Weekly Power Rankings for 2010

[joeshmoe]

How did I move up?  Not complaining, but haha I am a losing squad.

[Colby]

I think my Pirates can play just over 0.500 for the rest of the season and finish 10-14.  I see a win over the D'Backs this week, two straight losses to the Rays and Jays, then three straight wins against the Nats, Cubs, and Royals.  Followed by that is a loss to the Tigers, beat-down of the Mets, loss to the Brewers, and then another three straight wins over the Rockies, Orioles, and Marlins.  At that point, my Pirates will be 10-12 with 2 weeks remaining.  However, the playoff pushing Cardinals and Indians will sink my Pirates and put the stamp on the losing season.

I would like to see a winning season, but I am in such a hole that I will need to go 10-4 for the rest of the season just to hit 0.500.

[OriolesGirl]

How did I move up?  Not complaining, but haha I am a losing squad.

It is because my Orioles MLB roster is that bad!

[bridgestone]

So much for the plan of holding onto my ground to make a 0.500 record.  This team is nothing without A-Rod.

[Dan Wood]

Since Colby won't be back until Wednesday I will do my bit to keep things moving until he posts a new power rankings. This post will focus more on the division races.

AL West - The A's lead the way here with a 9-2 record followed closely by the Halos at 7-4. The Rangers are falling further back because of injuries to key players such as Grady Sizemore and Nelson Cruz and now have 5-6 record. However, with Roy's recent acquisitions of Jason Kubel, John Buck, and the imminent return of Nelson Cruz should make this a 3 team race until the very end.

AL East - Just like in real life this is a 3 team race. The Yanks, Sawx, and the Jays continue to slug it out at the top of the standings, all with 8-3 records. Boston's hitting has been unmatched, but will their lack of pitching depth be their undoing? The Jays have reinforcements on the horizon in Edinson Volquez, but are Uggla, Phillips, Zobrist and the rejuvenated Aubrey Huff enough to keep carrying their offense to keep pace with the Yanks? The Yanks on the other hand have only one weakness that I can see, and that is age. Big Tex seems to be heating up along with Aaron Hill, and that makes them even tougher.   

AL Central - The Indians have the most talent in this division in my eyes, but they are second in the standings at 6-5. Question is whether or not some of their key cogs will show up for the rest of the year. With Matt LaPorta in AAA, Cabrera on the DL, Aybar walking with a limp, and San Quentin acting like he is still playing for the D'Backs, will it be enough to catch up and fend off a very talented and deep Tigers team, and their rotation of a thousand. The only hole I see with the Tigers is the lack of a power bat outside of K-arlos Pena. The White Sox continue to hang around with some very savvy moves by their GM. Depth could soon pose a problem for the South Siders after their recent trades for blue chip minor league talent.

NL West - The Dodgers seem to be running away with the division, and have the pieces to pull off a big move if they so wanted to. The Giants, Rockies, and D'backs all have decent pieces, but are all lacking in one facet or another.

NL Central - Brewers, Brewers, Brewers, can anyone stop the Brewers? At 11-0, top to bottom they are the best team in the league and have a very deep farm system. It will be interesting to see how this team stays together for years to come. Bernie Brewer will have to start selling his organs to meet some of the upcoming contract demands. The Cardinals have a top 5 team, and are one of the deepest teams in the majors, and their 9-2 record supports this. They lack a true ace, but 1-5 is very very solid, plus Jorge of the Rose will be returning from the DL shortly. The Reds are holding steady at 8-3 riding the shoulders of the #1 ranked OF in Josh Hamilton. Injuries could be this teams undoing as Mark DeRosa, Brian Roberts, Ryan Hanigan, and Brett Anderson are all in traction, plus Adam Lind's sub par season isn't helping iron out the creases. The Cubbies and Stros have also been solid throughout the year. Jose Reyes is turning it on for the Cubs, and Jason Castro just got the call to the bigs. Neither of these teams is a pushover.

NL East - The most surprising race of all. The Mets are still hanging around despite no one believing in them. Whether or not they can keep this up remains to be seen, but the fact that Bryce Harper will be in Queens in short order should make it a little easier to take. The Phillies who have a loaded line up and a decent pitching staff just can't seem to pull away from the pack. Age could prove to be a problem down the road with Fat Elvis, Konerko, and Chase Utley's aching body. 7 guys over 1,000 in the starting line up is tough to beat. The plucky Braves hung around, and have now been reloaded for a pennant run with the likes of Adam Dunn, Ricky Romero, Ian Stweart, and Miguel Olivo.

Anything can happen in any given week, hot streaks, cold streaks, and one bad outing could ruin a team. Franchise GM baseball...catch the excitement.

[lp815]

Good job, Dan.  Excellent update.

[BHows]

Good job, Dan.  Excellent update.

My thoughts exactly, well thought out

[MOLI643]

Its a yes from me too,    Grate Job
 

[Colby]

Excellent post Dan...

Grades: [Score, Batting, Pitching]

Week 12 Power Rankings
1) - (11-0) [98.70%/A/A] - Now two games up on Cards and rest of league's best
2) - (8-3) [98.30%/A/A] - Yanks re-establish themselves after slide
3) - (9-2) [92.06%/A/B] - Feldman could help Cards challenge Brewers for NL Central (1)
4) - (8-3) [91.00%/A-/A-] - Dodgers are feeling a bit blue at the corners. (-1)
5) - (9-2) [90.87%/A-/A-] -
6) - (6-5) [89.53%/A/B] - Team relies on Howard and Utley but new guys should help curve that dependency.
7) - (8-3) [88.36%/A/B-] -  (1)
8) - (8-3) [87.53%/A-/B] -  (1)
9) - (8-3) [87.40%/A-/B] - Big guy Dunn out of the picture hurts that offense. (-2)
10) - (7-4) [86.57%/B+/B] - Tough loss with A's winning this past week
11) - (6-5) [86.43%/B/B+] - Dunn, Jackson, Romero, Colvin puts Braves in playoff picture with struggling Phillies (3)
12) - (7-4) [86.30%/B/B+] -  (-1)
13) - (6-5) [85.27%/B+/B] -
14) - (5-6) [83.89%/A/C] - Rangers are falling way behind in AL West race. (-2)
15) - (7-4) [77.00%/C+/C+] - White Sox staying in the race despite recent offensive firesale.
16) - (5-6) [75.23%/B-/D] - Small trades don't change current problems
17) - (6-5) [74.51%/D/B] -  (3)
18) - (3-8) [73.43%/C/C] - Team has had a lot of tough luck this year. (-1)
19) - (4-7) [72.96%/C/D] - New management due to take over in July.
20) - (4-7) [70.72%/B-/F] - Compares well to my Pirates with lineup issues, prospects, and 2011 potential. (1)
21) - (5-6) [69.71%/F/B] -  (3)
22) - (4-7) [69.17%/D/C] - It looks like the Twins chances are all but gone this year. (-4)
23) - (3-8) [68.20%/D/C] -
24) - (4-7) [67.34%/D/C] -  (1)
25) - (2-9) [65.83%/D/D] - Zim, Snider, and Freese all hurt a bit too much (-3)
26) - (4-7) [65.61%/F/B] -
27) - (2-9) [63.00%/D/D] -
28) - (3-8) [61.07%/F/D] -
29) - (2-9) [56.00%/F/F] -
30) - (2-9) [51.00%/F/F] - The culmination of the Orioles moves this year has to be the largest firesale ever.

[joeshmoe]

2 & 9 wahoooo the win came against a sub .500 team but a formidable foe never the less.  My goal for this year; finish any place but last.  Here's to one step closer to achieving my goal.   

Edit:  I want everyone to know this is my 100th post here at mlfb, another milestone!!!!