Season 13 Power Rankings # 2

We're half way into Season 13, which means another edition of the power rankings is here!   Oklahoma City continues to roll as the top team, putting up outstanding numbers overall.  A few other teams have emerged as potential contenders as well, there are several solid teams this season.  Here's a look at the complete power rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	58	24	1	Putting up amazing numbers across the board
2	Toronto	52	30	7	On a roll, playing extremely well right now
3	Arizona	51	31	2	Still playing well, and a very well-balanced squad
4	Rochester	48	34	11	Nice improvement overall since last rankings
5	Buffalo	45	37	3	Playing well, since to a fantastic pitching staff
6	Tampa Bay	45	37	4	Still getting it done, their division is very tough
7	Texas	49	33	8	Numbers a down a bit, but still the top offense
8	Honolulu	49	33	10	Getting the wins, despite pretty average numbers
9	Memphis	47	35	15	Nice surge since the last rankings, great pitching
10	Seattle	48	34	5	Just average in the last 40, numbers are down
11	Pawtucket	42	40	17	Bounced back after a slow start, we expected this
12	Cincinnati	44	38	12	Not getting a ton of offense, but pitching improved
13	Nashville	44	38	13	Offense is lights out, and pitching improved some
14	Little Rock	41	41	14	Made it back to .500, and improving numbers wise
15	New Britain	45	37	16	Pitching hasn't been great, but getting wins
16	Dover	40	42	31	One of the best over last 40, new ownership helped
17	Vancouver	40	42	23	Solid pitching has kept their record near .500
18	Kansas City	37	45	18	Holding steady here, can they turn it up a notch?
19	Louisville	41	41	20	Brutal division, and pitching has been a tad suspect
20	Chicago (AL)	40	42	9	Fell off a bit since last rankings, but have a chance
21	Philadelphia	37	45	26	Playing better as of late, pitching has been solid
22	Charleston	37	45	6	Tough stretch the last 40, but capable of bouncing back
23	St. Louis	36	46	21	Pretty consistent team, numbers show potential
24	New York	38	44	25	Offense has struggled, but pitching is holding its own
25	Chicago (NL)	37	45	22	Pitching has been hit pretty hard as of late
26	Detroit	34	48	24	Struggling a bit this season, but numbers aren't bad
27	Oakland	35	47	27	Pitching has been getting lit up compared to first 40
28	Jacksonville	29	53	29	Still underperforming their numbers a bit, has potential
29	Portland	32	50	19	Rough patch since the last rankings, but offense is good
30	Indianapolis	32	50	30	Not getting much offense this season
31	Anaheim	32	50	32	Pitching is struggling, but the bats are improving
32	Burlington	27	55	28	Really struggling as of late, but pitching shows potential

Season 13 Power Rankings # 1

We're a quarter of the way into Season 13 already, and it's time for the first power rankings of the season.  These rankings were a bit more difficult, due to owner neglect in Dover skewing some of the stats.  Luckily we got a quality replacement for that owner, and it shouldn't be an issue going forward.  What wasn't difficult was identifying the top team, Oklahoma City remains #1 with the top record thanks to lights out pitching and steady offense.  Arizona and Buffalo round out the top 3, with Tampa Bay and Seattle right behind them.  Here are the complete rankings!

	Team	W	L	PREV	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	30	11	1	Looking very strong, living up to preseason hype
2	Arizona	26	15	6	Well balanced team that is playing well so far
3	Buffalo	22	19	4	Putting up their usual strong numbers, pitching is great
4	Tampa Bay	23	18	7	Solid pitching and the offense is producing some
5	Seattle	27	14	18	Offense is surprising, even minus the games vs. Dover
6	Charleston	23	18	19	Pitching is very good so far, nice start to the season
7	Toronto	25	16	20	Looking good so far, we'll see if the pitching holds up
8	Texas	27	14	14	Great start, but not sure about the pitching staff here
9	Chicago (AL)	22	19	9	Holding steady, pitching is rough, but bats are good
10	Honolulu	24	17	10	Nice start, but need more offense to hang with NL's best
11	Rochester	22	19	12	Pitching has been outstanding, offense holding its own
12	Cincinnati	22	19	8	Pitching not great so far, so they fall some
13	Nashville	22	19	13	Dover effected stats, but keep spot for winning record
14	Little Rock	19	22	2	Rough start, bad luck plus pitching not as good as usual
15	Memphis	20	21	5	Usual story, pitching is great, but offense is lacking
16	New Britain	22	19	26	Surging up the rankings, but pitching hasn't been great
17	Pawtucket	17	24	3	A bit of a surprise here, pitching took a hit early on
18	Kansas City	18	23	11	Not  bad so far numbers wise, have a chance
19	Portland	18	23	21	Good numbers, but it hasn't resulted in a lot of wins yet
20	Louisville	21	20	28	Nice record so far, but pitching prevents higher jump
21	St. Louis	18	23	15	Hanging in there, capable of getting back over .500
22	Chicago (NL)	21	20	27	Good start, but numbers don't back it up, so we'll see
23	Vancouver	19	22	17	Offense seems to be an issue for this team
24	Detroit	17	24	25	Not a bad start numbers wise, but not getting wins
25	New York	20	21	32	Jury is still out, but pretty solid so far
26	Philadelphia	17	24	22	Need more offense to take the next step
27	Oakland	18	23	24	Looking just ok so far, mediocre across the board
28	Burlington	17	24	31	Outstanding pitching, bad offensive numbers so far
29	Jacksonville	13	28	23	Frustrating start, may be a little bit of bad luck.
30	Indianapolis	16	25	30	Offense has not produced at all so far
31	Dover	13	28	16	New owner will help improve, offense is actually solid
32	Anaheim	17	24	29	Not getting it done so far, may be a season or two away

Season 13 Preseason Power Rankings

Spring Training is under way for Season 13, free agency is over and the regular season is right around the corner.  That means it's a good time to release the preseason power rankings.  These are always tough to do, since so much has changed from the previous season, but it's worth a shot.   The preseason # 1 is the defending champion Oklahoma City.   Although some might question that choice, since they seem to only win titles in even numbered seasons, the roster is strong again, and there's no reason to deny them the top ranking.  There will be some strong challengers this year.  Coming in at #2 is Little Rock, the only other team than OKC to hold the #1 spot over the past season.  Offensive juggernaut Pawtucket is #3, while Buffalo and Memphis round out the top 5.  Here's the complete preseason rankings!!

		Season 12
	Team	W	L	Comments
1	Oklahoma City	103	59	Champs have won 3 titles, but never back-to-back
2	Little Rock	102	60	Very strong roster, should be great again.
3	Pawtucket	103	59	Great offense, the pitching is above average too
4	Buffalo	100	62	Solid across the board, always seem to be in the mix
5	Memphis	97	65	One of the best pitching staffs, not sure about the bats
6	Arizona	99	63	Great roster, how will new ownership guide them?
7	Tampa Bay	76	86	Improved in the offseason, but in tough division
8	Cincinnati	79	83	Good team got better through offseason free agency
9	Chicago (AL)	89	73	This franchise is on the uptick, added a few FA's
10	Honolulu	84	78	Added a couple of pieces and were solid last season
11	Kansas City	83	79	Good roster here, we'll see what the new owner can do
12	Rochester	86	76	Very nice pitching, but do they have enough offense?
13	Nashville	91	71	Didn't do a lot in the offseason, but still pretty good
14	Texas	67	95	Very busy in free agency, we'll see if it leads to wins
15	St. Louis	92	70	Lost some talent in FA, but they could be all right still
16	Dover	89	73	Some players left in FA, and they declared a rebuild
17	Vancouver	85	77	We'll see how they do in a more hitter friendly park
18	Seattle	83	79	Offense needs to improve, and Seattle is tough for that
19	Charleston	81	81	Good pitching here, bats are key factor here too
20	Toronto	81	81	Pretty average overall, could be about the same
21	Portland	58	104	Great 2nd half last season and very active in FA
22	Philadelphia	73	89	Great pitching last season, but offense is a ?
23	Jacksonville	74	88	Not sure they have the pitching to contend just yet
24	Oakland	69	93	Did sign a few FA's so should be better
25	Detroit	67	95	Seems to be still in rebuilding mode
26	New Britain	69	93	Another team that is looking toward the future
27	Chicago (NL)	64	98	May still be a few seasons away from contending
28	Louisville	79	83	Took some hits in free agency, and division is brutal
29	Anaheim	72	90	Hard to predict what they will do after leaving Colorado
30	Indianapolis	79	83	Lost a couple FA's, so they may be impacted
31	Burlington	59	103	Seem to be in rebuild mode, so may be a down year
32	New York	59	103	Quiet in FA, so looks like another rebuild season

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