Shea’s MLB Power Rankings (as of 9/1/2011)
Power rankings in September mean it’s really time for the men to separate themselves from the boys. Which teams made critical moves in their divisional races over the last week?
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(Previous rankings in brackets)
1. (1) Philadelphia Phillies (86-46): Remember what Cliff Lee did in the playoffs the last two years? And what Roy Halladay did? And what Cole Hamels did in 2008? Just give them a bye to the World Series already.
2. (3) Boston Red Sox (83-52): In A-Gone, Ellsbury, Papi and Pedroia, could the Red Sox have four of the top five vote-getters in the 2011 MVP race?
3. (10) Arizona Diamondbacks (78-59): Baseball’s hottest team, having won nine straight. Special shoutout to Aaron Hill for batting .355 since arriving via trade.
4. (4) Atlanta Braves (80-55): Considering how many Atlanta players are underrated, including Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and even Craig Kimbrel, you’d think these guys played in Alaska.
5. (7) Detroit Tigers (75-61): Where will Justin Verlander’s 2011 season rank among the all-time campaigns by the time September is up? He’s approaching Pedro Martinez/Randy Johnson territory.
6. (5) New York Yankees (81-53): Curtis Granderson’s season for the ages is a great story for one of the game’s true nice guys but the Yankees are probably focused on the negative right now: namely, their pitching woes and, more specifically, Phil Hughes’ struggles.
7. (2) Milwaukee Brewers (81-56): Still comfortable with an 8.5-game win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central but they’ve let the Cards off the mat instead of burying them this week.
8. (8) Texas Rangers (77-60): The way injuries are piling up among their hitters, you wonder who will be left to swing the bad come October if they hold off the Halos.
9. (6) Los Angeles Angels (73-63): It’s always fascinating when a team “rolls over” and calls up its top prospects to groom them for next season only to see those young guys make an immediate impact and keep the team in contention now. Cheers to Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout.
10. (14) St. Louis Cardinals (72-64): Surging back with three straight wins – at the perfect time since two of them came against Milwaukee – but it’s probably too little, too late.
11. (16) Cleveland Indians (68-65): Still showing a bit of fight. The Tigers don’t totally have the American League Central locked up just yet. The Tribe need Ubaldo Jimenez to be an ace in September.
12. (9) Tampa Bay Rays (74-61): Their second-half resurgence is nice but Tampa has to be better than that if it wants to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox. It needs a 12-game winning streak, pronto.
13. (22) Chicago White Sox (68-66): Back from the dead? The White Sox could really make things interesting for their playoff chances (and Ozzie Guillen’s job) if they fare well against the Tigers this weekend.
14. (11) San Francisco Giants (72-65): They Won the World Series with very little hitting last season but it doesn’t appear that lightning will strike a second time in 2011. The Giants have looked alarmingly similar to the other crummy team across the Bay of late.
15. (17) Los Angeles Dodgers (65-70): No one is paying attention but the Dodgers have won eight of 10. Matt Kemp is pushing hard for the 40/40 club and it’s going unnoticed.
16. (12) Toronto Blue Jays (68-68): No slowing down rookie sensation Brett Lawrie, apparently. He has a .326-6-18 stat line over 25 games. Considering how nicely Shaun Marcum has worked out for the contending Brewers, this is looking like a perfect trade for both squads.
17. (26) New York Mets (65-69): Like the Toronto Maple Leafs in hockey, it’s better for the sport in my opinion if the Mets are competitive….but it doesn’t look like that will happen again anytime soon.
18. (25) Seattle Mariners (58-77): Kudos to relatively unknown Mike Carp for being one of baseball’s best hitters since the All-Star break.
19. (23) Baltimore Orioles (54-80): They’ve won seven of 10, so I’m giving them some top-20 love for the first time all season.
20. (30) Houston Astros (47-90); Same goes for Houston! A four-game winning streak for baseball’s worst team calls for celebration.
21. (18) Cincinnati Reds (67-69)
22. (20) Pittsburgh Pirates (62-74)
23. (27) Kansas City Royals (56-81)
24. (19) Washington Nationals (63-71)
25. (13) Colorado Rockies (64-73)
26. (28) Florida Marlins (60-75)
27. (29) Minnesota Twins (57-79)
28. (24) Chicago Cubs (59-78)
29. (21) Oakland Athletics (60-76)
30. (15) San Diego Padres (60-77)
