MLB Power Rankings: Week 15 | Take Me Down to the Paradise City

There was absolutely no point of doing power rankings last week because it was the All-Star break and most teams only played three games. It was too hard to rank the teams differently based off of so few games.

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (62-35|1)—The Dodgers don't just keep winning (six of seven), they keep doing it in style, whether it be a Manny Ramirez pinch-hit grand slam or a Casey Blake walkoff. Andre Ethier (.591 avg/1.745 OPS last week) has four multiple-hit games, including three three-hit games, in the past six games.

Manny Ramirez (.313 avg/8 RBI last week) has continued to do his thing while Rafael Furcal (.308 avg last week) is finally starting to hit better. Both Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billinglsey looked good in their last starts (two earned runs in six innings each), while Jonathan Broxton is back and dominant.

The Dodgers' pitching staff leads all of baseball in ERA (3.58), WHIP (1.27), and batting average against (.233), while the offense leads the National League in batting average (.274) and on-base percentage (.352).

2. Los Angeles Angels (58-38|3)—A terrible pitching staff combined with the two best sluggers on the team on the disabled list equals an eight-game winning streak. Over the past 30 days, Erick Aybar has a whopping .409 batting average.

The offense has just been electric, with Howie Kendrick (.571 avg last week), Maicer Izturis (.389 avg/7 RBI last week), and Bobby Abreu (.379 avg/6 RBI last week) all heating up.

The offense has quickly become one of the best in baseball, as the Halos are top-two in all of baseball in runs (532), hits (952), RBI (508), batting average (.287), and on-base percentage (.532).

John Lackey and Matt Palmer have pitched well in their last starts, while the rest of the starters haven't been great. The Angels pitching staff has a 4.68 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, the fifth worst in all of baseball.

3. New York Yankees (59-38|4)—The Yankees just won eight in a row and have a one-and-a-half lead over Boston in the AL East. Jorge Posada (.350 avg/5 RBI last week) has been hot, but not clutch. Mark Teixeira (.308 avg/19 total bases last week) keeps on producing.

Hideki Matsui (.059 avg last week) has cooled down considerably and Nick Swisher (.182 avg last week) continues to bat poorly. The Yankees lead all of baseball in runs (536), home runs (144), RBI (510), total bases (1,572), on-base percentage (.358), and slugging (.469). Pitching-wise, Joba Chamberlain's last two starts have been great (two earned runs in 13.2 innings).

Andy Pettitte has continued his inconsistent stroll while A.J. Burnett has continued to pitch well. The Yankees have gone with Sergio Mitre as their fifth starter, and his first outing wasn't good.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (55-40|7)—The World Champions have now won 16 of their last 19 games. Jayson Werth (.416 avg/4 RBI last week), Jimmy Rollins (.313 avg/9 RBI last week), Shane Victorino (.466 avg/4 RBI last week), and Pedro Feliz (.344 avg/5 RBI last week) have all been on-fire.

The Phillies were the first team to have five players (Howard, Utley, Ibanez, Werth, Feliz) on their team with 50+ RBI. The Phillies lead the National League in runs (518), home runs (134), RBI (497), total bases (1,490), and slugging (451).

Pitching-wise, Joe Blanton was great (1 ER/7 IP) in his last start. Rodrigo Lopez and Cole Hamels both were also good in their last starts, while rookie J.A. Happ finally got roughed up (5 ER/6 IP) in his last start. The bullpen has been iffy, while Brad Lidge keeps giving up earned runs. 

5. Texas Rangers (53-42|6)—The Rangers have now won five of six, including a sweep of the Red Sox. David Murphy (.444 avg/1.117 OPS last week) and Michael Young (.409 avg/16 total bases last week) been on-fire. Josh Hamilton (.083 avg/1 RBI last week) has massively stunk while Ian Kinsler (.148 avg/9 strikeouts last week) continues to only bat for power (three home runs).

The Rangers are second in the American League in home runs (142) and slugging (.448). Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter, Kevin Milwood, and Dustin Nippert were all good in their starts last week as none of them yielded more than two earned runs.

Derek Holland's last two starts have been rough (7 ER/8.2 innings total). Frank Francisco has landed back on the disabled list, so C.J. Wilson will be taking over the closer role.

6. Boston Red Sox (57-39|2)—There's nothing like playing the Orioles to help a team get out of a slump. With the offense struggling, the Red Sox got Adam LaRoche from the Pirates, who started off his Boston stint with a home run.

David Ortiz (.333 avg/5 RBI last week) has continued his turnaround, and is currently on a six-game hitting streak. The bats have gone missing for Jason Bay (.222 avg/0 RBI last week), Jason Varitek (.182 avg/.182 OBP last week), and J.D. Drew (.048 avg/1 RBI last week).

Brad Penny has been way too inconsistent. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester didn't hurl their best stuff last week, either. John Smoltz continues to stink up the joint, raising his season ERA to 6.31, while Clay Buchholz only lasted four innings in his last start.

7. Colorado Rockies (53-44|11)—The Rockies keep rolling, having won six of nine since the All-Star break. Ian Stewart (.429 avg/1.436 OPS last week) has been on-fire, while the rest of the offense has been so-so. Clint Barmes (.182 avg last week) has gone missing, while Troy Tulowitzki (8 RBI last week) has been an RBI-machine.

Brad Hawpe (.300 avg last week) continues to bat consistently while Todd Helton keeps building his Hall of Fame credentials. The Rockies are second in the National League in runs (492), home runs (113), total bases (1,418), and slugging (.440).

Jason Marquis (1 ER/8 IP) continues to dominate while Jorge De La Rosa has not lost since June 16. On the other hand, the rest of the starters were iffy last week.

8. Detroit Tigers (52-44|9)—The Tigers just took three from the White Sox to put them three games ahead in the AL Central. Placido Polanco (.400 avg/5 RBI last week) and Miguel Cabrera (.400 avg/1.180 OPS last week) have been batting extremely well.

Brandon Inge (.158 avg/0 RBI last week) and Marcus Thames (.190 avg last week) haven't played that well. Armando Galarraga has been surging, as he only has a 2.36 ERA in his last four start.

Justin Verlander was dominant in his last start, a complete-game without yielding an earned run. Eddie Bonine hurled a quality start in his game a starter this year and Rick Porcello's rookie year keeps going downhill, as he has a 7.08 ERA in his past four starts.

9. Tampa Bay Rays (54-44|8)—What an up-and-down for the week for the Rays. After being absolutely embarrassed by Mark Buehrle, the Rays rallied against the Blue Jays for the biggest comeback in their short history. B.J. Upton (.194 avg/1 RBI last week) has gone missing while Evan Longoria (.174 avg last week) has lost the ability to hit consistently.

Pat Burrell (.160 avg last week) continues to be a bust while Jason Bartlett (.318 avg last week) has continued to put up All-Star numbers. Matt Garza (2 ER/9 IP) was impressively able to keep pace with Roy Halladay while Jeff Niemann continues to be the best rookie that nobody is talking about.

David Price has been atrocious (9.39 ERA in past four starts), while Scott Kazmir is clearly injured and swirled in trade rumors.

10. St. Louis Cardinals (53-47|10)—The acquisition of Matt Holliday has absolutely made the Cardinals the favorite to win the National League Central. The Cardinals also acquired Julio Lugo.

Both of them have looked good in their two games for the Cardinals. Albert Pujols (.208 avg last week) finally had a bad week. But Rick Ankiel (.455 avg/1.318 OPS last week), Ryan Ludwick (.385 avg last week), and Mark DeRosa (.321 avg/3 home runs last week) have been absolutely great.

The underrated pitcher of the year award can go to Joel Pineiro (1 ER/13 IP last week) or Adam Wainwright (3 ER/13 IP last week). Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) continues to be unfairly omitted from Cy Young discussion, while Todd Wellemeyer continues to stink.

11. San Francisco Giants (52-45|5)—San Francisco was pretty much embarrassed against the Braves in Atlanta. Randy Winn (.370 avg last week) has hot a hot bat, as has Nate Schierholtz (.308 avg last week). Pablo Sandoval (.222 avg last week) has cooled down a little bit as has Juan Uribe (.158 avg/1 RBI last week).

Matt Cain continues to dominate (2 ER/14 IP), while Tim Lincecum and Ryan Sadowski were roughed up by the Braves. Barry Zito (3 ER/13.1 IP) has been great in his past two starts, while Jonathan Sanchez has stunk since his no-hitter.

San Francisco's pitching staff is second in all of baseball in ERA (3.60), WHIP (1.29), and batting average against (.240) behind the Dodgers.

12. Houston Astros (50-47|17)—Here comes to Houston second-half surge! The only bad thing is that Lance Berkman, who has had a .500+ OBP in the last thirty days, was put on the disabled list. Ivan Rodriguez (.412/1.033 OPS last week) and Michael Bourn (.320 avg last week) have been heating up.

Chris Coste (.300 avg last week) has proven to be a great acquisition for the Astros while Carlos Lee (10 RBI last week) continues to be an RBI-machine. Wandy Rodriguez (10-6, 2.72 ERA) continues to put up great numbers, while Brian Moehler has a 2.79 ERA since June 14 and Roy Oswalt hasn't lost since June 19.

Mike Hampton continues to stink. Russ Ortiz has not win since June 2, and the tailend of the starting rotation needs to be more consistent.

13. Seattle Mariners (51-46|12)—Will the Mariners get a bat so that they can compete? The Mariners offense is the second worst in the American League in runs (377), on-base percentage (.315), and RBI (362). Ichiro (.346  avg last week) continues to do his thing while Jack Hannahan (.333 avg/1.221 OPS last week) has been a great acquisition.

Ken Griffey Jr. (.111 avg/0 RBI last week) continues to stink while Ronny Cedeno (.143 avg last week) still hasn't found his groove. Jarrod Washburn continues to absolutely dominate while Jason Vargas had a decent outing.

Felix Hernandez is a front-runner for the Cy Young, and hasn't lost since May 19. This is the best pitching staff in the American League (3.75 ERA, 1.31 WHIP).

14. Atlanta Braves (50-48|19)—The Braves took an impressive three games from San Francisco and have won seven of 10 since the All-Star break. Yunel Escobar (.444 avg/9 RBI/1.298 OPS last week) has been the hottest player in baseball. Matt Diaz (.357 avg last week) and Brian McCann (6 RBI last week) has been a consistent run producer.

Neither Casey Kotchman (.200 avg last week) nor Ryan Church (.158 avg last week) have been good as of late. Javier Vazquez has continued to roll and Kenshin Kawakami has been really consistent.

Derek Lowe and Jair Jurrjens have both been great in each of their last three outings and Tommy Hanson (5-1, 2.95 ERA) is putting up a serious Rookie of the Year campaign.

15. Chicago Cubs (50-45|15)—I might catch some flack for not moving the Cubs up, but I'm sorry that I don't find a sweep of the Nationals and beating a struggling Reds team all that impressive. Their upcoming series against Houston will be a real test.

The offense is starting to come to life as Alfonso Soriano (.480 avg/1.260 OPS last week), Milton Bradley (.400 avg/1.200 OPS last week), and Aramis Ramirez (.368 avg/7 RBI last week) have been wrecking the ball. Lone Cubs All-Star Ted Lilly going on the disabled list is not a good sign for the rotation.

The Cubs now recalled Justin Berg. Kevin Hart was good in his last two starts, while Randy Wells has been just adequate as of late. Carlos Zambrano has also won three straight decisions.

16. Florida Marlins (50-48|16)—The Marlins were swept by Philadelphia and then swept lowly San Diego, so they're 4-4 since the All-Star break. John Baker (.400 avg last week) and Jorge Cantu (.353 avg last week) have been swinging their bats well.

Hanley Ramirez (.333 avg/.407 OBP last week) has continued to do his thing. Cody Ross (.174 avg last week) has struggled as of late.

Ricky Nolasco has continued (0 ER/6.2 IP) his resurgence since returning from the minors. Chris Volstad can be shaky, be has otherwise been reliable as of late. Rick VandenHurk (3 ER/11 IP) has been really impressive in his first two starts, while Josh Johnson has maintained pace in the Cy Young race, while the Fish optioned struggling Andrew Miller.

17. Chicago White Sox (50-48|13)—The bullpen for the White Sox has completely collapsed. Bobby Jenks has blown two consecutive saves while Scott Linebrink and DJ Carrasco have both been extremely unreliable. Bartolo Colon hurled a quality start in his return, while Jose Contreras while ugly and wild in his last start against the Tigers.

Gavin Floyd has been impressive in his last two starts and John Danks will be returning on Monday from his blister problem. But the story of the week for the White Sox was the 18th perfect game in history thrown by Mark Buehrle against a dominant offense, and the catch of the year by DeWayne Wise. Jermaine Dye (.133 avg last week) and Paul Konerko (.100 avg last week) have both been struggling.

18. Milwaukee Brewers (49-48|14)—The Brewers have now lost five of nine and slipped to fourth in the NL Central. Craig Counsell (.478 avg/1.321 OPS last week) has been the team's hottest player. New acquisition Felipe Lopez (.400 avg last week) has looked good so far.

Ryan Braun (.318 avg/8 RBI last week) and Prince Fielder (.304 avg/5 RBI) have both continued to dominate. J.J. Hardy (.150 avg last week) has continued his terrible season, while Jason Kendall (.227 avg last week) has been unreliable.

Yovani Gallardo was shaky earlier, but has rebounded in his last two starts, while Jeff Suppan has not won a game since June 12. Braden Looper has won four straight decisions, while Manny Parra (4 ER/5 IP) had his first hiccup since returning from the minors.

19. Toronto Blue Jays (47-51|22)—The Jays don't deserve to move up at all, it's just that the teams below them have been worst and they did take two-of-three from Boston. Alex Rios (.364 avg/1.143 OPS last week), Marco Scutaro (.320 avg/5 RBI/1.033 OPS last week), and Aaron Hill (.308 avg/4 HR/7 RBI/1.203 OPS last week) have all been extremely hot.

The two biggest strugglers have been Vernon Wells (.182 avg last week) and Adam Lind (.174 avg last week). In the midst of trade rumors, Doc Halladay continues to dominate (2 ER/18 IP).

Brett Cecil hurled a gem against the Indians, while Ricky Romero hasn't been as dominant in his last few starts. Mark Rzepczynski has filthy stuff, but is still developing. The Jays blowing a 9-1 lead to the Rays was just embarrassing.

20. Minnesota Twins (48-50|18)—The Twins have now lost four in a row and six of their last seven. The Twins were blown out by Oakland 16-1, and also blew a 12-2 lead against the same team.

You know things aren't going well when Joe Nathan blows a save. Joe Mauer (.357 avg last week) has continued his consistent hitting, while Jason Kubel (.348 avg/10 RBI/1.283 OPS last week) has been sizzling.

Alexi Casilla (.120 avg last week) and Brendan Harris (.158 avg last week) have continued their struggles, and there's an increasingly anti-Nick Punto (.202 avg last week) stance amongst Twins fans. Anthony Swarzak (2 ER/7 IP) was good in yet another start, but the rest of the starting staff was awful last week, especially Glen Perkins.

21. New York Mets (45-51|21)—The Mets continue to be stuck in neutral, and should be embarrassed for losing a series against the Nationals. Gary Sheffield going on the disabled list isn't good news. The Jeff Francouer (.429 avg/10 RBI/1.219 OPS last week) pickup looks like it was a great move.

Luis Castillo (.474 avg/1.050 OPS last week) has been swining a hot bat as has Angel Pagan (.375 avg last week). David Wright's bat (.190 avg last week) has gone missing.

Livan Hernandez and Jonathon Niese both had good outings in their last starts, each lasting seven innings. Johan Santana was roughed up by Houston, while Oliver Perez had his first bad start since returning from the disabled list.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (43-54|27)—Who has the most home runs in the last thirty days? That would be Garrett Jones with ten. He's been absolutely on-fire (.429 avg/3 HR/1.341 OPS last week).

Delwyn Young (.375 avg last week) and Andrew McCutchen (.333 avg last week) have also been heating up. Ryan Doumit (3 HR/8 RBI last week) has been a good run producer as of late.

The two biggest strugglers have been the two in contract negotiations: Freddy Sanchez (.115 avg/0 RBI last week) and Jack Wilson (.222 avg/0 RBI last week). Zach Duke has been giving up too many hits but otherwise is consistent.

Ross Ohlendorf (4 ER/11 IP) has been good in his last two starts, while Paul Maholm and Charlie Morton have struggled recently.

23. Cincinnati Reds (44-52|20)—Cincinnati's season has gone downhill—fast. Only the two sluggers on the team have produced: Joey Votto (.435 avg/1.223 OPS last week) and Brandon Phillips (.368 avg/3 stolen bases last week).

Edwin Encarnacion (.118 avg last week) and Chris Dickerson (.167 avg lastweek) have contributed to the struggles of the offense that ranks second to last in hits (802) and batting average (.248) in all of baseball.

Johnny Cueto has struggled as of late, having a 10.19 ERA in his past four starts. Aaron Harang also has not won a decision since May 25. Micah Owings has yielded seven earned runs in each of his past two starts, while Homer Bailey (6 ER/2.2 IP) looked bad in his last start.

24. Cleveland Indians (40-58|28)—The Tribe have won five of nine since the break, which should be a big accomplishment for them. Ryan Garko (.450 avg/5 RBI last week), Jhonny Peralta (.333 avg/4 RBI last week), and Ben Francisco (.300 avg/6 RBI last week) all have hot bats.

The best three players on the team have been struggling in Shin-Soo Choo (.190 avg last week), Grady Sizemore (.053 avg/0 RBI last week), and Victor Martinez (.240 avg last week).

Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey pitched gems against the Mariners, while Cliff Lee continues to dominate amid trade rumors. Even David Huff pulled out a victory. Carl Pavano has continued his inconsistent play (7 ER/4.2 IP), and the bullpen still provides some concern.

25. Oakland Athletics (41-55|25)—They took a series from the Twins, which included a blowout and thrilling comeback. They also traded away their best offensive player in Matt Holliday. Orlando Cabrera (.357 avg/7 RBI last week) has been hot, while Jack Cust (.217 avg last week) has been struggling.

The A's have a bottom-five offense in all of baseball in hits (817), home runs (78), total bases (1,233), and batting average (.249), and those numbers should dip even lower with the absence of Holliday.

Gio Gonzalez has been inconsistent, reeling against the Twins, but dominating the Yankees. Trevor Cahill (1 ER/7 IP) was excellent in his last start, while Vin Mazzaro has now lost his seven last decisions.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks (42-56|23)—The Diamondbacks traded away their most consistent batter in Felipe Lopez. Stephen Drew (.483 avg/5 RBI/1.359 OPS last week), Mark Reynolds (.417 avg/1.226 OPS last week), and Miguel Montero (.375 avg/8 RBI/1.150 OPS last week) have all been absolutely on-fire. Justin Upton (9 RBI last week) continues to be a consistent run producer.

Gerardo Parra (.167 avg last week) and Chris Young (.227 avg last week) have been struggling. Dan Haren finally had a bad start (4 ER/5 IP). Jon Garland has pitched well, with a 2.57 ERA in his past three starts, while Doug Davis has been inconsistent and may be trade bait. Yusmeiro Petit has yet to get a win this year.

27. Baltimore Orioles (41-55|24)—The Orioles have now lost seven of eight since the All-Star break. The rookie Nolan Reimold (.375 avg/1.024 OPS last week) has been hot, as has Nick Markakis (.333 avg/4 RBI last week).

The rest of the offense has been non-existent. Luke Scott (.118 avg last week), Aubrey Huff (.120 avg/0 RBI last week), Cesar Izturis (.188 avg last week), and Melvin Mora (.211 avg last week) have all been cold as of late.

David Hernandez had a great (1 ER/6 IP) start against the Yankees while Brad Bergesen hurled another quality start. Jeremy Guthrie dominated the White Sox, but then got dominated by the Red Sox. Neither Rich Hill nor Jason Berken have been good as of late.

28. San Diego Padres (38-60|29)—The Friars have now lost eight of ten since the All-Star break. Chase Headley (.300 avg/12 total bases last week) has been the only decent offensive player.

Everth Cabrera (.083 avg last week) and Luis Rodriguez (.182 avg last week) have struggled immensely. Adrian Gonzalez is also batting below the .250 mark.

The starting pitchers all have had decent starts, but the offense is just so bad so the pitchers get absolutely no run support. The Padres are the worst team in all of baseball in runs (357), hits (754), RBI (342), total bases (1,193), batting average (.230), and slugging (.366).

They're also second to last in on-base percentage (.308). The pitching staff also is fourth worst in baseball, with a 4.75 ERA.

29. Kansas City Royals (38-58|26)—The Royals have now lost seven of eight since the All-Star break. Albert Callaspo (.440 avg last week) has been hot as has Billy Butler (.318 avg/4 RBI/1.126 OPS last week). That's all the offense.

The Royals have the worst or second worst offense in the American League in hits (816), home runs (79), RBI (361), batting average (.252), on-base percentage (.312), and slugging (.396). Luke Hochevar threw an absolute gem against the Rangers (13 Ks), but is still inconsistent.

Zack Greinke continues to hurl great stuff. Just imagine if he was on a compotent offense. Sidney Ponson and Bruce Chen have not been good in platooning starting/relieving roles.The defense has also been wretched, committing eight errors in the past six games.

30. Washington Nationals (29-68|30)—Could this be the worst team, ever? They did take two-of-three from the Mets. However, their defense continues to pose huge problems, having committed eight errors in the past seven games.

The offense isn't bad; in fact, they're second in the National League in on-base percentage (.343). Adam Dunn (.440 avg/7 RBI last week) has been on-fire as has Ryan Zimmerman (.333 avg/5 RBI).

The problem lies with the pitching. John Lannan (7-7, 3.38 ERA) has been great, while Craig Stammen has been good as of late with a 1.80 ERA in his past four starts. Jordan Zimmerman's placement on the disabled list has opened up opportunities for Collin Balester and J.D. Martin, who haven't looked sharp.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|

Breakdown

Biggest climb: The Houston Astros jumped five spots from No. 17 to No. 12 after winning six of nine. The Atlanta Braves also jumped five spots from No. 19 to No. 14 after winning seven of ten.

Biggest fall: The San Francisco Giants fells six spots from No. 5 to No. 11 after losing consecutive series to Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

Best team average: The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best team average (2) by being first nine times, second four times, fifth once, and eighth once.

Worst team average: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.8) by being ranked last 13 times, 29th once, and 28th once.

Teams yet to fall out of the top 10: Dodgers and Cardinals

Teams yet to climb out of the bottom 10: Indians and Nationals

Prediction of the week: Milwaukee will go 6-1.

Division Rankings/Picture (Record|Last Week's Ranking)
*Divisional rankings are based on the average power rankings.

1. AL West (203-181|1): (2) Laa, (5) Tex, (13) Sea, (25) Oak
2. AL East (258-227|2): (3) Nyy, (6) Bos, (9) Tbr, (19) Tor, (27) Bal
3. NL West (247-240|3): (1) Lad, (7) Col, (11) Sfg, (26) Ari, (28) Sdp
4. NL Central (289-293|4): (10) Stl, (12) Hou, (15) Chc, (18) Mil, (22) Pit, (23) Cin
5. NL East (229-255|4): (4) Phi, (14) Atl, (16) Fla, (21) Nym, (30) Was
6. AL Central (208-228|6): (8) Det, (17) Cws, (20) Min, (24) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

1. New York v. 3. Detroit
2. Los Angeles v. 4. Boston

1. Los Angeles v. 3. St. Louis
2. Philadelphia v. 4. Colorado

If awards were handed out today...

AL MVP: Justin Morneau (Minnesota Twins)
NL MVP: Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)

AL Cy: Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)
NL Cy: Dan Haren (Arizona Diamondbacks)

AL RoY: Andrew Bailey (Oakland Athletics)
NL RoY: J.A. Happ (Philadelphia Phillies)

AL MoY: Jim Leyland (Detroit Tigers)
NL MoY: Jim Tracy (Colorado Rockies)

AL Comeback: Scott Podsednik (Chicago White Sox)
NL Comeback: Chris Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)