First, a word of explanation. First-half performance will not play a role in the second-half power rankings. The teams have changed drastically since the All-Star break, and what a team did in the first half is largely irrelevant to how it will perform now. With that in mind, the rankings:

(All records through Wednesday’s games)

1. POTOMAC NATIONALS (9-4)

Who’s hot? 1B Christopher Marrero has hit for average (.313) and for power (four homers, 11 RBIs) in Potomac’s last 10 games.

Who’s not? Is the Carolina League starting to figure All-Star Jeff Mandel out? In his last two starts, he’s allowed 13 hits and eight earned runs in 11 2/3 innings.

The skinny With the entire starting lineup intact from the first half, Potomac should be the favorite to snag the second playoff berth in the North.

2. SALEM RED SOX (9-5)

Who’s hot? Since being called up from rookie ball, SS Yamaico Navarro has been on a tear (.394, 2 HR, 6 RBIs in his last nine starts).

Who’s not? Zach Borowiak has not taken his demotion from Double-A Portland well. He’s hitting .111 with just three hits in his last 10 games.

The skinny An infusion of talent from Boston’s Low-A club in Greenville, plus improved pitching, makes Salem the team to beat in the South.

3. WINSTON-SALEM DASH (7-6)

Who’s hot? 3B Brent Morel has smoked the ball in his last 10 games, hitting .400 with three homers and 12 RBIs.

Who’s not? Rough start to the second half for pitcher Johnnie Lowe (21 hits, 10 ER in 11 2/3 IP).

The skinny I kid you not, I just listened to a Sun Kil Moon song called “Salvador Sanchez,“ which presumably not named for the Dash All-Star outfielder.

4. FREDERICK KEYS (6-6)

Who’s hot? 1B Brandon Waring, who came to Baltimore in the Ramon Hernandez trade with Cincinnati, picked up where he left off in the first half, hitting .325 with a homer and 6 RBIs in his last 10.

Who’s not? LHP Nate Nery is 2-0 in his last three starts, but his control has abandoned him (10 walks in 14 2/3 innings).

The skinny Keys still have enough hitting to challenge Potomac for the second playoff spot in the North.

5. WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS (5-7)

Who’s hot? OF Paulo Orlando has begun to string together solid starts and is hitting .405 in Wilmington’s last 10 games.

Who’s not? OF Derrick Robinson is a speed threat (37 steals), but he hasn’t been able to get on base much of late (.140 average in his last 10 games).

The skinny Wilmington lost some key first-half pieces, but the lineup is still good enough with Mike Moustakas still around. P Danny Duffy needs to straighten out some control issues (seven walks in his last seven innings pitched).

6. MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (6-7)

Who’s hot? 2B Michael Fisher has raised his season average from .211 to .239 thanks to a 12-for-29 spurt (.414) in his last 10 games.

Who’s not? Recent callup Luis Sumoza has struggled to replace Jason Heyward in right field (4-for-20 in his first five games).

The skinny Myrtle Beach looked poised to make a run in the second half, but the recent promotions of Heyward and Freddie Freeman to Double-A Mississippi have decimated the Pelicans’ lineup. Cody Johnson may not see another pitch to hit all year.

7. KINSTON INDIANS (5-8)

Who’s hot? LF Lucas Montero is batting .344 with a homer and five RBIs in his last 10 games.

Who’s not? It hasn’t been a smooth start for pitcher Mike McGuire, who was recently promoted to Kinston. He’s allowed 11 hits and eight earned runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first two starts.

The skinny Pitcher Eric Berger continues to cruise in the second half. It’s only a matter of time before the staff ace is promoted to Double-A Akron.

8. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (4-8)

Who’s hot? 1B Matt Hague had a 10-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday, but he’s still hitting the ball at a .410 clip in his last 10 games and has homered and driven in seven during that span.

Who’s not? LHP Chi-Hung Cheng is all sorts of hittable all of a sudden—17 hits in his last 10 IP.

The skinny The Hillcats have several players learning new defensive positions and not a lot of power in the lineup. With a playoff berth and home-field advantage in the first round of the Carolina League playoffs secure, expect the tinkering to continue over the course of the second half.