TMI is a biweekly column published on the website, tmicolumn.com . Every Monday, the column recaps each major league baseball team’s top storyline through the current week, and highlights the most impressive of all.
These Power Rankings are grouped by teams according to expected rankings, not by record: Top Performers (teams expected to be there), Underperformers, Over Performers, and Right Where They Are Supposed to Be.
Top Performers
1) Tampa Bay (14-5)
For three years now, everyone has raved about the team's potential. Now it seems to be performing up to expectations. Can Matt Garza and David Price contend for the CY Young? Can they keep Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena around for 2011? Not likely, but a World Series title will help their cause.
2) New York, AL (12-6)
No surprises here at all. When your fifth starter has a no-hitter heading into the eighth inning against a solid Oakland club, what worries do you really have in the grand scheme of things? The only thing keeping this team from another season of playoff dominance would be an explosion of injuries to their somewhat aging club.
3) Philadelphia (11-7)
Team Halladay seems better than they have been over the last two years, and those are teams who have brought home the NL Pennant. Imagine what kind of powerhouse this club could be if they were given the ability to DH a player?
4) Minnesota (13-6)
The team actually has a better road record than home record. That's a sign of a strong team. The only thing keeping them out of every WS conversation is the lack of an ace. Johan Santana and 2007 look like a really long time ago. Five quality starters are not something to cringe at though and if Francisco Liriano can keep this up then he could be the ace.
5) St. Louis (11-7)
They are quite good. Pujols and Holliday solidify the lineup; Carpenter and Wainwright solidify the rotation. Throw in breakout seasons for Colby Rasmus and Brad Penny, there is no reason the Cardinals should fail to make the postseason.
6) San Francisco (10-8)
You can't knock a club that holds the best team ERA in the league or the most shutouts. The only thing they need is a perennial slugger (don't most) to really be considered favorites. With the Padres playing better than anyone suspected, it becomes seemingly less likely that they will trade Adrian Gonzalez within the division. Other potential trades? Adam Dunn? Lance Berkman?
7) Detroit (10-9)
It's funny because the deadly duo nicknamed "Vercello" (Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello) are off to horrible start. Including Sunday's Porcello debacle, the two have given up a combined 34 runs in 41.1 innings for a combined ERA over seven runs a game. Thanks to their comeback offense, they still have four wins from their eight starts. Imagine what could happen when these two pick it up?
Underperformers
8) Boston (8-11)
Once again, topping the list of underperforming teams are the Boston Red Sox. You can't justify a record like this when you field six big-league starting arms (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield), two of the better relievers (Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard) and one of the most talented executives (Theo Epstein) in the league. That they are three games under .500 is surprising enough, but a team ERA of nearly five runs a game is really what scares Red Sox Nation. You can't imagine that will continue. On the flip side, the lineup is third in the AL in HR but only hitting about .250 and have hit into 20 double plays through 19 games.
9) Baltimore (3-16)
Not considered an overly bad team when the season began, Baltimore has completely blown everyone’s expectations out of the water, and not in a good way. Their team OBP is the third worst in the American League and they have scored the fewest runs. Maybe Cal Ripken should manage the team. At least the fans would be able to appreciate him. The funny thing is, this team isn't full of older bench players like the Astros or AAAA ball players like the Pirates and Indians. Their young pitching should settle down. It would be nice to say that they could dig out of this mess, but being in the AL East, optimism doesn't run high.
10) Atlanta (8-10)
With Tim Hudson healthy and effective and Tommy Hanson throwing great, you would expect the Braves to be near the top of the division rather than the bottom. But Jair Jurjjens, Derek Lowe, and Kenshin Kawakami all have ERA’s near 5.00. You can’t imagine that will continue, but you also can still see it happening. Martin Prado is still hitting over .400, Jason Heyward is continuing to impress, and Brian McCann is, well, Brian McCann. The trouble is every other spot in the batting order. Chipper Jones is seemingly always injured, Troy Glaus is hitting under .200, and so are Yunel Escobar, Melky Cabrera, and Nate McLouth. Maybe this isn’t such a surprise after all.
11) Chicago, AL (8-11)
The White Sox were happy recipients of two walk-off home runs last weekend courtesy of Alex Rios and Andruw Jones. Now if they could get the rest of the lineup to wake up they could do some damage in the AL Central. Just don’t expect them to break .500 this week; they face a good offensive (if not underachieving) ballclub at Texas and then travel to Yankee Stadium next weekend.
12) Los Angeles, NL (8-10)
The Dodgers' concerns are exactly what worried everyone during the offseason: pitching. The club is currently leading the league in batting average (.293), are second behind the Phillies in runs (103), and first in hits (194). They could see some success this week if they take one from the Mets; they play a four game series in Chavez Ravine against Pittsburgh this weekend.
13) Los Angeles, AL (10-10)
They’ve clawed their way back to .500 and are the first team in the league to win a series against the Yankees. They play a three game series at home, versus Cleveland before they visit a tough Detroit ballclub.
14) Texas (8-10)
Colby Lewis has responded well to American League hitting as he has gone 3-0 with a 3.80 ERA. This club could destroy opposing pitching and their starters can mow opposing lineups down. They’ve both done that, just not on the same days. The trick is to find the balance. All indicators suggest they will; Mike Maddux is a great pitching coach, and the lineup is as deadly as it has ever been. Injuries seem to be the only reason this team doesn’t compete in the division.
Over Performers
15) Toronto (10-8)
With Roy Halladay gone it was supposed to be the Blue Jays at the bottom of the AL East, but with impressive performances from Ricky Romero, Dana Eveland, and Shaun Marcum this year you have to wonder when the hitting is actually going to begin. Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, and Travis Snider are all impressive hitters. This team is another reason why rotating realignment needs to be enacted.
16) Oakland (12-8)
It never ceases to amaze everyone how competitive Oakland is every single year. They have an impressing rotation and bullpen; in fact, it’s the pitching is the reason they are as good as they are. None of their starting pitchers have an ERA over 3.68 and their record is 9-2. In fact, they make a good bullpen, look bad (3-6). Only Chad Gaudin and Craig Breslow have really disappointed in middle relief. But when Kurt Suzuki is leading your team in home runs and extra base hits, you have to wonder, especially when a team focused on OBP is ranked 16th in the majors.
17) San Diego (11-7)
An eight game winning streak never hurts anything. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting the threading off the ball right now and pitching is performing well above expectations. Actually, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, and Wade LeBlanc are all solid arms. Let’s not forget Chris Young (who is on the DL again). Throw in an All-Star closer and solid big league players around the field, it’s not that surprising. This team could be up with the impressive clubs in a month’s time. One last thing; they’ve only hit into nine double plays this year.
Right Where They Are Supposed to Be
18) Chicago, NL (9-10)
Carlos Zambrano’s move to the bullpen is one of the reason’s Lou Piniella is such a good manager. This could be the spark the team needs to get something going.
19) New York, NL (10-9)
Ike Davis appears to be ready for the big show, but Jerry Manual continues to scratch heads. Will he be the first manager canned in 2010?
20) Florida (10-9)
Not surprising to be here, the Marlins are just one of those teams (like Oakland) who always seem to be in it. If they find success, they disband. Here’s to some revenue sharing in 2013 when they open their own stadium.
21) Colorado (10-9)
Many still think this team is waiting for May. And the return of Jeff Francis won’t hurt either. Thoughts go out to the team and the family of Keli McGregor . They not only have one of the better run franchises in the game, the Rockies could be one of the better teams in the league because of their values. These are reasons they find success when it counts. Expect them to move up the board this summer and compete for a division crown.
22) Milwaukee (8-10)
Their pitching continues to be the issue. A team that can outscore an opponent 36-1 in one series and then can turn around and be outscored themselves 25-4 is a club that doesn’t make much sense.
23) Washington (10-9)
While they aren’t over-performing at a game over .500, it’s still a little surprising to see them there. They’ve gotten good pitching out of the rubber armed Livan Hernandez and a fantastic bullpen. Is Ivan Rodriguez really hitting over .400?
24) Seattle (9-10)
Cliff Lee’s debut is scheduled for Friday. A realistic evaluation of the club can be made in a couple of weeks, but for now let’s leave it. They’ve looked good but seem to be missing one pitcher and one hitter. They have the pitcher coming, but what about a hitter?
25) Arizona (8-10)
They lead the NL in home runs hit (26) and home runs allowed (29) so what more can be expected other than a sub-.500 record. As a team they have blown six save opportunities and have an ERA over 5.00. On the bright side, Kelly Johnson has seven home runs himself.
26) Cincinnati (8-11)
They look like they could break out a winning streak, but then go and lose two or three straight due to stupid base running and fielding blunders. The battle between first manager fired is between Jerry Manuel and Dusty Baker.
27) Houston (8-10)
They’ve made significant improvements since last week thanks to Lance Berkman’s return and a bit of quality pitching. But don’t expect much here.
28) Kansas City (7-11)
Alex Gordon may be back, Joe Guillen may be impressive, and Zack Greinke could win another CY Young, but nothing will help this team. This is one club (of a few) that should follow the Tampa Bay Ray’s footsteps and change their name, uniform, and executive personnel ASAP.
29) Cleveland (8-10)
The most they have to look forward to is their young talent developing. Carlos Santana may be up in June if Lou Marson keeps going the way he is. Mike Redmond is just a temporary Band-Aid.
30) Pittsburgh (7-11)
Andrew McCutchen is the face of the franchise that will unfortunately see another losing season. Perhaps Bud Selig should do something about them before he worries about radical realignment.
Joshua David Worn is an editor, journalist, and sportswriter who spends way too much of his time studying major league baseball box scores. He has been published or linked on The San Francisco Chronicle and CBS Sports, among others. He publishes The Most Interesting Column in Sports on his website, tmicolumn.com . Contact him at thebaseballglutton@comcast.net .
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