Monday, September 28, 2015

Season 20 - Kenny Powers Top Rated Players

Here's who rated as our top players in Kenny Powers this season using the super-classified KP ratings formula!

OFFENSE
TOP OVERALL PLAYERS
Albert Valenzuela
Buffalo
Tiny Chickens
Age: 28B/T: L/R
Born: Fantino, DO
Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Buffalo's Albert Valenzuela is once again the top rated overall player!

Player Team Position Rating
1 Albert Valenzuela BUF 2B 56.0
2 Jose Reyes PAW LF 51.4
3 Scott Serrano RIC LF 51.2
4 J.C. Ganzel HON RF 51.0
5 Rodrigo Toregas CLE RF 50.3
6 Mike Clark DET 3B 50.0
7 Dingo Price CH1 3B 49.5
8 Adrian Skinner HUN 2B 49.3
9 Shane Curtis ROC LF 49.2
10 Mandy Mahler TUC CF 49.0

TOP PURE HITTERS
Sherman Dunston
Boise
Taters
Age: 28B/T: S/R
Born: Surrey, BC
Position(s): 1B/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Boise's Dunston gets the nod as the top hitter in Kenny Powers!

Player
Team
Position
Rating
1
Sherman Dunston
BOI
1B
48.0
2
Jeremy Randall
BUF
C
47.2
3
Braden Rodney
OK
C
47.0
4
Albert Valenzuela
BUF
2B
44.7
5
Scott Serrano
RIC
LF
44.4
6
J.C. Ganzel
HON
RF
44.2
7
Ivy Mench
HON
LF
44.0
8
John Greer
HUN
RF
43.6
9
Jimmy Fox
OK
3B
43.3
10
Bernie Jackson
NY1
DH
43.0

PITCHING
TOP STARTING PITCHERS
Ellis Brock
Tampa Bay
Mermen
Age: 30B/T: S/R
Born: Hephzibah, GA
Position(s): P (SP1)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Tampa Bay's Ellis Brock is still the top rated SP in Kenny Powers!

Player
Team
Rating
1
Ellis Brock
TB
54.9
2
Justin Jordan
TUC
50.7
3
Allan Blackley
PAW
50.1
4
Alberto Campos
PAW
49.7
5
Norberto Morales
RIC
48.9
6
Nicholas Miller
NB
48.7
7
Ralph Moseley
LOU
48.3
8
Tim Blair
SYR
48.0
9
Matty Posada
OK
47.7
10
Stewart Mouton
ATL
47.6

TOP RELIEF PITCHERS
Rafael Acosta
Buffalo
Tiny Chickens
Age: 31B/T: R/R
Born: Westlake, OH
Position(s): P (SuA)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
Buffalo's Rafael Acosta is the top rated RP in Kenny Powers!

Player Team Rating
1 Rafael Acosta BUF 47.5
2 Bo Edmonds TUC 46.0
3 Wiki Mateo LV 45.5
4 Yorman Vincente OK 44.5
5 Howie Lockwood BUR 44.4
6 Matty Klaus DET 44.2
7 Dan Ohlendorf SYR 44.1
8 Hideki Inouoe RIC 44.0
9 J.D. Willis NY1 43.9
10 Raul Alburquerque BUR 43.8

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Season 20 Preseason Power Rankings

The regular season is about to kick off, which means it's time for the Preseason Power Rankings!  Some will have high expectations to live up to, while others will have bulletin board material to fuel a big run this season.  At the top is New Britain, the defending champs return an excellent squad.  #2 is Buffalo, a perennial NL powerhouse, that looks to be tough yet again.  #3 is Richmond, my formulas love these guys!  Syracuse and Honolulu round out the top 5.  Here are the complete rankings, good luck to all this season!





Starting Relief 



Season 19 Pitching Pitching Hitting Fielding 

Team  W L Rank Rank Rank Rank
1 New Britain 111 51 3 26 7 26
2 Buffalo 98 64 17 3 1 8
3 Richmond 86 76 5 5 1 5
4 Syracuse 98 64 9 1 15 11
5 Honolulu 97 65 10 9 8 14
6 Atlanta 90 72 4 11 4 27
7 Pawtucket 95 67 2 17 9 18
8 Oklahoma City 90 72 18 6 3 6
9 Las Vegas 93 69 16 4 16 3
10 Tucson 90 72 8 2 21 17
11 New York 99 63 1 23 24 13
12 Detroit 77 85 6 7 19 16
13 Seattle 91 71 11 21 14 22
14 Boise 77 85 7 31 5 32
15 Tampa Bay 75 87 20 18 6 23
16 Little Rock 85 77 15 13 17 28
17 Rochester 87 75 23 12 18 7
18 Oakland 90 72 14 16 30 29
19 Chicago 63 99 13 25 10 25
20 St. Louis 67 95 22 22 12 12
21 Durham 70 92 25 10 23 2
22 Helena 67 95 27 15 22 15
23 Louisville 83 79 19 24 25 30
24 Toronto 78 84 26 20 27 24
25 Boston 81 81 12 29 32 9
26 Nashville 73 89 31 27 31 20
27 Huntington 48 114 21 7 11 1
28 Burlington 75 87 29 14 29 17
29 New Orleans 68 94 32 19 20 4
30 Cleveland 69 93 30 28 13 21
31 Charlotte 65 97 28 32 26 19
32 Iowa City 56 106 24 30 28 31

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Season 20 Free Agency Preview

Season 20 is under way, as teams stock their rosters in offseason free agency, here's our preview of the top ten free agents!

1. Allan Blackley, 31, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.22 Career ERA
Salary/Over Under: 5 years, $80 million

Possible Destinations: Pawtucket, Rochester, Syracuse, St. Louis

Signed with Pawtucket - 5 years, $100 million ($85 million guaranteed)

Overlooked by many Awards lists over the course of his career, Blackley will not be skimmed over here, as he ranks as this season's top Free Agent.  Granted, he is coming off a major shoulder injury last season, he looks good to go going forward.  He has elite control and pitch arsenal, excellent velocity and RH split, and keeps the ball down fairly well.  If he stays healthy, he can be one of the best pitchers in Kenny Powers.

2. Mo Ferguson, 31, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .822 Career OPS
Salary/Over Under: 4 years, $60 million

Possible Destinations: Rochester, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Oakland

Signed with Tampa Bay - 5 years, $56.5 million ($46.8 million guaranteed)

Ferguson is a very good hitter who also has solid defensive skills with plus glove and arm strength.  He is above average at the hot corner.  Hitting wise, he has very good contact and splits, a decent batting eye and above average power.  He has averaged 33 HR 109 RBI over the last two seasons, and has made the All-Star team 4 out of the last 5 seasons.  Mo will be a nice boost to some team's lineup for sure!

3. Tony Bonifacio, 32, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 296 Career SB
Salary/Over Under: 3 years, $33 million

Possible Destinations: Syracuse, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Toronto

Signed with St. Louis - 3 years, $25.5 million

Bonifacio remains an elite-fielding 3B at Age 32, although his range is below what would be needed to play SS.  He is a good contact hitter, is excellent vs. LHP, with a solid batting eye, and a decent RH split.  His power is about average.  He has excellent speed and baserunning skills, stealing 296 bases while only being caught 65 times.  Although he doesn't stand out offensively, his all-around skills make him a very valuable player.

4. Max Acevedo, 26, RF
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 217 Career HR
Salary/Over Under: 5 years, $60 million

Possible Destinations:  Pawtucket, Boston, Oklahoma City, St. Louis

Signed with Helena - 5 years, $86.5 million

Acevedo is an elite power bat with excellent splits and a decent batting eye.  He will strike out a lot, but his bat will be a plus to any lineup.  He can play a pretty solid RF with plus arm strength and accuracy, although his glove isn't the best.  He has good speed, but his baserunning skills are average. He's averaged 40 HR 120 RBI the past two seasons, and is only 26, making him an attractive FA.

5. Jim Forbes, 30, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.46 Career ERA
Salary/Over Under: 5 years, $60 million

Possible Destinations: Boston, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Cleveland

Signed with Durham - 5 years, $69 million ($57.8 million guaranteed)

Forbes is a workhorse righty with plus-plus control, elite velocity and is excellent at keeping the ball down.  His splits are good, but not great, and his pitch makeup isn't the best, but a look at his stats show he has thrown on average 255 IP over the last 4 seasons with excellent stats.   Hard to imagine any staff who couldn't use this type of pitcher.

6. Cy Sanders, 31, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.17 Career ERA
Salary/Over Under: 5 years, $55 million

Possible Destinations: Rochester, St. Louis, New Britain, Durham

Signed with Chicago - 5 years, $92.7 million

Sanders, although not seen frequently on the Awards list, is rock solid across the board ratings wise with strong control, splits, pitch arsenal, and excellent velocity.  He is also durable, throwing 210+ innings each of the past three seasons.  Sanders will be a strong add to any rotation for the next several seasons, as he is 31 years old as of the start of the free agency period.

7. Matty Posada, 36, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 2.66 Career ERA
Salary/Over Under: 3 years, $42 million

Possible Destinations: Pawtucket, Seattle, Oklahoma City, Atlanta

Signed with Oklahoma City - 4 years, $31 million

Posada is still amongst the ranks of the best pitchers in Kenny Powers at age 36.  He has very few weaknesses in his arsenal.  The main concern with the sure-fire future Hall-of-Famer is how the effects of age will take its course.  He probably has at least 1 or 2 very good, possibly even Cy Young worthy, seasons left, but after that it's a bit of a question mark.

8. Clarence Leach, 33, 3B
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 155 Career HR
Salary/Over Under: 2 years, $15 million

Possible Destinations: Seattle, Las Vegas, New Britain, Cleveland

Signed with Syracuse - 2 years, $6.7 million

Leach is still an excellent fielding 3B with a good speed/baserunning combo that has resulted in 229 SB and only 57 CS.  He's serviceable at the plate, with good splits and contact, decent power, but just an ok batting eye.  He had his best season just 2 seasons ago, then was inexplicably sent to the minors last season.  He definitely still deserves a major league spot and can help out some team.

9. Allan Farquhar, 33, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 405 Career HR
Salary/Over Under: 2 years, $14 million

Possible Destinations: Syracuse, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Durham

Signed with Tampa Bay - 2 years, $14.5 million

Farquhar has a well-established history of success at the plate topping the 400 career HR mark this past season.  He still has excellent power, good splits and a decent batting eye.  He's going to strike out a lot, but the power makes up for it.  He's still capable of playing 3B in the field and has nice speed that's led him to over 300 career SB.

10. Aramis Martinez, 25, LF
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 133 Career HR
Salary/Over Under: 5 years, $54 million

Possible Destinations: Boston, Seattle, Oklahoma City, Atlanta

Signed with Rochester - 5 years, $77 million ($64.2 million guaranteed)

It's not often that a talented 25 year-old hits the free agent market, but that's just what Martinez is.  At the plate, he has plus power and batting eye, good contact, and decent enough splits.  Fielding wise, he'd be a stretch at 2B, meaning likely a defensive liability, and is probably more suited to LF.  His plate presence make him well worth acquiring, particularly at age 25.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Season 19 Wrap Up - New Britain is your Champion!

New Britain
New Britain Frothing Walruses (AL)
merott
View Hardball Dynasty Profile
New Britain is your Season 19 Champion!

Season 19 has concluded, and it's New Britain that holds the crown as Kenny Powers World Champions, winning their first championship, defeating defending champion Syracuse in a hard fought 6 game battle.  New Britain, the preseason #1 in the Kenny Powers rankings, defeated Atlanta and Oakland on their way to the World Series where they unseated the defending champions.  New Britain posted an incredible 2.34 ERA in the playoffs, undoubtedly a major key to their success.  They also slugged an impressive 30 home runs in 14 playoff games, so the offense was clicking as well.   Everything came together to bring merott his first Kenny Powers title, after reaching the World Series 3 times over the previous 8 seasons and failing to win.  His persistence paid off.  It was an impressive feat for Syracuse to reach the World Series 2 seasons in a row in a very tough NL landscape.  Congrats to New Britain on the title, and thanks to all for a great Season 19!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Minimum Win Requirement Update

Our minimum win rule in Kenny Powers is 55 wins in one season (50 if you are a first season owner) and 185 wins over 3 seasons.  You get 2 "strikes" against the policy, and on the third strike, you're out.  If you don't earn any strikes over 3 consecutive seasons, all previous strikes are wiped out.

Only one "strike" was earned in S19, and that owner is not returning.  Great job all!  New Orleans needs 65 wins this season to get to 185 for 3 seasons.  All other teams need under the single season MWR of 55 to reach 185 for 3 seasons.  I'm including a summary below.







Wins





3-Season Needed in 
American League Owner S17 S18 S19  Win Total S20 for 185
Atlanta Aardvarks dierickx3  83 91 90 264
Boston SlamPigs themarlyman  82 82 81 245
Charlotte StarLords goodtymes31  59 72 65 196
Detroit FC Dinamo lfkbibanul  81 72 77 230
Helena Bighorns bluebaran 57 65 67 189
Iowa City Zumwalts peerishere

56

Little Rock Urban Achievers frae 89 97 85 271
Nashville Neutron Bombs Ghostrunner 85 83 73 241
New Britain Frothing Walruses merott 111 113 111 335
New Orleans Zephyrs msmsales  67 52 68 187 65
New York Yankers jamesp469 79 83 99 261
Oakland Invaders jnosek 76 84 90 250
Pawtucket Blue Bugs uustal  92 88 95 275
San Francisco Strikers bubbleboy 76 72 77 225
Seattle SuperSonics alogman1 92 81 91 264
Toronto Maple Leafs Fantasy Frea 86 89 78 253













Wins





3-Season Needed in 
National League Owner S17 S18 S19  Win Total S20 for 185
Buffalo Tiny Chickens AceCards 104 107 98 309
Burlington Giant Pumpkins breezee 70 79 75 224
Chicago White Sox slashtc

63

Cleveland Spiders dh0220  78 62 69 209
Honolulu Tiki Gods dodgersrays 91 95 97 283
Louisville Huckleberries nicbase2 68 73 83 224
Memphis Midget Luchadors winepimp 70 97 70 237
Oklahoma City Bombers tisi29 98 94 90 282
Richmond Manamfasha TXLnghrn 72 88 86 246
Rochester Garbage Plates jimt14120 83 73 87 243
Salt Lake City Naturals playboy33 86 89 93 268
San Juan Rumrunners evil_twin 57 33 48 138 104
Santa Cruz Black Bears barney1974

67

Syracuse Blizzard groth911  92 100 98 290
Tampa Bay Mermen dmurphy104 91 85 75 251
Tucson Diamondbacks trinitybants 98 92 90 280


Strikes in S18 Cause Strike
evil_twin Failed to win 185 over 3 seasons 1st
msmsales  Failed to win 55 games in S18 1st



Strikes in S19 Cause Strike
evil_twin Failed to win 185 over 3 seasons 2nd

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Season 19 Awards Recap

As New Britain and Syracuse are battling it out in the World Series, it's also Awards season, so let's see who took home this season's hardware!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Sherman Dunston, San Francisco - .330 AVG 50 HR 148 RBI
It was just another ho-hum MVP season for Dunston, who picked up his 4th straight AL MVP award with another spectacular year at the plate.  He is now tied for the most MVP's in Kenny Powers history, at just age 27.  It will be interesting to see how many more MVP's he can win, and how many records he can shatter.  He's truly an elite talent.  He also made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger this season.

National League - Alex Sanchez, Tucson - .339 AVG 64 HR 150 RBI
Sanchez won the NL MVP, his first, in a landslide, and with the numbers he put up, it's easy to see why.  He probably would have even beat Dunston if he was in the AL!  Like his AL counterpart, he also made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger.  At just age 26, and with perhaps the most powerful bat in Kenny Powers, he should continue to put up mind-boggling numbers, and another MVP trophy in the future certainly is a possibility

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Deven Fielder, New York - 21-5 2.93 ERA 194 K
Fielder led the charge for one of the AL's most up-and-coming teams, New York, collecting the Cy Young Award for his efforts, his first win.   With New York getting better as a team, Fielder should have more Cy Young opportunities, thanks to increased win totals, as the 28 year-old has few flaws, if any, in his arsenal.  He also made the All-Star team this season, his first, and won a Gold Glove.  Quite the breakout season for a player who had never won any honors prior to this season.

National League - Co-Winners
Jimmie Soto, Buffalo - 19-5 2.59 ERA 223 K
Tim Blair, Syracuse - 17-7 2.38 ERA 204 K
The NL voters were unable to decide between Soto and Blair, both who had outstanding win-loss records, ERA's and strikeout totals on successful teams.  Therefore both hurlers will claim stake to this season's NL Cy Young Award.   This is Soto's 2nd Cy Young win, as he also won in Season 13, while it is Blair's 1st.  Both players also made the All-Star team this season.  Blair is trying to add a World Series ring, but his squad is facing a tough opponent in New Britain.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Nick Spence, Helena - .278 AVG 51 HR 118 RBI
Helena's 22 year-old slugging 1st baseman powered his way to a landslide Rookie of the Year win by topping the 50 Home Run mark in his rookie campaign.  He also made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove this season.  This very likely won't be the last 50 HR season for Spence, as the numbers are legit, he is truly an elite power bat, who could make quite the dent on the Kenny Powers record books once all is said and done.

National League - Alfredo Ortiz, Richmond - .274 AVG 34 HR 80 RBI
Ortiz won a close NL Rookie of the Year vote,  putting up very solid numbers in his rookie campaign.  With excellent power and a very good batting eye, to go with solid contact and decent splits, Ortiz looks like his ceiling could even be a bit higher than his rookie season numbers.  Now that he has reached the majors after six seasons in the Minors, he should be a productive player for many seasons to come.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - J.D. Willis, New York - 2.55 ERA, 44 SV, 1st Win
National League - David Silva, Buffalo - 2.21 ERA, 42 SV, 2nd Win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS
American League
DH Benj Cassidy Pawtucket 2nd
C Caleb Parnell Oakland 4th
1B Sherman Dunston San Francisco 4th
2B Ken Ingram New Britain 1st
3B Andy Minor Atlanta 2nd
SS Delino Santana Little Rock 2nd
LF Jose Reyes Pawtucket 3rd
CF Tony Escobar Charlotte 1st
RF Max Acevedo Oakland 2nd

National League
P Tomas Brogna Santa Cruz 1st
C Mike Russell Santa Cruz 1st
1B Alex Sanchez Tucson 2nd
2B Albert Valenzuela Buffalo 3rd
3B Jimmy Fox Oklahoma City 6th
SS Jose Cortes Chicago 1st
LF Ivy Mench Honolulu 7th
CF Norm Hodges Santa Cruz 2nd
RF J.C. Ganzel Honolulu 7th

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P Deven Fielder New York 1st
C Chad Hunter Boston 1st
1B Nick Spence Helena 1st
2B Frank Davis Helena 1st
3B Chipper Nippert Seattle 5th
SS Banana Bergeron New Britain 1st
LF Geraldo Perez New Britain 1st
CF Rex Kennedy Helena 2nd
RF Donaldo Borbon Boston 2nd

National League
P Yuniesky Gutierrez Honolulu 3rd
C Ellie Henry Richmond 2nd
1B Miguel Casilla Santa Cruz 1st
2B Domingo Iglesias San Juan 1st
3B Felix Cochrane Memphis 1st
SS Shaggy Keefe Salt Lake City 1st
LF Joey Aumont Santa Cruz 2nd
CF Norm Hodges Santa Cruz 2nd
RF Rodrigo Toregas Cleveland 2nd