Chico's Chuggers (Shawn)
Points: 2585
Head-to-head record: 9-5
Stars: OF Shane Victorino (262), SS Hanley Ramirez (252), SP Adam Wainwright (252)
Draft Day hit: Wainwright (7th round). RP Heath Bell (13th) is a close second.
Draft Day miss: C Geovany Soto (4th). Soto has suffered a sophomore slump, battled injuries and mustered just 45 points.
Best move: OF Nyger Morgan. Morgan more than made up for the draft misfire of Willy Taveras.
Reason for optimism: The lineup is solid top-to-bottom, Brandon Phillips is starting to produce and Wainwright has emerged as the staff ace. If they can get Peavy back and performing at a high level, they will be tough to catch in the second half.
Reason for optimism for other teams: With a bench consisting of two pitchers, the depth is very lean. A key injury to a position player could be painful.
WWJB (Scott)Points: 2531
Head-to-head record: 9-5
Stars: 1B Albert Pujols (311), SP Chad Billingsley (242), SP Javier Vazquez (234).
Draft Day hit: SP Joe Blanton (12th round). After a slow start, Blanton has turned into one of the team's most consistent starters.
Draft Day miss: We would say Justin Upton (5th), but that miss was more about Scott's hot trigger that cut him loose too early. So we'll go with Alfonso Soriano (2nd).
Best move: OF Michael Bourn. Adding Bourn has helped lessen the impact of OF misfires in the draft.
Reason for optimism: The pitching staff is solid and Soriano has to turn things around eventually.
Reason for optimism for other teams: Scott's history of bad juju on closers may have struck Broxton. Plus, Scott has taken a new job on the other side of the country, so we think he may be distracted in the final months of the season.
Gladstone Goatwhisperers (Arik)Points: 2478
Head-to-head record: 7-7
Stars: 1B Prince Fielder (272), 2B Orlando Hudson (240), OF Jayson Werth (240).
Draft Day hit: Hudson (9th). Getting top-10 points out of a ninth round pick is not bad.
Draft Day miss: Jose Reyes (1st). The No. 3 overall pick has scored 86 points and spent nearly two months on the DL.
Best move: 3B Casey Blake. He's filled in nicely for the struggling/then injured Encarnacion.
Reason for optimism: The GGs have remained in the hunt despite getting less than expected from 1st-round pick (Reyes) and 3rd-round pick (Hamels). If Reyes returns healthy and Hamels has a strong second half, a title shot is within reach.
Reason for pessimism: Reyes could not return to full strength.
Misfits (Reid)Points: 2455
Head-to-head record: 8-6
Stars: SP Dan Haren (286), 1B Ryan Howard (248), OF Andre Ethier (205).
Draft Day hit: Haren (2nd). The 12th overall pick has been the No. 2 pitcher in the league and No. 3 player overall.
Draft Day miss: OF Rick Ankiel (7th). Ankiel has been hurt and has really struggled since return from DL.
Best move: OF Juan Pierre. After ManRam was suspended, Reid swooped in and picked up Pierre, and it paid off big time.
Reason for optimism: Haren has been a top-flight player despite getting little help from his offense. If he gets that, he could have huge second half.
Reason for pessimism: ManRam is back, so Pierre is gone. And now the outfield is very thin after Andre Ethier.
Triple-A's (Ken)Points: 2412
Head-to-head record: 7-7
Stars: 2B Chase Utley (256), OF Raul Ibanez (232), 3B Mark Reynolds (221)
Draft Day hit: Raul Ibanez (4th). Nuff said.
Draft Day miss: Stephen Drew (2nd). Has been splitting time at SS with Ryan Theriot-- not what you want from your No. 2 overall pick.
Best move: Ryan Theriot.
Reason for optimism: Ibanez is off the DL, and Nolasco has showed signs of returning to last year's form.
Reason for pessimism: Starting pitching has been unsettled, particularly with Arroyo's hot-and-cold performances.
Arbitration Losers (Tim)Points: 2333
Head-to-head record: 8-6
Stars: SP Tim Lincecum (300), SS Miguel Tejada (227), OF Ryan Braun (225).
Draft Day hit: Lincecum (1st). Sure, he was a first-round pick. But he was the No. 8 overall pick, and he's the No. 2 overall player in the league.
Draft Day miss: Garrett Atkins (4th). He slumped at the start of the season and lost his starting job, both on the Rockies and the Losers.
Best move: OF Justin Upton. "One man's garbage is another man's potpourri" -- The Grinch.
Reason for optimism: Ryan Braun to catch fire in the second. Ryan Ludwick's recent power surge could be an indication he's return to recapture last year's from. And Ryan Doumit has returned from the DL.
Reason for pessimism: The pitching staff is highly inexperienced and there's no telling when Randy Johnson will return.
VC Appraisers (Kevin-Dave)Points: 2267
Head-to-head record: 7-7
Stars: OF Matt Kemp (248), 3B David Wright (227), OF Carlos Lee (212).
Draft Day hit: Todd Helton (16th round). Helton was a key find when Derrek Lee was hurt and struggling early in the season.
Draft Day miss: SP Hiroki Kuroda (8th). Kuroda was injured after his first start and only recently returned.
Best move: RP Francisco Cordero. Not that this was a hard choice; the VC's have only made two free agent acquisition all season.
Reason for optimism: David Wright has not had his usual power numbers, and Carlos Lee also has underproduced. If these players can become top-10 players, a move up the standings could be in the works.
Reason for pessimism: They have the league's worst pitching rotation, and they've let seven of their first nine monthly moves go to waste.
Fresh Fish (Rick)Points: 2257
Head-to-head record: 8-6
Stars: SP Johan Santana (218), OF Adam Dunn (200), OF Manny Ramirez (114).
Draft Day hit: 2B Felipe Lopez (11th round). Lopez has been a pleasant surprise on one of the team's top scorers.
Draft Day miss: 1B Carlos Delgado (5th). Aramis Ramirez (3rd) has fewer points, but at least he's back playing. Delgado is not.
Best move: 1B Nick Johnson. Filled in nicely after Delgado went out.
Reason for optimism: Manny Ramirez is back. That should be enough for optimism. But so is Aramis Ramirez. And hopefully, Santana is ready to return to first-round form.
Reason for optimism for other teams: The freefall of injuries, suspensions and gawd-awful free-agent moves may have been to far to recover from.
Pickle Bugs (Jon)Points: 2071
Head-to-head record: 3-11
Stars: 1B Lance Berkman (211), SS Jimmy Rollins (197), OF Corey Hart (185).
Draft Day hit: SP Chris Carpenter (10th). Apart from a stint on DL, Carpenter has been stellar.
Draft Day miss: Picks 1-6. All have underproduced.
Best move: SP Tommy Hanson. The rookie pitcher has been a nice addition to a injury-ridden pitching staff.
Reason for optimism: Berkman, Rollins, Chipper, and Martin have all shown signs of turning their seasons around.
Reason for pessimism: Barry Zito is their No. 4 pitcher.
Boondock Saints (Bill)Points: 2050
Head-to-head record: 4-10
Stars: SP Josh Johnson (246), 3B Ryan Zimmerman (205), RP Francisco Rodriguez (149)
Draft Day hit: Johnson (6th round).
Draft Day miss: Um, where do we start? Well, how about at the top. Brandon Webb (2nd round). Webb made on start, scored 0 points, then went on the DL. And it's not likely that he'll return soon.
Best move: Not jumping off the Capitol dome in Salem.
Reason for optimism: Football season is only six weeks away.
Reason for pessimism: Football season is still six weeks away.
