Mid-season Power Rankings

It was only one month ago when I was expressing what I considered was a common thought around the league: Fradkin, Goldfarb, Marrone are in a class of their own. Since then Goldfarb and Marrone have gone a combined 3-8 and even Fradkin showed a few cracks that hadn’t shown in their first 7 games. The competition in this league tends to even out in the long run and it’s a reminder that the power structure in the league can undergo huge shifts in such a short amount of time. With 9 games on the menu Sunday, we could be looking at a power ranking next week, particularly in the 4th-9th ranked teams, than what we have this week.

The Clear-cut Top Three (For Now):

1.       Fradkin (1): With a 9-2 start, Fradkin can reasonably break the record for best regular season for a rookie captain this decade, established by Brock just last year (16-6).

2.       Pollock (2): It took a Fradkin double-header sweep to keep us from the top of the rankings this week. This is probably going to be the only time in league history where a team exceeds its pre-season prediction before the second half even begins. In case you’re wondering, the best regular season this decade by a defending champion is Jacoby’s 16-6 season in 2014.

3.       Bykofsky (3): It’s not often that a team gives up 34 runs in consecutive games and win both contests. Team Bykofsky has ranked in the top 5 in Runs Against three years in a row, so I’m not used to a year where the offense has to do most of the heavy lifting. Side note: This is the only team that has not played with a full 13 in any game.

The Crazy, Topsy-Turvy, Rank em’ Based on Who is Hot #4-9:

This is where the rankings get so bunched up where all it can take is a double header sweep to move from unranked to top 5. Any of these teams can look mediocre one week but elite the next. This is what makes me think there will be a 13 beating a 4 or 12 beating a 5 upset in the first round this year.

4.       Schefkind (NR): It is the team that has been written off as “too old” that swept a double header in 100 degree weather.  No one proved the critics wrong more last Sunday than Schefkind.

5.       Granese (NR): It was only 7 days ago that Team Granese were losers of 5 of their last 6 games. One week later they are owners of a three game winning streak and have earned a spot in the top 5. For this team team to keep it up their offense is going to have to keep scoring they we they have over the last four games.

6.       Goldfarb (3): On one hand they have lost 4 of their last 5 games(with the one win coming from a forfeit), on the other hand, this is Team Goldfarb! All the pre-season hype was well deserved, but this has been a rough  stretch where the bats have mostly gone silent. A tough double-header this Sunday against Fradkin and Brock could be a turning point in the season.

7.       Brock (4): Like Goldfarb, I did not think I’d be ranking this team so low this week. They are one double header loss from being a .500 team, which seemed nearly impossible three days ago when they were sitting pretty at 7-3. Brock vs. Goldfarb is the game of the week for two pre-season favorites trying to re-establish positive momentum.

8.       Applebaum (NR): Here you are, Brian. The pre-season rankings ranked their defense a C, but it has been the reason why the once 0-5 Apple team is one win away from reaching .500. They have given up 3.9 runs a game over their 5-1 stretch. The 6.7 runs scored average is still worst in the league and needs to pick up if they want to continue their hot streak.

9.       Marrone (6): I don’t think anyone expected Team Marrone to be under .500 and in 5th place in their division this late in the season. There’s too much talent here for this slide to continue, and I expect the rebound to start this Sunday.

The “I can’t figure you out because you’re been inconsistent” #10-14  teams. Any of these teams can take a jump into the top half of the league next week with a strong showing on Sunday. I will rank the teams alphabetically.

10(t). Ferrarese (7): The buzz was so strong last week, but two disappointing losses have put that excitement on hold for one week.

10(t). Harris(NR): It wasn’t long ago that Harris was riding a 4 game winning streak against some good competition. Since then they’ve mostly reverted back to the struggles of the early seasons, but the victory Wednesday night against Marrone shows the toughness and potential this team possesses.

10(t). Lapine (NR): Their second loss must have been excruciating. They are the definition of a team who is so close to starting a hot streak if they can just tighten up a few areas

Lapine, Paladino, Wallman

10(t).  Paladino(NR): Here’s a team that seems to be slipping under the radar, but here we are at the mid-season mark and they are right around .500. When they lose, they lose big(Their four double-digit run losses are tied for most in the league), but they’ve also had quality performances against good competition.

10(t). Wallman (8): Some weeks I can see this team being a contender for the top 5, but now they’re on a three game losing streak including this week’s low point: a 5-0 shutout loss to Applebaum. On a Sunday full of double headers, I bet Wallman wishes they were playing two. They must be itching to get back in the W column.

Everybody Else in the League AKA "The four teams projected as of Now to play the infamous play-in game" (Listed Alphabetically):

Jacoby: It's been an incredibly unlucky and unfortunate season for Jacoby. Obviously their final record will not reflect the talent on this team. I hope everyone has a speedy recovery.

Larocca: Exhibit #1 why this year;s playoffs will be wild and feature more upsets than usual. Larocca is in the bottom four yet they beat Brock 20-8 and defeated the #1 ranked Fradkin a few weeks ago. They may be in the bottom four right now, but they've shown they can beat anyone in the league.

Randell: Any team with Clamp and JZ is dangerous in the playoffs. The numbers look bad but it should be noted that they've been outscored 33-1 in the two games Clamp has missed. He'll be there in September.

Sarcona: The obvious has to be said which is for this team to improve, the defense has to get better; their 15.1 Runs Against average would be the highest average for the entire decade. On the bright side, Austin Silverberg might deserve to win Most Improved Player again for taking his game to another level.