The West Division closely mirrors the East, with a three team race at the top, and two sellers at the bottom. Not that the top and bottom teams make sense, mind you, as there have been some very lucky (and rather unlucky) teams so far. There is no clear front runner here, so a key trade could be what makes one team make their playoff run.
Kansas Twisters
Kansas has the #1 scoring offense in the league, averaging 5.7 runs per game. Like Jersey City, they lean heavily on their offense to offset a pretty mediocre pitching staff, but the addition of an arm or two could put the team over the top.
The unlikely star of the Twisters offense is Justin Upton, who is tied with Ryan Braun for the team lead in HR (30), and has been on the run production leaderboards all season. With Ichiro and Alexi Ramirez excelling at the top of the order, the whole lineup has clicked. Even AJ Pierzynski has 24 HR from the catcher spot (who saw that coming?)
Starting pitching has underperformed all year. Only the 46 year old Randy Johnson has an ERA below 4.00, while projected staff ace Chris Carpenter has struggled all year. Is it time to give Jonathan Sanchez or John Danks a shot in the rotation? They can't do much worse than Armando Galarraga or Shaun Marcum have....
The bullpen isn't much better, and needs to be addressed. Why has Taylor Buchholz been given the ball 29 times when he has done nothing but toss batting practice every time out? Why is Jonathan Sanchez wasting his talents in relief?
Oklahoma City Bison
How is OKC only 1 game out of first? They're being outscored, half of their starting lineup is on the shelf, and they can't really pitch. It really makes no sense, but Bison fans are enjoying the success while it lasts.
Rollins, Iwamura, Kemp and Ibanez are all on the DL, yet the team continues to score. After a rough first month, first round pick Evan Longoria has really stepped it up, and now leads the team in RBI. Ryan Ludwick and Raul Ibanez have provided good power, while Carlos Gonzalez has been a nice surprise in the OF. There has been no attempt to send a catcher of even middling ability on the field each day, so it's no surprise that the position has been a black hole.
Though there have been some very good performances on the pitching staff, they've struggled overall. Ted Lilly has been surprisingly effective, but Josh Johnson has struggled, and Scott Kazmir has flat out sucked. Then there is Max Scherzer; does this guy have naked photos of the manager's wife or something? How does he keep getting the ball every 5th day?
The bullpen is getting by with smoke and mirrors. Outside of Jonathan Broxton, most of the relief has been average to poor, yet they haven't cost the team too many games. Saito is 5-0 with a 5.09 ERA (as one example). Time to upgrade?
La Brea Dire Wolves
The Dire Wolves lead the West for awhile early in the season, but have found themselves in a struggle for the division title. Despite a roster full of mostly "okay" players, La Brea is 8 game over .500 and in contention.
Many GM's and critics scratched their heads at the pick of Matt Wieters in the first round, but the young catcher has played pretty well. After missing nearly a month to injury, Wieters is OPSing around .850 and has drawn a lot of walks. Cristian Guzman has been the spark plug at the top of the order, batting .321 and stealing 28 bases. The rest of the offense centers around the outfield and Ryan Howard, who is hitting HR's at a good clip.
Somehow the team has done just fine with a rotation full of #3 starters. Josh Towers has been very surprising, as has Chien-Ming Wang. Josh Beckett has underperformed, but that has been offset by the great pitching of Justin Duchscherer.
Not super great, but good enough so far. Mike Adams and Jon Link have been very good, while Mariano Rivera and Brandon League have been good enough. They could use an upgrade in middle relief, but who doesn't?
Springfield Isotopes
The Isotopes went pitching, pitching, pitching in the initial draft, but have been hamstrung all season by the under-performing staff. Though the team has improved lately, it has dug itself a 10 game hole that it looks unlikely to climb out of without some personnel changes.
Springfield simply doesn't hit. Or score runs. Victor Martinez leads the team 45 RBI, and the only .300 hitters are probable Rookie of the Year Gaby Sanchez and injured Carlos Lee. Hunter has hit well, but can't get off the bench. The middle infield is terrible, as Zobrist and Ryan have combined for 10 HR and 40 RBI. It hasn't been nearly enough.
Who would have thought a starting rotation with Lincecum, Greinke, Escobar and Hamels would do so poorly? Lincecum had a terrible start, but has shaved a whole run off his ERA over the past 6 weeks. Hamels has been good, and Scott Baker has been better than projected, while Greinke has struggled mightily.
There have been some unreal seasons out of the pen for the Isotopes. Franky Rodriguez might get some Cy Young consideration if he keeps this up: 1-1, 1.01 ERA, .131 OpAvg. Crazy good. Then you have Rafael Soriano, who is almost as good at 4-0, 1.59 ERA, .104 OpAvg (!!!!!) Does Springfield keep these guys for a second half run, or do they get the best possible deal they can at the trade deadline?
Sioux Falls Tomahawks
What a miserable season in South Dakota. While the team hits a lot of home runs, they also sport the worst team ERA in the league (5.75). A team of young talent has not managed to keep up with league full of veterans, and as a result, the Tomahawks have the only sub-.400 winning percentage in SLB.
Sioux Falls can slug it with the best of the teams in the league. BJ Upton, Jason Werth and Adrian Gonzalez all have 20+ HR, while youngster Gordan Beckham has 18 of his own. Even young players like Lou Marson have double digit homers, which is a good sign for the future.
Huge disappointments all around on this promising young staff. David Price has been destroyed, Justin Verlander mediocre, and Yovani Gallardo criminally awful. Matt Garza has been okay, but the team has to be worried that its decision to draft young is going to take longer than planned to pan out.
The bullpen hasn't been much better. Cla Meridith is the only tradeable commodity, and even he hasn't been spectacular.
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