MLB Power Rankings: Week 3 - 04/19/2010
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Written by Evan Jacoby
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April 19, 2010
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Monday, April 19th - Two weeks of the MLB regular season are in the books. Let’s check out this week’s movers. This Power Rankings takes into account season performance thus far, but also accounts for expected future performance and reasons for past performance (such as a major injury, etc). Therefore, current team records won’t always correspond with a team’s spot in the rankings. Like always, debate is encouraged. Here is the Week 3 MLB Power Rankings, with Last Week’s Rank in parentheses: ………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………....................... 1. (1) New York Yankees, 9-3 - They start their season with 4 series against 4 of their top competitors in the AL. The result? 4 series wins. The Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, and Rays all went down fairly easily to the Yanks, who are getting the same old great production from Jeter, Pettitte, and Rivera. And their 3-4 hitters have not even hit well at all. 2. (2) Philadelphia Phillies, 8-4 - The Phillies stay in the second spot despite a 2-3 record last week and losing Jimmy Rollins to the DL. But the Phillies still lead the NL in average, OPS, run differential, and ERA. They are the most dominant team in the National League. Roy Halladay has been terrific so far (3-0, 1.13 ERA), and Chase Utley hit 5 home runs last week. 3. (3) St. Louis Cardinals, 8-4 - Pujols cooled off a bit last week, but their pitching has not. Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game last night and is looking like a Cy Young candidate again. They even held the Mets scoreless for 18 straight innings on Friday, but lost 2-1 in 20 innings. The Cards are built for the long haul with their combination of stars on offense and in the pitching staff. 4. (9) Tampa Bay Rays, 10-3 - The Rays, on a 7-game win streak, beat the Red Sox this afternoon in the annual Patriot Day game to give them the best record in baseball at 10-3. Matt Garza and David Price are pitching lights out, and B.J. Upton has 4 HR’s and 3 SB’s thus far. There’s no doubt that the talent is there for this team to make a run. They are a terror on the base paths with their speed. 5. (4) Minnesota Twins, 9-4 - All is well in Minnesota’s new ballpark, and the Twins are also 5-2 on the road. Jon Rauch is pitching lights out in the closer role, and Francisco Liriano is in full comeback mode (1-0, 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). Joe Mauer continues to mash, and there are very few concerns for the Twins right now. 6. (5) San Francisco Giants, 8-4 - The Giants have the second best run differential in baseball. Tim Lincecum is already making his case for a 3rd consecutive Cy Young award, as he leads the NL in strikeouts with a 3-0 record. Oh, and he went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s at the plate in his last start. C Bengie Molina is having another surprisingly productive year, including reaching base in 9 straight plate appearances last week. 7. (7) Oakland Athletics, 9-5 - The A’s continue to shock baseball and win series. It’s time to stop being so surprised. Their pitching is legit, leading the AL in ERA and WHIP. The Ben Sheets experiment is going well, and Daric Barton and Ryan Sweeney are providing some consistency in the lineup. We’ll see if they can keep up enough run production to continue winning. 8. (13) Florida Marlins, 8-5 - Jorge Cantu set the record for most consecutive games with a hit and RBI to start the season (10). They have a suddenly very scary 3-4 combo in the lineup, with Hanley Ramirez and Cantu. Nate Robertson is pitching lights out, combining with Johnson and Nolasco for a dynamic rotation. 9. (6) Detroit Tigers, 7-5 - Their lineup has been getting it done. Austin Jackson is doing a great job leading off, followed by Damon, Cabrera, Ordonez, and Inge hitting the ball well. But their rotation has not been as good as advertised, starting with Justin Verlander’s 6.88 ERA thus far. 10. (14) Atlanta Braves, 7-5 - The speculation is over, Jason Heyward is the real deal. The 20-year-old is hitting .302 with a 1.000 OPS, 3 HR, 15 RBI, and last night’s game-winning base hit. Jair Jurrjens pitched a gem in his last start, and Tim Hudson is getting it done with a 2.84 ERA. 11. (10) Colorado Rockies, 6-6 - Congratulations to the first no-hitter of 2010, tossed by Ubaldo Jimenez on Friday night. Franklin Morales has blown 2 saves in the closer role that should have been victories, including allowing the aforementioned game-winning hit to J. Heyward. He might be better suited in the set-up role when Huston Street returns. 12. (21) Seattle Mariners, 6-7 - A 4-1 record last week was more like what M’s fans were looking for, giving them the biggest rise in the rankings. While Milton Bradley continues to struggle with consistency, he has had some huge hits early on. The lineup overall is starting to come around, and Felix Hernandez was dominant in his last start. 13. (19) Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-6 - They move up 6 spots simply by default. A lot of teams are at or around .500 and not doing much, but the Dodgers are one of the most talented of the bunch and went 4-2 last week. Matt Kemp is off to an outstanding start (.327, 5 HR, 2 SB), and Andre Ethier continues to be Mr. Clutch in late-game situations. 14. (20) Los Angeles Angels, 6-7 - The Angels also move up 6 spots with a 4-1 record from last week. They swept Toronto to even things out in the AL. Ervin Santana is pitching like an ace. In their last 4 wins, their starting pitchers allowed 1 walk combined. That’s how you get it done. 15. (15) Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6 - Last week, I ranked them with expectations of cooling off from a 6-2 start. They followed suit and again sit at 15th in the rankings, this time more deservingly. They got swept by the Angels and need some more consistent pitching. Ricky Romero is the lone bright spot in the rotation, but he is pitching great. 16. (11) Texas Rangers, 5-7 - Nelson Cruz leads the AL in HR, OPS, and RBI. The lineup is getting it done, and Ian Kinsler is coming back soon. Unfortunately, the Yankees came to town last week and swept them easily. Rich Harden is struggling mightily with his command. 17. (23) Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-5 - I mentioned last week that Zach Duke needs to develop into an ace. He’s doing a pretty good job (2-0, 2.37 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). The Pirates are 5-1 at their beautiful home ballpark, and 5-0 in games decided by 2 runs or less. They’re in second place in the NL Central and playing with energy. 18. (8) Boston Red Sox, 4-9 - With their loss this afternoon, the Red Sox have now lost 5 straight. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are the only ones hitting at all, and John Lackey has struggled mightily in his last 2 starts. The Sox will be alright, but the concerns about getting outscored this season are real. Terry Francona might have to work wonders to get this team back into the playoffs. 19. (12) Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-7 - They just got swept by the Padres. Not much else to say there. Justin Upton continues to shine, but nobody else is. Dan Haren pitched well in his last start only to watch Aaron Heilman blow the lead a few pitches later. Brandon Webb cannot return soon enough. 20. (17) Milwaukee Brewers, 5-7 - ESPN points out that the Brewers have had 12 different starting lineups in 12 games. And we thought the lineup was going to be consistent for this team. Meanwhile, their ace Yovani Gallardo has a 5.50 ERA, and Trevor Hoffman’s is at 12.60. Not much is going right for Milwaukee, but they’re only 2 games under .500 and have the talent to turn it around. 21. (22) Chicago Cubs, 5-7 - Expect the Cubs to hover at or under .500 for awhile. That is, unless Ted Lilly can return to become the team ace. He returns from the DL on Saturday. Alfonso Soriano is being substituted in late-game situations because he is such a defensive liability and inconsistent hitter. He needs to get it together in a hurry. 22. (16) Cincinnati Reds, 5-8 - They just got swept by the Pirates. NONE of their starting pitchers have recorded a win yet. And Joey Votto is their leader in OPS at … .778. Yeah, there are better days ahead for the Reds. At least Scott Rolen has shown he still has some pop left, leading the team with 3 HR’s. 23. (18) Chicago White Sox, 4-9 - It’s actually tough to put the White Sox this high, after they just got swept by the Indians. Fans’ worst fears are so far being confirmed, as the offense is simply not consistent at all. There are good hitters in the lineup, but nobody is getting it done on a daily basis. Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko are both, for example, hitting around .200. 24. (27) San Diego Padres, 6-6 - The Padres and Indians are both at .500 and coming off series sweeps. But are they really heading in the right direction? The Padres got to the D’Backs shaky bullpen to win their games, but they are still struggling to score runs. Adrian Gonzalez continues to rake, though (.341, 2 HR). 25. (29) Cleveland Indians, 6-6 - Like the Padres, the Indians are at .500 and might have a beef with this ranking. Shin-Soo Choo is proving last season was not a fluke, as he is playing at an all-star level (.350, 1.225 OPS, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB). Their pitching has actually been pretty steady, as well. We’ll see if they can keep up their .500 ball. 26. (26) Kansas City Royals, 5-7 - This team plays hard and has some scrappy talent. They are hitting .290, second in the AL. But they simply have no explosiveness on offense, as they don’t hit many home runs or steal many bases. Jose Guillen is doing his best to change that. Meanwhile, the pitching staff is struggling mightily. They need to be better, and this team could compete. 27. (24) Washington Nationals, 6-6 - Another .500 team that is low in the rankings, the Nationals are confirming beliefs that they will be more competitive this season. However, they need to get Stephen Strasburg up quickly. New “ace” Jason Marquis failed to record an out on Sunday while giving up 7 earned runs. 28. (25) New York Mets, 4-8 - The 2010 Mets are unfortunately looking a lot like the ’09 team. David Wright is giving it his all everyday, but Jason Bay is hitting .217 and Jose Reyes is nowhere near his healthy self. The pitching staff hasn’t been that bad, but it hasn’t been good enough to get wins. At least they won the 20-inning game against the Cards. 29. (28) Baltimore Orioles, 2-11 - The O’s have the league’s worst record and are hurting bad. Felix Pie and Brian Roberts hitting the DL last week are big losses. The pitching is obviously the weak point of this team and will not be able to carry them during times of offensive struggle. 30. (30) Houston Astros, 3-9 - The Astros are still last in the rankings, but they have some hope. After taking a series from the Cubs, the ‘Stros have some momentum. And Lance Berkman is set to return from the DL tomorrow. ………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………….......................... BIGGEST RISERS -
BIGGEST FALLERS -
Disagree with any of these rankings? Drop a comment and let me know. Be on the lookout for a new update every Monday.
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