FRONTIER FIVE: HUGE WEEK IN THE EAST AHEAD
AUGUST 7TH, 2023 - While going through the numbers to prepare to write these rankings, I had a realization, three very solid baseball teams will not be making the postseason. Which three remains to be seen, but as of today it would be the Sussex County Miners (39-31),
New York Boulders (39-30) and the Ottawa Titans (37-34).
Boulders are the closest of those teams to the playoff line, four games back of the Capitales who currently occupy the last playoff spot. Sussex County is four and a half games back while the Ottawa Titans are hanging on for dear life at seven back.
As it so happens, the top six in the East all play each other this week, so naturally, before we get to the rankings, let's break down the upcoming battles on the eastern front.
ValleyCats @ Boulders
For an ever so fleeting moment, it was the Tri-City ValleyCats who sat atop the eastern perch. Until this weekend when they took that division lead of theirs on the road to the bash box that is Hinchliffe Stadium. 47 combined runs and two Jackals wins later and the ValleyCats are back in second, a half game behind those Jackals and a half game above the Capitales in third. Now they travel to Rockland County to face a Boulders squad that is 5-5 in their last 10 and struggling to get out neutral in their playoff chase. Utility man and reigning FL player of the week Chris Kwitzer is the hottest hitter in the league right now. Hitting .335 since June 1st and .455 in the last week, he along with veteran Tucker Nathans and shortstop Matt McDermott all carry averages well over .300 into this series. (At the time of this being published, game 1 of this series was already underway, with the ValleyCats leading 6-5 in 4th inning)
Capitales @ Jackals
After the Cats' last weekend, it is now the Capitales turn to take a whirl in the Jersey bash box. This could, however, play to the Capitales advantage. Capitales pitching has the sixth lowest HR/9 allowed in the league, while Jackals pitching has the highest HR/9 allowed in the league. Another interesting facet to watch will be if Quebec can neutralize the Jackals running game. The Jackals currently sit fourth in stolen bases while the capitales have allowed the second fewest stolen bases in the league. Another fascinating part of the Capitales game is how many double plays they turn, 69 so far this season, and the fact that they have the highest fielding percentage in the league (.983). Couple that with the fourth best staff ERA and you see why the Capitales are so tough to beat, even for a team with a stacked lineup like the Jackals.
Titans @ Miners
This series is officially do or die time for the Titans, anything less than a sweep of the Miners and the math towards a playoff berth gets very, very daunting for Ottawa. The Titans are something of an anomaly to me, despite being middle of the pack in basically every under the hood stat, they have found a way to stay hanging around the playoff picture. What is even more confusing to me is how their season has played out when compared to the Trois-Rivieres Aigles. The team one spot below them in the standings and eight and a half games behind them. The Aigles sit near the top of the league in many of the important hitting stats, they have a .280 team average, (5th), 136 doubles (3rd), 683 hits (3rd), 488 strikeouts (3rd fewest) and 15 triples (3rd), beyond those numbers, they sit ahead of Ottawa in almost every other hitting stat. But low and behold it is the Titans sitting at 37-34 and the Aigles sitting at 29-43, completely out of it. For the Miners, if they hope to regain a playoff spot, their lineup must get going and get going in a hurry, the pitching staff is the cream of the East, but the lineup is middling or below middling in basically everything. Fifth fewest home runs, fifth fewest hits, second fewest doubles, fifth worst average. Basically, pick any offensive stat and you will find that the Miners are below average at it.
The Frontier Five
5- Evansville Otters
Pitching, pitching, pitching. That is the name of the game in southern Indiana. Best team ERA, most K/9, best WHIP, least runs allowed, second fewest HR allowed, etc. Basically, if it is a pitching stat and the FL tracks it, it's a good bet the Otters are one of the best at it.
4- Quebec Capitales
I love the manager, I love how they flash the leather and turn double plays like they are going out of style and I love how much their pitching has improved over the course of the season. I just doubt if they have the raw offensive firepower of their rivals. I hope they prove me wrong.
3- Gateway Grizzlies
To all my friends in Sauget, I apologize, but I could no longer keep them in the one spot. HOWEVER, if I was a betting man, this would still be my pick to win the whole dang thing, it's just that the outrage toward me personally would have been too much if I kept them in the one spot over the scalding hot east coast teams, so they drop to three.
2- Tri-City ValleyCats
I was very close to flipping these final two spots but after the Jackals took two of three from the Cats' this weekend in Paterson, I felt like I had to have New Jersey in the one spot. However, the ValleyCats just got Aaron Altherr back after a stint on the IL. He is the type of player that could totally change the playoff race and post season if he heats up like we know he can. Fun fact, Aaron's father, Frank, is a former professional soccer player who played in Germany and won the 1985/1986 2. Bundesliga title with FC Homburg. So you could say winning at a high level in professional sports runs in the family.
1- New Jersey Jackals
At one point in July the Jackals had lost seven of ten and had momentarily fallen out of the playoff spots. That feels like a distant memory now as they are 8-2 in their last 10 and have regained the best record in the league. I've said since June that James Nelson is my MVP of the league and with each passing game that looks closer and closer to becoming a reality.
