July 11th Power Rankings / June Awards – Carolina challenged at the top

July 11 2022 BSPN Awards and Power Rankings

June Awards

Batter of the Month

Kevin “Rake” Rayos, 23, 3B Denver Wolves

115 PA | .417 AVG | .496 OBP | .917 SLG | 13 HR | 29 RBI | 12 BB | 13 SO | 0 SB

Kevin Rayos lived up to his nickname in June, hitting .417 while hitting 13 out of the park, for an OPS of 1.412.   His total statline for the year is very good as well, with 28 HR and a very respectable .343/.412/.634 slash.  At only 23 years old, Rayos has a long future ahead of him, and scouts say he is one of the best Gap Hitters in the game.  Solid defense, but not above average, his hitting will more than make up for that hole in his game.

Starting Pitcher of the Month

Juan “The Don” Salas, 36, Oklahoma Mammoths

4-1 W-L: | 43.0 IP | 29 HA | 10 ER | 3 BB | 33 K | 2.09 ERA | 0.74 WHIP

Juan Salas was the clear best starter this month, even with fierce competition from Neil Hinz, Salas came out on top with his 4 complete games in 5 starts, and the sole start that he didnt finish the game on the mound, he could have finished, as he was taken out with 87 pitches and 7 IP, up 4-1.  Salas gave his team a win on a golden platter in every start, even though there was a loss, it wasn’t The Don’s fault.

Reliever of the Month

Dante Arias, 27, Great Lakes Monsters

2-0 W-L: | 10 SV | 0 BS | 23.2 IP | 9 HA | 9 BB | 31 K | 0.76 ERA | 0.76 WHIP

For the second consecutive month, Dante Arias of the Monster is our Reliever of the month.  Arias arguably only had 2 below average performances in the entire month of June, one where he just got blown up by Oklahoma on the last game of the month, and another where he walked 5 batters in a 60 pitch outing.  In 15 appearances, he made 10 saves in 1o opportunities, and gained 2 wins to his record.

Rookie Batter of the Month*

Nelson Santana, 21, RF Florida Giants

125 PA | .340 AVG | .480 OBP | .608 SLG | 8 HR | 27 RBI | 26 BB | 20 SO | 2 SB

After a slow May for the entire rookie class, at least 5 batters would have claimed last month’s title with their statlines in June.  Nelson Santana was the best of them all, with a great slashline, 8 HR, 6 more walks than strikeouts, and even 2 stolen bases in a top ranking Florida lineup filled with elite hitters.

Rookie Pitcher of the Month*

Luis Rocha, 21, SP Carolina Aces

2-2 W-L: | 33.0 IP | 32 HA | 12 ER | 6 BB | 25 K | 3.27 ERA | 1.15 WHIP

Luis Rocha wins his second rookie pitcher of the month award with little competition coming from anyone other than Randy Steckel of the Motors.  His record could have easily been 3-1 on the month, only allowing 2 runs in 6.1 IP @BOS.  A very good showing @ tied for top rank Florida had him lasting 8.2 IP, only allowing 2 ER and 7 hits to the best batting corps in the CBA in a battle of the top two teams.

*for the first year Rookie of the month will be 22 year old or younger players

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BSPN Power Rankings July 11th, 2022

1. Carolina Aces

W-L: 67-39 (.632) /  Last 10: 4-6

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June Record / Ranking: 50-25 / 1st

The Aces had a top dog battle with Florida in late june, and they came out on top with a series sweep in Florida, which leads them to the top spot in this month’s ranking.The Aces lost Brian Davis to a high ankle sprain, and he has missed a few weeks, but right before he is set to come back next week, the Aces also lost star 3B Pat Stackhouse, and his injury wasn’t as fortunate as Brian Davis’.  Stackhouse tore his PCL and will be out for the rest of the season, and Carolina fans will be hoping he comes back at his full ability.    They have 6 reserve pitchers on the DL, and will have to stay injury free to remain near the top of the Premier League as their hitting will take a hit without Stackhouse for the rest of the year.  With series against Arizona and Detroit coming up in the following week and a half, the top spot will be challenged and we will see if CAR can prevail without Stackhouse.

2. Florida Giants  

W-L: 67-39 (.632) /  Last 10: 8-2Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 48-26 / 3rd

The Giants have improved to the best batting lineup in the league, ranking #1 in many categories, although that hasn’t been adding up always, with 4 of 5 series losses between near the end of June.  In those 15 games, they won 3 from Miami, but went 3-9 including getting swept by other standings leader Carolina.  They haven’t been too afflicted by injury, but their relatively short bench remains a concern as we head into the last 3rd of the season.  Jayden Morrissette has been battling a strained hamstring for a few days, it might be in their best long term interest to let him rest, whether it be on the DL or the bench until hes fully healthy.   A nice deal for Adelkria Apio will help solidify their bullpen, but it wont be until next year, as he suffered a torn back muscle early into the year before the trade occurred.

3. Great Lakes Monsters

W-L: 67-40 (.626) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 46-29 / 4th

SP Neil Hinz has been a welcome addition to the rotation, continuing his great play since coming back from injury and coming very close to winning the June SP of the month.  The Monster’s rotation is still #1 in the majority of categories, but their offense is still performing badly, with several hitters very close to the Mendoza line.  #27 overall pick in the inaugural draft was 1B Alberto Jurado and he has to step up his performance, slashing .214/.306/.383 on the season.  The Jon Wagner deal was key for these guys, as he and Josh Verburg stay the only two hitters performing relatively well, but only one player on this team has an OPS above .800 and he has only been to the plate 162 times, not seeing much playtime.  Impressive series wins over Midwest and Dallas along with a sweep of Portland highlighted their recent success.

4. Arizona Thunderbirds

W-L: 67-40 (.626) /  Last 10: 5-5Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 45-30 / 9th

The Chris Demo experiment at SP is not working very well, with only 2 quality starts in 10 tries, but despite not having a complete rotation, the Birds rolled to a 19-7 record in June, and are within a half game of the top spot in the CBA standings.  Abel Kennedy got another concussion and this looks like it may become a recurring problem that will continue thru his career, as he has had 2 this year already.  Stats wise, their team should be a silver league team, but their lineup is very strong and will explode for runs more often than it doesnt show up.

5. Philadelphia Liberty

W-L: 65-41 (.568) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for green arrow upImage result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 42-32 / 11th

The Liberty’s pitching staff continues to perform very well, and injury remains a concern for them, as they just lost arguably their best SP Adam Kirby for the rest of the season.   They do have depth in both pitching and lineups, but its not much, especially in the pitching staff.  DH Jay McFarland continues to hit below the Mendoza line, with a .195 average, but 28 HRs on the season.  They have played well against good competition in the last month, including a 1-2 series against Carolina, where they lost both games by 1 run but had a +3 RD, as well as taking 2 of 3 from Dallas and sweeping Portland in two away series.  Some more tests loom on the horizon as they play Great Lakes and Midwest in back to back series in the coming weeks.

6. Detroit Motors

W-L: 64-43 (.598) /  Last 10: 5-5Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 44-31 / 5th

Detroit continues to have a good record, but their pitching staff continues to be average when they should be above average to elite.  Alex Zepeda will be back soon, and his elite arm should be able to help get Detroit over the bump of middle Premier to top of the Premier League.  The lineup continues to hit well, Detroit even bolstered their lineup with the loan acquisition of Ivan Quijije.  The Motor’s deep bench reaches into the Reserves and injury to any but their stars will have little effect on record.

7. New York Roar

W-L: 62-44 (.585) /  Last 10: 9-1Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 42-32 / 10th

The New York Roar cant wait for Eric Bohnert to come back from the DL, a move that is expected to happen as soon as today.  Their CBA lineup already lacks depth, and what most of the lineup lacks in hits, they dont make up for with power, hitting like a lower silver league team.  SP Corey Yoder was performing very well for the Roar in the rotation, but he was diagnosed with Bone Chips in his elbow, and will miss a month more after the diagnosis in late June.  Jared DeMartino continues to be one of the better closers in baseball, but will not see much action if another SP goes down.

8. Dallas Devils

W-L: 64-43 (.598) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 44-31 / 6th

Dallas has had a very solid season so far, in the middle of the Premier League pack right now, and even after the long term loss of Franklin Trevino, the 3rd base spot has been held down by Trevor Hamann, picking up right where Trevino left off, and Dallas remains a top hitting squad in the CBA.  Adam Borne continues to flex his muscles with 30 HR, and this entire lineup is hitting HR like crazy, with 8 batters above 10 for the year.  Jeremy Harbaugh is still doing the heavy lifting in the bullpen and as the only bullpen member with a FIP below 4.4 he is going to need to stay injury free or there might be issues in the Dallas bullpen.

9. Midwest Plainsmen

W-L: 62-45 (.579) /  Last 10: 3-7Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 48-27 / 2nd

Midwest took a solid hit in the standings since the last power rankings, going 14-18 while an unprecedented amount of winning from silver league teams has led the 17 games over .500 Plainsmen to just the 9th spot in the CBA, nearly falling into Silver League territory.  Their lineup continues to hit 3rd best in the league in batting average, but is one of the worst teams in the league at getting walks, leading to silver league batting rankings in a few categories.  Their pitching remains at the top of its game, ranking in the top 10 in all categories and top 5 in most.  SP Ricky Flores will return from injury in the coming days, potentially bolstering the rotation, though he may see a stint in Reserve ball.

10. Portland Axemen

W-L: 59-48 (.551) /  Last 10: 6-4Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 44-31 / 8th

The Axemen were heavily afflicted by injury coming into June, and will enter mid July with a rejuvinated lineup including the returns of SS Brett Mandell, 1B Timothee Brandi, and SP Shaun Glasser, all of whom are above average to elite players who have missed significant time for Portland this year.  In June where backups were rampant for the Axemen, they went 11-15, and have started July 5-4, but with so many teams perfoming well and despite being 11 games above .500, the Axemen are in the middle of Silver League if the league ended today, but with the addition of the three coming off the DL in the coming days, we will likely see the Axemen start to chop their way up the standings again.

11. Chicago Gale

W-L: 61-46 (.570) /  Last 10: 6-4Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 40-35 / 14th

A nice win-win trade with Atlanta has helped boost Chicago’s lineup nicely, as Josh Saso has already contributed 7 HR and a 1.166 OPS in his first month with Chicago.  Saso is the only starter hitting above .300 however, and although there are two very close, the rest of the lineup is not hitting well.  Rory Blas will be back from the DL after missing nearly 2 months with a severe hip strain, and that should take their lineup to the next level to help them attain a PL berth.

12. Mexico City Chupacabras

W-L: 62-45 (.579) /  Last 10: 9-1Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 39-36 / 17th

SP Hiski Myllyla returned from the DL after an almost 2 month stint there, and immediately got injured again, although it is just day to day, he has to stay healthy.  SP Carlos Ramirez was lost for the remainder of the season, as was 1B Juan Alejo, who was hitting .369 for Mexico City on loan from Miami.  Not good news for a team that has sent its first 5 rounds of the next two drafts away in order to win now.  SP Kamar Alston has been a much needed addition to the team, but they don’t have much in the way of injury insurance if one of their guys goes down again.  SP Brendon Six returned from injury and has been playing very good.  A sweep of Carolina in Carolina helped fuel their rise in the rankings this month.

13. Oklahoma Mammoths

W-L: 61-46 (.570) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for red arrow downImage result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 42-33 / 7th

The good news: Andy Mobley is back from a slight stint on the DL.  Mobley is going to be a welcome addition to a lineup that has been hovering around silver league levels.  He was only out for a week, but it was an issue he had dealt with earlier in June as well, so they benched him to ensure his health.  The bad news: Top reliever, who was being heavily relied on, Rich Mata is out for the season.  Mata was having his best month of the season, despite racking up 99.1 IP, but he finally broke from his heavy workload and Shoulder inflammation is going to keep him out for the rest of the year.   On the other side of the pitching spectrum, SP Juan Salas had the best month of June, winning SP of the Month, including 4 Complete Games in 5 starts.

14. Austin Outlaws

W-L: 59-47 (.557) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 40-35 / 12th

The Outlaws record looks good, but when you look at who they have been playing, they have been winning against bottom teams, and struggling to win series against mid and top teams, but they have some solid competition in the month of July and early August so we will have to see how they do come next rankings.  1B Chris Greenwell has slowed down slightly, but is still hitting at an elite level, leading the league with 41 HR on a .360 batting average.   Their depth is still a concern and it remains to be seen whether they can consistently beat good teams, that question should be answered by next months rankings.

15. Indianapolis Hawks

W-L: 59-47 (.557) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 40-34/ 13th

Indy has been taking some serious hits to their pitching staff, losing SP Bobby Hagel and very good reliever Andres Cruz for the season and a month respectively.  Already with a depth problem in their pitching staff, this is going to hurt them, especially if an injury occurs to Frade or Avila, they could see a Bronze league placement.  SP Robby Rivera has been a very solid pitcher all year, but is battling a strained triceps and will have to either not pitch or risk weakening an already weak staff to keep him up there.  2B Nick Kirkendoll is coming off the DL after a fractured rib kept him out a little more than a month, and he will be an instant upgrade over the likes of Joel Niemuth, who has an OPS of .647 in Kirkendoll’s absence.

16. Salt Lake City

W-L: 59-48 (.551) /  Last 10: 7-3Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 39-36 / 15th

Salt Lake City continues to be one of the top 3 hitting squads in the CBA thru the 2nd half of the inaugural season, as CF Ralph Radney and 1B Jeremy Costanzo continue to carry this lineup.  Radney is hitting an astonishing .412 thru the year, and Costanzo has hit 36 HR.  Despite having an elite pitching staff, they continue to struggle on that end, but the batting will continue winning them games until the pitching shows up, and the batting doesnt seem to be slowing down, despite many experts who thought they would hit poorly this year.

17. Cincinnati Royals

W-L: 55-51 (.519) /  Last 10: 8-2Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 38-36 / 16th

Despite a 8-2 record in their last 10, the Royals slumped to an 11-15 June, although impressive series wins against Great Lakes and the Plainsmen helped them start July on the right foot.  The Royals pitching staff is very good, with only one pitcher having an ERA above 5.  SPs Brad Limbach and Kyle Randolph continue their excellent play, but the bullpen has had a slight struggle in June.  Mike Berndt lost his closer role after some bad outings, and Cincinatti got to dealing to receive Phillip Gales, and Mike Vasquez, both who have played less than extraordinary, but should be able to rebound as they have not played much.

18. Atlanta Swarm

W-L: 57-49 (.538) /  Last 10: 9-1Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 35-39 / 21st

The Atlanta Swarm have finally showed a bit of what many experts said would be a competing PL team.  With a sweep of Detroit, and a 5 run 9th inning comeback by Arizona to win by 1 kept them from sweeping the Thunderbirds as well.  Alex Castillo has been a pleasant surprise on the batting side, as he was brought up to be a defensive starter, but is near the .300 mark and is hitting home runs too.  A near deadline deal that sent Josh Saso to Chicago for Ernie Reeder on end of season loans has benefited both teams greatly, with both hitters improving after the trade, and Reeder adding needed defense.  The Swarm are still ranking 26th in defensive efficiency, but their pitching stats have steadily climbed over the last few weeks, ranking 7th in home runs allowed, 10th in walks allowed, and striking out the 14th most batters.  This pitching staff has found their groove and has sent ATL from a 13-14 May to a 23-12 June and July so far, including a 12-1 record in their last 13 games, the one loss being an epic comeback from Arizona.

19. Sacramento Golden Bears

W-L: 55-52 (.514) /  Last 10: 6-4Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 36-39 / 20th

The Golden Bears continue to pitch lights out, while not being able to score runs or hit the ball.  Outside of Buzzy Rodriguez and Chris Guidroz, nobody else on the team is hitting .270, and Paul Vanderpool has actually gotten worse since last month, now hitting .185 on the year, despite his excellent defense, is not much of a plus for this lineup.  4 other starters are hitting below .240 on the year, and don’t look to improve as the end of the year dawns on us.  The Golden Bears should get a silver league spot, could be high silver league if they perform better.

20. Denver Wolves

W-L: 53-54 (.495) /  Last 10: 6-4Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 36-39 / 19th

Denver hasn’t done as well as they would have liked in the past month, going .500 in June.  SP Alex Escalante will be back in 1-2 weeks, and will be a nice addition to the rotation, if can perform near where he was before injury.  Their lineup is still very good, but the pitching staff is giving up too many runs, ranking as a Bronze league team in runs allowed and defense.   This is a team who should reach Silver league, and with a 4 game lead over the next highest team for the last SL slot, they look to reach it.  This is a pitching staff that is underperforming greatly, and at some point should get better, but its getting very late in the year.

21. Brooklyn Bulldogs

W-L: 49-58 (.458) /  Last 10: 2-8Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 34-41 / 23rd

The Bulldogs officially went tank mode, loaning out Antonio Avila and Ivan Quijije, among others.  By waiting for the trade deadline to make any moves, the Bulldogs are in a weird spot, where they could potentially reach silver league, because despite the moves, they are still just 4.5 games back, having used their talent for much of the season.  Brooklyn is in tank mode after making their deals, but they aren’t bad enough to consistently lose to the bottom of the bottom teams.

22. Boston Rogers

W-L: 46-61 (.430) /  Last 10: 1-9Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 36-39 / 18th

Boston lost one of its only good hitters in Dusty Waldman, and he will be gone for 2 more weeks after already being gone a month.  Boston has been in freefall since last month, and injuries to SP Mike Alter and only good bullpen member Quintin O Connell will ensure they dont get silver league.  A very unfortunate turn of events for Boston, as they were expected to get silver league at least, but the hitters just aren’t there despite the solid rotation.  Since Waldman got injured, Mike Watson is now the only player on the team hitting above .278, regardless of plate appearances, and since the deadline has already passed, this is a team who will be in Bronze unfortunately.

23. Iowa Predators

W-L: 48-59 (.449) /  Last 10: 3-7Image result for green arrow up

June Record / Ranking: 34-41/ 24th

Iowa is still in a weird spot, where they could tank, but also have the talent to reach silver.  The Predators look to be a high bronze league team at the start of next season.  They sent their first round pick to the DC Eagles in exchange for a 4th and Melvin Tineo, but that looks to be the biggest steal in the CBA so far, as Tineo is hitting .195 and despite having excellent defense, is playing in the DH role.  Im not sure if Iowa is trying to tank or compete for silver, they could do either with the roster they have.

24. Houston Moondogs

W-L: 45-62 (.421) /  Last 10: 1-9Image result for red arrow down

June Record / Ranking: 35-40/ 22nd

The Moondogs continue their fight for silver, and chose not to move Chris House at the deadline.  Some reports say that Houston’s GM was battling whether to tank or not, and couldn’t decide before the deadline passed, so Chris House will stay put, and Houston will now either hope they start performing where they should and make up their 8 game deficit by the end of the year, or full on tanking and getting nothing back this season, as they still have several pieces that could have found a home with a more competitive team this year.  If Houston ends up in Silver League they will likely be a bottom feeder and be in contention for demotion, but if they are in Bronze league, they will be at the top, but with the new draft formula, that would actually result in a worse pick than being a bottom feeding silver team.   Interesting position the Moondogs are in, and with their last 23 games having a record of 3-20, I can’t forsee them making up that 8 game deficit to hit silver.

25. DC Eagles

W-L: 41-66 (.383) /  Last 10: 5-5Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 31-44 / 25th

The Eagles went loaned away Moondog Wagner, but decided to trade for Starting pitching in a deal for Tony Juarez, and in this tight race for a top 5 pick, Juarez may be the piece that puts DC more towards the bottom of the top 10.

26. Wichita Weasels

W-L: 39-68 (.364) /  Last 10: 1-9Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 27-48/ 26th

Wichita is in a similar position to DC, with good pitching that they decided against loaning out for the rest of the season, they will fight for a bottom 5 pick, but even with their nonexistent hitting, they could still win some games and get knocked out of the bottom 5.   They desperately need hitters, so the decision to not loan out Chris Abbott for a high pick or two is confusing, but we will have to see how this strategy plays out.

27. Miami Warriors

W-L: 34-73 (.318) /  Last 10: 0-10Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 29-46/ 27th

Terrible all around, but that is by design this year.  The Miami Warriors have a few stars waiting on the horizon, such as Miguel Gallegos, who is on loan tearing it up in Atlanta with a 1.015 OPS at age 24, he will hold down Miami’s lineup for quite a while once he returns in 2024.  The Warriors have lost 17 straight and yet are still more than 10 games out of last place, and 6 games out of 3rd to last.

28. Los Angeles Chilis

W-L: 28-79 (.262) /  Last 10: 0-10Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 23-51 / 28th

The Chilis have had an impressive run in the tank race, winning just 2 of their last 29 after a 3 game sweep of Bay Area.  With a pitching staff that is nonexistent, teams are dropping an average of 7 runs on them every night.  They retained 1B Brendan Grimm thru the trade deadline, a move that stopped them from netting an extra pick or two in the upcoming draft, and will also hurt them in the race for bottom 3 as Miami knocks on the door, and the bottom two are a tier below even LA.

29. Bay Area Pandas

W-L: 22-85 (.206) /  Last 10: 0-10Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 18-57 / 29th

The Pandas are an awful team with a future, but Mike Todoroff continues his bad play at the Reserve level, still not being called up with a .236 avg.  Edgar Arreola made the jump, but he has been as bad as Todoroff in RES, hitting .232 in the CBA.  Sources say that Bay Area is fine with the #2 pick of whoever doesnt get chosen between Scott Golden and Seth Paddock, so expect Todoroff to make his debut sometime this season, as the race for #1 pick is a two man race.

30. San Diego Skylarks

W-L: 24-83 (.224) /  Last 10: 2-8Image result for double sided arrow

June Record / Ranking: 17-58 / 30th

The only thing on Skylarks fan’s calendars is the date of the draft, as fans anxiously await Scott Golden’s arrival in a few months.  1st round inaugural draft pick, 16 year old Joey Norton continues his struggle in the Youth Academy, as experts have already started to call this pick the worst in CBA history.  Despite having some solid CBA talent in their lineup, only one starter is hitting better than .241, and their pitching is even worse now that Tony Juarez was shipped off to DC.

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