Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #5

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

It's time for this week's edition of the power rankings! And yes, Rochester is still #1, and for that matter Memphis is still #2, each posting solid 12-7 records this week. The NL dominates the top 2 spots in the rankings, but after that, the next 7 teams are all from the AL. Surging Tampa Bay jumps 4 spots to #3 after going a league best 15-4 in the last week. Boston comes in at #4, and Vancouver drops 2 spots to #5.

One of the biggest stories in the league in the past week has been the Los Angeles Lunatics. After spending most of the past 2+ seasons buried near the bottom of the rankings, L.A. posted the second best record in the World this week at 14-6, and made one of the biggest jumps in the history of the rankings, jumping up 13 spots to #14.

Other big jumpers include the New York Primetimers (+7) and Ottawa and Kansas City (+6).

Meanwhile, it's been a struggle this week, and this year for that matter, for perennial NL powerhouses Jackson (-9 spots) and Sacramento (-6), while Cheyenne dropped 7 spots, and Chicago also dropped 6.

Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:

Five Best:
#3 Tampa Bay (15-4)
#14 Los Angeles (14-6)
#11 New York (NL) (13-7)
#1 Rochester, #2 Memphis, #6 New York (AL) (12-7)
#18 Dover (12-8)

Five Worst:
#20 Jackson (6-13)
#26 Cheyenne, #31 Durham (7-13)
#32 Wichita (7-12)
#5 Vancouver, #9 Burlington, #15 Honolulu, #28 Oakland (8-12)
#8 Florida, #22 Chicago, #27 Little Rock (8-11)

And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!

Rank	Team	Record	Prev
1	Rochester	64-21	1
2	Memphis	56-29	2
3	Tampa Bay	53-32	7
4	Boston	50-35	4
5	Vancouver	51-34	3
6	New York (AL)	49-36	8
7	Atlanta	49-36	9
8	Florida	47-38	5
9	Burlington	47-38	6
10	San Francisco	44-41	13
11	New York (NL)	43-42	18
12	San Juan	44-41	10
13	Cincinnati	43-32	15
14	Los Angeles	42-43	27
15	Honolulu	43-42	12
16	Detroit	41-44	20
17	Syracuse	41-44	21
18	Dover	40-45	22
19	Buffalo	41-44	14
20	Jackson	40-45	11
21	Austin	38-47	23
22	Chicago	39-46	16
23	Sacramento	39-46	17
24	Ottawa	36-49	30
25	Kansas City	36-49	31
26	Cheyenne	37-48	19
27	Little Rock	37-48	24
28	Oakland	37-48	25
29	Charleston	37-48	26
30	Boise	35-50	28
31	Durham	32-53	29
32	Wichita	29-56	32

Check back next week for the next installment of the power rankings!

Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #4

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

Welcome to this week's edition of the power rankings. Another week, same old story at the top of the rankings, as Rochester cruised this week to a league best 14-5 record, retaining the top spot in the rankings. There's not another team in the league close to consideration for the top spot, at this point. Memphis stayed at #2, Vancouver held their #3 ranking, and Boston and Florida round out the top 5, each moving up a spot in the rankings.

Outside of the top 5, some teams highly thought of in the preseason started to put it together. #7 Tampa Bay had a great week, posting the league's second best mark in the last week, and #17 Sacramento and #18 New York (NL) each gained 7 spots in the rankings after plummeting the week prior.

#19 Cheyenne had a nice week as well (12-7), and #28 Boise bounced back with a 10-9 mark under new ownership.

On the downside, #15 Cincinnati struggled, but still held on to a share of the NL East lead, despite an under .500 record (32-33). #32 Wichita fell to the bottom spot in the rankings with the worst record in the league over the past week.

Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:

Five Best:
#1 Rochester (14-5)
#7 Tampa Bay (14-6)
#6 Burlington (13-6)
#4 Boston (12-6)
#2 Memphis (13-7)

Five Worst:
#32 Wichita (5-15)
#15 Cincinnati (5-14)
#31 Kansas City (5-13)
#21 Syracuse (6-13)
#24 Little Rock, #26 Charleston (7-12)


And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!

Rank	Team	Record	Prev
1	Rochester	52-14	1
2	Memphis	44-22	2
3	Vancouver	43-22	3
4	Boston	40-25	5
5	Florida	39-27	6
6	Burlington	39-26	7
7	Tampa Bay	38-28	10
8	New York (AL)	37-29	11
9	Atlanta	38-27	4
10	San Juan	35-31	15
11	Jackson	34-32	8
12	Honolulu	35-30	9
13	San Francisco	33-32	17
14	Buffalo	32-32	13
15	Cincinnati	32-33	12
16	Chicago	31-35	21
17	Sacramento	30-35	24
18	New York (NL)	30-35	25
19	Cheyenne	30-35	27
20	Detroit	31-35	16
21	Syracuse	31-35	14
22	Dover	28-37	18
23	Austin	28-38	19
24	Little Rock	29-37	20
25	Oakland	29-36	26
26	Charleston	28-38	22
27	Los Angeles	28-37	28
28	Boise	26-40	31
29	Durham	25-40	32
30	Ottawa	25-41	30
31	Kansas City	26-39	23
32	Wichita	22-44	29

Check back next week for the next installment of the power rankings!

Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #3

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

It's Chuckles back with another edition of the Power Rankings! To start off, I'd like to announce a slight format change - the Power Rankings will now come out every Monday morning, as opposed to every 15 games.

Now, on to the rankings, and at the top it's Rochester, who looks to be prepping for a season long stay at the top spot, as they seem to be the undisputed top team in the league right now. Going 15-3 since the last rankings, Rochester stands at an impressive 38-9 record. Memphis put together a nice run of it's own going 13-4 since the last rankings to claim the #2 spot, vaulting up 4 spots in the rankings. Vancouver, Atlanta, and Boston round out the top 5, all who have been playing about .500 ball since the last edition of the rankings.

Outside the top 5, Tampa Bay rebounded from a slow start, Honolulu continued to play solid to hold on to the NL West lead, and Cincinnati continued to play well. Chicago, Charleston and Kansas City all kicked it up a notch as well, each winning 10 games since the last edition, and each making significant gains in the rankings.

On the downside, sorry to rub salt in the wounds of our biggest droppers, but perennial playoff contenders Sacramento and New York (NL) have been just plain bad this season. We think each can rebound, but for now, Sacramento drops 13 spots, and New York drops 12.

Here's the five best and five worst since the last rankings:

Five Best:
#1 Rochester (15-3)
#2 Memphis (13-4)
#9 Honolulu, #10 Tampa Bay, #12 Cincinnati (11-6)
#11 New York (AL) (11-7)

Five Worst:
#29 Wichita (2-14)
#30 Ottawa (4-13)
#24 Sacramento (5-13)
#25 New York (NL), #26 Oakland, #32 Durham (6-11)

And now the Unveiling of the third edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!

Rank	Team	Record	Prev
1	Rochester	38-9	1
2	Memphis	31-15	6
3	Vancouver	31-15	2
4	Atlanta	29-17	3
5	Boston	28-19	4
6	Florida	27-20	5
7	Burlington	26-20	7
8	Jackson	26-21	8
9	Honolulu	26-20	9
10	Tampa Bay	24-22	10
11	New York (AL)	25-22	12
12	Cincinnati	27-19	16
13	Buffalo	25-22	14
14	Syracuse	25-22	15
15	San Juan	23-23	18
16	Detroit	23-23	20
17	San Francisco	22-24	17
18	Dover	21-26	21
19	Austin	20-26	22
20	Little Rock	22-25	23
21	Chicago	21-25	26
22	Charleston	21-26	28
23	Kansas City	21-26	29
24	Sacramento	19-28	11
25	New York (NL)	19-27	13
26	Oakland	21-26	24
27	Cheyenne	18-28	31
28	Los Angeles	19-28	32
29	Wichita	17-29	19
30	Ottawa	17-29	25
31	Boise	16-31	27
32	Durham	16-31	30

Check back next week for the next installment of the power rankings!

Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #2

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

It's Chuckles back with another edition of the Power Rankings! And at the top spot, it's Rochester, who continues to dominate, putting up a league best 12-2 mark since the last rankings. Vancouver leaped over Atlanta for #2 with a solid 11-3 mark, while Atlanta takes the #3 spot. Boston holds steady at #4, and it's a long awaited return to the top 5 for Florida, who jumps 2 spots to #5, who are trying to rekindle their championship run of 2 seasons ago.

Outside the top 5, the usually dominant #11 Sacramento is off to a slow start at 14-15, and one of the powers of last season, #10 Tampa Bay, is struggling as well at 13-16. #27 Boise has had it rough lately going a league worst 3-11 since the last rankings, and if things don't turn around quickly, could be looking at the bottom spot in the rankings.

On the upside, #16 Cincinnati (+7 spots) has been playing well lately, #19 Wichita (+5 spots) has started off the season well and #23 Little Rock (+5 spots) and #24 Oakland (+5 spots) are off to a good start in proving that the preseason prediction that they'd be amongst the league's worst teams was wrong.

And now the five best and five worst since the last rankings:

Five Best:
#1 Rochester (12-2)
#2 Vancouver (11-3)
#5 Florida (11-4)
#3 Atlanta, #6 Memphis, #16 Cincinnati (10-5)

Five Worst:
#27 Boise (3-11)
#20 Detroit, #21 Dover, #26 Chicago, #28 Charleston, #29 Kansas City (5-10)

And now the Unveiling of the second edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!

Rank	Team	Record	Prev
1	Rochester	23-6	1
2	Vancouver	22-7	3
3	Atlanta	20-9	2
4	Boston	20-10	4
5	Florida	18-11	7
6	Memphis	18-11	8
7	Burlington	17-12	9
8	Jackson	16-13	10
9	Honolulu	15-14	13
10	Tampa Bay	13-16	5
11	Sacramento	14-15	6
12	New York (AL)	14-15	11
13	New York (NL)	13-16	12
14	Buffalo	17-13	16
15	Syracuse	16-13	20
16	Cincinnati	16-13	23
17	San Francisco	13-16	17
18	San Juan	13-16	19
19	Wichita	15-15	24
20	Detroit	14-16	14
21	Dover	12-18	15
22	Austin	13-16	22
23	Little Rock	15-14	28
24	Oakland	15-15	29
25	Ottawa	13-16	25
26	Chicago	11-18	21
27	Boise	8-21	18
28	Charleston	11-18	26
29	Kansas City	11-18	27
30	Durham	10-20	30
31	Cheyenne	11-18	31
32	Los Angeles	11-19	32

Check back after game 45 for the next installment of the power rankings!

Organizational Rankings - AL East Recap

Top Positional Prospect: Willie Seay, Boston
Top Pitcher Prospect: Alan Henley, Durham
Top Reliever: Kane Hemphill, Boston
Top Prospect 20 or under: Alan Henley, Durham
Top Organizational Depth: Boston

Organizational Rankings - Durham Radicals

1. Alan Henley (Age - 19; Level - Majors; Position - SP) Henley, a lefty, has been rushed to the Majors in what is potentially a development-threatening move. Of course it could pay off, but Henley clearly isn't ready for the Majors at this point after sporting just a 4.10 ERA in Rookie ball as an 18-year old. Henley will sit atop a very deep pitching organization until it is known that he has no ability to be a ML starter. He will struggle to make it past 80-90 pitches consistently, but his stuff is good enough that he may be able to make it to the 6th or 7th giving his team a chance in every game. Henley features an elite slider and good sinker and has very good control with elite velocity. He keeps the ball on the ground very well and projects as almost impossible for lefties to hit while being almost as tough on righties. Grade: A (so long as he remains a starter)

2. Torey Ontiveros (Age - 20; Level - Majors; Position - SP) Ontiveros projects as a very good major league pitcher, but the concern is the same as it for Henley. He has played just one in year in Rookie ball and one in AA and is now being thrust into the ML spotlight with very little experience despite his loads of talent. Ontiveros has great control and velocity and projects as very difficult on righties while featuring a plus plus fastball. He also keeps the ball on the ground very well. Grade: A

3. Donaldo Cordero (Age - 20; Level - AAA; Position - 2B) Cordero profiles as both an above average fielder and hitter. He is very consistent, hits for above average power, especially from the 2B spot and has a good eye. He hits both RHP and LHP well, has a career minor league OPS of .895, and is coming off of a 23 HR/104 RBI season. He has a very good glove with range and an arm to match and could really play anywhere on the field. Grade: B+

4. Posiedon Cameron (Age - 19; Level - Majors; Position - SP) Add Cameron to the list of guys clearly not ready for the Majors but who are being initiated by fire. This strategy of having all top-tier prospects up before they are ready is potentially rewarding, but incredibly risky. Cameron profiles as a potential middle-of-the-rotation starter, and maybe a little better if he can keep his walks low. He has below average control, but a very good arm with a very good sinker. Because of the sinker, he keeps the ball down well and is very tough on righties. Grade: B

5. Carlos Felix (Age - 23; Level - Majors; Position - SP) Carlos Felix profiles as a back end power/control pitcher with medicore to below average stuff. He put up a 3.71 ERA in his first professional season last year, and keeps the ball down well, but is just mediocre at getting righties out. Grade: B-

6. Tomas Batista (Age - 19; Level - AAA; Position - RP) Batista is a future ML reliever with elite control, a very good sinker, and the ability to keep the ball on the ground very well. He is particularly tough on righties, but also above average against lefties and could be a future ML closer. Grade: B-

7. Octavio Gonzales (Age - 24; Level - AAA; Position - SP) Gonzales projects as a control pitcher with great command who is fairly tough against righties. He has a career 3.95 minor league ERA with around a 3:1 strikeout:walk ratio and a 2.5:1 IP:BB ratio. He has a great slider, very good curveball, and ML-caliber fastball. Overall, he could be a back-end starter or good long reliever. Grade: C+

8. David Barrios (Age - 21; Level - AAA; Position - CF) Barrios is a slap hitter with exceptional speed and range in CF. He should be able to steal 40-50 bases and he has a good enough eye to enable him to get on base. He is a decent contact hitter, but it's questionable whether his lack of slugging will allow his bat to play, even in CF. If it does, he could be a legitimate starting option in CF, or at least a 4th OF/PR option. Grade: C

9. Welington Henriquez (Age - 21; Level - Majors; Position - RF) Henriquez projects as a better hitter than Barrios, but he plays a non-premium position and his defense isn't on the same level, although it could play in RF. He has a better, above average eye and significantly more power, and hits righties well. He is coming off of by far his best season in the minors (likely because he started as an 18-year old in AA), and he had a .320/.389/.507. Grade: C

10. Adam Becker (Age - 25; Level - AAA; Position - 1B) Becker profiles as an average hitter with medium power, but an very good eye. He has good speed for a 1B, and a decent glove, and is likely a backup 1B/PH at ML level. Grade: D+

Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #1

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

Welcome the first regular season power rankings of Season 6! And we start with a familiar face at the top of the rankings, as Rochester, who spent much of last season at #1 in the Power Rankings, jumps one spot to take over the top spot in the Power Rankings. Rochester is off to an 11-4 start. Atlanta at 10-4 climbs 2 spot to a franchise best #2 in the rankings. Vancouver is #3, Boston, also claiming their highest spot in the rankings, comes in this week at #4, and Tampa Bay, the preseason #1, falls to #5.

Outside of the top 10, #16 Buffalo (10-5, up 6 spots) and #20 Syracuse (9-5, up 7 spots) are turning heads with their solid play to start the season.

Here's the five best starts, and five worst starts to Season 6:

Five Best: #1 Rochester (11-4), #3 Vancouver (11-4), #4 Boston (11-4), #2 Atlanta (10-4), #16 Buffalo (10-5)

Five Worst: #30 Durham (4-11), #17 San Francisco (5-10), #18 Boise (5-10), #19 San Juan (5-10), #31 Cheyenne (5-10)

And now the Unveiling of the first Regular Season Power Rankings!!

Rank	Team	Record	Prev
1	Rochester	11-4	2
2	Atlanta	10-4	4
3	Vancouver	11-4	6
4	Boston	11-4	7
5	Tampa Bay	8-7	1
6	Sacramento	8-6	5
7	Florida	7-7	3
8	Memphis	8-6	8
9	Burlington	9-5	10
10	Jackson	8-7	11
11	New York (AL)	7-7	12
12	New York (NL)	6-8	9
13	Honolulu	8-7	16
14	Detroit	9-6	17
15	Dover	7-8	13
16	Buffalo	10-5	22
17	San Francisco	5-10	14
18	Boise	5-10	15
19	San Juan	5-10	18
20	Syracuse	9-5	27
21	Chicago	6-8	19
22	Austin	6-8	20
23	Cincinnati	6-8	21
24	Wichita	7-8	29
25	Ottawa	7-7	32
26	Charleston	6-8	23
27	Kansas City	6-8	26
28	Little Rock	6-9	30
29	Oakland	6-8	31
30	Durham	4-11	24
31	Cheyenne	5-10	25
32	Los Angeles	5-9	28

Check back after game 30 for the next installment of the power rankings!

Season 6 Power Rankings - Preseason

Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette

After permanently stepping down from the blog after Season 5, Chuckles vowed never to be heard from again in the blogging community. But hey, if Brett Favre can come out of retirement for the billionth time, good ole' Chuckles can do it for the first. Thanks for all the kind words to those who wanted the power rankings back - we're officially back for Season 6. As a starting point, we're going to use the ever saavy I.P. Daly's predictions for the preseason rankings. Check back tomorrow for the first regular season edition of the Power Rankings!

Rank	Team	Predicted Record	Prev
1	Tampa Bay	108-54	NR
2	Rochester	106-56	NR
3	Florida	99-63	NR
4	Atlanta	97-65	NR
5	Sacramento	96-66	NR
6	Vancouver	95-67	NR
7	Boston	92-70	NR
8	Memphis	91-71	NR
9	New York (NL)	91-71	NR
10	Burlington	90-72	NR
11	Jackson	89-73	NR
12	New York (AL)	88-74	NR
13	Dover	84-78	NR
14	San Francisco	84-78	NR
15	Boise	84-78	NR
16	Honolulu	81-81	NR
17	Detroit	81-81	NR
18	San Juan	80-82	NR
19	Chicago	79-83	NR
20	Austin	78-84	NR
21	Cincinnati	78-84	NR
22	Buffalo	77-85	NR
23	Charleston	74-88	NR
24	Durham	71-91	NR
25	Cheyenne	70-92	NR
26	Kansas City	70-92	NR
27	Syracuse	68-94	NR
28	Los Angeles	66-96	NR
29	Wichita	61-101	NR
30	Little Rock	59-103	NR
31	Oakland	57-105	NR
32	Ottawa	54-108	NR