Here’s the power rankings after the MLB’s week 16. I missed last week so the rank in brackets is actually from two weeks ago (hence the Padres and Rangers dropping 11 spaces). Questions and comments are, as always, appreciated.
Rank(Pv) |
Team |
Record |
Comments |
| 1(2) |  |
65-34 | The White Sox did the right thing putting Frank Thomas on the DL. They don’t really need him unless something terrible happens, so why not let him rest a little now. |
| 2(1) |  |
63-36 | Larry Walker just went on the DL, but it doesn’t really matter too much since the Cards have a 10.5 game lead on the Astros. |
| 3(4) |  |
59-41 | Kelvim Escobar should be back in about a month, which would be huge for the Angels. In 7 starts before his injury, he had a K/9 ratio of 10.18. |
| 4(5) |  |
56-44 | In eight starts since being called up from AA, plus a couple pinch hit appearances, Jeff Francoeur is hitting .385. |
| 5(7) |  |
55-45 | I’m not sure if Curt Schilling is quite ready to move back into the rotation, but at least he’s helping out the depleted bullpen a bit. |
| 6(13) |  |
54-46 | I know Billy Beane says he’s done dealing, but it would be great for the A’s if they could acquire Adam Dunn. Oakland strikes out the least of any team in the league, so they could afford a player like Dunn to strike out a lot. |
| 7(10) |  |
53-45 | Despite his horrible start and the rumors of being sent down, Jason Giambi now leads the AL in OBP. At .441 he’s 21 points higher than the guy in second, A-Rod. |
| 8(12) |  |
53-47 | Roger Clemens’ ERA has continued to drop as the Astros approach the Wild Card. It’s now at 1.40. |
| 9(3) |  |
55-45 | The last thing the Nationals need is for their ace, Livan Hernandez, to go crazy in the middle of their losing skid. He said he was contemplating retirement at the end of the season, and that he was, “tired of something. … I’ll tell you when the season’s over. I’m mad.” Of course, he retracted the comments but I’m still a little worried about the guy. |
| 10(6) |  |
53-46 | You can’t help but feel jealous of the Twins for Joe Mauer. A 22-year old catcher hitting .307? When he figures out how to hit for power in the majors, watch out. |
| 11(14) |  |
52-49 | Cleveland’s keeping good pace in the Wild Card race, but I can’t help but think how much better they’d be if they had a semi-decent manager. Casey Blake is batting .200 this month, yet he still plays every day. |
| 12(16) |  |
52-49 | Bobby Abreu needs two more home runs to become the first non-Bonds with seven straight 20/20 seasons. |
| 13(19) |  |
51-49 | Oh look another Cubs pitcher on the DL! They have to move Kerry Wood to the bullpen now, but I don’t know if pitching every other day will be any better for his health than starting every five games. |
| 14(18) |  |
51-49 | The Mets are said to be pursuing Alfonso Soriano, which I suppose means they’ve given up on Kaz Matsui. |
| 15(11) |  |
51-48 | It’s null and void now, but I wouldn’t have liked the deal for Phil Nevin from the Oriole’s point of view. The need pitching desperately, not more hitting. |
| 16(17) |  |
50-49 | Gustavo Chacin needs to turn in more outings like the 8-inning shutout of the Angels yesterday for the Blue Jays to have any chance whatsoever in the AL East or at the Wild Card. |
| 17(15) |  |
49-48 | A.J. Burnett seems like he’s going to every team in the league, but I can’t help but think his ERA is going to be around 4.00 in the AL. |
| 18(20) |  |
50-50 | Ivan Rodriguez may not have his power stroke anymore, but he is still great defensively. Rodriguez leads all AL catchers by throwing out 47.6% of those who attempt to steal against him. |
| 19(21) |  |
50-51 | The Brewers are just 17-28 in games decided by two runs or less. |
| 20(8) |  |
50-50 | I like the Joe Randa trade, he’s certainly an upgrade over Sean Burroughs. The Padres have lost eight games in a row though. |
| 21(9) |  |
49-50 | The Rangers are only 3-10 so far in the second half. |
| 22(22) |  |
46-54 | Despite being eight games under .500, the Dodgers are still thinking playoffs as they’re only four back from San Diego. |
| 23(22) |  |
48-54 | After a decent start, Brandon Webb is 0-4 with a 7.18 ERA in July. |
| 24(25) |  |
44-56 | The Pirates are 4-1 against the Marlins this year, surely to be 5-1 after future Cy Young award winner Zach Duke pitches tonight. |
| 25(26) |  |
43-56 | The Giants have been pretty mediocre lately, they’re 10-12 in July. |
| 26(23) |  |
43-56 | Richie Sexson has improved from an average start and is hitting .378 with 7 home runs in July. |
| 27(27) |  |
42-58 | It’s a shame the Reds haven’t been able to work out a trade where they give someone Eric Milton (there were a few teams interested a couple weeks ago). I guess his 8.69 ERA on the road might’ve scared them off. |
| 28(29) |  |
37-63 | A 6-5 victory over Toronto Sunday was the Royals’ first in a one run game since June 11. |
| 29(30) |  |
36-65 | The D-Rays are doing pretty well of late, and they’re 8-4 since the All-Star break. |
| 30(28) |  |
36-63 | You want to hear something funny? Since June 1, the Rockies have been the best team in the NL West with a record of 21-28. |