NECBL Power Rankings: Schooners cling to first spot

In Week Five of my NECBL Power Rankings, the Mystic Schooners held on to the top spot with a pair of wins to close out the week, ranking first for the third consecutive week. However, divisional foe Newport and Northern Division leading Laconia are right on their heels. Meanwhile, the Muskrats are clinging to a one-game lead over Vermont and Sanford in the North, both who've piled up seven wins in July.

Stay tuned for an All-Star break edition, where I'll run down strength of schedule, award candiates and more in one big piece.

1. Mystic Schooners (18-11) - (1)

Mystic's grip on first place was tenuous this week, as they are tied with Newport for the best record in the league. However, the Schooners have won two straight, including a big win over Vermont. A nine-game winning streak at the start of this summer is what's holding Mystic atop the division, as they've gone an unspectacular 9-10 since then.

2. Laconia Muskrats (18-13) - (2)

A two-game losing streak knocked the Muskrats back, as they were positioned to overtake the top spot. Laconia has played the most games in the league (31), but still manages to lead the NECBL with almost five runs scored per game. Offensively, they're unmatched and also have a solid pitching staff that ranks first in strikeouts.

3. Newport Gulls (18-11) - (3)

After trailing Mystic for much of this summer, Newport pulled into a tie for first in the South after going 4-2 on the strength of a 1.85 ERA over the last week. The Gulls, a perennial powerhouse, rank second in the league in average and recently had a league-high nine players- including three pitchers- named to the All-Star game.

4. Vermont Mountaineers (16-13)  2 (6)

I wrote a column last week describing the Mountaineers as 'maddening', and they've alternated wins and losses their past four games since then. Still, they're tied for second and just a game out of first in the North. A league-high 59 errors has cost Vermont, but they rank third in ERA and average and are 3-1 against Sanford should a tiebreaker arise.

5. Sanford Mainers (15-12)  2 (7)

Tied for the league-high with seven wins in July, Sanford is heating up at the right time. The Mainers have won four straight to jump from sitting a game below .500 into a tie for second place in the North. They've struggled against Vermont (1-3) and Laconia (1-2) but are in prime position to compete for the divisional title.

6. Valley Blue Sox (15-13)  1 (5)

The Blue Sox have dropped four spots in the last two weeks, going a mediocre 4-6. After briefly leading the North, Valley has fallen all the way to fourth but still have a comfortable 1 1-2 game lead over fifth place North Adams. A league-worst 5.20 ERA in July has made it hard to gain any ground.

7. Ocean State Waves (15-13)  3 (4)

Ocean State has also dropped four spots over the past two weeks, going just 5-6 after piecing together winning streaks of five and four games. They're still in the hunt for the divisional title as they sit just 2 1-2 games out of first in the South and are 4-1 against the first place Schooners, but have taken back-to-back losses.

8. New Bedford Bay Sox (15-14)  1 (9)

New Bedford has relied heavily on strong pitching but haven't had the offense to support them. They rank second in the NECBL with a 3.12 ERA but are hitting just .228 and rank ninth in runs scored and 10th in OPS. An offensive improvement could turn the Bay Sox into contenders, but until then, moving past the first round is unlikely.

9. North Adams SteepleCats (15-16)  1 (8)


The SteepleCats have tumbled four spots in the last two weeks, going 2-4 this past week to fall out of a playoff spot in the North. 1 1-2 games out of fourth-place Valley, North Adams outlook doesn't look great. They are near the bottom of the league in average (.228) and ERA (3.79) and are just 9-12 against divisional foes.

10. Plymouth Pilgrims (11-16)  1 (11)


Plymouth has opened July a league-worst 3-8, tumbling from .500 to three games out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Southern Division. The Pilgrims, who led the league in wins last summer, have resorted to their 2013 ways- a season where they finished 15-28. With just a 6% chance to slip into the playoffs, the season is already almost over.

11. Keene Swamp Bats (8-19)  1 (10)

Keene has opened July with a 4-3 record, but the damage done during an awful June is too much to overcome in a competitive Northern Division. 6 1-2 games out of the fourth spot, the Swamp Bats have a lot of work to do. Still, with 15 games left, Keene could salvage an uncharacteristically bad season. Their batting average is up 70 points from June.

12. Danbury Westerners (7-20) - (12)

Unsurprisingly, Danbury is the worst team in the league, featuring the worst winning percentage (.259) and BaseRuns differential (-62). But, after winning just three games all of June, the Westerners have gone 4-5 in June. Seven games out of a playoff spot, Danbury would need to win all of their games moving forward to even have a shot.