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MLB General

MLB Power Rankings for July 11- 2007

The American League has continued its dominance in the All-Star Game, going 10-0 with one tie over the last 11 contests, and they continue to dominate the Power Rankings as well, with the top four teams all coming from the junior circuit.

In other news, it appears Mark Buerhle will officially not be leaving Chicago, and All-Star MVP Ichiro Suzuki could be on the verge of signing a monster contract worth about $100 million, that would make him one of the ten highest paid players per season, in the game.

Rank (Pv)
Team
Record
Comments
1 (1) 53-34
Boston’s All-Star rookie Hideki Okajima has quite possibly been the most dominant relief pitcher in the league. He has an ERA of 0.83 and he’s on pace to allow just four extra base hits on the season, a feat no pitcher in history has ever done.
2 (4) 52-34
So far, Detroit has had the slight edge in head-to-head matchups against Cleveland, winning six of ten.
3 (3) 52-36
I have a feeling the Indians and Tigers will have a back and forth battle for the division lead all season, and with the Mariners on their heels, the loser might not be guaranteed the wild card. They will play each other eight more times this year.
4 (2) 53-35
At one point in the season, the Angels were clearly the best team in baseball, however, heading into the All-Star break they’ve lost three out of their last four series. Worse, is the teams they’ve been losing to: the Royals, the Rangers, and the Yankees, three teams that are each at least ten games back in their divisions, and a combined 25 games under .500.
5 (6) 49-38
Although he’s been a cancer everywhere he’s played, Milton Bradley could be just the sparkplug the Padres need to ignite their offense. He’s a career .271 hitter, who has notched double-digit homeruns in each of the last four seasons, his best of which came in 2004 with cross-state rival Los Angeles.
6 (7) 49-40
Dodgers prospect Chin-Lung Hu was named MVP of the Futures Game. The Taiwanese shortstop has hit .329 with an OPS of .887 at AA.
7 (8) 49-39
Time will tell if phenom Yovani Gallardo could be the missing arm the Brewers need to hold on to their division lead and make a run in the playoffs. He’s struck out 23 hitters in 24 innings and currently has an ERA of 3.38.
8 (10) 49-36
Jeff Weaver’s first six starts were historically bad, with six consecutive losses and an ERA of 14.32. He spent a couple weeks on the disabled list, refused a minor league rehab start, and had the abnormally pleasant Seattle fans calling for his head. Since then, he’s gone 2-0, with an ERA well under 2.00. In five of his six starts he’s allowed one earned run or less.
9 (9) 48-39
Tom Glavine needs to step it up, if he’s going to get to win No. 300 before the season ends. Granted, he’s only three shy, and a Hall of Fame lock one way or the other, but he’s only had four wins in his last 15 starts. The Mets are 11-8 in games he pitches.
10 (5) 47-43
The Diamondbacks ride into this week’s rankings without a win since the week 13 rankings.
11 (13) 47-42
Scott Thorman hasn’t exactly filled the shoes of departed first baseman Adam Laroche, hitting just .217 and slugging .391.
12 (11) 44-44
The A’s are nine games back of the division lead, at the All-Star break, farther back than they’ve been in any season since 2001.
13 (12) 44-44
Give some credit to the Phillies players for getting their hands dirty and helping out with the tarp at Coors Field.
14 (14) 42-43
If the Yankees have any shot of getting back into the playoff picture the time is now. Their next 28 games are against teams that are no better than one game over .500 and 21 of which are against teams with losing records.
15 (15) 45-43
Realistically the Twins are still within striking distance in the Central. They are only eight games back, which is closer than the Athletics or the Yankees are in their respective divisions.
16 (16) 44-43
Rich Hill has cooled off significantly after his torrid start, when he opened the season with an ERA of 1.73 after his first six starts. Since then he’s allowed four earned runs or more in six of his eleven starts.
17 (17) 44-44
Jason Hirsh hasn’t been as effective as the guy he was traded for, Jason Jennings, but consider that he’s only 25. When Jennings was 25 he had an ERA of 5.51, while Hirsh, in his first Major League season, is currently at 4.90.
18 (18) 44-43
Matt Stairs is a guy that should have some value for an NL team in the playoff hunt. A veteran guy with power, he’s putting up almost career numbers this year, at .287 and 13 homeruns. He’s hit at least 12 homeruns every year since 1996.
19 (19) 42-47
It’s hard to find a team that has produced more pitching talent than the Florida Marlins. Over the past number of years Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, Trevor Hoffman, Ryan Dempster and Antonio Alfonseca all made their debuts with Florida, while Rob Nen played with the Marlins in his first season, and Braden Looper played with them in his second.
20 (20) 38-48
What was Bruce Bochy thinking, leaving the division-winning Padres last season, in favor of the division basement inhabiting Giants.
21 (24) 40-45
Granted, the All-Star Game is an exhibition, but leaving Albert Pujols, one of the games greatest pure hitters, on the bench, when even a walk would tie the game, was a huge mistake. On the other hand, in games that matter, Pujols is in the middle of his worst homerun drought as a professional, 74 games.
22 (21) 39-50
Now that he’s gotten enough at-bats to qualify, Hunter Pence leads the NL in hitting, at .342.
23 (25) 40-48
Only having one All-Star (Freddy Sanchez) sort of shows how bad the Pirates are, but they did have several players more deserving of All-Star status than he was, including Xavier Nady, Ian Snell, and Tom Gorzelanny.
24 (22) 38-49
After a fantastic year in 2006, Chris Ray has been unimpressive this season, with a 4.89 ERA and four blown saves. He blew only five all last year.
25 (23) 39-47
The Buerhle signing was a good move, especially considering what the market has been like for 28-year old lefties with decent track records. However, there is still the questions marks of Jermaine Dye, Jose Contreras…
26 (28) 38-50
Don’t look now, but the Royals have won three out of their last four series, including a sweep of the Angels and two out of three from the Mariners.
27 (27) 36-52
I’m really stretching to find something nice to say about the Nationals, for once, so here goes… The Nationals are one of only five teams without a pitcher on their team with an ERA higher than 9.00. The others are Boston, Milwaukee, San Diego, and San Francisco.
28 (29) 38-50
Despite missing almost two years due to various surgeries, Eric Gagne still has what it takes to be dominant. He’s 2-0, converting 13 of 14 saves with an ERA of 1.37 and a WHIP of .99.
29 (30) 36-52
The Reds haven’t lost a game since the last week’s rankings, but that hasn’t been enough to keep them out of the NL cellar.
30 (26) 34-53
I will give Tampa Bay credit for one thing. Having live Devil Rays at the stadium is kind of a cool gimmick. Unfortunately the stadium and team are so terrible, there really is no other reason to go to the park.

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