6 weeks into the 2010 season, here are the Power Rankings:
1. Clarence Kendrick: Led by Miguel Cabrera and Matt Kemp, Clarence is off to the best start in the history of his franchise, and with a record of 40-18-2 he already has a 6.5 game lead in the standings. The only weakness on offense is the team's namesake- free-swinger Howie Kendrick boasts an OPS of only .718. In terms of pitching, the big man Jon Rauch has 10 saves, and rookie Mike Leake has 4 wins and a 3.09 ERA. More help may be along the way as Stephen Strasburg continues to mow down minor league batters.2. AK KTFO WTF: Last year's champ is off to a great start and has a great shot to repeat. "The road to the championship goes through KTFO!" proclaimed Coach Tony Khoury following his team's 9-1 shellacking of the once mighty Stingrays in week 6. KTFO has a balanced offense that is #3 in runs, #2 in HRs, #2 in SBs and #4 in OPS, thanks to strong play from Andrew McCutchen, Nelson Cruz, Dustin Pedroia, Casey McGehee, Chris Young and Justin Upton.
3. Kyle: Despite a record of 27-25, Kyle is in first place in the talent-deprived Patrick Division. He has gotten strong contributions from Kelly Johnson, Shane Victorino, Jorge Cantu, and Cy Young front-runner Ubaldo Jimenez (7-1, 1.12 ERA). Brett Gardner is second in MLB with 17 SBs.
4. Rick O'Gelboim: The Man in the Black Pajamas is off to a solid offensive start (#1 in runs, #2 in OPS) thanks to big performances from Ryan Braun, Placido Polanco, Dan Uggla, Alex Rios and Colby Rasmus. The pitching has been decent but unspectacular, though it ranks last in team wins.
5. Borgnine Emeson: Emeson is #1 in HRs, RBIs and OPS, but has a winning percentage below .500 due to a lack of reliable pitching options and the misfortune of playing teams who have had their best offensive weeks against him. Look for the Borgnine to move up the standings as the season progresses. Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, David Wright, Brett Hamilton, Jason Heyward, Carl Crawford and Vlad Guerrero are all off to great starts, and Justin Smoak, the second coming of Jason Botts, is close to getting his batting average above the Mendoza line.
6. Gary: Team Gary is off to its best start in years, anchored by dominant starting pitching. Gary is #1 in team ERA (2.64) and WHIP (1.15) and #2 in wins. Gary has a core of starting pitchers who are off to unbelievable starts- Phil Hughes (5-0, 1.38 ERA), Barry Zito (6-1, 2.15 ERA), Roy Halladay (6-1, 1.59 ERA), Cliff Lee (2.08), as well as Dallas Braden, who just pitched MLB's 19th perfect game. Aside from Andre Ethier and Bob Cano, his hitting has been marginal, and he is last in team SBs.
7. Kapitalizm Stompers: The Stompers' veteran infield (Howard, Phillips, Reyes and A-Rod) is not putting up the numbers it had in prior years, and the rest of its offense is either too young, too old, or too hurt to be effective. The Stompers have gotten strong pitching from Matt Garza and Jaime Garcia, but Josh Beckett has been a big, fat disappointment. Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos, who were recently picked up by the Stompers as free agents, both threw 1-hit complete games last week in which they did not walk any batters.
8. Bend it Like Mike Martin: Evan Longoria is having an outstanding season (in addition to his power, he leads MLB in runs) and Austin Jackson is making a run at American League Rookie of the Year, but the rest of Martin's offense has been stagnate. It's namesake, Gordham Beckham, is hitting only .188, which is sadly 6 points higher than Chone Figgins(.182) and 8 points higher than Carlos Quentin (.180). Super prospect Buster Posey remains in AAA, much to the frustration of the loyal and typically intoxicated Martin fanbase. Martin has only 5 starting pitchers on his roster, so while his peripherals have been great (#2 in ERA and WHIP), he has suffered in the counting categories (last in Ks). Paul Konerko leads MLB with 13 dongs.
9. Brady's Bus: Brady has good power (#3 in HRs, #1 in RBIs) but his team has been inconsistent and is mired near the bottom of the standings with a record of 25-34. With Jonathan Broxton, Jose Valverde, Matt Capps and Matt Lindstrom, Brady probably has the best closers in the league, but beyond Tim Lincecum, his starting pitching is thin. Many of Brady's premier players (Ben Zobrist, Adam Dunn, Clayton Kershaw, AJ Burnett, Shin-Soo Choo and Mark Reynolds) are off to marginal starts by their standards, and he will need them to get hot if he is to compete.
10. Stav's Stash: When your two best fantasy players are Nick Swisher and Tyler Clippard, you know you are in a little trouble. Clippard may have the best goggles in professional sports, but he is a middle reliever and will not be replacing Roger Murdock in a cockpit any time soon. The Stash has only won one series this year, and is fresh off a 2-8 drubbing at the hands of Team Shapiro. Dan Haren is #2 in MLB with 62 Ks, and James Shields is #3 with 59. Stash pitching has been solid (#1 in wins and Ks, #3 in WHIP), and if the big names (Hanley Ramirez, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, Markakis) get hot, the Stash can turn things around real fast.
11. Stingrays: The Stingrays have been in a league of their own throughout the history of the league, and no other team has really come close to the Stingrays in terms of accomplishments. However, that may change this year as the Stingrays are off to an abysmal start, and are presently dead last in HRs, RBIs, OPS and ERA. The Stingrays lost two key middle infielders to injuries (Jimmy Rollins and Brian Roberts), and have only received solid offensive production from two players (the rejuvenated Vernon Wells and waiver-wire wonder Ty Wiggington have combined for 22 dongs). Although they are last in many categories, the Stingrays are running away with the lead in free agent transactions. As bright spots, Francisco Cordero is second in MLB with 12 saves and Juan Pierre leads MLB with 18 SBs. The Stingrays will need to pick things up if they are to make a playoff run.
12. Clobbersaurus: In his inaugural season, new owner Mike Matos is experiencing growing pains as he tries to shape his franchise. While Justin Morneau is off to a great start, the rest of the offense has been slow to deliver, and highly touted prospect Pedro Alvarez remains in AAA. Matos has a stable of young arms (Daniel Bard, Joba Chamberlain, Neftali Feliz and Tommy Hanson), but to date their fantasy contributions have been limited.
5 comments:
Well done McKeon. Watch out for the Stingrays to make a run. I sensed a rumbling in the dugout following a closed door meeting Sunday night. More changes may be coming.
and by the way, my word verification to publish this comment was "peniz." funny words like that come around, once, maybe twice in a lifetime.
Great to hear that everyone is doing well- I hope to see you all at the ten year.
Thanks for all your help Mark. We really appreciate the way the administration has worked with us over the years.
This blog should be baseball free from now on. Football camps have begun
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