With the Memorial Day weekend providing a natural break in the schedule, we take a look at how teams will finish the season (Part 1), and how individual player awards are shaking out (Part 2).
Rookie of the Year Race
This section isn’t an examination of the logic behind how the Cubs adding a tremendous closer (i.e. Henry Rowengartner) could suddenly transform them from a last-place team into world champions. Rather, we’re taking stock of all the first-year players in the league and who among them has stood out the most. With almost 40% of the league playing their first professional Kronum League season, plenty of rookies are making significant contributions to their teams. So while this is by no means an exhaustive list, the following three players rank as our frontrunners for Rookie of the Year honors, with plenty of kronum left to be played.
2nd Runner-up: Dom Petrino (Evergreens)
The expansion Evergreens have taken the league by storm, steadily climbing to 2nd place in the standings. When an Evergreen lights up the scoreboard, there’s about a 50/50 chance that the name on the back reads Petrino. However, that’s not entirely attributable to leading scorer Joe Petrino, as his brother Dom actually ranks 2nd on the team and 14th overall in the league in points per game (15.3). The league’s leading scorer among rookies, Dom ranks 2nd overall in ring points (46), both due to his propensity to hit the big ring shot from the flex zone, and his prowess in the goal zone (4th overall with 27 goal zone points). The main thing holding back Petrino’s claim to this title is his relative subpar defense compared to the other candidates, as he ranks in the bottom half of the league with a 43.8% save percentage.
1st Runner-up: Ryan Maley (Evergreens)
Prior to his last two games, Maley would have been the runaway favorite for this award. However, with the Nimble Jacks and Night Owls’ defenses keying in on him, the other prominent Evergreens’ rookie was held to just 4 and 10 points in those contests. Whether Maley can adjust to the added attention will be an interesting thing to watch down the stretch. Still, Maley has been very efficient this season, scoring at a 1.19 points per shot mark on his way to the 20th best points per game mark in the league (13.7). Even more impressively, Maley leads all wedgebacks in assists per game (3.1), good for 15th overall, as he runs through the middle as much as any wedgeback in the league. When a player comes to define a new hybrid wedgeback-crosser role in his first year in the league, he’ll make this list. In addition to his offensive responsibilities, Maley also gets the job done on the defensive end, ranking 13th overall in save percentage (47.4%), and 9th in saves per game (9.1).
Favorite: Dan Vignola (Urban Legends)
Probably no player is as productive while flying under the radar as Legends’ rookie Dan Vignola. At first glance, Vignola is just another in a long line of the team’s skilled foot players. But look ahead, and you’ll see that he leads the entire league in wedge zone points, more than double the next closest player. His marksmanship inside the wedge has Vignola 19th in the league in points per game (14.0), a steady source of scoring for an Urban Legends team that can go through offensive lulls. Moreover, offense isn’t even the best part of this rookie’s game. Vignola is a stalwart defensively, sitting third in the league in save percentage (53.8%), and tied for 4th in saves per game (10.7). There are just 6 players in the league averaging a double-double and Dan Vignola is the only rookie among them. Sometimes even players under the radar get noticed.
Most Valuable Player Race
MVP candidates can come in a variety of different forms. They can do everything within their power whiling away for a losing team, raise a mediocre squad into playoff contention, or lift a talented bunch to even greater heights. You often have to account for both gaudy statistics as well as intangible ways those players can impact a game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Among the many deserving players in the Kronum League, we try to narrow things down to a handful of candidates. The following 4 players are our current MVP finalists, listed alphabetically with corresponding pertinent statistics:
3rd Runner-up: Phil Cavalcante (Work Horses)
The Work Horses currently find themselves in last place, but no one could attribute that position to any lack of effort on the field by captain Phil Cavalcante. The veteran ranger leads the Kronum League in points per game, scoring efficiently despite facing the bulk of the attention from opposing defenses. Unfortunately, his teammates have not done a whole lot to pick him up, evidenced by Cavalcante having easily the largest usage variance in the league (difference between his percentage of the team’s points and team’s shots). Cavalcante also makes his presence known defensively, sitting third in blocks behind the Nimble Jacks’ Dan Geiger and Shaun Stevens. It would be interesting to see what kind of numbers he would put a more well-rounded supporting cast to open things up more for him. Alas, though Cavalcante has the statistics to rival anyone, winning MVP is an almost impossible task for a member of a last-place team.
2nd Runner-up: Mike Ragan (Urban Legends)
The most unexpected member of this quartet, Mike Ragan has come on strong in his sophomore season. With last year’s MVP Kevin Clark dead last in the league in usage variance at -6.5%, Ragan has filled that scoring void while also increasing his playmaking responsibilities. Ragan, Kyle McGrath, and the Nimble Jacks’ Ryan Coyne and Jared O’Donnell are the only players in the top 10 in both points and assists per game. As the league’s leader in cross zone points, Ragan’s ability to stretch the defense out top is crucial for an Urban Legends team that relies heavily on scoring in the wedge zone. Combined with his ball-hawking skills defensively (2nd in the league in steals per game), Ragan has emerged as the key cog for one of the league’s most consistent contenders.
1st Runner-up: Kyle McGrath (Night Owls)
In compiling this list, it would be difficult to omit the player who set the league scoring record this season, putting up a double nickel (55 points) against the Jet Sets in Round 5. McGrath trails only Cavalcante in points per game, while having the second highest points per shot mark in the league (min. 5 attempts/game), behind the Nimble Jacks’ guru of the goal zone Pete Weiss. He also handles a fair amount of the distribution duties offensively. Viewers saw how stagnant that unit looked when McGrath missed Round 7 against the Urban Legends due to a suspension. Yet, a team leader can’t put his squad in that situation to begin with, especially when they’re fighting for their playoff lives.
Favorite: Joe Petrino (Evergreens)
If someone leads an expansion team to a current second place position in the standings and a clear path at a first round bye, he probably has a good shot at MVP honors. Like Cavalcante and McGrath, Petrino often deals with man-marking defenses against him, but he’s kept up the efficient scoring he became known for last season with the Nimble Jacks. More surprisingly, Petrino has been an impact player on the defensive end, as he is one of just four players in the league ranked top ten in both blocks and steals. Petrino’s steals and quick transition fours are one of the deadliest plays in the Evergreens’ arsenal. Coming into the season, Petrino was looked upon as the guy who would help guide a relatively inexperienced squad through the rigors of a professional season. So far, he’s done all that was asked of him and more.
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