SASL Softball is 2 weeks away.
Can the Savages repeat against a brutally stacked American League field?
Pre-Season 2018 Power Rankings
American League
1. Savages
By far the most dominant team in all of SASL in 2017, the Savages come charging into this season as the clear odds-on favorites to hoist the AL crown.
Led by the superstar trio of SS Hashim Naveed, the versatile Charley Robinson, and the heavy hitting Pavy Badwal, the Savages are strong at all the key positions and will have zero problems putting up prodigious amounts of runs. While this team has an emerging crop of budding players headed by 2nd-year standout VJ and steady veterans Anwar Sadat, Irfan Musliwala and – reigning finals MVP – Yasar Bokhari, the team did have to part ways with speedy outfielder Shawn Abraham (due to cap restrictions).
Captain Anwar Sadat has shown the ability to bring on hidden gems to replace lost talent, does he have someone up his sleeve to replace Shawn?
2. Empire
Seen as one of the original “super teams” in 2011, Empire has seen season after season of heartbreaking finishes, including the 2011 finals against a shorthanded Softballers squad, 2015 in the finals against Savages, losing on a walk-off dropped ball – in the outfield – in the 2016 semi-finals against the Heavy Hitters, and then yet again coming up short in the 2017 finals against the Savages.
Phew.
Captain Faizal Sheriff, Jason Reis, Prince Panicker, and the boys in blue and yellow bring back their offensively stacked squad for another run, hoping for a better finish in 2018.
3. Mets
Looking for a potential wildcard team that can undo everything written above?
Meet the Mets. No, literally, meet the Mets. Ali Arshad, one of the most underrated captains in the SASL has done it again – putting together another power-heavy line-up with the likes of Harpreet Chadda, Kunal Sra, and Ramy Abdelhamid. Ali, himself, may be one of the most successful pitchers in SASL history.
Behind Hashim, John Sans might be the top SS in the American League.
4. Outlaws
The original bad boys of SASL are back and louder than ever.
The Outlaws, now led by Captain Saiful Ashraf, bring back one of the most feared franchises in SASL history. The Outlaws, champions in 2005 and 2007, suffered a heartbreaking finals loss in 2013, coming within a strike of the championship – only to see a 4-run lead evaporate into a one-run loss to SWAT.
This team will have plenty of power, athleticism, and speed in the field – with Gregg Murrello making his return to the league (after a brief one-week stint with the Mighty Ducks last year), he’ll be joined by the likes of the aforementioned Saiful, Ahmad Halimi, and Majid Raufi.
5. Scooby Scorers
There’s one thing to have a chip on your shoulder, there’s another to have a boulder on your shoulder. Scooby Scorers have a VERY bad taste in their mouth after the way things ended last year (much to their fault), and are itching to get that taste out of their mouths in grand fashion.
You know what helps such an effort? Landing arguably the best hitter in all of SASL in the form of Dan Dilorio.
Yes, rumors are swirling that the former Layth masher has packed his bags to join Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma in the Mystery Machine. If this is true, Scoobies – an already offense-packed squad with the likes of Shazim and Rakesh – are going to be a nightmare most Sunday afternoons.
6. Mighty Ducks
Last year they were a mix of former Wolfpack and former Bengals players. This year, with the Bengals rebooting themselves in the National League, the Ducks will be a collaboration of former Wolfpack and former Softballer players, as Saad Yousuf, Haaris Din & co are joined by Nadeem Khan, Atif Khan, Zeeshan Sheikh, and Sajeel Haque. Plus, rumors have it that a former SASL great may be making his long awaited return to the SASL.
They’ll be relevant, but if they’re to make a serious run at the upper-tier of the AL, they’ll need some Gordon Bombay magic and at least 3 of their “7-10” hitters to have career years.
7. Troopers
Just how scary deep is this year’s American League? Troopers, a team that scored a win over the superpower Savages last year and the offensive firepower of Matthew Verity and Michael Kaufman are seen as the 7th best team coming into the season? Something tells us that this prediction will be laughed at at the end of the season.
This team can stand toe-to-toe with any in the league offensively. If their defense can show up and play up to par, this could be a team that grabs the early season headlines.
8. 516
516 is going to enter the 2018 season as a bit of a mystery.
The team is headed up by the former Scooby Scorers star trio of Sanjay Sharma, Jason Gregory, and the fearsome Denon Olsen. Not much is known beyond that and certainly not much more is known as to why there was a split in the Scooby franchise, but having the three aforementioned players (especially with the sheer power of Denon) alone is a great start for the proud Nassau County residents.
