June 6 BSPN Awards and Power Rankings — Carolina lonely at the top
June 6 2022 BSPN Awards and Power Rankings
Batter of the Month
Jeremy Costanzo, 30, 1B Salt Lake City Snappers
126 PA | .447 AVG | .500 OBP | .974 SLG | 18 HR | 41 RBI | 9 BB | 17 SO | 0 SB
In a month with quite a few batters hitting incredibly well, Jeremy Costanzo rises well above even all of them. With an astonishing 18 home runs in May while hitting .447, Costanzo had an incredible 1.474 OPS, this is a statline that may stay for a while as the best full-month statline in CBA history. Costanzo led the Snappers to a 16-12 record in May after a disappointing April campaign.
Starting Pitcher of the Month
Jeremy England, 30, Boston Rogers
2-0 W-L: | 43.1 IP | 25 HA | 8 ER | 19 BB | 42 K | 1.66 ERA | 1.02 WHIP
Standing a tall 5’9”, Jeremy England has made the most out of his height this month, pitching his way to the May SP of the Month. With 6 quality starts in 6 tries as well as a complete game shutout, he was the most consistently elite pitcher this month. He notably did not allowed a single home run over his 43.1 innings pitched. His control was a slight issue, but he left his team with a chance to win every time he started, and although only the Rogers lost 3 of his 6 starts, he gave up only 5 runs combined in those 3 losses, so it wasn’t on him.
Reliever of the Month
Dante Arias, 27, Great Lakes Monsters
2-3 W-L: | 8 SV | 1 BS | 27.2 IP | 15 HA | 5 BB | 43 K | 2.60 ERA | 0.72 WHIP
Despite 3 losses and 1 blown save, Arias was still the most consistent reliever over the month of May by a solid margin, and the fact that he played 10 more innings than most other choices while still holding elite stats, he rose to the top of the list of candidates for May. While pitching the 3rd most innings of any reliever who didnt start any games, Arias had a FIP of 1.07, tied for 2nd among relievers, and with a full 11.2 IP more than 1st place, who had a FIP of 1.01. Shawn Martin of the Plainsmen remains the best reliever in the CBA, but with 3 starters in the top 5 of IP, he hasn’t even seen the 27.2 IP in the whole year, that Arias saw this month alone.
Rookie Batter of the Month*
Sal Baez, 22, 1B Brooklyn Bulldogs
116 PA | .284 AVG | .328 OBP | .596 SLG | 8 HR | 22 RBI | 7 BB | 16 SO | 0 SB
April Rookie Batter of the Month Mike Weatherston led his Carolina Aces to a 19-9 record in April, with an incredible slash line. He was in heavy consideration for Batter of the Month outright, but he just missed the cutoff of 100 ABs in a full month, as he has not been starting every game. He easily takes the rookie of the month batting crown though, as no youngins came close to his performance in the month of April.
Rookie Pitcher of the Month*
Randy Steckel, 21, SP Detroit Motors
2-3 W-L: | 35.0 IP | 36 HA | 14 ER | 8 BB | 25 K | 3.60 ERA | 1.26 WHIP
Our first 2 time winner of an award, the May Rookie Pitcher of the Month was Randy Steckel. Until some other prospects get the call up, it looks like he will likely be the best rookie pitcher all year. He is the only rookie starter performing at CBA level, with the majority of other rookies battling control problems all season, while Steckel is keeping his at a respectable 2.7 BB/9 compared to 5+ for everyone else
*for the first year Rookie of the month will be 22 year old or younger players
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BSPN Power Rankings May 2nd, 2022
1. Carolina Aces
W-L: 50-25 (.667) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 29-16 / 6th
Mike Weatherston cooled off, but the Carolina Aces did not, going 19-9 in May just like they did in April, helped by the strong bats of Brian Davis and Pat Stackhouse, both of whom are fragile, but have stayed relatively healthy all year. The Aces starters continue to perform well, especially Nigel Berry and Dennis Jones, who are both relievers thrust into a starting job with an already solid bullpen. We will see how long their starters can keep up this pace as for now, its gotten them to a 1 and 1/2 game lead at the top of the CBA, including an impressive sweep of Great Lakes, and taking two of three from the Plainsmen in their last two series.
2. Midwest Plainsmen
W-L: 48-27 (.640) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 29-16 / 1st
The Plainsmen continue their great play, taking one of two from Carolina, and losing by only 1 run in both losses to the #1 ranked Aces, and their top 5 ranking in both batting and pitching remains. Their batting has very slightly cooled down, but they remain one of the best pitching staffs in the CBA. After an impressive April, the starting rotation impressed again, with a total of 17 quality starts in the month of May, while the top of their lineup also continues to hit very well. John Belinsky, Chad Michaels, and David Carvajal all hit for .300+ in March, and Jamie Malchow vied for the May Batter of the Month award, losing to a superhuman 18 HRs, although he had a very impressive .445/.512/.591 slash with 3x more walks than strikeouts and 8 stolen bases.
3. Florida Giants
W-L: 48-26 (.649) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 30-14 / 2nd
The Florida Giants continue to be one of the best hitting lineups in baseball, scoring the 4th most runs in the league, and have a combined 38 HR between Ramon Rangel and Jayden Morrissette. The Giant’s starting rotation has been performing worse than before, but Fernando Garibay will be back from the DL soon, and he will be a nice boost over one of the bottom 2 starters. Brian Bigham continues being one of the best relievers in baseball, and Neil Kack has been a very good closer, although he hasn’t pitched much.
4. Great Lakes Monsters
W-L: 46-29 (.613) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 26-19 / 8th
It looks like the Monsters pitching staff is here to stay. With Neil Hinz back from the DL after being lost in March, he has been the elite starter they hoped, pushing them over the edge to a #1 ranking in almost every single pitching category except strikeouts where they still lack K power ranking 17th. The hitters keep slumping, however they are hitting better, and a trade for Jon “Moondog” Wagner has greatly helped their lineup and will continue to do so for the remainder of his loan from DC. In a top power test, they got swept by Carolina last week.
5. Detroit Motors
W-L: 44-31 (.587) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 26-19 / 7th
Detroit bolstered its starting lineup in May, receiving David McDaniel on a loan, and Hector Tovar in a trade, making their rotation instantly one of the best in the CBA. Even though they would now have 4 elite rated starters in their rotation, in an interesting move, they moved to a 4 man rotation, but Detroit moved the struggling Alex Zepeda to a middle relief role, something he surely will not be pleased with. Their bullpen is the deepest in the league, with multiple elite relievers, expect this pitching staff to go from top 10 to top 3 soon. The lineup remains hitting the ball very well, with top 10 in the majority of categories there as well, however they just lost 1B Dusty Taylor for the season, and he was leading the team in OPS. The lineup is deep enough to take the hit, but obviously someone of his talent cant be replaced easily.
6. Dallas Devils
W-L: 44-31 (.587) / Last 10: 5-5
May Record / Ranking: 28-17 / 5th
The Devils offense continues to surge to the top of the league, from top 15 to top 5, they now rank #1 in most of the batting bategories, including runs scored. They lost Franklin Trevino for the year, but that hasn’t slowed them from being an elite batting team. Adam Borne remains one of the best hitters in the league, while Trevor Hamberlin remains the best Catcher in the CBA by a mile. Dallas could still use some help when it comes to the pitching side, but as for now its working fine. Keith Bush and Germao Paulus continue to play at elite starter levels, while Joe McManama has yet to catch his stride on the season. Closer Jeremy Harbaugh continues to be very hit or miss, and as a stopper is playing lots of innings as opposed to a traditional closer role, but the bullpen is essentially just him, so he has to. Dallas is gonna have to figure that out if they want to be a top of the PL team, although their hitting should get them into the PL with ease.
7. Oklahoma Mammoths
W-L: 42-33 (.560) / Last 10: 7-3
May Record / Ranking: 23-22 / 16th
Oklahoma’s batting continues to wake up, as they raise their team batting average to .271, Brad Sayers, Greg Kuhl, and Andy Mobley are hitting very well on the year, each with an OPS over .900. Sayers and Kuhl have combined for 41 home runs and 120 RBI on the season, while Andy Mobley slashes .395/.468/.620 on the year. Their rotation has returned to a 5 man, as Ryan Fedore made a very impressive first CBA start with 1 hit in 7 IP to go with 9 K. Their staff remains solid, but with little injury insurance, and they lost a reliever to a torn rotator cuff in early May. Injuries will continue to be the main thing for Oklahoma to stay as a Premier League projection.
8. Portland Axemen
W-L: 44-31 (.587) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 29-16 / 3rd
The injury gods continue to taunt Portland, as yet another player was taken from them for the season, this time being Sabino Treto, a solid outfielder with alright batting who was performing well above scout projections, and a team leader, who tore his ACL in early May. Despite the loss of multiple starters in both batting and pitching, the Axeman battled to a .536 win pct in May, and are still firmly in the race for a Premier League spot. They don’t get Brett Mandell or Shaun Glasser back for 4-5 weeks apiece, but if they can weather the storm for the next month or so, they will be in very good positioning.
9. Arizona Thunderbirds
W-L: 45-30 (.600) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 30-15 / 4th
Adrian Owens has kept up his #1 starter pace throughout May, but the rest of the rotation has been playing worse than normal, prompting the Birds to use superstar Closer Chris Demo as a starting pitcher. He has not been bad, but he has not been performing great as a starter. Their lineup has hit the most home runs in baseball, with 6 players having 8 or more knocked out on the year, and 18 year old Cesar Hernandez leading the way with 23 himself. They are hitting the home runs, but they still have a 20th ranked on base percentage, and even with all those home runs are only bringing in the 10th most runs scored. With such a hit or miss lineup they have come into trouble against weak teams recently, losing 2 of 3 at home to the Pandas, as well as not proving they can consistently beat top teams. There is still a lot of season left.
10. New York Roar
W-L: 42-32 (.568) / Last 10: 7-3
May Record / Ranking: 25-20 / 11th
Brent Savage and Logan Connell continue to do very well at the plate, with Connell hitting .336 on the year, and Savage getting on base 47.2% of the time. The rest of the lineup has been hitting good, but not good enough to push the lineup to elite levels. Savage and Ryan Davis are the only guys on this team really hitting home runs, and their bench remains thin and an injury to any of the super friends could derail their season from potentially PL to SL. The same remains true to their pitching staff, which continues to be alright, even though they are not filled with talent. Jared DeMartino nearly won Reliever of the month for May with very good play, striking out 26 in 17.2 innings. Corey Yoder has been stepping up big time, sporting a 0.83 WHIP over 38.2 IP in May.
11. Philadelphia Liberty
W-L: 42-32 (.568) / Last 10: 5-5
May Record / Ranking: 27-18 / 9th
Philly acquired Dustin Easterling from the Pandas, and that will definately help their rotation get deeper, which is something they needed. Closer Henry Gonzalez blew his first two saves in back to back losses to Detroit, but has been solid throughout the year. Like the Roar, the Liberty has a small amount of CBA level backups available to them and will need to stay healthy in order to continue the fight for a PL spot. CF Danny Pinger continues to improve and although hes not hitting as well as he probably could, he is doing well enough, as the rest of the lineup is making up his slack by hitting very well. The Liberty have 6 starters hitting .300 or above, but are only scoring the 16th most runs in the league.
12. Austin Outlaws
W-L: 40-35 (.533) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 22-23 / 12th
The Outlaws pitching staff finally started playing better, with 4 starters having a respectable WHIP in May. Chris Greenwell has been the frontrunner for MVP all season, and at 23 years old, hes going to be an MVP candidate for a long time. The rest of the lineup isnt hitting especially good, but not bad either, as Greenwell is leading the team and CBA with 31 HR, along with 79 RBI. If the pitching can get it together, this team should be in the PL in 2023.
13. Indianapolis Hawks
W-L: 40-34 (.541) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 23-22/ 19th
Indianapolis has lost a few of their best hitters in the last few weeks, and as they go on in the year they will rely on Tony Falcon and overachievers like Curt Cottrell and Tony Escobedo as they hope to get a PL spot, but have been hurt by injuries. Arturo Altamirano’s return to relief pitching has been a success as his WHIP for May was 0.96 compared to 1.41 on the year, when he was starting. Indy should be looking at a silver league placement, but they could potentially make some moves to put them at a PL projection before the upcoming trade deadline.
14. Chicago Gale
W-L: 40-35 (.533) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 21-24 / 13th
LF Rory Blas was diagnosed with a severe hip strain and will be out a month or more, which will be a blow to the Chicago lineup which consists of a few stars and a bunch of scrubs. 1B Alex Luis has surprised scouts as he is still hitting .335 in May. Chicago’s pitching remains in the top 10 in almost every category, and the offense remains around average level. If Chicago remains injury free they will be easily Silver league, with a solid chance at hitting PL. SP David Benson had a nice May, going 5-1 with a 0.96 WHIP over 45.2 IP, fighting for the Starter of the Month award.
15. Salt Lake City
W-L: 39-36 (.520) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 23-22 / 17th
The Snappers followed up a bad 11-17 April, with a 16-12 May, but then in a test against a similar ranked opponent, got swept 0-3 by the Outlaws. This pitching staff continues to underperform and were starting to wonder if its gonna stay that way, as Ricky Colon still sports a WHIP of 1.50, and Ryan Jeffrey is at 1.58. The hitting is back in the top 3 in most categories, but they are being carried a lot by the booming bat of Ralph Radney, an early MVP candidate, who is slashing .393/.488/.518 and 16 stolen bases. Jeremy Costanzo burst to an 18 HR May, easily winning Batter of the Month for May, and is performing even better than Radney because of his power. He had only 4 HR in the first two months.
16. Cincinnati Royals
W-L: 38-36 (.514) / Last 10: 8-2
May Record / Ranking: 20-24/ 21st
The Royals have been on fire, going 17-11 in May, thanks to King Baca and the solid pitching staff they have assembled in Cincinnati. They were thrown a curveball in late May when one of their best batters, 1st round inaugural pick Jordan Olguin was diagnosed with Hamstring Tendinitis, and he has been out since, without word on when he will be back. Brad Limbach and Kyle Randolph continue to be elite starters, and the closer Josh Karlson is has been elite too. Their top 3 hitters have combined for 54 home runs, good for 6th in the league, but their pitching, despite the talent is ranking just average, when it could be doing much better.
17. Mexico City Chupacabras
W-L: 39-36 (.520) / Last 10: 7-3
May Record / Ranking: 21-24 / 22th
Good news: SP Brendon Six is back from the DL. Bad News: SP Hiski Myllyla is on the DL with a partially torn labrum. Doctors have estimated it is only a slight tear and he may return in as little as a month if the recovery goes well. The Chupacabras made a nice move, getting SP Kamar Alston from the LA Chili’s after Myllyla went down. In the event of more injury to their rotation they would have to make moves, and the trade deadline is approaching, so expect them to make moves for injury insurance in the 2nd half of the season.
18. Boston Rogers
W-L: 36-39 (.480) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 23-22 / 10th
The Rogers slid to a 11-17 record in May, and lost starter 37 year old SP Juan Cruz to rotator cuff inflammation, and he will miss the majority of the rest of the season. The loss of Cruz may be a hefty blow, as the starters currently rock a 2nd best ERA in the CBA, but the bullpen is 20th. Jeremy England and Justin Marchi should be able to hold things down, but their lineup remains rocky. Mike Watson has continued to be the best batter on the team, and there are some clear contributors that have started playing consistently. The bench is extremely thin on this team, and injuries will continue to be a high concern. If Watson is injured, and he is a fragile 34 year old, then their hope for silver league may be out of reach.
19. Denver Wolves
W-L: 36-39 (.480) / Last 10: 5-5
May Record / Ranking: 21-24 / 18th
Denver’s pitching staff was dealt another blow after the loss of Alex Escalante, when top reliever Lars List was lost with a torn rotator cuff, and will miss the rest of the season and any cups. The Wolves made a deal to replace List for the season, receiving Andy Mata, who has been solid, but hasn’t been striking out batters that much yet, but hasn’t been giving up hits either. They also gained RF Greg Pacheco from tanking LA on a loan as well, hoping to solidify their spot in the SL.
20. Sacramento Golden Bears
W-L: 36-39 (.480) / Last 10: 5-5
May Record / Ranking: 21-24 / 20th
Sacramento surged to a 16-12 record in May, although there was a disappointing sweep to Oklahoma in a test against a top 10 team, after a good showing in Dallas, taking a 2-1 series win over the 6th ranked Devils. The GM may be hitting himself after paying a 1st round pick to receive 1B Tommy Mawyer, who will likely be out over a month after straining his oblique, although he did hit 8 dingers in his brief stint in the offense. The pitching staff continues to excel as a whole, ranking in the top 5 and 10 in most stats, which is greatly helped by their teams defense. Paul Vanderpool is rated as the second best defensive CF in the CBA, but he is batting just .211 on the year. The lineup is not hitting good at all, but they should improve at some point, they are rated well by BSPN scouts.
21. Atlanta Swarm
W-L: 35-39 (.473) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 22-23 / 15th
The Swarm’s mostly average pitching has slowed, and they are now one of the bottom staffs statistically, with the 30th ranked defense. The Swarm made some changes to try and fix that, calling up Andrew McKee who has played elite defense at Center Field, as well as Alex Castillo, who is playing elite defense at shortstop. Atlanta made some moves in the previous weeks, adding another quality bullpen arm on a 3 year loan for his prime in 28 year old Carlos Moya, as well as bolstering their lineup with Miguel Gallegos on a 2 year loan. The BSPN Rumor Mill heard that Josh Saso and Jorge Maldonado may be dealt in the coming weeks as the deadline approaches, no word yet on what that deal might entail. The pitching just isnt there yet for Atlanta to be PL quality, and it may be looking at a silver tier fight, especially if the defense isn’t addressed soon.
22. Houston Moondogs
W-L: 35-40 (.467) / Last 10: 7-3
May Record / Ranking: 20-25/ 23rd
The Moondogs just wont give up on their hopes of having a silver league season, despite quite a few injuries to their pitching staff, and a star batter who has been battling injury, the Moondogs are still in solid position to achieve that silver league spot. Ace Chris House has an 8-2 record and a 1.10 WHIP on the year, and has shown he is an elite pitcher, but the top 3 other starters on this team are all out long term, as well as the closer, who is definitely the best relief pitcher on the team. The other 3 starters in the rotation each have a WHIP of 1.66 or higher, and SP Francisco Renteria who is only 22 has been thrust into the rotation and is just 1-11 with a 7.68 ERA. If Renteria doesnt start playing better they may be forced to send House on a loan, and they dont have long to decide, with the trade deadline coming in just under a month.
23. Brooklyn Bulldogs
W-L: 34-41 (.453) / Last 10: 3-7
May Record / Ranking: 22-23 / 14th
Last month I said that Antonio Avila and Tim Keefer would have to carry the rotation, and Avila went 1-3 with 49 HA and 21 ER in 36.1 IP, and Keefer tore his rotator cuff and will miss the season. The Bulldogs rotation is in all types of disarray right now, with only 1 starter sporting a WHIP of below 1.40. On the bullpen side, Aaron Lee was given the closing job, although Ivan Saenz had a 1.08 ERA through 33.1 IP as the teams closer. Saenz saw only 1 game between May 1st and June 6th, although statistically he is far and away the best reliever. Aaron Lee, in the replacement closer job had an ERA of 4.01 in May with 5 saves, but 3 blown saves and losses, and a 1.57 WHIP. It seems Brooklyn will go tank mode and thats why they are ranked low despite their solid lineup. Expect them to start loaning hitters and possibly Avila/Saenz to teams on the verge.
24. Iowa Predators
W-L: 34-41 (.453) / Last 10: 6-4
May Record / Ranking: 18-27/ 24th
The majority of the Predator’s lineup continues to struggle, but Dan Manes and Jose Lopez finally picked up the pace to join Ramiro Zaragosa as the only hitters doing good on their team. LF Winston Ordaz is only 23, but his continued struggles may be cause for concern to Iowa fans, as he is still under .300 OPS, and is not showing off that elite speed that was highly touted, getting caught stealing 5 times to his 4 stolen bases in May, with 15 SB to 12 CS on the year. This team is ridiculously fast, with by far the most steals in the league, and this team is relatively young, so it has a future, but for now it seems to be tank for a potential cleanup guy time. SP David McDaniel found his way out the door on a loan to Detroit, as well as their top two relievers going to Philly on loan as well.
25. DC Eagles
W-L: 31-44 (.413) / Last 10: 3-7
May Record / Ranking: 18-27 / 27th
The Eagles are in a curious state, after entering full blown rebuild mode, and putting Moondog Wagner and Ben Perez on the trading block, they only traded Moondog, choosing to keep Perez. They must feel ok with not getting a top 3 pick, and trying potentially for a silver league spot. However, trading Moondog was detrimental to that cause, if that is the plan, as they did not get any talent back for the loan, just draft picks. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do. as they are kind of in no mans land right now, having dealt their clear best hitter, but their pitching staff is too good to lead them to a bottom 3 pick.
26. Wichita Weasels
W-L: 27-48 (.360) / Last 10: 2-8
May Record / Ranking: 19-26/ 25th
Wichita continues to have a horrid lineup, scoring the 2nd least runs in the CBA so far, 2nd to only the Pandas in most batting stats. Their pitching staff remains solid all around, but they only have one above average pitcher in Chris Abbott, who is a borderline ace, but Wichita has not been interested in loaning him for hitting talent or picks. It will be interesting to see if their pitching can carry this horrendous lineup to the Silver league as that seems to be the plan. BSPN Analysts think the team would be better off sending Abbott on loan to a team on the edge for an additional pick or a prospect, as they need hitters.
27. Miami Warriors
W-L: 29-46 (.387) / Last 10: 2-8
May Record / Ranking: 19-26/ 26th
While the San Diego Skylarks pitching staff can’t be matched, the Miami Warriors have come close with the clear 2nd worst pitching staff in baseball. In fact they are actually worse, but San Diego is so dysfunctional they are playing worse than Miami. The Warriors have shipped off some talent recently in loans and trades, in exchange for picks and prospects, and look to join the race for a top 3 pick. Top performer Miguel Gallegos and 2 picks were sent to Atlanta on loan for promising young outfielder Ignacio Sanchez and a 1st round pick.
28. Los Angeles Chilis
W-L: 23-51 (.307) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 13-32 / 28th
The Chilis have joined the tank race, although they are a solid couple games out of the bottom 2, they have strategically lent their best pitchers on loan and trades, while stocking up for the future. The way Scott Golden has played in the NCAA, he might slip to #3 for the Chilis. Brendan Grimm is now the only player on the active roster that scouts would say is a CBA level player, and he is likely to find his way out of LA on a loan deal in order to aid his development. He has been playing good in LA, but the dysfunction that is going to occur in that locker room after the moves they have made and how they plan to spend the season will surely contribute negatively.
29. Bay Area Pandas
W-L: 18-57 (.240) / Last 10: 4-6
May Record / Ranking: 12-33 / 29th
The Pandas continue to ship off talent in exchange for prospects and draft picks as they battle the Skylarks for the #1 pick. They followed up their impressive 7-21 April with a 4-24 May, and even though the Skylarks lost 20 straight games and a 2-26 May, the Pandas are still firmly in the race for the worst record in the CBA. #4 amateur pick Tyler Shinkle has been pitching fairly well in the Reserve leagues, but #1 pick Mike Todoroff continues his struggle to be elite. He will put it together sometime, but on a very struggling Bay Area organization where everyone is unhappy on every team, Todoroff hasn’t found his rhythm yet. Perhaps a change of scenery on a loan will allow him to develop better.
30. San Diego Skylarks
W-L: 17-58 (.227) / Last 10: 2-8
May Record / Ranking: 14-31/ 30th
The San Diego Skylarks continue to lose in every way imaginable. With an astonishing -263 run differential, the Skylarks are the worst team in the league by a mile even if the Pandas are only 1 game behind them. Their only good pitcher is Tony Juarez, and you can expect him to be shipped off ASAP. The pitching staff continues to rank dead last in almost every category, and their batters are in the bottom 5 of most stats. Theres not much to say about the Skylarks, these guys are tanking hard and they want that #1 pick.
