Believe it or not, its been 3 months to the date since I did my last MLB Power Rankings. Clearly, its long overdue for me to come back and resort the field as the home stretch of the season is upon us and the playoff races heat up. So here I am to sort the field of teams again in order of superiority at this moment. Now, this rankings comes in after the games on the 22nd. Along with each team's ranking, record, status, and synopsis will come their ranking three months ago, just for interesting comparison's sake. With that said, let's get into it.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (82-44, 6-4, W1) Rank last time (RLT): 2nd
The Phillies monster of a starting rotation continues to dominate with the best ERA in the Majors. Ryan Madson has been superb in filling the void left by Brad Lidge's injuries. Shane Victorino is quietly having a fantastic season and Hunter Pence's OPS since being traded to Philly is .906.
2. New York Yankees (77-48, 7-3 W1) RLT: 6th
Curtis Granderson is having an MVP-type season any way you want to shape it. Brett Gardner has taken a step forward at the plate this year as well, and the starting rotation hasn't been nearly as atrocious as anticipated.
3. Boston Red Sox (77-50, 4-6 L1) RLT: 9th
Boston has arguably the best offense in the game, at the very least they have the highest OBP as a team, and the only team with an OPS above .800. The league's 17th best ERA though may become an Achilles heal come playoff time though. Boston's only has 2 starters they can really trust, all the other games go to ancient Tim Wakefield or injured/struggling John Lackey.
4.Atlanta Braves (77-52, 7-3, W5) RLT: 8th
Atlanta's saving grace is that they can pitch, but often times, their hitting is suspect. They may not be in such a comfortable lead for the NL Wildcard if not for Dan Uggla's sudden offensive outburst after a terrible first half. Getting Jair Jurrjens healthy again would be huge after the season he was getting off to, and Craig Kimbrel only has 1 blown save in the last 3 months.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (77-53, 8-2, L1) RLT: 11th
The hottest team in the game right now. They had a slow start but hit their stride and now look very formidable. This year Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have both really put it together and made for a scary tandem in the middle of that order. Having Zack Greinke is really paying off as well now too.
6. Texas Rangers (74-55, 7-3, W1) RLT: 10th
Being healthy for the most part in the second half of the season has really helped the Rangers out as they try to keep the AL West away from the LA Angels. Contributions throughout the lineup have really helped the Rangers get themselves where they are. 4 Rangers have 20 or more homers. Adding Mike Adams made the bullpen all that much more solid as well.
7. Detroit Tigers (69-58, 7-3, W4) RLT: 13th
The Tigers are the leaders of a division that no ones wants to seem to win. They've been playing much better though over the last month or so and have a comfortable lead as of now. The biggest question earlier in the season was their bullpen, but that aspect has really settled down. Joaquin Benoit, Daniel Schlereth, and Al Alburquerque have really come into their own in their roles for the Tigers' pen.
8. Tampa Bay Rays (69-57, 7-3, L1) RLT: 7th
Its a crying shame they play in the AL East. They're 8.5 games out of the division, 7.5 from the Wildcard and are really the 7th best team in the Majors, right now, deserving of a playoff spot in my opinion. The rotation is solid outside of Wade Davis's growing pains, and the Rays find ways to put runs on the board. Another fantastic job by Joe Maddon, too bad this ones's going to go unnoticed in October.
9. Los Angeles Angels (69-59, 5-5 W4) RLT: 18th
Texas better not let their guard down, this Angels team could really make some noise and give some problems. The pitching staff has really solidified itself and they are playing smarter baseball now than when they were squandering games earlier in the season. Hopefully those missed opportunities don't come back to bite them, like Jordan Walden's 9 blown saves.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (69-59, 4-6 L6) RLT: 16
The Diamondbacks hold the lead in the NL West. What?! No one saw this coming this late in the season. 19th in OBP. 19th in ERA. I think they hold the lead more due to the Giants lack of ability to get their act together than by their own merits, but it all counts the same. They're winning ballgames though, and Justin Upton would be one of the biggest stars in the Majors if he played in New York or Chicago.
11. San Fransisco Giants (68-60, 4-6, W1) RLT: 3rd
That NL West lead isn't safe though. The Giants are just 1 game out. The Giants have the 2nd best team ERA, but the 2nd worst team OBP. Carlos Beltran has done little to help since coming over from the Mets (.616 OPS, 0 HR, 2 RBI in just 11 games). The rotation is going to have to do the heavy lifting, but that's nothing new. A hot finish from Jonathon Sanchez would work wonders.
12. St. Louis Cardinals (67-61, 4-6, L1) RLT: 5th
The Cardinals have arguably the best offense in the National League. Lance Berkman has never cooled off this year and really added punch to a tough middle of the order with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. David Freese is a good young ballplayer as well.
13. Toronto Blue Jays (65-62, 6-4, W1) RLT: 15th
Another team that suffers from playing in the AL East. Jose Bautista is still an absolute beast of a hitter and his contact is up this year which is impressive. I'm surprised but happy to see Edwin Encarnacion actually producing a little for the Jays as well.
14. Chicago White Sox (63-63, 6-4, W2) RLT: 20th
Paul Konerko is having a wonderful season and no one is even talking about it, which is good considering Adam Dunn's total lack of production. Phil Humber has made Jake Peavy unnecessary as the Sox have a rotation that has really settled in. This could be a tough team down the stretch as the power arms in the back of the bullpen and the rotation coming into its own could cause problems for opponents.
15. Cleveland Indians (62-62, 4-6, L4) RLT: 1st
The season of dreams way be coming to an end. The pitching has really slacked in the 2nd half as a unit. Ubaldo Jimenez was an all-in move that has yet to show itself to be an aid or a detriment. For them to really compete, Jimenez and supposed ace Fausto Carmona really need to lock things down in the stretch run.
16. Cincinnati Reds (62-65, 6-4, W1) RLT: 12th
Simply put, this is a very streaky team that definitely just hasn't been dependable enough to really compete. Jonny Cueto has been phenomenal beyond belief and Mike Leake has been servicable, but Bronson Arroyo is showing miles and the rest of the rotation has been far from consistent. You just never know what you're going to get with this team.
17. Washington Nationals (62-64, 6-4, W2) RLT: 24th
An improved record, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper waiting in the wings are cause for hope in the future for the Nationals. They need help hitting the ball though, its been a struggle and the big deal they gave to Jayson Werth has been far from beneficial. That's the kind of deal that cripples a payroll, Washington may be a big enough market to get passed that though.
18. Colorado Rockies (61-68, 6-4, W3) RLT: 14th
Colorado never got off the ground this season. They hit well, but just can't pitch with any consistency outside of Jhoulys Chacin. Trading Ubaldo Jimenez was them mailing it in, but they still definitely have a good core. They just need some dependable starting pitching, which may come in Alex White and Drew Pomeranz.
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (60-67, 4-6, W1) RLT: 23rd
In the last 3 months the Pirates went from losers to contenders and then back to losing again. What a ride, if only short lived. The young core players that were expected to take that next step this year really just have not done it. Andrew McCutchen is one thing, but Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, and co. have really disappointed.
20. San Diego Padres (59-70, 6-4, W4) RLT: 28th
Nothing new from the Padres. They pitch well, but don't hit well. They currently don't have a hitter with more than 9 homers or 43 RBI on the roster. Trading Ryan Ludwick hurts that, but he was only hitting .238 before they traded him anyway. At least they have a fantastic young staff of guys you've probably never heard of, Dustin Moseley for example, who is 3-10 but has a 3.30 ERA.
21. New York Mets (60-67, 2-8, L4) RLT: 22nd
The Mets continue to hit well, but can't put any pitching together. Not having Johan Santana certainly has not helped the cause. The whole staff and bullpen has been erratic and unable to hold a lead. What scares me the most though is there 2 best offensive performers this season are Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. One was traded from them and the other stands to walk away in the offseason.
22. Oakland Athletics (57-70, 4-6, L1) RLT: 25th
The hitting has gotten a little bit better in Oakland as the season progressed but the pitching got a little worse in return. They just don't have the hitters, everything is pitching and defense dependent and they just aren't making it happen. David DeJesus has been a major, unexplainable disappointment.
23. Los Angeles Dodgers (58-69, 5-5, W1) RLT: 27th
This is a team that really should be competing better than they are but they're struggles start at the top with the distractions amongst the organization. A down season from Andre Ethier has left Matt Kemp as the only punch in the lineup and Jamey Carroll is an every day player with his 0 homers and 11 RBI. Rafael Furcal will be missed. Heck, he was missed when technically he was on the team but was always hurt.
24. Chicago Cubs (56-72, 6-4, L2) RLT: 26th
A team that doesn't pitch well. Carlos Zambrano is crazy and Randy Wells has been a disappointment this season. Matt Garza's their own trustworthy starter. The bullpen top to bottom has been suspect as well starting with Carlos Marmol at the back end. Aramis Ramirez got hot for a while to carry the offense, but it really hasn't been enough.
25. Minnesota Twins (55-72, 3-7, L2) RLT: 30th
The Twins showed signs of life briefly this summer but a playoff run seems out of the question now. This is really a bad team. They haven't done much well, but at the same time, its not all their fault. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer have not been their normal selves and that's a problem for any team to recover from. They're taking the time now to develop some young players (eg: Ben Revere), and I think it could work out better for them in the long run.
26. Florida Marlins (57-70, 2-8, L5) RLT: 4th
Can you believe I rated them 4th in May? They've gone 31-51 since May 22nd. I did mention I was skeptical on them at least. Most of their issues stem from Josh Johnson being their entire starting rotation, and then getting hurt. Javier Vazquez has been a lousy 7-11. Something tells me though this is just a team of individuals as long as Hanley Ramirez is the leader.
27. Kansas City Royals (52-76, 3-7, L1) RLT: 17th
The Royals have actually hit the ball pretty well this season, but Bruce Chen of all people has been their best starter (the only one with a record above .500). Joakim Soria has been surprisingly unstable as well. They have a lot of young guys in the pipeline, I just hope they have some that can pitch the ball to make them a legitimate contender in the future.
28. Seattle Mariners (54-72, 4-6, LW1) RLT: 19th
The worst hitting team in the Majors. The only team OBP under .300. Brendan Ryan might be their most consistent hitter! Ichiro is hitting .269! Chone Figgins was hitting .189 and playing most days before getting hurt! They make the Athletics looks like a powerhouse offense.
29. Baltimore Orioles (48-77, 3-7, W1) RLT: 21st
Easily the worst pitching team in the league. Jeremy Gutrhie is 5-16 and they couldn't even pawn him off at the trade deadline like they wanted to. They don't have a starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.50. Jim Johnson has looked great out of the bullpen, but that's about it. They had a number of young arms they were hoping would take a big step this year, but it just hasn't happened.
30. Houston Astros (42-86, 4-6, L2) RLT: 29th
This is just a bad team that's gotten even worse in the short term by trading Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn. How disappointing has JA Happ been? The Astros brass have to hope that its just growing pains for their promising left hander. Their best remaining hitter, Brett Wallace, has been benched for major struggles in the 2nd half of this season. There's just not much positive on this Major League team to talk about.
What's the baseline?
As we approach the last month of the season, the Phillies are the best, the Astros are the worst. The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be a team that's been shafted by the divisional system while the NL West is very much up for the taking.
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