MLB Power Rankings: The Top & Bottom

Below I will take a look at the top 5 teams in MLB after the first few weeks of the season, and the bottom 5 teams as well.

These teams have either gotten off to fast starts and look to be legit contenders, or are not performing well and look like they may be in for a long season.  Agree, disagree?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Lets Start At The Top With The Cream Of The Crop

1. Oakland (1^st in AL West):  These guys have such a unique mentality.  Its never about what they don’t have, instead it is all about maximizing what they do have.

Isn’t it funny how Oakland never pushes the panic button when other AL West foes spend a fortune in the offseason? Injuries to their starting staff early on did not even cause a blink.  Strong veterans coupled with a calm even keeled coach have made this the team to beat.

2. Brewers (1^st in NL Central): Can the pitching hold up? It has been better than expected to this point.  Although Milwaukee pitchers give up the long ball, their BB are low and K’s are high.  It has worked to this point with Matt Garza being the only unreliable starter.  K-rod is turning back the clock with a perfect 13-13 in converted saves.  They deserve this spot, but I am in a wait in see approach.

3. Braves (tie 1^st in NL West): Pitching wins.  It’s a pretty simple concept.  The Braves always seem to make smart decisions when it comes to pitching transactions.  Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang have been astute pickups. Not to mention Tehran’s emergence as a number one starter.  With all the swinging and missing going on in Atlanta, there will be no shortage of breezes  making their way through Turner Field this summer.

4. Tigers (1^st in NL Central): With their beast, Miguel Cabrera finally waking up from his winter slumber, Detroit is ready to roll.  The pitching staff has come out firing with a deep starting staff.  It doesn’t appear that there will be any Cy Young hangover for Max Scherzer.  As long as they keep their eye on the prize, they will be a top team all year long.

5. Giants (1^st in NL West): Never underestimate a team that has been to the promised land and claimed the ultimate prize.  They made a shrewd move with the pickup of Tim Hudson in the offseason.  That addition strengthened a staff that was already the backbone of two championship runs.

And Work Ourselves Way Down To The Bottom

30. D-Backs (5^th in NL West): You can assume that the D is for disaster.  The pitching was a little shaky to start the season, but no one could have predicted this.  Losing centerpiece players like Patrick Corbin and Mark Trumbo are back-breakers and it will certainly test Kirk Gibson’s abilities to keep the ship afloat.

29. Astros (5^th in AL West):  As of Friday, Houston was the only team that had not registered 200 hits for the season.  In contrast, the Rockies had collected over 300. Their prospects are going to keep this season interesting for the baseball world.  The Lastros are certainly the team of tomorrow and not the team of today.

28. San Diego (4^th in NL West): I guess what bothers me about Padres is the park more than anything.  They proclaim that it is a pitchers park much like Safeco Field in Seattle, but all it does is lead to frustrated hitters.  Their .217 team average is brutal and while they have some solid pieces, they are going to share the basement with the D-backs in the west.

27. Cubs (5^th in NL Central): Never a good thing when ex-players (Matt Garza) are warning current players not to extend their contracts  in the Windy City.  Chicago has not found the right combination of players to be competitive while they rebuild.  Certainly Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro are talented, but I don’t trust them hitting 3-4 in the lineup.  More patience is going to be required to see this through.

26. Indians (5^th in AL Central): I doubt Cleveland will stay in the bottom 5 for long.  However, they are not pitching particularly well (1.41 Whip) and kicking the ball all over the place (29^th in fielding percentage).  The Indians are a streaky team as evidenced by last seasons second half surge.  They will have to be patient as Nick Swisher, Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera work out of early season funks.