MLB Power Rankings - Week 16 07/14/08

MLB Power Rankings - Week 16 07/14/08

Well, we’ve reached the 2008 All-Star Break and we have a new #1. As good as the AL East is, none of those teams have a winning road record, so something has to be said for the outstanding performance of the Angels on the road (31-18). You can check out the JBB (Just Before the Break) Awards written for this site here. And we hope you caught Josh Hamilton’s performance in the Home Run Derby – truly the greatest performance ever by a silver medalist!

1.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 57-38 (2)
-(4-3) K-Rod saved four more games (and blew one in dramatic fashion) this past week as the Angels took 4 out of the 7 on the road against their chief division rivals. No team in baseball has a bigger division lead and no team handles the pressures of playing on the road better (no AL team is above .500 on the road except them, at 31-18). They host the Red Sox right after the break which should be a good gauge for both teams as to where they are.

2.
Chicago Cubs 57-38 (3)
-(4-2) Anything you can do we can do similarly … or something like that. The Cubbies added to their rotation the most brittle flamethrower to grace a mound since Kerry Wood. Rich Harden is no CC Sabathia … he’s better, but he’s also spent more time on a surgical table than on a mound in his career, so to say he becomes the wild card of the NL Central is an understatement.

3.
Boston Red Sox 57-40 (5)
-(5-1) If the Sox make the playoffs and have home-field advantage, we might as well skip the playoffs, because with the way they play at home, it might be a cakewalk for them. The Sox hit .336 as a team over this past week and scored 42 runs while allowing just 19, and naturally, these were all home games. And with their solid week coupled with the Rays’ tank job, they find themselves back in 1st place as they head to the All-Star break. And there are a lot of things that look good for the Sox in the 2nd half: minimal road trips (5) and road games (31); an excess of off-days (8); the return of Big Papi; and the absence of Julio Lugo.

4.
Chicago White Sox 54-40 (4)
-(3-3) Manager Ozzie Guillen does not need to issue a warning to Paul Konerko; Guillen needs a way to like a fire under his First Baseman’s ass. Konerko, who is batting a wimpy .217 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI’s, needs to be an offensive catalyst for the stretch run to the playoffs.

5.
Minnesota Twins 53-42 (6)
-(4-3) The bullpen blew it in Boston, but I think it’s more appropriate to say Ron Gardenhire took the series off … Brian Bass late in a 0-0 game … really? I mean the guy obviously knows what he’s doing, he’s got a proven track record, but this was not a well managed series. The team played well on a whole and put themselves in position to win all three games, but didn’t get it done. Also, former first round pick Denard Span looks like he’ll have a very promising career in the MLB.

6.
Philadelphia Phillies 52-44 (10)
-(4-3) The Phils played well enough to hang onto first place despite the hard charges from the Mets and Marlins as the NL East appears it may once again treat the baseball world with an entertaining pennant race. Ryan Howard has been on an absolute tear in July (.347, 8 HR, 16 RBI in 13 games) and he now leads the NL in HR and RBI. Too bad he’d probably have to hit north of .600 in the 2nd half to have a shot at the Triple Crown.

7.
Milwaukee Brewers 52-43 (8)
-(3-4) Well CC has made quite the impression with his first week on the Brewers (15 IP, 14 K, 2.40 ERA and most importantly, 2 wins). In fact, his two outings were topped off with a bomb of a HR and in the 9th on Sunday he closed out the complete game by striking out the side on 11 pitches.

8.
Tampa Bay Rays 55-39 (1)
-(0-7) The Rays had won 17 of 21 before this week started and then the wheels came off the bus. Good managers do not allow their team to lose the last seven before the All-Star break, thus this losing streak strengthens my argument that Joe Madden is an overrated manager. And getting swept in a four-game series in Cleveland is embarrassing, after they threw up the white flag on their season by trading their ace. But all in all, it was still an incredible 1st half for the Rays.

9.
St. Louis Cardinals 53-43 (7)
-(3-3) The Cardinals who are only 4 ½ games back need to fix a few problems if they want to see the playoffs this year. The major problem is the bullpen, because rookie Chris Perez is not the answer (my fantasy team found this out the hard way.) Mr. Pujols is being as prolific as ever, but I doubt that Yadier Molina and Troy Glaus can continue their hot streaks. So inform Jason Bay that he might be packing his bags for St. Louis.

10.
New York Yankees 50-45 (9)
-(3-3) It’s All-Star weekend in the Bronx! While the Yankees are still chugging along in mediocrity, the Stadium will be jumping this weekend. I’m sick of the All-Star Game being treated as homage to the lovable veteran, i.e. the grooved pitch to Cal Ripken Jr., so I’m giving props to Red Sox manager Terry Francona for not submitting to the ridiculous notion that Rivera should start the game. He’s a closer! Besides, what Yankee fan wants to see/cheer for Papelbon should he step in and get that honor?!?

11.
New York Mets 51-44 (13)
-(7-0) Ryan Church said he could feel his brain moving in his head and Pedro put extra stress on his shoulder to compensate for his groin, but the Mets were still able to sweep the week … go figure. It all stems from the pitching as the Mets were able to hold opponents to just three hits or less in five consecutive games. Don’t count out the hitting though, because the corpse formerly known as the MVP Carlos Delgado has hit a surprising (yet still uninspiring) 17 HR.

12-t.
Texas Rangers 50-46 (11)
-(4-3) Josh Hamilton drove in 11 runs this past week, as Michael Young and Ian Kinsler continue to get on base at ridiculous rates. One of this week’s wins was behind a dramatic 2-out, 2-run homer by Hamilton. The Rangers continue to hang around despite their terrible pitching staff; this team should make an attempt to get A.J. Burnett or Eric Bedard to solidify their rotation, because they are an ace away from giving the Angels a serious threat in AL West.

12-t.
Florida Marlins 50-45 (15)
-(5-2) Rookie Chris Volstad allowed one run in 8 2/3 innings earning his first major league win on Friday against the Dodgers. Volstad allowed only 5 singles while striking out 6. If Volstad is available in your fantasy league, you should acquire him immediately for the haul to the playoffs.

14.
Oakland Athletics 51-44 (12)
-(4-3) It seems like a great move to trade a healthy Rich Harden when future Cy Young winner Justin Duchscherer can take over the ace of the team. Duchscherer has allowed no more than two runs in 15 of his 16 starts and finished the first half with a league best 1.82 ERA. The Harden trade will be first of many for the A’s this year.

15.
Detroit Tigers 47-47 (14)
-(3-3) I wish this team would either win 10 in a row or lose 10 in a row instead of this playing .500 baseball shit ... The Tigers took care of business in a short series against the Indians but then fell apart against a strong Twins team right before the break. Justin Verlander is beginning to heat up which could spell trouble for the AL Central if Miggy and Maggs can also bring more consistency to this offense.

16-t.
Arizona Diamondbacks 47-48 (16)
-(3-3) No team in the NL West is over .500, hence this is the reason why the Arizona Assclowns are still in first place at the break. This team is 27-40 since May 1st (awful just awful). The funny part is that their division is so bad that they're probably going to get into the playoffs; and then by having Brandon Webb and Dan Haren as their 1-2 this team is actually dangerous in the playoffs. Look for the D-Backs’ young hitting to come around enough so that the pitching will be able to lead this team to win the division with about 85 wins.

16-t.
Los Angeles Dodgers 46-49 (17)
-(3-4) The Dodgers could be in some real trouble is Takashi Saito’s elbow tightness leads to the dreaded Tommy John surgery. While Jonathan Broxton could be an effective fill-in at closer, the overall effect of the bullpen being shortened will be troublesome, especially for a team managed by notorious young-arm killer Joe Torre. But if the Dodgers are going to be a real threat to the D’backs, they’re going to have to hit better than the collective .203 they hit this past week, as Blake DeWitt and Matt Kemp were the only regulars hit over .240. Ugh.

18.
Atlanta Braves 45-50 (18)
-(3-3) Brian McCann had 3 HR this week and hit at a blistering .444 clip. His production was needed, because Chipper is a paltry 5-51 thus far in July. A lot of rehabbing is taking place in the Braves minor league system over the break and if they (Hampton, Soriano & Escobar) can come back strong it might just be enough for the Braves to make some waves in the division.

19.
Toronto Blue Jays 47-48 (21)
-(5-1) The Blue Jays were pissed about being in last place in the AL East, so like the youngest brother in a large family who is sick of being pushed around, the Jays went and took a stand this past week by sweeping the Orioles and taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees. Don't be shocked if JP Riccardi trades AJ Burnett (5-2 is his last 7 starts) very soon because his value is peaking right now. They could use some young players to come up and spark some life into this team for next year.

20.
Cincinnati Reds 46-50 (20)
-(3-3) Edinson Volquez reminds me of a young and obviously clueless Manny Ramirez with his goofy smile and rare raw talent to play baseball. Forget Harang and move on to Edinson and newcomer power hitter Jay Bruce. Wait ... Did someone say Cincinnati has a power hitter?? NOOOO! Clearly, it looks like the Reds are going to head in a different direction and focus on players who can hit the ball about 600 ft.

21.
Baltimore Orioles 45-48 (19)
-(1-5) Adam Jones has finally shown what he can do, once he has adjusted to becoming an everyday player. He has hit safely in 14 of his past 16 games batting .387 (24-62) over that stretch. Seattle can go and cry in a corner now because both Jones and closer George Sherrill are the new hotness and well, Erik Bedard is old and busted.
[Editor’s Note: SORRY O’S FANS – WE MUST MENTION THAT THE O’S ARE 10 GAMES OUT AT THE BREAK, AS PREDICTED – HAHA]

22.
Houston Astros 44-51 (23)
-(3-3) The Astros need pitching, pitching, and pitching! Lance Berkman must be going crazy with the monster season he's having while the team still continues to lose. Losing a series to the Pirates, while scoring 16 runs in the 3 games, means your pitching flat out sucks.

23.
Pittsburgh Pirates 44-50 (25)
-(4-3) Former batting champ Freddy Sanchez was benched for the second straight game. Sanchez is in a year-long slump, batting a tiny .226, which is 84 points under his career average of .310 (coming into this season). It seems like the future isn’t that bright for Sanchez unless he turns it around.

24.
San Francisco Giants 40-55 (24)
-(1-5) The Giants are now 15 games under .500 and continue to slip in our rankings. Unfortunately if Tim Lincecum isn't pitching then it's just not worth heading out to the park in San Francisco these days. On a brighter note Barry Zito is making $14.1 million dollars more than Lincecum... haha. Reminds me of that Mountain Dew commercial "We got hosed Timmy we got hosed". Being only 7 games back in the NL West is a huge accomplishment for this team. The Giants are primed to fight tooth and nail against the other shitty teams in the NL West to see who is the best of the worst.

25.
Colorado Rockies 39-57 (22)
-(2-5) The Rockies enter the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak and 18 games below .500. The Rockies have a lot riding on a healthy, productive return of Jeff Francis. This is because Mark Redman and Jorge De La Rosa are both way below mediocre and should not be on a major league roster.

26.
Kansas City Royals 43-53 (28)
-(4-3) 27-year-old rookie Mike Aviles continues to swing at everything but continues to hit everything too. He’s hitting .310 in his 36 games with just 5 walks (and only 22 strikeouts). Fielders should stay on their toes when this guy is up. Unfortunately for the Royals, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler (a.k.a. the New Bash Brothers) don’t get their bats on the ball quite like Aviles and Royals fans (or what’s left of them) are left wondering if these two will ever live up to the hype.

27.
Cleveland Indians 41-53 (29)
-(4-2) The Tribe swept the Rays! I can't believe how surprised I was that they swept them. The Indians were 1 win away from the World Series last year and now we're talking about how great it was that the Indians, after losing future homerun king CC Sabathia, actually beat a healthy Rays team. Imagine if the Indians convince CC Sabathia to resign with them after the season is over... That would put this team right on line to be good during an odd year again.

28.
San Diego Padres 37-58 (27)
-(2-4) Jake Peavy has resurfaced as the premier pitcher in the NL, going 14 IP, 7 H, 13 K, and 2 W’s over his last two starts. The rest of the team is flat, losing two series at home against the Marlins and Braves. On a more somber note, Michael Barrett, who took a foul ball off the face, was placed on the DL with multiple fractures to the face … ouch …

29.
Seattle Mariners 37-58 (26)
-(2-5) Brandon Morrow has filled in quite admirably for injured closer J.J. Putz. He’s been able to notch 7 saves and a win in the Mariners last 9 victories. Unfortunately, those victories are few and far between for the terrible Mariners.

30.
Washington Nationals 36-60 (30)
-(2-4) The Nationals are so bad, we might have to permanently entrench them at #30 and only list the other 29 teams from this point on. What’s really amazing is that this team had its high point of the season (and since moving to D.C.) on Opening Night when Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off homerun with Dubya in attendance. They even got to 3-0 this year. Unfortunately for Washington fans, they only won 33 of the next 93. They’ve also been shut-out a ridiculous 12 times this year. I could go on and on, but who even cares.