MLB Power Rankings – July 21

After a lovely All-Star Break, the Cubicle GM Power Rankings are fully refreshed and back in action.  With the return of Joey to the group, we have a full complement of contributors and an interesting set of rankings to discuss.

Amazingly, despite the two week period between rankings, most teams did not shift too far up or down the list.  Only three teams, the Phillies, Blue Jays and Orioles, moved more than 4 spots up or down.  The Phils won 9 in a row to jump to No. 4 in the rankings, while the Blue Jays fall was more of a result of the other teams’ play than their own.

The committee was unanimous in putting the Dodgers in the top spot and the Nationals on the bottom, but aside from that had a difference in opinion on every other team in the league.

Thanks to a revised system from our pal Gideon, the differences in opinion were not nearly as great this week as they were in the past.  Still, there were a few noticeable gaps in the rankings.

Toronto Blue Jays (10) – Gideon 10, Jacob 20

Minnesota Twins (8) – Gideon 9, Mickey 17

St. Louis Cardinals (7) – Gideon 13, Joey 6

Colorado Rockies (7) – Gideon 7, Joey 14

Milwaukee Brewers (7) – Gideon 17, Joey 10

Oakland A’s (7) – Gideon 20, Joey 27

As usual, the AL East claimed the top spot in the divisional rankings with an average score of 10.20.  The AL West remains in second with a score of 12.75.   The NL East is no longer in last thanks to the Phillies’ jump to No. 4.  Their score of 18.65 narrowly edged out the AL Central’s 18.80.

You can check out the backup data for the rankings here.  The full rankings can be found below.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (2) – The Dodgers reclaimed the top spot in the rankings and have the biggest division lead in baseball at 8 games.  While they are rumored to be pursuing Roy Halladay, they got a boost from the return of a forgotten ace in the form of Jason Schmidt.

2. Boston Red Sox (1) – The Sox fall one spot in the rankings and received a vote lower than 2 for the first time in our rankings.  Potential trade target Roy Halladay shut down Jon Lester and the Sox on Sunday and they are now tied for first with the Yankees.

3. New York Yankees (4) – Having won 4 in a row and 7 of the last 10, the Yankees find themselves tied for the best record in the AL.  I had the opportunity to see New Yankee Stadium on Saturday, and got to watch a great pitching matchup as CC Sabathia out dueled Justin Verlander.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (10) – The Phils have won 9 in a row and have opened up a 6.5 game lead on the second-place Braves.  In doing so, they have finally achieved a .500 record at home.  It appears new signing Pedro Martinez is getting closer to the majors with a rehab start on the schedule.

5. Los Angeles Angels (3) – Despite winning 7 of 10, the Angels dropped two spots in the rankings thanks to the hot streaks of the teams above them.  The Halos just keep finding ways to win, as they were perfected into the 7^th inning on Sunday before winning in 10.

6. Tampa Bay Rays (6) – Despite having the 4^th best record in the AL, the Rays are still 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.  The Rays came back from late-inning deficits to win on Friday, Saturday and Sunday against lowly Kansas City to keep them in the hunt.

7. Texas Rangers (5) – The Rangers have been good at home, going 30-19 in Arlington so far this season.  It will be interesting to see if the new grass they are implementing will have an effect on their play.

8. St. Louis Cardinals (11) – After hosting the All-Star Game, the Cards have gone 2-2 and now have just a 3 game lead over 4 teams in the NL Central.  While the trade for Mark DeRosa looked great at the time, he might not be entirely healthy which could be a big problem.

9.  San Francisco Giants (13) – The Giants pitching is keeping them in the playoff race, as they lead the league with an overall ERA of 3.54, led by their starting rotation which boasts a 3.56 ERA.  The Giants got a big lift as Matt Cain pitched well in his return from an elbow injury.

10. Colorado Rockies (14) – The Rockies continue to play well under new management, and have the 3^rd best record in the NL.  A big part of that is offseason addition Jason Marquis, who amazingly leads the majors with 12 wins.

11. Detroit Tigers (7)

12. Minnesota Twins (9)

13. Chicago Cubs (15)

14. Seattle Mariners (17)

15. Milwaukee Brewers (12)

16. Chicago White Sox (16)

17. Toronto Blue Jays (8)

18. Atlanta Braves (20)

19. Houston Astros (21)

20. Florida Marlins (18)

21. New York Mets (19)

22. Cincinnati Reds (22)

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (23)

24. Baltimore Orioles (29)

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (24)

26. Oakland Athletics (26)

27. Cleveland Indians (28)

28. Kansas City Royals (25)

29. San Diego Padres (27)

30. Washington Nationals (30)