Selasa, 17 April 2012

MLB Power Rankings

It has been a very exciting start to the 2012 baseball season as we have seen teams like the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles come out of nowhere to get off to winning starts while teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox have been disappointments. Now, here are the season's first power rankings.

1. Texas Rangers
The Rangers are off to one of the best starts of the season after they have lost the last two World Series. Ian Kinsler has been impressive since signing his extension while Josh Hamilton is already looking like an MVP candidate this year. The Rangers' rotation has also been very impressive as Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis have had impressive starts. Joe Nathan has been the only disappointment for the Rangers as Mike Adams could take his job if Nathan continues to struggle.

2. St Louis Cardinals
The defending World Series champions have moved on from the Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols era by getting off to a fantastic start. World Series hero David Freese has become the big star in St Louis as he definitely is the replacement for Pujols as a star for the Cardinals. Jake Westbrook and Kyle Lohse have been able to step up for the Cardinals after the Chris Carpenter injury. However, the Cardinals bullpen has not gotten off to the best start this year.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers would be higher on thsi list if they would have been expected to be this good. However, this team is off to a fantastic start and they look like a potential threat to the D'Backs in the NL West. Matt Kemp has gotten off to the best start in baseball as he is hitting almost .500 and has 6 home runs and 16 RBIs in ten games. Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly have been dominate at the top of the rotation for the Dodgers and Javy Guerra has done an excellent job as the closer.

4. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers might have the best lineup in baseball as it hasn't just been Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder but Austin Jackson, Jhonny Peralta, and Alex Avila have all had impressive starts to their 2012 seasons. Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello are both off to very good starts but that is not much of a surprise though the loss of starte Doug Fister will hurt. The Tigers' bullpen has been a slight disappointment though expect Jose Valverde and company to turn it around.

5. Washington Nationals
The Nationals are off to a very good start this year and they are showing that ehy can be serious contenders in the crazy NL East. Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, and Jayson Werth have all gotten off to good starts this year as the Nationals offense still could use a little help from center field. The Nationals have arguably the best rotation in baseball with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and company have been pitching really well. Despite not having closer Drew Storen, the Nationals bullpen has been very good except for setup man Tyler Clippard.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks
If it was not for Matt Kemp's impressive start, everybody would be talking about Chris Young's start as he is hitting over .400 with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs. Justin Upton has not had the bst start but expect him to take of soon. Joe Saunders and offseason acquisition Trevor Cahill have been very good in their first two starts. JJ Putz has not had the best start but the bullpen has been very good overall.

7. New York Mets
The Mets are one of the biggest surprises in baseball as Lucas Duda has showed some power in his first ten games as he has three home runs despite some offensive struggles for the Mets overall. The Mets will need a healthy David Wright if they want to have a decent offense. The Mets pitching staff has been impressive as the whole rotation has gotten the job done, especially ace Johan Santana. Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco have been pitching well in the eighth and ninth innings so far.

8. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have been a major surprise so far this year under first time manager Robin Ventura as the offense has been really with AJ Pierzynski having a surprisingly good start. Paul Konerko has also been doing what he normally does and drive in runs. The White Sox rotation has been off to a good start as Chris Sale has successfully been moved to the rotation from the bullpen. The White Sox bullpen has been pretty good overall though closer Hector Santiago has struggled some in his first year in the majors.

9. New York Yankees
The Yankees have not gotten off to the best start but Derek Jeter has been very good as Jeter is showing flashes of how good he used to be at the top of the order. Hiroki Kuroda has been the only bright spot in the Yankees rotation as CC Sabathia, Freddy Garcia, and Phil Hughes have all struggled. Mariano Rivera is starting to show his age but the rest of the Yankees bullpen has been very good.

10. Atlanta Braves
The Braves got off to an awful start but have picked it up recently as they had a five game winning streak until they loss last night to the Mets. Jason Heyward has had a good start to the season but the Braves are still struggling offensively. Brandon Beachy has arguably been the best starter for the Braves so far but the duo of Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel at the end of games has been dominate.

Just missed: Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies

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