ABL Power Rankings: Week 2, 2010

The power rankings for week two are in and...yep...they look exactly like the league standings! I can think of a couple reasons for this; mainly it has to do with the criteria for ranking which is determined from league record, last ten league games, and streak. Since not every team has played ten league games yet, the last ten and complete league standings are identical. And the only teams to put together any sort of appreciable streak are the ones at the very top and the very bottom.

On the other hand, the power rankings look a little bit different from last week, mostly be virtue of the fact that the Fire have plummeted to the bottom, buoying the Panners, Pilots and Bucs in the process. It's worth nothing that the schedules to this point have not been very even and they've been full of exhibition matches (which I do not count for these rankings) so once we're plunging headlong into July things will stabilize a bit.

So, without further ado, here's the rankings, complete with a little note on how they got there and where they're headed. I'm probably not headed to the ballpark again until Friday when I see the Miners at Bucs. So if you'll be there, let me know and maybe come say hi!

Rank	Team	Trend	Notes
1	Oilers	Even	The Oilers are coming off a four-game sweep of the Fire; this team has been hot from top to bottom. With Wittels onboard, they should get even better.
2	Miners	Even	The Miners continue to keep pace with the Oilers, falling just short of their mark, but with a game in hand. With a team ERA of 1.45 and 8 batters hitting over .300, the Miners are tough to beat.
3	Goldpanners	+	After dropping their first two games, the Goldpanners went 3-1 to come away with a road trip split. Hot-hitting Mike Tauchman has led the way on the offense.
4	Bucs	+	The Bucs have been victims of some close losses and a tough schedule. They've lost several games by two runs or less; their only "blowout" losses have come against the red-hot Miners. They'll improve as the season progresses.
5	Glacier Pilots	+	The Pilots picked up a couple wins this week to help get them on track; they'll be looking to pick up some wins on the road against the Fire and Goldpanners this week.
6	Fire	_	The Fire have faltered since winning their first league game; the offense has rallied but their pitching has surrendered five or more runs in five of their seven league games.