Quarter Post Team Metrics

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

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There's an oddity to note with AVG — 3 .500+ teams (Onanism, Belgian, and Squirrels) sit in the bottom 3 spots, behind even the league's 3 sub-.500 squads (Isles, Balls, and Friday). Proponents of offense's role in success will be pleased to see the division leaders, El Diablos and Aces, in spots 1 and 2.

The distribution of teams across SLG% remains largely the same as AVG. The notable exception being Friday and the Balls jumping over El Diablos and Wolfpack into the second and third spots. So much for offense being an indicator of success.

As you might expect, ERA pairs more closely with the standings. 6 of the top 7 teams lead the pack with numbers under 4.00. The anomaly is Wolfpack: .500 and second place in Garcia, but 9th with an 8.14 ERA. The division leaders once again find themselves in spots 1 and 2.

Aided by 3 perfect games Belgian gets their best showing, edged out by only El Diablos. WHIP produces a tight pack, too, as 5 teams sit within 0.4 of one another. The Balls at seventh is once again cause for head-scratching, given the 2-6 start.

Run differential seems like a smart bet to identify team success — or lack thereof. But nope. Only 2 teams (Wolfpack at 7 and Isles at 10) occupy the same positions. A team at .500 yet 24 runs under; a team 4 games under .500, but even on run differential... One thing can be said with a degree of certainty, though: Wolfpack games are not pitchers' duels.

Recapping the Team Attribute Ratings: By Divisions, Side by Side

All of the 2014 preseason team attribute ratings have been released. In case you missed any ― and for the sake of comparison ― the ten teams' ratings are laid out here by division, side by side, highest to lowest. You can click on each team to read their corresponding writeup. As a bonus, both division's average overall rating is included at the bottom.

Overall: 74

Overall: 80

Wolfpack Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Wolfpack is provided by David Castle.

The Wolfpack come into the 2014 season as a brand new team, filled with talent from top to bottom. However, that talent is too inconsistent for anyone to call them great, which is why they come in 5th in the overall ratings with an 80.

The Wolfpack have a respectable 83 Contact and 85 Power rating, which is no surprise because both Brannans can hit. Plus, the addition of Nicco Lollio puts the cherry on top. But, it all comes down to if Nicco shows up to games against formidable opponents, unlike last year. If he doesn’t, this line up takes a hit.

As for pitching, their rating is a staggering 71. It’s hard to rate them any higher with Mark Brannan being their only good source of pitching, and he can be shaky at times. They have no number two. Maybe Nicco can get that knuckleball to be more consistent, but that’s a long shot, and the thought of Andrew Piasecki pitching is amusing. Their defense is an 83, not bad, I wouldn’t mind having Greg Brannan behind me fielding anything that’s put in play. Look for this team to fight for a wildcard spot.

Whiteford Wicked Aces Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Wicked Aces is provided by Brandon Corbett.

Yes, Virginia, the three-peat attempting Aces are third overall in the preseason ratings behind El Diablos and Westside.

The reason for this is a perceived drop off in offensive production. The loss of Bortmas and speculation that Crozier will split time between Whiteford and Boston this season leaves Austin as the only big bat in the everyday lineup. Fisher, Little E, and Hughes combine for a .220 AVG, and that's good enough to see their contact rating third in the league, ten points above the league average. It's in the power category where the Aces slide back to the middle of the pack. The potential absence of Crozier also knocks their defensive rating down a bit, but they're still tied for second and very solid in this part of the game.

Of course, none of the above may matter when all is said and done. By far the largest advantage for a team at the front of the pack in any category, 8 points, is the one the Aces' hold in pitching. Little E and Fisher platoon as number-twos behind Austin, but either would easily be the ace on seven other WSEM teams. That near-perfect 99 in the most important facet of the game has the capability to readily override an overall rating of third.

Westside Warriors Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Warriors is provided by Carl Coffee.

No team made a bigger splash in the offseason than the Westside Warriors. Alex Shore made it known that it’s championship or bust for the orange and black. Two 5-star All-Stars, David Castle and Evan Bortmas signed with the Warriors and are both dual threat players who can pitch and hit well. Sam Hatt who played at the end of the 2013 season for the Warriors, re-signed and will be the team’s ace.

The ratings were very kind for the Warriors as they finished tied for 1st with an overall rating of 90. We obviously rated them based on their full roster, but with caution about the availability of Hatt and Bortmas. They led the league in the Contact category at 95. Every single player on this team can hit for average, but their Power category is a little lower at 90. I am shocked to see their Pitching rating is 2nd in the league at 91, even higher than El Diablos. Hatt is a stud, but Bortmas didn’t get a lot of time on the mound in 2013. Castle has the ability to pitch well, but has been inconsistent. Their defense is some of the best in the league, and 86 is a perfect rating for that category. The Warriors are a dynamic group of Wifflers, and it’s obvious their talent will take them far – if their talent can show up, of course.

Oakland County Onanism Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Onanism is provided by Brandon Corbett.

Ratings for rookie talent are always the trickiest, for obvious reasons. New players could fall anywhere along the scale, so when you have a team full of them it's easy to imagine every sort of situation — great, good, iffy, or awful — playing out for their season. All those question marks see the final numbers skew toward the seventies, which is right where we find the offensive and overall ratings for Onanism.

Pitching has the steepest learning curve, so it's no surprise that's where the untested arms give Onanism their lowest rating, 69. Haffey looks to have three chances to find an arm to complete his rotation, with Hool, Brasil, and Jardine each penciled in to take the mound. Haffey himself put up good numbers last year: finishing third in ERA, WHIP, and K/BB. However, only 7 games pitched seems to rub some of the shine off that fact.

Defense is the attribute where pure athleticism can transition unabated into Wiffleball, and these ballplayers earn their highest mark for that, 78, just one shy of the league average. Gun to my head: Onanism have a better shot at being good than awful, but until we see them in action iffy is the only way you can call it. Still, at 73 overall they are rated right with teams expected to be in playoff contention.

King Friday Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for King Friday is provided by Carl Coffee.

King Friday captain Richard Hurd once quoted something along these lines: “You start winning games when you stop having fun.” Richard isn’t concerned about wins or losses, he just enjoys having a team. This team isn’t predicted to do much, as most people I talked to have them winning anywhere from 0-2 games. They will be fun to play though, and they do actually have some bright spots. Adam Cosby doesn’t show up to a lot of games, but he will be the team’s best pitcher when he does. Ryan Hurd Jr. is the team’s young stud, and will be one of their best hitters. Their rookie, Rich Beach, is in his 40s, and he could be the next Roy Hobbs.

King Friday’s ratings aren’t pretty. They are in last place in all four categories, finishing with an overall rating of 47. Contact (45), Power (42), and Pitching (41) are obviously their weakness, but they do have a semi-decent rating for Defense at 62. The 2012 King Friday roster, which is very similar to this year's, was very impressive on the defensive side and the raters put a lot of stock in that. At the end of the season there won’t be a Cinderella story with this team. They won’t shock the world and slip into the playoffs. They will probably get crushed a lot. They will have fun though, and if they do upset someone to get their first win, you better believe it will be a fun sight to see.

Islanders Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Islanders is provided by Evan Bischoff.

The Islanders appear to return in 2014 with a very similar roster to 2013, minus one mayor. Last year, the Islanders finished in seventh place with a lackluster 5-23. However, I expect them to have a better finish this year.

Hitting continues to be a concern for the Islanders, pulling in the second-worst ratings in Contact and Power, ahead of only King Friday. If Andrew Mott and Robby Colgan can get more at bats, they may be able to scratch across a few more runs. Their pitching may be able to pick up some of the slack left by the poor hitting. Will Mundel will lead a staff that is ranked in the middle of the pack with a rating of 77. Clown Shu candidate Mundel is a top 5 pitcher and, if he pitches 14 games, should be able to win at least 10 with a little run support. Unfortunately, Mundel was the only Islanders pitcher with an ERA lower than 10.50 last year, and the second spot in the rotation is a big question mark. Alex Linebrink was wild and inconsistent last year. The Islanders’ defense pulls in the team’s highest rating at 78. Daniel Egan and Matt Murtha play solid defense for the Islanders.

Overall, the Islanders will be an improved version of last year’s squad, but without a reliable number two pitcher and increased offensive production they will likely be in The Thrill come the postseason.

Holy Balls Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Holy Balls is provided by Evan Bischoff.

The Holy Balls season ended last year by being shut out in the first round by El Diablos. The 2014 squad is much improved and should be looking for a much deeper run.

The big offseason pickup by the Holy Balls was indisputably five-star Dennis Pearson. His impact is obvious with the Holy Balls having the league’s highest power rating of 92. Dylan Braden has also proven himself as a power hitter. However, their contact rating of 83 is pretty low, at least when in comparison to their power rating. Pitching for the Holy Balls is not a huge concern and is rated fourth-best in the league at 80. The combo of Pearson and Paquin will likely carry most of the pitching load. All-Star Chris Paquin has proven himself as a consistent contact pitcher, and Dennis Pearson is less consistent but still occasionally shows flashes of why he won a Clown Shu two years ago. Chris Lewis, Brandon Corbett, and Dylan Braden may get some innings as well. Fielding is still a big question mark for the Balls. They have no great fielders and it is easily their lowest rating at 75.

Overall, the Holy Balls will almost certainly make it to at least the wild card, with hopes of a twenty win season and a deep playoff run.

Flying Squirrels Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Flying Squirrels is provided by Carl Coffee.

I compare the 2014 Flying Squirrels to the 2013 Holy Balls. Their roster is full of slightly above average talent, and I can see them finishing anywhere from 4th place to 8th place. The combined ratings have them 6th, which is right where they belong.

Three out of the four categories for the Flying Squirrels are in the low 70’s. Contact and Power is at 73, both under the league average which are both 77. The Squirrels offense should be better than expected thanks to the Zac Adams for Adam Cosby switch. Pitching is the Squirrels lowest ranking at 71. I call Jason Hewlett a 1.5 pitcher, not quite an ace, but better than a ‘number 2.’ The rest of the pitching staff is a giant question mark. The defense is the strongest category for the Squirrels at 81. Ryan Bullard is one of the best left fielders in the league, and Ryan Alexia loves playing the shortstop position and knocks down anything his way. John Sharlow played great defense last season in right field for King Friday, and will probably get a lot of playing time there. The Squirrels will be a fun team to watch and will definitely be in contention for that #4 vs. #5 “play-in” postseason game.

El Diablos Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for El Diablos is provided by David Castle.

Tied with the best overall rating at 90, El Diablos look to make a championship run this year relying on their star studded pitching rotation to lead the way featuring Craig “Skin Flute” Skinner, and Chandler “Bing” Phillips. However, with the departure of 2013 Batting Champ and Rookie of the Year Nicco Lollio, who will pick up the slack at the plate? Easy answer, 2013 MVP Kyle Tomlinson will with no problem at all.

El Diablos come in with the best Defense rating in the league with an 88 overall, which is no surprise since they having sure handed fielders in Chandler Phillips and Dakota LaDouceur. Look for veteran Mark Phillips to surprise with a Diamond Digit in 2014. Their Power at 90 and Contact at 91 is among the best in the league, if their pitching doesn’t show up, they can just out-hit teams, which is a rare luxury to have. El Diablos have a Pitching rating of 90, which sounds about right with Clown Shu winner Craig Skinner and Big Wood standout C.J Phillips, the only thing that would make this rotation better is Chandler being more consistent. Look for that in 2014.

Belgian Wiffles Attribute Ratings

Championships - silver star: tournament champion, gold star: WSEM champion, gold triangle: division pennant
League averages - CON: 77, PWR: 77, PIT: 75, DEF: 79, OVR: 77 Team attribute ratings were determined by averaging the individual ratings of the four members of the WSEM Front Office's Tactical Media Wing. Contact (CON), power (PWR), pitching (PIT), and defense (DEF) were studied to determine overall (OVR) team rating. The thin bars included are the league average for each attribute. This writeup for the Belgian Wiffles is provided by David Castle.

Coming in with the second worst overall rating in the league, at 70, are the Belgian Wiffles, but with the signings of Nick Braden and Josh Nagorski they may exceed these ratings; only time will tell.

Three of the four categories for the Wiffles are in the low 70s with Power and Defense at 71 and their contact at 72. Although Slow in the Snow isn’t meant to be all that competitive, rookies Steven Farkas and Travis Strojny certainly showed that they have some potential at the plate. Also, as mentioned before, Braden and Nagorski definitely helped their ratings a lot, without them we could be looking at another King Friday in the league.

While Belgian’s Power, Defense, and Contact may be average, their Pitching is a question mark with a rating of 66. With Nick Braden being their potential number one, and Nagorski being the number two, it just doesn’t look like that pitching staff will be very consistent. We’re looking at a 10 to 12 win team here, with wild card hopes.

WSEM 13: The Whoa

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

Not only have we brought back the video game style ratings for 2013, this season we plan on featuring them as part of the intro for game videos. Since they will now serve a greater purpose than "one-off gag for amusement", we brought in a few more voices to better round out these numbers. Five sources provided their opinion of each team's contact at the plate (CON), power in the bats (PWR), pitching (PIT) and defensive ability (DEF). Those were averaged together, then the overall team rating (OVR) was averaged from those four categories. Ratings will be updated before the season, after seeing teams in the satellite tournaments, and possibly once more mid-season. Obviously, other elements on these screens will be updated more frequently - franchise record, NWLA rank, and championships. Franchise records used to include all "modern era" (since 2009) games, including tournaments. However, this offseason we simplified that definition to include only league games from the season and playoffs. Championships do still include those won in tournaments, though, and are noted by a silver star. Gold stars stand for Commissioner's Cup Championships, and pennants won are indicated by gold pennants. Two more silver stars will be handed out for the satellite tournaments before these are put into use at the start of the season. If you're not familiar with the NWLA by this point, it's time to crawl out from under your rock. The NWLA does a great many things with the fifty-plus member leagues, but pertinent to this context, they rank the top 50 "large league" teams and top 25 "small league" teams. WSEM is a large league with our eight teams, and over our two-year run we have had eight different teams crack the top 50 rankings: Belgian, Commandos, Squirrels, Punchouts, Warriors, DeLoppes, Aces, and Ducks with our highest ever rank, #3 on August 19th, 2011. Two basic parameters exist in the NWLA rankings. One: only teams with records above .500 may be ranked. Two: no more than fifty percent of a league can show up in the rankings. As teams crack the top 50 for the first time or push higher than they have before that information will be added to these screens. So, everyone make that happen and if you don't think digital-your-team adequately matches real-world-your-team, get out to some preseason events to make your team's ratings more accurate for Opening Weekend!