# May 2019 Power Rankings

by Austin B (The Gamblers)

# 20. The Royal Rooters - Blake Lawatch (Previous: 20)

The Rooters have had it rough in the first third of the season, but that was to be expected. If any team is truly rebuilding in the UDL it’s Blake’s. With a few prospects, like Nick Senzel and Shed Long, getting a look at the majors I must believe we’ll see the Rooters climbing these rankings… but maybe not until next year. For now, expect this to be a recurring placement with the Rooters league-worst 14-64-2 (.188) record.

# 19. Havana Pigs - Jane Osbeck (Previous: 19)

Jane’s team has made very little progress thus far to improve their preseason position, leaving them mired towards the bottom of the league. Disappointing performances and injuries from Brian Dozier, Jake Lamb, and Mitch Moreland can’t outweigh the continued success of Mookie Betts. Significant changes will have to made in order for the Pigs to improve upon their 26-49-5 (.356) record.

# 18. Acuña Matata - Jake Bridges (Previous: 15)

While Austin Riley’s first three weeks in the Bigs have been great for Jake’s team, most other things have been pretty rough. Corey Seager and Ronald Acuña have both been slumping over the last month, and Carter Kieboom basically fell on his face in his first taste of the majors. The pitching is still in a sad state as well, but Casey Mize sure does look legit! For now, it seems that Acuña Matata has essentially earned their 21-52-7 (.306) record to this point.

# 17. Boston Narb Sluggers - Brandon Kalashian (Previous: 18)

Last time around, I broke down the Narb Slugger’s season into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Since then, things have only gotten better for Brandon K’s team. Yoan Moncada and Frankie Montas have continued their breakout seasons, while Cavan Biggio, Brendan Rodgers, and Shohei Ohtani have joined the team’s offense. There’s still quite a ways for Brandon’s squad to go, but I would be surprised if their 21-57-2 (.275) record doesn’t start improving over the next few months of 2019.

# 16. Cat Scratch Fever - Brett Dunlap (Previous: 16)

While other teams have moved in the rankings around him, Brett's team has been steady. Eddie Rosario is doing his best Jose Bautista impression, while the infield core of Ozzie Albies, Eduardo Escobar, and Jonathan Schoop has been solid all around. The losses of Andrelton Simmons and Luke Weaver hurts, but with Yordan Alvarez due in the majors at any time, things are looking up for Cat Scratch Fever. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them push their 32-42-6 (.438) record over .500 in the coming weeks.

# 15. Preston Perennials - Darren Vandenberg (Previous: 14)

Well, would ya look at that? Rafael Devers has turned things around, Keston Hiura is hitting dingers, and young, exciting players have been young and exciting. Throw in a Derek Dietrich breakout(?) and this offense looks pretty solid. The pitching is a similar story, with a staff featuring Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, and Mike Soroka, it’s easy to imagine Darren’s squad going on an impressive run. Like Cat Scratch Fever, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Perennials improve upon their 30-44-6 (.413) record.

# 14. Forgot About Trea – Corey Ranweiller (Previous: 17)

Welp, Trea Turner and Juan Soto are healthy, and Kris Bryant remembered how to hit bombs. That’s not good for the rest of the UDL. Throw in Whit Merrifield and Tommy “Better than Mike Trout” La Stella, and suddenly, Corey’s team has one of the more impressive offenses in the league. The pitching still needs a bit of work, but Lucas Giolito’s resurgence has definitely moved things in the right direction. Forgot About Trea’s 29-48-3 (.381) record is easily my choice for “Most Likely to Improve.”

# 13. Wayne’s Hardware - Mike Lanciotti (Previous: 10)

If you want an example of a solid offense without any studs, look no further than Wayne’s Hardware. Mike has put together a rag-tag group that has been good enough to keep him in the mix for a playoff slot. A very similar argument could be made for Mike’s pitching if it weren’t for Gerrit Cole. So why the fall then? Mainly because I can’t see this getting much better than where it’s currently at. Looking at the team, I’m not seeing any obvious sources of more production besides a potential Jesus Luzardo callup. Pair that with a few players that I’d tag as over-performers, and I’d expect Wayne’s Hardware to stay right around their 40-32-8 (.550) mark over the next few months. Is that good enough for a wildcard spot? We’ll have to wait and see.

# 12. Team Riptide - Dan “Benthic” Hogan (Previous: 12)

Dan’s team was just starting to come around when the injury bug hit hard. Khris Davis, Giancarlo Stanton, George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Jeff McNeil have all been tagged with injuries, debilitating Team Riptide’s once-imposing offense. The pitching has been mostly untouched to this point knock on wood, as Justin Verlander, Jack Flaherty, and Kyle Hendricks have continued to do their respective things. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of deals Dan can make to continue his campaign for a back-to-back championship. For now, Dan has improved on a slow start to the year, moving to a 41-36-3 (.531) record.

# 11. The Gamblers - Austin Bristow II (Previous: 11)

Guys, I just really want my best player to be someone not named Hunter Pence. Like, cool, thanks Hunter! But, I really feel like Andrew Benintendi or Gregory Polanco should be better than you. Anyways, my offense is super meh. My pitching though is still quite good, despite slumps from Joe Musgrove and Mike Foltynewicz. Adding Andrew Heaney back to the fold will definitely help, as I look to improve on a middling 39-34-7 (.531) record. Please come back Mr. Judge. I need you.

# 10. Maine Cobra Kai - Brandon Hagopian (Previous: 13)

Brandon H wasn’t a fan of my ranking last month, nor was his team apparently. Josh Bell is on an absolute tear, Trevor Story is awesome as usual, and Joey Gallo is making an MVP bid. The Cobra Kai offense is a force to be reckoned with right now. The pitching, on the other hand, still leaves quite a bit to be desired. Brandon’s ace is… uh, Julio Teheran? Maybe Wade Miley? It’s not necessarily bad, but it definitely ain’t great. Nonetheless, Cobra Kai has improved to a 44-32-4 (.575) record and should continue to be solid from this point forward.

# 9. Torrano Beisbol Birds - Josh Botelho (Previous: 6)

Mixed bag here. Let’s break it down:

The Good: Jose Ramirez seems to be coming around and actually hitting. David Price is awesome.

The Bad: Pete Alonso is slumping and Eloy Jimenez has not found his stroke yet. Cole Hamels and Aaron Nola have been… fine.

The Ugly: Carlos Correa broke his rib during a massage. Robinson Cano is injured, but otherwise has been near useless on the field. Nick Kingham and Zack Godley are trying to outdo one another, posting ERAs of 8.28 and 6.43 respectively.

Overall, life hasn’t been great for Josh’s team. But, the talent is still there to make a run for the playoffs, despite a disappointing 38-37-5 (.506) record.

# 8. Vengeful Tuna - Avery Meyer (Previous: 2)

Avery’s team is the biggest faller of May, dropping six spots in my rankings. The drastic move is due mainly to the Vengeful Tuna’s inept offense. Joey Votto, Matt Carpenter, Yasiel Puig, and even Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have all continued to fall short of their preseason expectations. The pitching has remained impressive, despite the loss of Corey Kluber. However, a pitching staff alone, a team does not make. Avery’s team has slipped a bit in the standings as well, sitting at a 43-32-5 (.569) record. Avery has maintained his rebuilding stance, despite few trades to move in that direction. If he does make some selling moves, expect him to fall further in the coming months.

# 7. Springfield Isotopes - Kyle Biggs (Previous: 7)

Despite the loss of Charlie Blackmon, the Isotopes still boast a powerful offense. JD Martinez, Javier Baez, and Luke Voit have been very good in the first third of the season. The pitching has been okay to this point but could definitely be a point of improvement for Kyle going forward. Tanaka and Berrios are a good 1-2 punch, but beyond that it begins to get pretty shaky. All-in-all, the Isotopes are 44-34-2 (.563) and absolutely within the playoff hunt.

# 6. Big League Chu - Scott Chu (Previous: 8)

Remember when I mentioned that Wayne’s Hardware had an offense that was solid without studs? Big League Choo took that and did it better. An argument could be made that Michael Brantley or Matt Chapman are studs but look at Jorge Polanco and Carlos Santana both sporting OBPs over .400! The offense is really clicking for Scott right now, and the pitching isn’t far behind. Blake Snell and Josh Hader are monsters, and Chris Paddack has done quite well filling in for Tyler Glasnow. It really isn’t that surprising that Scott’s team has the second-best record in the UDL, at 51-27-2 (.650), good enough to lead the most competitive division in the UDL, the Aaron West. He may not keep up that pace, but Big League Chu has placed themselves firmly in the playoff picture!

# 5. Bringers of WAR - Joe Feery (Previous: 9)

The biggest riser of May is Joe’s team, the Bringers of WAR, rising four spots! Our resident Brit has had a great month of May, riding hot streaks from Yasmani Grandal, David Fletcher, and the incomparable Mike Trout. Where it gets really impressive is Joe’s pitching staff. Almost every pitcher is outperforming their preseason expectations: Matt Strahm and Spencer Turnbull have been unexpectedly good, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Caleb Smith, and Mike Minor are all making a case for a Cy Young season, and German Marquez just continues to do his thing. All of this seems fairly sustainable as well, moving the Bringers of WAR from a playoff dark horse to a true powerhouse. Expect their 48-29-3 (.619) record to continue at a similarly impressive level.

# 4. Discount Bob’s Couch Emporium - Josh Bass & Julian Spector (Previous: 5)

With the roster that Josh and Julian are sporting, it is not at all surprising that they’re sitting in the top five. Christian Yelich is continuing his MVP campaign, while Anthony Rizzo and Manny Machado back him up. The offense is good and the pitching is boarding on great. While Trevor Bauer and Jon Gray have been a bit disappointing, Max Fried and Marcus Stroman have made up for their shortcomings. Discount Bob’s is currently sitting in second place of the ultra-competitive Aaron West division with a 47-28-5 (.619) record. That division will be a lot of fun to watch throughout the year!

# 3. Hone Ron Runners - Mario Hernandez (Previous: 1)

Man, having an offense with Goldschmidt, Lindor, Mondesi, and Harper seems unfair. That is until you realize that Mondesi is notably worse in an OBP league, Goldy and Harper are slumping, and Lindor’s counting stats are significantly reduced due to his late start and the anemic offense around him. All that considered, Mario still has a very good offense, complemented by a solid, though not spectacular, pitching staff. The Hone Ron Runners have struggled a bit in May, and dropped to a still impressive 43-29-8 (.588) record that still leads the Koufax West.

# 2. Team ¡Ponche! - Lauren Grant (Previous: 4)

From one division leader to another, Lauren’s team has been as good as advertised, if not better. Her offense is clicking on all cylinders, with Cody Bellinger vying for an MVP, Nolan Arenado and Freddie Freeman not far behind. The pitching has ben similarly impressive. Patrick Corbin and Zack Grienke are aces, while Jake Arrietta and Walker Buehler have been solid. It seems safe to assume that Team ¡Ponche! Will continue to dominate and keep up their great 50-26-4 (.650) pace.

# 1. Back2Back Jax - Jackson Kendall (Previous: 3)

A new leader atop my power rankings, Jackson’s Back2Back Jax have been nothing short of amazing. Anthony Rendon and Willson Contreras are both sporting OBPs over .400, while Eugenio Suarez, Xander Bogaerts, and Trey Mancini have been impressive in their own right. It’s hard to top Jackson’s 1-2 punch of Max Scherzer and Chris Sale, though if there is any nit to pick, his pitching staff is fairly thin beyond the two aces. It should be no surprise that Back2Back Jax sits atop the standings as well, with a 53-22-5 (.694) record. I feel bad for those who have to face him while his team is this hot. *checks schedule, sees matchup for week after next* DAMN IT!