Power Rankings - April 29th, 2019

1st - London Knights (15-11) – James McNulty .352 / 1.088 – 4th year player. McNulty is having a career year, leading the Knights in Home Runs. Once again, I am not sure why he bats so far down. Rank 1st.
2nd - Atlanta Flyers (18-7) – Justin Morneau .200 / .599 John Twain .286 / .962 - $200,000 veteran and a 4th year player respectively. Morneau’s early struggles have given Twain another shot. If Twain struggles, could we see a midseason call-up, Harnisch maybe? Rank 8th.
3rd - San Juan Senadores (16-10) – JR Lederle .211 / .623 – Rookie. With the injury to Larkin, San Juan shifted the Miller’s around giving Lederle playing time. This could cost them in the long run. RFank 15th.
4th - Taipei Tai Fong (18-8) – Dan Posedel .330 / .892 – Brand new 3 year / $13.5 million contract. Not a huge HR hitter, but can get you that extra base hit when needed. Rank 5th.
5th - Halifax Sailors (16-11) – Allan Mertes (vs. R) .288 / .765 Johnathan Zizzo (vs. L) .192 / .526 – 3rd and 4th year players respectively. Halifax has never been a big spender at 1B, instead relying on the natural depth that exists in the league. The platoon trial is about to come to a screeching halt, as Mertes clearly deserves the playing time ahead of Zizzo. Rank 10th.
6th - Paris Pimpernels (12-15) – Hee Seop Choi .315 / .983 – Perhaps one of the best 1B values at 3.25 million per year, Choi has found a great home in Paris. Still, at age 39, one wonders how many more years (months) Choi actually has. Rank 3rd.
7th - Scotland Rebels (14-14) – Henry Sanchez .186 / .614 – 4th year player. The once pride of the Kyoto farm system has never lived up to potential. Sosa or Gladden should get significant playing time soon. Rank 16th.
8th - Chiang Mai Kwaan (11-15) – Daniel Callahan .317 / .746 - 6th season. Callahan is not having the year he needs to grab that big contract in the off-season. Having zero Home Runs from a 1B position is not what any team is looking for. Rank 11th.
9th - Cleveland Dawgs (14-13) – Matthew Hamman .288 / .813 – Rookie. Considering the lack of depth on this team, Hamman is a nice find. Too bad he is struggling so bad against lefties. Cleveland is trying different combinations to make up for that.
10th - Osaka Ronin (11-16) – Prince Fielder .260 / .766 – To pay a slugger like Fielder $6 million a year, have him travel to Osaka, and then hit worse than normal is just a large insult to management. Rank 9th.
11th - Savannah Sabers (12-13) – Charlie Splittorff .339 / 1.016 – 3rd year player. After a terrible rookie performance, Splittorff has been on fire. Not sure why he’s not batting higher in the line-up. Rank 4th.
12th - Ireland Invaders (12-16) – Nicholas Weglarz .310 / .859 – 3rd year player. Just the opposite of Kyoto, Weglarz is having a career year. Although Nicholas has always had some pop, he has never had a great stroke at the plate. Rank 6th.
13th - Baltimore Panthers (14-10) – John Atwood .341 / 1.048 - 3rd year player. Atwood is picking up the slack for all of the offensive retirements suffered by the Panthers. Throw in a couple of stolen bases as well. If Baltimore is going to rebuild, Atwood could be a corner stone or, frankly, might have great trade value in the SLB this year with so many 1B’s struggling. Rank 2nd.
14th -Philadelphia Fever (11-13) – Ken Ryu (vs. L) .214 / .660 Gregory Golson (vs. R) .185 / .571 – Two veterans are platooning for the Fever. Neither can hit a right-handed pitcher. Maybe we can add their stats together… Rank 14th.
15th - Kyoto Bushido (9-17) – Mark Hamilton .212 / .676 – 4th year player. Kyoto can’t catch a break, as Mark Hamilton is having his worse by far. Someone who has a career .900 OP’s does not normally hit 300 points below. There must be an injury Kyoto is keeping secret. Rank 13th.
16th - Bedford Crunch (6-20) – Basil Elton-John .240 / .722 - 5th year player. Basil has always had a Home Run swing. 1 out of every 5 hits leaves the ballpark. Not quite having the season Bedford was hoping for. Rank 12th.