MLB Power Rankings: The Pittsburgh Pirates and the 6 Most Surprising Teams

Every year, every sport has their underdogs and overachievers. The 2011 Major League baseball season has been no different.

Several teams have gone above and beyond what critics expected from them this season. This has resulted in a wide-open season, and some tremendous stories to follow as the season progresses.

Whether or not these teams can maintain their momentum all season is unknown. However, you can bet these teams will continue to battle as a Cinderella story until the season is over.

Here are the six most surprising teams in baseball so far:

6. Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are in the mix in the AL East again, despite major losses this past offseason.

The losses of Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, Matt Garza, Grant Balfour, and Carlos Pena have not hampered the thrifty Rays nearly as much as expected.

The emergence of Matthew Joyce as a consistent threat, along with Evan Longoria when he is healthy, have softened the losses of Pena and Crawford.

The pitching rotation is one of the best in baseball. Led by David Price's nine wins and James Shields' 2.60 ERA, the Rays' pitching rotation allows them to contend with the powerful lineups in New York and Boston.

If the Rays' lineup can continue to be good enough, their pitching is good enough to keep them in the playoff race.

5. St Louis Cardinals

When St Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright went down with Tommy John surgery before the season began, the Cardinals were instantly vulnerable.

Combined with the pending Albert Pujols' contract saga, and the Cardinals were in an interesting position before the first pitch of the first game.

Despite the preseason tribulations, the Cardinals have managed to ride a dangerous offense into the thick of the NL Central.

Lance Berkman leads the Cardinals in batting average, home runs and RBI. When healthy, Matt Holliday is another powerful presence in the middle of the order.

The pitching staff holds it's own thanks to sophomore sensation Jamie Garcia. He leads the Cardinals with nine wins.

The Cardinals have a few advantages in the NL Central: experience, Tony La Russa and a sleeping giant named Pujols.

4. Washington Nationals

Despite sitting 11.5 games back in the daunting NL East, the Washington Nationals have competed much better than expected so far this season.

Injured future ace Stephen Strasburg has not pitched one pitch this season, but former top prospect Jordan Zimmerman has realized some of his potential. Zimmerman is fifth in the National League in ERA, currently at 2.66.

The lineup has endured early struggles from Jayson Werth and injuries to Ryan Zimmerman, but Mike Morse and Danny Espinosa have played well. Espinosa and double-play partner Ian Desmond show plenty of promise. Espinosa's power make him an interesting commodity at second base.

The bullpen is also solid because of two great arms. Tyler Clippard is an emerging bullpen presence, and Drew Storen is quickly making a name for himself as a closer.

The Nationals are still not where they want to be, and playing in the NL East makes their goals even tougher to reach. However, the Nationals are making definite progress.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks currently sit 3.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

In his first season as the permanent manager in Arizona, Kirk Gibson has turned the Diamondbacks into surprising contenders in the National League.

Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson have matured into consistent pitchers in the starting rotation. Both are tied for fifth in the National League in wins with 10.

The offense has gotten better after losing Mark Reynolds' all-or-nothing presence in the middle of their order. Chris Young is a good athlete, and leads the team in RBI and home runs. Justin Upton is hitting .288 and continues to blossom as one of the game's great young stars.

The Diamondbacks have overachieved all season despite a shaky bullpen. If the Diamondbacks can acquire an arm to help close out games, they could stick around all year in the NL West.

2. Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are possibly the biggest surprise in all of baseball this season. Asdrubal Cabrera finds himself in AL MVP talks and Manny Acta is in the thick of the AL Manager of the Year race.

The Indians have managed to get off to a great start in 2011, despite being the second youngest team in all of baseball.

Cabrera has emerged as an MVP candidate despite having a mediocre first few years in his young career. Timely hitting from Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner has allowed the Indians lineup to keep this team afloat in the AL Central.

The Indians' weakness lies in the starting rotation but Justin Masterson has a sub-3.00 ERA, and Josh Tomlin is fourth in the American League with 11 wins.

Manny Acta has the Cleveland Indians believing. If they can add the right piece to this young and exciting team, look for the Indians to be a challenge all season.

1. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates, in my opinion, are the best story in baseball this season. The Pirates have not made the playoffs, nor been above .500, since 1992.

As of Monday night, the Pirates lead the NL Central by half a game.

The young tandem of Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen have led the lineup all season. Walker has continued to see his stock rise as he leads all major league second baseman in RBI. The Pirates lineup has seen injuries to a few key components, but timely contributions from Alex Presley and company have kept them going.

The Pirates' pitching staff has gone from the worst in baseball, to one of the best. The Pirates have the eighth best team ERA in the National League. Jeff Karstens has redefined the term finesse pitcher by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at opposing batters.

In the bullpen, Joel Hanrahan is an All-Star and one of the most dominant closers in the game.

The Pirates have a chance to take advantage of a weak division. The front office still has work to do on this team, but the progress is remarkable thus far.