MLB Power Rankings with Summer Blockbusters Redux

The sun is setting on the 2011 Baseball season with the final days of summer fast approaching.  As such, the summer blockbuster season is also ending.

So what better way to kiss them goodbye than with a Power Ranking that combines them both?

My readers may recall that I did a similar ranking after the All-Star break. Well now it's been a month since the trade deadline and the playoff races are becoming more desperate so it's time for an update.

I'll be using the same formula as last time, splitting and comparing the teams based on their summer movie counterpart. I'll be using Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics score, the box office gross, as well as my personal opinions when comparing the movies.

For the teams themselves, I'll be taking into consideration how well they've done since my last Power Rankings, how they're doing for the season overall, where I expect them to finish at the season's end.

Thus, playoff teams may have an edge over other teams based on the likely hood of making the playoffs.

The Green Lantern: Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals

The Green Lantern's rating (according to RT's critics):  27%

30. Houston Astros 47-91

29.  Baltimore Orioles 55-81

28.  Kansas City Royals 57-82

The Green Lantern may not be the worst rated movie of the summer, but it's still considered the biggest flop, which is why the worst teams of the league are bestowed the honor of being compared to it.

When a movie costs over $200 million to make and barely breaks even, then that movie just ended up wasting everyone's time.

Kind of like these three teams who have nothing really going for them this season or next.  Sounds harsh, but even the fans of these teams will admit.

Not to mention the Astros are pretty much aiming for the 2015 World Series with the trades they made.

The Hangover Part II: Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners

The Hangover Part II's rating (according to RT's critics):  36%

27.  Minnesota Twins 58-79

26.  Chicago Cubs 59-79

25.  Seattle Mariners 58-79

Another disappointing film, The Hangover Part II is far from the film most thought it would be and actually hurts the name of the original one.

It's still a funny film, but not as good as it could be, much like these three teams.

Not many saw the Twins being this low in the standings at this point of the year.  They usually hang around the top to the standings.

Also, the Cubs and Mariners aren't the same playoff contending teams they were last decade.  People forget that not that long ago the Mariners and Cubs were one of the elite teams in the league.

I guess that's similar to how The Hangover Part II makes people wish that it were more like The Hangover. 

Cowboys & Aliens: Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics

Cowboys & Aliens rating (according to RT's critics):  45%

24.  Florida Marlins 60-77

23.  San Diego Padres 60-78

22.  Oakland Athletics 62-76

Cowboys & Aliens was a film that seemed to lack direction. After all, in the history of film, not many mash-ups like this end up doing well.

You'd think a movie about cowboys and aliens would be great, but how do you market and make a movie about two completely different genres?  

Sure, it's based on a comic book, but directors like to put their own stamp on their work and it's hard to influence two genres.

The Marlins, Padres, and A's are all in transition phases meaning their teams are a mash-up of cheap veterans and prospects/young players.

Also, both the A's and Marlins changed managers during the season. Changing managers in the middle of the season usually means the front office wants to change things up. In other words, their team lacks a sense of direction. 

Horrible Bosses: Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers

Horrible Bosses rating (according to RT's critics):  70%

21.  Washington Nationals 63-73

20.  Pittsburgh Pirates 63-75

19.  Los Angeles Dodgers 67-70

I thought Horrible Bosses was going to be funnier than what it was.  It's still a funny film, but far from a comedic masterpiece.

Going into the second half, a good number of people thought the Pirates might be able to make a bid for the playoffs. Now that there's only a month left of the season, I think it's safe to say those people were wrong.

Granted, these teams still did better than what many predicted at the beginning of the season. They're far from being the elites of the league, but they're not terrible teams by any means. 

Transformers 3: New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox

Transformers Dark of the Moon's rating (according to RT's critics):  36%

18.  New York Mets 67-79

17.  Colorado Rockies 65-73

16.  Chicago White Sox 68-67

Last time, I had Transformers Dark of the Moon as the second to best film of the summer to that point.  It's fallen because it hasn't exactly held up it status since then. Heck, you probably forgot it even came out.

Anyway, it's still this here despite the rating because of the box office which always help the whether a movie is good debate.  

If a film rakes in over a billion dollars, but cost less to make than The Green Lantern it has to be good enough to convince all those people to hand over their money.

Anyway, the Mets, White Sox and Rockies are all forgotten teams since they're not terrible, but they're not good enough to warrant much attention.

All that attention has gone to hotter, better teams that are making the playoff push. Much like how Transformers was dethroned by a certain magical movie.

Marvel Movies: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays

Thor's rating (according to RT's critics):  77%

Captain America:  The First Avenger's rating (according to RT's critics):  79%

15.  Cleveland Indians 69-66

14.  Cincinnati Reds 68-70

13.  Toronto Blue Jays 69-69 

I grouped Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger together because they both serve the purpose of preparing for The Avengers next year.

And while the teams here have been solid, their best bet is for next year.

The Indians, Reds and Blue Jays all have teams that should be better in 2012.

They're not much to look at now, but soon the right pieces will be assembling for them to join the elites.

Super 8: St. Louis Cardinals, LA Angels of Anaheim, San Francisco Giants

Super 8's rating (according to RT's critics):  82%

12.  St. Louis Cardinals 73-65

11.  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 74-64

10.  San Francisco Giants 73-65

Super 8 still warrants a spot on this list for being a nice little summer film that actually isn't a sequel or based off a comic book/book.  

Super 8's good but they were better movies this summer.

Just like how the Cardinals, Angels and Giants are good, but there's better teams out there.

And they also fall in the underrated category since none of them are in first place for their division and not many people are predicting them to usurp the first placers.

I have the Giants one spot higher because I believe their pitching will hold up better than the Angels. Then again, the Angels always manage to find a way to win.

X-Men First Class: Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers

X-Men First Class's rating (according to RT's critics):  87%

9.  Tampa Bay Rays 74-63

8.  Detroit Tigers 76-62

7.  Arizona Diamondbacks 78-60

X-Men First Class was the year's best superhero film but it wasn't without flaws. Film critics noted the rushed production resulted in some weak editing and the fact that the secondary characters barely had lines or screen time.

The Diamondbacks and Tigers are the best teams in their divisions, but still have their flaws. Not to mention it took them nearly the entire season to reach the point they are at now.

The Rays could be the best team in their division except for the fact that the play in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.

The Tigers stand the best bet to go far into the playoffs out of the three because of Justin Verlander and the magic of Alex Avila's bat.  

There's some questions about how the Diamondbacks' rotation will hold up since they've just gone on a hot streak just now. The Rays would have to leapfrog the Yankees first to make the playoffs.

Bridesmaids: Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers

Bridesmaids' rating (according to RT's critics):  90%

6.  Texas Rangers 79-60

5.  Atlanta Braves 81-56

4.  Milwaukee Brewers 82-57

The Brewers were making a strong case for number three in the rankings, but their current skid slid them back into this spot in the ranking.

Bridesmaids' was the highest rated movie and my pick for the summer movie for the first half of summer movie season. Unfortunately, other movies came and beat it.

Much like how the Braves would be the best NL East team if not for a certain team in their division.

Despite the buzz surrounding the Brewer's surge, it just can't hold up to the whirlwind that is the league's Elite Three.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox

Rise of the Planet of the Apes' rating (according to RT's critics):  83%

3.  New York Yankees 83-53

2.  Boston Red Sox 83-54

Rise of the Planet of the Apes' held the rare honor of being one of the few movies to stay in the number one spot in the box office.  That and the fact I've yet to meet someone who had a complaint about it.

Despite its 83 rating, it's had more staying power than Bridesmaids. In addition, it shows that despite it being an old, potentially overused franchise, it can still make noise and rake in the cash.

Same with the Yankees and Red Sox who manage to put out playoff caliber teams year after year despite troubles.

The Yankees had problems with their rotation but found Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to plug those holes.

The Red Sox battled injuries and struggling hitters but are still vying for first place.

This past series showed that's it's going to be a long hard battle for first.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Philadelphia Phillies

Harry Potter's rating (according to RT's critics):  97%

1.  Philadelphia Phillies  88-46

Could it have been any other film? Even before it came out it was making money. It broke records and put a fitting end on a ten-year long movie franchise.

Films avoided the week Harry Potter came out because their studios knew their films wouldn't stand a chance.

And I'm pretty sure if they could, teams would avoid the Phillies. The Hunter Pence trade made them better and their rotation is still holding up and doing as expected.

No team would want to face the Phillies in the playoffs.