MLB Power Rankings: Braves top the list after season’s first two weeks
By Matt Shetler
April 14, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Jose Tabata (31) greets Pirates left fielder Starling Marte (6) at home after Marte hit a two run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 10-6. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
20. Pittsburgh Pirates (6-7): The Pirates looked like they had turned things around after a slow start, winning 5-of-6 before James McDonald was lit up Monday night. Starling Marte (.370) and Garrett Jones (.316) are off to hot starts with the bats, but Pedro Alvarez has been brutal (.073).
19. Philadelphia Phillies (6-7): The Phillies horrible pitching amounted to a slow start, but both Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels are coming off strong outings and Cliff Lee has been great.
18. Los Angeles Angels (4-9): The Angels should be a heck of a lot lower on this list, but you can’t ignore the talent on this team. The problem has been the pitching staff. Jared Weaver is on the DL and the Angels have a minus-25 run differential.
17. Toronto Blue Jays (6-7): Is it too early to say all of the Blue Jays moves have backfired? Jose Reyes is on the DL, but the bigger problem has been the pitching acquisitions as R.A. Dickey (1-2, 5.82 ERA), Josh Johnson (0-1, 11.05 ERA) and Mark Buehrle (1-0, 7.31 ERA) have all struggled.
16. Baltimore Orioles (6-6): The O’s starters (3-4, 4.76 ERA) have done their part to help wipe away a great start from Chris Davis (6 HR, 19 RBI, .366 BA).
15. Cincinnati Reds (6-7): After starting out the season with impressive series wins over the Nats and Angels, the Reds have gone 2-5 since, including being swept by the Pirates. Now they have to get by without Johnny Cueto, who is on the DL.
14. New York Yankees (6-5): Many wondered where the Yankees offense would come from, but a bunch of castoffs have carried the heavy lifting. Vernon Wells (1.053 OPS, 3 HR), Travis Hafner (.986 OPS, 3 HR) and Lyle Overbay (.710 OPS, 1 HR) are all providing far more offense than anyone would have thought at this point.
13. New York Mets (7-4): The Mets have the highest-scoring offense in the NL (69 runs in 11 games) and a vastly improved pitching staff. Matt Harvey is 3-0 to start the season, and he’s allowed just six hits over 22 innings of work while striking out 25. In addition, John Buck has provided some power (6 HR, 19 RBI).
12. Kansas City Royals (7-5): It hasn’t been a great start for the Royals, but their starting pitching has been pretty good. Ervin Santana (1-1, 2.45 ERA), James Shields (1-2, 3.43 ERA) and Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 3.55 ERA) have led the way, without them the Royals would be much worse off.
11. Los Angeles Dodgers (7-6): The Dodgers have lost two straight and the loss of Zach Greinke is going to hurt in the long run. Offensively, you have to wonder when Matt Kemp (.196, 0 HR, 4 RBI) is going to pick things up?