MLB Power Rankings: Early-Season Surprises Guaranteed to Plummet

We're only about two weeks into the Major League Baseball season, so there are obviously a ton of games to be played, but that doesn't stop fans from taking a look at the standings. Things are going to change quite a bit between now and the end of the season in all likelihood as some teams near the bottom will rise and teams at the top will fall.

While the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and others look as though they're for real, there are other squads that simply won't be able to sustain their early success. There is no question that there are surprise teams that keep it up over the long haul almost every season, but there are even more who ultimately fall flat.

Here are three early-season surprises that are bound to fizzle in the coming weeks and months.

Los Angeles Dodgers

I had a sneaking suspicion that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be a lot better this season after having the NL Cy Young winner in Clayton Kershaw and NL MVP runner-up in Matt Kemp last year, but I have a hard time believing they can keep up their current pace of 10-3. Kemp has essentially been their entire offense with Andre Ethier enjoying a renaissance as well, but there doesn't seem to be enough depth in the lineup to continue playing at such a high level.

Eventually the runs will stop coming so fast and furious, and the pressure will shift to the pitching staff. Kershaw may be the best starter in the league and Chad Billingsley can be a good No. 2, although he has been maddeningly inconsistent over the course of his career. Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang round out the rotation, and while all of them can eat up innings, it just doesn't seem like a staff that can shut down the opposition every day with the exception of Kershaw.

Baltimore Orioles

They may have been swept by the New York Yankees, but the Baltimore Orioles have bounced back and surprised a lot of people so far with an 8-5 record, which is good enough for first place in the AL East. In order to compete for the entire season, the Orioles are going to have to count on their offense. With Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and others in place, that shouldn't be an issue moving forward.

Pitching, on the other hand, will be a big problem. Jason Hammel and Jake Arrieta have been good over their first few starts, but they aren't pitchers who are capable of carrying the top of a rotation. When you add Wei-Yin Chen, Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz to the mix, there simply isn't a starter on the team that can take the ball every fifth day and essentially guarantee victory, so every single game is going to be a battle.

New York Mets

Pretty much everyone expected this to be a rebuilding year for the New York Mets, and while it still might be, they have surprised a lot of people by starting 7-5. The biggest reason for that has been the play of third baseman David Wright, hitting .500 on the season. It's obviously impossible to keep up that type of pace, but the Mets will need him to be incredible all year long as there are simply too many holes in their lineup currently.

The pitching is a bit more sustainable, but like the Orioles, they lack an ace. Johnathon Niese, Dillon Gee, Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey form a solid rotation, but there isn't anyone to count on. Niese and Gee are solid, but young, Pelfrey is wildly inconsistent, and both Santana and Dickey are on the downside of their respective careers. The Mets have been a nice story so far, but playing in such a tough division won't allow them to remain competitive all season long.

Mike Chiari's MLB Power Rankings
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angles Dodgers
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Washington Nationals
5. St. Louis Cardinals
6. New York Yankees
7. Atlanta Braves
8. Tampa Bay Rays
9. Miami Marlins
10. Baltimore Orioles
11. Arizona Diamondbacks
12. New York Mets
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Colorado Rockies
15. Cleveland Indians
16. Chicago White Sox
17. Philadelphia Phillies
18. Toronto Blue Jays
19. Seattle Mariners
20. Oakland Athletics
21. Milwaukee Brewers
22. Cincinnati Reds
23. Boston Red Sox
24. Los Angeles Angels
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Houston Astros
27. Minnesota Twins
28. Kansas City Royals
29. Chicago Cubs
30. San Diego Padres