Power Ranking Final

This is the end of season power ranking. Pretty dead on and you can really see divisional strengths here.

Again, the formula is pretty simple and rewards scoring and good pitching [Winning percentage + (team OPS-opposition team OPS) divided by runs scored margin.]

1.	Kansas City Monarchs	0.7104	—
2.	Cincinnati Motorboaters	0.6984	—
3.	Atlanta Mad Dogs	0.6483	—
4.	Nashville Saints	0.6114	+3
5.	Santa Fe Booze Hounds	0.6055	—
6.	Cleveland Wahoos	0.5935	—
7.	Colorado Springs Cricket Club	0.5803	-4
8.	Detroit Great Lake St	0.5801	—
9.	Philadelphia Flash	0.5745	-5
10.	Arizona Amberwoods	0.5686	—
11.	Seattle Steelheads	0.5624	+2
12.	Washington D.C. Senators	0.5437	-3
13.	Milwaukee Malt Liquors	0.5312	-1
14.	Buffalo Hot Wings	0.5251	+1
15.	Boston Minutemen	0.5105	+5
16.	Columbus Come from Behinders	0.4997	+3
17.	Austin City Limit	0.4994	+5
18.	Charlotte Webs	0.4950	-1
19.	Richmond Renegades	0.4890	-5
20.	San Juan Epsteins	0.4759	+1
21.	Minnesota North Stars	0.4745	-5
22.	Memphis In The Meantime	0.4693	-4
23.	Burlington Pitch Factory	0.4517	—
24.	New York Chechakos	0.4516	—
25.	Augusta Black Bears	0.4443	—
26.	Los Angeles Stars	0.4144	+1
27.	Pittsburgh Diamond Kings	0.3892	+1
28.	Chicago Cubbies, of course	0.3836	-2
29.	Portland Beavers	0.3774	—
30.	Monterrey Sand Dawgs	0.3215	—
31.	Colorado River Otters	0.3023	—
32.	San Francisco Slingers	0.2284	—

Playoff Previewtacular: Cincinnati cs. Santa Fe

The last of the LCS previews.

Batting: The contrast is evident. Santa Fe broke the 1,000-run plateau in S.2, led by Aurelio Valentin (.347-46-158) and three batters with 1.000+ OPS. Cinci? They have great hitters, in Pablo Johnson (.309-36-149) and Al Ward (.302-22-72) but they scored less runs and have an OPS that runs 50 points lower than the competition. EDGE: Santa Fe

Pitching: The contrast is evident. No slight on Vern Dunwoody, paulbliss612 or the Santa Fe hurlers, but they couldn't hold a candle to Cincinnati. Four pitchers at 17+ wins and a team ERA more than one runs less than the Fe do it for me. EDGE: Cincinnati

Prediction: Pitching wins championships. Cincinnati in five.

Playoff Previewtacular: Arizona vs. Nashville

Another in a line of incoherent playoff previews:

Batting: Nashville sticks out because they got close to scoring 1,000 runs (997). They have four 30+ home run hitters and six regulars bat over .300. Arizona's offense is no slouch by any means -- 935 runs scored, 270 home runs and a team .282 batting average. They have six hitters batting .290+ and three 40+ home run hitters. If baseball is a game of streaks, the hot bat is going to own this series. EDGE: Push.

Pitching: It's odd. Nashville got better once they dumped J.J. Lambert. Anyhow, these teams are about even across the board with a couple of exceptions. Nashville strikes out more batters (led by Floyd Brock's 212 Ks) and Arizona's propensity to give up hits (more than 70 more than Nashville, which gives them a .270 OAV). EDGE: Nashville by a hair.

Prediction: I wouldn't bet my subprime mortgage on it, but Nashville in 6.

Playoff Previewtacular: Boston vs. Kansas City

The first in a semi-periodic update of the playoff field and my take on how things will play out.

Offense: The Minutemen struck out more times (970) than they scored (900), so things don't particularly bode well. Russell Bowie 30 homers and 106 RBI are an imposing presence in the lineup as are hit machines Darryl Coles (193 hits and 71 SB) and Hector Pettitte (184 hits). Kansas City trots out the a murderer's row -- Pat Saunders, Al Mendoza, Henry Cust, Philip Jacobs, Darrin Cooper, Hunter Pierre...six Monarch hitters drove in 100+ runs. EDGE: Uhhh, KC?

Pitching: Bahstun is lead into battle by the 1-2 of Groucho Hunter and Rob Thomson. The pair combined for 28 wins and a 4.01 ERA. Both are effective, but not intimidating. Speaking of intimidating, Kansas City will start a duo of 23-game winners in Bennie Pujols and Midre Navarre. And the others ones aren't too bad either. EDGE: Kansas City.

Prediction: Kansas City in 5. Boston's pretty pesky.

Awards Preview: AL MVP

Awards voting has been made available and, with the help of your friend and mine Ralph Bedwell, we'll preview the MVP and Cy Young races. Why not Rookie of the Year you say? Eh, no one cares about freshmen.

Ralph picks up the slack with the AL MVP Race:

Pat Saunders Kansas City Monarchs Age: 28 B/T: S/L Born: Auburndale, FL Position(s): LF/1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Poor Pat Saunders of the K.C. Monarchs. All he did was hit .382 with 25 homers, 106 RBIs, and 161 runs scored as the leadoff hitter for a team that won 114 regular season games and smoked the rest of the field for the second consecutive year. That got him on the MVP list, but does he have any real chance of winning the prestigious award? Not as chancee! In fact, two of his teammates figure to finish ahead of him in the voting.

Henry Cust Kansas City Monarchs Age: 30 B/T: R/R Born: High Point, NC Position(s): 2B/1B/LF/CF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Henry Cust is a similar story. The Monarchs' All-World second sacker is on the MVP list for the second year in a row, and with good reason: .323, 41 homers (for the second consecutive season), 143 RBIs, 162 runs scored, not to mention 118 walks and great defense at 2B. But does he have a chance to crown his career with the MVP? No way!

Andy Porter Milwaukee Malt Liquors Age: 23 B/T: L/L Born: Millen, GA Position(s): LF/RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dario White New York Chechakos Age: 27 B/T: S/L Born: Phoenix, AZ Position(s): CF/1B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Andy Porter of Milwaukee (54 bombs, 143 RBIs, 122 runs, .305) and Dario White of the Chechakos (1.005 OPS and 7 plus plays in CF) must be similarly frustrated. If they have MVP bonus clauses in their contracts, they will NOT get paid this season.

Al Mendoza Kansas City Monarchs Age: 27 B/T: S/R Born: Central Alara, CU Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The reason? Al Mendoza, of course. Setting new standards for the mythical Mendoza Line, Big Al hit .366, crushed 54 homers, scored 133 runs, and plated 182 RBIs (yes, 182 -- that's not a typo!) in just 138 games for the Monarchs. Imagine what his numbers would be if he hadn't been rested so much. But looking deeper, Mendoza's season was even more extraordinary than that. It turns out that K.C.'s cavernous ballpark hurt Mendoza's numbers -- a lot. On the road his numbers were simply unbelieveable: 36 homers, 103 RBIs, 70 runs, and an .801 SLG, all in just 66 road games. Yes, that's right: if Mendoza had played his entire season on the road, his numbers might well have been 72 homers and 206 RBIs!

Whatever angle you take, it looks pretty clear: whether he actually wins the vote or not, Al Mendoza is your AL MVP for season two.

Awards Preview: AL Cy Young

Awards voting has been made available and, with the help of your friend and mine Ralph Bedwell, we'll preview the MVP and Cy Young races. Why not Rookie of the Year you say? Eh, no one cares about freshmen.

AL Cy Young nominees:

Mel Petersen Detroit Great Lake St Age: 31 B/T: S/R Born: Eastport, ME Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

23-4, 2.85 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 163K

If the Kansas City 1-2 splits the voting, Petersen could very well pick up the trophy. Never mind that his strikeout numbers were down and hits allowed were up. The righty won nine more games in S.2 and cut his ERA more than three-quarters of a run between seasons.

Midre Navarre Kansas City Monarchs Age: 30 B/T: L/L Born: Monte Cristi, DO Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

23-5, 3.29 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 134K
Four complete games and 221+ innings pitched prove his durability. His 3:1 K/BB ratio show his power. But, his S.1 to S.2 splits are impressive for a 30 year old -- he cut his hits, runs, walks and ERA. Not too shabby.

Benny Pujols Kansas City Monarchs Age: 30 B/T: R/R Born: Mao Valverde, DO Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

23-5, 3.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 174K
He's got style, flash, a nifty fastball and a sweet 'stache. And, this sunofabitch made opposing hitters look silly this yea, striking out 174 batters in 238.1 innings. How'd you like to take him and Navarre 1-2 in your rotation?

Alvin O'Brien Arizona Amberwoods Age: 30 B/T: S/R Born: Pottsville, AR Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

18-11, 3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 142K
The cornerstone of a resurgent Arizona team which gave KC chase during the first half and locked up a playoff appearance in the second half. His numbers aren't lights out, but there is something to be said about a guy who wins 20 percent of his team's games.

Louis Paul Seattle Steelheads Age: 23 B/T: R/R Born: Pembroke, NC Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

16-4, 2.88 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 194K
The stats smoke. Absolutely smoke. And he missed at least two starts after going on the DL with a irritated nerve in his forearm (didn't a pitcher for the Cubs go out with muscle damage from playing PlayStation games?).

This guy's pick? Mel Peterson. But, I picked the Lakers and the Patriots.

FA Class Recap

Len Heiserman finally came to life this season to earn his keep. The $15.4m man is batting .315/.399/.646 with 44 home runs. He could still eclipse last year's number of 65, but even if he doesn't he's still a great pickup.

Wish the same could be said for the off-season's big pitcher. Nashville has taken the screws on J.J. Lambert. At $6m per, you'd expect a pitcher to be a little more successful. Lambert is 6-9 with a 6.02 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. His OAV is up more than 30 points. He's done two DL stints and tec made the bold move of designating him for assignment.

Down but not out is Steve Austin. He took $6m per and went to Minnesota, where he promptly shed 30 points from his batting average, 47 from his OBP and 126 from his OPS. He'll drive in more runs this season, already matching last season's output, but will likely fall short in most of the other offensive categories.

Before taking a 15-day seat due to a bulging disk (ha), Al Ward was putting up similar numbers to last season. Batting .277-20-63 with 20 steals, he'll likely miss the 100-RBI plateau. Pricey at $6.75m, but I think that Cincinnati is probably getting the output it expected.

The most economical signing of season two is Jerome Clontz. Last season, he on the Pittsburgh ship wreck making $1.4m and batting .259 with a sub-.900 OPS. This season, he takes a pay cut and a one-year deal with Philly. His average is up 22 points, he's playing with a winner and providing solid offense and defense in left.

While we're talking about lousy signings, if anyone would like to take Erubiel Rosado or Frank Patterson, I'll toss in prospects, cash, an iPhone, naming rights to my first kid or a case of Blue Moon. I'm just saying...

Hands of Stone

I put a lot of stock into fielding. Call me crazy, but bad fielders don't get the attention they should. These are the position-by-position leaders in the race for the Cement Glove trophy, which could also be the Jose Offerman Awards. You remember Offerman -- major league infielder who committed 42 errors in 1992, which was one of every 13 chances for him that year.

CATCHER
Luke Cox/BOS and Henry Wyatt/PHI tied with three errors each.
Oleg Terry/MNT and Warren Hamill/PIT with 14 passed balls each.
Rex Cressand/AUG with 120 SB's allowed

FIRST BASE
Alfonso Montanez/NY with three errors
Charlie Stieb/CHA with six poor plays

SECOND BASE
Richard Peters/AUG with 20 errors and 10 poor plays

THIRD BASE
Oscar Hart/SF with 16 errors
Javy Macias/MIN, Bip Rapp/PIT and Oscar Hart/SF with three poor plays

SHORT
Hulk Holt/PIT with 39 errors and 14 poor plays

OUTFIELD
Manuel Gomez/PIT with 27 errors and 26 poor plays

PITCHING
Russel Baez/MNT with three errors
Dennis Meng/BOS and Wes Barker/BUF with two poor plays each

Trade Watch

Recapping the near-deadline deals:

APPROVED

Burlington sends Luke Sanford to Washington, D.C. for Mark Simms.

San Francisco sends Rex Cressan to Augusta for Preston Ross.

PENDING

Kansas City sends Al Hodges to Memphis for Tyler Osbourne.

I'm missing the Nieto and Phillips deals because I voted on them without writing down the pieces I was missing. So, when the judgment passes, I will post analysis.

Thinkin' About Arby's

A look ahead at this off-season's arbitration eligible players. The list is sorted by team and position and lists their name, club, position, age and current salary.

Vic Seanez (R) ARI 2B 29 $1.2M
Lenny Kershner (R) ARI 3B 29 $1.5M
Nick Darr (R) ARI C 26 $57K
Javier Osuna (L) ARI CF 28 $4.0M
Ben Roberts (L) ARI P 27 $343K
Davey Saenz (L) ARI P 28 $343K
Dennis Russell (R) ARI SS 25 $343K
Harry Limon (R) ARI SS 28 $55K
Cristian Chen (R) ARI 2B 26 $1.3M
Anthony Lane (R) ARI P 26 $57K
Ray Waters (R) ATL P 27 $1.3M
Roscoe Street (R) ATL P 25 $1.0M
Magglio Rodriguez (R) ATL P 25 $1.7M
Roger Winston (R) ATL SS 26 $343K
Pat Maeda (L) AUG P 25 $343K
Willie Kingland (R) AUG P 26 $343K
Bucky Woods (R) AUG 3B 27 $1.3M
Bum Bennett (L) AUG P 27 $710K
Miguel Santiago (R) AUS SS 28 $3.4M
Miller Wright (R) AUS SS 25 $57K
Ed Lee (R) AUS 3B 25 $343K
Dick Brown (L) BOS 1B 27 $343K
Jorge Marichal (R) BOS CF 25 $57K
Hector Pettitte (L) BOS LF 25 $343K
Darryl Coles (L) BOS CF 26 $910K
Groucho Hunter (L) BOS P 25 $1.4M
Michael Staley (L) BUF P 26 $343K
Tom Newman (R) BUF P 25 $343K
Travis Price (R) BUF P 26 $343K
Denny Casey (R) BUF C 26 $57K
Armando Gonzalez (L) BUF P 27 $57K
Harry Caballero (R) BUR 3B 30 $1.0M
Louie McBride (L) BUR CF 31 $1.7M
Greg Sturtze (R) BUR P 26 $1.1M
Julio Posada (R) BUR SS 27 $1.3M
Duke Harper (R) BUR C 26 $1.2M
Al McNamara (R) BUR P 25 $1.0M
Steve McDonald (R) CH1 3B 29 $2.5M
Thomas Wood (R) CH1 CF 27 $790K
Vladimir Galarraga (R) CH1 P 27 $343K
Gregory Lyons (L) CH1 P 23 $343K
Charley Helms (R) CH1 SS 26 $55K
Richard Coppinger (R) CHA 2B 27 $343K
Willie Garza (R) CHA 3B 26 $57K
Garrett Collins (L) CHA P 26 $343K
Jerry Ashley (R) CHA P 28 $55K
Ronald Pavano (L) CHA P 26 $57K
Nick Farnsworth (R) CHA LF 27 $1.6M
Ajax Regan (L) CHA P 29 $55K
T.J. Perkins (R) CIN C 27 $900K
Delino Waters (R) CIN CF 25 $343K
Tony Escobar (R) CIN LF 26 $57K
Shayne Swift (R) CIN P 24 $343K
Brian Ryan (R) CIN P 25 $55K
Al Wallace (R) CIN RF 28 $3.8M
Max Griggs (R) CLB 2B 29 $2.0M
Nomar James (R) CLB 3B 26 $1.5M
Junior Cheung (R) CLB C 26 $57K
Vicente Ozuna (R) CLB C 28 $1.5M
Skeeter May (R) CLB SS 26 $4.9M
Tomas Cervantes (R) CLB SS 27 $750K
Andre Canseco (R) CLB 3B 29 $343K
Derek Mullaney (R) CLE SS 28 $4.3M
Denny Katou (L) CLE RF 28 $343K
Herbert Walker (R) COL P 26 $57K
Kevin Duffy (R) COL P 26 $57K
Esteban Aparicio (L) COL P 27 $2.3M
Luis Cruz (R) COL SS 26 $343K
Zeus Brand (L) CSP P 26 $57K
Ruben Franco (R) CSP SS 28 $343K
Hank Palmer (R) CSP C 23 $343K
Chuck Cox (L) CSP P 25 $343K
Eli Reynoso (R) DET DH 26 $327K
Yuniesky Cornejo (R) DET DH 28 $3.4M
Eric Meluskey (R) DET P 31 $4.1M
Warren Rueter (R) DET SS 25 $343K
Deivi Ramirez (R) DET 3B 25 $1.0M
David Guzman (L) DET P 28 $1.4M
George Blair (R) KC 2B 29 $3.7M
Hunter Pierre (R) KC 3B 28 $343K
Clay Sefcik (R) KC CF 27 $3.4M
Tom Miller (R) KC P 29 $3.3M
Tomas Ayala (L) KC P 28 $4.4M
Ugueth Neruda (L) KC P 26 $2.5M
Adrian Rogers (R) KC LF 27 $1.2M
Ignacio Escobar (R) KC P 27 $1.3M
Darrin Simmons (R) LA 1B 28 $1.1M
Lou Jenkins (R) LA 2B 26 $343K
Julio Mateo (R) LA LF 24 $1.0M
Rocky Hooper (R) LA P 29 $4.0M
Theo McCullough (R) LA P 25 $57K
Wes Harmon (R) LA SS 26 $1.5M
Denny Crespo (R) LA P 29 $343K
Cozy Thomas (R) LA RF 26 $343K
Stubby Simon (L) MEM CF 25 $343K
Alan McBride (R) MEM 3B 26 $800K
Carlos Johnson (R) MIL 1B 24 $343K
Miguel Lee (L) MIL 1B 27 $55K
Stan Bowie (R) MIL 3B 26 $1.9M
Joe Hogan (R) MIL LF 27 $755K
Felix Matsuzaka (L) MIL RF 27 $2.0M
Odalis Lee (L) MIL RF 26 $1.2M
Brian Coleman (R) MIL 3B 25 $57K
Pascual Cortes (L) MIL P 26 $343K
Willie Johnson (R) MIN LF 25 $57K
Nigel Clark (R) MIN P 25 $343K
Yorrick House (R) MIN P 25 $57K
Felix Cunningham (R) MIN RF 26 $57K
Ernie Bolling (R) MIN SS 26 $327K
Carlton Hudler (R) MIN CF 28 $343K
James Thornton (L) MIN P 26 $663K
Tony Moraga (R) MNT 3B 25 $1.5M
Giomar DeJesus (R) MNT P 26 $4.6M
Quentin Bennett (L) MNT P 26 $1.7M
Vicente Marquez (L) MNT P 27 $2.0M
Charlie Swann (L) MNT CF 28 $4.0M
Dan Hoffman (L) MNT P 26 $57K
Tom Green (L) NAS DH 26 $343K
Tom Burns (L) NAS LF 28 $6.3M
Jose Guerrero (L) NAS P 25 $343K
Joel Hutch (R) NAS SS 27 $1.0M
Orlando Martinez (R) NY1 3B 29 $4.3M
Julian Sisco (R) NY1 DH 29 $57K
Raymond North (R) NY1 P 27 $800K
Terry Beimel (L) NY1 P 26 $57K
Jose Colon (R) NY1 SS 27 $1.1M
Dario White (L) NY1 CF 27 $5.4M
Armando Hernandez (R) NY1 P 26 $1.4M
Richard McMasters (L) PHI 1B 27 $1.3M
Louie Dali (L) PHI P 28 $1.6M
Quinn Stevenson (R) PHI P 30 $4.0M
Richard Takada (R) PHI SS 25 $343K
Weldon Reed (R) PHI SS 27 $57K
Alfredo Gabriel (R) PHI C 26 $343K
Chief Webster (R) PHI P 29 $1.7M
Jason Harris (R) PIT 3B 26 $343K
Manuel Gomez (L) PIT LF 24 $343K
Jerry Nixon (R) PIT SS 26 $57K
Bip Rapp (R) PIT 3B 26 $343K
Albert Alcantara (R) PIT P 26 $327K
Vance Romero (R) POR RF 24 $343K
York Muratore (R) POR RF 26 $343K
Hideo Xaio (R) POR 3B 26 $343K
Stevie Michaels (R) RIC 1B 28 $62K
Quentin White (R) RIC 3B 27 $1.0M
Henry Hughes (R) RIC C 27 $55K
Lou Coles (R) RIC CF 25 $62K
Peter Beech (R) RIC P 26 $57K
Johnny Meyer (L) RIC P 25 $343K
Billy Weston (R) RIC RF 30 $2.5M
Jose Toca (R) SEA RF 26 $343K
Hugh White (R) SEA C 26 $343K
Edgar Gonzalez (L) SEA P 31 $1.6M
Walt Clement (R) SF 1B 26 $62K
Cyrus Coombs (L) SF P 25 $343K
Kris Smith (L) SF P 28 $1.3M
Peter Gray (R) SF P 27 $327K
Richard Robinson (L) SF P 28 $3.4M
Ron Field (R) SF C 24 $343K
Charles Thomas (R) SF P 27 $327K
Tim Coscarart (R) SFE 1B 25 $343K
Hack Farr (R) SFE 2B 24 $1.3M
Vern Dunwoody (L) SFE P 26 $343K
Wolf Donovan (R) SFE RF 26 $57K
Ralph Clark (R) SFE P 26 $62K
Bert Jones (R) SFE SS 28 $550K
Patrick Poole (R) SJU C 29 $800K
Gus Mitchell (R) SJU CF 30 $1.2M
Chad Wagner (L) SJU P 28 $1.0M

Old with the old...

In Japan, when a member of a community dies, lanterns are floated out to sea to mark their passing.

In my family when someone dies, the old Italians take pictures of the corpse and send them back to the old country for the people who couldn't make it in.

In the Wailing Onion world, when an owner goes off the radar, they are dealt with in the Hunter S. Thompson way. They have their remains blown out of a cannon (see the accompanying photo). And, somewhere, tec is standing by with matches to light the wick.

the412 joins ewad in the Onion Owners Hall of Fame, having his franchise seized by our great and benevolent commissioner mark3313.

Mid-Season League Leaders

Pitching (Because they never go first...)
W-L: Theo Clifton (CLB) 14-1
Saves: José Bonilla (ATL) 33
IP: Kyle Merritt (CHA) 151.0
Strikeouts: Merritt (CHA) 146
WHIP: Clifton 0.96
ERA: Clifton 2.18
HR allowed: Matt Damon (COL) 44
Number of Pitches: Esteban Aparicio (COL) 2,226

Batting
Batting Average: Pat Saunders (KC) .396
On-base %: Saunders .463
Slugging %: Andy Porter (MIL) .744
OPS: Timo Phillips (San Juan) 1.197
2B: Saunders and Les Stevenson (AUG) 33
3B: Orber Nieto (PIT) 10
HR: Sammy Gonzales (NY) 40
RBI: Felipe Hernandez (MIL) 117
SB: William Saitou (PHI) 83
BB: Johnny Costello (WAS) 81

If the playoffs began today...

The wild card races aren't posted yet, but let's look at how they stack up.

American League

Arizona 53-38 .582 —
Cleveland 52-39 .571 1.0
Milwaukee 52-39 .571 1.0
Seattle 52-39 .571 1.0
-----------------------------------
Richmond 51-40 .560 2.0

National League
Santa Fe 57-34 .626 —
Washington 51-40 .560 6.0
-------------------------------------
Buffalo 47-44 .516 10.0
Charlotte 47-44 .516 10.0

Top Prospects: LoA

We're taking a look at the top five position players and pitchers at each level. Tonight, we finish with the HiA and LoA teams. We're not doing the rookie league, because, well, it's a crap shoot for most of those guys until next season.

Alton Myers/RF/DetroitAgain, 27 year olds at LoA are usually there because they haven't figured out that the dream is dead. Took a cup of coffee at Augusta last season, striking out in nearly a quarter of his at-bats and hitting .196. This season, he hits .333 with 11 homers and 91 RBI.

Lou Tankersley/C/Santa Fe
Not going to lie...he looks like he might show up in Chris Hansen's kitchen on an episode of Dateline NBC. Then again, we're talking about a catcher who hit .424 last season in rookie ball. This year, he's cooled off: .328 BA, 1.024 OPS.

T.J. Hume/1B/Kansas City
Allegedly born in Spain, Hume is clearing the bases in KC. Batting .322 with a 1.065 OPS, 33 homers and 96 RBI. And, it appears his numbers are down from last year.

Del Clifton/1B/Portland
Turning in a nice season at LoA, batting .346 with a 1.062 OPS, 21 homers, 97 RBI and more walks than strikeouts (56-36).

Wilfredo Feliz/SS/Arizona
Killing the ball. Killing it, I say. Hitting .353 with a 1.092 OPS. Even more attractive is his run production -- 80 runs scored, 32 homers, 106 RBI. But, his bat is to only cause of wind in the desert as he has struck out 82 times.

Greg Gleason/RP/Detroit
Converted 21 of 26 saves this season with a 2.51 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

Allen Fisher/SP/Colorado
In his second season, Fisher has posted a 9-2 mark with 135 strikeouts and a 2.30 ERA.

Horacio Baez/SP/Boston
First, this guy throws a screwball. That's awesome! Has lost two games in his career and is 11-1 this year with a 2.05 ERA and 147/28 K/BB ratio.

Marco Botle/RP/Kansas City
23 saves and a 1.83 ERA this season. An impressive 0.87 WHIP to boot.

Donaldo Sanchez/RP/Atlanta
On fire this year. 0.95 ERA. 0.88 WHIP. 2-0 with 14 saves and 35 Ks in 28.1 innings.

Top Prospects: HiA

We're taking a look at the top five position players and pitchers at each level. Tonight, we finish with the HiA and LoA teams. We're not doing the rookie league, because, well, it's a crap shoot until next year.

HiA

Alex Masao/1B/Chicago
Masao knew I was coming to write about him, injuring himself two days ago. Coming into the break, the pride of Yokosuka was hitting .352 with a 1.010 OPS, 15 homers and 77 RBI. He also has a fairly high BB-K ratio, making him extra attractive to the lay-dees.

Allie Payton/RF/Cincinnati
Don't be discouraged by the squirrely mustache. As soon as you get fixated on his lip fur, he jacks the pitch out of the joint. Batting .355 with a 1.033 OPS and 36 doubles thus far. Certainly a candidate for promotion.

Paulie Martin/1B/Detroit
Don't know that he is a traditional prospect. Generally, 27 year olds at HiA are considered underachievers. Spent 18 games with Augusta last season, hitting .217. This year, he's found a spot with the Detroit farm system, where he his hitting .330 with a 1.121 OPS. Probably could stand to face some tougher pitching.

Joe Clinton/1B/Colorado
A scary ass hitter. Following up on his .323-50-171 campaign at LoA with a .338-27-68 year at the break. Also posting a 1.097 OPS. When he's not hitting the hell out of the ball, he helps out on his parents farm back in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Oskaloosa?

Archie Walker/1B/Colorado Springs
This 19-year-old is advancing through the system at a lightning rate. Wouldn't be surprised if he made an ML debut next season. Played 12 games at Rookie and 45 at LoA last season, hitting a combined .338 with a .987 OPS. This year, he's put in 66 games of service with a .377 BA and 1.164 OPS. And, he's found his power stroke, posting 21 home runs. Eek.

Osvaldo Olmedo/RP/Boston
Absolutely blazing the competition. Converted 16-of-17 saves with a 2.36 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Has struck out 28 and walked 4 in 34.1 innings.

Shea Mailman/RP/Arizona
Impressive numbers through 51 IP -- 1.24 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 46 K, 2-1 record.

Skeeter Reagan/RP/Memphis
Perfect in five save opportunities this season with a 2.08 ERa, 0.87 WHIP and a .197 OAV.

Matty Aybar/RP/Kansas City
I'm pretty sure Matty Aybar was the name of a wide receiver I had in Gridiron Dynasty one season. Good to see him catch on with a nice franchise. Settled down from last season (6.08 ERA) and has a 1.96 ERA ad 0.87 WHIP. Has converted all seven save chances.

C.C. Russell/RP/Richmond
Turned things around from last season when he had a 8.31 ERA and walked nearly two batters per inning pitched. This season, he is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and smoking .115 OAV.

Hey Now, You're An All-Star: NL Edition

Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Jose Bonilla	Mad Dogs	tjconnatser
P	Duke Monroe	Flash	soursurfer
P	Theo Clifton	Come from Behinders	spenny33
P	Kyle Merritt	Webs	raybie2305
P	Miguel Tavarez	Come from Behinders	spenny33
P	Gregory Rando	Cricket Club	cheez791
P	Lon Costello	Motorboaters	pjutte
P	Donovan Leiter	Flash	soursurfer
P	Barry Hubbard	Motorboaters	pjutte
P	Steven Wood	Booze Hounds	paulbiss612
P	Dustin Keagle	City Limit	coltjj
P	Denny Rain	Senators	andysox9
P	Felipe Balboa	Motorboaters	pjutte
P	Pat Stein	Cricket Club	cheez791
C	Mark Yamamoto	Booze Hounds	paulbiss612
C	Victor Armas	Epsteins	the412
1B	Vic Ozuna	City Limit	coltjj
1B	Charley Stieb	Webs	raybie2305
2B	Roger Winston	Mad Dogs	tjconnatser
2B	Manuel Valdes	Senators	andysox9
3B	Joe Stein	City Limit	coltjj
3B	Tomas Julio	Mad Dogs	tjconnatser
SS	Greg Lankford	Senators	andysox9
SS	Richard Takada	Flash	soursurfer
LF	Aurelio Valentin	Booze Hounds	paulbiss612
LF	Pablo Johnson	Motorboaters	pjutte
CF	Willie Campos	Flash	soursurfer
CF	Cesar Fernandez	Hot Wings	purplehaze54
RF	Timo Phillips	Epsteins	the412
RF	Greg Ramirez	Senators	andysox9

Hey Now, You're An All-Star: AL Edition

Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Kirk Cunningham	Wahoos	alsimmons
P	Tony Dodd	Saints	tecwrg
P	Benny Pujols	Monarchs	braddavis
P	Earle Edmonds	Great Lake St	zar
P	Mel Petersen	Great Lake St	zar
P	Kevin Ong	Monarchs	braddavis
P	Andres James	Black Bears	dflinn0728
P	Andrew Mulder	In The Meantime	jaredpaventi
P	Louis Paul	Steelheads	leblanc2
P	Midre Navarre	Monarchs	braddavis
P	Groucho Hunter	Minutemen	AllSox
P	Alvin O'Brien	Amberwoods	ohiopirate
P	Ruben Otanez	Great Lake St	zar
C	Tyrone Thomas	Renegades	Marauders299
C	Warren Hamill	Diamond Kings	bentschnride
1B	Al Mendoza	Monarchs	braddavis
1B	Irv Hall	Amberwoods	ohiopirate
2B	Henry Cust	Monarchs	braddavis
2B	Bubba Fonda	Renegades	Marauders299
3B	Hunter Pierre	Monarchs	braddavis
3B	Andy Vickers	Saints	tecwrg
SS	Donovan Milligan	Wahoos	alsimmons
SS	Mitch Brow	Steelheads	leblanc2
LF	Pat Saunders	Monarchs	braddavis
LF	Andy Porter	Malt Liquors	tsteve28
CF	Sammy Carr	Renegades	Marauders299
CF	Dario White	Chechakos	madmuldoon
RF	Philip Jacobs	Monarchs	braddavis
RF	Orber Nieto	Diamond Kings	bentschnride
DH	Tanner Howard	River Otters	billabercrom