1. San Francisco (70-33) West 1st - Bias? Maybe. It's hard to beat a 3.93 ERA coupled with a .285 BA though. Before the all-star break, the Gothams had a stretch where they won 28 out of 32 games. Not to brag or anything... :-P
2. Buffalo (66-37) East 1st - The Ridge Runners have put together a fantastic season in a tough division. The pitching has been above phenomenal with a 3.50 team ERA. There's not too many stars (minus Telgheder) but they all complement one another and fit nicely as a team.
3. Little Rock (68-36) South 1st - They won't have Bucky Whitehead or 2B Hub Wills down the stretch but they have a sizable lead in the division. They shouldn't have too many problems, especially when the team as a whole is close to hitting .300.
4. St. Louis (60-44) North 1st - Out of the four division leaders, St. Louis' home record is the worst at 26-24. The team is in the middle of the NL in nearly every category yet they have managed to achieve 60 wins. Lucky for them, they are in a weak division so they should manage a #4 seed.
5. Dover (57-46) East 2nd - Regarded as a team to fear, many were surprised that they traded away Jason Van Hatten. However, they did receive three very good players that should round out the club nicely. It should be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change.
6. Arizona (57-46) West 2nd - After a 4th place finish in the West last year, Arizona decided to change their record and their GM. They did both very well and now sit tied for the top wild-card spot. The Hitmen will have to live up to their name in order to compensate for a lackluster pitching staff (5.24 ERA).
7. Austin (52-52) South 2nd - A team that has been sitting on the edge all year. The Powers will have to make a run or hope for others to get lashed with injuries. Their pitching will have to get their act together to help make that happen.
8. Iowa City (51-53) South 3rd - Just slightly below average in ERA (4.45) and BA (.267), the BlackShirt Huskers should be thankful that they are only 6.5 GB while 2 games under .500.
9. New York (51-52) East 3rd - Apparently, the Highlanders think they are in the AL because they have a 20-31 record at home and a 31-21 record on the road. They have one of the worst batting averages in the Majors and will need to change that in order to make it to the playoffs again.
10. Santa Fe (49-55) South 4th - In what was probably a smart move, the Conquistadors picked up 3 solid prospects from Madison in exchange for a reliever. The future is bright.
11. Rochester (47-57) East 4th - The Red Wings have a solid pitching staff but may need to take a page from their hockey counterparts and add some offense.
12. Toronto (46-58) North 3rd - In a muddled middle, Toronto is full of extremes. The third best pitching staff in the NL with a 4.09 ERA is coupled with the Majors' worst BA (.230). In light of the disaster that was Season One, fans in Toronto should be thrilled with the work of GM moose08.
13. Milwaukee (47-56) North 2nd - The Rebels may want to fire their pitching coach due to a 5.56 ERA.
14. San Diego (38-65) West 3rd - After picking up four prospects in two trades with Madison, the Admirals are sacrificing this season for the ones to come. With Arizona now a contender, this is the right choice.
15. Los Angeles (38-66) West 4th - A huge draft that saw 6 players drafted (though, only 4 signed) within the first 61 picks will help the LongBallers reload.
16. Cincinnati (36-67) North 4th - Pitching and hitting haven't been great at all. The minor leagues point to future success though.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Power Rankings - AL
1. Las Vegas (69-35) West 1st - A great team that has benefited from a weak division. The Viagras are probably too far ahead for Seattle to catch them. They get the top spot because they can actually win at home.
2. Madison (64-40) North 1st - It'll be interesting to see what happens with Madison AFTER the Trade Deadline. 5 new Major Leaguers joined the club in the last week or so. Adding a few solid pieces to the rotation and bullpen are fine but the move to get all-star and potential MVP Jason Van Hatten (.359 51-124-28) was remarkable. All these moves point to an emphasis on winning this year.
3. New Orleans (66-38) South 1st - One of three teams in the AL who are 5 games above .500 at home. The Ragin' Cajuns are looking to avoid the sweep of injuries that attacked them at the end of last year. Let's hope I didn't just jinx them.
4. Syracuse (60-43) East 1st - Posting a 4.02 ERA in the AL is not easy yet the Athletics' pitching staff has done it. A respectable .276 BA helps solidify this team at the top of their division. Syracuse joins Madison in the road warriors category with a 37-15 record.
5. Cleveland (59-44) North 2nd - Losing Paulie Romero will hurt the bullpen. This team looks solid and will probably have to strike a deal with New York to choose who they want to play in the post-season.
6. New York (57-46) North 3rd - The Hokies have been looking up all season long. With a new GM in Seattle, they now have to look behind them as well. A .263 BA isn't going to get them very far.
7. Seattle (53-50) West 2nd - Despite being a neglected team, the players still showed up every day. Now with a new GM, alanzahm, the Sleepers are hoping to live up to their name.
8. Charlotte (51-52) East 3rd - The dark horse of the AL, this team can pitch better than 13 other teams. They are still only 9 games back in a competitive division but I doubt they'll be able to reach the Athletics. A wild-card spot, however, is not out of the question.
9. Indianapolis (52-51) East 2nd - The lineup is close to a .300 BA. Their pitching staff is close to a 6.00 ERA. Such is the life for the Wildcats. Until they can solve their pitching woes, they will be on the outside looking in.
10. Chicago (50-54) North 4th - It's been a tough year in Chicago. Things just haven't clicked and after narrowly missing the post-season last year with 87 wins, the Bootleggers are feeling the wrath of the baseball gods.
11. Boston (49-55) East 4th - The Boston Bandits should be thinking about next year right about now. Granted, they aren't that far behind in the race but having a 5.97 ERA isn't anything to get excited about.
12. Kansas City (41-62) West 4th - In a battle between the bad and the worse, Kansas City is graciously given this spot in the rankings.
13. Richmond (43-61) South 2nd - Nearly 20 games back of .500 and still 2nd in the division. At least this means that they have some potential wins at the back end of the schedule against their division.
14. Anaheim (41-62) West 3rd - Fire the hitting coach. A .249 BA is the worst in the AL.
15. San Juan (34-70) South 3rd - It's a battle for the #1 pick in the draft. Lottery system, anyone?
16. Durham (34-70) South 4th - Durham has a losing record in both the majors and all of the minors. Is that more embarrassing than the 8.28 ERA in the majors?
2. Madison (64-40) North 1st - It'll be interesting to see what happens with Madison AFTER the Trade Deadline. 5 new Major Leaguers joined the club in the last week or so. Adding a few solid pieces to the rotation and bullpen are fine but the move to get all-star and potential MVP Jason Van Hatten (.359 51-124-28) was remarkable. All these moves point to an emphasis on winning this year.
3. New Orleans (66-38) South 1st - One of three teams in the AL who are 5 games above .500 at home. The Ragin' Cajuns are looking to avoid the sweep of injuries that attacked them at the end of last year. Let's hope I didn't just jinx them.
4. Syracuse (60-43) East 1st - Posting a 4.02 ERA in the AL is not easy yet the Athletics' pitching staff has done it. A respectable .276 BA helps solidify this team at the top of their division. Syracuse joins Madison in the road warriors category with a 37-15 record.
5. Cleveland (59-44) North 2nd - Losing Paulie Romero will hurt the bullpen. This team looks solid and will probably have to strike a deal with New York to choose who they want to play in the post-season.
6. New York (57-46) North 3rd - The Hokies have been looking up all season long. With a new GM in Seattle, they now have to look behind them as well. A .263 BA isn't going to get them very far.
7. Seattle (53-50) West 2nd - Despite being a neglected team, the players still showed up every day. Now with a new GM, alanzahm, the Sleepers are hoping to live up to their name.
8. Charlotte (51-52) East 3rd - The dark horse of the AL, this team can pitch better than 13 other teams. They are still only 9 games back in a competitive division but I doubt they'll be able to reach the Athletics. A wild-card spot, however, is not out of the question.
9. Indianapolis (52-51) East 2nd - The lineup is close to a .300 BA. Their pitching staff is close to a 6.00 ERA. Such is the life for the Wildcats. Until they can solve their pitching woes, they will be on the outside looking in.
10. Chicago (50-54) North 4th - It's been a tough year in Chicago. Things just haven't clicked and after narrowly missing the post-season last year with 87 wins, the Bootleggers are feeling the wrath of the baseball gods.
11. Boston (49-55) East 4th - The Boston Bandits should be thinking about next year right about now. Granted, they aren't that far behind in the race but having a 5.97 ERA isn't anything to get excited about.
12. Kansas City (41-62) West 4th - In a battle between the bad and the worse, Kansas City is graciously given this spot in the rankings.
13. Richmond (43-61) South 2nd - Nearly 20 games back of .500 and still 2nd in the division. At least this means that they have some potential wins at the back end of the schedule against their division.
14. Anaheim (41-62) West 3rd - Fire the hitting coach. A .249 BA is the worst in the AL.
15. San Juan (34-70) South 3rd - It's a battle for the #1 pick in the draft. Lottery system, anyone?
16. Durham (34-70) South 4th - Durham has a losing record in both the majors and all of the minors. Is that more embarrassing than the 8.28 ERA in the majors?
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