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Andy Benes isn't perfect. The 23-year old righthander had a horrible outing on June 27, resulting in a dreaded... no decision. Benes is 12-0, 2.32 in 17 starts, and has allowed three or fewer runs in all five of his NDs. But wait! Detroit is also home to the leader in the batting race! SS Ozzie Guillen—following in the footsteps of none other than UL Player of the Decade Alan Trammell—is doing his best Trammell impression by batting .339 and posting a 5.9 ZR, good for 3rd best among infielders.

Toronto's 172 home runs has then on pace for 328. The UL team record for home runs is 288 by the 1977 Manhattan Gray Sox. Four players in the league have 26 or more home runs, and they all wear Polar Bear purple. Raffy Palmeiro won Batter of the Month for June (.360-10-20).

Bret Saberhagen (7-3, 2.30) leads the league with 3 SHO and is tied for 3rd with 6 CGs. The 28-year-old 1987 Cy Young winner pitched back-to-back 3-hit and 2-hit shutouts June 3rd and 9th.

Manhattan is 7-5 since the mid-June shakeup that brought in Scott Fletcher, Phil Bradley, and Wally Joyner. How are the newcomers fairing so far? Fletcher has taken over shortsop vs. righties and had a 0.3 ZR in his first 8 games, while struggling at the plate (.524 OPS in 33 PA). Bradley, who started his career in Manhattan in 1984, is starting in right and batting 2nd or 3rd. He hit .360 with a .958 OPS in his first 13 games. Joyner is 0-8 with 2 Ks in a purely pinch-hitting role.

Mike Greenwell (.323) was just outside the top 10 in batting on June 18, when he pulled his latissimus dorsi (dorsal fin), which will hamper his ability to jump through hoops to catch fish.

David Cone and Ramon Martinez have been letdowns. Cone's ERA is 4.91 (up from 3.71) and Ramon's is 5.32 (up from 3.60)

In a lineup with Pudge Rodriguez and Larry Walker, it is RF Junior Felix who leads the club in homers and RBIs. Felix (.321-11-52) was 8-12 with 11 RBI in a three-game stretch June 10-13.
Curt Schilling and Mike Scott both nudged into the top 10 in strikeouts.

Boston's 16-4 run since June 8 has lifted them two positions to 7th, but also within seven games of the playoff zone at the midseason break. Boston averaged 6.4 runs in their last 20 games and 7.4 in their last seven. The Feds' 3-4-5 hitters (Bonds, Piazza, Sosa) combined for 18 HR, 74 RBI and 1.048 OPS in June.

The Barons are in teardown mode and have tossed in the towel for 1992, but SS Tony Fernandez just can't stop hitting. Tony turned 30 on the June 30th and is hitting exactly .300.

Center fielder and sentimental bozo Brett Butler was beaned by Denver's Ron Darling in the last game of the first half, breaking his collarbone. A team spokesman said the injury would not prevent him from playing in the All-Star Game—his .174 batting average and "general suckiness" would.

 RF Tim Salmon is the early favorite for Rookie of the Year. He is hitting .257-21-49, .890 and leads all freshman (including Pedro Martinez) with a 3.0 WAR. Only three regular catchers have a better batting average than leadoff man Brent Mayne (.311).

Nobody had heard of Reggie Jefferson until STL GM Glen Reed traded for him on June 16. The 20th overall pick in 1990, "Reggie Jeff" has developed quickly and rates as the #20 prospect in the league. In his first 11 PA with the Maroons, Reggie Jeff hit 7-for-11 with a 1.364 OPS.

Six of the Colts' eight regulars are batting .300 or better, led by Alan Trammell's .337 and Eric Davis' .331. Wait—Chicago has Alan Trammell AND Eric Davis?! AND Albert Belle? AND Gary Sheffield? The club ranks 6th in runs scored, but it seems like they should climb the scoring ranks soon.

Havana was 17-10 in June and erased a four-game margin to overtake Denver for 3rd place. In their last eight games, the Leones blanked Cleveland 10-0, swept San Francisco, and took two of three at Toronto. Kal Daniels, who starred in a 12-3 win at the Wrench June 29, is having his best year since his 1987 MVP campaign (.332-15-53, .950)

In classic Denver fashion, the 14ers sat in the top 3 for 79 consecutive days (from April 11 to June 28), only to drop to 4th on the 80th day, which happened to be the last day of the first half.

The Teeners are 1st in stolen bases, with 1-2-3 hitters Tim Raines, Vince Coleman, and Mark McLemore combining for 56 swipes.

Apparently bored of dominating the West from post to post, the Outlaws are trying a new trick in '92: give everybody a 16-game head start. The Evil Empire is already making waves, going 15-12 in June to climb within three games of third. Look for them in the playoff zone by mid-August.

1B Ricky Jordan's batting average is down. His OBP is down. His slugging is down. Yet his RBIs are through the roof! The 26-year-old is on pace for 100 RBIs after driving in a career-high 86 last year.

The Arachnids lost nine straight and 14 of 18 to close the first half. The lineup produced four of fewer runs in 18 of 27 games, has lost four straight extra-inning games. The starting rotation, traditionally a club strength, ranks 17th with Walt Terrell (6.70) and Chris Welsh (5.75) particularly ineffective.

On the bright side, Mark Grace (.336) is in the hunt for the batting title and Bernie Williams is a talented guitar player and has an inventive sense for creating sophisticated arrangements.

Don't let the 27-57 record fool ya, the Pink Birds have a top-half pitching staff, led by Mike Mussina (3.21, 1.08 WHIP, 139 K), RP Cecilio Guante (2.75), and closer Stan Belinda (10 SV, 3.44). And rookie righthander Pete Harnish had a 3.12 ERA in his first five starts.

Pedro Martinez' ERA is doubling every month. His microscopic 0.92 ERA in April became 1.73 in May and 3.26 in June. Look for his September ERA to be somewhere around 26.08.

Aaron-Antonelli Field is nothing like a launching pad; the Toppers have hit just 68 home runs all year, which ties them for 12th in the league.