Midseason Report: Atlantic Pirates

After finishing bottom-five in both sports last season, the Atlantic Pirates knew the time for change had arrived. Out the door already was Steven, who entered retirement. Following him out and into the draft were the captain Delila, and the journey-cat Brownie, who had flamed out with three teams in three years. What happened at the draft was the most important thing. With their compensatory pick, the Pirates snagged up Oceanside Waves castoff Americus with the second overall pick. After that, they reacquired Dominic, making history as he becomes the only player to have two stints with a team (and he's also Americus' son). Completing the trio of odd moves, the Pirates resigned Delila. It's this last move that proved most critical, as Delila has redeemed herself in a big way, leading the league as both a Comeback Player of the Year nominee and MVP candidate, highlighted by her second-highest individual score in a single game in league history, falling only 70 points shy of Tigerette's first-season mark. The Pirates as a whole have surprised at 19-13 overall, including a mediocre 8-9 home record and an unappreciated 11-4 road record that really stirs their drink. Playing in the East Division isn't doing them any favors though, as they only carry a 3-4 division record.

Having Delila has helped the Pirates amass a team average of 1747 for the season so far. Delila accounts for much of that, carrying a 706 average and 40.5% share of the offense. These numbers rival Mr. Snowman for Viewpoint Sound last year, but Delila seems a bit more sustainable despite her consistency of about 1.1, which is mostly low because of the record book-level performance. Behind her is a much more average Amber, who clubs 387 a game to make up 22% of the high-powered offense. Point share is skewed on the Pirates because of Delila. Amber's 1.6 consistency makes her a valuable second-hitter on the team, shadowed only by her captain's blistering tear. Batting third is the newcomer Americus, with an average of 345 and a point share at 20%. Americus has a consistency of about 1.4, proving herself to be pretty reliable when games get messy. At the back end of the lineup, Dominic isn't having a great second go-around with the Pirates after his year away, with an average at 308 and a point share of 17.5% (again, skewed). Dominic is around 1.6 on consistency, but that's more troubling with a lower average. The Pirates will probably go as Delila goes, but as long as she goes well, they will be fine. The schedule is manageable going forward, and the Pirates look playoff bound after missing out last season.