Designated Bullshitter

Power Rankings 6

1. Rangers LW: 1, 23-12 - Texas’ reign at the top of the pyramid continues with a huge amount of offense from Josh Hamilton, including a 4-HR night earlier this week. Hamilton is hitting .402 with 18 HRs and 41 RBIs, leading the AL in every category by a ridiculous margin, and has therefore sprinted out to a gigantic Triple Crown lead. If Hamilton can avoid injury (which, admittedly, has not been easy for him), baseball could witness history this season. Not to mention that his team is really, really good.

2. Dodgers LW: 3, 23-11 - Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have been in recent slumps compare to their lofty Aprils, but the Dodgers won 5 of 6 this week to continue their surprising start. It’s been the Dodgers’ rotation that has been dominating behind-the-scenes; Clayton Kershaw is heating up, with 41 Ks and a 0.90 WHIP, and Chris Capuano has been stellar (5-0, 2.86 ERA). Kemp injured his hamstring on Sunday against the Rockies, likely aggravated from a previous injury that forced him to miss a start, so that deserves some attention.

3. Braves LW: 7, 22-13 - Atlanta managed to do what few teams have been able to do this season; figure out St. Louis’ pitching. The Braves scored a combined 23 runs en route to a 3-game sweep of the Cardinals, including handing Lance Lynn his first loss of the season. Atlanta has been superb offensively, already having 9 players to reach 10 RBIs. Even more encouraging, Jason Heyward has rebounded (.252/.353/.470) from a disappointing sophomore slump, something that Freddie Freeman (.284/.340/.507) has been successfully avoiding so far.

4. Nationals LW: 6, 21-13 - Washington failed to complete a sweep to the Reds after a Joey Votto walkoff grand slam Sunday night, but the team remains tied for the NL East lead. The pitching is ranked 1st in every major statistical category. The Nationals have four starters with an ERA of 2.14 or lower. The only problem with the Nats is their offense, which is starting to get saddled with injuries. Wilson Ramos is the newest addition to a crowded DL that already houses Jayson Werth and Michael Morse.

5. Orioles LW: 5, 22-13 - Baltimore is another team has recently caught the injury bug. Jason Hammel is leading the O’s in every pitching statistical category, but he’s day-to-day with a knee injury. Mark Reynolds joins Nolan Reimold on the 15-day DL, further handicapping the veteran leadership of this offense. The O’s managed to split a difficult homestand against the Rangers and Rays, but doubts persist about how long this team can hold the AL East lead.

6. Rays LW: 2, 21-14 - Tampa has now lost 3 straight series, which is especially tough as the Rays had once won 12 of 13 a couple weeks ago. The defense has been stunningly bad, ranked 26th in the majors with 28 errors. That’s very unlike a Joe Maddon team. The pitching remains a uncertainty, specifically rookie Matt Moore, who has now compiled a 5.31 ERA in seven starts. David Price and James Shields have found their grooves, but the bullpen is as unreliable as ever.

7. Cardinals LW: 4, 20-14 - St. Louis suffered an ugly sweep at the hands of the Braves this weekend, but there remains reason for Cards fans to be optimistic. The biggest reason of all is the huge renaissance that Carlos Beltran is experiencing. Beltran has become the primary threat for the NL Triple Crown since Kemp’s recent slump began, leading the league in HRs and RBIs, but ranked only 25th in batting average. Still, hitting .298 isn’t bad, especially when you’re part of one the hottest offenses in baseball (2nd in runs and BA).

8. Yankees LW: 10, 19-15 - The rotation needs major help, and the return of Andy Pettite provides the Yankees with an able body, if nothing more. Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova have each had questionable starts to the season, but the Yankees are really lacking in replacements without Michael Pineda. The bullpen has been superb even with the loss of Mariano Rivera, specifically Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and Boone Logan. At this point, the Yankees are largely propelled by their terrific offense, led by the gracefully aging Derek Jeter and the nice offseason pickup of Raul Ibanez. 

9. Mets LW: 12, 19-15 - David Wright has been spectacular, leading the way for one of the more surprising offensive performances of the season, but how long can he keep hitting .400? The Mets’ lineup lacks a real power threat and is somewhat unremarkable outside of Wright. It’s something to keep in the back of one’s head, even as the Mets continue winning, and especially with their underwhelming pitching.

10. Blue Jays LW: 8, 19-16 - Toronto remains a steady contender in the AL East, and Blue Jays fans should be even more encouraged as Jose Bautista begins to heat up. Don’t be fooled by his .198 BA; he’s hit 8 HRs and 18 RBIs and has a .737 OPS, but Edwin Encarnacion has been the star so far. With his 11 HRs and 29 RBIs, Encarnacion has been one of the AL’s most productive hitters. Throw in a solid pitching corps led by Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero, and you have a balanced team that could make a lot of noise.

11. Marlins LW: 15, 18-16 - And all of a sudden, here come the shiny new Miami Marlins. Ozzie Guillen’s club has won 10 of 12, increasingly fueled by slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s recent surge. Stanton leads the team with 7 HRs and 22 RBIs, and with Omar Infante’s hot start and the rise of fellow stars Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, there could finally be some offense in Miami. The pitching has been very solid (3.39 team ERA) but it hasn’t come from Josh Johnson (0-3 5.87 ERA).

12. Indians LW: 9, 18-16 - Cleveland has lost 5 of 6 as the pitching continues its struggles, giving up 12 runs to Boston on Sunday afternoon. Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson have been bombarded as of late, and the team’s ERA has been bloated to 4.15. Luckily, the offense remains potent, even with the continued struggles of Shin-Soo Choo. Asdrubal Cabrera (.315/.411/.495) and Jason Kipnis (22 RBIs) have been especially productive.

13. Reds LW: 13, 17-16 - Joey Votto hit a walkoff grand slam to defeat the Nationals on Sunday, part of a 3-HR 6-RBI day, but the Reds’ offense has yet to really fulfill its potential. Votto, however, could be the spark that starts the engine. He’s hitting .319 with 24 RBIs and is showing why many picked him to win NL MVP before the season. Jay Bruce remains a crucial power threat, but Brandon Phillips has been disappointing. The pitching, led by Johnny Cueto (4-0 1.12 ERA) and the superb bullpen work of Aroldis Chapman (0 ER in 17.2 innings!), should allow Cincinnati to hang around.

14. Tigers LW: 11, 17-17 - Quietly, Justin Verlander is starting to get hot. He’s 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA and has 56 Ks. Even more quietly, Miguel Cabrera is showing his dominance. He’s hitting .294 with 29 RBIs. Maybe it’s because everyone expects it of these two guys, but why is no one talking about Detroit? The fact that they’re .500 and have yet to put it all together is probably part of him, but there’s no doubt the Tigers house several of the most explosive players on the planet.

15. Giants LW: 14, 17-17 - Melky Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval have been great at the plate, but the offense as a whole is still inept, and the Giants may be kicking themselves for letting Carlos Beltran go. More worrying though, oddly, is the performance of Tim Lincecum, who may be the weakest starter in San Francisco’s rotation at the moment. The Freak has a 5.89 ERA, which is monstrous compared to the team’s 3.34 ERA. Luckily, Matt Cain (2.28 ERA) continues to be one of the most underappreciated players in the game.

16. Athletics LW: 18, 18-17 - Oakland has been a quiet surprise, but how long can they continue this success with Yoenis Cespedes on the DL? The A’s aren’t known for their offensive prowess and depth (dead-last in BA at .221) yet they’ve scored runs largely due to Cespedes’ bat. Josh Reddick and Brandon Inge have the power to keep this team alive, but one has to wonder if this team has the depth (thanks, as Billy Beane repeatedly points out, to their limited budget) to compete with the big boys of the AL.

17. Phillies LW: 17, 16-19 - Quietly, the Phillies’ vaunted rotation has struggled a bit. The team now holds a 3.63 ERA, only 13th in the majors. While this is hardly reason for panic, this is a team that badly needs superior pitching in order to compete, especially with all the injuries to their aging lineup. With Cliff Lee out due to injury and Roy Halladay not being his normally dominant self (3-3 3.20 ERA), it’s been Cole Hamels trying to step up and be this rotation’s leader (5-1 2.28 ERA). However, it’s kind of tough to be considered a leader when you get suspended for beaning rookie phenoms.

18. White Sox LW: 19, 16-19 - The offense is bad, but don’t blame the often criticized Adam Dunn. Dunn has rebounded from a nightmarish 2011 to hit 11 HRs and 26 RBIs so far and has been Chicago’s most consistent power threat. Paul Konerkno has been just as productive (.333/.418/.553) but the rest of the lineup has been woefully disappointing. What has happened to Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez? The lack of offense is really hurting a surprising performance by this rotation (3rd in the majors in WHIP and BAA).

19. Pirates LW: 26, 16-18 - A nice week for the Buccos as they manage to take 2 of 3 from both Washington and Houston. The offense is still unbelievably incompetent, as the Pirates are still the only team that have yet to score 100 runs (San Diego has scored the 2nd least runs in the bigs with 109), but Pittsburgh is somehow squeezing out wins due to extraordinary pitching, ranking 3rd in the majors in ERA. The loss of Erik Bedard due to back spasms could hurt the rotation’s depth, but James McDonald (2-2 2.42 ERA) has been fantastic.

20. Red Sox LW: 23, 15-19 - It was a tumultuous yet decent week in Beantown as the Red Sox try to climb out of this early deficit. Whatever is going on with Josh Beckett needs to be figured out very soon before he becomes a virus to this team. Beckett is supposed to be the ace and the leader of this young rotation, yet he is not leading by example and seems to not care much about his career. At the end of the day, it’ll be the offense, led by David Ortiz (.348 7 HRs 25 RBIs) and Dustin Pedroia (.319 5 HRs 18 RBIs), that’ll turn Boston around.

21. Angels LW: 21, 15-20 - The Angels’ normally stellar pitching was exposed by the big bats of the Texas Rangers this weekend, giving up double-digit run totals twice. Even worse, the offense remains stagnant, as Albert Pujols’ first HR of the season has done nothing to help cure his slump. However, it’s fair to say the blame can be spread around; the only regular hitter to really meet their expectations have been Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick, and even that’s stretching it as Trumbo is technically not a regular and Kendrick only has 11 RBIs. 

22. Diamondbacks LW: 16, 15-20 - Really rough stretch for the D-Backs here, having now lost 9 of 11. It’s starting to become clear that 2011 might have been a bit of an anomaly for a young but otherwise talented squad. There are plenty of places to put blame; the offense has been disappointing, specifically young stud Justin Upton (.342 SLG), and even the lineup’s best performers, such as Jason Kubel, have been far from dominant. Chris Young, formerly Arizona’s hot bat, remains on the DL. None of the pitchers have been anything special, far from 2011’s stellar performance by Ian Kennedy. It just isn’t looking like the year for Arizona.

23. Brewers LW: 22, 15-19 - Milwaukee has lost 10 of 16 and have entirely lost their 2011 mojo. Ryan Braun has rebounded nicely from the offseason steroids scandal (.306 10 HRs 21 RBIs), but the offense is just atrocious after that (besides Corey Hart perhaps). The pitching (26th in ERA at 4.62) has also been disappointing. It’s too early to say the Brewers are out of it, but they have no balance and haven’t shown anything to exemplify a winning club.

24. Mariners LW: 25, 16-20 - The surprising performance of Kyle Seager (.295 4 HRs 20 RBIs) has been a huge impact on the Mariners remaining relevant, but this team is just mediocre in nearly every facet of the game. Outside of Seager and an aging Ichiro, slightly improved from 2011, the offense has no threat and lacks a developed slugger (Jesus Montero will be one day, but not now). Felix Hernandez is the obvious star of the rotation, and even with Jason Vargas’ nice start to the season (4-2 2.79 ERA), the Mariners’ staff is undeveloped.

25. Astros LW: 20, 15-19 - There’s been a lot of solid performances in Houston so far (Jose Altuve, Wandy Rodriguez), but where Houston is really lacking is a dominant power threat. The Astros are slugging just .365, 26th in the majors. Chris Johnson and Jed Lowrie lead the team with 4 HRs. This lack of offensive spark was highlighted over the weekend by the poor offensive output in Houston’s series loss against Pittsburgh’s tough pitching. If Carlos Lee doesn’t begin showing his powerful bat, the Astros could continue sinking in the rankings quickly.

26. Royals LW: 28, 13-20 - The pitching has been awful for Kansas City, but at least they’re starting to win games more consistently, as the Royals took 2 of 3 from Boston and Chicago (AL). The team has compiled a horrendous 4.58 ERA, including a 6.75 from new acquisition Jonathan Sanchez and a 7.20 by young star Luke Hochevar. The offense is potent, especially with Mike Moustakas as hot as he is (.308/.362/.523), but can you imagine this lineup is Eric Hosmer starts hitting the ball more regularly (slugging .586 despite hitting just .180)

27. Cubs LW: 27, 14-20 - Bryan LaHair has been a beast this year, one of the best hitters in the NL. He’s hitting .340 with 8 HRs and 18 RBIs, en route to a stunning 1.107 OPS. Even with prized prospect Starlin Castro having a superb 2012, LaHair’s power development needs to prime subject of discussion about the Cubs. After that, however, things get murky. What has happened to Geovany Soto (.151 BA) and David DeJesus (slugging .390)? On the rubber, Ryan Dempster has a 1.02 ERA but has yet to pick up a win.

28. Rockies LW: 24, 13-20 - Colorado has now fallen seven spots in the rankings in these last two weeks. The Rockies have lost 11 of 14 and have been swept twice in their last 3 series. This has all happened with an offense that ranks 6th in the majors in runs scored (164) and with a bonafide MVP contender in the lineup (Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .300 with 7 HRs and 28 RBIs). Needless to say, the pitching has been a disaster, ranking 29th in ERA (5.10). It’s even more astonishing that this team is in the rather offensively inept NL west; only the Dodgers have a truly complete lineup at the present moment.

29. Padres LW: 29, 12-23 - It has to be a bit frustrating to be a hitter in San Diego. The stadium is simply huge and the ball does not carry there at all, resulting in a ton of low-scoring games (typically losses) that fail to show this team’s true offensive ability. That being said, it’s insane to think that Yonder Alonso is leading the Padres in slugging with a measly .414. He has hit only 1 HR and has 10 RBIs. It hasn’t been fun to be a Padres fan in quite a long time.

30. Twins LW: 30, 10-24 - There’s really nothing as humbling as the having worst record in baseball. The Twins have not won a series since the first week of the season. They rank near the bottom in every team pitching statistical category. The offense, despite Josh Willingham’s extravagant efforts, is ranked 28th in runs scored. Joe Mauer is no longer the dominant player he once was. The oft-injured Justin Morneau remains stuck on the DL. Ron Gardenhire’s job may be in jeopardy. It’s safe to say that Twins fans are missing the consistent glory days of the mid-2000s, where at least they were likely to play ball in October.