Article:MLB Powerless Rankings (4/17/08)

We all know and love (or possibly hate) the phenomenon known as Power Rankings. They provide just about anyone an opportunity to give their opinion on who the best teams are each week in any given league. But don’t we owe it to ourselves to know who the bad teams are as well? Sport Crack is proud to present a new weekly feature: The Powerless Rankings!

Rankings are done in reverse order, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the fifth worse… as if I needed to tell you. Rankings are also done on how the team is performing thus far with little to no regard of how they should be doing (I‘m looking at you Detroit). This is so the rankings will not be biased on previous years performance and will just be focused on the here and now. Oh, and please feel free to disagree vehemently in the comments. Thank you.

5. Detroit Tigers (5-10, LW: 1) - As the entire universe predicted, the Tigers are finally getting into a groove offensively. They’ve won three straight games and don’t seem to be slowing down. They are still in the bottom five teams in the league though, so there isn’t much reason to get excited if you’re a Tigers fan other than them showing that they are not a complete and utter bust (which is always a good thing). They have a game tonight against the struggling Indians followed by a four game set with a strong Blue Jays team, in Toronto.

Prognosis: They’ve won four of their last six games and are coming off a Wednesday night shellacking of the Indians in which they scored 13 runs (9 of which came off of C.C. Sabathia). I’m going to go on a huge limb here and say that the Tigers have finally arrived for the 2008 baseball season. And by limb I mean stating the obvious that everyone has been waiting for the last three weeks.

4. San Francisco Giants (6-10, LW: 5) - Ah, the San Francisco Giants -- the team that invokes absolutely no emotion in me whatsoever. Is it because they don’t have Barry Bonds? Maybe. Is it because they aren’t that relevant a team on paper? Perhaps. Is it because they have been playing like shit the whole season? Yes! The front office best thank the heavens they have the pitching staff that they do because without it they could very well lose an obscene amount of games. Okay, so maybe they’re pitching evokes some emotion in me but that’s it.

Prognosis: Much like last week, they need to get some offense going. Or at least get enough offense going so that when one of their starting pitchers has a fantastic game, they can at least score enough runs to squeak out a run.

3. Atlanta Braves (5-9, LW: NR) - As much as I’d love to not include the Braves and think they are going to have a great season, I must stand by my promise to rank on performance alone. Because of this, I had to include them in one of the bottom five teams in the league -- at least at this point in time. They’ve dropped six of their last eight games and have the Dodgers coming to town for a three game set.

Prognosis: They need to get their ass and gear and play like their potential says they should.

2. Cleveland Indians (5-10, LW: NR) - Besides the Tigers rough start, the Indians easily have to be the next most surprising team off to such a bad start. Even more surprising? Defending A.L. Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia’s start: 0-3, 13.50 E.R.A., 14 BB. Are you kidding me? Maybe he’s just pissed they signed Carmona to an extension and not him -- which was a curious move but is looking like a smart one.

Prognosis: Barring something going on behind the scenes that we’re not aware of, expect the Indians and Sabathia to get back into 2007 form. Or at least close to it.

1. Washington Nationals (4-11, LW: 2) - It’s beginning to look like the resurgence the Nationals had upon moving to Washington was just a smoke screen. They’re playing just like the Montreal Expos of yore. It also does not help at all that they play in the NL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball -- perhaps the toughest from top to bottom. Prognosis: With the Mets coming into town tonight and a three game set with the first place Marlins, don’t expect too much of a turnaround just yet.