As we pass the quarter-mark of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, the substantial conversation pieces barely begin to emerge. Who ranks where in the hitting categories? Who leads all hurlers in strikeouts? Which teams are for real and which ones are posing?
Each new season brings big surprises with it. It's a classic scenario to have teams come out of nowhere during April and May. It’s also a classic scenario to see them fall flat on their face as we move along into the dog-days of summer.
Despite the lack of a true salary-cap, baseball still provides us with variety.
We surely are too early in the season to project anything, but rankings are so much fun. Thinking about how each team stacks up against one another might be a futile exercise, but it makes you think of pennant-race baseball.
One team right now stands tall above the others, the Oakland Athletics led by Billy Beane. Some might call it “Money-Ball.” I call it great pitching.
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2014 Power Rankings – 5/21/14
10. New York Yankees (23-21)
(Tanaka has been brilliant)
The last spot in the rankings was a toss-up between the Orioles, Blue Jays, and these Yankees. The Yanks receive it by default, but it surely was not earned.
After a solid start, New York has played very mediocre. With a team that targets older free-agents each off-season, injuries are always a factor, and they’re feeling that right now.
Carlos Beltran had easily established himself as their best hitter. Him going down to an elbow injury has the word “surgery” being floated around. The Yanks might not get Beltran back until July now.
On top of that, three-fifths of the starting rotation is gone: CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova. Nova is lost for the season; CC might be gone until July as well; and Pineda will be coming back soon.
The few bright spots for the club is Masahiro Tanaka and Yangervis Solarte. Without those two guys, this team would be in the cellar of the AL East.
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9. Washington Nationals (24-21)
(Can Bryce Harper reach super-star status?)
Just treading water is what the Nats are doing right now. They have dealt with injuries to Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Adam LoRoche. This, along with the Braves success, has DC fans very nervous.
What many people call the most talented team in baseball, the Nats continue to trail the Braves in the division (currently 1.5 games). They are all waiting for Bryce Harper and Steven Strasburg to emerge as the best two players in baseball.
For now though, fans can hang onto the fact that they have played solid ball through tough times.
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8. Colorado Rockies
(Tulo is off to a great start)
Each MLB season brings surprise teams with it. Much like the Brewers, the Rockies qualify as well. Colorado is coming off a 4-6 stretch where they played below average ball. But with the Giants doing the same, they only trail the division leader by two-games.
The thin-air of Colorado brings lineup power. This includes the newcomer star of baseball in 2014, Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon has been tearing the cover off the ball since opening day. He currently sits second in baseball with a .337 BA.
The guy he trails also plays for the Rockies. Troy Tulowitski is doing what he always does which is hit the baseball with the best of them. His .389 BA, 13 HR’s and 35 RBI are the biggest reason for the Rockies success.
He is also the biggest reason for the Rockies failures too as he can never stay healthy. Can 2014 actually be a season which he can be relied on all season long?
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7. Milwaukee Brewers (27-19)
(Ryan Braun has made his comeback count)
Considering their current record, the Brew-Crew should probably be in the top-5. What keeps them out perhaps is recent history.
2011 marked the last season the Brewers made the playoffs, according to Baseball Reference, as they were ousted in six-games by the Cards in the NLCS. In fact, the fans in Milwaukee have only seen playoff baseball four-times in their 46 year franchise history. So to say this club has something to prove would be understating things a tad.
Slugger Ryan Braun has been their brightest spot with a .298 BA and 7 HR’s. This has the organization geeked with silliness because of the fears that he might never return to his old super-star form. Considering all of the drama he’s created for himself the past couple seasons, this has been huge.
Most experts do not think this team can sustain the hot start, especially with the likes of St. Louis, Cincinnati and the struggling Pirates in their division.
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6. Atlanta Braves (25-19)
(Freddie Freeman boasts a powerful lineup)
Somebody has to win the NL East this season. Most dubbed the Nationals the new “most-talented” team in the big-leagues, but they continue to not get those results while the Braves are capitalizing so far in 2014 (much like they did in 2013, winning the East by 10 games over the Nats).
Phenom Craig Kimbrel continues to be the best closer in the game. He has a sparkling 2.20 ERA, 11 saves and oh yeah, 30 K’s in 16.1 innings (almost a 2 to 1 ratio). The rotation has been solid thus far: Alex Wood, Mike Minor and Julio Teheran.
The lineup has some pop in it with Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton, but the lack of speed scares you a little, especially when it comes to high-intensity games. Pitching and situational-hitting is what pennant-race baseball is about, and the Braves boast more of an AL-type lineup (ranking 21st in the league in steals).
This club is solid, but nothing screams greatness at you. They do just enough to win, but not enough to become a real factor.
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5. LA Angels (25-20)
(Trout is best player in the game)
Keeping pace with Oakland is a formidable task, but Mike Trout and company are doing just that as they trail the division leaders by 4 games thanks to a 7-3 mark in their last 10.
The spark that the Angels received this year was in the form of Albert Pujols. They thought it would come in 2013, but hey, better late than never. If Pujols can keep up his ridiculous numbers (12 HR’s, 29 RBI) all season long and Josh Hamilton can come back and stay healthy, then the lineup will be scary.
They seem to be hitting on all cylinders this season, but keeping up with those A’s will be fun to watch all summer-long.
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4. Detroit Tigers (27-14)
(It's championship or bust for Cabrera and Tigers)
Wining seven of their last 10 games, the Detroit Tigers have opened up a six game lead on second-place Minnesota. The goal for Detroit is a World Series Title. It has been for many years and continues this season.
With the emergence of Max Scherzer last season (only 73 K’s in 59 innings so far this season), and the reliable Justin Verlander still in the fold, the rotation remains solid.
This lineup is dangerous at every turn, and the stats reflect it. Newcomer Ian Kinsler has added a much needed dimension to the lineup, and Miguel Cabrera is, well, Miguel Cabrera.
The question the Tigers will have to answer is the bullpen. It seems to be their one Achilles-Heel each season, and 2014 is no different. Closer, and veteran, Joe Nathan already has 11 saves in 2014, but will he be able to get the biggest of outs when needed?
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3. San Francisco Giants (28-18)
(Madison Bumgarner has 65 K's)
San Fran is only a game and a half behind the A’s for the best record in the bigs, but they fall into #3 on this list because of recent play. They have played .500 ball in their past 10 games and if the Colorado does not go 4-6 in their past 10, they could have lost major ground in the NL West.
Possessing a balanced to average lineup is what fans expect from the Giants, however Michael Morse has come in and created a presence that cannot be ignored. Morse has immediately become their most feared power hitter as he’s blasted 10 HR’s to go along with 28 RBI on the season. With Morse, they seem to have a guy (at the moment), that can help protect Buster Posey in that lineup.
If there’s one constant with the top teams in the majors, it’s that their pitching is always solid, and the Giants are no exception. Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner anchor a fierce rotation in San Fran. If Tim Lincecum could ever rediscover that magic he once had, then the Dodgers would never catch up.
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2. St. Louis Cardinals (24-21)
(Adam Wainwright leads league in ERA)
The Cardinals being second on the list is about the respect-factor. Everything this organization touches turns into gold, and again it deals with young arms.
After a sluggish start for many of those arms, they’re starting to turn the corner. Adam Wainwright has been his spectacular-self with seven wins (tied for 1st in NL) and a 1.85 ERA (2nd in NL). Backed up by Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha, few teams in the NL feel eager to face the redbirds.
The birds’ hitting took a major blow with Carlos Beltran leaving for New York this past off-season. But newcomer SS Johnny Peralta has added some much needed pop with his nine HR’s.
The question coming down the stretch will be Mike Matheny’s usage of the bullpen. Young flame-thrower Trevor Rosenthal has struggled huge so far after a great 2013 post-season. Will Matheny pull the trigger on another guy to close or stick with the kid?
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1. Oakland Athletics (29-16)
(Billy Beane is doing it again)
At this point in the season there is no doubt who should top the list: Billy Beane's Oakland A’s. They sit with Major’s best record and are smashing teams night after night. For a mediocre looking team coming into the year, how are they doing it?
The A’s thrive on the underdog-card. They have done it so well for so long that even a movie was created in their leader’s honor. The money-ball concept still breathes in Oakland, and it begins and ends with pitching.
Starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir both have five wins on the young season. They both have a low-end 2.00 ERA and close to a strikeout per inning, according to MLB.com. Kasmir is enjoying a comeback type year any pitcher would dream of having.
On top of the rotation, their bullpen has been dominant. Despite a closer by committee approach, only one guy out of the pen has an ERA north of five (Jim Johnson). Drew Pomeranz and Luke Gregerson have been stellar. Especially Pomeranz who still boasts a poultry 0.94 ERA to along with 27 K’s in 28.2 innings pitched.
Even the more seasoned baseball fans still become surprised every time the A’s shock us. Which is all the time as they have reeled off nine wins in their last 10.
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