2009 MLB Rankings – Week 1 Edition

MLB Power Rankings: Week 1

The 2009 MLB season has been underway for one week, and Scott Orgera weighs in with his weekly MLB Power Rankings article for the MLB baseball season.

Movers and Shakers:  Toronto Blue Jays (+21) – Cleveland Indians (-17)

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MLB Power Rankings (as of 4/15/09)

Rank	Team	Previous Ranking	Up/Down	Comments
1	Florida Marlins	18	+17	The Fish are on fire!  A number of quality starts and balanced hitting throughout the first week have opened eyes in the NL East.  Josh Johnson is for real.  Matt Lindstrom throws 100+ but has been nerve-wracking in a pair of save ops.  Hanley Ramirez continues to make a bid to be one of the top 3 players in the game.  Who is Emilio Bonifacio, and how is he hitting .500?!?!
2	St. Louis Cardinals	14	+12	The rest of the NL Central better take note, because Chris Carpenter is back.  Kyle Lohse and Adam Wainwright were great through two starts apiece.  Five different pitchers were given save opportunities through the first week of play — not a good sign.  Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick are feasting on opposing pitching.
3	Atlanta Braves	9	+6	Their only losses so far were at the hands of a remarkable late-inning comeback by the Phillies and a dominating performance by the Marlins’ Chris Volstad.  This great start can be attributed to two impressive outings by Jair Jurrjens and the fact that Derek Lowe has been virtually un-hittable through 11 innings.  Kenshin Kawakami’s successful ML debut and the timely hitting of All-Stars Brian McCann and Chipper Jones have also been key factors.  In addition, exciting rookie Jordan Schafer has been given the Roy Hobbs moniker from some overzealous Braves fans.
4	Chicago Cubs	3	-1	Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly have all been effective in their respective starts – a great sign for the Cubs.  Alfonso Soriano has been a power machine out of the leadoff spot.  Newcomer Milton Bradley has managed just one hit so far.  Kevin Gregg’s status as closer is already on thin ice after just one week of play.
5	New York Yankees	1	-4	The marquee rotation has already flexed its muscles for the most part, with C.C. Sabathia’s shaky first start looking like an anomaly.  Chien-Ming Wang, however, has lost velocity on his fastball and is tossing a sinker that isn’t sinking, all to the tune of a 28.93 ERA over two starts.  The bullpen has also looked fallible early on, especially young Phil Coke.  Cody Ransom’s March success is rapidly becoming a distant memory as he looks completely overmatched at the plate.  An early return for A-Rod could be more important than most people, especially Yankees management, originally thought.  The latest update is that he won’t join the team until at least May 15th.  Perhaps they should have taken a chance on Dallas McPherson after all.
6	Toronto Blue Jays	27	+21	The offense put up a ton of runs early on, with most of the lineup clicking on all cylinders.  Losing Jesse Litsch to the DL is a pretty big blow, however, and B.J. Ryan has looked atrocious out of the pen.
7	Tampa Bay Rays	4	-3	Led by Evan Longoria, who is already in mid-season form, the lineup has come out of the gate swinging.  The early offensive barrage included a 15-run thrashing of the Yanks in their home opener.  James Shields, Matt Garza, and Scott Kazmir have all been solid at the top of the rotation.  The back end of the pen, meanwhile, had a bumpy week.
8	Seattle Mariners	23	+15	The M’s are off to a good start, thanks in part to 29 Ks in 25 innings from Erik Bedard and King Felix.  Brandon Morrow has been wild in the closer role, but David Aardsma filled in amicably when called upon.  The job could eventually become his.  Endy Chavez seems to enjoy playing every day, and his 13 hits through the first 8 games show it.
9	Philadelphia Phillies	5	-4	The first turn through the starting rotation has been a disaster, with ace Cole Hamels and ageless wonder Jamie Moyer getting knocked around in a big way.  Brad Lidge has looked human, and only by sheer luck is he 3-for-3 in save opportunities.  Newcomer Raul Ibanez has already shown good power, while Ryan Howard and Chase Utley have been on fire with the bat.
10	Los Angeles Dodgers	6	-4	With the exception of James McDonald’s debacle in Arizona and Guillermo Mota’s wildness out of the pen, the pitching staff as a whole has been stellar.  Orlando Hudson looks comfortable in Dodger Blue so far, even hitting for the cycle in the team’s home opener.
11	Baltimore Orioles	24	+13	The O’s have to be happy with their first week.  After taking 2 out of 3 from two AL East powerhouses – the Yankees and the Rays – they went on to slug a 10-9 victory in Texas despite a poor outing from Koji Uehara.  Adam Jones and Nick Markakis have already given a preview of what is to come from this talent-laden young outfield.
12	Detroit Tigers	13	+1	Armando Galarraga and Edwin Jackson have pitched well, but that’s about it.  Consistence from Justin Verlander and a shot in the arm from phenom Rick Porcello will be necessary to avoid a disappointing month.  Miguel Cabrera just keeps getting better, and has the ability to carry this lineup.
13	New York Mets	7	-6	The newly constructed bullpen, the talk of Queens all Winter, has done the job so far for the most part.  Johan Santana has been lights out, but the enigma that is Oliver Perez continues to frustrate both the Mets coaching staff and their fans alike.  The Carloses and David Wright have been on fire.  What is more impressive, and somewhat surprising, is the phenomenal week Ryan Church had.  If he keeps it up, Jerry Manuel will be hard pressed to find playing time for the moody Gary Sheffield.
14	San Diego Padres	29	+15	Are those the Padres perched atop the NL West?  Enjoy it while it lasts, because it probably won’t.  Chris Young was nearly untouchable in Week 1, while Heath Bell slammed the door in a perfect 4 out of 4 chances.  Brian Giles’ bat looks slow through the zone early on.
15	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	8	-7	New closer Brian Fuentes has looked shaky so far, and the starting rotation is dealing with some notable injuries.  No ball club or family should ever have to endure the type of tragedy the Angels are dealing with after the sudden loss of promising right-hander Nick Adenhart.  Only time will tell how the team will play following this sad event.  Rest in Peace Nick.
16	Chicago White Sox	20	+4	The heart of the order has been ferocious so far, with the quartet of Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko, and Jim Thome combining for 10 bombs through the team’s first 7 games.  Mark Buehrle is off to another good start.  If Bartolo Colon’s first outing is any indication of what he has left in the tank, the South Siders could be a very interesting club throughout the rest of April.
17	Boston Red Sox	2	-15	Kevin Youkilis is playing like a man on a mission.  Aside from him, Jason Bay, and Jason Varitek, the rest of the regulars have been anemic with the lumber.  Josh Beckett has been good through two starts, but no surprise there.  The surprise is Brad Penny, who pitched fairly well over six innings. Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, and Takashi Saito stumbled in their brief relief appearances.
18	Texas Rangers	25	+7	After sweeping the Tribe to open the season, the Rangers have come back to Earth.  Kevin Millwood has been phenomenal through his first two turns but the rest of the staff, as expected, has been a mess.  The “Kris Benson experiment” may not last long.  Andruw Jones has hit surprisingly well in limited duty… definitely an intriguing story there.
19	Kansas City Royals	17	-2	The Royals have to be encouraged by the pitching staff’s very promising start.  Zack Greinke and Kyle Davies have been great, with Gil Meche not far behind.  Joakim Soria is a strikeout machine in the 9th and, with the exception of Kyle Farnsworth and Ron Mahay, the rest of the pen has been equally effective.    If the lineup picks up the pace after a slow start, this could turn out to be a fun month in KC.
20	Minnesota Twins	15	-5	Francisco Liriano and Kevin Slowey appear very hittable thus far.  This team could fall behind in a hurry without effective pitching from those two.  Denard Span looks like a nice table-setter in the leadoff hole.
21	Pittsburgh Pirates	30	+9	Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, and Ross Ohlendorf have all stepped up big in this relatively inexperienced rotation.  Matt Capps looked good in the 9th.  The lineup isn’t great, but these young arms could bring excitement to PNC that hasn’t been seen there in… well… ever.
22	Colorado Rockies	26	+4	Jason Marquis and Franklin Morales both impressed in their first turn through the rotation.  The back end of the pen has looked sloppy, with neither Manny Corpas nor Huston Street handling save opportunities effectively.   Rookie Dexter Fowler may have found a permanent home at the top of this lineup.  Troy Tulowitzki has shown some pop so far, smacking three homers in the season’s opening week.
23	Oakland Athletics	11	-12	Many expected more from this team out of the gate.  After taking 2 of 3 from the Angels, they were swept at home against the Mariners, squandering a great performance by Trevor Cahill in the series finale.  New vets Orlando Cabrera and Jason Giambi are both hitting at a good clip.
24	Cincinnati Reds	19	-5	Joey Votto’s hot bat and Edwin Encarnacion’s penchant for getting on base have kept this team in games.  Aaron Harang, lights out in two starts including a shutout, was the only real bright spot in the rotation during Week 1.  Wily vet Arthur Rhodes has shown that he can still do the job in relief.
25	Arizona Diamondbacks	12	-13	Brandon Webb’s Opening Day struggles and current DL stint have fans in the desert on edge already.  The holes in this lineup are already evident, so this team can’t afford to be without its ace for long.  It’s fun to see Tony Clark, one of the game’s good guys, still planting the ball in the seats.
26	Milwaukee Brewers	16	-10	In what could become a trend for the Brew Crew this season, the starting rotation has had a disastrous showing.  Aside from Yovani Gallardo’s first start in San Fran and Braden Looper’s 5-inning outing, these guys have looked terrible.  Fans can take solace in the fact that neither Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder have heated up yet.
27	Cleveland Indians	10	-17	Starting the season 0-5 is never a good thing.  The Tribe’s rotation has been abysmal.  Cliff Lee has not looked like a Cy Young winner, allowing 22 baserunners over 2 losses.  Fausto Carmona has been equally ineffective and, to top it all off, (insert expletive here) Carl Pavano couldn’t make it out of the 2nd inning in his Cleveland debut.  If you’re looking for positives, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner look rejuvenated at the plate.
28	San Francisco Giants	22	-6	Reigning Cy Young winner Tim Linceum is off to a very rocky start, getting tagged for 11 earned runs in his first two outings.  The Big Unit, Jonathan Sanchez, and Barry Zito were no better, resulting in a disappointing start to the ’09 campaign.  The staff is the only real strong component of this club.  If the arms falter, so do the Giants’ chances in the West.
29	Houston Astros	21	-8	Offensively this club is off to a miserable start, making the mediocre pitching of 3/4s of the rotation impossible to overcome.  Wandy Rodriguez, the only starter to pitch effectively, has nothing but a loss to show for it.  It is inevitable that Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman will begin to hit, but will it be enough?
30	Washington Nationals	28	-2	The long season has begun in the nation’s capital.  0-7, Lastings Milledge to the Minors, 3 starters with ERAs over 9.00… ‘Nuff said.  Manny Acta and his staff are going to require a great deal of patience to battle through.  I wonder if Adam Dunn is regretting his decision yet?

 

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