Tuesday, October 5, 2010

31% Season Power Rankings

1. Houston (37-11) - The defending AL champ has jumped out to an early 5.5 game lead behind an Al-best 3.75 ERA. Edgar Cortez is 7-0 and 6th in AL with a 2.74 ERA. Dan Carter leads the AL with 21 HRs and Zach Charles tops the league with a .362 AVG.

2. Rochester (35-14) - The reigning World Series champs look strong again. By far the best offensive team in baseball, the Rolling Rocks lead the Majors in runs, hits, doubles, walks, AVG, OBP, and SLG. Bill Everhart leads the world in AVG and SLG. Four other Rolling Rocks can be found in the top eleven in OPS.

3. Atlanta (33-16) - The Expos, a perennial World Series contender, just went from second tier to first with the addition of Talmadge Malone, currently hitting .347/.424/.579/1.003. As usual, Chris Pendleton and Carl Sosa are putting together Cy Young seasons, and are more likely to sustain production that some of the others on that list.

4. Richmond (32-17) - Richmond leads the AL in OBP and runs, mostly behind monster seasons from Alex Coombs and Albert Crespo, both OPSing over 1.000. Richard Jackson leads the AL in ERA and WHIP.

5. Dover (32-17) - Dover has won the NL East three years in a row, and with a huge lead, looks like they will make it four. Nothing flashy here, they just get it done.

6. Jackson (30-19) - Following a "rebuilding year" that saw a playoff berth for the Rockets, Jackson appears to be back as an elite in the NL. Medicore offensively, they are third in the NL in ERA, with Vic Brohawn (3.07) and Willy Murray (3.32) leading the way.

7. New York (AL) (30-19) - Gordon Oliver may not be Ken Evans, but he's certainly pitching like it (3.68 ERA). Sting Bailey is having a strong year at the plate (.317/.399/.550/.949), but the real key to this offense is depth.

8. Boston (30-19) - Boston gets it done with power, leading the AL in HRs, SLG, and OPS. Reigning HR champ Johnny Sherman is second in the AL with 17 HRs, and Gabe Butler is a close third with 16.

9. Arizona (28-21) - Arizona is third in AL in ERA; Sam Cohen and 23-year old Duffy Hughes lead the charge. Tom Weston leads the offense with 15 HRs, 50 RBIs, and a 1.019 OPS.

10. Los Angeles (27-21) - The abandoned playoff team apparently has some talent. Benny Lima and Louis Kirkland lead the team offensively.

11. Ottawa (26-22) - Ottawa has no real deficiencies. They are slightly above average offensively and on the mound. 26-year old Eduardo Redondo is having a monster offensive season (.317/.384/.630). Milton Henry is fourth in NL in ERA with a 2.35.

12. Minnesota (28-21) - Minnesota is headed in the right direction, although they are playing a bit over their heads right now. Arthur Weaver, the former Rule 5 draftee, is second in the AL in ERA, and Geraldo Bautista is eleventh. Expect regression from both.

13. Durham (26-22) - Durham is fourth in AL in ERA. The offense is below average, and they would be in serious trouble if the league's top all-around hitter, Rafael Benitez, was unable to play.

14. Honolulu (25-24) - The Majors' best pitching staff is led by Walt Kennedy (2.11 ERA /1.05 WHIP), Justin Powell (2.71/0.95), Alberto Beltre (3.45/1.07), and Jospeh Hyun (3.63/1.15).

15. Cincinnati (24-24) - Fourth in the NL in ERA, the offense will need to surge to keep playoffs hopes alive later in the season. Ismael Ortiz is second in the NL with a 0.95 WHIP. Dennis Jeffries and Marvin Mays are both having terrible seasons, expect huge improvements, giving a boost to the offense.

16. Cheyenne (25-23) - Jose Rijo is second in the NL in average (.359) and OPS (1.113). Alex Hernandez is fifteenth in OPS (.941) and twelfth in OBP (.402). Jacob Tebeau and Sammy Pinzon are thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively, in ERA.

17. Syracuse (26-23) - Syracuse is above average on the mound, but has scored just 4.2 runs per game. Alfredo Lindsey is putting together a nice season at the plate.

18. Sacramento (26-23) - Sacramento is a mirror image of Syracuse. Brandon Chouinard is third in the NL in ERA (2.14). Dennys Cromer is seventh (2.50).

19. Chicago (21-27) - The Puppies' pitchers lack bite, but the offense has shown some signs of life. Ronnie Bannister and Daniel Russell are a nice one-two punch at the plate.

20. Kansas City (21-28) - The usually-strong-in-all-aspects Tweakers are struggling a bit to start the year. They are near the bottom of the AL in runs scored, and in the middle of the pack in ERA. Benito Guerrero is having a typical monster season (.310/.442/.601/1.043). Greg Maduro and 23-year old Nicholas Atkins have been strong on the mound.

21. Charleston (22-26) - The Chew are in second place in the NL South, but are already 7.5 games back of the Rockets.

22. Buffalo (20-28) - Buffalo is the most one-sided team in the league; second in the Majors in ERA, and last in runs. Brian Wang leads the NL in ERA (1.88) and Sherm Gates is fifth (2.41).

23. Hartford (21-27) - The Huskies are fifth in the AL in runs scored, but sport an awful team ERA (5.82).

24. Tacoma (19-29) - Tacoma's staff has struggled (5.14 ERA), causing the ten-games-under-.500 record. Timo Green's current injury hasn't helped the situation, and was having a good year prior (3.44 ERA).

25. New York (NL) (19-30) - The Primetimers' offense has struggled, scoring the second fewest runs in the NL. Shayne Lemon leads the offense with a .929 OPS.

26. Little Rock (18-31) - The Lewinskys suck (see what I did there). The staff is second-to-last in ERA, and despite being second in the NL in SLG and HRs, they are just ninth in runs scored. Chip James is second in the NL in HRs (17), 4th in OPS (1.053), and fifth in SLG (.640).

27. St. Louis (19-30) - The Beermen's offensive numbers are ironically sobering. Last in the AL in runs scored, OBP, and SLG. 26-year old Harry Mieses is third in the AL in ERA (2.59).

28. Fargo (17-31) - Al James' debut was the first excitement in Fargo since the great cow tipping exhibition of 1973, and before that when Anheuser Busch unveiled Busch Ice.

29. Colorado (17-31) - Terrible pitching (6.31 ERA) neutralizes and decent offense (.782 OPS). Charlie Dickerson (.963) and Travis Lieberthal (.953) are fourteenth and fifteenth, respectively, in AL in OPS.

30. Nashville (16-32) - The former NL South powerhouse rounds out the bottom of the NL. They are last in the NL in ERA, and below average in run scoring. Taylor Overbay has been the lone bright spot for the staff (2.75 ERA).

31. Austin (13-35) - Texas' capital anxiously awaits the true Rock Star, James Hasselman. As of now, Austin doesn't have a lot going for it.

32. Vancouver (13-35) - Welington Lorenzo's (3.43 ERA) emergence as a potential number one is the lone bright spot.