April 27th- The 2009 Major League Baseball season is well under way, as some unexpected teams have stormed out the gate in an early charge for the finish line. But as we’re all aware, it’s not how your start in an arduous 162-game season. Consistency is the key, and while we’re sure to see teams slide up and down the TPFSports MLB Power Rankings, teams who pace themselves will still be in the race heading for the final turn as they hit the home stretch.
TPFSports plans to take you along for the bumpy ride in our first bi-weekly installment of our Power Rankings. So stay seated in your saddle and let TPFSports carry you along for the ride towards October.
30. Washington Nationals
- When you can chalk up simply holding a multiple-run ninth inning lead as a success, things can’t be going well. The one bright spot on the season thus far is Jordan Zimmerman. The 22-year old has impressed everyone in his first major leagues two starts, earning wins against the Mets and the Braves.
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
- You need look no further than Dan Haren’s record to understand why the DBacks have struggled so mightily. He is 1-3 despite allowing two runs or fewer in each of his first four starts. The team has scored a total of three runs in those games. Only the terrifically inept Giants have scored fewer runs on the season.
28. Houston Astros
- The Astros made one of the offseason most underrated acquisitions when they signed Mike Hampton for only $2M. It’s still only April, but he looks both healthy and confident. He’s made four straight starts...but saying that probably just jinxed him, so expect a few months on the DL beginning sometime next week.
27. Minnesota Twins
- The Twins have managed to remain only one game shy of .500 despite being outscored by 23 runs on the season, tied for the second worst run differential in the league. Francisco Liriano (0-4, 7.06 ERA) is a long way from the dominant 22-year old we watched tear through the league in 2006.
26. Baltimore Orioles
- Adam Jones and Nick Marakakis are two of the best young outfielders in baseball. Unfortunately, only the Yankees have a worse team ERA. Off-season addition Koji Uehara has posted a 4.56 ERA to this point…and that leads all starters. The 2009 season in Baltimore will soon become a countdown to super-prospect Matt Weiters’ arrival.
25. Colorado Rockies
- The loss of Matt Holliday is only one aspect of the Rockies disappointing offensive start. Chris Iannetta has 8 more strikeouts than hits and the team’s OPS is nearly 100 points lower than their opponents (.763/.855).
24. Cleveland Indians
- Victor Martinez won’t hit .400, but he looks a lot better than he did last season. Both he and Travis Hafner appear to have moved past disappointing 2008 campaigns. Now if only last year’s Cy Young winner Cliff Lee could keep his ERA under five, the Indians might make some noise in the division.
23. Los Angeles Angels
- Only 18 games into the season, the Angels have already used eight different starting pitchers. Joe Saunders has been decent in his four starts, but his strikeout rate of 2.81 K/9 is far too low to allow him to remain competitive.
22. New York Yankees
- The good news is that the offense is churning out 5.55 runs a game even without A-Rod. The bad news? The pitching staff is allowing nearly seven runs per, easily the worst in the league.
21. San Francisco Giants
- Tim Lincecum appears to be adjusting to a new release point, as he’s dropped his ERA in three consecutive starts since a rough opener against the Brewers.
20. Oakland Athletics
- Matt Holliday probably misses the thin air of Denver. The first three weeks of his contract year have not gone well. He is still without a homerun and 12 strikeouts to go with only four walks. The offseason trade may ending up being a disaster for both Holliday and the Rockies.
19. Texas Rangers
- Stop me if this sounds familiar. The Rangers offense rakes while the pitching gets battered at league-leading rates. The offense is third in baseball despite Josh Hamilton’s slow start and the pitching is third worst, despite Kevin Millwood’s resurgence.
18. Milwaukee Brewers
- Coming into the season we had concerns about their rotation, and the early struggles of Manny Parra and Jeff Suppan have done little to change our mind. That Braden Looper has been the bright spot hardly inspires confidence.
17. Tampa Bay Rays
- Last year’s Cinderella story has seen a frustrating start to 2009, falling 6.5 games off the division lead. The good news is that Evan Longoria is an MVP caliber player at only 23-years old.
16. San Diego Padres
- The hot start had some people fooled, but when you’re being outscored on the season you probably won’t be winning many games. Jake Peavy struggles are in spite of the fact that nearly all of his peripheral numbers are in line with his career. It’s probably too early for any real concern.
15. Atlanta Braves
- The retooled rotation has been nearly as advertised, as both Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez have been impressive. Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami and the as-yet only once-needed fifth man in the rotation haven’t been as moving. Tom Glavine’s continued arm troubles and Jo-Jo Reyes’ ineffectiveness will soon lead to the promotion of top prospect Tommy Hanson.
14. Cincinnati Reds
- Aaron Harang appears to have left last year’s forearm trouble behind him as he opens 2009 with an ERA of 2.00 in his fist four starts. The hot start included a complete game shutout against division leading Pittsburgh.
13. Florida Marlins
- Six early games against the Nationals were a catalyst for the blistering 11-1 start, but six consecutive losses since then have brought the fish back to reality.
12. New York Mets
- David Wright’s early performance is hard to read. Sure, he had a 10-game hitting streak…but his 23 strikeouts are good for the second highest total in baseball, behind only Chris Davis.
11. Seattle Mariners
- The AL West is up for grabs for the first time in years and the M’s are staking their claim early. Much like the Royals a couple spots above, the offense will have to hit at some point if they expect to contend. Only Russell Branyan and Ichiro have 40 ABs and OPS’ over .800.
10. Chicago White Sox
- This team is the definition of average. The offense is eighth in the league, and the pitching seventh. Nothing here is particularly interesting, but Carlos Quentin is proving his ’08 wasn’t a fluke and John Danks is establishing himself as the ace of the rotation.
9. Kansas City Royals
- How long can the pitching staff carry them? An AL-leading 3.58 RA/G is nice, but the offense has to step up at some point. Of course, if ace Zack Greinke doesn’t give up an earned run all season, maybe they don’t.
8. Philadelphia Phillies
- Cole Hamels says he’s fine after taking a liner off the shoulder on Thursday. More worrisome to Phillies fans? The 9.69 ERA following a spring where questions were raised about a balky elbow. His velocity has been down so far, but it’s too early to tell if the cause is the elbow or simply a lack of work.
7. Chicago Cubs
- Kosuke Fukodome looks to be settling in, posting a 1.142 OPS through Sunday. Of course, he had a .938 OPS through the same point last season before fading.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
- Easily the biggest early surprise of the season, the long-time laughing stock Pirates have been led by their pitching staff. The Bucs rotation has provided a league-leading 12 quality starts and the bullpen has yet to blow a save.
5. Detroit Tigers
- Exceptional starts by Armando Galarraga and Edwin Jackson have covered for a slow start by Justin Verlander. Verlander’s peripheral numbers are still strong (10+ K/9 and 2.5 K/BB ratio), so expect his ERA to come back down soon. His struggles can be largely explained by an unlucky .387 BABIP against.
4. Toronto Blue Jays
- The Jays lead the majors in run differential, thanks to an offense pounding out 6.32 R/G. They have yet to lose a series…but they also have yet to play a division opponent.
3. St. Louis Cardinals
- Albert Pujols’s annual solo act has become a two-man show as Ryan Ludwick dispels doubters with a blistering start to the season. Yet another trip to the DL for Chris Carpenter will place a lot of pressure on Adam Wainwright and Kyle Loshe to continue their impressive starts.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
- The Dodgers are second in the NL in both runs scored and runs allowed per game…usually a good combination. They’ve quickly established themselves as the class of the NL West, going 12-4 against division rivals to start the season.
1. Boston Red Sox
- Early concerns about the offense have been erased as the Sox have scored 76 runs during their current 10-game winning streak. Boston’s deep pitching staff has been on display as Tim Wakefield and Justin Masterson cover for slow starts by Beckett and Dice-K.
