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In this article we will attempt to analyze the teams in the playoff hunt this season and try to predict who will be left standing at season's end. As always teams with records under .500 will not be included in this article as they are not even pretending anymore.
Fishermen League
FSH East
Charlottetown Blues
70-54 .565
The Blues have been in charge in this division all season long and don't bet on that changing this season. With only one team to even present the vaguest of challenges the Blues should coast to an easy victory in the FSH East. Now if that will translate into success in the post season is up in the air but many pundits question the Blues pitching although the team's season era is somewhat misleading in light of the trades made recently. In light of the strong teams from the FSH West I don't expect the Blues to get very far this postseason but they will get there and once there anything can happen and the Blues could be a dark horse team. Look for the Blues to walk away with this division for the next few seasons as Fredricton declines and before the rebuilding teams in this division will get into the mix.
Rating: Contender
Fredricton Bandits
63-61 .508
The Bandits have bounced up and down around the .500 mark and that is about where they will finish. The Bandits still boast an incredible offence lead by RF Hayden Revelez but the pitching outside of Ace Simon Cockburn and Lefty Welcome Fleet is abysmal. allowing as many runs as you score will win you about as many games as you lose and so there is not much hope of the bandits pulling of a late season charge even though they only trail the Blues by 7 games. With out adding some pitching the Bandits will continue to hover around .500. The Bandits have a better shot at the division then they do the wild card spot which is to say they have no real shot at either. The Bandits have seriously declined over the last two seasons and the team is at a crossroads, tool up and try again or rebuild.
Rating: Pretender
FSH Central
Drumondville Doughboys
69-56 .552
Drumondville in many ways is in the same boat as Charlottetown. A good enough team to win the division quite easily but not good enough to seriously threaten the FSH West juggernauts. They also both play in cities with really long names the similarity however ends there or does it. While Charlottetown has a good offence and mediocre pitching Drumondville has good pitching but a mediocre offence. Good Pitching beats good hitting but great pitching beats good pitching and so I expect that Drumondville will take an early exit in the postseason but they will definitely still be playing for something come the end of the season which is more than most teams can say and in the short series of the postseason anything can happen.
Rating: Contender
FSH West
Owen Sound Crusaders
82-43 .652
Owen Sound is one of the best teams in the league and they are showing that again this season leading the FSH West with the best record in the FSH. This should make them a lock for the post season except for the fact that they play in one of the toughest divisions in the CBL. the Guelph Storm and Toronto Polar Bears are right on the Crusaders heels with the second and third best records in the FSH. Two of these three teams will make the postseason and one really good team will get to watch it on TV. Owen Sound seemingly has the edge with a two game lead in hand but the Crusaders have a losing record on the season to both Guelph and Toronto so look for this race to go down to the end. Highlights of the Crusaders attack, great offence and even better pitching. Owen Sound missed the playoffs last season after winning it all in 2009 but with an eight game lead on Toronto the Crusaders seem likely to make it to the postseason at least in the wild card spot and given the teams history, seven wild cards and no division championships, that seems very likely.
Rating: Contender
Guelph Storm
79-44 .642
The Guelph Storm made the playoffs for the first time last season edging out Owen Sound by one game for the FSH wild card spot. Guelph has the same things going for it as Owen Sound, great offence and even better pitching. Guelph has the edge over Owen Sound in starters but Owen Sound levels it out a bit with a stronger bullpen. In any case both of these teams has what it takes to win. Not just in the regular season but in the playoffs as well. Guelph's attack is particularly well rounded. In the FSH only Toronto has better pitching and only Fredricton has better hitting. This could be the year that Guelph Battles for the Beer.
Rating: Contender
Toronto Polar Bears
75-52 .591
Every year there are some great teams that finish the season with out making the playoffs. Unfortunately for Toronto this year they are likely one of those teams. The Polar Bears have ridiculously good pitching but their offence is only mediocre at best. If some one was to put Fredricton's offence together with Toronto's Pitching they would have the best team in the CBL. Unfortunately for Toronto they don't have the bats needed to play with the big dogs in their division and so they likely won't be making the post season where their outstanding pitching would give them a chance to win. Look for the Polar Bears to be adding some offence in the off season and be causing headaches in the FSH for years to come.
Rating: Contender
FSH Predictions
FSH East: Charlottetown Blues
FSH Central: Drumondville Doughboys
FSH West: Guelph Storm
FSH Wild Card: Owen Sound Crusaders
Farmers League
FRM East
Saskatoon Yellow Jackets
83-41 .669
What can one say about Saskatoon, well how about outstanding hitting and outstanding pitching. Last season's FRM representative in the BFTB the Yellow Jackets are on a mission to make it again but this time win it all. They have already proven that they are not a flash in the pan and look like they will be a force for years to come. The Yellow Jackets are extremely likely to make the postseason and have the chance to win it all this time. Saskatoon is facing a strong challenge from fellow Saskatchewan teams Moose Jaw and Regina but time is running out. Look for the Yellow Jackets to make the playoffs and don't count them out once they get there. This is a solid team with no real weakness.
Rating: Contender
Moose Jaw Dragons
76-48 .613
Perennial contender and six time FRM East champions the Moose Jaw Dragons trail Saskatoon by seven games and is locked in a battle for the FSH wild card with equally perennial contender and three time CBL Champions the Lethbridge Typhoon. There has never been a CBL post season with out one or both of these two teams represented. Will this be the first time? My Magic 8 Ball says, "Not Likely." Back in 2006 the Dragons missed the playoffs and everyone said, "Oh, they are too old. They must tear down and rebuild." So that is what the Dragons did. In what has been called the Shortest rebuilding in history the Dragons made one trade in April and got younger and then made another trade in July and got older again. The rebuilding complete the Dragons won their division again the next season and have remained contenders ever since. That said there is no team in the CBL older than Moose Jaw. This is somewhat fitting considering where they play. Fortunately the city of Moose Jaw is one of the few places able to provide a crowd older than the Dragons starting line-up. All this is to say that the future is now for the Dragons and there may not be too many more seasons left in the Dragons run. Pitching is the Dragons forte but the team also boasts a strong offence. Will the Dragons make the playoffs. Maybe but you will need to keep watching until the final weekend to know for sure. The Dragons have the best pitching in the Farmers and pitching wins championships however last season the Dragons won 100 games and still missed the playoffs. They could suffer that fate again but don't count them out, that mistake has been made before and the Dragons typically finish the season strong.
Rating: Contender
Regina Pirates
72-54 .571
The Pirates have been in the hunt all season but time is running out trailing division leaders Saskatoon by 12 games the Pirates only hope seems to be the wild card but a Dragon and a Typhoon stand in the way and it seems unlikely that both of these teams will falter enough for Regina to slip by but the chance exists and the pirates will likely be playing meaningful game well into late September. Come October though they will likely join one of the Dragons or Typhoon on the golf course. Strong pitching and hitting help the Pirates stay in contention but many of the crew of this scurvy vessel are getting a bit long in the tooth. The Pirates days of being a force in the FRM East look to be numbered.
Rating: Contender
FRM Central
Cold Lake Mud Cats
86-39 .688
When I say that Cold Lake has the best record in the CBL and that they have never looked more vulnerable in the same article it may seem as though I have been indulging in smoking crack. However given the fact that this franchise has been seemingly without vulnerabilities at all in the recent past any chink in the armour seems worth looking at. Ah who am I kidding the only thing I can see through that chink in the armour is another layer of armour underneath. Cold Lake has the biggest lead of any division leader and the second place Lethbridge Typhoon would lead in 3 of the other five divisions by a healthy margin. Is there hope for the rest of the league? Well the light at the end of the tunnel might actually be a train. They have at most ten more seasons in them before they will almost certainly have to be rebuilt. Previously in this article I said if you took Toronto's pitching and combined it with Fredricton's offence you would have the best team in the CBL, well after looking closely at the Mud Cats I still stand by that claim although it would be close. Cold Lake is a virtual lock for the postseason and should be favoured once they get there. This is however what everyone says every season yet Cold Lake has not won it all since 2007.
Rating: Contender
Lethbridge Typhoon
76-49 .608
Just half a game back of the current FRM wild card leader Moose Jaw, the Typhoon are one of the strongest teams in the CBL. Although it would take a major stumble by Cold Lake for Lethbridge to have a shot at the FRM Central Title the Typhoon are going to be in the wild card hunt to the end. This will in my opinion be the most exciting race in the CBL and perhaps the only one with any drama at all. Lethbridge struggled early but have surged in recent weeks. The Typhoon as usual are an excellent team with a very good well rounded offence. The pitching this season has declined particularly in the bullpen and injuries to the starting rotation have made this the weak link in the Typhoon's chain. Still the vast majority of team in the CBL would be happy to be stuck with this pitching staff and the Typhoon still have the horses. Underestimating the Typhoon is a mistake that few recover from. The Typhoon continue to prove that they belong in the list of the CBL's elite teams.
Rating: Contender
FRM West
Vancouver Giants
78-45 .634
Has Vancouver ever even appeared in a Contenders and Pretenders article before? I am not sure but one thing I am sure of is that Vancouver has never made the playoffs. 'The Keegan Moers Show' as the Giants have been known to the rest of the league is finally looking like they will be getting a chance to play in the postseason. Keegan Moers for those who don't know is the best second baseman in CBL history which traditionally has been a very strong position in the CBL with such stars as Langston Burrel and Terrel Huel. In the past Moers was one of the only bright spots for this franchise but this season Keegan has got some help with an improved offence around him and finally some pitching. Moers is getting his first taste of winning and he is loving it. Moers new favourite person is righty Jose Restovich whose 2.87 ERA and 18-4 record will help Moers add some postseason experience to his Hall of Fame resume.
Rating: Contender
Kelowna Americans
72-55 .567
After giving up on the season and trading away most of the best players on the team the Americans went on a tear that brought them into contention for both the division and the wild card however an 8-2 season record vs Moose Jaw and a recent epidemic of injuries have brought Kelowna back to reality. while the teams record looks good a closer examination shows a number of flaws in the thinking that Kelowna had a chance. The teams losing record against division rivals is the first clue and when you look at the breakdown of Kelowna wins and losses against the rest of the league it becomes apparent that while the Americans dominate the weaker teams in the league they struggle mightily against the elite teams. The Americans self proclaimed 'amazing comeback' was fueled by a weak schedule not a revived team. Injuries or no the Americans were destined to collapse as their September schedule features dates with the best of the best. Come season's end the Americans will be left watching the playoffs on TV and eating freedom fries perhaps with a side of gravy or maybe just some ketchup.
Rating: Pretender
FRM Predictions
FRM East: Saskatoon Yellow Jackets
FRM Central: Cold Lake Mud Cats
FRM West: Vancouver Giants
FRM Wild Card: One of the Moose Jaw Dragons or Lethbridge Typhoon. This race is too close to call.
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