10. Louisville Sluggers: Record (8-12)
Since I started doing the power ranks this is the lowest I've had my own team and I am still trying to figure my team out this season. The only major defection was trading 1b R. Boyd away to make room for D. Giavotella and his 40HR power. The Sluggers lead Hunter in team OPS last season and was in last as recently as 5 games ago, however the bats are starting to come alive and hopefully the rest of the team will come around.
9. Boise Taters (15-5)
It would be unfair not to include the team with the best record in all of Hunter. I believe thta jbburner has made several strong moves to improved his organization however, I think it will still be another 1-2 seasons before he reaps "playoff" fruits for his labour in the field. That said, this spot is a tip of a cap to a great start to the season.
8. Charlotte (14-6)
Aaronwayne has been putting the building blocks in place for a great Hunter season since S17. Last year was step #1, 86-76. The next big step was the off-season acquistion E. Alacorn, who has added an MVP level bat to the middle of the Charlotte order. Given the start to the season it appears that Alacron might be the yeast needed to allow Charlotte bread to rise. Although the bread smells good I wish it was baking in a divison other than my own
7. Washington (10-10)
Off to a slowish start, Washington has been one of the consistent elite teams in Hunter, having average more than 100Ws over the last 4 seasons. The biggest off-season loss was Rich Williams who will be discussed later and the biggest pick-up was Luis Mercardo, looking at these moves neither the loss nor the gain are "difference makers", and if we can learn from history come game 162, Washington will have 100W and either the #2 or 3 seed.
6. Phildephia: Record (12-8)
I am not sure how Hineiii will recieve this ranking, as he's been the biggest proponent of the "Power Ranking Curse". This team was the #2 seed in the NL, but had it's title hopes derailed with an injury to R. Santiago. The 7-time Cy Young award winner returns healthly for the season and is joined by big off-season acquistions Bob Creek. That gives Phildelphia one of the best #1-2 punches in the NL. Looking closer at the Philly roster I have probably done a disservice listing them at #6, I expect to find this team in the top 4 come the next update. Hineiii consider yourself forewarned :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Power Ranks Update #1: Spots 1-5
5. Minnesota (13-7)
The defending AL North Champ returns almost exactly the same roster that finished 88-74 last season and 89-73 the year before. With a lot of the big teams taking a step back, the consistent Twinkies rosters allows them to jump into the top 5 for the first time.
4. Salt Lake City (14-8)
SLC makes their first appearance in the power rankings since I took over in the lofty position of #4. The Mormons have a history of success in Hunter (1 Title & 2 other WS appearances), until S20 they have been perenial contenders, then Shmish put the team into rebuild mode and it's quite apparent based on his off-season that he believes his roster is ready to compete again.
SLC jumped into the deep end of the FA pool. Salt Lake signed qty (4) Type A/B FA, they added SP J. Jacques, CF Willie Rijo, RP E. Blackmon & C Aaron Bennett.
Early returns from the off-season expeditures are very good, given that SLC is Hunter's hottest team having rattled off a 12 game winning streak
3. Kansas City (12-8)
KC finished last season with the 2nd best record in the AL, unfortunately that meant the #5 seed in the playoffs because the top record belonged to divison mate SF. In an unlikely upset Atlanta knocked off KC in the first round. The biggest defection of the off-season was the loss of future HOFer Bob Creek, which will hurt the rotation but Ptowner has done a great job since he joint Hunter in S21 assembling a deep roster through trades and FA. He did pick up Rich Williams in FA, who represents and an average 3b bat but has a ++ glove for the position.
2. San Fransico: Record (13-7)
As I mentioned at the end of last year, I was dissappointed in Bjb, for losing the NL, as it meant I had to retire my Quadruple A jokes, that said SF is till the class of the AL, it returns almost every key contributor from last year, the biggest loss was the trade of Albert Callabero, however his overall rating has exceeded his success thus far (.761 OPS). The never ending farm system of SF is sure to spit out a quality replacement.
1. Little Rock: Record (12-8)
As I envoke in my intial power rankings every year, Ric Flair says it best "To be the man you have to beat the man". Right now, after 4 failed tries the Renegades broke through and took home their first Hunter title. The statement I made prior to last season was the Renegades window was starting to closer as most key contributors were aging and their farm system had been depleted by their extended run of excellence. The statment continues to be true and every player has gotten one year older. The two key defections LR sufferd in their title defense was the loss of 38 year old Juan Jacques & more importantly the loss of bullpen stud Willie Guerreo. The team is still built to contend, hats off to timf for setting a Hunter record for 5 consecutive WS appearances (still bitter he bested my previous record fo 4 straight)
The defending AL North Champ returns almost exactly the same roster that finished 88-74 last season and 89-73 the year before. With a lot of the big teams taking a step back, the consistent Twinkies rosters allows them to jump into the top 5 for the first time.
4. Salt Lake City (14-8)
SLC makes their first appearance in the power rankings since I took over in the lofty position of #4. The Mormons have a history of success in Hunter (1 Title & 2 other WS appearances), until S20 they have been perenial contenders, then Shmish put the team into rebuild mode and it's quite apparent based on his off-season that he believes his roster is ready to compete again.
SLC jumped into the deep end of the FA pool. Salt Lake signed qty (4) Type A/B FA, they added SP J. Jacques, CF Willie Rijo, RP E. Blackmon & C Aaron Bennett.
Early returns from the off-season expeditures are very good, given that SLC is Hunter's hottest team having rattled off a 12 game winning streak
3. Kansas City (12-8)
KC finished last season with the 2nd best record in the AL, unfortunately that meant the #5 seed in the playoffs because the top record belonged to divison mate SF. In an unlikely upset Atlanta knocked off KC in the first round. The biggest defection of the off-season was the loss of future HOFer Bob Creek, which will hurt the rotation but Ptowner has done a great job since he joint Hunter in S21 assembling a deep roster through trades and FA. He did pick up Rich Williams in FA, who represents and an average 3b bat but has a ++ glove for the position.
2. San Fransico: Record (13-7)
As I mentioned at the end of last year, I was dissappointed in Bjb, for losing the NL, as it meant I had to retire my Quadruple A jokes, that said SF is till the class of the AL, it returns almost every key contributor from last year, the biggest loss was the trade of Albert Callabero, however his overall rating has exceeded his success thus far (.761 OPS). The never ending farm system of SF is sure to spit out a quality replacement.
1. Little Rock: Record (12-8)
As I envoke in my intial power rankings every year, Ric Flair says it best "To be the man you have to beat the man". Right now, after 4 failed tries the Renegades broke through and took home their first Hunter title. The statement I made prior to last season was the Renegades window was starting to closer as most key contributors were aging and their farm system had been depleted by their extended run of excellence. The statment continues to be true and every player has gotten one year older. The two key defections LR sufferd in their title defense was the loss of 38 year old Juan Jacques & more importantly the loss of bullpen stud Willie Guerreo. The team is still built to contend, hats off to timf for setting a Hunter record for 5 consecutive WS appearances (still bitter he bested my previous record fo 4 straight)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Meet jsturgis5866
S23 markst Jsturgis5866 first season in Hunter, however he is anything but a rookie with over 6000+ career wins and 2 WS titles on his HBD resume
Name: Jack
Age: 55
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Favorite Teams: New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox .. Bruins .. Celtics COMMISH EDIT: I knew there was a reason I liked this guy, he's got fantastic taste in Hockey teams.......the other teams not so much.......but really FANTASTIC taste in hockey teams. It's coming to an end soon, but the Bruins are still the champs......technically
Favorite HBD moment is tough. All my fond memories are people-related but no "moments," as such. I guess i'd choose my first WS title in World Boston Tea Party, Columbus Westward Migration sweeps three playoff series, going 11-0 after previous postseason disappointments.
Name: Jack
Age: 55
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Favorite Teams: New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox .. Bruins .. Celtics COMMISH EDIT: I knew there was a reason I liked this guy, he's got fantastic taste in Hockey teams.......the other teams not so much.......but really FANTASTIC taste in hockey teams. It's coming to an end soon, but the Bruins are still the champs......technically
Favorite HBD moment is tough. All my fond memories are people-related but no "moments," as such. I guess i'd choose my first WS title in World Boston Tea Party, Columbus Westward Migration sweeps three playoff series, going 11-0 after previous postseason disappointments.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Meet god_mike
S23 represents god_mike's first season in Hunter
Name/Family Status: Michael / Single.
Age: 38
Job: Night stocker at Wal-Mart on graveyards.
Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada COMMISH EDIT: The Canadian content keeps rising in Hunter, off the top of my head myself, timf, wolfhoundkl, beerman, lets_try & iain are all Canucks and I am sure I'm forgetting atleast one owner.
DOUBLE COMMISH EDIT: I'm sure all of the Canadians thought I was going to make a crack about the Nanaimo bar. Shame on you I'm better than that. I don't grab the low hanging fruit ALL the time
Favorite HBD Moment: Still waiting for that WS ring, or even a WS appearance. Though taking the division title away from a long time rival in LOCO was a good one.
Favorite Sports teams: I watch mostly hockey and football, so in hockey my favourite teams are Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins COMMISH EDIT: I am so happy you aren't a Canucks fan, that would have gotten the Commish-Owner relationship off on a bad foot , and in Football, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. and the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. When i used to follow baseball more i was a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but i barely follow it anymore. :>
Name/Family Status: Michael / Single.
Age: 38
Job: Night stocker at Wal-Mart on graveyards.
Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada COMMISH EDIT: The Canadian content keeps rising in Hunter, off the top of my head myself, timf, wolfhoundkl, beerman, lets_try & iain are all Canucks and I am sure I'm forgetting atleast one owner.
DOUBLE COMMISH EDIT: I'm sure all of the Canadians thought I was going to make a crack about the Nanaimo bar. Shame on you I'm better than that. I don't grab the low hanging fruit ALL the time
Favorite HBD Moment: Still waiting for that WS ring, or even a WS appearance. Though taking the division title away from a long time rival in LOCO was a good one.
Favorite Sports teams: I watch mostly hockey and football, so in hockey my favourite teams are Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins COMMISH EDIT: I am so happy you aren't a Canucks fan, that would have gotten the Commish-Owner relationship off on a bad foot , and in Football, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. and the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. When i used to follow baseball more i was a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but i barely follow it anymore. :>
Monday, May 14, 2012
HOF-S23
By my count there are 10-15 guys on the ballot that could be considered for the HOF. If we all vote independently no one will get in, as a result I ask that everyone constrain their voting to the 7 players listed below. Please decided if you feel they are HOF or not.
There are MORE deserving players than the 7 below however these guys will disappear from the ballot soonest, so we need to clear the backlog. To put the effect of a “splintered vote into perspective”, three seasons ago before everyone started voting together Garret Biggio a CF with 3063 hits, 636HR & 2084 RBI did NOT get in season. Let’s clean up this first 7 and we’ll move to the next batch next year.
I have put the guys in the order I will be voting for them and who will be getting HOF votes. I will be voting for the MAX 5 listed in order below. As mentioned above please limit your votes to the 7 players listed, vote for 0 to 5 of the below. You do not have to follow my order, I just figured I'd give a glimpse at my rationales
1. Frank Zhang- I don't think I need to put much here as he's as much as a lock that exists for the HOF. 755HR and 2011RBIs. Multiple MVPs............just vote for him.
2. E. Gonzalez- I make this argument every year, if we don't want a HOF full of 1b/Lf/RF we have to start voting in some skilled positions. Mendy Clemens is the only 2b in the HOF, Biggio will be the first CF & E. Gonzalez deserves to be the first SS. In the history of Hunter E. Gonzalez probably held the title for best SS for six to nine seasons. At a premium position that is worth a trip to the hall. Add on the following numbers. 1500+ runs 445 HR 1600+ RBI .501 Slugging, those stats would be impressive for a career at 1b, at SS they are ridiculous.
3. S. Morgana- Simply put he's the best C in the history of Hunter, a great mix of both offenisve and defensive talent (70+ PC). His offensive numbers are the reason he'll go into the hall. 400HR, 1090RBI, .300 AVG & .913 OPS. When I ran the ballot for the best C in Hunter history, Morgana edged out A.Campos for the top spot. If you are the best player at any position over 20 seasons, you should be HOF bound
4. P Chavez- It would be fitting of Pablo Chavez went into the HOF the last year as G. Biggio (S22 inductee) as he played in his shadow for most of his career. Chavez was the 2nd best CF in Hunter for 10 seasons. Unfortunately for him Biggio could be argued as the best Hunter player ever regardless of position. He just happened to play the same one as Chavez. He was a multi-time all-star and a multi-time silver slugger in CF and also picked up two World Series rings. In his prime Chavez was a legit CF, not just a LF masquerading as a CF to get an extra bat in the line-up. He ended up with 515HR, you get to 500HR with CF as your primary position you get in the hall
5. R. Brito- While 3b isn't as difficult to find at 2b, SS or CF. Brito should get bonus points for fielding a position much more difficult than 1b,LF or RF. Brito is one of the few HOF candidates who was a gold glover (3x) as well as a silver slugger (3x). He also picked up Seven All-Star appearances for his career. He ended up 30HR short of 500. In his prime he was a plus defender and a plus bat at a semi-premimum position. I think if we didn't have the backlog we currently have Brito would end up getting in but he's got a tough row to hoe with all the deserving candidates
6. Matty Garces- Matty, just misses the cut for me this year, he has the resume 600+ HR & an MVP award, however given the talent of available players I have to nitpick a bit. Everyone above him on the list played a premiem or semi-premium position (except Zhang, but seriously if you haven't voted for him yet stop reading this right now and go vote). He was a below average defender in RF and he just nips over .900 OPS for his career. Like I said I'm nitpicking, he'll get my vote in the future, I just think there are 5 better candidates.
7. Miguel Bennet- The only pitcher on the ballot this year. I am not sure what to do with RP, specfically closers. This year he doesn't make my personal ballot but I will be interested to see what others do with him. He is the Hunter world leading in saves with 512 and had a very good ERA at 3.52 for his career. If a RP was going to go in, I think it would have to be Bennet.......that said I'm not convinced I'd ever vote for a RP.
There are MORE deserving players than the 7 below however these guys will disappear from the ballot soonest, so we need to clear the backlog. To put the effect of a “splintered vote into perspective”, three seasons ago before everyone started voting together Garret Biggio a CF with 3063 hits, 636HR & 2084 RBI did NOT get in season. Let’s clean up this first 7 and we’ll move to the next batch next year.
I have put the guys in the order I will be voting for them and who will be getting HOF votes. I will be voting for the MAX 5 listed in order below. As mentioned above please limit your votes to the 7 players listed, vote for 0 to 5 of the below. You do not have to follow my order, I just figured I'd give a glimpse at my rationales
1. Frank Zhang- I don't think I need to put much here as he's as much as a lock that exists for the HOF. 755HR and 2011RBIs. Multiple MVPs............just vote for him.
2. E. Gonzalez- I make this argument every year, if we don't want a HOF full of 1b/Lf/RF we have to start voting in some skilled positions. Mendy Clemens is the only 2b in the HOF, Biggio will be the first CF & E. Gonzalez deserves to be the first SS. In the history of Hunter E. Gonzalez probably held the title for best SS for six to nine seasons. At a premium position that is worth a trip to the hall. Add on the following numbers. 1500+ runs 445 HR 1600+ RBI .501 Slugging, those stats would be impressive for a career at 1b, at SS they are ridiculous.
3. S. Morgana- Simply put he's the best C in the history of Hunter, a great mix of both offenisve and defensive talent (70+ PC). His offensive numbers are the reason he'll go into the hall. 400HR, 1090RBI, .300 AVG & .913 OPS. When I ran the ballot for the best C in Hunter history, Morgana edged out A.Campos for the top spot. If you are the best player at any position over 20 seasons, you should be HOF bound
4. P Chavez- It would be fitting of Pablo Chavez went into the HOF the last year as G. Biggio (S22 inductee) as he played in his shadow for most of his career. Chavez was the 2nd best CF in Hunter for 10 seasons. Unfortunately for him Biggio could be argued as the best Hunter player ever regardless of position. He just happened to play the same one as Chavez. He was a multi-time all-star and a multi-time silver slugger in CF and also picked up two World Series rings. In his prime Chavez was a legit CF, not just a LF masquerading as a CF to get an extra bat in the line-up. He ended up with 515HR, you get to 500HR with CF as your primary position you get in the hall
5. R. Brito- While 3b isn't as difficult to find at 2b, SS or CF. Brito should get bonus points for fielding a position much more difficult than 1b,LF or RF. Brito is one of the few HOF candidates who was a gold glover (3x) as well as a silver slugger (3x). He also picked up Seven All-Star appearances for his career. He ended up 30HR short of 500. In his prime he was a plus defender and a plus bat at a semi-premimum position. I think if we didn't have the backlog we currently have Brito would end up getting in but he's got a tough row to hoe with all the deserving candidates
6. Matty Garces- Matty, just misses the cut for me this year, he has the resume 600+ HR & an MVP award, however given the talent of available players I have to nitpick a bit. Everyone above him on the list played a premiem or semi-premium position (except Zhang, but seriously if you haven't voted for him yet stop reading this right now and go vote). He was a below average defender in RF and he just nips over .900 OPS for his career. Like I said I'm nitpicking, he'll get my vote in the future, I just think there are 5 better candidates.
7. Miguel Bennet- The only pitcher on the ballot this year. I am not sure what to do with RP, specfically closers. This year he doesn't make my personal ballot but I will be interested to see what others do with him. He is the Hunter world leading in saves with 512 and had a very good ERA at 3.52 for his career. If a RP was going to go in, I think it would have to be Bennet.......that said I'm not convinced I'd ever vote for a RP.
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