Season 20 Power Rankings # 2

It's time for another edition of the power rankings!  And yes, there is a new number 1!  Since the last rankings, Dover has been on fire, establishing themselves as the league's top team.  Little Rock is still a strong # 2, even though they dropped out of the top spot.   Other highlights include a big jump for Texas vaulting from #21 all the way up to #6 with a solid run since the last rankings.  Overall though, the top of the rankings remained relatively stable.  Without further adieu, here are the complete rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Dover	61	27	2	Takes over the top spot, as they've been on fire lately
2	Little Rock	54	34	1	Still extremely solid all around and playing well
3	Colorado Springs	54	34	4	High numbers across the board, very solid team
4	Buffalo	51	37	5	Playing well, although offense has fallen off a bit
5	Tampa Bay	51	37	8	Pitching has been better, and offense has been solid
6	Texas	52	36	21	Playing fantastic since last rankings, improved all around
7	Detroit	45	43	9	Solid team, numbers say record should be better
8	Vancouver	46	42	13	The champs are hanging in there, don't count them out
9	Boston	48	40	7	Pitching has been roughed up as of late, needs to improve
10	Minnesota	52	36	3	Major all around decrease in production since last rankings
11	Pittsburgh	53	35	6	Pitching is keeping them in it, not getting much offense at all
12	Atlanta	46	42	16	Really coming around due to solid young players
13	Helena	42	46	25	Great since the last rankings, pitching is getting it together
14	Los Angeles	43	45	24	Playing well, offense is improving, pitching is lights out
15	Kansas City	47	41	12	Hanging in there, but pitching has been really bad.
16	Austin	45	43	18	Need to get something going on offense to get back in it
17	Boise	43	45	26	Bounced back a bit since the last rankings
18	Cleveland	46	42	19	Getting it done, but the numbers are a bit low all around
19	Omaha	45	43	14	Pitching hasn't been great as of late
20	Charlotte	45	43	10	Numbers down all around, but could bounce back
21	New York	42	46	17	Playing just decent so far, but not amongst the elite
22	St. Louis	41	47	15	Offense dropped off a lot since last rankings
23	Burlington	40	48	23	Even though pitching improved, offense is just average
24	El Paso	36	52	22	Pretty much middle of the road across the board
25	Syracuse	41	47	20	Rough stretch since the last rankings, should bounce back
26	Durham	40	48	11	Really bad since last rankings, pitching fell off and bats cold
27	Honolulu	39	49	28	New owner aboard, offense is better, but pitching struggling
28	Philadelphia	36	52	31	Majorly improved pitching, but offense is still lacking
29	Colorado	32	56	27	Has the worse team ERA I've ever seen, but good bats
30	Seattle	35	53	29	Numbers improving, but not yet in the win column
31	Florida	31	57	30	Numbers not horrible, but has yet to break through
32	Washington	26	62	32	Numbers improved, but not enough to move up

Season 20 Power Rankings # 1

Season 20 is well under way, and it's time for the first edition of the power rankings!  So far, it seems like this is a repeat of Season 19 in many ways.  Vancouver is the preseason #1, and then struggles out of the gate and takes a tumble, to be replaced at the top by Little Rock, your #1 team, just like last season!  It's almost eerie, but Little Rock's combination of solid pitching and the league's top offense puts them atop the rankings.  However, there are a lot of teams nipping at the heels, and it will be interesting to see if it continues to play out like last season, or if a new path will be set.  Here are the complete rankings:

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Little Rock	34	19	4	Also made #1 in the 1st rankings last season, solid squad
2	Dover	33	20	5	Pitching has been much better this season
3	Minnesota	37	16	11	Great squad, but offense is not quite amongst elite
4	Colorado Springs	35	18	7	The bats have been getting it done so far
5	Buffalo	31	22	2	This team is incredibly solid across the board.
6	Pittsburgh	36	17	3	Getting it done with the league's top pitching staff.
7	Boston	31	22	9	Offense has been firing, pitching is just average
8	Tampa Bay	31	22	6	Haselman led staff is only middle of the pack
9	Detroit	28	25	12	Excellent pitching, and the offense is good enough.
10	Charlotte	29	24	27	Huge jump here, doing well with both pitching and offense
11	Durham	28	25	10	They are hanging in there, good but not great overall so far
12	Kansas City	29	24	8	Pitching has been roughed up so far, offense is solid
13	Vancouver	27	26	1	Typical opening season slump, they'll bounce back.
14	Omaha	28	25	21	Numbers about what you'd guess for Omaha
15	St. Louis	25	28	22	Pretty much average across the board right now
16	Atlanta	25	28	16	Showing signs of improvement, and will only get better
17	New York	26	27	25	Doing fairly well, pitching has been good
18	Austin	26	27	20	Pitching is one of the tops in the league, but little offense
19	Cleveland	27	26	17	Holding their own, but nothing spectacular about their play
20	Syracuse	27	26	19	Numbers are pretty much middle of the road
21	Texas	27	26	30	Improved pitching, but offense isn't there even in their park
22	El Paso	20	33	13	Numbers say their record should be better, bad luck so far
23	Burlington	24	29	15	Pitching has not been good, which is why they've struggled
24	Los Angeles	19	34	14	Elite pitching, with no offense, but they should improve
25	Helena	20	33	23	Pitching has been a major weakness this season
26	Boise	23	30	18	Surprised to see them struggling this much so far
27	Colorado	19	34	31	They're pitching staff has been killed, but good offense
28	Honolulu	25	28	26	Pitching has struggled so far, and offense has been sparse
29	Seattle	21	32	29	Pitching has been bad, especially given their home park
30	Florida	20	33	28	Still struggling, thought they might turn a corner this season
31	Philadelphia	20	33	24	Offense has been struggling, pitching has been mediocre
32	Washington	17	36	32	Atrocious pitching so far, and offense hasn't done much

Season 20 Preseason Power Rankings

Season 20 will be starting very shortly, and it's time to take a look at the preseason power rankings.  Last season there was a great deal of parity at the top with a different #1 every edition of the rankings.  In the end it was the preseason #1 Vancouver that took the title.  Will the same hold true this year?  Will new contenders emerge?  A season full of questions lies ahead, but we've done our best to rank the teams going into the season.  Enjoy!

		Season 19
	Team	W	L	Comments
1	Vancouver	94	68	Hard to go against the back-to-back champs
2	Buffalo	105	57	Best record in the world last season, great pitching
3	Pittsburgh	102	60	100+ wins each of the last 2 seasons
4	Little Rock	92	70	Put up incredible numbers last season
5	Dover	96	66	Lost in the Series, can they take the next step?
6	Tampa Bay	88	74	Haselman plus a nice offense, always tough to beat
7	Colorado Springs	91	71	Shored up the bullpen with Camilli, looking good
8	Kansas City	96	66	Looking pretty good with a solid roster
9	Boston	93	69	Offense will be solid, pitching will be key
10	Durham	93	69	Looking like a very balanced team, should be solid
11	Minnesota	86	76	Made some good acquisitions this offseason
12	Detroit	85	77	Added SS Borders, will it propel them to the next level?
13	El Paso	87	75	Looking very balanced and should contend
14	Los Angeles	85	77	Pitching is tremendous, will the offense come through?
15	Burlington	84	78	Made big strides last season, and should continue
16	Atlanta	69	93	Cerda was won 2 MVPs and they have solid prospects
17	Cleveland	87	75	Pitching is the big question mark for this team
18	Boise	87	75	Looked great at times last season, but inconsistent
19	Syracuse	75	87	Active in FA market, is this the season it comes together?
20	Austin	78	84	Offense will need to pick it up to contend
21	Omaha	78	84	The bats are question mark for this squad as well
22	St. Louis	75	87	Decent squad, wasn't able to put it together last season
23	Helena	74	88	Good offense, can the pitching step up?
24	Philadelphia	74	88	Offense was a bit sub-par last season, will they improve?
25	New York	73	89	Just so-so last season, we'll see if they break out
26	Honolulu	75	87	Pitching was an issue last season
27	Charlotte	72	90	Team is improving, wouldn't be surprised if they move up
28	Florida	67	95	Maybe they can get some help on offense from the minors
29	Seattle	68	94	Came on at the end of last season, will it continue?
30	Texas	65	97	Pitching was a problem for them, may be a season away
31	Colorado	48	114	Pitching got destroyed last season, we'll see what they do
32	Washington	50	112	Not moving in a positive direction, unless owner steps up

Season 20 Free Agency Preview

Season 20 is under way, and the offseason free agency period is upon us.  Last season, free agency featured a number of multiple time Cy Young award winners and impact bats.  This season, the quality is a little bit down, probably a C grade Free Agent class.  Nonetheless, we'll still give you our opinion of the top 10 free agents in this year's class.  Enjoy!

1. Charlie Borders, 30, SS

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 35+ HR each of the last 4 seasons

Possible Destinations: El Paso, Durham, Austin, Minnesota

Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $65 million

Signed with Detroit - 5 years, $80 million

Granted he was playing in hitter friendly Durham, but Borders power numbers over the past several seasons are impressive.  What gives him the #1 spot (albeit in a fairly weak FA class) is his across the board 80+ fielding ratings.  He can play a passable, although not great SS.  Given his age, this may only be possible for 2-3 more seasons, but after that he’ll still be a great 3B.  Borders will definitely boost the lineup wherever he lands. 

2. Jo-jo Strickland, 31, SP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.70 Career ERA

Possible Destinations: Vancouver, Boston, Detroit, Colorado

Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $50 million

Signed with Cleveland - 5 years, $53 million

Although not as impressive as last year’s top Free Agent starting pitchers, many of whom had won multiple Cy Young awards, Strickland is still solid as this season’s top SP free agent.  He’s pretty strong across the board, although his splits aren’t elite.  He’ll still be a nice add for whoever signs him, although he won’t have the impact that some of last season’s free agent hurlers.  He project him to be a nice #3 starter.

3. Stubby Shaw, 29, 1B

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 30+ HR 100+ RBI each of the last 4 seasons

Possible Destinations: El Paso, Los Angeles, Syracuse, Minnesota

Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $40 million

Signed with Boston - 5 years, $97.5 million

Shaw is a great slugger with a keen batting eye, and should bolster the lineup wherever he lands.  We have him listed as a 1B, but could play LF or RF as well in a pinch.  Wherever he plays, he’ll get on a base a ton and hit a nice number of homers, as his past history indicates.  At only age 29, he still has several great years ahead.

4. Valerio Macias, 29, SP

Type B Free Agent

Key Stat: 4.04 Career ERA

Possible Destinations: Durham, Detroit, Dover, Colorado

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $27 million

Signed with Vancouver - 5 years, $73 million

Macias is an interesting free agent, to say the least.  He never has really been given the chance to start full time, probably because of suspect stamina.  He’s probably only good for 160 or so innings per season, but if you have a strong bullpen, Macias can help your rotation.  At age 29, he shouldn’t decline any time soon, and has nice, although not elite, ratings across the board. 

5. Edgar Castro, 28, 3B

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 20+ HR each of the last 5 seasons

Possible Destinations: Colorado, Pittsburgh, Texas, Cleveland

Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $42 million

Signed with Colorado - 3 years, $15.6 million

Castro is only a decent hitter, more so against lefties than righties, but his value lies in his great fielding ability and his age.  At only 28, he’ll maintain his ratings for several more seasons, providing a decent bat and excellent fielding ability.  Locking down a plus fielding 3B that can hit 20 homers a season will be a nice coup for the team that signs him. 

6.  Arthur Camilli, 34, RP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.33 Career ERA

Possible Destinations: Vancouver, Colorado Springs, Dover, Pittsburgh

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $33 million

Signed with Colorado Springs - 5 years, $40.5 million

Camilli is a lights out reliever capable of throwing 100+ IPs with his excellent durability.  It’s hard to pinpoint any weaknesses in his arsenal, with his excellent control, splits and pitch make-up.  He should still be elite for the next 3-4 seasons, given his age of 34. 

7. Carlos Pena, 33, RP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.58 Career ERA

Possible Destinations: Kansas City, El Paso, Detroit, Dover

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $30 million

Signed with El Paso - 5 years, $35 million

Pena has been a closer the past several seasons, although he could make waves as a setup A, given his potential to throw 100+ IP a season.  His ratings are very comparable with Camilli, you really can’t go wrong with either one.  Again, he does not have many weaknesses to speak of, and will definitely make any bullpen stronger.

8. Yorvit Ortiz, 31, DH/C

No Designation

Key Stat: .872 career OPS

Possible Destinations: Boston, Burlington, New York, Cleveland

Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $13 million

Signed with Minnesota - 3 years, $14.7 million
 

Ortiz has done well the past several seasons in a part time role, and looks as if he could maintain similar numbers as a full time player.  He has excellent contact, good splits and an elite batting eye to go with some power.  He could player catcher in a pinch, but is probably more suited for DH.  Still, he should be a solid one if that is a need. 

9.  Sammy Nelson, 32, C

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 40+ HR 4 out of the last 5 seasons

Possible Destinations: Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Syracuse, Texas

Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $12 million

Signed with Syracuse - 3 years, $11.8 million

Nelson is more of a pure power hitter than Ortiz, but doesn’t have the same level of batting eye or contact.  His numbers are impressive, nonetheless.  Last season was the first in the last five he hasn’t slugged 40 homers, and even though he is in the latter stages of his career, he still should be a powerful slugger for a few more, and can play some catcher if need be. 

10. Jumbo Almanzar, 34, LF

Type B Free Agent

Key Stat: .879 career OPS

Possible Destinations: Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Burlington

Salary Over/Under: 1 year, $5 million

Signed with Minnesota - 2 years, $28.4 million

Almanzar is a bit past his prime, but would make a nice one year hold over for a team looking for a slugger for just this year. He still gets it done against lefties, and is good against righties too, with a solid batting eye, and still has some power left as well.