Each Friday, Minor Matters will publish the Top Ten numbers from the season. These can be stats, players' numbers, whatever. As long as it's a number, it counts. The Thunder were just two wins from the Eastern League championship, so there's no shortage of material for this section.

No. 3 ...

What it means: The number of strikeouts -- in 29 2/3 innings over six starts -- from Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos -- a pretty fair taste of what fans can expect at the top of the Thunder rotation in 2011.

Why it's significant: Barring trades, Banuelos and Betances will be at the top of the Thunder rotation come April 7 and 8 in New Hampshire. Unleashed from their pitch counts, and hopefully free of any last-minute surgeries, the pair could pile up a whole lot of punchouts throughout the summer.

What Else It Could Mean: Austin Romine's walks, Edwar Gonzalez's runs scored, Damon Sublett's strikeouts or Hector Noesi's runs allowed.