Jorf Porsson's Week 1 Power Rankings: The Hierarchy Has Been Reshuffled

Jorf Porsson's Week 1 Power Rankings: The Hierarchy Has Been Reshuffled

by jorf porsson

CCW Insider, Sultan of Sources, Resident Prophet of The Dirtyard

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​Week 1 is in the books — or at least, most of it is. Mother Nature had the audacity to rain out a Wednesday slate that could have reshuffled things even further, sparing some teams from accountability for another week. But I, Jorf Porsson, do not wait for perfect conditions. My sources operate in all weather. My rankings do not get rained out.

Here is what we know: Opening Day delivered the barnburners and blowouts I promised you. The Gold Socks announced their arrival with a 15-10 drubbing of the Moonshots before turning around and stuffing a 20-16 beatdown on the 8 Balls — a franchise debut about as clean as you can draw it up. The Outlaws showed up like they had something to prove, crushing the Hounds 27-7 in a game that was, in a word, ugly. The Short Shorts survived the Outlaws in a 16-15 slugfest, then handled the Ligers 15-9. The Moonshots bounced back from the Gold Socks loss by putting up 23 on the Hounds — a Hounds team, I'll note, that managed 4 runs in game one and 7 in game two, for a combined score of 11 against two opponents who were not particularly trying to be stingy. The Ligers beat the 8 Balls 8-7 in a close one. Then Wednesday's fast-pitch slate gave us only Outlaws-Gold Socks due to only one field being playable: a sweep for Mitch Buis and company, 9-0 and 8-7, putting them firmly atop the early standings.

The fast-pitch slate that was rained out — Moonshots vs. 8 Balls and Hounds vs. Ligers  — gets pushed to future weeks, leaving some teams with only two games played. That matters for context. That said, I have SOURCES, and I have EYES, and neither requires a full sample size.

Here are my Week 1 Power Rankings.

1. Outlaws — 3-1, +29 run differential (Previously: 3rd — UP 2)

I came into this season with sources whispering that Gurtch was locked in. I did not know it would look like this. Alex "Swamp Donkey" Gurtcheff is hitting .810 with 11 home runs and an OPS north of 3.300 through four games. The man has not simply picked up where he left off — he has accelerated past last season's Most Improved Player performance and appears to be lapping the field. 

Cade Luker is right behind him — .619, 4 HR, 29 total bases — and Mitch Buis on the mound has been immaculate when it mattered most, throwing a shutout in Game 1 of the fast-pitch sweep against a Gold Socks team that had just looked very good. The Outlaws were ranked 3rd coming in on the strength of their lineup. The lineup has delivered. If the pitching holds anywhere close to what Wednesday suggested, this team is a title contender, not just a dark horse.

The one data point of caution: Gurtch allowed 7 runs in 4 innings in his fast-pitch appearance. The offense can carry a rough pitching outing here and there, but if Buis is the only reliable arm, eventually they'll hit a wall. For now, though? The Outlaws are the team I'm watching most closely.

Next up: Outlaws vs. Short Shorts (May 13) — the most anticipated series of the fast-pitch season so far.

2. Short Shorts — 2-0, +7 (Previously: 1st — DOWN 1)

The defending champs go a perfect 2-0 in slow pitch and sit on top of the standings by record, but I'm ranking them second this week for one reason: the Outlaws have played more, done more, and done it more convincingly. The Short Shorts have not yet faced the fast-pitch pressure test, but will have an illuminating series against the Outlaws this week. 

What I can say is that Brayden "PP" Scott is doing unspeakable things at the plate in slow pitch — .800, 5 home runs, an OPS that the stats website rendered in a font it wasn't designed to display. Brendan Dudas has 4 home runs, 8 RBI and an OPS of 2.000, because of course he does. Cody House has 3 bombs. Dustin Dowden is contributing. This team is elite and showing it. They just need the fast-pitch résumé to back up where I have them in this list.

Ranking them second is not a knock. It is the cost of a weather event and a schedule that gave others more opportunities to impress. The Shorts remain the defending champions, the most well-rounded roster on paper, and they will get their fast-pitch moment this Wednesday against the Outlaws. The ranking fight continues.

Next up: Short Shorts vs. Outlaws (May 13) — the series this rankings piece is actively building toward.

3. Midcity Moonshots — 1-1, +14 (Previously: 5th — UP 2)

I said coming in that the Moonshots had the highest upside in the league and the most variance. After one week, the variance has been… kind of fine? They lost to the Gold Socks 15-10 in slow pitch — a game they probably felt fine about conceding given what the Socks' lineup looks like in that format — then demolished the Hounds 23-4 in the second game of the day.

The individual performance has been nothing short of stunning. Josh Hart is hitting .750 with 6 home runs in just 2 games. Thomas Hopkins is at .667 with 5 HR. Eric Starke, returning after years away, is at .588 with 3 bombs. Kent Nims is contributing. This top of the order is every bit as dangerous as the preseason hype suggested, and it's backed by a run differential of +14 across only two games — one of which was a loss.

The question of whether Alec Buchman can be an impactful second arm remains very much open. The fast-pitch schedule will answer that quickly. But on the basis of offensive firepower alone, I cannot keep the Moonshots at 5. They belong here.

Next up: Moonshots vs. Ligers (May 13) — their fast-pitch debut as a team.​

4. Gold Socks — 2-2, -1 (Previously: 2nd — DOWN 2)

I do not enjoy dropping the Gold Socks. They went 2-0 in slow pitch, with Austin Alles hitting .696 with 5 HR, and Rudy Lyon putting together a .524 average with 5 HR and 8 runs across slow and fast pitch series. Tristan Dudas is hitting .583 with 2 bombs. The offense is real. The preseason blueprint appears to be working.

But the fast-pitch slate on Wednesday was an unambiguous sweep at the hands of the Outlaws — 9-0 and 8-7. The 9-0 loss is the one that deserves scrutiny. Austin Alles allowed 9 runs in 4 innings, and the command issues that the preseason power rankings flagged as his one weakness showed up on the biggest fast-pitch stage of the young season. Connor Young also had a forgettable outing — 7 ER in 4 innings.

This was one night, against a very hot team, in the first set of fast-pitch games. I am not panicking. The offense will carry them through plenty of rough pitching nights. But the gap between the Socks' floor and ceiling on the mound just got a little more real, and the Outlaws — who are an early-season measuring stick — handed them a swift lesson.
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Next up: Bye this week, Hounds and 8 Balls on the 20th.

5. Ligers — 1-1, -5 (Previously: 6th — UP 1)

The Ligers beat the 8 Balls 8-7 on Opening Day in a game that was closer than advertised, then dropped a 15-9 contest to the Short Shorts. Aidan Palmer at the plate has been an absolute revelation — .750 with 5 home runs and an OPS of 2.750 through just 2 games. That is not a slow start from Aidan Palmer. That is a statement.

The questions that existed before the season began — will the Palmer pitching duo be elite? Can Connor Smith and Nolan Karwoski hit? Will the defense hold up? — remain largely open. Dylan Jones is at .500 in slow pitch, Connor Smith has 3 HR in limited action, and the supporting cast is producing. Karwoski has been quieter.

The Ligers move up because the offense through Aidan has been genuinely elite, and because a 1-1 record against the Short Shorts and 8 Balls is not a bad starting position. This team has not played fast pitch yet, and I suspect that's where the real verdict comes down. Fast pitch this week against the Moonshots will be a significant early test.

Next up: Ligers vs. Moonshots (May 13) and a busy schedule against the Outlaws the following week.

6. 8 Balls — 0-2, -5 (Previously: 7th — UP 1)
My sources have confirmed that Reid Werner is, in fact, still Reid Werner. The reigning MVP is hitting .429 with 2 home runs and has been giving this team a chance to win. The problem — the exact problem I identified before the season — is that the supporting cast has not yet given him anything to work with.

Dustin Laugel, I will give him this: .769 with 4 HR in 2 games in slow pitch, which is entirely encouraging for a guy we didn't project to hit like that. If The Lush is for real as a bat, the 8 Balls' offensive floor is meaningfully higher than expected. Swingler was missed in week 1’s action. Adam Watson has shown some promise in hsi rookie debut. But the 8 Balls are 0-2 against the Ligers and Gold Socks, two teams they should be competitive with, and the run differential is not flattering.

They move up one from 7th because the Hounds have made a compelling case for last place, not because the 8 Balls have earned anything. That said — don't sleep on Kylo Rain when Wednesday nights get misty.

Next up: Bye this week; then 8 Balls vs. Gold Socks (May 20) — a winnable series against a team with real pitching questions.

7. Hounds Wiffle Club — 0-2, -39 (Previously: 4th — DOWN 3)
There is no way to dress this up, and I will not insult your intelligence by trying. The Hounds allowed 23 runs to the Moonshots and 27 runs to the Outlaws. Twenty-three. Twenty-seven. They are -39 in run differential through two games, which means they have been outscored by an average of nearly 20 runs per contest. The team was missing all but Dalton Lewis and Ethan New in their season debut, filling the team with Ethan’s 11-year-old and Ashley Hopkins - Thomas Hopkins’ (of the Moonshots) wife. The vibes were, in a word, abysmal.

Coby Taylor, Dalton Lewis, and the crew will get chances to turn this around. The fast-pitch schedule is where Witty carries the load, and this team's ceiling is intact. But they drop from 4th to 7th because the gap between their preseason projection and their Week 1 reality has been the widest of anyone in the league.

The Hounds have an interesting week ahead: they’ll play the Ligers, with the bulk of the team’s availability still up in the air as of this writing. If Myc, or a lesser arm deal, we can start the comeback narrative. If not, the Hounds' early hole gets deeper.

Next up: Hounds vs. Ligers (May 13) — must-win fast-pitch energy, whether they'd admit it or not.
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— Jorf Porsson has sources. Jorf Porsson has takes. Jorf Porsson will be back next week. Lock in, twin.