2015 MLB Power Rankings Week 7

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you were able to enjoy a long, holiday weekend with nice weather. I know I sure did. Having today off allows me to create my new rankings a few hours earlier than normal. Some games are already under way and that might cause a bit of a rift with my stats and records but I will do the best I can. Enjoy.

1. Kansas City Royals (28-15) ~ Kansas City tops all of baseball with a collective .287 team batting average which has helped thrust them to the top of the rankings after being runner-up the previous two weeks. (LWR 2)

2. Washington Nationals (26-18) ~ They are who we thought they were. After a sluggish start to the season the Nats are 16-5 in May and have taken over the top spot in the NL East. (LWR 6)

3. St. Louis Cardinals (28-16) ~ While they have been dethroned from the top of the rankings the Cardinals still boast a 2.81 team ERA which is the best in all of baseball. Michael Wacha picked up his seventh win of the season last night as St. Louis avoided a sweep at the hands of the Royals. (LWR 1)

4. Houston Astros (29-16) ~ Evan Gattis may sport a ghastly .234 OBP but the Astros knew exactly what they were getting when they acquired him in the offseason. The fact that he is in the top 10 in the American League in home runs and RBI is probably a nice trade off for the first-place 'stros. (LWR 5)

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (26-17) ~ As if being swept by the hated San Francisco Giants wasn't bad enough the Dodgers couldnt' even muster a lone run in the three-game series. Not a bad week for Dodger fans to have a slight case of amnesia. (LWR 3)

6. Detroit Tigers (26-19) ~ Catcher James McCann has two career home runs. The first was an inside-the-park job. The second? A walkoff special. Something tells me his third home run will be a bit less dramatic. (LWR 4)

7. Tampa Bay Rays (24-21) ~ Tampa lost their manager and general manager. Their pitching staff has been ransacked by injuries. What do they do to respond? Lead the AL East. That's what. (LWR 9)

8. Chicago Cubs (24-19) ~ All the hype may be about the flashy rookies but first baseman Anthony Rizzo is quietly having himself a monster year. Boasting a .316/.439/.576 line and an impressive 24 walks to only 21 strikeouts Rizzo is cementing his status as one of the best in the bigs. (LWR 10)

9. San Francisco Giants (25-20) ~ During the three-game shutout sweep of the rival Dodgers something happened that had never occurred before at the Major League level. Ace Madison Bumgarner homered off of Clayton Kershaw and in doing so became the first pitcher to take the MVP and multiple Cy Young award winner yard. (LWR 14)

10. Minnesota Twins (25-18) ~ If the Twins have a lead entering the 9th inning the game is as good as over. Closer Glen Perkins is a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunites this season while posting a 1.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a superb 21:2 K:BB rate. (LWR 15)

11. New York Mets (24-21) ~ The Dark Knight is mortal. Matt Harvey had a dark day in Pittsburgh over the weekend allowing a career-high seven earned runs in a season-low four innings. (LWR 8)

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-22) ~ In that same series against the Mets the Pirates pitchers brought the K's. Plenty of them. Gerrit Cole fanned 10 in the opener which A.J. Burnett matched on Saturday. Francisco Liriano then topped both of them by setting down a dozen batters via the strikeout. (LWR 13)

13. Los Angeles Angels (22-22) ~ Rumor has it that the Angels are looking for a new left fielder. After dismissing Josh Hamilton and getting little to no production from Matt Joyce the Halos are looking for some help and may be targeting Ben Revere of the Philadelphia Phillies who offers little to no pop. Maybe letting Hamilton go wasn't the best decision? (LWR 11)

14. New York Yankees (23-22) ~ Prior to this afternoon's big win the Yankees were in a tailspin having dropped nine of ten including a 15-4 drubbing Saturday in the Bronx to the not overly impressive Texas Rangers. (LWR 7)

15. Baltimore Orioles (20-22) ~ Brian Matusz will appeal his eight-game suspension that was handed out earlier today stemming from his ejection Saturday due to a sticky substance on his arm. This was the second reliever to receive a suspension this week for having a substance on his arm. (LWR 16)

16. San Diego Padres (21-24) ~ Forget about Big Game James. Just call James Shields the model of consistency. He improved to 6-0 in a Padres uniform and carries a 3.75 ERA and 1.20 WHIP that are nearly identical to his career 3.72 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. (LWR 12)

17. Seattle Mariners (20-23) ~ When is it time to start worrying about Robinson Cano? The All-Star second baseman is slashing just .247/.290/.333 with only one long ball. His struggles are a big reason why the M's have been a disappointment thus far in 2015. (LWR 18)

18. Atlanta Braves (22-21) ~ Rookie Mike Foltynewicz is a human slot machine. Folty has struck out seven batters in each of his last four starts. Not bad kid, not bad at all. (LWR 20)

19. Boston Red Sox (21-24) ~ Mike Napoli loves playing his former team. After smacking his fourth homer of the series last night Napoli improved his numbers against the Angels to a .333 batting average with 18 homers and 36 RBI in 47 games. Oh Mike Scioscia what were you thinking when you ran this guy out of town? (LWR 19)

20. Toronto Blue Jays (20-26) ~ Jose Reyes is back. The shortstop was activated from the disabled list today after missing the previous month with a cracked rib. This could mean more runs for the top-scoring team in all of baseball. (LWR 21)

21. Texas Rangers (21-23) ~ Josh Hamilton is in today's lineup and so far is 0-for-1 with a walk and run scored. (LWR 24)

22. Arizona Diamondbacks (21-22) ~ Everyone knows about Paul Goldschmidt but the rest of the offense is picking it up in the desert as well. The D'Backs .265 team batting average is sixth in the majors and they have scored the fourth most runs in all of baseball. (LWR 25)

23. Cleveland Indians (20-23) ~ A 6-1 week has lifted the Indians out of the AL Central cellar and back into contention. It's no wonder that coincides with Corey Kluber finding himself. The reigning Cy Young award winner has struck out an astonishing 30 batters over his last two starts. (LWR 26)

24. Cincinnati Reds (18-26) ~ Cincy has dropped eight in a row for the first time since 2009. They have been outscored 54-19 during the stretch. (LWR 17)

25. Chicago White Sox (19-22) ~ Paul Konerko's number 14 was retired by the club on Saturday. Probably the bright spot so far for the Sox this season. (LWR 23)

26. Miami Marlins (18-27) ~ Mat Latos and Henderson Alvarez are on the disabled list leaving Miami's rotation in shambles. This is Alvarez's second stint on the DL this year. Maybe the Marlins really are the Flounders. (LWR 22)

27. Oakland A's (16-30) ~ Coco Crisp is back on the disabled list with a recurring neck injury that cost him time last year. It's safe to say the veteran's future is up in the air. (LWR 27)

28. Colorado Rockies (18-25) ~ If the Rockies could get some quality pitching they could be a force but until then they will remain in the doldrums. They are last or near the bottom in almost every pitching category. (LWR 30)

29. Philadelphia Phillies (19-28) ~ Believe it or not Ryan Howard is producing for the Phils. The former MVP already has 10 long balls on the season and the rest of his numbers are right around his career averages. Maybe Philly will be able to move him and his huge salary after all. (LWR 28)

30. Milwaukee Brewers (16-29) ~ Speaking of a former MVP who might be rounding back into form take a look at Ryan Braun. He currently leads the team in home runs (12) and RBI (36) while batting a respectable .272/.349/.543. (LWR 30)

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