Well the first half of the season is done meaning that two teams have already punched their tickets to the playoffs. The Tri-City Dust Devils and the Eugene Emeralds have clenched the first half titles for each of their divisions. So starting today every team starts a new season and has a chance to claim the second birth to the playoffs.
This season has had quite a few exciting and crazy moments. The Eugene Emeralds ran off the longest winning streak in Northwest League history with 14 straight wins. The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes had two 8 game losing streaks followed by a 6 game winning streak and a 7 game winning streak. And in the Northwest League’s one dark moment of the season the Spokane Indians and the Vancouver Canadians had a bench clearing brawl.
My mid season All-Star team
Catcher- Brett Nicholas Spokane Indians: In his second season with Spokane Nicholas is batting .100 points higher then last year and has nearly doubled his home run total already.
1st base -Paul Hoilman Boise Hawks: He may only be batting .252 but he is second in home runs, third in RBIs and is tied for sixth in on base percentage.
2nd base- Cory Spangenberg Eugene Emeralds: Even though Spangenberg was promoted recently he still was the obvious choice for this spot, and was in the top 5 for MVP for the first half of the season.
3rd base -Balbino Fuenmayor Vancouver Canadians: Although his on base percentage is a bit low because he doesn’t walk much, Fuenmayor still is in the top ten in total hits, and RBIs.
Shortstop – Joe Panik Salem-Keizer Volcanoes: Panik started the season off on fire and although he has cooled off a bit he still is near the top of the lists for average, RBIs, hits, and runs.
Outfield -Zachary Cone Spokane Indians: The 37th overall pick has shown that his speed is useful. He is second in the league in runs scored and has 9 stolen bases as well.
Outfield -Tyler Massey Tri-City Dust Devils: His numbers may not jump out at you but across the board he has been solid, and in a league where guys may be high in one area and low in others, Massey shows a level of consistency that I think is important.
Outfield -Stephen McQuail Vancouver Canadians: The league leader in home runs at the half way point with 10. If he can cut down on strikeouts he could become a very dangerous hitter.
Designated Hitter – Mike Murray Salem-Keizer Volcanoes: At the half way point Murray is leading the league in hitting with a .400 batting average. Murray just might be the MVP of the first half as well. He is .70 points ahead of the next closest person still in the league for batting average and he is near the top of the rankings for RBIs, hits and home runs.
Starting Pitcher – Justin Nicolino Vancouver Canadians: In 7 starts Nicolino is 5-1 with an ERA of 1.32 and has not given up a home run all season. Oh and by the way he leads the league in strikeouts with 47.
Starting Pitcher – Nelson Gonzalez Tri-City Dust Devils: Even though he only has two starts Gonzalez has still logged 35.2 innings (more then a full inning over Nicolino) and has a record of 5-0 with an ERA of 1.01 and like Nicolino has not given up a home run this season.
Relief Pitcher – Kevin Quackenbush Eugene Emeralds: Sporting an ERA of 0.44 and leading the league in Saves makes him an easy choice.
Relief Pitcher – Matthew Bischoff Everett AquaSox: Bischoff has not allowed an earned run in 15 innings of work and has a record of 2-0 and 5 saves.