Season 22 Preseason Power Rankings

Season 22 is right around the corner, and it's time to take a look at the preseason power rankings before the season gets under way.   Defending champion Dover remains atop the rankings, but there are a lot of solid contenders who could give them a run for their money.  Here are your complete preseason power rankings!

		Season 21
	Team	W	L	Comments
1	Dover	114	48	The defending champs will be tough to beat
2	Vancouver	96	66	Seemingly always in the mix at the end
3	Tampa Bay	93	69	Looking solid all around yet again
4	Los Angeles	95	67	Made some moves to improve offense, so look out
5	Colorado Springs	89	73	Active in FA, and have made last 2 World Series
6	Buffalo	91	71	Very good across the board, should contend again
7	Pittsburgh	89	73	Came on strong at the end of last season
8	St. Louis	94	68	Should have another very good season
9	Houston	93	69	No reason to think they won't be good again
10	Boston	90	72	Not sure about bullpen, but solid everywhere else
11	Little Rock	92	70	Lost a few FA's, but still a very good team
12	Atlanta	85	77	If owner is really committed, they will be solid
13	Rochester	85	77	If the pitching improves, they could be in the mix
14	Louisville	83	79	Very strong offensively, we'll see about the pitching
15	Charlotte	80	82	If they can get a little more offense, look out
16	Salem	82	80	Pretty well-balanced, can they take the next step
17	Salt Lake City	89	73	Should be pretty good again, pretty much held steady
18	Detroit	86	76	Lost a bunch of Type B Free Agents, so we'll see
19	Burlington	76	86	Added a couple of pieces, so could be better
20	Helena	85	77	Losing Nieves is tough, but they still could be good
21	Las Vegas	75	87	Capable of improving on last season's record for sure
22	Ottawa	77	85	This team has been getting better, so we'll see
23	Durham	81	81	It's hit or miss with this team, you just never know
24	San Juan	75	87	Nieves was a nice add, offense needed a boost
25	Austin	59	103	Very active in the FA market so should improve a lot
26	San Francisco	45	117	Out of Colorado now, which should help greatly
27	Texas	68	94	Looks pretty much the same as last season, we'll see
28	Syracuse	74	88	Not very active in the offseason, so jury is still out
29	Seattle	69	93	Should have some good prospects coming up soon
30	New York	63	99	Could be another year of rebuilding here
31	Philadelphia	62	100	Not sure how much they'll improve this season yet
32	Jacksonville	57	105	This rebuild will take a few more seasons, but good start

Season 21 Wrap Up - Dover Finally Wins it all!

Dover Diamond Dogs (NL) jiml60 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dover wins its first Cobbfather World Series in Season 21

Dover took the Season 21 crown, defeating Colorado Springs 4-2 in a rematch of the Season 20 World Series.  This was Dover's fifth attempt at a World Series title, as they made it in seasons 4, 7, 19 and 20, unsuccessful in each of these prior attempts.  But alas, after sitting at the top spot of the power rankings all season, they took home the crown in a tough series with Colorado Springs, whom after an up and down season fell just short of a repeat.  Dover assembled an impressive squad that ranked near the top of the league in just about every category.  The should be strong going into next season as well.   Congrats to Dover and jiml60 on finally reaching the peak in what has been a long journey.

Awards were also handed out, let's see which players took home the individual hardware in Season 21.

Most Valuable Player
American League
Eugene Brantley, Tampa Bay - .303 AVG 35 HR 113 RBI
Dustan Jackson, Kansas City - .286 AVG 47 HR 130 RBI 29 SB
The AL MVP race was literally too close to call and ended up in a tie between Eugene Brantley, his first MVP win, and Dustan Jackson winning his 2nd straight MVP.  Both players had outstanding seasons and in the end the voters could not decide, so they will split the honors.  Brantley took home his 5th Silver Slugger award this season, while Jackson was an all-star starter, his 3rd appearance, and won his 3rd Silver Slugger award

National League - Pascual Hernandez, Buffalo - .317 AVG 60 HR 172 RBI 17 SB
It's hard to argue against Hernandez winning the MVP with the incredible numbers he put up in Season 21.  He crushed the ball all season as apparent by his ridiculous numbers.  This is his first MVP win, and he was an all-star starter, his 3rd appearance, and won his first Silver Slugger award.  Well done, as this is one of the truly impressive seasons in recent Cobbfather history. 

Cy Young Award
American League -  Thomas Hutchinson, Atlanta -18-5 2.04 ERA 143 K
Hutchinson beat out perennial Cy Young Winner and greatest pitcher in Cobbfather history James Haselman to win his first Cy Young award.   Hutchinson led the way for an up and coming Atlanta squad with several solid prospects.  He made his 2nd all-star appearance this season and at just age 25, he has the potential to bring home a lot more hardware before his career is done.

National League - Norman LaPorta, Dover - 22-6 2.20 ERA 197 K
LaPorta was the top pitcher on the league's best team, so it seems fitting that he takes home the Cy Young award.  LaPorta was acquired in Season 20 in a trade and it has paid off as hoped for.  This is LaPorta's 3rd Cy Young win, his first since Season 14.  He made his 6th All-Star appearance this year as well.  Coming back to a solid Dover squad, he should be in the running next season as well.

Rookie of the Year
American League -  Aneury Tejeda, Atlanta -12-4 2.11 ERA 151 K
Tejada's impressive rookie season earned him the AL Rookie of the Year award.  His ERA was outstanding at a stunning 2.11 and that led to a solid 12-4 record.  With his teammate winning the Cy Young award, it shows that Atlanta's pitching staff will be a force to be reckoned with for seasons to come.

National League - Harry Sanchez, Buffalo - 17-10 3.21 ERA 127 K
Sanchez put together a very solid season for Buffalo in his rookie campaign to take home NL Rookie of the year honors.  After toiling in the minors for 6 seasons, he finally got the call in Season 21 and showed he has big league stuff.  He looks like he'll be a solid middle of the rotation starter for seasons to come, and will be an asset to the Buffalo staff.

Fireman of the Year
American League -  Jayson Klesko, St. Louis - 1.51 ERA 39 SV, 1st win
National League - Homer Butler, Los Angeles - 2.41 ERA, 41 SV, 2nd win

Well that does it for Season 21, looking forward to an exciting Season 22, we have a few openings, so let your friends, family, colleagues, and other world leaguemates know that Cobbfather is the place to be!  Hopefully we'll have a quick rollover and be getting started soon!   See you in Season 22!

Season 21 Final Power Rankings

Another regular season is in the books, and it's time for the playoffs, but before they get started, let's take a look at the final power rankings.   #1 Dover was the strongest down the stretch, will their playoff let downs continue or will they bring home the title?  #2 Vancouver has 3 titles in the last 6 seasons, are they ready for another?  Or will a lower ranked team emerge, maybe defending champ #11 Colorado Springs?  A lot of interesting questions going into the playoffs.  The results of the last quarter of the season provided some interesting movement in the rankings as well.  Without further adieu, here is the complete final power rankings for the end of Season 21.  Good luck to the playoff teams!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Dover	114	48	1	Great regular season, can they finally take it this season?
2	Vancouver	96	66	4	3-time champs will be a tough playoff matchup for sure
3	Tampa Bay	93	69	5	Steady down the stretch, yet not spectuacular
4	Buffalo	91	71	11	Offense really brought it down the stretch
5	Los Angeles	95	67	6	Do they have enough offense to win it?  Pitching is great.
6	Pittsburgh	89	73	12	Back to their old form, wouldn't want to see them in playoffs
7	Little Rock	92	70	2	Pretty brutal down the stretch, but capable of bouncing back
8	St. Louis	94	68	3	Slumped down the stretch a bit, but still AL #2 seed
9	Houston	93	69	10	Excellent bounce back season for this team, #3 NL seed
10	Boston	90	72	8	Mediocre towards the end, but managed to win division
11	Colorado Springs	89	73	9	Decent at the end, but a major question mark in the playoffs
12	Honolulu	85	77	20	Great record the last 40, will be tough next season
13	Detroit	86	76	13	In as an AL Wild Card, pretty good season for them
14	Atlanta	85	77	14	Up and coming team, should have made the playoffs
15	Rochester	85	77	19	Played great the last 40, if pitching improves, look out
16	Salt Lake City	89	73	7	Stumbled down the stretch, missing playoffs, but solid team
17	Kansas City	83	79	21	Pitching shaped up toward the end, great offense to build on
18	Charlotte	80	82	22	Looked great the last 40, bats need to improve to contend
19	Burlington	76	86	25	Over .500 down the stretched, showed overall improvement
20	Syracuse	74	88	26	Looked better the last quarter for sure, made strides
21	Salem	82	80	16	Mediocre down the stretch, but some good base to build on
22	Durham	81	81	15	Fell apart down the stretch, as the pitching came unhinged
23	Florida	75	87	27	Taking strides in the right direction, offense still a concern
24	Boise	75	87	17	Pretty good numbers, good be just a player or two away
25	Minnesota	77	85	18	Disappointing season for them, talent better than record
26	Seattle	69	93	29	Pretty decent down the stretch, a step in the right direction
27	Texas	68	94	24	Offense was down a bit this season in a hitter's park
28	New York	63	99	23	Looks to have been a rebuild season for them
29	Philadelphia	62	100	32	Actually played decent the last 40, which is a good sign
30	Jacksonville	57	105	30	Major rebuild project seems to be going ok through season 1
31	Colorado	45	117	31	Not sure Colorado is the right park for this team.
32	Austin	59	103	28	Pretty awful down the stretch, not much effort shown

Season 21 Power Rankings # 3

It's time for another edition of the power rankings!  For the most part things held pretty stable since the rankings, but there were a few risers and fallers.  It will certainly be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.  Good luck to all down the stretch!  Here are the latest rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Dover	84	37	1	Still rolling, great all-around team
2	Little Rock	73	48	2	Finally playing up to their numbers, it seems
3	St. Louis	75	46	4	Have played great all season and not slowing down
4	Vancouver	73	48	7	Offense has turned it up since the last rankings
5	Tampa Bay	70	51	8	Playing well as of late, solid on all fronts
6	Los Angeles	73	48	10	Pitching is outstanding as always, offense picking it up
7	Salt Lake City	71	50	13	Best record since the last rankings, mopping it up
8	Boston	69	52	6	Pitching fell off a bit, but offense has been very solid
9	Colorado Springs	67	54	11	Still playing well, can they turn it up for a run at a repeat?
10	Houston	70	51	9	Pitching has fallen off a bit, but still winning a lot
11	Buffalo	66	55	3	Bad luck lately, as their numbers haven't changed
12	Pittsburgh	62	59	21	Playing like the 100 win teams of the last 3 seasons again
13	Detroit	64	57	20	Pitching has really come around as of late
14	Atlanta	63	58	16	They're getting it together, expect to see a great last quarter
15	Durham	66	55	5	Tough run as of late, the bats haven't been producing
16	Salem	62	59	12	Pitching has been better, but offense hasn't been there
17	Boise	57	64	14	Their numbers aren't bad, just not getting wins
18	Minnesota	60	61	17	Pitching took a step forward, bats a step back
19	Rochester	61	60	24	Still in the division race, but pitching is a bit rough
20	Honolulu	58	63	25	Pitching has improved, and a very nice offense here
21	Kansas City	58	63	15	Although improved, pitching remains an issue here
22	Charlotte	55	66	19	Pitching took a hit since the last rankings, as did the win total
23	New York	50	71	30	Over .500 since the last rankings, coming around
24	Texas	52	69	23	Numbers are mediocre across the board, but not bad
25	Burlington	54	67	18	Offense has fallen off since the last rankings
26	Syracuse	50	71	27	Have really struggled as of late, especially with pitching
27	Florida	52	69	26	Good offense, but could use a few more quality arms
28	Austin	51	70	22	Major fall off across the board since last rankings
29	Seattle	49	72	31	Pitching has stepped it up, but could use more offense
30	Jacksonville	42	79	32	New ownership is starting to right the ship
31	Colorado	36	85	28	Pitching staff has started a relocation petition
32	Philadelphia	43	78	29	Rough going lately, fall off across the board

Season 21 All Star Coverage

The Season 21 All Star Game is upon us, and it's time to look at who made this year's teams.  Deserving a special mention in the AL, James Haselman is making his 10th appearance, while Elston Lloyd is making his 8th. In the NL, both Mendy Kondou and Clarence Loney are making their 7th appearances. Atlanta had the most All Stars in the AL with 4, while in the NL, Dover had an amazing 9 members of the All Star Team!  I guess it's not all that surprising since they are the #1 ranked team, but still impressive.  Here's a complete listing of this season's all stars.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Starters

	Player	Team	Appearance
C	Roger DuBose	Boston	1st
1B	Alex Manto	Atlanta	1st
2B	Dustan Jackson	Kansas City	3rd
3B	Roberto Bennett	Vancouver	6th
SS	Javier Mairena	Florida	1st
LF	Lastings Morris	Colorado	2nd
CF	Morgan Cerda	Atlanta	2nd
RF	Mike Worthington	Tampa Bay	2nd
DH	Takumi Tanaka	St. Louis	1st

Pitchers 

	Player	Team	Appearance
P	Jayson Klesko	St. Louis	2nd
P	Walt White	Charlotte	2nd
P	Freddy Masao	Durham	1st
P	Edwin Radlosky	Boston	3rd
P	Thomas Hutchinson	Atlanta	2nd
P	Alex Satou	Colorado Springs	3rd
P	Carl Young	Detroit	1st
P	James Haselman	Tampa Bay	10th
P	Torey Ontiveros	Durham	3rd
P	Javier Javier	St. Louis	1st
P	Miguel Sosa	Charlotte	1st
P	Tomas Batista	Durham	2nd
P	Moises Toregas	Burlington	1st

Reserves  

	Player	Team	Appearance
C	Elston Lloyd	Vancouver	8th
1B	Luis Alarcon	Colorado Springs	3rd
2B	Vic Park	Atlanta	1st
3B	Carlos James	Kansas City	4th
SS	Curt Hebert	Burlington	3rd
LF	Stubby Shaw	Boston	3rd
CF	Vic Crowe	Colorado Springs	2nd
RF	William Sabathia	Vancouver	4th

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Starters

	Player	Team	Appearance
C	Alex Molina	Boise	1st
1B	Will Maxwell	Houston	3rd
2B	Hootie Cookson	Dover	2nd
3B	Mendy Kondou	Dover	7th
SS	Xavier Dean	Boise	3rd
LF	Pascual Hernandez	Buffalo	3rd
CF	Chris Nye	Dover	2nd
RF	Garrett Patrick	Dover	2nd

Pitchers  

	Player	Team	Appearance
P	Homer Butler	Los Angeles	4th
P	Don Monahan	Dover	2nd
P	Norman LaPorta	Dover	6th
P	Lyle Wallace	Los Angeles	3rd
P	Manuel Estrada	Houston	2nd
P	Alexi Garces	Buffalo	1st
P	Karim Nieto	Seattle	1st
P	Magglio Martinez	Honolulu	1st
P	Clarence Poole	Houston	4th
P	Marvin Walsh	Pittsburgh	4th
P	Lynn Mortensen	Salt Lake City	2nd
P	Dioner Ontiveros	Austin	1st
P	Bob Wood	Los Angeles	2nd
P	Felix Wheat	Pittsburgh	3rd

Reserves 

	Player	Team	Appearance
C	Stan Dickens	Dover	3rd
1B	Ray Rudolph	Little Rock	2nd
2B	Hideo Sakamoto	Salt Lake City	1st
3B	Pepe Guillen	Minnesota	4th
SS	Albert Pineda	Dover	5th
LF	Clarence Loney	Dover	7th
CF	Del Bolivar	Syracuse	1st
RF	Jerrod Griffiths	Houston	1st

American League All Stars by Team  

Atlanta	4
Boston	3
Colorado Springs	3
Durham	3
St. Louis	3
Vancouver	3
Burlington	2
Charlotte	2
Kansas City	2
Tampa Bay	2
Colorado	1
Detroit	1
Florida	1

National League All Stars by Team

Dover	9
Houston	4
Los Angeles	3
Austin	2
Boise	2
Buffalo	2
Pittsburgh	2
Salt Lake City	2
Little Rock	1
Minnesota	1
Seattle	1
Syracuse	1

Season 21 Power Rankings # 2

We're about half way through Season 21, which means another edition of the power rankings.  Dover remains in the top spot, although they weren't quite as dominant as they were in the first quarter of the season.  Little Rock comes in at #2, followed by Buffalo, and the team with the best record since the last rankings comes in at #4 in St. Louis.  Durham rounds out the top 5.   Here's the complete rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Dover	57	24	1	Bats are unbelievable, pitching has been rough lately
2	Little Rock	47	34	4	Great numbers, surprised they don't have more wins
3	Buffalo	48	32	6	Pretty balanced team, offense is coming around
4	St. Louis	49	32	13	Best record since last rankings, pitching is improving
5	Durham	48	32	9	Pretty steady since last rankings, pitching is hanging in
6	Boston	46	35	5	Decent since the last rankings, but numbers down a bit
7	Vancouver	48	33	2	Just above .500 since last rankings, offense cooled off
8	Tampa Bay	46	35	7	Looking pretty good, numbers are steady, but not dominant
9	Houston	47	34	8	Pitching has been lights out, offense has fallen off a bit
10	Los Angeles	47	34	10	League's top team in pitching, and offense picked up some
11	Colorado Springs	44	36	3	Big drop off everywhere, but over .500 since last rankings
12	Salem	42	38	22	They've picked it up since the last rankings, nice jump
13	Salt Lake City	43	37	14	Offense has been playing better for this squad lately
14	Boise	37	43	19	Offense is great, Pitching is not bad, surprised at the record
15	Kansas City	40	40	27	2nd worst pitching team, but getting it done on offense
16	Atlanta	38	42	28	They've come around after a rocky start, pitching is better
17	Minnesota	40	40	12	A bit of a drop off all around since the last rankings here
18	Burlington	39	41	24	Pitching is coming around, over .500 since last rankings
19	Charlotte	39	42	15	Offense is not getting it done, but pitching keeps them in it
20	Detroit	40	41	16	Had a nice streak going, may be on the verge of a big jump
21	Pittsburgh	37	44	17	Seems to be an off season for them, just can't get going
22	Austin	36	44	18	Fell off a bit since last rankings, pitching hasn't been great
23	Texas	34	46	32	Coming around after horrid start, huge improvement overall
24	Rochester	41	40	11	Good offense, but pitching fell off, leading to rough last 40
25	Honolulu	38	43	21	Great offensively, but pitching is not there yet
26	Florida	37	43	20	Getting some good pitching, but offense is lacking so far
27	Syracuse	35	46	25	Numbers improved some, but their record didn't reflect that
28	Colorado	25	56	30	Improved as of late, but park is a problem for their pitching
29	Philadelphia	32	48	29	Their pitching did improve a lot since the last rankings
30	New York	29	51	26	It's been rough going for them since the last rankings
31	Seattle	33	48	23	Pitching got absolutely destroyed over the last 40 games
32	Jacksonville	26	54	31	Rebuild is going along well, as the pitching made strides.