All-Star Break Power Rankings

Yes, I know the All-Star break is officially over, but here are the power rankings dating to the beginning of the week.

1. Philadelphia Phillies - All of the pitchers are hot, and despite having a mediocre offense, the Phils were able to take advantage of a relatively weak interleague schedule (including Toronto, Oakland, and Seattle) and finished the 1st half with a convincing series win against close division rival Atlanta.

2. Boston Red Sox - Victors of 6 in a row and 10 of the last 11, Boston has leap-frogged New York and taken over the top spot in the tough AL East and owns the best offense in the league.

3. New York Yankees - Still riding the high of Jeter's 3000th hit, the Yankees are in for a long race with the Red Sox. They will miss A-Rod for the next few weeks, as he got his knee scoped over the break and will be out for about a month.

4. Atlanta Braves - Although playing about as well as anybody, the Braves find themselves 3.5 games back in the NL East. They own the second best (only to the Phils) pitching staff in the NL. The road ahead is difficult, with series upcoming against the second-half-strong-Rockies and the upstart Pirates.

5. Texas Rangers - The Rangers have won 7 in a row and are the hottest team in baseball. Everyone is healthy, but all eyes are on the bullpen, as the shakiness of the middle relievers has prevented Texas from pulling away in the AL West thus far.

6. Los Angeles Angels - Despite a slow start, the Angels have been keeping pace with the first-place Rangers. The tandem of Weaver and Haren has proven to be quite formidable, but as the hitting gets hotter, this team looks near unstoppable. A home series with the Rangers next week will be quite telling.

7. San Francisco Giants - The World Series champs are still dealing with a bit of inconsistency from their pitching staff, yet still lead the NL West by a healthy 3 games over surprising Arizona. Hopefully the return of Pablo Sandoval will prove useful for their cellar-dwelling offense.

8. Tampa Bay Rays - Playing in the loaded AL East is nothing new to the Rays, but they are barely keeping afloat in this division that has so far been dominated by the Red Sox and Yankees. If the Rays want to nab a playoff spot, they need to make a run, and there would be no better way to do that than by taking a few from the Red Sox at home out of the break.

9. Milwaukee Brewers - With the addition of Francisco Rodriguez, Milwaukee's bullpen is solid. Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder have been providing their usual offensive pop, but having Ryan Braun back would really help this team separate from St. Louis.

10. St. Louis Cardinals - In a first place tie with the Brewers at the Break, the Cardinals own the 2nd-best offense in the National League. If Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and Albert Pujols can all get hot at the same time, it is doubtful that anyone else in this tight division will be able to keep up.

11. Detroit Tigers - The Tigers are in a tight race with the Indians (and to some extent, the White Sox as well) atop the AL Central with Cy Young frontrunner Justin Verlander leading the way. The offense is alright, but the team is going to need better production out of starters Brad Penny, Rick Porcello, and Phil Coke if the Tigers are to take total control.

12. Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs are surprisingly high on this list, managing to keep afloat in the fairly mediocre NL West. Getting the team ERA down in the second half will go a long way towards keeping pace with the Giants and holding off the inevitable second-half surge by the Rockies.

13. Cleveland Indians - Nick's brother should be happy the Indians are even this high. The Indians have a high-powered offense led by Travis Hafner and Asdrubal Cabrera is good for a Web Gem each night. In order for this team to stand a chance, though, Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona absolutely have to get back to their former selves.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates - THE biggest surprise of the season thus far, Pittsburgh actually sits right in the middle of the NL Central race! Former Texas Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle has this team steered in the right direction and the pitching staff is high-powered with Joel Hanrahan perfect in closing situations.

15. Cincinnati Reds - A bit disappointing so far, the Reds are mired in the 4-horse race in the NL Central. The pitching has been awfully subpar, and the mediocrity of Aroldis Chapman, Bronson Arroyo, along with the recent struggles of closer Francisco Cordero are cause for great concern.

16. Chicago White Sox - The White Sox are a tough team to figure out. At stretches, their offense looks great, but it has been largely inconsistent thus far. If Adam Dunn can finally figure out the American League, look for the White Sox to make a run.

17. Washington Nationals - The Washington Nationals have been the most entertaining team to watch this year. This team is very young, and studs like Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa give Nats fans great cause for optimism for the future. If Bryce Harper is called up this season, the Nationals will have a very formidable hitting line-up.

18. New York Mets - How are the Mets this high on the list? Simple explanation: If not for Jose Reyes, this team would be twice as far back in the NL East as they are right now. On the laundry list of serious problems: The absence of David Wright, Carlos Beltran on the trading block, and Francisco Rodriguez has left a massive void in the closing role.

19. Toronto Blue Jays - It's awfully sad that Toronto has to play in the AL East, because if they got to play in any other division, they would be competing for a division title. But, alas, they are barely above .500 and may be sellers at the trade deadline. Jose Bautista's injury could only bury this team further in the cellar.

20. Colorado Rockies - The Rockies are #20 here, but they won't be for long. The inevitable late-season push will come from the Rockies. They have multiple series against bottom-dwellers San Diego and Los Angeles, but the high-powered offense will have to show up when it matters most, in the 6 out of their final 12 games of the season that are against the San Francisco Giants.

21. Seattle Mariners - On most teams, the rotation of Hernandez, Vargas, Pineda, Fister, and Bedard would be enough to help a team run away with a division title. On the Mariners, though, these fine talents are doomed to mediocrity as the Mariners couldn't hit the water if they dove into the neighboring Pacific Ocean.

22. Florida Marlins - The Marlins are coming off a nearly-historical June (in a bad way) and have shown some signs of improvement. Geriatric Manager Jack McKeon has gotten this team a bit more disciplined, now if only they could get Josh Johnson off the DL!

23. Minnesota Twins - A huge disappointment thus far, the Twins were my pre-season pick to take the AL Central (and rather easily too). The Twins were hot in June, and have actually found a way back into the division race, sitting a seemingly-manageable 6.5 games back.

24. San Diego Padres - The Friars are last in the NL in hitting (what else is new?) and it doesn't appear as if the Padres will have to worry about choking away the division lead this September.

25. Los Angeles Dodgers - With names like James Loney, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, and Clayton Kershaw, you'd expect the Dodgers to be fighting for the top spot in the NL West. The problem? I wouldn't wanna play either if I knew I wasn't going to get paid.

26. Oakland Athletics - Despite great attempts to top them, Oakland's futility at the plate does not top Seattle's, but is certainly comparable. Dallas Braden is on the DL, and losing 13 out of 14 in June has all but eliminated the A's from contention.

27. Baltimore Orioles - Not even the formerly-consistent Jeremy Guthrie can save the Orioles from yet another season in last place in the AL East. The trade for slugger Mark Reynolds is showing mixed results, as he is great when he makes contact, but looks to lead the league in strikeouts once again.

28. Kansas City Royals - Kansas City has the 2nd-worst pitching staff in the American League and is absolutely anemic on the road. Jeff Francis has also been well below expectations. Good news is that Joakim Soria has finally figured it out in the closing role.

29. Chicago Cubs - The Cubs may be 7 games ahead of the Astros, but they sure look a lot worse. Carlos Marmol can't hit the strike zone to save his life and Alfonso Soriano has disappeared. Cubs fans should now insert the tape of the 2003 NLCS and proceed to beat their heads against the wall.

30. Houston Astros - Sporting the worst record in baseball (by a wide margin), the Astros need to make some major changes. How's that "Brett Myers for Roy Oswalt" trade lookin about now 'Stros management?