Crowded at the Top

Odds to win Fall 2021 PLW Season, updated 9/5/21

The Ones +250: The Ones got back on track this week taking two of three vs the Night Owls. They were without a handful of their regulars and we saw Spencer Barrick step up and have himself a huge series to lead the way. Andrew Ledet worked his magic on the mound as usual and helped improve The Ones record to 2-4 on the young season. Their record doesn’t tell the whole story though, as this team is absolutely just as stacked as it was last year. They added TAAAco league player Casey Nielsen this week as well to further improve their depth.

Sandvipers +375: The Sandvipers played two series this week vs the Bombers and the Lightning and went 3-3 overall. They’re now 6-3 and in a tie for first in the West division. They lost two of three to the revamped Bombers team and split two close games with the Lightning on Saturday night albeit without Tom Gannon. Three complete games out of Adam Tanic, Trench Picone, and Buck Burner showed the league that they have some pitching depth to give any team in this league fits. 

Snappers +375: The Snappers played one series this week and lost two of three to the Night Owls despite out scoring them 22-20. They’re now 4-2 on the season and are in first place in the East division. The Snappers are just as dangerous as they were last season, and with the addition of Chris Gschwender to their lineup, they look to be a big threat to win it all again. The only question mark is their pitching depth behind two way superstar Taylor Bryner. If a solid #2 emerges, they won’t lose many games this year. 

Night Owls +380: The Night Owls played two series this week going 3-3 vs two of the best teams in the league, The Ones and the Snappers. They sit at 4-5 and in 3rd place in the East division. James Stein has yet to make an appearance for them this season and they could use him right now. Brandon Maio has pitched well overall, but The Ones gave him some trouble at times this week and without Stein, the Night Owls have very little pitching behind him. Barry Hutter has eaten up some innings as of late which has been badly needed. Rumor has it that nationally ranked Randy Dalbey could make an appearance for them this week which would give the Night Owls a huge boost on both sides of the field. 

Warbirds: +1050 The Warbirds took on the Stonemen this week and lost two of three and fell to 2-4 overall. Jim Dodos was absent this week and the Warbirds felt it. They improved in the draft and will need some time to gel but this team has some solid potential. As with most of the middle of the road contenders in this league, their issue remains in the pitching department as they have a lack of consistency and depth. Dodos and Matt Petrikas will need to be the workhorses on this team if they expect to compete with the top teams in the league. 

Bombers: +1400 The Bombers played one series this week and took two of three vs the Sandvipers. They’re now 4-2 and sit in 3rd place in the West division. Mateo Fernandez had a huge series including a 4 for 5, 5 RBI performance in their game one win. They’re vastly improved over last season and look to get back to the playoffs this year. The trio of brothers are the nucleus of this team and have continually shown improvement. They take on the Snappers on Friday night next week and have another chance to show that they’re for real. 

Legends: +2000: The Legends took on the young Vaderz this week and swept the series and out scored them 31-7. They now sit at 6-3 and are tied for first in the West division with the Sandvipers. The Legends have picked up where they left off last season and have continued to mash the ball offensively. Billy Osgood and Jason Stephenson did most of the work on the mound this week and were effective overall. They’re going to have to be in order to give this team a good shot deeper in the season. Newcomer Ethan Wigfield shows some promise as a two way player and could be key to them later on this year. 

Vaderz: +2500 The Vaderz we’re pumped up after a 2-1 start but got a sense of the level of talent in the league after being swept by the Legends this week. They’re now 2-4 and are tied for 4th place in the West with The Ones. Logan Christie is clearly this team’s star and has plenty of season to continue to get even better. They have a date with last year’s champion The Ones on Thursday night and have a real test on their hands. The series should be an early indicator as to whether or not this team is going to compete for a title this season, or if they’re just gathering experience. 

Stone Men: +3300 The Stonemen played the Warbirds this week and took two of three to improve to 5-4 on the season. They’re in 2nd place in the East division behind the Snappers. They’re off to a much better start than either of the last two seasons thanks to the emergence of Nate Stepna. He leads the league with 9 homers. Austin Bull and Levi Lawrence round out a trio of solid players that can give this team a chance to have a much better season than last. They’re much better than the last couple seasons but they still lack depth both in the lineup and on the mound. They have two series this week vs the Night Owls and the Bombers so have a couple of opportunities to show the league that they mean business.

Lightning: +6000 The Lightning got on the board with their first win in franchise history Saturday night thanks to a complete game shutout from Jayk Purdy. They only mustered two runs in each game vs the Sandvipers but showed that they’re fighters. They sit at 1-5 and in last place in the East division. Two series are ahead of them this week vs Chad Phillips two former teams, the Warbirds and the Legends. Bruce Huson mashed the first homer in franchise history and hit the ball hard all night. Some stellar defense kept them in two games but ultimately they were overmatched. Kyle Loman had an uneventful debut, mustering only one hit in the series. There’s a lot of room for improvement for the newest PLW team so expect them to get better as the season goes on. But they’re definitely a step behind the rest of the league as they lack depth all over the field and have the least amount of experience. 

This Week’s Series:
Monday 5pm PDT: Stonemen @ Night Owls
Monday 7:30pm PDT: Sandvipers @ The Ones
Thursday 5pm PDT: Lightning @ Warbirds
Thursday 7:30pm PDT: Vaderz @ The Ones
Friday 7:05pm PDT: Snappers @ Bombers
Saturday 7:05pm PDT: Lightning @ Legends

***Odds are for entertainment purposes only***

Author: Kyle Loman