30. Washington Nationals
- The now Manny Acta-less Nationals find themselves a miserable 26-61 at the break. The ’62 New York Mets, often recalled as the worst baseball team of all-time, were 24-63 at the same point in their immortal year. The odds of this year’s worst squad approaching historical levels of ineptitude is unlikely, however, as the 2009 Nationals have been outscored by nearly 80 fewer runs than the infamous Mets.
29. San Diego Padres
- The Padres start June on a 2-10 skid and plunge into the cellar of the NL West. With Jake Peavy’s injury silencing any trade talks, the upcoming promotion of top prospect Matt Latos into the rotation is just about the only thing Padre fans have to keep tabs on. The 21 year-old righty has posted a 1.91 ERA en route to a 5-1 record at Double A San Antonio.
28. Kansas City Royals
- The Royals are 12th in the league in reliever ERA despite another dominant season by closer Joakim Soria. Outside of the “Mexicutioner” and his 1.88 ERA, no other reliever can claim an ERA under 4.08
27. Cleveland Indians
- What’s do Cleveland Indian fielders have in common with Michael Jackson? They both wear one glove for no apparent reason. The Tribe’s .678 defensive efficiency is good for dead last in the American League. It may not be the fielders fault entirely, the pitching staff isn’t very good either.
26. Oakland Athletics
- The A’s season long over, attention can turn to the development of their absurdly young rotation. Brett Anderson’s maturation is forcing a change to his reputation as a command/control pitcher with a limited ceiling. In his last seven starts the 21 year-old is 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA. He has also seen his strikeout rate increased from 5.12 K/9 through May to an impressive 8.33 since.
25. Baltimore Orioles
- We mentioned earlier this season that the O’s lacked a major league caliber outfielder to play alongside Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. They may solved that problem with the arrival of Nolan Reimold to Baltimore. Though his recent 4-36 skid has brought his numbers down, the .776 OPS he’s putting up in his first major league season dwarfs the .654 being posted by the displaced Felix Pie.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
- The DBacks stumble into the break on 9-11 streak despite a staff ERA of 3.77 over the stretch. Unfortunately, the team’s embarrassingly bad defense has lead to 20 unearned runs over the 20 game span, far worse than the league average of about one unearned run in every three games.
23. Cincinnati Reds
- Johnny Cueto’s case that he was snubbed for the All-Star Game went up in flames when he failed to record two outs against the Phillies on July 6th. The nine earned runs in less than an inning cause his ERA to jump from 2.69 to 3.45.
22. Houston Astros
- Roy Oswalt turns in six quality starts in eight tries as the Astros take advantage of their division to move only 3.5 games out of the lead in the NL Central. This will probably be the high point of their season though, as the Cardinals, Cubs and Brewers are all significantly more talented than the Stros and should push them back into 4th place soon enough.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates
- As soon as the Bucs ship off Freddy Sanchez, which is a near certainty at this point, they will be without a single hitter featuring an OPS over .800. We’ve been a supporter of the direction of the team under their new management, but it’s hard for fans to swallow it when the franchise unloads every recognizable asset.
20. New York Mets
- The rash of injuries finally catches up the offense as the Mets plummet to 4th place in the NL East. Since taking a series from the Cardinals in late June, they’ve only managed 2.8 R/G while falling from a half game out of first to 6.5 back of the Phillies. It will take a minor miracle for the Mets to even get the chance to collapse in September again.
19. Florida Marlins
- The Fish managed to creep back into the division race thanks more to the collapse of the Mets and floundering of the Braves than to their own performance. Any legitimate shot they have at contending into September lies in the offensive they get from the corner positions. Of Jorge Cantu, Emilo Bonifacio, Jeremy Hermida and Chris Coghlan only Cantu boasts an OPS over league average.
18. Seattle Mariners
- Other starters may be getting the headlines, but Felix Hernandez takes a backseat to no one when debating who the best pitcher in baseball is. King Felix is an astounding 8-1 with a miniscule 1.19 ERA over this last nine starts. When he’s this good, it doesn’t matter how inept the Mariner offense is. Unfortunately it makes a difference to the rest of the rotation and their lack of runs will ultimately cost them a shot at the postseason.
17. Chicago White Sox
- There are a handful of players who can claim they were snubbed for this year’s All-Star Game, but Jermaine Dye may have the best OPS. His .942 OPS is higher than every other outfielder on the AL roster, yet he passed over by Joe Maddon, his peers and the fans, twice.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
- Ryan Braun made headlines when he called out his own pitching staff, but the offense hasn’t exactly held up their end of the bargain either. Since extending their division lead to two games at the end of June, Brewer bats have averaged less than for runs a game over their 3-8 skid to open July.
15. Chicago Cubs
- The Loveable Losers have to have a better second half don’t they? Only Ted Lilly and Randy Wells can be described as overachievers through this point in the season. Unfortunately for Cub fans, Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, Rich Harden and Kevin Gregg are all midseason disappointments.
14. Minnesota Twins
- Looking at the Twins’ starting pitching, it’s remarkable that they’ve remained in the division race. Nick Blackburn is the only member of the rotation with an ERA below the league average. Even Blackburn appears to be doing it with smoke and mirrors, as he’s seen a drop in strikeout rate and increase in walk rate en route to a career low 3.06 ERA. With this kind of mediocrity from the rotation it will be nearly impossible for the Twins to remain competitive in the Central.
13. Atlanta Braves
- It’s unfathomable that the Braves didn’t send a single member of their rotation to St Louis for the All-Star festivities. While neither Javier Vazquez nor Jair Jurrjens sport records above .500 they both sub-3.00 ERAs. Nevermind that Vazquez is also second in the league in strikeouts, trailing only All-Star starter Tim Lincecum. The Atlanta duo each have resumes better than at least three of the pitchers on the NL roster.
12. Toronto Blue Jays
- There are certainly arguments on both sides when it comes to the decision to trade away franchise ace Roy Halladay, but can the Jays really hope to content this season or next? Given the money already invested in out-machines like Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, the chances of signing any offensive help are slim. It’s been a nice run, but the Jays will be better off if Doc’s greatness turns into a handful of future stars.
11. St. Louis Cardinals
- Mark DeRosa was supposed to be the protection Albert Pujols needed, but Ryan Ludwick has taken over that job. With DeRosa on the DL with a wrist injury, Ludwick has raised his season OPS over 100 points in his last 15 games. The right fielder has six doubles, four homers and 18 RBIs over the same span.
10. Anaheim Angels
- Mike Scioscia’s pedal-to-the-metal philosophy on the basepaths is well known, and the Angels 109 extra bases taken is the second highest total in the majors. Unfortunately the recklessness hasn’t been beneficial to the team as they also lead baseball in outs on the bases by wide margin, with 38. All told, the team’s baserunning has had a negative impact on their win total.
9. Texas Rangers
-Hank Blalock takes over first base as human fan Chris Davis is sent down to the minors. Blalock’s 1.193 July OPS is holding off the club’s top draft pick a year ago, Justin Smoak. The towering switch hitter has already reached Triple-A after torching the Texas League for most of the season. Any dip in either Blalock’s or Andruw Jones’ production (from the DH position) could force the Rangers to make Smoak the first of the 2008 draft’s top hitters to reach the big show.
8. San Francisco Giants
- Once the league’s worst offense, the Giants have put up 4.7 R/G over the past month. The sudden turnaround may be a mirage however, as the team’s OBP has actually decreased over the same span. It’s more likely that they’re simply getting more timely hits than actually better hitting. One thing that isn’t a mirage, however is the arrival of Pablo Sandoval. The popular 22 year-old who has posted a scorching 1.154 OPS since June 12th.
7. Colorado Rockies
- The Rockies fail to gain ground in the standings despite hosting three consecutive series against opponents with sub-.500 records. They open the second half with 10 games against division opponents (7 against the lowly Padres and Diamondbacks) and 6-4 won’t be enough this time.
6. Detroit Tigers
- The “benching” of Magglio has gotten the headlines thanks to the massive bonus attached to his playing time, but it’s simply bad baseball to start someone with a sub-.600 OPS when there are better players behind them. The Tigers are already eating the cost his huge contract, compounding that by costing the team victories as well would just be asinine.
5. Tampa Bay Rays
- The Pat Burrell signing was a popular choice as one of the best deals of the offseason. Through the first half of the season it has turned out to be anything but, as his OPS dropped nearly 200 points from a year ago. The once mighty slugger has seen his HR rate drop from his career mark of one bomb every 18.5 ABs to one every 47.5. Him turning it around would obviously be huge for a team in the middle of the tightest division race in baseball.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
- The Phillies stretch their division lead to 4 games thanks to a 9-1 run to end the first half of the season. With division opponents stumbling over themselves, the Roy Halladay rumors will make daily headlines in the City of Brotherly Love. Just how desperate they get for the perennial Cy Young candidate will depend heavily on Cole Hamels ability to relocate is 2008 magic. The lefty has a 7.06 ERA in his last four starts.
3. New York Yankees
- The Bombers grabbed a share of the division lead for the first time in a month only to get swept by the Angles in their ensuing series. Baseball’s best offense has carried the load, scoring 6.5 R/G over their last 18 contests.
2. Boston Red Sox
- The BoSox are one of the few teams in baseball without a weakness. They have the AL’s fourth best offense, fifth lowest starter ERA (while getting nothing from Matsuzaka and little from Smoltz) and lowest reliever ERA.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
- Manny’s return helps the Dodgers maintain the largest division lead in baseball despite hot streaks from the Rockies and Giants. Ramirez is hitting a blistering .379/.471/.759 since returning from his 50-game suspension.
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