MLB Power Rankings Week Eight

Sorry about missing these last week...but two weeks does give you a better sampling to see what teams are where.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the rankings.


30. Washington Nationals: They have a grand total of thirteen wins in two months. That's about 1.5 wins a week...which isn't such a big deal in football or possibly even hockey, which plays such a stretched out season, but when you play baseball every day up to 21 days straight, that doesn't sit very well.

29. Oakland Athletics: Congratulations to Jason Giambi for cranking number 400, but they're the only team besides the Nationals in all of MLB not to have 20 wins.

28. Colorado Rockies: What a long fall in such a short time for Clint Hurdle. From the manager of the defending NL champs to fired in less time than it takes for Rafael Betancourt to deliver a pitch, you could still see this one coming from a mile away. The Rockies, quite simply, are not nearly as good as they need to be.

27. Houston Astros: The ChiSox are rumored to be interested in Astros' ace Roy Oswalt. The problem, if you're an Astros fan, is that Ed Wade is the guy responsible for making sure you get good guys back for him.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks: They changed managers, and they're still losing. However, I could watch Arizona all day just for the ability to watch Justin Upton.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates: As a whole, the team's not very good, but there's something to be said for the Pirates' outfield. And this is the season after they gave up Jason Bay and Xavier Nady.

24. Cleveland Indians: Most in Cleveland probably didn't care too much about the Indians' struggle (Carl Pavano is their #2 starter, for example), but then the Cavs lost, and now fans of the Tribe have to deal with a team that's got no Victor Martinez and no Grady Sizemore for at least 15 days.

23. Baltimore Orioles: Matt Wieters. If only he played a sport like basketball or hockey, where just one good player can single handedly turn a franchise around... (see: James, LeBron; Kidd, Jason; Crosby, Sidney and Ovechkin, Alex.)

22. Florida Marlins: If only they could play the Nationals every game...they started 11-1 and are now below .500, and get to play AL East teams during interleague. I'm not entirely sure that can end well.

21. Kansas City Royals: Let's face it. Right now this team is worth watching once a week, and if you're only going to be certain you can win one game a week, things might not go so well. Then again, Zach Greinke is really, really worth watching.

20. Seattle Mariners: That fast start was too good to be true. Still, the team has 3.5 games on Oakland, ahead of last place in the AL West.

19. Minnesota Twins: Getting swept in a four game set has to hurt. When three of the four losses are of the walk off variety, that hurts more. No wonder the Twins exploded for 20 runs against the White Sox...Joe Mauer is on his way from just being a 'great' catcher to becoming a legend in Minnesota if he keeps hitting like this.

18. Chicago White Sox: They're in second in the AL Central not because they're good, but because everyone else is likely that bad. They're not even trying to hide that they want a pitcher--they couldn't get Peavy, but rumors say they may be also trying to get Oswalt.

17. Tampa Bay Rays: They're finally beginning to win a little more, but blowing a 10-0 and then a 5-0 lead to Cleveland can't do a whole lot for group self-esteem. The problem now, as the Yankees had last year, is not so muh games back in the standings as it may be the number of teams they are trailing.

16. San Diego Padres: I'm trying to figure out how this team is .500 and then I remember that they won something like 10 games in a row. We always knew Adrian Gonzalez was good, but this year he's a veritable MVP candidtate.

15. Atlanta Braves: Also sittin' pretty at the .500 mark. They're only four back of the Mets and the Phillies at the moment, and their young pitching staff has stepped up, big time. If they can keep Chipper and McCann off the DL, the four games won't feel like twenty.

14. Toronto Blue Jays: Nevermind the record; if you lose nine straight you're going to drop in the rankings. Still, who thought the team would get back on its feet by taking two of three from...the Red Sox?

13. San Francisco Giants: They're all the way up here, but they probably shouldn't be. They've got the perfect opportunity to pick up games on the Manny-less Dodgers, but they're only a game over .500. Then again, being over .500 at all with that offense is an accomplishment in itself.

12. Chicago Cubs: From being the best team in baseball last year, they're currently in fourth place in the NL Central, ahead of only the Pirates and the Astros. That's not really where you want to be on June 1st. The "it's early" excuse doesn't really hold water a month before the All Star break.

11. LA Angels: Still waiting for them to take off, and they haven't, yet, despite getting a large number of players back from the DL. Texas might simply be the better team in the AL West this season.

10. Cincinnati Reds: No, I'm not really sure how this team makes the top 10, either, but they've been performing admirably. Maybe there's something to this 'young pitching staff' thing...

09. New York Mets: Only a half game out in the NL East, this has got to be the most frustrating team on the planet (for some). They've got all the talent in the world...and then lose games in extra innings because they fail to touch third or have three errors in the same game.

08. St. Louis Cardinals: Watching Albert hit is crack. That is all.

07. Boston Red Sox: Losing two out of three to a team that had lost nine straight doesn't really bode well. Nor does dropping David Ortiz down in the line up. This team is still one of the most dangerous in the league, but they have some serious problems they need to address before long (the other teams do, too, but every day Ortiz is in the line up is a day the Red Sox go to bat with effectively an 8-man line up.)

06. Detroit Tigers: This is the team we were supposed to see last year, only with better starting pitching. They could run away with the AL Central if they keep going like this.

05. New York Yankees: The Yankees are 14 of their last 18, and have not lost two in a row since losing five straight at the beginning of May. They've also tied MLB's record for the longest streak of errorless baseball. While this may mean great defense on the left side of the infield and the outfield, it probably has more to do with lack of range at SS and 3B than actual good defense... Anyway, Jorge Posada is back, Jose Molina is coming back, and even Xavier Nady, who many thought would be done for the year, is starting to throw.

04. Philadelphia Phillies: Are here because they did take two of three from the Yankees, the first series the Yanks have dropped since the nightmare homestand of doom. And what is in Raul Ibañez's cornflakes? do I really want to know?

03. Texas Rangers: Despite dropping the series to the Yanks, they are probably the best team in the AL right now, and they are certainly one of the most fun to watch. Nolan Ryan is onto something.

02. Milwaukee Brewers: Speaking of fun teams to watch...I wonder if I put it to a vote, who'd win the category of 'most impressive lineup', Texas or Milwaukee...

01. LA Dodgers: They started hot, lost Manny and have, somehow, still stayed hot. Just check out their run differential compared to, well, everyone else's.


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