Week 6 Power Rankings; Tampa Bay Rays own 2010 Baseball Season

Another week in the books for the 2010 baseball season and another dominating week for the Tampa Bay Rays. This team is not going anywhere despite the fact they will have a target on their back all season that the Red Sox and Yankees will try to hit. The NL West is the unsung division in baseball, boasting four legitimate threats to make the playoffs. The Cincinnati Reds are this week's biggest mover though, taking first place away from the St. Louis Cardinals.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (26-11): Their biggest question is who is the ace between Matt Garza, David Price and James Shields. They have all been fantastic this season.
2. New York Yankees (24-13): Phil Hughes might be the Cy Young through the first month and a half (5-0, 1.65 ERA).
3. Philadelphia Phillies (23-13): Shane Victorino is third in the NL with 32 RBIs.
4. Minnesota Twins (23-14): The best defensive team in baseball. Probably the best coached too.
5. San Diego Padres (22-15): 2.64 team ERA. Incredible. Get to know Mat Latos- he has given up three hits and no runs over 17 innings in his last two starts.
6. San Francisco Giants (21-15): Juan Uribe's 23 RBIs are five more than any other Giant.
7. Cincinnati Reds (21-16): Won 8 of 10 and look like a real threat to the Cardinals in the Central.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (21-17): They had led the NL Central every day since last July until back-to-back losses to the Reds.
9. Toronto Blue Jays (23-16): This offense ceases to amaze me. Their 60 homers and 102 doubles easily outpace the rest of the majors.
10. Detroit Tigers (22-16): An incredible 5-2 week against Boston and New York.
11. Los Angeles Dodgers (20-17): Seven game win streak despite an injury to Andre Ethier.
12. Texas Rangers (20-18): The class of the West. A three game losing streak yet still lead the division by two games.
13. Florida Marlins (20-18): Starting to put together with a 6-1 week including a four game sweep against the Mets.
14. Colorado Rockies (19-18): Ubaldo Jimenez Cy Young update: 7-1, 1.12 ERA.
14. Washington Nationals (20-18): Ran into a Rockies buzzsaw, but still see themselves over .500 in the middle of May.
16. Boston Red Sox (19-19): Who would have thought this team is second to last in the American League with a 4.83 ERA, better than only the Royals.
17. Atlanta Braves (18-19): The Braves are playing better lately, but have only four saves in 37 games.
18. Oakland Athletics (18-20): Their freefall may not be over even with a five game losing streak already in the books.
19. Los Angeles Angels (18-21): They could really have used Vlad Guerrero for another year after seeing him light it up for the Rangers.
20. New York Mets (18-20): If this season continues to be a roller coaster, Jerry Manuel might not be around for much longer.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates (16-21): An impressive 5-1 against the Cubs. Not much else to brag about this year.
22. Chicago Cubs (16-22): Carlos Zambrano has to pitch like a Cy Young when (if) he returns to the rotation for this team to have a prayer of a good season.
23. Cleveland Indians (15-20): Mitch Talbot has been a bright spot this season (5-2, 3.23 ERA).
24. Chicago White Sox (15-22): Jake Peavy looks like he has turned around. Now only if Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle could figure it out.
25. Milwaukee Brewers (15-22): I can't stress it enough, the Brewers need so much more pitching to contend (5.20 team ERA).
26. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-23): Speaking of bad pitching. The D-Backs team ERA of 5.80 ranks dead last in the majors.
27. Seattle Mariners (14-23): Has to be frustrating to be a Mariners fan. They just can't put a winning club out there regardless of the talent on the field.
28. Kansas City Royals (14-24): Zack Greinke watch is over. He finally collected his first win even with one of his outings of the year.
29. Houston Astros (13-24): 110 runs rank last in the NL.
30. Baltimore Orioles (12-26): Ty Wiggington's having a career year (.320, 12 homers, 24 RBIs).

Week 5 Power Rankings; Even a perfect game can't derail Rays

The AL East continues to be the class of the MLB even with the Boston Red Sox still hovering around .500. A surprising mainstay in the top-10 continues to be the San Diego Padres while the hard charging Giants continue to impress with their dynamic starting pitching.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (22-9): A two game losing streak and the second perfect game thrown against them in a year makes the Rays only 13-3 on the road now.
2. New York Yankees (21-9): Mark Teixiera could be coming out of his shell following that three homer game.
3. Minnesota Twins (21-11): Joe Mauer's return should keep this team in first for a long time.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (20-12): Adam Wainwright picked up right where he left off last year (5-1, 2.08 ERA).
5. Philadelphia Phillies (19-12): Jayson Werth has been unheralded this season (.349, 7 homers, 26 RBI).
6. San Francisco Giants (18-12): As if Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain weren't enough. Barry Zito is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA.
7. San Diego Padres (19-12): Have allowed a league low 97 runs this season, tied with the Giants.
8. Texas Rangers (18-14): Elvis Andrus could be the latest young star in this league.
9. Oakland A's (17-15): Dallas Braden's perfect game leaps his team into the top 10 for the week.
10. Toronto Blue Jays (19-14): Good young pitching and hitting. This team is better than I ever thought.
11. Detroit Tigers (17-14): They have played only 12 homes games this year.
12. Washington Nationals (17-14): I was tempted to put them in the top 10. Scott Olsen and Livan Hernandez have been one of the best 1-2 punches this year. Incredible.
13. New York Mets (17-14): Incredible their record is this good with their well-documented bullpen struggles.
14. Cincinnati Reds (16-15): Still need to pitch better, but might be the second best team in the weak NL Central.
15. Boston Red Sox (16-16): This team of great pitchers leads the league in runs allowed at 177.
16. Colorado Rockies (15-16): No consistency outside of Ubaldo Jimenez.
17. Milwaukee Brewers (15-16): A sweep of the Diamondbacks always helps. But they need to beat teams with good pitchers.
18. Los Angeles Dodgers (14-17): All of a sudden Andre Ethier is a triple crown contender (.383, 10 homers, 32 RBI).
19. Florida Marlins (14-17): Josh Johnson has 47 strikeouts in 43 innings.
20. Anaheim Angels (14-19): Another team known for good pitching in the past is tied with the Red Sox with 177 runs allowed, worst in the AL.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-17): Swept the Cubs last week and that's about all they have done this season.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-18): It's a shame Dan Haren doesn't play for a better team.
23. Atlanta Braves (13-18): A troubling 5-14 road record.
24. Chicago White Sox (13-19): Bobby Jenks' closing days could be over after a disastrous weekend against the Blue Jays.
25. Chicago Cubs (14-18): 1-5 trip against the Pirates and Reds could be a very bad sign for the Cubs this season.
26. Seattle Mariners (12-19): Just when you thought this team was figuring it out, they lose 8 of 9.
27. Cleveland Indians (11-18): At least Cleveland fans still have LeBron and the Cavs.
28. Kansas City Royals (11-21): I will keep lamenting Zack Greinke's bad luck until he picks up a win (0-4, 2.51 ERA).
29. Houston Astros (10-21): The worst part of this start is that 22 of the 31 games have been played at home.
30. Baltimore Orioles (9-23): Rank in the bottom five in six top offensive AND pitching categories.

Week 4 Power Rankings, Balanced Rays remain at top

Teams no longer have the "It's only April" excuse as the baseball season moves into the month of May. The AL East and NL East look like the best divisions in baseball so far, but it looks like there will be plenty of competition out west in both leagues. The central divisions? I'm not too sure about them after one month of baseball.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (18-7): Another solid start for Evan Longoria: .347, 6 homers and 19 RBIs.
2. New York Yankees (16-8): Robinson Cano might be the MVP in the AL so far.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (17-8): Four wins apiece for Carpenter and Wainwright. This division should be theirs in a runaway.
4. Minnesota Twins (16-9): Still only played nine games at their new home Target Field (6-3).
5. Philadelphia Phillies (14-10): Huge contract for Howard and another week atop the NL East...barely.
6. San Diego Padres (16-9): Third in the majors with a team 2.76 ERA.
7. Detroit Tigers (16-10): Could D-Train be back after posting six shutout innings?
8. New York Mets (14-11): Just lost two straight and Santana was shelled, but have to be impressed by their short-lived surge to first place.
9. San Francisco Giants (14-10): Pablo Sandoval is going to be asked to do a lot for the Giants to contend...and he will answer.
10. Florida Marlins (13-12): Big matchup tomorrow with Anibal Sanchez going up against Tim Lincecum.
11. Texas Rangers (13-12): Three straight wins finds the Rangers atop the AL West.
12. Chicago Cubs (13-13): When this team hits, they really hit. When they don't, not so much.
13. Washington Nationals (13-12): Next nine are against division rivals.
14. Toronto Blue Jays (13-13): I feel bad for this team playing in front of some very, very small home crowds.
15. Oakland A's (13-13): Ben Sheets career looks over and it's a true shame.
16. Colorado Rockies (12-13): The Rockies need a healthy Jorge de la Rosa.
17. Cincinnati Reds (12-13): One game under, but a -29 run differential.
18. Los Angeles Angels (12-14): Same story as the Reds, Minus-28 run differential.
19. Los Angeles Dodgers (11-14): Opposite side for the other LA team. Three games under with just a -2 run differential.
20. Boston Red Sox (11-14): Each week they find themselves this low is each week their deficit to the Rays and Yankees grows.
21. Seattle Mariners (11-14): Can't ask for much more from Cliff Lee in his seven inning shutout debut.
22. Atlanta Braves (11-14): Snapped their nine game losing streak with a current three game winning streak.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (11-14): They lead the NL with 144 runs scored and 155 runs allowed. Yikes.
24. Chicago White Sox (10-15): Worst batting average in the league as well as highest ERA from starting pitchers. Double Yikes.
25. Milwaukee Brewers (10-15): They need better than a 5.09 team ERA to compete for the Wild Card.
26. Kansas City Royals (10-15): I feel for Zack Greinke. The Cy Young winner is 0-3 with a 2.27 ERA and even tinier 0.98 WHIP.
27. Cleveland Indians (10-14): They have a major league low 85 runs scored.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (10-15): Their -89 run differential is the worst in the majors...by 45 runs, more than double.
29. Baltimore Orioles (7-18): Climb out of the cellar with a sweep of the Red Sox.
30. Houston Astros (8-16): After a promising climb, the Astros failed to win a game last week.

American and National League Players and Pitchers of the Month

Friday marked the final day of April and the end of the first month of baseball. We have seen all-star players slump while young athletes ascend the tower of baseball stardom. There have been plenty of Cy Young and MVP performances through April, but only one player in each league will be awarded as the best player or pitcher in baseball for April. This is not part of the segment, but my teams of April have to be the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Diego Padres. The Rays went 17-6, beating the Yankees 2 of 3 and sweeping the Red Sox in Boston in a four game series. The Padres, who I picked to finish last in the NL West, has been the surprise of the 2010 baseball season along with the Washington Nationals. The Padres went 15-8 in April and I still can't name an All-star on the team outside of slugger Adrian Gonzalez.

American League Player of the Month: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees second baseman. With Mark Teixeira hitting under the Mendoza line in April and Alex Rodriguez only off to an average start, Cano has carried this team. He is lead the American League in hitting at .400 and hit 8 home runs and drove in 18 runs in April. He leads the league with 23 runs and is second in on-base percentage, slugging and on-base plus slugging. And all of this from a second baseman. Once Mark Teixeira comes around, this Yankees team is really going to push the Rays for American League supremacy.

American League Pitcher of the Month: Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays. I wanted to pick Francisco Liriano here, but I couldn't resist with Garza. I've been waiting the last few years for Garza to fully reach his potential and he has showed it this year. He went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in April and 34 strikeouts in five starts. Aside from his start against Toronto when he allowed five runs in five innings, Garza only allowed three runs in 30 innings pitched in his other four starts. Along with another pitcher of the month nominee, David Price, the Rays are in this for the long haul. They have the pitching and certainly have the lineup. Garza on his game makes the Rays a top three World Series contender.

National League Player of the Month: Jorge Cantu, Florida Marlins third baseman. A lot of good choices here including Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp and of course, Albert Pujols. But I'm going to go with Jorge Cantu. I think the Marlins are a real wild card contender if Cantu continues his hot April. Cantu hit .311 in April with five homers and 23 RBIs. He opened the season with 10 straight games with a hit and RBI and the Marlins went 11-12 in the first month. They could have found themselves in a much bigger hole if not for Cantu. The National League East is very competitive and Hanley Ramirez needs help on the Marlins offense. Cantu has been that answer so far.

National League Pitcher of the Month: Ubaldo Jimenez. Again, there are a lot of contenders including former Cy Young winners Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito. But there is no doubting Jimenez's dominance in April. Not only did he throw a no hitter against the Braves, but he went 5-0 in April with a minuscule 0.79 ERA. He's given up just three runs in 34.1 innings and batters are hitting just .186 against him. Jimenez ended April by running off three scoreless starts spanning a total of 22.1 innings. The Rockies were just 6-12 when Jimenez did not pitch in April.

Week 3 Power Rankings

Nothing in the last week has swayed my opinion that the Tampa Bay Rays have been the best team in baseball this April. They have some close competition this week from their division rival, the New York Yankees. A couple surprise teams surge in this week's rankings while the Astros continue to spite me for trashing them after the first week with their current hot stretch.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (14-5): David Price showed how good he is with his first, of what should be many more to come, shutout on Sunday.
2. New York Yankees (12-6): Andy Pettitte still has plenty left evident his league leading 1.29 ERA.
3. Minnesota Twins (13-6): Morneau and Mauer. It doesn't get much better. You'll find their names splattered across all the statistical leaderboards.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (11-7): Halladay looking for a quick 5-0 start to his season.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (11-7): We almost forgot about Albert Pujols until he jacked two homers over the weekend.
6. San Diego Padres (11-8): I know, I can hardly believe it myself. Too bad they only have the third best run differential in their division (+12).
7. Florida Marlins (11-9): Josh Johnson will lead this team to the wild card. Book it.
8. Oakland A's (12-8): Still don't see an offensive player I can really count on, but the pitching has been great.
9. San Francisco Giants (10-8): The return of Barry Zito! He is 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA. Now if they could only give Matt Cain some run support.
10. Colorado Rockies (10-9): Ubaldo Jimenez is simply a star. He's a Cy Young contender this year. Can't say it enough.
11. Detroit Tigers (11-9): Cabrera is mashing with 5 homers and 24 RBIs while hitting .363.
12. Los Angeles Angels (10-10): I think we are way past any great hopes for Scott Kazmir. He just walks too many hitters and throws way too many pitches.
13. New York Mets (10-9): The Ike Davis factor must be contagious in the Big Apple.
14. Toronto Blue Jays (10-9): As potent as this offense can be, the Jays actually have -5 run differential on the year.
15. Chicago Cubs (10-9): No distraction for the Cubs moving Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen. They just swept their neighbors to the north in Milwaukee.
16. Washington Nationals (10-9): Please bring up Steven Strasburg (0.73 ERA in double-A). This team could legitimately be fun to watch this year.
17. Seattle Mariners (9-10): Tough sweep in Chicago, but they have King Felix going for them tonight.
18. Los Angeles Dodgers (8-10): Manny Ramirez on the DL hurts, but stay tuned on Matt Kemp. This guy is the next big thing.
19. Milwaukee Brewers (8-10): That last Matt Kemp comment? It goes double for Ryan Braun. They are the two most exciting players in the NL not named Pujols.
20. Cleveland Indians (8-10): Have to love the resurgence of Fausto Carmona, 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA.
21. Boston Red Sox (8-11): Why wouldn't you be worried about David Ortiz with.164 average and 4 RBIs?
22. Chicago White Sox: Three straight wins in their final at bat and another gem from new staff ace John Danks (3-0, 1.55 ERA).
23. Atlanta Braves (8-10): Tough weekend against the Mets finds this team in last place after three weeks.
24. Houston Astros (8-10): The return of Lance Berkman and an impressive 8-2 record since starting the season 0-8.
25. Cincinnati Reds (8-11): This team just needs a hot streak. They have been perfectly mediocre for years now and need to make the next step now.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks (8-10): Mark Reynolds sure does strike out a lot, but he's been awful productive again this season when he does make contact.
27. Texas Rangers (8-11): Same as the Reds comment except this team probably has more talent.
28. Kansas City Royals (7-11): The offense has actually been good so far led by Jose Guillen and hitting machine Scott Podsednik.
29. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-11): So much for being over .500. The Pirates have lost six straight since that historic feat.
30. Baltimore Orioles (3-16): Oh, don't worry, the schedule gets much easier with their next two weeks against the Yankees, Red Sox, Yankees and Twins. Good luck to all you Orioles fans this season.

Chicago Cubs move Carlos Zambrano to bullpen

In a surprising move today, the Chicago Cubs moved "staff ace" Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, to apparently serve as the 8th inning setup man. This is the same Carlos Zambrano that made his sixth opening day start for the Cubs just over two weeks ago, a franchise record. His demotion is to make room for Ted Lilly, who is slated to make his first start of the year this Saturday in Milwaukee.

Zambrano has struggled this year, but so has most of the Cubs team. The pitching has received no support and the team sports a 5-9 record, only half a game better than the last place Houston Astros in the NL Central. And to make matters worse, the Astros took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend. So while it may not be fair to single out Zambrano, the Cubs do have a point.

Their bullpen is 1-6 with four blown saves and an ERA over 6. An 8th inning setup guy to get to Carlos Marmol is essential. Zambrano is really the only guy from the rotation they can turn to. Lilly has arguably been their best pitcher the last four years, Dempster has had a strong start to this season as have Carlos Silva and Tom Gorezelanny, who probably wouldn't improve this bullpen anyways. Randy Wells could not be an option, but he has showed he's a promising starter for the Cubs.

Zambrano has a power arm and bad stats while in the rotation. He is the perfect "solution" to the disaster that is the Cubs bullpen. Zambrano is 1-2 in four starts with a 7.45 ERA and 1.86 WHIP. So while Zambrano might deserve to be in the bullpen, he has a proven track record and is one of the highest paid players on the team. He is making 18.75 million this season and has more than $71 million left on a six year contract extension he signed in 2007. The Cubs can't really get any value for him at this point, but they need to do something to get a spark in him or make him valuable to the team, something he hasn't been this year.

But I wouldn't hit the panic button yet. He could succeed in the bullpen, acting as a stopgap in the 8th inning before the Cubs can acquire another reliever. Maybe he would return to the rotation with more motivation and earn his astronomical paycheck. Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny can't possibly hold up through the entire season. I mean Silva has only given up one run in two starts. Zambrano is still only 28 and has a 106-70 career record with a 3.56 ERA.

Cubs fans should be worried, but they should've been worried already. This team needs a lot of help and not just in the bullpen.

Week 2 Power Rankings, Rays surging

After two weeks I still feel confident in saying the American League East has two elite teams. Unfortunately for Red Sox Nation, Boston is not of those two teams. The Rays and Yankees will not only battle each other for a division title, but now power rankings supremacy as well.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (10-3): 7-0 on the road and just polished off a four-game sweep in Fenway. This team looks scary good.
2. New York Yankees (9-3): Once Mark Teixiera picks it up, watch out for the Yanks.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (8-4): They can hit, pitch and play defense. They also have this guy named Halladay on their team.
4. Minnesota Twins (9-4): You gotta love the new Target Field. The Twins lineup isn't too shabby either.
5. San Francisco Giants (8-4): Two weeks into the season and I can't think of any pitcher that will prevent Tim Lincecum from his third straight Cy Young.
6. St. Louis Cardinals (8-4): 20 innings of craziness just to lose. Tough game, but the Cardinals need Matt Holliday to return to form.
7. Florida Marlins (8-5): The end of Jorge Cantu's streak, but two straight wins against the Phillies make this Marlins a team a serious wild card contender.
8. Oakland A's (9-5): Oakland pitching has only allowed 47 runs in 14 games.
9. Colorado Rockies (6-6): Two blown saves for Franklin Morales, but the Rockies will have Huston Street when it really counts.
10. Detroit Tigers (7-5): This team can hit, but can they pitch?
11. Atlanta Braves (7-5): The NL East is just as competitive as the AL. Jason Heyward update: 3 homers and 15 RBIs. Wow.
12. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-5): They're either blown out or winning a close game. Don't know if they'll get this high again the power rankings.
13. Seattle Mariners (6-7): A nice four game winning streak has the team in the thick of it again.
14. Texas Rangers (5-7): All four teams in the AL West could be in it in the final weeks. Nelson Cruz is a beast.
15. Anaheim Angels (6-7): Balanced team top to bottom. Just worried there might not be enough starpower.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (7-6): Vernon Wells keeps raking. Six homers and 11 RBIs.
17. Cleveland Indians (6-6): This could be the best team in the league if they only play the White Sox all year (5-1).
18. Chicago Cubs (5-7): Disarray throughout this team, but Carlos Silva has pitched unbelievably for the Cubs in two starts.
19. Washington Nationals (6-6): Can anyone score on Livan Hernandez?
20. Boston Red Sox (4-9): This team is in trouble fast if Ortiz and Drew's bats don't wake up. Swept at Fenway in a four game set?
21. Milwaukee Brewers (5-7): I just don't see any pitchers you can count on day in and day out.
22. Los Angeles Dodgers (6-6): Manny Ramirez needs to build off that pinch hit home run.
23. San Diego Padres (6-6): I don't know how they did it, but the Padres are .500 through two weeks.
24. Chicago White Sox (4-9): Hard to believe a team with a rotation as good as their and a bullpen that's even better is this bad through two weeks.
25. Cincinnati Reds (5-8): I wanted to see a big start from this Reds team and it's just not happening.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks (5-7): Chris Young is off to a hot start with three homers and 15 RBIs.
27. New York Mets (4-8): Francisco Rodriguez estimated he threw more than 100 pitches in the bullpen warming up for about 10 innings straight in the Mets 2-1 victory.
28. Kansas City Royals (5-7): Scott Podsednik leads the AL hitting at an astounding .457 clip.
29. Houston Astros (3-9): Out of the cellar thanks to two wins against the Cubs over the weekend.
30. Baltimore Orioles (2-11): Hey, at least they have one win each week after knocking off Oakland on Sunday.

Spotlight on Jorge Cantu; looks to continue record streak against Roy Halladay

It is definitely time to give Florida Marlins first baseman Jorge Cantu the credit he deserves. He has arguably been the best player in the majors this season as he takes a 10 game hit and RBI streak to open the season into the Marlins game tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies and Roy Halladay. Cantu has been a major reason the Marlins have opened the season 6-4, good enough for second in the NL East behind the Phillies.

I acknowledge that by writing this, I am potentially jinxing a major league record to open the season. But I am wiping myself clean of any bad mojo based on the fact he will be up against arguably this year's best pitcher in Halladay tonight. The former Cy Young winner has already posted a 2-0 record with a 0.56 ERA through two starts. A big game from Cantu, and a Marlins victory tonight, would go a long way in determining just how good this team could be this year.

But back to Cantu. He is actually riding a 14 game RBI streak dating back to the end of last season. That puts him three games behind the record held by Ray Grimes way back in 1922. Mike Piazza drove in a run in 15 straight games in 2000 for the Mets. Cantu, now a first baseman, was dogged in years past for his ineptitude at second base and sometimes alarmingly low on-base percentage, but if you look at the power stats, Cantu has had three impressive seasons since becoming a full time player for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005.

In 2005, Cantu hit .286 with 28 homers and 117 RBIs, but only drew 19 walks for a .311 OBP. In 2008 he hit .277 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs and last year hit .289 with 16 homers and 100 RBIs. He even had a .345 OBP last year, the highest in his career.

So why has Cantu been so overlooked as part of this young, dynamic Marlins offense. He's still only 28 and if the first two weeks are any indication, this might be his best season yet. Remember, most baseball players are in their prime from age 27 to 32, so we could expect huge things for Cantu over the next few years. He's hitting .308 with three home runs and a major league leading 15 RBI's, tied with Albert Pujols, through 10 games. Anytime you are tied with Albert Pujols in any offensive category at any point in the season, it's a good season for that player. His OBP is at a career high .378 this year. He is slugging .692, nearly 200 points higher than his best year. He's also 10th in the NL in Runs Created, at 9.6.

Cantu won't give you much more than his offensive production as he lacks speed and defensive ability. But at first base, not much is asked of him, and with speedsters Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin on the team, the Marlins don't need Cantu to steal bases. (He only has 11 steals for his career). He's only struck out more than 100 times once in a season and had 87 strikeouts last year. He's had back-to-back 40+ double seasons and provides a consistent bat in a young lineup.

On a team with just one true offensive star, Hanley Ramirez, Cantu is quickly becoming the second most reliable player on the team. Cantu seemed an afterthought when he followed a strong 2005 season with a clunker in '06 and a nearly non-existent 52 games in '07 between the Rays and Reds. But Cantu has really re-invented himself in Florida and will be a major reason why the Marlins will contend for the National League Wild Card this year.

Upside down out west in the American League

I'm heading out west again, but this time to the American League. The western divisions in each league don't always get the attention they deserve and so far the other divisions pretty much seem to what we expected (the Blue Jays will fade rapidly). So the AL West actually becomes a very captivating division. All four teams at this point have a legitimate hope they could win this division crown.

Let's check out the standings even though it's way too early to take much meaning from it. The Oakland Athletics are atop the division at 6-3 with a +15 run differential. The pitching has been dominant, with a major league leading 2.69 ERA. The offense is averaging about 4.5 runs a game and will have to produce at a similar rate all season for this team to win. The problem is, there aren't many guys you can count on in the lineup. Seriously, I don't know if there is one player I would be thrilled to have on my team. Check out the roster for yourself.


I don't think Oakland will be a contender unless their pitching starts to remind of us of the days of Hudson, Zito and Mulder. So I'm going to say right now that the Texas Rangers are the team to beat out west the rest of the season. The Rangers are 4-3, but have allowed a league-low 24 runs. Also take into consideration, six of those 24 runs were allowed in the 9th inning of two games courtesy of ex-closer Frankie Francisco. With flame-throwing Neftali Feliz anchoring the bullpen now, this team is going to pick up more wins. Texas, as has been the case the last two decades, is loaded on offense with weapons, led by Nelson Cruz, who has already hit five home runs and as far as I'm concerned, might be the most powerful man in baseball.

I predicted at the beginning of the season that the Mariners would win this division with the Angels in second. I still think Seattle is going to be strong once Cliff Lee returns. Felix Hernandez is going to be a Cy Young contender and the back of the rotation has pitched alright so far. They are 3-6 but have a few one-run losses that could have gone either way. Once the offense starts meshing with Chone Figgins, Ichiro and Milton Bradley, the Mariners should get in contention. I expect them to be in this race all year.

As for the Angels, they have to miss John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero. The pitching has given up an AL high 54 runs and the Angels have the second worst run differential in the American League at -20. They have a potent offensive attack in the past, but rank only 9th in the league in scoring this season. I wouldn't panic too early, but I just don't see enough pitching on that team to come out on top in this division. And all four teams should count out the Wild Card. They will all beat up on each too much. Throw in the fact the Rays look great in the early goings and the Red Sox will be at 90+ wins by the end of this.

Whoever ends up with the best division record may be the team punching their ticket to the playoffs. Stay tuned, the Angels reign could be at an end.

Are the San Francisco Giants National League pennant contenders?

I don't think I had this question on my mind a week ago. And I hate to jump to conclusions in April baseball (remember the Orioles led the AL East in 2005 for two months before finishing 74-88), but man, the San Francisco Giants look good and the NL West looks really good. So, are the San Francisco Giants NL pennant contenders? Their 6-1 record is tops in the majors with the Phillies.

Let's just walk through the Giants start to the season and maybe a few of you will follow this team a little closer this season. And bear in mind, as author of this blog, I reserve the right to completely change my opinion next week.

The first thing that jumps out to me about the Giants is their starting pitching. Two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum looks, surprise surprise, dominting through his first two starts. Try this on for size, 2-0 record with 1.29 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 14 innings. It's possible he gets the three peat this year, especially if he continues on that incredible pace. Barry Zito is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Matt Cain had a decent first start and we can expect another great year out of him with a career 3.53 ERA and 163+ strikeouts in each of the last four seasons. Todd Wellemeyer and Jonathan Sanchez may not be the best four or five starters, but neither are terrible and Sanchez has the potential to bring electric stuff out to the mound any given start. Just check out his no-hitter last year.

The Giants have a team 2.82 ERA, first in the National League, and a 40-23 run differential on the year. Their top four bullpen guys, Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, Guillermo Mota and Dan Runzler haven't allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings.

But the pitching shouldn't be too big of a surprise, even if it still remarkably good through seven games. It's the offense that has caught my eye. Going up against division rivals like the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants knew they were going to have to score runs. Pitching can only take you so far. Sometimes you just have to score some runs. Ask Matt Cain about that, 3.53 ERA, 44-51 career record.

The Giants are batting .294 as a team, fourth in the majors. Edgar Renteria has made an immediate impact. Renteria is hitting .440 with a 1.157 OPS. And that's with an 0-4 yesterday against the Pirates. Renteria isn't the only one raking. Bengie Molina is hitting .421 with 7 RBIs and the panda Pablo Sandoval is hitting .414 with a 1.158 OPS. Not bad considering new acquistion Mark DeRosa is about the only one not hitting on this team with a .217 average. I expect those very high averages to come down to earth and DeRosa to settle in around .285.

Now this offensive output will most certainly not continue, but it's good for manager Bruce Bochy to know his team at least has the capability for an offensive outpouring on any given night. Yes, the Giants started against the hapless Astros, but took 2 of 3 from a quality Atlanta Braves team that they may be competing against for the wild card.

I still like the Rockies to win this division, but if a big injury hits them Jeff Francis can't produce on the mound, the Giants could make a giant leap in this 2010 season and find themselves in the playoffs. But its only been seven games. Stay tuned.

Week 1 Power Rankings

Well we made it through the opening week of the baseball season and I think there is only one team that I feel confident in saying can stop dreaming of the playoffs. Astros fans, you know who I'm talking about. The teams we expected to win division titles have played well for the most part and a couple surprise teams earn a higher ranking in this week's edition of Power Rankings. Who would have thought the Oakland A's would be 5-2 or the Toronto Blue Jays at 5-1? The rankings should even out to what I expect in the next few weeks, but for week one, let's give the underdogs some praise.


1. Philadelphia Phillies (6-1): The offense is unstoppable and Doc Halladay is better than advertised.
2. San Francisco Giants (5-1): The league's last unbeaten has hit surprisingly well.
3. New York Yankees (4-2): Series wins against Boston and Tampa is a great start for the champs.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (5-2): Albert Pujols hit his 5th homer today. Enough said.
5. Minnesota Twins (5-2): 5-2 on the opening road trip with 10 home runs and about to knock off the Red Sox in Target Field debut.
6. Toronto Blue Jays (5-1): Vernon Wells needs more than just a hot start for the Jays to sustain this.
7. Oakland A's (5-2): The pitching should continue to be good, but I really worry about this lineup.
8. Tampa Bay Rays (3-3): Have to pleased with David Price's outing vs the Yankees (7 2/3 innings, 3 runs, 7 strikeouts, win).
9. Boston Red Sox (3-3): This team will hit and pitch this year, but their pitching hasn't really impressed me yet.
10. Detroit Tigers (5-2): Miguel Cabrera while drinking was special. Now that he's not, he's on another level (.481 BA,.588 OBP, 1.292 OPS, 8 RBI).
11. Florida Marlins (4-2): This is going to be a wild year for this young team. Four wins in six games, yet a minus-5 run differential.
12. Atlanta Braves (3-3): Get used to hearing about Jason Heyward. He's the real deal.
13. Colorado Rockies (3-3): Troy Tulowitzki is going to have a monster year, mark my word.
14. Texas Rangers (4-3): Over .500 yet a disappointment with two 9th inning blown save losses for now ex-closer Frankie Francisco.
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (4-2): Doesn't hurt to have the Pirates to beat up. Although ask the Dodgers about that.
16. Cincinnati Reds (3-3): This team should contend for the wild card if they get more efforts from rookie Mike Leake (6 2/3 innings, 1 run).
17. Chicago White Sox (2-4): The starting pitching looks like a top five team. Too bad the offense is nonexistent outside Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates (3-3): A split on the first week of the season is something to celebrate in Pittsburgh.
19. Chicago Cubs (3-4): Same story in Chicago as the South Side, quality starting pitching with no offensive support.
20. Milwaukee Brewers (3-4): Boy, Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf need to pitch better if this team has any chance.
21. Seattle Mariners (2-4): I still dare any team to go up against Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. It's just that Lee needs to get on the mound for the M's.
22. New York Mets (2-4): +5 run differential, but I'm not thrilled about Johan Santana's last outing (5 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks).
23. Washington Nationals (3-4): Steven Strasburg looked good in his debut...in the minors.
24. Los Angeles Dodgers (2-4): It's become extremely evident the Dodgers needed some starting pitching help in the offseason.
25. Los Angeles Angels (2-5): Looks like a completely different team with some familiar faces gone.
26. Kansas City Royals (3-4): Not a bad week considering Zack Greinke hasn't won a game yet.
27. Cleveland Indians (2-5): Lost four in a row winning the opening series against the White Sox.
28. Sand Diego Padres (2-4): I love to watch Adrian Gonzales play and not much else with the Padres.
29. Baltimore Orioles (1-5): A couple blown saves has the Orioles close to desperation. At least they're not the...
30. Houston Astros (0-7): Not much to say about this team. Outscored 42-13 in first seven games.

C.C. Sabathia loses no hitter in 8th, Yankees climb over .500

I have a feeling we should all get used to the American League East domination. It's the same thing every year, but I think we always hold out hope that the Yankees or Red Sox will ultimately choke, or fail to make it to the playoffs, which seems to never happen. Both teams look sharp already and Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia almost threw a no-hitter on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays in a 10-0 Yankees victory, falling four outs short of the heroic feat.

The impressive thing about Sabathia's performance and the Yankees/Red Sox domination is that the Rays are probably good enough to win every other division in all of baseball except probably the NL East where the Phillies might be the best team in baseball.

C.C. Sabathia did not surrender a hit to a balanced Rays offense for 7 2/3 innings last night before Kelly Shoppach broke up the no-no in the 8th. Sabathia threw 111 pitches and left the game after losing the no hitter. When Sabathia throws well, and this was about as good as ever, the Yankees are pretty much unstoppable. Sabathia's performance last night puts opening day's stinker in the rear view mirror and it's full steam ahead now for the ace and the Yankees.

Sabathia lasted just 5 1/3 inning on opening day against Boston, giving up five runs and 6 hits while walking two and striking out four. Yesterday, he gave up just the one hit and two walks while striking out five.

The Yankees are now 3-2, playing in Boston and Tampay Bay, so expect this team to take off when its schedule gets a little kinder and returns to Yankee Stadium. After Sunday's game against Tampa, the Yankees start a 21 game stretch that includes six against the Angels, six against the Orioles, and three each with the White Sox, Rangers and Oakland A's. Expect the Yankees to be hitting their peak when they travel to Fenway Park May 7.

Through just five games, The Red Sox (4-1), Rays (3-2) and Yankees (3-2) are all over .500. This could be the start of a season where all three teams could potentially challenge to win 100 games. The start of the season has not disappointed for those who enjoy this ongoing AL East battle. It will be A.J. Burnett for the Yankees against Rays ace James Shields on Sunday at 1:40 Eastern in Tampa Bay.

White Sox offense looks anemic

Everything went right for the Chicago White Sox on opening day. Mark Buehrle put behind his late season slump and gave the Sox seven scoreless innings allowing only three hits while making the best defensive play in the early goings of this baseball season. Paul Konerko and Alex Rios connected for home runs and the bullpen looked solid in shutting the Cleveland Indians down in the 8th and 9th innings in a 6-0 victory.

Optimism was extremely high after opening day for White Sox fans. Then the next two games came and went, and the Sox found themselves at 1-2, losing their first home series of the year to last year’s worst team in the AL Central. The Indians came back and knocked off the White Sox 5-3 in both losses, the latter in 11 innings. The White Sox will now stay in Chicago for a three game set against their biggest rivals, the Minnesota Twins. So what went wrong on Wednesday and Thursday?

Well the weather was certainly a reverse of a beautiful opening day game, but the Sox’s woes began and ended with the offense. A balanced team that combines small ball, speed and power just has not produced. The White Sox have just 14 hits in three games, and Thursday’s game went 11 innings in a 5-3 loss. So the Sox have been up to bat in 28 innings and only have 14 hits to show for it. Only one player is batting over .250 and that’s Gordon Beckham at .273. Only four hitters are hitting above .167. Paul Konerko has two home runs and 5 RBI and Carlos Quentin has a home run and 3 RBI on the season. The rest of the team combined has 2 RBI.

I know it’s way too early in the season to get into statistics, but the Sox vast hitting ineptitude has to at least be brought into the conversation. All spring training, the talk was about the starting rotation; If the offense picks up the slack, watch out for this White Sox team. The three starting pitchers, Buehrle, Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd have pitched well enough, throwing 18 innings and only allowing five earned runs for a 2.50 ERA. But the offense needs to produce runs if this team is serious about winning the AL Central.

Newcomer third baseman Mark Teahen is yet to get a hit in three games and has looked terrible in the process. After watching Teahen fan at two breaking balls way out of the strike zone last night, my expectations for him this year immediately dropped. He was great on the Royals hitting against the White Sox, but that has not transitioned in a White Sox uniform following up a poor spring training as well. He does have four walks though. Andruw Jones and Mark Kotsay have combined to go hitless and Alexei Ramirez and Alex Rios only have one hit apiece through three games.

While the White Sox are only batting .154 as a team, last in the American League, they do have a high on-base percentage. They have already drawn 19 walks, but haven’t done much with those runners. The Sox were 2-11 with runners in scoring position last night. The lack of hitting could be contributed to the wild pitchers they are facing. They may face another one tonight in Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano, but should have plenty of chances to pick up hits against Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn over the weekend, who do not want to walk batters.

The bullpen has showed some promise with Matt Thornton having a blistering start, striking out six batters in three innings while reaching 97 mph on the radar. However, Thornton gave up the game-tying double in the bottom of the 8th last night that eventually led to a White Sox defeat. Bobby Jenks looks like he is going to have to work for every out with his velocity down. J.J. Putz took the loss the last night in two innings of work, but threw well on opening day. Sergio Santos is a flamethrowing rookie that could really make a difference. He got the Sox out of a tight spot last night in the seventh inning, allowing no baserunners after he replaced Gavin Floyd.

The bullpen has given up five runs in 11 innings so far and I don’t have a real gripe with any of the pitchers. It’s extremely difficult to evaluate pitchers after only three games. Time will tell how this bullpen holds up.

The White Sox will trot out John Danks, Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle against the Twins this weekend. The offense need to pick it up and take at least two of three games to end the first week on a high note.

I still think the White Sox are going to win the AL Central with about 90 wins, but my tone might change in the coming weeks if this offense continues its pathetic output.

Predictions for 2010 Baseball Season

Opening Day for baseball means 30 baseball teams have the dream of winning the World Series or at least making the playoffs. Now, only 8 will make it, and it looks like it will be similar to last year's entrants.

TIn honor of baseball's opening week, here are my predictions for the playoffs, World Series and individual awards of MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.

Which teams do you think will make the playoffs and World Series? Will this year's World Series be a rematch from last year?

American League East: 1. Yankees 2. Red Sox 3. Rays 4. Orioles 5. Blue Jays: Just too much power and pitching for the New York Yankees. At worst they will take the wild card.

American League Central: 1. White Sox 2. Twins 3. Tigers 4. Royals 5. Indians: This will be a battle to 90 wins for the top three teams. The Chicago White Sox pitching will be the difference as the Twins will not overcome the loss of closer Joe Nathan.

American League West: 1. Mariners 2. Angels 3. Rangers 4. A's: Another tight division at the top. If Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez and eventually Eric Bedard are healthy, the Seattle Mariners will win with pitching and speed (think Chone Figgins AND Ichiro).

American League Wild Card: Boston Red Sox: Josh Beckett, John Jackey and Jon Lester are all ace pitchers and happen to play for the same team. Way too much pitching not to make the playoffs, but the Tampa Bay Rays will threaten the Red Sox.

National League East: 1. Phillies 2. Marlins 3. Braves 4. Mets 5. Nationals: The Phillies should dominate this division, though the Marlins and Braves should be good too. Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Should I say more?

National League Central: 1. Cardinals 2. Brewers 3. Cubs 4. Reds 5. Astros 6. Pirates: Too many stars for the St. Louis Cardinals to lose this division. Pujols, Holliday, Carpenter and Wainwright are all elite players.

National League West: 1. Rockies 2. Dodgers 3. Giants 4. Diamondbacks 5. Padres: Another great division, but I just like the Rockies all around game and attitude. Expect a big win streak to vault them to the top.

National League Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have some question marks, but Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier should be great and if Manny Ramirez starts playing for a 2011 contract, watch out.

WORLD SERIES: Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago White Sox in 6 games: It will only take one year for Roy Halladay to reap the benefits of leaving Toronto and the AL East. The White Sox have a balanced lineup and great pitching and will upset the Yankees or Red Sox to reach their second World Series in the last five years.

American League MVP: Joe Mauer: He could quickly become the Albert Pujols of the American League, which means he will be in the top-3 in MVP voting every year. We will see how the new stadium affects him, but I'm looking at a 30 home run, .360 season for Mauer.

National League MVP: Ryan Braun: This kid can just straight up hit and if the Brewers make a run at the NL Wild Card, he will be why. I only worry that he could ultimately split votes with teammate Prince Fielder. My backup picks are Chase Utley, Troy Tulowitzki and of course, the baseball god himself, Albert Pujols.

American League Cy Young: Felix Hernandez: If the Mariners are going to win the AL West, King Felix is going to have another huge year. I'm looking at a 21-5 record with a sub-3.00 ERA for a team that will win 90-95 games. He could lead the league in strikeouts, ERA and wins. He only gets better and will be one of the top five pitchers in the league for the next decade.

National League Cy Young: Roy Halladay: So this is what it will be like not to pitch against the Yankees and Red Sox all season. Halladay should easily win more than 20 games with that lineup behind him and the Phillies are the best team in the National League. This is the year for the world to take notice just how good Roy Halladay is.

American League Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz: This guy is a fireballer and whether he is a starter or pitching in relief, Feliz is going to strike people out.

National League Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward: Heyward is a starting outfielder for the Atlanta Braves and I expect to hit well his first season. It's not unreasonable to expect 25 hours. The Braves have some good pitching and Heyward is the future for the Braves offense. This could be a runaway.