For fans of teams such as the Minnesota Twins, now is the time to put your hands back on the panic button and actually be ready to push it. It’s beginning to get harder and harder for teams to say “it’s early, we’ll shake off the cobwebs soon enough”. By the time the next installation of Around The Corn’s Power Rankings, too little may mean too late for some teams.
Here is this week’s Power Rankings. The number in parenthesis after the team name is where that team was ranked in the previous Power Rankings.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (2)- After claiming the second spot in the rankings in the past two editions, the Phillies finally have the top spot. Apparently, no Roy Oswalt or Chase Utley equals no problem.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (10)- The Rays are back from the dead. Two weeks ago, this team looked as if they were headed in the wrong direction. Now, after winning three straight series the Rays have gone from worst to first in the AL East.
3. Cleveland Indians (1)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (6)
5. San Francisco Giants (18)- The pitching core in San Fran may have finally regained their stride. After six straight wins against division rivals, the Giants look like one of the hottest teams in baseball.
6. Los Angeles Angels (7)
7. Kansas City Royals (9)
8. New York Yankees (3)
9. Florida Marlins (4)- The Marlins would be the division leader in all but three divisions at this point. Unfortunately, they have to compete with Philadelphia, whom they are three games behind. Florida may be the most overlooked team in baseball for the entire 2011 season.
10. Atlanta Braves (13)
11. Detroit Tigers (24)
12. Cincinnati Reds (11)
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (17)- The Pirates have been holding their own for over a month now. In a division that is probably a little weak, anything is possible…
14. Oakland Athletics (14)
15. Baltimore Orioles (12)
16. Texas Rangers (8)
17. Colorado Rockies (5)- Going 2-8 in your last ten will drop you pretty far down the list, regardless of your overall record…
18. Boston Red Sox (22)- If the Red Sox can perform better against their division rivals, then they should be okay. Still, it has been a rocky spring for a team that was supposed to be contending for the “best in baseball” title from the start.
19. Washington Nationals (21)
20. Los Angeles Dodgers (16)
21. New York Mets (26)- An appearance inside the Top 20 in next week’s Power Rankings would be a pretty good accomplishment for the Mets…
22. Toronto Blue Jays (19)
23. Chicago Cubs (25)
24. Chicago White Sox (29)
25. Milwaukee Brewers (15)- A mediocre offense is not going to get the job done. The bats need to come alive for the Brew Crew if they don’t want to continue to fall behind St. Louis and Cincinnati.
26. San Diego Padres (28)
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (23)
28. Seattle Mariners (20)
29. Houston Astros (27)
30. Minnesota Twins (30)- Minnesota fans, it’s time: Press the button, sound the alarm, light your old flannels to make smoke signals. This team needs help now.
– K. Becks
I expect an update since the Redlegs swept the cards and are up 1 1/2 games, possibly catapulting the team from cinci to 1 overall
I only do Power Rankings every two weeks, so unfortunately they are going to have to keep up the good play for a while longer in order to move up. However, with the Yankees and Cardinals sinking as of late, I think that Cincinnati will at least crack the Top 10 once again in the the next rankings.
[…] a difference two weeks can make. In the last Power Rankings, many teams were within a few games of their division leader, and it was very difficult to separate […]