2016 Week 2 Power Rankings
Apr 11, 2016 7:57:13 GMT -5
Rockies GM (Alex), D'backs GM (Kyle), and 1 more like this
Post by Ken Rosenthal on Apr 11, 2016 7:57:13 GMT -5
NEW YORK - Ken Rosenthal here, bringing you all the action from Week 1 around the league.
Week 1 brought us some stunning upsets, leaving many fans scratching there heads in regards to certain team's futures this season.
So as always, take a seat, grab a snack, and enjoy some (occasionally very) opinionated writing about your team. Previous rankings will be noted in parenthesis.
Group 5: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30(29): New York Mets (0-1)
Last season, the Mets averaged an awful 76.6 points per game in their attempt to tank in order to rebuild fast. In Week 1 of 2016, the Mets put up an incredibly bad 55 points, making the Marlins look like the greatest thing we've ever seen.
#29(30): Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)
The Jays actually almost came within 20 points of winning a game. Surprising right? Well, if one considers the fact that Toronto was playing Chicago it's not that far fetched. Games against the White Sox appear to be the only ones that Toronto will have a chance to win this season. Mark your calendars for Week 4 Jays fans.
#28(27): Cleveland Indians (0-1)
The Indians actually hung with Tampa for longer than most would expect, but depth was what killed them in the end. The three-headed beast on offense (Kinsler, Ramirez, and Marte) had a combined 44% usage rate against Cleveland's total of 166. They need more help.
#27(28): Chicago White Sox (1-0)
Does Chicago deserve more of a boost after getting a victory? The short answer: no. The team won in a very ugly contest in which neither team really deserved the win. A bright spot for Chicago (or in other words, potential trade bait down the road) was Dexter Fowler, who scored 36 points while hitting at a clip of .526.
#26: San Francisco Giants (0-1)
San Fran actually played well enough to stick with Arizona until the last day... in which they were outscored 60.3 to 6. Still, one could potential chalk that up as a moral victory, if you so happen to believe in those kinds of things.
Group 4: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's
#25: St. Louis Cardinals (0-1)
The Cardinals nearly pulled off a great victory over Pittsburgh, but their comeback fell short by just two points. Clayton Kershaw put up 42.7 points in his two starts for St. Louis... what team wouldn't love him at the top of their rotation right now?
#24(23): Seattle Mariners (0-1)
Week 1 was rather disappointing for Seattle. They failed to score 200 points and lost to a team that was supposed to be beatable in New York. A nice line, however; Puig scored 37... perhaps a bounce back season for him?
#23(24): Colorado Rockies (0-1)
Colorado stuck with Los Angeles for most of the week, but was unable to get enough momentum going to truly make it interesting. Keep your eye on Stephen Piscotty, who after a terrific rookie campaign got off to a good start with 26 points.
#22: Boston Red Sox (0-1)
Despite a late fury by Boston, it wasn't enough to create a true contest with Minnesota. Carlos Correa looks great so far in a probable MVP-campaign. In Week 1, he hit .304 with 3 HR's and 2 SB's.
#21(19): Kansas City Royals (0-1)
Nothing like a really bad loss to fuel rumors about a possible Royals rebuild. But if this is as far as Kansas City intends to go in their "rebuilding process", they'll be a tough out for the remainder of the season, assuming that Miguel Sano puts up more than 1.5 points.
#20(21): Atlanta Braves (0-1)
Atlanta had a respectable Week 1, yet they still lost by nearly 100 points to the buzzsaw that is the Phillies. Much like Kansas City, many fans are wondering about the future of the Braves organization, making a potential rebuild or reloading all the more exciting.
Group 3: The possible playoff participants
#19(12): Detroit Tigers (0-1)
Well, the Committee of One was quite wrong in thinking that Detroit would be able to put up a fight against the defending champions from Texas. The Tigers were clearly overmatched in this one and have two big games coming up against division rivals Minnesota and Kansas City.
#18(16): Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0)
Sure, the Pirates came away with the victory, but they looked terrible against St. Louis, scoring under 200 points in Week 1. Fortunately, many fans were distracted from Pittsburgh's not-so-great start by international signee Kenta Maeda's terrific 21.9 point performance in his first career start.
#17(18): Minnesota Twins (1-0)
Minnesota got the job done against Boston and was carried by starters Edinson Volquez (36.6 points) and Francisco Liriano (33.3 points). With Detroit falling to Texas, the Twins now start the season off with a one game advantage, which could be all the more important come the end of summer.
#16(20): Houston Astros (1-0)
Jake Arrieta showed why he's one of the best pitchers in baseball with a strong 7 inning shut-out performance on Sunday in a come-from-behind surprise victory over the Chicago Cubs for Houston. It was a crucial victory for Houston, who will now move on to play Cincinnati.
#15(17): New York Yankees (1-0)
The Yankees were victorious against the Mariners and played considerably well, scoring more points than the supposed division favorite Tampa Bay. Getting two starts from ace Johnny Cueto and a strong week from Adrian Gonzalez certainly helped.
#14(9): Oakland Athletics (0-1)
It was a very rough opener for the Athletics in their loss against the Angels. It's usually very difficult to fall behind in the AL West. The team barely reached 200 points with simply mediocre performances from many of their players. Look for a bounce back performance next week.
#13(15): Baltimore Orioles (1-0)
The Committee of One has to give Baltimore some credit; they score more points than any other team in the American League in Week 1. Yet six teams from the National League exceeded the Orioles' total. Is this another sign that the power may be shifting away from the American League to the National League?
#12(13): Washington Nationals (1-0)
Let's be clear here. The Nationals BEAT THE PADRES. Who called that one? The Committee certainly didn't. Washington was led by a stunning 52.5 points from Eugenio Suarez (.435, 4, 9) during the week... another thing that most probably didn't see coming.
#11(10): Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0)
The other team from Los Angeles played decently and picked up a division victory over Colorado. The goings get a little more difficult now, however, as a meeting with Arizona next week awaits the Dodgers... who are ever so eager to prove themselves.
#10(14): Milwaukee Brewers (1-0)
The Committee said last week that the Brewers could make a huge statement by beating Cincinnati Week 1. Well, Milwaukee did that, turning some heads in the process with a league leading 359.9 points. Was this a fluke? It remains to be seen. Milwaukee gets the Pirates next week.
Group 2: The Contenders... They're for real
#9(8): Chicago Cubs (0-1)
Chicago lost to Houston. Yes. But they still scored above 300, better than San Diego, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles (Angels). We'll try to stop harping on the amount of cap room they still have... but Chicago is a couple of trades away from likely shooting up this list.
#8(11): Texas Rangers (1-0)
The Committee admittedly under-ranked the defending champs in the Week 1 rankings. The Rangers looked terrific against Detroit, and Robinson Cano resembled his former self with a solid 38.5 points in the lineup.
#7: Cincinnati Reds (0-1)
Cincinnati was a bit unlucky, playing incredibly well (334.1 points, 3rd in the league this week) and losing to the Milwaukee Brewers. No reason to worry, but losing divisional games early on is never a desired result. The Reds had four different players score more than 30 points (Castro, Pagan, Bumgarner, Rizzo).
#6: Arizona D'backs (1-0)
Arizona didn't do much to instill confidence in fans in their abilities this season. The Giants were still in the game until Sunday afternoon. If it wasn't for rookie Trevor Story's jaw-dropping week (60 points, 7 HR's), Arizona could have lost. The D'backs could use a great win against the Dodgers next week to flex their muscles a bit.
Group 1: The Best of the Best
#5: Miami Marlins (1-0)
Apologies to Miami for leaving them out of the Group 1 category in Week 1. This team certainly showed they belong in the top 5. The Marlins annihilated the Mets, scoring 339.4 points. Paul Goldschimdt had a terrific week at the plate with 35 points.
#4(1): San Diego Padres (0-1)
Perhaps we can't take the Padres performance last season for granted. San Diego fell to Washington Week 1 and finished outside of the top 10 in scoring. Perhaps we'll look back at this loss come Week 19 when San Diego is 18-1 and laugh. But for now, this could be reason for concern.
#3(4): Tampa Bay Rays (1-0)
Tampa Bay was fortunate to be playing the Cleveland Indians in a somewhat subpar performance overall as a team. Nevertheless, they picked up their first win of the season, which should be the first of many. Cole Hamels was dominant on the mound, finishing with 44.7 points in two starts.
#2: Los Angeles Angels (1-0)
It wasn't pretty, but the Angels picked up a huge win over last season's AL West division champs from Oakland. Hats off to Josh Donaldson, who put in an MVP-like week's worth of production. The third-baseman had 44.5 points and blasted 4 home runs.
#1(3): Philadelphia Phillies (1-0)
With San Diego faltering and Tampa and L.A. having underwhelming performances, the new #1 for this week is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils rocked the Braves in the opener, cherishing a 34-point performance from outfielder Matt Kemp. The Phillies get another easy week against New York this week before traveling to Miami in a much-anticipated Week 3 matchup.
Biggest +: Astros/Brewers +4
Biggest -: Tigers -7
Week 2 GoTW: Nationals vs. Marlins
Week 2 Match-ups & The Committee's Predictions (in bold)
Padres vs. Rockies
Cubs vs. Cardinals
Pirates vs. Brewers
Astros vs. Reds
Dodgers vs. D'backs
Nationals vs. Marlins
Giants vs. Braves
Mets vs. Phillies
Mariners vs. Blue Jays
Rays vs. White Sox
Royals vs. Tigers
Athletics vs. Indians
Twins vs. Orioles
Angels vs. Yankees
Red Sox vs. Rangers
The Committee's record:
Wk. 1: 10-5
Overall: 10-5
Week 1 brought us some stunning upsets, leaving many fans scratching there heads in regards to certain team's futures this season.
So as always, take a seat, grab a snack, and enjoy some (occasionally very) opinionated writing about your team. Previous rankings will be noted in parenthesis.
Group 5: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30(29): New York Mets (0-1)
Last season, the Mets averaged an awful 76.6 points per game in their attempt to tank in order to rebuild fast. In Week 1 of 2016, the Mets put up an incredibly bad 55 points, making the Marlins look like the greatest thing we've ever seen.
#29(30): Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)
The Jays actually almost came within 20 points of winning a game. Surprising right? Well, if one considers the fact that Toronto was playing Chicago it's not that far fetched. Games against the White Sox appear to be the only ones that Toronto will have a chance to win this season. Mark your calendars for Week 4 Jays fans.
#28(27): Cleveland Indians (0-1)
The Indians actually hung with Tampa for longer than most would expect, but depth was what killed them in the end. The three-headed beast on offense (Kinsler, Ramirez, and Marte) had a combined 44% usage rate against Cleveland's total of 166. They need more help.
#27(28): Chicago White Sox (1-0)
Does Chicago deserve more of a boost after getting a victory? The short answer: no. The team won in a very ugly contest in which neither team really deserved the win. A bright spot for Chicago (or in other words, potential trade bait down the road) was Dexter Fowler, who scored 36 points while hitting at a clip of .526.
#26: San Francisco Giants (0-1)
San Fran actually played well enough to stick with Arizona until the last day... in which they were outscored 60.3 to 6. Still, one could potential chalk that up as a moral victory, if you so happen to believe in those kinds of things.
Group 4: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's
#25: St. Louis Cardinals (0-1)
The Cardinals nearly pulled off a great victory over Pittsburgh, but their comeback fell short by just two points. Clayton Kershaw put up 42.7 points in his two starts for St. Louis... what team wouldn't love him at the top of their rotation right now?
#24(23): Seattle Mariners (0-1)
Week 1 was rather disappointing for Seattle. They failed to score 200 points and lost to a team that was supposed to be beatable in New York. A nice line, however; Puig scored 37... perhaps a bounce back season for him?
#23(24): Colorado Rockies (0-1)
Colorado stuck with Los Angeles for most of the week, but was unable to get enough momentum going to truly make it interesting. Keep your eye on Stephen Piscotty, who after a terrific rookie campaign got off to a good start with 26 points.
#22: Boston Red Sox (0-1)
Despite a late fury by Boston, it wasn't enough to create a true contest with Minnesota. Carlos Correa looks great so far in a probable MVP-campaign. In Week 1, he hit .304 with 3 HR's and 2 SB's.
#21(19): Kansas City Royals (0-1)
Nothing like a really bad loss to fuel rumors about a possible Royals rebuild. But if this is as far as Kansas City intends to go in their "rebuilding process", they'll be a tough out for the remainder of the season, assuming that Miguel Sano puts up more than 1.5 points.
#20(21): Atlanta Braves (0-1)
Atlanta had a respectable Week 1, yet they still lost by nearly 100 points to the buzzsaw that is the Phillies. Much like Kansas City, many fans are wondering about the future of the Braves organization, making a potential rebuild or reloading all the more exciting.
Group 3: The possible playoff participants
#19(12): Detroit Tigers (0-1)
Well, the Committee of One was quite wrong in thinking that Detroit would be able to put up a fight against the defending champions from Texas. The Tigers were clearly overmatched in this one and have two big games coming up against division rivals Minnesota and Kansas City.
#18(16): Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0)
Sure, the Pirates came away with the victory, but they looked terrible against St. Louis, scoring under 200 points in Week 1. Fortunately, many fans were distracted from Pittsburgh's not-so-great start by international signee Kenta Maeda's terrific 21.9 point performance in his first career start.
#17(18): Minnesota Twins (1-0)
Minnesota got the job done against Boston and was carried by starters Edinson Volquez (36.6 points) and Francisco Liriano (33.3 points). With Detroit falling to Texas, the Twins now start the season off with a one game advantage, which could be all the more important come the end of summer.
#16(20): Houston Astros (1-0)
Jake Arrieta showed why he's one of the best pitchers in baseball with a strong 7 inning shut-out performance on Sunday in a come-from-behind surprise victory over the Chicago Cubs for Houston. It was a crucial victory for Houston, who will now move on to play Cincinnati.
#15(17): New York Yankees (1-0)
The Yankees were victorious against the Mariners and played considerably well, scoring more points than the supposed division favorite Tampa Bay. Getting two starts from ace Johnny Cueto and a strong week from Adrian Gonzalez certainly helped.
#14(9): Oakland Athletics (0-1)
It was a very rough opener for the Athletics in their loss against the Angels. It's usually very difficult to fall behind in the AL West. The team barely reached 200 points with simply mediocre performances from many of their players. Look for a bounce back performance next week.
#13(15): Baltimore Orioles (1-0)
The Committee of One has to give Baltimore some credit; they score more points than any other team in the American League in Week 1. Yet six teams from the National League exceeded the Orioles' total. Is this another sign that the power may be shifting away from the American League to the National League?
#12(13): Washington Nationals (1-0)
Let's be clear here. The Nationals BEAT THE PADRES. Who called that one? The Committee certainly didn't. Washington was led by a stunning 52.5 points from Eugenio Suarez (.435, 4, 9) during the week... another thing that most probably didn't see coming.
#11(10): Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0)
The other team from Los Angeles played decently and picked up a division victory over Colorado. The goings get a little more difficult now, however, as a meeting with Arizona next week awaits the Dodgers... who are ever so eager to prove themselves.
#10(14): Milwaukee Brewers (1-0)
The Committee said last week that the Brewers could make a huge statement by beating Cincinnati Week 1. Well, Milwaukee did that, turning some heads in the process with a league leading 359.9 points. Was this a fluke? It remains to be seen. Milwaukee gets the Pirates next week.
Group 2: The Contenders... They're for real
#9(8): Chicago Cubs (0-1)
Chicago lost to Houston. Yes. But they still scored above 300, better than San Diego, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles (Angels). We'll try to stop harping on the amount of cap room they still have... but Chicago is a couple of trades away from likely shooting up this list.
#8(11): Texas Rangers (1-0)
The Committee admittedly under-ranked the defending champs in the Week 1 rankings. The Rangers looked terrific against Detroit, and Robinson Cano resembled his former self with a solid 38.5 points in the lineup.
#7: Cincinnati Reds (0-1)
Cincinnati was a bit unlucky, playing incredibly well (334.1 points, 3rd in the league this week) and losing to the Milwaukee Brewers. No reason to worry, but losing divisional games early on is never a desired result. The Reds had four different players score more than 30 points (Castro, Pagan, Bumgarner, Rizzo).
#6: Arizona D'backs (1-0)
Arizona didn't do much to instill confidence in fans in their abilities this season. The Giants were still in the game until Sunday afternoon. If it wasn't for rookie Trevor Story's jaw-dropping week (60 points, 7 HR's), Arizona could have lost. The D'backs could use a great win against the Dodgers next week to flex their muscles a bit.
Group 1: The Best of the Best
#5: Miami Marlins (1-0)
Apologies to Miami for leaving them out of the Group 1 category in Week 1. This team certainly showed they belong in the top 5. The Marlins annihilated the Mets, scoring 339.4 points. Paul Goldschimdt had a terrific week at the plate with 35 points.
#4(1): San Diego Padres (0-1)
Perhaps we can't take the Padres performance last season for granted. San Diego fell to Washington Week 1 and finished outside of the top 10 in scoring. Perhaps we'll look back at this loss come Week 19 when San Diego is 18-1 and laugh. But for now, this could be reason for concern.
#3(4): Tampa Bay Rays (1-0)
Tampa Bay was fortunate to be playing the Cleveland Indians in a somewhat subpar performance overall as a team. Nevertheless, they picked up their first win of the season, which should be the first of many. Cole Hamels was dominant on the mound, finishing with 44.7 points in two starts.
#2: Los Angeles Angels (1-0)
It wasn't pretty, but the Angels picked up a huge win over last season's AL West division champs from Oakland. Hats off to Josh Donaldson, who put in an MVP-like week's worth of production. The third-baseman had 44.5 points and blasted 4 home runs.
#1(3): Philadelphia Phillies (1-0)
With San Diego faltering and Tampa and L.A. having underwhelming performances, the new #1 for this week is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils rocked the Braves in the opener, cherishing a 34-point performance from outfielder Matt Kemp. The Phillies get another easy week against New York this week before traveling to Miami in a much-anticipated Week 3 matchup.
Biggest +: Astros/Brewers +4
Biggest -: Tigers -7
Week 2 GoTW: Nationals vs. Marlins
Week 2 Match-ups & The Committee's Predictions (in bold)
Padres vs. Rockies
Cubs vs. Cardinals
Pirates vs. Brewers
Astros vs. Reds
Dodgers vs. D'backs
Nationals vs. Marlins
Giants vs. Braves
Mets vs. Phillies
Mariners vs. Blue Jays
Rays vs. White Sox
Royals vs. Tigers
Athletics vs. Indians
Twins vs. Orioles
Angels vs. Yankees
Red Sox vs. Rangers
The Committee's record:
Wk. 1: 10-5
Overall: 10-5