MLB Power Rankings: Surprise Teams Whose Hot Starts Won't Last

One month into the 2012 Major League Baseball season, it is safe to say that the world has truly been flipped on its head. There are surprise division leaders all over the place, which makes for great sports talk and questions about how we missed seeing this coming. 

That is the beauty of a small sample size: There's so much to talk about, even if it isn't meant to last. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but there is a reason that some of the teams demanding respect didn't get talked about a lot before the season. 

Here is a look at the surprise teams who are in for a hard fall from grace in the very near future, along with a full look at our MLB Power Rankings.

Baltimore Orioles (19-9, 1st Place In American League East)

There are whispers starting to get louder surrounding the Orioles following a three-game sweep in Boston over the weekend. Could this be the year that this franchise flirts with a .500 record and makes a run at a playoff berth?

Sadly, no.

Matt Wieters has been outstanding and looks like the player everyone pegged him to be when he was called up in 2009. Adam Jones is also starting to come into his own. But after those two, the lineup is not very good.

Chris Davis, who got the win in Sunday's marathon game at Boston, is still not making enough contact for his hot start to last. The pitching staff, led by Jason Hammel and Jake Arietta, is going to come back down to earth.

It is a nice story right now, but, like last year, it is not one that is meant to last for 162 games.

Cleveland Indians (15-11, 1st Place In American League Central)

Like the Orioles, the Indians are off to yet another hot start. Also like the Orioles, this one isn't made to last. 

Aside from the continued emergence of Jason Kipnis, the keen eye of Carlos Santana and some positive signs from Asdrubal Cabrera, this team is filled with a lot of overachievers right now. 

The pitching staff is not very good. Justin Masterson is getting destroyed by left-handed hitters (.890 OPS). Ubaldo Jimenez has lost his velocity and has no idea where the ball is going. Derek Lowe is getting by despite a 12-10 BB-K ratio this season. Chris Perez doesn't miss bats, and his .225 batting average on balls in play isn't sustainable. 

Eventually, the pitching staff is going to regress to its mean, and the offense isn't strong enough to carry them. 

Houston Astros (13-15, 3rd Place In National League Central)

At first glance, a 13-15 record isn't exactly something to get excited about. When you look at the lineup the Astros are running out onto the field everyday, it would have been a miracle if they won 13 games before the All-Star break. 

Aside from Jose Altuve—who could stand to walk more but is so good with the bat—and Jed Lowrie, there isn't one player in the starting lineup who would be starting anywhere else. 

The rotation has Wandy Rodriguez and...Bueller...Bueller. Give credit to this team for winning the games that it has so far, but eventually, their talent, or lack thereof, is going to catch up to them. 

They may not be the worst team of all-time, but they aren't going to hang around .500 all year either. 

2012 MLB POWER RANKINGS FOR WEEK OF MAY 7-MAY 13
1. Texas Rangers (18-10)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (19-10)
3. Washington Nationals (18-10)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (17-11)
5. New York Yankees (15-13)
6. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10)
7. Atlanta Braves (18-11)
8. Detroit Tigers (14-13)
9. Cleveland Indians (15-11)
10. New York Mets (15-13)
11. Baltimore Orioles (19-9)
12. Oakland A's (15-14)
13. Cincinnati Reds (14-13)
14. Toronto Blue Jays (16-13)
15. Miami Marlins (14-14)
16. San Francisco Giants (14-14)
17. Philadelphia Phillies (14-15)
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-15)
19. Houston Astros (13-15)
20. Chicago White Sox (13-15)
21. Seattle Mariners (13-17)
22. Milwaukee Brewers (12-16)
23. Boston Red Sox (11-16)
24. Los Angeles Angels (12-17)
25. Colorado Rockies (12-15)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-16)
27. Chicago Cubs (11-17)
28. Kansas City Royals (9-18)
29. San Diego Padres (9-20)
30. Minnesota Twins (7-20)

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