MLB Power Rankings 2012: Early-Season Contenders That Will Fall

Alex KayJun 7, 2018

The 2012 MLB season is moving right along and a glutton of teams have emerged as contenders in the early portion.

Because the year is so long and drawn out, some of these hopeful championship teams will show their true colors and reveal that they are just pretenders come October.

Let’s take a look at some clubs that will not keep up their ridiculous pace for the rest of the season.

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Washington Nationals v Los Angeles Angels

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Baltimore Orioles

It’s surprising, but with a combined 2.78 ERA, the Orioles have the best pitching staff in the American League right now. Despite the fact that some of their best players are struggling—Nick Markakis and Mark Reynolds in particular—they are still creating solid offensive production.

Guys such as Adam Jones are definitely helping to pick up the slack, but how long can these players carry the entire team for?

Atlanta Braves

Speaking of pitching and how it’s impacting the Orioles in a positive way, it’s a miracle that this squad is still hanging around. Three of the Atlanta Braves’ starting pitchers have above a 5.00 ERA.

The one way they are making up for those poor outings on the mound is run support. The team leads the MLB in runs scored. If they start losing that production, they’ll start losing a lot more games.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians are shockingly in contention for the AL Central crown despite a lack of star power on their roster.

They have beaten some of the best clubs and always defy the odds, which is truly startling when you actually look at their lineup and rotation.

If they last the duration of the season, I’ll be impressed.

MLB Power Rankings

1. Texas Rangers

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Tampa Bay Rays

4. St. Louis Cardinals

5. Baltimore Orioles

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

7. Atlanta Braves