MLB Power Rankings 2012: Surprising Teams That Will Fade After Hot Starts

Tim DanielsJun 7, 2018

All of the Opening Day hoopla has come to a close, and the inordinate number of day games has ended, which means baseball season has begun in earnest. The long and winding journey will eventually separate the contenders from the pretenders.

With that in mind, let's take a look at three teams that have started well, but won't be able to maintain the same high level of play throughout the season. A complete power rankings list can be found at the end of the article.

Baltimore Orioles

TOP NEWS

Washington Nationals v Los Angeles Angels

Bleacher Report1w

Bleacher Report1w

The Orioles came flying out of the gate with a sweep of the lowly Twins and have been able to hold steady atop the AL East through two weeks. That won't last much longer, however, as Baltimore doesn't have enough talent to keep up in the league's toughest division.

Pitching will end up being the team's Achilles heel. None of the Orioles' five starters can be considered a true ace, and when you're facing a loaded Yankees or Red Sox lineup, you need at least one or two guys who can be trusted to shut down the opponent.

Baltimore doesn't have that.

Young players like Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis give the Orioles a bright future, but they just aren't prepared to hang with the three AL East powers quite yet. The Blue Jays have a better chance of staying in the race, so Baltimore will probably end up in the division's basement.

New York Mets

Every other NL East team had plenty of hype heading into the season, leaving the Mets to become an afterthought. They have capitalized on the lack of expectations by racing out to a 7-4 start, including four wins over the division-rival Braves.

The biggest reason for New York's quick start has been David Wright. The franchise slugger has been tearing the cover off the ball, reaching base at least twice in every game he's played. He won't be able to maintain that pace, and the Mets don't have enough depth to pick up the slack.

Beyond Wright, the Mets lack star power.

Johan Santana got clobbered by the Braves, and a lack of velocity will make it difficult for him to dominate like he once did. The rest of New York's rotation is solid, yet unspectacular. They won't be able to stay in the playoff race all summer.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals' front office executives should be walking around with huge grins after the first 11 games. They lead the National League in runs scored despite watching Albert Pujols leave for the Angels, where he has struggled to live up to his monster contract in the early going.

Carlos Beltran already has four home runs, David Freese carried over his playoff momentum and Jon Jay continues to look like one of the league's most underrated players. But eventually, the loss of Pujols will catch up with them.

He carried the Cardinals offense for weeks at a time when necessary. Beltran's early success isn't a sign that he'll be able to do the same.

St. Louis will hang around for a while, since the NL Central doesn't have a dominant team, but the Cardinals won't run away with the division like they have made it seem.

MLB Power Rankings—April 18

1. Texas Rangers

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Detroit Tigers

4. St. Louis Cardinals

5. Washington Nationals

6. Toronto Blue Jays

7. Arizona Diamondbacks

8. Baltimore Orioles

9. New York Mets

10. New York Yankees

11. Atlanta Braves