Power Rankings- 6 3 13

Hey there, I’m going to post my power rankings for this week, as well as have my A Look Through The Week later on tonight.

A week of interleague play and some other great matchups made a pretty big change in my rankings. I have my last week’s ranking, as well as ESPN’s ranking of them. Let’s take a look.

1.      Cardinals- 37-19

Last Week: 2

ESPN Rank: 1

Without a doubt, the Cards are the best team. They have the highest run differential, as well as the best ERA in baseball. Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn have a combined 15 wins for the team already, and Shelby Miller posts a 1.82 ERA. Randy Choate and Edward Mujica have been solid in the bullpen too. They are also 20-9 on the road, the best road record in baseball. Unfortunately for them, they still are competing in one of the top divisions in the game. Another weird flaw: Wainwright has a .309 BABIP, which has to be lowered in case that the Cardinals Defense does screw up. 

2.      Rangers- 35-21

Last Week: 1

ESPN Rank: 2

The Rangers now have a challenge in their division with the A’s, but they have the pitching that can compete with any team. Even their bullpen has stepped up big. Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers, and closer Joe Nathan have a combined 1.29 ERA. Not bad at all. 

3.      Reds- 35-22

Last Week: 4

ESPN Rank: 3

Cincinnati has a 20-7 record at home. Why? Because OBP is a huge stat, and Joey Votto and Shin Soo-Choo are the leaders in OBP. And not only because Votto and Choo have a 2.7 WAR, but also because they have so many starting weapons that Dusty Baker can choose from. With Johnny Cueto back as well, this team will just get better and better. 

4.      Red Sox- 35-23

Last Week: 5

ESPN Rank: 4

The Bo Sox are trying to pull away from the toughest division in baseball, but with three other teams competing for first, they will have to have quite a season to try and keep up. I personally think they can, which is why I had them winning the division in my preseason rankings. If they keep hitting as well as they are, and if Clay Buckholz can keep it up, I have no doubt that they can win it. 

5.      A’s- 34-24

Last Week: 14

ESPN Rank: 7

Why did the A’s have such a big jump? Because all they needed to do was get back on track. They also had a pretty easy schedule, playing Houston and the White Sox. What was the surprise was taking 3 of 4 against the Giants, even going against some of their toughest pitchers. They need to hit better, but they are still getting on base, which is always a great start, especially when focus baseball statistically. 

6.      Pirates- 35-22

Last Week: 7

ESPN Rank: 6

Unlike the past few years, the Pirates have showed no sign of slowing down. This week they took four of seven against the Tigers and the Reds, which is more than almost any team can say. They have a mediocre offense this year, even with Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte (watch out for that Rookie!), but like the other teams in the NL Central, they have a dominant pitching core. They’re even pulling a pitching staff that’s heavily relied of statistics- having pitchers like A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez, who have always been under the radar in their careers. Watch out for Jeff Locke too- leading the team with a 2.25 ERA. It’s tough to see whether they will continue playing like this when they have an offense that is not in the top 20 in any categories.

7.      Braves- 34-22

Last Week: 6

ESPN Rank: 5

I may be the only one to think that the Braves are slowly losing it. They’ve played .500 ball ever since that amazing start. They have probably the 4^th best pitching staff, but they have injuries that are slowly killing them. Justin Upton has slowed down, but Freddie Freeman has come to save the day in hitting. If Mike Minor and Paul Maholm keep pitching as well, then they have a chance, but having Kris Medlen going 1-6 is hurting. Their next series is against the Pirates, and I can see them losing that series, but then they are on the road against the Dodgers and then the Padres. If they can’t win those games, then they will fall out of first.

8.      D-Backs- 32-24

Last Week: 10

ESPN Rank: 11

Patrick Corbin is now 9-0 with a 2.06 ERA, which is absolutely incredible. I would have wrote about him last week, but I couldn’t just write about the two best D-Backs players for the first two weeks of my blog. Don’t worry, Corbin is still good, and Paul Goldschmidt is still batting like a champ. But they need guys like Wade Miley to step up. Miley has now lost his last four starts in a row. 

9.      O’s- 32-25

Last Week: 15

ESPN Rank: 9

 

Wei-Yin Chen needs to return, but lately their starting pitching has been doing well, though the statistics do not show it. Check out my blog from last week to see how Chris Davis may be playing better than Miguel Cabrera, and how he may be the one to stop him from winning two Triple Crowns in a row.

 

10.  Rays: 31-25

Last Week: 16

ESPN Rank: 12

Good for the Rays! They’re one team that’s actually improved of late. They went 18-10 in May, which was the best in the AL. They have relied on their hitting which has proved them well, but David Price needs to step up if he wants to help this team, or if the Rays want to trade him at the all-star break since his contract expires soon.

11.  Yankees- 31-25

Last Week: 3

ESPN Rank: 10

The Yankees have now lost their last 7 of 8, hit only .217, and are slowly losing contention from Boston and Baltimore, and lately, the Rays as well. It’s ironic that Curtis Granderson, Kevin Youkilis, and Mark Texiera have returned and they’ve done worse, but no Jeter and no A-Rod is tough. They need to hit much better if they want to contend.

12.  Tigers- 30-25

Last Week: 9

ESPN Rank: 8

This last week, the Tigers were shut out a bunch against the Pirates, yet they are still the top in the AL Central. Looks like the Tigers get lucky again in being in the worst division in baseball. They really should have a better record though. They have one of the best offenses in the league led by, of course, Miguel Cabrera, and even their pitching staff is top 10. Jim Leyland is a great coach too, so why are they only 5 games up? Because they have a really tough schedule. They just played the Pirates and the Orioles, and now have the red hot Rays and the Indians coming up. They need to step up so that they stay in first and don’t lose it to Cleveland.

13.  Indians- 30-26

Last Week: 8

ESPN Rank: 13

Ubaldo Jimenez has a 2.32 ERA on the road, but a 7.53 ERA at home. How? I dunno. But the Indians have been struggling lately and need to step it up if they want to beat Detroit. They have the Yankees, then they have the Tigers. If they can get some support from their pitching, then they could have something special this week. Mark Reynolds may be the team’s leader in homers and RBI’s, but also is leading in strikeouts. No surprise, but having inconsistency like that is tough to handle.

14.  Giants- 30-27

Last Week: 13

ESPN Rank: 14

Having Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan, and Ryan Vogelsong all on the DL hurts (no pun intended). Their main problem might be the fact that they have a -14 in run differential. The defending champions need to step it up if they want any contention against Arizona.

15.  Rockies- 30-27

Last Week: 11

ESPN Rank: 15

If the Rockies want to contend with the D-Backs and Giants this year, then they must step it up on the road. Having a small ballpark in Colorado helps, but they are 3 games under .500 on the road this year. This month they go on the road against Cincinnati, Boston, Washington, and Toronto. I don’t see them beating out the others this month, which is going to kill them.

16.  Nats- 28-29

Last Week: 12

ESPN Rank: 16

They need to get on base- they have the worse OBP (.287). They also just need to hit. They’re 28^th in Batting Average (.229) and 27^th in slugging percentage (.371). Luckily they have guys like Jordan Zimmerman, who has been the best pitcher for them, and of course Strasburg and Gonzalez, but being 1 game under .500 at this time is atrocious for a team like this.

17.  Padres- 26-30

Last Week: 22

ESPN Rank: 17

The Padres are not that good of a team, both on offense and pitching statistically. But I swear if they kept some of their prospects over the past few years like Anthony Rizzo, Jake Peavy, and Mat Latos, they could really be a contending team. But that’s not how their organization runs, unfortunately. This week they are on the road against the Dodgers and the Rockies, and they are 10-16 on the road. Let’s see if they can take advantage of these teams and pull out some wins.

18.  Phillies- 27-30

Last Week: 18

ESPN Rank: 19

Do you remember when the Phillies won over 100 games? That was only 2 years ago. They are playing .500 ball lately, but their pitching allowed 5.6 runs per game last week. How were they able to win some? Ask Domonic Brown, who batted over .400 and hit 7 homers last week. He and Cliff Lee are carrying this team, but baseball is different from other sports- you can’t have one player rule the season.

19.  Twins- 25-29

Last Week: 28

ESPN Rank: 21

The fact that they recently lost ten games in a row and are still only 4 games under .500 is pretty damn good. They’ve won 7 of their past 9 and are now a contender in the AL Central. I don’t think they will pull any dramatic upset over the Tigers or Indians, but hey, good for them for coming back after a tough stretch.

20.  Cubs- 23-32

Last Week: 25

ESPN Rank: 23

You might be surprised to hear that the Cubs are the only team under .500 with a positive run differential. They also just went on a 5 game winning streak before getting stopped by the D-Backs. But in those 5 games, they didn’t just win games- they killed their opponents. Not only did the offense average 7 runs a game, but they also were giving up little to their opponents. This might explain why opponents are batting only .236 against the Cubs. Chicago is due for another title, and if the Hawks don’t win it this year, the Cubs actually might be the next team in the city to win one. They have the weapons to slowly do it, and that’s what Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein are trying to do.

21.  Angels- 25-32

Last Week: 17

ESPN Rank: 18

The Angels had a quick stretch of wins, but have now slowed down. They’ve lost their last three in a row, and it will be interesting to see their matchup versus the Cubs this week. The return of Jered Weaver will help SO much, but like the Cubs, their bullpen needs to improve. 

 

22.  Dodgers- 23-32

Last Week: 26

ESPN Rank: 22

I was honestly mesmerized when I saw Hyun-Jin Ryu pitch a 2 hit shutout over the Angels last week, but they need more than that. They are 28^th in runs scored this year. That needs to change. And they can’t just rely on their big names that have huge contracts, they need statistical players to change their game. Clayton Kershaw is still a tank though, don’t worry. 

23.  White Sox- 24-30

Last Week: 19

ESPN Rank: 20

The White Sox did not win a single game last week, and are now 6 games under .500. Sorry White Sox fans, or lack thereof, being 29^th in runs (186), 27^th in batting average (.237), 28^th OBP (.289), and 28^th in slugging percentage (.369) sucks, and it won’t bring them to a .500 record.

24.  Blue Jays- 24-33

Last Week: 21

ESPN Rank: 26

With the Rays now contending in the AL East, the Jays are the only bad team in that division. They have tons of injuries, but they can’t have a 4.70 ERA. Their pitching is just bad, they need to change something.

25.  Mariners- 24-33

Last Week: 23

ESPN Rank: 25

Watch out for Nick Franklin, a top prospect that hit two homers and had a high OBP. But Tom Wilhelmsen blew two saves that could have helped the Mariners be only 5 games under .500. Hisashi Iwakuma is killing too, with a 2.13 ERA. He and King Felix are great, but their offense needs to improve.

26.  Mets- 22-32

Last Week: 27

ESPN Rank: 27

Matt Harvey only has one decision in his past 8 starts. They have the worst batting average in the majors, and one of the worst team ERA’s in the majors. I don’t know what they can really do to improve. They need Johan Sanatana back. They had a sweep against the Yankees, which people are taking way to seriously, because they then got swept by the Marlins. Ha.

27.   Brewers- 21-34

Last Week: 24

ESPN Rank: 28

After a hot start for the crew, they had a horrible month of May, going 6-22. I doubt they can improve back to a solid contender in the tough NL Central, but they still have young talent like Jean Segura, Carlos Gomez, and Norichika Aoki. These guys are really talented and can take over the team with Braun in the next few years.

28.  Royals- 23-31

Last Week: 20

ESPN Rank: 24

 

21 losses in the past 27 games. Why? They can’t hit this year whatsoever, they need to score more runs.

29.  Astros- 20-37

Last Week: 29

ESPN Rank: 29

Jason Castro has been hitting .282 with seven home runs and 15 doubles. He is their probably lone all-star contender. They have young talent, but I personally think that that talent won’t do them justice.

30.  Marlins- 16-41

Last Week: 30

ESPN Rank: 30

Somehow, they swept the Mets. Even if it’s the Mets, I had no idea how that happened. They snapped a nine game losing streak with those wins. Just imagine a team that can lose 116 games. That’s what Miami will do.

So that’s the rankings. As you can see, there was some change this week, and expect that this year. Watch teams like the Nationals to slowly rise, while the Yankees to fall.

-Evan Boyd

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” – Leo Durocher