With a lot of movement in this week's power rankings, let's see who lands at the top:
#30: Houston Astros (10-22) Last Week: 28
After a decent start, the Astros are back to being the worst team in baseball. Houston has struggled to do just about anything this season - especially win baseball games.
#29: Arizona Diamondbacks (11-24) Last Week: 30
The Diamondbacks have been awful so far this season. If Arizona's pitching woes continue, they'll provide the Astros some real competition for the title of worst team in major league baseball.
#28: Chicago Cubs (11-19) Last Week: 29
The Cubs move up a spot after a successful series against the Cardinals this past weekend. Emilio Bonifacio's hot start seems to be cooling off, as he is hitless in his last three appearances.
#27: Cleveland Indians (13-19) Last Week: 25
The Indians finally found some success against the White Sox this weekend after being swept in their previous two series. Cleveland's pitching hasn't been very good recently, and Michael Brantley seems to be the only source of offense the Tribe can rely upon.
#26: Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) Last Week: 13
The Blue Jays have been 4-8 in their last 12 games, but Melky Cabrera continues to be a pleasant surprise at the plate for Toronto this season. Cabrera has hit safely in eight of his last ten games. Offense has not been the issue in Toronto so far this season.
#25: Kansas City Royals (14-17) Last Week: 12
Another team that slipped very far this week, the Royals have lost five in a row now. Kansas City is going to have to avoid getting swept by Detroit if the Royals want to make a serious run at the AL Central this season.
#24: San Diego Padres (15-18) Last Week: 24
The Padres stay right where they were last week in the number 24 spot. San Diego's pitching has been pretty good, considering that their offense is the only one in Major League Baseball that hasn't produced at least 100 runs yet this season.
#23: Pittsburgh Pirates (12-20) Last Week: 15
The Pirates continue to slip this week, and Pittsburgh just can't seem to figure out how to produce runs. Charlie Morton has been a prime example of the Bucs' awful luck so far this season. Morton has pitched at least five innings in each start and still hasn't been able to earn a win. Pittsburgh will have to find a way to turn their luck around if they want to make another playoff appearance this year.
#22: Seattle Mariners (15-15) Last Week: 27
The Mariners are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, winning eight of their last ten games. Seattle has generated 29 runs in the month of the May, which is the third-best among all major league teams.
#21: Minnesota Twins (15-15) Last Week: 22
The Twins are sitting at .500, and Minnesota fans have to be excited about the improvement of their team. The Twins have had some young players like pitcher Kyle Gibson and outfielder Chris Colabello, along with some veteran bats like catcher Kurt Suzuki. It will be very interesting to see where this team finds itself in the next couple of months.
#20: Miami Marlins (17-15) Last Week: 26
Looking at the Marlins on paper before the season started, I didn't think there was anyway possible that this team could be relevant in the NL East. After the starts of young players like Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, Miami is beginning to see early dividends from their young players. The veteran pieces the Marlins brought to the team in the offseason, like Casey McGehee and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, have been producing for the Marlins, who are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
#19: Chicago White Sox (16-17) Last Week: 23
The White Sox have been pretty even-keeled, winning five of their last ten games. Rookie Jose Abreu leads the American League with 12 home runs and is just one example of the young talent emerging from White Sox organization. The White Sox have an interesting inter-league series with their in-city rival, the Chicago Cubs.
#18: Boston Red Sox (15-17) Last Week: 16
The Red Sox have been very mediocre in this young 2014 season, and look like they'll end up right around the .500 mark unless they make some moves. If you look at just about any team statistic from this year, you'll generally see the Red Sox right in the middle in the pack.
#17: Tampa Bay Rays (15-17) Last Week: 15
The Rays have been struggling with injuries, especially among their starting pitching. Surprisingly, Tampa Bay's offense has carried them through this tough stretch. It's helped that first baseman James Loney is having an amazing season, hitting for a .330 average. Loney also has five multi-hit games in the last 10 he's played.
#16: Cincinnati Reds (15-16) Last Week: 21
The Reds showed a lot of perseverance this weekend, winning a tough series against the Milwaukee Brewers, one of the hottest teams in baseball. Johnny Cueto has the lowest ERA in the National League at 1.31, and if the season ended today, he would easily be a Cy Young finalist. The Reds did have a significant loss this week with the news that Jay Bruce needs knee surgery that would keep him out for three-to-four weeks.
#15: Philadelphia Phillies (15-15) Last Week: 20
The Phillies move up this week, and have won their last three series now. Philadelphia is still trying to find ways to get starting pitcher Cole Hamels back to his normal self, as he has yet to win a game so far this season.
#14: New York Mets (16-15) Last Week: 19
The Mets have clawed their way to a winning record so far this season, but New York will have to defend this record against rivals from within their division this week. The Mets face two tough series against the Marlins and Phillies.
#13: Los Angeles Angels (16-15) Last Week: 14
The Angels have found renewed life in the bat of Albert Pujols, who has hit safely in eight of his last ten games. Garret Richards has been a pleasant surprise on the mound for Los Angeles, starting the season 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA.
#12: St. Louis Cardinals (17-16) Last Week: 9
The Cardinals fall out of the top 10 this week, mainly because they simply can't produce any offense. St. Louis has arguably the best rotation in the MLB, but the Cardinals simply can't get the run support. If they can figure this problem out, they can make another deep postseason run. If not...
#11: Washington Nationals (18-14) Last Week: 11
With the Braves struggling, the Nationals have snuck into first place in their division behind the bats of Adam Laroche and Anthony Rendon. Both players have stepped up in the absence of the injured Bryce Harper. The Nationals will hope the Braves continue their losing skid - they've had trouble beating Atlanta head-to-head for the last few years.
#10: Baltimore Orioles (15-14) Last Week: 10
The Orioles sit atop the AL East standings, currently tied with the New York Yankees. With Chris Davis out with an oblique injury, Nelson Cruz has certainly stepped up, hitting five home runs in his last 10 games. Manny Machado is still finding his groove after a lengthy injury layoff, but he can make a huge difference for the O's this year.
#9: Texas Rangers (17-15) Last Week: 7
The Rangers haven't had powerful bats this season, but that doesn't mean their offense hasn't been efficient. Shin-Soo Choo has had four consecutive multi-hit games and is currently hitting .360 this season, which is the second-best in baseball.
#8: New York Yankees (16-15) Last Week: 5
The Yankees are tied with the Orioles for the lead in the AL East. Jacoby Ellsbury has been terrific so far this season, hitting for a .322 average. The Yankees are having a rough time filling out their starting rotation after the Michael Pineda pine tar incident, and it will be interesting to see who they look to for quality innings.
#7: Los Angeles Dodgers (18-15) Last Week: 8
The Dodgers have been hit-or-miss so far this season. Outfielder Yasiel Puig is day-to-day with what appears to be concussion-like symptoms. Zack Greinke is tied with Adam Wainwright for most wins in the National League, with five. The Dodgers find themselves in a weird spot at third place in the NL West, and they will have to find some consistency to make their way back to the top.
#6: Colorado Rockies (20-14) Last Week: 17
The Rockies have the best offense in baseball, leading almost every offensive statistic. Every player on the Rockies' roster seems to be contributing, at least offensively. You have to wonder how long the Rockies can continue this tear, as they are hitting .300 as a team.
#5: Atlanta Braves (17-14) Last Week: 1
The Braves lose their number one spot from last week due to a horrible losing streak that's drawn on longer than anyone in Atlanta hoped it would. Atlanta lost their seventh straight against the Cardinals last night, and the Braves are searching for answers as they watch their NL East position slip. The Braves have produced the second-fewest runs in the entire league this season.
#4: Detroit Tigers (18-9) Last Week: 6
The Tigers have found a nice rhythm, and are currently sitting at the top of the AL Central standings. Last year's Cy Young winner Max Scherzer has picked up right where he left off last season, already striking out 60 batters. The Tigers are the obvious team to beat in the AL Central this season.
#3: Oakland Athletics (19-13) Last Week: 3
The A's have lost three of their last four games, but continue to be the team to beat in the AL West. Oakland has scored 157 runs so far in the 2014 season, which is the fourth-best in all of baseball.
#2: Milwaukee Brewers (22-11) Last Week: 2
The Brewers have the best record in baseball, but they've shown some signs of slowing down a bit. The loss of Ryan Braun to the 15-day DL hurts their offense, but they will stay on top in the NL Central if their pitching can continue its dominance of opposing batters.
#1: San Francisco Giants (21-11) Last Week: 4
The Giants are easily the hottest team in baseball right now. San Francisco has won 10 of their last 11 games, and has swept two of their last three series wins. Angel Pagan has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, and San Francisco's offense has been clobbering opposing pitching.
Disagree? Be sure to let me know on twitter @griffaldo.
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