Mid-season evaluation and review part 3


Places 10-14

With no threat of relegation this season, their is a sense of relief amongst teams at the lower end of the table, but with half of the season left to play, teams are still pushing for a playoff spot or a chance to finish ahead of their rivals. The results and performances used to calculate positions are up to 3rd August 2020.


Some general observations for places 10-14: There are 2 teams in this group that have some serious chances at making a play for a playoff spot - Hyvinkää and IPV. The other 3 teams are jostling to avoid being the team at the very bottom of the table, but are capable of making it into the top 8, in particular Koskenkorva. 


Koskenkorva has one of the greatest assets in Superpesis - Patrik Wahlsten, but his talents had been wasted at the start of the season with poor performances by the rest of the team that saw Koskenkorva sit bottom of the table with no points until fairly recently. Now they have broken their 0 points season, Koskenkorva have looked a lot more lively and results are starting to come their way. KoU are still on the outside here and their chances of a place in the top 8 are less than the teams above them in the table.


Manse and Siilinjärvi have both had flashes of brilliance this season but are ultimately weaker teams in the league. Both Manse and SiiPe have growing potential and there are no teams “left behind” this season that are truly out of contention.



10th Imatran Pallo-Veikot

IPV stunned Joensuu in their opening game with a tight away win; however this seems to have been the great high point of their season so far. IPV certainly seem a little more dynamic this season and the addition of Tuomas Jussila has given them a much needed boost. Results however have not always come that easily for the Reds and their only other great result was a 3 point win against Hyvinkää. IPV have actually been quite tight defensively and have allowed only 79 runs so far this season (on par with Sotkamo), but their offence has equally been low, with only 89 runs scored.

Current place in table: 10th

Estimated final position: 8th

Comment: Needs to produce more runs to ensure success, but have had some good performances this year.

Overall grade:    

C


11th Hyvinkään Tahko

The problems at Hyvinkää run deep. This is not where a team of this caliber should be; as the season started, there were talks that Hyvinkää could be challenging for a top 4 spot or even a championship. The problems arguably were evident before the season even started, with a Halli-SM loss to Manse early in the year and their practice games exposing some problems with the basics in their defensive game. Hyvinkää have struggled with a significant absence from star hard hitter Juha Korhonen and they slid down the table as a result. Hyvinkää have the core to make it work and can easily turn their luck around; however they equally could remain languishing outside of the top 8.

Current place in table: 11th

Estimated final position: 11th (if they do not improve...)

Comment: See me after class! I expected more this season. Hyvinkää has the potential - they just nee d to apply themselves

Overall grade:    

F


12th Koskenkorvan Urheilijat

Koskenkorva has amongst their ranks the player of the season so far - Patrik Wahlsten, who leads the league in RBI. Koskenkorva went alarmingly deep into the season without scoring a single point and are now trying to make up for lost time. KoU’s outfield has been poor and have contributed to the team having the most runs scored against them in the league (joint with SiiPe). Curiously, Koskenkorva are one of the highest scoring teams in the league, but the score line hasn’t translated into wins until recently.

Current place in table: 12th

Estimated final position: 12th

Comment: Tries very hard and Wahlsten gets an A+ on his own, but the team has taken a long time to see results.

Overall grade:    

D


13th Manse PP, Tampere

Manse are the latest team to join Superpesis and have shown a lot of spirit and enthusiasm. The fans get behind the team too and create a fantastic home atmosphere (based on what I have heard). With a few wins under their belt, Manse are looking to build their status in Superpesis and their eye is really on the future rather than this season too much. Their pitcher Petteri Alanen has had a great season so far and from the batting side of things, Juuso Myllyniemi leads the league in successful hits. There is no doubt that they will struggle against teams in the top 4, but they are determined and looking for wins every time they take the field.

Current place in table: 13th

Estimated final position: 13th

Comment: The new team in class has settled in very well, but still will take time to make it near the top of the class. Great attitude- keep it up.

Overall grade:    

C


14th Siilinjärven Pesis

SiiPe have shown that they can take down big teams when it counts, but this is a rare occurrence and often SiiPe are left behind on the scoreboard. SiiPe’s greatest achievement this season was their win over Vimpeli, which caused quite a stir - if anything it probably has been the biggest upset of the season for any team! Much like Manse, Siilinjärvi are building their team for the future, especially now the threat of relegation is out of the question for 2020. The big difference between SiiPe and Manse is perhaps the resources they can draw on. SiiPe is a humble team from the country and has to use the Savonian cunning to create success. Manse on the other hand are in a large city, but are competing with many other sports teams for fans. My assessment of SiiPe this year has been that they have been a team that has scrambled for points and wins - they are rough around the edges, but they show some excellent moments in games that keeps them competitive. SiiPe need some firepower in their ranks if they want to reach higher in the table, their “runs for” is the lowest in the league by some margin and whilst their cunning can get the best out of what they have, they need more to reach better things. 

Current place in table: 14th

Estimated final position: 14th

Comment: A little messy but can come up with some remarkable work. A little extra study and outside help would make SiiPe a great student in years to come.

Overall grade:    

C-

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