MLB Power Rankings: The Boss Should Be Proud

1. (1) New York Yankees: 56-32, 1st in AL East
The Yankees tragically lost both Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner in less than a week. They have left behind a team they can be proud of, as New York owns baseball’s best record in quest for their 2nd straight World Series championship.

2. (5) Atlanta Braves: 52-36, 1st in NL East
The Braves were impressive in winning back to back series on the road against the Phillies and Mets before the break. Since then catcher Brian McCann was the All-Star game MVP and Atlanta aquired Alex Gonzalez from Toronto.

3. (7) Tampa Bay Rays: 54-34, 2nd in AL East
The Rays finished the first half strong, winning 9 of their last 11 before the break. Now Tampa Bay will start the second half with a nine game road trip, starting with the first place Yankees in the Bronx.

4. (3) San Diego Padres: 51-37, 1st in NL West
After losing two out of three to the surging Rockies, San Diego leads Colorado and Los Angeles by only two games. No one expected for Bud Black’s team to be in this position, but their strong pitching must hold up for the Padres to stay atop the strong NL West.

5. (2) Boston Red Sox: 51-37, 3rd in AL East
Injuries are really starting to catch up to the Red Sox, who have lost five of their last seven. Now five games out of first place, Boston must hold the ship until their big guys come back.

6. (4) Texas Rangers: 50-38, 1st in AL West
The Rangers lead the Angels by six games in the loss column, but Texas certainly left a bad taste in their mouth when last place Baltimore came in to sweep a four game set before the break. With Cliff Lee at the top of the rotation, the Rangers must buckle down with their next 11 games against teams with a winning record.

7. (14) Chicago White Sox: 49-38, 1st in AL Central
The White Sox have won an incredible 25 of their last 30 and eight straight to put them atop the AL Central. It will be interesting to see if Chicago can carry that momentum into the 2nd half as they will start with 10 games on the road.

8. (18) Colorado Rockies: 49-39, T-2nd in NL West
After winning 10 of 13, Colorado is only two games out of first place. With shortstop Troy Tulowitzki expected to be out another two to five weeks, the Rockies will have to continue their hot play on their upcoming 11 game road trip.

9. (17) Los Angeles Dodgers: 49-39, T-2nd in NL West
The Dodgers who are only two games out of first place have lost 11 of their last 18 games against teams with a winning record. Los Angeles will have to play better against the top teams with their next 21 games against winning ball clubs.

10. (15) Detroit Tigers: 48-38, 2nd in AL Central
The Tigers are somehow only half a game out of first place despite not having won a series on the road since April 8th. Detroit will open the second half with a four game set in Cleveland against the last place Indians.

11. (11) Philadelphia Phillies: 47-40, 3rd in NL East
The two-time defending National League champs will look to carry the momentum of a four game sweep over the Reds into the second half. The Phillies better have enjoyed the break, because the team won’t get another day off until August 2nd.

12. (12) Cincinnati Reds: 49-41, 1st in NL Central
After finishing 5-4 on a nine game road trip, the Reds will head home for seven games. Cincinnati has been a great story all year, but they must shore up that bullpen which continues to lose them games.

13. (10) St. Louis Cardinals: 47-41, 2nd in NL Central
The Cardinals open up the second half with an eight game home stand. St. Louis hopes to sit atop the division before leaving home.

14. (6) New York Mets: 48-40, 2nd in NL East
It is certainly gut check time for New York. After some shaky play before the break, the Mets start the second half with an 11 game west coast road trip.

15. (8) Los Angeles Angels: 47-44, 2nd in AL West
If the Angels are going to make a run at the first place Rangers, now would be the time. Los Angeles will open up the second half with four games at home against last place Seattle.

16. (13) San Francisco Giants: 47-41, 4th in NL West
San Francisco sits in 4th place, but only four games out of first place. The Giants boast one of the best rotations in baseball, but might need to add a big bat before the trade deadline.

17. (9) Minnesota Twins: 46-42, 3rd in AL Central
The Twins have fallen hard, losing 7 of their last 10 before the break. Minnesota will host first place Chicago in a huge four game set at Target Field and then will play 13 straight against losing teams.

18. (16) Toronto Blue Jays: 44-45, 4th in AL East
The Blue Jays have lost 14 of their last 20 and fallen below the .500 mark. Things won’t get any easier for Toronto as they will open up the second half with a 10 game road trip.

19. (19) Oakland Athletics: 43-46, 3rd in AL West
Despite being three games under .500, the Athletics are only seven and a half games out of first place. Oakland must get hot, but it will be a tough task with 12 of their next 15 against winning teams

20. (20) Florida Marlins: 42-46, 4th in NL East
Baseball fans got a glimpse of Josh Johnson in the All-Star game and it will be exciting to see if he can keep his ERA under two for the season. As for the team, the Marlins will play their next 10 games in front of nobody (at home).

21. (21) Milwaukee Brewers: 40-49, 3rd in NL Central
The Brewers finished the first half of the season with three straight one run victories over the Pirates. Now Milwaukee hopes to carry that momentum onto their upcoming eight game road trip.

22. (22) Kansas City Royals: 39-49, 4th in AL Central
Despite getting swept by the red hot White Sox, the Royals just finished a nine game road trip at 5-4. Now Kansas City heads home where they will play 13 of their next 17 games.

23. (24) Washington Nationals: 39-50, 5th in NL East
Stephen Strasburg: 7 starts, 61 strikeouts, 2.32 ERA, and a 1.01 WHIP. His next start will be Friday night in Florida as the Nationals embark on a 10 game road trip.

24. (23) Chicago Cubs: 39-50, 4th in NL Central
Chicago will stay at home on the north side for the next 10 games. Fans can enjoy their hot dogs, beer, and the beautiful Wrigley Field, because the 11 games under .500 Cubs aren’t exactly worth the price of admission.

25. (27) Houston Astros: 36-53, 5th in NL Central
The Astros will play their next 21 games against teams in their division and won’t play outside of it until August 9th. But it is the July 31st deadline that Houston could make some trades to better the team for the future.

26. (26) Arizona Diamondbacks: 34-55, 5th in NL West
Arizona just went 3-7 on their most recent home stand to fall 21 games under .500. Now the Diamondbacks get to play 16 straight against teams with a winning record.

27. (25) Seattle Mariners: 35-53, 4th in AL West
No Cliff Lee and an upcoming schedule which has Seattle playing 21 straight against winning teams. It is definitely tough to be a Mariners fan right now.

28. (28) Cleveland Indians: 34-54, 5th in AL Central
You can look at the Indians upcoming schedule two ways: One, they play 11 of their next 14 at home, or two, they play 21 of their 24 against winning ball clubs. Either way, the only thing Cleveland fans can think about is how LeBron stabbed them in the back on national television.

29. (29) Pittsburgh Pirates: 30-58, 6th in NL Central
Pittsburgh has lost six straight and now almost have a worse record than Baltimore. The Pirates will hope to avoid being baseball’s worst team, as they open up a 10 game home stand to start the 2nd half.

30. (30) Baltimore Orioles: 29-59, 5th in AL East
The Orioles are coming off a four game set in which they swept the first place Rangers to only be 30 games under .500 at the All-Star break. Now Baltimore hopes to maybe win a few more games this season.

*Number in parenthesis indicates previous ranking

MLB POWER RANKINGS: The Yankees Are Number 1, Just Ask The Dodgers

1. (1) New York Yankees: 47-28, 1st in AL East
After a crazy come from behind victory in Los Angeles Sunday night, the Yankees still own the best record in baseball. With 10 of their 13 games left before the All-Star break against teams with a losing record, New York hopes to separate themselves from Boston and Tampa Bay.

2. (3) Boston Red Sox: 46-31, 2nd in AL East
The good news for Boston is that they have won 11 of their last 15 and are now ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings. The Bad news is that the injury bug hit the Red Sox hard this weekend. Real hard.

3. (6) San Diego Padres: 45-30, 1st in NL West
San Diego just finished off a Florida road trip against the Rays and Marlins at 5-1 while only allowing 13 runs in six games. With seven games at home this week the Padres look to increase their three and a half game lead in the division.

4. (8) Texas Rangers: 46-29, 1st in AL West
The Rangers have won 13 of their last 14 in large part to the red hot bat of Josh Hamilton, who is currently riding a 21 game hitting streak. After a huge three game set against the second place Angels in LA, the Rangers will play 10 straight home games before the All-Star break.

5. (2) Atlanta Braves: 44-32, 1st in NL East
A 2-4 week leaves Atlanta only half a game up on the surging New York Mets. After playing their last 15 games against the American League, the Braves will now play 12 straight against teams in the division.

6. (7) New York Mets: 43-32, 2nd in NL East
The Mets offense has been led by David Wright‘s MVP caliber season and Jose Reyes once again creating havoc at the top of the lineup. New York could be adding Carlos Beltran to that lineup in the next week.

7. (4) Tampa Bay Rays: 44-31, 3rd in AL East
Things are not going good for Tampa Bay. On Friday the Rays were no-hit for the third time in less than a year and on Sunday the frustration was evident as Evan Longoria got in the face of teammate B.J. Upton after Upton didn’t hustle on a ball hit in the gap.

8. (11) Los Angeles Angels: 43-35, 2nd in AL West
The Angels have been playing well, having won seven of their last 10. But the Rangers basically haven’t been losing and that puts Los Angeles six games out in the loss column.

9. (5) Minnesota Twins: 41-34, 1st in AL Central
Minnesota has lost five of six and they are 10-14 in the month of June. The Twins hope to turn it around, but it won’t be easy as they play 17 straight games against teams with a winning record

10. (9) St. Louis Cardinals: 41-34, 2nd in NL Central
The Cardinals with all of their talent have not had a winning streak longer than three games since April. St. Louis has once again fallen out of first and will hope to start a winning streak with seven games at home this week against Arizona and Milwaukee.

11. (16) Philadelphia Phillies: 40-33, 3rd in NL East
Despite all of their inconsistencies the Phillies have won eight of 11 and find themselves only a loss behind the first place Braves. Too bad they can’t play any more “road” games right at home in Philadelphia.

12. (17) Cincinnati Reds: 42-34, 1st in NL Central
The Reds won a much needed five of their last six to put them back on top in the division. Now Cincinnati must continue the good play with Philadelphia coming to town for three games, followed by 11 games on the road before the All-Star break.

13. (10) San Francisco Giants: 40-34, 2nd in NL West
The Giants have lost six of nine and haven’t won a series against a team that currently has a winning record since April. San Francisco must start playing better against the top teams if they are going to catch division leading San Diego.

14. (18) Chicago White Sox: 39-35, 3rd in AL Central
An incredible stretch in which Chicago won 15 of 17 has got them right in the thick of things in the AL Central. Now only a game and a half out, the White Sox hope to ride their hot arms to the top of the division.

15. (14) Detroit Tigers: 40-34, 2nd in AL Central
Detroit is 2-4 so far on a nine game roadie which finishes with three games against first place Minnesota. After that the Tigers will head home where they will play 16 of their next 20 at Comerica Park.

16. (13) Toronto Blue Jays: 40-36, 4th in AL East
The Blue Jays just finished 4-5 on a nine game home stand that took place both in Toronto and Philadelphia. What is even more amazing is that Toronto leads the league in Home runs with 115 but ranks 28th in batting average.

17. (12) Los Angeles Dodgers: 40-35, 3rd in NL West
Los Angeles has lost 11 of their last 15, but none were as bad as the meltdown Sunday night against New York. You can only imagine what was running through Joe Torre’s mind as the Yankees did to him, what they so often had done for him.

18. (15) Colorado Rockies: 39-36, 4th in NL West
Colorado is currently six games out and in fourth place behind San Diego. But the Rockies can get back in it as they play two of their next four series against the division leading Padres.

19. (20) Oakland Athletics: 37-40, 3rd in AL West
The Athletics had lost 10 of 12 before sweeping the Pirates this past weekend. Oakland hopes to continue beating up on baseball’s worst teams as they play Baltimore and Cleveland this week.

20. (19) Florida Marlins: 35-40, 4th in NL East
The Marlins have lost four straight and fired their manager Fredi Gonzalez. There was no love lost between Gonzalez and star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, so Florida is hoping to bring in a Valentine to save the day.

21. (25) Milwaukee Brewers: 34-41, 3rd in NL Central
The Brewers are 6-1 in their last seven games and have only allowed 12 runs in those six wins. Milwaukee is seven and a half games out of first but with 10 of their next 14 at home, who knows.

22. (23) Kansas City Royals: 32-44, 4th in AL Central
After hosting the White Sox for three games, the Royals will pack their bags for a nine game road trip before the All-Star break. Jose Guillen’s current 21 game hitting streak could be the only reason for optimism in the coming weeks.

23. (21) Chicago Cubs: 33-42, 4th in NL Central
After Carlos Zambrano was dismissed from the game Friday night and later suspended, he went out for dinner with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. That is all you need to know about the 2010 Chicago Cubs.

24. (22) Washington Nationals: 33-43, 5th in NL East
Washington has lost 10 of 12 and just got swept by the Orioles. Yes the Baltimore Orioles. But what really is upsetting with the Nationals is that they have scored a combined one run in Steven Strasburg’s last two starts.

25. (24) Seattle Mariners: 31-44, 4th in AL West
Cliff Lee: 6-3 record, 2.39 ERA, .91 WHIP, 76 strikeouts, 4 walks, and was the best pitcher in baseball last October while carrying the Phillies to the World Series. Give us your best offer.

26. (26) Arizona Diamondbacks: 30-46, 5th in NL West
Arizona has played a ridiculous 36 straight games against teams with a winning record. The Diamondbacks will play six more this week before they get to host the Cubs starting next week.

27. (27) Houston Astros: 29-47, 5th in NL Central
The Astros have lost 11 of 15 and play their next seven on the road. Despite posting a very respectable 3.55 ERA, Roy Oswalt is 5-10. You can only imagine how bad he must want to get out of Houston.

28. (28) Cleveland Indians: 27-47, 5th in AL Central
The Indians have lost 11 out of 13 and are in dead last in the AL Central. Things could get a lot worse in Cleveland if Lebron decides to sign elsewhere when free agency begins in the NBA.

29. (29) Pittsburgh Pirates: 25-50, 6th in NL Central
Pittsburgh is a comical 4-19 in the month of June. The Pirates do get to play 16 of their next 20 against teams with a losing record. .

30. (30) Baltimore Orioles: 23-52, 5th in Al East
Break up the Orioles! Baltimore has won four in a row and with the way Pittsburgh is playing, maybe the O’s won’t end up with baseball’s worst record.

*Number in parenthesis represents last weeks ranking

By: Robert Nelson

Analyst For Scouting The Sports

MLB Power Rankings: The Bronx Bombers Stay Number 1

1. (1) New York Yankees: 43-26, 1st in AL East

After a nine game home stand in which New York went 6-3, the Yanks will head out west for six games. A concern however has been the pitching of A.J. Burnett, who has lost his last three starts.

2. (3) Atlanta Braves: 42-28, 1st in NL East

The Braves continue to impress with their pitching and clutch hitting as they have now won five in a row.
After three games in Chicago against the surging White Sox, Atlanta will head home for nine games as they look to separate themselves from the Mets and Phillies in the NL East.

3. (4) Boston Red Sox: 43-28, 3rd in AL East

The Red Sox have won 6 straight and battled to get within a game of the first place Yankees after a horrible start to the season. Now Boston must continue the hot play with 18 of their next 21 games against teams with a winning record.

4. (2) Tampa Bay Rays: 42-27, 2nd in AL East

Tampa Bay is 3-7 in their last 10 games and have fallen out of first place. With a six game home stand this week, the Rays must get it together with the Red Sox only percentage points behind them in the standings.

5. (5) Minnesota Twins: 40-29, 1st in AL Central

When thinking of the Twins everyone always thinks of last year’s MVP Joe Mauer and deservedly so. But it has been Justin Morneau who leads first place Minnesota with a .340 batting average, 15 home runs, and 47 RBI’s.

6. (7) San Diego Padres: 40-29, 1st in NL West

How fitting that the day after Fathers Day, the Padres are still sitting in first place. It is amazing to think that San Diego who ranks in the bottom third in every major batting statistic has been able to stay atop a very tough National League West.

7. (8) New York Mets: 39-30, 2nd in NL East

Despite losing the last two games in the Bronx, the Mets finished a nine game road trip at 7-2. A truly unbelievable story for New York has been R.A. Dickey who at age 35 has reinvented himself with a knuckleball and is 5-0 so far this season.

8. (12) Texas Rangers: 41-28, 1st in AL West

Just when it seemed the Angels were set to take over first place, the Rangers pulled off eight straight wins. All on the road! Now Texas heads home for six games against Pittsburgh and Houston.

9. (11) St. Louis Cardinals: 38-31, 1st in NL Central

The Cardinals continue to ride their top two starters,
Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter who are a combined 18-5. With Cincinnati really struggling it looks like St. Louis who has yet to play their best baseball is the team to beat in the NL Central.

10. (14) San Francisco Giants: 38-30, 2nd in NL West

It looks like Tim Lincecum who has won his last two starts has got his mojo back. After three games in Houston, the schedule toughens up with 10 straight against teams with a winning record.

11. (6) Los Angeles Angels: 39-33, 2nd in AL West

Los Angeles cooled down a bit and are now five games back in the loss column of red hot Texas. The good news for the Angels is that they will open up a 12 game home stand on Tuesday.

12. (9) Los Angeles Dodgers: 38-31, 3rd in NL West

The Dodgers have lost four straight and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Los Angeles will play their next nine games against teams with a winning record.

13. (15) Toronto Blue Jays: 38-32, 4th in AL East

Toronto continues to hang around in the AL East and it will interesting to see how long they can stay within striking distance of the top teams. The Blue Jays are in the middle of a brutal 24 game stretch against teams with a winning record and they are 8-10 thus far.

14. (16) Detroit Tigers: 38-30, 2nd in AL Central

The Tigers went 8-1 on a cupcake home stand against the worst teams in the National League and now will have to face the Mets and Braves on the road. The Story however for Detroit continues to be not only the MVP season Miguel Cabrera is producing but the play of rookie Brennan Boesch.

15. (17) Colorado Rockies: 36-33, 4th in NL West

The Rockies have won six of their last nine and are only four games behind the division leading Padres. That’s the good news, the bad news however is they are still in fourth place and play their next 22 games against teams with a winning record.

16. (13) Philadelphia Phillies: 35-32, 3rd in NL East

After taking two out of three at Yankee Stadium the Phillies lost two out of three back home against the Twins. Not only has Philly struggled to get consistent hitting but ace Roy Halladay has lost three straight and seen his record drop to 8-6.

17. (10) Cincinnati Reds: 37-33, 2nd in NL Central

The Reds have lost six out of seven and are now looking up at the Cardinals in the division. In those six losses Cincinnati has only scored a mere six runs.

18. (21) Chicago White Sox: 34-34, 3rd in AL Central

Chicago is making their push having won six straight and 10 of 11 as they are now only five and a half games out of first. Starting pitchers Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, Freddie Garcia, and Jon Danks have all won their last two starts.

19. (19) Florida Marlins: 33-36, 4th in NL East

The Marlins have lost nine of 14 but are 4-2 against the Rays in that stretch. Go Figure. Florida needs to get more production out of their starting pitchers not named Josh Johnson.

20. (18) Oakland Athletics: 34-37, 3rd in AL West

Oakland entered June at 28-24 but have posted a 6-13 record in the month and have fallen eight games behind Texas. The Athletics hope to turn it around with their next six games against the struggling Reds and Orioles at home.

21. (22) Chicago Cubs: 31-38, 3rd in NL Central

Ted Lilly almost no-hit the White Sox and in his next start he gives up eight runs to the Angels. That pretty much sums up the Cubs season thus far and it is looking more and more like Sweet Lou’s last year in the windy city.

22. (20) Washington Nationals: 31-39, 5th in NL East

Steven Strasburg’s stuff is filthy and the play of the Washington Nationals is disgusting. Strasburg has stroke out 32 in his first three starts, a Major League record. The Nationals have lost six straight and have only won five games so far in June.

23. (24) Kansas City Royals: 29-41, 4th in AL Central

Yet another uneventful season for Royal fans as Kansas City sits in fourth place and 11 and a half games out of first. The Royals get a look at Steven Strasburg on Wednesday, so that is kind of exciting.

24. (28) Seattle Mariners: 28-41, 4th in AL West

Seattle has won four straight and only surrendered two runs in those games. With Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee at the top of their rotation, pitching hasn’t been the problem.

25. (23) Milwaukee Brewers: 29-40, 4th in NL Central

The Brewers open up a nine game home stand on Tuesday as they hope to possibly make a push towards the top of the division. It is not likely but who knows, the Brewers have contended for the division the last three years and have the bats to do it.

26. (25) Arizona Diamondbacks: 27-43, 5th in NL West

Arizona comes back home after going 1-5 on the road this past week. Diamondback fans can remember back to the glory days when the Yankees come to town for a three game set this week.

27. (26) Houston Astros: 26-44, 5th in NL Central

The Astros started the month of June by winning eight of 10 and now have lost eight of nine. With Roy Oswalt starting on Tuesday, the big question in Houston is if the right-hander will be traded before the trading deadline.

28. (27) Cleveland Indians: 26-42, 5th in AL Central

The Indians have lost six out of seven and get to play a ridiculous 41 of their next 44 games against teams with a winning record. Good Luck. It is crazy to think that just three years ago Cleveland was up three games to one on Boston in the ALCS.

29. (29) Pittsburgh Pirates: 25-44, 6th in NL Central

The Pirates ended a 12 game losing streak by winning their last two games. Now Pittsburgh packs their bags for a nine game road trip and will try and improve on a 4-13 record thus far in June.

30. (30) Baltimore Orioles: 19-50, 5th in AL East

The Orioles are bad, real bad. It has gotten to the point where it is almost comical as Baltimore has lost 19 of their last 23 and on Sunday lost for the 50th time this year. At least Kevin Millwood got his first win Saturday improving to 1-8 and the O’s come home for nine games starting on Tuesday.

*Number in parenthesis indicates last weeks ranking

MLB Mid Season Awards

The 2010 major league baseball season has already seen its fair share of surprises and brow-furrowing moments. Whether it was Strasburg living up to the hype or Armando Galarraga being robbed of a perfect game, this has been a season that has not disappointed so far- that is, unless you are an Orioles fan. But fear not Baltimore residents, there is still ninety-six games still to be played.

These guys play the game for love of the sport. But it never hurts to win an award. If the season ended today, there would be a few surprises. These are my predictions for mid-season awards.

World Series
The American League is going to be represented by someone coming out of the AL East. That division has really turned into a three team race and whoever comes short on winning the division is going to take the wild card. The Rays have found themselves in a spot they haven’t found themselves in years and that is with the best record in baseball. But if the Rays are for real, they are going to have to wake up the bats. Their pitching has been near stellar however your starters can only take you so far. The Yankees are, well, the Yankees. The Red Sox have really been showing the world that they don’t need Manny. The pitching has been there and I would like to personally thank the guy in my fantasy league who traded me Marco Scutaro and Victor Martinez. The Sox will be representing the AL in the show, but who will they be playing?

There is an interesting race brewing out in the National League West. The Padres pitching staff ranks first in all of baseball in ERA and WHIP, and is second in strikeouts. The Dodgers are right behind the Padres and are smiling with Manny coming back. The Giants are sitting in third in the NL in team batting average. That is all well and good, but come on, have you heard of the St. Louis Cardinals? The Big Red Machine is setting the world on fire and they aren’t even going to make it out of their division with the way the Red Birds are playing. Cards over the Bo-Sox in 6 with Chris Carpenter winning the Series MVP. That’s my prediction.

MVP
Robinson Cano has always been an above average hitter and a pretty solid glove. But after Hideki Matsui left town, the Yankees put their money on Cano to step up and hold his own in that fifth spot. He has not disappointed. From the beginning of the season, he has torn the cover off the ball batting an astounding .372 with 14 long balls and 52 runs batted in. He is going to be the sole reason Miguel Cabrera does not win the Triple Crown with that batting average and, frankly, he has no signs of slowing down.

I recommend somebody checks Albert Pujols for a belly button because the man is simply a machine. His numbers are down from his career average and still nobody on the planet can touch him. Pujols is batting .308 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. I am going to go out on a limb and say Albert Pujols is the best player this generation has ever seen.

Cy Young
Now this one may be a little bit tougher. The AL Cy Young Award will prove to be a microcosm of the battle for the AL East. . The AL East is going to come down to the Yankees and Red Sox. The Cy Young winner is going to come down to two flamethrowers, Yankees’ Phil Hughes and Sox pitcher Jon Lester. Hughes is 9-1 with an impressive 3.11 ERA. He has struck out 74 and only walked 22. He pretty much doesn’t even let people on base with his 1.13 WHIP. Jon Lester isn’t doing too shabby either. 8-2 and the man hasn’t lost since April 18th. He is first in the AL in strikeouts with 96 and is sporting a 3.13 ERA. His WHIP is just above Hughes’ at 1.15 so it is really going to come down to how the team finishes. Lester is going to enjoy looking at that Cy Young award above his mantel.

The National League Cy Young award winner is pretty much in the bag. If you don’t know who Ubaldo Jimenez is, you must have found your home under a rock for the last couple months. His astounding 13-1 record and 1.15 ERA makes him a lock. Opposing hitters have a miniscule .189 average and he has given up only 3 homers in his 14 starts.

Rookie of the Year
If you aren’t a Detroit Tigers fan, you may not be as familiar with the young guys destroying the ball as you should be. Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch are the absolute truth and Dave Dombrowski should be counting his blessings right now. Jackson may be considered for this accolade a little more if he could do something about the strikeouts he seems to rack up every game. But if there is one name to keep an eye out this year and for years to come, Brennan Boesch would be that name. This kid out of Santa Monica, CA is sporting a .348 average in 44 games. He is first or second in all major offensive categories among all rookies with his 9 homers and 34 runs batted in. He also already has a few web gems under his belt.

All of the most hyped rookies this year have been playing in the National League such as Mike Stanton and Stephen Strasburg. I might get a few boos when I state that the Lebron James of the ball field is not getting my NL rookie of the year vote. But I am focusing on someone who is going to help their team go somewhere in the playoffs this year. Jason Heyward has been a solid member of that lineup this year and a big reason the division leading Braves are having the success they have achieved so far. He has a decent .266 average and looks like its just going to get better. It is the pop in his bat that has really impressed people with his 11 homers and 44 RBIs and it’s hard to find fault with his power hitting prowess when his OPS is right around .872. And face it, the Braves are getting a lot closer to the show than the Marlins or Nationals.

Comeback Player of the Year
Can the Cincinnati Reds tell the future? You would think so when they made deal dumping Edwin Encarnacion onto the Blue Jays for Scott Rolen last year at the trade deadline. The deal seemed like it was just an attempt to cut salary for both teams, but there have to be some jaws on the ground in Cincy. Rolen’s .303 batting average is up 19 points from his career average and his 14 homers and 45 ribbies are something to hang his hat on. Reds fans have got to be extremely pleased. Rolen’s class and professionalism are something he can pass on to the younger players. Scott Rolen is definitely one of baseball’s class acts.

MLB Power Rankings-The Yankees Lead The Pack

1. New York Yankees: 40-23, T-1st in AL East

The Bronx Bombers have won 11 out of 14 and finally caught the first place Rays. A huge reason has been the pitching of Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes who are a combined 17-2. The Yankees will be tested this week when the Phillies and the Mets come to Yankee Stadium.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: 40-23, T-1st in AL East

The Rays are 17 games over .500, but a 3-3 home stand this past week opened the door for the Yankees to catch them. Now Tampa shares first place with New York and goes on the road for six games this week.

3. Atlanta Braves: 37-27, 1st in NL East

Atlanta is 10 games over .500 in large part to the play of Troy Glaus who leads the team in home runs and RBI’s. After surviving an 11 game road trip with a record of 6-5, the Braves head home where they will play 15 of their next 18 games.

4. Boston Red Sox: 37-28, 3rd in AL East

Despite their slow start and the fact that they have gotten basically nothing from ace right hander Josh Beckett, the Red Sox are right in the thick of things in the American League East. Boston along with New York and Tampa Bay, will be going at it all year in baseball’s toughest division.

5. Minnesota Twins: 36-27, 1st in AL Central

The Twins have been great at home all year but are only 3-3 so far on a nine game home stand. As great as Minnesota has looked all year, Detroit is only two and a half games behind them in the standings.

6. Los Angeles Angels: 36-30, 2nd in AL West

Watch out, here come the Angels. After struggling for the better part of the season, Los Angeles has caught fire, going 11-3 on a 14 game road trip. Now the Angels play 15 of their next 18 at home.

7. San Diego Padres: 37-26, 1st in NL West

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. San Diego’s pitching staff ranks first in the majors in ERA and WHIP, and second in strikeouts. The Padres look to continue riding their hot arms as they are 2-1 so far on a nine game home stand.

8. New York Mets: 35-28, 2nd in NL East

The Mets have been up and down all season and are now hot, having won eight of their last 9. New York leads the league with 24 home wins but will be tested as they finish off a nine game road trip this week.

9. Los Angeles Dodgers: 36-27, 2nd in NL West

After getting swept by the cross town Angels, the Dodgers finished their 13 game home stand at 8-5. Now Los Angeles embarks on their toughest stretch of the season in which they will play 15 of their next 18 on the road, with the only home series against the New York Yankees.

10. Cincinnati Reds: 36-28, 1st in NL Central

The first place Reds are only 3-4 on a current 10 game home stand. After hosting the Dodgers for three games, the Reds go out west for six games and must find some more consistent play to stay atop the standings.

11. St. Louis Cardinals: 34-29, 2nd in NL Central

The Cardinals will be more than happy to come back home after going 1-5 on this past road trip. St. Louis is still only a game and a half out of first place and play 16 of their next 19 games against teams with a losing record.

12. Texas Rangers: 35-28, 1st in AL West

The Rangers have struggled away from home and are on a nine game road trip in which they are 2-1 thus far. Texas must continue to play well to hold off the surging Angels who are now only a game and a half behind them in the standings.

13. Philadelphia Phillies: 32-29, 3rd in NL East

The two time defending National League champs have really been struggling, having lost 14 of their last 20. With 13 of their next 19 games away from home, the third place Phillies need to hold the ship until Jimmy Rollins, who begins a rehab assignment on Tuesday comes back to the team.

14. San Francisco Giants: 35-27, 3rd in NL West

The Giants boast one of, if not the best starting rotation in baseball with four of their starters possessing an ERA under 3.13. San Francisco looks to add to their 22 home wins when they open up a three game set on Tuesday against the lowly Orioles.

15. Toronto Blue Jays: 34-30, 4th in AL East

The Jays lead the majors with 99 home runs and are four games over .500. Unfortunately for Toronto, that puts you in fourth place and six and a half games out of first in the loaded American League East

16. Detroit Tigers: 33-29, 2nd in AL Central

The Tigers can certainly thank those interleague schedule makers. Detroit is 3-0 so far on a nine game home stand against the three last place teams from the National League.

17. Colorado Rockies: 33-30, 4th in NL West

Despite being three games over .500, the Rockies find themselves fourth in
a very competitive National League West. Ubaldo Jimenez has been superb
winning 12 games and posting a microscopic 1.16 ERA. It is going to have to be
a team effort however as the Rockies face a murderous stretch with 25 of
their next 28 games against teams with a winning record.

18. Oakland Athletics: 32-33, 3rd in AL West

The A’s have been great at home posting a 21-13 record, but are 11-20 on the road. Oakland is now four games out of first place and 0-3 thus far on a current nine game road trip.

19. Florida Marlins: 31-32, 4th in NL East

The Marlins have been teetering at the .500 mark all season long and the team will hope to catch fire with 12 of their next 15 games at home. Ace right hander Josh Johnson has had a Cy Young caliber season thus far, leading Florida with seven wins and an ERA of 1.91.

20. Washington Nationals: 31-33, 5th in NL East

The Nats after an impressive start have now fallen six games out of first
place. But nevertheless there is tons of excitement in the nation’s capital.
Steven Strasburg has arrived and won his first two starts looking as good
as advertised. His next start is scheduled to be on Friday against the
White Sox.

21. Chicago White Sox: 28-34, 3rd in AL Central

On Sunday the White Sox wasted a great pitching performance from Gavin
Floyd to end their season long winning streak of four games. A bright spot for
Chicago has been the power hitting of Alex Rios and Paul Konerko who have
combined for 30 home runs.

22. Chicago Cubs: 28-35, 3rd in NL Central

After Ted Lilly pitched a gem to help the Cubs avoid a sweep to the cross
town White Sox, Lou Piniella finds his club seven and a half games out of
first place. If Chicago is going to make a run, now would be the time with 12
of their next 15 games against teams with a losing record.

23. Milwaukee Brewers: 26-37, 4th in NL Central

The Brewers have boasted a league worst 11-19 record at home so far this
season. Well actually second worst to the Orioles but they don’t count. A
bright spot for Milwaukee has been the hitting of Corey Hart, who leads the
National League in home runs with 17.

24. Kansas City Royals: 27-37, 4th in AL Central

The Royals as a team actually rank second in the majors with 612 hits. But
reigning American League Cy Young winner Zach Grienke has had a tough year
posting a record of 2-8 despite a respectable 3.94 ERA.

25. Arizona Diamondbacks: 26-38, 5th in NL West

The D-Backs just finished a 10 game home stand going a respectable 6-4.
Things get a lot tougher now as Arizona will play 18 straight games against
teams with a winning record.

26. Houston Astros: 25-39, 5th in NL Central

Houston was playing well, having won eight of their last 10 before getting
swept by the defending champs in New York this past weekend. But the story
all season has been the anemic hitting for the Astros, who rank last in
batting average and second to last in both home runs and hits.

27. Cleveland Indians: 25-37, 5th in AL Central

There is something about that pitching mound at Progressive Field. Three
years ago Joba Chamberlain was attacked by flies, and on Sunday Steven
Strasburg probably felt like he was on a slip and slide as he continued to lose
his footing on the mound. As for the team, the last place Indians are 4-3 so far on their 10 game home stand.

28. Seattle Mariners: 24-39, 4th in AL West

The Mariners as a team have only hit 35 home runs so far this season, which
of course ranks dead last in the Majors. Now having lost eight of their
last 10, the only noise this team will make is their inevitable trading of
Cliff Lee sometime before the deadline.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates: 23-40, 6th in NL Central

The Pirates rank last in the league in hits and second to last in RBI’s,
thus making it pretty hard to win games. That has certainly been the case
recently as Pittsburgh is riding an eight game losing streak.

30. Baltimore Orioles: 17-46, 5th in AL East

After the Mets came in and won all three games this past weekend the O’s
have now been swept in a series eight times this year. Baltimore has lost 15
of their last 17 games, have only won two series all year, and are
unequivocally the league’s worst team.

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