The full standings and stats can be found here. I'll recap the first 40 games below. Let me know in the comments what you think about the season so far!
Eastern Conference
Williams Division
Providence leads the Williams Division, 2 games ahead of Ottawa, and is the overall #3 seed in the conference. Their rotation has been excellent, led by 2001 Base Pedro Martinez (5-1, 1.77 ERA). Three other starters have pitched very well, 2000 PR Brian Anderson (4-2, 3.38), 2000 PR Vladimir Nunez (2-3, 2.87), and 5th starter 2000 Base Pat Hentgen (6-0, 2.39). Closer 200 Base Alan Embree has been great as well, successfully converting all 12 save opportunities with an 0.77 ERA. The hitting has been decent, with 2000 Base Jim Thome (.279/10 HR/28 RBI) and 2001 Base Gary Sheffield (.291/9/22) hitting for power and 2001 PR Jose Ortiz hitting .324.
Ottawa, a preseason favorite of most readers of my intro blogs, starts the season at .500 after 40 games. 2001 Base Greg Maddux (1-7, 4.94) has not pitched like an ace, and 5th starter 2000 Base Brad Radke (0-5, 6.61) has been horrendous. The other three starters have pitched well. The bullpen has been excellent, with four relievers below a 3.00 ERA. The lineup has four regulars hitting above .300, including 2000 Base Jason Kendall (.345), although no one has hit for much power - the only hitter above 5 HR is 2000 Base Henry Rodriguez (8).
Third place is Buffalo, who trails Ottawa by a game. 2001 Base Jarrod Washburn (6-1, 1.62) leads the league in both wins and ERA. Eric Milton (3-2, 3.45) has also been good in the rotation, but the last three starters have been awful, with ERAs all above 5.90 and a combined 3-15 record. The bullpen has been mediocre. Top hitters have been 2000 Base Sammy Sosa (11 HR, 33 RBI, despite hitting .235), 2000 Base Terry Shumpert (hitting .344), and 2001 Base Mo Vaughn (.275/9/22). Washburn is unlikely to stay as hot, but the rest of the rotation should improve moving forward.
Columbus is in last, a game behind Buffalo. All five starters have ERAs above 4, although 2000 Base Kevin Appier has managed to go 5-0 despite a 4.24 ERA. The bullpen has been bad overall as well. 2001 Base Manny Ramirez (.320/8/21) and 2001 Base Mark McGwire (.331/13/31) have both hit very well, but only one other regular has an average above .275.
Musial Division
The Musial Division is led by Memphis at 24-16, the overall #2 seed. 2000 Base Omar Daal (4-2, 2.45) and 2001 Base Tom Glavine (4-2, 2.68) have led a rotation where 4/5 starters have sub-3.75 ERA. The bullpen has been even better, with closer 2001 PR Tom Gordon (12 saves in 13 opportunities, 1.08 ERA) and 2001 PR Rod Beck (0.47 ERA) being two of five relievers with sub-3 ERA. Richard Hidalgo (.301/10/21) is their top hitter, although the lineup isn't particularly amazing so far.
Second in the division is Indianapolis, who would be the second wild card team if the season were to end today. With the exception of 2000 PR Roy Halladay and his 7.74 ERA, the rest of the rotation has been decent. The bullpen has been incredible, behind 2000 Base C.J. Nitkowski (0.50 ERA), 2000 PR Dennys Reyes (0.79 ERA), and 2000 PR Mike Trombley (1.69 ERA). The lineup has hit well, with four hitters above .300 in 2001 Base Barry Bonds (.340/14/27), 2000 Base Rusty Greer (.336/3/23), 2000 Base Alex Ochoa (.325/7/16), and 2000 Base Randy Velarde (.311/7/19), who also is the league leader in steals with 11. 2001 Base Jim Edmonds is only hitting .211, but has contributed a low of power, with 12 HR and 31 RBI.
Next is Louisville. 2000 PR Blake Stein (5-1, 2.68) has pitched better than twin aces in 2000 Base Kevin Millwood (2-4, 3.67) and 2000 Base Curt Schilling (2-2, 3.09). The bullpen has been stars and scrubs, with multiple pitchers above 6 ERA. On the other hand, closer 2000 Base Derek Lowe (1.96 ERA) has been good, and 2000 Base Bob Howry has not allowed a run in his 20 innings. 2000 PR Harold Baines (.345/8/26) has done his best to justify his Hall of Fame induction. 2000 PR Moises Alou (.301/10/30) has hit well as well, and everyone's favorite foil, 2000 Base Dean Palmer, paces the team with his 12 HR.
Last in the division is Nashville, 6 games behind Louisville and 10 behind Memphis. They were projected by some to do well, but sit tied for the worst team in the entire league. The only starter below a 4.75 ERA is 2000 Base Darren Oliver (4.15), but he has been unlucky and sits at just 1-5. 2000 Base Orel Hershiser and 2001 Base Ryan Dempster each have 5 losses as well in their 8 starts. 2001 Base Kazuhiro Sasaki has an 0.50 ERA out of the pen in the one bright spot of Nashville's pitching. 2000 Base Ken Griffey Jr. (.291/10/27) is the best hitter for them.
Aaron Division
The Aaron Division boasts the top two teams in the East, sitting in a tie at 25-15. If the season ended now, they would play each other in a one-game playoff to determine which would be the 1 seed and which would be the first wild card.
Birmingham's ace, 2000 Base Mike Sirotka (4-3, 2.95) has pitched well, and their #5 starter 2001 PR Ben Sheets (5-0, 3.29) has done well also. Closer 2000 Base Mike Remlinger (13 saves, 1.44 ERA) is the leagues save leader, and 2000 PR Gregg Olson (1.93 ERA) and 2001 Base Mike Williams (1.38) have dominated out of the pen as well. The lineup has dominated, with four hitters above .300 and six with 8 or more homers. The best hitters have been 2001 Base Jason Giambi (.300/13/26), 2001 Base Vladimir Guerrero (.371/9/32), and 2000 PR Juan Gonzalez (.297/12/23).
The other 25-15 team is Charlotte. 2000 Base Sterling Hitchcock (3-2, 2.70) has been their best starter, although ace 2001 PR Barry Zito (6-1, 3.98) has been their wins leader. 2000 PR Sean Lowe is their best reliever with a 0.70 ERA. 2000 Base Rondell White (.372/9/23) and 2000 Base Cal Ripken Jr. (.309/10/30) have been their best hitters, and 2000 PR Greg Vaughn has added ten more homers despite hitting only .245.
Third place is Jacksonville, sitting 7 games behind the co-leaders in the division. 2000 Base Kevin Brown (4-3, 2.70) has somehow avoided the bad luck his card normally brings, and is the only pitcher to throw a complete game shutout so far. #2 starter 2000 Base Chuck Finley (4-1, 3.19) has been their other good starter, with the last 3 starters all having ERAs above 5.50. Closer 2000 Base Troy Percival has been awful, blowing 4 of his 14 save opportunities and having a 5.25 ERA. The rest of the pen has been decent. The lineup has no dominant hitters so far. 2000 Base Larry Walker (.265/9/17) and 2000 Base Dmitri Young (.306/5/21) have been their best hitters.
Last place is Orlando, 9 games behind. The rotation has been excellent, despite lacking in wins, behind 2000 Base John Smoltz (2-5, 2.16), 2001 PR Julian Tavarez (2-4, 3.11) and 2000 Base Bartolo Colon (4-3, 3.24). The other two starters have ERAs of 3.45 and 3.79, so no one is bringing down the rotation. Closer 2001 Base Bob Wickman is 8/8 in saves with a 2.79 ERA, and the rest of the bullpen has been decent. 2001 Base Nomar Garciaparra is hitting .362, and 2001 Base John Vander Wal (.315/9/30) boasts an OPS above 1.000. However, five of the regulars are hitting below .250, and will need to step it up soon if they want to make a playoff push.
Western Conference
Mays Division
Calgary leads the division, and is the #2 team in the conference. Their top two starters, 2000 Base Jeff Suppan (5-2, 2.34) and 2001 Base Livan Hernandez (3-1, 2.57) have been great. Closer Gabe White has a 1.88 ERA, although is only 8/11 in save opportunities, and setup man Arthur Rhodes has a 1.23 ERA. The lineup has five hitters above .300 and five with 8+ HRs, led by 2000 Promo (misprint) Andruw Jones (.310/11/36), who hit for the cycle in a game. 2000 PR Aaron Ledesma has hit .393 off the bench in 15 games.
Anchorage is tied for the first wild card spot, and trails Calgary by a game. 2001 Base Rick Ankiel (2-1, 2.96) has pitched well in the rotation. Closer 2000 Base John Rocker has been excellent, not allowing a run in 23.6 innings. Setup man 2001 PR Ray King has been great as well, with a 1.57 ERA. 2001 PR Alex Rodriguez (.428/15/38) has been incredible, leading the league in average, homers, OBP (.486), SLUG (.843), and OPS (1.329), and is only 2 RBI behind the leader. 2001 Base Mike Sweeney (.319/10/28) has been great, as has 2000 Base Bobby Abreu (.309/9/21).
Portland is five games out of first. Ace 2000 PR Kerry Wood (2-3, 4.02) has struck out a lot of hitters, but has pitched below projection. 2000 Base David Cone (3-0, 2.34) has been excellent, but has not had enough run support. 2000 Base Scott Sullivan is tied for the league in saves with 13, but has not blown one yet and boasts a 1.04 ERA. Setup 2000 PR Dave Veres has a 1.50 ERA. 2000 PR Carl Everett (.319/10/18) has been their top hitter.
Last place is Vancouver, who at 14-26 are nine games out of first and tied for the worst team in the entire league. 2000 PR Ramon Martinez (2-4, 3.06) and 2000 PR Hideki Irabu (3-2, 4.05) are the only two starters who haven't been lit up. Closer 2000 PR Russ Springer has been awful, converting 6/8 save chances with a 5.72 ERA. With the exception of 2001 PR Lou Pote (2.19 ERA), the rest of the pen has not been great. 2001 PR Jacob Cruz is hitting .338, but no other standouts are in the lineup. 2000 Base Fernando Tatis, Luis Gonzalez, and David Nilsson need to step up soon for the team to win.
Gibson Division
Las Vegas has cruised to an excellent start, leading the entire league at 26-14. 2001 PR Ace Matt Morris (6-1, 1.67) is tied for the league lead in wins and is #2 in ERA. #5 starter 2000 PR Steve Parris (4-2, 2.94) has been good as well. 2001 PR Carl Pavano has been ok, but the other two starters have been atrocious. However, despite both having ERAs above 5, they haven't lost many games as the lineup has been great. Closer Jeff Nelson has an 0.92 ERA, but despite being on the team with the most wins, only has 4 saves. 2001 Base Troy Glaus (.256/10/40) leads the league in RBI, 2000 PR Andres Galaragga (.347/15/35) leads in homers, and 2001 Base Bobby Higginson (.384/6/21) leads the league with 38 runs scored. Higginson and Galaragga both have OPS above 1.000. Glaus, as well as 2001 Base Jeff Kent (.340/8/35) both have OPS above 900. The only hole in the lineup has been 2000 PR Mark L. Johnson, hitting just .133.
Sacramento (22-18) has been off to a good start, and sits tied for the wild card. The only starter who has pitched well has been 2000 Base Hideo Nomo (2-4, 3.45), despite his record. Closer 2000 Base Billy Wagner has been worked hard, pitching in more than 75% of games so far with an ERA of just 1.48. Four other relievers have pitched well, with sub 3.50 ERAs. The lineup has not been particularly special, apart from 2001 Base David Segui (.347/6/29). The starters will need to significantly step up their game if they want to catch Las Vegas.
Boise is third in the division. Their top two starters, 2000 PR Bret Saberhagen (4-0, 1.98) and 2000 PR Juan Guzman (3-2, 2.48), have been excellent. Starters #3 and #4 have been decent, but #5, 2001 Base Kelvim Escobar (1-7, 10.45) has been one of the worst pitchers in the league. The bullpen has been mostly mediocre. 2000 Base Derek Jeter (.368/8/32) leads the team in all triple crown categories, and has a 1.069 OPS.
Last in the division is Salt Lake City. Despite being 18-22, they have four good starters in 2001 Base Chan Ho Park (5-2, 2.25), 2000 PR Alex Fernandez (1-1, 2.94), 2001 PR Mike Mussina (3-4, 3.23), and 2000 Base Andy Pettite (3-1, 3.78). The bullpen has been mostly awful, aside from 2000 Base Graeme Lloyd (1.44 ERA). Their top hitters are 2001 PR Ichiro Suzuki (.331/0/13), 2001 Base Tim Salmon (.313/10/29), and 2000 PR Mike Cameron (.277/8/30).
Koufax Division
Oklahoma City leads the division, barely above .500 at 21-19. The only starters with sub 4.50 ERAs are 2001 Base Woody Williams (5-1, 3.09) and 2001 Base Kenny Rogers (4-1, 3.33). 2000 Base Steve Kline and 2000 Base Bob Wells have been great from the pen, each with identical 1.23 ERAs and 22 IP. Three hitters have 9+ homers, led by 2000 Base Chipper Jones (.365/10/16) and 2000 Base Eric Karros (.323/9/27).
Tucson is a game behind OKC. Ace 2000 Base Randy Johnson (3-3, 3.81) leads the league in strikeouts, on pace to break 350. 2000 Base Pat Rapp (4-1, 2.25) has been their best starter, and the bottom two starters both have ERAs above 6.50. The bullpen, strong on paper, has underperformed a bit. 2000 PR Erubiel Durazo (.311/12/25), 2001 PR Ron Gant (.303/9/22), and 2000 PR Daryle Ward (.321/8/24) have OPS above .950.
One game behind Salt Lake City is Albuquerque. 2000 Base John Halama (3-2, 3.38) and 2000 PR Francisco Cordova (3-2, 3.56) have been their best two starters. 2000 Base Wilson Alvarez (2-5, 4.21) has been decent, but lost a lot of games, and the other two starters have been awful. The bullpen is led by closer 2000 Base Jeff Zimmerman (11/12 in saves, 2.93 ERA), and 2000 PR Doug Brocail (2.78 ERA) and 2001 Base Jim Mecir (2.37 ERA) have done well also. 2001 Base Todd Helton (.349/13/36) has been one of the best hitters in the league with a 1.138 OPS. 2001 Base Charles Johnson (.322/7/16) has been their second best hitter.
Last place is San Antonio. 2001 Base Jeff D'Amico (5-3, 2.57) has been their only great starter. Closer 2000 Base Mariano Rivera (5/6 in saves, 3.72 ERA) has not had many opportunities, but setup man 2000 PR Keith Foulke has taken advantage of his IP2 to pitch 39 innings with a 2.31 ERA. 2000 Base Mike Jackson (1.20 ERA) has pitched great as well. Their lineup hasn't been much, as no one has more than 5 homers or 19 RBI. 2000 Base Bernie Williams (.304/4/10) has an .840 OPS, the only one above .800.
Hitting Leaders
Homers
RBI
R
SB
AVG
OBP
Pitching Leaders
W
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