ESPN.com Released 2014 Rankings This Morning

HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros minor league system has been ranked as the best in baseball this morning by ESPN.com's Keith Law.  The top three clubs in Law's rankings are as follows:  

1. Houston Astros

2. Minnesota Twins

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Astros minor league clubs experienced a great deal of success in 2013, with all six domestic teams making the postseason, with two winning championships. Over the past two seasons (2012-13), the combined record of the Astros minor league clubs is tops in baseball. This represents a dramatic turnaround as the Astros minor league clubs had the worst combined record in baseball in both 2010 and 2011.

When General Manager Jeff Luhnow was hired by the Astros in December of 2011, one of the main objectives of the organization was to build a top farm system that would lead to sustained success on the Major League level in the future.

"We have been focused on developing the best young talent in baseball in the past few years," Luhnow said.   "Our scouts, coaches, trainers and front office should be proud of the talent we have accumulated.  The next step is to turn that into wins for the Houston Astros."

In addition to the success of the minor league clubs, the Astros top prospects have also been recognized nationally by several outlets. Seven prospects were included in MLB.com's Top 100 list, released last week: Carlos Correa (#8), Mark Appel (#17), George Springer (#21) Jon Singleton (#50), Lance McCullers Jr. (#52), Mike Foltynewicz (#54) and Delino DeShields, Jr. (#66). 

Five prospects were included on the Baseball Prospectus Top 101 list, also released last week: Correa (#5),  Springer (#20), Appel (#21), Foltynewicz (#43) and Singleton (#57).

Last year, Law and other outlets ranked the St. Louis Cardinals as having the top minor league system. Prior to joining the Astros, Luhnow served as the vice president of scouting and player development for St. Louis for several seasons. Sixteen players on the 2013 NL Champion Cardinals playoff roster were drafted while Luhnow was VP of scouting and player development.

-Astros-

THIS WEEK
Friday, January 31, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
Tulsa Oilers vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, February 1, 7:05 p.m.

Independence Events Center, Independence
Quad City Mallards vs. Missouri Mavericks

LAST WEEK
Thursday, January 23
Quad City 4 Brampton 1

Friday, January 24

Quad City 3 Brampton 0

Sunday, January 26
Brampton 4 Quad City 3 (OT)

Quad City
18-9-8, 44 points
6th place
Coach: Terry Ruskowski

Tulsa
19-21-3, 41 points

7th place
Coach: Bruce Ramsay

Missouri

24-11-2, 50 points
3rd place
Coach: Scott Hillman

QUACK TRACKS
Last Week
The Mallards went 2-0-1 in Brampton last weekend.  The Mallards came up just short in their bid to win each of their six regular season road games against the Beast, finishing 5-0-1 at the Powerade Centre after falling in overtime Sunday.

Rebound

The Mallards earned five of six available points in Brampton after having gone 0-2-2 in their prior four games.

Tight
The Mallards are just one point behind the fifth place Beast, on whom they have seven games in hand.

Playing the Percentages
The Mallards, who have played fewer games (35) than any other CHL club, have the league's fourth best winning percentage (.629).

Balance

While the Mallards rank in the top half of the league in goal scoring- fifth at 3.3 goals per game- no Mallard ranks in the top 20 in the CHL in point scoring.

On the Road
In the wake of their successes in Brampton, the Mallards are now 7-1-1 in their last nine road games.

Trouble at Home

The Mallards have gone without a win (0-2-2) in their last four home games- their longest home winless streak this year.

Blanked
Ty Rimmer made 35 saves while shutting out the Beast last Friday. Rimmer came close to posting shutouts on back-to-back nights, stopping 69 of 70 shots over the first two games of the Mallards' series in Brampton.  Last Thursday he held the Beast off the scoreboard until Rob Collins scored with just two minutes and seven seconds left in the third period.  Last Friday's blanking of Brampton was also the second of rookie Rimmer's career- he registered his first shutout on December 13 when he stopped 48 shots in a 2-0 win over the Rush in Rapid City- and the Mallards' fourth this season.  Rimmer posted a 1.63 goals against average and a .954 save percentage over the Mallards' three games in Brampton.

Workin' Overtime
The Mallards are 1-3 in games deciding in overtime.  Each of those four sudden death decisions came against Brampton.  The Mallards- who have gone 1-5 in shootouts- are 2-8 in games that last longer than 60 minutes.

500
Mallard captain Darren McMillan Friday night played his five hundredth career game.  Now in his ninth season, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native has scored 35 goals, picked up 148 assists and totaled 183 points over the course of his career.  McMillan has now played 243 games for the Mallards over the last five seasons.

300
Vladimir Nikiforov yesterday played his three hundredth career game.  Nikiforov has recorded 62 goals, 113 assists, and 175 points over five professional seasons.  Nikiforov returned to the United States with the Mallards this season after playing in Russia with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl last year.  Before heading across the Atlantic, he spent his first three professional campaigns skating for six teams in four leagues.

First

Forward Justin Fox yesterday scored his first Mallard goal since joining the team January 15.

Rapid Fire

Mike Stinziani scored eight seconds into the second period Friday night.  That goal was the Mallards' fastest from the start of a period this season.

Leading the Way
Linemates Jeff Lee (1-4-5) and Thomas Frazee (2-2-4) recorded at least a point apiece in each of the Mallards' three games in Brampton and were the club's top two point scorers in the series.

Leaders
Lee is tied for tenth in +/- (+15)...Mike Hellyer is tied for fourth in game winning goals (5)...Among rookies, Frazee is tied for third in points (24) and assists (15) and ranks fifth in goals (9)...Thomas Heemskerk ranks second in goals against average (2.45) and save percentage (.920)...Rimmer ranks eighth in goals against average (2.82) and save percentage (.910).

Milestones
Jim McKenzie has recorded 98 career assists... McMillan has collected 97 career CHL assists.

Special Teams
While the Mallards rank last in the CHL in power play efficiency (10.9 percent), they have scored on the man advantage in each of their last two games.  Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel Friday night halted the Mallards' 0-for-21 power play drought; Matt Duffy's third period 5-on-3 goal forced yesterday's game to overtime.  The Mallards went 12-for-12 on the penalty kill in their three games in Brampton.  The Mallards rank sixth in penalty killing (82.8 percent) and third in shorthanded goals (6).

Head to Head

The Mallards and Oilers have split their first two meetings.  The Mallards routed Tulsa 9-3 November 30 at the iWireless Center before falling to the Oilers on the road 5-2 on December 20.  Tulsa's Adam Pleskach (0-5-5) and Ben Gordon 1-4-5) are the top point producers in the season series.  Gergo Nagy (1-3-4) and Frazee (0-4-4) have been the most productive Mallards over the first two games between the clubs.  The Mallards and Oilers will conclude their four-game season series February 21 in Tulsa.  All-time, the Mallards have gone 7-6-0 overall against Oilers and have gone 5-3-0 at home against Tulsa...After playing just one of their first 36 games against Missouri, the Mallards will play nine of their final 30 tilts against the Mavericks.  The Mavs won the season series opener 5-4 in a shootout on November 27 at the Independence Events Center.  Since entering the CHL in 2010, the Mallards have gone 14-12-3 against the Mavericks and have posted a record of 9-6-1 in Independence.

Ins and Outs
Heemskerk returned to the Mallards today from the American Hockey League's Worcester Sharks after signing a professional tryout agreement with Worcester January 15...Defenseman Nicholas Rioux rejoined the Mallards today from the AHL's Iowa Wild after signing a PTO with Iowa last Tuesday...Goaltender Nick Niedert was waived today...Forward Nikiforov (upper body injury) returned to the active roster from seven day injured reserve last Tuesday.  Both Nikiforov and defenseman Duffy (illness) returned to action last Thursday after missing the Mallards' prior game January 17 in Wichita.

NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, January 31, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Tulsa Oilers
$1 Dog/$1 Beer Friday Presented by 97X
This Friday is another $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X. $1 hot dogs and $1 beers are available at iWireless Center concession stands during each of the Mallards' 11 Friday night home games this season.

Mallards Bud Light Ice Girls/Kavanaugh's Hilltop Bar/MetroLINK
Mallards Bud Light Ice Girls this Friday will be on hand to meet fans at Kavanaugh's Hilltop Bar in Rock Island starting at 5:30 p.m. and then will ride MetroLINK with fans to Friday night's game at the iWireless Center.

ON THE AIR
Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance.  Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net.  A limited number of Mallards games- including this Saturday's tilt- will not air on Fox Sports Radio 1230 due to conflicts with University of Illinois basketball and football and Green Bay Packer football.  Free audio webcasts of games that do not air on AM 1230 are available at myqcmallards.com.  CHL-TV pay-per-view video webcasts of all Mallards games are also available at myqcmallards.com.  For a full Mallards broadcast/webcast schedule, go to

TICKETS
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets for all Mallards regular season contests are now available.  Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com for more information about tickets.  Single game tickets are also available at the i wireless Center box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

Group Tickets
Groups of at least ten receive savings off the walk-up price and a host of group benefits.  Mallards group tickets are a great fit for youth organizations, friends, co-workers, family groups, religious groups, school functions and business events.  For more group ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com.

BRAMPTON, Ontario (January 26, 2014) - Andrew Fournier scored with just 27.8 seconds left in overtime to give the host Brampton Beast a 4-3 win over the Quad City Mallards Sunday.  With the victory- their first in six tries on home ice against the Mallards this season- Brampton (21-18-3, 45 points) moved one point ahead of Quad City (19-9-8) into sole possession of fifth place.

Fournier provided the winner by snapping home a centering pass from Rob Collins, who had a goal and two assists.

The Mallards, who did earn a single point for the sudden death setback, forced overtime when Matt Duffy scored a 5-on-3 power play goal from the left wing circle to even the score at three with 4:51 left in regulation.

The Beast emerged with a 3-2 lead from a ninety second stretch that produced three goals early in the second period.  Collins kick-started the fireworks by breaking a 1-1 deadlock with a one timer from the right wing circle at 2:56 of the second.  Just 46 seconds later the Mallards' Thomas Frazee scored from the slot to knot the score at two, but Steve Makway's blast from the high slot would put Brampton back on top only 44 seconds after Frazee's equalizer.  

Justin Fox gave the Mallards a 1-0 lead from the right wing circle at 4:44 of the first period.  The Beast tied the game when Tylor Michel buried Matt Caruana's centering pass at 9:13 of the first.

The Mallards next play at home Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Tulsa Oilers.  Friday is another $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X.  $1 hot dogs and beers will be available at iWireless Center concession stands during each of the Mallards' 11 Friday night home games this season.

Tickets for Friday night's game and all Mallards regular season home games can be purchased at the iWireless Center ticket office, Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

In 2013, Quad Cities had four of the top 52 prospects, matching the most of any team in Minor League Baseball

DAVENPORT, Iowa (JAN. 24, 2014) - In the last three seasons at Modern Woodmen Park, the Quad Cities River Bandits have twice achieved the highest team honor as Midwest League Champions, and soon the brightest stars of the franchise's last three years may be shining on major league diamonds.

Seven River Bandits of the last three seasons are among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball, according to rankings by MLB.com announced Thursday night. Among the top 52 prospects are four players from the 2013 River Bandits squad, which matched the most of any team in Minor League Baseball last season. No other Midwest League team had more than one of the top 63 prospects play on its roster during the 2013 season.

Among other notes, 2013 All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa was the only one of the top 22 baseball prospects to spend the entire season on one minor league club's roster. Correa and 2013 All-Star pitcher Lance McCullers were the only top-100 prospects to spend the entire season as teammates on a Midwest League club's roster.

In their first year of a new affiliation with the Houston Astros, the River Bandits became the first Minor League Baseball club in history to have back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks on the same team, as 2012 No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa and 2013 No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel appeared together in the Quad Cities. Earlier this week, Correa and Appel were among five 2013 River Bandits to be ranked among the top seven prospects in the Houston Astros organization by Baseball America.

Below are the Quad Cities alumni among the top 100 prospects, according to MLB.com:

Oscar Taveras, No. 3 MLB prospect, No. 2 outfield prospect, No. 1 St. Louis Cardinals prospect

As a 19-year-old in 2011, Taveras won the Midwest League batting title by hitting for a .386 average in 78 games with the River Bandits. The native of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, was a key piece of the first Quad Cities team in 21 years to win a Midwest League Championship that fall. In 2012, Taveras won another championship and was the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year at Double-A Springfield. Injuries limited Taveras to 47 games - all but one at Triple-A Memphis - in 2013.

Carlos Correa, No. 8 MLB prospect, No. 3 shortstop prospect, No. 1 Houston Astros prospect

At 18 years old, the Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, native led all Houston Astros full-season minor leaguers with a .320 batting average and was the youngest player on the Midwest League Postseason All-Star team in 2013. Correa was also the youngest player in the Midwest League All-Star Game and SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in New York, where he was the first-ever River Bandits position player to appear while on the Quad Cities roster. He led the Midwest League with a .872 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS).

Mark Appel, No. 17 MLB prospect, No. 6 right-handed pitcher prospect, No. 2 Houston Astros prospect

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft made his Class-A debut with the River Bandits July 14 and made his final eight starts of his first professional season with Quad Cities. The Stanford University graduate earned his first three professional wins in a River Bandits uniform, including the playoff-clinching game Aug. 25. The Astros' top pitching prospect remained with the team for its playoff run to the sixth Midwest League Championship in franchise history.

Jonathan Singleton, No. 50 MLB prospect, No. 1 first base prospect, No. 4 Houston Astros prospect

Singleton started his 2013 season with the River Bandits May 28 and homered in each of his first three games. After his first six games with Quad Cities, he was promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi, where the Lakewood, Calif., native played 11 games before being promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the entire second half of the season. Singleton is now on the Houston Astros 40-man roster entering spring training.

Lance McCullers, No. 52 MLB prospect, No. 5 Houston Astros prospect

The Astros' top pitching prospect entering the 2013 season and the team's first supplemental round pick of 2012 pitched his first full season with the River Bandits. At 19 years old, the Tampa, Fla., native was the starting pitcher for the Western Division in the Midwest League All-Star Game and earned his first six professional victories with Quad Cities. McCullers was third in the league with a 2.08 ERA in the first half, and he finished the year with 117 strikeouts, good for fifth in the Midwest League.

Kolten Wong, No. 58 MLB prospect, No. 1 second base prospect, No. 2 St. Louis Cardinals prospect

The Cardinals' first-round pick in 2011, Wong made his professional debut and played his first season with the River Bandits. In 47 games, he hit for a .335 average. The Hilo, Hawaii, native earned his first of two consecutive minor league championships with Quad Cities, which went 7-0 in the postseason in 2011. Wong advanced to Double-A Springfield in 2012 and Triple-A Memphis in 2013, before making his major league debut with St. Louis Aug. 16 and was part of the Cardinals' roster that reached the 2013 World Series.

Stephen Piscotty, No. 98 MLB prospect, No. 3 St. Louis Cardinals prospect

Selected in the first supplemental round of the 2012 draft by St. Louis, Piscotty played his first professional season with the River Bandits. In 55 games, the Stanford University product hit for a .295 average and assembled a 16-game hitting streak that was tied for fourth-longest in the Midwest League in 2012. He switched from third base to the outfield in 2013, when he hit .295 in 112 games for Class-A advanced Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield.

The River Bandits will open the 2014 Midwest League season at Modern Woodmen Park Thursday, April 3. A full schedule of home and road games for 2014 is available at www.riverbandits.com, and ticket plans for the 2014 season are now on sale.

UP NEXT: Call today to reserve a Valentine's Day dinner at Modern Woodmen Park for Friday, Feb. 14, orSaturday, Feb. 15. Couples can enjoy a gourmet four-course dinner in a private luxury suite or take in the spectacular views of the ballpark, Centennial Bridge, Mississippi River and downtown Davenport from a table in the glass-enclosed, climate-controlled Sky Deck. Reservations are due Thursday, Feb. 6, by calling 563-324-3000. To order ticket plans - with new lower prices - for next season, call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000 or visit www.riverbandits.com to download the season ticket order form. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.