Latest MLB Power Rankings
Should the World Get Ready for a Red Sox-Brewers World Series?
While some could have foreseen that the Red Sox would have the best record in the American League, nobody predicted the Milwaukee Brewers would lead the Senior Circuit.
Here they are. The latest MLB Power Rankings.
1. Boston Red Sox (20-10). Although they may not have the best record in the Major Leagues – that distinction belongs to the Brewers – the Red Sox are the best team in baseball. At least right now they are. The Sox sit atop the American League East, five and a half games ahead of the second place New York Yankees. Boston has been led by great hitting from David Ortiz (.298 BA, 8 HR, 25 RBI) and some very fine pitching from Josh Beckett (6-0, 2.72 ERA) and Curt Schilling (4-1, 3.28).
2. Milwaukee Brewers (21-10). Who are these guys? Nobody, but nobody, thought this team would compete in, let alone dominate, the National League Central division. But five weeks into the season, the Brew Crew has the best record in baseball and a five game lead over the Chicago Cubs. Youngsters J.J. Hardy (.339 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI) and Prince Fielder (.298, 9 HR, 26 RBI) form the best tandem of hitters in Milwaukee since Gentle Ben Oglivie and Sixto Lezcano led the team to 95 wins in 1979. With the Cardinals reeling from a whole host of troubles and the Astros losing out on the Roger Clemens sweepstakes, the NL Central is up for grabs, and the Crew is showing everybody that they will grab exactly what they want.
3. New York Mets (19-11). Last year’s National League East champs have gotten off to another strong start behind the superb all-around play of Jose Reyes. The 23-year old shortstop, who is hitting .351 with 20 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases may just be the most complete player in the game. Leading the pitching staff is surprise ace John Maine, who is 5-0 and has the best ERA in all of baseball, at 1.37.
4. Atlanta Braves (19-11). Write this down. No matter what happens, the Braves are always good. Always. Make it your mantra. It's always true. John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox both deserve raises, no matter how much money they may already be making. This team just never goes away. Although very few experts gave Atlanta much of a chance in spring training, it is now pretty clear that they will fight the Mets tooth and nail all season long for National League supremacy.
5. Cleveland Indians (18-10). C.C. Sabathia (a.k.a. “Big Fatty”) hasn’t let his weight slow him down this season. The 300-pound lefthander has been the Indians ace with a 5-0 record and a very respectable 3.45 ERA. He’s gotten a lot of help from fellow starter Aaron Fultz (3-0, 2.70 ERA) and a potent offense that has been led by Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta (that's how he spells it) and Travis Hafner.
6. Detroit Tigers (19-11). Pitching wins championships, and the Tigers have plenty of it. Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander have given the team 15 quality starts in 19 combined appearances, and Todd Jones has a league-best 12 saves. With Gary Sheffield finally starting to hit, the Tigers are starting to look pretty deadly.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-13). While the fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather was a dandy, the best imaginable bout would be a slugfest between the aforementioned C.C. Sabathia and the Dodgers' modern day version of a Woolly Mammoth: the six-foot four-inch, 295-pound Jonathan Broxton. That would be something to watch. Until Don King gets the rights to that fight, however, Dodgers fans will have to be content to watch the big man pitch. With a 1.08 ERA and 16 Ks in 16 innings, Broxton sure is something to see. Now, if only Big Blue had some hitting.
8. San Diego Padres (17-14). Good team, weak division. They will fight it out with the Dodgers all year. 87 victories will win the National League West.
9. Los Angeles Angels (17-15). Vladimir Guerrero (.362, 9 HR, 30 RBI) has been the second best hitter in the American League over the first five weeks of the season. Only Alex Rodriguez (.353, 14 HR, 37 RBI) has outslugged Vlad the Impaler. If the Angels could only find someone else who could hit better than Jim Mason, they would be in the top five in the MLB Power Rankings.
10. New York Yankees (14-15). For the first 23 games of the season, the Yankees looked a lot like the New York Knights before they got Roy Hobbs. Bad fielding, a lack of timely hitting, and most of all, horrendous pitching defined the Yankees of April. But as the great calendar in the sky turned its page to the month of May, the Bombers have taken off. The squad won 5 out of 6 in the past week, behind five quality starts and two nearly historic pitching performances from Phil Hughes (who threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings in just his second career start) and Chien-Ming Wang (who took a perfect game into the 8th inning on Saturday, May 5). They also signed Roger Clemens.
