The 12: Mountaineers on tear, crowded atop Southern Division

Blake Tiberi leads the league in hitting for Vermont.
/Crowley Photo

This week's edition of The 12 is the first power rankings of all 12 NECBL teams- organized into three categories. It's Week One and most teams have 12 games under their belt, with Vermont leading the pack behind a seven game winning streak.

Pat Wiese also returned to Vermont after beating a rare form of bone cancer, a noteworthy event. He started a foundation for cancer research and supporting patients and their families, and the proceeds from the largest 50/50 pot in Mountaineer history went to it. He also threw out the first pitch and was followed around selling raffle tickets by ESPN, WCAX and other news sources.

Here are my first rankings:

Bottom Feeders
12. New Bedford Bay Sox (1-11, -44 run differential, 8 GB)
11. Danbury Westerners (5-9, -19, 5 GB)
10. Laconia Muskrats (5-8, -20, 4.5 GB)
9. Keene Swamp Bats (5-8, -31, 4.5 GB)

These four teams have started off the season poorly- none worse then New Bedford. The Bay Sox had hoped to improve from their 2013 campaign where they finished four games under .500, but they've picked up just one win through their first 11 games.

The horrendous record might have to do with the fact they rank dead last in hitting with a .173 average and second to last in ERA with a 4.39 mark. They've been outscored by 44 runs- through the first 12 games. They're also 0-3 against Danbury, the second-worst team in the league this season.

It does not get better for the Bay Sox, who play five games in five days against teams with a combined record of 41-19, including two games against Ocean State.

Laconia has been hurting themselves this summer, as they've allowed 22 unearned runs and have the fourth worst fielding percentage in the league. They've hit the ball relatively well but opponents are hitting .267 against them.

The Swamp Bats are drawing comparisons to last season, when they started awful and turned it around. They pieced together a four game winning streak before falling to Newport yesterday after starting 1-7. They have a 2.49 ERA over the last five games and have over 20 points above what they were hitting on the season- is it the turnaround we've been expecting from the defending champs?

Almost in it
8. Valley Blue Sox (6-8, -3, 4 GB)
7. Sanford Mainers (6-6, -8, 3.5 GB)
6. North Adams SteepleCats (6-6, +3, 3 GB)
5. Mystic Schooners (7-5, +11, 2 GB)

All four of these teams could very quickly move to the tops of their division. This is a turning point- will Sanford and North Adams rise or fall, and can Valley dig out of a below-.500 hole.

However, nobody has a better chance then the Mystic, who sit just two games out of the pack for first place in the Southern Division. The Schooners have scored 11 more runs then their opponents but have dropped their last four games in a row, so the next few games could really determine which direction this team will go.

Valley is the only team who've beaten Vermont twice, but they gone 4-6 over the last ten games- including getting sweeped in a double header against the Mountaineers. They're hitting .260 as a team, second in the league, but their success at the plate has been countered by a team ERA near the bottom of the league.

Leading the pack
4. Ocean State Waves (8-4, +3, 1 GB)
3. Plymouth Pilgrims (8-2, +22, T-1st)
2. Newport Gulls (10-4, +34, T-1st)
1. Vermont Mountaineers (9-4, +29, 1st)

Vermont has won seven straight to earn the top spot, but the next two teams- Plymouth and Newport- shouldn't be taken for granted, either. These three teams rank in the top half of all three categories- pitching, hitting and fielding while they all feature an ace and a strong hitter.

The Mountaineers have Elliot Ashbeck (3-0, 0.90 ERA, 20 IP) and Blake Tiberi (.400, 4 RBI, 11 R), as well as having a pitcher and player of the week. Plymouth boasts Nicholas Berger (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 17 1/3 IP) and Ryan Xepoleas (.344, 8 R) while Newport brings Marc Huberman (3-1, 1.35 ERA, 13 1/3 IP) and Blaise Salter (.368, 12 RBIs, 2 HR).

And that's just scratching the surface.

All three of the teams have a lot of depth, especially in their bullpens- they've combined to go 23-2 when winning after seven innings. Vermont and Plymouth play tonight, definitely the game to watch tonight- can Plymouth extend their win streak to four or will Vermont's hit eight.