Bonfire Wiffleball Association Power Rankings - Week 9

1. Joe Cronin – Joe overtakes John in the for the top spot in the power rankings due to his powerful performance during Week 9 play. He started out the first game with a mellow one HR game. He exploded in his 2nd game of the day (a 1v1 matchup versus John) with a league record 11 HR’s, the third time this season that he has set a league record for HR’s in a game (First 5, then 7, now 11). In his final game he generated 6 of 7 runs (1 Solo HR, 1 Grand Slam HR, 1 bases loaded walk) to nearly power Sarah Cronin to her second win of the year. That game displayed the weakest part of his game, his defense, where he dropped a sure out fly ball in the bottom of the 5th inning which started a furious comeback by the opposing team. Joe and Sarah ended up losing that game, which was a poor end to a great day for Joe, who still ended up with a winning record for the day (2 Wins-1 Loss).

 2. John Cronin – John slips down to the second spot in the power rankings this week due to his losing record (1 Win – 2 Losses) and poor performance in his 1v1 matchup against Joe Cronin (Gave up 11 HR’s in 1 game, lost 17-8). While he started out the week poorly with two straight losses, he was able to scrape out 4 K’s and 5 HR’s in those two losses. He ended the day on a strong note, with 2 HR in the bottom of the 5th inning to spur a comeback victory over Joe and Sarah’s team. John and Joe have battled back and forth for the top spot in the power rankings all season and it will only be a matter of time before John finds a way back to the top.

3. Howard Cronin – Howard holds the third spot in this week’s power rankings. He is currently second in the league in K’s with 47 K’s on the season. He has a stellar 2.35 K/Game average. The main reason he has risen up to the third spot in the rankings has been his power surge as of late. He began the season as a strong contact hitter with weak power numbers. Through the first six weeks, he only had 2 HR’s. In the past 3 weeks, he has exploded for 7 HR’s to bring his season total to 9 HR’s. That power streak has also propelled him to an 11-9 record on the season. He is sitting in a great spot for the stretch towards the end of the season.

4. Joe Hubly – Pitching is the name of the game for Joe as he has racked up 26 K’s in only 12 games so far this season. His K/Game is third in the league at 2.17. He also has a powerful presence at the plate with 12 HR for a 1 HR/Game average. He had a big game in week nine, launching 2 HR’s including the walk off home run to win the game in the bottom of the 5thinning. Inconsistent appearances have been his downfall this season as he has only appeared in four out of nine weeks’ worth of play. He hopes to maintain a more consistent appearance record as the season continues.

5. Sarah Cronin – Sarah takes the last spot in this week’s power rankings. She is tied for 4th in the league in strikeouts with 26. She is beginning to master her control over pitches on the inner half of the strike zone, a skill which can prove deadly when not protected against by unwitting batters. She has flashes of brilliance at the plate but still is waiting to hit her first home run during league play. (She hit one over the fence at the tournament this past weekend.) If her bat comes around with a bit of power to end the season, she will be a force to be reckoned with.

Almost Made It – (Those who had notable performances but were unable to crack the top five.)

Joe Marier – Joe had a great debut this past week winning both of his games. He threw 5 K’s and hit 2 HR. With such a small sample size, he was unable to make it into the top five but if he continues to display this level of ability it will not be long before he is in.

Rose Cronin – Rose has the best winning percentage in the league (of those who have played more than 5 games). But she lost on Sunday so she dropped out of the top five in this weeks rankings.

Article by Joe Cronin