NECBL Power Rankings: Schooners on top at midway point

Willie Rios is 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA
over five starts. /Mystic Schooners

In Week Four of my NECBL Power Rankings, the Mystic Schooners remain the top team for the second consecutive week. The Laconia Muskrats, meanwhile, climb two spots to move into the No. 2 position as the only Northern Division team in the top five.

With every team a game or two past the 21-game halfway mark, this is as close as we'll have to a midway point in the power rankings. With that, let's run down what I believe we'll see the second half from a handful of teams, in category form.

Most likely to continue to be great: Muskrats. The offense and pitching have both been constants, and the rest of the Northern Division hasn't been a problem for Laconia, as they're 11-5 against divisional foes. They have something going here, from Robin Roberts Top Pitcher candidate Tim Viehoff (4-0, 0.28 ERA) to a dangerous heart of the lineup that includes returning All-Star Braxton Martinez.

Least likely to continue to be great: Waves. This was a tough category, but if you look at Ocean State's stats it doesn't make sense how they won nine of 10 and sit three games over .500. They rank eighth in average and runs scored, while they have a league-average 3.51 ERA. They have a boom-or-bust offense (lots of home runs and strikeouts, few walks and low average) and I think that the latest three-game skid is balancing it out. They'll still finish above .500, but most likely end up traveling come playoff time.

Most likely to come around: Swamp Bats. I'm starting to see signs of 2013 Keene in this years team- they opened the season 3-11 before turning it around and going 24-6 the rest of the way en route to a NECBL title. This year's team has a much bigger hole to dig out of (4-16) but it's possible. After scoring 52 runs in their first 20 games, they've scored 34 during a three-game winning streak to open July. A mighty comeback could be in store.

Least likely to come around: Westerners. Unfortunately, you can already write off Danbury. Unlike Keene, there aren't a lot of positives to look at. They rank 9th in average (.233) and have a league-worst staff ERA that is just a shade below five (4.95). They're 0-12 when trailing after five innings and have carried a lead into the seventh just five times. En route to a third straight losing season, the Westerners have had just three winning seasons in the past 12 years.

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1. Mystic Schooners (16-8) - (1)
Mystic experienced some turbulence, enduring a four-game losing streak, but they answered quickly by winning five of six. They top the crowded Southern Division by 1 1-2 games and will enter the midway point as the best team in the league.

2. Laconia Muskrats (15-10) 2 (4)
Right on Mystic's heels is Laconia, winners of three straight with victories over Vermont, Valley and North Adams. The hottest team in baseball (88°), the Muskrats have an offense that ranks first in runs and a 3.13 staff ERA (3rd) and are arguably the most complete team.

3. Newport Gulls (14-9) 3 (6)
The Gulls have alternated wins and losses for the past week, but a 15-inning marathon win over the Waves could get Newport out of a slump. They have a league-best offense (.752 OPS) but the pitching has been uncharacteristically shaky (4.03 ERA, 9th).

4. Ocean State Waves (13-10)  1 (3)
The Waves heated up, winning nine of 10, but limped into this edition of the power rankings having dropped three straight. A middle of the pack team in both ERA and runs scored, Ocean State still outscored opponents 50-24 during that 10-game stretch.

5. Valley Blue Sox (13-10)  3 (2)
Valley soared all the way to No. 2 last week, but are 2-3 over there past five games and have been vaulted by red-hot Laconia in the Northern Division standings. Valley ranks fifth in both average and ERA, deserving of their spot in these rankings.

6. Vermont Mountaineers (12-11)  2 (8)
Things were looking up for Vermont as they won four straight, but much like the rest of their season has gone, they've since dropped a pair of games. Inconsistency and errors have plagued the Mountaineers, but they rank second in ERA (3.02) and third in average (.257).

7. Sanford Mainers (11-11)  3 (10)
In a wide-open Northern Division, Sanford can afford to sit at .500 as they haven't pieced everything together yet. They went 3-2 over the last week, and don't have any noticeable weaknesses. They'll attempt to get over .500 for the first time since June 19th this week.

8. North Adams SteepleCats (13-12)  3 (5)
The SteepleCats went 2-4 over the last week, dropping them three spots. The 6-7-8 teams in the rankings do all have very similar records, so it's anyones game. North Adams has struggled at the plate, hitting a leauge-worst .217, but solid pitching has picked them up.

9. New Bedford Bay Sox (12-12) - (9)
Currently, New Bedford's a playoff team, despite sitting in ninth in these rankings. All they have to do is fend off Plymouth and Danbury (both trending downward) and they'll lock up the fourth seed and face off against likely the top team in the league come August.

10. Keene Swamp Bats (7-16)  2 (12)
It's been a big turnaround for Keene, who've rattled off three straight wins, including a comeback win against Vermont that could be the turning point of their season. They battered out 34 runs in the three-game stretch, including a 16-0 shutout of No. 2 Newport.

11. Plymouth Pilgrims (9-13)  4 (7)
Brent Rooker is in serious contention for league MVP (.407, 5 HR, 21 RBI) but the Pilgrims offense isn't enough for a struggling pitching staff. Plymouth has a .720 OPS (2nd) but struggles on the mound (4.31 ERA) have cost them during a five-game slide.

12. Danbury Westerners (5-18)  1 (11)
Will they move up again this summer? My bet is no. They briefly had a stay at No. 11 after splitting a pair of games to jump Keene, but the Swamp Bats are steadily gaining ground and Danbury is already 6 1-2 games out of a playoff spot (10 1-2 out of first).