MLB Power Rankings: Week 20 | A Top Ten Shuffle

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (81-48|1)

Player of the Week: Robinson Cano batted .333 with a 1.074 OPS and nine RBI, including a walk-off home run.
Pitcher of the Week: Sergio Mitre lasted 6.1 innings while only yielding one hit.
Game of the Week: Yankees 10, White Sox 0—Mitre and Gaudin combine to one-hit Chicago.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (76-55|3)

Player of the Week: Albert Pujols batted .368 with a 1.415 OPS and four RBI, including a walk-off home run.
Pitcher of the Week: Adam Wainwright hurled a gem, throwing eight innings of scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Cardinals 3, Nationals 2—The Cardinals score runs in the eighth and ninth innings to walk-off.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (74-53|4)

Player of the Week: Ryand Howard batted .310 with a 1.251 OPS, five home runs, and 12 RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Cole Hamels looked strong, tossing eight innings of scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Phillies 4, Pirates 1—Howard blasted a three run home run in the 10th inning to give the Phillies the win.

4. Boston Red Sox (75-54|6)

Player of the Week: J.D. Drew batted .389 with a 1.560 OPS, three home runs, and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Tim Wakefield yieled only one earned run in seven innings pitched in his return.
Game of the Week: Red Sox 3, White Sox 2—David Ortiz hits a walk-off home run around the pole.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (77-53|5)

Player of the Week: Andre Ethier batted .348 with a 1.139 OPS, two home runs, and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Randy Wolf threw 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the division rival Rockies.
Game of the Week: Dodgers 6, Rockies 1—Ethier hit two home runs to help the Dodgers maintain the NL West lead.

6. Los Angeles Angels (76-52|2)

Player of the Week: Kendry Morales batted .480 with a 1.340 OPS, two home runs, and nine RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Ervin Santana had a quality start, yielding only two earned runs in six innings.
Game of the Week: Angels 11, A's 7—The Angels were down 6-1, but Morales hit two home runs to help push them over the top.

7. Texas Rangers (72-56|10)

Player of the Week: Ian Kinsler batted .348 with a 1.139 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Scott Feldman started two games and got the victories for his scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Rangers 7, Yankees 2—Ian Kinsler blasted two home runs and the bullpen threw shutout innings to win the series.

8. Tampa Bay Rays (70-58|8)

Player of the Week: Gabe Kapler batted .364 with a 1.409 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: David Price hurled a quality start against Texas and pitched 7.1 innings of one-run ball against Detroit.
Game of the Week: Rays 3, Tigers 1—David Price had the longest outing of his career, dominating the Tigers.

9. San Francisco Giants (71-59|9)

Player of the Week: Despite missing time, Pablo Sandoval batted .455 with a 1.500 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two games, Barry Zito pitched 14.1 innings while yielding only one earned run.
Game of the Week: Giants 2, Rockies 0—Tim Lincecum threw 127 pitches through eight innings, and the Giants shrank the wild card lead.

10. Colorado Rockies (72-58|7)

Player of the Week: Troy Tulowitzki batted .300 with three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two starts, Ubaldo Jimenez went eight and seven innings, only yielding two earned runs a game.
Game of the Week: Rockies 6, Giants 4—Ryan Spilborghs hit a walk-off grand slam in the 13th inning.

11. Seattle Mariners (68-62|14)

Player of the Week: Mike Sweeney batted .467 with a 1.167 OPS and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two starts, Ian Snell went 11 innings while only yielding three earned runs. He left early due to being hit by a comebacker.
Game of the Week: Mariners 4, A's 2—Ryan Langerhans hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth.

12. Detroit Tigers (68-60|13)

Player of the Week: Miguel Cabrera batted .385 with a 1.269 OPS, three home runs, and nine RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Armando Galarraga yielded only two earned runs over 6.1 innings pitched.
Game of the Week: Tigers 5, Angels 3—Down early, the Tigers rallied with back-to-back triples to win.

13. Atlanta Braves (68-61|11)

Player of the Week: Brian McCann batted .346 with a whopping 10 RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Javier Vazquez pitched seven innings of scoreless ball for the victory.
Game of the Week: Braves 9, Phillies 1—The Braves hit four home runs, including three off Cliff Lee, to destroy the Phillies.

14. Florida Marlins (67-62|12)

Player of the Week: Chris Coghlan batted .440 with a 1.321 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Sean West hurled six innings of one-run ball against the Mets for the victory.
Game of the Week: Marlins 5, Mets 3—Josh Johnson beat the Mets without his best stuff and improved to 7-0 lifetime against them.

15. Chicago Cubs (65-62|18)

Player of the Week: Milton Bradley batted .524 with a 1.552 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Ryan Dempster, in two starts, struck out 12 in 13 innings pitched while only yielding four earned runs.
Game of the Week: Cubs 11, Mets 4—Jake Fox continued his raking with a grand slam as the Cubs demolished the Mets.

16. Minnesota Twins (64-65|17)

Player of the Week: Denard Span batted .409 with 1.136 OPS, two triples, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Brian Duensing struck out eight and only allowed three hits against Texas.
Game of the Week: Twins 7, Orioles 6—Delmon Young had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins won five in a row.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (63-66|19)

Player of the Week: Jody Gerut batted .375 with a 1.286 OPS, two home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Braden Looper hurled a quality start, yielding only two earned runs in six innings.
Game of the Week: Brewers 8, Pirates 6—Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Jason Bourgeois all homered to give the Brewers 19 straight victories in Pittsburgh.

18. Chicago White Sox (64-66|15)

Player of the Week: Paul Konerko batted .381 with a 1.266 OPS and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: John Danks struck out six in six innings while only yielding two earned runs for the victory.
Game of the Week: White Sox 9, Red Sox 5—Chicago's only victory of the week was a spanking of Boston.

19. Houston Astros (62-67|16)

Player of the Week: Kaz Matsui batted .400 with a 1.079 OPS and two RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Wandy Rodriguez hurled yet another gem, yielding only one earned run off three hits in seven innings.
Game of the Week: Astros 4, Cardinals 3—Houston's only victory of the week came off a Jeff Keppinger home run in the ninth inning.

20. Cleveland Indians (58-71|22)

Player of the Week: Andy Marte batted .385 with a 1.239 OPS, three home runs, and eight RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: David Huff hurled a quality start, yielding only two earned runs over six innings.
Game of the Week: Indians 5, Orioles 4—Andy Marte homered in the top of the ninth to rally for the win.

21. Toronto Blue Jays (58-69|23)

Player of the Week: In limited time, Rod Barajas batted .462 with a 1.731 OPS, three home runs, and seven RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Mark Rzepczynski hurled a quality start, yielding only three hits and two earned runs against the Rays.
Game of the Week: Blue Jays 8, Angels 3—The Blue Jays took a quick 8-0 lead and got Ricky Romero his 11th win.

22. Cincinnati Reds (56-72|28)

Player of the Week: Joey Votto batted .409 with a 1.399 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Homer Bailey tossed two gems, lasting 15 innings while only yielding one run and striking out 11.
Game of the Week: Reds 4, Brewers 3—Darnell McDonald had a pinch-hit RBI double in the 10th inning to give the Reds the win.

23. San Diego Padres (56-75|25)

Player of the Week: David Eckstein batted .385 with five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Mat Latos only yielded two hits over seven innings of shutout ball while striking out four.
Game of the Week: Padres 12, Braves 5—After being down 3-0 early, the Friars had a six-run sixth and throttled the Braves.

24. Oakland Athletics (57-72|21)

Player of the Week: Jack Cust batted .333 with a 1.164 OPS, three home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Trevor Cahill pitched seven innings of shutout baseball while only yielding two hits against the Angels.
Game of the Week: A's 4, Angels 3—The A's were down 3-0 early, but scored four runs in the late innings to win.

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (58-72|26)

Player of the Week: Ryan Roberts batted .458 with a 1.260 OPS and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Yusmeiro Petit hurled six innings of shutout ball, striking out five against the Giants.
Game of the Week: Diamondbacks 11, Giants 0—The Diamondbacks throttled the Giants, with Upton and Allen shining.

26. New York Mets (58-72|20)

Player of the Week: Anderson Hernandez batted .435 with a 1.024 OPS and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Patrick Misch hurled 11 innings in two different roles, giving up only one earned run.
Game of the Week: Mets 10, Marlins 3—The Mets' lone win came against Florida as they hit two home runs.

27. Baltimore Orioles (53-77|27)

Player of the Week: Felix Pie batted .364 with a 1.287 OPS, three home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Jeremy Guthrie threw seven innings of one-run baseball while striking out five against the Twins.
Game of the Week: Orioles 13, Indians 4—The Orioles throttled the Tribe as Markakis and Pie thrived.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (53-74|24)

Player of the Week: Andrew McCutchen batted .417 with a 1.375 OPS, three home runs, and seven RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Paul Maholm pitched seven innings of one-run ball while striking out four.
Game of the Week: Pirates 6, Phillies 4—Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off home run as the Pirates rallied against the Phillies.

29. Kansas City Royals (49-80|29)

Player of the Week: David DeJesus batted .333 with four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Zack Greinke struck out 15 batters in eight innings pitched for the victory.
Game of the Week: Royals 6, Indians 2—Greinke set a club record for strikeouts and finally got run support.

30. Washington Nationals (46-84|30)

Player of the Week: Ryan Zimmerman batted .348 with a 1.196 OPS, two home runs, and eight RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: John Lannan pitched eight innings of two run ball against the Cardinals.
Game of the Week: Nationals 15, Cubs 6—Josh Willingham had six RBI against the Cubs as the Nats throttled Carlos Zambrano.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|

Breakdown (PA means Post-All-Star break):

Biggest climb: The Cincinnati Reds climbed six spots from No. 28 to No. 22 after going 5-1.

Biggest fall: The New York Mets fell six spots from No. 20 to No. 26 after going 1-6.

Best team average PA: The New York Yankees have the best team average (2).

Worst team average PA: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.33).

Teams that have yet to fall out of the top-ten PA: Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies, Rangers

Teams that have yet to climb out of the bottom-ten PA: Nationals, Royals, Reds, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Athletics

Prediction of the Week: The Marlins will take three of four from the Braves.

Division Rankings (Record|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (273-242|1): (6) Laa, (7) Tex, (11) Sea, (24) Oak
2. AL East (337-306|2): (1) Nyy, (4) Bos, (8) Tbr, (21) Tor, (27) Bal
3. NL West (334-317|3): (5) Lad, (9) Sfg, (10) Col, (23) Sdp, (25) Ari
4. NL East (313-332|4): (3) Phi, (13) Atl, (14) Fla, (26) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (375-396|5): (2) Stl, (15) Chc, (17) Mil, (19) Hou, (22) Cin, (28) Pit
6. AL Central (303-342|6): (12) Det, (16) Min, (18) Cws, (20) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (4) Red Sox

(1) Dodgers v. (3) Cardinals
(2) Phillies v. (4) Rockies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Miguel Cabrera
1. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .338 avg/27 HR/82 RBI/.970 OPS
2. Joe Mauer (Min): .371 avg/25 HR/79 RBI/1.054 OPS
3. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .283 avg/31 HR/98 RBI/.923 OPS
4. Kendry Morales (Laa): .309 avg/29 HR/91 RBI/.941 OPS
5. Justin Morneau (Min): .290 avg/29 HR/96 RBI/.923 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .319 avg/41 HR/109 RBI/1.113 OPS
2. Prince Fielder (Mil): .303 avg/36 HR/119 RBI/1.014 OPS
3. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .362 avg/19 HR/85 RBI/23 SB/.992 OPS
4. Chase Utley (Phi): .305 avg/28 HR/83 RBI/.974 OPS
5. Pablo Sandoval (Sfg): .336 avg/21 HR/75 RBI/.953 OPS

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke
1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 12-8, 2.43 ERA, 197 Ks, 1.12 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 13-5, 2.77 ERA, 179 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 13-7, 3.03 ERA, 159 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4. Justin Verlander (Det): 14-7, 3.34 ERA, 212 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
5. Edwin Jackson (Det): 10-6, 2.96 ERA, 131 Ks, 1.21 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum
1. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 13-4, 2.33 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
2. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.20 ERA, 115 Ks, 0.97 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 15-7, 2.50 ERA, 157 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
4. Matt Cain (Sfg): 12-4, 2.39 ERA, 133 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
5. Dan Haren (Ari): 12-8, 2.73 ERA, 173 Ks, 0.93 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 20 saves, 1.90 ERA, 75 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-5, 3.85 ERA, 89 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
3. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .274 avg/12 HR/39 RBI/.823 OPS
4. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .275 avg/8 HR/48 RBI/.794 OPS

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-3, 2.63 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
2. Randy Wells (Chc): 9-7, 3.06 ERA, 78 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
3. Andrew McCuthcen (Pit): .293 avg/10 HR/43 RBI/.862 OPS
4. Tommy Hanson (Atl): 9-3, 3.15 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Ron Washington (Tex)
3. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Bruce Bochy (Sfg)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Hill
1. Aaron Hill (Tor): .286 avg/31 HR/85 RBI/.824 OPS
2. Justin Verlander (Det): 14-7, 3.34 ERA, 212 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
3. Victor Martinez (Bos): .289 avg/20 HR/86 RBI/.843 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.20 ERA, 115 Ks, 0.97 WHIP
2. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 11-9, 3.02 ERA, 192 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
3. Todd Helton (Col): .323 avg/12 HR/69 RBI/.905 OPS

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 36 saves, 1.83 ERA, 60 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Joe Nathan (Min): 33 saves, 1.78 ERA, 66 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 31 saves, 2.26 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.24 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin
1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 34 saves, 1.07 ERA, 33 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Heath Bell (Sdp): 31 saves, 2.22 ERA, 60 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
3. Huston Street (Col): 33 saves, 3.02 ERA, 62 Ks, 0.93 WHIP