MLB Power Rankings: Red-Hot Teams Guaranteed to Fall Back to the Pack

One of the great things about the start of the Major League Baseball season is the way that everything gets magnified. We are so quick to overreact to a hot or cold start that when the bottom falls out and teams eventually finish where they are supposed to, we have to act surprised. 

Right now, there are a lot of teams whose starts have been a pleasant surprise. It makes us think that we missed something when evaluating them in spring training, even though they have just benefited from playing well at the right time or a weak schedule or both. 

Here are the teams whose fast starts won't last throughout the season. 

Los Angeles Dodgers (12-4, 1st in National League West)

One of the big problems when trying to evaluate the Dodgers right now is their schedule. You can blindly look at their record and think the world is roses. Sure, Matt Kemp is lighting the world on fire, but what about everyone else?

So far the Dodgers have played 13 games against San Diego, Pittsburgh and Houston. If this team didn't get off to a hot start, it would have been a surprise. 

You can only play the teams on your schedule, but when the Dodgers start going up against quality competition, their lack of depth in the rotation and lineup is going to catch up to them. 

Washington Nationals (12-4, 1st in National League East)

There is a lot to like in the Nationals' starting rotation, namely Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. But everything after them is a crap shoot. Gio Gonzalez can strike a lot of people out. He can also walk six in four innings. Edwin Jackson is as unstable as any starter in the game. 

Pitching has carried the Nationals thus far, but eventually they are going to need the offense to step up its performance. They currently rank 13th in on-base percentage, 23rd in slugging percentage and 21st in runs. 

Their lineup is not deep. If anything happens to Jayson Werth or Ryan Zimmerman, they are in trouble. Bryce Harper is in Triple-A right now, but he is still not ready to handle Major League pitching. (Plus, he is just 19 years old. Give him time to properly develop.)

Baltimore Orioles (9-7, T-Third in American League East)

We went through this last year with the Orioles. They got off to a hot start, people started talking about why we should be optimistic and then the bottom dropped out. 

There have been some encouraging signs so far. Matt Wieters is building off his breakout campaign last season, turning into the star everyone expected him to be when he was drafted. Brian Matusz may still have awful numbers, but the fact that his velocity is back is good to see. 

The Orioles' future is playing in the minors right now, with future stars Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado tearing up Low-A and Double-A, respectively. 

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

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