MLB Power Rankings 2012: Biggest Surprises of the Young Season

We are roughly two weeks into the season and some feel-good stories have already surfaced.

There are multiple teams that have no business in the upper half of the power rankings, but have shocked the baseball world early on thanks to a hot start. Hope is in the air in mid-April for the following teams that are playing with house money.

Sometimes low expectations can be a good thing.  

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (9-1)

Yes the Dodgers schedule hasn’t been great, but 9-1, is 9-1. Matt Kemp is the clear-cut choice for MVP thus far. He has hit nine fly balls this season and six of them have been home runs. His .457/.487/.971 splits make him the most productive player in the game at the moment.

Their pitching has been spectacular as well. When Aaron Harang can strike out nine batters in a row, you know you have something special brewing.

Was getting rid of Frank McCourt and his bad karma all the baseball gods needed to return the Dodgers to relevancy?

2. Texas Rangers (8-2)

Yu Darvish has been the biggest slacker in the Rangers rotation thus far, don’t expect that to keep up.

3. Detroit Tigers (6-3)

Jose Valverde has already blown a save after going a perfect 49-for-49 a season ago.

4. Washington Nationals (7-3)

The Nats are the king of one-run games, already playing in five of them. They are 3-2 in such games, thanks in large part to an MLB best 1.75 ERA from their starting rotation.

5. St. Louis Cardinals (7-3)

Lance Lynn has racked up 13 K’s and just three walks in two starts as one of the biggest surprises of the early season.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks (6-3)

When No. 3 hitter Justin Upton is batting .241 with zero home runs and you are still atop of the division, life is good.

7. New York Yankees (5-4)

The Yanks have rebounded rather nicely from their 0-3 start. Business as usual in the Bronx.

8. Chicago White Sox (5-3)

Beating the Tigers twice in their three-game series last weekend is a reminder that the team is not going to have the titanic fall that some predicted at the beginning of the season.

9. New York Mets (6-3)

The Mets dodged a huge bullet when David Wright avoided the DL with a fractured finger. He sat out only a few days before smacking five hits over the weekend to raise his splits to .571/.615/.857 in 26 ABs this season.

What’s most encouraging about the Mets' surprising start is that they are doing it against stiff competition in the NL East. Sweeping the Braves and taking 2-of-3 from the Phillies is something the team will need to do often if they plan on competing in what may be the strongest division in baseball.

10. Atlanta Braves (5-4)

Early season candidate for the streakiest team in baseball?

The Braves were slow to shake the painful memories of last season’s collapse by losing their first four games in 2012, but have yet to drop a game since.

11. San Francisco Giants (4-5)

The season-ending elbow injury for closer Brian Wilson is brutal, but one of the best bullpens in the league will be able to survive it.

12. Seattle Mariners (6-5)

The Mariners have some serious sleeper potential if their offense can hold up their end of the bargain.

The pitching staff is first in quality starts (7), eighth in WHIP (1.12) and 12th in batting average against (.238). In what has to be the weirdest stat of the young season, Felix Hernandez already has three starts against the A’s.

Thanks Major League Baseball.

The AL West is certainly no picnic, but keep an eye on this young team that’s going to be playing under the radar all season long.

13. Tampa Bay Rays (5-5)

Injuries are already taking a toll on a team that doesn’t have a ton of room for error.

14. Toronto Blue Jays (5-4)

Despite getting little production from Jose Bautista early on, the Blue Jays are at the top of the AL East standings because they are hitting .333 with runners in scoring position.

15. Baltimore Orioles (5-4)

Love the new uniforms, but you get the sense that it’s only a matter of time before a nasty 10-game losing streak knocks the O’s out of contention in a hurry.

16. Cincinnati Reds (4-6)

The Reds offense is horrible when Brandon Phillips isn’t in the lineup, and Scott Rolen has been abysmal in trying to protect Joey Votto. Dusty Baker needs to start batting Jay Bruce cleanup ASAP.

17. Boston Red Sox (4-6)

Bobby V is already issuing apologies to players publicly and Jacoby Ellsbury is out six to eight weeks.

Still too early to panic though.

18. Philadelphia Phillies (4-5)

This team just seems old. Their run as NL East champions is going to end this year.

19. Cleveland Indians (4-4)

When management thinks Johnny Damon can be the savior, there is no hope in being saved.

20. Colorado Rockies (4-5)

The young pitching staff is going to have a bumpy ride this season; it’s up to the Rockies offense to make up the difference.

21. Oakland Athletics (4-6)

Worst lineup in the league? Hard to argue against it.

22. Milwaukee Brewers (4-6)

One of the worst run differentials in baseball suggests the Brew Crew are really missing Prince Fielder’s bat.

But who do you blame for allowing 57 runs in 10 games?

23. Miami Marlins (4-6)

The Marlins defense has to get better before we can truly take them seriously. Three errors in one inning is not going to cut it.

24. Houston Astros (4-5)

Kudos to the ‘Stros for looking like a halfway decent team through the first three series of the season. How long can the young guns keep it up?

25. Los Angeles Angels (3-6)

The rocky start comes as a surprise, but it’s far too early to write them off just yet. MLB's addition of the second Wild Card spot certainly has to make fans feel more comfortable.

26. Kansas City Royals (3-6)

It looks like another year of horrific starting pitching in Kansas City. Some things never change.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (3-6)

Their offense is non-existent early on and the main culprit is Pedro Alvarez, who has registered this awful stat line through 19 ABs: .053/.053/.211, 10 strikeouts, zero walks. 

I know it’s early, but that is horrible.  

28. Chicago Cubs (3-7)

It’s going to be a slow and painful rebuilding process at Wrigley. Will they end up with a worse record than the Astros?

29. Minnesota Twins (2-7)

This team is a mess and has the look of a club that will be a doormat for the rest of the AL Central.

30. San Diego Padres (2-8)

There just isn’t a whole lot to get excited about with this team.

When you have your cleanup hitter bunting, you know there is a serious lack of pop in the lineup. Jesus Guzman should not be the No. 4 hitter.

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