Blogs > Phollowing the Phillies

Insight, observations (and whatever else comes to mind) on the trails of the team that ended the quarter century-long parade drought in the City of Brotherly Love - the Philadelphia Phillies.



Sunday, April 12, 2009

MLB Power Rankings

A new blog feature we'll try to put up every week - the power rankings.

In case you missed it, here was our preseason rundown.

Here is the updated version, heading into Sunday's games.

30. Cleveland Indians (0-5). The winless Tribe's troubles are highlighted by reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee's two lackluster starts.

29. Washington Nationals (0-5). The Phils are heading to D.C. tomorrow, which is a bit of bad timing. The Nats are due for a couple wins, right?

28. Kansas City Royals (2-3). I'm trying to figure out how they're almost at .500 - the Royals have scored eight runs. Eight!

27. Houston Astros (1-4). The 'stros have scored just 16 runs while allowing 33 in five games.

26. Cincinnati Reds (1-3). Joey Votto (.428, 2 HR, 7 RBIs) is a lone bright spot.

25. San Francisco Giants (2-3). Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum pitched just three innings in his first start.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (2-3). Only the Nationals (37 runs) have given up more runs than the D-backs (35).

23. Tampa Bay Rays (2-3). Pat Burrell is hitting .125 (2-for-16

22. Oakland A's (2-3). Newcomer Matt Holliday is hitting .214 with no home runs and two RBIs.

21. Philadelphia Phillies (2-3). As Charlie Manuel said before Saturday's game, they've been out-played... and the starting pitching's ERA was at 10.61 after one rotation turn.

20. Texas Rangers (3-2). This team simply can't keep out-slugging people. They're pitching leaves a lot to be desired.

19. Milwaukee Brewers (2-3). Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are hitting in the .230s.

18. Boston Red Sox (3-2). They've scored 18 runs. Their division-rival Blue Jays have racked up 42.

17. Los Angeles Angels (2-3). If any team deserves a pass for a sub-.500 start, it's the Angels who are dealing with issues bigger than baseball.

16. Chicago White Sox (2-3). Solid starting pitching - including, surprisingly, Bartolo Colo, but these guys need to hit.

15. Pittsburgh Pirates (3-2). Maybe they're on their way to their first winning season in 17 years.

14. Detroit Tigers (3-3). Miguel Cabrera (.500-3-10) is crushing the ball, I'm just not sold on their pitching.

13. New York Mets (3-2). Inconsistent Oliver Perez (5 walks, 8 earned runs in his first start) is up to his normal stuff.

12. Los Angeles Dodgers (3-3). These guys are hitting and Manny (.263) hasn't even heated up yet.

11. Colorado Rockies (3-2). Garrett Atkins didn't have a hit before Friday; he's homered in each of the last two games.

10. Minnesota Twins (3-3). They've allowed more runs than they're scored, but will receive a boost with Scott Baker returning to the rotation this week.

9. New York Yankees (3-2). After a rocky debut, CC Sabathia looked like himself Saturday and A.J. Burnett is off to a good start.

8. Baltimore Orioles (4-1). Maybe the surprise of the season's first week. But don't get too excited - Adam Eaton is pitching for them today.

7. Chicago Cubs (3-2). It's April. The Cubs don't collapse until October.

6. Toronto Blue Jays (5-1). Sure they're scoring runs. But their closer, B.J. Ryan, looks lost.

5. San Diego Padres (4-2). I thought this team could lose 100 games. But if Chris Young is healthy, maybe they're not terrible.

4. Seattle Mariners (4-2). I can't see them sticking in the top five for long. Ken Griffey's return hasn't been great - he's hitting .182.

3. Atlanta Braves (4-1). The new-look starting rotation looks pretty good; now they need to keep Chipper healthy.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (4-2). The Cards are quietly plugging along - they may have staying power in the NL with Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter healthy.

1. Florida Marlins (4-1). The Fightin' Fish are playing with confidence and Josh Johnson may be most underrated arm in baseball.

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