Now updated: 2012 Team Records!

One league record fell this year, and another was tied! Plus there were several new additions to the leaderboard. Check out all the single-season team records here.

Here's an in-depth look:

New League Records

Pythagoras believed that the best way to determine a team's true level of ability is not won-lost record, but rather the number of runs scored and runs allowed. By this standard, Livingston Last Place may be the worst team of all time. They scored 600 runs and allowed 982 runs for a -382 run differential -- good enough, or rather bad enough, to set a new league record. The previous record of -323 was set in 2007 by the Las Vegas Rat Pack. (Interestingly, the 2008 Rat Pack won 106 games, so maybe there's hope for Livingston after all.) Note that team runs scored/runs allowed data is not available before the 1997 season, so it's quite likely that the 1993 Waikiki Keys, who went 33-129, or even the 1993 Charleston Chiefs, who went 46-116, may have had even worse run differentials. But those stats are lost to history, so the league record now belongs to Livingston.

The Amityville Ant Slayers tied the league record for the best fielding percentage at .990. The Ant Slayers tied the record set in 2002 by the Wanaque Wolverines. Two other teams, the Newark Sugar Bears and Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, joined a log jam of 10 teams tied for the 5th-best fielding percentage of all time at .988.

New DMB Era Records
The worst road record was set by Livingston Last Place, who went 17-64 (.210), setting a new DMB Era (1997-present) record! The previous modern record was set in 2006 by D.C. Bushslappers, who went 19-62 in 2006. The all-time record is still held by the Waikiki Keys, who won just 15 road games (.188 W%) in 1993.

New In The Top 5
The 600 runs scored by Livingston Last Place was the second-fewest runs scored in league history, behind only the 572 runs scored by the Hawaii Volcanoes in 1999. The previous second place mark was held by the 2003 Columbia Rattlesnakes, who scored 617 runs.

The 623 runs allowed by the Newark Sugar Bears was the third fewest of all time, just eclipsing last year's Vancouver Iron Fist, who allowed 624 runs. The all-time record is 587 runs allowed by the Iron Fist in 1998.

The 47-115 performance by Livingston Last Place tied with the 1999 Norfolk Ewes for the fourth-worst record in league history. The worst record in history was set by the 1993 Waikiki Keys, at 33-129; the modern record was the 44-118 record of the Phoenix Dragons in 1997.

Joining the leaderboard in best team quality start percentage were the Newark Sugar Bears, with a .617 QS% for fourth-best all-time. The Hopatcong Floating Fish had a .605 QS%, which ranks 6th all-time, just behind the 2004 Carolina Mudcats (.611).

The Bridgewater Mallers led the league in pitchers' strikeouts with 1,467, good enough for 5th all-time. Bridgewater knocked the 2009 Las Vegas Rat Pack and their 1,448 Ks out of the top 5. The 2008 Rat Pack still hold the all-time record with 1,549 Ks.  

Records That Didn't Fall

Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta's league-best 107-55 record didn't make the leaderboard; it tied the 1994 Vancouver Iron Fist for the 13th best record of all time. The 2002 Arkansas Golden Falcons still have the best all-time record at 120-42.  

The longest winning streak of the year was 10 straight wins, posted by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, but it didn't crack the top 5. The 2006 Newark Sugar Bears and 2011 Las Vegas Rat Pack each won 13 straight games to tie for 4th place. The longest streak of all time is 17 games set by the 2009 Sugar Bears.

The Arkansas Golden Falcons lost 10 straight games, and Livingston Last Place ended the season with 10 straight losses. It would take 13 straight losses to reach the leaderboard, set in 1998 by the Columbia Crusaders and tied in 2006 by the Honolulu Sharks. The all-time record was set in 1999 by the Crusaders.

The best home record this year was set by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta at 57-24 (.704). A team would have to win 62 games at home to reach the leaderboard by tying the Newark Sugar Bears' home record in 2006; the all-time record of 65 home wins was set in 2008 by those same Sugar Bears.

This year's worst home record of 30-51 (.370) was set by Livingston Last Place. To crack the top five a team would have to win just 25 games at home to crack the top 5; the worst home record of all time was set in 1993 by the Waikiki Keys, who won just 18 games at home. The modern record was set in 1997 by the Phoenix Dragons, who went 22-59 at home.

Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta had the league's best road record this year at 50-31 (.617). To break into the top 5, a team would have to win at least 55 games to tie the 5th-best record, set in three different seasons by the Newark Sugar Bears. The all-time best road record was set in 1997 by the Vancouver Iron Fist, who went 60-21.

The most runs scored this year was 883 by Rowdy Roddy's Pipers. A team would have to score 1,123 runs to tie the 1997 Arkansas Golden Falcons for 5th place; the all-time record belongs to the Newark Sugar Bears, who scored 1,383 runs in 2007.

The most runs allowed was by Livingston Last Place, who gave up a whopping 982 runs -- more than a hundred runs more than the next worst team. But that wasn't good enough for even 5th place all-time, currently held by the 2001 Honolulu Sharks (1,021 runs allowed). The all-time record is 1,111 rusn allowed by the Phoenix Dragons in 2000.

The best run differential was set by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, with a +171 run margin. Fifth place is currently held by the Arkansas Golden Falcons, who posted a +332 run differential in 2002; the record of +549 runs was set by the 2007 Newark Sugar Bears.

The most home runs hit this year were by the Hoboken Cutters with 231. To reach the top 5, a team would have to hit 288, set by the Jerusalem Rabbis in 1996. The all-time record is 330 by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.

The Sardine City Straphangers led the league this year with 101 stolen bases. To make the leaderboard, a team would have to steal 192 bases; the record was set in 1998 by the Phoenix Dragons with 228.

Hopatcong Floating Fish led the league with 353 doubles, but that's a long way from the 393 doubles hit by the Louisiana Lightning in 1997 for 5th place, or the league record 426 doubles hit by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2008.

The 47 triples hit by Sardine City Straphangers led the league, but it would take 57 triples to tie the Toledo Mutthens (1997) for 5th most all time. The record of 80 triples in a season was set by Cheyenne Warhawks in 1993 (thanks to Deion Sanders and his 62 triples that year).

The highest OPS this year was set by Rowdy Roddy's Pipers at .804; it would take a .902 OPS to reach the top 5, and a .995 OPS to set the all-time record, set by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.

Rowdy Roddy's Pipers also led the league with 851 RBIs, but it would take 1,121 to reach the leaderboard by tying the 1994 Arkansas Golden Falcons. The all-time record of 1,335 RBIs was set by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.

The lowest team ERA was set by the Newark Sugar Bears at 3.54; fifth-place still belongs to the Vancouver Iron Fist at 3.32. The all-time record is 3.08 set by the Arkansas Golden Falcons in 1992, and the DMB Era record is 3.10 set last year by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.

Hopatcong Floating Fish just missed making the leaderboard with a 1.22 WHIP; to make the leaderboard, they needed a 1.21. The all-time record is 1.16, set last year by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.

Another near-miss: the Vancouver Iron Fist had a league-best .685 OPS. A .684 OPS would have tied for 5th place and put them on the leaderboard. The lowest OPS allowed of all time (.653) was set in 2011 by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.

Sardine City Straphangers posted a league-best .780 save percentage, which almost cracked the top 5. The Hillsborough Hired Hitmen in 2011 and the Honolulu Sharks in 2004 tied for a .784 SV%, tied for 4th place. The all-time record of an .836 SV% was set by the Straphangers in 2010.

This year's worst fielding percentage of .981, turned in by Livingston Last Place, was nowhere near the leaderboard. Six teams are tied at .975 for fourth-worst; the worst fielding percentage of all time, .973, was set by the Phoenix Dragons in 1998 and tied by those same Dragons in 2003.

R.I.P., Ryan Freel

Former DMBL player Ryan Freel died today at the age of 36, apparently after shooting himself in the head with a shotgun inside his Florida home, according to an ESPN report.

Freel had played for five DMBL organizations over a four-year career as a utilityman. He retired following the 2008 season with a career .254 BA (.322 SLG, .313 OBP) in 1,760 AB.

Freel came into the league in 2005 with the Columbia Rattlesnakes after being drafted in the 4th Round (#50 overall), but he disappointed after hitting .242 (.600 OPS) in 529 at-bats. The following year he was taken in the 5th Round (#62) by the Las Vegas Rat Pack and had his best season, hitting .287 (.714 OPS) with 74 R, 19 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, and 14 SB in 551 AB. The Honolulu Sharks drafted him the following year in the 9th Round (#113) of the 2007 draft and he had his worst season, hitting just .225 with a .598 OPS in 502 AB. He went undrafted in his final season, 2008, but the Hoboken Cutters signed him in May after an injury to Travis Buck. Freel hit .270 (.587 OPS) in 37 AB with the Cutters before he too went down with an injury. He was released a month later but was picked up a month later by the D.C. Bushslappers, where he would hit .270 (.602 OPS) in 35 AB.

Top 10 ROY Candidates: The Relievers

No rookie reliever has won the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award since John Rocker way back in 1999, but there were some impressive candidates this season! Will the long dry spell end this season?

Al Alburquerque (NWK): The 26-year-old righty has already won the Weirdest Name of the Year Award, but how about the 'Stach? Alburquerque posted a 2.19 ERA and 12.6 R/9 while going 7-3 with 25 saves. The first pick of the 2nd Round (#17) walked 42 but also struck out 85 in 61.2 IP.

Antonio Bastardo (RWY): This 26-year-old has won the Bad Ass Name of the Year Award. What a bastardo! The lefty, taken in the 3rd Round (#36 overall), went 1-4 with 5 saves while posting a 3.02 ERA, 11.6 R/9, 42 BB and 94 K in 86.1 IP. He led all rookies with 19 holds, which was tied for 2nd most in the league.

Aroldis Chapman (HPG): The fireballing Cuban posted a 2.12 ERA and 12.7 R/9 while going 2-5 with 3 saves and 15 holds. The 24-year-old walked 40  but struck out 70 in 51.0 IP. His 2.12 ERA was best among rookie relievers. Drafted in the 6th Round (#75 overall) in 2010 by Hoboken, but was traded to Hopatcong in 2011 along with a 1st Round pick (#6 overall) for the #3 pick in 2011.

Scott Elbert (ARK): The 26-year-old lefty setup man, drafted in the 10th Round (#149 overall), had a 4.12 ERA and 13.7 R/9 while going 5-2. He struck out 76 and walked 22 in 74.1 IP.

Greg Holland (HBK): The 2nd Round pick (#30 overall) went 6-4 with 10 saves (3.75 ERA, 10.1 R/9). He logged 105.2 IP while walking 39 and striking out 134. His 10.1 R/9 was tops among rookie relievers.

Craig Kimbrel (AMI): Amityville's closer led all rookies with 28 saves. The 24-year-old righty had a 3.22 ERA, 12.6 R/9, and walked 38 while striking out 106 in just 67.0 IP. He led all rookies in inherited runners who scored percentage (.167). Kimbrel was taken in the 11th Round (#148 overall) in 2011 by Hoboken, but was traded to Amityville along with a 7th Round pick for Hiroki Kuroda and Carlos Ruiz.

Sam LeCure (AMI): "Crime is a disease... and I am LeCure!" The 28-year-old went 7-4 with 6 saves while posting a 2.88 ERA, 10.2 R/9, 38 BB and 99 K in 122.0 IP. He was quite the bargain as a 7th Round pick (#111 overall).

Fernando Salas (RWY): The 27-year-old Mexican righthander, drafted in the 3rd Round (#43 overall), went 2-2 with 2 saves, with a 3.62 ERA, 10.8 R/9, 30 BB and 78 K in 82.0 IP.

Chris Sale (BRI/LV): Drafted by Bridgewater in the 5th Round in 2011 (#70 overall), the talented 23-year-old lefthander was dealt to Las Vegas along with a 10th Round pick for Tim Lincecum and Francisco J. Rodriguez. Combined, Sale went 10-5 with 4 saves and 15 holds, and a 3.44 ERA and a 11.4 R/9, with 62 BB and 152 K in 131.0 IP. He led all rookies in relief wins, innings, and Ks.

Jordan Walden (STL): The 24-year-old went 6-2 with 3 saves while posting a 4.50 ERA and 13.9 R/9. He walked 35 and sruck out 93 in 80.0 IP. The righty was taken in the 4th Round (#57 overall).

Top 10 ROY Candidates: The Starters

Last year the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award went to starter Travis Wood. Will it be back-to-back years for starting pitchers? Let's take a look at the candidates.

Henderson Alvarez (VAN): The 22-year-old Alvarez went 15-14 with a 4.24 ERA and 10.8 R/9 in 225.0 IP, with 32 BB and 109 K. The 2nd Round pick (#23 overall) tied for the rookie lead in shutouts (3) and complete games (5).

Brandon Beachy (BRI): The #2 pick went 16-7 with a 4.84 ERA and 13.6 R/9, with 78 BB and an amazing 220 K in 182.1 IP. The 25-year-old led all rookies in wins, winning percentage (.696), Ks, and tied with fellow rookie Cory Luebke for the league lead in K/9 (10.9).

Josh Collmenter (HPG): Collmenter posted a 4.47 ERA and 11.5 R/9 while going 13-12 with 45 BB and 122 Ks in 217.1 IP. The 26-year-old was drafted with the final pick in the 1st Round (#16 overall).

Dillon Gee (LIV/PHI/HIL): Drafted in the 10th Round (#154 overall) by Livingston, Gee was bombed in eight starts for the Last Place (2-5, 7.36 ERA, 16.7 R/9) and was released. Philadelphia claimed him off waivers; he went 1-2 with a 6.08 ERA and 12.5 R/9 in four starts, but they released him too. Hillsborough signed him and he went 5-4 with a 4.61 ERA and 13.3 R/9 but they cut him anyway. Too bad a fourth team didn't sign him as he was improving after each stop!

Jeremy Hellickson (BR): Don't be fooled by his mediocre 11-10 record; Hellickson was pitching for 13th place Blue Ridge, who scored him just 3.7 runs per game. Hellickson posted a 3.37 ERA and 10.2 R/9, leading all rookies in both categories. Among all DMBL pitchers, he was 2nd in H/9 (6.9) and 3rd in R/9, tied for 2nd in shutouts (3), and tied for 3rd in complete games (5). Philly drafted back in 2010 in the 13th Round (#176 overall) but traded him and an 8th Round pick to Blue Ridge in 2011 for Howie Kendrick and a 1st Round pick.

Philip Humber (ARK): The 29-year-old Humber, taken #5 overall, went 15-13 with a 4.21 ERA and 12.6 R/9 with 71 BB and 162 K in 220.0 IP.

Cory Luebke (HPG): One of this year's top lefties, the 27-year-old Luebke went 13-8 with a 3.74 ERA and 11.2 R/9. The #4 overall pick gave up 80 BB while striking out 242 batters, tying with Brandon Beachy for the league lead in K/9 (10.9).

Ivan Nova (STL): It was something of a surprise when the 25-year-old Nova was selected with the #10 overall pick, but he went a respectable 13-9 with a 4.63 ERA, 12.3 R/9, and 55 BB with 120 K in 196.1 IP.

Michael Pineda (ARK): The 23-year-old Pineda, drafted in the 7th Round (#86 overall) as an ineligible prospect last year, went 9-14 with a 5.20 ERA and 12.6 R/9, and tied for the rookie lead in starts with 33.

Vance Worley (BR): The third consecutive rookie starter taken in the 1st Round at #6 overall, the 24-year-old Worley went 12-10 with a 4.19 ERA, 12.1 R/9, 69 BB, and 169 K in 195.1 IP.

Top 10 ROY Candidates: The Batters

I know, I know... you want to vote for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year, but you're not sure who is a rookie and who isn't! Don't worry... I got your back.

Here are the top 10 rookie batters, at least according to me. There are other rookies but no one better than the guys on this list.

Remember, the ROY is for batters and pitchers, so don't just vote for all batters! The pitcher list is coming up next.

2B Dustin Ackley (SAR): Drafted in the 3rd Round (#41 overall) way back in 2010 and then traded in 2011 along with a 1st Round pick for Cole Hamels, the long wait for the 24-year-old Ackley finally ended in 2012. He hit .244/.329/.356 (.685 OPS) with 22 2B, 5 HR, 57 R, and 52 RBI, and led all rookies with 65 walks.

CF Peter Bourjos (NWK): The 25-year-old came out of nowhere (7th round pick) to hit .288/.356/.490 (.846) with 26 2B, 12 HR, 74 R and 47 RBI while playing terrific defense in center field. Bourjos led all rookies in triples with 13.

1B/OF Lucas Duda (AMI): The #1 pick in this year's draft, the 26-year-old Duda hit .261/.341/.453 (.795 OPS) with 32 2B, 25 HR, 90 R, and 96 RBI. He led all rookies in runs and RBIs.

1B Jesus Guzman (BRI): The 28-year-old Guzman hit .300/.369/.448 (.816 OPS) with 47 2B, 12 HR, 85 R, and 82 RBI. The 2nd Round pick (#18 overall) led all rookies in BA, OBP, H, 2B, and total bases, and led the DMBL in SB% (22 steals in 24 attempts, .917).

1B Eric Hosmer (SAR): Drafted in the 3rd Round (#35 overall) of the 2011 draft, the 22-year-old Hosmer made his debut this year and lived up to the hype, hitting .287/.345/.537 (.882 OPS) with 33 2B, 26 HR, 70 R and 85 RBI. He led all rookies in SLG and OPS, and tied for the lead in HRs and extra base hits (63).

OF Desmond Jennings (MAR): Drafted in the 7th Round (#98 overall) in 2010 as an ineligible prospect, Jennings finally made his debut this season and hit .253/.354/.437 (.791 OPS) with 17 2B, 17 HR, 73 R and 68 RBI. He led all rookies with 24 stolen bases.

1B/CF John Mayberry Jr. (VAN): The #11 pick hit .257/.345/.489 (.833 OPS) with 18 2B, 26 HR, 63 R and 60 RBI. The 28-year-old tied for the rookie lead in homers.

C Wilson Ramos (AMI): Taken in the 2nd Round (#22 overall), the 24-year-old Ramos hit .254/.324/.451 (.775 OPS) with 26 2B, 20 HR, 67 R, and 70 RBI. He pounded lefties for a rookie-best 1.092 OPS vs LHP.

OF Eric Thames (LIV): This 8th round pick was an unexpected power source for the Last Place, hitting .255/.295/.457 (.752 OPS) with 33 2B, 20 HR, 56 R and 67 RBI. He tied for the rookie lead in extra base hits with 63.

2B Jemile Weeks (NWK): Drafted #3 overall, Weeks hit .273/.302/.387 (.689 OPS) with 36 2B, 9 HR, 67 R, and 64 RBI. He led all rookies in at-bats and plate appearances.

A Look Back At 2012 Batting Leaders

Rowdy's Roddy Pipers dominated the league's batting categories, led by their first baseman slugger, Prince Fielder, who topped several key batting stats. Teammate Daniel Murphy had the longest hitting streak in the league at 26 games, ending in the season's final game while Hillsborough's Michael Morse ended the season on a 19-game hit streak.

Batting avg: .333, Michael Young, Rowdy
On-base %: .417, Prince Fielder, Rowdy
Slugging: .646, Fielder
Hits: 224, Young
Home runs: 53, Fielder
RBIs: 134, Fielder
Runs: 132, Fielder
Doubles: 58, Ben Zobrist, Blue Ridge
Triples: 21, Dexter Fowler, 21, Vancouver
Stolen Bases: 48, Michael Bourn, Sardine City
Stolen Base %: .917 (22/24), Jesus Guzman, Bridgewater
Walks: 127, Jose Bautista, Hoboken
Strikeouts: 235, Mark Reynolds, Livingston
Runs created: 163.1, Fielder
Runs created/27 outs: 10.2, Fielder
Total Bases: 385, Fielder
Longest Hit Streak: 26, Murphy
Giancarlo Stanton set what's believed to be a new league record for games played in season. He made 97 starts for Hoboken before being dealt to Philly for Roy Halladay and a draft pick, and made 66 starts for the End Zone Animals. That's a total of 164 games in a 162-game season!

A Look Back At 2012 Pitching Leaders, Records

Two teams lost 100 games: Philly went 61-101 and Livingston was 47-115, which matched the fourth-worst record in league history (Norfolk Ewes, 1999). The Last Placers also had a league-worst run differential of -382. The previous record was -323 by the 2007 Las Vegas Rat Pack (although run differential stats aren't available before the 1997 season).

Livingston added to the inglorious record books with two individual league records: most losses in a season. Edinson Volquez and Carlos Zambrano trotted out just about every five days, making 32 and 33 starts, respectively, but each loss 22 games.

Volquez went 4-22 with an 8.11 ERA. He had 138 strikeouts in 144.7 IP but also was second in the league in walks, 98. Zambrano was 3-22 with a 7.47 ERA, tossing 168.7 IP, and was 6th in the league in walks, with 84, and only a few more strikeouts, 97. Volquez had the better run support, 3.8 runs per game, versus 3.2 for Zambrano.

Zambrano and Volquez can look to Newark's Kyle Lohse for inspiration. Lohse endured back-to-back 21 loss seasons for New Jersey (now Hopatcong) in 2009 and 2010, and followed it up with a stellar 1-17 mark for Newark in 2011 (that's 59 losses over three seasons...). Lohse finally rebounded this season for a career year in Newark: 14-8, 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 202 IP -- all career highs.

At least five other times in league history, pitchers have lost 21 games. Like this year 1993 saw two pitchers lose 21 games, Chris Bosio and Rick Sutcliffe, but they played for separate teams (Bosio for Charleston, Sutcliffe for Waikiki). Oliver Perez also lost 21 games for Las Vegas in 2007.

ERA: 2.85, Justin Verlander, Hillsborough
WHIP: 0.91, Verlander
Strikeouts: 242, Corey Luebke, Hopatcong
Walks: 118, Francisco Liriano, Philly
Wins: 19, Verlander and R.A. Dickey, Marietta
Win %: .792, Dickey
Avg Run Support: 6.4, Brandon Beachy, Bridgewater
R/9: 8.4, Verlander
K/9: 10.9, Luebke and Beachy
Shutouts: 4, Roy Halladay, Philly/Hoboken
IP: 243 2/3, James Shields, Newark
CG:  9, Shields
QS: 23, Josh Tomlin and Matt Cain, Hopatcong; Shields, Verlander
QS %: .719, Tomlin
Saves: 43, Mariano Rivera, Marietta
Save %: .947, Daniel Bard, Sardine City
Holds: 20, Vinnie Pestano, Bridgewater
Home Runs: 41, Tommy Hanson, Las Vegas
Games: 111, David Pauley, Livingston