SoB MLB Power Rankings 8-03-10

By John in Featured, Now!, Opinion, Red Sox ⋅ August 3, 2010 at 1:50pm ⋅ Post a comment

Who would have thought Minnesota could have come back in the standings and our rankings so easily? (cindyrockney.com)

Just when you thought it was over, you get rebuked by teams that want back in. Minnesota is notably back in the race, and the Cardinals and Reds are still too close to call. Tampa and New York are tied, with the Rays getting the tiebreaker by virtue of leading the season series 6-5. Not counting the Rangers, the biggest division lead is 3.0 games.

The Yankees have finally dropped out of the top spot in favor of the upstart Rays. And the list has been pretty stable, with only one team dropping out. Four teams remained at their spot from last time, and save for a jump of six positions, the biggest movement was two slots.

As usual, teams get 10 points for a first place vote, then nine points for a second, and so on. Ties are broken based on who received the most first place votes, then the most second, and so on. The second tiebreaker is position in the previous rankings.

As a bonus, you also get our picks for who the Red Sox should go for on the waiver-wire trade market.

	John	KC	SoB Composite	Last Time	Comments
#1	Tampa Bay Rays	Tampa Bay Rays	(2) Tampa Bay Rays (20)	#2, up 1	KC – [They] beat the Yankees head to head thanks to their pitching.
#2	New York Yankees	New York Yankees	New York Yankees (18)	#1, down 1	KC – Despite being No. 2 here, the Yanks are probably still the best in the bigs.
#3	San Diego Padres	Texas Rangers	San Diego Padres (15)	#3, even	KC – Top-notch starting pitching and relief pitching, along with timely hitting, have the Pads still in first.
#4	San Francisco Giants	San Diego Padres	San Francisco Giants (13)	#10, up 6	John – A sweep over the rival Dodgers has the Giants surging ahead.
#5	Cincinnati Reds	San Francisco Giants	Texas Rangers (12)	#5, even	KC – All those trades have made the Rangers the clear top dog in the West.
#6	Minnesota Twins	Atlanta Braves	Atlanta Braves (7)	#4, down 2	John – Despite struggling recently, the Braves (now worse than the Giants) are still 3.0 games ahead of the Phillies.
#7	Texas Rangers	Chicago White Sox	Chicago White Sox (7)	#7, even	John – The White Sox have been picking up their game in response to Minnesota’s resurgence.
#8	Chicago White Sox	Boston Red Sox	Cincinnati Reds (6)	#8, even	John – Three wins in a row, and Cincinnati is still leading the Cardinals by just half a game.
#9	Atlanta Braves	St. Louis Cardinals	Minnesota Twins (6)	NR	John – A sudden gold rush has put the Twins back on our list and just 1.0 games behind Chicago.
#10	Philadelphia Phillies	Minnesota Twins	Boston Red Sox (3)	#9, down 1	KC – I bet my colleague John doesn’t think they’re top 10 material [editor's note: they're not], but look at their record against anyone other than the Yankees or Rays. Plus, the walking wounded are beginning to get healthier. Is it too late?
Others earning votes:			St. Louis Cardinals (2), Philadelphia Phillies (1)

Table Legend

A number in parentheses before a team name indicates the number of first place votes received.
A number in parentheses after a team name indicates total points received.

Who Should the Red Sox Trade For on the Waiver Wire?

John – Derrek Lee and Cody Ross

Even before Youkilis was hurt, and even more-so now, getting Lee would allow more options for the infield game until the Pedroia and co. all get back (Beltre has made WAY too many errors lately). Ross is a pretty good hitter that would stabilize the revolving door outfield and allow Pawtucket to remain stocked.

KC – Relievers

The Red Sox should acquire some sort of bullpen arm in a waiver wire deal. They probably won’t be able to get much, but I think they need to trade Mike Lowell in the process to kill two birds with one stone. Perhaps they can target one of the Blue Jays’ relievers?

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, MLB Power Rankings, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers