Week 3 Power Rankings

by Micah Rodriguez

As we head towards the midway point of the summer, three teams continue to lead the way as the rest of the CCL fights to make a push towards the top half of the standings.

1| Santa Barbara Foresters (––)

The Foresters are on fire. After an undefeated week two, the Foresters followed that up with a 6–0 week three. The Santa Barbara club's win streak currently sits at nine games. The Foresters have been dominant on both sides of the ball, leading the CCL with a 1.90 team ERA and a .300 team average.

The Foresters ended their week with a 6–2 victory over the San Luis Obispo Blues, who find themselves back in the two spot. The high-powered offense only mustered six hits throughout the game, but was able to manufacture enough runs to give their pitching staff a cushion. In relief of starting pitcher Will Jordan, the duo of Trent Roach and Luke Cornelison threw six scoreless innings – three apiece, with Roach recording four strikeouts and Cornelison adding six of his own as the staff struck out 13 in total. Cornelison, a right-hander, has struck out 16 batters in only eight innings of work. 

The middle infield duo of Marcus Gries and Sawyer Farr continues to produce for the Foresters, both hitting .412 as we near the halfway point of the season. In the outfield, Caleb Hoover and Makani Navarro have been steady contributors. Nabarro's .636 on-base percentage only trails Farr for the high mark in the CCL, and Hoover has driven in 11 runs.  

2| San Luis Obispo Blues (––)

Through three weeks, the Blues have created a comfortable lead for themselves in the Northern Division. Currently 14–3 overall, the Blues finished week three 4–2. They dropped their final two games to the Foresters and Riptide.

Infielder Brandan Comerford and Miles Mador find themselves near the top of every major hitting statistic in the CCL. In 46 at-bats, Mador has a .630 slugging percentage – the highest amongst players with a minimum of 40 plate appearances. Comerford leads the CCL in total hits and walks with 22 and 15, respectively, and is tied for second with ten stolen bases. Kutter Gage Webb and Diego Murillo join Comerford in the infield, and both currently host averages north of .340.

Spencer Gallimore continues to distinguish himself as one of the best arms in the CCL. In 22 innings, the right-hander holds a 1.64 ERA with 27 strikeouts and only six walks.

3| Orange County Riptide (––)

The Riptide are the only team in the Southern Division keeping pace with the Foresters. Through 15 games, the Orange County Club's record sits at 11–4, only one back of the Foresters in the win column. It was an up-and-down week for the Riptide. They suffered losses to the Barons and the Saints, but beat the Oaks by double-digits and the second-place Blues, 10–6. 

Cooper Clouser has been on an absolute heater at the plate, earning his first-career Hitter of the Week Honors. In a three-game stretch against the Oaks, Blues, and Barons, Clouser was 10-12, including a 4-4 day against the Oaks and a 5-5 day with three doubles against the Blues. Reid Montgomery, Tomas Cernius, and Connar Barth continue to produce towards a .282 team average, the third-highest mark in the CCL.

The Riptide swept Player of the Week honors as left-hander Sammy Cova was named Pitcher of the Week for his performance in a 12–2 win over the Oaks. Making his second start of the season, Cova spun four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Cova only allowed two hits, and his season ERA sits at an even one. 

The Riptide maintain a 2.90 team ERA, just trailing the Forsters. 

4| Academy Barons (up 1)

The Barons had a great week, highlighted by two wins against the Oaks and a 3–2 victory against the Riptide. Now 7–6, the Barons are in third place in the Southern Division.

Infielder Elijah Clayton has come on of late for the Barons. Clayton is tied for the league lead with 11 stolen bases and supports a .294 average and .841 OPS. First baseman Jason Del Villar still paces the CCL with four home runs, and second baseman Nathaniel Williams is hitting .386 with 17 hits and 16 RBIs – tied for the second-most in the CCL. 

On the mound, Daniel Rivera has been sharp in relief. Through twelve innings, Rivera has yet to allow a run and has struck out 15 while only walking three. In their 3–2 win over the Riptide, Jack Fishel tossed four scoreless innings, dropping his season ERA to 3.00 in nine innings.

5| Walnut Creek Crawdads (up 1)

The Crawdads are riding a five-game win streak heading into week four. The Crawdads are comfortably in second place in the Northern Division with a 9–4 record. 

Infielder Peyton Rowles is hitting .340 with only five strikeouts in 47 at-bats. He is joined by fellow infielder Ryan Ellis, who is hitting .333 with four doubles and three home runs with a .727 slugging percentage through 36 at-bats. 

The Crawdads boast a 3.54 ERA, the second-best mark in the Northern Division. Right-hander Jeremy Jones headlines a strong staff. Jones has a 3.00 ERA in twelve innings spanning three starts with 12 strikeouts.

6| Sonoma Stompers (up 1)

After a difficult week two that saw them drop five spots in the power rankings, the Stompers rebounded with a 3–3 week to move back up one spot in the rankings. 

Hunter Carlson continues to be one of the best run producers in the CCL. The Stompers catcher leads the CCL with 17 RBIs thanks to his .298 average and two home runs. Carlson is joined in the lineup by fellow catcher Angel Garcia, who has emerged of late with a .308 average and nine RBIs in 39 at-bats. The infielder pairing of Tino Vasell and Michael Uriepero both have 11 RBIs each.

In a tight 3–2 loss against the North-leading Blues, Taber Fast was solid in his first start of the season with the Stompers. Fast went three innings, allowing no hits and only two walks while keeping the high-power Blues' offense scoreless. In their 8–5 victory over the Seagulls, Matthew Schallberger made his second start of the season. The right-hander went three innings and allowed one run while striking out two. 

7| Conejo Oaks (down 3)

It was a tough week for the Oaks, going 1–4 with their one victory being a late-inning comeback win against the Saints. However, the back-to-back reigning champs still have plenty of time to right the ship entering the middle portion of the summer.

Offensively, right fielder Brandon Contreras is still hitting .500. Through 28 at-bats, the lefty has 14 hits and has only struck out 14 times. With the Oaks in the midst of a four-game losing streak, Contreras delivered a two-RBI single in the top of the ninth to lead the Oaks to a 10–9 win. First baseman Dylan Jackson leads the club with four home runs, and infielder Matthew Witkow has provided steady offense from the hot corner, holding a .967 OPS.

In a 3–2 loss early in the week to the Foresters, right-hander Johnny Levelis was very efficient. In four innings, Levelis allowed one run on five hits and two walks while adding two strikeouts. In 8.1 innings, Levelis has a 1.08 ERA. 

8| Arroyo Seco Saints (––)

The Saints were in competitive ballgames all week. After an elite win against the Riptide and a one-run win over the Philippines Baseball Group, the Saints dropped their next two games against the Foresters before falling 10–9 to the Oaks. 

Infielder Brayden Flores has been the Saints' best hitter in the largest sample size. In 51 at-bats, Flores is hitting .353 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. Flores joined in the lineup by Canon King. The outfielder is hitting .353 with two long balls, including a blast against the Oaks to temporarily give the Saints a lead. As a team, their .803 OPS only trails the Foresters.  

On the mound, left-hander Joe O'Regan has been their most consistent arm. In three starts, O'Regan has thrown 15 innings to the tune of a 2.40 ERA with 12 strikeouts. Right-hander Oscar Salazar has been their most-used arm out of the bullpen. Salazar has thrown 13.1 innings with a 4.73 ERA while striking out 13.

If the pitching staff starts to put things together more consistently – currently holding a 7.51 team ERA, the highest mark amongst non-affiliate teams – the Saints have the offense to make a late-season push.

9| Menlo Park Legends (––)

The Legends finished up their third week of play with a 3–2 victory over the Stompers on Saturday and a 4–0 win over the Seagulls on Sunday.

Kai Maynick got the starting nod in the shutout win over the Seagulls. The right-hander spun five scoreless innings with two strikeouts to lower his season ERA to 1.38 over 13 innings. In their one-run win over the Stompers, Titus Clappin worked four scoreless innings in relief. The right-hander worked around four walks to keep his season score at 0.

Infielder Ryan Duron has been the Legends' best player at the plate. In 39 at-bats, Duron is hitting .359 with 11 RBIs and two extra-base hits. Aaron Louis and Oliver Hogan join Duron in the lineup, both with supporting averages above .300. As a team, the Legends are hitting .196; to make a push, their offense will have to improve.

10| San Francisco Seagulls (––)

The Seagulls had a difficult week three. The club went 1–5, with their only victory coming in an 8–3 win against the Philippines Baseball Group. 

Utility man Tanner Wall has been a problem for opposing pitchers in the heart of the Seagulls' order. Wall is hitting .342 with three doubles and six RBIs. He is joined in the middle of the lineup by Davis Germann. The outfielder is hitting .306 with two home runs, three doubles, and a triple. Infielder Christian LaMothe is tied with Germann for the team lead in home runs and leads the Seagulls with 15 walks. 

In their victory over the Philippines Baseball Group, reigning week one Pitcher of the Week Finn Whalen gave the Seagulls 5.2 strong innings. The right-hander worked around seven hits and three walks to only surrender three runs (two earned). The bullpen duo of Theodore Tsouras and Matthew Potter worked 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to secure the 8–3 victory.