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As of tomorrow, there are just 7 regular season match ups left before the playoffs begin. Six postseason spots are available and only a few are out of the hunt.
Less than a week until the non-waiver trade deadline and then another month until the other deadline and the possibility that some players will change leagues. One such guy is Huston Street who will clear waivers in a couple days, no telling where he'll end up. Here's a quick look at where things stand.
Shark's PELOTERO
0-15
They won two games last year but it's looking like they'll run the table. They've struggled to field a team all season, but even the Russell trade that brought them Samardzija & Hammel have not come into play yet. Not even King Felix is good enough to get them a win this year apparently.
Primetime's #CONTENT
3-12
Primetime's team finished four games above 500 last year and made the playoffs. This year, the loss of Mariano Rivera along with piss poor years from Alfonso Soriano and Justin Masterson have railroaded the team. The lone bright spots so far include Pujols, Kazmir and Melky Cabrera.
Warner's GRAND SLAM PIGS
5-10
Going into the season, the plan was to rebuild and they continue towards that goal. However, great seasons from Rick Porcello (who probably could have been had in the offseason for not too much), David Ortiz, Chris Sale & Jered Weaver have kept them out of the pit. In trades, they've acquired prospects like C Gary Sanchez and P Daniel Norris to join P Mark Appel and 3B Joey Gallo, so the future is not bleak at all.
Youk's SINKINGFASTERTHANVSN
6-9
The SFTVSN will need to go 4-3 the rest of the way to simply match their record last season. They haven't had any outstanding production from anyone outside of their top two players in Jose Altuve and Phil Hughes. Xander Bogaerts have had Shin-Soo Choo up-and-down seasons while the assumed ace, Justin Verlander has had one of the worst seasons of his career. Next year, additions should include 3B prospect Garin Cecchini, P A.J. Griffin (Tommy John), P prospect Allen Webster and another Boston prospect in Mookie Betts.
Strahan's LOLLYGAGGERS
6-9
Surprisingly, or not, the Lollygaggers are struggling to put together wins but are among the best teams in the league in terms of scoring. They've missed their best player Edwin Encarnacion for about a month and 1B has been a black hole of production since. All-Star Josh Donaldson and Jacoby Ellsbury can only do so much. Despite a surprising bit of production from Collin McHugh and a steady rookie campaign from Yordano Ventura, their best pitcher at the moment is Jose Quitana with new Orioles closer Zach Britton not too far away. That's because all-world pitcher Masahiro Tanahashi's 2014 is in grave doubt as the Yankees wait to find out whether surgery is needed to repair his shoulder. Injuries to your two best players is a shitty turn of events.
MvP's TOMMY'S HOT DOGS
8-7
Right now, MVP would miss out on playoff spot #6 based on points, but they still have one of the more balanced teams. They lost a series of players in the offseason without gaining anything back, so that they're even above .500 at this late point is a good sign. Still, it will be tough for them to go 5-2 to match their output last season. Their top hitter is Nelson Cruz with Victor Martinez next. Productive, though not outstanding, years from Carlos Santana, Kyle Seager, Ben Zobrist, Yan Gomes and Conor Gillaspie are keeping them afloat. David Price has been their undisputed ace with a struggling Joe Nathan or Joakim Soria being the next best pitcher. They need that pitching to hold their end to make a run over the final month and a half.
Price's HAMILTON'S COKE MONEY
8-7
A .500 team one year ago, they're in decent shape to improve on that now. Josh Hamilton has had a bad season, but they've made up for it thanks to Jose Abreu and Brian Dozier, both of which were acquired months ago (FA draft & trade, respectively). James Shields was dealt (essentially for Toronto prospect P Aaron Sanchez), but the emergence of Garrett Richards (team leader in points, 6th best pitcher in the league) has helped fill that void. Boston closer Koji Uehara has done great and C.J. Wilson (despite a recent injury) has done well enough. Jesse Chavez is another pitcher who came out of nowhere and is having a fine season. Rookie 1B C.J. Cron was doing well with 9 HR but was just demoted by the Angels, so that sucks, giving the Coke$$$ an offensive hole when they're trying to make a playoff push.
Leftwich's I DON'T NO
9-6
Miguel Fucking Cabrera. The sixth best offensive player in the league as of yesterday, he has carried this team. Chris Davis, after last year's breakout performance, may lead this team in HR (16), but aside from MFC, there are four other batters on the team who have scored more points (Howie Kendrick, Alexei Ramirez, Coco Crisp and Desmond Jennings). An early season injury to C Geovany Soto was not the end of the world thanks to a solid season from Oakland's John Jaso. But, the reason this team is 2-3 in their last five games is pitching. Injured starters include James Paxton, Michael Pineda, Brandon Morrow, CC Sabathia and Jason Vargas. Their best healthy arm is Chris Tillman and they've pieced together the staff with Jarred Cosart and Roenis Elias, but they need healthy arms bad (good news, Vargas should return soon).
*Based on points, the IDN are the 5th worst team in the league.
Empire's 2014 IN FLUSHING!
10-5
Already on pace to do better than last year's .500 record, they have pieced together the offense and relied on strong pitching. The top hitter has been Brett Gardner a strong season from rookie George Springer. Austin Jackson, Leonys Martin and Matt Dominguez have done well enough while a season ending injury to Matt Wieters, an injury to Brett Lawrie and general shittiness from Jonathan Villar have killed consistent production from the bats. Two of the top 10 pitchers are Max Scherzer and Sonny Gray with strong performances from David Robertson and Joe Smith. Alex Cobb has had a down season (like the Rays in general) while rookie Kevin Gausman figures to remain in the big leagues in the second half of the season.
Gob's BILL IS A FAG
11-4
They finished in 2nd place last season with a 12-10 record, to give you a better idea of their 2014. The top hitter has been Evan Longoria with Dustin Pedroia nearby and strong seasons from Sal Perez and Rajai Davis. Joe Mauer and Dexter Fowler are on the DL and were good contributors. Texas prospect Jurickson Profar will never play a game this season due to injury and won't be back until 2015. The pitching has been the strong suit with a great year from Jon Lester and John Lackey. Another Houston pitcher in Dallas Keuchel has done well while closers Greg Holland and Glen Perkins are among the elite closers of 2014. Mark Buehrle is one of about a dozen pitchers in the league with double digit wins, too.
Pete's CRAZY BRAD HAWPE
11-4
10-12 last season, potentially a massive turnaround this season. Big seasons from Adam Jones, Robinson Cano and Jose Bautista (all 300+ points so far) with Adrian Beltre just behind them. Even Mark Teixeira is among the team leaders with 17 HR. Remember, all this is being done despite Prince Fielder's season ending injury after only 150 ABs and the fact that Wil Myers has not lived up to the hype in his second pro season. The pitching has been strong, too, with Yu Darvish as consistent as you could want, but the big surprise has been Indians starter Corey Kluber (team leader in points with 390). James Shields, acquired earlier in the season, has another big season in the making, too. Seattle pitchers Chris fucking Young and Hisashi Iwakuma also help make this a deep unit.
*The CBH are the #1 scoring team in the league.
Manchild's MIKE'S TROUSER TROUT
13-2
The #1 overall team lost their opener (to Empire) and started 3-2 (the other loss to Gob), but have been undefeated in their last 10 games. They should improve on their 14-8 2013 record easily, but can they run away with the league over the next two months? To no surprise, they have the best hitter in the league -- Mike Trout. The only players to have more points scored are all pitchers (King Felix, Tanaka and David Price). Outside of Trout, big seasons from Michael Brantley, Ian Kinsler and Brandon Moss give them as strong an offense as any other. But, their pitching is not as deep. Their best arm is Mariners closer Fernando Rodney, followed by great young Rays arm Chris Archer, then Yankee veteran Kuroda. Can they rely on Drew Hutchinson, Al Alburquerque, Bryan Shaw, David Phelps and Dan Otero to get them the top seed and through the postseason?
Less than a week until the non-waiver trade deadline and then another month until the other deadline and the possibility that some players will change leagues. One such guy is Huston Street who will clear waivers in a couple days, no telling where he'll end up. Here's a quick look at where things stand.
Shark's PELOTERO
0-15
They won two games last year but it's looking like they'll run the table. They've struggled to field a team all season, but even the Russell trade that brought them Samardzija & Hammel have not come into play yet. Not even King Felix is good enough to get them a win this year apparently.
Primetime's #CONTENT
3-12
Primetime's team finished four games above 500 last year and made the playoffs. This year, the loss of Mariano Rivera along with piss poor years from Alfonso Soriano and Justin Masterson have railroaded the team. The lone bright spots so far include Pujols, Kazmir and Melky Cabrera.
Warner's GRAND SLAM PIGS
5-10
Going into the season, the plan was to rebuild and they continue towards that goal. However, great seasons from Rick Porcello (who probably could have been had in the offseason for not too much), David Ortiz, Chris Sale & Jered Weaver have kept them out of the pit. In trades, they've acquired prospects like C Gary Sanchez and P Daniel Norris to join P Mark Appel and 3B Joey Gallo, so the future is not bleak at all.
Youk's SINKINGFASTERTHANVSN
6-9
The SFTVSN will need to go 4-3 the rest of the way to simply match their record last season. They haven't had any outstanding production from anyone outside of their top two players in Jose Altuve and Phil Hughes. Xander Bogaerts have had Shin-Soo Choo up-and-down seasons while the assumed ace, Justin Verlander has had one of the worst seasons of his career. Next year, additions should include 3B prospect Garin Cecchini, P A.J. Griffin (Tommy John), P prospect Allen Webster and another Boston prospect in Mookie Betts.
Strahan's LOLLYGAGGERS
6-9
Surprisingly, or not, the Lollygaggers are struggling to put together wins but are among the best teams in the league in terms of scoring. They've missed their best player Edwin Encarnacion for about a month and 1B has been a black hole of production since. All-Star Josh Donaldson and Jacoby Ellsbury can only do so much. Despite a surprising bit of production from Collin McHugh and a steady rookie campaign from Yordano Ventura, their best pitcher at the moment is Jose Quitana with new Orioles closer Zach Britton not too far away. That's because all-world pitcher Masahiro Tanahashi's 2014 is in grave doubt as the Yankees wait to find out whether surgery is needed to repair his shoulder. Injuries to your two best players is a shitty turn of events.
MvP's TOMMY'S HOT DOGS
8-7
Right now, MVP would miss out on playoff spot #6 based on points, but they still have one of the more balanced teams. They lost a series of players in the offseason without gaining anything back, so that they're even above .500 at this late point is a good sign. Still, it will be tough for them to go 5-2 to match their output last season. Their top hitter is Nelson Cruz with Victor Martinez next. Productive, though not outstanding, years from Carlos Santana, Kyle Seager, Ben Zobrist, Yan Gomes and Conor Gillaspie are keeping them afloat. David Price has been their undisputed ace with a struggling Joe Nathan or Joakim Soria being the next best pitcher. They need that pitching to hold their end to make a run over the final month and a half.
Price's HAMILTON'S COKE MONEY
8-7
A .500 team one year ago, they're in decent shape to improve on that now. Josh Hamilton has had a bad season, but they've made up for it thanks to Jose Abreu and Brian Dozier, both of which were acquired months ago (FA draft & trade, respectively). James Shields was dealt (essentially for Toronto prospect P Aaron Sanchez), but the emergence of Garrett Richards (team leader in points, 6th best pitcher in the league) has helped fill that void. Boston closer Koji Uehara has done great and C.J. Wilson (despite a recent injury) has done well enough. Jesse Chavez is another pitcher who came out of nowhere and is having a fine season. Rookie 1B C.J. Cron was doing well with 9 HR but was just demoted by the Angels, so that sucks, giving the Coke$$$ an offensive hole when they're trying to make a playoff push.
Leftwich's I DON'T NO
9-6
Miguel Fucking Cabrera. The sixth best offensive player in the league as of yesterday, he has carried this team. Chris Davis, after last year's breakout performance, may lead this team in HR (16), but aside from MFC, there are four other batters on the team who have scored more points (Howie Kendrick, Alexei Ramirez, Coco Crisp and Desmond Jennings). An early season injury to C Geovany Soto was not the end of the world thanks to a solid season from Oakland's John Jaso. But, the reason this team is 2-3 in their last five games is pitching. Injured starters include James Paxton, Michael Pineda, Brandon Morrow, CC Sabathia and Jason Vargas. Their best healthy arm is Chris Tillman and they've pieced together the staff with Jarred Cosart and Roenis Elias, but they need healthy arms bad (good news, Vargas should return soon).
*Based on points, the IDN are the 5th worst team in the league.
Empire's 2014 IN FLUSHING!
10-5
Already on pace to do better than last year's .500 record, they have pieced together the offense and relied on strong pitching. The top hitter has been Brett Gardner a strong season from rookie George Springer. Austin Jackson, Leonys Martin and Matt Dominguez have done well enough while a season ending injury to Matt Wieters, an injury to Brett Lawrie and general shittiness from Jonathan Villar have killed consistent production from the bats. Two of the top 10 pitchers are Max Scherzer and Sonny Gray with strong performances from David Robertson and Joe Smith. Alex Cobb has had a down season (like the Rays in general) while rookie Kevin Gausman figures to remain in the big leagues in the second half of the season.
Gob's BILL IS A FAG
11-4
They finished in 2nd place last season with a 12-10 record, to give you a better idea of their 2014. The top hitter has been Evan Longoria with Dustin Pedroia nearby and strong seasons from Sal Perez and Rajai Davis. Joe Mauer and Dexter Fowler are on the DL and were good contributors. Texas prospect Jurickson Profar will never play a game this season due to injury and won't be back until 2015. The pitching has been the strong suit with a great year from Jon Lester and John Lackey. Another Houston pitcher in Dallas Keuchel has done well while closers Greg Holland and Glen Perkins are among the elite closers of 2014. Mark Buehrle is one of about a dozen pitchers in the league with double digit wins, too.
Pete's CRAZY BRAD HAWPE
11-4
10-12 last season, potentially a massive turnaround this season. Big seasons from Adam Jones, Robinson Cano and Jose Bautista (all 300+ points so far) with Adrian Beltre just behind them. Even Mark Teixeira is among the team leaders with 17 HR. Remember, all this is being done despite Prince Fielder's season ending injury after only 150 ABs and the fact that Wil Myers has not lived up to the hype in his second pro season. The pitching has been strong, too, with Yu Darvish as consistent as you could want, but the big surprise has been Indians starter Corey Kluber (team leader in points with 390). James Shields, acquired earlier in the season, has another big season in the making, too. Seattle pitchers Chris fucking Young and Hisashi Iwakuma also help make this a deep unit.
*The CBH are the #1 scoring team in the league.
Manchild's MIKE'S TROUSER TROUT
13-2
The #1 overall team lost their opener (to Empire) and started 3-2 (the other loss to Gob), but have been undefeated in their last 10 games. They should improve on their 14-8 2013 record easily, but can they run away with the league over the next two months? To no surprise, they have the best hitter in the league -- Mike Trout. The only players to have more points scored are all pitchers (King Felix, Tanaka and David Price). Outside of Trout, big seasons from Michael Brantley, Ian Kinsler and Brandon Moss give them as strong an offense as any other. But, their pitching is not as deep. Their best arm is Mariners closer Fernando Rodney, followed by great young Rays arm Chris Archer, then Yankee veteran Kuroda. Can they rely on Drew Hutchinson, Al Alburquerque, Bryan Shaw, David Phelps and Dan Otero to get them the top seed and through the postseason?
