TPFSports MLB Power Rankings: Week Five
30. San Diego Padres (Last Rank: 16)
- Only the A’s have as few wins from their starting rotation, 5, as the Padres.
29. Washington Nationals (Last Rank: 30)
- Adam Dunn’s 2 Yr/$20M contract looks like the steal of the offseason…or at least as much of a steal as $10 million per year can be. He’s flat out killing the ball, hitting .347/.448/.796 over the Nat’s last 13 games.
28. Cleveland Indians (Last Rank: 24)
- The once-powerful Tribe has managed a paltry six extra-base hits during their current 4-game slide.
27. Houston Astros (Last Rank: 28)
- Lance Berkman can’t possibly have fallen this far this fast, right? Rest assured Astro fans, it’s just temporary. His .171 BABIP makes him the most unlucky player in baseball through the season’s first month.
26. Baltimore Orioles (Last Rank: 26)
- The O’s are one piece shy of the best outfield in baseball…or should we say one Pie shy. While Nick Markakis and Adam Jones both sport OPS’ over 1.000, one-time top prospect Felix Pie is bottoming out with a slugging percentage (.250) somehow beneath his OBP (.269).
25. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Rank: 29)
- After a disappointing first two weeks, future MVP Justin Upton is hitting .390/.471/.746 with 6 HRs in his last 16 games. Maybe those comparisons to Junior weren’t so far off after all.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Rank: 6)
Taking easily the biggest fall in the rankings, the Bucs have lost 11 of their last 12. The team ERA has ballooned from 2.97 to 4.20 since April 26th. The offense hasn’t helped matters, hitting a meager .211/.286/.301 over the same span.
23. Seattle Mariners (Last Rank: 11)
- Sporting a .935 OPS, Russell Branyan is taking full advantage of his first full-time gig since 2003.
22. Minnesota Twins (Last Rank: 27)
- Francisco Liriano’s arm troubles have caused his fastball to slow from 94+ MPH in 2006 to slightly over 91 MPH this season. His changeup is still the same speed, and obviously less effective because of the lost fastball velocity. His strikeout rate has also dipped considerably since the surgery (10.71 K/9 to 7.30).
21. San Francisco Giants (Last Rank: 21)
- Fred Lewis may only have 2 RBIs over a month into the season, but his team leading .389 OBP isn’t something the worst offense in baseball (3.63 R/G) can spare right now.
20. Colorado Rockies (Last Rank: 25)
- The Rockies lost their first eight 1-run games of the season before a 3-2 victory over the Marlins on Sunday. This dismal record in close games is how a team with a positive run differential can be six games under .500.
19. Florida Marlins (Last Rank: 13)
- Ricky Nolasco’s win over the Rockies on May 8th was the first win recorded by a Florida starter since April 16th, a stretch of 21 games.
18. Oakland Athletics (Last Rank: 20)
- The youngest rotation in baseball is being backed up by a bullpen that leads the majors in both innings pitched (112) and ERA (2.73).
17. Chicago White Sox (Last Rank: 10)
- Jose Contreras failed to get out of the fourth inning in consecutive starts for the first time since 2004. The White Sox hope a trip to the minors will correct his control issues (1.08 K/BB ratio).
16. Cincinnati Reds (Last Rank: 14)
- Over the last three seasons (144 ABs), Micah Owings is hitting .321/.352/.582. Every day left fielder Chris Dickerson is scuffling along at .200/.321/.292. At what point does Owings become a full-time position player?
15. Atlanta Braves (Last Rank: 15)
- As solid as ever, the Braves biggest off-season acquisition Derek Lowe is 5-1 with a 3.80 ERA. As many expected, his deal may turn out to be the best of the three big contracts given out to starting pitchers this offseason.
14. Texas Rangers (Last Rank: 19)
- Is Kevin Millwood having a career renaissance? Not likely. Sure his sub-3.00 ERA is nice, and it’s been over two season since he’s posted one under 5.00, but his absurdly low .231 BABIP against is simply unsustainable.
13. Los Angeles Angels (Last Rank: 23)
- Do you think the Halos miss K-Rod? The bullpen is 1-8, and the 7.19 ERA is far and away the highest in MLB this season.
12. New York Yankees (Last Rank: 22)
- C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are a combined 4-3 with a 5.02 ERA. $30 million just doesn’t buy what it used to, does it?
11. Chicago Cubs (Last Rank: 7)
- The Cubs could sure use Mark DeRosa right about now, as Aramis Ramirez appears headed for a significant DL stint. Mike Fontenot is a decent enough fill-in for the lineup, but replacing him with Aaron Miles is little dicier.
10. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Rank: 8)
-The bullpen has been nearly as good as last season, but the starting rotation is floundering. According to Baseball Prospectus’ VORP statistic, Chan Ho Park, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer have all had more value at the plate than they have on the mound.
9. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Rank: 17)
- If the Rays are to have any hope at repeating a magical 2008, they’ll need to get something from the back end of their rotation. The ERA’s of Scott Kazmir, Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann are all closer to 6 than 5.
8. Kansas City Royals (Last Rank: 9)
- The Royals continue to surprise, thanks to a pitching staff giving up only 3.7 runs per game. That number leads all of baseball, and leads the American League by a huge margin. The Tigers are second in the league at 4.5 runs allowed per game.
7. Detroit Tigers (Last Rank: 5)
- Could Justin Verlander finally be realizing his potential? Despite the slow start, he has raised his strikeout rate to a league leading 11.5K/9 and lowered his walk rate in the process. His ERA is still a mediocre 4.50, but over his last three starts he’s allowed only a single run while striking out 31 batters.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Rank: 18)
- Yovani Gallardo’s last five starts: 4-1, 35 IP, 1.80 ERA, 38K/10BB. Not only is he carrying the Brewer rotation, but he has more home runs than James Loney, Bobby Abreu, B.J. Upton and David Ortiz.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (Last Rank: 3)
- Yadier Molina, he of the .686 career OPS, is hitting at a .317/.386/.465 clip to start the season.
4. Boston Red Sox (Last Rank: 1)
- While Manny is busy not being Manny on the west coast, Jason Bay’s 1.134 OPS is third in the league. Only Evan Longoria and teammate Kevin Youkilis are hotter through the season’s first month.
3. New York Mets (Last Rank: 12)
- The Mets have won 8 of 9 to start May thanks to a pitching staff giving up fewer than 3 runs per game during the stretch. No starter has taken a loss since Oliver Perez on April 26th.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Rank: 2)
- Manny Who? Juan Pierre is hitting ******* in the four games since the Ramirez suspension. There is no chance of this continuing, but it shouldn’t affect the Dodgers cruise to a division title. There are three teams in baseball averaging under 4 runs a game…and all three of them are in the NL West (Padres, Diamondbacks, Giants).
1. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Rank: 4)
- The Jays continue to lead the AL East in both runs scored and runs allowed. Their first big series of the season looms though, as they host the Yankees for a 3-game set starting Monday.
