The power, this year, is in the AL.
You'll see it when you glance at these rankings, but 6 of the top 7 and 7 of the top 9 teams on our list are in the AL.
This makes for a very interesting pennant race. As of now, according to the power rankings, the #6 team in baseball, the Indians, would miss the playoffs because 4 AL teams were ahead of them.
Usually, for the power rankings, I look through news reports and articles and stat pages and try to find intesting factoids about the team. But this week, I wanted to try something else. Being that I try to keep all subjective analysis out of it, how about, for one week....
We Report. You Decide.
It's like FOX News!
Actually, this week, I went to the public for the team bits. We have quite a few new blogs here at SB Nation, and I checked each of those blogs for some analysis or statement about the team. Those are quoted and linked for every team. If the team doesn't have an SB Nation site, I went to the internet, sifting through millions and millions of sites to find that one interesting quote.
The disclaimer is that I don't necessarily agree with all of these points, but I do think that the points of view should be expressed.
So, without further ado:
- White Sox (1) - "The thing that I fear is that McCarthy is worth more in trade value right now than he might every be worth again (both as a player and as trade bait). Now I'm not saying he is bad, or cant improve...its just one of those 'what ifs' where 5 years from now you don't want him to still be pitching in the minors while all of us are sitting around thinking 'you know...we were just missing one thing in 2005.'" - South Side Sox, brentbrookhouse
- Angels (7) - "Ya, I know [Finley] 'heats up' during the second half. That's nice but is sure does not help us now. Time for Rivera to play center or Figgins for that matter. If they are smart, they should cut him at the end of the year and just take the loss. If they keep this up with other players in the future though, it will be the 80's all over again." - Halo's Heaven - californiasurfrat
- Red Sox (4) - "I don't think the bullpen is as bad as the numbers show, but I'm not sure if it's going to get all that much better. Myers will continue to get a guy out here and there. Foulke seems to have come around for the most part. But I still have my doubts that Timlin will be able to keep it up all year. And Embree and Halama are just a waste of space at this point. Mantei....I'm not sure how he's going to perform for the rest of the year." - Over the Monster, Brian Martin
- Cardinals (3) - "[Mulder] still can't get a fastball past anybody, and i agree w danup's observation that mulder starts to nibble once he's ahead, pitches defensively. but he was on the corners most of the night, his breaking ball was sharp, and i was impressed with his guts. he gave up 10 baserunners in six and a third -- some nights that's one run, and some nights it's four or five..." Viva El Birdos, lboros
- Orioles (2) - "Six games in a row is more than enough for me, you, Tejada, Tejada's dog, Melvin Mora's hamstring, Brian Roberts' soul patch, John Parrish's porno moustache (RIP), Rick Bauer's fluffy tufts of Bozo hair that peek out from under his cap, Sammy Sosa's shrunken upper body, Earl Weaver's tomato plants, Ray Miller's changeup, Daniel Cabrera's acne, Ponson's insatiable appetite for gravy, Davey Newhan's versatility, and even - yes - Steve Kline's hat." - Camden Chat, SC.
- Indians (8) - "CC looked pretty nasty the 1st inning, throwing 30 pitches for 3 outs, but he slowly settled down after giving up a homer to Larue in the 2nd scoring Pena on the shot." - Let's Go Tribe, 1Mike
- Twins (6) - "With the lineup turning in yet another listless performance against yet another unspectacular starting pitcher yesterday, the rumors about the Twins looking at add a veteran bat keep getting louder and louder. Aside from finding a suitable platoon partner for Jones whom Gardenhire will never use, the spots the Twins could easily upgrade offensively are second base, third base, and shortstop." - AaronGleeman.com
- Braves (16) - "I still wouldn't trust [Kolb] with a one-run lead, of course. But I would trust him with a three-run lead. He's better than Jim Brower, better than Adam Bernero, and better than Kevin Gryboski. (Kolb, unlike Gryboski, really does get ground balls.) Don't let the bitter aftertaste of April blind you to the facts: Dan Kolb has become a serviceable middle reliever." - BravesBeat, Andy Blumson.
- Rangers (5) - "Kenny Rogers flipped out today before the game, attacking reporters and smashing cameras... Unbelievable. I had the feeling that there was a certain amount of tension within the club, that something might blow here shortly. This wasn't what I was expecting, though." - Lone Star Ball, Adam J. Morris
- Cubs (10) - "Roberto Novoa, who we used to joke was Spanish for 'Kyle Farnsworth', is a completely different pitcher since his recall last week, than the guy we saw briefly earlier this season. He walked Geoff Jenkins, but then struck out the side, and got the win after the ninth-inning rally. It may be early to say this, but Novoa may turn into what we hoped Kyle would. If that happens, the trade will have been well worth it." - Bleed Cubbie Blue, Al
- Tigers (11) - "It'll be interesting to see if they rush Verlander up like they did Bonderman. Could we be seeing him in the rotation next year? Depending on his workload (at least I hope they're monitoring this), I can see him getting a couple of starts in September." - Bless You Boys, Brian.
- Nationals (12) - "Chad Cordero gets the Majority Whip (player of the game), though, for doing what he's done all year -- converting another one-run save. He set the team record for most consecutive saves last night. That was a record held by Mel Rojas, which shows the pointlessness of that statistic!" - Capitol Punishment, Chris Needham.
- Mets (18) - "The Mets need to cut their losses with Ishii. They were smart enough to dump Mike DeJean on the scrap heap where he clearly deserved to be, and they need to do the same thing with Ishii. Jae Seo should be called up immediately to take Ishii's spot in the rotation. He will represent an immediate improvement in performance, and will serve to increase his trade value should the Mets choose to be buyers at the end of July." - Amazin' Avenue, Eric Simon
- Yankees (9) - "I am ready to pull what remains of my hair out of my head with this team. Changes need to be made, but Cano and Wang should be untouchable at this point." - Pinstripe Alley, sanchez96
- Marlins (15) - "... for the month of June, the player of the month award goes to... Luis Castillo. Luis's line of .333/.434/.427 (OPS of .861) is even more impressive when you consider that he's a) been playing hurt, and b) despite that, has continued to play great defense. Luis doesn't make SportsCenter a whole lot. He doesn't have Dontrelle's flash, or Cabrera's big bat. But he has a lot of heart and simply just gets on base." - Fish Stripes, mike42
- Padres (13) - "The Jamie Moyer rumor is one that I see as more likely even though ESPN thinks otherwise. I don't see his 10-and-5 status as being a hinderance if there was a good enough offer presented. Moyer would be looking at moving to a playoff bound team, a pitcher friendly park (at least at night), and San Diego in the summertime. Guys build up their 10-and-5 status so they can deny moves until one like that comes along." - Gas Lamp Ball, Dex.
- Blue Jays (17) - "First base is of particular concern; because this is where most major league teams expect their power and production to come from. Kevin Barker at Triple A has hit more home runs in one month since being called up from double A than Eric has had in the entire year (8). We may see the former Major Leaguer shortly." - Jays Nest, David Moro
- Phillies (14) - "But, to think that Ed Wade, the man who has spent the bulk of his time and energy as GM agonizing over the bullpen, the man who worships at the altar of the proven veteran, the man who traded FOR Mike Williams and his 6.27 ERA at the time of the deal, would even think of trading two guys like Wagner or Urbina is incredibly absurd. It'd be like asking a heroin addict to trade away his stash so he can get some decent food to eat. It would be the right thing to do, but he'll never do it." - The Good Phight, dajafi
- A's (23) - "Part of the reason we're both and not just buyers is in part because of the market situation we're in. But it's also healthy (to be both a buyer and seller). I don't see a change in that. We've always been involved in the deadline one way or the other. We will continue to be. But our goal is to be good here, year after year after year. So when you look on the field, you see Crosby and say, he's going to be here five years, player X is going to be here five years. We don't shoot for .500 here. We never have. We're not going to do that. Our goal is something we will attain and we're going to do it as quickly as we can. It's not this five-year rebuilding plan." - Athletics Nation, Billy Beane
- Brewers (19) - "For Jenkins. Simple, let 'er rip man, Let 'er rip. Growl at the pitcher then try to tear the skin off the ball. Take fastballs early in the count, don't get behind being too choosy, and when you do get behind don't change your swing. Take a quarter step back off the plate to protect the inside and swing like you know it's coming. Stop thinking so much. See the ball and hit it. You can't shoot an inside breaking ball to the opposite field, stop trying. Let the pitch dictate where you hit it. Also keep that bat speed up. At thirty years old you can't afford to let your bat speed slow down. That's going to hurt more than anything." - Brew Crew Ball, jacob
- Dodgers (21) - "J.D. Drew is playing hurt. Repeat. J.D. Drew is playing hurt. And he's 3 for 4 with four walks, and he's making running catches in center field. So for those commenters who decided Drew had no heart or leadership skills because he went from unable to pinch hit Sunday to 100 percent Monday, guess what. That's not what happened. According to the Daily News, with a day game today following a night game, Drew may need to rest again. Why? Because he has been playing hurt. Drew might not have been blessed with the greatest body tissue or most lively personality, but it's hard to conclude that the guy isn't here to play." - Dodger Thoughts, Jon Weisman
- Mariners (20) - "Today was just the latest in a series of duds, with Ryan Franklin getting himself in a heap of trouble early and the lineup unable to mount much of a rally against the streaking Joe Blanton. I'm not kidding when I say that Adrian Beltre's home run was the only remotely encouraging moment of the game; Franklin was bad, Villone didn't throw strikes, and - outside of the homer - the hitters combined for two singles and a walk while striking out seven times and hitting into a double play." - Lookout Landing, Jeff
- Astros (25) - "Home run number 20 for Ensberg; the third time this year Ensbeg has gone yard in back-to-back games, and the second time this year Biggio has. Can you believe Ensberg had two homers through May 4?" - Crawfish Boxes, rastronomicals
- Diamondbacks (24) - "If we're going to deal anyone on the club for bullpen help, I'd like to see it be Clark: he was only a one-year rental, and his value is unlikely ever to be higher than it is now. If Tracy goes, then we should be looking for something significant in return, that will help us in 2006 or beyond: either a good center-fielder (Cleveland's Grady Sizemore would be nice) or a starting pitcher." - AZ Snakepit, Jim McLennan
- Pirates (22) - One liner of the week: "No, screw it. Look, comparing Dave Littlefield's program to Billy Beane's is like comparing Sean Connery's 'Suck it, Trebek' character to Ken Jennings." - Bucs Dugout, Charlie.
- Reds (29) - "Dunn should be untradable unless the Reds are getting back at least one pitcher under the age of 25 who's already accomplished something at the major league level, plus a stud prospect or two. It's just not worth it to deal him otherwise." - Red Reporter, JD
- Devil Rays (28) - "The main point to be made from all this is that both Waechter and McClung showed promise in their professional careers, something Brazelton failed to do. Sure, that's mostly the DRO's fault for handling him so badly but the issue isn't who is to blame, it's whether or not we should be optimistic about McClung and Waechter but not Brazelton. I think the optimism for those two is justified, though it goes too far when it assumes they should be successful in the majors right now." - DRays Bay, Jim Wisinski
- Giants (26) - The other one-liner of the week: "After his one inning of defense, Brian Sabean would have sent Moonlight down to Fresno to deal with his insomnia, and then traded him for LaTroy Hawkins." - McCovey Chronicles, Kitspool
- Royals (27) - "Make it number eight in a row, as the Royals lose another tough game in Minnesota. Despite -- cough, cough -- not drawing a single walk, the Royals had about the best offensive night an offense of their type can have (10 singles, 3 doubles, 1 homer) and still lost. DeJesus and Berroa threw up an 0-9 effort at the top of the order, ruining a solid performance by just about everyone else in the lineup... Its nights like this one that make this team on 53-109 pace, and once again the scattered and humiliated Royals fan-base looks to Buddy Bell for answers. Not that he has them." - Royals Review, royalsreview
- Rockies (30) - "I think according to the Daily Southtown Jim Hendry is particularly upset by the Post constantly spilling Preston Wilson rumors when the deal isn't as close as the paper makes it out to be. I still feel that Preston's going to be gone soon, but really, I agree with Hendry that the Post's daily stream of gossip has turned me off of its coverage as well." - Purple Row, Rox Girl