Season 13 Free Agency Preview

Season 13 of the Kenny Powers World is under way and the offseason Free Agency period has begun! It's time to take a look at this season's free agent class.  There aren't any superstars, and the caliber of offensive players is fairly weak.  So, it's not the best free agent class ever, but there are still some players who will be solid adds to any roster.  Without further adieu, here's the top 10 Free Agents of Season 13!

1. Pascual Nunez, 29, 2B

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: .811 Career OPS

Salary Over/Under: 5 years, $58 million

Possible Destinations: Vancouver, Cincinnati, Memphis, Burlington

Signed with Chicago (AL) - 4 years, $27 million

Nunez gets the nod as the top free agent this offseason.  He's not a superstar, but has a good power bat, and decent speed.  His top attribute is his tremendous fielding ability, as a possible gold glove caliber 2B or CF.  His age, 29, is a big plus as he'll have several quality seasons still to come.  Given the lack of quality free agents on offense, we rank him #1.  

2. Douglas Telford, 32, SP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.57 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $50 million

Possible Destinations: Chicago (AL), Pawtucket, Texas, Portland

Signed with Memphis - 5 years, $73 million

Telford is a hard throwing righty with elite level control and good splits.  He has two excellent pitches in his arsenal as well.  He's done excellent in a wide variety of parks, and would make a great #2/#3 type and would be a staff ace for some.  You could easily argue he should be ranked #1.  

3. Ron Wilkinson, 30, SP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.96 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $44 million

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati, Nashville, St. Louis, New Britain

Signed with Cincinnati - 5 years, $62.5 million

Wilkinson has good control, is excellent vs. righties and keeps the ball down.  His pitch quality is pretty mediocre, which keeps him from being considered an elite SP.  Still he'd be a decent #3/#4 type for a contender, and should put up some fairly good numbers, and eat up a lot of innings.  

4. R.J. Vidal, 28, SP

No Designation

Key Stat: 4.30 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under: 5 years, $50 million

Possible Destinations:  Toronto, Honolulu, Anaheim, Burlington

Signed with Vancouver - 5 years, $56 million

Vidal is a crafty lefty with very good pitch quality and above average control.  He also keeps the ball down pretty well.  His splits are fairly mediocre, so he falls more in the #3/#4 SP category.  But on the upside, he is only 28, and doesn't cost a draft pick (rumor has it he was a cap casualty in Seattle), so he should be a popular target this offseason.  

5. David Thomas, 35, SP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.33 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $30 million

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati, Toronto, Texas, Honolulu

Signed with Texas - 4 years, $29 million

Thomas is one of the most talented hurlers in this free agent class, with great ratings across the board, except for pitch quality, which is somewhat mediocre.  Still, he has a past history of success, and would be a good add for most rotations, and even though he is 35, should still have a few more excellent seasons left. 

6. Ralph Erving, 31, CF

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat: .824 Career OPS

Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations: Chicago (AL), Vancouver, Memphis, Portland

Signed with Tampa Bay - 4 years, $30.6 million

Erving has a great power bat, and excellent contact, to go with being very efficient against RHP.  He has an excellent glove with decent range, good enough to put in CF, albeit he won't be great there.  Still, he has to be considered one of the best all around offensive players in this year's free agent class.

7. Geovany Mateo, 30, RP

Type A Free Agent

Key Stat:  3.47 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations:  Rochester, Tampa Bay, Honolulu, Nashville

Signed with Tampa Bay - 4 years, $22.3 million

Mateo gets the nod for top reliever in this free agent class.  He has excellent pitches, and great control and effectiveness vs. righties.  His LH split isn't great, and he does allow some fly balls, but we think he is still an elite reliever and is a workhorse who has show he can put in a quality 100 innings plus.  

8. Juan Ramirez, 32, RP

Type B Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.05 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $27 million

Possible Destinations: Toronto, Pawtucket, Philadelphia, Louisville

Signed with Arizona - 4 years, $16.8 million

Ramirez is also a great reliever, with plus control and efficiency vs. righties, to go along with excellent pitch quality.  He throws hard, but does allow some fly balls.  He's not quite the workhorse Mateo is, but should still flourish, possibly in a closer's role. 

9. Pep Hasegawa, 30, DH

No Designation

Key Stat: 245 Career Home Runs

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $15 million

Possible Destinations:  Chicago (AL), Arizona, Texas, New Britain

Signed with St. Louis - 2 years, $8.4 million

Hasegawa has elite power to go with very good splits and a decent batting eye.  His fielding skills are weak, making him a DH or maybe a reach 1B (fielding wise) in the NL.  Still, his bat will boost most lineups, his numbers are a bit skewed from playing in Seattle, we feel he has the potential to do a lot better in a more favorable park for hitters. 

10. Herbert Vina, 30, RP

Type B Free Agent

Key Stat: 3.16 Career ERA

Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $25 million

Possible Destinations: Rochester, Tampa Bay, Texas, Oklahoma City

Signed with Rochester - 4 years, $16 million

Vina looks similar in a lot of ways to Juan Ramirez, excellent ratings across the board in control, vs. RH and has two outstanding pitches.  He is good, but not great vs. LH, and tends to allow some fly balls.  His stamina is limited, so he can't be considered a workhorse, but for the innings he is out there, whoever signs him should get quality production.

Season 12 Wrap Up

Oklahoma City Bombers (NL) tisi29 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Oklahoma City takes it all in Season 12!

After a hard fought 7 game series in an exciting World Series against Nashville, Oklahoma City has won their 3rd championship in the Kenny Powers World.  As of late, they have ruled the even numbered seasons, taking home the title in Seasons 8, 10, and 12.  Nashville almost ended their even season dominance, take a 3-2 lead by sweeping the three games at their park.  Despite not being able to win on the road this post season, Oklahoma City was equally as dominant at home as they were bad on the road, going undefeated at home in bringing home the trophy.  Catcher Braden Rodney was a key offensive force for Oklahoma City in the playoffs, going deep six times and driving in 12.  Cy Young winner Richard Ma continued his regular season dominance in the playoffs, going 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA. 

Congrats to Oklahoma City on capping off a most interesting postseason with another title.  A big congratulations on a great season goes out to Nashville as well.  Not many expected them to be the force they were this season, as in the preseason power rankings they were # 28 after going 58-104 in Season 11.  Great turnaround, and I'm sure they will continue to be a presence in the AL. 

That does it for Season 12, tell your friends, family, coworkers, etc. about the joys of playing in the Kenny Powers World, as it looks like we'll have a few openings to fill.   Still, we're hoping for a quick rollover, so we can get Season 13 under way as soon as possible.   Thanks for another great season!

Season 12 Awards Recap

With Oklahoma City and Nashville in the midst of battling it out for the World Series, the awards for Season 12 were handed out.  Let's see who the winners were!

Most Valuable Player
American League - Ivy Mench, Pawtucket -.313 AVG 46 HR 127 RBI
Ivy Mench led a powerful Pawtucket offense this season in route to capturing his first MVP award.  He led the league in OBP, was an all-star starter, and won a Silver Slugger award, his 2nd.  At only 26, he should be an MVP contender for many seasons to come. 

National League - Jeremy Randall, Buffalo -.312 AVG 44 HR 102 RBI
Jeremy Randall, Buffalo's star 25 year-old catcher, captured his 2nd MVP award (he also won in season 9) with another fantastic season.  He led the NL in OBP, SLG and OPS, was a starter in the All-Star game, and won his 4th Silver Slugger award.  Randall is another young player who will continue to rack up accolades for seasons to come. 

Cy Young Award
American League - Clyde Hurst, Vancouver - 19-6 2.41 ERA 241 K
Pitching wise, Clyde Hurst led the AL this season in, well, just about everything.  It wasn't a close race at all as Hurst was clearly the best pitcher in the AL yet again, as this is his 4th Cy Young win and 3rd in a row.  He has as many Cy Young Awards than all-star appearances, as he made his 4th this season.  At age 29, there's no telling how many more Cy Youngs he can win, especially with no other pitchers in the AL stepping up to challenge him. 

National League - Richard Ma, Oklahoma City - 21-3 2.17 ERA 183 K
Richard Ma led an outstanding Oklahoma City pitching staff to win his 2nd Cy Young award in 3 seasons.  Ma won the NL ERA title, tied for the lead in wins, and made his 5th All-Star team.  Amazingly, he also threw two no-hitters this season!  It pretty much doesn't get much better than that, and at age 28, Ma has many more great seasons to come. 

Rookie of the Year
American League - Kyle Surtain, Detroit - .278 AVG 32 HR 80 RBI
Detroit's 23 year-old up-and-coming Right Fielder, Kurt Surtain, took home AL Rookie of the Year honors, with a solid season.  Surtain has tremendous power and as a great all-around hitter, so future all-star appearances should be in his future.  He also has nice speed, as he stole 13 bases this season.  He also made the All-Star team this season.

National League - Jeff Jennings, Las Vegas - 17-8 3.41 ERA 114 K
Jeff Jennings took home the NL Rookie of the Year award in a unique Starter/Long Reliever role.  Whenever he came into pitch, he was very effective and racked up 17 wins with a solid 3.41 ERA.  He has highly effective pitches, but is mediocre vs. lefties, and his RH split isn't that great either.  He doesn't have elite talent, but could contend for future awards, even though it's not a given.  Still, hats off to a very impressive rookie season for Jennings.  

Fireman of the Year
American League - King Stoops, Chicago - 2.72 ERA, 48 SV - 3rd Win
National League - Jamie Mancuso, Memphis - 1.31 ERA, 51 SV - 2nd Win

Silver Slugger Awards

American League
DH	Al Soto	Vancouver	1st
C	Livan Espinoza	Little Rock	1st
1B	Javier Sivilla	Pawtucket	1st
2B	Sherman Perez	Pawtucket	2nd
3B	Chipper Nippert	Vancouver	3rd
SS	Luis Vega	Pawtucket	4th
LF	Joey Aumont	Vancouver	1st
CF	Weldon Rando	Cincinnati	2nd
RF	Ivy Mench	Pawtucket	2nd
National League
P	Allan Blackley	Boston	1st
C	Jeremy Randall	Buffalo	4th
1B	Yuniesky Diaz	Tampa Bay	2nd
2B	Joaquin Valverde	Oklahoma City	5th
3B	Allan Farquhar	Tampa Bay	1st
SS	Sammy Ozuna	Chicago	1st
LF	Jack McMichael	Tacoma	2nd
CF	Felix Cochrane	Memphis	1st
RF	Al Martin	Tacoma	2nd

Gold Glove Awards 

American League
P	Cristian Wanatabe	Texas	1st
C	Heinie Pecina	New York	1st
1B	Otto Gibson	Seattle	1st
2B	P.T. Henriquez	Augusta	3rd
3B	Chipper Nippert	Vancouver	3rd
SS	Tom Post	Dover	3rd
LF	Dennis Bailey	Augusta	1st
CF	Pepe Mendoza	Little Rock	3rd
RF	Clyde Rosen	Boise	1st
National League
P	Allan Blackley	Boston	1st
C	Darren Riley	Salem	1st
1B	Pablo Montanez	Louisville	1st
2B	Alfonso Castro	Tampa Bay	1st
3B	Tony Bonifacio	Las Vegas	1st
SS	Bryant Swift	Las Vegas	4th
LF	Alving Machado	Memphis	1st
CF	Luis Estalella	Indianapolis	1st
RF	Chad Whitaker	Louisville	1st

Season 12 League Leaders

Now that the regular season is complete, here's a recap of the Season 12 League Leaders!

Offense

In the American League, Al Soto appeared atop of the league leaders three times, leading the AL in Home Runs (56), RBI (156) and Slugging Percentage (.648). Ivy Mench also had an excellent season, leading the AL in OBP (.413) and OPS (1.015).  A new single season record for Stolen Bases was set by Weldon Rando with an astounding 111!  Rando broke his own record, as he also holds spots 2-4 on the list of most Stolen Bases in a single season.

In the National League, Jeremy Randall had a great season leading the league in OBP (.459), Slugging (.646) and OPS (1.105). Bey Relaford captured both the Home Run (48) and RBI (141) titles.

Here's the complete list of offensive league leaders!

American League
Batting Average	Bernie Jackson	Boise	.335
Home Runs	Al Soto	Vancouver	56
RBI	Al Soto	Vancouver	156
Stolen Bases	Weldon Rando	Cincinnati	111
Hits	Billy Beaulac	Vancouver	194
Runs	Salvador Mendoza	Colorado	123
OBP	Ivy Mench	Pawtucket	.413
SLG	Al Soto	Vancouver	.648
OPS	Ivy Mench	Pawtucket	1.015
National League
Batting Average	Mike Russell	Las Vegas	.325
Home Runs	Bey Relaford	Buffalo	48
RBI	Bey Relaford	Buffalo	141
Stolen Bases	Paul McInerney	Buffalo	62
Hits	Randall Holt	Helena	197
Runs	Felix Cochrane	Memphis	118
OBP	Jeremy Randall	Buffalo	.459
SLG	Jeremy Randall	Buffalo	.646
OPS	Jeremy Randall	Buffalo	1.105

Pitching

Pitching wise, in the American League, Clyde Hurst had a decent year leading the AL in ERA, Wins, Strikeouts, WHIP, Complete Games and Shutouts.  Disappointingly, he only tied for the league lead in quality starts.  Despite that, we have an inkling he'll win his record breaking 4th Cy Young, and 3rd in a row this season.  His 3 Shutouts tied the mark for 5th most all-time.

In the NL, Richard Ma won the ERA title, and tied for the most wins. Che-Bang Kata took home yet another Strikeout title, led the league in WHIP, and tied for most Quality Starts. Jamie Mancuso and Damaso Perez tied the mark for 4th most Saves all-time with 51 each.

Here are the Season 12 Pitching League Leaders!

American League
ERA	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	2.41
Wins	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	19
Strikeouts	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	241
Saves	Kings Stoops	Chicago	48
WHIP	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	0.99
Innings Pitched	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	261.2
Quality Starts	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	27
	Erubiel Troncoso	Cincinnati	27
Complete Games	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	10
Shutouts	Clyde Hurst	Vancouver	3
National League
ERA	Richard Ma	Oklahoma City	2.17
Wins	Richard Ma	Oklahoma City	21
	Jimmie Soto	Buffalo	21
Strikeouts	Che-Bang Kata	Tacoma	240
Saves	Jamie Mancuso	Memphis	51
	Damaso Perez	Tacoma	51
WHIP	Che-Bang Kata	Tacoma	1.03
Innings Pitched	Ramiro Vazquez	Rochester	246.2
Quality Starts	Matty Posada	Louisville	28
	Che-Bang Kata	Tacoma	28
Complete Games	Douglas Telford	Burlington	8
Shutouts	Damion Xaio	Helena	2
	Steve Lampkin	Rochester	2
	Richard Ma	Oklahoma City	2
	Ellis Brock	Tampa Bay	2

Season 12 Power Rankings - End of Regular Season

Season 12's regular season has come to an end and it's time for the final edition of the power rankings going into the playoffs.   The top of the rankings are fairly bunched up indicating that there are several strong contenders for the World Series crown.  Taking the top spot by the slightest of margins is Pawtucket, who boasted the league's top offense this season, and the best record since the last rankings.  Oklahoma City comes in at a solid # 2, and are once again going to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.  Little Rock, defending champion Buffalo and Vancouver round out the top 5, all of whom look to be strong teams going into the playoffs as well.  Don't count anyone out though, as last season it was the #10 team in the final rankings that took the crown.  Here's the complete final rankings, good luck to the playoff teams, it should be an interesting postseason!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Pawtucket	103	59	4	Great offense, and top record down the stretch
2	Oklahoma City	103	59	2	Playing well, always a threat in the playoffs
3	Little Rock	102	60	1	Numbers fell a bit down the stretch, but solid
4	Buffalo	100	62	5	Numbers improved the last 40, can they repeat?
5	Vancouver	99	63	3	Holding steady, and they have won titles before
6	Las Vegas	92	70	6	Great turnaround this season, pitching is elite
7	Nashville	91	71	13	Made the playoffs with a solid stretch run
8	Dover	89	73	9	Pitching really improved here the last 40 games
9	Memphis	97	65	8	Pitching is top notch, need bats too in the playoffs
10	Chicago (AL)	89	73	16	#6 seed in AL, thanks to great play at the end
11	Salem	84	78	18	Missed the playoffs, but getting close
12	Helena	83	79	7	Good numbers, but no playoffs this year
13	Seattle	83	79	22	Played great the last 40, but still out of the mix
14	Rochester	86	76	12	Slipped in as the NL #6, but offense is a concern
15	Boston	79	83	20	Lost division on tiebreak, had some tough luck
16	Augusta	81	81	15	Need to ramp up the bats to take the next step
17	Tacoma	85	77	10	Good season, could be a player or two away
18	Tampa Bay	76	86	14	Bad luck, numbers say team is better than record
19	Cincinnati	81	81	23	Pitching was a bit spotty this year
20	Louisville	79	83	24	Off year, had a nice stretch run, should be back
21	Colorado	72	90	21	Typical COL numbers, city change should help
22	Monterrey	74	88	17	Good offense, could use a few better arms
23	Philadelphia	73	89	11	Great pitching, need some more bats
24	Indianapolis	79	83	25	Won a weak division, uphill climb ahead in playoffs
25	Texas	67	95	28	Pitching was a problem, offense is solid
26	Boise	69	93	29	Needs to work on their pitching staff a bit
27	Detroit	67	95	26	Pretty mediocre across the board this season
28	New Britain	69	93	19	Pitching fell off a bit down the stretch
29	Chicago (NL)	64	98	27	Numbers not terrible, may have been a bit unlucky
30	Burlington	59	103	31	Improved down the stretch, a good sign
31	Portland	58	104	30	Played over .500 the 2nd half, nice bounce back
32	New York	59	103	32	The offense was really weak this season.

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