power rankings update

Return of the Power Rankings

Since the writing of the last power rankings, Wallman lost two in a row, Lapine also lost back to back games, and Pollock(gasp!) lost one of the three games they played. Now while some people think a loss should result in a complete upheaval of the rankings, it doesn’t quite work that way. That being said, there are plenty of teams making some rumblings that were dormant earlier in the season.

Once again we’re having a season where the difference between the top and bottom is minimal. Revisiting a stat I mentioned weeks ago, we only have 5 teams that are 2+ games above .500. The worst run differential is Jacoby’s -2.4, which would be the highest run differential for the lowest ranked team in that category this decade. In addition, Jacoby’s run differential is likely to only improve after their great trading deadline deal to acquire hitting machine, Joe Spoto.  

All this is to say that we can brace for a potential repeat of last year’s crazy playoffs where the low seeds reigned supreme. Team Harris, for example, would be playing in the play-in game if the season ended today, yet at the same time has a legitimate chance at a 10-12 record and owns the best runs scored average in the league, not exactly the expected credentials for a bottom feeder. 

The balance is a strength of the league, but at the same time there should be an advantage for the top teams other than field selection.In case you’re thinking, “Of course he’s saying this. He’s on a top ranked team”,  I’ve argued for this before the beginning of every season. The regular season is long and should mean something. I say, bring back the 1-0 series advantage for the top two teams in the first round. Before the play in game, the bottom teams were almost always easy exits. Now with the play-in games, the bottom two teams automatically have momentum and a spark from winning their one game playoff. It means something. 

Ok, time for this week’s rankings:

1. Pollock (1): Yes, the author of the power rankings happens to be on the team ranked #1. This #1 ranked team also happens to own the best record, one of the best runs against of the decade, and leads the runs differential category by a healthy margin. If there’s any negative right now, it’s that our offense has been a little flat, only averaging 5.7 runs in our last three games. Still, we’re 2-1 in that span.  Judging by a certain person’s repeated “Best Bets” posts on Facebook, we also might be underrated by some.

2. Bykofsky (6): It was only a matter a time of “when”. Bykofsky never has a bad team, and even though other teams grabbed the headlines before the draft Bykofsky is once again putting together a stellar regular season. I still think there are a few other teams that might be a little better, but the team deserves their high placement after winning 8 out of 9 games.

3. Lapine (2): I’ve been nothing but positive about this team, but here are two interesting stats. Lapine is 0-5 when scoring fewer than 10 runs and they’re only 5-5 when not playing on Union Hill. If any team needs to secure a top field choice, it’s Lapine.

4. Marrone (4): 9-3 in their last 12 games and features the second best runs against in the league. The question is will they hit enough in the big games come playoff time? A great defense will carry you through the regular season, but usually the team that wins the championship has a potent offense. Marrone is only ranked 16th in runs scored.

5. Ferrarese (5): Ferrarese’s club isn’t shy about the fact they’ve beaten some top quality opponents in Pollock, Lapine, and Wallman. The other side to that coin is they are only 6-7 against the rest of the league. They’re part of a seven team group separated by one game in the standings, and there’s enough to like to put them towards the top of the group. 

6. Wallman (3): I’m shocked Wallman is only 9-8. They have all the ingredients for a dominating team. A top pitcher inPolzer,. Strong defense up the middle with Wallman and Younger, home run threats in Saler and Ziolowski. They are one of only two teams to score 20+ runs three times this season, but the consistency just hasn’t been there yet.

7. Schefkind (7): They have a similarly talented team to the one that made the finals last year. They win and lose in bunches, so expect a win this Sunday if the pattern continues. 

8. Granese (9): They are 6-4 with Granese in the lineup, which isn’t dominating but a sign that their 8-8 record is a little deceiving. 

9. Applebaum (NR): In a choice between the two teams left with winning records(Lombardi being the other), I went with the team currently on a winning streak. Getting Gluck back will help as a division title is still within reach.

Power Rankings Update

I will be away for next week, so this will be the last updated rankings until the week of our July 28th games. There most likely will be a lot shakeup with the second half of these rankings by then, although I anticipate the top 3 remaining relatively the same.

1. Pollock (1)- I am not sure how many teams have won 10 in a row in the past, but this helps put the streak in perspective: Granese has had five seasons this decade where he didn’t win more than 10 games the entire season.

2. Lapine (2): In 1981, Foreigner’s “Waiting For A Girl Like You” sat at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 9 consecutive weeks, while Olivia Newton John’s “Physical” kept it from the top spot during its 10 week stay at #1. While Lapine has already tasted the sweet success of being #1 on the power rankings, I’m thinking(and hoping) Lapine will be entrenched in the #2 spot for awhile.

3. Wallman (5): I know I had Marrone ranked ahead of Wallman last week, but if I’m asked who the best three teams in the league are right now I’m going to say ours, Lapine, and Wallman. We’re used to Wallman having a stellar defensive team, but the 12.2 runs per game would mark the best he has had all decade. 

4. Marrone (3): The keeping opponents to single digits is up to 8 for Team Marrone. Their only loss in the last 8 games was when they were missing Mike Conti vs. the top ranked team in the league.

5. Ferrarese (7): Here’s a team hovering around the .500 mark that will be a serious threat in the playoffs. They excel in two areas more than (almost) any other team in the league: Home run threats and tremendous up the middle infield defense. If they can secure a Union Hill field in the playoffs, watch out.

6. Bykofsky (8): I mentioned a month ago that I expected Bykofsky to appear in the top 9 soon, and here they are moving up the list. The -1.6 run differential is rare for an 8-5 team though. The best record by a team with a run differential that was -1.6 or worse was when Randell went 10-12 with a -2.5 run differential in 2017. The worst run differential by a team with a +.500 record? Feldman going 12-10 in 2017 with a -1.0 differential. 

7. Schefkind (4): This team certainly does not go under the radar with their social media presence. Their solid defense and deep lineup means they should keep their heads above water the rest of the season. 

8. Lombardi (6): They are here because they’re still above .500 but the 3-6 record over their last 9 games shows that Team Lombardi might be regressing to their pre-season prediction. They would have to go 2-7 the rest of the way to match the 9-13 write up. That sounds easy to outperform, but the team needs to gel again to make it happen. 

Usually I like to include teams that are .500 or above on the rankings, but with only 8 teams meeting that criteria, I’m forced to include one underperforming team. I could go with Jacoby, who following the tradition of 2015 Team Granese and 2018 Applebaum looks to have improved significantly with a Replacement player. They’re still 5-10 though, so I’ll wait a few more games before considering them for the top 9. I can go with Brock, who let’s face it, is going to end up going 8-14 or 9-13 and disrupt the whole playoffs when healthy. But until they’re back playing at full strength they don’t deserve the prestigious power rankings recognition. Instead I’m going with…..

9. Granese(NR) Granese has made it clear his underperformance is due to missed games. That’s a fair enough point, and they’re winning games now, so here they are. They are short-handed this week against a short-handed, but still lethal, Team Lapine so their rise to respectability faces a huge obstacle this week. 

Power Rankings Update

This week will feature the new rankings without any commentary for the listed teams. Last week was all about an evening of the power structure in the league; six out of the top seven teams in run differential lost. While I don't want to overrate the results of one week, it's also time to give certain teams their due. Only one top team continued their strong play last week,and it's finally time to see if we can avoid the curse of the #1 ranked team.

1. Pollock (2)

2. Lapine (1)

3. Marrone (7)

4. Schefkind (9)

5. Wallman (3)

6. Lombardi (4)

7. Ferrarese (5)

8. Bykofsky (NR)

9. Applebaum (8)


Quick Notes:

I wish Jeff Turner and Justin Brock speedy recoveries. Hopefully I'll see you on the field soon.

I know certain captains might feel disrespected by their non-appearances on this list, but for the most part I try to only include teams that are at least .500. While it's true that certain teams have performed dramatically better when the full team is there(or at least all of the "As", I want to see it happen on a more consistent basis before factoring it heavily in the rankings. Just for fun though, here is how all the teams are ranked, record wise, when they have a full 13.

1. Lapine 4-0
2(t). Pollock 3-0
2(t). Marrone 3-0
4. Applebaum 2-0
5. Granese 1-0
6. Schefkind 4-1
7(t). Wallman 3-1
7(t). Fradkin 3-1
9. Harris 3-2
10(t). Lombardi 4-4
10(t). Jacoby 2-2
10(t). Brock 1-1
13. Ferrarese 1-4
14(t). Goldfarb 0-1
14(t). Larocca 0-1
14(t). Sarcona 0-1


Randell and Bykofsky have yet to play a game with their full squads.