This week, I've expanded my power rankings to cover all 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Let's take a look at how our rankings shape up for week three:
#30: Arizona Diamondbacks (5-17)
The Diamondbacks took a heavy hit before the season started by losing starting pitcher Patrick Corbin. That hurt a rotation that was already sketchy, and the Diamondbacks are really suffering right now.
#29: Houston Astros (6-14)
The Astros finally aren't the worst team in baseball. That doesn't mean that they're any good, but it will be interesting to see some of the Astros farm talent emerge into the big leagues later this year.
#28: Chicago Cubs (6-12)
The Cubs' front office made it pretty clear to the fans before the season that there was going to be a re-building process this season. Jeff Samardzija could be excellent trade bait for teams that will be trying to add an extra arm for a playoff push. This could become a reality because the Cubs could use a reliable bat, as they are in the bottom third of the league in most offensive statistics.
#27: Philadelphia Phillies (9-10)
Odd seeing the Phillies fall so low, but it's been a tough start to 2014 for this club. The Phillies will get some help by welcoming the arm of Cole Hamels back to the rotation this week. The Phillies will have to start thinking very seriously about the future this offseason.
#26: Miami Marlins (9-11)
The Marlins may be somewhat far back in the power rankings, but they've shown the most promise out of all the teams so far on this list. Jose Fernandez is the most electric pitcher in the league and has picked up right where he left off in 2013. Giancarlo Stanton is quietly making a case for becoming a MVP Candidate at the end of the season.
#25: Chicago White Sox (10-10)
The south side of Chicago isn't built much different from the north. The White Sox have a great pitcher in Chris Sale, but are lacking the number of bats needed to effectively score runs. Like the Phillies, the White Sox will have to look at streamlining their roster before the beginning of next season. That being said, Chris Sale looks impressive, and could be used to lure some hitters to the White Sox.
#24: Minnesota Twins (9-9)
Even ranked this far back, the Twins have shown some promise at the start of this season. Minnesota leads the majors in on-base percentage thus far, and the Twins have produced 98 runs, making them the fourth most efficient offense in all of baseball. Chris Colabello has been a monster at the plate, hitting .353 and already driving in 20 runs. Could the Twins be the dark horse team of the central? Let's not go that far just yet.
#23: San Diego Padres (9-11)
Coming into 2014, I thought the Padres' rotation was going to be one of the more skilled units in the National League. Ian Kennedy hasn't looked great so far this season, and Josh Johnson is injured. So far the only Padres' pitcher that has pitched to expectations has been Andrew Cashner.
#22: New York Mets (10-9)
The Mets have clawed their way to a winning record so far at the start of this season, but I wouldn't expect the winning to become regular. The Mets have a mediocre offense that is in the bottom third of the MLB in a lot of statistical categories. The one thing that's benefited New York so far has actually been the rotation. Even with the absence of ace Matt Harvey to injury, the Mets' rotation has compiled 12 quality starts this season, which is the fifth-best in the all of baseball.
#21: Colorado Rockies (11-10)
The Rockies have had the best offense in the league this season without a doubt. Questions are being asked, however, about the Rockies' rotation. Colorado is going to have a tough time finding success with their powerful offense in a division that has some of the best pitching in baseball. If the Rockies can continue to hit and get on a hot streak, they could become a sleeper team in NL West.
#20: Seattle Mariners (7-12)
The Mariners have struggled out of the gate, but we can't write them off just yet. We knew coming into the season that Seattle was going to have a difficult time producing runs, but we didn't know that "difficult" would turn into "impossible." Robinson Cano has been a good addition so far, but he hasn't exactly broken out just yet. First baseman Justin Smoak started off the season on a hitting spree, but he's since cooled off. The Mariners will have to dig deep and find runs from somewhere if they want to see success.
#19: Cincinnati Reds (8-11)
This is a team that's better than what their record has shown us so far this season. The Reds have lost a lot of tight games that could've gone either way. Cincinnati hasn't been able to get the run support in the clutch situations that they have needed. I expect the Reds to start becoming more consistent and win more games.
#18: Boston Red Sox (9-11)
The Red Sox showed me a different side of their team after I ranked them in the top 10 last week. Boston has shown a lot of holes in their lineup so far this year, and they've left a lot men on base. This, combined with a pitching staff that looked really weak this past week, didn't impress me very much. The Red Sox start an important series at home tonight against their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees.
#17: Los Angeles Angels (9-10)
The Angels have been very average so far this season. Losing Josh Hamilton to an unfortunate hand injury hurt the power potential of their lineup. Albert Pujols is finally starting to hit like the St. Louis version of himself, and that has to make a lot Angels fans happy. The jury is still out on this team because you never know when the Angels are going to play to their potential. The Angels have the most home runs in the MLB with 29.
#16: Cleveland Indians (9-10)
The Indians haven't had the best offense in baseball, but they've found ways to produce runs. Cleveland has drawn the third most walks in the majors so far this season, and the Tribe has ran the bases well, stealing 14 bases and only getting caught twice. Michael Brantley continues to become a better hitter, and he's poised to have a breakout 2014 season.
#15: Pittsburgh Pirates (9-11)
The Pirates have been one of the most powerful teams in baseball this year, hitting 26 home runs, second only to the Angels. Pittsburgh remains in the middle of the pack because they have had some issues with their starting pitching. Francisco Liriano has had a rough start so far, and the Pirates just lost Wandy Rodriguez to injury yesterday. Another issue that's plagued the Pirates in this young season has been that they're only hitting .238 as a team, which is the sixth worst average in baseball.
#14: Tampa Bay Rays (9-10)
The Rays have taken some blows to their rotation this season. Losing Matt Moore for the year was bad enough, but having to put Alex Cobb and Jeremy Hellickson on the disabled list the same day had to be frustrating. The Rays have responded well, though, and still have a team that's capable of making the playoffs. Hellickson and Cobb should be back before the start of June, and if they get back to speed the Rays will be dangerous.
#13: Kansas City Royals (9-9)
The Royals have one of the most talented pitching staffs, from top to bottom, in baseball right now. This has been the reason for the Royals' success so far this year, as the team has struggled a little bit at the plate. The Royals will have to begin scoring runs more efficiently if they want to compete with the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central this season.
#12: Toronto Blue Jays (10-9)
It's really tough to find a reason behind Toronto's success so far this season. The Blue Jays haven't been impressive statistically, but they are on the right side of the win column. They have a group of veterans that bring a lot of experience into every game. The free agency signing of Melky Cabrera has payed off thus far, but will the Blue Jays be able to continue getting wins?
#11: Baltimore Orioles (9-9)
Buck Showalter has put together an Orioles team that looks hungry in the AL East this season. The Orioles could be in the top five, if they could find some pitching to go along with the offensive numbers they've produced so far in 2014. Nelson Cruz has been a great addition to an already powerful lineup that has the fourth best batting average in baseball.
#10: New York Yankees (11-8)
The Yankees have started out 2014 very well, and their offseason investments have payed some early dividends. Masahiro Tanaka has proven to be very effective against major league hitters in the United States and has struck out 28 batters while only walking two. Carlos Beltran continues to make his case for becoming a Hall-of-Famer once he retires, as he's hitting the ball very well so far this season.
#9: Washington Nationals (11-9)
The Nationals have had a tough time staying healthy this year. It seems like every other day this team has a player going down with an injury, along with the Bryce Harper drama that happened over the weekend. The Nationals have made most errors in baseball, with 22. Even though we focus on the negative, they still only trail the Atlanta Braves by 2.5 games in the NL East.
#8: Texas Rangers (12-8)
The Rangers' offense will have to mask the team's weak pitching, and so far they've done a good job. The Rangers' offense is one of the best in baseball, and this is a good thing for Rangers fans because the rotation could use a lot of work. Texas will be in the market for a starting pitcher before the trade deadline, kind of like they are every year.
#7: San Francisco Giants (11-9)
I'm really amazed that Matt Cain still hasn't won a decision going into tonight's game against the Rockies. The NL West race will be very fun to watch this season between the Giants and the Dodgers, as both teams possess a lot of talented baseball players. People tend to forget that San Francisco has a very powerful lineup behind the bats of Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval.
#6: Detroit Tigers (9-7)
The Tigers have played less games than most of the other teams in the majors. This slightly skews their stats in comparison with the other teams. The Tigers need for Miguel Cabrera to come out of hibernation at the plate and get back to his old self. The Tigers still have one of the better rotations in baseball and will try to keep the Royals off their back.
#5: St. Louis Cardinals (11-9)
The Cardinals are good as usual this year and are built for another successful 2014 campaign. Shelby Miller seems to be recovering from his rocky start to the season, and the rest of the Cardinals' pitching staff has been as good as expected. The offense isn't as productive as it was last year with the struggles of Allen Craig and Matt Adams. The Cards' offense has missed the bat of Carlos Beltran, but they will be able to find success from arguably the best rotation in baseball.
#4: Milwaukee Brewers (15-5)
The Brewers have the best record in baseball and are certainly the hottest team in the game right now. Milwaukee has found a lot of success from its starting pitching, which has been fantastic so far this season. This, along with a productive offense, has made the Brewers the hottest team in baseball. For now...
#3: Oakland Athletics (13-6)
When you combine a stingy pitching staff with an aggressive offense, you get the Oakland A's. Oakland is close to the top in both offensive and pitching statistics. I talked about Sonny Gray in last week's power rankings, so let's talk about Jesse Chavez. Chavez has struck out 28 batters in four games and has only allowed four earned runs so far this season.
#2: Los Angeles Dodgers (12-8)
The Dodgers are the NL version of the New York Yankees, and they're playing at a very high level. The Dodgers have only allowed opponents to hit .230 and will be even more dominant on defense if they can get a healthy Clayton Kershaw back. The Dodgers have their sights set on a World Championship.
#1: Atlanta Braves (13-6)
People were worried about the Braves' rotation coming into this season, but that problem has worked itself out very nicely. Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang have both been pitching very well to start this season, and with Mike Minor coming off the DL, you have to wonder which pitcher in this rotation will get bumped to the bullpen. If I had to guess right now, I would say that the Braves will send either Harang or Alex Wood (who's starting tonight against the Marlins) to the bullpen. I can't get over how good of a hitter Freddie Freeman has become, and he's really going to have a great career if he can stay healthy.
Disagree? Have a question? Be sure to follow me here on Chat Sports and on twitter @griffaldo.
