POST-MAY POWER RANKINGSHere's a look at how the teams progressed and regressed over the course of this past month. The ▼ means they have gone down in ranking (ie #17 to #23), the ▲ means they have gone up (ie #11 to #6). Let's get started.
#30. Honolulu Crawdads (16-41) (
▼ 2)
Nothing worked well for the Crawdads in May, as they could only muster 7 wins in the entire month. The pitching has been the worst in this league, posting an ERA so high (9.65) it brings a tear to my eye. I don't think they'll be crawling out of this hole anytime soon.
#29. Salt Lake Sting (20-37) (
▼ 8)
The most poorly-managed team in the league, by far. The robo-GM obviously malfunctioned here, as he signed all of the crappy placeholder free agents and demoted much more talented players to AAA in order to make room for them. Lord knows why he did it, but the consequences are certainly shown here, as the Sting only won 7 games in all of May.
#28. Green Bay Mustangs (16-40) (
▲ 2)
The Mustangs had a much better, albeit still below .500 month of May. The key was that the offense made positive strides this month, as they have nobody under the Mendoza line anymore, they have 2 more hitters batting above .300, and left fielder Mark Palmer has emerged as the team's biggest power threat (16 HR, .606 SLG, 1.02 OPS). However, if the Mustangs want to continue their ascent, the pitching must get better, which, in this league, is easier said than done.
#27. Columbus Senators (22-35) (--)
More of the same from the Senators. Which is to say, bad offense. Plus, the pitching, minus star reliever Trevor Adams got (1.16 ERA) got worse. So, I think it's safe to say the Senators won't be changing their ways anytime soon.
#26. Pawtucket Patriots (22-34) (--)
CF and leadoff man Lucius Hackett is not getting the job done from the leadoff spot (.231 AVG). Both he and the relatively shoddy Patriots pitching must step up if they want any shot of contending in the AL East.
#25. Scranton Schrutes (23-34) (
▲ 4)
Fact: The Schrutes are better off now than they were before May.
Fact: They still won't finish above 4th place in the NL East.
Fact: This team name is seriously the best.
#24. Ottawa Canadians (26-31) (
▲ 1)
The Canadians are probably the least like all the other PGL teams. For starters, they are the only Canadian team. Secondly, it is offense that is their weakness and not their pitching, which has 3 of their 5 starters posting ERAs under 3.
They certainly have the potential to do well this season, but the offense needs to wake up in order for this to happen.
#23. Buffalo Soldiers (26-32) (
▼ 9)
The Soldiers' offense is sputtering, but catcher Maurice Baker (.337/8/58) and center fielder Keith Wells (.324/12/64) have been the bright spots in an otherwise very disappointing lineup.
#22. Guam Gorillas (23-34) (
▼ 12)
Shortstop Pedro Lima and left fielder Mick Jones have formed a formidable 2-3 punch in the Gorillas' lineup. However, the pitching has been bad for the league, and even though I personally like this team, I'm losing faith in their ability to contend.
#21. Louisville Dragons (26-31) (
▼ 2)
Star 3B Alex Warner is disappointed with his team's play and is a very likely candidate to get traded for some younger players. Warner has most certainly done his part to help, hitting .418 with 21 HR and 92 RBI, putting himself in position for a chance at the triple crown.
#20. Indianapolis Captains (27-29) (
▲ 2)
Veteran first baseman Terry Cooper is looking like his younger self again, as he's crushing the ball to the tune of a .401 average, 17 homers, and 63 RBI. With Cooper's resurgence and the improvement of the pitching, the Captains have become a dark horse candidate in the NL Central.
#19. Phoenix Cobras (26-30) (
▼ 3)
The Cobras, they're an interesting team. They have tons of talent, it just hasn't shown yet (except for McBride, he's shown talent and then some). I can't really diagnose one single issue, they've probably just run into a little bit of hard luck. However, like the Whalers, the Cobras are running out of time to show what they can do in this league.
#18. Durham Dinosaurs (28-29) (
▲ 5)
The Dinosaurs improved greatly in May, but their offense is very inconsistent. Not to mention they play in the toughest division in baseball, the NL East.
At least their matchups against the Slayers shows they can beat good teams.
#17. Omaha Sheriffs (31-25) (--)
The Sheriffs had a good month of May, but I think this is the best month they'll have this season. This is a team that's playing way over their heads and should be heading back to earth soon. That bullpen of theirs is still awful and their hitters just won't produce enough to sustain this hot streak.
#16. Oklahoma City Ham Bones (28-28) (
▼ 10)
HAM BONES
y u do dis
#15. Syracuse Falcons (27-28) (
▲ 9)
The offense is starting to come around. Evan Moseley saw his average increase by over 50 points in May, and shortstop Samuel Tolar is starting to realize his full potential. The Falcons still have a lot of work to do if they want to catch up to the Lions and Felines, but there certainly is more optimism in Syracuse now than there was a month ago.
#14. Vancouver Whalers (29-28) (
▼ 2)
The reason they dropped in the rankings is because every single pitcher, even star closer Amaury Loaiza, got worse over the month of May. With the success of both the Slayers and Gamblers, time is running out for the Whalers to make any sort of move in the standings.
#13. Alaska Malamutes (31-25) (
▼ 2)
The Malamutes are playing a bit over their heads, but they still are a talented team deserving of their current 2nd place spot in the AL West. If the Malamutes want to pass the Heroes, though, they need center fielder Valerio Rojas to be more consistent at the plate. Rojas has the lowest batting average on the team (.269) and while he does lead the team in homers (12), it's still not enough for them out of the cleanup spot.
#12. San Antonio Outlaws (31-26) (
▼ 3)
Third baseman Ethan Comsby is setting the league on fire, raising his average to .422 to end May and leading the team with a 1.15 OPS. Starting pitchers Howard Butcher, Frank Pedersen, and Curtis Hubbs all have performed admirably, and their success is the reason the Outlaws still have their eyes on the NL Central crown.
#11. Richmond Angels (30-27) (
▼ 9)
The Angels slipped mightily in May, going 11-18 for the month. Chalk it up to the bullpen completely imploding, as only one reliever (William Hudson, 2.49) has an ERA under 6. Hopefully, for the Angels, May was a fluke, and not April.
#10. Orlando Squirrels (33-25) (
▲ 3)
The Squirrels have also shown to be one of the more under-the-radar teams. The only player who really seems to stand out is right fielder Zora Brown, who is leading the team in average (.412), homers (18), hits (84), doubles (27), RBI (95, which also leads the PGL), walks (37), OBP (.510), SB (6), SLG (.828), and OPS (1.33). Brown has truly shown he is one of the game's best all-around players.
#9. Minneapolis Flash (32-24) (
▲ 6)
The Flash, minus Yabin, continue to be remarkably "meh" as a team. They still get the job done though, as they posted another 16-12 record for the month of May.
#8. Las Vegas Gamblers (31-24) (--)
Third baseman Steve Chapman is being regarded as the best contact hitter in the PGL, and with a league-leading .468 average, it's hard to argue that claim. He's largely a singles hitter, but he does happen to lead the team in triples (9). On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have right fielder Billy Shepard, who happens to be one of your typical "3 True Outcomes" hitters. 21 of his 61 hits have gone over the fence. Closer Andrew Falkner is putting together a wonderful season, with a 1.73 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 26 innings.
#7. Iowa City Hatchlings (34-23) (
▲ 11)
Jameel Cook has been a beast, becoming the first pitcher to 10 wins this season. His 116 Ks in 90 innings give him an 11.6 K/9, great for a starting pitcher. Right fielder Alex Moyer has also been putting up stupid numbers, as he leads the AL with a .448 AVG, 95 hits, 32 doubles, 95 RBI, a .550 OBP, 183 total bases, an .863 SLG, 53 extra base hits, and a 1.41 OPS.
#6. Nashville Raiders (35-22) (
▲ 14)
Shaun Valle continues to lead this squad, but his supporting crew is also starting to make positive strides. #2 starter Hollis York trimmed his ERA from over 6 to under 5 in this past month. Jacob Brantley has been a wonderful closer, posting a sparkling 1.47 ERA. Offensively, third baseman Robert Livingston leads the charge with 16 homers, 77 RBI, and a 1.10 OPS.
#5. Hawaii Heroes (33-23) (
▲ 2)
James Settle continues his amazing and surprising run, finishing 8-1 with a 1.69 ERA. It's really unexpected because he's only struck out 37 batters in 69 innings. His success is dependent on the superb outfield defense behind him, as he has gotten 76 outs on flyballs this season. The Heroes as a team have a 4.86 ERA, which is second in the PGL to the Slayers and first in the AL.
#4. New Orleans Lions (32-24) (
▲ 1)
The Lions continue to thrive on offense, and right fielder Rico Reyes and first baseman Phillip Lopez have emerged as one of the best 3-4 combos in the PGL. Both men combing to form an OPS of 2.26. It hasn't been just those two, however, as leadoff man and shortstop Randall Tyler has had himself quite a season (.361 AVG, .459 OBP). Same with veteran 3B Randy Bell, who is leading this-high powered offense in both homers (17) and RBI (72).
#3. Sacramento Slayers (36-20) (
▲ 1)
The Slayers continue to find ways to win. Their main strength is pitching, as they have the lowest team ERA (3.61) in the entire PGL, and it's not even close. They also lead the NL West in HRs, with 90, led by Jose Bautista, who has hit a major-league leading 23. If the pitching keeps up their strong performance, they'll be in great shape in the National League.
#2. Louisville Rhinos (36-20) (
▲ 1)
Peters, Lee, and Bay continue their superb pitching, as all three have 7+ wins and an ERA under 3.30. These men are the biggest reason for the Rhinos' success, but another player who has shined is lefty reliever Jin Leung. Leung has pitched to a 1.95 ERA in 37 innings as the setup man. As for the hitters, Kazuo Shinobi is still proving himself to be a top-notch leadoff man, as he leads the AL with 44 walks, and leads the team with a .478 OBP and 1.04 OPS.
#1. Jacksonville Felines (38-19) (--)
The Felines slipped a bit this month, but still remain in the top spot. One of the reasons for said slippage was rookie Hiroyuki Ibata, who had an ERA under 4 going into May but had it over 5 at the end. Smith and Tracey are still total badasses, both hitting .418 and .415, respectively. Smith also is tied with the Dragons' star 3B Alex Warner for the league lead in RBI, with 92. Closer Marcus Williams has dominated, getting 10/11 save opportunities, with an ERA of 1.57 and a K/9 of 12.77.
I think this paled in comparison to the post-April rankings. Oh well.
Login
Register
Wiki
FAQ
Search
