Season 12 Power Rankings # 3

This is a historic edition of the rankings, with season 12 about three quarters of the way through, as there is finally a new team on top of the rankings!  Little Rock ended Oklahoma City's season and a half run as the #1 team with an outstanding 29-12 record since the last rankings.  Oklahoma City comes in at #2, with the main reason they lost the top spot being a good, but not great 23-17 mark since the last rankings.  But the hottest team in the world is #3 Vancouver, who went an impressive 30-10 since our last edition.  It sure is tight at the top!  An honorable mention goes to Portland, who dug themselves out of the cellar, winning more games in the last 41 than they did the whole first half of the season.  A very nice turnaround indeed.  Here are the complete rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Little Rock	79	44	4	On fire as of late, and overtakes the top spot
2	Oklahoma City	79	43	1	Mediocre since the last rankings, but still solid
3	Vancouver	77	45	7	On a tear since the last rankings, majorly improving
4	Pawtucket	77	46	3	Offense is tops by far, pitching is good too
5	Buffalo	75	48	2	Tough luck record wise as of late, good club
6	Las Vegas	68	54	17	Bounced back since the last rankings all around
7	Helena	63	60	22	Vaulted up the rankings with great play recently
8	Memphis	74	48	8	Their pitching is great, offense struggling
9	Dover	65	57	19	Pitching improved, and offense still crushes it
10	Tacoma	69	53	6	Offense fell off a bit as of late, but getting it done
11	Philadelphia	62	61	20	Nice jump, pitching is amongst the best
12	Rochester	65	57	15	Plugging along, this is a pretty solid club
13	Nashville	66	56	11	Offense fell off, and pitching is a bit of a concern
14	Tampa Bay	62	61	10	Really struggling lately, pitching fell off
15	Augusta	62	60	18	Offense has not been great, but good pitching
16	Chicago (AL)	64	59	5	Major fall off across the board as of late
17	Monterrey	61	62	16	Offense is there, but pitching has struggled
18	Salem	60	62	12	Number decent, record should be better
19	New Britain	57	65	13	Another team who is better than their record
20	Boston	58	65	9	Pitching improved, but the bats cooled off
21	Colorado	56	67	21	Pitching has been rocked, but offense has been hot
22	Seattle	59	64	24	They are just plain mediocre this season
23	Cincinnati	60	62	23	Offense has fallen off as of late
24	Louisville	58	65	14	Major decrease in numbers across the board
25	Indianapolis	58	65	26	Numbers are in the middle overall
26	Detroit	52	71	25	Another team where everything seems average
27	Chicago (NL)	49	73	30	Needs offense to step up in that park
28	Texas	48	74	29	Good offense, but pitching has been hammered
29	Boise	50	72	28	League's worst pitching staff, but good offense
30	Portland	37	86	32	Almost .500 since last rankings, a good sign
31	Burlington	44	78	31	Pitching is ok, but offense not good at all
32	New York	46	77	27	Bats are dead, and pitching has been roughed up

Season 12 Power Rankings # 2

It's time for another edition of the power rankings!   The top of the rankings held fairly steady, with Oklahoma City #1 yet again, but Buffalo and Pawtucket are in the mix as well.  A few teams made nice jumps.  New Britain is up 16 spots, Vancouver is up 14 spots, and Boston is up 11, so some teams really bounced back well since the last rankings.  See how your team comes in below, as here are the full rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	56	26	1	Top team yet again and still rolling
2	Buffalo	54	28	5	The defending champs are looking strong
3	Pawtucket	54	28	2	League's top offense is crushing the ball so far
4	Little Rock	50	32	3	Hard to find many flaws with this squad
5	Chicago (AL)	45	37	8	Getting it done, with a well balanced attack
6	Tacoma	45	37	13	Pitching is solid as always, and offense is ok
7	Vancouver	47	35	21	Playing well as of late, you can't count them out
8	Memphis	50	32	7	Holding steady with great pitching
9	Boston	44	38	20	Playing well since the last rankings, nice jump
10	Tampa Bay	44	38	4	Rough last 40 games, but still a good team
11	Nashville	46	36	6	Pitching really fell off, but the offense is there
12	Salem	43	39	12	Playing well enough, but pitching fell off
13	New Britain	38	44	29	Huge jump, due to greatly improved pitching
14	Louisville	43	39	17	Playing better, will they jump back into the race?
15	Rochester	43	39	15	Pitching has been good for this team so far
16	Monterrey	42	40	14	Offense is rolling, but pitching has been rough
17	Las Vegas	42	40	9	Offense fell off a bit, but pitching is still good
18	Augusta	40	42	19	Not getting much on offense as of late
19	Dover	41	41	11	It's all about offense for this squad
20	Philadelphia	38	44	25	This team is showing improvement all around
21	Colorado	37	45	24	Pitching got worse, offense better
22	Helena	37	45	16	Has fallen off a bit all around as of late
23	Cincinnati	41	41	10	Offense seems to be in a bit of a slump
24	Seattle	40	42	26	Pitching improved, but the offense is in a funk
25	Detroit	36	46	23	Has gotten better pitching, but it's still not enough
26	Indianapolis	40	42	27	Over .500 the last 40 which is a good sign
27	New York	33	49	31	Bounced back nicely after a horrid start
28	Boise	33	49	18	Pitching has been a problem, but good offense
29	Texas	32	50	22	The bats have been slumping as of late
30	Chicago (NL)	31	51	30	Decent last 40, numbers up all around
31	Burlington	30	52	28	Getting no offense at all which is hurting them
32	Portland	17	65	32	Actually not the worst team the last 40, but still bad

Season 12 Power Rankings - 1st Quarter

One quarter of Season 12 is in the books, and there have been some surprises, disappointments, and shocking numbers put up to this point. One thing that has remained the same is the #1 team, Oklahoma City tops the rankings as they have in every edition dating back to last season. Some new contenders have emerged, while some usually tough teams are off to a slow start. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out the rest of the season. In the meantime, here are the rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	29	12	1	Still atop the rankings, but the pack seems closer
2	Pawtucket	27	14	8	Absolutely crushing the ball so far
3	Little Rock	26	15	5	Off to a good start thanks to good balance
4	Tampa Bay	27	14	17	Pitching has been stellar, will offense be enough?
5	Buffalo	26	15	3	The defending champs are off to a good start
6	Nashville	26	15	28	Team is surprising, after rough last season
7	Memphis	27	14	18	Great pitching so far, the bats need to step up
8	Chicago (AL)	23	18	22	Holding their own with good pitching in a hitters park
9	Las Vegas	27	18	27	Offseason moves are paying off, looking good
10	Cincinnati	24	17	9	Pitching could be better, but they are in a hitters park
11	Dover	23	18	12	Offense is phenomenal, but pitching is atrocious
12	Salem	24	17	19	Pitching is carrying this team so far
13	Tacoma	20	21	15	Offense is actually decent, better than their record
14	Monterrey	23	18	16	Offensive numbers are great, but pitching is a concern
15	Rochester	21	20	10	Offense is struggling a bit so far, but good pitching
16	Helena	20	21	20	Doing well, may be a bit better than their record
17	Louisville	20	21	2	Surprising fall, but they do play in a tough division
18	Boise	20	21	31	Another team crushing the ball, with terrible pitching
19	Augusta	19	22	7	Decent stats, better than their record indicates
20	Boston	19	22	11	Pitching is the reason for their mediocre start
21	Vancouver	21	20	6	Slow start for the hurlers, Hurst should step it up
22	Texas	18	23	30	Same as last season, good offense, bad pitching
23	Detroit	17	24	29	Decent numbers, should have a few more W's
24	Colorado	18	23	26	Stats are what you'd expect for Colorado
25	Philadelphia	18	23	13	Nice pitching, but bats aren't getting it done
26	Seattle	20	21	14	Pitching has been awful, lucky to have 20 W's, really
27	Indianapolis	19	22	24	Pitching hasn't been great so far here
28	Burlington	18	23	23	Pitching only decent, and offense really struggling
29	New Britain	14	27	4	Should have a few more W's, but pitching not good
30	Chicago (NL)	13	28	21	Offense has really started off slow
31	New York	9	32	25	Almost as bad as Portland, and that says a lot
32	Portland	4	37	32	Pathetic, I didn't think it was possible to go 4-37

Season 12 Pre-Season Power Rankings

Spring training is under way in Season 12 and the off-season player acquisition period has ended.  With the regular season just around the corner, now is good time to take our best shot at ranking the teams going into the season.  Some big trades were made, and a few nice free agents were signed.  Nonetheless, the # 1 team still remains Oklahoma City, who looks poised for another strong season, continuing their streak of being # 1 in every edition of the rankings produced.  Let's see how the rest of the rankings fall.  Good luck to everyone in moving up once the season starts!

		Season 11
	Team	W	L	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	120	42	No reason to think they won't be stellar again
2	Louisville	105	57	Will they challenge OKC for the division title?
3	Buffalo	88	74	Defending champs will be on everyone's radar
4	New Britain	98	64	Well balanced team should be a contender again
5	Little Rock	99	63	Another strong team all around, looking good
6	Vancouver	90	72	Always looking good with Hurst leading the way
7	Augusta	93	69	Added SP Singleton, will offense improve?
8	Pawtucket	96	66	Offense is amazing, pitching is a question mark
9	Cincinnati	94	68	Added RP Coleman, should be improved
10	Rochester	83	79	Signed #1 FA Lampkin,will bats come through?
11	Boston	83	79	Pretty solid overall, should be a contender
12	Dover	91	71	Good offense, pitching is just ok
13	Philadelphia	82	80	Injuries a factor last season, should be solid
14	Seattle	86	76	Great pitching, but offense sputtered last year
15	Tacoma	84	78	Will they get enough offense in pitcher's park?
16	Monterrey	85	77	Stellar offense, we'll see about the pitching
17	Tampa Bay	84	78	In very tough division and offense looks suspect
18	Memphis	81	81	Amongst the best in pitching, but needs offense
19	Salem	82	80	Offense holds them back from being higher
20	Helena	76	86	Pretty balanced team, yet not spectacular
21	Chicago (NL)	82	80	Another team where the bats were lacking
22	Chicago (AL)	71	91	Adding Huang should help a staff that struggled
23	Burlington	68	94	Move to pitcher friendly park should help
24	Indianapolis	73	89	Moving from Durham, hard to read this team
25	New York	72	90	Pitching was rough last year, so we'll see
26	Colorado	64	98	Offense should be very good, pitching, not sure
27	Las Vegas	56	106	Organization is moving in the right direction
28	Nashville	58	104	Horrible pitching last year, should improve
29	Detroit	59	103	Added some pitching, which was much needed
30	Texas	78	84	Great offense, has anyone seen the owner?
31	Boise	50	112	New ownership should be a big plus in this rebuild
32	Portland	61	101	Still in rebuild mode, but improving

Season 12 Free Agency Preview

Season 12 is thankfully under way, and it's time to start this season's blog coverage with a preview of Free Agency.  Overall, this class is not elite, the big franchise changing players just aren't available this season.  We'd grade the class overall at about a C-.  Nonetheless, there are still some players out there who can help teams, so it's not a complete loss.  Here are our picks for the top 10 free agents for Season 12.

1. Steve Lampkin, 32, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.73 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  5 years, $75 million

Possible Destinations:  Colorado, Cincinnati, Chicago (NL), Nashville

Signed with Rochester - 5 years, $80.5 million

In a relatively weak Free Agent class, Lampkin stands out as one of the few impact players available.  The three-time all-star is good for 200+ innings per year, with plus ratings across the board.  He has the potential to improve on his career ERA, and we consider him a low-end #1 starter or a strong #2.  He will greatly help the rotation of whomever he lands with.  

2. Zachrey Coleman, 30, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat:  3.57 career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations:  Oklahoma City, Louisville, Nashville, Helena

Signed with Cincinnati - 4 years, $24 million

When an RP comes in at #2 on the list of best free agents, it’s not a great class, but Coleman is still a quality RP who has shown he can go 100+ quality innings of relief.  Again, plus ratings across the board, except effectiveness vs. LH and a weak 2nd pitch, but we don’t see that holding him back from being a huge addition to some team’s bullpen. 

3. Jay Borbon, 31, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 2.97 career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations:  Vancouver, Oklahoma City, Rochester, New Britain

Signed with Nashville - 4 years, $39.6 million

Another RP!  Borbon has better ratings than Coleman, pretty much no weaknesses, but can’t throw nearly as many innings, which drops him below.  Still, the 6 time all-star and 2 time fireman of the year will continue to be a lights-out closer, wherever he lands.  

4. Jody Moore, 28, C
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat:  .857 career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $20 million

Possible Destinations:  Colorado, Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), New Britain

Signed with Colorado - 5 years, $52.5 million

The top rated offensive player of this free agent class, Moore is a solid bat, that will improve a lineup with his solid across the board hitting ratings, and on top of that, he’s not a bad defensive catcher, although hardly elite.  He’s also only 28, so he’s got a lot of good years ahead.  He’ll be a nice piece for whoever signs him, albeit he won’t be one to single handedly turn around a franchise.   

5. Brandon Cuyler, 31, 3B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: Great overall player
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $60 million

Possible Destinations:  Tampa Bay, Memphis, Philadelphia, Chicago (NL)

Signed with Seattle - 4 years, $53 million

In such a weak free agent market, Cuyler may be able to cash in big time thanks to his defensive skill set, combined with good hitting.  In no way, shape or form should he be playing shortstop, but is a plus third baseman with good speed.  His hitting ratings look good on the surface, but a poor batting eye may be holding him back, his last two seasons have been a struggle, but still he’ll be a nice add for the team that lands him. 

6. Michael Huang, 33, SP
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.57 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $56 million

Possible Destinations:  Augusta, Texas, Monterrey , Chicago (AL)

Signed with Chicago (AL) - 3 years, $16.8 million

Huang is solid, dependable arm that would make a nice #3 or #4 starter on a good team.  His ratings don’t overwhelm you, but his last three seasons look solid, so it seems he still has some value, especially in this free agent class.  He’ll be a nice consolation prize for a team that can’t land Lampkin, and he won’t cost you a first round pick. 

7. Khoury Henderson, 32, 1B
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: .874 career OPS
Salary Over/Under:  3 years, $15 million

Possible Destinations:  Tampa Bay, Seattle, Colorado, Memphis

Signed with Oklahoma City - 5 years, $44.3 million

Henderson is possibly the best pure hitter in this free agent class.   He didn’t suffer a dramatic decrease during the offseason, but age is still a concern, as well as durability.  Still, with high plus ratings across the board hitting wise, he’ll be a good asset at 1B or DH for the next 2-3 seasons, and the type B designation is a small price to pay. 

8. Elvis Singleton, 34, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.13 career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  3 years, $40 million

Possible Destinations:  Colorado, Texas, Helena, Pawtucket

Signed with Augusta - 3 years,  $21.4 million

Singleton is a durable hurler, who can get you 200+ innings easily.  His splits aren’t great and he doesn’t throw hard.  His pitch arsenal doesn’t jump out.  Basically he is a #3 or #4 type that may go for more than he’s worth, given the lack of quality arms available this season, but still will be a nice add that should improve a rotation. 

9. Wil Skinner, 32, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 100+ IP potential
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $10 million

Possible Destinations:  Louisville, Monterrey, Texas, Indianapolis

Signed with Detroit - 2 years, $10.4 million

Skinner is an extremely durable reliever with decent splits, and good pitches and control.  He could easily toss 100 IP for you as a setup A guy.  He doesn’t throw hard and is average at keeping the ball down, which is a slight concern, and has had some pretty shaky seasons, but all-in-all is a solid reliever that could improve most bullpens. 

10. Nicholas Johnstone, 32, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.95 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $44 million

Possible Destinations:  Colorado, Augusta, Nashville, Philadelphia

Signed with Detroit - 4 years, $30 million

Johnstone wouldn’t make the top 10 list in most seasons, but just squeezes into this one.  He has great control, is extremely durable, is good against lefties, and keeps the ball down fairly well.  His pitch arsenal is good, but not outstanding.  He is mediocre against righties which is a big concern, but given his past history should do well in a pitcher’s park and could be a serviceable #4 or high-end #5 otherwise, but he will cost you a draft pick. 

Season 11 Wrap-Up

Buffalo Tiny Chickens (NL) AceCards View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Buffalo battles back to take it all in Season 11!

That's a wrap on Season 11, and it ended in a thrilling World Series between Buffalo and New Britain that saw Buffalo come back from a 3-0 deficit in the series, and then take Game 7 in a commanding fashion, winning 12-0.  Buffalo headed into the World Series after a surprising upset over Oklahoma City in the NLCS, who had won two out of the last three World Series and was a dominant #1 team in the world all year, winning 120 games.   It looked liked the magic was over, as they dropped the first three games of the World Series, but mounted an epic comeback with solid hitting, which had eluded them much of the year, and great pitching, which was their trademark all year.  In fact, three of the last four games in the series were shutouts by Buffalo.  In the midst of all the great pitching performances, Jeremy Randall was leading the offense by getting on base and launching 6 bombs in the playoffs.

The lack of offense by New Britain in the last four games was puzzling, as they were one of the top offensive teams in the league.  They look poised to be solid again next season, and should regroup from a tough loss to be one of the AL's top teams again.

That's it for Season 11, we'll be back after a hopefully quick rollover for Season 12.  In the meantime, spread the word about the great world that Kenny Powers is, and let your friends, family, coworkers, etc, know there's a limited time opportunity to join in on the fun!   See you next season!

Season 11 Award Winners

The awards for season 11 were handed out.  Here's a recap of the winners!

Most Valuable Player
American League - Weldon Rando, Cincinnati - .301 AVG 26 HR 86 RBI 89 SB
It was a tight race for AL MVP, but Rando, the league leader in runs and stolen bases, took the crown.  Rando also posted a nice batting average and home run and RBI totals for a lead-off man.  Surprisingly enough, Rando didn't even make the all-star team, but he did win the Silver Slugger award, his first.  Rando just edged out slugger Roger Baker for the award.  Baker put up tremendous power numbers, but in the end, the all around star took home the award.

National League - Robb Ross, Boston - .348 AVG 31 HR 121 RBI
The NL race wasn't as tight, with Ross taking the trophy home after winning the batting title and leading the league in slugging and OPS.  Ross led Boston to a division title, was a starter in the All Star Game, and won a Silver Slugger award.  This is the 2nd MVP win for Ross, as he took the AL MVP crown is Season 9.  A tremendous season indeed! Joaquin Valverde of Oklahoma City finished 2nd, and also had great numbers all around, but couldn't quite get the vote over Ross.

Cy Young Award
American League - Clyde Hurst, Vancouver - 18-8 2.42 ERA 213 K
After leading the league in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts and quality starts, there was little doubt that Hurst would take home the AL Cy Young Award.  This is his 3rd win, which ties the record for the World, and 2nd in a row.  At just age 28, there's no telling how many more Cy Young Awards Hurst could win before he is done.  Hurst also made the All Star Team this year. 

National League - Matty Posada, Louisville - 24-3 2.55 ERA 218 K
Posada won the NL Cy Young in a close race with Oklahoma City's Richard Ma. Both put up extremely impressive numbers this season, but is with the wins leader Posada who came out on top.  This is Posada's 2nd Cy Young Award, as he also won the NL Cy Young in Season 9.  He also made the All Star team.  Again, Posada is only 27, so he has the potential to win more, but not if Ma has anything to say about it. 

Rookie of the Year
American League - Felipe Roque, Dover - 15-8 3.53 ERA
Roque was a runaway winner for AL Rookie of the Year.  The 26 year-old put up great numbers in his rookie campaign.  He also made the All Star team.  Roque looks like he'll be a solid SP for many seasons to come.

National League - Tony Tavarez, Oklahoma City - 12-4 2.25 ERA
Tavarez was also a runaway winner in taking home the NL Rookie of the Year.  Tavarez, an early season call-up, but up extremely impressive ERA and WHIP numbers in his rookie campaign, along with just about every other pitcher on Oklahoma City.  The 23 year-old has many great seasons ahead of him.

Fireman of the Year
American League - Alfredo Jose, Augusta - 3.05 ERA, 49 SV - 1st win
National League - Dan Ohlendorf, Salem - 2.54 ERA, 51 SV - 1st win

Silver Slugger Awards
American League

DH	Roger Baker	Dover	2nd
C	Trenidad Franco	Pawtucket	1st
1B	Wilton Gang	Little Rock	2nd
2B	Sherman Perez	Pawtucket	1st
3B	Jimmy Fox	Texas	1st
SS	Luis Vega	Pawtucket	3rd
LF	Butch Borland	Dover	2nd
CF	Weldon Rando	Cincinnati	1st
RF	Ivy Mench	Pawtucket	1st

National League 

P	Howie Kelly	Memphis	1st
C	Jeremy Randall	Buffalo	3rd
1B	Wandy Javier	Rochester	3rd
2B	Robb Ross	Boston	2nd
3B	Randy Gonzales	Chicago	1st
SS	Greg Benjamin	Helena	1st
LF	Bob Cambridge	Louisville	4th
CF	Jose Rincon	Oklahoma City	2nd
RF	Al Martin	Tacoma	1st

Gold Glove Awards
American League

P	Javier Bonilla	Los Angeles	1st
C	Albert Gabriel	Augusta	1st
1B	Alan McDill	Dover	2nd
2B	Phil Hardy	Vancouver	1st
3B	Chipper Nippert	Vancouver	2nd
SS	Tom Post	Dover	2nd
LF	Walker Woodson	Nashville	1st
CF	Pepe Mendoza	Little Rock	2nd
RF	Dustin Hanson	Nashville	1st

National League

P	Dennis Gibson	Tacoma	5th
C	Bruce Sterns	Helena	2nd
1B	Jim Tanner	Boston	1st
2B	Michel Garces	Durham	3rd
3B	Humberto Lee	Memphis	1st
SS	Damaso Ethier	Oklahoma City	1st
LF	Rob Hutton	Boston	1st
CF	Philip Brock	Boston	1st
RF	Donaldo Alvarez	Burlington	1st