Monday, June 22, 2015

Season 19 Top Rated Players

We already had the preseason team power rankings, here's the top rated individual players using the Kenny Powers blog super secret classified rating system.  Enjoy!

Top Position Players
Player Team Position Rating
Albert Valenzuela BUF 2B 56
Jeremy Randall BUF C 51
Mike Clark DET 3B 50
J.C. Ganzel HON RF 50
Jose Reyes PAW LF 50
Scott Serrano RIC LF 50
Mandy Mahler TUC CF 50
Rodrigo Toregas CLE RF 49
Adrian Skinner HON 2B 49
Mo Ferguson LR SS 49
Jimmy Fox OK 3B 49
Shane Curtis ROC LF 49
Abraham O'Neill SLC SS 49

Top Pure Hitters
Player Team Position Rating
Jeremy Randall BUF C 48
Sherman Dunston SF 1B 47
Braden Rodney OK C 47
Russell Berry TB C 45
Albert Valenzuela BUF 2B 44
Mike Russell SCZ C 44
Turk Mullen TB RF 44
Ivy Mench HON LF 44
J.C. Ganzel HON RF 43
Scott Serrano RIC LF 43
Jimmy Fox OK 3B 43
Bernie Jackson NY DH 43
Ryan Moore LOU 1B 43

Top Starting Pitchers
Player Team Rating
Ellis Brock TB 54.9
Justin Jordan TUC 50.7
Alberto Campos PAW 50.2
Norberto Morales RIC 48.7
Nicholas Miller NB 48.7
Tim Blair SYR 48
Matty Posada NAS 47.7
Stewart Mouton ATL 47.6
Ubaldo Merced ATL 47.6
David Alcantara NY 47.5

Top Relief Pitchers 
Player Team Rating
Rafael Acosta BUF 47.5
Bo Edmonds TUC 46
Wiki Mateo SLC 45
Yorman Vincente OK 44.5
Emmanuel Javier HON 44
J.D. Willis NY 44
Hideki Inouoe RIC 44
Dan Ohlendorf SYR 44
Rico Tejera BOS 43.5
Armando Dali SLC 43.5
Rico Rivera SLC 43.5

Friday, June 19, 2015

Season 19 Preseason Power Rankings

The regular season is right around the corner for Kenny Powers Season 19, which means it is time for the Preseason Power Rankings!  Leading the way at the top of the pack are perennial powerhouses New Britain at #1 and Buffalo at #2.  Both bring back excellent squads, although matching last season's impressive win totals of 113 and 107 respectively may be a tough task.   Defending champion Syracuse comes in at #3, led by their excellent pitching staff.   Oklahoma City is #4 sporting a well-balanced squad as always.

Teams to Watch - these teams won less than 90 games last season but seemed to be primed to take the next step forward.

#5 Salt Lake City (89-73) - This team looks phenomenal on paper and could be a force to be reckoned with.  It wouldn't shock us to see them contend for the #1 ranking and a World Series title.

#6 Pawtucket (88-74) - They reloaded in Free Agency, and their offense looks dominant.   Their pitching is better than last season too.  They have the potential to flirt with the top spot as well.

#7 Richmond (88-74) - Richmond has a very well-balanced team that has 90+ win potential.  Improvement on last year's record definitely seems possible.

#10 New York (83-79) - On paper, they look like they could be a potential top 5 team.  They had their first winning record since Season 7 last season and look to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Here are the complete rankings, good luck to everyone in Season 19!



Season 18 Hitting Fielding Pitching

Team  W L Rank Rank Rank
1 New Britain  113 49 3 27 7
2 Buffalo  107 55 4 19 4
3 Syracuse 100 62 25 9 2
4 Oklahoma City 94 68 5 11 5
5 Salt Lake City 89 73 2 6 1
6 Pawtucket  88 74 1 29 11
7 Richmond 88 74 8 7 10
8 Honolulu 95 67 12 23 9
9 Little Rock  97 65 13 17 13
10 New York 83 79 10 2 3
11 Tucson 92 70 23 12 6
12 Atlanta 91 71 11 28 12
13 Toronto 89 73 18 8 16
14 Memphis  97 65 24 3 23
15 Tampa Bay 85 77 26 26 19
16 Santa Cruz 79 83 16 14 21
17 Seattle 81 81 19 20 15
18 Oakland 84 78 15 32 20
19 Nashville  83 79 17 21 24
20 Boston 82 80 30 4 17
21 Rochester 73 89 27 1 14
22 Detroit 72 90 6 25 8
23 Chicago 61 101 14 15 27
24 Helena 65 97 22 13 22
25 San Francisco 72 90 7 31 30
26 Louisville 73 89 28 24 18
27 Charlotte 72 90 20 22 32
28 New Orleans 52 110 21 18 26
29 Burlington 79 83 31 4 25
30 Cleveland 62 100 9 30 31
31 Iowa City 61 101 29 10 28
32 San Juan 33 129 32 16 29

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Season 19 Free Agency Recap

Justin Jordan
none
none
Age: 30B/T: S/R
Born: Des Moines, IA
Position(s): P (SP5)
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Alberto Campos
none
none
Age: 34B/T: R/R
Born: Boca Chica, DO
Position(s): P (T4B)
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Stewart Mouton
none
none
Age: 36B/T: R/R
Born: Trenton, NC
Position(s): P (P)
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The Offseason Free Agency Pool was stocked a plenty including these three former Cy Young winners!

SEASON 19 FREE AGENCY RECAP

After a quick rollover, we're out of the gates and into the preseason for Season 19, which is sure to start off with a bang thanks to a well stocked Free Agent pool.  It was very difficult to narrow the field down to ten, but it had to be done.  Here's a rundown of who made this season's top ten free agents!

1. Justin Jordan, 30, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 2.80 career ERA
S18 Team: Tucson

Re-signed with Tucson - 5 years, $100 million

Best Attributes: Control (10), LH Split (10), RH Split (10), Age (9)
Lowest Attributes: Stamina (2)
Projected S19 Role: Staff Ace, Cy Young Contender

Analysis: Although there were other very talented pitchers on the market, Jordan ranked #1 due to be younger than his fellow past Cy Young winners.  Tucson retaining him was a major win for the franchise.

2. Alberto Campos, 34, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 2.75 career ERA
S18 Team: Syracuse

Signed with Pawtucket - 5 years, $56 million ($45.9 million guaranteed)

Best Attributes: RH Split (10), Control (9), Pitch Arsenal (9)
Lowest Attributes: Age (5)
Projected S19 Role:  Staff Ace, Cy Young Contender

Analysis: Campos is still an elite pitcher, and was obtained by Pawtucket at a very nice price.  Age related decline will be a concern in the later years of the deal, but he will definitely be great in S19.

3. Stewart Mouton, 36, SP
No Designation
Key Stat: 2.70 career ERA
S18 Team: Pawtucket

Signed with Atlanta -  4 years, $39 million

Best Attributes: Pitch Arsenal (10), RH Split (10), Control (9)
Lowest Attributes:  Age (3)
Projected S19: Staff Ace, Cy Young Contender

Analysis: Similar to Campos, age is a concern with Mouton, even though he has shown the ability to ward off age-related decline better than most.  For what he was signed for, it was well worth the risk, and Atlanta has themselves an ace-caliber pitcher for this season.  

4. Junior Won, 26, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.28 career ERA
S18 Team: Detroit

Signed with Helena - 5 years, $68 million

Best Attributes:  Age (10), Control (10), LH Split (10)
Lowest Attributes:  RH Split (5)
Projected S19 Role: #3 starter, fringe All-Star candidate

Analysis: It's not often you find a 26 year-old high quality SP in the free agent pool.  There's a slight concern about Won's effectiveness vs. RH hitters, but Won should still be very good, with many productive seasons ahead.  

5. Edgar Olivares, SS, 27
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.28 career ERA
S18 Team:  Toronto

Signed with Oklahoma City -  5 years, $39.3 million

Best Attributes: Fielding (10), Power (10), Age (10)
Lowest Attributes:  RH Split (2)
Projected S19 Role: All-Star Candidate

Analysis: It's not often you can find the type of power Olivares has to go with elite fielding abilities.  His poor RH split may result in a lot of variability in and sometimes poor batting average, but having his power at SS will be a huge plus for OKC. 

6. Felix Cochrane, 30, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 295 career HR
S18 Team: Memphis

Re-signed with Memphis - 4 years, $31.9 million ($26 million guaranteed)

Best Attributes: Fielding (9), Power (9), Age (9)
Worst Attributes: Batting Eye (3)
Projected S19 Role: Gold Glove Candidate at 3B with 30 HR power

Analysis:  Cochrane is a Gold Glove caliber 3B with very good power.  His batting eye isn't great, which will lead to a lot of strikeouts, but the rest of his hitting skills combined with his fielding prowess make him a valuable asset at the hot corner.

7. Jose Rincon, 31, 2B
Type Free Agent
Key Stat: .815 career OPS
S18 Team: Oklahoma City

Signed with Pawtucket - 2 years, $14.8 million

Best Attributes: Power (10), Batting Eye (9), Age 8)
Worst Attributes: RH Split (5), LH Split (6), Contact (6)
Projected S19 Role: All-Star Candidate, Silver Slugger Candidate

Analysis:  One of the best power bats available, to go with an excellent batting eye, Rincon with a nice signing for Pawtucket.  He can play a solid 2B, and is passable at CF as well.  Mediocre contact and splits may keep the batting average down, but when he's on, he can mash.

8. Benjamin Allen, 29, 3B/RF
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .817 career OPS
S18 Team: Oakland

Signed with Tampa Bay - 5 years, $51.3 million ($42.7 million guaranteed)

Best Attributes: Age (10), Batting Eye (9), RH Split (9)
Lowest Attributes: Injury Potential
Projected S19 Role: Excellent #2/#3 hitter

Analysis:  One of the best pure hitters available, Allen has a very solid bat and great eye that should get him on base a lot.  Injury concerns and average fielding put him below his counterparts, but he will definitely boost the Tampa Bay lineup. 

9. Tuck Huff, 34, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.38 career ERA
S18 Team: Tampa Bay

Signed with Salt Lake City - 5 years, $31.5 million

Best Attributes: Control (10), Pitch Arsenal (9), RH Split (8)
Lowest Attributes: Durability/Stamina (3.5), Age (5)
Projected S19 Role: #2 starter, potential All-Star

Analysis: Huff has outstanding ratings across the board, including elite control and solid command of his pitches.  Durability and stamina put his innings ceiling around 175, which make age-related decline more of a concern, but Huff is still an excellent arm. 

10. Allan Farquhar, 32, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .816 career OPS
S18 Team: New Orleans

Signed with Pawtucket - 1 year, $6.935 million

Best Attributes: Power (10), Fielding (8), LH Split (8), RH Split (8)
Lowest Attributes: Contact (3)
Projected S19 Role: Excellent Fielding 3B with 40 HR potential

Analysis:  Pawtucket also landed another big bat with elite power in Farquhar, who also will make a great fielding 3B.   He's also coming off two outstanding seasons at the plate in New Orleans, although his low contact rate could lead to the possibility of poor batting average when he isn't launching bombs out of the park.

Good luck to everyone in Season 19!

Monday, June 1, 2015

Season 18 Wrap Up - Syracuse takes the crown!

Syracuse
Syracuse Blizzard (NL)
groth911
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Syracuse is your Season 18 champion!

After a grueling 7 game battle, Syracuse has emerged as your Season 18 World Series champion, defeating New Britain 4 games to 3.  Syracuse, the #5 seed in the NL, but owners of the 2nd best record, defeated Richmond in the first round, and then, in somewhat of a surprise, swept Buffalo who had the NL's best record in the 2nd round.  After a hard fought win over Honolulu in the NLCS, they came out on top in a 7 game battle with New Britain. Cy Young Winner Alberto Campos and Tim Blair continued their amazing regular season success in the playoffs, starting 14 of 20 games, combining for an 8-2 record, while posting outstanding ERA's and sub-1 WHIPs.  Their offense was stifled at times during the playoffs, but the powerful 1-2 punch of Campos and Blair enabled them to make the run to the title.

Congrats to groth911 on taking home the trophy!  And congrats to merott and New Britain on a great season, despite the close loss in the World Series.  They were the #1 ranked team for the last three quarters of the season and had a terrific run. 

See you all back for Season 19!