Only a month into the season, some teams have their hand close to the panic button, while others are still trying to convince fans that their hold on first place isn’t just the result of a quick start that won’t last. Here is Around The Corn’s second ever MLB Power Rankings list. The number in parenthesis after the team name is where that team was ranked in the previous Power Rankings.
1. Cleveland Indians (8)- They possess the best record in baseball, have won 13 straight at home, and have been on a every sports highlight reel for the past two days after Carlos Santana’s walk-off grand slam on Friday night. The Cleveland faithful still seem a little skeptical that the joy ride will last, though.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (2)
3. New York Yankees (7)
4. Florida Marlins (11)- Marlins fans can’t ask for much more…except that they be moved to a division without the Big Four pitching core.
5. Colorado Rockies (1)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (17)
7. Los Angeles Angels (9)
8. Texas Rangers (3)
9. Kansas City Royals (5)
10. Tampa Bay Rays (27)- Big movers in this week’s Power Rankings, the Rays seemed to have stopped the bleeding rather quickly after Manny Ramirez’s departure. Who would’ve thought that Manny being Manny was actually a distraction?
11. Cincinnati Reds (4)
12. Baltimore Orioles (12)- The Orioles have been very inconsistent this year. Buck Showalter can’t be too pleased with that, and more importantly, consistency is key to stay in contention in the uber competitive AL East.
13. Atlanta Braves (16)
14. Oakland Athletics (25)
15. Milwaukee Brewers (6)- The Brew Crew was blanked for the first time this season earlier today by the Astros. It’s safe to say that laying an egg against the team with the worst ERA in the entire league is something to avoid in the future.
16. Los Angeles Dodgers (19)- As the Dodgers continue to play “average” baseball, the Rockies continue to pull further and further away from Los Angeles and the rest of the NL West, the only division in which every team but one is playing under .500 baseball.
17. Pittsburgh Pirates (26)
18. San Francisco Giants (13)
19. Toronto Blue Jays (14)- The Blue Jays don’t spend much time in the cellar, but if they don’t improve against teams in their own division, they may find themselves there sooner rather than later.
20. Seattle Mariners (30)
21. Washington Nationals (20)
22. Boston Red Sox (22)- Okay, Red Sox fans. I promise if you take your hand away from the panic button now, it won’t suddenly get worse again.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (24)
24. Detroit Tigers (15)
25. Chicago Cubs (18)
26. New York Mets (28)
27. Houston Astros (29)
28. San Diego Padres (23)
29. Chicago White Sox (10)- The White Sox do have one thing to take solace in: the Twins are worse.
30. Minnesota Twins (21)- Minnesota might want to think about starting Joe Mauer anyway, because this is getting ugly…
– K. Becks