MLB Power Rankings: Texas Rangers and the Best Teams so Far in 2012

The first month of the 2012 Major League Baseball season is nearing an end, so now is the time where we can start to evaluate which teams are destined for greatness and which will fall short.

That said, here are my rankings of all 30 MLB teams, including the Texas Rangers and the other four elite teams in baseball.

30. Minnesota Twins (5-14)

I'm going to get Twins fans excited by mentioning how encouraging the play of Joe Mauer (.313 BA), Josh Willingham (.333 BA and 5 HR) and Denard Span (.333 BA) has been.

Now for the bad news: The team's ERA is 5.76. And Francisco Liriano has an 11.02 ERA and 2.33 WHIP. But wait, it gets worse. The Twins are minus-38 in run differential this season, which is the worst in the league. Not only that, they are 14 runs worse than the 29th ranked team (Cubs). 

29. Kansas City Royals (4-14)

The Royals season started out promising with an opening series win over the Angels, but the team has lost 13 of 15 since, which includes a 12-game losing streak.

To say the least, it's a disappointing start for a club many viewed as a dark horse to finish second in the Central. The pitching as a whole has been putrid (4.48 team ERA) and Alex Gordon (.197 average) and Eric Hosmer (.225 average) have been unable to build off their impressive 2011 campaigns.

They both went deep Wednesday night, so cheer up, Royals fans, maybe they are turning it around.   

28. San Diego Padres (5-14)

The Padres have to be pleased with what they have been getting out of young starting pitcher's Cory Luebke (2.52 ERA and 1.16 WHIP) and Anthony Bass (2.33 ERA and 1.14 WHIP). 

Unfortunately for the Padres, pitching alone (3.57 team ERA) hasn't and won't win them many ball games. The team is at the bottom in nearly every hitting category, including 29th in batting average and 27th in slugging percentage.

And from the looks of their lineup, it's hard to believe they'll improve those ranks as the season goes on.

27. Chicago Cubs (6-13)

The Cubs are in a rebuilding stage, so there was not much in terms of expectations for this team. And their performance thus far has justified that.

Starlin Castro (.333 BA) and Bryan LaHair (.727 SLG) have been hitting, but they are just about the only ones. Notably, Alfonso Soriano is slugging a horrendous .250 on the year.

As for pitching, the Cubs simply don't have a deep rotation (21st in ERA) and the bullpen (25th in ERA) has all kinds of issues. Maybe next year.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-10)

If you thought the difference between the Padres pitching and hitting was significant, check out the Pirates.  

The pitching has been fantastic. Four of their starting pitchers have an ERA under 2.79 and the team as a whole has the second-best ERA in MLB (2.58).

But on offense, he team has scored 41 runs, which is last in the league by 18 runs. Think about that for a second.

As you can imagine, The Buccos are 29th in slugging and 28th in batting average. I'm sure Pirates fans would agree when I say it would be nice to see someone in the lower half of the order get a hit every once in a while.

25. Oakland Athletics (10-10)

The A's pitching has been excellent this year, led by none other than Bartolo Colon. He has been fantastic, currently sporting a .93 WHIP and 2.62 ERA.

And under-the-radar lefty Tommy Milone has an ERA of 2.00 in 27 innings thus far.

Despite Yoenies Cespedes' best efforts, this team has a difficult time scoring runs (28th in the league). The team is also 30th in BA, 29th in OBP and 30th in slugging. The A's have simply too weak of a lineup from top to bottom to compete.

24. Houston Astros (7-12)

You may be wondering why the Astros are in front of the A's despite having won three fewer games. Well, it's because the Astros are better than their record says.

The team actually has a plus-eight run differential.

The pitching as a whole has been decent, but Wandy Rodriguez is having a dominant start (1.42 ERA and 1.03 WHIP) and Jose Altuve (.377 BA) and J.D Martinez (.313 BA) are just two of the Stros' hitters that are hitting much better than expected.

Now, are the Astros to remain in the the top 10 in runs all year (currently sixth)? Unfortunately for Astros fans, no, but they deserve respect for what they are currently doing. 

23. Seattle Mariners (9-10)

It's nice to see Ichiro Suzuki enjoying a bounce-back season thus far (.316 BA); what isn't great is the fact that the leader in home runs on the team (Jesus Montero) has two.

Felix Hernandez has been his usual excellent self (2.48 ERA), but the bottom of the M's rotation has been a mess (4.24 full rotation ERA).

The team needs Mike Carp to get healthy and for Montero to slug as he was expected to if the team wants to turn it around.

22. Milwaukee Brewers (9-10)

The Brew Crew has hit the ball well to start the season, ranking seventh in runs so far. Much of that is due to Corey Hart, who is killing the ball right now (.305 BA and six home runs).

Ryan Braun is hitting a disappointing (for him) .275, but he is one of the league's best, so that average should increase in no time.

The Brewers' pitching has been the problem thus far. The bullpen's 4.92 ERA is 27th in the league. And staff ace Zach Greinke, who seemed primed for a Cy Young-type season, has scuffled out of the gate currently sporting a 4.56 ERA. But like Braun, he is a proven talent and will turn it around, so don't write off the Brewers.

21. Cincinnati Reds (9-9)

Surprisingly, given the team's build, it is the lack of offense that's holding the Reds back.

The team's best hitters (Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce) have all gotten off to slow starts and the Reds are 27th in BA and 24th in slugging.

But give it time; all those guys are excellent hitters.

As for the pitching, Johnny Cueto (1.78 ERA) and Bronson Arroyo (2.70 ERA) have been great. Mat Latos (5.64 ERA) has struggled, but he threw seven innings of shutout ball his last time up, so he could be turning the corner.

The Reds are on the right path, having won three games in a row.

20. Boston Red Sox (7-10)

Oh, the Red Sox.

Well, I guess I'll start by saying as expected, the team is tearing the cover off the ball. They are top-five in runs, BA, SLG and OBP. Big Papi is hitting .424!

But not only is the clubhouse still a mess, the pitching is as well.

The Sox's bullpen ERA is an unfathomable 7.19 and the starters aren't doing much better, as they post a collective 5.78 ERA. The Sox really need Alfredo Aceves (14.40 ERA) to turn it around in the closer role and Lester (1.50 WHIP) to return to form for them to contend in the difficult AL East.

19. Los Angeles Angels (6-12)

Albert Pujols is human after all. The former Redbird has—to put it lightly—not lived up to expectations thus far hitting .222 and having no home runs.

The Angels were anticipating a big return from Kendrys Morales, but he hasn't done much either, hitting only one home run thus far.

The Angels' top three in the rotation have been spot on this year, but Ervin Santana has pitched horrible (7.23 ERA and 1.52 WHIP). Given the talent on this team, and he almost certainly Pujols becomes himself again, it shouldn't be panic time just yet. 

18. Colorado Rockies (9-9)

It has to be a little encouraging for Rockies fans that the team is .500 despite both Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez slugging under .445.

The offense has still been pretty good, thanks partly to Michael Cuddyer (.303 BA) ranking 13th in runs and average.

Unfortunately, the Rockies pitching has been awful this season.

The team's best SP this season has been 49-year-old Jamie Moyer (2.28 ERA) and it's not even close. The Rockies (27th in SP ERA) aren't going anywhere if Jhoulys Chacin, Jeremy Guthrie and Juan Nicasio continue pitching the way they have thus far. 

17. Miami Marlins (7-10)

The Marlins have lost four straight and scored four total runs in those games.

And that didn't come out of nowhere, either. The offense has been very weak this year. They are 28th in runs, 26th in BA and 22nd in slugging.

Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Mike Stanton are all hitting below .245 and Stanton, who is known for his tremendous power, has no home runs yet.

Overall, the pitching has been solid, and those who were struggling—namely Josh Johnson and Heath Bell—seem to be turning a corner.

The Marlins have too much talent to remain under .500 for much longer.

16. New York Mets (10-8)

The Mets caused great excitement with their 4-0 start to the season, but have struggled as of late mostly due to lack of offense.

David Wright has been awesome, (.364 BA and .455 OBP), but the entire Met offense has been far from it, ranking 25th in runs and 20th in slugging percentage.

As for the pitching, while he's not the same guy he once was, Johan Santana (other than one start) has been very effective this season. He looked especially good in his last outing, striking out 11. The rest of the pitching staff has been good, but not great (3.60 team ERA).

One bad sign for the Mets is their minus-14 run differential. It is the worst for any team above .500 currently, by eight runs.

15. Philadelphia Phillies (9-10)

Like the Marlins, the Phillies have been relying heavily on their pitching to help them stay afloat. Without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, the team has scored only 63 runs.

Newly-acquired Jonathan Papelbon hasn't disappointed and the usual suspects in the Phillies rotation have been great.

But unfortunately for fans of the team, Cliff Lee just landed on the DL. The Phillies are by no means done, but they do need to get healthy, and quickly.

14. Cleveland Indians (9-7)

After starting slow, the Indians have picked it up, winning seven of their past 10 games.

The team ranks 10th in runs scored (80), but more impressively—and thanks a great deal to Travis Hafner (.484)—the teams ranks third in OBP (.346).

Also, the Indians are doing so well offensively even with Shin-Soo Choo mightily struggling (.237 BA). On the downside, the bullpen (27th in ERA) is a problem and Ubaldo Jimenez (1.50 WHIP) is nowhere near the pitcher he was a few years ago.

Still, the Indians are playing solid ball and it can't be ignored.

13. Arizona Diamondbacks (9-10)

The reigning NL West champs have stumbled lately, dropping seven of their last 10 games.

And things are getting worse for the D-Backs now that red-hot Chris Young and Daniel Hudson are on the DL.

With the pitching being as inconsistent as its been (4.43 team ERA), the team needs Justin Upton (.240 BA) to quickly start playing to his ability or the D-Backs could start to lose even more ground to the Dodgers.

12. Baltimore Orioles (11-7)

Speaking of teams who are usually ignored: The O's have certainly been the surprise team of 2012.

Adam Jones is crushing the ball (.611 SLG) and the bullpen has been excellent. Matt Lindstrom, Luis Ayala and closer Jim Johnson have pitched a collective of 26.3 innings this season and have been charged zero earned runs.

Other than from Jason Hammel (1.73 ERA), the starting pitching hasn't been too good, especially from Brian Matusz (7.98 ERA).

Still, the O's performance thus far should be celebrated, even though it's unlikely they will be able to continue to compete in the toughest division in baseball. 

11. San Francisco Giants (9-9)

The Giants offense has been fairly productive in 2012, currently ranking sixth in BA and 15th in runs.

Two guys in particular have been outstanding, though. Pablo Sandoval has been absolutely killing the ball and leads the team with 24 hits. And Buster Posey, looking completely healthy, is batting .382 and slugging .600.

Excluding Tim Lincecum, the starting pitching has been great, especially from Matt Cain (.63 WHIP) and Barry Zito (.95 WHIP).

And Lincecum should get it together shortly. He's simply too talented not to.  

10. Chicago White Sox (10-8)

The Sox were completely disregarded leading up to the start of the season, and at least for right now, they seem to have proven many wrong.

Alex Rios (.362 BA and .534 SLG) looks to be having the bounce-back season I know I didn't expect. Paul Konerko (.357 BA) continues to be great another year and A.J. Pierzynski (.339 BA and 15 RBI) is on fire.

Still, it's the White Sox pitching (seventh in ERA) that deserves credit for the team's success.

Jake Peavy (1.88 ERA and .73 WHIP) has been dominating and Chris Sale's (3.12 ERA and 1.08 WHIP) transition from the bullpen to the rotation is going smoothly.

But to compete with the Tigers, the Sox will need to maintain the excellent pitching.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (10-8)

The good news for the Blue Jays is that they haven't even scratched the surface of their potential, yet they are right in the thick of it in the AL East.

Jose Bautista is batting only .203 and slugging .359, while Brett Lawrie only has two home runs and is slugging .403.

The Blue Jays' starting pitching has been key for their success so far, especially Kyle Drabek (2.25 ERA and 1.29 WHIP) and ace Ricky Romero (3.29 ERA and 1.06 WHIP).

Still, this team will go as far as their bats will take them, and once the Jays starting hitting to their potential, watch out.

8. Tampa Bay Rays (11-7)

The Rays have been great offensively thus far, currently ranking eighth in runs and seventh in OBP. Evan Longoria is leading the way and seems to be putting it all together this year with a slash line of .328/.449/.563. 

The Rays have also gotten top-notch pitching from Jeremy Hellickson, James Shields and David Price. The bullpen has struggled (6.96 ERA) often this year, though.

However, if they can solve those woes, the sky is the limit for this club.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers (13-6)

The Dodgers have surprised many with their outstanding play so far.

And Matt Kemp deserves a great deal of credit because of his absolutely incredible current slash line of .449/.513/.942.

But Kemp isn't the only one responsible for the Dodgers success, Andre Ethier is having a solid bounce-back season (.562 slugging) and Dee Gordon is lightning quick (10 steals) on the basepaths.

The Dodgers have also pitched great this season, ranking eighth in team ERA.

Chad Billingsley remaining productive is key, but so far so good for him (.93 WHIP).

6. Atlanta Braves (12-7)

It seemed after the Braves' first four games (all losses) in which they scored only 10 runs, that the offense would be an issue this year.

Well, that's not the case.

Jason Heyward (.303 BA) has reverted back to 2010 form, Freddie Freeman (.507 SLG and 15 RBI) is building off his rookie season and Michael Bourn (.313) might be proving he's truly no longer the .270-or-so hitter he once was.

So far, it is the Braves pitching that has been the weak link (3.87 team ERA). But with Tommy Hanson looking better and better each start and Tim Hudson nearing his return, the pitching will improve. Bad news for the rest of the NL East.

5. New York Yankees (10-8)

Starting off the five elite teams in MLB is the Yankees.

The team suffered a blow to their already weak rotation (5.73 team ERA) on Wednesday when it was announced Michael Pineda will miss all of 2012.

Still, the Yankees should be able to overcome it. As expected, the Yankees have an unstoppable offense that ranks third in runs, average and slugging, as well as first in OBP.

Derek Jeter is having an incredible year, batting .420 and slugging .642.

At Nos. 1 through 6, there is just no easy out in the Yankees lineup, which makes them the favorite to win the AL East.

4. Detroit Tigers (10-8)

Ryan Raburn, Brennan Boesch and Delmon Young have been extremely disappointing, and Prince Fielder isn't slugging (.448) any where near his capabilities.

Simply put, the Tigers aren't playing very good baseball right now. Yet, they are still 10-8. 

The team doesn't have that great of pitching (19th in ERA) other than Verlander, but that won't be as big of a deal once the Tigers hitters get it together and start playing to their normal standards.

This team will be one of the league's best. Just wait.

3. Washington Nationals (14-4)

The Nationals pitching has been outstanding in 2012.

As a team, the Nationals have posted an ERA of 2.20 and a WHIP 1.03. And their starters alone have an ERA of 1.71, which is the best mark by far in MLB.

While Stephen Strasburg is the Nationals pitcher people want to talk about (and for good reason), Gio Gonzalez has allowed six hits and zero runs combined in his last three starts.

The offense has been subpar (21st in runs), but their pitching is dominant enough that they should contend for the NL East crown all season regardless.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (12-7)

The Cardinals haven't missed a beat in 2012 despite the departures of Pujols and Tony LaRussa. They are top five in both ERA and runs scored, which really speaks to the balance of this team.

Signing Carlos Beltran (.500 slugging) is proving to be one of the better decisions in the offseason and World Series hero David Freese (.339 BA) has played like it's October.

And despite Chris Carpenter being on the DL, the starting pitching has been fantastic. Four of the Cards' five starters have below a 2.50 ERA, and the one who doesn't is Adam Wainwright, who made great improvements in his last start.

The Cards are the heavy favorite in the NL Central.

1. Texas Rangers (15-4)

The Rangers are easily my No. 1 team right now. They lead the league in runs, BA, SLG and are second in OBP.

There truly isn't one easy out in their entire lineup and their first six hitters are All-Star-caliber players.

On top of that, they have great pitching. The Rangers are third in the league in team ERA (2.62). Matt Harrison (1.66 ERA) and Colby Lewis (2.03 ERA) have been lights out and Yu Darvish is coming along after throwing 8.1 innings of scoreless ball with 10 strikeouts against the Yankees.

With excellence across the board, the Rangers have to be the current favorite to win it all in 2012.