MLB Power Rankings: Week 18 | The Beasts of the (NL) East

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (74-43|1)—Mark Teixeira for MVP? Hey, it could happen. Teixeira has been sizzling (.348 avg/4 RBI/1.097 OPS last week), as have Derek Jeter (.444 avg/3 HR/1.226 OPS last week), Robinson Cano (.400 avg/1.110 OPS last week), Johnny Damon (.364 avg/1.265 OPS last week), and Hideki Matsui (3 HR/6 RBI/1.050 OPS last week). Alex Rodriguez missed a couple of games due to a nagging back and Melky Cabrera (.111 avg last week) has gone cold.

Andy Pettitte (2 ER/13 Ks/14 IP last game) has looked phenomenal, A.J. Burnett hurled yet another quality start, and even Sergio Mitre only yielded one earned run in his last start. Joba Chamberlain (4 ER/6 IP last game) is getting more rest before his next start. Mariano Rivera (4 saves last week) is still one of the most dominating closers in the game.

2. Los Angeles Angels (69-45|2)—The Halos should feel good about sweeping Tampa Bay, but not good about getting blown out by the Orioles. Chone Figgins (.450 avg/4 RBI/1.022 OPS last week) has been on-fire, while it's safe to say that Vladimir Guerrero (.364 avg/1.076 OPS last week) is back as he notched his 400th career home run.

Bobby Abreu (.125 avg last week) has gone cold, while the Angels are lucky to get back Torii Hunter today. Ervin Santana was brilliant in throwing a complete game, three-hit shutout against the Rays, and John Lackey (3 ER/13.2 IP last week) continues to pitch well.

Trevor Bell (4 ER/5.1 IP last game) had a rocky debut for the Halos while Sean O'Sullivan (6 ER/4.2 IP last game) and Jered Weaver (8 ER/3.1 IP last game) struggled big in their last games. Can this offense continue to support the pitching?

3. St. Louis Cardinals (66-52|5)—There's a new No. 1 National League team in town, and it's the Red Birds. Almost every player on this team batted .300+ last week. Since joining the Cardinals, Matt Holliday has been the best player in baseball (.475 avg/5 HR/22 RBI/1.318 OPS).

Yadier Molina (.409 avg last week) keeps on raising his batting average while Skip Schumaker (4 RBI/1.035 OPS last week) has also been swinging a hot bat. Albert Pujols (.333 avg/2 HR/1.196 OPS last week) continues to do his thing.

Adam Wainwright (0 ER/7 IP last game) is a serious Cy Young contender. Everything's clicking as even Kyle Lohse (1 ER/6 IP last game) threw a quality start. Chris Carpenter (2 ER/7 IP last game) and Joel Pineiro (3 ER/13.2 IP last week) have also continued their great years. Is Mitchell Boggs seriously going to be their fifth starter, though?

4. Philadelphia Phillies (65-49|6)—If you were to type in Brad Lidge's name in the twitter search bar after the game yesterday, you would see some of the most graphic language, ever. Lidge blew two more saves last week, for his Major League-leading eight total. The offense really hasn't done anything special.

Chase Utley (.333 avg/4 RBI last week) continues to bat well and Ryan Howard (8 RBI last week) continues to drive in runs. Raul Ibanez (.136 avg last week) has gone missing. Pedro Martinez (3 ER/5 IP last game) looked OK in his return for a guy who has been away from baseball for such a long time.

Joe Blanton (1 ER/7 IP last game) continues to be sharp while Cole Hamels (2 ER/4 BBs/6 IP last game) is irritating to watch. Cliff Lee (1 ER/8 IP last game) could be this year's CC Sabathia, as he has dominated every start so far. The Phillies uncharacteristically committed seven errors last week.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-48|3)—The Dodgers are feeling blue. They did what they needed to and that was win the series against the Giants.

However, to drop two games to Arizona is unacceptable. Jonathan Broxton blew his fifth save of the season and looks unreliable (3 ER/2 IP last week). Manny Ramirez (.478/1.278 OPS last week), Andre Ethier (.333 avg last week), and Matt Kemp (7 RBI last week) have been hot.

The rest of the offense, has not with Rafael Furcal (.217 avg last week), Russell Martin (.095 avg last week), Casey Blake (.150 avg last week), and James Loney (.154 avg last week) all struggling. Hiroki Kuroda was lined in the head with a ball, but the CT scan came back negative, which is good for a team that's already struggling with the back end of its rotation.

6. Texas Rangers (65-50|8)—The return of Ian Kinsler, who homered in his first at-bat back, should really help this offense. Josh Hamilton isn't hitting home runs, but he's still absolutely on-fire (.500 avg/6 RBI/1.205 OPS last week). Elvis Andrus (.381 avg/1.054 OPS last week) is also swing the hot bat. Michael Young (.192 avg last week) has finally cooled down while Hank Blalock (.192 avg/7 Ks last week) is struggling.

The story for the Rangers is their starting pitcher. Tommy Hunter (0 ER/7.2 IP last game) should now be in the Rookie of the Year race. Derek Holland (2 ER/6.2 IP last game) looked great against Boston. Scott Feldman (1 ER/6 IP last game) notched his 12th victory while Kevin Millwood (1 ER/5.2 IP last game) has continued his consistent pitching.

Frank Francisco (6 ER/0.2 IP last game) looked awful, blowing that huge save against Boston.

7. Boston Red Sox (66-50|10)—After getting swept by New York, they took three-of-four from Detroit in an interesting series where Kevin Youkilis started a brawl. JD Drew (.381 avg last week) has been hitting well, but injuries will keep him out for a couple games.

Jason Bay (.360 avg/4 HR/8 RBI/1.387 OPS last week) has been on-fire since returning from his hamstring injury, while Mike Lowell (.350 avg/5 RBI last week) is also swinging a hot bat. David Ortiz (.227 avg last week) has continued his god-awful year while Dustin Pedroia (.217 avg last week) and Jason Varitek (.188 avg last week) are struggling.

Clay Buchholz (1 ER/7 IP last game) was great in his last start and Junichi Tazawa (1 ER/6 Ks/5 IP last game) looked good in his starting debut. Josh Beckett (2 ER/7 IP last game) is one of the frontrunners for the Cy Young. 

8. Colorado Rockies (64-52|7)—Is there a hotter player in baseball than Troy Tulowitzki (.367 avg/3 HR/10 RBI/1.267 OPS last week) right now? It could be teammate Clint Barmes (.364 avg/3 HR/8 RBI/1.258 OPS last week). Todd Helton (.417 avg/1.045 OPS last week) also continues to bat extremely well.

Garrett Atkins has continued his year of struggling (.214 avg last week). Ubaldo Jimenez (0 ER/8 IP last game) is quickly becoming one of the better pitchers in the National League. Jorge De La Rosa (1 ER/7.2 IP last game) also dominated the Cubs and Jason Marquis (1 ER/7 IP last game) finally won for the first time in over three weeks.

Jason Hammel (6 ER/17 H/9 IP last week) has not looked great while Huston Street (4 ER/0.1 IP last game) looked awful coming into relief.

9. San Francisco Giants (63-53|4)—Alright, I'll admit I might have had them a little bit high last week. The Giants dropped an infuriating (benches clearing/bad umping) set to the Dodgers. They're also looking up at the Rockies in the Wild Card race now.

Edgar Renteria (.353 avg last week) is finally starting to bat well while Pablo Sandoval (.333 avg last week) continues to do his thing. It looks like this team still needs a bat, as Bengie Molina (3 RBI last week) led the team in RBI last week. Aaron Rowand (.067 avg last week) has been struggling as has Ryan Garko (.136 avg last week).

Eugenio Velez (.160 avg last week) finally cooled down. The ERA (2 ER/8.2 IP last game) keeps dropping, although he should have gotten the win. Matt Cain (8 ER/14.1 IP last week) hasn't looked great and hasn't been making friends in New York. Barry Zito, Joe Martinez, and Jonathan Sanchez all failed to last past the fifth inning.

10. Florida Marlins (62-54|16)—Not that this needs to be said, but this upcoming series against the Braves is going to be huge. I am never surprised looking at what Hanely Ramirez has done (.500 avg/10 RBI last week).

Oh, and he had a multi-hit game every game last week. Chris Coghlan (.333 avg/6 RBI last week) should at least be in the discussion for Rookie of the Year. Nick Johnson (.190 avg last week) has been struggling.

Josh Johnson (2 ER/13.1 IP last week) continues to dominate and is a Cy Young candidate. Sean West (1 ER/6 IP last game) has also looked good. Chris Volstad (6 ER/4.2 IP last game) has been struggling mightily and Ricky Nolasco (10 ER/3.1 IP last game) finally had a wretched game.

Matt Lindstrom has also looked iffy in relief since returning from the disabled list.

11. Atlanta Braves (61-55|14)—I know I just said it, but I'll say it again: this upcoming series against Florida could determine the season for the Braves. Chipper Jones, fresh off of rest from an oblique injury, has been on-fire (.467 avg/1.196 OPS last week).

Adam LaRoche is having a phenomenal August (.400 avg/1.160 OPS) while Matt Diaz (.385 avg/1.082 OPS last week) has continued his superb play. Yunel Escobar (.133 avg), Garrett Anderson (.190 avg last week), and Brian McCann (.222 avg last week) have been struggling.

The Braves are a real threat because of their pitching staff, which posted a league-best 2.20 ERA last week. Javier Vazquez (1 ER/8 IP last game) continues to dominate and so does Tommy Hanson (1 ER/6.2 IP last game). Derek Lower (5 ER/7 IP last game) notched his fifth straight victory and Jair Jurrjens (2 ER/7 IP last game) continues to be underrated. Hopefully, Rafael Soriano's muscle discomfort isn't anything more serious.

12. Detroit Tigers (62-54|11)—Magglio Ordonez (.412 avg/1.209 OPS last week) has been on-fire for the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera (.333 avg/5 RBI/1.059 OPS last week) continues to put up great numbers. Brandon Inge (.136 avg) hit a walkoff home run, but is strill struggling.

Gerald Laird (.214 avg last week) and Curtis Granderson (.250 avg last week) are also not hitting the ball well. Edwin Jackson (7 ER/18 H/10 IP last week) hasn't looked great while Justin Verlander (0 ER/8 IP last game) absolutely dominated the Red Sox.

Jarrod Washburn (0 ER/8 IP last game) also finally pitched a good game in a Tigers uniform. The tail-end of this rotation is still in question. Hopefully for the Tigers, Armando Galarraga will come back soon and healthy.

13. Tampa Bay Rays (62-54|9)—The Rays got swept by the Angels in an ugly fashion and have now lost six of their last eight games. The offense continues to be put up by the consistent All-Star trio of Carl Crawford (.391 avg/1.090 OPS last week), Jason Bartlett (.370 avg/1.022 OPS last week), and Evan Longoria (.364 avg/5 RBI last week).

Carlos Pena (.188 avg last week) continues to hover around the Mendoza line, Pat Burrell (.150 avg last week) continues to be a bust, and Dioner Navarro (.143 avg last week) continues to stink. There's also problems with BJ Upton being upset after being demoted to the No. 9 spot in the lineup (trade rumors aflaring).

The starting pitching was awful last week, as every starter gave up four or more runs in one of their starts.

14. Seattle Mariners (60-57|13)—The Mariners won three series in a row...and then they ran into the Yankees. To show you how bad their offense is, the Mariners have a -57 run differential despite being three games over the .500 mark.

Adrian Beltre (.500 avg/1.082 OPS last week) is hoping to avoid surgery on a contused testicle. Ken Griffey Jr. (.364 avg/4 RBI last week) is playing better, while Russell Branyan (6 RBI last week) continues to produce runs.

Kenji Johjima (.077 avg last week), Mike Sweeney (.125 avg last week), and Michael Saunders (.143 avg last week) have all been struggling. Felix Hernandez (0 ER/7 IP last game) absolutely dominated the White Sox. Ryan Rowland-Smith (4 ER/13.2 IP last week) has looked good while Luke French (0 ER/6 IP last game) got an undeserving loss. David Aardsma (4 ER/2.2 IP last week) blew his third save of the season and has not looked good as of late.

15. Chicago White Sox (60-57|15)—This could be the end of the Jose Contreras (10 ER/9 IP last week) era in Chicago, as Freddy Garcia is slated to make the start on Tuesday. Gavin Floyd (1 ER/8 IP last game) rebounded well and Mark Buehrle finally pitched great (0 ER/8 IP last game) but got a no-decision.

John Danks (1 ER/8 IP last game) was also stellar in his last start. Alexei Ramirez (.409 avg/3 HR/7 RBI/1.277 OPS last week) has been clutch and on-fire. The rest of the offense has gone missing.

If you watch the White Sox, you know Alex Rios (.200 avg for CWS) has been hitting the ball hard, but he still hasn't performed. Jermaine Dye (.222 avg last week), Carlos Quentin (.240 avg/7 Ks last week), and Jim Thome (.176 avg/8 Ks last week) are all struggling.

16. Chicago Cubs (60-55|12)—Nothing feels better than getting to play the Pirates after being swept by Philadelphia. Jeff Baker (.500 avg/6 RBI/1.298 OPS last week) has been sizzling.

Ryan Theriot (.394 avg last week) continues to be a consistent hitter and Milton Bradley (.333 avg last week) is heating up and now leads the Cubs in on-base percentage. Geovanny soto's struggles have forced a platoon at the catcher position with Koyie Hill (.400 avg last week).

Jake Fox (.321 avg/5 RBI last week) and Derrek Lee (.318 avg/8 RBI last week) have been producing runs. People are now jumping off the Alfonso Soriano (.103 avg last week) bandwagon again. Rich Harden has yieled two earned runs or less in each of his past six starts. Ryan Dempster (6 ER/7 IP last game) got roughed up last game and the Cubs optioned Jeff Samardzija back to Iowa.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (58-58|17)—The Brewers did a major roster overhaul. They designated Bill Hall for assignment, acquired Dave Weathers, sent JJ Hardy down to the minors, and called up Alcides Escobar. Prince Fielder (.435 avg/5 RBI/1.221 OPS last week) would be MVP if there was no Albert Pujols.

Felipe Lopez (.333 avg/6 RBI last week) has also been hot. Ryan Braun (3 HR/5 RBI last week) continues to produce runs. Casey McGehee (.214 avg last week) is struggling for the Brew Crew. Yovani Gallardo (4 ER/13 IP last week) continues to pitch great.

Mike Burns (2 ER/7 IP last game) finally had a stellar performance as a starting pitcher. Carlos Villanueva (2 ER/5.2 IP last game) also looked good. Braden Looper (5 ER/5 IP last game) and Manny Parra (6 ER/5.2 IP last game) are going to have to step up.

18. Toronto Blue Jays (55-60|19)—Remember when they were the best team in the league earlier this year? Lyle Overbay (.471 avg/6 RBI/1.473 OPS last week) has been on-fire. The rest of the offense as struggled. Aaron Hill (.222 avg last week), Vernon Wells (.240 avg/6 Ks last week), and Edwin Encarnacion (.192 avg last week) have not been looking good.

Roy Halladay (3 ER/16 IP last week) still has the Cy Young award to play for. Rookies Scott Richmond and Rickey Romero hurled the minimum to attain quality starts. Neither Brett Cecil nor Marc Rzepcyznski lasted past the fifth inning and Brian Tallet (5 ER/5.2 IP last game) has just looked awful.

Scott Downs is about to start simple rehabbing soon, while Jason Frasor notched two saves last week.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks (54-63|20)—Trent Oeltjen (.400 avg/2 HR/3 RBI/1.207 OPS last week) has been filling Justin Upton's shoes very well. Miguel Montero (.526 avg/6 RBI/1.497 OPS last week) has also been on fire, as has rookie Gerardo Parra (.318 avg/3 RBI last week). Mark Reynolds (.211 avg/2 HR last week) hasn't batted consistently as of late, as Stephen Drew (.136 avg last week) has continued his struggles.

Doug Davis had more RBI than Stephen Drew last week, to put things into perspective. Dan Haren (1 ER/8 IP last game) got back to his winning ways, while Max Scherzer (2 ER/6.2 IP last game), Doug Davis (4 ER/13 IP last week), and Jon Garland (2 ER/6 IP last game) have all looked good.

20. Minnesota Twins (56-60|18)—The Twins have been very disappointing coming down the stretch. Dropping a series to Kansas City is unacceptable. Joe Mauer (.542 avg/2 HR/7 RBI/1.440 OPS last week) is back on the quest to reach the .400 mark. Jason Kubel (.444 avg/6 RBI/1.085 OPS last week) is also continuing his fantastic year.

Denard Span (.190 avg last week) is struggling as Orlando Cabrera (.226 avg last week) finally cooled off. Francisco Liriano (1 ER/8 Ks/7 IP last game) was brilliant in his last start. Scott Baker also looked great in his complete game, two-hit shutout of the Tribe.

Carl Pavano (5 ER/7 IP last game) was roughed up by the Royals as was Nick Blackburn (4 ER/1.2 IP last game).

21. New York Mets (54-62|25)—David Wright took a 94-mph fastball to head from Matt Cain and he had to spend the night in the hospital. Wouldn't it be smart just to throw in the towel and sit Wright the rest of the way? There's three teams ahead of the Mets in the NL East that have a realistic chance to make the playoffs.

Luis Castillo (.450 avg last week) has been hitting the ball well as has Fernando Tatis (.333 avg/4 RBI last week). The Mets offense continues to struggle, as we can from Daniel Murphy (.235 avg last week), Omir Santos (.133 avg last week), and Angel Pagan (.154 avg last week).

Bobby Parnell (0 ER/6 IP last game) looked good in his start against the Giants. Johan Santana (5 ER/14.2 IP last week) continues to do his thing while Livan Hernandez (5 ER/4 IP last game) has struggled. K-Rod cost the Mets another game.

22. Houston Astros (56-61|21)—Kaz Matsui collected his 2,000th career hit as a pro player but he's still struggling (.172 avg last week). Darin Erstad (.417 avg/4 RBI last week) and Hunter Pence (.308 avg/3 HR/8 RBI/1.000 OPS last week) have both been on-fire.

Geoff Blum (5 RBI last week) and Carlos Lee (8 RBI last week) aren't hitting consistently, but they are driving in runs. The return of the Big Puma to the lineup should also aid the Astros. Wandy Rodriguez was both sensational (0 ER/7 IP first game) and atrocious (10 ER/4 IP second game) last week.

Mike Hampton continues to leave games early with different injuries. Brian Moehler lost his fourth consecutive decision and Roy Oswalt (6 ER/5 IP last game) did not look good in his return.

23. Cleveland Indians (50-66|23)—The Indians are trying to play the role of a huge spoiler as they've recently taken wins away from Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, Texas, and Minnesota again. Jamey Carroll (.500 avg/1.319 OPS last week) has been hitting extremely well, as have Travis Hafner (.375 avg last week) and Grady Sizemore (.333 avg last week).

Jhonny Peralta (.182 avg last week) has continued his struggles on the year and Luis Valbuena (.227 avg last week) is also struggling. Justin Masterson (6 ER/3.1 IP last game) got lit up against the Twins. David Huff has notched two straight victories while Fausto Carmona (2 ER/6 IP last game) is improving. Aaron Laffey (0 ER/6.2 IP last game) has also been consistently good.

24. Oakland Athletics (51-65|22)—Are Nomar Garciaparra's days numbered? The offense is starting to show some signs of life. Adam Kennedy (.360 avg last week), Ryan Sweeney (.391 avg/6 RBI/1.157 OPS last week), Mark Ellis (.556 avg/11 RBI/1.383 OPS last week), and Rajai Davis (.333 avg last week) are all playing great. Jack Cust (.176 avg last week) and Tommy Everidge (.167 avg last week) are both struggling.

Vin Mazzaro (2 ER/5.1 IP last game) looked decent in his last start while Trevor Cahill got his league-leading twelfth loss, despite hurling a quality start. Gio Gonzalez (5 ER/5 IP last game) and Brett Anderson (7 ER/5 IP last game) both struggled in their last starts after throwing strong stuff previously.

25. Cincinnati Reds (50-66|26)—No, they don't deserve to move up, but the teams below them deserve to be there. Is it sad that the team's leader in batting average is at the .262 mark? Jonny Gomes, with his 3-HR performance, has been sizzling (.350 avg/3 HR/7 RBI/1.231 OPS last week).

Willy Taveras (.308 avg last week) is starting to bat like a leadoff hitter. Brandon Phillips (.154 avg last week) has gone cold as has Ryan Hanigan (.143 avg last week), both likely due to nagging pains. Bronson Arroyo threw a complete game, two-hit shutout against a good Nationals offense.

Justin Lehre (1 ER/6 IP last game) was great again and Aaron Harang (4 ER/14 IP last week) is throwing the ball better. Johnny Cueto (8 ER/4.2 IP last week) has been absolutely horrid as of late.

26. San Diego Padres (49-69|24)—Kevin Kouzmanoff (.583 avg/8 RBI/1.463 OPS last week) has been the team's best player as of late. Adrian Gonzalez (.552 avg/7 RBI/1.463 OPS last week) has also been great, with his six-hit game. Chase Headley (.364 avg/4 RBI last week) is also swinging a hot bat. Tony Gwynn (.190 avg last week) and David Eckstein (.192 avg last week) have both been struggling at the plate.

Cesar Carrillo (8 ER/2.1 IP last game) did not have a good debut at all. Clayton Richard (4 ER/6 IP last game) notched another win for the Friars. Kevin Correia hurled a quality start while for the victory while Tim Stauffer (5 ER/10 IP last week) and Mat Latos (7 ER/4 IP last game) have not looked great.

27. Baltimore Orioles (48-68|27)—Felix Pie hit for the cycle...and then apologized for doing so. Pie (.333 avg/4 RBI/1.108 OPS last week) has been hitting the ball well, as have Nick Markakis (.385 avg last week), Brian Roberts (.435 avg/1.154 OPS last week), and Melvin Mora (.500 avg/1.106 OPS last week).

Luke Scott (.200 avg last week), Adam Jones (.192 avg last week), and Aubrey Huff (.188 avg last week) have not been hitting the ball well. David Hernandez (2 ER/6.2 IP last game) was great in his last start and Chris Tillman (3 ER/6.2 IP last game) notched his second straight quality start. Jason Berken got hit tenth loss of the season while Jeremy Guthrie notched his 12th.

28. Washington Nationals (42-75|28)—I still say they're playing better than the bottom two teams. Nyjer Morgan (.464 avg/4 stolen bases last week) is on-fire.

Ryan Zimmerman (.320 avg last week) continues to bat consistently while Adam Dunn (4 RBI/1.069 OPS last week) and Elijah Dukes (6 RBI last week) continue to drive in runs. Josh Willingham (.211 avg last week) is struggling at the plate.

John Lannan (5 ER/4.2 IP last game) was roughed up in his last start while Craig Stammen (2 ER/6 IP last game) didn't get a win for a well-pitched game. Garrett Mock (2 ER/12 IP last week) is starting to throw the ball really well as is J.D. Martin (1 ER/11 IP last week). There might not be heroes on this team, but Mike MacDougal has brought stability to this bullpen.

29. Kansas City Royals (45-71|29)—You know things aren't going well for the Royals when their best offensive player has been Mitch Maier (.429 avg/3 RBI last week). Billy Butler has cooled down, but is still second in the American League in doubles. Alex Gordon (.188 avg last week), Willie Bloomquist (.200 avg last week), and Mark Teahen (.111 avg last week) are all struggling.

Zack Greinke (0 ER/7 IP last game) continues to dominate, but is still the victim of low run support. Kyle Davies went his fourth straight game without lasting past the fifth inning. Gil Meche didn't look great (4 ER/5 IP last game) in his return.

Luke Hochevar (10 ER/11 IP last week) has returned to his awful ways and Brian Bannister (7 ER/6 IP last game) is struggling.

30. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-70|30)—Albert Pujols has about the same amount of RBI as the top-three RBI men remaining on the Pirates. Delwyn Young (.350 avg/3 RBi last week) has been the Bucs best player as of late.

Andrew McCutchen (.176 avg last week), Ronny Cedeno (.167 avg last week), Andry LaRoche (.167 avg last week), and Lastings Milledge (.158 avg last week) have all been struggling.

Zach Duke hurled two quality starts last week but has nothing to show for it. Ross Ohlendorf (3 ER/6 IP last game) looked good in his last start. Paul Maholm (6 ER/6.1 IP last game) hasn't won in over a month and Charlie Morton (11 ER/6 IP last week) has been ugly. Matt Capps (5 ER/0.2 IP last week) blew his third save of the season and has been atrocious.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|

Breakdown

Biggest climb: The Florida Marlins jumped six spots from No. 16 to No. 10 after going 5-1 last week.

Biggest fall: The San Francisco Giants fell five spots from No. 4 to No. 9 after going 2-4 last week.

Best team average: The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best team average (2.17) by being first 10 times, second four times, third once, fifth twice, and eighth once.

Worst team average: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.61) by being ranked last 14 times, 29th once, and 28th thrice.

Teams yet to fall out of the top 10: Dodgers and Cardinals

Teams yet to climb out of the bottom 10: Indians and Nationals

Prediction of the week: The Dodgers will win the series against the Cardinals.

Division Rankings/Picture (Record|Last Week's Ranking)
*Divisional rankings are based on the average power rankings.

1. AL West (245-217|1): (2) Laa, (6) Tex, (14) Sea, (24) Oak
2. AL East (305-275|3): (1) Nyy, (7) Bos, (13) Tbr, (18) Tor, (27) Bal
3. NL West (299-285|2): (5) Lad, (8) Col, (9) Sfg, (19) Ari, (26) Sdp
4. NL East (284-295|4): (4) Phi, (10) Fla, (11) Atl, (21) Nym, (28) Was
5. NL Central (336-352|5): (3) Stl, (16) Chc, (17) Mil, (22) Hou, (25) Cin, (30) Pit
6. AL Central (273-308|6): (12) Det, (15) Cws, (20) Min, (23) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

1. New York v. 3. Detroit
2. Los Angeles v. 4. Boston

1. Los Angeles v. 3. St. Louis
2. Philadelphia v. 4. Colorado

If awards were handed out today...

AL MVP: Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)
NL MVP: Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)

AL Cy: Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)
NL Cy: Tim Lincecum (San Francisco Giants)

AL RoY: Andrew Bailey (Oakland Athletics)
NL RoY: J.A. Happ (Philadelphia Phillies)

AL MoY: Mike Scioscia (Los Angeles Angels)
NL MoY: Jim Tracy (Colorado Rockies)

AL Comeback: Aaron Hill (Toronto Blue Jays)
NL Comeback: Chris Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)