The summer is heating up and so are the teams atop the RFF Power Rankings. Falmouth takes over the top spot, becoming the third different team at No. 1 in three weeks.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | THE SKINNY | |
| 1 |  |
Falmouth Commodores | Since week one, the Commodores have looked like a team that could grab the top spot. After another impressive week, they’re in business. Falmouth beat Brewster and Wareham to open the six-game stretch – and then finished in very impressive fashion with a holiday series sweep of previous No.1 Cotuit. The Commodores now lead the league in batting average and runs scored, and their pitching staff remains tops in strikeouts. The addition of Dylan Davis, who’s hit three home runs in three games, makes a good offense even better. | |
| 2 |  |
Cotuit Kettleers | The Kettleers continue to look solid but they’ve only gone 5-6 since their 6-1 start, and the losses to Falmouth knock them down a peg. Cotuit still leads the league in home runs and the pitching staff ranks fourth in ERA. At some point, personnel losses may catch up to the Kettleers but it hasn’t really happened yet. Someone always seems to pick up the slack, like Yale Rosen and Logan Ratledge. If the starting rotation holds together, it’s a solid group as well. | |
| 3 |  |
Chatham Anglers | The Anglers were showing a few chinks in the armor this time last week, but they responded with a 4-2 stretch that put them back atop the East standings. They lead the league in on-base percentage and have a host of steady contributors leading the offense. Led by Andrew McGee, the pitching staff remains solid, ranking third in the league in ERA | |
| 4 |  |
Hyannis Harbor Hawks | Hyannis owns the best record in the league. The statistics still aren’t what you’d expect – the Harbor Hawks rank ninth in hitting and sixth in team ERA – but something’s working for them. The offense showed a lot more pop this week, blasting eight home runs (the team had one coming into the week), and the addition of Jeff Hoffman to the pitching staff could be huge. | |
| 5 |  |
Harwich Mariners | Harwich shot up the rankings last week but they drop a few spots this week after going 2-4 in six games. You still have to like the offense, with the speedy Aaron Barbosa at the top and big bats like Derek Fisher and A.J. Reed in the middle, but the starting pitching that had been so dominant didn’t have a great week. | |
| 6 |  |
Orleans Firebirds | The Firebirds have hovered around the .500 mark all season but jumped a game over it with a 3-2 week. Two of the wins came against Falmouth and Chatham, the top two teams in the rankings. The offense has been inconsistent, with some huge games and some very quiet games. Starting pitching could use a little dose of consistency too, although Bobby Poyner and Trent Szkutnik are emerging with ace potential. | |
| 7 |  |
Bourne Braves | It’s been a roller-coaster season for the Braves, and it was another roller-coaster week, encapsulated by a 9-0 victory over Hyannis and a win over Cotuit that were followed by two straight losses. The Braves got back to .500 with two wins over last-place Wareham. With Jaron Long, Ryan Kellogg and Austin Gomber leading the way, the starting rotation may end up as the best in the league and Bourne already leads in team ERA. The offense needs more production. | |
| 8 |  |
Y-D Red Sox | The Red Sox stay put in the No. 8 spot, despite a pretty good week. It’s still the same story for the Red Sox – one of the league’s best offense pairing with the league’s highest-ERA pitching staff. The Red Sox can hang with anybody but making a strong move to the top will be tough until the pitching staff comes around. | |
| 9 |  |
Brewster Whitecaps | Brewster and Wareham have struggled since the beginning and the struggles continued this week. On the bright side for the Whitecaps, the offense has done pretty well, with the team ranking fourth in runs. Jose Brizuela and Scott Heineman have been great lately. The pitching staff hasn’t had as much luck, with Brewster ranking ninth in ERA. | |
| 10 |  |
Wareham Gatemen | Wareham has been consistent in an unwelcome way – going 1-5 in each of the first three weeks of the season. Some reinforcements have arrived and the Gatemen should start playing better, but they’re facing an uphill battle. The offense has scored 20 runs fewer than anyone in the league. |
How much of Y-D’s league-leading offense, and league-worst pitching, is due to playing half their games at Red Wilson Field? You gotta admit, that place is a launching pad.
I’d be interested to see some home/road splits for the pitching staff.