Feb 22, 2008

Power Rankings @ 50 Games

1. Pittsburgh Ponies (33-18, +91 Run Differential)
Last year's World Series Champions are again the cream of the AL and seem undeterred by rumors placing pitcher Matt Ross at a pool party with trainer Brian McNamee. A superior pitching rotation, including Ross (1.03 ERA) and Fritz Branson (2.21 ERA), may make the Ponies unbeatable. With most key players back, there's no reason to rank Pittsburgh anywhere but at the top.

2. San Antonio Fighters (31-20, +92)
Last year's World Series runners-up lead the NL in WHIP and OPS in Season 7. While the Fighters are still the team to beat in the NL, they face serious competition from Fargo and New York and KC.

3. Fargo Fuzznuts (31-20, +112)

The NL, as a whole, appears to be a four-team league, but Fargo is clearly one of those teams. The Fuzznuts have thrashed their competition by an average of almost 2.2 runs per game so far in Season 7. Fargo is again led by 2B Yamid Morales (.297/.399/.589)

4. New York Yank-Mes (36-15, +54)

The Yank-Mes feature Griffey's best overall record and were the preseason favorite among many to capture the Season 7 NL crown. Still an inner-circle contender, but a +54 run differential suggests New York has not been as dominant as their record indicates.

5. KC Twisters (29-22, +54)
Kansas City's impressive hitting tandem of Edwin O'Malley (.376/.455/.630) and Miguel Silva (.361/.447/.514) have helped KC lead the NL in team batting average so far this season. KC will need to sustain the offensive attack and find some additional pitching support if they hope to keep up with San Antonio.

6. Charlotte Wolves (27-24, +41)
The Wolves recently carried 8 of 9 before losing one game to top-AL seed Pittsburgh and two to a hot Albuquerque team. Charlotte, lead by perennial MVP candidate David Murata, boasts AL's top team OPS (.910).

7. Cheyenne Duck Snorts (28-23, +45)

Cheyenne is well off the pace to match last year's 98-win mark, but currently maintain a slim lead in one of Griffey's more balanced divisions top-to-bottom. The Duck Snorts have been plagued by inconsistent hitting, but seem to have found their stride following the promotion of rookie catcher Jose Mieses (.369/.406/.508).

8. NY Cyclones (29-22, +40)
The Cyclones have been the surprise of the AL thus far this season, thanks in large part to a torrid 9-1 start. Whether New York, who has posted middle-of-the pack team OPS and WHIP on the season, can remain atop the AL East seems questionable.

9. Montreal Valiants (30-21, +37)
Montreal boasts the AL's second best record, but will have to improve to make that record stand up, as indicated by a +37 run differential. Maintaining that record is particularly important for the Valiants, who will likely have to fight for a Wild Card spot as they share the AL North with the Ponies. Also like the Ponies, Montreal is bolstered by a strong pitching staff (4th in AL in WHIP, 3rd in ERA).

10. Charleston Cobras (26-25, +37)
This may be the most controversial ranking, as the Cobras currently place only 3rd in their division. However, Charleston is the only team in their division who has not been outscored on the year. Let's not forget, Charleston was also the AL runner up last season.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like you said, Charleston is in third in the division.

But of course we all know total runs is all that matters, not wins, right?!?!?!?!?

jabronidan said...

Atlanta is very angry that we are not in the top 5 and that it is believed that the NL is a 4 team league. Hopefully, this will wake our bats up

bajoraa said...

If you wanted to know who had the most wins, you can just look at the standings. This is intended to be a list of who appear to be the strongest teams. I could probably be convinced someone else belongs at #10, but if you're arguing some other team in the AL South should be at #10, I'm not buying it. A team that has been outscored 50+ games into the season probably doesn't belong in the top half, let alone the top 10. It should be noted that Charleston is all of 1 game back at this point.

jabronidan said...

BTW, Nice work on the power rankings, I don't think I deserve to be in the top 10 as of this season, I just know my team is good enough to be #1. But, I don't agree with San Antonio ahead of New York, the Fighters lost Clarence Ogea for the season, though their offense is probably the best in the world. Good work again, keep it up.

TravisG said...

Excellent work, bajoraa (and I'm not just saying that because you flattered my team).