I apologize to any of you that come to Around The Corn every other Thursday expecting to see the newest MLB Power Rankings and are disappointed. This has happened quite frequently this season, and although I’m not proud of that fact, I can’t say that it is out of sheer laziness that they aren’t always timely. I’m just very busy.
Anyway, since you don’t care about my life (and I don’t care to tell you about it), here is the latest MLB Power Rankings. The number in parenthesis after the team name is where that team was ranked in the previous Power Rankings.
1. Washington Nationals (1)- The Nationals stay in the top spot, notching 70 wins before any other team. Management is insisting that Strasburg will be shut down around 160 innings, but I still have a hard time believing that with the type of season they’ve been having.
2. New York Yankees (2)
3. Texas Rangers (3)
4. Atlanta Braves (9)- Last year it was to Philadelphia, this year it’s to Washington…the Braves always seem to play bridesmaid in the NL East.
5. Cincinnati Reds (4)- The anthem for the 2012 Cincinnati Reds: Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold.
6. Baltimore Orioles (13)
7. Pittsburgh Pirates (7)
8. Chicago White Sox (8)
9. Tampa Bay Rays (15)- The Rays may have a run left in them, but catching up to New York will be very tough. Leading the Wild Card race doesn’t hurt, though.
10. Los Angeles Dodgers (11)
11. St. Louis Cardinals (14)
12. Detroit Tigers (10)
13. San Francisco Giants (5)
14. Oakland Athletics (6)- They have cooled off a bit, but Oakland is still in the thick of the playoff picture. If they do make the playoffs, I’ll take the Bartolo Colon, please.
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (16)
16. Los Angeles Angels (12)- Los Angeles only seemed to get better at the trade deadline, but time is ticking. The Angels need to make a run soon.
17. Boston Red Sox (18)
18. New York Mets (22)
19. Milwaukee Brewers (21)
20. Philadelphia Phillies (24)- A very disappointing season for Philadelphia, who were pinned as almost a lock to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year. It has to be tough for Philly fans to see the tables turned in the NL East.
21. Cleveland Indians (17)- An 11-game losing streak will drop you out of the top 20 real quickly.
22. Miami Marlins (26)
23. Seattle Mariners (25)
24. Toronto Blue Jays (19)
25. San Diego Padres (20)- If the Padres had started the year like they’ve been playing the last month and a half, they’d be a pretty good team right now.
26. Minnesota Twins (28)
27. Kansas City Royals (23)
28. Chicago Cubs (27)
29. Colorado Rockies (29)
30. Houston Astros (30)- Memo to fans of the 29 other teams in the MLB: don’t complain too much about your team…you could be cheering for the Houston Astros.
– K. Becks
