It has been an interesting first three weeks of baseball in MLB. There were a few teams that streaked out to first place as well as a few that did not seem ready to start. There have been a few early MVP candidates and a few derailing injuries. Taking all of this into consideration, this is how I am ranking the teams after three weeks.
30. Miami Marlins
It is hard to argue that any team is worse than the Miami Marlins. After Giancarlo Stanton there is not much left on this team.
29. Houston Astros
A lot of people think that the Astros have not fielded a competitive team this year and their record seems to indicate that. They have not done much to make even the most diehard fans believe that they will finish anywhere but dead last now that they have moved to the AL West.
28. San Diego Padres
The Padres are in one of the deepest divisions in baseball and that doesn’t bode well for them. With Chase Headley coming back from the DL this week, hopes were that the Padres would improve from the slow start. That didn’t happen, and after a sweep at the hands of the defending World Champions and the vast improvement of the Colorado Rockies, they have a long road ahead of them if they want to get out of the cellar.
27. Chicago Cub
The Cubs are moving in the right direction with recent moves, but they still have a long way to go.
26. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phils are old, and it is showing. They were once thought to have the best pitching staff in MLB, but Roy Halladay is not the same and Cole Hamels has gone the way of many pitchers who get big new contracts, south.
25. Seattle Mariners
The M’s are much improved on offense but still haven’t made the next step and are still stuck in fourth place.
24. Chicago White Sox
After a shocking season last year where they fell just short of winning the division, the White Sox cannot seem to recover from last season’s collapse.
23. Cleveland Indians
The Indians' Justin Masterson has stepped up huge this season, but the offense that the Tribe put so much money into just hasn’t clicked like expected. If the offense picks up and Masterson continues on this pace, they should greatly improve.
22. Los Angeles Angels
Of all of the seven-win teams, the Angels have the biggest upside. They just swept the defending AL Champion Detroit Tigers, and Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo are starting to heat up, and that young combo could be deadly on offense.
21. Toronto Blue Jays
The Miami Marlins made a huge trade with the Blue Jays this offseason after a big spending spree by the Marlins failed last year. Now the Jays are trying to do what the Marlins could not do and make these players mesh. So far it’s not working, and the pitching staff that was full of potential “Aces” has not looked good at all.
20. Los Angeles Dodgers
One over-spending team followed by the other. The Dodgers high hopes aren’t dead yet, but with the loss of Zack Greinke, it’s going to be hard for them to recover if they continue to fall behind the top three in the NL West.
19. Minnesota Twins
Somehow the AL Central is still wide open and with good health, the Twins are right there ready to pounce.
18. Tampa Bay Rays
After sweeping the leaders in the AL West, the Rays are looking ready to make a move in the division. Do not expect them to be this low on the list for very long.
17. Detroit Tigers
It’s hard to understand the Tigers. They have the best offense (on paper) and one of the best pitching staffs (on paper). But for some reason, they’ve let the bullpen collapse while they have a closer-in-waiting in AAA. Yet just like last year, they’re not shooting out into first.
16. New York Mets
The Mets are off to a surprisingly hot start after they essentially replaced Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey with Matt Harvey, who has to be the early favorite for the NL Cy Young.
15. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew Crew is hot, scorching hot, but thanks to their slow start they have a lot of ground to make up. If they continue like this you can expect this team to shoot right up to the top.
14. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are off to a good start and are right where they need to be if they hope to strike at this division.
13. Baltimore Orioles
The O’s stuck around all year last year and eventually won one of the two wild card spots. The O’s are looking very similar this year but with the depth in this division, they are going to need to be better to win it.
12. New York Yankees
The Yankees are old and injured, but yet they are still right there. Don’t count out the Yankees, but until they get healthy they could go farther down this list.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs gave away a lot this offseason because they wanted chemistry. So far it’s seemed to work, but in another deep division; they’re going to have to be more than just a team with good chemistry to win the NL West.
10. St Louis Cardinals
The Cards have a great mix of youngsters and vets to go along with a pitching staff that somehow continues to get better no matter how many players they lose. If the Cards can fix the bullpen, they’ll shoot up the rankings fast.
9. Kansas City Royals
The Royals traded a “sure thing” AAA guy for two quality starting pitchers and those two pitchers have the Royals in first while the “sure thing” is in AAA still.
8. Washington Nationals
The Nats were thought to be the most complete team in all of baseball, and if it wasn’t for the team that has been the most complete team in baseball so far (the Braves), they would be much higher up this list.
7. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds got off to a slow start, but Joey Votto is heating up and the rest of the offense is following. With Aroldis Chapman at the back end of the bullpen the Reds are set up nicely.
6. San Francisco Giants
The defending World Series Champions have had trouble with starting pitching early in the season; which is something the Giants haven’t had to deal with in a long time. Shockingly enough, the offense has kept them in contention even with Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain’s early struggles.
5. Oakland Athletics
Three days ago, you could have made an argument for this team to be number one on the list, but with Yoenis Cespedes out; the A’s are not the same team on offense. After a three-game sweep at the hands of what was a struggling Tampa Bay team, they could have fallen much farther than fifth.
4. Texas Rangers
The Rangers are not the dominant offensive team that they were the last few seasons, but they are still dangerous, and have been very consistent this season. They have won or split every series they’ve played so far this year, and that’s a formula for success that every team hopes to follow.
3. Boston Red Sox
After watching the disaster that was the Red Sox last year, the Sox of ’13 are off to a hot start. As long as Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz continue pitching like they are now, the Sox may just run away with the division.
2. Colorado Rockies
Another team that went from laughable to shockingly good. After attempting a six man rotation last year with virtually no success, the Rockies are right in the middle of the pack in pitching this year which isn’t great, but when you play in Colorado and the offense is as good as it is; this could be a model for success for the Rockies.
1. Atlanta Braves
The most complete team in baseball. Best team ERA in baseball, quite possibly the best player in baseball so far in Justin Upton, the best closer in all of baseball, and they just got swept by the Pirates. If they didn’t get off to such a hot start that may have tumbled them down the rankings, but it took a sweep just to give them their fifth loss of the season. Unless the Braves' losing streak continues, expect this team to stay on top.