Mountaineer League Report
The first 15 games of the inaugural Mountaineer League season are in the books, and baseball fans in West Virginia have been treated to some remarkably competitive and entertaining baseball. Attendance, the top pre-season concern among league officials, has been strong in all ten markets, with many teams playing at 75% or higher capacities.
Break Even Baseball?
The Blue Division, considered by many to be the strongest of the league's two divisions, is off to a rocky start, as no team is currently playing break-even baseball. The division's worst team, the Beckley Bears, have complied a less-than-impressive record of 5-10, yet they find themselves only two games out of first place. Three teams, Bluefield, Huntington, and Parkersburg, are wrestling for control of the division with 7-8 records, respectively.
The division's five GMs generally agree that parity, combined with early season kinks and jitters, explains the overall lackluster performance of the five teams, and many experts agree that by season's end, the eventual league champion is likely to come from the Blue Division.
In Their Own Words
"To tell you the truth, I haven't lost one night of sleep over it. I was more worried about people showing up for our games than what a so-called rival league is going to do. We had a strong opening, I'm elated with that, and all signs indicate we're only going to get stronger as we move deeper into this season. Do I wish them well? I do, but not at our expense, or at the expense of quality baseball for the fans of this state. Let's just say that two professional leagues in West Virginia is not a good idea . . . and it wasn't our idea."
-- Mountaineer League Commissioner James L. Holcomb when asked by reporters for his comment on the WVIL's upcoming opening day.
Current Standings
Here are the Mountaineer League season standings through 15 games:
Code:
Blue Division W L PCT GB
Bluefield Bullfrogs 7 8 0.467 -
Huntington Hawks 7 8 0.467 -
Parkersburg Patriots 7 8 0.467 -
Kanawha Valley Vipers 6 9 0.400 1
Beckley Bears 5 10 0.333 2
Gold Division W L PCT GB
Morgantown Monsters 11 4 0.733 -
Clarksburg Cardinals 9 6 0.600 2
Fairmont Engineers 8 7 0.533 3
Martinsburg Spirit 8 7 0.533 3
Wheeling Owls 7 8 0.467 4
League Leaders
Below are the current Mountaineer League statistical leaders in selected categories:
Code:
Batting Average:
0.421 J. Griesck, Wheeling
0.385 J. Derenberger, Huntington
0.385 T. Moore, Clarksburg
0.373 A. Ojeda, Morgantown
0.373 C. Ramírez, Fairmont
Home Runs:
6 A. Butler, Kanawha Valley
5 A. De La Portilla, Clarksburg
5 E. Fernández, Morgantown
5 I. Shrum, Clarksburg
5 R. Thwaites, Kanawha Valley
Runs Batted In:
22 I. Shrum, Clarksburg
18 V. Ortíz, Parkersburg
15 E. Fernández, Morgantown
15 C. Rogers, Bluefield
14 F. Cardinales, Martinsburg
Wins:
4 D. Slater, Morgantown
3 L. Hilton, Huntington
3 A. Navarro, Martinsburg
3 J. O'Breen, Martinsburg
ERA:
1.34 D. Slater, Morgantown
1.88 O. Pérez, Parkersburg
1.97 M. Pachón, Beckley
2.11 A. Perkins, Bluefield
2.22 S. Squire, Huntington
Strikeouts:
39 O. Pérez, Parkersburg
38 S. Squire, Huntington
36 D. Slater, Morgantown
30 J. Williams, Parkersburg
29 T. Santos, Huntington
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WV Independent League Report
The rival West Virginia Independent League kicked off shortly after the Mountaineer League season, and much like the ML, the WVIL didn't disappoint. Surprisingly strong crowds, particularly in Weirton and Teays Valley, welcomed the upstart league. Moundsville jumped out to the early season lead, and sits at the top of the league with a 9-5 record. The Crickets are lead by the bat of catcher Rolón Encino's 5 home runs, good for the second best tally in the league. The Wincester, Virginia native is also batting .277 with 7 runs batted in.
In Their Own Words
"They said it couldn't be done. They said we were just crying over spilled milk, that we were going to ruin professional baseball in West Virginia before it even got off the ground. They said that the Independent League was a pipe dream. Looks like they were wrong."
-- WVIL Commissioner and South Charleston Mounds Owner, Charles Martin on opening day of the inaugural WVIL season, April 16, 2006
Current Standings
Here are the WV Independent League season standings through 14 games:
Code:
Team W L PCT GB
Moundsville Crickets 9 5 0.643 -
Cross Lanes Greyhounds 8 6 0.571 1
Weirton Steelhats 8 6 0.571 1
South Charleston Mounds 7 7 0.500 2
St. Albans Dragons 7 7 0.500 2
Vienna River Hounds 7 7 0.500 2
Dunbar Bulldogs 5 9 0.357 4
Teays Valley Thunder 5 9 0.357 4
League Leaders
Below are the current WV Independent League statistical leaders in selected categories:
Code:
Batting Average:
.449 P. Bolyard, South Charleston
.396 J. Martínez, Cross Lanes
.393 E. Gallion, South Charleston
.370 P. Chávez, Cross Lanes
.360 J. Miranda, Teays Valley
Home Runs:
6 E. Cardanas, Weirton
5 R. Encino, Moundsville
5 E. Gallion, South Charleston
5 J. Perry, St. Albans
4 3 tied with
Runs Batted In:
20 E. Gallion, South Charleston
16 E. Cardanas, Weirton
13 B. Swissher, Vienna
12 J. Perry, St. Albans
11 2 tied with
Wins:
3 3 tied with
3 R. Anne, St. Albans
3 T. Rivera, Moundsville
3 J. Wood, Weirton
2 11 tied with
ERA:
1.93 J. Wood Weirton
2.00 T. Rivera, Moundsville
2.25 J. Sulley, Vienna
2.25 M. Bechtold, St. Albans
2.37 S. Ramas, Cross Lanes
Strikeouts:
28 J. Wood, Weirton
25 A. Jefferies, Teays Valley
25 A. Perry, South Charleston
21 M. Bechtold, St. Albans
21 E. Berryman, Moundsville