Power Rankings Update

Last week I mentioned that the league clearly has a top 3: Fradkin, Marrone, Goldfarb. Of course what happens next is Goldfarb splits a DH while Marrone drops both games, complicating power dynamics of the league. On one hand, one week should not make a major difference in how we view the teams in the league. On the other hand, if we don't eventually evaluate teams based on results then when would our views ever change?

I still believe the teams mentioned are the cream of the crop, but the gap is definitely getting smaller. It was especially hard ranking teams in the middle of the pack. So many teams have the potential to break out and valid arguments can be made for most of the teams ranked a bit lower. Win on Sunday and you'll move up. 

Happy Father's Day. Here are the updated power rankings:

1. Fradkin (1): The only question mark I hear is whether or not the defense can hold up the entire season. With an offense this good, all Fradkin's team needs is an average defense to be hugely successful.

2. Goldfarb (3): Hopefully Marc Broome has a speedy recovery from his injury. Without Marc, this is still a very good team. With him, they are one of the elites. They have a very tough game against Bykofsky where a loss will help narrow the gap even more between the Elite 3 and the rest of the very good teams.

3. Marrone (2): This is where I don't want to overreact to one bad week. There are three teams with better records(including mine) who might want to make a claim for a spot ahead of Marrone's, but I still feel like they belong here. A Father's Day loss will see their stock start to drop.

4. Bykofsky (4): It isn't a true 2018 Marlboro Softball week unless there's a rainout involved, and unfortunately for Bykofsky and Randell, they had to be the victims last week. Bykofsky vs. Goldfarb is the game of the week and a win should earn them top 3 consideration.

5. Every other team that has a .500 or better record(tied): If you take these rankings very seriously, this is where you might want to stop reading. You might not be happy with what follows.

5. Pollock (7): At what point does a surprise start turn into reluctance acceptance that a championship team bringing back over half its roster might not be so bad after all. Evaluating quality of opponents has its merits(sometimes) but you can only play the games that are on the schedule. A double header sweep(against non winless teams) deserves to be celebrated. So does a 6-2 start.

6. Brock (5): They lost to us Sunday while missing Justin, but we were missing two key players too. It's hard to evaluate every game based on who is here and who isn't, but it wouldn't

be right to penalize Brock too much for one loss where their #1 player was out.

7. Wallman (6): Wallman hung in tough against a superb Goldfarb team, so this placement is basically a status quo. A battle with the next team on this list will certainly have ramifications on next week's power rankings.

8. Schefkind (NR): One of the best surprises in the league, Team Schefkind is another Central Division team succeeding in the face of an unsavory pre-season projection. Their team may have a bit of a, let's go with Senior Presence, but they also have enough youth to balance the roster and provide some pinch running on the bases.

9. Ferrarese (NR): Speaking of low expectations. . .  The world is a better place when Cowboy Mike is writing game summaries. As a wise man once said, "Hey you gotta pay your dues before you pay the rent". Mike paid his dues with his rough start. Now it's time to start winning. He's been dressed for success, will success finally come?

10.  Lapine (10): If this column was written before Wednesday night's game, there's a strong change Lapine would be left off the list. Last night's victory against Jacoby keeps this team in the top half of the league. If they can clean up their defensive miscues then the potential is even higher.  

11. Granese (9): The team is one game below .500, but I don't see them staying there the whole season. Hopefully they get back on track in a few weeks since we're playing them this Sunday. The team is no doubt hurting because of Billy Torres's injury. In typical Granese fashion, defense is king(#1 in Runs Against). The bats need to produce though in order to end the three game losing streak.

12. Harris (NR): Yes, the first win came against a completely depleted 8 man Team Goldfarb, but a three game winning streak means Team Harris is officially rolling. After average 4 runs their first 3 games, Harris has averaged a whopping 14.25 over their past four. I might be underrated them at this slot, and a win on Sunday will be rewarded with a move up the rankings.

13. Jacoby (7): The drop in rankings is partly a result of just how evenly matched this part of the league is at this point. This is also a team that unfortunately has to contend with injuries to key players. Here's to wishing Joe Mamone and Noel Gluck speedy recoveries.

14. Paladino (NR): I was not originally planning on going 14 deep for this week's rankings, but Paladino deserves to be on the list for a DH sweep. Like most teams filled with rookies, it sometimes takes a month or so to find its groove.