Friday, April 21, 2017

Season 34 Power Rankings #1

Season 34 is out of the gate and it's already time for the first edition of the power rankings!  The last four Cobbfather champions have never been ranked #1 at any time during the season.  Yet someone must still be awarded the spot.  In this edition of the rankings, it's Salem coming out on top, tied for the best record with the top offense and very good pitching.  The team they share the honors of best record with, Florida, comes in at #2.  Houston and Montgomery each slide a spot from their preseason ranking and check in at #3 and 4 respectively, while Nashville rounds out the top 5.  Now for the biggest climbers and biggest falls since the preseason rankings!

Biggest Climbers: #7 Charlotte (+19), #14 Detroit (+18), #13 New York (+16), #17 Fargo (+11), #9 Boston (+9)

Biggest Falls: #25 Little Rock (-16), #29 Los Angeles (-14), #23 Cleveland (-13), #32 Sacramento (-11), #24 Kansas City (-10)

Here are the complete rankings, good luck to all as the season carries on!

Pitching Offense
Team  W L PREV Rank Rank
1 Salem 30 11 5 5 1
2 Florida 30 11 7 7 8
3 Houston 26 15 2 2 9
4 Montgomery 28 13 3 12 3
5 Nashville 28 13 8 11 5
6 Cheyenne 25 16 1 6 7
7 Charlotte  24 17 26 16 4
8 Monterrey 25 16 4 14 6
9 Boston  22 19 18 4 15
10 Cincinnati 22 19 6 7 16
11 Minnesota 24 17 17 10 18
12 Buffalo  20 21 19 13 11
13 New York 25 16 29 9 26
14 Detroit 20 21 32 19 12
15 Jackson 20 21 12 15 17
16 Pawtucket 22 19 13 17 23
17 Fargo 20 21 28 3 31
18 Colorado 21 20 22 32 2
19 St. Louis 16 25 25 1 32
20 Chicago 16 25 11 18 20
21 Dover 19 22 16 23 19
22 Richmond 20 21 27 29 14
23 Cleveland 16 25 10 28 10
24 Kansas City 16 25 14 22 24
25 Little Rock 16 25 9 30 12
26 Colorado Springs 17 24 24 27 21
27 Milwaukee 18 23 20 24 28
28 Atlanta  14 27 23 19 22
29 Los Angeles 14 27 15 19 25
30 Boise 14 27 31 25 26
31 Portland 15 26 30 26 30
32 Sacramento 13 28 21 31 29

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Season 34 Preseason Power Rankings

They're a little late this season, but without further adieu, it's time to unveil the Preseason Power Rankings! These rankings are based on opening day rosters, which were copied and analyzed later. At the top, with an impressive combination of pitching and offense is Cheyenne who won 106 games last season. Defending champ Houston checks in at #2.  Their collection of pitching and defense is second to none, but their hitting is a slight concern.  Pitching seems key in the postseason, so they could definitely go back-to-back and it wouldn't be a surprise.  Montgomery and their #1 rated offense checks in at #3, followed by Monterrey and Salem rounding out the top 5.

Here are the complete rankings, good luck!

Starting Relief 
Season 33 Pitching Pitching Hitting Fielding
Team  W L Rank Rank Rank Rank
1 Cheyenne 106 56 2 29 3 12
2 Houston 105 57 1 1 17 1
3 Montgomery 99 63 9 6 1 6
4 Monterrey 86 76 6 7 2 26
5 Salem 111 51 4 21 5 12
6 Cincinnati 67 95 3 10 9 18
7 Florida 110 52 12 3 4 12
8 Nashville 69 93 7 5 7 29
9 Little Rock 91 71 5 26 10 19
10 Cleveland 91 71 13 29 6 5
11 Chicago 89 73 10 27 14 19
12 Jackson 89 73 8 11 22 6
13 Pawtucket 94 68 14 4 15 24
14 Kansas City 81 81 15 12 21 3
15 Los Angeles 71 91 24 20 13 12
16 Dover 68 94 17 2 19 26
17 Minnesota 84 78 16 16 24 6
18 Boston  75 87 11 23 25 19
19 Buffalo  97 65 29 15 12 6
20 Milwaukee 70 92 26 14 20 12
21 Sacramento 74 88 21 22 15 32
22 Colorado 68 94 30 9 11 29
23 Atlanta  69 93 27 25 17 31
24 Colorado Springs 64 98 32 18 8 19
25 St. Louis 77 85 23 8 27 6
26 Charlotte  77 85 19 17 29 12
27 Richmond 74 88 20 31 26 19
28 Fargo 71 91 22 12 31 2
29 New York 59 103 31 19 23 6
30 Portland 61 101 25 28 28 26
31 Boise 75 87 18 32 30 4
32 Detroit 70 92 28 24 32 24

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Season 34 Free Agency Recap

For the first post of Season 34, let's take a look at the top free agent signings of the offseason!

1. Braeden Abercrombie, 30, SP
Previous Team: Sacramento
Re-signed with Sacramento - 5 Years, $110 Million

Analysis: One of, if not the, best pitchers in all of Cobbfather ratings-wise and only 30 years old.  It was a huge win for Sacramento to be able to re-sign their staff ace, even if it was for a max contract, he's well worth it.

2. Tony Corpas, 31, SP
Previous Team: Houston
Signed with Los Angeles - 5 Years, $85.7 Million

Analysis:  Part of the much feared Houston pitching staff is taking his act out West to LA.  It's hard to find any faults in Corpas' makeup, his ratings are outstanding across the board and has a nice track record to match.  Paying him top of the rotation money should pay off, as he should be able to produce 200 innings of excellent quality pitching throughout his new contract.

3. Jared Gonzales, 32, CF
Previous Team: Montgomery
Signed with Monterrey - 5 Years, $52 Million

Analysis: His huge power bat combined with his ability to play an excellent CF or 2B make him the top offensive player in this season's free agent class.  The Season 32 NL MVP is coming off a bit of a down year, and has some age related decline concerns, but should certainly bolster the Monterrey lineup at a relatively reasonable price.

4. Ken DuBose, 29, 1B
Previous Team: Los Angeles
Signed with Pawtucket - 5 Years, $60 Million

Analysis: An outstanding all-around hitter, with no weaknesses other than a low LH split.  That shouldn't hold him back from putting up outstanding numbers at the plate.  He can play a decent LF and has plus defensive ratings for 1B.  But his biggest asset is his bat, and at 29 years old this season, should be a nice contributor for the duration of the contract.

5. Pat Kimbrel, 32, SP
Previous Team: Fargo
Signed with Montgomery - 4 Years, $46 Million

Analysis:  Kimbrel is another solid, dependable SP.  His ratings look solid, although his splits aren't quite at ace level.  Still, he's pitched well the last three season, particularly in Season 32, and should be a nice fit for the Montgomery rotation.  He's just as good as many of the hurlers on this list, although he is the oldest of those that made the list.

6. Jim Powell, 30, SP
Previous Team: Salem
Signed with Cincinnati - 5 Years, $42 Million

Analysis:  It was a big year for SP's on the free agent market, as Powell is another solid arm, with ace-like ratings across the board, except for his splits.  He was very good as part of the Salem staff, although seemingly didn't rack up many wins.  Still, he's a nice add for a rebuilding Cincinnati squad, and at only age 30, he should still be good at the end of his 5-year deal.

7. Orval Pfeffer, 28, SP
Previous Team: Buffalo
Signed with Boise - 3 Years, $15 Million

Analysis: Pfeffer is nowhere near as good as Abercrombie, but is still an excellent starter with a good track record and only 28 years old.  He's not going to break any records, but will be solid, dependable arm in the rotation who is capable of throwing 200 innings.  Considering the price, it appears to be a very nice signing for Boise.

8. Bernard Gonzales, 28, SP
Previous Team: Cincinnati
Signed with Boise - 3 Years, $12.9 Million

Analysis: Boise lands yet another 28 year old hurler who should be a reliable arm, yet not a perennial All-Star.  Despite his mediocre track record, it's a surprise that he was in the minors most of last year and seems to be in a setup role this season.  He has great ratings except for a poor LH split and only a good, not great RH split.  It will be interesting to see what he does if given another shot to start.

9. Erubiel Morales, 28, RP
Previous Team: Montgomery
Signed with Cincinnati - 5 Years, $70.5 Million

Analysis: There's no question Morales is an outstanding pitcher, his ratings are nearly flawless across the board. His one downside is low stamina, which makes him a short inning starter or a reliever. He's had success in both roles and looks like he'll at least start his career in Cinicinnati out of the bullpen. Wherever his innings come from, they should be of very high quality.

10. Dwight Ramsey, 31, RP
Previous Team: Buffalo
Signed with Nashville - 5 Years, $34.1 Million

Analysis: It's hard to find any faults with Ramsey's makeup.  It would be tough to find a better combination of control, splits, velocity and pitch quality out there.  Limited durability and stamina will keep his total innings down, but he will excel at whatever role he serves over the course of his contract, as demonstrated by his past track record of success.

11. Philip Vasquez, 34, 3B
Previous Team: Cheyenne
Signed with Salem - 2 Years, $21 Million

Analysis: Vasquez is a nice fielding third baseman with strong batting attributes.  He has a very good batting eye, is excellent vs. RHP and has\a high contact rate with average power.  Age related decline is a concern and the reason he is not higher on the list.  The length of the deal is perfect and he should be a solid add to an already stellar Salem squad.

12. Jaret Miller, 34, 3B
Previous Team: Atlanta
Signed with Houston - 1 Year, $5 Million

Analysis: Miller is a very similar player to Vazquez.  He is a strong fielding 3rd Baseman with an elite batting eye at the plate, and solid enough hitting ratings otherwise.  He's also 34 years old, which means age related decline is on the way, but should be a nice 1 year pickup for the defending champs for this season.

13. Junior Roberts, 34, 3B
Previous Team: Cheyenne
Re-signed with Cheyenne - 1 Year, $5 Million

Analysis: It's the season of the 34 year-old 3rd Baseman in Cobbfather free agency!  Roberts compares favorably with his counterparts, although with lower range defensively, and an average RH split at the plate. Still, even on the downside of his career, he's still a strong asset to have and goes back to Cheyenne on a one-year deal.

14. Tony Cabeza, 29, 1B
Previous Team: Monterrey
Signed with Cleveland - 1 Year, $4.6 Million

Analysis:  With one of the best batting eyes in all of Cobbfather and solid hitting ratings otherwise, there wasn't much of a market for Cabeza it seems, probably because of his fielding ability, where he's an average 1st baseman at best.  Cleveland picked him up on a one-year deal and he is currently coming off the bench.

15. Dorian Whitaker, 31, 3B
Previous Team: Sacramento
Re-Signed with Sacramento - 3 Years, $20.4 Million

Analysis: Whitaker has excellent power and a nice batting eye, to go with average splits and low contact. That combination can still result in some very nice seasons at the plate, as his past history indicates. Defensively, he's a below average 3rd Baseman, although playing him there isn't an enormous stretch.