Thunder Thoughts Tuesday Power Rankings
And this time, they’re actually posted on a Tuesday! Imagine that…
Dan McCutchen stays on top for another week, but a surprise #2 and a big jump from a certain outfielder mark this week’s installment.
Feel free to discuss these rankings in the comments.
1 - Dan McCutchen, SP (1)
Despite the 3-2 record, McCutchen has been nothing short of dazzling so far this year. A K/BB ratio of nearly 5:1 and a WHIP under one cement his spot at the top yet again.
2 - P.J. Pilittere, C (3)
Pilittere’s .315 average leads the team, and his walk-off RBI single on Sunday gave the Thunder a three-game sweep of division rival Portland.
3 - Colin Curtis, OF (2)
Has really impressed me this year. I think he’s really taking advantage of having finished last season in Double-A, and the numbers show. Is no worse than a tie for 3rd on the team in the three major offensive categories.
4 - Chase Wright, SP (4)
SCW is tied for the team lead with four wins, and currently has the most innings pitched with 42.2
5 - Jason Jones, SP (5)
Hasn’t been on the wrong end of a decision yet, and is averaging over six innings a start.
6 - Austin Jackson, OF (7)
A-Jack still needs to improve with runners in scoring position, and also needs to show that he has some power, as he’s yet to hit his first Double-A dinger.
7 - Cody Ehlers, 1B (11)
Ehlers leads the team in extra-base hits with 17 and is second in RBI with 20.
8 - Zach Kroenke, RP (10)
As the lefty out of the pen, Kroenke needed to be good and has been ever since a rough outing or two at the start of the year. Allows a tick under one baserunner per inning.
9 - George Kontos, SP (16)
His 33 strikeouts are good for second best on the Thunder, but keep in mind that one third of them came last night. Had only 22 in his other six starts.
10 - Ramiro Pena, INF (15)
Needs to make better choices defensively, but he’s hit fairly consistently for the first month of the season.
11 - J.B. Cox, RP (14)
Three scoreless outings. No walks, only two hits. Yup, no complaints here. Just need to see it over a longer period of time.
12 - Phil Coke, SP (21)
Finally put together the solid start that everyone was waiting for. The former high school wrestler has a 3:1 K/BB ratio, but has the highest WHIP of the Thunder rotation.
13 - Jose Tabata, OF (24)
Saying that he’s raised his average to .229 isn’t saying much, really…but when you consider just how much he’d been struggling for the past week, and what he essentially put himself through as a result, it’s great to see him turn things around so quickly.
14 - Eric Wordekemper, RP (13)
Wordy has been solid, leading the relievers with both five saves and 12 appearances.
15 - Kevin Russo, INF (9)
Russo’s .911 OPS leads the team, and is one of only three Thunder players who doesn’t have more strikeouts than walks.
16 - Anthony Claggett, RP (NR)
More of a reputation selection, really. Claggett had a somewhat rough first outing, but the majority of the damage was through no fault of his own, as his defense really let him down.
17 - Bo Hall, RP *18*
Was absolutely filthy in his last outing, striking out four in two innings of work. It’s difficult to put him at #17, but this is a pretty deep team.
18 - Chris Malec, INF (19)
Malec has six errors this season? How? When did these happen? How did I not know this stat?
19 - Josh Schmidt, RP (12)
Isn’t getting the appearances needed to make an impact. Hard to believe that the guy who was throwing an inning for Scranton in the exhibition game turned into the odd man out in the bullpen.
20 - Joe Muich, C (23)
Probably needs to start making an impact pretty soon with the glut of catching the Yankees organization has.
21 - Michael Gardner, RP (17)
Is Tony Franklin’s primary innings eater out of the bullpen, but it would be easy to get uncomfortable at times seeing him used in key late game situations. His 1.62 WHIP is the second highest on the team. Has to find a way to cut the walks down.
22 - Reegie Corona, INF (22)
Defensively, Corona’s been very sharp, but the bat isn’t following suit. Ranked 22nd three straight weeks.
23 - Carlos Mendoza, INF (20)
Has more walks than strikeouts, but only has 22 at-bats all season.
24 - Edwar Gonzalez, OF (NR)
Has only two hits in his first 12 at-bats. If I gave incompletes, I’d do that instead of sticking him at #24…
NEW ON THE BOARD: Anthony Claggett and Edwar Gonzalez
OFF THE BOARD: Matt Carson and David Robertson — both promoted to Scranton.
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
May 6, 2008 at 12:35 am
Does Gardner really have 15 walks already??? That is a lot for a reliever after one month. He doesn’t have the highest WHIP either before or after tonight I don’t think, not that it matters.
May 6, 2008 at 12:46 am
Yup, it’s 15 BB’s for Gardy.
Claggett’s WHIP is 2.00, but that’s after one outing, and I can’t really count that. Gardy’s is 1.62 and Wordy has a 1.65, so you’re correct.
May 6, 2008 at 10:04 am
Mike,
You may be getting a new pitcher. Eric Hacker was pulled after two innings last night; that could mean that he will be taking Chase Wright’s turn in the rotation, who conversely will be taking Kei Igawa’s spot in SWB. Their turns do line up, and the moves make sense for the players, the organization, etc. It will be interesting to see if Christian Garcia takes Hacker’s spot in Tampa, if this domino effect does indeed take place.
May 6, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hey Mike, if you ever do another question and answer I got one for ya. You always hear about McCutchen being in the NY bullpen later in the season. I was wondering if he has ever heard from anyone in the organization about that being a possibility or it is just rumors being thrown around the internet?
May 6, 2008 at 1:29 pm
PJ And Colin have been offensive surprises to me. PJ always seemed like a guy who would never hit enough to make up for his lack of power. Curtis seems to not have enough power to be a regular in the Majors, unless that team has sluggers at other spots. However, both are hitting very well so far, and maybe they moved up a notch or 2 in the Yankee’s Front Office’s eyes.
How is PJ defensively? I remember him as someone who can handle the calling of a game, but had some issues throwing runners out. At least, that’s what I remember from his Staten Island days. Any better in AA?
Thanks.
May 6, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Your summary of PJ’s defensive skills is pretty accurate to me…
May 6, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Don’t count on Hacker. He’s missed more time on the DL than he’s pitched since he was drafted. Looks like the injury bug hit again. He’s listed on DL for Tampa on their roster.
May 8, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I understand that Hacker had a blister. He always gets hurt, and that may end up derailing his career.