Power Rankings: After fishing for respect, Marlins earn kudos

Updated May 27

OK, we might have been slow to give the Marlins their due this season. But before the stubborn backtrack on their great start, and subjecting the e-mail server to thousands of "I told you so's," we have to say this: Their fans give the first-place Fish little credit either.

Andrew Miller has turned it around in his first season in Florida after an atrocious April. (AP)

The listed attendance for a doubleheader sweep Sunday was just 14,674. South Florida shouldn't be a small market, folks.

That near-15K is about the number of e-mails we have received for our far-too-low ranking of the Fish in the Power Rankings. The Marlins hadn't cracked the top 10 yet, ranking no higher than 13 two weeks ago.

So here is our form of a retraction. All 15,000 of the Marlins' fans reading will be so very pleased.

We turn heel because of a simple statistical revelation, if not an anomaly.

We have ripped their starting rotation for being far less than championship-caliber. But a top-10 offense and top-five bullpen have managed to hide that wart. The Marlins rotation is a respectable 20-14, a .588 winning percentage.

Only the Diamondbacks (27-13, .675), Cardinals (22-11, .667), Angels (26-14, .650), Red Sox (24-13, .649), Cubs (22-12, .647) and Rays (23-13, .639) have gotten better winning percentages from their starters. All these teams currently reside in the top 10 of the CBSSports.com Power Rankings.

The kicker is that the Marlins' rotation ERA is almost a run higher than all those elite teams. Their rotation is still in the bottom five of baseball at 4.91, but it is improving.

Mark Hendrickson (7-2, 4.14) no longer looks like the worst opening-day starter in baseball, although he arguably was on opening day. De facto ace Scott Olsen is always a poor disposition from a team-enforced suspension, but the third-year starting pitcher breakout candidate is pacing the staff with a 3.38 ERA.

Most important, the young arms have turned it around in May. Ricky Nolasco went 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA in April before flipping the switch to the tune of 3-1, 4.28 in May.

Elite prospect Andrew Miller's splits are much more pronounced. Miller was disturbingly bad last month (1-2, 9.12 ERA, .417 batting-average against), but he has turned it completely around in May: 3-1, 1.44, .178.

At the back end, Burke Badenhop -- one of the pieces received in the Dontrelle Willis-Miguel Cabrera blockbuster -- has been more suspect than prospect, going 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA and perhaps punching his ticket back to Double-A. That is where former No. 5 starter Rick VandenHurk was dispatched after posting his 11.81 ERA.

You can see why we were skeptical.

It hasn't kept them from winning, and winning often, though. So let's move the Marlins on up. Heck, No. 6 overall sounds reasonable. We have stubbornly kept them out of the top 10 for too long.

They can mash, get leads even with that so-so rotation and hold you down in relief. The Marlins have the fifth-best bullpen ERA in baseball at (3.12). Only the Phillies (2.78), Dodgers (2.91), Blue Jays (2.94) and Athletics (3.10) are better in relief to date.

Also, only the Phillies have hit more homers (77) than the Marlins (71) -- and thirty of the Marlins' 50 games have come at Dolphin Stadium, which has been widely regarded as one of the better pitching parks in baseball and a tough place to homer.

Most of the recent power punch has come from 5-foot-11, 200-pound mighty mite Dan Uggla. (Generous measurements; he is more like 5-9.) Uggla has more homers this month than anyone in baseball with 12.

The Marlins came into the week with the most homers in baseball this month (35). But this upcoming stretch is where we get a real idea of whether they can actually slug their way to winning the rugged NL East.

Since the beginning of the wild-card format in 1995, 64.6 percent of teams in first place on Memorial Day have made the postseason.

The Marlins began a 12-day, 11-game road trip to face the three teams that can keep them from the division title -- New York Mets for three, a day off, three in Philadelphia and finally four in Atlanta. If they return home with as many as six victories over that span, they have to be considered a sure-fire favorite.

And, if that happens ... go watch a game before October this time, will ya, South Florida? Or else there might not be an October.

The complete Power Rankings:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Yankees · Trends	1
	Season in seven words:: "Bravehearted children of destiny succeed once anew." ... Hero: Derek Jeter, who somehow overcame the dearth of talent around him and a socially crippling fade haircut ... Loserhead: Is Chien-Ming Wang still alive? ... Key need: A hitter to replace the maybe-soon-to-depart Johnny Damon and totally-gone-thanks-for-the-memories Hideki Matsui, preferably one whose outfield arm is superior to Damon's shotput ... Prognosis: It's all good, unless they're not playing come next Wednesday.
	2	Angels · Trends	2
	Season in seven words: "No, really, we totally accept walks now." ... Hero: Mike Scioscia kept them even-keeled amid bona-fide tragedy and an early plague of injuries ... Loserhead: The bullpen was uncharacteristically weak in '09. Let's single out Jose Arredondo, whose control never emerged from the realm of the hypothetical ... Key need: A thumpy middle-of-the-order bat to replace Vlad Guerrero. Scott Boras has season tix here and he represents Matt Holliday. I smell a love connection ... Prognosis: As steady as they come.
	3	Red Sox · Trends	3
	Season in seven words: "The sky is falling, or maybe not." ... Hero: Kevin Youkilis. Enough has been said here and elsewhere about his sublime approach at the plate, so I'll just wonder aloud whether his anvil of a skull weighs more or less than most Olympic gymnasts ... Loserhead: Jason Varitek. Smartly unsentimental Red Sox fans shed few tears when Pedro Martinez was exiled in 2004, yet they continue to believe that Captain Eyeblack will somehow remember how to hit, throw and call a game when the playoffs come 'round. This is sad for everyone involved, except teams playing the Red Sox on days when Varitek is in the starting lineup ... Key need: Someday, somehow, the Red Sox will solve the conundrum of a riddle that is the position of shortstop ... Prognosis: They've got forward-thinking leadership on the field and off. There's no better-run franchise in baseball and they'll contend for years to come. It hurt my stomach to type that.
	4	Phillies · Trends	6
	Season in seven words: "Did you hear? They won in '08!" ... Hero: Chase Utley faded hard in the season's last month, but he remains criminally underrated. How has this guy not popped up in an unfunny Subway commercial by now? ... Loserhead: Brad Lidge narrowly edges out Charlie Manuel, the manager who continues to enable him. At some point, it's going to dawn on Cholly that what happened in 2008 is not relevant to 2009 ... Key need: To reverse the aging process so that they can wring another title run out of the Howard/Utley/Rollins/Werth/Victorino core ... Prognosis: Players age fast now that the game has outlawed supervitamins and wonderpills. Be wary.
	5	Dodgers · Trends	4
	Season in seven words: "They won in spite of themselves, no?" ... Hero: Matt Kemp would've put up even more serious numbers had Joe Torre realized before August that it's legal to bat an under-31 player higher than sixth ... Loserhead: Russell Martin notched a more Ausmusian OPS (.680) than Brad himself (.712) ... Key need: None, really. There's depth here and there's young talent. Now it's just a matter of weaning themselves off the Casey Blakes of the world ... Prognosis: They're the only team in the NL West with limitless resources. That bodes well for the years ahead.
	6	Cardinals · Trends	5
	Season in seven words: "Elite starting pitching is a powerful deodorant." ... Hero: Albert Pujols proved proficient at many baseball-related activities ... Loserhead: Rick Ankiel didn't exactly seize centerfield by the horns in his free-agent walk year. His dramatic story won't have a Natural ending -- especially if the 2010 chapter is set in Pittsburgh, as many pundits expect it to be ... Key need: A month from now, they might have to replace the game's best manager and pitching coach, along with an A-list outfielder. Remove La Russa, Duncan and Holliday from this organization, and this becomes a mess in a hurry. Did I mention that Albert Pujols' contract is up after 2010? ... Prognosis: Way too many moving parts here.
	7	Rockies · Trends	8
	Season in seven words: "Change the manager, save the 2009 season." ... Hero: I had the opportunity to acquire Troy Tulowitzki for Jimmy Rollins in one of my high-stakes roto leagues. I did not avail myself of this opportunity. I am not -- how do you say? -- smart ... Loserhead: Jason Marquis, because his mirage of an All-Star first half has somehow hypnotized the team into believing he's a legit option for a playoff rotation. Mark my words: if Marquis goes up against the Phillies in the NLDS, there will be carnage -- like, eight-runs-in-three-innings carnage ... Key need: Somebody to bop Jim Tracy on the head if he contemplates using Yorvit Torrealba instead of Chris Iannetta this week. Also, more live arms for the 'pen ... Prognosis: Surprisingly sunny. It took them a while, but the Rockies figured out that the key to assembling a winning team at Coors Field is defense. Who knew?
	8	Rangers · Trends	9
	Season in seven words: "More like the Spurs than the Cowboys." ... Hero: Pitching coach Mike Maddux. Scott "Who?" Feldman and Kevin "Him?" Millwood combined for 30 wins and plenty of innings, plus nearly every pitcher in the bullpen pitched like nobody was watching ... Loserhead: There are many things about 2009 that Josh Hamilton probably wishes had gone differently ... Key need: Well, another starter or two. But also to manage expectations, as most Ranger fans are primed for a World Series run in 2010. Last year's Rays notwithstanding, young acorns don't become mighty oaks overnight ... Prognosis: They're gonna build something next summer.
	9	Braves · Trends	7
	Season in seven words: "They should've started trying before late August." ... Hero: Javier Vazquez, even if he has been left out of the Lincecum/Carpenter/Wainwright Cy Young conversation ... Loserhead: It's unfair to assign Chipper the goat horns, as he easily outproduced the third basemen on three of the four NL playoff teams. But the bottom line is this: Had he even approached his 2008 level, the Braves are still playing this week ... Key need: Capable outfield cornermen, plus a Miyagi-like mentor to ease the transition for turboprospect Jason Heyward ... Prognosis: NL East favorites for Bobby Cox's 2010 swan song.
	10	Rays · Trends	13
	Season in seven words: "I still can't accept that they tanked." ... Hero: Heading into 2009, Ben Zobrist's career OPS in 530 plate appearances was .650. In 2009, his OPS was .948. There is nothing suspicious about this ... Loserhead: B.J. Upton wasn't the team's worst offender by a longshot, but his combination of low effort and high self-regard rendered him one of the game's most annoying guys to watch ... Key need: Money to get Carl Crawford's name on a long-term contract ... Prognosis: Windows to win slam shut awful fast nowadays.
	11	Twins · Trends	11
	Season in seven words: "In another division, a sub-.500 team." ... Hero: Joe Mauer, a most deserving MVP no matter how many Kardashians he impregnates and autographs he refuses to sign for lupus-stricken orphans ... Loserhead: By the end of the day, it is entirely possible that a team which bestowed 435 plate appearances on the talent-free Nick Punto will be in the playoffs. Let's just get it over with and legally change his surname to "Bunt-o" ... Key need: Some production from the infield positions not manned by Justin Morneau, and the stealth implantation into Carlos Gomez's neck of a device that administers a painful jolt of electricity whenever he swings at a pitch 18 inches outside the strike zone ... Prognosis: More warm decency and happy OK-ness, but this time in a facility designed for baseball rather than trade shows and monster-truck rallies.
	12	Giants · Trends	10
	Season in seven words: "88 wins with one functional hitter. Wow." ... Hero: Here's why my nonexistent Cy Young vote goes to Tim Lincecum: more innings than Carpenter, more bats missed than Wainwright ... Loserhead: Aaron Rowand can't hit and has slipped defensively to the point where he doesn't cover centerfield so much as keep it company ... Key need: Hitters that can hit. In an ideal world, they'd replace no fewer than six 2009 regulars ... Prognosis:: Buster Posey will upgrade the Molina-free lineup. Alas, with Bruce Bochy still captaining the ship, expect more batting-order bingo and strategic choices that defy both common sense and international law.
	13	Cubs · Trends	12
	Season in seven words: "Why? Because they're the Cubs, that's why." ... Hero: Hey, I thought Derrek Lee was cooked, too. That's why they play the games! Or something! ... Loserhead: Now Alfonso Soriano is no longer useful for Fantasy purposes, either. Enjoy the next five years of his career, Cubs fans ... Key need: For all the teeth-gnashing over Carlos "the fat one" Zambrano and Rich "the frail one" Harden, the pitching wasn't all that terrible. It was on the bases and in the field that this team looked slow and old. Also, they should probably get rid of Milton Bradley before he firebombs Lou Piniella's Camaro ... Prognosis: On hold until the ownership situation gets sorted.
	14	Marlins · Trends	15
	Season in seven words: "A team after our low-budgeted hearts." ... Hero: Hanley Ramirez does everything really, really well -- or so it appears to us mere mortals. Hulk-smash slugger Dan Uggla would like to see more in the way of dirt-chewing and fist-bumping before anointing him a star ... Loserhead: If the window is open, it's probably because Matt Lindstrom couldn't close it. Hoy-o! ... Key need: It'd sure make sense to keep Nick Johnson around on a short-term deal, though good luck finding a board-certified physician willing to wave him through on the pre-contract physical ... Prognosis: Blithely and cheaply competent.
	15	Tigers · Trends	14
	Season in seven words: "Make it end already. Make it end!" ... Hero: Miguel Cabrera: Imagine what he could do if he actually gave a crap ... Loserhead: Jarrod Washburn in Tigers burnt-orange/black: 7.33 ERA, 51 hits and 12 homers allowed in 43 innings ... Key need: Someone who can reliably set hitters down in the eighth and ninth innings, plus non-gimpsters at third base and the outfield corners ... Prognosis: Regardless of how they do tonight, the bottom's about to fall out.
	16	Mariners · Trends	16
	Season in seven words: "Better than expected, but still not good." ... Hero: Rookie GM Jack "The Typo" Zduriencik smartly realized that he could only improve the everyday lineup so much, so he focused on defense. At least that kept them competitive ... Loserhead: No pitcher who finished the year with the team besides King Felix threw 100 innings, much less 200. Hard to say if this is an organizational failure or just a bunch of personal ones ... Key need: The Mariners play with a DH and yet they were outscored in 2009 by all but two National League teams. So you tell me ... Prognosis: A step back before they start moving forward.
	17	White Sox · Trends	21
	Season in seven words: "We're competing! We're bailing! We're competing! Etc." ... Hero: There were no real world-beaters here, so bully to the trio of Mark Buehrle, Jon Danks and Gavin Floyd, who combined for more than 600 above-average innings ... Loserhead: Again, nobody really stunk up the joint that badly. Even perennial Power Rankings punching bag Scotty Podsednik exceeded expectations ... Key need: A few chill pills for GM Ken Williams, who's more hyperactive personnel-wise than anyone with whom I've ever been in a rotisserie league. The quick-fix approach can't be sustained for long ... Prognosis: They'll need to add a few hitters, but the Peavy/Buehrle/Danks/Floyd rotation alone makes them the early 2010 favorite in the AL Central.
	18	Blue Jays · Trends	20
	Season in seven words: "Start fast, end slow, go home. Repeat." ... Hero: Roy Halladay remains a rock, but Adam Lind was one of the big-boy league's six or seven best hitters and Aaron Hill wasn't too far behind ... Loserhead: Vernon Wells lapped Barry Zito as the game's worst contract. Even though he took responsibility for his non-performance -- "nobody has stunk worse than I have," etc. -- that ain't enough to prompt Jays fans to give him a mulligan for the past two seasons ... Key need: A serious bounty in the inevitable Halladay deal. It wouldn't be a bad idea to quell the anti-Cito sentiment before it explodes into full-fledged mutiny, either ... Prognosis: Screwed by geography.
	19	Athletics · Trends	17
	Season in seven words: "Interesting as a case study, not a team." ... Hero: Nobody on this team was especially great or terrible. Viva La Collective! ... Loserhead: Ditto ... . Key need: Hitting, especially in the outfield. Of the regulars, only Matt Holliday slugged over .430 before he was traded -- and that was widely perceived as a massive letdown ... Prognosis: A duel with the Rangers to see which stocked minor-league system achieves big league glory first.
	20	Brewers · Trends	18
	Season in seven words: "It is difficult to win without pitching." ... Hero: Prince Fielder (.299/.412/.602) answered every question one might've had, even the ones about his attitude and half-assed veganism ... Loserhead: GM Doug Melvin kept saying, "Relax, y'all, there'll be a pitcher in that thar dugout just lickety-split." Well, he would have said that if he spoke in hayseed slang. Either way, he sent the Brewers into battle unarmed ... Key need: Pitching pitching pitching, and the just-announced Trevor Hoffman re-up doesn't count. No matter how rosy his numbers looked in 2009, Hoffman is an accident waiting to happen at age 42 ... Prognosis: They can't get a pitcher without trading a hitter like Fielder; they can't trade a hitter like Fielder without gutting their offense. I believe this is referred to as a catch-22.
	21	Reds · Trends	22
	Season in seven words: "Dull and mediocre: A truly winning combination." ... Hero: Too bad they didn't get a full season out of Joey Votto ... Loserhead: I find Willy Taveras' play more offensive than sign-stealing and post-homer posing combined ... Key need: Purging the roster of slappy, impatient hitters like Taveras and Paul Janish, who Dusty just can't help but pencil into the batting order's first two slots ... Prognosis: Despite the OK core -- Bruce, Votto, Phillips, Stubbs, Bailey, Cueto -- they're not all that close. The sooner they secure a restraining order that keeps Dusty Baker at least 100 yards away from Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto, the better.
	22	Padres · Trends	19
	Season in seven words: "Borderline triumphant, given the talent on hand." ... Hero: Adrian Gonzalez. Just think of the numbers he would put up if he played his home games in a wisp of a ballpark like the new Yankee Stadium ... Loserhead: New owner guy Jeff Moorad, or whatever jackass was responsible for firing GM Kevin Towers. Listen, when I get around to buying a team, I plan on hiring "my own guys," too: there will be key administrative roles for Eddie Van Halen and Snuffleupagus, among others. That said, I don't get why the Padres discarded Towers like a soiled napkin. He did all the heavy lifting that will allow the team to turn things around fast -- shedding most of the big contracts, handling the Trevor Hoffman divorce -- and this is the thanks he gets? Baseball is a mean sport sometimes ... Key needs: Everything except a first baseman, basically ... Prognosis: Once they deal Heath Bell, the rebuilding begins in earnest.
	23	Diamondbacks · Trends	23
	Season in seven words: "Young players ripen less predictably than apples." ... Hero: Dan Haren, just for doing his job and refraining from going postal on his teammates for not doing theirs ... Loserhead: There had to be something going on with Chris Young that we don't know about (a health/family issue?), because he played with almost deliberate apathy until way late in the year ... Key need: More of a tough-love organizational approach. Pound the players on the head and scream "be more better! be more better!" if need be ... Prognosis: There's talent here. There was talent here at the start of 2008 and 2009, too.
	24	Mets · Trends	24
	Season in seven words: "Your foot's either broken, bruised or healthy." ... Hero: Any fan who watched more than 12 innings total in September ... Loserhead: Take your pick: the what-me-worry? manager, the newly castrated GM, the comically klutzy players, the in-denial owners ... Key needs: A team physician who can diagnose physical maladies with some degree of confidence, a third-base coach whose stay/go decisions don't make fans wonder if he's betting on the opposition and a Luis Castillo exorcism ... Prognosis: Organizations that enjoyed a far more successful 2009 remain jealous of the Santana/Wright/Beltran/Reyes core. Everybody here oughta take a few deep breaths before making any rash decisions.
	25	Royals · Trends	25
	Season in seven words: "Dayton Moore was rewarded for creating this?" ... Hero: I checked out 25 of their games this season strictly to see Zack Greinke. It was worth it ... Loserhead: Mike Jacobs started more than 100 games at designated hitter, despite a .228/.297/.401 line. Jaywalking is a crime, but apparently this is legal ... Key need: To rid themselves of Jacobs, Kyle Farnsworth, Jose Guillen, Willie Bloomquist, Brian Bannister (sorry) and especially Yuniesky Betancourt. Hire assassins if you have to. Also, the team might as well start laying the groundwork for the inevitable Greinke trade ... Prognosis: I am very, very relieved that I root for an organization other than the Royals.
	26	Astros · Trends	26
	Season in seven words: "Dumb decisions executed dumbly by dumb people." ... Hero: Lance Berkman slugged .509 in what was perceived to be a down season for him. He has set the bar way high ... Loserhead: According to one rumor making the rounds, players were so baffled by Cecil Cooper's every move that they took to wearing "Really?" T-shirts under their uniforms ... Key need: An organizational purge. At least the franchises ranked below them here have a player or three to build around; the Astros have exactly zero elite prospects on the way up and are committed to paying $50 million in 2010 to the troika of Berkman, Roy Oswalt and Carlos Lee. Good luck ... Prognosis: Negative.
	27	Indians · Trends	27
	Season in seven words: "You can only trade so many Cys." ... Hero: Shin-Soo Choo finally figured out how to hit lefties a little bit. Watch out, league ... Loserhead: GM Mark Shapiro, as much as all of us writer types love the guy. How hard can it be to assemble a marginal relief corps? Even the Nationals managed to accomplish this in the season's second half ... Key need: Just a little patience. Yeah, yeah ... Prognosis: How many times must a team rebuild before they admit they might be going about their business ineffectively? That's not a Blowin' in the Wind-type rhetorical query. I'm genuinely curious.
	28	Orioles · Trends	28
	Season in seven words: "Shouldn't the resurgence have started by now?" ... Hero: Brian Roberts is a nice guy who goes about his business every day in a professional manner. On this team, that makes him a golden God ... Loserhead: The Orioles were everyone's pick for "team you don't want to play in September," then they proceeded to notch a 24-50 second-half record. How, precisely, does manager Dave Trembley escape responsibility for this? ... Key need: For Matusz, Tillman and the rest to approximate the Smoltz/Glavine/Avery learning curve ... Prognosis: There's reason to be optimistic for the first time in a long time.
	29	Nationals · Trends	30
	Season in seven words: "A joke that's not quite funny. Again." ... Hero: The Rays wouldn't deal Evan Longoria straight up for Ryan Zimmerman, but they wouldn't laugh at the offer ... Loserhead: There's not enough space in this column. Hell, there's not enough space on the Internet ... Key need: Credibility in the wake of the Bowden fiasco and several seasons of meandering effort. Bring in Bobby Valentine. Just do it ... Prognosis: Waiting on Strasburg.
	30	Pirates · Trends	29
	Season in seven words: "Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad" ... Hero: Nobody ... Loserhead: Everybody ... Key need: Able players ... Prognosis: Bad.