1. Arizona Diamondbacks (9-3)-The Diamondbacks have won eight of their last nine games and are just playing excellent baseball. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren are a combined 5-0 and Web is looking every part like a Cy Young pitcher. The offense, which used to be the baby backs problem, has produced the most homeruns in the majors, headlined by the youngest pitcher in the major Leagues, Justin Upton. This team looks like the by far best team in the NL.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (8-4)-The Brewers, although the wins have not been pretty, have started off on a fast note, winning eight of 12, including two series wins over the Mets and the Cubs. Jason Kendall and Gape Kapler are hitting the ball great, and although he was shaky to start the season, Eric Gagne has gotten the past few saves. This team will only improve when Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun actually start to hit.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (9-4)-I really do not know how they are doing this, but the Cardinals have won 9 of their first 13 games with a less than stellar pitching rotation. You just have to give Dave Duncan credit for what he is able to do with such a no name roster. Albert Pujols is really starting to heat up, and Rick Ankiel just continues to be a great comeback story.
4. Boston Red Sox (7-6)-The Red Sox rebounded from a tough sweep against the Blue Jays to win two series against the Tigers and the Yankees. Although the Red Sox did not play great ball, they were able to win four of six games which is nice for them to do, considering David Ortiz did not have a hit all week. Clay Buccholz looked great though, and beating your rivals is always good.
5. Chicago White Sox (7-4)-You have to respect what this team has done, winning four of six from the Tigers. Joe Crede has been the best third baseman in baseball, driving in 15 runs, 8 more than A-Rod. Gavin Floyd looked great in his almost no-hitter against the Tigers. This team can contend in the division.
6. Oakland Athletics (8-5)-If you had told me this team would 8-5 to start the season, I would have bet anything against it. They traded away such talent and players, but have just won games. Since starting 1-3, they are actually 7-2, including great wins against Cleveland's Sabathia and Carmona. Who knows, could they be a sleeper?
7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7-6)-The Angels did lose two of three to their rivals, but won two of three from the Indians and are playing solid. This team will only improve when John Lackey comes back. The trade for John Garland is not looking too solid right now, though. They need K-Rod to not go on the DL.
8. Chicago Cubs (7-5)-The Cubs have not played up to their potential, but still have lots of season to go. Derek Lee has been the force in the middle of the lineup they expected, but Ted Lilly has not been the number two starter they envisioned. Their middle relief has been really solid though.
9. Toronto Blue Jays (7-5)-The Blue Jays have been an inconsistent team this season. They sweep the Red Sox, then get swept by Oakland, but then sweep the Rangers. This team has great potential, but needs to play more consistent. Frank Thomas needs to hit better than .178 and A.J. Burnett needs to pitch like he did against the Yankees.
10. San Diego Padres (7-6)-The Padres, a team that I projected to finish 4th in the NL West, have acutally played solid ball and sit in second in the tough division. Jake Peavy has been filthy, and the team has gotten production from the entire line-up. As has been their m.o., the Padres pulled out a 1-0 win on Sunday.
11. Kansas City Royals (7-5)-The Royals would be higher up on this list if they could only beat the Twins. Alex Gordon is playing like the phenom that everyone projected him to be and the team is just gelling. Brian Bannister (3-0) has beaten the Twins, Yankees and Tigers and has just been dirty.
12. Baltimore Orioles (7-5)-The surprise team in the AL East, the Orioles are actually in first place in the division. I really don't know how, but you have to give this team credit. Although I believe they will end the season toward the bototm, for now, they are at the top.
13. New York Yankees (6-7)-The Yankees had a prime chance to sweep their rivals, but instead played awful ball this weekend and dropped a series to the Red Sox. On the week, the Yankees went 3-4 and even lost a series to the Royals. Phil Hughes was just plain terrible this week and Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano have been useless. The Yankees might be in for a long season.
14. Tampa Bay Rays (6-6)-The Rays are playing as a very inconsistent team. Somedays they look great, while others, they look like the old Devil Rays. They should benefit, though, with the return of Scott Kazmir to their pitching rotation. Edwin Jackson has actually been pitching very solid this season for them. Cliff Floyd is back on the DL, a move that nobody saw coming.
15. Seattle Mariner (6-7)-Despite starting the season off 2-5, the Mariners have rebounded to win four of their last six, including a series win over the Angels. Richie Sexson, a man that was supposed to be awful this season, has better numbers right now than several solid first basemen. The real concern, though, with this team is Erik Bedard, who again missed a start with injuries. Beating the Angels, though, shows they can compete with the best team in their division.
16. Philadelphia Phillies (6-7)-The Phillies get the top nod in the NL East, but only because they finished the weekend with 2 of 3 from the cubs. This team still has alot of question marks, including its starting pitching and its bullpen. You can see this team really needs Jimmy Rollins, he just gives the team a spark in the lineup and in the field that is desperately missed.
17. New York Mets (5-6)-The Mets have too much talent to be this low in the power rankings, but are getting off to a cold start. They lost 2 of 3 to the Brewers, and got swept by the Braves, but were able to win 2 of 3 from the Phillies. When Oliver Perez is given a 4 run lead, he needs to hold it. and Johan Santana is 1-2, which they didn't expect. He's pitched fine, but just too many long balls. They should rebound quickly though.
18. Florida Marlins (7-5)-The Marlins are in first in the NL East, but that does not mean they are better than the other teams in their division. They lost their last two games to the Astros, but you have to give them credit for the fact that they are 7-5 overall and doing better than anyone expected.
19. Cleveland Indians (5-7)-The Indians will finish the seas as one of the best teams in the American League, but right now, they stink. C.C. Sabathia is 0-2 with an awful ERA, and Fausto Carmona had no control yesterday and gave up alot of runs. Cliff Lee has actually been a pleasant surprise, going 2-0 with a .66 era. The pitching is the key to this team.
20. Atlanta Braves (5-7)-The Atlanta Braves were some teams sleeper pick to win the NL East, but they aren't playing like it. They got swept by the Colorado Rockies, and their pitching outside of Smoltz and Hudson, who have been absolutely brilliant this season. Mark Texeira is still struggling to hit, and the offense really gets going when he is hitting. Yunel Escobar is continuing to have a great season.
21. Minnesota Twins (6-6)-The Twins are off to a .500 start after life without Johan Santana. Their new ace, Francisco Liriano, looked shaky today and took the loss against the Royals. This team has actually had luck against the Royals, but the rest of the league has had luck. They need to get more hitting out of Delmon Young.
22. Los Angeles Dodgers (5-7)-Take away their opening series win against the Giants, and this team is 3-6 against the rest of the league. The team is not hitting, as evidenced by their 1-0 loss to San Diego today. Andruw Jones, their big off season signing, is hitting a whooping .100. Chad Billingsley, their talented pitcher, is off to an 0-2 start. Joe Torre needs to start working his magic.
23. Cincinnati Reds (6-7)-This team was high on my list of the weekly rankings, but then proceeded to get swept by the Pirates and drop them below .500. The real problem has been how they have not been getting good solid pitching outside of Aaron Harang. Adam Dunn is not hitting the ball well either, and his main object in the line-up is to hit the ball out of the park. The Reds can contend in this division, but they can't get swept by the Pirates.
24. Colorado Rockies (5-7)-The Rockies are off to a slow start this season, but it may be more due to their opening schedule. They have already played six games against the Diamondbacks, who are the top team. Outside of that, they are 4-3, including a three game sweep of the Braves. Once Troy Tulowitzki gets going, this team will improve. The pitching also needs to step it up a little bit.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (6-6)-The Pirates actually pulled off an impressive sweep of the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, but still have their problems. The offense, though, still has some gaping holes. Nate McLouth is playing really well, and the X man,Xavier Nady is doing his annual tearing the face off the ball in April. Ian Snell (2-0) is off to a fast start.
26. Texas Rangers (5-7)-The Rangers were 5-4, but then got swept in three games by the Blue Jays, who had just been swept by the Athletics. The Rangers have talent, but just need to put it together. Kevin Millwood has been pitching phenomenal, despite the 1-2 record with a slightly above 1.00 era. This team will only continue to improve.
27. San Francisco Giants (5-8)-The Giants actually played like a team with a pulse this weekend, splitting a series with the Cardinals and also taking two of three games from the Padres. Barry Zito is working his way toward being one of the worst free agent signings in the history of baseball. Had their bullpen held a lead on Saturday, they would actually only be 6-7. But the offense is still anemic.
28. Houston Astros (5-8)-The Astros ace Roy Oswalt is not off to the start they envisioned for him, 0-3, 9.00. The batting isn't what it is supposed to be either, as they are having a hard time driving in runs. Michael Bourn isn't being the spark at the top of the line-up that the team needs either. A trade for Juan Pierre in the works? Wandy Rodriguez did pitch well the otehr day as well.
29. Detroit Tigers (2-10)-I would put them in the last place but they just have too much talent to be the worst team. They picked up their first win of the season against the Red Sox, but have since gone 1-3 and gotten annihilated against the White Sox, including two games where they did not score. They need to start hitting becuse their pitching right now just looks god awful.
30. Washington Nationals (4-9)-The Nats started the season off on a real hot note, winning their first three games but have gone 1-10 since then. I thought this team had a real chance to be a surprise team in the NL this year, but they aren't playing well. Atleast they have Wily Mo Pena coming back.
Notes:
-Aubrey Huff is swinging the bat well
-A.J. Burnett is a pitcher that somedays makes him look like a Cy Young candidate, but others looks like the biggest bust in baseball
-Clay Buccholz is going to be a great pitcher that will terrorize that division for years-that curveball is the real deal
-Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are a combined 0-3-The Yankees are not going to contend with those numbers
-Carlos Pena (13 rbi) is looking like last year might not have been a fluke
-Kenny Williams is sure glad he didnt trade Joe Crede huh? And what a steal the trade for Gavin Floyd is looking like, with Freddy Garcia currently without a job.
-Alex Gordon is showing why he was so highly touted out of college, and will be a stud for yeras to come
-Francisco Lirano will be fine-It was his first game, and most pitchers struggle in their first game off the Disabled List
-C.C. Sabathia is hurting his case to make great money on the free agent class-He needs to raise his level
-Detroit's line-up just stinks right now
-Rich Harden is back on the disabled list-what else is new?
-John Garland is getting lit up and htis team needs him to be a solid third starter
-Raul Ibanez is a quite outfielder who puts up solid production year after year
-Vincente Padilla is just a bad pitcher
-Florida sure doesn't seem to miss Dontrelle and Miguel eh?
-Jason Bruntlett nees to hope Jimmy Rollins comes back sono
-Ryan Church and Brian Schneider have given the Mets sold production along with Angel Pagan, who is having a superb year
-Tim Hudson is pitching like he did last year and that's a good sign for the Braves
-The Nats will rebound with Wily Mo Pena!
-Prince Fielder needs to eat a hamburger (he became a vegetarian)
-If Rico Washington is not a feel good story, I really do not know what is then
-Alfonso Soriano is still to streaky a hitter
-Johnny Cueto got hit up today-It's going to happen, no need to panic-He's pitching bette than any other rookie
-Xavier Nady is Mr. April, not A-Rod
-Houston needs to trade for Juan Pierre
-Brandon Webb has the best sinker in baseball and I personally just love watching him get strikeouts on filthy pitches
-Adrian Gonzalez is the most underrated player in baseball
-Rafael Furcal is having a great season...the rest of his team, though, is not
-Matt Holliday is finally hitting like an mvp
-The Giants have scored more runs in one game (seven) than the Yankees have this season....Wow. Let me repeat that. Wow.
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