I want to do some power rankings because I feel that...well...there isn't much else to do today. Lets give a good rundown here...
1. Boston Red Sox- Yes, they looked really bad this weekend...not 3rd place bad, but bad. Still, they are tops in the AL East and for me, that is good enough.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers- Could be #1, probably should be, but that pitching is too suspect for me to say that they are the best team in baseball right now.
3. New York Yankees- Another team that could lay claim to the #1 spot, though it is a little bit shaky. Must have felt good to see Joba pitch well over the weekend. The Tigers are not an elite team, but they are a good one, and the Yankees sweep of them sends signals that this team will contend.
4. Los Angeles Angels- The perennial favorites in the AL West are capitalizing on two breakout years from Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales, plus an All-Star calibre year from Torii Hunter. Supposedly in the hunt for Halladay...only weakness is the bullpen and a true, game changing bat.
5. Tampa Bay Rays- 3rd in the AL East gets you #5 in my book. There is not much to say, this team could win the East still or fizzle out a little bit. I still like their chances better than the Yankees but up to date they have been just a stop behind. Leading the league in stolen bases and having power to back it up helps. The young pitching is good, but I doubt they would have been mad if the Jackson/Joyce deal didn't happen.
6. Philadelphia Phillies- Reigning World Champions, leading their division by 6.5 games, and they are the 6th best team in baseball? They have limited starting pitching depth at the moment, but they can make up for it with the bats. Deal for Halladay and they might just take over the #1 spot.
7. San Francisco Giants- A tale of two teams. Tim Lincecum is Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain is winning, and Jonathan '3-8' Sanchez tossed a no-no which should have been a perfect game. However, their bats are asleep at the plate. 5 runs against Pittsburgh? Pitt gives up the 6th fewest runs in the NL which softens the blow, but for a Wild Card leader to be shut down by a team that changes its look everyday it did not look good.
8. Colorado Rockies- The Rockies and the Giants are very close to each other. The most telling stat about the Rockies...they are 32-14 under Jim Tracy. They also have 3 pitchers that sport an ERA under 4.00...and they have the NL wins leader- Jason Marquis. Yikes.
9. St Louis Cardinals- They are probably better than this spot, but the left side of the infield is still a glaring concern, however their outfield is starting to come together. They have the best 1-2 punch in Carpenter/Wainwright that's not named Lincecum/Cain, and their closer, Ryan Franklin, sports a spiffy 0.76 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a K/BB ratio of 3.50, not to mention a bitching beard.
10. Chicago Cubs- Well, well, well...the Cubbies, where to begin. I will start with saying that this team is hot. A 4-game sweep of the Nationals is a sign of a good team because they realized they had an opportunity to pick up a game or two, went out, and did it. The pitching is good, but the dreadful offense is finally waking up. Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez look like an older version of when they were the most feared duo in the NL Central.
11. Texas Rangers- Without pitching you can only go so far. Still, if someone told me that a week after the ASG the Rangers would be 8 games over .500 without the help of Josh Hamilton for most of the year I would have laughed in their face. I still do not think they make the playoffs, but they could give the Angels a scare or two.
12. Detroit Tigers- The Best Team in the Al Central, which features a bunch of teams lumped together, per usual. Being swept by the Yankees does not help, but do not fret Tigers fans...you will still be around in September.
13. Seattle Mariners- Who has allowed the fewest # of runs in the AL this year? The same team that has scored the second fewest. This is a .500 team at best and will probably end up trading away Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, but for now, they are just 4 games back.
14. Chicago White Sox- I think they are a big player in the Halladay dealings. Still, I think they are probably the 3rd best team in the AL Central when it is all said and done. This is a team that is getting younger and have one of the most consistent and durable starters in the game in Mark Buehrle.
15. Minnesota Twins- 4 good, young starters. The best catcher in the game and one of the best 1st basemen in the game. This teamalways makes things interesting in the AL Central and I have no doubt that this year will be more of the same. If they win the Division I would be less than surprised.
16. Milwaukee Brewers- At one point they would have been in my top 10 but they have stumbled a little bit. I think their offense will only be able to carry them so far. Prince Fielder is in the midst of having a career year, even if he doesnt hit 50 home runs, and Ryan Braun is Ryan Braun. Casey McGehee has been a welcome sight for the BrewCrew as well and not much else can be said about All-Time saves leader Trevor Hoffman. Still, when you only have Yovanni Gallardo to count on in your rotation things are not looking good, no matter how well YoGo is throwing.
17. Houston Astros- The two central divisions are shaping up for 2 of the best races in baseball. Houston, who I thought was going to be garbage, is actually looking like they might contend for the playoffs. Remeber, Roy Oswalt is a hell of a second half pitcher (2.86 ERA 4.06 K/BB ratio) and Wandy Rodriguez has been outstanding. Just remember...they are currently 46-46 while their Pythagorean record is only 43-49.
18. Toronto Blue Jays- Once again, the 4th place team in the AL East...but that is not the story. If Roy Halladay goes, the fans will revolt.
19. Atlanta Braves- Probably the 2nd best team in the NL East and still could contend for the Wild Card. Pitching is their strength....hitting is not.
20. Florida Marlins- Probably the 3rd best team in the NL East. Poor showing against the Phillies makes me wonder just how much this team can contend down the stretch.
21. Cincinatti Reds- An interesting team. Good, young core, but just not there yet. Jay Bruce is out for 6 weeks with a fractured wrist which doesnt help much, but at least Joey Votto is back and is continuing to hit.
22. Baltimore Orioles- Yes, they are last in the Al East, so why rank them here? One simple reason, they are young, they are good, and on any given day they can create a multitude of problems for any team in baseball. In 2 years they will be a top 5-10 team in baseball...if not higher.
23. New York Mets- Ok, now we are down to the truly bad teams. Yes, the Mets are absolute garbage. Without David Wright and Johan, this is a bottom 5 team. Still, it is not anyones fault as injuries have decimated the team. Tough luck has killed their season. They won't finish above .500.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates- They take 2 of 3 at home against the Wild Card leading Giants. They actually have a good pitching staff, probably because their management hasn't traded them all away yet.
25. Oakland Athletics- Why did they trade Dan Haren? Billy Beane is usually given too much credit for what he does, but he is still a good GM. Remember, their pitching staff is very, very young. Could be good in a few years which is what it looks like they are aiming for.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks- Dan Haren could win the Cy Young. Justin Upton is going to be a superstar for years to come. Mark Reynolds is pounding the ball on the way to eclipsing his own strikeout record. Other that that, there is no reason to watch this team.
27. San Diego Padres- Adrian Gonzalez got off to a great start. Since April he has hit .250 in May, .235 in June, and .140 in July. (note, his OPS in May and June were both above .900 which is extremely good.. in July it has been .444).
28. Kansas City Royals- Last 61 games? 19-42. That's ugly.
29. Cleveland Indians- They give up the most runs in the AL and are not looking any better. Mark Shapiro cannot be happy with this team that many though would contend.
30 Washington Nationals- Post-Acta start...0-4. As mentioned before, 120 losses is an outside shot...I predict 118.
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