There was a lot of movement in this week's rankings, but the usual suspects are still hanging around at the top. Where does your favorite team rank? Let's take a look at the rankings for week nine:
30. Chicago Cubs (Last Week: 29)
The Cubs are back to the bottom this week, even though they won their last two games. We don't mean to show too much negativity towards the Cubs, but this article will make Chicago fans cringe.
29. Houston Astros (Last Week: 30)
The Astros have won three games in a row. One player from Houston that I'm very intrigued by is Dallas Keuchel - Keuchel has 2.92 ERA and won his fifth game of the season last night. Any pitcher that can post an ERA under three for the Astros deserves some attention.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Week: 28)
The Diamondbacks have had little to smile about so far this season. One thing they can smile about, however, has been the play of Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt has been crushing the ball this season, and leads Arizona in basically every offensive statistic except stolen bases. It will be interesting to see if Goldschmidt finds his name on the NL MVP ballot again this season.
27. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Week: 26)
Philadelphia fans need to be really concerned with the recent news about Cliff Lee's elbow. The Phillies are waiting for the results of an MRI that hopefully won't place Lee in the long line of pitchers that have suffered serious injuries this season.
26. Cleveland Indians (Last Week: 25)
The Indians have had a tough time in the field this season, leading all of Major League Baseball with 45 errors. Cleveland will have to learn how to field better if they want to be competitive in the AL Central.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Week: 27)
The Pirates have started to heat up a little bit and win some games. Sterling Marte has had an impressive month, hitting .333 with three home runs. Pittsburgh needs to string some wins together, though, if they want to make the postseason again.
24. Seattle Mariners (Last Week: 24)
Robinson Cano has been hitting well this season, but he just hasn't put up his usual power numbers. Cano is hitting .318, but so far has only hit one home run this year. The Mariners are hoping he can find the long ball soon, as they have one the weakest offenses in Major League Baseball.
23. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Week: 19)
The Rays have hit a rough stretch, only winning three games out of their last ten. David Price and Chris Archer have been the only starting pitching that Tampa Bay can rely, with the rest of the pitching staff decimated by injuries. Joe Maddon is an incredible manager, and it will be interesting to see how he tries to solve this problem.
22. San Diego Padres (Last Week: 23)
The Padres dodged what appeared to be another huge blow to their pitching staff this season. Andrew Cashner's elbow MRI revealed that the issue was just soreness, and he won't require surgery. Like I've said many times before...if this team can find some offense somewhere, they'll be dangerous.
21. Chicago White Sox (Last Week: 16)
Chicago lost rookie slugger Jose Abreu to the disabled list this week. The White Sox have the worst pitching in the entire Major League, and Chris Sale can't come back soon enough.
20. Boston Red Sox (Last Week: 17)
The Red Sox signed Stephen Drew to a one-year deal today. This will add a much-needed bat to the Boston lineup, which has collectively hit just .243 so far this season.
19. Miami Marlins (Last Week: 18)
The Marlins finally return home after a vicious road trip. Miami has only won three games out their last ten, and the batting splits between their home and away games are remarkable. The Marlins hit .296 in Miami, but they only hit a lowly .232 on the road.
18. Kansas City Royals (Last Week: 22)
Kansas City moves up several spots this week, and the Royals have found ways to win this season. One thing that jumped off the paper to me about this team is that they're at the very bottom of the league in home runs hit. So far, the Royals have gone yard a league-worst 20 times.
17. Minnesota Twins (Last Week: 21)
The Twins are another AL Central team on the rise. Minnesota's ERA as a team is better than only the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox. It will be interesting to see if the Twins try to pick up some starting pitching as the season continues.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Week: 20)
On any given day, the Blue Jays could have the best lineup in baseball. If this team can find enough quality pitching throughout the season, they won't be far out from the top of their division. Jose Bautista has definitely shown that he's back to his old self, with 11 home runs already.
15. New York Mets (Last Week: 14)
With the loss of Dillon Gee to the disabled list, the Mets' pitching situation is very unstable. My question is this: why is Jenrry Mejia not a steady part of the Mets rotation? Mejia leads New York with four wins, yet was placed in a save opportunity recently. Maybe I'm seeing something different, but pitching is a void that the Mets will need to fill quickly somehow.
14. Cincinnati Reds (Last Week: 15)
The Reds might not be back at .500 yet, but Cincinnati is figuring it out. Unfortunately, the Reds have had to play recently without Joey Votto in the lineup - Cincinnati is hoping that Votto can avoid a stint on the disabled list with a quadriceps injury, but only time will tell at this point.
13. Texas Rangers (Last Week: 10)
Prince Fielder has been one of the biggest disappointments of this season up to this point. Fielder has now suffered a neck injury that the Rangers are hoping won't cause him to go on the DL. So far, Fielder has only hit for a .247 average, with just three home runs.
12. New York Yankees (Last Week: 9)
The Yankees are just barely sitting on top of the AL East, sporting a half-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles. Masahiro Tanaka has been a beast so far for New York, winning six games already this season. The Yankees will hope he continues his success, especially with the injuries to C.C. Sabathia and Michael Pineda.
11. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Week: 7)
The Dodgers have suffered a recent losing skid, but they still boast one of the best offenses in baseball. The Dodgers have ran better than any other team in Major League Baseball this season by far, stealing 50 bases already this season. The next best has been the Cincinnati Reds, who have 37 stolen bases.
10. Washington Nationals (Last Week: 13)
The Nationals have suffered a ridiculous number of injuries, but they haven't let any excuses get in the way of a successful season. Washington is only a game and a half behind the Atlanta Braves in their division, and their pitching continues to be strong.
9. Baltimore Orioles (Last Week: 11)
The Orioles don't have much of an overpowering offense, but they make up for it with their efficiency on defense. So far, the Orioles have only committed 20 errors so far this season, which is the second-best total in Major League Baseball. Remember, saving runs is almost as good as scoring them.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (Last Week: 12)
The Cardinals really proved themselves to me last weekend when they took two of three against the Atlanta Braves. Adam Wainwright appears as though he's going to be on the NL Cy Young ballot at the end of the season, but the Cardinals will find a lot more success if they can improve their performance at the plate.
7. Colorado Rockies (Last Week: 6)
Troy Tulowitzki has been phenomenal at the plate this season, currently hitting .393. Tulowitzki and the rest of Rockies have put up astronomical offensive numbers so far, hitting an amazing .299 as a team. How far will their bats be able to take them?
6. Los Angeles Angels (Last Week: 8)
The Angels have won seven out of their last ten and have found a formula for success. Albert Pujols has been back to his usual self this season, already blasting 12 home runs. It will be interesting to see if Mike Trout can get close to the numbers he produced a year ago.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Week: 3)
The Brewers have found a lot of strength in their starting pitching, which was very underrated coming into the 2014 season. Milwaukee's offense is a different story, however, and the Brewers have been very mediocre at the plate so far. One exception to this has been catcher Jonathon Lucroy. Lucroy is hitting .311 this season, already with 19 hits in the month of May alone.
4. Atlanta Braves (Last Week: 5)
The Braves' pitching staff continues to provide solid outings, as they have a league-best 2.82 ERA as a staff. The problem lies in the Braves' bats, as they haven't been able to overcome a deficit past the seventh inning all season long.
3. San Francisco Giants (Last Week: 2)
The Giants continue to play great baseball. Michael Morse could arguably be the best free agent outfielder acquisition of this past offseason. Will the Giants be able to hold off the Dodgers for yet another year in the NL West?
2. Oakland Athletics (Last Week: 4)
Oakland has been playing amazing baseball recently. The A's post the best run differential in Major League Baseball with +95 runs - better than the entire AL East combined.
1. Detroit Tigers (Last Week: 1)
The Tigers stay at the top of my power rankings again this week, as they continue to heat up the diamond and build a lead in the AL Central. This team is hitting on all cylinders now that Miguel Cabrera is back to his usual self - Cabrera will be in the thick of the AL MVP race again this season.
Disagree? Be sure to let me know on twitter @griffaldo.
Back to the MLB Newsfeed