MLB Power Rankings: 1 Adjustment Each Team Must Make Going Forward

Regardless of any MLB team's success or failures, there are always certain adjustments that each team can make to get better or remain successful.

After the month of April, whether your favorite team is winning its division or is trapped in the cellar, making adjustments for the future is part of the game of baseball.

Here are power rankings of each MLB team after April, with one adjustment each team needs to make as we enter the second month of the season. 

1. Texas Rangers

Record: 17-6

Rank: 1st AL West

Adjustment:

Honestly, there's not much to nitpick with a team as talented as the Texas Rangers. Some people (myself included) suspected a changing of the guard with Albert Pujols joining the Los Angeles Angels, but the Rangers have proven that they are here to stay at the top of the AL West.

The Rangers are tearing the cover off the ball with their stacked lineup. They rank first in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage as well as second place in total runs. Texas' pitching, while not as good as the bats, has been stellar.

So, although it's not exactly an "adjustment," the Rangers just have to keep playing with consistency and going for the chokehold in the division.

If they keep playing at this high of a level, there's no reason why they shouldn't win the division on their way to another postseason berth.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 16-7

Rank: 1st NL West

Adjustment:

Matt Kemp is absolutely carrying the Dodgers right now. He leads the Dodgers offense in batting average (.417), hits (35), home runs (12), RBI (25), on-base percentage (.490), slugging percentage (.893)—okay, you get the point.

Basically, Kemp has been a machine.

However, the bats around him need to take some of the pressure off.

Andre Ethier has been playing well, with five homers and 24 RBI, but for the Dodgers to sustain their winning ways, they'll need to rely on hitters other than Kemp to step up for their lineup.

If they can make that happen, they have a real chance of winning the NL West this season.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 14-8

Rank: 1st NL Central

Adjustment:

While the Cardinals offense hasn't skipped a beat with the loss of Albert Pujols, the pitching staff has been even better. The Cards are first in WHIP (1.04), second in quality starts (17) and second in ERA (2.61).

Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that Adam Wainwright, coming back from Tommy John surgery, would be the Cardinals' worst pitcher (7.32 ERA)?

Despite Wainwright's early-season struggles, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia have all pitched great. Can they keep up their great pitching numbers for the remainder of the season? That remains to be seen.

The Cardinals may have to rely more heavily on bounce-back starts from Wainwright moving forward.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Record: 15-8

Rank: 1st AL East

Adjustment:

The Rays have been playing great team baseball in the early going this season.

Unfortunately, star third baseman Evan Longoria will reportedly be out 6-8 weeks after suffering a hamstring injury.

The Rays could go with Jeff Keppinger, Elliot Johnson or even move Sean Rodriguez to third while substituting a man at shortstop. None of those names have quite the star power of Longoria, but if they can weather the storm with him out, the Rays will be fine until he returns to the lineup.

5. Washington Nationals

Record: 14-8

Rank: 1st NL East

Adjustment:

After jumping out of the gates with a 14-4 start, the Nationals have lost four straight. That stems from their inability to score runs.

The Nats rank 28th in batting average (.226) and 30th in slugging percentage (.328).

Calling Bryce Harper up to the major league level may help their offensive struggles, but the Nationals have truly been anemic offensively. When your best offensive threat is journeyman Adam LaRoche, you know you have some problems.

On the plus side, the Nats' pitching has been unbelievable this season; Nos. 1-5 are starters who can win games.

But they won't win much moving forward if the team can't score runs.

6. Atlanta Braves

Record: 14-9

Rank: 2nd NL East

Adjustment:

Ironically, the Braves are perhaps the opposite of the Nationals in the NL East. They're still winning a fair amount of games despite having woeful pitching and a solid offense.

It didn't help the Braves when Jair Jurrjens, their ace last season, struggled mightily in four starts. Jurrjens has surrendered 17 earned runs in just 16.1 innings pitched. He also sports a paltry 9.37 ERA this season.

Those numbers led to a demotion to Triple-A for the Braves starter.

Hopefully for Braves fans, Jurrjens will be able to figure out his mechanics in the minor leagues. If not, Atlanta has to find a capable starter to take his place if the team hopes to make the postseason.

7. Baltimore Orioles

Record: 14-9

Rank: 2nd AL East

Adjustment:

How about we give some love to the Baltimore Orioles.

Who would have expected this team to jump out to an early-season lead in the loaded AL East? While the Rays have overtaken the O's spot at the top of the division due to Baltimore’s 6-4 record in their past 10 games, they are still playing solid baseball.

Something the Orioles need to improve moving forward is their ability to get on base. Baltimore's offense currently ranks 20th in baseball in on-base percentage.

If their young hitters can learn to work the count and take more pitches, they would benefit from scoring more runs.

The Orioles could also look to add another pitcher via trade to bolster their starting rotation.

And let's not ignore the fact that J.J. Hardy is batting .184, and Mark Reynolds is batting .143 (without a homer). Yikes.

8. New York Yankees

Record: 13-9

Rank: 3rd AL East

Adjustment:

The Yankees offense has certainly lived up to the "Bronx Bombers" nickname so far this season.

Their pitching, however, has been dreadful.

The Yankees rank 28th in the majors with just seven quality starts. Seven!

In 22 games so far this season, the Yanks' starters have only recorded a quality start in a little more than a third of them. That's certainly not helping their case for winning the AL East this season.

Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and even ace CC Sabathia have struggled thus far on the mound. With the news that Michael Pineda will miss the entire 2012 season with a labrum tear, the Yankees have to improve their starting pitching (likely via trade).

9. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 11-11

Rank: 2nd NL Central

Adjustment:

The Reds have been mediocre on both sides of the field this season in some regard. Joey Votto hasn't been Joey Votto, and Mike Leake and new addition Mat Latos have had their struggles.

With that said, the Reds are 11-11, which is good enough for second place in the NL Central. If Votto starts to get it together at the plate and Latos/Leake go from bad to mediocre on the mound, the Reds should be much better off.

I think it's only a matter of time before Votto's bat starts to heat up.

10. Cleveland Indians

Record: 11-9

Rank: 1st AL Central

Adjustment:

While it's unlikely that the Cleveland Indians will still be the front-runner in the AL Central by September, they had a solid month of April.

An aspect that they need to improve upon, however, is their win/loss record at home.

On the road this season, the Indians have a 7-2 record. Needless to say, they've been road warriors.

Playing at home, though, the Indians are 4-7.

If they can keep up their stellar play away from Cleveland while improving their play at home, it will only benefit this team moving forward.

11. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 11-12

Rank: 4th NL East

Adjustment:

The Philadelphia Phillies' pitching has once again been great. The team ranks first in the majors in quality starts with 18 of them.

But despite the consistent pitching, the Phils are under .500 after the month of April.

The losses of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley due to injuries have really hurt Philadelphia's potency on offense. The Phillies need to weather the storm until they get arguably their two best hitters back in the lineup.

The pitching staff is doing its part, now it's time for the weakened offense to take some pressure off.

12. Boston Red Sox

Record: 11-11

Rank: 5th AL East

Adjustment:

After a dismal start to the 2012 season, the Red Sox have already made a great deal of adjustments and are reaping the benefits.

In their last 10 games, the Sox have a 7-3 record. That's the best mark of any team not named the Tampa Bay Rays, who are 8-2 in their past 10.

Despite being in last place, the Red Sox are on quite the hot streak. You wouldn't know it by their record, but the Red Sox lead Major League Baseball with 127 runs scored.

The bullpen was atrocious to start the season, but has turned things around as of late. Boston's relievers will have to keep up their current production to keep the hot streak going.

13. San Francisco Giants

Record: 12-10

Rank: 2nd NL West

Adjustment:

Tim Lincecum has struggled this year. His velocity has been down to start the 2012 season, and his 5.74 ERA reflects that issue.

As the ace of this Giants staff, he needs to lead by example and step up to the billing of being an ace.

The Giants have been lucky that Barry Zito (1.67 ERA) has returned to a pitching form we haven't seen from him since 2002. If Lincecum can return to his dominant self, the Giants will be a major threat moving forward.

14. Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 12-11

Rank: 4th AL East

Adjustment:

Will the real Jose Bautista please stand up?

For the past two seasons, Bautista has been the heart and soul of the Blue Jays lineup.

This season, he's batting a miserable .181.

Fortunately, other members of the Toronto lineup have stepped up (namely Edwin Encarnacion, Eric Thames and Brett Lawrie), and the starting rotation surrounding Ricky Romero has been a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, though, Bautista has really struggled. The Blue Jays have a chance to be a very solid team this year, but Joey Bats' early season woes have not helped them.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 12-11

Rank: 3rd NL West

Adjustment:

Stephen Drew started the 2012 season on the disabled list while recovering from ankle surgery.

Despite missing Drew at shortstop, the D-Backs got off to a blistering start, winning five of their first six games.

But after one month, Chris Young, Justin Upton, Daniel Hudson, Takashi Saito and others have all spent time dealing with injuries, just like Drew.

It's truly unfortunate that Young hurt his shoulder because he was off to his best statistical start. His .410 batting average, which accompanied five homers and 15 RBI, was leading the Diamondbacks' offensive charge.

Gerardo Parra will have to step up offensively in his absence.

16. New York Mets

Record: 13-10

Rank: 3rd NL East

Adjustment:

The Mets are three games over .500 despite a run differential of -20.

It just isn't feasible that the Mets have a winning record despite being outscored by 20 runs this season, but I don't think their fans would complain.

The Mets need to work on evening that run differential moving forward.

17. Detroit Tigers

Record: 11-11

Rank: Tied 2nd AL Central

Adjustment:

Needless to say, the Detroit Tigers have not lived up to their lofty expectations so far this season.

After sweeping the Boston Red Sox to start the year, the Tigers have been really mediocre. In fact, in their past 10 games, they have a 2-8 record. In the past 10 games, that's the worst record in baseball tied with the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins.

The Tigers need to improve their pitching moving forward. Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer have had their issues, and Jose Valverde has a 5.59 ERA out of the closer role.

18. Chicago White Sox

Record: 11-11

Rank: Tied 2nd AL Central

Adjustment:

Phil Humber's perfect game has been the highlight of the White Sox's season so far.

With that said, Humber's 4.66 ERA leaves a lot to be desired.

For yet another White Sox starter, Jon Danks' struggles have been even more magnified, especially considering his five-year, $65 million contract extension that he signed in the offseason. His 6.23 ERA and his lack of command—15 walks in 30.1 innings pitched—certainly have not lived up to that big contract thus far.

The White Sox need Danks to turn things around for a variety of reasons.

19. Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 11-12

Rank: 3rd NL Central

Adjustment:

After one month, the Brewers pitching staff ranks dead last in WHIP (1.56) and 28th in ERA (5.12).

Randy Wolf and Yovani Gallardo both have ERAs higher than 6.00.

Ryan Braun can only do so much, especially now that Prince Fielder is a Detroit Tiger.

Gallardo and Wolf are both talented pitchers. They need to make proper adjustments moving forward to be the types of players they have been in the past.

20. Colorado Rockies

Record: 11-11

Rank: 4th NL West

Adjustment:

The Colorado Rockies simply have to get better on the mound. In the offseason, the trade to acquire Jeremy Guthrie (who lost 17 games a season ago with the Orioles) was seen as an improvement. Yikes.

Right now, the Rockies' best starting pitcher is 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, who's sporting a 3.14 ERA. No disrespect to Moyer (what he's done this year has been nothing short of amazing), but the Rockies' pitching is just plain bad.

Adding Michael Cuddyer and Marco Scutaro in the offseason is head-scratching considering how badly the Rockies need improvement on the mound. I wouldn't be surprised to see Colorado make a trade to add a pitcher before the deadline.

21. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 10-12

Rank: 4th NL Central

Adjustment:

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been an enigma so far this season.

Their offense comes in at last place in runs scored; they've scored just 58 runs all season.

That's less than half of the total runs the Boston Red Sox have scored thus far.

Ironically, the Pirates have surrendered the fewest runs of any team this year, giving up just 66.

If the offense can get it together and score more frequently, they have a chance at being a very good baseball team.

Scoring just 58 total runs in April, though? That’s really, really bad.

22. Seattle Mariners

Record: 11-13

Rank: Tied 2nd AL West

Adjustment:

The Seattle Mariners' trade of Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero has worked out great for them. Montero is having a breakout season, while Pineda will miss the entire 2012 season with the New York Yankees.

Outside of Montero and Ichiro on offense, however, there still needs to be some improvement.

Michael Saunders struggled early in his career, but has appeared to turn things around some this season with a .338 on-base percentage, which leads the team.

The Mariners need more production from prospects Justin Smoak and Mike Carp once he returns for the disabled list.

23. Oakland Athletics

Record: 11-13

Rank: Tied 2nd in AL West

Adjustment:

It's foolish to think that the Oakland Athletics can compete with the Texas Rangers this season.

The adjustment that the A's should make is through trades.

Oakland has a lot of pieces on its roster who will be coveted by contending teams. Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes are two veteran bullpen pitchers teams could go after.

Brandon McCarthy and Bartolo Colon are two A's starters who have been very solid to start the season. The New York Yankees may be a team that comes knocking at Billy Beane's door to inquire about adding one of those starters.

The A's should start dealing the talented players on their roster to get solid prospects in return as a hope for the future.

24. Los Angeles Angels

Record: 8-15

Rank: 4th AL West

Adjustment:

Albert Pujols is hitting .217 and has yet to hit his first Angels homer in 92 at-bats. He has four RBI.

Pujols has obviously been pressing in an attempt to wow his new fans.

If "The Machine" doesn't turn things around soon, it may be too late for the Angels to make a playoff run, especially when you consider they're in the same division as the Texas Rangers.

The bullpen struggles of Kevin Jepsen, Jordan Walden and Hisanori Takahashi are also an area of concern.

25. Chicago Cubs

Record: 8-15

Rank: 6th NL Central

Adjustment:

The trade of Marlon Byrd to the Boston Red Sox may be the first of many for the Cubs this season.

Theo Epstein needs to change the culture of losing in Chicago with the Cubs, and that starts by turning the franchise upside down.

There are a lot of decisions to be made in the Windy City, perhaps starting with the decision of whether or not to offer Ryan Dempster a contract extension.

26. Houston Astros

Record: 9-14

Rank: 5th NL Central

Adjustment:

The Astros have a lot of young hitters in their lineup who have banded together and made Houston an impressive offensive team.

Houston needs to improve its pitching rotation, though.

I think the Astros would be smart to find a landing place for Carlos Lee. There are plenty of teams in the majors looking for help on offense, and if the Astros can flip Lee for another starting pitcher to complement their young position players, it will only help them compete for the long haul.

Lee needs a change of scenery anyway.

27. Miami Marlins

Record: 8-14

Rank: 5th NL East

Adjustment:

In their last 10 games, the Marlins have a 2-8 record, which is tied for the worst record in baseball.

The pitching staff has been respectable so far this season, outside of Josh Johnson. Johnson has uncharacteristically struggled so far this season, but other starters have been able to lead the charge while he finds himself.

The true struggles have been on offense.

Jose Reyes is batting .220, Hanley Ramirez is batting .207 and Gaby Sanchez is batting .205.

Those are three leaders on offense not getting it done.

The Marlins invested a lot of money this offseason to become a contending team. To be in last place in their division is a disappointment.

Getting back to where they want to be starts with Reyes and Ramirez.

28. Kansas City Royals

Record: 6-15

Rank: Tied 4th AL Central

Adjustment:

Last season, the Royals had a great offense and a woeful pitching staff.

The addition of Jonathan Sanchez this season hasn't panned out (he has a 6.75 ERA), and Royals' prospect Eric Hosmer is hitting .188.

Kansas City finished the month of April winless at home, going 0-10.

Oddly enough, on the road, the Royals have been a competent team at 6-5.

If the Royals can find a way to win in their home stadium, it will go a long way toward getting this team back to .500. If they can also find a way to add another starting pitcher, it could help even out their winning percentage.

29. San Diego Padres

Record: 7-17

Rank: 5th NL West

Adjustment:

With 17 losses after one month, there are plenty of adjustments to be made in San Diego.

While nothing the Padres do this season will immediately make them a contender, there are some moves they can make.

The most obvious of which would be trading Huston Street.

Street is a veteran closer who would be coveted by contending teams searching for bullpen depth. If the Padres can get value in return for Street, I think they need to pull the trigger on a trade.

30. Minnesota Twins

Record: 6-16

Rank: Tied 4th AL Central

Adjustment:

A 2-8 record in their past 10 games, a 6-16 overall record and a -37 run differential?

The Twins have looked really ugly after one month.

The problem is that the Twins have no pitching. They rank dead last in ERA (5.64), quality starts (five) and batting average against (.289).

Not having a bona-fide ace has really hurt this team.

The Twins may be more than a few tweaks away from being a contender again in the NL Central.

One of the lone bright spots for the Twins this year has been Josh Willingham. The Twins outfielder is hitting .347 (not to mention a crazy .447 on-base percentage) with five homers and 15 RBI.