Efraim near perfect in SML

First of two parts

Having played only a handful of games in the 2005 edition of the Saipan Major League, there are still plenty of innings remaining before the batting champion will present himself for the fans and players, but Hector Efraim is making an early statement by reaching base in all but one of his attempts.

Efraim has reached base successfully in five of his six attempts at the plate in the first two games of the season to earn the league’s top batting average with stratospheric .833 for the San Antonio Metropolitans. Unfortunately for the Mets, Efraim’s hitting alone doesn’t bring them wins, as the new team resides next to the furnace in the SML basement at 0-2.

The San Antonio nine have a few bright spots in their lineup as well, as Yuichi Kobayashi ranks sixth on the list of top hitters with a 4-for-7 stretch over two games that net the Nihonjin Nightmare a .571. Teammate Mike Palacios is no slouch either, as the Mets shortstop ranks eighth on the list with a 3-for-6 .500 mark in two contests.

The only team with more firepower than the Mets is the Ford Rangers. The team that used to be the Pirates made a few acquisitions in the off-season to help buffer their pitching staff, but they are getting big time performances from their returning players.

John B. Reyes is just a hit behind Efraim in the race for the batting title, but with a slew of games remaining, it is still up for grabs. Reyes has tallied five hits in his seven plate appearances this far over a two game stretch to record a .714 batting average-good enough for second place overall.

Reyes’ bat has been on fire, but teammates Pete Tomokane and JJ Laniyo are just off the mark with both notching five hits in eight attempts to average .625 in the three and four spots. This one-two-three combination has done wonders for the Rangers, as the trio combined for 16 runs, three triples, and 13 runs batted in.

The 3-for-7 .429 from Joey Dela Cruz puts the Ford squad comfortably atop the league in runs (35), hits (33), and runs batted in (23).

The Northern Yankees are sitting a half game back of the Rangers at 1-0, but they received a solid performance in the season opener from Ben Jones that landed him in the fifth spot on the power rankings. Jones hit 3-for-5 against the defending champion Miller Lite Brewers to start the season with a .600 batting average that would have any manager drooling.

The only question is whether he will continue his success throughout the season. If so, the Yankees will have a solid shot at returning to the finals for second straight year.

The team they lost out to in the finals didn’t fare so well in the opener this year, but the Brewers have a couple of stalwarts that rate among the top in the game with a bat.

Frances George and Manny Sablan have returned from their championship season without any rust on their games to lead the Brew crew.

George is tied with Palacios with an identical 3-for-6 .500, while Sablan is tied with Dela Cruz with a 3-for-7 .429. Sablan also is among the top runs scorers, as the speedy catcher tallied three plate crossings.