American Association SUNDAY Insider: Return of the Power Rankings
Over the years in the 10th Inning Stretch Blog and in the year plus of the American Association Insider, I've tried many gimmicks, some worked, some not so much but the bread and butter has always been the Power Rankings. Started in 2018, the Power Rankings have been duplicated at many levels. Was it upsetting? Yeah, a bit. It's not like I had it trademarked, but it was my thing. I guess I should be honored and now when I see someone else have American Association and or Independent Baseball Rankings, I have a sense of pride that I was the pioneer. Not sure if that makes me smart or just that old.
1. Lake Country DockHounds 28
A road heavy schedule till the last week or so did not deter this DockHounds team from getting to a red hot start. Ryan Hernandez could be in the mix for a triple crown. Josh Mears has proved to be a great companion piece to Hernandez slugging eight home runs already. Ray Zuberer III has been red hot as of late. Luke Hansel will be a loss for the DockHounds as he was among the best hurlers in the league.
2. Milwaukee Milkmen 25
Now that the DockHounds dropped a couple of games last week, their rivals to the southeast have taken over as the hottest team in the league going 9-1 in their last ten. Could Griffin Doersching be the next homegrown star that the Milkmen have been looking for since Adam Brett Walker III?
3. Kansas City Monarchs 23
It was a week of offensive carnage the likes of which this league has rarely seen. After a slow start for the bats, the Monarchs found their game on a 4-2 road trip in Fargo and Sioux Falls. Cleburne is the next stop for the barnstorming sluggers. Good luck with that, Railroaders. On the mound Dakota Hudson and Daniel Garcia have been a great 1-2 punch winning nine games with a combined ERA under two runs.
4. Kane County Cougars 22
The Cougars had a 2-3 week at home. Claudio Finol after a so so 2025 has been on a roll since his Wolff Cup MVP series. Finol with four home runs has driven in 29 runs while batting .308. Alex McGarry and Josh Allen both got off to hot starts after struggling early in 2025. Westin Muir, Konnor Ash and Reese Sharp make for a great top three in the rotation and the stalwarts of the bullpen have been unhittable.
5. Gary SouthShore Railcats 18
I'm happy for the long suffering fans of the RailCats that for once I'm not waiting to fill in the 10-12 spots with the RailCats. It took a tough stretch of games at Kansas City and home against Milwaukee to slow down the Cats, but it's looking like competitive ball is back at US Steelyard. Elvis Peralta paces the RailCats with 20 RBI's and a .302 average like most expected. I've really liked what Peyton Long and Deyni Olivero has brought to the RailCats rotation.
6. Sioux City Explorers 18
The V men have brought it this season for the Explorers. Braulio Vasquez (.373) and Zac Vooletich (.328) have had All Star seasons thus far for the Explorers. But the team due to bullpen and some rotation issues is still trying to find their stride. Zach Willeman and Peniel Otano have got the job done at the top of the Explorers rotation, but it's been messy after that. Steve Montgomery teams have historically had strong pitching, and you have to believe Montgomery will be working the phones to upgrade his staff.
7. Sioux Falls Canaries 18
It was a strong start for the Canaries. They were keeping up with Kansas City, but as the injuries have added up for the Canaries, so have the losses. Starting pitching was a question mark going into the season and that question mark remains as nobody currently in the Canaries rotation has an ERA lower than 4.85. The last two or three have shown that there is a way to pitch for Sioux Falls and still have a decent ERA without the effect of pitching at the Birdcage so the bar has been raised.
8. Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 17
There are bright sides to the RedHawks season thus far. Jose Sermo has picked up in Fargo-Moorhead where he left off at so many of his American Association spots hitting nine home runs already. Dillon Thomas has got off to a hot start too tied with Sermo with 29 runs batted in. But Chris Coste has to be missing the days of Tyler Grauer, Davis Feldman and others as there is currently not a RedHawks starter with an ERA under 5.00. The bullpen hasn't been much better with the most surprising start being Parker Harm and a 11.40 ERA, though he has not been scored on in his last two outings.
9. Winnipeg Goldeyes 16
The Goldeyes have been like wallpaper thus far in 2026. There is nothing wrong with it, but there is also nothing you remember about it. Noah Marcelo got off to a hot start but has since slowed down. Luke Boyd has been OK in the rotation, but after that it has been slim pickings since Landon Bourassa went to Mexico. Mitch Lambson has thrown well in his last two starts but has a 7.26 ERA to show for his season.
10. Lincoln Saltdogs 15
The Saltdogs have seemingly been digging out of a hole the entire season and do not seem to be making up much ground. Their saving grace may be that the power of the American Association is in the East and that is allowing the Saltdogs to stay in the race. No pitcher on the Saltdogs has more than two wins.
11. Cleburne Railroaders 15
I keep waiting for this team to make a statement and it hasn't happened. I thought it was going to be last Friday night as the Roaders plated eight runs to take a huge lead that they eventually gave up in losing in dramatic fashion to the Explorers. But they showed moxie in bouncing back with a win on Saturday. The Railroaders are three games out of a playoff spot with the Monarchs ready to pay a visit to LaModerna Field. It's going to get late early if the Railroaders do not get on a roll.
12. Chicago Dogs 10
I haven't recalled the Dogs being this low in the Power Rankings since their first season in 2018. Injuries and signings have decimated their lineup. Aaron Altherr and Chance Sisco being out have not made it any easier. Jaxx Groshans and Giovanni DiGiacomo have carried the offense in their absence. No Dogs starter currently boast an ERA under 5.00
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