We will now release our 4th Edition of the CABC Men's AAA Top 10 Rankings. The list is meant to have some fun and grow the sport of baseball at the Men's AAA level.

 

I have done as much scouring of webpages as I can to try and make the rankings as legit as possible. I have used regular season results and stats for all teams as not all teams take part in tournaments in their province. The number at the end of each team in brackets is their ranking from last week if they were on the list. So with out further ado here we go...

 

Honorable Mentions

*Cactus de Victoriaville (12-5; Ligue de Quebec) (8)

*Burlington Brants (12-5; COBA Major League) (HM)

*Pirates de St Jean sur Richelieu (12-5; Ligue de Quebec) (10)

*Regina Rockies (12-3; Qu'Appelle Valley League) (HM)

*Marysburg Royals (14-3; Saskatoon League) (NR)

 

#10 - Red Deer Riggers (13-5; 1st Place Sunburst League) (HM)

The Red Deer Riggers re-enter the Top 10 rankings after being an honorable mention last week. The hosts for the Men's AAA Canadian Championships this year had a very strong last couple of weeks as they went a perfect 4-0 in league play and wrapped up the Sunburst League pennant for the 2023 season. As happy as they are with that, they now have their sights set on a Sunburst League title and a trip to the Canadians as Team Alberta in 2024. The Rigs open their playoff run on Monday with a best of three semi-final series against the Calgary Rockies. These two teams have battled each other hard all year and tghis series shouldn't be any different. 

 

Top Hitters

*Jaret Chatwood (21-for-57, .368, 11 R, 7 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI)

*Derrick Chapman (18-for-54, .333, 17 R, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 11 RBI)

*Corbyn Shields (17-for-49, .347, 11 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

*Rees DeRuyter (4-2, 30 1/3 Inn, 39 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 8 BB, 28 K, 4.39 ERA)

*Josh Edwards (3-1, 24 Inn, 19 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 25 K, 0.88 ERA)

*Kai Poffenroth (1-0, 3 Sv, 12 1/3 Inn, 8 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K, 0.00 ERA)

 

#9 - Jets de Montreal (13-7; 3rd Place Ligue de Quebec) (NR)

The Montreal Jets storm into the Top 10 Rankings for the first time this season at the #9 spot. They were one of the hottest teams over the past two weeks of play as they went a red-hot 6-1 in league play including wins over St Jean sur Richelieu Pirates and the league leading Shawinigan Cascades. They now sit in 4th place overall in the Quebec loop. As the calendar flips to August, games are going to become more and more important for the Jets as they find themselves in a close battle in the Lousiville Slugger Division. They are in a virtual deadlock with St Jean sur Richelieu and Acton Vale as they all push to catch league leading Shawinigan. 

 

Top Hitters

Moises Perez Infante (20-for-52, .384, 10 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI)

Andy Pitcher (20-for-55, .363, 12 R, 5 2B, 3B, 13 RBI)

Jonathan Martin (19-for-41, .463, 14 R, 4 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 18 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

Sam Belisle Springer (5-2, 46 Inn, 54 H, 23 R, 15 ER, 14 BB, 41 K, 2.28 ERA)

Mathieu Poirier (2-0, 21 Inn, 24 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 2 BB, 27 K, 3.67 ERA)

Jesen Thierren (2-0, 15 2/3 Inn, 13 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 15 BB, 23 K, 4.91 ERA)

 

#8 - Castors Acton Vale (14-6); 2nd Place Ligue de Quebec) (HM)

After a bit of a sluggish run over the last little bit, the Castors have really turned it on over the past couple of weeks. They had the second largest number of wins across the country over that time span as they went 5-1 over the course of their schedule. The Acton Vale club is now in a very tight race in the Louisville Slugger division along with Montreal Jets and the St Jean sur Richelieu Pirates. The Castors will get a good test over the next couple of weeks as they have some tough games coming up including a pair of games against Montreal and St Jean sur Richelieu. Look for the Castors to give the teams in their division and the league a good test each night at the park going forward as we get close to crunch time in the LBMQ.

 

Top Hitters

Deric Lamontagne (25-for-67, .373, 14 R, 5 2B, HR, 15 RBI)

Douglas Toro (14-for-45, .311, 11 R, 2B, 2 HR 10 RBI)

Reinaldo Ramirez (15-for-55, .272, 10 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

Marcos Encarnacion (4-2, 39 Inn, 36 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 17 BB, 36 K, 2.69 ERA)

David Gauthier (4-1, 1 Sv, 29 Inn, 19 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 12 BB, 36 K, 0.97 ERA)

Bryan Corona (2-1, 1 Sv, 24 2/3 Inn, 19 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 14 BB, 22 K, 1.42 ERA)

 

#7 - Etobicoke Rangers (16-3; 1st Place COBA Major League) (1)

After being named the #1 team in the coutnry two weeeks ago, the Etobicoke Rangers take a bit of a drop down the standings this week to #7 after a bit of a tough couple of weeks. After seeming like they could do nothing wrong, the Rangers dropped three of their four league games over the course of our last ranking period. By no means does the ranking relfect this team as they are still very good and everyone has a rough patch during the summer. A lot of the teams that will show up ahead of them (for this volume of our rankings) had a very good stretch of play over the last two weeks. If they can get back on track, they will have no problem shooting back up towards the top of these rankings. The Rangers will now prepare for the Ontario Men's AAA Elimination Tournament in Windsor. Last year, they made it to Monday morning before bowing out and look poised to make another solid run this year.

 

Top Hitters

*Michael Ferracuti (26-for-75, .347, 22 R, 8 2B, 6 HR, 27 RBI)

*Mike Foster (26-for-54, .481, 21 R, 7 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 23 RBI)

*Dan Franceschetti (26-for-65, .400, 24 R, 8 2B, 4 HR, 18 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

*Andrew Hyde (4-1, 36 1/3 Inn, 21 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 57 K, 1.49 ERA)

*Mike Asta (2-0, 18 2/3 Inn, 13 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 10 BB, 31 K, 3.86 ERA)

*Max Skoropadsky (4-0, 28 1/3 Inn, 35 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 25 BB, 26 K, 6.99 ERA)

 

#6 - Charlottetown Islanders (16-4 1st Place New Brunswick League) (6)

The Charlottetown club continues to run the New Brunswick loop as they extneded their lead atop the standings since out last post. The Islanders had another good stretch of games over the past two weeks as they were 4-1 in league play which included a pair of wins over the Fredericton Royals and they also beat Moncton twice in the three games they played against each other. The next few weeks for the club will be a good test to see if they can avoid complacancy and keep their foot on the gas pedal and try and crack into the Top 5 in the country. 

 

Top Hitters

Scott Harper (24-for-61, .393, 15 R, 3 2B, 12 RBI)

Josh Myers (30-for-67, .448, 21 R, 7 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI)

LoganGallant (17-for-45, .444, 11 R, 3 2B, 8 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

Brody MacDonald (4-0, 27 Inn, 22 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 33 K, 2.07 ERA)

Brady Arsenault (3-0, 24 Inn, 20 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 16 K, 1.75 ERA)

Jordan Stevenson (4-0, 1 Sv, 28 1/3 Inn, 22 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 41 K, 1.24 ERA)

 

#5 - Dartmouth Mooseheads (13-3; 1st Place Nova Scotia League) (7)

The Dartmouth Mooseheads jump a couple of spots this week as they enter the Top 5 in the country for the first time this year. The Mooseheads had a pretty good last couple of weeks as they went 4-1 in Nova Scotia regular season action getting a pair of wins against both the Metro Brewers and defending NSSBL champs the Kentville Wildcats. Their sole loss came against the Halifax Pelham Canadians. Dartmouth will get a good test coming up as they have games against Metro and Kenville again before they open a huge 4-game series with Sydney in a couple of weekends. Look for this team to keep smashing the baseball as they are putting up a ton of runs right now making them a tough out each night at the park for opposing teams.

 

Top Hitters

*Anthony McKinley (13-for-47, .278, 20 R, 3 2B, 6 HR, 22 RBI)

*Ty Doucette (20-for-42, .476, 15 R, 3 2B, 6 HR, 16 RBI)

*Jack Fader (17-for-53, .321, 10 R, 5 2B, 16 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

Matt Bradley (3-0, 23 1/3 Inn, 16 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 9 BB, 32 K, 3.64 ERA)

Anthony McKinley (3-0, 1 Sv, 18 2/3 Inn, 15 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 17 K, 1.92 ERA)

Sean Hubley (2-0, 21 Inn, 15 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 25 K, 1.67 ERA)

 

#4 - Windsor Stars (16-6; 2nd Place Can-Am League) (5)

The Windsor Stars jump one spot to firmly put themselves back into the Top 5 in the country this week. The Stars had a solid past couple of weeks as they went 3-0 to wrap up their Can-Am League regular season. The club will start their playoffs soon which will lead into the big Ontario Men's AAA Elimination Tournament here over the course of the civic weekend in August. The team seems to be clicking at the the right time of the year as they finished up with win against the Windsor Jr Selects, Tecumseh Jr Selects and the Tecumseh Thunder. Windsor will be looking for a solid run next weekend as they look to repeat as Ontario Men's AAA Champions but there will be some teams that will give them a good challenge.

 

Top Hitters

*Mitch Hudvanger (14-for-33, .424, 11 R, 7 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI)

*Andrew Wasyluk (14-for-51, .275, 12 R, 2B, 12 RBI)

*Jake Lumley (10-for-30, .333, 10 R, 2 2B, HR, 11 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

*Colton Taylor (3-0, 21 Inn, 19 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 16 K, 2.33 ERA)

*Kimani Bailey (3-0, 1 Sv, 17 Inn, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 12 BB, 25 K, 2.06 ERA)

*Noah Pickering (2-1, 19 Inn, 12 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 8 BB, 19 K, 3.32 ERA)

 

#3 - Tecumseh Thunder (18-4; 1st Place Can-Am League) (3)

The Tecumseh Thunder retain the #3 spot in country in this week's Top 10 Rankings. They had a fairly quiet last two weeks as they went 2-1 to wrap up their 2023 Can-Am League regular season schedule and also claimed the 2023 league pennant by two games over the Windsor Stars. They won games against the Tecumseh Jr Thunder, Windsor Athletics but dropped a contest to the Stars 5-4. Like the Stars, the Thunder will now prepare for their Can-Am League playoffs during the course of this week. They will also prepare for the Ontario Men's AAA Elimination Tournament next weekend in Windsor as the club will look to win this tournament since their last win in 2018. After a successful regular season, this club will be looking to regain their form on the big stage when it matters most.

 

Top Hitters

*Paul Lamantia (32-for-76, .421, 14 R, 8 2B, HR, 21 RBI)

*Ross Barker (30-for-71, .423, 17 R, 8 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI)

*Eric Cunningham (25-for-60, .417, 13 R, 3 2B, 10 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

*Kyle Breitner (4-2, 45 Inn, 43 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 11 BB, 63 K, 2.96 ERA)

*Micah Harris (3-1, 25 Inn, 28 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 3 BB, 19 K, 3.08 ERA)

*Chris Horvath (3-2, 1 Sv, 37 Inn, 24 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 38 K, 2.08 ERA)

 

#2 - Cascades de Shawinigan (16-2; 1st Place Ligue de Quebec) (2)

The Shawinigan Cascades hold down the #2 spot in the country for the second straight set of rankings. They had an very quiet couple of weeks as they only went 3-1 over this time but their schedule was severely impacted by a lot of rain as they had two games rained out. They had wins over the ABC U17 squad as well as a pair of wins over the Drummondville Brock. They sole loss came at the hands of the Montreal Jets. The Cascades will have a pretty good test coming up over the next few weeks as they will have a lot of games against some tough opponents coming down the home stretch of the LBMQ regular season. 

 

Top Hitters

*Raphael Gladu (36-for-63, .571, 25 R, 11 2B, 9 HR, 26 RBI)

*Ismeal Ballard (22-for-44, .500, 11 R, 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI)

*Raphael John LeBlanc (17-for-57, .298, 15 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

*Ricardo Smith (7-0, 38 Inn, 28 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 9 BB, 53 K, 2.21 ERA)

*Jean-Felix Proulx (6-2, 38 Inn, 49 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 10 BB, 27 K, 3.32 ERA)

*Sebastian Rodriguez (2-0, 9 Inn, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 16 K, 3.11 ERA)

 

#1 - Sarnia Brigade (15-1; 1st Place Southwestern League) (4)

The Sarnia Brigade make the big jump to the #1 spot in the country for the first time this year. The club had another solid couple of weeks of league play as they went a perfect 4-0 in regular season play in the Southwestern League in Ontario. The Brigade seems to be trending in the right direction as the Onatrio Men's AAA Elimination Tournament approaches next weekend. They had a pair of wins over the London Badgers and the Ilderton Riverhawks in league play and have put up an amazing 54 runs over the course of those four games vs 18 runs against. After winning the Elims in 2019 and finishing in 2nd place in 2022, Sarnia looks poised to make another deep run this year and challenge for an Ontario Men's AAA Baseball Title. 

 

Top Hitters

Core Jackson (37-for-70, .529 Avg, 31 R, 8 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 44 RBI)

Alex McLean (34-for-77, .442 Avg, 22 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 22 RBI)

Kyle Maloney (29-for-78, .372 Avg, 24 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI)

 

Top Pitchers

Alex Mclean (8-0, 36 Inn, 22 H 18 R, 12 ER, 24 BB, 39 K, 2.99 ERA)

Derek Masse (4-0, 30 2/3 Inn, 34 H, 19 R, 11 ER, 4 BB, 23 K, 3.22 ERA)

Mike Damchuk (2-0, 2 Sv, 20 2/3 Inn, 14 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 21 K, 2.18 ERA)

 

Congrats to all of the teams that made the list this time around. After a few weeks, we will have another look at this and release another list after a few more weeks of the season have gone by. Next rankings will come out after the Ontario Men's AAA Elimination Tournament has passed and we get into the stretch run of a lot of seasons across the country. Hope everyone enjoys this round of the rankings. 

 

The CABC Team