Philedelphia Emerges as League's Top Threat

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

After 40 games have been played, it's officially time to annoint the Philadelphia Stars as Double Day's best team.

The Stars (29-13) have benefitted from a series of offseason moves, a buy-or-be-damned philosophy to payroll, and an ultra-competitive division to attain the best record in Double Day. With a staggering $117-million payroll--a Double Day record--the Stars have bucked the trend of spendthrift ownership building a winner with prospects and in the process become the Double Day equivalent of the New York Yankees.

No other team is as synonymous with the blank-check approach to winning as the Stars. Even among big-spender division rivals such as Boston and Baltimore, the Stars' gluttonous talent-gobbling demeanor makes all other clubs look tame by comparison.

This season, dollar signs have turned into wins at a particularly prodigious pace. The Stars own baseball's best record at 29-13 and have accumulated a dizzying array of big-name, high-paid stars. Even before acquiring P.T. Mauer from Albuquerque, Philadelphia was already having a hard time spreading the wealth amongst its top-tier talent.

Former Baltimore All-Star Julian Castilla is having a hard time finding at-bats despite a .314 batting average. Justin Dodd, displaced by newcomer and semi-clone Otto Judd, is hitting .625 in a measely 16 at-bats. The two-time All-Star is collecting his $7.1 million from the dugout.

Money can't by happiness, but it can buy victories. And while other teams with volumnous payrolls have fallen by the wayside, the Stars continue to get bang for their buck. Free agent acquisition Otto Judd, ripped by many observers as being a nonessential pickup, is hitting .341 with 44 RBIs. Paul McNamara is belting .387 with 37 RBIs.

And even starting pitcher Bernie Alvarez, who was traded for from Toledo after being long chastized as a pitcher who couldn't win in the hitter-friendly American League, is 8-1 with a 3.16 ERA. Alvarez, along with Judd and McNamara, are already planning their reservations for the All-Star game in a few weeks.

Despite being a flawed defensive unit, Philadelphia is tied for the AL lead in runs scored (276) and leads the AL in Earned Run Average (3.91). They're hitting .052 better than their opponents (.306 to .254), a staggeringly wide statistic. And they also play in what might be the league's toughest division; the four highest-scoring teams in the Majors happen to be the four AL East clubs.

Whether Philadelphia can make amends for their postseason troubles in season four, it's unknown. They still remain just a game up on Baltimore (28-14) and Boston (28-14), and all three clubs have played excellent baseball throughout the season. Though if the early part of the season has taught us anything, it's that the Stars, even with a massive fortune, have made every penny count.