| RANK |
TEAM |
COMMENTS |
| 1 |
HAVANA |
The
defending champions get the top spot in the power
rankings, that's just the way it is dammit! Vida
Blue is the new face of Cigars baseball, and Cuban
baseball fans couldn't be happier. They'll need
Blue and their deep pitching staff to hold off a
strong field in the Roehm Division this season. |
| 2 |
LONG
BEACH |
If
Havana is gonna defend their title they'll have
to hold off the Lobsters again, and it ain't gonna
be easy! Long Beach has arguably the deepest pitching
staff in the league, and although the offense isn't
quite as scary as it's been in years past it sure
ain't bad. |
| 3 |
NEW
YORK |
Three-fifths
of the rotation retired in the offseason, but new
All-Timer Dean Chance and promising youngster Cannonball
Monciewicz should fill the void nicely. The Nukes'
lineup is potent as always, and after finishing
three games back in 2013 this could be the year
they return to the playoffs. |
| 4 |
COZUMEL |
Their
offense from last season is still intact, but what's
up with their pitching staff? Their top three pitchers
are dominant enough to keep them near the top of
the rankings, but their lack of pitching depth could
spell serious trouble. |
| 5 |
AMITY |
The
2013 edition of the White Sharks are already being
labeled "The Old Men and the Sea", but
in between bingo tournaments and early bird specials
at Carrow's they should still have time to win yet
another Polanski Division title. This is probably
the beginning of the end of their era of dominance
though. |
| 6 |
HONG
KONG |
You
heard it here first... Hong Kong will dethrone Bora
Bora for the Barnes Division title! The retirement
of Tim Adkinson was a significant hit to their rotation,
but other than that they weathered the offseason
relatively well. |
| 7 |
BORA
BORA |
They
continue to lose pieces to retirement, free agency
and trades. Tough to bet against them but all good
things must come to an end. |
| 8 |
JOHANNESBURG |
Well
would you look at the Steelmen! 90 game winners
in a tough division last season. They made a big
move this offseason, getting Eric Perinet, Paul
Wilson and others from Bora Bora. They could and
should be in the mix with NY and Cozumel in the
Lockwood Division. |
| 9 |
SICILY |
They
still match up quite well with Hong Kong and Bora
Bora. There should be some good pennant races this
year and the Barnes race could be the best. Sicily
will be right in the thick of things. |
| 10 |
BOMBAY |
Longtime
Elephants Marcelino Reams and Jim Palmer are in
the twilight of their careers. Will they finally
get into the postseason? If things go just right
who knows, but right now I say they'll be playing
golf in October (I hope I'm wrong though). |
| 11 |
VANCOUVER |
Added
a couple of big bats to their lineup, pitching looks
good... they'll make things a lot more interesting
in the Roehm but it'll be tough to finish ahead
of Havana and Long Beach. |
| 12 |
RIO
DE JANERIO |
They
could be one key trade away from being right in
the thick of things in the Roehm, but right now
they're battling with Vancouver for third. |
| 13 |
ARGENTINA |
Very
nice young pitching staff, biding their time while
waiting for the White Sharks to start collecting
social security in a season or two. |
| 14 |
EDMONTON |
The
pieces are slowly slowly falling into place for
this team, but there are still holes to fill. Fans
are looking for the young pitching staff to take
it to the next level this season. |
| 15 |
HONOLULU |
Two
seasons ago they fell just one game short of the
postseason before falling just below .500 last season.
Will they rebound this season? They'll have to prove
the Power Rankings wrong, cuz I say .500 again. |
| 16 |
LOS
ANGELES |
Gone
is the amazing Sendai Ashikaga, and so too are
the glory days of the Riots. Management has made
it crystal clear that the rebuilding process has
begun.
|
| 17 |
TEHRAN |
The
mighty Lou Gehrig get all the publicity, and rightfully
so, but in his shadow Matty Dauss is developing
into the brightest young star in the league. |
| 18 |
CAIRO |
Look
for new All-Timer Joe Morgan to spark the Scorpions
offense. |
| 19 |
STOCKHOLM |
The
Swedes are eagerly anticipating having shortstop
Ernie Banks around for a whole season, he missed
much of last season due to injury. |
| 20 |
CHERNOBYL |
Another
team welcoming their All-Timer back from an injury.
Lefty Grove suffered a season ending injury after
just nine starts last year. |
| 21 |
PORT
LOUIS |
Their
lineup is halfway decent but they won't go anywhere
with their pitching staff. Keep an eye on young
catcher Jesse Powell, he could be a star in the
making. |
| 22 |
JAMAICA |
With
the additions of new All-Timer Ron Guidry and free
agent acquisition Brett Wagner, the Rastas are putting
together the semblance of a pitching staff. Now
if we could just combine the Dodos offense and the
Rastas pitching... nah, they'd still suck. |
| 23 |
TOKYO |
Young
pitchers Slim Davis and Bob Benjamin could finish
1-2 in the ROTY race. Not much besides those two,
but they're good enough to get the Tsunamis out
of the Power Rankings cellar for the first time
since 2010. |
| 24 |
BERLIN |
The
Brewmasters have finally hit rock bottom. After
finishing #23 in the past two editions of the
Power Rankings, Berlin has managed to slip into
the last spot this season. In a way this is actually
quite an accomplishment considering they're finishing
behind Tokyo and Jamaica, you've almost gotta
try to be that bad!
|
