Power Rankings: Here's hoping Orioles chose right role models
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| After their weekend sweep of the Red Sox, the Orioles (briefly) had the best record in baseball. (Getty Images) |
Remember when the AL East was the Yankees, Red Sox and everyone else? The Rays then thrust themselves into the mix in 2008 and the Blue Jays appeared poised to be better than "let's hope for third" this season. Now the Red Sox are in last place and the Yankees are fighting to stay out of fourth while both teams have serious pitching problems to varying degrees. So things are turned upside down from what was once the norm.
And the Orioles? The Baltimore "No one wants to work for Peter-Angelos" Orioles?
They were slated for last place by almost anyone paying attention before the season. They had over a dozen pitchers in spring training competing for the starting rotation and, no, it wasn't a sign of depth. At the time, it smelled more like desperation to find five guys worth rostering.
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And look at them now. The Orioles are 19-11. Now, we have to keep in mind the tale of the 2011 Indians. Through May 23, the Indians were 30-15. They had the best record in baseball and a seven-game lead over the Tigers. They would finish 80-82 and a whopping 15 games behind Detroit.
But can't we also note the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks? I remember people -- myself included -- laughing at how the D-Backs were a sure bet to finish last in the NL West. Instead, they went out and won the thing by eight games over the defending World Series champion. If you want an AL East example, those 2008 Rays were supposed to stop hanging around at some point. They would surely go away eventually, remember? Only they didn't. And they haven't since.
Thirty games is only 18.5 percent of the season. That's a small sample, but it isn't tiny. It cannot be ignored. It's time to give the Orioles respect in the topsy-turvy AL East. Because while they might be the 2011 Indians -- with a ridiculously good division, to boot -- it's possible they're the 2011 D-Backs or 2008 Rays.
Oh, while we're here: Ranking the AL East teams high up isn't East Coast bias. It is merit. Note their collective 51-35 record against everyone else. That's a .593 winning percentage, one that would see an individual team go 96-66 over the course of 162 games. Again, this is an entire division, not just the top teams.
Stats, comments and rankings are through Tuesday.
| Power Rankings | |||
| Current | Team | Previous | |
 | 1 | Rangers · Trends | 1 |
| Ignore that cushy lead over the Angels. When the two clubs get together this weekend for the first time in 2012, you know the Rangers want to crush them like nobody's business. Oh yeah: Josh Hamilton. Man, that was awesome. | |||
 | 2 | Cardinals · Trends | 4 |
| According to their run differential, they should be even better than 19-11. The offense is a juggernaut and that's with Lance Berkman on the DL and Allen Craig having only been around for a week. | |||
 | 3 | Rays · Trends | 2 |
| Saying they've lost three in a row because Evan Longoria is out would be like saying they didn't need Longoria after winning their first three without him. Let's see how this continues to develop throughout a tough road trip (two more in New York, three at Baltimore, two at Toronto). | |||
 | 4 | Braves · Trends | 7 |
| Good thing they fired their hitting coach after the collapse last September. That's obviously why the Braves are toward the top in the National League in most offensive categories. Only the Cardinals have scored more runs among NL teams. So, yeah, it's definitely the hitting coach change. That does it every time. | |||
 | 5 | Dodgers · Trends | 3 |
| Anyone paying attention to Ted Lilly yet? He's 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through five starts. And we better start giving him some love immediately, because a BABIP of .182 and FIP of 3.27 say a regression is coming. | |||
 | 6 | Orioles · Trends | 8 |
| So they got crushed twice by the Rangers. Who cares? That happens to lots of teams. And Tuesday night the hometown fans in attendance got to see history. Always take history, even when it's for the other team. | |||
 | 7 | Tigers · Trends | 5 |
| This is just about the time last season when Justin Verlander transformed from really good pitcher into pitching deity. Tuesday night was Verlander's seventh start of the season. After Verlander's seventh start in 2011, he went 22-2 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. | |||
 | 8 | Yankees · Trends | 9 |
| That was a rocky first save of the year for David Robertson, post-Mariano Rivera ACL tear, but he'll be just fine. | |||
 | 9 | Nationals · Trends | 11 |
| I hated seeing Jayson Werth go down like that, just as I always hate seeing guys fall with serious injuries. What I hated even more was the ignorant hate spewed toward him on message boards. Sure, he's overpaid, but why the hell would he turn that contract down? None of you would. I wouldn't. Quit hating. Er, unless you're hating the haters. That is acceptable. | |||
 | 10 | Indians · Trends | 17 |
| Countdown to Johnny Damon's 3,000th hit: 272. There has to be some place churning out prop-bet odds on who he'll be playing for when it happens. I have no doubt he's going to keep lingering around until it does. Maybe he can get it off Jamie Moyer in four years. With the help of some sign stealing, of course. | |||
 | 11 | Blue Jays · Trends | 10 |
| They just can't escape the blown save. After coughing up a ninth-inning lead that led to a Brandon Inge walk-off grand slam Tuesday night in Oakland, the Jays now have seven blown saves, second in baseball only to the Rockies. | |||
 | 12 | Reds · Trends | 13 |
| Aroldis Chapman's numbers are simply staggering. Five hits, four walks, zero runs and 25 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings? That is video-game absurdity. Good thing he's limited to the eighth inning. You would hate to use a guy that talented more than sparingly. | |||
 | 13 | Giants · Trends | 15 |
| That offense without Pablo Sandoval in the middle looks horrible. But here's the thing, if Tim Lincecum starts throwing like he can while Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito keep pitching the way they have this season, this team can survive until Sandoval comes back. It's a very tall order, sure, but it's doable. | |||
 | 14 | Marlins · Trends | 25 |
| Even in the midst of a three-ring circus, talent has a way of rising. Even with Heath Bell giving three games away they are 15-15. Keep your eyes on this group. They're plenty capable. | |||
 | 15 | Mets · Trends | 20 |
| That three-run homer by Jordany Valdespin on Monday was one of the feel-good moments of the season. Not only was it his first career hit in only his seventh at-bat, but it came off Jonathan Papelbon ... in Philly ... to break a tie in the 9th. Talk about endearing yourself to Mets fans. I especially enjoyed how he verbally coaxed the ball over the wall while running to first and then didn't try to hide his smile. ... Anyway, the Mets aren't higher because they've allowed 22 more runs than they've scored. You can't play .567 ball over the course of 162 games doing that. As I like to say, if you want to look at only record, go look at the standings. | |||
 | 16 | Phillies · Trends | 12 |
| Two straight gut punches at the hands of the Mets has to be pretty demoralizing. | |||
 | 17 | Diamondbacks · Trends | 6 |
| Just kind of scuffling along. They are 14-17. The good news? Their record last season through 31 games was 14-17 (they even dipped down to 15-22). So they know it's possible to get it together and confidence shouldn't be an issue. | |||
 | 18 | Athletics · Trends | 23 |
| Well look who has won five of six. They're just kind of quietly getting it done -- well, until Brandon Inge lowered the boom with a walk-off granny. That was about as subtle as Grant Balfour's entrance music (One by Metallica, which I love, especially for closer entrance music). | |||
 | 19 | White Sox · Trends | 14 |
| How is the roller coaster treating you so far, White Sox fans? Phil Humber's highs and lows are probably a good microcosm for how things have gone thus far. I will say I'm glad Adam Dunn is back to being Adam Dunn. Last season was painful and he's really fun to watch again. | |||
 | 20 | Red Sox · Trends | 16 |
| They're 4-10 at home and 8-7 on the road. Maybe they just like hearing Bobby Valentine get booed? | |||
 | 21 | Brewers · Trends | 18 |
| Things are pretty ominous when injuries have made your 6-7-8 hitters Lucroy-Ishikawa-Izturis. Or, really, any time Cesar Izturis is in your lineup. Sure, it produced eight runs and a victory, but how often is Izturis -- he of the career 64 OPS+ -- going to go 2 for 4 with a homer? On the other hand, Yovani Gallardo's good outing had to alleviate some fears. | |||
 | 22 | Astros · Trends | 26 |
| Young players going hard, veterans playing back to form, a plus-11 run differential and the most exciting 5-foot-5 player ever. This feels like a very lovable sub-.500 team for the locals. Embrace them, Houston. | |||
 | 23 | Pirates · Trends | 24 |
| Hey, Andrew McCutchen finally hit his first home run of the season! So did Rod Barajas!! Wait, what? We aren't doing that for everyone? OK, as you were ... | |||
 | 24 | Angels · Trends | 19 |
| Maybe they should fire the hitting coach? That's what turned the Braves around, right? It's not that professional hitters just started hitting and the fire-the-fall-guy junk is a total coincidence. Nah, couldn't be, that would make too much sense. Fire him already! | |||
 | 25 | Mariners · Trends | 22 |
| Kevin Millwood is still in the rotation. In other news, last year's No. 1 draft pick, Danny Hultzen, has a 2.35 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 34 strikeouts through 30 2/3 innings at Double-A. Prospect James Paxton is having a good year there, too, as well as 19-year-old Taijuan Walker (1.30 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 28 K in 27 2/3 innings). And Kevin Millwood is still in the big-league rotation. Patience, M's fans ... | |||
 | 26 | Cubs · Trends | 27 |
| They're actually not horrible -- 9-6 in their past 15 games. But there are just far too many flaws to escape the bottom five. They'll be here all season, in fact. | |||
 | 27 | Rockies · Trends | 21 |
| Closer Rafael Betancourt's father tweeted Tuesday night that he was worried about the long stretches of inactivity affecting his son's performance. I'm not kidding. | |||
 | 28 | Royals · Trends | 28 |
| Aside from that pesky 12-game losing streak, the Royals are 10-7. Our Time! | |||
 | 29 | Padres · Trends | 29 |
| The Mayans may have been right. After all, Jeff Suppan is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. Small sample? Coincidence? Nah, apocalypse is more likely. | |||
 | 30 | Twins · Trends | 30 |
| Before the start of last season, this was a model franchise, with six playoff appearances in nine years. Looking at the ineptitude of this current bunch, it's hard to fathom. | |||
