As we head into the final weeks of the regular season, the Marvin League has a much clearer picture than their counterparts in the TL.
Arthur Division:
Bugaboo Creek has all but clinched this division. They just ran away and hid during the early summer months. Reading and Circle City are having nice years but they are just overmatched.
This maybe DeSanto’s best team ever. Last year we saw Brandon Simpson finally win a title in his 9th attempt. Last year was DeSanto’s 9th playoff appearance and he’s never won a title. No VBL3 team has more appearances without a title.
So how did they do it this year?
For starters, Mike Daniel is a serious MVP candidate. He’s not a household name yet, but he should be. 19 HR, 108 Runs, 84 RBI, a .351 average, .403 OBP and a .955 OPS.
Jeffrey Larish and Taylor Teagarden are providing a much needed threat in the heart of the lineup, but nobody has carried this team more than Daniel.
Okay except maybe their pitching.
Francisco Liriano, 20-4 2.87 ERA, 262K in 216IP
Jered Weaver 19-8 3.22 ERA 236K in 209IP
Dan Haren 16-9 4.27 ERA 186K in 191IP
Kyle Gibson 12-9 3.45 ERA 196K in 174IP
That my friends, is as dangerous a playoff rotation as you’ll find in the VBL3. They are able to shut down any offense in the league.
The bullpen has 5 guys with ERA’s under 5.00 right now, and as good as they are, they aren’t need that much thanks to the starters.
At 90-46, Bugaboo is the team to beat this year in the Quest for the Classic.
Zaphod Division:
Stop me if you have heard this one before. 3 teams in the Zaphod are on pace for 100 wins.
Pacifica, Weequahic and Maine are going to take this to the final days of the season. It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the Zaphod.
Currently, Pacifica sits atop the division by 1 game over Weequahic at 88-50.
In terms of pitching, this is your stereotypical Rich Ryall squad.
In terms of hitting, it is anything but.
They have 6 hitters with 75+ RBI, so when you consider the pitching staff, this makes Pacifica very dangerous.
The Pantalones have 7 guys who come out of the bullpen with ERAs under 5.00. Their starting staff isn’t as dominant as Bugaboo’s but it’s pretty darn effective.
Weequahic leads the wildcard race by just 2 games right now.
They took a MAJOR hit in the injury front with the loss of Nyjer Morgan. Morgan was this team’s table setter. Now, that role falls on Brock Holt. Holt is no slouch right now, but he’s not Morgan.
Austin Jackson quietly has driven in 102 runs.
Weequahic and Pacifica have always been very similar. They both rely heavily on pitching, and have offenses designed to score just enough. The difference between them this year is Pacifica has balanced things out with their offense, while Weequahic has not.
The rotation of Pucetas, Owen, Hale, Holder is good enough to win any playoff series. Their bullpen has been awesome this year. Mahoney, Rustich, Inoa, Miller, Taylor, Hynick and Golucky have played a major role in making this team a playoff contender.
Maine started the year looking like the 19 year curse would finally be broken. Now, they are 2 games back and struggling to close that gap.
The offense has been stellar. Anderson, Posey, Jacobs, Westmoreland and Abercrombie are all showing red with their statistics.
By the end of this season, they should have 4 hitters with 100+ RBI.
Verlander, Maine, LaLoosh and Harden are on par with their division opponents. They may not be AS much of a guarantee, but with this offense, GM Wayne Barber is very comfortable with any of them on the hill.
The problem here is the bullpen. If they are going to catch either Pacifica of Weequahic, their bullpen has to step it up. Moret, Storen, and Mixon are the teams only reliable bullpen arms. Bulger, Ruiz, Yacko and Kirk are very unreliable right now. As the final weeks get played, the bullpen will become much more important.
Maine finishes their season with 3 games at home against Pacifica. If a tiebreaker is needed, that series is all Pacifica and Maine have left. Weequahic has 6 division games left.
It would be a shame if Maine could win 100 games and miss the playoffs. I do not think they will win 100, I’ll peg them at 98, but I do think they will fall just shy of the playoffs.
I cannot get over the difference between the bullpens.
As for the division, with the loss of Morgan, I am going to say Pacifica will hold on.
Ford Division:
Little Rock may be a .500 team, but Sparta has yet to find a way to put them away.
Little Rock’s remaining schedule includes: Orlando (2), New England (3), Kiawah (3), and Norfolk (4). Those series’ are huge because they also find themselves thrust into the Zaphod race with series’ against Weequahic, then Maine, then they get their chance against Sparta before heading to Pacifica.
They need to beat the teams that are beatable to close the gap. Sparta plays an identical opponents list, but while Little Rock is playing the weaker teams, Sparta is treading water in the Zaphod.
If Little Rock can be within 2 games on September 17th, then I feel they have a real shot. If they are 5+ out, then it’s likely over.
They will need Dean and Stanton to continue their awesome seasons.
The pitching just doesn’t do this team any favors. Other than Minor, there’s no confidence in anybody on this staff. They are so inconsistent right now.
Sparta just has to get there. With Eric Patterson back in the lineup, the defending champs are looking to gain some momentum heading into October. If they can put Little Rock away, this team can erase all of their regular season struggles.
Suddenly they look at Austin, Patterson, Bay and realize their offense is dangerous enough to win it all. Is the pitching though?
When you compare Sparta to Bugaboo, and the Zaphod, they do not stack up. It’s hard to believe but if the defending champs (who have averaged 104 wins over the last 3 seasons) do close out the division, they will be huge underdogs in the ML playoffs.
Overall:
I think this is Bugaboo’s year. They have all the necessary tools to win it all, and with the aging pitchings in Liriano and Weaver, their time is running out with this roster.
However, if they win the #1 seed, their reward will likely be a 100 win Zaphod team. So, anything can happen.
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