Mid-season evaluation and review part 1

It’s time for the team’s mid-season reviews -
who is top of the class? Who has to stay behind and study harder?

Places 1-5

Usually I would give each team a mid-season review at the East v West game, but the end of July this year seemed like a good natural point (or rather 2nd August). I will cover this in 3 separate posts rather than all 14 teams in one go.

Some general observations for the top 5: In my opinion you can split these into Joensuu, Sotkamo and KPL (serious contenders), Vimpeli (outside contenders), Seinäjoki (doing “good enough”). I would be very surprised if Joensuu don't make the final and equally socked if their opponents aren’t either KPL or Sotkamo. If anyone is going to spoil that party it is going to be Vimpeli - I just don’t see Seinäjoki as championship material this year, although I have been somewhat impressed with some of their performances. Joensuu has had the benefit of playing both KPL and Sotkamo so far this season, whereas KPL and Sotkamo will not meet unless they play each other in the postseason; this could have a tactical advantage for Joensuu going forward. When it comes to KPL v Sotkamo, I have to give KPL the edge based on what I have seen so far, Janne Kivipelto has been superb as pitcher for KPL, whilst Sotkamo’s Ville Väliaho is only a shade or two behind. There is a bright future for Väliaho, but Kivipelto has the edge. Whilst Joni Rytkönen is a huge asset for Sotkamo, KPL have several strong players that offset his skills, in particular Jere Dahlström has found his rhythm and consistently scores 4-6 RBI each game. 

Joensuu demolished KPL and Sotkamo in their recent games and look every bit the championship team. JoMa has a new game manager for the season with Mikko Korhonen taking the reigns; as with any change at the top, there is always a settling in period and a shift in game tactics etc. The early results sting for Joensuu, especially the 2 losses to Kitee in quick succession; however (as the saying goes) “you learn more from defeat than you do from victory”, as long as they are in the postseason you have to expect them to be favourites.

Vimpeli’s losses to Sotkamo suggested that the 2020 project was not as polished as many had hoped and there was still some way to go to shape this team into championship contenders and the unexpected loss to Siilinjärvi left a bitter taste in the mouth. Having said that, since the SiPe loss, Vimpeli have won all 4 games and taken 11 out of a possible 12 points. It is clear they are not as strong as KPL, Sotkamo or Joensuu, but they are certainly destined for 4th or above in the table. 

Whilst Seinäjoki have a fairly even tally of runs for and against, I do believe that they are a more solid prediction for finishing 5th than any of the other teams, but my comparisons for 6th and below will be discussed in more detail in the next post.

1st Sotkamon Jymy

Despite their opening loss to Kempele, Sotkamo have looked like the full package and dominated in their games so far... until they played the reigning champions Joensuu. Joensuu won both games and made Sotkamo look beatable. A tied first jakso against Koskenkorva in their first game in August also suggests that in the right circumstances Sotkamo’s fierce offence could be shutdown, even by teams who have struggled defensively. Lauri Rönkkö and Joni Rytkönen continue to impress, but there is still room for improvement with their younger players - but that is just fine tuning.

Current place in table: 1st

Estimated final position: 2nd* (Too close to call between 2nd and 3rd)

Comment: Top of the class for now, but will need to work harder if they want to stay there.

Overall grade:    

A

2nd Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat

In the early part of the season KPL sat at the top of the table, with Sotkamo close behind; however, their season-long unbeaten streak ended abruptly against (who else) the reigning champions Joensuu. Since the Joensuu game, KPL have had close run games with Koskenkorva and Hyvinkää that went to kotiutuskilpailu (scoring contests). KPL have the most senior and veteran lineup in Superpesis and boast having multiple championship winners Toni Kohonen and Jere Dahlström on their lineup as well as their already solid players from the bronze winning 2019 squad. It’s all or nothing for Kopla this year, as they make a serious bid for the championship. At many times in the season so far, they have looked every bit as good as Joensuu and Sotkamo, if not better; however the Joensuu result may have shaken them and made them impatient to score runs and win. 

Current place in table: 2nd

Estimated final position: 1st

Comment: An excellent start to the year and certainly one of the stars of the class. Must keep up the good work and not get distracted by others in the class.

Overall grade:    

A

3rd Joensuun Maila

The current champions have had a slow start to the season but are really in form at the moment. Joensuu’s season started with a shock defeat to IPV at home and the team struggled to put big numbers on the board in their other games, losing twice to Kitee for example. Originally JoMa’s opening game of the season would have been against KPL in Spain, but the coronavirus pandemic cut short the season and that fixture was lost. In my opinion, Joensuu’s season didn’t really get going until they faced KPL at home on 21st July; since then they have dominated and looked unstoppable. Since the KPL game they have taken 16 out of a possible 18 points, including 2 wins over Sotkamo. 

Current place in table: 3rd

Estimated final position: 3rd* (Too close to call between 2nd and 3rd)

Comment: Took some time to settle in to the season, but doing very well at the moment - keep it up and don’t slip back into old habits if you want to finish top of the class.

Overall grade:    

B

4th Vimpelin Veto

Vimpeli are making adjustments to their game after some changes to last season. Perttu Ruuska is a “work in progress” in the role of Lukkari (pitcher), but has shown some potential. Despite 2 tough losses to Sotkamo in short succession, Vimpeli are having a solid season. If you ignore the recent history with Vimpeli and look at the team and this season in isolation, they are performing at or about where many would place them in the league. They may not have the swagger or presence of champions, but this team is up for the fight and could cause some upsets with their determination and skills.

Current place in table: 4th

Estimated final position: 4th 

Comment: Puts in lots of effort and doing well. Will need to perfect certain areas of their game if they want to be top of the class.

Overall grade:    

B-

5th Seinäjoen JymyJussit

After winning 4 out of their first 5 games, including an away win against Vimpeli, people started to pay more attention to JyJu. whilst they have generally kept pace with the teams around them, they have been overtaken by Joensuu and Vimpeli in the table and seen Kitee and PattU fall. Seinäjoki seem to be a fairly consistent team and manage to grind out results, but if they want to be more than just a participant in the post-season, they will need to find an extra gear. Jukka-Pekka Vainionpää has a huge 35 RBI for the team so far this season, but overall their offence has been pretty average ad they are “middle of the pack” when it comes to runs scored and even worse in terms of runs against.

Current place in table: 5th

Estimated final position: 5th 

Comment: Doing very well, but needs to put up some more big performances if they want to be noticed at the end of term.

Overall grade:    

C