on base average with 16 home runs, 60 runs scored and 65 RBI. Christian Yelich has brought the power, smashing 23 home runs with 47 runs scored and 66 RBI. Catcher James McCann has hit .344 with 32 runs scored in just 151 at bats. Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt have each won 9 games, and Yu Darvish is 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA. Reliever Ryan Borucki has saved 12 games with a 2.10 ERA. Of the 3 teams effectively tied in this division, Lakeview actually has the least amount of questions on burnout replacements, and could quickly move into a playoff spot. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Pig's Eye Pirates *************************************** Ruth Division - 1st - Dallas SuperSquad (53-32) - Chugging along nicely, the SuperSquad appear to be locks for the post-season. Jose Ramirez is having another great year, hitting .295 with 23 home runs, 59 runs scored and 67 RBI, while fellow infielder Xander Bogaerts is hitting .293 with 20 home runs, 53 runs scored and 61 RBI. Luke Voit has been cleaning up, hitting 26 home runs with 60 runs scored and 70 RBI. The team ERA of 3.36 is 3rd best in the majors. Antontio Senzatela is 9-3 with a 2.93 ERA, while Zac Gallen is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA. Closer Brad Hand has saved 15 games, won another 5 and has a 2.78 ERA. More pitching and more hitting are always welcome for a deep post-season run. 2nd - Olympia Rainiers (49-36, 4 games behind) - The youngsters are leading the way, as 21 year old Juan Soto is hitting .288 with 18 home runs, 61 runs scored and 63 RBI, while 26 year old Corey Seager is hitting .284 with 18 home runs, 65 runs scored and 52 RBI. Clint Frazier is hitting a terrible .189, but has still translated that to 58 runs scored. Gio Urshela has added 45 runs scored. Julio Urias has been strong in the rotation, going 9-4 with a 2.94 ERA. Fellow starter Zach Davis is 8-4 with a 3.84 ERA. Setup man Tyler Matzek has been great, going 7-1 with 5 saves and 0.87 ERA, but main closer Phil Maton has struggled, going 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA (but still picking up 16 saves). Another hitter and a tweak to their bullpen may be all the Rainiers need to pull into the post-season. 3rd - Slam Diego Termites (49-39, 5 1/2 games behind) - The Termites pitching staff has been excellent, posting a league best 3.28 team ERA. Masahiro Tanaka is 7-5 with a 3.17 ERA, Kenta Maeda is 7-6 with a 3.27 ERA, and JA Happ is 6-6 with a 3.48 ERA. Closer Jeremy Jeffress has saved 15 games with a 1.64 ERA. Willi Castro has been the bright spot on offense, hitting .348 with 13 home runs, 47 runs scored and 52 RBI. But the rest of the lineup as struggled. Ronald Acuna Jr is hitting just .174, albeit with 17 home runs and 55 runs scored. Unlocking their hitting woes is the key to moving into a playoff spot. 4th - Topeka MooseDogs (48-39, 6 games behind) - Rookie Fernando Tatis Jr is having a fantastic year, hitting .298 with 25 home runs, 70 runs scored and 75 RBI. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .332 with 27 home runs, 75 runs scored and 80 RBI, while infielder Ty France is hitting .345 with 55 runs scored and 41 RBI. As great as those players are, Brian Anderson, Shogo Akiyama and Matt Joyce have been automatic outs this year and has held back the offense. Clayton Kershaw has put in another stellar year, going 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA. Hyun Jim Ryu has won 9 games, and closer Josh Hader has saved 16 games with a 3.34 ERA. Some tweaks to their hitting lineup could see Topeka rise in the 2nd half. 5th - Miami Mangos (43-42, 10 games behind) - Off-season acquisition Paul Goldschmidt is having a nice year, hitting .328 with 16 home runs, 48 runs scored and 52 RBI. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .271 with 44 runs scored. Bo Bichette's line of .293/.314/.465 is decent but will not be a full time player this year. Zack Wheeler has been fantastic, going 10-4 with a 2.40 ERA to start the all-star game. Lucas Giolito has gone 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA, and closer Tyler Duffey has saved 17 games with a 2.86 ERA. The hitting is likely not there for Miami to make the post-season this year, but a winning record is certainly not out of the question. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: California Coneheads *************************************** Young Division - 1st - San Francisco Piazza's (50-36) - Mainstay 1B Jose Abreu continues to perform, hitting 21 home runs with 60 runs scored and 51 RBI. Youngster Mike Yastrzemski is hitting .294 with 15 home runs, 62 runs scored and 37 RBI, while Anthony Santander is hitting .311 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI. Catcher Salvador Perez bounced back from injury to hit .316 with 15 home runs, 42 runs scored and 42 RBI at hte break. Sandy Alcantara is 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 starts, and Nick Anderson has saved 8 games with a 2.25 ERA. The team could use another starter or two, as the rest of the rotation have ERA's above 5.00. 2nd - Park City Climbers (50-36, 0 games behind) - Wil Myers is having a year to remember, smashing 36 home runs with 65 runs scored and 103 RBI at the break. Will Smith is hitting .314 at the catcher position with 19 home runs, 47 runs scored and 42 RBI. Francisco Lindor is only hitting .235, but has 16 stolen bases and 56 runs scored to his credit. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has contributed 47 RBI. Sean Manaea has gone 8-5 at the break, but it's really the stellar play of their bullpen which has contributed to a team ERA of 3.50. Closer Alex Colome has saved 16 games with a 1.56 ERA. They're currently tied for the division lead, and acquiring another hitter for the stretch drive might put them over the top. 3rd - Seattle Moshers (44-41, 5 1/2 games behind) - Youngster Eloy Jimenez has electrified the team, hitting .319 with 20 home runs, 47 runs scored and 60 RBI. Nelson Cruz continues to defy father time, hitting .302 with 20 home runs, 57 runs scored and 53 RBI. AJ Pollock has hit .287 with 22 home runs, 62 runs scored and 57 RBI, while infielder Chris Taylor has hit .286 with 60 runs scored. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is hitting .309 with 52 runs scored and 50 RBI. Trevor Bauer is 6-5 with a 3.34 ERA, while Dallas Keuchel has won 7 with a 3.68 ERAS. Closer Diego Castillo has saved 12 games with a 3.05 ERA. Seattle's chances at the post-season would improve with a better 2nd half from Nolan Arenado, who is currently hitting .204/.253/.336. 4th - Brookfield Brouhaha (43-41, 6 games behind) - Michael Conforto continues to perform, hitting .306 with 13 home runs, 60 runs scored and 51 RBI at the break. Eric Hosmer is having a nice bounce-back season, hitting .292 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI. Robbie Grossman is slugging .536 with 16 home runs and 54 runs scored. Brad Keller is 7-4 with a 2.58 ERA at the break. Andrew Scrubb leads all relievers in saves with 8. Brookfield would need to acquire a few more hitters if they had hopes of advancing to the post-season. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Tualatin Pioneers, San Mateo Thunder