Minor League Monday: June 14, 2021

- Dawson Haywood

#1 (-): Durham Bulls (24-11) (Series: 5-1) +4 -2

The Bulls keep on rolling. This weeks against their in-state rival, the Charlotte Knights, proves their dominance in the state. They are playing at the highest level and have the the best game and series record. This is the 4th week the Bulls have been on top and the 3rd week in a row they have held that position. The Bulls are looking like this year's favorites to win the Ok Listen Here North Carolina Minor League Title. 

Weekly Titles: 4

#2 (-): Down East Wood Ducks (22-13) (Series: 4-1-1) +4 -2

The Wood Ducks are getting back on track after losing their series to Fredericksburg a few weeks ago. They have another "easy" series coming up this week against the #10 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Anything in baseball can happen though, which is what makes it so exciting. The Wood Ducks are serious contenders for the title, but they cannot slip against teams like Fredericksburg, Fayetteville, or Kannapolis as long as Durham is being dominant.

Weekly Titles: 1

#3 (+2): Greensboro Grasshoppers (20-16) (Series: 1-0-5) +5 -1

The Grasshoppers finally won their first series and did so in dominating fashion. Though it was against the #8 Hickory Crawdads they are the only team on the board that is undefeated in the series record with at least one win in a series. Last week they were tied for #5 but their win in the series proves that they can win! Greensboro has the opportunity to take over the #1 spot if they continue winning.

​#4 (-): Asheville Tourists (15-20) (Series: 3-3) +2 -4

The Tourist did not have their best performance this past week against the Rome Braves but thanks to the Mudcats failure to defeat the Cannon Ballers they will remain in 4th place for the time being. Asheville is still a sleeper team that could find their way into the #1 spot come the end of the season but for this to happen it would be a slow and steady grind. 

#5 (-3): Carolina Mudcats (21-14) (Series: 2-2-2) +3 -3

The Mudcats have dropped 3 spots this week, which is the largest drop since we came out with these power rankings, because they tied with the #10 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in their series this previous week. This tie allowed the Cannon Ballers to nearly double their game win count. Unfortunately, the race for first just got a little bit longer for the mudcats because of this. 

Weekly Titles: 1

#6 (-1): Winston-Salem Dash (17-19) (Series: 1-2-3) +2 -4 

The Dash have been unable to gain momentum this entire series. There are times where it looks like they could pull out with a win in a series but this has only been done once by the Dash. They do sit with a decent game record and are nearing the .500 mark. This week the Dash will go up against the #3 Greensboro Grasshoppers. Solid performances by the Dash could make them Top-3 contenders in the State.

#7 (-): Charlotte Knights (13-22) (Series: 1-4-1) +2 -4

The Knights unfortunately look like their shot at the #1 spot is nearly impossible. This is their second straight loss in a series against the #1 Durham Bulls and towards the end of the year this will be considered in the final standings. There are three White Sox affiliated teams in these standings (Dash, Knights, and Cannon Ballers) and none of them have been able to crack the Top 5.

#8 (-): Hickory Crawdads (13-23) (Series: 0-3-3) +1 -5

The Crawdads are sitting at the #8 position only because #9 and #10 have performed terribly all season. This 13-23 record is ugly and they gave the Grasshoppers their first series win all season. If Fayetteville had wins against teams other than the Cannon Ballers the Crawdads would be sitting at #9 right now. 

#9 (-): Fayetteville Woodpeckers (14-21) (Series: 2-3-1) +2 -4

The Woodpeckers lost the the #2 Down East Wood Ducks this past week and continue to prove that they cannot win a series against a quality team. They do have the opportunity to move up as they come into the week with a series against the #5 Carolina Mudcats and the #8 Hickory Crawdads being on decline. 

#10 (-): Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (7-28) (Series: 0-5-1) +3 -3

The Cannon Ballers finally get something other than a loss. They still are looking for their first win, but it isn't a loss, and for Kannapolis this is improvement. This weeks tie was against last week's #2 Carolina Mudcats, so this is an impressive feat for the Cannon Ballers. Hopefully we will see a win come from this team in the near future.

Last Week's Standings
#1: Durham Bulls (20-9) (Series: 4-1) 
#T2: Carolina Mudcats (18-11) (Series: 2-2-1) 
#T2: Down East Wood Ducks (18-11) (Series: 3-1-1) 
#4: Asheville Tourists (13-16) (Series: 3-2)
#T5: Greensboro Grasshoppers (15-15) (Series: 0-0-5)
#T5: Winston-Salem Dash (15-15) (Series: 1-1-3)
#7: Charlotte Knights (11-18) (Series: 1-3-1) 
#8: Hickory Crawdads (12-18) (Series: 0-2-3) 
#9: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (12-17) (Series: 2-2-1)
#10: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (4-25) (0-5)