We are just about 2/3rds of the way through the 2029 season and good ol' Buster Spork here is wanting to check in with all of you to provide my thoughts on how things are looking for each team. It's my favorite type of year, one in which Pocatello is looking better than everyone else. Plenty of of other teams are sitting right behind them though and we all know anything can happen in the WPBL playoffs. In fact, 10 of 12 teams are still in playoff contention and maintain the hopes of a championship this year. Let's take a look into what's working for each of the contenders and what a title would mean for each franchise. Hell, let's even go ahead and close this article with a look at what those other 2 teams are doing wrong and how they plan to fix it.
Pocatello: With the best record in WPBL, Pocatello is doing what it has done throughout the league's first decade...They make moves to create a strong supporting cast around their original foundation of the pitcher/fielder duo that is Daniels/Ponder. This season the stand-out players are SP Alan Hembree and SS Fernando Jimenez...both are making legitimate runs at POY and MVP respectively. These 4 players seem to be the key to Pocatello's success and we'll see how they maintain the rest of the season.
What a championship would mean: A fourth championship would solidify Pocatello as the best dynasty of the 2020s. 9 straight playoff appearances paired with 4 titles would put the Old-Timers firmly back in the driver's seat in the discussion of who the current top franchise in the league is.
Lake Tahoe: Tied for first in the coastal division, Tahoe is looking for a repeat championship. SPs Danny Schumacher and Greg Herfurth have not looked as dominant as they have in the past, but back-end rotation starters Javier De Santiago and Kevin Blazejewski are helping to keep their SP cast as one of the top 3 in the league. Jeremy Wolfe has been a great closer, Ketchum and Duley have solidified the offense, but ultimately this team's success will likely come down to how they manage their pitching in the post-season.
What a championship would mean: While the Mustangs have been a bit more inconsistent than the Old-Timers through the years, it would be hard to deny them being considered the top franchise in the league if they won their fourth championship. Tahoe is hoping to achieve this status during the upcoming postseason.
Gillette: Firmly in second place in the mainland division, Gillette is the early surprise of the year. The Bison have currently exceeded expectations far beyond what any pre-season predictions placed them at. Let's take a look at why: It certainly has not been their offense. They are 12th in runs scored, 12th in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, 12th in OPS, and 11th in batting WAR. Their pitching tells a much difference story though. Gillette stands with a ranking of 1st in SP ERA and 4th in RP ERA. Their pitching is keeping them alive....Manny Naranjo is the anchor of the bullpen and currently has the 2nd most saves this season. The team seems to be cruising into the playoffs but their season will be defined by how they handle going head-to-head with the WPBL's many experienced GMs in the postseason.
What a championship would mean: Everything. Gillette made a statement in their first season when they snuck into the playoffs and pulled off a first-round upset over Pocatello in 2026, but a championship this year would immediately push the Bison out of "expansion team" status and give them a level of credibility that only a handful of teams in the WPBL possess.
Victoria: Tied with Tahoe atop the coastal division, the Geese are another surprise contender. If you ask new GM Dave Victoria why his team has made such a jump in the right direction this year, he'd point straight in the direction of Scott Rufus. We already knew Jim Whammer was the real deal and the franchise was going to build their team around him, but Rufus has been a very pleasant surprise and suddenly it looks like team has two stars. At this point in the season Rufus sits at 6th in overall WAR and is in the ROY conversation alongside Jeff Pistone. Former Pitcher of the Year Ken Williams is continuing to perform at a high level and this is all creating a recipe for success in Victoria.
What a championship would mean: Instant legitimacy for new GM Dave Victoria. If he were to take over the 2028 last place team and immediately lead them to a championship, he would become a legend in WPBL lore. This would become one of the greatest stories of the first decade of the WPBL and there very well could be a movie made about it one day.
Kennewick: Kennewick is sitting one game outside of third in a very competitive coastal division. They've been a consistent contender each year in the WPBL and this year is no different. Based on early season predictions, hovering around .500 is a bit of a disappointment. While Ben Bush, John Galan, and John Wolverton have been carrying the offense, there have been some disappointments and none more prominent than Brian Sicard. Taylor Simkins remains the anchor of their pitching, but there is definitely a need for someone else to really step up if they want to be serious contenders in the postseason.
What a championship would mean: A championship would put Kennewick on a tier of their own behind Tahoe and Pocatello. 6 playoff appearances and 2 titles would cement their status as a top-tier team in the league. Another championship could mean more revenue and maybe they could inject some of that money directly into the actual city of Kennewick to make it smell less like a stinky garbage dumpster....one can only dream.
Astoria: With each year Astoria is becoming further removed from their re-build and that much closer to the powerhouse that they're hoping to become. Sitting in third place in the mainland division, they're hoping this is the year they break through. Joram Van Der Wal is a superstar, legitmate MVP contender this year, and the glue of this team . GM Jimmy Johnson has put together a good mix of contributing veterans(Mario Yepiz and Luis Villagomez for example) to pair with still developing stars (Hercules Muldoon and Malik Dugar). The future remains extremely bright for Astoria but this year is a little more muddled. This is a team that is capable of winnning it all, but they will remain dependent on the ongoing development of their young core.
What a championship would mean: The process finally paying off. I don't think there's been a team more clearly committed to a re-build than when Jimmy Johnson took over Astoria. It's obviously working and even if this isn't the year, it sure feels like a championship is coming down the road. A 2029 title would put them ahead of schedule and even more likely to become the top WPBL dynasty of the next decade.
Elko: Just when it seemed liked Elko was finally regressing beyond repair, they found their future in the form of Jeff Pistone. The 2028 21st overall pick has been lighting up the league in his debut season. His immediate impact has been a catalyst for the success of the Truckers as a whole. RF Gary Johnson has also been returning to form and providing key at-bats for the Elko offense. Elko's pitching hasn't stood out but it's been maintaining just enough to keep them respectable. Currently sitting in third place in the coastal division, if the Truckers want to win it all this year they'll need a boost on offense outside of Pistone and Johnson or they will need their starting rotation of pitchers to step it up.
What a championship would mean: Similar to Kennewick, a second title for Elko would put them on a tier of their own that fits somewhere between Pocatello/Tahoe and the rest of the pack. The Truckers still have many aging veterans and are hoping to pull in one more championship sooner rather than later. With a little luck, they're hoping this could be the year.
Bandon: Bandon is currently sitting one game out of the third spot in the mainland division, but they boast an offense that is one of the best in the league and feel good about their potential to make a late season push during the final stretch of the year. Bandon is built around their bats and veterans Jaden Richardson and Sandy Gonzalez lead the way this year. Newly acquired SP Tim Scudder has been a pleasant suprise, but the rest of their starting pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired. For the Barons to find success in the postseason their hitting will need to stay hot and the offense will need to continue to thrive against the condensed pitching rotations we often see in the playoffs.
What a championship would mean: Finally getting the job done. The Barons have made the playoffs and looked like real contenders in each of their last three seasons but have left the postseason disappointed each time, including a championship loss to Pocatello in 2027. GM Dave Rouleau has put a lot of work into building a championship-caliber team and a 2029 title would validate the effort.
Walla Walla: The Farmers would have preferred this article was written about five games ago when they were only sitting a couple games under .500. A brutal 5 game losing streak has them teetering on the edge of being considered a contender, but they're not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Despite the 22-29 record, they only sit 3 games back from Elko's third place spot in a relatively weak coastal division. Both their offense and defense has been middle of the pack, not looking particularly elite but also not looking too terrible. They have a great young core in Smitherines, Peanut, and Washington that gives them a lot of hope for the future. Veterans such as Korth, Sistrunk, and Canelli are still contributing as well. Pitcher Chris Rybak has been a pleasant suprise this year and John Bumiller is looking great as a closer. On paper, it feels like the Farmers should have a better record than they do and it's hard to point at exactly is going wrong. They must figure out what is soon though or the door just might slam shut on their season earlier than they'd like.
What a championship would mean: Bragging rights for GM Henry Collins. After building a contender and winning multiple championships in Tahoe, Collins would never let anyone hear the end of it if he moves to Walla Walla and brings home a title this soon for them....the problem is he'd certainly be justified in his bragging. Winning a third championship with a second team would be a feat we haven't seen in the WPBL and particularly impressive given the state of the Walla Walla team he inherited. For the good of the league's sanity let's hope this scenario doesn't play out.
Couer d'Alene: If this article were written a week ago the Miners wouldn't have made this list. However, they're on a 7-game winning streak and looking like the hottest team in the league behind the Old-Timers. They're tied with Walla Walla and are only three games out of the third place spot in the coastal division. Veteran Jim Boston has been successful this year and is always a steady presence in the clubhouse. 3B Mike Schneider continues to provide consistency as a key piece for the Miners. Rick Budweiser is showing some promise on the mound as an SP in his debut season and Nate Schaefer is proving to be a valuable closer. CDA isn't dominating in any particular category and they lack the star power of many other teams, but as they head into their next series on that 7-game win streak they can't be dismissed just yet.
What a championship would mean: Respect amongst the league. Similar to Gillette, the Miners are trying to shed the "expansion team" reputation. A late-season surge that gets them into the playoffs would establish some real credibility for the team. Following that up with a miracle playoff run that ends in a championship would create a new level of respect for CDA and certainly legitimize the franchise that I like to refer to as "The Other Idaho Team". And then there were two...the season is all but over for the Crescent City Kodiaks and the Great Falls Black Eagles but that doesn't mean they should give up on everything. Let's take a brief look at what went wrong and what the future has in store.
Crescent City: On paper it doesn't feel like the Kodiaks should be out of it just yet. Vladimir Cake is having a great rookie season and a dark horse candidate for ROY. Choo Choo Baloo looks like the real deal and continues to be a piece that the team can build around for years to come. Ruben Morales is even having a resurgence with a very successful season. Their batters haven't been the problem. Their pitching really has been though. 11th in SP era, 11th in RP era, 12th in FIP, 12th in pitching WAR....that's not going to get you far. The good news is that there's a clear area of need that they can address next offseason.
What the future has in store: CCK has a lot of good young batters and has a roster that could compete very soon if they strengthen their pitching. They will have a decision to make quite immediately though: Find a way to build up their pitching staff in an effort to support their offense, or commit to a re-build as they work to grow a more even-sided contender down the road.
Great Falls: Sitting five games behind CCK, GF is clearly having a rough season. It's difficult to judge them too harshly though as they are seemingly committed to following the Astoria model and have moved into a full re-build. We just happen to be catching them right in the heart of it. Matt Hall and Manny Jamboree still look like two pitchers who could help the right team be successful, but they're not getting that support yet here in Great Falls. Aaron Jury is 24 years old and is still the star that everyone thought he would become. Beyond that though, the Black Eagles don't have much to grasp to right now when discussing the current team's strengths. The future has potential though which leads us to:
What the future has in store: Great Falls has a superstar to build around in Aaron Jury. They also have LF Jayden Anderson(#2 overall prospect) and SP J.J. Brown(#4 overall prospect) coming down the pipeline. You can fully expect them to get the #1 pick this season which will only further strengthen their future potential. They're not making any waves now, but expect GF to be a strong contender down the road if their top prospects live up to their potential.
Well there you have it. What a season we've had so far and the conclusion should be just as wild. Obviously I'm a self-proclaimed Pocatello homer through and through, but anyting really can happen in the WPBL. I was in awe when the 51-30 Truckers lost to the 42-39 Mustangs in the 2021 championship. I cried tears of despair as the 58-23 Old-Timers blew it against the Mustangs in the championship in 2024. I straight-up vomited when the 43-38 Old-Timers lost to the 38-44 Bison in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. I laughed hysterically as the 59-22 Atoms were upset by the Truckers in the 2026 championship. I may or may not have had a heart attack when the Old-Timers blew a 3-1 lead against the Mustangs in this past year's 2028 championship series. What I'm trying to say is that yes the Old-Timers look like the team to beat right now, but history has shown that those teams can be beat. I'm Buster Spork, of course I'm rooting for Pocatello, but I also wish the other 9 contenders luck as we head into the most exciting and unpredictable part of the season. Let's have some fun!
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