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All records accurate as of June 16, 2008 at 6:51 PM EST. Also posted on my Sporting News blog.
1. Chicago Cubs (45 – 25): What happens when you’ve outscored your opponents by over 100 runs and you are TWENTY-ONE games over .500 at home? Well, you get ranked #1 in the Power Rankings.
2. Boston Red Sox (44 – 28 ): The Red Sox appear to be this decade’s New York Yankees. They seem to have dynasty written all over them.
3. Los Angeles Angels (42 – 28 ): The Angels have the third best record in baseball, BUT they have only outscored their opponents by a single measly run. It’s hard (but not impossible) to keep such a great record in tact while scoring essentially the same amount of runs as you give up.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (40 – 29): Despite playing .500 ball over the last 10 games, the Rays are hanging tough in the AL East. I’m not sold on them staying at the top of the standings all year, but they certainly have enough talent to go into September with a legitimate chance at winning the division crown.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (41 – 30): The Phillies have outscored their opponents by 90 runs and are currently 4.5 games behind the Cubs for the best record in all of baseball. My Philadelphia friends (always cynical) will tell me that the Phillies are going to collapse once they get to the playoffs…but at least it looks like the Phillies will get to the playoffs!
6. St. Louis Cardinals (42 – 29): I’ll admit it, I was completely wrong on the Cardinals thus far. I thought the Cardinals would be one of the worst teams in all of baseball…but instead they’ve been my first-half surprise team (beating out the Marlins and Rays for the “honor”).
7. Oakland Athletics (38 – 31): Seriously, Oakland?! I follow baseball quite closely, but I’m not sure I could name more than 2 or 3 A’s on this year’s squad. How they are doing so well is a mystery to me – which I’ll blame on the East Coast media not giving the A’s enough coverage rather than on any of my own shortcomings ;-).
8. Chicago White Sox (38 – 31): The Chicago White Sox are 6.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the best record in baseball. In other news, hell hath frozen over and a pig was spotted flying over the nation’s capital.
9. New York Yankees (37 – 33): The Yankees have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10. Apparently they decided to get hot just before I head to New York City to watch my beloved (yet pathetic) Reds play them in an interleague matchup.
10. Florida Marlins (37 – 32): If I told you that both Chicago teams and both Florida teams would be ranked in the top 10 of the Power Rankings, you probably would assume I was talking about the “always next year season of high hopes and boundless dreams”.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks (37 – 33): The Diamondbacks are 8 games behind the Cubs for the NL’s best record, yet the Diamondbacks have a 5.5 game lead in the putrid NL West. In fact, the Diamondbacks are the only team with at least a .500 record in the NL West!
12. Milwaukee Brewers (36 – 33): Everybody’s perpetual preseason “sleeper” team still hasn’t exactly wakened up from their slumber. Who are the real Brewers, history says a .500 team since they’ve been outscored on the year.
13. Baltimore Orioles (34 – 34): The Orioles sit at the .500 mark…which means that over half of baseball is playing sub-.500 ball thus far this season.
14. Texas Rangers (35 – 36): The Texas Rangers (soon to be known as the Hamilton Rangers) have been playing decent ball despite being in third place in a four team division. Without Hamilton, the Rangers would probably be battling for the major’s worst record.
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (34 – 36): I recently visited Pittsburgh and attended a Pirates/Nationals game. Compared to the Pirates, the Nationals looked like a AA team…and the Pirates aren’t even that good!
16. Cleveland Indians (33 – 37): The Indians have been disappointing so far, but they’ve scored 22 more runs than their opposition suggesting that they’ve been more unlucky than bad so far. Statistically speaking, the Indians should see a 4 or 5 game improvement simply by playing the same and having the Law of Averages work out.
17. Detroit Tigers (32 – 37): Sure, the Tigers are 5 games under .500… However, they’ve won 6 in a row (meaning they were 11 games under .500 a week ago) and they’ve almost evened up their run differential. If any team can make an impressive climb from the bottom half of the rankings, it’s the high-powered Tigers.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (35 – 36): The Blue Jays are dead last in the AL East, currently 8.5 games back. Unless they figure out a way to have Halladay pitch every game, there isn’t a lot of hope for this year’s team, despite being a single game under .500.
19. Minnesota Twins (34 – 36): A 3-7 stretch over the last 10 games doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence about the Twins recent play and future hopes. If they don’t turn it around quickly, they’ll soon be looking up to the Tigers, Indians, and White Sox.
20. Atlanta Braves (34– 36): Have the Braves used up all their luck with no name players? The last few years the Braves have trotted out (seemingly) lousy lineups and still played competitive ball. Could this be the year that the Braves finally fall out of contention early?
21. New York Mets (33– 35): What happened to the Mets? Santana hasn’t been the savior, Reyes, Wright, etc haven’t carried the team. Can this team full of all-stars turn it around or will they finish the season behind the Phillies, Marlins, and the hated Braves?
22. Cincinnati Reds (33 – 38 ): The Reds are 21 – 14 at home, 12 – 24 on the road. A little more skill on the road and the Reds could easily shoot up the standings… Of course, as a Reds fan I know that’s about as likely as Pete Rose giving an honest apology and Selig sticking him in the Hall of Fame.
23. Houston Astros (33 – 37): Losers of 5 straight and 8 of their last 10 games means the Astros are on the road to no where good. Like the Reds, the Astros are already double-digit games behind the Cubs…it might be about time to start thinking about next year.
24. Los Angeles Dodgers (31 – 38 ): The Dodgers record isn’t very good, but they have only been outscored by 5 runs and they are only 5.5 games behind Arizona for the NL West lead. The Dodgers have hope mostly because their division has been awful.
25. Colorado Rockies (28 – 41): World Series hangover? The Rockies have been atrocious, especially on the road where they are 12 – 25.
26. San Diego Padres (31 – 40): The Padres, despite playing .700 ball lately, are quickly approaching the 100 mark…that is, they are nearing the point where they’ve been outscored by 100 runs… That doesn’t allow you to win many games.
27. San Francisco Giants (30 – 40): Without Bonds, the Giants are now getting used to playing lousy ball in front of lousy crowds. At least in previous years they had Bonds to get fans in the stands…
28. Washington Nationals (29 – 42): See the Pittsburgh Pirates comment.
29. Kansas City Royals (28 – 42): What can I say about the Royals… How about word association: Royals … Flush. Flush … Royals. That’s all I got.
30. Seattle Mariners (24 – 45): 21 games under .500 before the All-Star break isn’t exactly what Mariner fans were hoping for. To make matters worse, the Mariners are currently riding a three game losing streak…which means they may be 30 or 40 games under .500 by the time the All-Star game rolls around. Ouch.
There you have it folks. Let me know what you think!
Until next time, keep readin'
-fanofreds
1. Chicago Cubs (45 – 25): What happens when you’ve outscored your opponents by over 100 runs and you are TWENTY-ONE games over .500 at home? Well, you get ranked #1 in the Power Rankings.
2. Boston Red Sox (44 – 28 ): The Red Sox appear to be this decade’s New York Yankees. They seem to have dynasty written all over them.
3. Los Angeles Angels (42 – 28 ): The Angels have the third best record in baseball, BUT they have only outscored their opponents by a single measly run. It’s hard (but not impossible) to keep such a great record in tact while scoring essentially the same amount of runs as you give up.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (40 – 29): Despite playing .500 ball over the last 10 games, the Rays are hanging tough in the AL East. I’m not sold on them staying at the top of the standings all year, but they certainly have enough talent to go into September with a legitimate chance at winning the division crown.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (41 – 30): The Phillies have outscored their opponents by 90 runs and are currently 4.5 games behind the Cubs for the best record in all of baseball. My Philadelphia friends (always cynical) will tell me that the Phillies are going to collapse once they get to the playoffs…but at least it looks like the Phillies will get to the playoffs!
6. St. Louis Cardinals (42 – 29): I’ll admit it, I was completely wrong on the Cardinals thus far. I thought the Cardinals would be one of the worst teams in all of baseball…but instead they’ve been my first-half surprise team (beating out the Marlins and Rays for the “honor”).
7. Oakland Athletics (38 – 31): Seriously, Oakland?! I follow baseball quite closely, but I’m not sure I could name more than 2 or 3 A’s on this year’s squad. How they are doing so well is a mystery to me – which I’ll blame on the East Coast media not giving the A’s enough coverage rather than on any of my own shortcomings ;-).
8. Chicago White Sox (38 – 31): The Chicago White Sox are 6.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the best record in baseball. In other news, hell hath frozen over and a pig was spotted flying over the nation’s capital.
9. New York Yankees (37 – 33): The Yankees have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10. Apparently they decided to get hot just before I head to New York City to watch my beloved (yet pathetic) Reds play them in an interleague matchup.
10. Florida Marlins (37 – 32): If I told you that both Chicago teams and both Florida teams would be ranked in the top 10 of the Power Rankings, you probably would assume I was talking about the “always next year season of high hopes and boundless dreams”.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks (37 – 33): The Diamondbacks are 8 games behind the Cubs for the NL’s best record, yet the Diamondbacks have a 5.5 game lead in the putrid NL West. In fact, the Diamondbacks are the only team with at least a .500 record in the NL West!
12. Milwaukee Brewers (36 – 33): Everybody’s perpetual preseason “sleeper” team still hasn’t exactly wakened up from their slumber. Who are the real Brewers, history says a .500 team since they’ve been outscored on the year.
13. Baltimore Orioles (34 – 34): The Orioles sit at the .500 mark…which means that over half of baseball is playing sub-.500 ball thus far this season.
14. Texas Rangers (35 – 36): The Texas Rangers (soon to be known as the Hamilton Rangers) have been playing decent ball despite being in third place in a four team division. Without Hamilton, the Rangers would probably be battling for the major’s worst record.
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (34 – 36): I recently visited Pittsburgh and attended a Pirates/Nationals game. Compared to the Pirates, the Nationals looked like a AA team…and the Pirates aren’t even that good!
16. Cleveland Indians (33 – 37): The Indians have been disappointing so far, but they’ve scored 22 more runs than their opposition suggesting that they’ve been more unlucky than bad so far. Statistically speaking, the Indians should see a 4 or 5 game improvement simply by playing the same and having the Law of Averages work out.
17. Detroit Tigers (32 – 37): Sure, the Tigers are 5 games under .500… However, they’ve won 6 in a row (meaning they were 11 games under .500 a week ago) and they’ve almost evened up their run differential. If any team can make an impressive climb from the bottom half of the rankings, it’s the high-powered Tigers.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (35 – 36): The Blue Jays are dead last in the AL East, currently 8.5 games back. Unless they figure out a way to have Halladay pitch every game, there isn’t a lot of hope for this year’s team, despite being a single game under .500.
19. Minnesota Twins (34 – 36): A 3-7 stretch over the last 10 games doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence about the Twins recent play and future hopes. If they don’t turn it around quickly, they’ll soon be looking up to the Tigers, Indians, and White Sox.
20. Atlanta Braves (34– 36): Have the Braves used up all their luck with no name players? The last few years the Braves have trotted out (seemingly) lousy lineups and still played competitive ball. Could this be the year that the Braves finally fall out of contention early?
21. New York Mets (33– 35): What happened to the Mets? Santana hasn’t been the savior, Reyes, Wright, etc haven’t carried the team. Can this team full of all-stars turn it around or will they finish the season behind the Phillies, Marlins, and the hated Braves?
22. Cincinnati Reds (33 – 38 ): The Reds are 21 – 14 at home, 12 – 24 on the road. A little more skill on the road and the Reds could easily shoot up the standings… Of course, as a Reds fan I know that’s about as likely as Pete Rose giving an honest apology and Selig sticking him in the Hall of Fame.
23. Houston Astros (33 – 37): Losers of 5 straight and 8 of their last 10 games means the Astros are on the road to no where good. Like the Reds, the Astros are already double-digit games behind the Cubs…it might be about time to start thinking about next year.
24. Los Angeles Dodgers (31 – 38 ): The Dodgers record isn’t very good, but they have only been outscored by 5 runs and they are only 5.5 games behind Arizona for the NL West lead. The Dodgers have hope mostly because their division has been awful.
25. Colorado Rockies (28 – 41): World Series hangover? The Rockies have been atrocious, especially on the road where they are 12 – 25.
26. San Diego Padres (31 – 40): The Padres, despite playing .700 ball lately, are quickly approaching the 100 mark…that is, they are nearing the point where they’ve been outscored by 100 runs… That doesn’t allow you to win many games.
27. San Francisco Giants (30 – 40): Without Bonds, the Giants are now getting used to playing lousy ball in front of lousy crowds. At least in previous years they had Bonds to get fans in the stands…
28. Washington Nationals (29 – 42): See the Pittsburgh Pirates comment.
29. Kansas City Royals (28 – 42): What can I say about the Royals… How about word association: Royals … Flush. Flush … Royals. That’s all I got.
30. Seattle Mariners (24 – 45): 21 games under .500 before the All-Star break isn’t exactly what Mariner fans were hoping for. To make matters worse, the Mariners are currently riding a three game losing streak…which means they may be 30 or 40 games under .500 by the time the All-Star game rolls around. Ouch.
There you have it folks. Let me know what you think!
Until next time, keep readin'
-fanofreds
Comments
When I first came to the United States the collecting of baseball cards was a peculiar novelty. In South Africa we tended toward cigarette cards that memorialized Cricket Players. My semi-cousin was, at age ten, virtually a professional at collecting and, in the regrettable way that adults have, it was thought that putting us together would "Americanize" me and knock some of the crude from him. Neither worked. The basic reason for this failure was also borne of an adult concept that failed to include reality as part of the package. The simple error was that no cards were to be bought for him unless the product that accompanied it was consumed. All of it. Chewed up. Twelve, fifteen, twenty slabs of pink congealed chemicals were stuffed into his juvenile jaw and rapidly excised of their flavour and, as a result, could be tossed, a new batch inserted and more cards bought. I was fighting a language barrier and his perpetually packed mouth made whatever he said without meaning. uHd0pos okweho pwlndian oh lje nwoi may have meant I want to visit the bathroom or I think I have an hietal hernia. Who knew? I did possess one talent that he appreciated and that was a certain facility with numbers. Asked to arrange players by any sort of statistical ranking and it was rather like watching an old IBM card sorter. In moments you could pull whatever sort of arrangement you'd requested out of the slot and it would be just what you'd asked for. It's perhaps significant that I got a Doctorate in Physics and he finally escaped some sort of Junior College. But I know why. His mind was all gummed up.
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