Well, with the draft still a little ways away and not much else going in the Wide World, I figured now was a good time to unveil a little bit of power rankings. Here's my top 10 as of now:
1. Boston Red Sox - Best record in the MLB, best pythagorean record in the MLB. Also, a fun fact is that they are 18-4 in day games so far this year.
2. Detroit Tigers - There offense has been far and away the best in the Majors so far this year, and the pitching should be helped with the return of Kenny Rogers. Sheffield and Ordonez might be the best 3-4 combo in baseball right now.
3. Los Angeles Angels - Pick up Reggie Willits in all of your fantasy leagues if he's still available. He's batting .344, takes a lot of walks, and steals a lot of bases (18 so far). Probably one of the best fantasy moves I have made all season.
4. San Diego Padres - Ladies and gentlemen, the best team in the National League. They easily have allowed the fewest runs of any teams in the Majors, and their middle of the pack offense should get a little boost with the addition of Michael Barrett. Kevin Towers is one of the most underrated GMs in the MLB.
5. Cleveland Indians - Unfortunately for my fantasy team, Travis Hafner has really struggled in the month of June. Unfortunately for myself as a Twins fan, it hasn't really mattered, as the Indians have continued to play well.
6. Oakland Athletics - Like San Diego, Oakland has an excellent pitching staff but a pretty mediocre offense. Unlike San Diego, they have another excellent team in their division and lots of competition for the wild card.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers - They've been a little lucky so far in 1-run games, but they are playing very good baseball. The pitching staff has especially been good, as they've allowed the 4th fewest runs in the MLB. That should help offset the loss of Jason Schmidt.
8. New York Yankees - I know they are only playing about .500 baseball, but they've had a lot of bad luck. They are a miserable 4-11 in 1-run games, and that tends to even out. When it does I expect the Yankees to be right back in the race.
9. New York Mets - They have been struggling a bit of late but it's not quite time to panic. The Phillies are playing very well right now but I do think the Mets are the best team in that division and will be the leaders when the year is all over.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks - They have been getting a little lucky (17-8 in 1-run games), but they are playing very solid baseball right now. I have some concerns about them staying so far above .500, but as of now 42-31 is a nice place to be.
What are your thoughts? Would you change anything up here?