Welcome to the Home Stretch

It's the time of year when baseball can become the most nerve-racking or most peaceful sport for fans, players, and management alike. The trading deadline has passed and teams will look to call up minor league players to help their final push toward the post-season. The final few weeks of the 2021 WHEBO season look to pack as much action and excitement as the first three-quarters of the season.

North American Association Division Leaders

Last season's WHEBO Champions have been looking up at the Indianapolis Racers in the standings for most of this year. After posting a 53-23 record from June 1 they have now emerged as the top team in the Atlantic division and the top team in the NAA at 84-47. Led offensively by 2020 ROY Jordan Villsanor and a pitching rotation sporting four different starters with 11 or more wins, the Lynx are proving to the WHEBO faithful that last season was not a fluke.

Players to watch: 2B Jordan Canchola hit 50 homers last season. If he gets hot, he will only compliment the power game. Also, closer Jay Johnson has been killing opposing hitters all year long with an ERA of .071 over 51 innings pitched.

The Beavers began the season rather slowly but gained momentum as the year went on including a 35-18 record versus their division rivals from the beginning of June. They also have an Association leading record of 23-9 in 1-run games, most likely attributed to their league-leading batting average and OBP. The team sitting at 78-53 and currently holds the lowest magic number to clinch a division at 13 wins.

Players to watch: If the top of the rotation gets hot, apposing teams will have a tough time against the likes of Andy Wright and Danny Salinas. Look for 1B Richard Smith to continue being the lone power option on the team as he tries for a 40-home run season.

While the Knights have a semi-comfortable lead in the West, they are by no means a shoe-in for the division title. They still have work to do for a berth in the post-season. Even though their overall numbers are down, 1B Jon Zamora and DH Derek Wagner are still the go-to guys on the squad when it comes to producing runs. Their top tier pitching staff includes 15-game winner Victor Valdez and 13-game winner Chris Bray. They currently lead Nashville by 9 games with a 76-55 record but will close out the season with a 4-game series at home against the Stars which could determine who wins the division.

Players to watch: RF Antonio Perez isn't known as a great home run threat, but he did hit 29 dingers last season and is tied with Zamora for 22 this year. He might manage 30 HR's in 2021. Chris Bray could easily surpass Valdez as the team's top winning pitcher by the end of the season.

North American Association Wildcard Race

This is where things get interesting. The Racers appear to have a decent hold on the NAA Wildcard with their current 80-51 record. However, they only trail Ottawa by 4 games for the Atlantic Division title. If Indianapolis takes the division, then Ottawa is the most likely wildcard team. But wait, there's more: if Nashville makes a serious move on Salt Lake City and manages to take the West and Ottawa stumbles over the last 5 weeks of the season, the Knight might become the wildcard team.

Regardless of all the mathematical possibilities, the Racers pretty much control their own destiny. While they don't show the slugging potential of a few other playoff hopeful teams, they do rank in the top 5 for batting average, OBP, and SLG%. LF Lieth Shay is doing his part with a batting average of .343 and 27 round-trippers. The pitching staff is among the best in the entire league with  Edgar Luevano, Nick Sanchez, and Juan Moreno combining for a 42-16 record.

Players to watch: Juan Moreno should become a 20-game winner this season and there is a slim chance that Luevano might do the same. DH Angel Mendoza has been getting hot and could equal his 30-HR output of 2020 before season's end.

South American Association Division Leaders

San Juan leads the Caribbean Division with an 85-46 record. The have a 9-game cushion on second place Havana heading into the final weeks of the season. Their association leading 235 home runs is better than any other team by almost 30 and they currently have three players (DH Ken Manley, LF Mickey Kurucz, and 3B Dimas Cerqueira) with 33 or more of those HR. The pitching staff is a solid top 5 or better in most categories and they could easily have all five men in the rotation with double-digit win totals by the time the playoffs arrive.

Players to watch: Starting pitchers Will Gomez and Jorge Alfaro will continue to battle it out to see who will be the teams top winning pitcher, a benefit to the Senator's chances of taking the division. CF Victor Cabrera has been hot lately and will become the team's 4th player to surpass 30 HR this season.

The Baja Division is one of the tightest race in the WHEBO heading into the home stretch with the Diablos leading by just 5 games over the Guatemala City Mayans. Mexico City's record of 85-46 matches San Juan's record for the best in the league and is lead by MVP front runner Jose Garza. The young phenom is hitting a blistering .383 with 30 home runs and 128 RBI. For starting pitchers have 10 or more wins with Artuto Arroyo leading the way with 12. The bullpen is the best in the SAA but the rotation struggles at times. The team will need a good showing from the whole team to keep the Mayans at bay for the division title.

Players to watch: CF Luis Diaz is hot and offers great contact hitting skills and amazing speed on the basepaths. He'll need to stay hot toward the top of the rotation to give Garza more RBI potential. Gary St. John could be the go-to guy to close out close games as he already has 21 saves and an ERA of just 1.84 in 52 appearances.

Even tighter than the Baja Division race is the one going on in the South Central Division where the Toros lead the Maracaibo Eagles by just 3 games. Still within reach are the Managua Quakes who are 9 games out. Bogota's pitching is about average compared to the rest of the association but lefty Ryad Brunet, who was brought in last season, has done his part with an 11-5 record and 3.01 ERA over 26 starts. 2B Carlos de Leon and DH Jeff Caron continue to battle to see who will reach 40 home runs with 39 and 37 respectively. To fend off a charge from either Maracaibo or Managua, the Toros will need to keep their offense active and give their pitching staff a bit of help.

Players to watch: 1B Alexis Contreras has the ability to hit the ball out of the park at any time. He will pop 30 into the seats before the year is out, maybe even 40 if he gets hot. The bullpen has struggled at times but Jose Fernandez has been exceptional with a team-leading ERA of 2.23 through 42 appearances.

South American Association Wildcard Race

As already mentioned, the Mayans are just 5 game back from division leaders Mexico City. They currently lead the wildcard race with a 4-game lead over the Havana Lions. The team's pitching staff is the best in the SAA with an overall ERA of 3.65. Their three top starting pitchers (Justin Green, Felipe Lopez, and Marco Fuentes) are a combined 47-19 with a combined ERA of just a bit over 3.00. The offense doesn't hit-for-average very well, but there's plenty of HR potential from stars like Louie Harris and Willie Munoz. If the pitching remains steady and bats get hot, this team could not only make the post-season, but could steal the division away from Mexico City.

Players to watch: If the game is on the line, there are few pitchers that can face the heat like closer John Tasman. In 45 games he has a 4-1 record, 36 saves and a minuscule ERA of 0.76. 2B Hector Escobedo gets on base often and is a terror on the basepaths. He's a difference maker for the offense.

The Lions might be considered a long shot for the 2021 post-season as they are 9 games back in the Caribbean Division but they are still only 4 games back of the Mayans. As everyone has heard, anything can happen on the baseball field, and Havana hopes that is the case for these final few weeks of the season. They are another team where the offense is about average but the pitching staff is the strong suit. Jesus Mejia is not only the front-runner for Pitcher of the Year honors, he is very close to capturing the elusive "Triple Crown" of pitching. 1B Bob Hicken has 49 bleacher blasts so far and could easily top 60 for the year when all is said and done.

Players to watch: Lead-off man Steve Mora does more than his fair share of keeping this offense active with 200+ hits and 48 stolen bases already. Melia should have 20 wins before the season ends and could capture that triple crown every pitcher desires.

Maracaibo is just 3 games back of Bogota for the South Central title and 8 games back in the wild card race. Sporting an SAA leading batting average and OBP, they look a little like the Portland Beavers offensively, although they do have some capable power hitters like 1B Victor Ortiz. The team's pitching staff is mid-level compared to other teams in the south with the starter's ERA hovering just above 5.00. Ruben Amaro has posted a 13-5 record from the #2 slot, but some may say he has over-performed. To get anywhere nearer a division title and the playoffs, the Eagles need to find a way to soar far above what they have done previously this season.

Players to watch: Long reliever Francisco Avila may be the key out of the pen if the rotation struggles going forward. His 2.52 ERA over 35.2 innings is the best on the team. CF Evan McCree is easily one of the best hitting/OBP options for the team. If he heats up, it could be the difference between a post-season berth and watching from the bleachers.