BLW Pre-Season Power Rankings
The 2023 season is here and it’s officially time for the most controversial post of the year…the pre-season power rankings. The initial rankings are based on past success, off-season transactions, and Spring Training performances.
Coastal Cougars: The Cougars enter atop of this year's power rankings with what seems like an endless ceiling of potential. Pitching was a major question this off-season, and that was partially answered by Bryson Livingston during Spring Training. Livingston brought consistency to the mound that hadn’t been seen in previous appearances. That consistency will be the key to the Cougars success as hitting will not be a question.
Western Wolves: The near-super team had a strong Spring Training performance meeting pre-season expectations. Newly acquired Luke Rose hit a home-run and manager Logan Rose had a solid outing on the mound. Role players Porter Swope and Jake Tucker will play a role if this team wants to climb to the top of the ladder in the next power rankings.
Arctic Altitude: Likely the team that benefited most from their Spring Training performance was the Altitude. Rookie Shawn Green had a very impressive performance in just his first appearance in his career. Adding him to a team already stacked with talent will only benefit the Altitude’s success this season.
Eastern Extreme: Entering at the four slot are the Brody Livingston led Eastern Extreme. Livingston had an up and down performance during this year's Spring Training, struggling on the mound but dominating at the plate. If the Extreme want to be successful, they will have to get help from their role players such as Jonah Thomas, Reid Umar, and Barrett Livingston.
Pacific Panthers: While it may seem a suprise to some, the defending champions are near the bottom of the rankings. There's no question that the absence of Carson Rose plays a major role in this however expect the Panthers to start out the season strong led by Soren Etheridge and Aiden Sabean.
Desert Diamonds: After a difficult off-season, the Diamonds take the final spot in the preseason power rankings. Questions regarding both hitting and pitching play a role in this ranking. With that said, Aiden Mahoney was more than serviceable at the plate, with a base-hit in Spring Training. Stay tuned to see if the Diamonds can exceed expectations in the next edition of BLW power rankings.