1. Texas Rangers (Record: 51-34, Last 10: 5-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)
2. New York Yankees (51-33, 5-5, 2)
The Pirates have jumped into the top 10 thanks in large part to an MVP-caliber year from Andrew McCutchen
3. Los Angeles Angels (48-38, 5-5, 3)
4. Washington Nationals (49-34, 6-4, 4)
5. Cincinnati Reds (47-38, 6-4, 7)
6. Chicago White Sox (47-38, 7-3, 10)
7. Atlanta Braves (46-39, 6-4, 14)
8. Pittsburgh Pirates (48-37, 8-2, 15)
9. San Francisco Giants (46-40, 3-7, 5)
10. Detroit Tigers (44-42, 7-3, 16)
While there’s no change among the top four clubs, the same cannot be said for the rest of the top ten. This week we welcome the Braves, Pirates, and Tigers for the first time, as they all take winning streaks into the All-Star break and appear poised for a strong second half. Although I remain skeptical of the Pirates, the addition of a big bat such as Justin Upton or Carlos Quentin would give Pittsburgh a legitimate sidekick for MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen.
11. St. Louis Cardinals (46-40, 6-4, 12)
12. Los Angeles Dodgers (47-40, 4-6, 8)
13. New York Mets (46-40, 6-4, 9)
14. Boston Red Sox (43-42, 3-7, 6)
15. Baltimore Orioles (45-40, 4-6, 11)
16. Tampa Bay Rays (45-41, 5-5, 13)
17. Cleveland Indians (44-41, 6-4, 19)
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (42-43, 4-6, 17)
19. Toronto Blue Jays (43-43, 5-5, 18)
20. Oakland Athletics (43-43, 6-4, 21)
The Red Sox were this week’s biggest faller and a case could easily be made for them to be lower. My optimism for my Sox is deteriorating after being swept by Oakland and losing two of three against the Yankees entering Sunday, but the club is still above .500 and just two games out of the wild-card race despite the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford, Andrew Bailey, and Josh Beckett all spending significant time on the DL thus far.
Outside of Boston, however, virtually every other team ranked in the teens has experienced a similar rollercoaster season, but each still has a real chance at the playoffs entering the second half, which is all you can ask for.
21. Miami Marlins (41-44, 3-7, 20)
22. Milwaukee Brewers (40-45, 6-4, 22)
23. Philadelphia Phillies (37-50, 1-9, 23)
24. Minnesota Twins (36-48, 6-4, 25)
25. Kansas City Royals (37-47, 2-8, 24)
26. Seattle Mariners (36-51, 4-6, 26)
27. Chicago Cubs (33-52, 7-3, 30)
28. San Diego Padres (34-53, 6-4, 29)
29. Colorado Rockies (33-52, 4-6, 28)
30. Houston Astros (33-53, 1-9, 27)
Finally some change at the bottom! With a recent surge by the Cubs and an inevitable cold spell for the Astros, the bottom four teams in the league have reversed. After the first half of the season, it is obvious who the four worst clubs are, and it will be a battle to see who finishes last. My pick’s Houston.
Thanks for keeping me up to date with these rankings. So many other sites and rankings I have to keep track of. Definitely a bookmark in my pages.