After just over a quarter of a season there has been a huge mix up at the top of the rankings. The Indians have made a huge jump in the standings and the rankings. The only thing that is really steady about the rankings has been the Rangers in the top and the Marlins and Astros at the bottom.
30. Miami Marlins (Last Time 30)
The poor city of Miami. They have the worst team in the league and a hideous statue in their stadium. The one bright spot on the team, Giancarlo Stanton, is sitting on the DL.
29. Houston Astros (Last Time 29)
It’s hard to understand how two ownerships have failed their fan bases as badly as the Astros and Marlins have, but they have done it. The Astros are full of players with very little experience and Chris Carter, the heaviest hitter on the team, is striking out at a historic rate.
28. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Time 16, Down 12)
The Brewers were on their way up, but this week took the largest fall of any team in the league. Jean Segura and Ryan Braun are doing big things but the rest of the team is falling flat.
27. New York Mets (Last Time 22, Down 5)
If you take away David Wright, Matt Harvey and John Buck from the Mets do you know what you have? The Houston Astros.
26. Los Angeles Angels (Last Time 27, Up 1)
Without Jered Weaver the starting five of the Angels is nearly unthinkable. As bad as the rotation is, the bullpen is just as bad if not worse. Albert Pujols has a gimpy ankle and Josh Hamilton is not right in the head. It is hard to see them turning this around anytime soon like this.
25. Minnesota Twins (Last Time 20, Down 5)
The Twins were on their way up. Joe Mauer has looked like the Mauer of old and Josh Willingham had continued where he left off. They are now on a six game losing streak and falling fast.
24. Chicago Cubs (Last Time 28, Up 4)
The Cubs are looking better. They split their last 10 games and have finally stepped out of the basement in the NL Central. Travis Wood has been a rock in the rotation with a 2.24 ERA and opponents are only batting .178 against him. Scott Feldman and Jeff Samardzija are looking good as well. If Edwin Jackson can figure it out this could turn out to be a very good rotation by the end of the season.
23. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Time 18, Down 5)
Not sure what to say about the Dodgers. The offense is not performing, Matt Kemp does not look like the MVP runner up he was in 2011 and Manager Don Mattingly is probably going to be out of a job soon. The only upside has been that Carl Crawford is finally healthy and Adrian Gonzalez looks like his old self.
22. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Time 25, Up 3)
Another year another super team failing to live up to the hype. When the season started it was hard to believe that the Jays pitching rotation that was anchored by last year’s Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey would be 29th in the league in ERA. That’s not how you win games, in fact, the only team worse in ERA is the Houston Astros
21. Seattle Mariners (Last Time 21)
The M’s have made the AL West look like a three team race in the last few weeks, but ended the stretch on a four game losing streak. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are still pitching like a pair of Aces and they can still make a push for the top.
20. San Diego Padres (Last Time 24, Up 4)
Chase Headley’s return has really helped this team turn it around. They are only two games under .500 and are right behind the Rockies for third in the NL West.
19. Kansas City Royals (Last Time 14, Down 5)
After losing four straight, the Royals have dropped down to third in the division and are looking up at the Tigers and Indians. The pitching is still there, two of the four losses were 2-1 games, but the offense is going to have to step up if the Royals are finally going to take the next step.
18. Chicago White Sox (Last Time 23, Up 5)
The White Sox are finally turning it around. They are six and four over the last ten and only one game back of the third place Royals. If they start playing the same way they did last season people should start to be afraid of them.
17. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Time 19, Up 2)
The Phils are getting back to their winning ways. Even though Roy Halladay has been lost for the year the Phils are still getting excellent pitching from both Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick that has helped them turn it around. If Cole Hamels starts to turn it around the Phils are still in striking distance.
16. Baltimore Orioles (Last Time 8, Down 8)
The Orioles have lost six in a row, ouch. Not much more to say about it than that. This team is good and will bounce back.
15. Detroit Tigers (Last Time 15)
Miguel Cabrera is on Triple Crown pace again, but the rest of the team needs to follow if they are going to make another run at the World Series. Justin Verlander is coming off of the worst start of his career and if he is falling down, then this team can be in real danger.
14. Washington Nationals (Last Time 13, Down 1)
The Nats are only one game of .500 and that is not going to be good enough for the team to get where they want to. It is believed that it is World Series or bust this year, and if this is going to come to fruition they are going to have to chase the Braves down.
13. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Time 17, Down 4)
They Rays are streaking to the top. They are seven and three over there last ten games and are tied with Baltimore for third and chasing the Red Sox and Yankees for the division lead. Matt Moore is in Cy Young form and Evan Longoria is looking like a viable MVP candidate. Look out AL East, here come the Rays.
12. Colorado Rockies (Last Time 5, Down 7)
The Rockies are making the NL West very interesting. They may not be sitting on top anymore but they are only one game out of second and two games out of first. The NL West was going to be a three team race this year and it has come true, just with the Rockies in and the Dodgers out.
11. San Francisco Giants (Last Time 12, Up 1)
The Giants have taken over first and relinquished first over the last few weeks, but they still sit only one game out of first. After the tough loss of Ryan Voglesong to a broken pitching hand yesterday the Giants could easily drop further as they are very shallow in starting pitching. If they can fill this void, look out because they defending champs are hitting.
10. Oakland Athletics (Last Time 11, Up 1)
The A’s were welcomed home from a tough road trip by the Rangers, and much like the Rangers have done all year, the Rangers won the series. The A’s bounced back though, and are on a four-game winning streak. Yoenis Cespedes is getting hot and Josh Donaldson is playing like a bonafide All-Star and if the bullpen keeps pitching like it has then the AL West will be the division to watch all summer long.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Time 6, Down 3)
The NL Central has three of the best teams in the league so far. That is unfortunate for the Pirates because they would be in first or tied for first in three other divisions in baseball, but in the Central, they are in third. They are eight and two over their last ten and just looking up.
8. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Time 4, Down 4)
First in the division but still dropped four spots from last time. It has nothing to do with how good or bad the D-Backs have been, but how good a few other teams have over this stretch. Patrick Corbin has been the pitching surprise of the early season and Paul Goldschmidt is playing at an MVP level. Do not be surprised to see the D-Backs high in the rankings all year long.
7. Atlanta Braves (Last Time 3, Down 4)
The Braves are on a four game winning streak but are only five and five over their last ten games. The Braves still hold a small edge over the Nationals, but the team pitching has come back to earth, just slightly. They are now fifth in team ERA, but as long as Justin Upton keeps playing like he has, this team will continue to be dangerous.
6. Cleveland Indians (Last Time 26, Up 20)
Easily the biggest mover over the last few weeks is the Cleveland Indians. They are on a five game winning streak and have only lost two in their last ten. They are rolling on offense and Justin Masterson is still pitching at a high level. Look out AL Central, because the Indians are here to stay.
5. Boston Red Sox (Last Time 1, Down 4)
The Red Sox have dropped out of first but are still playing at a high level. David Ortiz has come off of the DL and is clobbering the ball and even though John Lester got roughed up in his last start he is still pitching excellent and Clay Buchholz is pitching like a Cy Young contender. This team will push for the lead and possibly the World Series if they continue.
4. Cincinnati Reds (Last Time 10, Up 6)
Just like the Pirates, the Reds would be in first in three other divisions. Also like the Pirates they are eight and two over the last ten. They are hitting well, they are second in the NL in runs scored, and they are pitching well, they are fourth in the league in ERA. Doing everything like that right generates win.
3. New York Yankees (Last Time 7, Up 4)
The Yankees are up four spots and are in first place in the AL East and still do not have all the pieces back yet. They are pitching better than anyone in the AL, and when you are doing that you can overcome the missing pieces on offense. If the Yankees get healthy, look out.
2. St Louis Cardinals (Last Time 9, Up 7)
Somehow the Cards just keep getting better every year. Two years ago they shock the world and win the Series and then lost their superstar to free agency. Last season, when they were supposed to regress, they win the wildcard game and make it to the NLCS. All they are doing this year is winning again.
1. Texas Rangers (Last Time 2, Up 1)
The Rangers have continued winning. They have now lost two series, one after they dropped a makeup game to the Cubs, and as stated before, that is how you win championships. If the Rangers continue to win like that then they could be the most dangerous team in the league. Yu Darvish looks even better than he did last season, and Lance Berkman appears healthy and to have found his calling as an AL DH. There is a long way to go, but the Rangers look better than they did last year when they were the best team in baseball until the last week of the season. Until someone knocks off the Rangers, expect them to be on top.