MLB Rankings: Top 10 World Series Contenders at the Quarterpole

It's hard to believe, but it is just about that time of year again to start making our best educated guesses as to who will hoist the World Series trophy come this October.

We are now officially at the quarterpole of the MLB season with tons of surprises all around the league thus far. This article will rank the teams that have the best chance to be playing baseball deep into October. 

1. Texas Rangers

It feels like Josh Hamilton is the only one on the Rangers who anybody talks about. The rest of his team isn't too shabby either, and I believe they are the top World Series contender at this point in the season. 

The offense is absolutely stacked, with Hamilton and Elvis Andrus both on pace for career years. Not to mention that Adrian Beltre is continuing his career renaissance, hitting .318 to go along with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs.

Hitting has never been the issue for this team though, it has played a large part in getting them to the World Series the last two seasons. 

The biggest question for this team lies in which arms will step up in October. C.J. Wilson isn't walking through the door anymore. 

Guys like Yu Darvish, enjoying a successful rookie season so far, will be thrust into the limelight. Colby Lewis and Derek Holland will need to repeat past postseason success in order for this team to have a chance once the playoffs start. 

Top to bottom, I think the Rangers are the most complete team in baseball, but I have begun to wonder whether or not they can close the deal. Getting to the World Series for the 3rd year in a row will mean nothing if they come away without the ultimate prize once again. 

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Hard to believe that less than a year ago, the Dodgers were still dealing with the whole McCourt saga. Now-a-days, life is good in LA as the team is sitting at 32-15 on Memorial Day while also holding a 7.5 game lead over the 2nd place Giants. 

Previously unknown commodities, A.J. Ellis and Elian Herrera have stepped in and played admirably. Prior to going on the DL, Matt Kemp was on pace for a historic offensive season.

But there's good news for Dodgers fans as No. 27 is expected back in the lineup possibly as soon as tomorrow. Bobby Abreu has also experienced a career revival on the other side of town, after falling out of favor and seeing his playing time decrease dramatically with the Angels. 

With the pitching staff, Chris Capuano has surprised everyone and emerged as the ace. Capuano is 7-1 with a 2.14 ERA, while Clayton Kershaw is currently sporting a minuscule earned run average of 1.97 and Ted Lilly has also pitched well, going 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA.

One of the more intriguing storylines as we progress further into the season will be whether or not the Dodgers can continue to flourish on the field.

In a weakened NL West, this team has a chance to win the division and a shot at deep a playoff run in October. 

What will likely ultimately determine the outcome of the season for this team though is the continued success of veterans Capuano and Lilly in the rotation along with the continued production of the key guys in the lineup. 

3. Tampa Bay Rays

We know all about the pitching; James Shields, David Price and Jeremy Hellickson might be the strongest 1, 2 and 3 starters this side of the Mississippi. Pitching has always been the bread and butter for the Rays. It is what got them to the World Series in 2008. 

The bullpen remains one of the strong points for the Rays this year, as Fernando Rodney has recorded 16 saves with a 1.08 ERA. Other arms including Wade Davis and Jake McGee have contributed out of the bullpen for Tampa Bay as well. 

Joe Maddon has always been considered one of the elite managers in baseball, but this year may actually be his best managing job yet. 

Evan Longoria has played just 23 games, but the Rays still find themselves tied for first place atop the AL East. Former cast-offs Luke Scott and Matt Joyce have been the two most consistent offensive producers in the lineup. 

Once Longoria returns, and if guys like Scott and Joyce continue to deliver in key spots, this team should be in the thick of the pennant race until the end.

The pitching will keep the Rays in nearly every game, and if the timely hitting keeps up, the Rays will be one of the main challengers to the Rangers in the American League. 

4. Washington Nationals

The Nationals are one of the true feel-good stories in baseball so far this season. After years of losing, the franchise has completely reversed its fortunes and finds itself atop the NL East at the quarter mark of the season. 

Bryce Harper made his long-awaited debut, and has hit .287 in 27 games, while Adam LaRoche has helped to carry the load offensively as well, driving in 35 runs to lead the team. 

Stephen Strasburg has returned from Tommy John surgery to go 5-1 with a 2.64 ERA and Gio Gonzalez has made the organizational brain trust look like geniuses, as he is 7-1 with a 2.04 earned run average. 

Drew Storen, the shutdown closer from 2011 has yet to pitch a game for Washington, but the bullpen has been more than okay, with Henry Rodriguez recording 9 saves to go along with fantastic relief from Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett out of the set-up role.

It seems like this team is finally here to stay. 

You always expect early season surprises to eventually falter down the stretch, but I don' t think that statement holds true with the Nationals this year.

I think they end up winning the division, beating out the Braves down the stretch. 

5. Cincinnati Reds

This may seem like a surprising pick to some, but the Reds do have the talent and makeup to reach the World Series. It is just a matter of getting the job done—oh, and beating out the Cardinals in the NL Central would help too.

Joey Votto has been himself at the plate. Brandon Phillips hasn't been overly impressive, but remains as reliable as ever. Jay Bruce has added the pop, despite just a .255 average. Top to bottom, this may be the most consistent lineup in the NL. 

Pitching wise, Johnny Cueto is on the fringe of the Cy Young discussion, while Aroldis Chapman has yet to allow an earned run out of the bullpen over 26 innings of work. The rest of the rotation hasn't been anything special, but it is solid. I'm sure the Reds would like to see more from former top prospects, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey, but that's a story for another day.

Expect this team to be locked in dogfight with the Cardinals until the final days of the regular season. As previously mentioned, the talent and makeup is there for Cincinnati to make a run, but can they perform when it matters most? We will have to wait to find that out. 

6. St. Louis Cardinals

Never count out the defending World Series champions, especially when considering what happened just last season. On August 1, 2011, the Cardinals were left for dead. They didn't have enough left in the tank to catch the Braves and make a postseason run. Two and a half months later, they were World Champions with David Freese making a name for himself on the sport's biggest stage.

This season, despite the losses of Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa, St. Louis remains within striking distance of the Reds. Similar to what I wrote on the Reds' slide, expect a dogfight between these two teams to go until the final days of the season.

Carlos Beltran, enjoying a career revival at age 35, has performed out of this world, hitting .290 with 15 home runs and 41 runs batted in. Rafael Furcal is hitting at a .333 clip, while Freese and Matt Holliday have been serviceable as well, with 33 and 32 RBIs, respectively. Those offensive numbers are all without the help of Lance Berkman, Allen Craig and Jon Jay in the lineup, all 3 of whom are currently residing on the disabled list.

On the mound, Lance Lynn is tied for the league lead in wins, while Kyle Lohse has enjoyed unexpected success as well. Jason Motte and Mitchell Boggs among others have combined to form a solid bullpen.

This may be the least talented team on the list, but the Cardinals know how to win when it counts. 

7. Baltimore Orioles

Go ahead, call me crazy, but there is absolutely no quit in the 2012 version of the Baltimore Orioles. Buck Showalter has been around the block a few times and knows how to handle a little bit of success. He has completely changed the culture of the team.

The main catalyst for the offense this year has been Adam Jones, who leads the team in nearly every major offensive category and finds himself in the midst of an 18-game hitting streak. All of that production has recently earned him a six-year contract extension. 

Jones is not alone in carrying the offense, however, as Chris Davis is hitting over .300 out of nowhere and solid seasons from J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters have helped the cause as well.

The team has nearly stayed in complete health both on offense and in the rotation, with the exception of Nolan Reimold.

Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen have both flourished out of the rotation, with each starter having just one loss to his name and both featuring ERAs under 3.50. Out of the bullpen, Jim Johnson has yet to blow a save, going 16-for-16 with a 0.84 earned run average. 

With all that being said, it is probably still a stretch to include the Orioles on this list, but it doesn't seem like they are going away anytime soon. The club is one of the most resilient in all of baseball. 

8. Atlanta Braves

The Braves haven't exactly been a model of consistency thus far, but I still think they make the playoffs out of the added wildcard spot. Similar to the Reds, the talent and makeup is there for this team to win, but they have failed to succeed in their last few playoff appearances. 

In order to be considered a legitimate contender, the Braves will need continued success from guys like Martin Prado, Michael Bourn and Freddie Freeman, plus a speedy recovery from Chipper Jones would help too.The lineup has been very good so far and is a big part of what is keeping this team afloat.

At the front of the rotation, Brandon Beachy has been a stud and is another one of the true feel-good stories around the league, while Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson have been relatively good as well.

Past that, however, is where the problems lie. Do you really trust a team with Randall Delgado and Mike Minor in the rotation to win consistently?

One of the things that the Braves have going for them is that a 3-man rotation of Hudson, Beachy and Hanson could be very formidable in the playoffs. The hard part, though is getting there—just ask the 2011 version of the Braves. 

Bullpen wise, the combination of Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty remains extremely strong. 

Coming down the stretch, the biggest question for this team will revolve around their ability to put wins on the board in September and October, something they have failed to do in recent years. 

9. New York Yankees

One of the teams that has been the hardest to figure out thus far is the New York Yankees.

A freak knee injury to Mariano Rivera shook up the entire team and they are still searching for the true replacement to Rivera in the closer's role. It was supposed to be David Robertson, but he wound up on the disabled list. Rafael Soriano finds himself in the closer spot for the time being.

At the plate, Derek Jeter has been remarkable, hitting .338 at the ripe age of 37. Raul Ibanez and Nick Swisher have been RBI machines. The production of Ibanez and Swisher have neutralized the slow starts from A-Rod and Mark Teixeira. The latter players have also started to heat up over the last few games as well, though.

Chances are, the lineup production is always going to be there for the Bronx Bombers, but pitching will ultimately determine their fate.

C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova have both enjoyed pretty solid seasons so far, despite an ERA north of 5 for the latter. Andy Pettitte returned and immediately became a fan favorite once again, while posting a 2.53 earned run average over his first three starts.

Contrary to what we have seen from Sabathia and Nova, both Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda have endured more than their fair share of struggles. 

As we get deeper into the season, the key questions for this team all relate to pitching: Can they have enough consistent starts from each member of the staff to make a deep run? Who is going to close games in October?

10. Boston Red Sox

This team has had their struggles over the first quarter of the season, but you have to believe they will be a factor in the playoff race coming down a stretch.

There is just too much talent in the clubhouse for this team to fade away.

The team has been hit harder by injuries than nearly any other club in baseball, but has managed to stay within shouting distance of the Orioles and Rays at the top of the division. 

Bucking a trend from the past few seasons, David Ortiz has helped to carry the load offensively in the early going along with some welcome and unexpected contributions from Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks.

Ortiz, who is hitting .305 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs has picked up the slack left by some other members of the team. Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia both endured some early season lumps, along with Kevin Youkilis getting off to a slow start as well. 

Mike Aviles and Cody Ross have also been pleasant surprises at the dish, with both of the former career journeymen having driven in more than 25 runs. 

Just like their rivals from New York, pitching is what will tell the story of the season for Bobby Valentine's club. Despite long-term injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, this is still one of the best lineups in baseball. Do they have enough rotation and bullpen depth to be considered a serious contender?

Josh Beckett will need to keep the form he has showed ever since the off-day golf fiasco, as he has been dominant in his last few starts. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have both shown flashes and pitched well as of late, but needs to stay consistent. 

In the bullpen, Alfredo Aceves, among others, took his lumps as a closer right off the bat but has settled down and become reliable over the past week. 

As this team starts to get players like Ellsbury, Crawford and Andrew Bailey back from injury, I think they move their way up the AL East standings. We should see another classic playoff race down the stretch.