MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
Let me put this simply: you want no part of being No. 1 in the FanHouse MLB Power Rankings. It just brings discord, losing and possibly suspensions to your baseball team. Such was the case with the white-hot Dodgers and Manny Ramirez, who now have to deal with a 50 game-ban of their star slugger. Who's doomed this week? Let's just say that no one would be too shocked if they weren't there again next Wednesday.
- 1. Blue Jays | Previous Week: 1
Does Toronto know something about the pitching that every other team doesn't? Not only do the Jays have arguably the best pitcher in the game in Roy Halladay, but they have a seemingly limitless line of guys ready to step in behind him. The latest gem? Brett Cecil, who picked up his first win in the major leagues over the weekend and has a 0.64 ERA in two starts. - Andrew Johnson - 2. Cardinals| Previous Week: 3
Very quietly, the Cardinals have racked up the second best record in the National League. Albert Pujols is absolutely raking at the plate and leading the second best offense in the NL. The rotation is holding together well without Chris Carpenter, who might be back before the end of the month, and the bullpen, which was a huge problem last year, has been awesome. This team isn't going away. - Pat Lackey - 3. Red Sox| Previous Week: 4
Boston is nipping on the heels of Toronto,and there's reason to think it can get better going forward. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester both sport inflated ERAs and figure to improve as the season progresses, and David Ortiz can't possibly be this bad. (Can he?) The schedule-makers also seem to have smiled on the Red Sox; Boston travels to the West Coast this week for the last time in 2009. - AJ - 4. Mets | Previous Week: 20
A seven-game winning streak turned frowns upside down in Queens, but they'll reverse themselves if the Mets keep losing when Johan Santana is on the hill. The ace has a 0.78 ERA, but the Mets are just 4-3 in the games he's started. - Josh Alper - 5. Royals| Previous Week: 6
After successfully navigating through National Zack Greinke Week (seriously -- the accolades would have been almost too out of control were he not pitching this well) the Royals remain first overall in the AL Central. If the they can get some combination of their pitchers to maintain consistency (Gil Meche, Brian Bannister maybe?) these guys are going to contend all season. - 6. Dodgers | Previous Week: 1
The Dodgers only had Manny Ramirez for two months last year and they won the division, so they figure if they have him for four this year, they still come out ahead. That said, now's a good time to get a Mannywood T-shirt on eBay. - Jeff Fletcher - 7. Rangers | Previous Week: 12
The AL West, following Seattle's collapse last week, is not, um, "strong." Much like the Rangers' pitching. And pardon the broken record, but despite the lack of arms, this team can score at freaking will. Chris Davis is really starting to come around and swing the bat like everyone thought he would before the season and that just means more taterjacks. - 8. Brewers | Previous Week: 15
After a slow start, a run of games against the Pirates has sent the Brewers back towards the top of the division. Prince Fielder's bat is finally coming alive, Yovani Gallardo has been superb, and Rickie Weeks is really showing some pop and looking like he might finally turn into the hitter Brewers fans have been waiting to see for years. They're going to have to keep this pace up, though, if they're going to stay in contention in this division. - PL - 9. Phillies | Previous Week: 8
Jimmy Rollins has been dropped in the batting order, but the Phillies may need a more severe shakeup to their pitching staff if their fortunes are going to take a turn for the better. Cole Hamels finally won though, so at least that's something. - JA - 10. Yankees | Previous Week: 9
Aubrey Huff's mocking fist pumps once again drew attention away from Joba Chamberlain's actual performance on the mound -- the thing that actually matters to the Yankees. Chamberlain has the best ERA of any New York starter, is tied for the team lead in wins and has two fewer strikeouts than A.J. Burnett, who tops the Yankees with 36, but has started one extra game. - AJ - 11. Cubs | Previous Week: 11
They're treading water without Derrek Lee right now, but the Cubs have been here before and know there's no reason to blow the doors off the season in April or early May. All the pieces are still here, even with Milton Bradley and Rich Harden struggling and there's no reason to panic yet, especially if Kosuke Fukudome can extend his hot start beyond the All-Star break. - PL - 12. Tigers | Previous Week: 10
Was that a Justin Verlander sighting? Why yes, I do believe it was! Verlander lowered his ERA under 5.00 with a complete-game shutout against the hapless Indians last week; with the continued emergence of Rick Porcello and the absolute blistering bat of Miguel Cabrera, maybe there won't be an immediate firesale in Detroit after all. - 13. Giants | Previous Week: 16
The Manny suspension certainly leveled the playing field in the NL West for the Giants. Their lineup is still not nearly as good as LA's, but Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and -- yes, even Barry Zito -- have combined to make a formidable trio in the rotation. - JF - 14. Reds | Previous Week: 13
Jay Bruce is starting to hit after a slow start and Joey Votto is absolutely raking, but they don't have much punch besides those two. Johnny Cueto has been awesome lately and Aaron Harang has shaken off his bad 2008. I'm still not certain they can piece enough together around these guys to hang around the big guns at the top of the division. Not this season, at least. - PL - 15. Rays | Previous Week: 17
There's little doubt about what has held the fourth-place Rays back so far this season. Matt Garza is the only starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.00, and the bullpen hasn't been nearly as good as it was last year. Luckily for Tampa Bay, there's a stockpile of arms waiting in the minors if things don't get better soon. - AJ - 16. Braves | Previous Week: 23
It's amazing what being able to see the ball has done for Brian McCann. The catcher is 6-for-16 since returning to the lineup, which could make glasses the new hotness around the major leagues. - JA - 17. Angels | Previous Week: 19
If the Angels can get to June 1 at .500 or better, the division title is theirs. They have too much talent sitting on the disabled list, and by Father's Day they expect to have John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Dustin Moseley and Vladimir Guerrero back. - JF - 18. Marlins | Previous Week: 7
The Marlins have lost 14 of 20 games after their torrid start, which just goes to show you can't possibly schedule the Nationals often enough. Perhaps their ballpark becoming Landshark Stadium will make them swim faster. - JA - 19. Mariners | Previous Week: 5
What? Midnight so soon? At 15-10, the Mariners really had the looks of a team that could contend in the soft AL West. But then they went and lost six in a row. Sure, it could just be a hiccup, but you don't get the feeling that's a hiccup for a team that lost 101 games a year ago. - JF - 20. Twins | Previous Week: 14
It's really quite simple: this team can go exactly as far as the trio of Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey take them. And perhaps that's just third in the division (where they sit now), but those three arms are far too talented to not emerge at some point this year. - 21. White Sox | Previous Week: 18
Can't hit, can't pitch, can't field. Hell, their pitchers can't even hit the batters they're throwing at. Good thing they're in the AL Central where being horrible is all you need to contend this season. (Ed. Note: The Royals and every single media member -- 4,583 at last count -- who combined to make last week so special for Greinke beg to differ with Mr. Fornelli's pessism about that divsion.) - Tom Fornelli - 22. Diamondbacks | Previous Week: 24
Justin Upton continues to swing a hot bat for the Snakes, but there's one problem: he's kind of alone in that aspect. Chris Young and Conor Jackson continue to scuffle, and there's no question that this team really, really misses both Brandon Webb and Stephen Drew, the latter of whom is just off the disabled. - 23. Orioles | Previous Week: 26
No surprises from the Baltimore pitching staff so far. Predictably, the O's rank 12th in the American League in ERA. Hey, at least the offense is fun to watch. Replace Gregg Zaun with Matt Wieters and Felix Pie with Nolan Reimold and this might be the best lineup in the majors. - AJ - 24. Astros | Previous Week: 29
The saving grace for this team right now is that the Pirates lost eight in a row and forcefully moved them out of the cellar. Besides Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence, no one is doing much at the plate and besides Wandy Rodriguez, their rotation has been pitiful. There's not going to be a second-half surge this year. - PL - 25. Pirates | Previous Week: 21
Before their win against St. Louis last night, they'd lost eight in a row, mostly due to their bad offense and absolutely horrible bullpen. Those two things aren't likely to get much better in the near future, so expect to see this team a lot more than the team that finished April above .500. But hey, at least Zach Duke's comeback looks like it might be for real. - PL - 26. Indians | Previous Week: 25
Cliff Lee has regained some of the form that earned him the Cy Young last year, lowering his season ERA to 3.45. The problem is that the rest of the rotation has been horrible. Although Jeremy Sowers was so horrible in his most recent start that he negates anything positive from the young pitchers on the Tribe. - 27. Rockies | Previous Week: 29
Is it cool if I just write "offense - decent, pitching - mediocre" here for the rest of the season? Guh. Fine. I suppose Ubaldo Jiminez has flashed some bright spots, but he's too inconsistent to trust for any length of time. Jorge De La Rosa hasn't been horrible either, but much like Jason Marquis learned, terra firma creeps up fast and hard when you pitch at Coors. - 28. Padres | Previous Week: 24
Poor Heath Bell. He'd have had a chance at a pretty nice year if he was playing for another team. Bell was perfect in seven save opportunities in the Padres first 12 games. In the next 20 he had one opportunity. At least he converted it. - JF - 29. A's | Previous Week: 28
The A's have only had four games this year in which a starter got an out in the seventh inning or later, tied with the Phillies for the fewest in the majors. It's impossible to win that way, especially when you also have the worst offense in the league. - JF - 30. Nationals | Previous Week: 30
It's an all positive visit to the Power Rankings for the Nats. They won a series in Arizona, Ryan Zimmerman's hit in 30 straight games and, well, we're trying to be positive so we'll leave it at that. - JA
