1. Kansas City Monarchs (19-7, First in West)
The team with the best record through the first month plus of the season is also the hottest, winning seven of their last 10 games including a sweep of Sioux Falls and two wins each against Fargo-Moorhead and Winnipeg. They’ve won primarily on the offensive end as they lead the league in team batting average (.284) and OPS (.872) while also ranking fourth in team ERA (3.73). Reigning batter of the week Isiah Gilliam is one of multiple standouts as he currently leads the league with an even .400 batting average.
2. Cleburne Railroaders (17-11, First in East)
The team down South once again boasts a potent offense, ranking third in the league in both average (.266) and OPS (.795). They’re coming off a huge early season divisional series win 4-2 over the Chicago Dogs, putting them three games up over Chicago and two up over Lake Country in the East. Batter of the month in May Kyle Martin leads the league with 10 home runs and 32 runs batted in on the season while Kade Mechals leads the league with a 1.42 ERA on the pitching side.
3. Sioux City Explorers (17-11, Second in West)
It’s been another good start to the season in Sioux City, who bounced back from a series loss to rival Sioux Falls by traveling to Lake Country and winning a set against one of the top teams in the East. They’ve also split their games against the best team in the league in Kansas City 3-3 thus far. On the stat sheet, they’re almost perfectly down the middle, ranking seventh in team OPS (.699) and sixth in team ERA (4.17). They now continue against Lake Country back in Sioux City before a long stretch of important games against the West division.
4. Lake Country DockHounds (14-12, Second in East)
Despite falling to the Explorers over the weekend, Lake Country looks to be a dangerous team once again this season after making the playoffs for the first time in their young team history a year ago. They’re one of the few teams that rank in the top half of the league in both offense with a .707 OPS and on the pitching side, where they rank second with a 3.10 team ERA. Jacob Nix has been a big addition as he’s struck out 43 batters and owns a 3.28 ERA in his six starts.
5. Kane County Cougars (12-15, Fourth in East)
Speaking of pitching, the reigning champions continue to excel on that side of the ball. The Cougars lead the league with a 3.05 team ERA and have two of the top three starters in terms of ERA in May pitcher of the month Konnor Ash (1.47) and former major-leaguer Chris Mazza (1.86). They’ve taken care of the Miles Wolff Cup rematch series, winning four of six against Winnipeg, but otherwise have struggled to generate enough offense to match their strong pitching and win series. They start this week with three important games against Cleburne.
