Last week, the Tigers topped the FanIQ MLB Power Rankings. This week, they've dropped a little bit after a couple losses.Also, here's an outstanding picture to remind you all that you do indeed only live once. YOLO, my good friends.
Here are the latest MLB Power Rankings.. Enjoy, and feel free to tear me a new one in the comments section if you deem it necessary.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last week: 8) - The way the Dodgers are playing, they might actually be worth the $1 billion that the new ownership paid for them. They won't stay at .900 for the whole year, but they should win the NL West, at the very least.
2. Texas Rangers (3) - As expected, the Rangers are once again an excellent team. They've won 4 straight now, and are sending a message to the rest of the AL. This is still their league, and they're not ready to give it up yet.
3. Detroit Tigers (1) - They haven't played poorly at all, but they just haven't been good enough to maintain that #1 spot. Rick Porcello has been a pleasant surprise thus far, we'll see if he can keep it up this year.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (4) - The Cardinals just keep plugging away. Carlos Beltran has been great so far, and if he can stay healthy, he might return to his old MVP candidate form. If so, the Cards could be very dangerous again.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (6) - With a lineup featuring Justin Upton and Chris Young, they'll definitely hang around in the NL West. Their bullpen is looking great as well, but can their starters keep it up?
6. Washington Nationals (10) - The Nationals are shocking everyone so far. They've had young talent for years, but this could be the year they actually put it all together. It would be nice to see Washington fans have something go their way, for once.
7. New York Yankees (9) - After that scary 0-3 start, the Yanks won 5 of their next 6, showing that they're as good as everyone thought. Right now, Nick Swisher and Raul Ibanez lead the team in RBI. Once that changes, watch out.
8. Chicago White Sox (28) - In only my 2nd Power Ranking, I'll gladly admit to my first huge mistake. After 2 losses to the Rangers, I had the White Sox wayyyy too low. They reeled off 4 in a row after that, proving me wrong.
9. Boston Red Sox (12) - It makes me a bit nervous that Bobby Valentine is running his mouth too much already, but they just won 3 of 4 against a huge division rival (Tampa Bay), so that's a great sign for the Sox.
10. Tampa Bay Rays (2) - They're a good team, but I can't in good conscience rank them above the Red Sox after losing 3 of 4, especially the way the Sox crushed the ball in each of the 3 Rays losses. Bad sign for Tampa.
11. New York Mets (13) - They're still hanging around, sporting a rather impressive 6-3 record. Perhaps Sandy Alderson is smarter than we all think, even if he tweets some of the craziest stuff ever seen from a GM.
12. Atlanta Braves (21) - Much like the Red Sox, the Braves had an abysmal September last year. Much like the Red Sox, the Braves are off to an atrocious start in 2012. The difference: They lost to the Mets, not the Tigers. Ouch.
13. Blue Jays (7) - Another team that started strong, and another team that lost a series to the surging Red Sox. John Farrell is an outstanding manager though, and they'll win a good chunk of games this year.
14. Baltimore Orioles (14) - They're still treading water, but it's only a matter of time before the Orioles start plummeting. Because... well, they're the Orioles, and they just can't stay above .500 for too long.
15. LA Angels of Anaheim (15) - They're 3-6, and you could make a case that I'm being very charitable by keeping them this high. However, I strongly believe they're a good team, and they'll rebound.
16. Philadelphia Phillies (11) - Another team with a losing record for no good reason, the Phillies will come back strong and finish on top of their division when all is said and done. They're just not there yet.
17. Cincinnati Reds (15) - With 2011 MVP candidate Joey Votto and new ace Mat Latos, expect some good things from the Reds this year, even if they haven't particularly shown anything to this point.
18. Seattle Mariners (16) - Brandon League is tied for the AL lead with 4 saves, and that's a great sign for the Mariners, mostly because it means they're getting wins. They'll still need to step it up in a tough division, though.
19. San Francisco Giants (22) - They just extended Madison Baumgarner for 5 years, not long after extending Matt Cain. That keeps their core together through at least next year, but how much longer will Lincecum be around?
20. Houston Astros (23) - At 4-5, the Astros haven't imploded yet. Although if you take a look at their roster, you'll understand why I strongly believe it's an inevitability. There's just not a whole lot of talent there.
21. Cleveland Indians (25) - Derek Lowe looks like he's a bit rejuvenated, but the Indians will need a lot more than that if they expect to compete this year. Then again, they might not expect that. I wouldn't blame them.
22. Milwaukee Brewers (17) - So much for being contenders without Prince Fielder. It's just not looking good for them so far, and there really aren't many reasons to believe their lineup will step it up.
23. Colorado Rockies (27) - The Rockies will need a lot more from their starters if they're going to improve. When you can't even go deep into the game, you're going to take a huge toll on the bullpen.
24. Oakland Athletics (29) - Yeonis Cespedes is still looking pretty good, and the A's have won a few games, but I'm not ready to move them up too much farther until they beat teams better than the Royals.
25. Miami Marlins (19) - The loss of Ozzie Guillen doesn't seem to have affected them much. They were a mediocre team with him, and they've been mediocre without him. Is that really what they are, though? Too early to tell for sure.
26. Kansas City Royals (20) - The lone bright spot so far for the Royals? Bruce Chen. He's been pretty outstanding in his first couple starts, and is living up to his Opening Day starter status, whatever that means.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (18) - They've given up the 2nd fewest runs in all of baseball, only 25 in 9 games. Unfortunately, they just can't score, averaging only 2 runs per game. That's not how you win, gents.
28. Chicago Cubs (24) - Nothing to see here, folks. Just the Cubs being the Cubs. When wide receiver-turned-reliever Jeff Samardzija leads the team in wins, you know you have a serious problem.
29. Minnesota Twins (26) - The Twins aren't improving yet, and I'm not sure there's a reason to believe they will. 2-7 so far, and unless Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer revert back to form from a few years ago, they're screwed.
30. San Diego Padres (30) - Not surprisingly, the Padres are 2-8 and have the worst record in baseball. I'd love to try and find a silver lining for you, but I just don't think one exists right now in San Diego.What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.





4/17/12 | w_g_walters | 176 respect
Really, the 'Stros' problem is money. We've never fully recovered after blowing the budget on Beltran just to make it to the Series in '05. We counted on him to resign, and when he didn't, that's what destroyed us. Give us two more years, and I think we'll be serious playoff contenders.
4/17/12 | w_g_walters | 176 respect
20. Houston Astros (23) - At 4-5, the Astros haven't imploded yet. Although if you take a look at their roster, you'll understand why I strongly believe it's an inevitability. There's just not a whole lot of talent there.
This is a potential offensive powerhouse; it's the defense that I leave in question. This is a team that *might* make a playoff run, but not soon enough to actually make it.
4/17/12 |
Jess
|
28004 respect
Nice.
The Mariners will need to start giving these pitchers some offensive help if they ever expect to stay out of the hole though. So far it's not looking good, but it's early.
4/16/12 | gobigblue1960 | 4778 respect
Good job. My Tigers still need to work out some kinks, like relief pitching at certain times, and some hitting troubles, but it's good that it's only week #2. Go Tigers!