Once again time for feelings to get hurt and noses to get bent...….welcome to the top 10...….
10. Boston Minuteman (51-38) Last Rank: Honourable Mention
In the first Power Ranks I mentioned that Boston based on some off-season tweaks should make a push for the playoffs....and right now they sit with the 4th best record in the NL but cling to the final playoff spot with Iowa and Baltimore nipping at their heels. Led by Lou Lindor and a strong pitching staff Boston should battle for the playoffs and potentially the NL East.
9. Jacksonville Juicers (49-40) Last Rank: 3
The Juicers drop from 3 to 9, is very similar to Washington's drop from 1-11. Not necessarily an indictment on the team. More a reflection of how razor thing the margins are for the top teams in Hunter. As per usual the Juicers are lead by perennial MVP candidate Eruibel Belliard and an elite pitching staff. The Juicers are the favorite to win the NL south and would not be shocked to see them jump back into the top 3 before the season is over.
8. New York Yankees (58-31) Last Rank: 9
So if dropping Jacksonville and Washington wasn't controversial enough the Yankees check in at 8 despite the fact they have the best record in all of Hunter. The Yankees are a very good team hence is why they are 8th in what's a razor thing rankings. Looking at some of the underlying numbers the Yankees are currently 51pts above their expect win % and currently have a 16-9 record in 1run games. NY does have a very strong bullpen, which is normally a key factor in 1 run record. I expect the Yanks to win the AL East but fall back to the pack in terms of win total.
7. Montreal Rippers (50-39) Last Rank: 4
Expected win total as a tale of two cities while NYY have been outplaying their pythagorean number, Montreal has been dramatically underplaying theirs. Montreal is playing below by 50 pts and 11-18 in 1 run games, however their expected number which edges NYY .612 to .600. It looked as though this might be the season that Montreal rose to be a dominant force but lack of support for the Rippers all world trio of Cooke, Wood and Griffin has left them short of expectations. Closer Tomas Delgado has reached Brad Lidge versus the Cardinals with Socks Bennett of the Louisville sluggers playing the role of Albert Pujols, 17 for 25 and a .5.01 ERA isn't going to cut it as a closer for a WS contender. Montreal has the talent to make a big run in the 2nd half but also has a couple question marks.
6. Monterrey (56-33) Last Rank: 8
Current leader in the Thunderdome which if the season ended today would send 3 teams to the playoffs again and boasts the top 3 AL records. Monterrey's heavy investment in improved their pitching staff has not shown the dividends one would have expected at this point in the season, only resulting in a modest improvement from 4.42 ERA (S47) to 4.37 ERA (S48). That said the Monterrey pitchers talent wise are better than .05 improvement which should concern any AL team in the 2nd half as they should only get better. Monterrey offense continues to be among the leagues best, finishing first in runs last season and currently sits 2nd so far this year.
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