Power Rankings for Week 5

I was tempted to begin the power rankings last week, but I decided to keep with tradition of beginning it right before the first Wednesday night game. This year there will be one major change to the rankings. Only the top 8 teams will be listed. I may add additional “bubbling under” notes for teams not part of the upper half. I might also think of some ways of tinkering with the format as the year goes on.

While doing my pre-season predictions I was struck by the lack of powerhouse teams. That’s why so many predictions hovered around .500 records. The fickleness at the top of the rankings became clear over the past week. Going into last week’s game there were three teams I felt had the best shot at the first #1 team of the season:  Beilis (Undefeated teams get the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise), Feldman (Pre-season pick would’ve had convincing case if they were 3-1 and Beilis had lost), and Jacoby (Basically last year’s squad off to another strong start). As we know, all three of these clubs lost and so the #1 spot will belong to a team that a week ago I probably would have had outside the top 3. This is what the rankings may be like until teams start breaking away from the pack.

The number in parenthesis represents the pre-season ranking for the given team. Have fun and let the debates begin.

1.       Carlin (2)- When there are so many teams who can make a claim for the top spot, it boils down to two criteria at this point. Who has shown the fewest red flags and who did I hold in the highest esteem before the season started. Carlin’s team may be vulnerable when the Cytryns are missing games, but they’ve shown more than any other team so far that they’re a long term threat.

2.       Applebaum (4)- In my notes-to-self last week, I had Applebaum closer to the middle of the pack due to the inordinate amount of runs they’ve given up this year. Giving up just three runs in a 4-3 victory goes a long way to convince me they may be the team to beat this year. I didn’t want to give them the top spot after just one good defensive game, but I think it’s likely that Applecaum is the next #1 if Carlin falters.

3.       Feldman (1)- I’m putting Team Feldman at this spot despite the fact that other teams have better records and despite the fact they haven’t put together a truly dominating game yet. My pre-season top pick benefits. . . .well, from being my pre-season top pick. 

4.       Marrone (15)- This is the first team on the list which I clearly did not think of much before the season. Marrone’s done a brilliant job of making it work despite missing key players. I’m not 100% sold yet(Each win has been by only two runs each), but if they can continue winning despite missing their top pick over the next few weeks then I’ll have to start buying into their success.

5.       Granese (14)- I knew I messed up this pre-season pick almost right away. This was even before the 24-6 shellacking they gave my team opening day. They’re only 2-2, but they own the highest run differential in the league. I’m curious to see how they’ll hold up against the elite competition. So far they’re 0-2 against teams on this top 8 list.

6.       Beilis (10)- Every year a team with a few rookies sneaks up on the league. It’ll be fun to see if it’s Team Beilis or Team Lapine that has a better season this year. #6 might seem like a low spot for a team that was one win away from 4-0.  However, the fact that they’ve already had two games this year in which they’ve scored two or fewer runs scares me a little.

7.       Jacoby (8)- Before the season started, I saw them as a 11-11 team and right now everything points to a season that can go either way. The epitome of this is the fact that three out of their first four games have been decided by just one run.

8.       Randell (11)- Their two wins have come against impressive teams, but their one loss was an ugly 10 run defeat. It might be too early to tell, but a double header against teams with a combined 1-5 record could help pad their early W-L total.

Bubbling Under:

·         They’re only 1-2 and I only ranked them 9^th in the pre-season rankings but Team Younger looks like they can be primed for a surge real soon.

·         Team Harris is the only winless team in the league, but that’s not indicative to how they’ve played. They’ve lost two “stomach punch” games in a row and their third loss came without some key players. Since Feldman hasn’t looked dominant early this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if Harris pulls a Wednesday night upset.


Editor's Note: My apologies for forgetting about Team Mamone, the other team who is also without a win this year.