The Texas Rangers own the best record in Major League Baseball and a commanding lead in KP’s latest edition of MLB Power Rankings.
The top three spots in the poll remain unchanged this week, as both the Yankees and Dodgers hold onto second and third place.
Meanwhile, three hot squads – the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks – all made positive moves and sit in the top ten.
Here’s where each team sits in the MLB Power Rankings this week, featuring a few stats, thoughts and figures for each of the seven teams that made major moves (up or down) in the latest poll.
Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers hold onto the top spot this week
KP’s MLB Power Rankings: June 25, 2012
*Stats, records and information as of Sunday June 24, 2012
1. Texas Rangers – 45-28 (157 points) – Last Week: #1
2. New York Yankees – 43-28 (117 points) – Last Week: #2
3. Los Angeles Dodgers – 43-30 (92 points) – Last Week: #3
4. St. Louis Cardinals – 38-35 (92 points) – Last Week: #7
The Cardinals won four road games last week and posted 30 runs in a three-game sweep in Kansas City. St. Louis was a +14 in run differential last week and currently features a squad with the third best batting average in baseball. The record doesn’t show it at this point, but overall, the Cardinals have been a consistent and at times dominant team.
5. Washington Nationals – 41-29 (86 points) – Last Week: #5
6. Los Angeles Angels – 40-33 (86 points) – Last Week: #8
7. Boston Red Sox – 38-34 (78 points) – Last Week: #13
The Boston Red Sox traded fan favorite Kevin Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox over the weekend
The Red Sox have had to overcome nothing but injuries and drama all season long. Over the weekend, Boston traded away fan favorite Kevin Youkilis, a deal that was necessary to pave the way for young star Will Middlebrooks. Even with all the drama, the Red Sox exited the AL East cellar last week and sit just 5 ½ games behind the Yankees for the division lead. But no one should be shocked by Boston’s climb into the top ten. The Red Sox have won seven of eight and the offense has scored 57 runs during that span. Last week, Boston posted a +19 run differential and the offense jumped two spots in overall team batting average.
8. Cincinnati Reds – 39-32 (76 points) – Last Week: #4
The Reds hold onto a slim one game lead in the NL Central division, but lost ground to the Cardinals in the rankings this week. Overall, Cincinnati has lost five of six, including a three-game sweep on the road in Cleveland. Over the last week, the pitching staff dropped three spots in overall team ERA.
9. Chicago White Sox – 38-34 (72 points) – Last Week: #10
10. Arizona Diamondbacks – 37-35 (61 points) – Last Week: #15
The D’Backs won five of six games last week, scoring a total of 51 runs during that stretch. Arizona posted an impressive +21 in run differential over the last week and the team’s offense jumped an impressive seven spots in overall team batting average.
11. Tampa Bay Rays – 40-32 (60 points) – Last Week: #11
12. San Francisco Giants – 40-33 (60 points) – Last Week: #9
The Giants hold a 2 ½ game edge over Arizona in the NL West standings and currently sit just three games back of the slumping Dodgers. The most notable difference for the Giants over the last week is the pitching staff, which dropped four spots in overall team ERA. Tim Lincecum (2-8, 6.07 ERA) remains a major disappointment this season.
13. Baltimore Orioles – 41-31 (58 points) – Last Week: #6
The Baltimore offense has really been struggling over the last few weeks. The Orioles have scored just 17 runs over its last nine games, yet managed to win four of those games thanks to its pitching staff. One additional reason for Baltimore’s drop from last week was the team’s three-game sweep at the hands of the Mets, where the O’s were outscored 14-3.
14. Atlanta Braves – 38-34 (51 points) – Last Week: #12
15. Toronto Blue Jays – 37-35 (42 points) – Last Week: #14
16. Pittsburgh Pirates – 38-33 (38 points) – Last Week: #19
The Pirates allowed just ten runs in six games last week, a major reason why the team saw a boost heading into this week. Pittsburgh allowed three runs or less in each of these six games. However, the offense continues to have struggles, posting the third worst team batting average in baseball this season.
17. New York Mets – 39-34 (37 points) – Last Week: #18
18. Detroit Tigers – 35-37 (32 points) – Last Week: #16
19. Philadelphia Phillies – 34-40 (24 points) – Last Week: #17
20. Oakland Athletics – 35-38 (22 points) – Last Week: #21
21. Kansas City Royals – 31-39 (2 points) – Last Week: #20
22. Cleveland Indians – 37-34 (-1 point) – Last Week: #22
23. Milwaukee Brewers – 33-39 (-5 points) – Last Week: #23
24. Seattle Mariners – 31-43 (-28 points) – Last Week: #25
25. Miami Marlins – 34-38 (-35 points) – Last Week: #24
26. Colorado Rockies – 27-44 (-41 points) – Last Week: #27
27. Houston Astros – 30-42 (-47 points) – Last Week: #28
28. Minnesota Twins – 29-42 (-56 points) – Last Week: #26
29. San Diego Padres – 26-47 (-71 points) – Last Week: #29
30. Chicago Cubs – 24-48 (-87 points) – Last Week: #30
* All stats per MLB.com
Note: RED = Falling 3+ spots from last week, GREEN = Rising 3+ spots from last week
The Wife Hates Sports MLB Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record. It mixes a secret formula of six completely different categories, meshed into a points system. The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed recently, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and pitching staff, too.
