MMDA Power Rankings: Block One Edition

A sample of 30 games doesn't tell us much about the true quality of baseball teams—but who cares! Ranking teams is fun, and the conclusion of Block One is a good vantage point to take stock.

Here we present the first installment of the MMDA power rankings. Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order. This is an attempt to rank the league's best teams to this point.

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Northeast	19	11	Northeast	5.53	3.60	+58
2	Spokane	19	11	Pacific	4.00	4.07	-2
3	Mohawk Valley	18	12	Atlantic	5.20	3.20	+60
4	Brooklyn	18	12	Atlantic	5.97	4.30	+50
5	West Side	18	12	Northeast	4.67	3.40	+38
6	Wilmington	18	12	Atlantic	5.20	4.00	+36
7	Fighting Irish	16	14	Northeast	4.83	4.50	+10
8	Jersey	16	14	Northeast	3.93	4.03	-3
9	Goldenrod	16	14	Central	4.53	4.80	-8
10	Rosehill	15	15	Central	3.43	4.30	-26
11	Rochester	14	16	Atlantic	4.43	4.17	+8
12	Cape Cod	14	16	Northeast	4.43	4.20	+7
13	Northwest	14	16	Pacific	4.40	4.87	-14
14	Death Valley	14	16	Atlantic	4.23	4.87	-19
15	Elysian Fields	13	17	Central	4.83	4.70	+4
16	Lake County	13	17	Central	3.50	4.70	-36
17	California	12	18	Pacific	4.20	5.03	-25
18	Columbus	12	18	Pacific	3.93	5.50	-47
19	Miami	11	19	Pacific	4.00	5.57	-47
20	St. Louis	10	20	Central	3.43	4.90	-44

Top Run-Creation Team: Brooklyn, 5.97 R/G. 
Top Run-Prevention Team: Mohawk Valley, 3.20 RA/G.

MVP AWARD
A.Pujols (DVD) 373
A.Beltre (ROC) 371
M.Trout (BRK) 217         
M.Cabrera (BRK) 137
C.Kershaw (SPO) 100

CY YOUNG AWARD
C.Kershaw (SPO) 114
J.Shields (HUS) 103
A.Wainwright (HUS) 46
H.Street (JER) 16
C.Kimbrel (NWS) 8

All-Time Mohawk Valley Team

The recent blockbuster trade of Curtis Granderson, Zack Greinke and Mark Teixeira signals the end of an era in Mohawk Valley franchise history. All three players were crucial components to five playoff teams between 2006 and ’12,

With those ties severed, Rickie Weeks and C.C. Sabathia now stand as the only links to the ’06 team, the first playoff entrant in club history. As a new chapter opens, the time is nigh to look back at a Mohawk Valley all-time team.

All statistics run through the 2012 season.

Manager: Preston Wilson
Tenure: 2002-07.
Playoff Teams: Two.
Acquired: Drafted in 1999; inherited from previous regime.
Performance (for Mohawk Valley only): .245/.310/.465 in 2,535 PA (326 runs created).

Perhaps only Casey Stengel with the early-’60s Mets endured more bad baseball than Wilson did in the five seasons from 2000 through ’04. The center fielder played for clubs that lost an average of 118 games per season—and never fewer than 111. The nadir: 139 losses. That's not a typo—the Oklahoma City Cannon Dealers won 23 games and finished 81 games out of first place in 2000.

Those early Mohawk Valley clubs for which Wilson played featured a few worthwhile lineup fixtures—himself, third baseman Corey Koskie and left fielder Carlos Lee—but the secret to the Jive's poor showing in their inaugural ’02 campaign becomes apparent when you see the pitchers most responsible for the 5.77 team ERA: Bobby Jones, Brian Tollberg, Mac Suzuki, John Thomson, Paul Byrd, Dan Reichert, Danny Wright and Blake Stein. All made at least 10 starts.

Wilson occupies a unique position in Mohawk Valley franchise history as the only player inherited by the current front office who stuck around long enough to play for the first playoff team in ’06. For that he's earned the right to stand on the top step of the dugout and cuss at umpires.

Lions Welcome New Blood, Bid Fond Farewell To Franchise Icons Granderson, Greinke & Teixeira

Mohawk Valley beat reporters could sense an air of bewilderment in the Lions clubhouse as franchise icons Curtis Granderson, Zack Greinke and Mark Teixeira cleaned out their lockers as they prepared to meet their new employer halfway across the country.

The three distinguished veterans, plus the Lions' second-round pick in 2014, all belong to the St. Louis Maulers now, having been exchanged for center fielder Andrew McCutchen, first baseman Adam LaRoche and trade throw-in Javier Lopez, a lefty situational reliever. The transaction will take effect in time for Block 2 games in May.

Lions GM Matt Eddy acknowledged the difficult decision to part with three of the top talents in Mohawk Valley franchise history.

New Maulers righthander Zack Greinke

"Our rotation depth allowed us to make this trade," he said, referring to the starting-pitcher collective the local press corps had dubbed the $100,000 Rotation. "Trading Zack, Mark and Curtis hurts, but we knew our club's offense was deficient, and we feel that adding McCutchen and LaRoche makes it a little less so."

Following the trade, Derek Holland moves into the Lions rotation on a full-time basis, joining David Price, Yu Darvish, C.C. Sabathia and Stephen Strasburg.