MO-Wiffians,
Another regular season is in the books. Awards are being finalized and the playoffs are underway, with a new Champion to be crowned! Last year, I was curious on my own team’s strength of schedule against opposing pitchers and for the most part, many readers were interested so why not do it again this year?
So, here is a breakdown of all 8 teams and their strength of schedule throughout the 2023 MO-Wiff regular season. This research was done by ranking all pitchers in the mowiff season from an average of multiple voters, based on statistics and overall knowledge of league situations. Then, each game on everyone’s schedule was assigned a difficulty rating based on the pitchers and the amount of innings they threw against them. Below is the list in short version, including last year’s comparison, then I decided to do more breakdown for each team as well for funsies. Disclaimer: This article was written and released after awards were already voted upon and are not to be taken seriously to the point of discrediting any one person’s amazing season.
2022 Hardest to Easiest Reg Season Schedule:
1. Mojo
2. Mambas
3. Bombers
4. Archers
5. Pilots
6. Empire
7. Thunderbirds
8. Melonheads
2023 Hardest to Easiest Reg Season Schedule:
1. Melonheads
2. Mambas
3. Empire
4. Thunderbirds
5. Mojo
6. Pilots
7. Bombers
8. Archers
Now for a breakdown of each team starting with the easiest (higher rating number) and ending with the hardest (lower rating number):
Archers (9-8 Record, 3rd Place in Division, Playoffs Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 249
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 4/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 2/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 4 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Cam Smith, Gus Skibbe, Spencer Bogad
Archers had the top 4 players in batting average in 2023, and the only four players that hit above .300. This article seemingly shows why that is the case. The only outlier is of course Jordan “The Machine” Smith. Had a season that will never be touched. Did the lower level of competition help, absolutely, but did he also hit top end opponents, absolutely. They had the least amount of games against top tier pitching, and had the second most games against pitchers outside of the Top 20. They also tied for most games played against multiple pitchers in a game, including seeing all four Thunderbird pitchers in two games. What makes this ranking even crazier, is the fact that they only had one Top 15 pitcher on their roster and still the easiest schedule!
Bombers(8-9 Record, 3rd Place in Division, Playoffs Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 235
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 8/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 4/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 6 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Gus Skibbe, Spencer Bogad, Tony Cochran
The Bombers are already eliminated from the playoffs after getting in as the 6 seed. Despite having the second easiest schedule, and the most games against pitchers outside the Top 20, the defending champs ended the regular season with a losing record. Cam was injured throughout most of the season, and relied on his other pitchers more in 2023. This squad didn’t look to have the same fire they have had the past two championship seasons. Is it because their softer regular season schedule didn’t prepare them as well heading into the Homestand Playoffs? Again, only one top 15 pitcher on their roster, and the second easiest schedule.
Pilots (4-13 Record, Last Place in Division, Missed Playoffs)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 214
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 7/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 4/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 2 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Kaleb Schweigert (On Roster Half of Season), Tony Cochran, Collin Wilkerson
Kaleb Schweigert was on the Pilots for half of the 2023 regular season, and when Kaleb’s new team matched up with the Pilots, I liked how he didn’t pitch. Commendable, and respectful towards his original team that drafted him, even though he would’ve pitched a no-hitter. Not a perfect game though, because Adam North is a walk guru. Without Kaleb though, this was a nightmare. Not one rostered pitcher in the Top 20, and only faced 2 other pitchers outside that number, which showed with the lowest team batting average. Only time will tell as this franchise looks to the future to see if they can get back to that playoff winning culture from Season 1.
Mojo (14-3 Record, 1st Place in Division, Playoff Bye Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 211
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 6/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 3/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 2 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Cam Smith, Tony Cochran, Sam Eichenlaub
The Mojo had the hardest schedule last season and now find themselves in the middle of the pack. The biggest change: one pitcher in the top 15 last season, FIVE pitchers in the Top 15 this season. With one third of the top pitching talent in the league on one roster, the Mojo were bound to be in the bottom half of this research ranking. That didn’t stop them from having an interesting schedule though as they only faced two pitchers outside the Top 20. The number one seed in this year’s playoffs and a much better fast pitch hitting team than a 55 hitting team.
Thunderbirds (12-5 Record, 1st Place in Division, Playoff Bye Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 201
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 6/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 4/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 1 Game
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Gus Skibbe, Sam Skibbe, Sam Eichenlaub
The Thunderbirds only faced one pitcher outside the Top 20, so none of their games were ever easy, but they still earned the top spot in their division. Besides that one game outside the Top 20, they never even saw an opponent pitcher outside the Top 16! Out of the four most difficult schedules, this team had the least amount of games against Top 10 pitching, on a roster that included two pitchers in Andrew and Tony that are in that Top 10.
Empire (2-15 Record, Last Place in Division, Missed Playoffs)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 195
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 9/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 3/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 2 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Kaleb Schweigert, Cam Smith, Jackson Crosley
The Empire relied heavily on a rookie with little experience to lead their team to victory with Josh Rogers still on the mend. A captain changeover and multiple trades later, the 2-15 record makes sense, but this team shouldn’t be in the basement for long. They tied for the second most games against Top 10 pitchers, and tied for the second least amount of games against Top 5 pitching. They never had their own pitcher in the Top 10, and when they traded Collin, nobody in the 20. They also had to face Gus in two games and Jordan in two games, despite not facing any of the other top 5 pitchers.
Mambas (8-9 Record, 2nd Place in Division, Playoffs Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 186
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 10/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 5/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 4 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Jackson Crosley, Gus Skibbe, Sam Skibbe
The Mambas are the only team that have stayed consistent with their 2022 ranking, and unfortunately for them, it comes with the second hardest opposing schedule two years in a row. Last season they did not make playoffs, and this season, they still ended the regular season with a losing record. When will these guys catch a break? They had a whopping TEN games against Top 10 pitchers, and tied for the most against Top 5 pitching, but balanced it out a bit with the second most games against pitchers outside the Top 20. They faced Cam in three games, Kaleb in two, Andrew in two, and Collin in three! They didn’t face any of the Mojo SWBL pitchers, but they did get to face off against Doug for the second year in a row!
Melonheads (11-6 Record, 2nd Place in Division, Playoffs Clinched)
Overall Difficulty Rating: 181
Top 10 Pitchers Faced: 9/17 Games
Top 5 PItchers Faced: 5/17 Games
Games Facing Pitchers Outside Top 20: 3 Games
Most difficult pitchers never faced: Brett Spencer (one inning), Cole Layton, Justin Hall
What a turnaround! From the easiest schedule last season, winning Batting Champ and Silver Slugger, to the hardest schedule in 2023, being a few points away from having the worst team batting average. It’s almost like this strength of schedule actually means something, or Ryan just had too much fun at Arch Nemesis Brewery. Tied for the second most games against Top 10 pitchers, and tied for the most against Top 5 pitching, with only three games against outside Top 20 opponents, the Melonheads EARNED their 11-6 record and the three seed in the playoffs. They have four pitchers in the Top 15, meaning that 73% of the top tier pitchers in the league fall on rosters that start with the letter “M”. The Melonheads were also the only team in the league to either roster OR compete against every pitcher in the Top 15, hence their #1 ranking.
Overall, this is always fun to look at and break down for each team. Also, it is incredible to see the talent in this league continue to rise each and every year. The hitting and pitching have gotten so much better AGAIN this year, and it is exciting to see where the league will continue to grow. Good luck to all the playoff teams in the coming weeks and I can’t wait to see the final results of the very difficult awards voting that the captains had in front of them.