Power Rankings. They are here, and
they are coming closer and closer to what will be the end result of the season.
Lots of teams have lost a decent amount in a row, while the Reds and Cardinals
bounce ahead.
1.
Red Sox:
87-58
Last Week: 2
ESPN Rank: 1
Going 8-2 in their last ten,
including key wins against division opponents. Clay Buchholz is scheduled to
make his first start since going on the DL in late June, which will be a HUGE
addition for the Red Sox. Their starting rotation would then consist of Jon
Lester, Jake Peavy, John Lackey, Ryan Dempster, and Buchholz. With a bullpen with
Koji Uehara dominating the closing role and a set up system that still hasn’t
found a perfect solution, they still have a team 3.83 ERA (14th in
MLB), but their hitting is what defines their comeback. Scouts saw top prospect
Xander Bogaerts hit his first major league home run the other day too… things
are working for Boston.
2.
Cardinals:
83-60
Last Week: 7
ESPN Rank: 5
A sweep with ease against the
Pirates puts the Cards a game and a half ahead of both Pittsburgh and the Reds.
They’ve had such a tough schedule, playing Atlanta, then the Pirates and Reds
twice. The fact that they still can pull out in first says something. Now they
have a homestand against Milwaukee and Seattle. Time for a break so that they
can gain more lead.
3.
Braves:
85-57
Last Week: 1
ESPN Rank: 3
The Braves have now lost four in a
row, getting swept by the Phillies. That explains why they are 34-37 on the
road. Now they have a four game series in Miami- if they can’t win that, then
do not ride them hard in the postseason. While dominant at home, if they can’t
win on the road, then they’re going to have a rough time.
4.
Athletics:
83-60
Last Week: 8
ESPN Rank: 6
Make that three in a row for
Oakland, giving them a game and a half ahead of the Rangers. To be honest, this
and the NL Central are my favorite to watch because it’s anybody’s game for
first place. I’ve always had Oakland winning it, and a 47-27 record at home
plus a top ten team in both pitching and hitting (even with a .249 batting
average that’s 20th in the MLB) makes me stick with my pick.
5.
Dodgers: 83-59
Last Week: 3
ESPN Rank: 2
The Dodgers have now lost four in a
row, much different from last week’s rankings in when they won four in a row
coming in. It doesn’t matter too much as they still have an 11 game lead in the
NL West. Say as much as you want about Puig and Hanley Ramirez, still remember
Adrian Gonzalez, who is leading the team among qualified batters with 19
homers, 87 RBI’s, 64 runs, and a .291 batting average with a .790 OPS.
6.
Tigers:
82-61
Last Week: 4
ESPN Rank: 4
The anniversary of Anibal Sanchez
throwing a no-hitter his rookie year was just a few days ago, dating all the
way back to 2006. Now, he’s 13-7 with an AL best 2.61 ERA, accompanied with 168
K’s and a 5.2 WAR. Maybe not Cy Young worthy, but it should be in the talks.
7.
Reds: 82-62
Last Week: 9
ESPN Rank: 8
A couple of walk offs that swept
the Dodgers and a key series win against the Cardinals puts the Reds tied with
the Pirates in just a game and half from first. They have now won four in a row,
and look to tack on more against the Cubs. Joey Votto has finally been put into
MVP talks, having a .303/.430/.494
stance with 22 homers and 66 RBI’s.
8.
Pirates:
81-61
Last Week: 6
ESPN Rank: 7
Come on Pirates, don’t choke now!
Pittsburgh has lost four in a row, including their first place spot. They have
clinched a winning record, but they still need to play in order for a shot in
the playoffs. A play-in game with the Pirates and Reds would be fun to watch.
9.
Rangers:
81-61
Last Week: 5
ESPN Rank: 9
A hot streak from Oakland has put
the Rangers down a lot, as they only managed four wins in their last ten. They
do have a team .263 batting average (7th in MLB), a .325 OBP (8th),
and a .417 Slugging Percentage (5th), accompanied with a 3.67 ERA (8th).
Their consistency of being a constant hitting and pitching team is something to
watch out for. Today they square off against Pittsburgh, in a Gerrit Cole vs Yu
Darvish matchup. Cole, a top rookie prospect, squares off against Darvish, a
strikeout king. Now that’s the game to watch.
10.
Rays: 78-44
Last Week: 10
ESPN Rank: 10
With 20 games to go, the Rays hold
a two game lead in the wild card spot. I think they can pull it out, but they
might lose it at some point. A terrible 3-7 West Coast trip was not fun to
watch for Rays fans, and if they get into a wild card spot, they will most
likely have to play the A’s or Rangers. That won’t be fun for them.
11.
Indians:
76-66
Last Week: 12
ESPN Rank: 12
Jason Kipnis leads the team with a
.282 batting average, 17 home runs, and 76 RBI’s. He also has 26 steals and a
5.3 WAR, but has also struck out 125 times, a career high.
12.
Orioles:
76-66
Last Week: 11
ESPN Rank: 11
The Orioles are just two games back
in the wild card, but also have to deal with the Indians, Yankees, and Royals
for the spot. I think they are the best contenders for it because of their big
hitting. Chris Davis still leads the home run route with 48 homers, five more
over Cabrera. Both players are actually slowing down, which is why I think
Davis can keep the Triple Crown away from Miggy.
13.
Royals: 75-68
Last Week: 13
ESPN Rank: 14
The Royals might be the hottest
team among bubble teams, going 11-4 since August 24th. They were .500
then, and are still 4.5 games out. It’ll be tough to see what they want to do
with Ervin Santana, who’s only 8-8 with a 3.33 ERA and has a large contract
that expires this year.
14.
Yankees:
76-67
Last Week: 14
ESPN Rank: 13
It seems like Mariano Rivera does
nothing but blown saves nowadays, but the greatest closer of all time still has
41 saves and a 2.28 ERA, and is 5-2. Hell, I’d still take him for a closer, not
my first pick but a good pick.
15.
Nationals:
73-69
Last Week: 15
ESPN Rank: 15
The Nats have put up a 19-11 record
over the past month; the only team better is the Dodgers. Unfortunately, the
Reds have also put up a 19-11 record, making their hopes for a playoff spot not
as good as it sounds.
16.
Diamondbacks:
72-70
Last Week: 16
ESPN Rank: 16
Somehow, someway, the D-Backs have
put up a 0 run differential this entire season. That’s 142 games resulting in
zero. The only constant on this team has been Paul Goldschmidt, an MVP
candidate who you’ve probably heard me talking about, oh, every time the
D-Backs are mentioned. 31 homers, 107 RBI’s, and a 5.8 WAR with talks about a
gold glove is a good candidate for MVP.
17.
Angels: 67-75
Last Week: 17
ESPN Rank: 17
I do love talking about how the
Angels are all hitting and no hitting, but sometimes that isn’t true. In the
second half, C.J. Wilson is unbeaten in 10 starts, piling a 3.53 ERA in that
time.
18.
Blue Jays:
67-76
Last Week: 19
ESPN Rank: 18
Veterans Mark Buehrle and R.A.
Dickey are the only qualified pitchers on the team. Buehrle, 34, is 11-7 with a
3.88 ERA and 127 K’s. Dickey, 38, is 12-12 with a 4.29 ERA and 153 K’s.
19.
Rockies: 66-78
Last Week: 18
ESPN Rank: 20
The Rockies hoped to gain some
ground, but getting swept by the Padres killed that notion. They still do have
a .266 batting average (5th in MLB) and a .419 Slugging Percentage
(4th), but also remember that they play at Coors field, which ruins
everything. Also remember that they have a team 4.23 ERA (23rd), a
1.40 WHIP (29th), and a .272 batting average allowed (28th).
20.
Phillies:
66-77
Last Week: 21
ESPN Rank: 21
Since August 13th, when
Ryne Sandberg became the manager of the Phillies, the team has gone 13-9, so
not too bad. Sandberg could only take one game against the Cubs in a three game
series, and the same went with the Nationals, yet they sweep the Braves.
Confusing, I know.
21.
Mets: 64-77
Last Week: 20
ESPN Rank: 22
The Mets have dropped back into
fourth place, as they’ve played 10 games under .500 at home. Watch out for
Justin Turner though. He is 7 for his last 17, has scored a run in each of his
last four games, and has two home runs and four RBI’s in his last three.
22.
Mariners:
65-78
Last Week: 22
ESPN Rank: 19
The Mariners are a pathetic
.228/.290/.361 against lefties, making a .241/.307/.394 average in total. Their
catchers are batting only .199/.270/.311 too. Let’s hope that this series
against the Astros goes well, because then they go on the road against the
Cardinals, the Tigers, and the Angels. Only the Astros and the Angels are teams
that the Mariners have to face that are under .500.
23.
Padres: 65-77
Last Week: 25
ESPN Rank: 23
The Padres actually hurt themselves
by sweeping the Rockies over the weekend. Why? Because by not finishing with
one of the top ten worst records, they won’t have their first-round pick
protected next season. It’s not like they are going to acquire a free agent,
either.
24.
Giants:
64-79
Last Week: 23
ESPN Rank: 24
One Strike Away. Yusiermo Petit
comes that close to a perfect game, and has shown signs of strong improvement
since being a free agent for two years. The Giants haven’t been that team that’s
“one strike away” metaphorically, they’ve just been bad. It’s not because they
have had injuries, they’ve just sucked.
25.
Brewers:
62-80
Last Week: 26
ESPN Rank: 25
Carlos Gomez leads the NL with a
24.1 Power-Speed #. What is Power-Speed #? Read the blog tomorrow and find out.
26.
Twins: 61-80
Last Week: 24
ESPN Rank: 26
Going 2-4 last week wasn’t much
help for this team going up in any rankings. Thus, they move down! An answer
could come from top prospects in the future, though. Scott Diamond went 5-0
with a 2.06 ERA in AAA after being demoted in August. Remember that the Twins
have the top two prospects in Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano too.
27.
Cubs: 60-82
Last Week: 27
ESPN Rank: 27
The Cubs catcher situation is a
good sign for their rebuilding program. Wellington Castillo, 26, bats
.268/.346/.365 but has a 3.8 WAR because of his great defensive capabilities.
Dioner Navarro, 29, bats .305/.369/.515, and is a great pinch hitter and a
clutch batter.
28.
White Sox:
57-85
Last Week: 28
ESPN Rank: 28
Longtime first baseman and fan
favorite Paul Konerko has considered retiring because of his struggles, as his
slash line is .248/.320/.361. While that isn’t terrible, his career numbers are
.281/.357/.492. It’d be tough to see him go, but it’s going to happen sooner or
later.
29.
Marlins: 53-88
Last Week: 29
ESPN Rank: 29
The Marlins offense is still last in every category, but they
did score 30 runs in their last six games. However, they still only went 3-3 in
that span. Jose Fernandez, who’s allowed only 62 hits in 17 starts and holds
opponents to a .159/.231/.213 line, is the best Rookie. Sorry Puig and others,
but Fernandez deserves it. And if Puig gets it, it’ll be the biggest disappointment
in voting since Jimmy Rollins won the MVP.
30.
Astros:
47-96
Last Week: 30
ESPN Rank: 30
The fact that the Astros almost
have 100 losses already astounds me, especially since the Marlins, who are on
track to lose 100 games, only have 88 losses so far. There are 20 games to go.
They have to still play Cincinnati, Cleveland, Texas, and the Yankees, too.
Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any
questions/comments/concerns.
-Evan Boyd
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