BSPN Power Rankings – April 4th – Are the Snappers for real?
April 4th BSPN CBA Power Rankings
1. Salt Lake City W-L 15-4 Last 10 9-1
Salt Lake City has been hitting elite as a team, while scouts have them as having only 4 CBA level hitters. How long can this facade last? The Snappers rank #1 in AVG,OBP,SLG,OBP+SLG,Runs,Hits,XBH, and 2nd in BBs. Their only “weaknesses” stat wise so far are the lack of steals but they are still scoring runs at a historic pace to begin the inaugural season. Even when they slow down on the batting side, they have the top pitching staff in the entire CBA, although they haven’t performed up to par so far. Their top pick Ralph Radney returned last week and the Snappers don’t show any signs of slowing down, scoring 27 runs in a win over Wichita the other day. The Snappers will come back to earth sometime soon, as keeping up this kind of scoring is just not possible.
2. Midwest Plainsmen W-L 13-6 Last 10 6-4
The Plainsmen have a nice balance going on, with top 10 rankings in the majority of offensive statistics, and as well as an elite pitching staff, who rank #1 and #2 in Strikeouts and Walks given respectively. BSPN March Reliever of the Month Shawn Martin looks to continue his hot pace, along with their other elite bullpen members Ivan Campos and Jason Peterson, while Jamie Malchow and John Belinsky try to match their March campaign.
3. Florida Giants W-L 12-7 Last 10 6-4
Another team with good balance, the Florida Giants have a top 16 ranking in every offensive category, while also having a top 15 ranking in every defensive/pitching category with the exception of strikeouts. The elite hitters on this lineup didn’t have the best March, but that didn’t stop them from getting a top 3 record in the CBA. If their lineup comes into form like it should, they will be unquestionably a top team. Ramon Rangel and Jayden Morrissette will be under a microscope for Giants fans.
4. Arizona Thunderbirds W-L 13-6 Last 10 6-4
Now this is a weird team, they have scored the 2nd most runs in the CBA, and are batting top 10 in nearly every hitting statistic, but a huge question mark popped up when they allowed 39 runs in a 3 game series to the Indianapolis Hawks. Other than that blip, the Thunderbirds have been a solid pitched team, but with little depth in the pitching staff and on the active roster, they will have to stay injury free to remain near the top of the CBA. SP Danny Schlueter has performed very well as the 2nd rotation starter, but Adrian Owens, their expected ace, has been struggling heavily with an 0-3 record, 8.14 ERA, and a 1.71 WHIP.
5. Dallas Devils W-L 12-7 Last 10 6-4
Another well balanced team in the top 5, Dallas has top 13 rankings in every hitting statistic, along with top 15 rankings in every pitching statistic. While their rotation is manned with 3 elite front end starters, the bullpen and end of the rotation are noticeably devoid of good talent, and long term injuries would devastate the Devils. Fans wonder how long John Petcoff will remain on the bench while he continues to outperform Ernie Gallardo in the chances he gets. Keith Bush has been a solid above average pitcher, but scouts suggest he is elite and should be doing better, as well as he has gotten shelled in a few outings. We’ll have to keep an eye on these situations.
6. Great Lakes Monsters W-L 11-8 Last 10 7-3
The Great Lakes Monsters are a curious case. They are ranked 29th and 30th in the majority of the batting statistics, including 30th in runs scored and batting average, but their pitching staff has the #1 ERA, and they’ve allowed opponents to the 2nd least hits, and the least amount of runs. Their batters aren’t this bad, but their pitchers aren’t this good, expect both numbers to even out, but if Josh Verburg gets injured, they might stay at the bottom of the league in batting. Closer Joe McMillan was lost for the entire year with a torn Labrum, and It’ll be interesting to see how GM Corey Kern plays this situation out with an underperforming lineup and a bullpen who just lost its best arm for the year.
7. Denver Wolves W-L 9-10 Last 10 5-5
The Wolves are a team who have not won as many as they’d hope so far, but they rank in the top 6 in the majority of batting stats, and the top 16 in the majority of pitching stats, so their record is very likely to improve. They have a solid pitching staff, with injury protection, but their lineup is relatively weak outside of their top 3 batters. Denver is certainly hoping their batters keep achieving. Kevin Rayos and Dave Grafton will likely fall back to earth, but this team should be alright.
8. Detroit Motors W-L 9-10 Last 10 5-5
Detroit is a team that on paper, should be doing well with a nice balance of hitting and pitching, but their hitting is the only side that has shown up thus far. They are a top 5 offensive team across the board, but their pitching has left them disappointed with bottom 10 ranks in every category. Scouts say their pitching staff is one of the best in the CBA however, and they will very surely brush the dust off and start performing how they should. If I had to bet the farm on one team making the Premier League, I would say Detroit has the best chance. They added two above average bench bats as injury insurance in a lopsided trade with San Diego that sent 4 prospects to San Diego in exchange for Lorenzo Fuerte and Tommy Mawyer.
9. Boston Rogers W-L 11-8 Last 10 7-3
Boston is pitching out of their minds right now, ranking as a top 5 pitching staff by stats, but scouts say they should be more in the middle. Their lineup has a good few above average players, but the bench is filled with scrubs and if Mike Watson goes down, this team may not even make Silver League. Jeremy England and Justin Marchi need to be very good this year, and have been living up to their expectations. This team however, is not deep at all and any injuries will decimate them, especially on the batting side.
10. Portland Axemen W-L 11-8 Last 10 6-4
The Axemen are another team whos pitching staff is probably overplaying to their abilities, but their lineup is underplaying so their record is not phony. Look for their measly .243 average to climb to .270+ by the end of April or early May. Their pitching will likely regress to the mean, but if they can keep up a little of what they are doing they will be good. They have been hit hard with injuries already though, with 3 starting pitchers out. Their best pitcher Shaun Glasser will return next week. Injuries have already started to decimate this roster, and bad times are on the horizon if they cant get some deals done to strengthen their bench, although Jose Castro is set to join the lineup for the first time this year and he should be a nice boost.
11. Oklahoma Mammoths W-L 10-9 Last 10 5-5
The Mammoths are a relatively balanced team, scoring the 15th most runs in the CBA, as well as allowed the 11th least amount of runs. Oklahoma has a potent lineup, and although it hasn’t completely come together yet, it will and it will be deadly. Their pitching staff is solid, but outside of the 5 in the rotation and the top 2 relievers, they have nobody who can really get in there and give you solid innings on a regular basis. They may need to get a trade in or two for some injury insurance. They don’t have a single injury yet, so they are definitely playing it dangerously. Andy Mobley, Greg Kuhl, and Brad Sayers are hitting good on the year, Sayers could improve some, but this “Big 3” of batters should be enough to get them to Silver League, and with injury luck, they can definately hit Premier league.
12. Carolina Aces W-L 12-7 Last 10 5-5
The Aces are in almost the same situation as the Mammoths above, they have a better pitching staff however, with a handful of elite pitchers. They face the problem of having no bench in the bullpen or the lineup, so if they get hit with injuries there will be a problem in Carolina. The Aces pitching staff does have Aces in it, but they fall off quick at the end of the rotation. Judah Plato turned 39 years old on April 1st, and celebrated with a day off. The Aces won 13-3 and his backup hit 3-6. Judah’s time as Carolinas starting catcher may be short lived, as he has been hitting only .207 on the year.
13. Austin Outlaws W-L 7-12 Last 10 3-7
The Outlaws have lost 5 straight games to drop to a 7-12 record, but their roster is better than their record indicates. They a solid 5 man rotation, and a solid bullpen. None of their pitchers are elite, but they are all league average or slightly above, with the exception of maybe two. Their offense is led by BSPN March 2017 Batter of the Month Chris “Cracker” Greenwell who is slashing an obscene .507/.553/.910 with 7 HR / 21 RBI. At only 23 this guy is going to be a menace for a long time. GM Aaron Blue is probably giggling with happiness after getting him at #22 overall. The rest of the lineup is hitting very good and this team is elite offensively, their pitching just hasn’t warmed up yet. Give them a little time and this team will be top 3-6 sooner rather than later.
14. Indianapolis Hawks W-L 11-8 Last 10 5-5
The Hawks have an explosive offense, bursting for 39 runs against the Thunderbirds over 3 games, but their pitching also gives up runs at an alarming rate, and they won’t be able to consistently outbat the runs their staff gives up. Luckily they have two elite top of the rotation starters, but the rest of the pitching staff grades out at average or below average, and the starters will have to carry this bullpen through 6-8 innings as often as possible. Arturo Altamirano cannot be 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA if this team wants to make the Premier League. Xavier Frade has been one of the best pitchers in the CBA, with a 4-0 record and a 1.14 WHIP. Their best bullpen arm was just injured and will be out 3 weeks at least with a torn rotator cuff, weakening an already weak bullpen.
15. Chicago Gale W-L 8-11 Last 10 6-4
The Chicago Gale is another team with a solid lineup but a very short bench. Their hitters have been hitting for ~17th rank in every offensive category, which scouts think is underachieving, but their good pitching staff has backed up the scouts predictions and they are a top 7 pitching staff in the majority of pitching stats. Their defense is playing very well, with a .267 BABIP. This pitching staff should be able to keep their numbers high, and their defense is maybe overachieving, but not by much, Chicago focused very much on defense first it seems, everybody can field on their team. This is a team that scouts are high on, so expect them to have a nice turn around after this slow start.
16. Philadelphia Liberty W-L 11-8 Last 10 6-4
Philadelphia has allowed the 15th most runs, but they have scored the 13th most runs, and that’s a formula that will work >50% of the time as they are guided to a 11-8 record thus far. Thats about where my scouts see their batters at, but their bench is limited, and their pitchers are performing vastly above expectations. Top pick Danny Pinger should be hitting better than he is now, and the rest of the Liberty is picking up his slack, but players like Billy Gray and Andy Nixon likely wont be able to continue doing it. I expect the Liberty pitching to be a bottom 5-10 staff, and a large reason is because besides their 2 best starters and 2 best relievers, this team is devoid of CBA level pitching. Their starters ERA ranks 21st and they have walked the 4th most batters, the other stats will follow suit, and injuries to any of their 4 above average pitchers will devastate them.
17. Mexico City Chupacabras W-L 12-7 Last 10 7-3
The Chupacabras offense hasn’t been clicking very well, ranking in the bottom of the league in most categories, although they are 18th in scoring. They have the #1 ranked defense, and that is in turn helping the pitching staff tremendously, holding opponents to the least amt of hits in the CBA, and the 2nd lowest AVG. The team rate of 0.234 is not sustainable and this pitching staff will fall back to earth sometime, and their 20th ranked offense will not be able to keep them at a .632 Winning percentage.
18. Brooklyn Bulldogs W-L 11-8 Last 10 4-6
The Bulldogs have very good stats, and are ranked like a top 5 team with top 16 ratings in all offensive categories and defensive and pitching statistics, however, their roster is surely over-performing greatly right now, and with possibly the worst bench in the CBA backing up their hitters, these stats are not going to be sustainable. Their pitching staff is not much better in terms of backups either, while they are currently performing good enough, their bottom half starters are not good enough to start in the CBA and will likely regress to the mean. If any of their lineup starters go down, they will be starting more Reserve level players, and their record is going to suffer once injuries come in. SS Vic Gonzalez is projected to rejoin the lineup in 2 weeks and he should be a nice boost over Jose Hernandez.
19. Sacramento Golden Bears W-L 10-9 Last 10 6-4
Losing Victor “Vapor Lock” Delgado for the season hasn’t slowed the Golden Bears record, but their batting is extremely stagnant. They rank 27th in runs scored, and 29th in batting average, this team is not hitting anything. They have the talent to hit however, and these numbers shouldn’t last too long as their team is loaded with talent and speed. They lead the CBA in stolen bases, and their defense and speed with their very solid pitching staff should get them a silver league spot, but their batting has got to start showing up if they want to be higher than the lower part of Silver league. This is another team that doesn’t have the deepest bench, so like many of the other teams that are performing well, an injury to the wrong player would be devastating.
20. Atlanta Swarm W-L 7-12 Last 10 3-7
Tragedy struck in Atlanta as Mike “Win” Quinn was diagnosed with a Torn Labrum, and will be out for the rest of the season. The #3 overall pick, Mike Quinn was widely expected to be the #1 pitcher in the CBA, and he only got to pitch 6.2 innings in this inaugural season. Since Mike Quinn’s injury the Swarm hasn’t looked very good, but they have played only good teams. They are 7-12, but they got Shen Qi back a few days ago, and although they have gone 1-3 since his return, he has been batting like the #a top 15 batter, albeit in a very small sample so far. The Swarm has an average starting rotation, and a solid bullpen, but their pitching is no longer elite without the #1 pitcher in baseball. They need to hit the ball better and their starters are going to need to step up if they want to make the Premier league now.
21. Cincinnati Royals W-L 7-12 Last 10 2-8
The Royals ride a 7 game losing streak to the 21 spot on this BSPN Power Rankings. They are hitting for league average across the board, and their pitching it slightly below average stats wise. Scouts see Cincinnati’s lineup as underperforming, they should eventually improve, and their pitching staff isn’t bad but its not great. Like the Swarm, they have a few above average pitchers, and a bunch of below average to average pitchers. And like the Swarm, these pitchers need to up their game if the Royals want to make the Premier league. Their pitching staff should bring them to the top of the Bronze League, and their batters will start hitting eventually, should be an easy Silver League berth.
22. DC Eagles W-L 10-9 Last 10 6-4
The DC Eagles are scoring the 19th most runs, but it is mostly on home runs, and the scouts don’t think they can keep it up, and the bench is scarce, as is the bottom half of the lineup, of CBA talent. The Pitching staff is elite, and their top 3 starters are all elite, the rest of the staff is average to below average, but their starters have them riding one of the worst offenses in the league to a 10-9 record. One of the starters, Aaron Hannah, is going through some back tightness, and after seeing what happened to Mike Quinn and Joe McMillan, they may play it safe and let him rest a week or two.
23. New York Roar W-L 8-11 Last 10 5-5
Brent Savage and the Super Friends haven’t performed up to expectations, but the season is still young, and more runs scored are on the horizon. The Roars’ rotation is solid, but they only have 2 average or better relievers, and if any pitcher on the team is injured they will be forced to use one of the many CBA Reserve level pitchers that fill their active roster. Their bench is nonexistent in the bullpen and in the lineup as well, the Super Friends are gonna have to bat their way into wins when the starters don’t last long enough.
24. Iowa Predators W-L 8-11 Last 10 3-7
The Predators have a solid pitching staff, although there are some real questions on the rotation. The bullpen is solid all around, injuries wouldnt be a problem in the bullpen, but if a Starter goes down, especially David McDaniel, than this team is going to have to make some deals to get starting pitching if it wants to get out of the Bronze league projections
25. Miami Warriors W-L 7-12 Last 10 4-6
Miami’s pitching staff has overachieved allowing the 10th least home runs and striking out the 18th most batters, but every other stat is in the bottom 3 for pitching and defense. Their hitters are driving in the 8th most runs in the CBA, but theres no stars on the lineup, everyone is slightly below average to slightly above average. The average batter is younger than 25, and this team looks to be overachieving on the batting side, but its very possible with this many league average players some are going to be better since its so early in everyone on this teams baseball career. Miami has dropped 10+ 3 times already, so their hitting might catch on as these players get experience.
26. Houston Moondogs W-L 6-13 Last 10 3-7
The Moondogs are the 13th best hitting team in AVG and OBP, but they are only #26 in runs scored, leading them to a 6-13 record. Their pitching ranks in the bottom 5 in most categories, even with an above average defense. Their only Starter that could measure out at league average is Chris House and he is expected to be doing better, with a 1.3 WHIP, but with the bullpen the Moondogs have assembled, The starters have to complete a game to get a W and theres only 1 serviceable starter.
27. Wichita Weasels W-L 7-12 Last 10 3-7
The Weasels have a very serviceable pitching staff, with guys like Chris Abbott and Hector Tovar leading the rotation, and a deep bullpen of league ready guys, but their batting is very subpar, and won’t be enough to win most games. Their hitters rank in the bottom 5 of every hitting statistic, and there isn’t really anyone on this roster who can hit at a league average pace.
28. Los Angeles Chilis W-L 6-13 Last 10 4-6
Los Angeles has a very thin bench, and a very thin pitching staff. They have a good starter in Kamar Alston, and a solid reliever in Adelkria Apio, although he is battling back spasms at the moment, but besides those two, their bullpen is filled with below average pitchers, and while they have good talent in the minors, they aren’t ready for CBA play and will almost assuredly be a bronze team. Happy Birthday to their top prospect, Kenny Dewitt, a SP who turned 19 today. If there is one good thing about this team, its their young age, their farm system is promising.
29. Bay Area Pandas W-L 6-13 Last 10 4-6
Another team with no bench in the staff or lineup, if either of their top 2 pitchers go down, they will lose 100+ games. Their lineup is not much better, but like the Chilis, the Pandas are filled with youth and have a future to look forward to. Mike Todoroff looks to join the lineup sometime this season, and Bay Area fans are eagerly waiting for him to make his debut. SP Jaheim Bledsoe has wowed us, scouts told BSPN they thought he isnt quality enough to start in the Reserve league, but he has been one of the best pitchers in the CBA, with a 0.96 WHIP through 27 IP. Bay Area doesnt look to compete this year without making some trades, and they seem content letting their young players get experience in this first season.
30. San Diego Skylarks W-L 5-14 Last 10 3-7
The San Diego Skylarks are not a good baseball team, I’m shocked they have 5 wins already. Their pitching staff contains 1 pitcher who is above league average, and every other pitcher on the roster belongs on a Reserves roster. The Skylarks Lineup is actually alright, with guys like Jose Sanchez and Doug Tausch hitting relatively good so far in the season. Their pitching however will not win them many games, and they will have to score 10+ to win on a nightly basis. The Skylarks made a very questionable move, acquiring 4 propects who likely won’t make the CBA in exchange for two of their oldest, but also their best hitters. Detroit made off like a madman in this trade as San Diego seemingly wants to tank for the #1 pick.
