MLB Power Rankings - Week 5

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 22-11
Previous Rank: 1
They have enough power in Kemp, Loney and others to ride out the Manny suspension and I don't yet see a reason why he won't be back in the middle of the lineup on July 3rd.

2. Boston Red Sox
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 2
They should be getting Dice-K back soon and they should soon be moving Big Papi down soon. His on-base percentage is higher than his slugging percentage. Delmon Young has a higher slugging percentage.

3. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 22-12
Previous Rank: 3
The Blue Jays play the Yankees this week signaling the first time they play one of the big 3 in the AL East so far this season.

4. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 20-12
Previous Rank: 4
They are struggling a little going 5-5 in the last 10, but that can be expected with Carpenter and Ankiel on the DL.

5. Detroit Tigers
Record: 17-13
Previous Rank: 8
Joel Zumaya is reminding people of how good he is when he is healthy with 6 scoreless innings so far and Justin Verlander seems to finally remembered how to pitch with 1 ER in the last 3 starts with 31 strikeouts in 23 innings.

6. Kansas City Royals
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 10
They are riding the wave of Zach Grienke and if recently called up #1 overall pick Luke Hochevar contributes this team might just pitch into contention this year.

7. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 11
The lineup is clicking with Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips awaking, but the success of this team depends on Jonny Cueto and Edinson Volquez.

8. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 18-14
Previous Rank: 16
Ryan Braun is an absolute stud but what is really driving this team is the breakout of Rickie Weeks who is hitting .277-7-21.

9. Chicago Cubs
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 5
The team is staying afloat with disappointing starts from Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, and Geovanny Soto but they have also allowed to the NL Central to be a 4-team race.

10. New York Mets
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 20
This team must hate Johan Santana. Last year the bullpen let him down and this year in his two losses he has yet to give up a earned run. He is still well on his way to a 3rd Cy Young.

11. Florida Marlins
Record: 17-15
Previous Rank: 7
The team is struggling a little but it is not because of Hanley Ramirez who is hitting .348-6-19 with 6 stolen bases.

12. Texas Rangers
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 17
Playing well winning 7 of the last 8 and they should get Josh Hamilton back on Tuesday. The problem is that they still don't pitch well and the Angels are getting healthy.

13. San Francisco Giants
Record: 17-14
Previous Rank: 14
The most surprising thing about this team is the return of Barry Zito to a respectable pitcher with a 3.57 ERA and 4 earned runs in his last 4 starts.

14. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 16-14
Previous Rank: 21
Things are starting to look brighter with a sweep of Kansas City and John Lackey returning on Friday with Ervin Santana not far behind him.

15. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 15-18
Previous Rank: 18
Evan Longoria is currently on a pace for .358-52-216. I don't expect that but he is making my MVP pick look very good. Most impressive stat so far by Longoria: He has 44 hits and 44 RBI.

16. New York Yankees
Record: 15-16
Previous Rank: 6
Much was made of A-Rod's home run in his first at-bat back but he has gone 1-10 since then against Baltimore. I am not anticipating him putting up big numbers this year and New York looks headed for disaster.

17. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 15-14
Previous Rank: 12
Cole Hamels had a good start this week but he isn't the only problem on a team with an ERA of 5.39. This team is wasting the offense being provided by Utley, Ibanez, Howard and Werth.

18. Minnesota Twins
Record: 15-17
Previous Rank: 15
I may be called a homer but if they ever sort out the bullpen this team is primed to go on a huge run with a productive offense and a rotation that can all give you quality starts. Joe Mauer looks determined to win a 3rd batting title this year but he needs to stay healthy.

19. Atlanta Braves
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 19
Interestingly, the Braves do not have a player with 4 home runs yet on the season but they have 6 players who have 3 home runs.

20. Seattle Mariners
Record: 16-16
Previous Rank: 9
They have been brought back to earth last week losing 6 of the 7 games. This team is headed to the cellar of the division with a bullet.

21. Chicago White Sox
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 13
Have won 2 out the last 9 games. There does not seem to be a specific reason for the collapse but this team is old and seems to have passed their prime.

22. Houston Astros
Record: 14-17
Previous Rank: 24
The curious case of Lance Berkman continues. He is a career .300 hitter hitting .184 but he has 7 home runs on the season.

23. San Diego Padres
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 25
This team is in a free fall getting swept by the Astros and losing 16 of the last 20 games. The countdown until the trade of Jake Peavy has started.

24. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 13-19
Previous Rank: 29
There is hope for the future with Markakis and Adam Jones but this team is in the wrong division to ever realize that hope.

25. Colorado Rockies
Record: 12-18
Previous Rank: 28
This team has talent, the problem is that Colorado will never be able to develop a pitcher as evidenced by the struggles of Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 22
The team is hitting an absolutely brutal .236 as a team. The main culprits are Chris Young (.193) , Conor Jackson (.182), and Eric Brynes (.216). The bright side is Justin Upton has broken out hitting .384-7-17 since April 24th.

27. Cleveland Indians
Record: 12-21
Previous Rank: 26
This team is a officially a failure and I would expect heads to roll in Cleveland soon. To be 12-21 with the talent assembled is a shame and someone needs to be held accountable.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 12-19
Previous Rank: 23
The bottom has finally fallen out for Pittsburgh losing 8 games in a row to plummet to the bottom of the NL Central.

29. Oakland A's
Record: 11-18
Previous Rank: 27
The good news is Matt Holliday is starting to hit home runs again hitting 4 in the last 11 games. The bad news is that he is hitting .200 in those last 11 games.

30. Washington Nationals
Record: 10-20
Previous Rank: 30
Finally something of to draw the interest of National fans: Ryan Zimmerman has a 29 game hitting streak.

Stud of the Week: SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
Stats: .533 4 HR 7 RBI 3 SB
Honorable Mention: Joe Saunders, Zach Greinke, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay

Dud of the Week: OF Jordan Schafer, ATL
Stats: .120 0 HR O RBI 12 strikeouts in 25 at-bats
Dishonorable Mention: Brandon Inge, Adam LaRoche, Phil Hughes, Bronson Arroyo

#21 Florida Marlins

Florida Marlins
Last Year: 84-77 3rd in NL East
This Year: 4th in NL East



Florida quietly finished above .500 last year. The city of Miami does not really deserve this team. The Marlins have won 2 World Series in only 15 years of existence. They have been over .500 two of the last four years. They have stars in Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. They have had stars such as Miguel Cabrera, Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Moises Alou and no one shows up. They use the excuse that they play in a terrible stadium but I would much rather sit outside in Miami at a football stadium than indoors in the Metrodome. They are always full of exciting young talent which gets wasted on the 1,000 fans watching.

Opening Day Lineup w/Projections
CF Cameron Maybin .257 7 HR 33 RBI 27 SB
C John Baker .279 9 HR 63 RBI
SS Hanley Ramirez .308 36 HR 97 RBI 33 SB
1B Jorge Cantu .271 25 HR 91 RBI
2B Dan Uggla .263 30 HR 97 RBI
LF Jeremy Hermida .267 19 HR 69 RBI
RF Cody Ross .262 24 HR 77 RBI
3B Dallas McPherson .267 23 HR 57 RBI
P Ricky Nolasco

Rotation
RHP Ricky Nolasco 13-10 3.75 ERA 183 K
RHP Josh Johnson 12-8 3.41 ERA 154 K
RHP Chris Volstad 9-9 3.45 ERA 112 K
LHP Andrew Miller 7-12 4.87 ERA 112 K
RHP Anibal Sanchez 5-9 4.87 ERA 103 K

CP RHP Matt Lindstrom 3.44 ERA 32 SV 57 K

Best Case Scenario: Cameron Maybin and Dallas McPherson step up and contribute to compensate for losses of Willingham and Matt Jacobs. The pitching staff stays healthy and continues its development. Hanley finally cares about defense and Uggla replaces his iron mitt for a leather one and helps out the pitching staff. This team equals last year's record and place in the division.

Worst Case Scenario: Maybin is still not ready, McPherson hits 42 Home runs again but it is still in AAA. Sanchez and Johnson can't stay healthy. Miller continues his struggles and gets sent down. Lindstrom is not ready to be a closer despite his 100 mph fastball. This team finishes below .500 and wins 75 games in 4th place.

Player Most Important to Success: Josh Johnson. Johnson showed great promise in 2006 when he went 12-7 with an ERA of 3.10 in 24 starts at the age of 22. He was then sidelined with Tommy John surgery in 2007. He only made 14 starts last year but showed some return to his former self. If he can fully return to himself to his 2006 form or even better he will give the Marlins a very solid 1-2 punch with him and Nolasco. This team can score runs but if they can have two aces on the staff this team will be very dangerous and likely to win 85-90 games this year.

Outlook: This team surprised a few with its success last year without much help from Johnson or Sanchez. They did trade away Willingham and Jacobs who hit 47 home runs last year. They will be counting on Maybin and McPherson to live up to their potential and contribute this year. They will also count on Cantu repeating his breakout year. I also question the decision to move Hanley to the 3 spot. While he can knock in more runs, the team lacks a established leadoff hitter and it takes away his dangerous speed. There are to many question marks and hopes for this team to compete for the division title but they have enough talent to win a few games and be around a .500 team.

WBC Preview (Part 2)

Here are the teams 1-4.

4. Japan
Pool A
2006 result: 5-3 Won 2006 Classic
Notable Hitters:
C Kenji Johjima
2B Aki Iwamura
RF Kosuke Fukudome
CF Ichiro Suzuki
Notable Pitchers:
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Outlook: Japan is very similar to Cuba in that they are a great unknown. Most of their talent plays in Japan and are the great unknown. Japan is a little more well known than Cuba as they do have Major Leaguers on their team. No one is going to blown away by Dice-K this time around. Japan has been scoured for talent since the arrival of Ichiro and it's success in the WBC and most of the elite talent has been found with the latest arrivals having mixed results like Fukudome or Kei Igawa. They have the easiest Pool and should make the semifinals where anything can happen so they should be able to compete to defend their title but I don't expect them to win it this year.

3. Venezuela
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Cesar Izturis
2B Jose Lopez
LF Bobby Abreu
1B Miguel Cabrera
RF Magglio Ordonez
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Melvin Mora
C Ramon Hernandez
CF Endy Chavez

Notable Pitchers: Felix Hernandez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva, Armando Galarraga, Francisco Rodriguez

Assets: 3-6 Hitters very solid, Three solid starters, very good closer
Issues: Hitters are on the older side and lack athleticism. Lack of pitching depth.
Outlook: A very solid team with some elite talent. They could use Johan Santana to add to the pitching depth. The biggest problem for them is they are in the hardest Pool with USA and Canada and if they advance they will be put in the same Round 2 pool with USA, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They have the talent but the road they face and the lack of pitching depth likely will be their downfall and they will likely have a similar result as 2006.

2. Dominican Republic
Pool D
2006 Result: 5-2 Lost in Semifinals to Cuba
Probable Lineup:
SS Hanley Ramirez
2B Robinson Cano
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Jose Guillen
1B Willy Aybar
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz
CF Willy Taveras

Possible Lineup if postions are flexible:
SS Jose Reyes
CF Hanley Ramirez
DH David Ortiz
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Miguel Tejada
LF Jose Guillen
2B Robinson Cano
C Miguel Olivo
RF Nelson Cruz

Notable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Cueto, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jose Arredondo

Assets: Young Pitchers with outstanding stuff, infield depth, speed
Issues: Lack of closer or outstanding middle relief, outfield, finding places for talent
Outlook: The biggest problem for the Dominican Republic is finding a way to get the talent on the field. Having Reyes, Tejada and Beltre on your bench does not help you win games. I think they might end up getting very creative with the positions. There is talk Tejada might play 1st base and they could move Hanley to the outfield and put Reyes at shortstop. If they can find a way to bat Reyes and Hanley 1-2 they will cause a lot of problems for team. They also have been hurt by Carlos Marmol not participating as he could have been the closer they need. This team has a lot of talent and is a serious threat to win the title if they can utilize their ability.

1. USA
Pool C
2006 Result: 3-3 Lost in Round 2 Pool
Probable Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH Chipper Jones
LF Ryan Braun
3B David Wright
1B Kevin Youkillis
C Brian McCann
RF Shane Victorino
CF Curtis Granderson

Notable Pitchers: Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Jonathon Broxton, J.J. Putz

Assets: Very well-rounded lineup, pitching depth, middle relief
Issues: Starting Pitching, outfield depth
Outlook: Team USA is in the unique position of being able to form the type of team they want. Judging by the roster they are looking for a bunch of relievers instead of starters. That strategy has taken a hit with Joe Nathan and Brian Fuentes not participating due to injuries. They still have plenty of players that can come in for an inning and get it done like Scot Shields, Matt Thorton, Brad Ziegler and Jonathon Broxton. They may not be as sexy as Clemens but they should be able to fulfill their roles. The lineup is perfectly balanced. There are veterans in Chipper, Jeter and Rollins and their is youth in Braun, Granderson and Pedroia. They have speed and they have power. The most important thing is they all hit for high average. Of the probable starters only Jimmy Rollins hit below .280 last year and he hit .277. 5 of the starters hit over.300. There biggest issues will be overconfidence and the fact that they are the hunted. But if this team plays with pride and matches the intensity of the other countries they should be in the mix for the 2009 World Baseball Classic title.