10. Montreal Rippers: Last Season (96-66) Last Rank: 2
As Ferris Bueller once said life comes at your fast...… Life has definitely came at the Rippers quickly. This is an extremely talented roster but has an unbelievable 14 players on their ML roster that are 33 or older. The plus side for the Rippers is these are still talented players but the Rippers farm is bare and they are up against the cap. Unless the GM can get very creative this might be the Rippers last ride.
9. Iowa Cornhuskers: Last Season (88-74) Last Rank: Honourable Mention (HM)
The Cornhuskers crack the top 10 for the first time. Last season they rode the HM train start to finish but manage to jump Atlanta and Montreal's aging teams. Once again this team will go as Cristobel Baerga goes who unbelievably didn't win the MVP last season with a 1.126 OPS. The NL MVP race last season was historic. Following two first round exits Iowa looks poised to make a deeper run
8. Jacksonville Juicers: Last Season (97-66) Last Rank: 5
The Juices won their division for the 8th straight time last year and advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs. This team still boosts one of the top rotations in Hunter however while not as dramatic as Montreal who has installed oxygen tanks on the bench this season, the Juicers average age is drifting up north of 30. This Juicers team every time I look at it I'm shocked they haven't won the championship. The window isn't closed yet but father time is undefeated.
7. Louisville Sluggers: Last Season (94-68) Last Rank: 7
Expect more of the same from Louisville this season, returning almost an identical roster. The next wave of Sluggers won't be arriving until end of season call-ups. With half the roster under 30, any progression this season will have to come from within.
6. Monterrey Heat: Last Season (105-57) Last Rank: 6
The Heat finished last season with the best record in Hunter but for the 2nd straight season did not manage to win a playoff round. The Heat's roster from last season returns mostly in tact however they did lose Jionvanni Guyer to Scranton, while he was probably the top FA pitcher he did not manage to crack the Heat playoff rotation. For the first season since joining Hunter Mjs22 has had a quiet off-season. It likely he's confident in a team that managed to win 105 games last season
5.Vancouver Lumberjacks: Last Season (97-65) Last Rank: 4
Vancouver's lineup in absolutely loaded and Duster Lester pickedup a Co-MVP but perhaps the Lumberjacks best player wasn't even nominated.....Hector Peters hit 60 HR and had 140 RBIs while playing 2nd best and could not find his way on to the ballot. If Peters comes into the season with a chip on his shoulder the NL should be very worried.
4. Scottsdale Dawgs: Last Season (101-61) Last Rank: 3
The Dawgs made a nice run to the NLCS last season before eventually falling in 6 to the eventual champions NY. The Dawgs look to build on that success from last season and is the same for most of the top teams they return virtually the same roster. I joked last season that Phillip Goodwin spent his off days flying to Iowa to rip Cristol Baegara posters off water towers. It turns out this was an effective strategy because at the tender age of 25 Goodwin picked up his first MVP
3. New York Yankees: Last Season (101-61) Last Rank: 10
It's a good thing I'm hungry because it's time to eat crow. This is what I wrote just before the playoffs started
"Sooo you know it's going to get spicy when a 100W team is the 10th spot...… I predicted that New York would fade in the 2nd half but they didn't. Just when I look at the roster I see a deep roster that is very good but doesn't make the "jump" when the roster gets trimmed down. "
Well it's clear I don't know anything as the Yanks went on to the World series. Hat tip Shucky. I won't make the same mistake this season. Welcome to the top 3 :)
2. Washington DC Generals: Last Season (95-67) Last Rank: 9
The Generals in the Power Ranks have been a lot like the elevator industry..... it has it's ups and downs. Last season the Generals started as the 1 team and then stumbled out of the gate only to rebound and make a run to the ALCS. So the talent I saw on the roster came to play once weight of lofty Power Rank expectations were removed. Let's see if they are better able to handle the pressure this season.
1. San Francisco Night Demons: Last Seaon (100-62) Last Rank; 1
Despite losing the 7th game of the World Series I still have to give SF the top spot. The Night Demons rotation is truly frightening. This rotation will continue to anchor the team for the next 3-4 season. The light at the end of the tunnel is Yadeil Molina and his 7 Cy Youngs has turned 36....the downside is he has a makeup of 89 and hasn't started to fade yet.
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